Kimberly Richards, author of Passing the Pregnancy Test, shares her favorite plant-based recipes that help with infertility.
Sweet Green Smoothie
- 1 C. filtered water
- ½ frozen banana
- ½ cup frozen cherries
- 1 T. flax seed
- 1 C. fresh spinach
- ½ – ¼ inch piece of fresh ginger (optional)
Blend and Enjoy. Makes 1 serving, easily doubled.
I Swear this is a Chocolate Milkshake Smoothie
- 1 C. unsweetened plant milk or filtered water
- 1 C. Frozen Banana
- 2 T. cacao or carob powder
- Stevia drops to taste or 1 pitted date
Optional add-ins: vanilla, mint leaves, almond extract, ½ t. maca (maca is a superca is a superfood and has been suggested to aid in healing inf infertility)
Easy Apple Pie Oatmeal
Did you know you can make oatmeal in advance and warm it up? It’s true. Try steel cut oats. They take longer, but are less processed.
Make a large batch of oatmeal and enjoy each serving warm, with ½ cup unsweetened cinnamon apple sauce swirled in. So much better tasting and better for you than the packets of instant oatmeal which are full of added sugar.
Granola, I love you
There are many reasons to love granola. It’s easy to take along wherever you go, it stays fresh for 7 days refrigerated, you can use up ripe bananas and most importantly, it’s delicious! This main recipe is from Chef Del’s “Better than Vegan Cookbook”. I love adding local fruit when available and cinnamon – your home will never smell better when this is in the oven.
- 2 ripe bananas
- ¼ C. water
- ½ C. maple syrup
- 1 T vanilla
- 4 C oats (gluten free oats work as well as regular)
Add-ins:
- 1 T cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ t nutmeg (optional)
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 C chopped apple or pear
Blend first 6 ingredients in blender. Add oats to a bowl. Pour in the blended ingredients and incorporate ad-ins. Put on cookies sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten as much as possible and bake at 375 for 50 minutes.
Easiest, lowest in fat, tastiest hummus ever!
Many hummus found in stores (including health food stores) are high in unnecessary fat. If you long for the taste of buffalo sauce this satisfies and then some.
- 2 cans of no-salt garbanzo beans
- ¼ cup of Franks Red Hot Original Sauce
Drain the bean, reserving ½ cup of the liquid. In a food processor with an S-blade, blend the beans. Add in the Franks and add in small increments the reserved liquid until desired consistency is achieved. Serve with celery and carrot sticks, top on a salad or create a sandwich or wrap with roasted red pepper and greens.
Portobello Mushrooms stuffed with “Ricotta”
- 8 Portobello Mushrooms, stems removed, marinate overnight with ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 t. garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Ricotta – Blend one 16 oz. container of firm tofu in food processor with the following:
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 T. garlic powder
- 1 T. dried basil
- 1 T. oregano
- 1 C. fresh spinach
- Salt and pepper
Remove mushrooms from bag and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Divide “ricotta” onto each of the mushrooms. Top with a roasted red pepper and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Vibrant Quinoa
Serves 8-12 as a side dish.
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 4 green onions (diced)
- ½ cup cilantro (chopped)
- ½ cup parsley (chopped)
- Pepper
Sauce/Dressing – this makes a great salad dressing or sauce for vegetables stir fry:
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
Prepare quinoa per instructions with water or vegetable broth. While cooking or beforehand, peel and cut sweet potato into bite size pieces and boil in pot of water until tender. Drain and set aside. Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside too. Once the quinoa is finished and has cooled for 25 minutes, put in serving bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and then toss with sauce. Excellent dish to prepare in advance, store in fridge and take out ½ hour – 1 hour before serving to get to room temp. Great on top of salads too.
Black Bean Brownies
Adapted from Minimalist Baker’s Black Bean, Gluten-Free Brownies (www.minimalistbaker.com)
- 1 15-16 ounce can/box black beans, rinsed (unsalted preferred)
- 2 Flax Eggs – 2 heaping T. of flax seed mixed with 6 T. water
- ¾ C. Cacao powder
- 1 t. vanilla
- ½ C. coconut sugar
- 1 ½ t. baking powder
- Salt (sea, Celtic or Himalayan)
- Optional toppings: pecans, walnuts, chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tray with liners. In food processor using the S Blade mix the flax seed and water and let stands for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients except for the optional toppings. The batter will be thick. If needed add one-two tablespoons of water. Place in muffin tins and bake for 24 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Great for gatherings and sharing with friends. No one will suspect there is no dairy, white flour, eggs or white sugar! This one bowl cookie recipe requires no mixer! Easy peasy!
- ½ C. unsweetened applesauce (plain or cinnamon)
- 1/3 C. melted coconut oil
- 1 C. coconut sugar
- 1 T. vanilla
- 2 ½ Cups spelt flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1 t. baking flour
- ½ t. sea or Himalayan salt
- 10 ounces vegan chocolate chips -Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chip are accidentally vegan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir together first four ingredients. Add in the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Once combined, stir in chips and spoon on cookies sheets. Makes about 30-36 cookies. If you are baking in batches and it’s a warm day, put batter in fridge between batches. Bake for 12 minutes; cool for 20 minutes.
Kimberly Richards is the author of Passing the Pregnancy Test. Kimberly lives in the Boston area and works as a professional in the building industry. She was diagnosed with unexplained infertility and tried everything she could to become pregnant. Eventually, she came across the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Once she learned how foods can heal and began eating this way she found herself pregnant in less than three months. She was compelled to write a book and help other women and families in the same situation she found herself in not long ago. Her book contains a possible solution for your infertility problem regardless of how little or long you have been trying to conceive even if you think you can’t get pregnant. See what over 10 health industry experts including physicians and scientists contained within her book have to say about the incredible power of a plant-based approach that could help with infertility.
www.passingthepregnancytest.com
