Vegan BLT Recipes

This post was originally published as Day 6 : Eating Vegan by Laurel on Health Food blog.

It was cold and overcast yesterday which put me in the mood for oatmeal. I tried something new by stirring in a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter and adding pieces of banana as a topping. Wow, I am definitely gonna do that again! It was so good! If you’re a peanut butter fan, this is a perfect way to flavor up your oatmeal. I ate it with a bunch of grapes on the side and a big glass of water (after my morning black tea, of course).

At lunch I made a BLT sandwich using Smart Bacon. I was a little nervous to try it because I’m not usually a fan of fake meats. I’d rather just have vegetables look like vegetables, ya know? But this is vegan week and I thought I should try it out. The good news is that the BLT was delicious! I’m not sure I’d ever eat the Smart Bacon on its own, but it was great in the sandwich and provided a nice crunchy element. (see my vegan BLT recipe below)

After such a long hard week of work, I didn’t feel like eating out anywhere for dinner. I just wanted to plop down on my couch and do nothing. So, I picked up takeout from a vegan restaurant I’ve been wanting to try called Blossom and brought it home where I could really relax. While waiting for my food to be ready, I ordered a fresh green juice from the bar. It had spinach, cucumber, apple, lemon, and ginger. It was so energizing, and you just can’t beat fresh juice! My entree was Penne Bolognese made with minced seitan, basil marinara, and Italian blend tapioca cheese. It was really good, but I added a few red pepper flakes half way through to give it some spice. It had been so long since I had a big bowl of pasta, so that was definitely a treat.

As with the days earlier in the week, I snacked on peanuts and almonds throughout the day and made an extra effort to drink lots of water.

Vegan BLT

Vegan BLT (pictured here with Kumato brown tomatoes and mesclun greens)

2 slices whole grain bread
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp. Vegenaise
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 slices Smart Bacon
1/4 avocado
1 handful spring greens
Slices of tomato
Salt & pepper

Slice up the tomato and avocado and set it aside. Pour the tsp. of olive oil in a saute pan and turn the heat up to medium. Place the Smart Bacon in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes total, turning half way through. Meanwhile, toast your bread. When the bread is done toasting, smash the clove of garlic and rub it on all sides of the bread for extra flavor. Spread the Vegenaise on and pile a handful of greens and slices of tomato and avocado on top. Add the Smart Bacon when it’s done and sprinkle on a little salt and pepper.

Tip 1: I used Kumato brown tomatoes and mesclun greens that I found at Whole Foods, but use any tomatoes or lettuce that you like. Tip 2: Watch the Smart Bacon closely. It’s easy to burn and does not taste good when it turns black! (not like regular bacon)

More pictures from the day…

Peanut Butter Oatmeal with Bananas and Grapes

Organic Santa Cruz Peanut Butter

Fresh green juice from Blossom (bad lighting...sorry)

Penne Bolognese from Blossom NYC

Healthy Snacks with Tangerine

This post was originally published as Day 7 : Eating Vegan by Laurel on Health Food blog. 

Last day of the week! It’s been fun sharing all my meals with you for these 7 days. Tomorrow I’ll be posting a summary of my thoughts on this vegan blogathon, so keep your eye out for that.

I slept in yesterday morning, so I only ate a banana for breakfast before I went to dance class. I never like to eat too close to exercising, because it slows me down and tends to upset my stomach. I brought some coconut water and mixed nuts as a snack to have during my break between classes. They helped temporarily delay my hunger…but by the time I was done, I was starving for lunch!

I headed for One Lucky Duck, my favorite raw/vegan takeout in the city, and ordered the spicy thai lettuce wraps and a mallomar for dessert.  The lettuce wraps came with mango, pea shoots, carrot, cabbage, cashews, basil, mint, cilantro, and a tamarind sauce. They were delicious and fun to eat with my hands. The mallomar was a chocolate coated pecan cookie with vanilla cream, and let me tell you, it was heavenly! I washed it down with their free filtered spring water.

After running errands, I came home and snacked on some hummus, spinach-walnut pesto, and tomato bruschetta. I ordered it from Blossom the night before (see Day 6), but was too full to eat it after my big bowl of pasta. It was fresh and filling, but I honestly thought the hummus and pesto didn’t have enough flavor or spice. Maybe they both just needed salt? Either way, I ate it. Was just happy to have healthy food in my belly.

My favorite Thai food restaurant was closed for renovations, so my boyfriend and I tried Cafe Con Leche for dinner instead. I  ordered a Corona and a vegetable dish with a spicy red sauce, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, and onions. It came with a bunch of fried plantains on the side. Nice way to end off my week.

I’ll be back tomorrow for the summary of all 7 days! See also Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6 of this blogathon.

Snacks for my break between dance classes

Spicy thai lettuce wraps from One Lucky Duck

Mallomar from One Lucky Duck

Fresh spring water from One Lucky Duck

Crostini Tapas from Blossom

Spicy vegetables at Cafe Con Leche

Fried plantains at Cafe Con Leche