These delicious muffins are great for a snack or with breakfast!
This recipe was adapted by www.popsugar.com to be vegan and gluten-free, with reduced sugar. Click here for printable recipe: Banana Smoothie Muffins
The spinach adds some plant-protein and iron, but you can’t taste it. The muffins taste like heavenly banana bread. If you don’t have muffin tins, you can use a bread pan sprayed with oil.
This easy taco recipe is filled with colorful plant-powered foods and nutrition!
A fun dish for the whole family.
Click here to print recipe: BlackBeanTacoswithFreshMangoSalsa (1)
Taco “Meat”:
1 can rinsed black beans whole or mashed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Mango Salsa:
1 chopped ripe mango
1/2 chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped purple onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 Tablespoon lemon juice
Avocado slices or guacomole
Taco shells or corn tortillas
Chopped kale
Directions:
Heat the beans and seasoning together for 5 minutes, while taco shells are heating in the oven.
Fill shells with a small layer of beans.
Top with slices of avocado or guacamole.
Add salsa and chopped kale.
ENJOY!
xo Kathleen
<iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/jBhsEWbEaKM?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
These delicious shortbread pecan cookies only use 6 ingredients and are super easy to make, love them!
See recipe:
Powered Sugar Snowballs
This is an easy and delicious pizza recipe for veggie lovers!
Mama Mary’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crust (They carry it at some regular grocery stores, like Sunfresh or Vons, not in the health food store. You can also order it on Amazon. Click here: Mama Mary’s GF Pizza Crust
Top it with your favorite dairy-free spaghetti sauce from a jar
Chopped broccoli
Chopped yellow, red or orange bell peppers
chopped purple onions
Any any other of your favorite veggies!
You can also add a little fresh garlic and vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.
A delicious and nutritious vegan breakfast: greeen smoothie and raw oats with blueberries, nuts, raisins and almond milk!
Green Smoothie (1 serving)
Blend:
1 cup water
1 banana
1/4 apple
1/4 avocado
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2-3 handfuls of kale and or spinach
Raw Oats:
1 cup or more of raw whole rolled gluten-free oats (not quick oats or steel cut oats)
Plant milk of your choice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Handful of raisins and blueberries, or other fruits
Handful of chopped pecans
Top with cinnamon
This delicious chickpea salad is simple and easy to transport to work in a tupperware.
It’s one of my favorite weekday lunch recipes served on a bed of kale with avocado toast.
Click here to print recipe: http://kathleenkastner.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Easy-Chickpea-Salad-pdf.pdf
Easy Chickpea Salad: 4 servings
2 cans chickpeas mashed with potato masher or fork
3 Tablespoons vegan mayo
1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 celery stalks chopped
2 Tablespoons Organic sweet pickle relish (Trader Joe’s has it.)
1/4 cup chopped purple onion or green onion
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
Serve on a bed of chopped kale with crackers or avocado toast
Top with raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
Easy Chickpea Salad: 4 servings
2 cans chickpeas mashed with potato masher or fork
3 Tablespoons vegan mayo
1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 celery stalks chopped
2 Tablespoons Organic sweet pickle relish (Trader Joe’s has it.)
1/4 cup chopped purple onion or green onion
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
Top with raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
Serve with crackers or avocado toast on a bed of chopped kale
Easy Chickpea Salad: 4 servings
2 cans chickpeas mashed with potato masher or fork
3 Tablespoons vegan mayo
1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 celery stalks chopped
2 Tablespoons Organic sweet pickle relish (Trader Joe’s has it.)
1/4 cup chopped purple onion or green onion
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
Top with raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
Serve with crackers or avocado toast on a bed of chopped kale
This oil-free hummus uses vegetable broth instead of oil. Less fat and great flavor from Forks Over Knives
Click here for recipe: https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/healthy-homemade-hummus/
Serve hummus with your favorite veggies, crackers or pita bread.
This delicious and easy vegan ice cream has only three ingredients:
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk
3 cups frozen mango chunks
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
Blend and enjoy!
My husband, Wade, created this delicious vegan and gluten-free pancake recipe for me.
It took him a year to perfect, so he suggests not varying the recipe with substitutes for the best results.
Click here to print recipe: Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
Video demo for Cooking tips:
Happy Holidays!
I would like to share this delicious vegan holiday meal plan that my husband Wade and I made for Thanksgiving.
We will be repeating it again for future holidays. It was a big hit with my step-kids and mother-in-law, so it’s good for all ages!
It helps to prepare the lentil loaf the day before. Keep it in the fridge covered with foil until it’s time to bake it.
Clockwise from the top:
– Baked Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar & Cinnamon
–Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf from Oh She Glows Click here
–Mashed Potatoes with Gravy (Gravy is with Tofu Recipe)
–Holiday Herbed Tofu by Tracy Childs Click here
–Cranberry Kale Salad with Parmesan Topping from Oh She Glows Click here
Powdered Sugar Snowballs: These shortbread cookies with chopped pecans are rolled in powder sugar. They melt in your mouth. I love them too much! You can roll them in sugar twice to make them pure white. Click here
Enjoy the recipes and happy holidays!
Much love,
Kathleen
I’m in LOVE with these vegan purses by Buddha Bags! They sell them on Amazon, Dillards and Nordstroms.
I’m on my second purse and am getting lots of compliments on it. It’s the middle bag listed below, but in bone (cream color). I love their wallets as well.
Click here for a large selection on amazon: Click link
After years of wearing Ugg boots and clogs, I was clueless to the cruelty involved in the sheering and killing of the sheep.
I gave them all away and have vowed to only buy cruelty-free boots.
Thank goodness this company in Southern California, PAWJ has come up with an array of beautiful vegan boots! Click here
Vegan Slippers on Amazon, very comfy! Click here
Thank you for saving animals with your lifestyle choices!
Xo Kathleen
I hope you’re enjoying the change of seasons!
My husband brought home several butternut squash he grew from from his community garden. He set them on the counter thinking I would know exactly what to do with them all!
After some research and experimenting, I have three delicious recipes I would like to share with you.
1. Butternut Squash Quinoa Boats with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds:
Ingredients and instructions for 2 servings:
1 Medium butternut squash cut lengthwise
Scoop out the seeds
Coat the sides of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Put 1 tsp Maple syrup where the seeds use to be.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
Use a rice cooker for the quinoa:
1 rice cooker cup of quinoa and 2 1/2 rice cooker cups water (water measurement may vary depending on rice cooker).
Add a handful of pumpkin seeds and cranberries.
When quinoa is done, add it to the squash and serve!
2. Autumn Harvest Squash and Apple Burger from One Green Planet, which is a WONDERFUL site for daily vegan recipes: click here for recipe. This delicious veggie burger uses granny smith apples.
3. Butternut Mac and Cheese from Veggie Inspired Journey-no baking required! Click here for recipe
Thank you for saving animals with your food choices!
Love and health to you,
Kathleen
Your soul is talking to you every moment.
Are you listening to it or burying it with busyness, food, alcohol or non-stop social activity?
Mindfulness practices like yoga, meditation, prayer, journaling and spending time alone in nature are effective ways to help you listen to the still small voice within.
Are you happy where you are living?
Would you like a different job?
Does your heart yearn for a life partner?
If you answer “yes!” to any of these soul questions I encourage you to take quality solo time to get real with yourself and take inventory of your life.
Are you where you want to be?
If not, what ACTION steps do you need to take to change your life?
One of my favorite quotes says:
“Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.”
-Margaret Shepard
This “leap of faith” transportation has served me many times in my life, especially when moving cross country three times without a job or a plan.I knew my soul needed a change and I followed my intuition, my soul’s voice.
I like to live by the motto, “What’s behind door #3 God?!”
I’m amazed to the point of grateful tears at how God/ the Universe provide when you ask, trust and show up.
As Joseph Cambell says, “When you follow your bliss, doors open where there use to be walls.”
During my 16 years as a yoga studio owner, I had the pleasure of meeting thousands of truth seeking souls.
I repeatedly would talk to people who felt a lack of passion towards their careers. They were afraid to leave their jobs due to the security, the 401K and the health insurance.
These perceived security blankets can paralyze you from fulfilling your destiny. You always have the choice to buy your own health insurance and start an IRA.
I believe God/Universe wants you to be passionate about your life’s purpose, where you are living and your life partner.
If you need help designing an action plan to change your life, I am here to support you. Contact me for a FREE CONSULTATION.
You deserve to be happy in every area of your life!
Featured Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars!
This is THE best vegan dessert I have ever made, at least my husband says so. It comes from the blog Iowa Girl Eats:
Keep leaping and trust in the Divine plan for your life!
Much love,
Kathleen
Summer is a great time to eat an array of fresh fruits, like peaches, which are high in Vitamins A, C, potassium and fiber.
My husband, Wade, brought home this box of peaches from Costco and I immediately started brainstorming on how to use them up.
My 15 year old cat, Julian, was also excited so he could use the box as his new bed! He is my best friend and the light of my life!
I found this EASY PEACH CRISP from The Minimalist Baker and fell in love with it! click here for recipe
It is made with gluten-free oats, almond flour, brown sugar, pecans and coconut oil.
I topped it with Soy Delicious Vanilla Ice Cream.
Here’s a cooking demo of the recipe:
Enjoy and happy summer to you!
Love Kathleen
As the 4th of July approaches, I wanted to offer up some vegan ideas to help you have delicious and compassionate picnics.
Potato Salad with Avocado & Dill – Forks Over Knives : This yummy dish also uses dijon mustard, maple syrup and paprika to give it a special flavor: click here for recipe.
I like to pair the potato salad with Dr. Praegers Veggie Burgers, which you can find at Trader Joes or the health food store. They are gluten-free and are made from carrots, peas, broccoli, kale and are affordable! Click here for web site. 
I also like to add my favorite Vegetarian Baked Beans by Bush. You can at your local grocery store. You can strain them with a slotted spoon to reduce the sugar.
For dessert try this So Delicious Vanilla Bean Ice cream, with no added sugar. It is sweetened with monk fruit. There’s only 1 gram of sugar in 1/2 cup, which is amazing for ice cream. Most ice creams have around 15 or more grams of sugar per serving.
Wishing you and healthy and happy 4th of July!
Thank you for saving animals with your food choices.
Much love,
Kathleen
Cookies have always been my “treat” of choice, with Snickerdoodles at the top of my list. I baked them as a kid and loved rolling them in the cinnamon sugar combo, YUM!
Thanks to Angela Liddon author of Oh She Glows, I can still have them in a vegan and gluten-free version that are perfection in flavor: click here for recipe
For best results, use the exact combo of oat, almond and sorghum flours, without substitutions. Double the recipe as well. This recipes calls for a flax egg as well.
Serve them with a caffeine-free chai, like this one from Gypsy tea, top with vanilla soy and cinnamon: click here for tea
You can also get So Delicious Snickerdoodle ice cream, made with cashew milk:
Happy Baking!
Vegan love,
xo Kathleen
This week I’m featuring Rip’s Sweet Potato Bowl from The Engine 2 Diet, which is easy and fast. Click here for recipe
Bake your sweet potatoes beforehand in foil on 350 for 60 minutes. You can bake them on a Sunday and put them in your fridge and have them ready to go for your week.
Warm up sweet potatoes, remove skin and cube.
Place in a bowl and add chopped mango, avocado, red bell pepper, cilantro and a can of (non-heated) black beans. Top with lime juice and balsamic vinegar. It’s that simple and it’s delicious!
TAKE THE 7 DAY Veg Pledge!
Next week April 18th-24th is US Veg Week in honor of Earth Day.
Take the pledge and receive recipes and support: click here to pledge
This is a compassionate way to:
1. Improve your health.
2. Save animals.
3. Help the planet.
It’s a win, win, win!
Come retreat with me in magical Encinitas!
Private yoga, meditation, vegan cooking, Swami’s beach and
Yogananda’s gardens.
Give yourself the gift of self-care: click here for details
“I cannot say enough positive things about Kathleen and my experience with this retreat!
Although I was already healthy and active, I had drifted from my Ashtanga practice and vegan eating. This retreat brought me back to my Ashtanga yoga practice and gave me more vegan outlets to help me continue on that path. But more than that, it brought me inner peace and helped me reconnect spiritually.
Every morning I awoke early to walk Swami’s beach alone and meditate -I found it very healing. Just breathing in the air there is magical -it smells amazing.
Kathleen is a wonderful host with tons of yummy vegan recipes and cooking tips. Even my thirteen-year-old son is enjoying the recipes! This retreat was exactly what I needed. I came home feeling calm, centered, inspired and best of all- happy.”
-Jen Yeager Kansas City, KS
Thank you for saving animals with your food choices!
Vegan love to you,
Kathleen
Taking time to cook for yourself is a wonderful act of self-care and saves money. I know it takes energy and planning, but you are worth it!
Cooking on the weekends and freezing soups and casserole dishes makes it easier to bring your lunch to work or when you get home after a busy day. Packing your own food helps you stay on your vegan path as well.
When I met my husband, Wade, at a yoga conference, he had packed his own lunch which I thought was cute. Now we do it all the time and feel like little kids with our tupperware.
I have experimented through the years with several mac n cheese recipes and have found this one from the Engine 2 Diet to be EASY and delicious! It also doesn’t use vegan cheeses, which are processed and are high in fat and oil, so it’s healthier too.
Mac Not Cheese: click here for recipe.
Cashews-protein
Nutritional yeast-B vitamins
Roasted red peppers- Vit C; gives the pasta an orange color
Lemone juice, garlic & onion powder- flavor
Fusilli rice noodles-Trader Joes
Peas for side dish- legume for protein
Subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly recipes:
Exciting Time Magazine Article: How a Vegetarian Diet Can Save the Planet: click here for article
Yoga’s Path to Weight loss available on amazon: Click here
“This is a beautiful life-affirming reminder that it all begins and ends with love- self, the Divine and to all the creatures on the planet! You feel her love and passion for yoga throughout the pages and it motivated me to get on the mat and let go of the struggle. Also practical tips to a smooth transition to a plant-based diet, for the betterment of all.“- Frangelica Fellini Amazon review
Thank you for your support, keep cooking!
Vegan love to you,
Xo Kathleen
It’s healthy treat time!
These yummy Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies are from The Engine 2 Diet web site, by Rip Esselstyn: click here for recipe.
Rip is the fire fighter and Iron Man Triathlete in Forks Over Knives. His Netflix Documentary, Engine 2 Rescue Kitchen, gives great tips on how to make your kitchen vegan friendly.
Ingredients:
Mashed bananas-instead of oil of eggs; high in potassium
Peanut Butter- Protein (Costco Natural PB, with no added sugar)
Oats-High in fiber
Wheat Flour or Gluten-free Flour (Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour)
Maple Syrup- instead of sugar; high in minerals
Vanilla-for flavor
I will be a guest on Victoria Moran’s Mainstream Vegan Radio Show on Wed March 23rd at 2pm Central Time. All shows are archived on Unity FM Radio: click here to listen
These yummy Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies are from The Engine 2 Diet web site, by Rip Esselstyn: click here for recipe.These yummy Banana Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies are from The Engine 2 Diet web site, by Rip Esselstyn: click here for recipe.
Sea World has announced it will no longer breed orcas and will end the use of orcas in performances, which is HUGE.
However, my heart aches for the orcas like Tilikum who is dying at the San Diego Sea World after being in a swimming pool for 30 years. He was taken from his native Iceland when he was 2 years old.
Thank you for caring about all beings!
Vegan love to you,
Kathleen
Happy Spring Friend!
Are you craving more greens as it gets warmer?
This fantastic Kale & Quinoa Salad with Dates, Almonds & Citrus Dressing is a wonderful combination of raw and cooked food from www.thekitchn.com: click here for recipe
Kale-super food packed with Vitamins A, K, C, protein and iron.
Quinoa- 1 cup has 8 grams of protein, fiber and magnesium
Dates-high in potassium and Vit K
Almonds-great source for protein, fiber and potassium
I had the pleasure of meeting Raw Food Expert Mimi Kirk this weekend. She’s 77 and was voted PETA’s sexiest vegetarian!She’s an amazing activist for health, animals and the environment. We both have articles in this month’s issue of Vegan Lifestyle Magazine out of Australia. I love this magazine filled with recipes, fashion and social issues. Available: iTunes: click here or Google Play; click here.
New York Times Article about new plant-based lobby group, lead by Elizabeth Kucinich. Her husband, former Ohio Congressman, Dennis Kucinich is the reason I went vegan in 2002. He was having health problems and reversed them after going vegan. I sat in the audience soaking up every word he said like a sponge. click here for article
FREE CONSULTATION: If you’re interested in adopting a plant-based diet and need help with meal planning or anything else, contact me for a free consultation: kathleen@kathleenkastner.com
I’m here to support you!
Vegan love to you,
Kathleen