No Need To Trade In Tasty For Healthy – A Lunch Idea To Prove It

As a professionally trained chef and certified holistic health coach specializing in a vegan diet, I’m particularly passionate about showcasing how it’s possible to keep both a nutritious and delicious healthy eating habit. I will admit, there was a point in my life when I competed in bodybuilding shows, that I was crazy enough to carry around tupperware containers of bland, cold, grey chicken or fish (yuck! Sorry chickens and fish!), sweet potatoes and cold green beans and think I was doing my body and spirit a favor. On the outside I may have screamed “health! fit!” but seriously, nobody enjoys eating like that for a longer period of time. The outside has to reflect the inside, both when it comes to being physically and mentally fit.

Luckily, I quickly snapped out of that insanity, and got back to my roots… I’m a cook with an insatiable curiosity for flavors and different cuisines. I love experimenting in the kitchen with whole foods, spices, herbs and ingredients. I want to entice my taste buds on a daily basis. That is what makes me happy. Life is too short to eat on autopilot, to consume boring, bland food and “punish” your body so you can look the way you think you should look. I try to challenge myself regularly to come up with different dishes, and other times I get inspired by researching and coming across existing blogs and recipes that excite me.

The other day I decided to peruse Susan Voisin’s blog, Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, as I am in the process of trying to shed a few additional pounds I gained over the winter (not obsessing, no- just keeping it real), and would like to avoid cooking with a lot of ingredients high in fat, particularly oils. Susan is a master in coming up with delicious recipes that require very little to no oil, by just adding water to a pan when sauteing, and spices for additional flavor. When I read her recipe for her Indian Samosa wraps, I knew I had to try them. I am currently at home with a minor knee injury in the middle of the week, so particularly happy to be able to cook a delectable lunch for myself (sorry pups, too spicy for you – the only other companions I have during the day) and wanted to share the results with you!

If I could have added or changed something to this recipe, is perhaps a couple of handful of spinach or other dark, leafy green to make the wrap even more nutritious and colorful. Regardless, this wrap lived up to all my expectations and left me satisfied throughout the afternoon and happy to be a vegan 🙂

Samosa Wrap

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 medium)
1 pack extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 medium Vidalia onion, minced
1 cup (236 ml) frozen green peas
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced (include some seeds for added heat)
1/2 – 3/4 cup water
salt to taste
1 tbsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon
6 whole-grain tortillas (I used the Ezekiel brand)

Cook the potatoes, unpeeled, in salted, boiling water until they’re tender (pierce easily with a fork). Remove from water and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/4-inch pieces.

Cut tofu into 1/4-inch cubes.

Heat a deep non-stick skillet and add the onion. Cook on medium-high until onion begins to brown. Add peas, tomato, ginger, jalapeno pepper, and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring, until peas thaw.

Add potatoes and tofu to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, salt, curry powder, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and lemon juice.

Simmer for about 10 minutes, until filling is firm and water has evaporated. Season for more salt, pepper and lemon juice if needed.

Warm tortillas on an open flame stove to char them nicely on both sides. Place 1/6 of filling in center of wrap, fold bottom edge up, and fold sides over filling.