Our fridge and pantry were running low and all we had were mushrooms, two ripe avocados, some herbs (parsley and cilantro), limes, some leftover vegan “meats” (Field Roast Breakfast Sausage and Upton’s Bacon Seitan) from Saturday’s hearty brunch, a small leek stalk and two ears of corn:

Mung bean is a resistant starch. Resistant starch is a kind of dietary fiber that resists digestion. It passes through the upper digestive tract undigested and feeds good gut bacteria in the large intestine and colon. Good gut bacteria produce a fatty acid called butyrate which reduces inflammation and helps fight metabolic and physical stress. This lowers our risk for colorectal cancer and prevents inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis, constipation, diarrhea, and diverticulitis.

Studies suggest that resistant starches stimulate good gut bacteria growth particularly when served cold/cool so this dish is meant to be served as a cold salad. This has 16.6g of protein, 0mg of cholesterol and 765.5mg of potassium!

One of the things we missed the most when we went vegan was the rich and creamy taste of fettuccine alfredo. The traditional recipe calls for butter, heavy cream and parmesan cheese, but in our healthy vegan version, we used coconut cream, olive oil and pumpkin puree.

Coconut cream is a great substitute for heavy cream. It contains less water than coconut milk so it has a richer and thicker texture (great for cooking sauces). It’s a good source of B vitamins which help the body convert eaten food into useable energy (glucose).