lunch Archives | Stephanie Dreyer

April 15, 2018

Cruciferous-Salad-with-Tangy-Tahini-Dressing-Hero-min-1280x720.png

Get your cruciferous veggies on with this crunchy and tangy salad. I used a salad mix from Trader Joe’s as the base, but you can also make your own from scratch using cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale.

Try this Cruciferous Crunch Salad for a zesty lunch option. The tangy tahini dressing gets better the longer it marinates, so make it in the morning on Monday and enjoy it all week long.

The salad dressing is everything in this salad. Its tangy and salty – full of umami flavor. I have to hold myself back from eating the whole bowl! My 12 year-old daughter loves the taste too – a great way for me to get her to eat kale and cabbage!

Try this Cruciferous Crunch Salad for a zesty lunch option. The tangy tahini dressing gets better the longer it marinates, so make it in the morning on Monday and enjoy it all week long.

This salad gets better the longer it “marinates,” so I typically make it in the morning while I am prepping breakfast and lunches for the kids. I refrigerate it until lunch so that the flavors have time to meld. Slice in the avocado just before serving.

Print

Cruciferous Crunch Salad with Tangy Tahini Dressing

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Author Stephanie Dreyer

Ingredients

1 bag of Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch Blend (or 3 cups chopped curly kale, 3 cups shredded red and green cabbage, and 3 cups shaved Brussels sprouts)
1 jar capers, drained
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
6 teaspoons tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
3 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2 small organic avocados, chopped

Instructions

Whisk together the vinegar, tamari, tahini and nutritional yeast.
Stir in the vegetable mix and combine well.
Add in the capers and the garbanzo beans. Mix well.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Stir in the avocado just before serving. Stores well in an air-tight container (without the avocado) for 3-4 days.

Try this Cruciferous Crunch Salad for a zesty lunch option. The tangy tahini dressing gets better the longer it marinates, so make it in the morning on Monday and enjoy it all week long.

by Stephanie Dreyer

January 24, 2018

Carrot-Noodle-Bowl-with-Almond-Butter-Turmeric-Dressing-Hero-min-1280x720.png

I am kinda obsessed with the new vegan salad dressings at Trader Joe’s. The Almond Butter Turmeric dressing has me experimenting in the kitchen with lots of different dishes to pour it over. This Carrot Noodle Bowl is my latest.

This Carrot Noodle Bowl with Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing is crunchy and satisfying - and all you need is 10 minutes and 5 ingredients! #veganbowl

Vegetable noodles are a great replacement for pasta if you are watching calories or just want to add more veggies to your diet. I used my spiralizer to make my carrot noodles for this bowl, but you could also easily swap shredded carrots if you don’t want to spiralize (but it’s so much fun!).

Snap peas and peanuts are crunchy toppings that taste great with the dressing. I piled it all on top of a bed of kale, because I can never get too many leafy greens.

This Carrot Noodle Bowl with Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing is crunchy and satisfying - and all you need is 10 minutes and 5 ingredients! #veganbowl

Now, for the dressing. All you have to do is shake and pour for this one. It’s all natural and plant-based with just a few ingredients: almond butter, cold-pressed lemon juice, ginger, turmeric, and black pepper. I usually like to make my own dressings to control the sugar, salt and fat, but with only 60 calories for two tablespoons and 2g of sugar and 4g of fat per serving, I am taking some help from Trader Joe’s and enjoying it!

Print

Carrot Noodle Bowl with Almond Butter Turmeric Dressing

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 bowl

Ingredients

2-3 carrots spiralized
2 handfuls of kale chopped
1/4 cup sugar snap peas
2 tablespoons peanuts
2 tablespoons Trader Joe's Almond Butter Turmeric salad dressing

Instructions

Layer all ingredients into a bowl, starting with the carrots and adding the rest on top in piles around the bowl.
Drizzle the dressing on top.

by Stephanie Dreyer

January 17, 2018

Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite things to batch cook each Sunday. I eat them all week long as a dinner side dish, tossed in tofu scrambles… and my favorite, piled into vegan bowls. This Italian Roasted Vegetable Bowl is a delicious way to eat up leftover veggies or roast a pan especially for this bowl like I do! I prefer plump, juicy tomatoes and cauliflower for the veg mix, but sub your favorites. The key is to roast them with whole garlic cloves and herbs. I use the Italian seasoning blend from Penzey’s Spices (my favorite local spice store).

A good bowl is full of layers, so in addition to the roasted vegetables, you’ll find a mound of lacinato kale, cannellini beans, and orzo. I sauted the canned beans with garlic, olive oil, and thyme for taste bud pleasing results. Sure, you could just rinse and drain a handful of beans directly into the bowl, but I find that it’s the bursts of flavor from each component in the bowl that take an average bowl to wow status. Lentils would also be a great sub for the beans. I used orzo instead of a grain in this recipe because of its Italian status and similarity in texture to rice, but risotto would be a nice swap if you want a grain.

This Italian Roasted Vegetable Bowl is full of flavor. Topped with a creamy, dairy-free dressing, it's a complete meal to lunch on all week long.

Drizzled on top is a luscious, dairy-free Caesar dressing that adds just the right amount of tangy to each bite. Soaked cashews are the creamy base for this otherwise, quick and easy sauce that comes together in less than 5 minutes in your high-powered blender. Dijon mustard and capers add bright, vibrant flavors to this traditional recipe.

This Italian Roasted Vegetable Bowl is full of flavor. Topped with a creamy, dairy-free dressing, it's a complete meal to lunch on all week long.

You can cook and prepare all of the ingredients, as well as the dressing ahead of time and store them for the week, making it quick and easy to throw this meal together all week long. Lunch is served! Give it a taste and let me know what you think.

Print

This Italian Roasted Vegetable Bowl is full of flavor. Topped with a creamy, dairy-free dressing, it's a complete meal to lunch on all week long.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Creamy Caesar Dressing:

¼ cup cashews soaked for 2 hours or overnight and drained
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon shoyu or tamari
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

For the Bowl:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 head cauliflower broken into florets
10 garlic cloves peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
6 leaves lacinato kale chopped
1 cup orzo dried

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the vegetables, garlic cloves, olive oil, and herbs on a sheet pan until coated. Roast for about 30 minutes until the cauliflower is fork tender.
While the vegetables are roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the orzo and drain.
Heat a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the beans and thyme. Cook for 3-4 minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and mix until smooth.
To assemble the bowl, start with a layer of kale on the bottom. Top with the orzo, beans, and vegetables. Drizzle the dressing on top.

by Stephanie Dreyer

January 10, 2018

Green-Goddess-Zucchini-Noodle-Bowl-Hero-min-1280x720.png

Vegan bowls are one of my favorite lunch meals. They are easy to prepare and quick for the lunch rush I am inevitably juggling as I race to get my work and to-do list completed before I pick up the kids from school. Most times I make a bowl, I just pull together whatever ingredients, leftover veggies, or legumes I have in the fridge or pantry (it’s a really great way to eat up your leftovers!). Sometimes, I will put a little more thought into my bowl obsession and plan my veggies and proteins ahead of time, like my BBQ Tofu Bowl. Today’s Green Goddess Zucchini Noodle Bowl recipe is one of those bowls, but it won’t take you more than 15 minutes to throw together.

This Green Goddess Zucchini Noodle Bowl is light, fresh, and ready in just 10 minutes with 4 ingredients! #dairyfree #veganbowl #greengoddess

In my opinion, the secret to any great vegan bowl is the dressing or sauce. The new Green Goddess Salad Dressing from Trader Joe’s is the inspiration for this bowl. It’s all natural and vegan, containing just a few ingredients: avocado, green onion, cold pressed lemon juice, chives, parsley, basil, garlic, water, apple cider vinegar, and an olive oil blend. Two tablespoons are only 20 calories so indulge in a generous pour over the rest of this bowl’s ingredients.

This Green Goddess Zucchini Noodle Bowl is light, fresh, and ready in just 10 minutes with 4 ingredients! #dairyfree #veganbowl #greengoddess

I chose spiralized zucchini noodles for the base of this bowl and topped them with sliced radishes, chopped chives and tomatoes (I was out of cherry, so I used roma instead). That’s it! Super easy. Super healthy. Super delicious! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Print

Green Goddess Zucchini Noodle Bowl

This Green Goddess Zucchini Noodle Bowls is light, fresh, and ready in just 10 minutes with 4 ingredients!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

1 zucchini, spiralized
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 radish, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chives, snipped
2 tbsp Trader Joe's Green Goddess salad dressing

Instructions

1. Layer all ingredients into a bowl, starting with the zucchini and adding the other vegetables and herbs on top.
2. Drizzle dressing on top.

by Stephanie Dreyer

September 6, 2017

We’ve had a few cooler days the last week or so and although, I am not quite ready to give up summer, my body has been craving heartier salads than the usual bowls I tend to throw together. The Harvest Grains blend from Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite side dishes, but I was inspired to turn it into a salad for a beach outing last weekend. The grain medley includes Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans, and red quinoa. It’s all kinds of awesome and makes a great alternative to pasta in a traditional pasta salad, which is what I was craving when I created this Kale Harvest Grains Salad recipe.

The grains blend is tasty on its own but I added more flavor with some cubed dairy-free mozzarella, sliced baby tomatoes and chopped basil. When it comes to dressing, any vinaigrette will do. I made a homemade Greek style dressing with Penzey’s Spices Greek seasoning blend. It wouldn’t be a salad without some greens! I started with the Power to the Greens blend from Trader Joe’s (kale, chard, and spinach) and topped it with the grains salad mixture and drizzled it all with my dressing. It’s a simple yet satisfying recipe that I have been enjoying all week. I hope you do too!

If you try my Kale Harvest Grains Salad, please be sure to tag me. I love to see your creations with my recipes!

Kale Harvest Grains Salad

The grains mixture stores well for about 3 days. Store your greens and dressing separately until you are ready to eat it. It also makes a great lunch to pack for work.

Print

Kale Harvest Grains Salad

Ingredients

1 package Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Medley
2 cups Imagine No-Chicken Broth
1 cup chopped basil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
4 ounces dairy-free mozzarella, diced
2 cups mixed greens (such as kale, chard and spinach)
Greek or Italian Salad dressing vinaigrette (such as red wine or balsamic)

Instructions

Prepare grains medley according to package directions, using the broth. Set aside to cool.
While the grains cook, chop the basil, slice the tomatoes and dice the cheese. Prepare the salad dressing if not using store-bought.
Fluff the grains medley with a fork and add the basil, tomatoes and cheese.
Place two cups of greens on a plate, along with a 1/2 cup of the grains salad mixture. Toss with 1-2 tablespoons of dressing.
Store leftover greens, dressing, and grains salad separately for additional servings.

by Stephanie Dreyer

August 16, 2017

I created this vegan caprese sandwich for my eldest daughter, Gaby, who loves everything Caprese! It’s her favorite and her go-to whenever we are anywhere that offers one on the menu. I went straight to Miyoko’s Kitchen’ VeganMozz for the perfect vegan mozzarella. It’s soft, salty, and creamy – everything a mozzarella should be! They now offer a Smoked VeganMozz! Dairy-free cheese dreams do come true!!

Vegan Caprese Sandwich

This vegan caprese sandwich is perfect for summer with bright juicy tomatoes, fresh fragrant tomatoes, and creamy dairy-free mozzarella cheese. My family is big on its bread, so don’t under think this ingredient. I chose a Ciabatta roll and toasted it before I layered it with the VeganMozz, basil leaves and fresh tomato slices. Heirloom tomatoes are gorgeous this time of year, so if you have those available, I highly recommend using those. I added a little something extra by spreading some vegan pesto on each slice of toasted bread. I make mine with basil leaves, garlic, walnuts, olive oil, and some nutritional yeast.

Vegan Caprese Sandwich

To kick this Vegan Caprese sandwich up further, don’t toast the bread, but layer everything onto the bread slices and press on a panini maker for a gourmet sammie! If you go the panini route, try swapping sun-dried tomatoes for fresh for a whole other flavor kick. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Print

Vegan Caprese Sandwich

Ingredients

1 Ciabatta roll , sliced
4 slices plum tomato (or sun-dried tomatoes)
3 slices Miyoko's Kitchen VeganMozz
4 basil leaves , rinsed and dried
1 1/2 tablespoons vegan pesto (purchased or homemade)

Instructions

Toast the bread.
Spread each slice with the pesto.
Layer the bottom slice of bread first with the VeganMozz, then the tomato, and last with the basil.
Place other slice on top.

Recipe Notes

* For a variation, don't toast the bread at the beginning, but compile the sandwich and press in a panini maker.