hey guys! my friend natalie from thoughts by natalie and i though it would be fun to do a swap with our weekly meal idea posts—so we did! find below a guest post from her, and find my weekly dinner ideas post over on her blog today. i’ve always loved natalie’s recipes, so i’m happy to be spicing things up a bit today!
Hello, hello! I’m so thrilled that Bonnie asked me to share with you today. As you may have read in the most recent VEG article, my husband and I have been eating a plant-based diet since September 2011. Unfortunately, I’m not the best cook, so I’ve made it my 2013 resolution to master whole foods, plant-based cooking—and that’s where my weekly bite posts came from! Below are some of the yummy foods I made this week—links will take you to the original recipe, and all recipes without links are created by me and shared at the bottom of the post…
Berry Smoothie Bowl with Almond Butter Granola
Chipotle Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Guac Tacos // Naturally Ella
I confess, I definitely skipped making homemade guacamole, and I also forgot to pick up the chipotle in adobo sauce—however, this still turned out delicious even with the serious lack of effort on my part. I recommend serving with a little Sriracha on top for a spicy kick!
Perfect From Scratch Margarita // Vegan Cooking For Carnivores
Tofu and Black Bean Tacos // Whole Foods Market
I’ve made these tacos several times and they always turn out great—plus, they’re really easy to make! Personally, I think a potato masher works better for mashing the tofu, but it’s really a matter of preference. These are best served on corn tortillas with shredded lettuce, guacamole and salsa on top.
Green Smoothie Bowl with Almond Butter Granola
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo with Roasted Broccoli
Soy Chorizo Burrito with Rice, Corn Salsa and Guacamole
Berry Smoothie Bowl
A Borton Family original (serves two)
8oz nondairy milk of choice (I like unsweetened organic soy milk)
2 bananas
Big handful of baby spinach, washed
Frozen blueberries
Pour milk into the blender, then add in the bananas and spinach. Start with ½ cup of frozen blueberries and blend until smooth. If you like your smoothie thicker, add blueberries. If you need to thin it out, add more milk. Once you have the right consistency, divide into two bowls and top with almond butter granola (or a granola of your choice). Eat with a spoon, just like cereal!
Green Smoothie Bowl
A Borton Family original (serves two)
8oz nondairy milk of choice (I like unsweetened organic soy milk)
2 bananas
Big handful of baby spinach, washed
Frozen mango, slightly thawed
Frozen pineapple, slightly thawed
Pour milk into the blender, then add in the bananas and spinach. Add in some mango chunks (maybe 5 or so), then about ½ cup pineapple to start. Blend the ingredients together until smooth. To add thickness, add more pineapple. If you need to thin it out, add more milk. Once you have the right consistency, divide into two bowls and top with almond butter granola (or a granola of your choice). Eat with a spoon to your little heart’s delight.
Soy Chorizo Burrito with Rice, Corn Salsa and Guacamole
The kind of meal you assemble, rather than cook :)
1 package soy chorizo (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
Trader Joe’s Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa
Shredded lettuce or cabbage
Brown rice, cooked and heated (the frozen kind from Trader Joe’s makes this easy!)
Guacamole
Flour tortillas, warmed
Vegan cheese (optional)
Vegan sour cream (optional)
Heat up a pan and remove the soy chorizo from its casing. Once the pan is warm, add the soy chorizo and cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. Once heated through and a little toasty, it’s time to assemble your burrito! Add guacamole, rice, chorizo, corn salsa and shredded lettuce to a warm flour tortilla. If desired, top with vegan cheese and vegan sour cream. Enjoy while hot.
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Recipe courtesy of my husband’s cousin Eric!
1 package fettuccine noodles
2 tbsp Earth Balance
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 tbsp flour
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (might need a little more, depending on desired consistency)
3/4 cup or so of Daiya mozarella vegan cheese
1 cup vegan sour cream
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to taste
Start by boiling water and cooking the fettuccine noodles. Meanwhile, melt the Earth Balance over medium high heat, being careful not to let the it burn. Add onions, a dash of salt and pepper, and the garlic powder. Cook onions until soft, then add flour. Stir until flour is combined with Earth Balance and onions, then add milk. Boil for one minute or so, stirring until it thickens, then turn the heat to low. Next, add in the Daiya cheese, and stir occasionally until melted—this should take about 5-10 minutes (feel free to add milk as needed to achieve desired consistency, keeping in mind that the sour cream will thin it out a little). Once the Daiya cheese is melted, add the sour cream and stir until it is melted. At this point, you do not want the mixture to boil or it will mess up the sour cream. Add a couple shakes of italian seasoning and any salt and pepper to taste. Stir and serve!
What are you making this week?
Natalie Lynn Borton is a magazine editor, writer and blogger who authors Thoughts by Natalie—a blog dedicated to honest talk about beauty, style, wellness and life. She lives in north county San Diego with her hilarious and charming husband Brian and adopted puppy Maggie. She loves the written word, avocados, beach picnics and champagne. She believes that beauty comes from who we are—not what we look like—and she lives her life accordingly.
Chipotle Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Guac Tacos image by Erin Alderson; all other photos by Natalie Lynn Borton.
wrap up: {dinner} {natalie borton} {plant based} {recipes} {vegan} {vegetarian} {weekly bite} {whole foods}
we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!
welcome lovelies! my name is bonnie and this is where i roost. i hope you'll grab a cup of tea and make yourself comfy- we look forward to getting to know you! you can learn more about me and why i love to blog 
