I was honored to be chosen recently as one of 30 bloggers in Lucky Foods recipe challenge. I wanted to make something still light enough for summer, but with depth of flavor and a little spice to match the heat of the outside temps. 

I feel like we had been in a food rut when it came to lunches at home recently and I was so ecstatic to receive the box of goodies from Lucky Foods, including this spicy spin on mayo, ,The Seoul Kimchi Mayo is creamy, spicy and goes so well on bowls, salads and sandwiches. It was exactly what we needed to bring life back to lunch time! 

I decided on a deconstructed vegan sushi bowl because I am a bowl lover and, as I said, I wanted to keep it light, cool, crunchy and fresh for summertime. 

Lucky Foods is a family-owned and woman-owned company. Their vegan and gluten free spring rolls have been a staple in our home and I was so excited when they expanded to sauces to spruce up our homemade dishes as well. 

What You'll Need
1 C. Jasmine or Brown Rice 
1/2 Cucumber, chopped
1/4 C. shredded carrot
1/2 of an avocado
1/4 C. chopped mango
1/4 C. shelled edamame
1-2 sheets seaweed, cut into strips 
Sprinkle of toasted or black sesame seeds
Drizzle on Lucky Food's Kimchi Mayo to taste 

Add in a bowl and enjoy! 

To get social with Lucky Foods, visit them at http://www.instagram.com/eatluckyfoods
or
​ http://www.facebook.com/luckyfoods 

Alfredo  is something I have been craving since going dairy-free in 2012. I haven't found a substitute or recipe that satisfied my in almost TEN years.

For a while, a local restaurant had a vegan alfredo that was AMAZING and I was in cream sauce heaven. That was until they decided to discontinue it from the menu, leaving me longing once more. 

I finally got into the kitchen with Grey and together we made this creamy, cheesey, nut-based sauce that was EASY and is now an Italian food staple on our menu. 

*I have had a lot of readers who can't do cashew or nuts and you CAN make this with JUST coconut cream and dairy-free milk. The taste is sweeter than I prefer but it's still creamy and delicious. Always feel free to comment with substitution ideas and I'll get back to you.

This one was the closest to a traditional alfredo when I tried multiple recipes in the kitchen, so I decided to share the cashew based cream sauce. 

​Bon appetite! 

Ingredients
​

• 12 ounces gluten-free fettuccini noodles
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and cut up into bite sized pieces
• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, unsalted
• 1-2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups unsweetened dairy-free milk
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (more for a cheesier/stronger flavor)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (add more for saltier sauce)

​
Directions

• Cook and chop one chicken breast. Keep warm until sauce and pasta are ready.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain, then add it back to the pot and cover until the sauce is done.
• Boil 4 cups of water and pour over cashews. Soak 5-10 minutes. (Do not skip this step! If they aren't soaked or soaked long enough your sauce won't be as creamy!) 
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, until fragrant and the onion is translucent.
• Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Add them to a blender (I use the Ninja) along with onions, garlic, unsweetened dairy-free milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt.
• Blend until very smooth.
• Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir. If the noodles are still hot, serve immediately. 
• If the dish needs a warm up, cook when combined over low heat until ready to serve. 

Happy New Year ladies + gents! Woof - 2020 was a doozy for so many reasons, but it was also one of our most blessed years because we welcomed our sweet Lexi to complete our sweet little family of four. The Lord knew we needed her because for a time, our family felt complete with Grey. SO happy that God knew better. Now almost three months old (that went craaaaazy fast BTW), she is a dream and we are so smitten by her.

I've been on a new recipe kick lately as I test run recipes for season 2 of The Clean Plate with Mandi as well as feeding my face all the things because hello #postpartum and #breastfeeding.

Mama is hungry and this Vegan Instant Pot LoMein is FAST, EASY, HEALTHY and SUPER DELICIOUS. 

Which equates to this becoming a weekly or bi-monthly staple on our meal plan.

We got an InstantPot shortly before moving into our ranch house renovation and I've yet to really get into the groove of using it regularly, so I thought I'd start with some noodles. Whenever the fam grabs asian food I can never get the noodle dishes because #gluten, boo. So this allows me to satisfy that craving in a way that won't cause me pain. 

​Kids ALSO love it because long noodles are fun to slurp and twirl on forks and its a great recipe to get veggies into those little bellies. 

Ingredients

• 1 TBSP sesame oil 
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• ½ C diced white onion
• 1 C julienned carrots
• 1 C organic snow peas
• 2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
• 1 ½ cup vegetable broth (you may use bone broth if not vegan)
• The juice from 1 Lemon
• 3 TBSP gluten-free soy sauce
• ⅓ C brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 8 oz. rice lo mein noodles
• Sea salt
• Pepper to taste

​

Directions

• Set your InstantPot to saute and with the lid open, saute sesame oil, garlic, and onion until translucent. 
• Add rice wine vinegar, vegetable or bone broth, lemon juice, soy sauce and brown sugar or coconut suagr  and mix well.
• Add uncooked noodles.
• Add carrots and snow peas. (you can also add mushrooms or baby corn as well if you wish)
• Lock lid and set vent to sealing
• Press manual button and set to high for 5 minutes
• Quick pressure release carefully once done.
• Serve and Enjoy!

We also made teriyaki chicken and homemade fried rice with this for a family dinner and it fed us for THREE whole days. Such a great meal for families with new babies, who like to batch cook or who are under the weather. 

What are YOUR favorite InstantPot recipes? Leave me inspiration below! 

How is everyone out there doing?

Like, really doing? Not passing small talk, but really doing a big heart check and reaching out if you need to. We've had our ups and downs with so many thoughts, theories, big feelings, grief over "normalcy", being pregnant during a pandemic, raising a toddler who is sad his world has changed. It's a lot to process. 

So very much. 

I have faith in a big, big God that will get us all through this. Praise, because I don't know how any of us could get through times like this without his provision, strength and promises. 

But until we can resume normalcy, if ever, we can stay fervent in prayer, draw close to those we love (even if from a distance) and make lots of delicious food. 

This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is so delicious and amazing that it would be great on vegetables or meat as well if you're watching grains. Or you may swap out the pasta for a grain-free variety such as almond flour pasta, garbanzo bean or edamame. 

I poured it over piping hot rice pasta and topped with chopped basil for a comfort meal I was craving. 

Grab the recipe below, comment your favorite food and reach out if you need! I'm always here to lend an ear. :) 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box of gluten free or grain free pasta of choice
• 1 jar of roasted red peppers in water 
• 4 oz. vegan cream cheese
• 1/4 c. fresh or dried basil 
• 2 TBSP. vegan butter
• 1 shallot
• 2 tsp. minced garlic 
• 1 C. vegan cream of choice (I used unsweetened coconut cream, almond, cashew or oat work as well) 

DIRECTIONS 

• In a large sautee pan, over medium heat, place in your butter and shallot and warm for 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for an additional minute.
  
• Boil water for pasta and cook pasta to directions and set aside. 
• Add cream cheese and cream to pan and mix well until creamy.
  
• Drain jar of peppers and add peppers into the pan to warm. 
  
• Carefully transfer all ingredients to a blender or food processor (I use my Ninja and it works amazing!) and blend until creamy and no chunks remain.
  
• Pour over pasta, top with basil and enjoy!

What do you get when you mix the renewed energy of your second trimester and a life of still being on quarantine because of Pandemic 2020? 

A lot of time in the kitchen.

While we are missing our friends and our outing spots something fierce, it's been fun experimenting with recipes I've had in the back of my mind for a long time now. 

We needed something hearty and filling for dinner last night after a day spent hiking and playing in the sun, so I whipped up these Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas and they were a hit with the WHOLE family.

​Even my preschooler asked for seconds!

With everything having been closed for so long (and with so much still closed), my little guy and I took to a nearby small hike early in the morning before the heat really kicked in and it was exactly what our hearts, souls and bodies needed. We had so much fun and it made him feel so proud to lead the way and make it all the way to the top. 

After a morning hike and lunch smoothies, we played in the sprinklers and sunshine until almost dinner time when I started to prep the enchiladas.

These are so simple to make and I believe my total time in the kitchen was around 40 minutes. We came in around 4 and we were seated and eating by 5. So nice. 

You can serve these alone (we did, with just a side of sliced avocado) - or to make a bigger meal you can add in some jalapeno cornbread, Mexican corn, taco salad or a nice Spanish rice. 

They are also delicious re-heated! We enjoyed them for lunch the next day as well with a nice sparkling water. 

Ingredients

• 2 C cooked and shredded chicken breast (i put two cooked chicken breasts in my Ninja blender for a few seconds, so easy!)
• 8-10 Gluten Free Tortillas (I used GF Mission for these, but you can use Cassava or Coconut Flour tortillas to make these grain free as well. You can also make homemade GF tortillas, my recipe is here.) 
• 2 C. vegan shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3 TBSP. vegan butter (I use soy-free Earth Balance)
• 3 TBSP. gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1)
• 2 C. vegetable broth  
• 1 C. vegan sour cream
• 4 oz. organic diced green chiles
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with avocado or olive oil spray. 
• In a medium bowl, mix shredded chicken and 1 C of the vegan mozzarella and add in salt and pepper. 
• Fill your tortillas with the chicken and cheese mixture, roll and place in baking pan. 
• In a small sauce pan, melt your butter. 
• Once melted, add your flour and whisk until warm and bubbling.
• Add in your broth and mix well. 
• Add in sour cream and green chiles and mix until well combined.
• Pour your warm sauce mixture over the tortillas. 
• Top with 1 C. vegan cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes and serve warm! 

 
For Immediate Release
December 31st, 2019

Nite Vision Entertainment and Broken Door Digital to Produce THE CLEAN PLATE with Mandi
​
Los Angeles - December 31, 2019 – Nite Vision Entertainment in partnership with Broken Door Digital announced the latest project to be produced and released for NVE TV.

The Clean Plate with Mandi stars Nutritionist/Food Blogger and former musical entertainer Mandi Leigh Pimental as the shows host and is set to begin production January 2020 and premier globally Spring 2020.

​The show will stream from Amazon Prime Video, Sony’s Crackle, Roku and more.

The Clean Plate With Mandi highlights allergen-friendly, healthy homemade meals that are family friendly and is set to feature two recipes per episode.

Well. Here we are. Back on the AIP diet.

As hard as this is to work in with a busy schedule, a career and a toddler, I am SO thanfkul to the holistic professionals who found out that this diet is SO healing and SO beneficial to calming our inflammation and auto-immune issues. And PRAISE THE LORD for meal prep. You NEED to be meal prepping. If you ever need help, reach out! I can talk to you about some easy tips. 

I've found for me, it's 100% needed to come back to this from time to time when I feel myself more sluggish, carrying excess water, inflamed or reacting more from cross-contamination. I haven't put many AIP recipes on the blog, because honestly, when I'm on AIP it means I'm not at my best and the energy for recipe creation and promotion usually isn't there. However, I am trying to turn a new leaf. 

I was so blessed in 2012 when this blog really started to take off because of the connections I was making with so many women, men and children who were needing to go gluten free, dairy free or soy free and it made my heart so happy to know I could provide safe and yummy recipes to those who needed them in their season or life of food restriction.

I want to make it a point to add more healing foods, more AIP options and more whole choices when it comes to entrees in 2019/2020. 

The baked goods are pretty and fun guys, but they have their place. And unfortunately their place isn't in my home or body right now. 

For this recipe, I've found it's hard to find organic ground chicken in the stores. If you invest in a meat grinder, you'll be able to grind higher quality poultry to make this recipe.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb organic ground chicken
• 1 medium uncooked sweet potato, finely grated (I peeled and cut it and put it in my Ninja)
• 2 Tbsp. grain-free flour (cassava, coconut, tigernut)
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil 
• 1/8 c. chopped chives
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt 

Optional: You could also add a small amount of grated apple, to make Chicken Apple Nuggets. 

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment. 
• Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated. 
• Wash hands and using your hands, roll meat and potato mixer into nugget shapes and place on baking sheet. (I needed two baking sheets to fit them all)
• Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
• Serve with AIP friendly guacamole or vegan AIP coconut sour cream.

Have you incorporated an AIP lifestyle? What health changes have you seen? 

If you haven't, leave any questions below and I'd be happy to assist you! It's hard, but so so so so so so so worth it! 

This summer we are alllllllll about the bowl. 

Healthy grains, veggies, fruits, herbs and protein make up well-rounded meals that are so easy to throw together.

This can be found almost every week on our meal plan as it's surprisingly a hit with our toddler too. He gobbles it right up! 

Ooey-gooey and super crisp all at once, the grilled chicken cheese melt of my Hollywood diner day yesteryear's was a flavor I still craved post diet change. 

After I began to include a little yeast back in my diet, after 7 years without any, I found a few breads that I like to include from time to time in my lunch rotation. My favorite brands are listed below with the recipe. 

This gluten-free, dairy-free rendition is as flavorful as I remember the traditional nosh being and it's a craveable home menu item FOR SURE.