3 EASY Holiday dishes for LAZY people

 I never go to a holiday dinner party empty handed. I'm lucky that when I go my family's gatherings, someone often makes a salad or side dish that is vegan and "melinda-friendly", but I still make it a point to bring something. 

 

This Thanksgiving I made 3 things at the last minute, and think these would be great additions to any holiday meal. They were all well-received by my non-vegan family, and are a great way to add some color to your table. 

Roasted Buttercup Squash:  (cook time 50min)

This one is so easy & so good! It's one of my favorite fall/winter meals, holiday or not. Instructions: Cut this sucker in half, scoop out the seeds, bake for 40 minutes at 350 . If you like crispy edges use the broiler to brown the top for 2-3 minutes. If you're driving to some one else's house stick it in the oven for 10-12 more minutes to finish cooking. 

It tastes sweet on its own, like mashed sweet potato. You could add cinnamon or something if you wanted, but I don't. I served this with my Quinoa Kale Salad in the cavity of the squash, but both dishes are great on their own. 

Grilled Asparagus w/ Lemon (cook time 5 min) 

 

This is great when it is grilled but I'm lazy and I usually just throw this in a hot wok w/ a drizzle of olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, top with salt & pepper. 

I didn't have any on hand today, but I usually I serve this on a bed of (very) lightly cooked spinach, also flavored with lemon juice and s&p. 

This is my go to take along dish for holidays. It's the simplest thing, but there's almost never anything like it on the table. If you don't like asparagus, use zucchini sliced into spears. Eat your veggies, people! No Excuses! 

Quinoa Kale Salad: (cook time 35 min)

 

Don't buy the prepared "kale salad" mix for this one. There are always pieces of stems in those mixes and that is never a crowd pleaser. Wash your hands and pull the leafy peices off the kale stems yourself. Throw in some shredded carrot and cabbage if that's your thing. 

Squeeze the juice of one lemon and one orange into you bowl of kale and massage the juice into the leaves. Add a bit of sea salt and pepper, and let it marinate over night, or even just for a few hours. 

Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package. Add red pepper flakes, sea salt, olive oil or any desired mix-ins. I stick with just the red pepper. You could also replace some of the water w/ vegetable stock, but I really don't think it is necessary. 

When your quinoa is done cooking let it cool for 2-3 minutes and mix it into your kale while still warm. Add roasted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and orange zest on top. I try to stick to a 50/50 ratio of quinoa to kale, but you can change that to suit your taste. 

And there you you have it: 3 dishes perfect for any holiday gathering, that are healthy, vegan, gluten-free, and delicious. 

 

 

Fruit Oatmeal [With ALL The Toppings]

  

I definitely didn't invent fruit oat meal. I forget when I first tried it really, but I'm pretty sure I was introduced to it by one of my raw-vegan friends. I think Doug Graham makes it 80-10-10 style in one of his books. You can say its derivative if you want, but in this post I'm going to talk about how I make it, my way.

Anyway, this is my favorite hearty breakfast in the cooler months. I usually don't heat it up, although you definitely could, it is completely satisfying to me even at room temperature. For me, it's the cinnamon & all the toppings that do the trick. Alone this stuff has the consistency of chunky applesauce, I can already hear some people's reactions. "I don't like applesauce" or "It's just a texture thing". *rolls eyes*

The raw apples aren't at all mushy like applesauce, and the flavor is better too. The texture is all about the good stuff you put on top! Use your favorite granola. Mine is Purely Elizabeth (because...coconut sugar.) Add more cinnamon on top, cacao nibs, and a heaping spoonful of almond butter or your favorite chunky nut butter. With all that goodness on top, if you're still complaining about texture, we can't be friends. 

Here's What's In It: 

 

Today I used 2 ripe bananas, 2 opal apples, and 5 medjool dates. If you aren't a banana lover, use one instead of two, but I prefer it this way because it gives a creamier texture avoiding that "applesauce" feel. The dates are completely necessary in my opinion, because they are delicious and they contain zinc, magnesium, and iron. I'm not afraid of the sugar they contain, but they are sticky, so brush your teeth well! 

Cut up the apples, pit the dates, and load up your food processor or blender. I put one banana on top and one on the bottom, with the apples and dates in the middle. 

 

PULSE, don't Blend. If you're using a food

processor like I did, pluse 3-4 times and then a staple down the sides. Pulse again until you get the desired consistency. Maybe stir a few times while its in there checking for any date chunks, but I honestly love those, so I don't. This should take you less than a minute, don't over think it.

Here's my finished product pre-toppings. I warned you, this stuff is good, but it isn't impressive on its own. 

 

And here's all the goods I like on top, but use whatever you have on hand. Fresh berries would be good, buckwheat groats, shredded coconut, dark chocolate, whatever blows your hair back! 

 I do eat this myself, but it might be enough for two smaller servings for normal people. It might not look like a lot but it is nutrient-packed and calorie-dense. But after a bowl of this for breakfast, I'm good until mid-afternoon for sure. It's perfect for busy days when I won't have time to snack. 

I hope you'll try this, and that you love it. Let me know if you do, and tell me what you put on top! 

Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce

 

This is an easy recipe anyone can make. The frozen mango stores in your freezer for practically forever, and the other ingredients are things I usually have on hand. The sauce itself is raw, vegan, gluten free, fat free, and contains no added sugar. You can serve it over rice, noodles, veggies, as a side, as a dip, whatever. It would probably even be good with chicken fingers (not that I eat chicken fingers, but I know some people reading this who probably do)

It is made in a high-speed blender, so if you don't have one you might need to get creative. Try blending until smooth in any blender or food processor and then slowly warm in a saucepan or double boiler. You could even just toss the room temp sauce with your heated veggies and that might be good enough. Especially if you're lazy like me. (I always do that with my sauces all the time)

Ingredients: 

1 Bag of Frozen Mango (thawed) 

1-2 Sticks of Celery 

1 Green Onion

3-5 Soft Pitted Dates (soak them if they aren't soft) 

Red Pepper Flakes (to taste) 

1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper (optional)

Raw Ginger (to taste, try a 1 inch cube)  

Additions & Substitutions: 

-Sometimes I add even more celery, it thickens the sauce, but I wouldn't recommend it for first-timers. The texture gets a little funky 😝

-Try using date syrup, date sugar, or coconut sugar instead of raw dates. Even an apple works great as a sweetener, but you might not like the texture it gives. 

-If you don't like ginger, use more red pepper flakes.

-Throw some carrot in there if that's something you're into. 

-Try adding curry powders in small amounts, or masala spices, even cinnamon. Go nuts, make it your own.

-Top with cilantro, more red pepper flakes, sliced green onions, sesame seeds, whatever you like! 

Instructions: 

-Load up your blender w/ all the goods. If your blender has a tamper use it. If not, keep a celery stick on hand to push around any dates or still-frozen mango chunks that get stuck.

-If you have a high-speed blender like a BlendTec or Vitamix it will actually warm your sa use for you. Blend until the blender jar is warm to the touch on the outside, then taste test. 

-If you're using a regular blender or food processor make sure your mango is completely thawed when you start blending, blend until smooth, and taste test. 

-I always taste as I go and add more dates, ginger, or spices as needed.

Serving Suggestions: 

You can eat this raw vegan style over zucchini noodles, or with sliced chicken breast if that's your thing. I'm vegan, and I lean towards raw sometimes, so I usually go for a big bowl of lightly steamed veggies. But it is SOOO good over rice. That's probably my favorite way to serve it. Try broccoli, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes lightly steamed, with rice or and chickpeas. Quinoa would be good too.

For me this is a main dish. Maybe for you it's a side dish, or even a dipping sauce for some sort of appetizer. Food is a very personal choice, and I think it's important that you mold this recipe to your own needs. 

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I hope you like it as much as I do, but let me know either way! If you make this please come back and comment, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. 🤔