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Baked Apples

Yahoo for apple season! I recently picked up a huge box of apples from the local farmer's market for a super cheap price. Gotta love the fall. Naturally, it calls for baked apples to be made... 

Ingredients:

3 Apples, sliced in half, deseeded 

About 1 cup of oats

2 tbsp maple syrup

Generous sprinkle of cinnamon 

Instructions:
1) Preheat over to 350

2) Arrange apple in an oven safe dish. Spread oats evenly among the apples. Pour in the maple syrup, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for about 1 hour.

Simple Beet Salad

I looooove beets! This is a super simple salad to make. It can be a perfect side dish for the holidays or when you need to add a little color to the table. 

Ingredients:

2-3 beets

Handful of nuts (walnuts/ pine)

1-2 fresh garlic cloves, minced

Salt to taste (optional)

1 tbsp vegan mayo (optional- I left this out)

Instructions:

1) Boil beets with the skin on. Make take about an hour. To test if they are done cooking, use a sharp knife to poke the beets and they should slide off easily. Take the beets out of the water and allow them to cool until they are comfortable to handle. To remove the skin, pinch the sides of the beets with you finger and the skin should just slide off. 

2) Grate the beets with a medium sized grater in a bowl. Add nuts and garlic and mix in.

Roasted Baby Potatoes Without Oil

Roasting vegetables is pretty basic, and doing it without oil is just as easy. Once again broth steps in as a perfect substitute. You can have the same crispy outer shell and a soft center that is typical of the traditional method. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 bag of baby potatoes

1/2 cup of vegetable broth

1 tbsp of nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp of dried basil

1/2 tsp of dried parsley

1/8 tsp of paprika

1/8 tsp of Himalayan pink salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

1) Clean baby potatoes and place them in a bowl. Pour the vegetable broth into the bowl and coat the potatoes. Drain.

2) Mix the nutritional yeast and spices in a separate bowl. 

3) Put the potatoes in an oven save dish that is big enough for the potatoes to lay flat without overlapping. Coat evenly with the spices.

4) Bake for 30 mins, turning potatoes over every 10 mins. 


Nutty Power Bars

The only problem with these bars is they are gone as soon as you make them. The crust for these puppies are a great base for any extras you may want to add. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of nuts (used 1/3 c each of walnuts, almonds, cashews)
4 soft medjool dates, depitted
1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips
1 tbsp. of coconut flakes

Instructions:
1) Grind the nuts in a blender. Mold in the dates until the mixture becomes clumpy.

2) Place a piece of plastic wrap on a cutting board and form the nut mixture into a thin flat sheet. Place in the refrigerator to firm up. This should only take about 10 mins.

3) While you are waiting for the nuts to firm up, melt chocolate chips in a metal bowl over boiling water. Take the nuts out of the refrigerator and pour chocolate on top.

3) Sprinkle with coconut flakes. Cut into small pieces. 

4) Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Chickpea Wrap

My personal philosophy is anything can be made into a sandwich. If you have a little chickpea salad leftover, wrap it up :) 

Ingredients:

1 wrap

Chickpea Salad

1 red leaf lettuce

1 tomato

Honey mustard

Instructions:

Place the chickpea salad, lettuce tomato and honey mustard inside the wrap

Mini Chocolate Tarts

HMM HMM HMM. These mini cakes really satisfy the chocolate craving. 

Crust
1/2 cup raw almonds (or cashews)
1/2 cup raisins

Filling
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp cocoa powder 
3 tbsp maple syrup 
pinch salt

Instructions:

1) In a food processor fitted with an "S" blade, blend the almonds and raisins until the mixture begins to stick together.

2) Press the mix into the bottom of cupcake pan that is lined with plastic wrap. (Alternatively you can make a bigger tart by using a pie form.)

3) In a small blender, puree the coconut milk and cashews until very smooth.

4) Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.

5) Spoon the filling mixture into the tarts. 

6) Add some shredded almonds as a topping, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, to allow the tarts to cool and firm.

Pasta with Spinach Pesto

This is a perfect dish for a night when you are really limited on time. If you have kids this is also a great way to get them to eat spinach. My toddler gobbled this up. 

Ingredients for pasta:

1 bag of your choice of pasta. (I used a kamut flour penne here.)

Handful of mushrooms

red pepper flakes (optional)

Ingredients for Spinach Pesto:

4 cups of fresh spinach

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp of nutritional yeast

1/4 cup of pine nuts

1/2 cup of non-dairy milk

1/4 tsp of salt

Instructions:

1) Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

2) Saute mushrooms on a skillet.

3) For the sauce, blend all the ingredients in a blender

4) Add pasta and sauce to the skillet with the mushrooms. Stir until heated through.

Spinach Pesto

This is a a little spin on traditional pesto using spinach. It has a nice garlic flavor. 

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh spinach

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp of nutritional yeast

1/4 cup of pine nuts

1/2 cup of non-dairy milk

1/4 tsp of salt

Instructions:

Blend all the ingredients in a blender

Chickpea Salad...a.k.a Plant Based "Chicken" Salad

Chickpeas are by far one of the most versatile legumes. You can use it for hummus, salad toppings, crunchy snacks, sandwich fillers. I'll stop there before I completely turn into Bubba from Forrest Gump. Making chickpeas the star attraction in the salad is a perfect way to mimic the texture of Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked chickpeas

1/4 cups of sauerkraut 

1 celery stalk, minced

1 tbsp of tahini

1-2 tbsp of vegan mayo

Juice from 1 lemon

1/4 tsp of paprika

Salt to taste

Instructions:

Mash all the ingredients in a bowl


Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

 

This is one of my favorite sauces to make because its super quick and easy. And mostly because it satisfies my love of thai food.

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can of light coconut milk

1 tbsp of thai red curry paste

2 tbsp of brown sugar (turbinado) *

Juice from 1 lime, freshly squeezed (optional)

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in a pan and bring to a low boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar and red curry paste. Remove from heat when the sauce is heated through.

Substitution Note

If you want to skip the sugar, you can use 1/4 cup of raisons or 4 medjool dates (pitted). In a blender, blend coconut milk with the dried fruit before cooking it in the pan. 

Rainbow Chard with Brown Rice Topped with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

Does anyone else have a mini obsession with thai food? Back in college, I'm pretty sure I paid the electricity bill of my favorite local thai place. Without having to master asian cooking, this simple dish hits the spot. Before you look at the ingredient list, I want to warn you it looks like a long list of items, but it really doesn't take that long to prepare. You just need to grab multiple jars out of the pantry at once and throw it in to cook together. 

Ingredients for Rice:

1 1/2 cups of brown rice

3 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp of salt

Ingredients for vegetables:

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch of rainbow chard, chopped

1 head of broccoli 

Ingredients for sauce:

1 (15 oz) can of light coconut milk

1 tbsp of thai red curry paste

2 tbsp of brown sugar (turbinado) *

Juice from 1 lime, freshly squeezed (optional)

 

Instructions:

1) Combine rice and spices in a rice cooker, give it a quick stir. Add broth and turn on the rice cooker. 

2) While the rice is cooking, in a pan broth or water sauté onions until they are translucent. Keep adding liquid 1 tbsp at a time to prevent sticking. Add garlic and rainbow chard. Cook until chard is soft. 

3) For this dish, I steamed the broccoli in the steamer tray of the rice cooker for a few minutes, but you can also cook it in the pan with the rest of the vegetables. If you steam the broccoli, make sure you don't leave it on the tray the whole time the rice is cooking, otherwise they will turn into mush. Set aside.

4) For the sauce combine all the ingredients in another pan and bring to a low boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar and red curry paste. Remove from heat when the sauce is heated through.

5) When the rice is done cooking add it to the pan with the vegetables. Add the sauce, and stir. 

Substitution Note

If you want to skip the sugar, you can use 1/4 cup of raisons or 4 medjool dates. In a blender, blend coconut milk with the dried fruit before cooking it in the pan. 

Getting the Right Support System

Congratulations! You’ve decided to try out going plant based. You’re in for a treat with new dishes, and you must be very excited to see how your body will start changing as it takes advantage of all the wonderful health benefits from plant foods.

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Spinach Orzo Salad

This is probably one of the easiest salads to make. When you're in a time crunch and out of ideas..this is a great option.

Ingredients:

1 cup of whole wheat orzo
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp. of dried basil
2-3 handfuls of fresh spinach
handful of cherry tomatoes
handful of nuts (pine nuts/ cashews)
2 tbsp. of balsamic vinaigrette 

Instructions:

1) Cook orzo according to package instructions with a bit of salt and dried basil. Drain orzo.

2) In a bowl, gather the spinach, tomatoes and nuts.

3) When orzo is done cooking, mix orzo and vinaigrette into the bowl.

Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

I know what you'll think when you read the ingredients, cauliflower? Really? Back in my omni days I would have thought the same thing too. That must be so gross and mushy. But I swear it tastes great. Try it, just once. I bet you'll change your mind. 

Ingredients:

4 heaping cups cauliflower florets (1 small/medium cauliflower)

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1/2 cup of non dairy milk of choice (also try using broth)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon onion powder or 1 additional sautéed onion

1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 additional fresh sautéed garlic

3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste

1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper, to taste

Pasta of choice (I used one (7-oz) bag of Explore Asian Mung Bean pasta)

Choose your favorite toppings, I used pine nuts and fresh tomatoes (the choices are endless: sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, etc)

Instructions:

1) Place cauliflower florets in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a low boil. Once boiling, cook for another 3-7 minutes until fork tender. Drain.

2) Meanwhile, broth sauté the minced garlic (and fresh onion if using it instead of onion powder) over low heat for 4-5 minutes until softened but not browned.

3) In a high speed blender, add the cauliflower, sauteed garlic, milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Blend until a super smooth sauce forms. 

4) Cook your pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta.

5) Add cauliflower sauce into the pot (you can use the same pot) and add the drained pasta. Heat over low-medium until heated.

6) Plate and add your favorite toppings.

Eggplant Spread (Baba Ghanoush)

For some reason eggplant seems like one of those elusive vegetables. You either hate it or love it. How do you cook it anyways? 

Turning it into a spread is simple and delicious!

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

1 fresh garlic clove

2 tbsp of tahini

salt to taste

Instructions:

1) Place eggplant in an oven safe dish and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hr. Eggplant is done when the skin is wrinkled.

2) Let the eggplant cool until comfortable to handle. Cut in half, spoon out the flesh and place into a blender. Add the remaining ingredients. Pulse until you get the creamy consistency you like.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is one of the most versatile spreads. Use it as dip, spread in a sandwich, or on a piece of toast. It's a staple in our refrigerator and this roasted red pepper version is a favorite. 

Ingredients:

1 red pepper

1 cup of cooked chickpeas (water reserved)

1 roasted garlic clove

1 tbsp of tahini

1/4 tsp of paprika

salt to taste

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 500 degrees F and roast red peppers on a baking sheet until charred - about 25-30 minutes. Cover in foil for 10 minutes to steam, then remove (peel away) charred skin, seeds and stems. Chop half of the pepper and set aside. Place the other half in a blender. 

2) Add the rest of the ingredients into the blender. Add water from the cooked chickpeas 1 tbsp at a time until you get the creamy consistency that you like. 

3) Scrape the hummus out of the blender and put into a bowl. Fold in the reserved chopped pepper. 

Banana Ice Cream with Chilled Berry Sauce

Just because you go plant based, doesn't mean you have to bid farewell to ice cream. After you try this, you'll automatically start buying an extra bunch of bananas to put in the freezer on a weekly basis. I'll be the first to admit, this picture isn't the best. But the flavor is there! I'm still learning how to create the best set up to really showcase the foods. 

Ice Cream Ingredients:

2-3 frozen bananas (peel and break into smaller chunks before putting bananas into the freezer)

Chilled Berry Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 to 1 cup of frozen mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)

1/2 to 1 tbsp of maple syrup

1 tbsp of non-dairy milk

Ice Cream Instructions:

There are several ways to make the ice cream depending on what kind of equipment you have. I used an Omega 8006. Just push through the frozen banana pieces with the "open auger" attachment. You can also use a yonanas to get grind the fruit into an ice cream consistency.  If you don't have either, pulse the fruit in a blender until you get the creaminess of ice cream. 

Chilled Berry Sauce:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and pulse for about 1 minute. 

Pumpkin Waffles

Hello Fall!!! I'm officially in love with anything pumpkin flavored. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've only recently started cooking with pumpkin...and I have been missing out. Luckily, that dry spell is over. This recipe is great for the waffle maker. Most vegan pancakes tend to be dense and the waffle maker gives it a bit more of a fluffy texture. I left out baking powder on purpose from the recipe because you can make them taste great without it. Add any fruit or maple syrup that you have on hand as a topping.

Ingredients:

2 flax eggs*

1 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour* 

3 tbsp of turbinado sugar*  

1/4 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 tsp of nutmeg 

1/4 cup of pumpkin puree

1 1/2  cup + 2 tbsp of non-dairy milk

Instructions:

1) Combine flour, salt, sugar and spices in a bowl. Mix well.

2) Add flax eggs, pumpkin puree and non-dairy milk. Mix well.

3) Cook in small batches in waffle maker.

* Additional notes

- Mix 2 tbsp of flax seed with 6 tbsp of water and let it stand for 10 mins while preparing the rest of the mix

- Instead of whole wheat you can also use whole wheat pastry flour

- Instead of turbinado sugar you can use maple syrup or other organic cane sugar

- Add 1/4 tsp of baking powder for a little fluffier texture.

Green Salad with Honey Mustard Tahini Dressing

It's easy to spruce up a basic green salad with the right dressing. Especially one that has 2 ingredients. Did you see that...2, just 2 ingredients in the dressing! Equal parts Tahini (ground up sesame seeds) and honey mustard. This is my go-to salad to when I don't know what to make, or to bring to a pot luck. Exact measurements aren't necessary for the salad ingredients. 

Salad Ingredients:

Red leaf lettuce

Kale

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Radish

Scallion

Chia seeds

Nuts

Basil

Pinch of Himalayan salt 

Dressing:

1 tbsp of tahini

1 tbsp of honey mustard