This is a recipe from my Thursday Random Refrigerator Meals. I go live every Thursday from my Facebook business page, Tina Stinson - Healthy Balanced Living at 4 pm ET. This was last weeks meal and it was so delicious and easy to make I decided to put it on the blog.

You don't need too many ingredients to make this one which makes it easy and pretty inexpensive. This was enough for two people with some leftovers so if you have a family your cooking for maybe double it if you want leftovers. 

I hope you enjoy!

What You Will Need

2 Bell peppers any color, sliced.

1 Large or 2 small onions, red or yellow, sliced.

4 Garlic cloves minced.

2 Large portobello mushrooms, sliced.

1 Jalapeno, sliced. Optional if you want to add heat.

2 Tbsp Olive oil

2-3 Tbsp Chili Powder

1 Tsp. Cumin

Salt to taste. I didn't need to add any.

4-6 Small Tortillas. I used whole wheat.

1 Avocado as a topping. Optional.

Plant-based yogurt. To use in place of sour cream as a topping. Optional

What...

I had a completely different recipe planned this week but I decided with all the freezing weather going on I would do something to warm you up!

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Minestrone is basically a vegetable soup so don't be afraid to do freestyle!

What You Will Need

2 15.5 oz cans of beans rinsed. I use cannellini or garbanzo.

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 cup of shredded cabbage

4-5 cloves of garlic, diced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 bay leaf

½ tsp red pepper flakes, optional

4-5 cups of veggie stock(might need more if you're adding pasta or rice)

Salt and pepper to taste

Things you can add:

2 small potatoes, diced.

1 small zucchini, diced

4 cups of chopped spinach

½ cup pasta

½ cup brown rice

What you need to do

In a Medium to large stock pot heat olive oil on...

When I first decided to try a plant-based/vegan diet I did lose weight, about 8 lbs. I wasn't trying to lose weight but when you start eating plant-based whole foods you end up adding in tons of healthy foods which end up crowding out the bad stuff!  Here are a few of the reasons you might lose weight.

1. If you decided to try a Plant-Based diet for health reasons then you will be eating a lot of whole foods which include low-calorie fruits, veggies. Whole foods have lots of fiber and are nutrient-dense. This will keep you full longer.

2. You're not eating a lot of animal-based foods like meat, cheese, and dairy. Most of them have high calories saturated fats and are not usually full of all the great nutrients that fruits, veggies, and whole foods have.

Also, when your eating plant-based whole food you automatically cut out processed foods loaded with sugar, heavy amounts of salt, and unhealthy fats, all of which add to weight gain.

3. When your body is getting an abundance...

Crunchy Chewy Vegan Granola

I absolutely love making my own granola. You save a ton of money, you can customize it to fit what you like, and it tastes so much better.

When I say customize what I mean is you can pick what kind of nuts you mix in there and decide if you want raisins or dried cranberries or other dried fruit. You can also pick the spices you add like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice is yummy too. You can even get creative with adding different extracts instead of vanilla like almond or coconut.

I made this recipe vegan by swapping honey for maple syrup which changes the flavor a little, for the better as far as I'm concerned.

Once you make your own granola you won't go back, it tastes so much better, it's so fresh, and it's personalized!

Use this recipe as a base and customize it to make it yours!

Preheat oven to 350°

What You Will Need

4 Cups of old fashioned rolled oats.

1 Cup of pecans, chopped. Or nuts of your choice.

½ Cup...

I know I'm a little late to the game this New Year. I was set back by a bad cold but now I'm back and ready!

This is my New Year Meal to bring health and prosperity to you!

Last year I made a soup and just wanted to do something different. I was in the mood for chili, so chili it was.

I'm very happy the way this came out and there was enough to freeze and share. As a matter of fact, I'm having this for lunch today.

So let me get to it!

What Do I Need?

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 large or 2 small Onions, diced

2 Peppers, diced. Whatever color your heart desires

5 Cloves of garlic, minced.

2 Carrots shredded.

2 15.5 oz of black eye peas, drained.

4 Cups of veggie broth.

28oz of Diced Tomatoes with liquid.

½ to ¾ Cup of uncooked, rinsed quinoa. Depends on how thick you would like it.

1 tsp Garlic powder.

1 tsp Onion powder.

2 tsp Cumin.

2 tsp Paprika.

3 tbsp Chili powder.

1/2 tsp Liquid smoke.

1 Small bag of fresh spinach, chopped.

1 Avocado for garnish,...

This has always been one of my favorites. I got this recipe from Pinterest a while ago. I'm not quite sure who posted it. I tried to look it up but there are actually a lot of similar recipes on there.  The whole family likes this one! Sometimes I serve it with some tortilla chips and avocado, yum!!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED :

1 1/2-2 cups of cooked quinoa

2 Cups of water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 jalapeño, seeds, and ribs removed diced

1 red pepper seeds removed, diced

1 orange pepper seeds removed, diced

1 cup of frozen corn

Juice of one small lime

1 Tsp of ground cumin

1 1/2  Tbsp of chili powder

1/3 cup of chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

1 15.5 oz cans of black beans drained and rinsed

2 cups of red enchilada sauce

2 1/2 cups of Daiya shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish.

In a large skillet heat olive oil, medium heat. Add onion garlic and jalapeño. Sauté...

I wanted to share the recipe I found for the gingerbread cookies I made and posted everywhere. It was not my recipe. I found it online at "I love vegan"

I usually use the same recipe I've been using forever and just veganize it. I just moved and couldn't find it. I'll keep looking but in the meantime, I found this recipe.

They came out great. The cookies I rolled thicker were a little chewy which I like but I also rolled some thinner so I could have some crispy ones too!

Visit I Love Vegan to get the recipe here!:

https://www.ilovevegan.com/perfect-vegan-gingerbread-cookies/

I hope you like them and enjoy!

Xo,

Tina

As labels like “organic,” “natural” and “local” get more popular, you may have also found yourself intrigued by the idea of a plant-based lifestyle. As Michael Pollan puts it in his book Food Rules, plant-based eating can be summed up in seven, simple words: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." 

Going plant-based doesn't mean you have to give up eating the occasional steak or wearing leather. It just means you are readjusting your lifestyle to be more focused on products derived from plants(vegetables, fruits, unrefined grains, legumes, nuts). 

The benefit? You'll be living a life that is healthier, balanced and more sustainable.

If you’re curious about learning more about the journey to a plant-based lifestyle, read on for 10 of our favorite benefits...

1. YOU'LL AVOID HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

No matter how new you are to the idea of plant-based eating, you’re probably aware that eating more veggies is good...

I have a bunch of acorn squash from my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) For Thanksgiving I'm going to be making a big casserole dish of these! Pretty easy to prepare and I think they taste better as they cool and become closer to room temps. This makes your planning easy if you have an oven full of stuff cooking.

Years back I used to make two Thanksgiving dinners to make the whole family happy. No more of that going on here. All plant-based stuff now. 

I hope you enjoy and have a great Holiday!

PREHEAT OVER TO 375

WHAT'S NEEDED:

Two acorn squash ends cut off, seeds removed, and then cut in half to make four circles.

FILLING:

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

1 med onion

1 pepper any color

2 cloves of garlic

1 can of diced tomatoes

Dash of liquid smoke(optional)

1 tablespoon of chili powder

½ cup of vegan sausage crumbles (also optional)

½ cup of vegan cheese

2 cups of cooked brown rice(cook in veggie stock)

Heat olive oil...

This is one of the first vegan things I learned how to make. Its a great replacement for the tuna sandwich, so yummy! This salad is good on a sandwich, a bed of lettuce, and in a wrap. It's a definite classic in my house now, everyone loves it! This doesn't happen too often.

Quick and easy to make with very few ingredients, very easy to whip up last minute without needing a run to the grocery store. Perfect for that summer night you don't want to cook. Guess what, It's pretty healthy too!

What do you need?

2 Carrots shredded

2-3 Stalks of celery diced

1 small onion diced

1 tablespoon of fresh dill(you can use dry, just do half the amt)

1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1 can of chickpeas rinsed.

½ cup of vegan mayo. Add more if its a little dry.

Salt and Pepper to taste

What do I do?

Put rinsed chickpeas in a large bowl and smash them up good with a fork. Add the shredded carrots, diced celery, and diced onion.

Mix together mayo, mustard, dill, and salt and...