Black Bean Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Who doesn’t need a delicious, balanced, warming side dish or entree in the heart of winter?

The kids are off for winter break next week. While this brings a different level of (beautiful) chaos, it also means we can do a little more cooking and baking as after-school activities are cancelled and homework is pretty much non-existent. This chili-stuffed sweet potato recipe really hits the spot! It also happens to be gluten-free and dairy-free. Perfect for our family! Do you plan on trying this? Let me know what you think!

XO,

Tara

Black Bean Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 4 Sweet Potato (medium size)

• 1 tbsp Organic Vegetable Broth

• 1 Yellow Onion (chopped)

• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper (chopped)

• 2 Garlic (clove, minced)

• 1 1/2 tbsps Chili Powder

• 1 tsp Oregano

• 1/2 tsp Cumin

• 1 3/4 cups Black Beans (cooked, drained, rinsed)

• 3/4 cup Tomato Sauce

• 1/3 cup Water

• 1/4 cup Cilantro (chopped)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Poke a few fork holes in the sweet potatoes and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until cooked through.

2. While the potatoes cook, in a medium-sized pot over medium heat, add the vegetable broth. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Then add the chili powder, oregano and cumin. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, and add the black beans, tomato sauce and water and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven. Slice each one down the centre and stuff with the black bean chili. Top with cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Did you want a free recipe book?

…because I made you a gift and I'd like to give it to you now...

Low Glycemic Anti-Inflammatory Recipes in 30 minutes or Less



That link above, it's a recipe book. And it happens to be gluten free, dairy free, and completely plant-based. Do I think you need to eat that way? NOPE! But these are some of my favs and they work for most people. ;-)

And if you want even MORE plant-based, gluten-free, healthified recipes, you’re gonna want my (also free) 3-Day Meal Plan designed to help balance blood sugar, improve fat loss, and keep those hangry cravings at bay. ;-) I gotcha covered! Here’s that meal plan!

In health + gratitude,

Tara

Maple Mango Banana Chai Smoothie Bowl

You will want to grab a spoon and enjoy every bite of this smoothie bowl! You can use leftover chai spice in your tea or coffee with a little coconut milk or cream. Yummmmmm!

Maple-Mango-Banana Chai Smoothie Bowl

(Serves 1)

Ingredients:

½ large frozen banana, sliced

½ cup frozen mango

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp nut butter (almond or your fav)

1 cup non-dairy milk (almond, cashew, coconut, pea, etc.)

½ tsp of the chai spice blend (recipe below)

(Optional: toppings of your choice – coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, berries, etc.)

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until combined. You might have to scrape the sides or use the plunger, as this will be thick.

2. Remove from blender into a bowl, add toppings and enjoy immediately!

Chai spice blend (this makes more than is needed in the recipe above!)

Ingredients:

2 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp ground allspice

4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground cloves

6 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a small jar, cover, and shake vigorously to combine. Store remaining blend in an airtight container.

Are you a fan of chai this time of year? To me it says Autumn as much as a cup of pumpkin-anything. ;-)

In health + tastiness,

Tara

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta (gluten free, dairy free)

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
(Serves 4)

You. Must. Try. This! It’s delicious and full of plant-based protein.



Ingredients:

1 tbsp Avocado Oil
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp Arrowroot Powder
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes (drained)
1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
8 oz Chickpea Pasta (we love Banza)
1 cup Asparagus (trimmed, cut into bite-sized pieces)
1/4 cup Parsley (chopped)
1/2 tsp Chili Flakes (optional)


Directions:

1. Heat avocado oil in a pan over medium-low heat and add garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add the arrowroot powder and cook for another minute. Then add the almond milk and stir to combine. Stir until the milk has thickened.

2. Pour the almond milk mixture into a blender along with the sun dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, sea salt and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add more water to thin if needed. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and add the pasta back to the pot.

4. In a pan over medium heat, add the asparagus and sauté until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Once cooked through, add the asparagus in with the pasta. Mix in the sun dried tomato sauce. Divide onto plates and top with parsley and chili flakes, if using. Serve and enjoy!


I mean, enjoying is optional…but why not?!



"See" you next week,
Tara

Spinach and White Bean Soup

How about a new recipe?


This recipe takes just 20 minutes from start to finish but tastes like it’s been simmering all day. You can sub kale, escarole or your favorite “green” for the spinach in this tasty soup! It works well in the warmer weather, too.

Spinach and White Bean Soup 

(Serves 6) 

Ingredients:
 
2 tbsp avocado or olive oil 
1 small onion, chopped 
2 garlic cloves, chopped 
1 pound spinach, washed and chopped 
4 cups low-salt veggie broth 
1 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained & rinsed Sea salt 
Black pepper 


Directions: 


1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat 2 tbsp of the oil. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. 


2. Add garlic and saute for about 15-30 seconds before stirring in the chopped spinach. Saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and beans and cover to simmer about 5 minutes, until the beans are heated. 


3. Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy! 



In good health,
Tara

P.S. If healthified, always-gluten-and-dairy-free recipes are your jam, you’re gonna love my (free) 3-Day Meal Plan. It’s designed for women looking to lose excess body fat, but if you just wanna download it for all the new, tasty recipes, I won’t tell anyone. ;-)

Greek-Inspired Veggie Balls with Avocado Tzatziki Sauce

Hey guys,

If you are anything like me, having a recipe that doubles-triples-quadruples as a variety of food types (snack, main dish, side dish, appetizer…) feels like a best-kept secret. This recipe has the potential to be that for you, too. Try it out and let me know what you think!

This recipe is plant-based / vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, no added sugar, egg-free, soy-free…but NOT free of flavor! ;-)

Oh, and the tzatziki sauce is really versatile as well.

Greek-Inspired Veggie-Balls with Avocado Tzatziki Sauce 
Makes 6-8 servings 

For the Veggie-Balls: 

16 oz. lentils, cooked 
3/4 cup onion, finely diced (set aside a little for the sauce) 
2 cloves minced garlic 
1 tsp dried oregano 
½ tsp cumin 
1 tsp coriander 
½ tbsp lemon zest 
1 tsp sea salt 
Ground pepper, to taste 

For the Tzatziki: 

1 ripe avocado 
1 medium minced cucumber, seeds removed. 2 garlic cloves 
1-2 tbsp diced onion 
2 tbsp lemon juice 
1 tbsp fresh dill (if using dried, use ½ tbsp) Sea salt and pepper 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Mix together the veggie ball ingredients. Form into 2-inch balls, and place them on a baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes. 

3. When it’s time to serve, put all the tzatziki sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until creamy. 

4. Serve and enjoy! 



In good health,
Tara

P.S. If plant-based and gluten free meals are your thing, make sure you grab my FREE 3-day Meal Plan for Losing Body Fat. Not only will you be working on those health & body goals, but you’ll get an arsenal of new recipes to try at the same time!

FAT LOSS and Meal Timing

Fat loss - when the heck should I eat?

It's a common misconception that we need to be eating a million times a day in order to increase our metabolism and burn more fat.


First of all, let's talk about who is looking to burn more fat? If you are looking to lose weight or even just "tone up"…you're looking to decrease the excess fat you have on your body. 


Watch my latest live video (or just listen - you don't need to see my face) as I get into how to tap into your fat stores to use them up as energy. We're discussing meal timing (when and how often) and we nerd out on what insulin is and the role it plays in fat storage and fat loss. It's a pretty unknown concept to most. Definitely worth the 35 minutes if fat loss is on your agenda!


Here's a quick summary:


1) Insulin is a fat-storage hormone that helps us carry sugar into our cells to use as energy. Whatever we don't use gets stored as fat to use at a later time.


2) If insulin remains elevated, our bodies remain in fat storage mode and do not switch over to fat burning mode.


3) Lowering insulin is what allows us to switch over to fat burning mode. We can lower our insulin by focusing on nutrition upgrades and timing our meals properly (hint: eating every 2 hours will not allow your insulin levels to come down for you to enter fat-burning mode).



Watch or listen to the video for lots more details and for the 3 tips I share at the end so you can get going on your fat loss goals right away!!

In good health,

Tara

P.S. If you’d like a (FREE) 3-day meal plan designed to help you with WHAT to eat and WHEN to eat for healthy fat loss, you can grab that right here! Enjoy!