I know I already posted a Chocolate-Mint Protein Shake but, if you happen to have fresh mint on hand, this is a great way to use it up. And I like this one better too! The yogurt and the pudding mix help give it a rich, decadent texture. The fresh mint also works really well here. It somehow simultaneously has more presence and less harshness than the extract I used before. It's quite a nice effect overall.

I think I initially got the idea for this recipe from PopSugar. Their version was more reminiscent of mint chip ice cream, with a minty green base and a few chocolate chips blended in. I kept the fresh mint (and Greek yogurt), but went in a more chocolate-y direction. I took out the spinach, added a couple scoops of chocolate protein powder, and swapped out the maple syrup for chocolate pudding mix.

Thin Mint Protein Shake

Adapted from PopSugar

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. skim milk
• 1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
• 1 Tbsp. chocolate pudding mix
• 1 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips (pref. dark)
• 1/4 c. fresh mint
• 4-6 ice cubes

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and blend.

I needed to use up some excess cucumber and the kidlet loves watermelon, so this salad seemed like a natural choice. It's quick, easy, tasty, and refreshing. It's actually quick and easy enough that I could see myself making it as a side dish when I need some extra fruit and/or veg to go with a meal. (I'm usually a fan of one-pot meals. Even when something really needs a side to round it out, I'll rarely actually make one.)

Watermelon-Cucumber Salad

Slightly adapted from Country Living

Ingredients

• 3 c. cubed watermelon
• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• scant 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• ~50 grinds black pepper
• 1/4-1/2 c. crumbled feta (depending on how much you like feta)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in salad bowl. Toss to mix well and serve.

Peanut Butter Cup Protein Shake

I can't claim that this shake is as good as the magical Chocolate-Hazelnut-Caramel Protein Shake, but it's still pretty darn good! The egg white gives it an almost airy texture as well as a few extra grams of protein. And, of course, you can't go wrong with a shot of hazelnut creamer. All-in-all it's a nice combo.

Peanut Butter Cup Shake

Slightly adapted from Bodybuilding.com

Ingredients

• 1 c. skim milk
• 2-3 scoops chocolate protein powder
• 2 Tbsp. peanut flour
• 1 egg white
• 2 Tbsp. fat free hazelnut creamer

Directions

1. Blend and enjoy!

Maple-Bacon Brussels Sprouts

I'm not a big Brussels sprouts person. Neither is TF. But, our most recent produce basket landed us with a pound of them. I spent a while browsing recipes. I wanted something that looked tasty, easy, and didn't require me to leave the house to procure additional ingredients. To that end, I decided to give the Food Network's "Ultimate Brussels Sprouts" recipe a try.

Ultimate Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Mead, Maple Syrup, and Mustard

Slightly adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, divided
• 4-6 slices smokey tempeh
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved¹
• 1/4 c. mead²
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Fry the tempeh in 1 Tbsp. of butter. Remove from pan, chop, and set aside.
2. In the same pan, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat and add the Brussels sprouts cut side down. Cook until underside is lightly browned
3. Add the mead, mustard, maple syrup, tempeh, and salt and stir to mix and coat well.
4. Roast at 425F for 10 minutes.
5. While sprouts are roasting, melt remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat and stir in breadcrumbs. Toast until crumbs are lightly browned.
6. When sprouts come out of oven, top with toasted breadcrumbs and serve.

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Variations

Vegan

• 1/4 c. vegan butter or olive oil, divided
• 4-6 slices smokey tempeh
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1/4 c. beer³
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs

Gluten-Free

• 1/4 c. butter, divided
• 4-6 slices smokey tempeh
• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1/4 c. mead
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. gluten-free breadcrumbs

FODMAP-Friendly

• 1/4 c. olive oil, divided
• 4-6 slices smokey tempeh
• 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
• 4 c. coarsely chopped bok choy
• 1/4 c. mead or beer
• 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. gluten-free breadcrumbs

Toss the bok choy in along with the sauce ingredients just before the dish goes into the oven for roasting.

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¹ Mine came pre-trimmed. If yours are not pre-trimmed/ready-to-cook then get 1.25 lbs. and trim the tough ends off before cooking. ^Back

² The original recipe called for dark ale. I had a bottle of mead on hand though and decided to try it out as a substitute. ^Back

³ Most beer is vegan. However, some may use animal products during processing (which would not be listed on the label since they are not technically ingredients). A few breweries have released this information. Look for Samuel Smith, Black Sheep, MillerCoors, Black Isle, and/or Broken Compass. ^Back

Chai Glop

I really like chai, and I also really like the sweet "chai latte" mixes you can get at the grocery store -- stuff like this. Unfortunately, the local grocery no longer carries the decaf version, and this is something I generally like to drink in the evening, with dinner. So, symbol set out to re-create the chai glop experience.

After a few iterations, this is what the recipe looks like. It's easy to prepare in large batches and then keep in a mason jar in the fridge, and like the commercial glop, needs no further preparation -- just mix with milk and drink.

Ingredients for 2C water:

• 5 orange pekoe tea bags
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 20 cardamom pods
• 16 black peppercorns
• 1 star anise
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp jaggery
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure

1. In a small pot, bring the water to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and add all the other ingredients.
3. Steep for five minutes.
4. Remove the tea bags.
5. Pour everything else into a mason jar and store, refrigerated, for up to a week.

Removing the teabags after a few minutes prevents it from becoming bitter; leaving the other ingredients in means it will keep steeping in the fridge and become stronger.

To use, pour through a strainer and mix 1:1-1:3 with milk; one 2C batch of glop will make 1-2L of drink depending on how strong you want it.

Un-Meatloaf

I made this to spec this time. It's alright, but has a bit too much salt and too little flavour for my taste. So the recipe here will reflect some tweaks to try to improve that aspect next time.

Un-Meatloaf
Adapted from Food Network
3 Japanese eggplants
1/2 c. walnuts
1 lb. firm tofu
227g cremini mushrooms
2 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 c. ground flax
1 c. quick oats
1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp. fresh sage
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. chile flakes
1 packet onion soup mix
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 tsp. dried rosemary

1. Roast the eggplants under the broiler until the skin is black and blistered.
2. Wrap the eggplants in foil and let rest for 20 minutes.
3. Once the eggplants have rested, unwrap and remove the skin.
If you have a food processor:
4. Add peeled roasted eggplants to the food processor along with the tofu and mushrooms and process until minced.
If you do not have a food processor:
4. Mash the eggplant and finely chop the tofu and mushrooms and combine with mashed eggplant.
5. Grind the walnuts and add to the eggplant mixture.
6. Stir in all the remaining ingredients.
7. Press mixture into a greased loaf pan (or lasagna pan).
8. Bake at 400F for 1 hour (or 30 minutes if using a lasagna pan).

Mushroom Sauce
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
227g cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste
1/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp. dry white wine
1 c. vegetable broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme + 1 tsp. leaves
1/4 c. milk

1. Melt the butter over medium-high heat.

2. Add mushrooms and green onions and cook until softened.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Sprinkle with flour and cook for an additional minute.

5. Add wine and broth and cook until sauce thickens.

6. Reduce heat to low and add thyme and milk.

7. Simmer for 5 minutes.

8. Serve with un-meatloaf.

Crustless Vegetable Quiche

This recipe comes from Recipe Runner. We cooked it in a lasagna dish rather than the casserole dish the recipe calls for, which means it cooked much faster due to the shallower dish; the cooking times given are for this modified version. Similarly, while it called for a mix of shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese, we had exactly the right amount of leftover "taco cheese mix" and that did well enough, although I think it would have been even better with good cheese.

The result was delicious, light and fluffy with a good distribution of vegetables throughout.

Ingredients

• Vegetables
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large zucchini, bisected lengthwise and cut into 0.5-1cm pieces
• 250g mushrooms
• 1 bundle asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-4cm pieces (about 500mL total)
• Substrate
• 10 egg whites
• 2 whole eggs
• 128mL milk
• 500g cottage cheese
• 384mL shredded cheese
• 85mL flour
• 5mL baking powder
• 2.5mL coarse salt
• 5mL dried parsley
• 1mL dried thyme
• 1mL freshly ground black pepper
• 3+mL sriracha
• Toppings
• 2 sliced Roma tomatoes
• 128mL shredded cheese

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and sautee the vegetables until they are just starting to turn tender and translucent.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg whites and whole eggs until fluffy.
4. Whisk in the rest of the substrate ingredients.
5. Fold in the cooked vegetables.
6. Grease a large lasagna dish and pour in the egg-cheese-vegetable mix.
7. Cover with the remaining cheese and the tomato slices.
8. Cook on the middle rack for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.