Hello friends!

I’ve been eating vegetarian for over two weeks now. Aside from being a touch sleepy, which could be due to other factors, I feel really good about what I’m eating. Overall, I’m making healthier choices and loading up on vegetables and legumes. I wanted to incorporate protein into my meals without always resorting to soy. I don’t need a meat substitute at every meal, but protein and fat help satisfy my hunger and keep me full. I decided to hard boil some eggs so I could use them at my whim throughout the week.

How to boil an egg:

There are many different ways to do this, but I like to boil a pot of water, gently drop the eggs in, lower the heat and cook for 10-13 minutes. Remove eggs from water and put in an ice bath for 5 minutes. Tap the egg on a hard surface all over and they should peel very easily. You can also boil water, put eggs in, cover pot and take off heat. Either way they should cook for 10-13 minutes and the ice bath is essential to easy peeling.

These bad boys came in handy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Check out these eggciting creations. They’re not what you’d eggspect. 😉

Breakfast

Black bean and corn salsa hash

Sauté some canned black beans, thawed frozen corn and salsa in a frying pan. Throw in a big handful of spinach at the end to wilt it. Top with a HBE (Hard Boiled Egg, duh!), tomatillo salsa, feta cheese, basil and hot sauce. YUM. This was so flavourful. So many things were happening and they all worked beautifully together. I never thought basil would taste good with salsa but I’m glad I tried it! You could use kale instead of spinach and parsley or cilantro instead of basil. I used two different kinds of salsa. Spicy salsa and tomatillo (the green kind). The combo really makes it pop. Add some cayenne pepper to your bean an corn sauté to crank up the heat!

Lunch

Lentil marinara bowl

I made a big batch of lentils at the beginning of the week so I could always have some healthy legumes on hand. Sauté some onion and garlic in a frying pan for a few minutes then add 1 cup of lentils, 1/2 cup marinara sauce and a few shakes of dried oregano and parsley. Let simmer until some of the sauce has thickened. Transfer to a bowl and top with HBE, parmesan and chili flakes. If the lentils are still to saucy, serve with some crusty bread to sop up the goodness. If you have pre-cooked or canned lentils, this takes about 10 minutes including prep. If you don’t have marinara sauce you can use crushed or diced canned tomatoes. Just make sure to jazz them up with more herbs and spices of your choice so it’s not bland. Top with fresh herbs for best results!

Dinner

Roasted root veg with sunflower seed pesto potatoes

First of all, let me tell you about this pesto:

1/4 cup basil leaves
couple sprigs tarragon, steams removed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 small shallot
1 clove garlic
generous squeeze of lemon
salt and pepper

Blend all of those ingredients. Add more olive oil if it’s too thick. You could easily omit the tarragon if you don’t like it/don’t have any, but I think it adds a really nice quality to it. Also, sunflower seeds are way cheaper than pine nuts so you’re not going to break the bank! This recipe made a small mason jars worth. Enough for 2 people, with leftovers for another meal. Double or triple the recipe if you’re serving a crowd!

After you’ve made your pesto, the rest is easy. Pre-heat the oven to 400. Cut new potatoes in half, toss in olive oil salt and pepper, and place face down on a line baking sheet. Cook for 35-40 minutes until golden and tender.

Wash and scrub a few other veggies of your choice. I used fresh beets, carrots and green onion. Drizzle with a bit olive oil, salt and pepper and place on lined baking sheet. Once the potatoes have a 10 minute head start, put your other veg in the over. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Toss your hot potatoes in a few spoonfuls of pesto. Serve alongside the veg with a HBE topped with fresh dill and feta. So simple! So fresh! Those potatoes are BONKERS. The crispy onion is addictive. I love fresh herbs and it’s nice to be able to incorporate so many of them into one dinner. Using more herbs helps curb your sodium intake because you’re not relying on salt for flavour. I think I’ll use my leftover pesto on some gnocchi tomorrow, or maybe on a roasted veg sandwich! 🙂

Speaking about tomorrow, I need to go to bed! Thanks so much for eating with me. I hope you make a bunch of HBE’s and create some beautiful meals with them. It’ll make your life way easier!

Until next week, where I’ll be reporting to you from FLORIDA!

Love,

Julia