Wednesday, February 18, 2015

28 Day Challenge....Day 18


Vegan, plant based diet

Con Queso Sauce is one of the best kept secrets of going plant based.  It's creamy, rich, tasty.  When I eat it I think to myself, I can eat as much of this as I want.  Not only is this great, but it's good for me!  Happy camper.

Con Queso Baked Potato   (makes 2 cups of sauce)
1 scrubbed potato for each serving, 4 total

2 medium carrots, peeled and chunked
1 medium russet potato, peeled and chunked
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 medium onion, chopped
½ jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped


1 t. cumin
1 t. paprika, smoked if you have it
½ t. granulated garlic
1 small canned chipotle pepper, or to taste
½ c. reserved cooking water
½ c. almond milk
8 oz. firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled
⅓ - ½ c. nutritional yeast
1 t. salt or 1 T. light miso
1 T. pickled jalapeno juice or lemon juice

Stuffing ingredients: I used frozen spinach, artichokes, bell peppers, chopped onions, minced garlic.  Variation: black beans, green onion , etc. 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a shallow baking pan, add the stuffing ingredients and cover with aluminum foil.  Pop into the oven while it warms up and leave in there until you are ready to stuff your potato.
Pop your potatoes into the microwave to cook until your oven is up to temperature.  Then pop into the oven.

Put the carrots, chunked potato, chopped onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper into a saucepan and just cover with water.  Cook over medium heat until carrots are tender.  Drain off water reserving ½ cup. 

Put the almond milk, cooking water and spices into a blender.  Add the boiled vegetables and remain ingredients and blend until smooth.  Add more almond milk if too thick.

Check your baked potatoes.  When ready, cut in half lengthwise and plate end to end.  Spoon your stuffing ingredients on top reserving some for garnish.  Pour a generous amount of con queso sauce on top.  Garnish and serve!

Day 18 of Challenge
It's Day 18 of my 28 day challenge.  I was reviewing my stats over the weekend to keep up my motivation.  Here's my blood work up:
My goal is to continue to reduce my cholesterol, LDL and Triglycerides.  I began eating plant-based in September, 2013.  In 2011 I was following a Mediterranean style diet.  I do have high cholesterol as a hereditary condition and I do have to watch it.  But the great thing is that it is coming down without medication!  My HDL will bounce back I have learned.  It drops when your LDL goes down, so I will monitor that.  I've already lost the weight I needed to lose, and have kept that off.  Now, it's just packing in the greens and staying away from oil.







No comments:

Post a Comment