In my search to bring you great offers for a more naturally vegan life, I ran across a great site where you can connect to some pretty awesome savings. The Daily Green is a cool spot for the eco-friendly family who is looking for ways to save a dollar and the planet as well.

I was on the site for a while and found it to be very enlightening and full of some great information. I took the How Green Are You quiz and found out that I had a “heart of green:. Pretty Cool Huh!

So when you get a chance stop over at the The Daily Green and grab a few of the savings or take a very neat quiz.

Printed Version

Portobello Sandwich

Per Person

Ingredients

2 slices of whole grain bread (toasted optional)

2 slices of soy or other cheese alternative

10 to 12 Baby spinach leaves washed and drained

Sliced Tomatoes (about 3 med, cut slices)

Sliced onion (as much as you desire)

1 tbsp smoke

Dijon Mustard

1 nice round piece of Portobello mushroom

1/2 tbsp coconut oil

Directions

Heat pan and add coconut oil. Add Portobello and sprinkle with smoke. Cook about 2 minutes on both sides and remove. Add onions to pan and sauté for about 3 minutes or until lightly caramelized. Turn heat off.

Now layer your sandwich and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 336 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 225 Calories from Fat 48

Total Fat 5.3g Saturated Fat 2.6g

Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 484mg

Total Carbohydrates 39.6g Dietary Fiber 8.2g

Sugars 10.6g Protein 10.7g

Vitamin A 44% Vitamin C 34%

Calcium 5% Iron 8%

Superbowl Treat Made with My Vegan Cheese Sauce

Print Version

Nachos topped with with Yves Meatless Breakfast Patties, onions, tomatoes, olives, and green chilis

Make this cheese sauce

Ingredients:

3 cups of soy or other vegan alternative milk

2 tbsp vegan butter

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp brewer yeast 1 tsp liquid smoke(optional – I wanted a smoked cheese taste and so I added smoke)

2 tbsp garlic powder

Ener-g Egg Replacer equivalent of 2 eggs

1/2 tsp tapioca starch

sea salt to taste

Directions Put all ingredients except for the egg replacer, the tapioca, and the sea salt in blender. Blender on high for about 3 minutes. Add egg replacer and tapioca starch and blend for an additional 2 minutes. Taste a little, add salt to taste if desired, and blend again for an additional 1 minute. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes or until it begins to thicken. You can use the stove method by adding all ingredients in pot, whisking and cooking until it begins to thicken. However the texture will not be as smooth. You can use this sauce to make macaroni and cheese or you can poor it over vegetables, pasts; even mix it with a pot of brown rice. It is a versatile sauce and will thicken like a real cheese sauce as it sits or if baked with other ingredients in the oven.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 82 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 77 Calories from Fat 34

Total Fat 3.7g Saturated Fat 0.5g

Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 160mg

Total Carbohydrates 7.4g Dietary Fiber 1.4g

Sugars 3.3g Protein 4.1g

Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 2% Iron 6%

Let’s take a look at a recipe and see how we can cut out some ingredients and make it a Vegan Quick

Meal.

How about chili?

You can create a quick and easy recipe takes only 20 minutes to prepare compared to 1 to 3 hours for many other chili recipes because it you cut out a lot of the preparation by purchasing a few key ingredients. Instead of cooking dry beans, you can purchase 4 cans of vegetarian beans. No need for a bunch of vegetables. Grab some onion, garlic, bell peppers and a about two tomatoes. Dice and cook the vegetables in a little coconut or olive oil in a pot for about 5 minutes. Add the chili, season with 1 tbsp of chili powder, 1 tbsp of cumin and a little sea salt to taste. Cook for another 10 or 15 minutes.

One pot, fewer ingredients and some simple techniques make this a perfect Vegan Quick Meal.

Here are a few questions to consider to help you with your Extreme Makeover: Recipe Edition:

? Can any ingredients be changed to save preparation time?

? Can any preparation steps be combined or eliminated?

? Can any be doubled and used as the basis for a “planned-over” meal?

Creating a meal doesn’t have to be a chore, especially when you have so much already going on. With a few adjustments, you can make a great healthy vegan meal in no time at all.

• Use leftovers in a totally different way from the original meal and vary the way you use them. For example, don’t always use leftover vegan taco meat in tacos. Try it in chili, spaghetti, or make sloppy joes with it.

• Locate new recipes that use foods you often have left over. Some foods are more versatile than others, but whatever the food, put it to good use and use it all before it spoils.

• Use planned leftovers to make efficient use of family size vegetable packages and other large items. Take those veggies and make a casserole, shepherd?s pie, or a vegetable stew. Freeze the portion you won’t use within a day or two.

• My husband loves to make about 3 pounds of beans in the pressure cooker. The only problem is that I am stuck figuring out what to do with them. This drives me up a wall! So when I know he is going to do this I plan my meals around this huge pot of beans. Bean burritos, bean dip/salsa, bean salad, bean soup…can you think of any more ideas?

Eating leftovers does not have to be boring. You can plan them in advance and create two or three meals from one ingredient like, TVP or black beans. Just change up the ingredients a bit and there is no telling what you will get.
Get more great meal planning tips with this affordable resource.

Find out how to Transition Your Family with simple proven techniques!