Serving Up Sunshine in a Bowl

in Natural Medicine3 years ago (edited)


Hello friends! The last few weeks have flown by, but I finally had a few moments in between chasing the sunshine to sit down and share some of my latest food inspiration. Here in Atlanta we have finally had a few gloriously sunny days that have given a very much appreciated taste of the coming spring season. The week prior was wet, cold and dreary, though I tried not to complain too much given a lot of people had the frozen wet stuff wreaking havoc. Regardless, I'm not ashamed to admit I am one of the many whose mood appreciably lifts when I get to see the sunshine more often than not. The change in weather also gets me more motivated in the kitchen again, too. And a meal just tastes better when dining outdoors!


My mom and dad's dog agrees with my sentiments. I couldn't help but share her sweet face before jumping into some of the tasty food I've been whipping up since my last blog post. Puppies and sunshine: does it get any sweeter?


Well, a little vegan cheezy sauce might just sweeten the deal. When times get busy, a hearty baked potato is one of my fallback meals that I can put together in no time flat. Especially using the pressure cooker to "bake" the potatoes. Broccoli and cheese are of course classic toppings, but I put a plant-based spin on the cheese for a much healthier and lighter finished product. Believe me, though, that sauce was as decadent as it looked despite being made predominantly of sweet potatoes!

I've shared a similar dish before on my blog with a sauce I made from white beans, but I had a huge sweet potato that needed to be used up so I searched the web for a version with that other staple spud. I found this nacho cheese dip that looked perfect. Even better--extremely easy to make with things I keep on hand in my kitchen. You can't beat finding recipes that use ingredients you already stock.

For some extra protein I cooked up black lentils that were also from the pantry, and the broccoli got roasted with some spices in the oven while the potatoes and sauce were prepared. Just a few components, but it all came together for a satisfying and homey meal. I have one last serving left to eat today which will be enjoyed to the very last bite. Leave that nasty boxy of processed cheese spread on the shelf. Try this sweet potato sauce for anything from nachos to dip to just eating it with a spoon...


Of course I've got plenty of the green stuff in my weekly plan, as well. Knowing we had warmer temperatures coming this week, I prepped another staple that I make often for a quick and healthy lunch. There are plenty of variations of a chickpea salad out there, but I'm partial to one with celery and cranberries for crunch and a bit of sweetness, along with raw onion for a bit of punch to the flavor. This one also had raw sliced Brussels sprouts for some extra benefit of the healthy cruciferous veggie.

To play on my "sun" theme, I used a sunflower seed butter dressing and some extra sunflower seeds to finish it off for some healthy fat and nutty flavor. I always have tahini on hand for a creamy dressing, but sunbutter is a nice switch up sometimes to get a similar result. One of my farmers also had my favorite sprout...

Sunflower sprouts! Those are the nice green leaves on the sides of the bowls, though there are plenty more leafy greens underneath. I love sunflower sprouts because they still have that nutty undertone that comes through in a more subtle way than the seeds themselves. They make an excellent addition to any plant bowl!


Finally...mushrooms! I do love my shroom lady at the market, and I have been continuing to try the different varieties she brings. A few weeks ago I bought a bag of Trumpet mushrooms and went digging into my new cookbook from Brant Terry "Vegetable Kingdom." I couldn't resist giving these marinated and slowly baked mushrooms a try.

He says in the book he didn't want to call this "mushroom bacon" as many similar recipes are titled. I can see why, as many of those, while delicious, really don't have quite the same texture or flavor as the pork-based original. However, these flavor-packed morsels of fungus are absolutely addictive! A simple, yet powerful marinade transforms the mushrooms into a bomb of flavor to add to any meal. I honestly am having a tough time remembering even what I added the cooked mushrooms to, I just know they were so good I wanted to buy Trumpets in bulk to make more. If this first recipe I picked was this good, I can't wait to try more of his yummy vegan dishes out of this book.


There we have it. Another little medley of meals to hopefully inspire some of you to keep up your cooking. I always love remembering that sometimes even taking a slightly different spin on a tried and true regular dish can keep things interesting. I say "remembering" because sometimes I forget that I don't have to make new things all of the time. Sometimes one simple new element is all it takes instead of reinventing the whole meal.

On that note, wishing you all lots of sunshine and some warmth on your skin at some point today. Along with some delicious meals of your own to enjoy. Bon Appetit!

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It is ALL about the sauces right? To infuse and meld a dish together.

Honestly, does it ever get better than a baked potato? LOL. A luxury in my lower carb life and suddenly I feel inspired to make them tonight.

Lovely to see then sun shining in Atlanta.

 3 years ago  

I would be hard pressed to choose potatoes or peanut butter as my desert island food! Though if I could choose a variety of potatoes, that would clinch it. Now that it is getting warmer here and I start enjoying running more again, potatoes are a staple that definitely helps fuel the extra energy burn!

We've had quite a dreary winter, though I shouldn't complain to you knowing the type of rainy season you go through, but it really does lift ones spirits to get the sun on your face after a long stint without it.

That beats having just a pocket full of sunshine ☀️ anyday

 3 years ago  

I don't have pockets half the time anyway. 😜

I woulda stopped by sooner if the dog was on the cover

You know I got that number on the top of my back piece? I tell you that already?

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 3 years ago  

Her mug is a lot cuter than mine. Be back later. The sun is beckoning...

Your bowls of goodness and beauty are like a gift for all the senses!

I think I need to venture outside of my area to look for exotic mushrooms like you have. Also I love sunflower sprouts but I haven't seen many sprouts this year in the area. Thanks for the healthy and tasty inspirations as always!

 3 years ago  

Thank you Carolyn! I hope you get some of these warmer days soon. And that you can find some of your own goodies. I don't always see the sunflower sprouts, but boy do I enjoy them. I suppose I probably should just get some seeds to sprout my own at home!

Wow, I just loved your post, always interested in plant based diet. I am going to try your sweet potatoe sause, thank you so much for shareing.

 3 years ago  

Thank you @artywink! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. It really is delicious, and couldn't be simpler to make!

Omg. I need to know what's in the marinade!!! Don't listen to the other dude and leave that cover, with the sun ray and the shiny smile 😎. Doggy will understand😉

 3 years ago  

Haha, well what does that dude know anyway? 😜

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@dandays be like:

Two is more than one which equals "some."

Delicious! :)

 3 years ago  

Thanks babe. 😘

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I probably should not have read this before bed and two hours after my dinner but I enjoyed it anyway. This all looks and sounds extremely delicious. I'm definitely gonna try out this sweet potato ( cheese ) sauce very soon, although I'll need to make do with less ingredients.

Big hug and enjoy the ( early ) Spring!


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 3 years ago  

I get hungry every time I peruse Hive. You'll have to let me know if you give the sweet potato sauce a go! It really was delish. 🤤

Sending sunny thoughts your way! 🌞

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I get hungry every time I peruse Hive. You'll have to let me know if you give the sweet potato sauce a go! It really was delish.

I feel I miss too many ingredients to give it a serious try but will let you know if I do :<)

Big hug!


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Spring indeed, but your food looks a lot more inviting than those beautiful rays of sunshine. I love this posting style with several different creations and a little backstory. You're in the deep south, so I imagine a few more weeks and things will be very green there.

Thanks @plantstoplanks for sharing this with us.

Your post is featured in our latest Plant Power curation post, Sunshine In A Bowl, Stir-Fried Green Papaya, Caesar Salad, Edible Flowers, Foraging, & More!!.


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You've been curated by @justinparke for Natural Medicine's curation project aimed at supporting fruit, vegetable and grain recipes, dialogue about cruelty free eating, conscious eating for the planet, and quality meat free food blogs! We upvote, reblog and tweet your great #plantbased content.
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 3 years ago  

Thank you @justinparke! It is fun sometimes just to ramble a bit and let the food talk for me, as well. I don't have as much time right now to really work on specific recipes, but seems like everyone just enjoys these types of posts as much as the others. 💚

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WOW, that looks very very tasty. It is a good time for picnic too.

 3 years ago  

That sounds like an excellent idea! I haven't gone for a picnic in a long time!

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That looks really delicious and like art in a bowl 😋😍
And being outside just makes it even better.
Wow the Mushrooms looked amazing and that sauce 😋
I have to try this, never had anything like this. Cute dog you have to 🤗 reminds me of my Bobby.

Thank you for sharing and making me hungry 😁
Have a wonderful weekend.
Much love 🌹

 3 years ago  

Thank you @saffisara! Always happy to share some lovely bowl inspiration with you all! And of course cute puppies will never go amiss either. :)

Happy new week!

Nice work @plantstoplanks, food looks de-lish, as always.
We have enjoyed the sunshine and warmth in Florida this past month, but we are down to our last 24 hours then headed back north. Thank goodness we go home to tapping the sugar maples and making syrup, which is always so much fun.
Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.

 3 years ago  

Oh I'm sure you soaked up every minute of that Florida sunshine! Though I would be pretty excited to come home to what I'm sure is the most glorious maple syrup ever.

We had an unexpectedly glorious Sunday afternoon here. It was just about 80 degrees! So at least it's some small consolation given we've got cooler, rainier weather for a few days now to remind us winter may not be totally over just yet. ;)

Have a safe trip back up home!

Good morning, glad you got the warm Sunday in. For us , going home to winter still, forecast there today is high of 31 and low of 16 brrrr.
Planning 6 weeks for next year hoping to get back a little closer to spring 😃 enjoy your day, always nice to hear from you.

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 3 years ago  

Oh yummy - I really want the mushroom bacon recipe! (I know he didn't want to call it that but it sure sounds like it). LIly is so adorable - puppies and sunshine and good food are a heavenly trio!

 3 years ago  

I made the mushroom recipe again this week. I doubled it and still didn't have enough to last very long, haha! It's gloomy and cold again today, so really could use some puppies and sunshine again soon!

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