First off, happy Friday the 13th! 😉  Do I have any superstitious blends out there?  I must say that I am not much for superstitions, so to me it is just another day.  Well, maybe it is not just another day.  It is Friday, after all, and Fridays make me oh so happy!
Food makes me really happy, too.  Especially good, hearty, plant-based food.  And I have been eating a lot of it lately.  Let’s take a look, shall we?
Friday Foodie Favorites: December 13, 2013
I have had my eye on Elise’s Creamy Dijon Tempeh and Spinach Casserole for awhile now. Â I mean seriously, who doesn’t love a good casserole recipe, especially one with tempeh in it? Â I finally got my act together and made it a few weeks ago. Â I followed Elise’s recipe exactly except I subbed in dairy-free yogurt in place of the dairy-free sour cream because I already had some on hand. Â I ate this by itself, and I also ate it over a bed of greens. Â It was really good. Â I am thinking that Amanda (my tempeh-loving bff) needs to try this one!
A few weeks ago I also made Alexis’s Hearty Lentil, Kale, and Potato Soup. Â I make soups year round, but like most people I especially love them during the colder months. Â Soups are fantastic because you can chock them full of veggies, and adding in delicious proteins like lentils is always a great idea. Â I really enjoyed this soup. Â It was certainly hearty and full of two of my favorite foods: lentils and potatoes. Â Plus, I really am on a kale kick lately, too. Â I added an extra potato to my soup so it was a bit thicker and more like a stew. Â I loved it that way. Â Stews are beyond comforting to me.
I have been loving my overnight oats, buckwheat bakes, and pancakes lately, but a couple of weekends ago I wanted to mix things up a bit for my breakfasts for the work week ahead.  I browsed my saved recipes on Bloglovin’ and decided to make my own take on Andrea’s Swiss Chard and Chanterelle Mushroom Fritatta Cups.  I used kale in place of the swiss chard because my grocery store was out of swiss chard, and used sliced baby bella mushrooms.  These were very easy to make and enabled me to have three breakfasts pre-cooked and packed for the work week ahead of time.  Talk about a time-saver.  Plus, they tasted awesome served alongside a bit of salsa.  I already have plans to make these again soon!
Since I have been hooked on kale lately (pretty sure that is very obvious after seeing the recipes that I have posted so far ;)), I couldn’t wait to make a slightly adapted version of this Whole Foods’ recipe for Sweet Potatoes with Collard Greens and Adzuki Beans. Â I used kale instead of collard greens because it was on sale, swapped the sweet potatoes for roasted red potatoes, and used pinto beans because I could not find any adzuki beans that were less than $2.50 per can. Â I splurge on some food items, but I will rarely pay $2.50 when I can pay 79 cents. Â It’s basic math, folks ;). Â Even with my substitutions, I was really loving the results of this dish. Â It was pretty much a super-food plate full of veggies, packed with protein, and topped with healthy fats from the sunflower seeds. Â Oh, and it tasted awesome too! Â Whole Foods definitely has some great recipes on their website that I love to try or find inspiration from.
And finally, I am switching things up a bit this Friday with a favorite not centered around food:
A workout!
Lately I have been getting tired with my old ab strength training routine.  After all, you can only do so many crunches and planks, right?  I found Gina’s 5-Minute Ab Burner video a couple of weeks ago and have fallen in love with it.  It is fast but effective.  Trust me, my abs are really feeling it each time that I get finished with this workout.  It is a good one!
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for the Happy Herbivore Light and Lean cookbook!
Happy Friday, friends! Â Now go make and eat some good food :).
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I love lentil soup! And soups are the best way to “trick” Jeff into eating new things 🙂
I want to try that recipe soon!
Haha, that’s hilarious but SO true. You can sneak all kinds of things into soups ;).
I am thinking of going Vegetarian for 30 days in Jan, i need to try some of these! Looks great!
That is so awesome!! Let me know if you have any questions/need advice! 🙂
that quiche sounds delicious and right after the quiche, I will be trying that ab workouts. Balance right? Happy Friday to you too 🙂
ALL about the balance! Smart thinking, girlie :).
I’ve tried a different soup by Alexis but I haven’t tried that one you made! Her other soup was outstanding, though. I ate it every day almost for as long as it lasted! I think it was her chickpea veggie soup.
She recipes are fantastic! I have never tried one that I didn’t like.
That soup/stew looks amazing! And I have a whole bunch of kale that I’ve been trying to find something creative to do with, so this might be perfect!!
It is the perfect way to use up leftover kale. I LOVE kale in soups.
I’m so happy that it’s Friday as well! That lentil and kale soup sounds and looks pretty awesome. I need to give that a try! Have a great weekend!!
It is fantastic and SO perfect for Winter. You should definitely give it a try!
Mmmm all the foods look great! I’m working on getting more veggies in my life lately, and these all look like great ideas.
The more veggies the better, right? 😉 I love making soups because it is SO easy to chock them full of veggies.
After discovering this past week that most all cheese is not Vegetarian, we are quickly embracing the Vegan thing- and I just bookmarked that Dijon Tempeh and Spinach dish!! Oy- looking forward to trying that!!
The tempeh casserole is SO good!!! You should absolutely try it.
girl, you know how to eat well! I need some of your wonderful soup! love kale!
Haha, thanks! 😉 I sure do my best!
You have so many great plant based dishes all in one post….plus soup. Soup is one of my favorites this time of year. I’m pretty sure I could live on soup.
Haha, ME TOO! Just ate split pea soup for dinner, in fact! 😉
Ahhhh so glad you made Elise’s dijon tempeh! SO obsessed with this recipe 🙂 And I’m beyond excited that you liked the lentil soup! Thanks so much for sharing. I need to make more stat!
That tempeh was unbelievably good…as was your soup!! 🙂
That tempeh casserole sounds so so good! I just bought some more tempeh after not having any for ages so maybe I should give it a try with this recipe!
Do it!! You will absolutely not regret it. It’s fantastic.
That tempeh and spinach casserole looks delicious! I will have to try that recipe for the holidays!
Sarah @ The Balanced Babe
It is so, SO good!!! You should definitely give it a try.
Sometimes I think you and my mom are on the same page. She woke up early this morning to cook up some lentil soup! Yum! The dijon tempeh looks so good!
Well your mom has some fantastic taste, then! 😉
I have been wanting to try Elise’s tempeh casserole recipe since trying tempeh. I have tried a few of her recipes and always like them. All the rest of these look really good too!
You’re right. Her recipes are always fantastic. I am glad that you tried tempeh. Isn’t it awesome? And you will LOVE it in this casserole!
That spinach casserole looks amazing!!
It was SO good! You should absolutely give it a try!