The Spicy Spatula

Yeah I said it. Oven. It’s kind of a dirty word in this current weather but hey, sometimes you just gotta have your veggies and you have to have’em in the oven with just a hint of caramelization on’em…right?

Maybe that’s just me.

But other than fresh, raw ingredients, vegan meals made in the oven are my second favorite way to cook when the temperature decides to be insane.

This vegan dinner recipe is quick, it’s easy, and it’s delicious.

And it might be considered somewhat controversial. Why?

Portion size, of course! I grew up with the food pyramid, which then morphed into the food plate and honestly I’m not sure what it is anymore. What I do know is that some of my friends and family from back in the Midwest see my portion sizes and think two things. First is that there is just too much food on the plate and second is that there’s way too many vegetables taking up valuable meat space.

I get that from meat eaters, but you’re wrong. You need more fruits and veg on your plate! Period.

And cauliflower and carrots are high in fiber, which fills you up without a ton of calories. Protein like this delicious vegan chicken breast (Verdino brand) will also help you feel full while helping repair muscles if you do resistance training, which I do. So you get all this food for just 438 calories per serving, 165 of which came from the vegan chicken breast.

Of course if you add oil you’ll increase that and if you’re not trying to lose weight then it doesn’t matter.

Kitchen Tools:

*Baking mat
*Knife
*Cutting board
*Mixing bowl

Ingredients:

*Cauliflower
*Carrots
*Vegan meat alternative
*Garlic
*Sriracha
*Vegan cocogurt

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 185C/375F

*Chop cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and place into a mixing bowl with salt, black pepper, sweet paprika and garlic. Toss until coated and pour onto baking sheet.

*Slice carrots into similar sizes and season, adding to the baking sheet with the cauliflower.

*Slice the top of a head of garlic and find a spot for it on the baking sheet.

*Season the vegan chicken and if there’s room, add it to the same baking sheet, if there’s no room, put it on another with the carrots.

*Bake 20 to 30 minutes depending on how much cauliflower you have–I had A LOT–and after 30 minutes check it every 5 minutes until the vegetables reach your desired tenderness.

*I mashed up the garlic and tossed it inside the yogurt & sriracha sauce to drizzle on top of everything really but mostly the vegan chicken.

And that’s it. A quick and easy vegan dinner for any day of the week, any month of the year. It’s delicious, nutritious and calorie friendly…what more do you need?

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