I love lemon. It makes me happy. It makes me think of spring in the midst of these dreary February days. It’s fresh, zesty and blends wonderfully with sweet and savory ingredients!

I also love rice. I think rice was the main staple of my diet in college. I’ve come a long since my days of Minute Rice with butter and salt at the University of Maryland College Park. Now I whip up fancy rice salads like this one which combines two of my favorite things!

This salad has no oil so it stays low-fat and is perfect served on a bed of greens. I used Jasmine Rice for the nutty flavor that it offers, but you can sub other rice types. Just remember that the Instant Pot cooking times in the recipe below are specific to Jasmine Rice. If you change it, then you need to cook the rice you choose to the proper times in the Instant Pot.

Check out a video on how to make this rice salad here and don’t forget to subscribe!

Dressing for this salad adapted from Ordinary Vegan

Let’s talk about peanut butter. This is a subject that has been peeving me for quite some time. You might be wondering how peanut butter could peeve someone, so I’m going to tell you.

They aren’t all created the same.

Most people know that there is a difference between their childhood Jif peanut butter spread and a jar of natural peanut butter that you have to stir. You know, the kind that has TWO ingredients, peanuts and salt? Well, now those marketing buffs are fooling people into thinking they are buying healthy foods when they are not. They have begun labeling jars of peanut butter with the word “natural” when, in fact, they contain added oil and sugar. There’s nothing natural about that! I can’t tell you how many time I’ve bought a jar of “natural” peanut butter and gotten home only to realize there are more ingredients than I bargained for. That really peeves me! Peanut butter doesn’t need all that stuff. It is velvety and delicious just the way it is. Our kids don’t need extra sugar. They get way more than enough sugar around every turn. And, those parents who are trying to do the right thing shouldn’t have to inspect labels that read “natural.”

Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now. That subject really fires me up.

What can I say? I love peanut butter! And that’s why I created this velvety, rich peanut stew inspired by the many recipes for African Peanut Stew that are floating around the web. I took elements of several recipes and came up with this hearty stew. Even better I was able to throw in plenty of greens and add an extra hit of protein by adding chickpeas.

Just do me a favor when you make this stew- please use natural peanut butter AND read the label! Seriously. This stew has no need for oil OR sugar. It has all the flavor and whole food plant based ingredients it needs!

Here is a video to show you how it’s made in the Instant Pot. Don’t forget to subscribe while you are there!

xo Jaime

I feel like a lot of people psych themselves out by making food prep way too complicated. There is a saying called KISS that I love and follow: “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” Especially when you are new to meal planning, you don’t have to pretend you are a master chef and cook things that have a 100 different ingredients and take 3 hours. Choose recipes that are easy and quick, and that have enough servings to make multiple meals.

I have many people in my monthly fitness challenge group that are doing the 21 Day Fix and searching for easy ways to use their containers. I came up with this simple Instant Pot prep that makes at least four meals with chicken leftover for other meals. I suggest serving the chicken and black bean salad over two cups of chopped romaine lettuce with a 1/4 avocado. If you are using the container system, that would calculate to a red, yellow, 2 greens, and a blue container. Not only is it low fat, low calorie, and delicious, but it all comes together in roughly 15 minutes including the time your Instant Pot needs to come to pressure!

Check out this video to see the prep in action! Make sure to subscribe to my youtube channel too!

Nine weeks into my whole food plant based journey, and I’m surviving… and thriving! My workouts are going great. As of today, I’m on day 22 of my 80 day fitness journey. I feel like I’ve turned a new page in my life where I’m not controlled by sugar anymore. It’s the greatest feeling of release. You have no idea how much white sugar controls your life until you remove it from your diet. All of the sudden you just stop thinking about getting your next fix every chance you get. I don’t know about you, but that’s how it was for me. Sugar was like a drug. I feel like a piece of my mind has just been freed up for more positive activity. It’s hard to explain in words, but it is so freeing.

That said, I still like a treat once in a while! I just use different kinds of sweeteners in my cooking now, specifically maple syrup, coconut sugar, or honey. Since I’m not eating animal products anymore, I’ve also had to learn how to bake without eggs. And, just for an added challenge, I’ve cut out oil as much as possible and replaced it with applesauce where applicable.

One would think I’m suffering, but I’m not! I have reviewed tons of vegan baking recipes and experimented until I found the right combination for my taste. Texture was huge for me. So many Vegan recipes use oats for the flour base and I found that everything comes out gummy. I also wasn’t crazy about how so many recipes used banana in place of oil. Whole wheat flours, regular flour, flax, and applesauce made for better alternatives for the flours, oils and eggs.

Before you try this recipe, I want to clarify something. If you are trying vegan baking for the first time, remember you are cooking in a new way. These are going to be slightly different in texture and taste from the muffins you are used to making. Keep an open mind. When you turn to a plant based diet, your taste buds change. You don’t need tons of sugar and oil for something to taste good. I guess what I’m saying is don’t try to compare apples to oranges. These are a healthy alternative to your run-of-the-mill high calorie muffin, and a nice treat for those on a plant-based diet.