I had the best holiday season this year! Between relaxing on the beach in Mexico, spending time with family and friends, and eating four (yes, four!) big dinners I couldn’t ask for anything else. I got absolutely spoiled beyond belief (still cashing in on having divorced parents at 25 years old) but I have to say that one of my favorite gifts this year was the Oh She Glows cookbook by Angela Liddon. I have been following the Oh She Glows blog for the past 6 years and I absolutely love everything about it. She has a really cool story including overcoming an eating disorder, starting a small business selling Glo Bars at the Farmer’s Market, and eventually transitioning to a full time job creating recipes, taking photos of her food, and blogging about it! Although I don’t follow a vegan diet, I find her recipes so creative and super tasty! I usually make easy non-vegan swaps such as using cow’s milk instead of plant milk, regular eggs instead of flax eggs, regular cheese instead of vegan cheese.. you get the idea.

So for the first week of post Christmas gluttony I decided to plan all of my meals out of my new cookbook! Alex loved the sound of all the recipes right until I let it slip that we should probably add meat to one of the meals, considering they’re all vegan…”That’s a vegan cookbook?! If I would have known that I wouldn’t have told my brother to buy it for you!!” Needless to say, when all was said and done he was more than satisfied with everything he ate!

PS. I have added/changed a few thing as compared to the original recipes.

Here is our week in review:

Cream of Tomato Soup with Roasted Italian Chickpea Croutons

Ingredients:

Chickpea Croutons
– 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
– 1 tsp olive oil
– 1/2 tsp dried oregano
– 1/8 tsp of paprika
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 1/4 tsp onion powder
– salt to taste

Tomato Soup
– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– 1 small onion, diced
– 2 cloves garlic, minced
– 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked (overnight)
– 2 cups vegetable broth
– 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice
– 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and rinsed
– 4 Tbsp tomato paste
– 1 tsp dried oregano
– salt to taste
– 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

– Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and dry chickpeas thoroughly with paper towels.
– Transfer chickpeas to a bowl and combine with olive oil, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
– Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spread chickpeas in even layer on the baking sheet.
– Bake for 15 minutes, shake pan from side to side and cook for 15 minutes more.
– Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.

– In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
– In a blender, combine soaked cashews and broth and blend on high until creamy.
– Add garlic/onion mixture, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste and blend until smooth.
– Pour tomato mixture into saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer and stir in oregano, salt, and pepper.
– Top soup with 1/2 cup of chickpea croutons and enjoy!

Empowered Noodle Bowl with Thai Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

Peanut Sauce
– 1 clove garlic
– 2 Tbsp sesame oil
– 3 Tbsp peanut butter
– 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
– 3 Tbsp lemon juice
– 2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
– 2 tsp brown sugar

Salad
– 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
– 4 oz soba noodles
– olive oil for the noodles
– 1 (16 oz) bag edamame beans, shelled
– 1 red bell pepper, diced
– 1/2 cucumber, diced
– 1 carrot, diced
– 4 green onions, chopped
– 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
– sesame seeds, for serving

Instructions:

– In a food processor, combine garlic, sesame oil, peanut butter, ginger, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, and 3 Tbsp water. Process until combined.
– Cook the soba noodles according to package instructions. Be sure not to overcook them. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil (to prevent noodles from sticking).
– Add chicken, edamame, pepper, cucumber, carrot, green onion, and cilantro to noodles. Toss until well combined.
– Garnish with sesame seeds.

Loaded Savory Oatmeal and Lentil Bowl

Ingredients:

– 1/3 cup rolled oats
– 1/4 cup green lentils
– 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
– 1 clove garlic, minced
– 3 Tbsp onion, diced
– Salt and pepper, to taste

Toppings
– Salsa
– Hummus
– Tomato, chopped
– Cheddar cheese, shredded
– Cilantro, chopped
– Chipotle salt

Instructions:

– In a medium saucepan, combine the oats, lentils, broth, garlic, and onion. Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 12 minutes, or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
– Add desired toppings.

Chana Masala

Ingredients:

– 1 Tbsp olive oil
– 1 1/2 tsp cumin
– 1 onion, diced
– 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
– 1 Tbsp ginger, grated
– 1 serrano pepper, minced
– 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
– 1 1/2 tsp coriander
– 1/2 tsp tumeric
– salt to taste
– 1/4 tsp paprika
– 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
– 3 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed
– Lemon juice
– Cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

– In a large saucepan, saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano in olive oil. Cook for a few minutes and add garam masala, cumin, coriander, tumeric, salt, and paprika and cook for 2 minutes.
– Add diced tomatoes, raise heat to medium high and add the chickpeas. Simmer for 10 minutes.
– Serve over rice and top with lemon juice and fresh cilantro.

Caulipower Fettuccine Alfredo

Serve along side a baked chicken breast and Caesar salad!

Ingredients: