When life gives you lemons, make Vodka!: Healthy Vegan/Vegetarian Dinner!

So i am attempting to do a whole week ("week" meaning 5 days, lol saturday and sunday don't count, right??! =) hehe) of a semi-vegan/vegetarian clean eating! For those of you that aren't familiar with a Vegan diet, it is one that has absolutly no animal products in them. This includes eggs, diary, and all other animal-derived products. Simply put, it is mostly used by those with very strong convinctions against animal cruelty and inhumane treatment of how we slaughter/kill/absorb food from animals. That being said, as an animal lover, i don't think I could ever give up milk or eggs. So- i am doing a "semi-vegan" diet-- composed of all vegan restrictions with the exception of egg whites & fat free milk =) They both have tons of protein...and i need my daily coffee fix...with milk, sooo ya.

Anyways, here is a treat! Second night for dinner I did use an all vegan diet- I had milk/egg whites for breakfast and a big full veggie lunch! After two meals of sauteed veggies you gotta start thinking outside of the box in terms of veggie usage!

I made Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup (don't knock it before you try it!!) along with vegan lasagna bites! They were DELICIOUS! AND the best part about them? *drumroll*.............................. the soup has a mere 60-80 calories per serving (depending on bowl size of course) and the lasagna bites has around 80 calories per serving! A big nice fully healthy meal for a grand finale calorie count of 220 calories! Ladies and gents, you can't beat that! Even with 220 calories, they are all great healthy calories for your clean eating! Your body will love you for it!

On a side note, for about 48 hours I have been vegan-izing, and i have had more energy than I can imagine! The natural energy that fresh fruits & veggies gives you is amazing! I feel like the energizer bunny...keep going and going and going and going...you get the drift. Try out this recipe, I'm sure you'll love it. The sweet taste from the butternut squash overcomes any carrot issues you may have, which, i am not a top fan of carrots...they are not on my top 10 veggie list. So i was a little concernicus that it would be too "carroty" for me-- but it totally was not! The onions brought in a nice sweet carmel taste to it .......ohhhhhhhhhh boy! I can't wait to have my leftovers for lunch! =) Try it out with some variations too! I bet it would be great with tomatoes or even some yellow squash!!

Vegan Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup

Veggie Lasagna Bites

What you will Need:

VEGGIE LASAGNA BITES
-won ton wrappers
-8 oz firm tofu, chopped up
-Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
-fresh basil
-mushrooms, stems removed & thinly sliced
-zucchinni, peeled & thinly sliced
-grape tomatoes, cut in half
-2 cloves garlic, crushed & diced
-oilve oil
(food processor)
(cupcake pan)
BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CARROT SOUP
-1 butternut squash, peeled & chopped (omit seeds)
-5 carrots, peeled & chopped
-1 large onion, chopped
-nutmeg
-2 cups chicken broth substitute (or chx broth for those on non restricted diet)
-pepper
-soy milk (or can use fat free half & half or fat free milk for those on non restricted diet)
(food processor)
(large pot)
To make Lasagna Bites:
1. Sautee garlic in pan with oilve oil lightly, add zucchinni until soft and cooked through
2. Remove from pan & set aside- add mushrooms & more oilve oil until soft - add sliced grape tomatoes until just cooked
3. Spray cupcake pan with light cooking spray, line with wonton wrappers until they form a "cup"
4. Make "Ricotta Layer" --> in a food processor add tofu, 1 tbs oilve oil, pepper to taste, and a handful of basil. Process until semi-chunky & resembles ricotta cheese
5. Layer your bites with 1 tbs "tomato sauce," then zucchinni, ricotta cheese, mushrooms & tomato.
6. Add one wonton layer inbetween (i had to cut mine so they fit a little more perfectly) Repeat layers once more
7. Add one more dollup of "ricotta" layer
8. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 or until edges of wonton are brown & crispy. Serve immediately & enjoy!!
To make Butternut Squash Soup:
1. After peeling all veggies, in a pot add few tablespoons of oilve oil & get a nice steam/sautee going for a few minutes to lightly coat the outside of the veggies
2. Add chicken broth and let simmer for 30 minutes or until veggies are soft and tender
3. transfer to food processor and pulse until resembles soup. If mixture is too thick, add more chicken broth substitute. If it is too watery, you can try draining some of it through a very fine mesh strainer.
4. Add a few tablespoons of soy milk to it to make it a little bit more creamy...
5. Add pepper to taste--> I added cayenne pepper for an extra oomph!
6. Enjoy!