New Vegan Yum Yums

Holy cow.

I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted. Oops.
I'm finally getting into my weekly routine and man is it busy. Nothing like nannying for 11 hours and then going to class for 3. I wish that we had more like 30 hours in a day just so that I could sleep more than 6 hours. It felt good to sleep in till after 9 this past Saturday!

Since I am a "new" vegan I always tend to eat the same things every week because I know that it is vegan and everything is pretty simple. This week, I decided that I was going to expand my vegan palette and try some new food that wasn't almond milk and cereal, veggie wraps, and Indian food. Yes, that is in fact my daily eating habits. Not too adventurous. But it sure is tasty. I decided to try two new recipes for this week and hopefully another two next week!

First up:
Sweet Potato Soup. AKA Heaven in a bowl.

The weather these days has been amazing. Chilly in the mornings and nights. Perfect during the day. These kind of days make me want fall so badly that I decided I would close my eyes and eat some warm sweet potato soup in my cold kitchen and pretend that it was October. And did I mention that this was probably the easiest soup that I have ever made?

Adapted from Healthy. Happy. Life.

Chili Sweet Potato Soup
1 Medium Size Sweet Potato
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Cup No Chicken Broth
Dash of Chili Powder and Salt
Pinch of Cinnamon
1/2 Avocado
Wedge of Lime
Handful of Crushed Tortilla Chips (I used Whole Foods 365 Blue Corn Tortilla Chips)

1. Microwave the sweet potato (Or bake it in the oven, I just don't have time for that!)
2. Once sweet potato is soft, cut in half and scoop out that deliciousness into a blender.
3. Add the almond milk, fake chicken broth, chili powder, salt, and cinnamon
4. Blend all together until creamy. You might need to add more of either the almond milk or broth, just depends on if you want it more creamy or just thinned out.
5. Pour into a bowl and throw it in the microwave for about 1 minute to get it super hot
6. Squeeze lime wedge, drop in the chunks of avocado, and sprinkle with the tortilla chips
7. Close your eyes and enjoy liquid fall.

I really don't think it can get any more easy than that. I will definitely be making this frequently. And by frequently I probably mean weekly.

The next recipe I decided to try was for a vegan breakfast sandwich. Every week I eat the same things for breakfast. Milk and cereal or oatmeal. I haven't gotten sick of it yet, I just thought that I should maybe eat something with a little more nutrition since I have to run around with two boys all day. And I'm usually ready for a snack by 10am. This sandwich is also adapted from Happy. Healthy. Life. They have some awesome vegan recipes so I am sure the majority of my new meals will be coming from them!

Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
1 English Muffin
2 Tbsp soy vegan sausage (I used Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage)
1/4 Bell pepper (Any color will do), sliced
2 Slices of Tomato
Small handful of spinach
Sprinkle of Daiya Pepper Jack Cheese

1. Form sausage into a patty the same size as the English muffin and fry in pan until crisp on both sides. 5ish minutes.
2. Cut English muffin and pop it in the toaster
3. Once sausage patty is hot sprinkle on some Daiya cheese and cover until melted
4. Put spinach on one side of the English muffin and place sausage patty with melted cheese on top.
5. Add bell pepper slices tomatoes.
6. Top with the other side of the English muffin and devour

There are MANY different ways to make this unique. I think I am going to try some tofu "scrambled eggs" next time to top it off. Yum!

I hope that everyone has a fantastic weekend! Mine will consist of 8 hours of anatomy class for EMT and then hours and hours of studying for my first exam. Wish me luck!