Plant Based Strength Salad And My Vegan Challenge

Hi guys!  Food prepping day!  I made some salads and this recipe for the week, and later I'm going to make a couple of batches of overnight oats.  We always have a couple of bars on hand, so I don't have to worry about snacks, although sometimes I like to have yogurt parfaits as my snacks (made with coconut or soy yogurt).  See more about those on my Packed Lunches page.

Before I share this recipe, I want to share a protein-packed meal that I had the other day after a workout:

• 1 cup soy beans
• 1 cup spinach
• Chopped peppers
• 1 Boca Burger
• Homemade Dressing

This vegan, easy meal contained about 25 grams of protein.  Muscles in repair success!  Of course, trying to become super ripped is my one and only dream as a 13 year old girl (flex).

"How do you get your protein?"  As an adolescent female, that meal contained half my protein for the day.  Yes, I kind of cheated and ate a vegan soy burger, but honestly I just like the way the taste and we have a ton of them from Costco.  Obviously there are easier ways to get protein.  I eat about 7 meals/ snacks a day and even if they only include 10 grams of protein each, I would be getting 70 grams of protein while I only need about 50-60 grams.  The American thought of "I need to eat meat so I can get protein" is wrong.  There are many vegan/ vegetarian ways to get protein.  Here are some of my favorite sources of plant-based protein:

• Avocado:  1 avocado has 3 grams
• Tofu:  1 cup has 22 grams
• Tempeh:  1 cup has 30 grams
• Beans:  1 cup has 13-15 grams
• Chickpeas:  1 cup has 14.5 grams
• Nut butter:  2 Tbsp has 8-9 grams
• Soy milk:  1 cup has 7-12 grams
• Quinoa:  1 cup has 9 grams
• Wheatberries:  1 cup has 12 grams
• Oatmeal:  1 cup has 6 grams :)

Here's a salad recipe I have for you that have beans (20 grams), wheat berries (15 grams), peppers (1 1/2 gram), pistachios (7 grams for 1/3 cup), raisins (1 1/2 grams for 1/3 cup), and lemon (about 2 grams for 1/2 lemon).  That means in this salad, there's 47 grams of protein in this recipe!  Woot :)

Plant Based Strength Salad:

\

Vegan, Soy Free, Dairy Free

Adapted from: ohsheglows.com

Salad:

• 1 cup uncooked wheatberries, rinsed and picked over
• 2 cup water
• 1 can mixed beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup mixed peppers, chopped
• 1/3 cup shelled pistachios
• 1/3 cup golden raisins

Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, deseeded
• 1 Tbsp Raspberry Blush White Balsamic Vinegar
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions:  Combine wheatberries and water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and cover.  Boil for 40 minutes, until chewy and tender.  Drain and rinse beans and chop cilantro, garlic, and peppers.  Combine beans, 1 cup wheat berries, cilantro, garlic, peppers, pistachios, and golden raisins in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and stir.  Squeeze lemon.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serves:  4.  

I'm in love with this salad!  The flavors go together so well!  I love salad with nuts and dried fruit!  Here's a couple more glamour shots:

Salt and pepper are key.  I got my dad to taste it and he made a face and said, "It needs... I don't know... flavor?"  I smiled and said, "I gotcha."  I added 1/2 tsp of salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper.  Then he tried it and said, "Perfect!"  This is coming from a man who doesn't like pistachios!  Sneaky Adair, I know ;)

I went through a couple of different dressing ideas before I got to this one.  I tried flax oil, honey, lemon, garlic, cilantro, etc., but it ended up having a weird, wrong taste to it.  I thought about using a tahini dressing, but I stopped myself because I know that I would be the one enjoying this salad the most and I don't really like tahini.  I also contemplated using a dressing Adria had already made that was in the fridge, but I decided that would be no fun- I needed to make a recipe!  I drizzled it with olive oil, Rasberry Vinegar, and lemon juice in the end, and I loved it!   

I did all of the cooking this morning while 'watching' Saturday Night Live (I went through Jack Black, Justin Timberlake, and Haley Berry).  TV makes nice company for a busy girl!  Really I'm just in love with Jimmy Fallon and like to pretend he's in there with me.  Is this getting creepy yet?

I would like to post a challenge for you, my friends.  By no means are you obligated to do it, but I would love for you to try and I believe it would be a great learning experience for many:

October Challenge:  Go vegan for 1 day a week.  

I became a vegan for various reasons, and one reason is that it's better for the environment.  Factory farming is worse for the environment than every mode of transportation combined.  So if for 1 day a week, I challenge you to fill your plate with beans, rice, and vegetables instead of meat, cheese, etc., you can make a difference!  Check out some of my recipes if you need inspiration.  I'm not trying to make you guys vegan- I just want you to see how easy it is for you to make a difference.  

I'm not a very nice, creature loving vegan.  I hate bugs.  I would kill a fly.  Lately, stink bugs have been seeping into my room and making themselves at home.  I hear the fly around and buzz, buzz, buzz.  They try to be sneaky (like me) but I know they're here...

I see you, stink bug.

I hate you, stink bug.

Please don't have babies.

I would love to hear from you guys and answer any questions you have about this challenge!  Have a great Sunday!