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11/13/22 – Check out my Pumpkin Risotto Recipe with Shiitake Bacon, Fried Sage, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds. It’s a perfect way to use your leftover (uncarved) Halloween Pumpkins! Small pumpkins (4-5 lbs) are perfect!

8/4/22 – Check out my interview with Stacey Freeman on Moms Don’t Have Time to Move & Shake!

“Has anyone ever told you that your menstrual cycle is a vital sign? Just like your heart rate, body temperature, respiratory rate, and blood pressure, your menstrual cycle is such a central part of who you are that if your body isn’t functioning normally, neither will your cycle.”

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack
The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility

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Warm Vegetable and Arugula Salad 
Arugula dressed with simple ACV-EVOO vinaigrette, roasted beets and fennel, farro and butter beans with sautéed shallots, mint, walnuts.
This is a great winter salad - warming and satisfying. 
#vegan #plantbasedchef #postpartumchef #cheflife #momlife #greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms #warmsalad #🥗
For dinner tonight, I made this quinoa bowl with purple kale, homemade mushroom-bean burgers, and sweet potato mash. Want to learn how to cook delicious, nutritious plant-based dishes for your family? DM me about intuitive cooking classes!
Be well!
Elise

#vegan #plantbasedchef #greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms #ryemoms #armonkmoms #newcannanmoms #darienmoms #westportmoms #norwalkmoms #postpartumchef #momlife #cheflife #beanburger #quinoabowl #kale #sweetpotatoes #cookingclasses #intuitivecooking
This face kind of reminds me of our dog, Savannah. She’s half Chihuahua, half Cavalier, and 100% lovable.

The base is a creamy tomato soup packed with lots of plant foods! The soup is garnished with roasted broccoli and toasted @breadalonebakery whole wheat sourdough. Grilled cheese would be fun too. Full recipe below:

Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup 
Servings: 6

1 bulb garlic
1 cup cashews
1 cup hot water 
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 red onion, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 zucchini, diced 
1 14oz can butter beans, drained and rinsed 
2 14.5oz cans roasted tomatoes 
1 8oz can tomato sauce 
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped 
1 tsp dried oregano 
2 cups water
1 bunch broccoli 
Salt to taste 
Toast or grilled cheese 

1. Cut garlic bulb in half, lengthwise, place on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle each half with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Put halves back together, wrap in foil, and roast in oven at 375 for ~40 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, soak cashews in hot water.
3. Add onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini to large pot and sauté in 2 tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes over medium heat to soften the vegetables. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, water, and a few big pinches of salt. Bring to boil them simmer on medium-low for 30 minutes 
4. Chop broccoli, toss with olive oil and salt, and roast for 15-20 minutes.
5. Toast bread or make grilled cheese if desired.
6. Add roasted garlic, cashews, and butter beans to the soup and stir to evenly distribute the ingredients. Blend in high powered blender in two or three batches, transferring blended soup to another large pot. Add additional salt to taste.
7. Let your kids make their own funny face!
Be well!
Elise

#vegan #plantbasedchef #tomatosoup #grilledcheeseandtomatosoup #kidfood #greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms #ryemoms #armonkmoms #newcannanmoms #darienmoms #westportmoms #norwalkmoms #postpartumchef #momlife #cheflife
The kids are in bed. It’s time for dessert 🙌 @renewalmill Dark Chocolate Brownie with @so_delicious cashew milk peanut butter brownie ice cream 
Be well! 
Elise
#browniesundae #valentinesday #vegan #plantbasedchef #greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms #ryemoms #armonkmoms #newcannanmoms #darienmoms #westportmoms #norwalkmoms #postpartumchef #momlife #cheflife
Wishing everyone a happy Valentine’s Day, especially @jasonabruz 💗🍝🥦🌶️🥕🥦

Whole wheat spaghetti, homemade walnut-lentil balls (I’ll post the recipe another day), basil, Calabrian chili-olive tapenade, roasted broccoli.

Be well!
Elise
 
#valentinesday #pizzabagel #meatlessmeatballs #vegan #plantbasedchef #greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms #ryemoms #armonkmoms #newcannanmoms #darienmoms #westportmoms #norwalkmoms #postpartumchef #momlife #cheflife
Craving PB&J? Try this PB&J Seed Pudding! (full recipe below) 

1/2 cup vanilla forager yogurt drink
1/2 cup unsweetened forager yogurt drink
2 tbsp chia seeds 
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds 
2 tbsp peanut butter
5 strawberries, finely chopped

1. In a liquid measuring cup, add the vanilla and unsweetened yogurt drinks and stir. Then add the chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, and hemp seeds and stir well so there are no lumps. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until the seeds absorb the yogurt drink and the mixture has a pudding consistency. 
2. Slather the peanut butter onto the bottom of a pint-sized mason jar. Add the pudding to the jar and top with strawberries.

Be well!
Elise
@foragerproject #chiapudding #flaxseeds #hempseeds #plantbasedprotein #plantbasedomegas #vegan #plantbasedchef #greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms #ryemoms #armonkmoms #newcannanmoms #darienmoms #westportmoms #norwalkmoms #postpartumchef #momlife #cheflife
This “Hulk Risotto” (full recipe below) is packed with gut-friendly vegetables (onions, garlic, asparagus, spinach and peas) and made with short grain brown rice. It has a kid approved name and taste - my daughter even asked to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! 

Brown rice takes a little longer to cook than Arborio rice so use the latter if you’re in a rush to get dinner on the table. 

Risotto is a really intuitive dish to make. Once you make it a couple of times, you can wing it with whatever veggies and beans you have on hand. Unless you’re looking for an arm workout, the key is to add 2/3-3/4 of the water up front, not ladle by ladle the whole time, so you don’t have to stand next to the stove for the full 30-45 minutes. 

Hulk Risotto 
Servings: ~4

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
2 yellow onions, small dice
1 full garlic bulb, minced
1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice 
6-7 cups water or stock (start with 4-5 cups for Arborio rice) + more to achieve the perfect consistency
1 bunch asparagus, chopped 
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen spinach 
Salt and pepper to taste (Don’t be stingy. The salt enhances the flavor of the vegetables. Add a little at a time and keep tasting until the dish is perfectly seasoned.)

1. Sauté onions in olive oil over medium flame for ~8 minutes until translucent and starting to caramelize. Add garlic and sauté for additional 2 minutes.
2. Add rice and stir to infuse rice with the onion & garlic flavor. Add 6-7 cups of stock/water, bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce to medium and simmer, stirring every few minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. 
3. Add the asparagus and ~1/2 cup of water and continue to cook, stirring frequently but not constantly. 
4. Keep adding water one ladle at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Stir in the peas and spinach at the end and make sure they are heated through before serving.
Optional: If additional cheesiness is desired, add nutritional yeast or a little white or chickpea miso (vegan) or pecorino Romano (vegetarian). 

Be well!
Elise

#risotto #pizzabagel #vegan #plantbasedchef #greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms #postpartumchef #momlife #cheflife
Check out this @bonappetitmag Warm Seven-Layer Skillet Dip. I substituted @minimalistbaker 5-Minute Vegan Cashew Queso to make it vegan! I also substituted avocado oil for the butter. I forgot to grab nooch (nutritional yeast) during my grocery trip, and the queso was still delicious without it. It was a huge hit with my omnivore friends! I’ll definitely be making it again for #marchmadness 🏀

So many plant foods in one place!!! 

Be well!
Elise
#dairyfree #plantbased #superbowl #vegan #cheflife #momlife #greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms
Kumquat-Jackfruit Seed Pudding 💛🧡 Full recipe below…

Did you know that the American Gut Study, the largest published study to date of the human microbiome, found that people regularly eating more than 30 different types of plant foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds) each week had a significantly more diverse microbiome than those eating 10 or fewer different plant foods a week.

This pudding is packed with 5 different plant foods in one meal, and that’s not counting the plants (and probiotics) in the base yogurt drink @foragerproject 

1/2 cup mango forager yogurt drink
1/2 cup unsweetened forager yogurt drink
1/2 cup jackfruit, chopped
1/2 cup kumquats, quartered 
2 tbsp chia seeds 
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds 

1. In a liquid measuring cup, add the mango and unsweetened yogurt drinks and stir. Then add the chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, and hemp seeds and stir well so there are no lumps. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until the seeds absorb the yogurt drink and the mixture has a pudding consistency. 
2. Add the jackfruit to a pint-sized mason jar followed by the pudding and then top with kumquats.
3. Serve with your favorite herbal tea or infusion for a deliciously filling, nourishing, and hydrating breakfast or lunch for you…and the little friends in your tummy 😉
Be well!
Elise
#vegan #guthealth #plantbased #digestivehealth #cheflife #momlife #greenwichmoms #brekkie #chiapudding
Lunchtime! Avocado toast with black sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. Homemade split pea soup. Pink grapefruit. Brightly balanced flavor, texture, and nutrition!
#greenwichmoms #stamfordmoms #plantbasedchef #integrativehealthcoach #longevitylifestyle