For the next 22 Days, we are honored to be a partner in the journey of
Jay-Z and Beyonce’s exploration of a vegan diet. And we invite you to join us as we all experience the benefits of plant-based nutrition. If you take on the challenge, your body will enjoy a greater variety of vitamins and minerals and your reduced intake of animal products will have a positive effect on the environment. Neal D. Barnard M.D., President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) touts a
plant-based diet for its amazing health benefits.
Plant-based diet benefits include:
- Preventing cancer
- Lowering cholesterol levels
- Reducing risk of heart disease
- Decreasing blood pressure
- Preventing and even reversing diabetes
- Lowering incidences of kidney stones
- Decreasing asthma attacks
And to top it all off, a
plant-based diet increases the body’s metabolism, causing the body to burn calories up to 16% faster than the body would on a meat-based diet. Starting today and culminating on Christmas day, we will share absolutely delicious and easy to prepare vegan meal plans from certified clinical nutritionist, Gena Hamshaw of
Choosing Raw. Whether you challenge yourself to eat a vegan diet for 22 Days or try 1 vegan meal a day for 22 Days, we are sure that you will enjoy the ride. Follow #22DaysVegan on
Instagram to see what we and others are preparing every day. Snap a photo of your favorite vegan meal, tag it #22DaysVegan and you could win 1 of 3 delicious prizes. We’ll announce winners on December 26. Let’s get started! Below is the meal plan for Day 1.
Day 1: 22 Days Vegan Challenge
Meal Plan and Recipes Courtesy of Gena Hamshaw, C.N.N. of Choosing Raw Breakfast: Vanilla chia pudding with 1 cup fresh berries
Lunch: Crunchy red cabbage and green apple sesame slaw with 1 cup steamed, cubed sweet potato (or 1 small sweet potato, baked)
Afternoon snack: 1/4 cup hemp hummus with fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, romaine leaves, bell pepper, etc.)
Dinner: Black bean and quinoa salad with quick cumin dressing
Dessert: Dark chocolate
Recipes: Vanilla Chia Pudding Makes 2 Servings Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 cups almond milk
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Method
- Blend up the almond milk, vanilla, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
- Pour liquid mixture over the chia seeds and stir till seeds are evenly mixed in. Stir again five minutes later, and five minutes after that. Let sit for an hour at least, or simply let it sit in the fridge overnight. Serve, topped with fresh fruit of choice.
- Pudding will keep in the fridge for up to four days.
Crunchy Red Cabbage and Green Apple Sesame Slaw Serves 2 Ingredients For the salad:
- 3 cups thinly shredded red cabbage
- 1 large granny smith apple, shredded
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
-
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Method:
- Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside.
- Dress the shredded vegetables and hemp seeds with dressing; you can use as much as you like, but make sure you coat everything well (a half cup will probably suffice). Serve.
- Slaw will keep in the fridge overnight.
Black Bean and Quinoa Salad with Quick Cumin Dressing Serves 4 Ingredients: For the salad:
- 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
- Dash salt
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1/2 large cucumber, diced neatly
- 1 small bell pepper, diced neatly
- 1 can BPA free, organic black beans
- 10-15 basil leaves, chopped into a chiffonade
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp agave or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Rinse quinoa through a sieve till the water runs clear. Transfer it to a small or medium sized pot and add two cups of vegetable broth or water and dash of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot so that the lid is on, but there’s a small gap where water can escape. Simmer till quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid and is fluffy (about 15-20 minutes).
- Transfer cooked quinoa to a mixing bowl. Add chopped vegetables, black beans, and herbs.
- Whisk dressing ingredients. Add the dressing to the salad, and serve. (If you don’t feel that you need all the dressing, just add as much as you’d like to.)
- Salad will keep for three days in the fridge.
