Triumph Wellness

Personal Training & Nutrition in Kfar Saba, Israel

Picky Eaters

Peanut Butter Cup Protein Parfait (vegan)

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Today I am sharing one of my favorite summer recipes! You might think that this one is high in calories or not appropriate for those of you working on your weight, but you’d be wrong!  

This delicious and satisfying breakfast, or post-workout treat, contains only 345 calories. Macros are equally divine at 39gC/11gF/29gP. (That’s a whole 29 grams of vegan protein for those of you not versed in macro-lingo).

I have shared here before, that a frozen banana, whirred in the food processor with just a splash of water, makes something eerily similar to actual ice cream.  But because it contains no dairy products and therefore, no animal cruelty, we call it “Nice Cream”.  Cute, or self-righteous, who cares, it’s wonderful.

In this version, I mixed my nice cream with a scoop of vegan protein powder and a spoonful of peanut butter.  Layered with a super quick chocolate sauce made out of maple syrup and unsweetened cocoa powder, the most time-consuming part of this recipe is washing up afterward.

Quick. Easy. Cravings Busting. Vegan. Fits My Macros. Delicious.  Ticks all the boxes for me!

My kids love this as well and I feel really good about making them such a healthy snack.  The last time I made it, one of them took a picture and whatsapp’ed it to all his friends.  I loved the stream of “Yuuuummm” and “I want!” that followed.  

I should open a Nice Cream Shop.  (But I won’t, so feel-free to steal that idea, oh entrepreneurial ones!)

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Peanut Butter Cup Protein Parfait (vegan)

Serving Size: 1

Ingredients

    Peanut Butter Cream:
  • 1 frozen medium- large frozen banana
  • 1 Tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 scoop vegan protein powder (I used vanilla flavor)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • water, see below
    • Fudge Ripple
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • enough water to get syrup texture, 1-3 Tbsp
  • Chopped nuts and coconut for garnish if desired

Instructions

  1. Put banana in food processor with peanut butter, protein powder, and vanilla.
  2. Pulse a few times to mash.
  3. With machine running, slowly add water 1 Tbsp at a time until a thick ice cream texture is achieved. Do not over-mix or add too much water or you'll have a smoothie!
  4. Layer peanut butter nice cream in your jar with fudge ripple.
  5. Top with chopped nuts and coconut flakes if desired.

Notes

Protein powder is not essential if you do not use it. I personally find that eating foods with a balance with carbs, protein, and healthy fats keep me (and my clients) feeling full and not binge-y. If you choose to leave it out, add a few dates for sweetness and thickness.

http://triumphwellness.com/peanut-butter-cup-protein-parfait-vegan/

Bread Machine Vegan Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

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The weekend is over and as you turn your thoughts to the upcoming week and the lunches you need to pack come Sunday morning (in Israel) or Monday morning (everywhere else), if you’re like me, you always grumble, “Crap, we’re out of bread.”

It seemed like we were constantly running to stores in search of a good loaf of sandwich bread at all hours!  And we are picky about our bread, as any former New Yorkers are wont to be.  We like those artisanal breads you have to go to a special bakery to buy.  We are not big fans of the taste or additive levels of supermarket bread. And don’t even get me started on pita!  Basically unless pita is “baked-it-fresh-this-very-moment” fresh, I will absolutely make a disastrous mess of trying to stuff sandwich fillings inside of it. I think you have to be Middle Eastern born and bred to make proper pita sandwiches.

So one day at the airport, with time to spare before our flight, we wandered into the Duty Free electronics store, as one tends to do. As my roaming eyes came to rest on a bread machine, I saw a solution to my constant “we’re out of bread” conundrum.

I purchased the Morphy Richards 900g Breadmaker several years ago now and it has been in use literally 5 days a week since. My recipe and technique have changed over the years, but today I want to share with you the sandwich bread I make daily for my family, and exactly how I do it.

A few things first:

  • You will notice that I use a combination of 1 cup semolina (solet), 2 cups whole wheat flour, and 1 cup high-gluten bread flour (kemach lechem). For me, in this machine, this gives the consistency of loaf we prefer. The semolina gives the loaf a nice crust and airy texture and the high-gluten bread flour gives it beautiful lift and light, soft crumb. I’m sure you can play around with any mix of flours – I have used part spelt, part ground oats, part chickpea flour, etc – as long as your total is 4 cups.
  • You will also notice that I use 2 tablespoons of sugar in my bread and many of you will write me nasty letters about the evils of sugar. I agree that sugar is very bad for you. But we are talking here about 2 Tbsp in a loaf that makes 12-14 slices of bread. Do the math – it ends up being a VERY small amount of sugar in each slice. Don’t lose the forest for the orthorexic trees!  And besides, as I understand the science of baking, the yeast actually eats a good part of that sugar which is what gives your bread the rise. That said, I’m sure you could cut it to 1 Tbsp if that makes you feel better. You could also use a less processed form of sugar such as molasses or maple syrup but scientifically, it’s pretty much the same to your body.
  • I don’t bake in the machine.  You CAN put the ingredients in your bread machine, set it and forget it, and it will mix, rise, and bake the entire thing. I did that, but found that, firstly, the machine’s canister makes an awkward shape and size of bread for school kid lunch sandwiches. Secondly, I didn’t like losing what amounted to several slices on each end of the loaf – one side for the baked-in mixing paddle you have to dig out, which leaves a big hole, and the top side that bakes into a domed shape. So, I put the ingredients in the machine, set it to a 1 1/2 hour mixing and rising cycle called “Dough”, then remove the dough, plop it into a normal-sized loaf pan and bake it in the oven. Why use the machine at all you ask? Because the machine kneads the dough for about 30 minutes and if you have ever tried to knead dough for 30 minutes, you know why I would prefer to avoid it. Honestly, I used to make bread that was the consistency of a door-stop. It was awful. This machine kneads and rises the dough so beautifully, my bread could now win prizes for lightness and perfection!
  • I LOVE LOVE LOVE having fresh baked bread in the house every day. It smells amazing and makes my family feel very happy. I also make our weekly challah dough in the machine and take it out to braid it. It’s amazing. My bread machine is my most used and most loved kitchen appliance!  When this one kicks the bucket, I will definitely but another one. Recommended!

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Bread Machine Vegan Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp sugar or any sweetener of your choice
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups wrist-warm water
  • 1 cup semolina (solet)
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup high-gluten bread flour (kemach lechem)
  • 2 1/2 - 3 tsp dry yeast

Instructions

  1. Place the ingredients in the canister of your bread machine in the exact order listed above.
  2. Turn the machine to the dough cycle only. (You can set it to whole wheat bread if you would like it to bake right in the machine (see my objections above)).
  3. When the 1 1/2 hour cycle is over and the timer rings, spray a loaf pan of the size you prefer with cooking spray.
  4. Spill a dollop of olive oil on the counter.
  5. Spread the oil around a little, coating your hands and your work space.
  6. Turn the dough out of the canister on to the oiled work space.
  7. Roll it tightly into a log, the length of your loaf pan.
  8. Place the loaf in the pan, seam-side down.
  9. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
  10. At the end of the 30 minutes, uncover the loaf and place it in a COLD oven.
  11. Turn the oven on to 180C (350F) and bake for 30 minutes.
  12. Turn loaf out on to a cooling rack to cool.
http://triumphwellness.com/bread-machine-vegan-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread/

 

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

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We had a cooking challenge last week in my nutrition group class. Some worried that it was a lot of kitchen work so I suggested utilizing a slow cooker or crock pot for making a bean dish or stew. Someone then asked for recipes and I realized that I don’t have any! When it comes to the slow cooker, I just throw things in there and let it cook long enough that no matter what, it comes out tasty. But I always get requests from those people who rely on recipes, to please spell the process out more carefully. To that end, I made a pot of Black Bean Soup in my slow cooker, measured everything, and jotted it all down so I could tell you exactly what to do.

The wonderful thing about using your slow cooker is that you do just a few minutes of prep and then your food cooks all day by itself while you do other things. Come dinnertime, you just ladle it out and a hot, delicious, nutritious meal is yours.

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Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 spicy green pepper, such as jalapeno, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp chili powder or smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 900g (28oz) can chopped tomatoes or 4 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • 500g (1 lb) dry black beans
  • dash hot sauce to taste
  • 1-2 drops liquid smoke if desired
  • 8 cups vegetable broth or water
  • salt and black pepper to taste (added AFTER cooking. Salting the beans while they are still cooking will keep them hard)

Instructions

  1. The night before you want to make the soup, put the beans in a large bowl.
  2. Check them over for shriveled beans, dirt clods, rocks etc.
  3. Cover the beans with cold tap water and let sit uncovered on counter overnight.
  4. In the morning, drain the water off and rinse the beans in fresh water.
  5. Add all ingredients except the salt to your slow cooker in the order listed above.
  6. Set slow cooker to high, cover and leave for 4-6 hours.
  7. Check the beans are soft and adjust seasonings to your taste, adding salt here.
  8. Using an immersion blender, puree about half of the soup. This is optional, you can leave it all unpureed if you prefer.
  9. Serve as is or topped with chopped fresh tomato, avocado slices, chopped fresh cilantro (cusbara) or parsley, salsa, vegan sour cream or shredded vegan cheddar.
http://triumphwellness.com/slow-cooker-black-bean-soup/

Blueberry-Banana Nice Cream Parfait

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Last year I made free ebook and gave it away to thank the 1,000 people who had liked my facebook business page. Now that we are closing in on 2,000 fans, I have decided to take the ebook down and will be publishing the recipes here on the blog. That way you can pin them and share them more easily.

Up first is this amazing Nice Cream Parfait with Rawnola. What, the what?  “Nice cream” is ice cream made out of frozen bananas. No milk, no cream, no sugar. Just frozen bananas in the food processor with a splash of plant milk and whatever flavorings you like. It’s delicious and super easy!  

“Rawnola” is basically raw granola. Again, in the food processor, you pulse together oats, dates, coconut. Voila, no-bake, instantly ready, no sugar, no oil granola!

This pretty parfait combines the two.

blueberry banana nice cream parfait

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Blueberry-Banana Nice Cream Parfait with Rawnola

Serving Size: 1-2

Ingredients

    Nice Cream:
  • 2 frozen bananas, broken into chunks
  • ½ cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-4 Tbsp plant milk or water
  • 1 scoop vegan protein powder (optional)
  • Few sprinkles of Rawnola (recipe follows)
    • Rawnola:
  • ½ cup uncooked oats
  • 7 Medjool dates, pitted
  • ½ cup dried coconut flakes

Instructions

    Rawnola First:
  1. Pulse oats, dates and coconut in food processor until it looks like granola.
  2. Remove from food processor and wipe food processor clean.
  3. (Extra rawnola should be stored in the refrigerator).
    4. Nice Cream:
  4. Place bananas in food processor.
  5. Add vanilla, 2 Tbsp plant milk of your choice, and protein powder if using.
  6. Run the food processor for 15 seconds to break up the bananas.
  7. Check the consistency. If it's ice cream-like and creamy, stop there. If it is dry and lumpy, drizzle in a tiny bit more plant milk with the motor running until desired texture is reached. Remember, once you've gone too far, you can't go back, so don't add too much liquid! But if you do, don't worry, you've got a smoothie.
    8. Assembly:
  8. Remove half of the mixture and place in your serving jar.
  9. Top with a layer of rawnola or fruit.
  10. Add the blueberries to the remaining mixture in the food processor and again process just until smooth and creamy.
  11. Place blueberry mixture on top of banana mixture in jar.
  12. Top with more rawnola and fruits of choice and enjoy!
http://triumphwellness.com/blueberry-banana-nice-cream-parfait/

 

Macro-Friendly Gluten-Free Vegan Protein Waffle

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OK, OK, so I put up a waffle recipe last month that was relatively higher in carbs and fat and lower in protein, and although I defended it bitterly, the truth is, that sometimes you DO need a waffle with better macros. (Macros being macro-nutrients, namely carbohydrates, protein and fat).

Some of you have no idea what I’m talking about and knowing the macro-nutrient content of your food is totally bizarre and you couldn’t give a hoot. That’s fine, eat the waffle I posted here.  It’s absolutely delicious and always comes out great.

For those of you who track your food and count your macros, today’s waffle will fit your numbers much better. And for those of you who live in the US, you can BUY a version of these waffles and not have to make them at all. Vegan chef and power lifter, Holly Works, has created the Fit-Quick Waffle and sells them through Vegan Proteins. They’ve got vanilla, java chip, double chocolate brownie, pizza style and a soon to be released new flavor, lemon poppyseed.  I have never had Fit Quick because although Vegan Proteins is willing to ship to Israel, their shipping rates were not feasible for me the last time I checked. So I looked at the ingredient label and did my best to create my own. I have no doubt that Holly’s are a hundred times better and I haven’t graduated to all those fancy flavors and probably won’t, so order if you can, make if you can’t.

I tinkered a ton to get these to come out right. I scraped what seemed like thousands of stuck waffles out of my waffle maker (the recipe has no added fat). Different protein powders yield entirely different results, so depending on what you use, you may have to give this a few tries before getting it right yourself.

The protein powder I usually use is Pro Pea, made here in Israel and available at Eden Teva market. But during Eden Teva’s downfall and buy-out, I have not been able to get it. Let’s hope new owners, Tuv Ta’am, get all our products back in stock! In the meantime, you can order many vegan protein powders from Vitacost, but be aware that my last TWO orders never arrived.  Vitacost did give me a full refund, which is amazing considering I’m pretty sure the fault lies with the Israeli post.  As one of my friends says “your packages will show up right before Pesach.” Of course they will.

The protein powder used in this picture is Earth Blends, (pea, hemp, rice) from Vitacost. The combination of the chickpea flour and the dark-hued protein powder, gives the waffle a dark appearance, but it’s really tasty.

macro-friendly vegan protein waffle

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Macro-Friendly Gluten-Free Vegan Waffle

Serving Size: 1 waffle

Calories per serving: 232 cals, 21gC/5gF/24gP

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 3/4 scoop (about 25g) vegan protein powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds
  • 1/2 cup water
  • stevia to sweeten as desired
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla, if your protein powder isn't already flavored
  • dash cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
  2. Let sit while you spray your waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat it.
  3. When the indicator light says the machine is ready, place all the batter onto it.
  4. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
  5. Remove carefully and enjoy.
http://triumphwellness.com/macro-friendly-gluten-free-vegan-protein-waffle/

 

Whole Wheat Vegan Waffles

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Before I share today’s recipe, I just wanted to give a heads up to those of you who didn’t read my last newsletter, that I’ve got an Autumn Coaching Special going on right now. Woot, woot, special deal!!

Normally, every potential client starts with a one-hour intro session where we discuss their food/weight/health situation in depth, come up with a plan to help them reach their goals, while at the same time, giving both myself and the potential client a chance to see if we have good working chemistry between us. It is an extremely valuable, action-packed one hour , whether it leads to a client signing up for a 4-month program or not, and I have always charged $100 (or it’s equivalent in NIS) for it.

I have decided that for the Fall of 2015, I am going to waive the fee for the session and shorten it to just 30 minutes. So it’s more of a taster session. Truthfully, I have tried it this way in the past and it didn’t really work out. People generally value things they pay for and would often just not show up for the free session they had booked, or just be tire-kickers with no intention of really working with me. But in the name of trying new things, I’m giving it another go. If it works out well, maybe I’ll keep it this way. If it doesn’t work well, I will go back to charging full price.

So… if you have had any inclination to work with me, but just wanted to ask me some questions first, or get a feel for what I’m like, or get my opinion on how you should proceed with your desires and goals, sign yourselves right up for 30-minutes of my time for freeeeeehehe! And do it before I change my mind.

You can see my calendar and book your session HERE. (Remember to put the calendar in your own time zone.)

And if you just came here for the recipe, and don’t know who I am or what I am talking about, I’m Emily Segal, founder and owner of Triumph Wellness, an international health coaching practice specializing in weight loss, healthy eating and exercise habits, ending emotional eating and sugar addiction. I myself am a vegan, but my clients don’t have to be. You can read more in the FAQ’s HERE.

OK, OK, Waffles!

Why am I, a health coach, giving you a recipe for waffles with wheat flour and oil and sugar? Well, because I believe that eating and enjoying all kinds of food in a balanced way will lead you to long-term health, control of your weight, and peace with eating. I don’t believe in staying gluten-free unless you have a diagnosed gluten intolerance. I don’t believe in fat-free or oil-free AT ALL! And I do NOT believe that the 1.8 tsps of sugar in a waffle are going to cause you to binge or gain weight or for the heavens to fall. This I believe is the main difference between Dieting and Lifestyle Change and between orthorexic obsession with food perfection and living a normal life.

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you will already know that I eat a waffle for breakfast about once a week and am maintaining my lost weight just fine thankyouverymuch.

Don’t fear the waffle!

whole wheat vegan waffles

This waffle is topped with fruit and tahini-silan “caramel” sauce. Just 1 Tbsp tahini and 1 Tbsp silan (date syrup) and enough water to get the consistency you want.

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Whole Wheat Vegan Waffles

Serving Size: In my waffle maker this makes 5 waffles

Calories per serving: 343 calories, 48gC/13gF/10gP each

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (or use 1 white, 1 wheat for lighter texture)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
  • 3 Tbsp sugar (or any sweetener you prefer)
  • 1 1/2 cups soy or other plant milk
  • 2 Tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
  • 5 Tbsp melted coconut oil (or any other oil or fat you prefer)

Instructions

  1. Mix soy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle. Alternatively, you could use 1 1/2 cups of vegan yogurt instead of the milk/vinegar mixture.
  2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir in curdled soy milk.
  3. Let batter sit for 10 minutes or more while you oil and pre-heat your waffle maker.
  4. Once waffle maker indicator light has indicated it is ready, pour batter in it. (In my waffle maker, I use 1 cup of batter per waffle, 1/2 cup on each section).
  5. Follow your waffle maker's instructions on cooking, but in my machine, I cook each waffle for 8-10 minutes.
  6. Remove waffle carefully with tongs, as it may be soft when it first comes out.
  7. Set on a cooling rack until ready to serve. This allows waffle to crisp up.
http://triumphwellness.com/whole-wheat-vegan-waffles/

whole wheat vegan waffles with blueberry nice cream

This waffle is served here with banana-blueberry nice cream, which is one frozen banana and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, processed briefly in the food processor, with or without vegan protein powder, and just enough water to give it a thick smoothie consistency.

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