see through

september 6, 2014 by cheryl malik 32 comments

growing up, august meant back-to-school shopping, both dreading and anxiously anticipating the start of another school year, and promise that the oppressive summers in tennessee would break–even just a little–soon enough. oh, and pb&j bars. lots of pb&j bars.

my mom has a few recipes she’s returned to almost every single year, and these are one of them. a perfect take off of the classic last-minute sandwich, the bars are nutty and sweet, fruity and chewy, gooey and rich! no wonder we requested them each year.. and i even have memories of being sent a box or two during my undergrad years!

when i asked her to send me the recipe so i could make them myself, i discovered a dependable reader-submitted recipe from an 80s southern living cookbook.. so what does that mean? definitely not vegan. definitely not gluten-free. definitely not remotely healthy. loads of butter, loads of sugar, and an egg in there for good measure. so i decided to try my hand at healthifying these puppies up, so that when o and i have our own little family, we can continue on the tradition that my mom started.

in the meantime, we’re focused on eating entire pans of these without quite the guilt that accompanies the original recipe. self-restraint was never either of our strong points. 

these are perfect back-to-school treats for your little ones or heck, for yourself! you’ll love how gooey and fruity and peanut-buttery they are. and because they’re vegan, gluten free, and free of refined sugar, you’ll feel great about offering these as a little after-school treat!

if you’re not concerned as much about gluten and all of that, you can sub 3 cups regular bleached flour for the blended oatmeal, brown rice flour, almond meal, and chickpea flour. if you don’t care about dairy products, go ahead and use butter instead of earth balance. if you are vegan, use 1/2 cup agave nectar instead of 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup agave. i felt moved to use honey to play with the peanut butter, but we just happened to have some lying around. 

i personally used a cherry jam i got from the mediterranean market in our neighborhood, but a classic grape jelly would be so, so fun and delicious. ultimately, you can use whatever you want or have on hand, including my famous blueberry chia jam! either way, i hope you love them as much as i have for, dear god, over 20 years now. on second thought, it’s time to switch to a fully raw diet.. i am getting old, people!

make these!

5.0 from 6reviews

PB&J BARS (GF, VEGAN)

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PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

30 mins

TOTAL TIME

45 mins

  sweet fruity jam mingles with chewy peanut buttery layers for a perfect play on the classic pb&j sandwich. great for a snack, great for dessert. a soon-to-be back-to-school tradition!

author: cheryl malik

recipe type: dessert

cuisine: american

serves: 24

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups rolled oats, divided

1 cup brown rice flour

½ cup almond meal

½ cup chickpea flour

½ cup vegan butter spread, like earth balance*

2 flax eggs (mix 2 tablespoons freshly ground flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons warm water and set aside til the consistency of a beaten egg)

½ cup natural peanut butter

1 cup jelly, your choice of flavor

1½ teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

½ cup sucanat or other unrefined dry sugar

¼ cup honey (sub ¼ cup agave if vegan)

¼ cup agave nectar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

preheat oven to 375ºf.

blitz 1 cup of rolled oats in food processor or blender until a fine powder. combine flours, almond meal, rolled oats, oat powder, sucanat, baking powder, and pinch of salt in a bowl. whisk to combine. cut in butter and peanut butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. then add in liquid sweeteners (agave nectar and honey, or all agave), vanilla extract, and flax eggs and mix well.

press ½ of mixture into a 13x9" pan that's been greased with coconut oil or butter. spread jelly over peanut butter mixture then crumble the remaining peanut butter mixture over the jelly layer.

bake for 30-35 minutes or until top begins to brown. cool then cut into bars. store in an airtight container.

NOTES

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Kale chips are a snack that won’t even make it in the bag after baking; they’ll be gone in seconds so make extra!

It took me quite some time to master the perfect crispness of the kale chip, it requires much patience.  Although you can use any strain of kale I found the Lucinato Kale is the best

Recipe: 

6 Cups Lucinato Kale leaves without rib

4 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon Tamari, Braggs Amino Acids or Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon of ground Ginger

3 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds

Instructions:

Pre~heat oven to 275 degrees.

Starting with the fresh kale, remove the rib by holding onto it and tearing the leaf downward; cut or tear into chip size pieces and set aside in a large bowl

In a separate small bowl mix all of the ingredients except the sesame seeds.  Pour the marinade over the kale, using your hands massage into the kale.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and lightly toss to coat the kale.

 Lay parchment paper on a cooking sheet,  spread kale out making sure it is not over lapping so the kale bakes evenly.

 Bake for 10 min and turn the cookie sheet then bake for another 12-15 min. Let cool on sheet then remove after 3 minutes.  The kale will continue to crisp up after it cools.

*Notes:  If you want to get experimental and try other flavors just note that  using too much liquid (not oil) will make the kale soggy and doesn’t seem to ever get crispy.  Cooking kale chips at a higher temperature may make the kale burn more easily or taste burnt.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 BY ILENE 2 COMMENTS

Do you ever come up with recipe, love it for a while then somehow completely forget about it? Something like that happened to me recently when I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t made myEasy Baked Oatmeal in months. I decided to resolve that issue immediately. I made a couple of slight tweaks and came up with today’s Vegan Baked Banana Oatmeal. I am seriously all about this twist on the classic oatmeal breakfast. I love how the edges get crispy and the inside is extra ooey gooey because of the banana- and with a little peanut butter on top it’s seriously a reason to wake up for breakfast.

You can easily bake this recipe in individual jars like I did in the original recipe but I decided to use my mini 6″ pie dish. I greased the dish so I could pop the oatmeal out and slice it like pie. I decided to do it this way so I could bake the oatmeal the night before then reheat slices for breakfast. I’m honestly not sure if the individual mini jars or slices are more fun to eat…but either way this recipe is a totally energizing, filling breakfast to start your day.

VEGAN BAKED BANANA OATMEAL

    INGREDIENTS

dash of cinnamon

coconut oil for greasing

1 cup rolled oats

1 banana, mashed

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 tbs chia seeds

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup chopped dates or raisins

dash of salt

optional topping- peanut butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease mini pie or baking dish with coconut oil.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into pie dish.

Bake for 25 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

If enjoying right away, top with peanut butter and use a knife to serve.

5 Comments

A few years back, I never would have thought about making homemade granola. Why bother when you can buy it in the store, right? However, now I understand that it’s worth the bother because it’s actually not much trouble to make, and it’s wonderful to know exactly what ingredients are going into it. Store bought granola often contains additives (e.g., colorings, preservatives, processed sugars, etc.) that I’d prefer not to eat if I have the option, and after making blueberry-buckwheat and chocolate and almond butter granola for the blog, I was absolutely hooked on the homemade route.

Since I hosted a matcha giveaway the other week, I thought it would be fun to follow it up with a recipe for those of you who might have invested in a bag (or were the lucky one to win). Although I adore matcha smoothies, I wanted to step slightly outside of the box and bake with it. With all the cooking and baking that goes on in our home, it’s nice to make recipes that keep for quite a while so that I’m not consuming something for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to ensure it doesn’t go to waste (yes, I do this). Granola is amazing since it keeps for months.

Like the other granola recipes on the blog, this one is super easy and comes together in less than 25 minutes. Perfection in terms of ease and deliciousness. You’ll add rolled oats, buckweat groats, pepitas, hemp seeds, matcha powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to a large bowl (ignore the goji berries you see in the photos — you’ll add those but not until later). Then, you’ll melt together pure maple syrup, coconut oil, tahini, and vanilla extract. You’ll pour that thick, sweet, and addictive maple syrup mixture over your dry ingredients and toss to coat. Lastly, you’ll spread the granola out, bake it, and add the goji berries after baking. When I made it, I actually baked the goji berries with the granola; however, they got a bit too brown, so don’t follow in my footsteps.

The result is a crunchy, subtly sweet, and energizing superfood granola that tastes amazing with a splash of vanilla almond milk but is equally delicious all on its own.

5.0 from 1 reviews

MATCHA GREEN TEA, BUCKWHEAT & GOJI GRANOLA

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

23 mins

Total time

33 mins

  Author: Ashley Melillo | Blissful Basil

Recipe type: Granola, Cereal, Breakfast

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1½ cups gluten-free rolled oats

1 cup raw buckwheat groats

¼ cup shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 tablespoons hemp seeds

1 to 1½ tablespoons matcha powder

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

½ cup dried goji berries

⅓ cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup coconut oil

2 tablespoons tahini

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the rolled oats, buckwheat groats, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, matcha powder, ginger, cinnamon, and sea salt to a large bowl.

Add the pure maple syrup, coconut oil, tahini, and vanilla extract to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk together for 4-5 minutes or until melted together.

Pour maple syrup mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to coat.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread granola out evenly over the pan.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Let granola cool completely and sprinkle the goji berries over the granola. Toss to distribute.

The first time I made this spicy and creamy stew, we were in our log cabin. It was a lovely summer day and my mom had sent me a bunch of zucchini she grew. I also had some chili beans (I almost always have, they are great!) and some vegan cream. So I made this juicy stew and we ate it with pasta. It is pretty spicy and heat loving adults will surely love it. You can use regular canned beans instead of chili beans to make it more kid-friendly. Serve it with rice, pasta or potatoes - it suits with almost anything. I also have to mention that since the one week vegan menu I posted last Saturday turned out to be really popular, I'm planning to do another one this Saturday. Have you already prepared some dishes from this week's menu?

serves 4 - 6 people

2-3 Tbsp oil

2 onions

1 tsp salt

pinch of ground black pepper

1 medium zucchini

1 cup / 240 ml water

2 x 14 oz  / 2 x 400 g canned beans in chili sauce

1 cup / 250 ml vegan cream

1 tsp grated lemon zest

2-3 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari

September 4, 2014 by Cheryl Malik 23 Comments

I have a confession to make…. 

I love(d) Chick-fil-A. I know, I know! It’s not healthy, it’s not good for the environment, and it’s definitely not good for our social climate. But there’s something about it I crave–often intensely–until I sate what could’ve been a brisk but shameful dip into, let’s face it, some hateful junk food. 

Except when I say brisk, I actually mean we’d be sitting in line, out in the middle of one our city’s busiest streets, behind 40 other cars doing the same thing. O and I at one time, pre-gay-hatred-exposure, considered franchising one of those places and putting it downtown (packed full of 9-to-5ers rushing to work, no other Chick-fil-A around for miles), sheer dreams of  diving into a sea of coins, Scrooge McDuck-style. 

But these days, we’re pretty conscious of where and what we eat, trying to avoid a lot of meat–especially highly processed, factory farmed meat with more injections than Heidi Montag–and spend our money only with companies whose values don’t.. totally clash with what we think is right and acceptable in this life. Sometimes we falter, but most of the time we stay pretty true to that. So what to do when the Chick-fil-A craving strikes?

Chick-fil-A tofu nuggets, people. Chick-fil-A tofu nuggets. With vegan “honey” mustard dipping sauce.

I took a few Chick-fil-A nugget copycat recipes and essentially converted it into a fried tofu recipe, complete with a powered sugary breading and pickle juice marinade. We were both amazed at how well these turned out, how similar to the addictive little nuggets we so guiltily crave! The breading is crunchy and flavorful without being too heavy, the torn tofu is equally flavorful and packed with seasoning thanks to the pickle brine, and the tearing leaves little nuggets that are not so perfectly cubed that they seem immediately “chickenless”. 

The honey mustard sauce is just like I remember honey mustard sauce, subbing really only vegan mayo for the mayonnaise and agave nectar for the honey. Because really, what’s a chicken nugget without a sauce in which to dunk your little bites?

I even made a from-scratch lemonade to go with these Chick-fil-A Tofu Nuggets!

Even better, these come together quickly and without much oil, making them much healthier than the originals. And guess what, none of your money is going towards the “questionable giving” that made Chick-fil-A known for more than its unfortunately delicious bites. About that, you can feel even better about swapping chicken for tofu and a quick jaunt to that infamous locale for a delicious fast-food-inspired spread at home. 

5.0 from 3 reviews

Chick-fil-A Tofu Nuggets

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

31 mins

  Flavorful tofu nuggets that taste oh-so-close to the Chick-fil-A original nuggets, complete with a vegan "honey" mustard sauce! Way healthier and a lot less.. judgy.

Author: Cheryl Malik

Recipe type: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

Tofu:

1-pound block firm or extra-firm tofu

about ¾ - 1 cup pickle juice (you want the old-school, bright green kind, not the deli-pickle kind)

Breading:

1 cup corn starch

2½ tablespoons powdered sugar

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon powdered mustard

½ teaspoon black pepper

vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Honey mustard sauce:

¼ cup vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon agave nectar

¾ teaspoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon turmeric

Instructions

Marinate the tofu: tear into bite-size nuggets and place in a medium bowl. Pour pickle juice over and let marinate 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your batter. Whisk together all batter ingredients, except oil.

Meanwhile, make your honey mustard. Stir together all ingredients, taste & adjust seasonings, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

September 4, 2014 by Becca John 18 Comments

I always seem to have the same issue with falafel – they can be soooo dryyyy. Usually I need a glass of water to get them down, and it really puts me off ever ordering them. So I thought it was time to make my own, and to make them how I like them – soft and moist (sorry) in the middle, and perfectly crispy on the edge. Because these quick falafel are much less dry inside, they’re not quite as resilient as normal falafel – you do need to handle them a little carefully, but the worst that will happen is they’ll lose their shape. They’ll still taste amazing! So don’t be scared.

I deliberately made it so that this recipe requires absolutely no pre-cooking whatsoever (which immediately turns me on to a recipe, so I’m hoping it will for you as well…). You just need to blitz up some onion and garlic in a food processor, add your tinned (i.e. already cooked) chickpeas and some spices, and mix it all up again.

Falafel is often deep fried, but in an effort to remain somewhat healthy, I fried mine in just a couple of tablespoons of oil. If you dip your falafel in flour first, they still get nice and crispy on the outside, so I don’t feel you lose out on much!

You can serve these quick falafel however you like – I chose to stuff them into a pitta bread with some lettuce and salsa. It’s also pretty common to serve falafel with tzatziki or hummus, so take your pick – though personally I’ve always found hummus a very bizarre addition, since you’re literally smearing chickpeas onto chickpeas.

I enjoyed these quick falafel both hot and cold, so they’re great for popping in a lunchbox too (just leave your salsa off until just before eating!).

Quick falafel

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

  Author: Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche

Recipe type: Light lunch

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 small onion, cut into a few chunks

1 clove garlic

400g tin chickpeas, drained (240g when drained)

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ - ½ tsp chilli powder

4tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Salt

Black pepper

1tbsp plain flour

2tbsp oil

To serve: pitta bread, lettuce, salsa, tzatziki (optional)

Instructions

Place the onion and garlic in a food processor, and blitz for a few seconds until a paste is formed. Add the drained chickpeas and spices, and blitz again until fairly smooth.

Add the chopped coriander, and mix by hand until well combined (or blitz again in the food processor if you prefer - I just wanted the coriander to remain visible). Season well.

With clean hands, shape the mixture into a few small balls (I made 6), and press them down gently into patty-shapes. Spoon the flour onto a small plate, and gently coat each patty in the flour (don’t worry if you don’t manage to coat the sides - just the two flat sides will do).

Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the patties. Cook on a medium heat for around 4 minutes each side, until golden brown and crispy.

If desired, serve in a pitta bread with lettuce and a cooling sauce (e.g. salsa or tzatziki).

September 4, 2014 by Jessica 29 Comments

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is made with delicious homemade pumpkin puree, refined sugar free, vegan and gluten free! This bread is soft, decadent AND healthy!

It’s September so you know what that means – all things pumpkin! Kidding (not really). Truthfully, pumpkin is something that’s had in my house year-round – it’s always in season so it’s not odd to see us having pumpkin soup in July (let’s just forget about the heat of outside). I’ve grown up loving pumpkin in anything, and so making this pumpkin bread was pretty exciting for me. Let me tell you: you’re going to love this bread. First things first, it’s actually healthy without tasting healthy (win win) and is SO good!  As if the pumpkin part itself wasn’t amazing alone, I went and added chocolate chips. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

First, a joke. I made this bread three times. Now, coming from someone who has been baking for almost a decade, that’s never happened to me. I usually work with a recipe, try something out and it comes out great. Woohoo, confetti, slices of chocolate cake in celebration! Not this time. This was my first time experiment with gluten free flour, and I think that psyched me out to begin with. After the first attempt, with the bread doing absolutely nothing I was convinced I was a gluten free baker failure. After the second time, completely changing measurements and reading tons of useful guides, and the bread doing nothing…three things occurred to me:

1) If you can reach in and pick up the bread at “350 degrees Fahrenheit” it means your oven isn’t at 350 degrees…

2) Ensure your oven is working before you start to bake.

3) Maybe 3 years from now I will laugh at this. Maybe.

You see, this was the first time I was using my gas stove in over 6 months and maybe the gas had ran out. Folks, a word of advice, use a working oven. You’d think after years of baking, it would occur to me that after the first fail the oven wasn’t anywhere near hot! In fact the thermometer came back at 150 degrees F (if so much).

Once the oven glitches were out of the way, the first time I properly baked this bread it came out perfectly. I’m kind of glad for the glitches because it made me realise gluten free baking is totally different from regular baking. You need a medium flour and a heavy flour and a starch (the baking powder has cornstarch) to help balance everything out so you have a loaf that is firm and light at the same time. Let’s talk about soft. I was afraid of this bread being dense but it was the opposite – it’s so soft and decadent! Best part? It doesn’t taste “gluten free” or like anything different was done to it. Everyone in my family approved which is major coming from them. I know I’ll be making this bread again in the upcoming months but I’m thinking probably in the form of muffins. How awesome would those be?!

Part of switching to healthier baking is to show you all that you can still get delicious treats that are good for you, without sacrificing taste! Truthfully, you could have this bread for breakfast. At least, I may have had two slices for breakfast. Oops.

All in the name of pumpkin, right?

4.5 from 2 reviews

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (GF)

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour

  Serves: 1 9" by 5" bread

Ingredients

4.6 ounces brown rice flour

4.4 ounces “sweet” sorghum flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cardamom and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup coconut sugar

⅓ cup coconut oil

½ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup vegan chocolate chips, tossed in 2 tablespoons sorghum flour

See a Hawaiian Sweet & Sour Sausage Recipe

  Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and whisk together.

In a standing mixer, mix the pumpkin puree, the coconut oil and the coconut milk until combined for about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract.

Add the dry ingredients mix a cup at a time, working into the wet ingredients on a medium to low speed until it's all combined. Don't over mix - up to 2 minutes while using your spatula to scrape down is enough. The mixture won't be thin, and will be a little thick.

Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

"Pour" batter into the loaf pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. The loaf is finished when a knife or tester comes out clean (except for maybe some chocolate on it).

Notes

September 4, 2014 by Lindsey Johnson 15 Comments

Are you bored with your lunchtime routine? I go through little spurts where I only want to eat one or two things—usually last night’s leftovers and/or a strange mix of whatever needs to be eaten up in the fridge. But then there are times when I’m just craving something different and fun.

I really love making salad jars for this reason. This one is kind of quirky and pairs flavors that you might not think to put together, but then it just…works. (Beets and olives? You bet!) My favorite part of these salad jars is the layer of avocado hummus in the middle.

So let’s talk about salad in a jar for a second, and discuss why they are pretty much the best.

First reason: They are so easy to take on the go—to work, the park, on car trips, etc. Second, they are fun to make (that’s totally a good reason!). Third, they’re pretty and we eat with our eyes. And last but not least, they can be made ahead of time. Bonus!

I usually put something hearty on the bottom of the jar. It could be beans, cooked whole grains (rice, quinoa, etc.), mushrooms, and the like. This is also where I add my vinaigrette. For this salad, I just used a little extra virgin olive oil and a good squirt of fresh lemon juice. Some of it soaks into the quinoa, and the rest pools in the bottom of the jar.

The next layer is my fresh (or roasted) veggies. Here I’ve included candy-stripe beets, carrots and fennel. All of them are tossed with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning (see third reason above). Next comes a big old dollop of avocado hummus. If you haven’t tried avocado hummus yet, what are you waiting for?! Put it on everything. It will boost the protein factor as well as adding in good fats and a lot of flavor.

Next come the sliced kalamata olives, followed by leafy greens (your choice), and a good sprinkle of nuts and seeds to finish it off. Layering in this way and finishing with the leafy greens helps keep them from wilting or getting soggy. Soggy salads are no bueno. From there, all that’s needed is a lid and it can hang out in the fridge until lunchtime.

Yes, it’s that easy to make a healthy, filling lunch ahead of time! When lunchtime rolls around I turn the jar over a few times to let the dressing coat all of the ingredients and then dig in. Or if you prefer, you could pour it out onto a large plate.

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Rainbow Salad in a Jar with Avocado Hummus

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 1 serving as a main; 2-4 as sides

This well-rounded salad in a jar is pretty, portable, and perfect for lunch.

Ingredients

Avocado Hummus:

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium or large ripe avocado, sliced

Pinch of ground cumin or cayenne pepper (optional)

Sea salt or other coarse salt, to taste

Salad:

1 cup shredded veggies (I used beets, carrots, and fennel)

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice*

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1-2 tablespoons avocado hummus

1-2 tablespoons sliced kalamata olives

2 cups leafy greens (your choice)

1/4 cup nuts and seeds

Instructions

Make the hummus:

Place the chickpeas into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Pulse several times to begin pureeing. Add the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. Pulse again until almost smooth. Next add the avocado. Pulse until completely smooth. Add cumin or cayenne pepper, if desired, and blend. Taste, season with salt, and add additional lemon juice if desired. Puree again until blended.

Transfer to an airtight container and drizzle with olive oil to help prevent browning. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assemble the salad:

Add the shredded veggies to a medium bowl and drizzle with 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Toss to mix. Set aside.

Add olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and quinoa to the jar. Top with veggies, then add avocado hummus, olives, greens, and nuts/seeds in layers.

Top with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to eat. The salad can be made the night before, and it will keep for several days in the fridge.

Notes

*Can substitute the 1 tablespoon lemon juice with vinegar if desired.

September 4, 2014 by Alissa Saenz 6 Comments

Okay, okay, listen up…please. Normally, I don’t devote all that much of these posts to oohing and aahing over how good the food is. I prefer to bore you guys with my goofy stories of growing up vegetarian, discovering new foods, accidentally eating meat…you know, all the fun stuff, and let you make up your own minds on the food. Not today. This one is so good. I can hardly contain myself.

I don’t even know where to begin. This dish is a like a sensory journey over the rainbow. I mean, just look at it. Look! Oh, and smell it…oh, the smells. Smells, plural, meaning there are a bunch, and they do this magical dance that was absolutely killing me while I photographed this. Seriously, I’ve never photographed anything where I was so tempted to assault and devour the subject. There’s the roasty sweet potato smell, with which I’m sure you’re familiar. Then the’re the slightly pungent gingery-lime smell of the tempeh, and if you get real close you can pick up on the sweet nuttiness of the almond butter sauce.

At first, I wasn’t sure about the whole almond butter sauce thing. I love peanut sauce, and almond butter sauce is pretty much the same recipe, just with almond butter instead of peanut butter. Being one who generally prefers peanut butter, I thought almond butter sauce would be something like a lesser version of peanut sauce. Nope. It’s like a superstar version of peanut sauce! The texture is similar, but the flavor is smoother, slightly sweeter and somehow more velvety. From this day forth, I am an almond butter woman. (I’m still a peanut butter woman too.) When my boyfriend, who happens to love peanut sauce, showed up in the kitchen as I was making this (because with all those smells going on, how could you not?) I made him taste the almond butter sauce (because I had tasted it and was phyched!) and he was all “Woooowwwee…what did you put in there?”

So there you have it. This is a new favorite. Delicious, fragrant, and a meal that has it’s own little built-in bowl. Gotta love that. And love it you will, if you try it, which I sooooo hope you’ll do.

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Ginger Tempeh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Almond Butter Sauce

Author: Alissa

Recipe type: Entree

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 3-4

  Ingredients

For the Sweet Potatoes

4 small or 3 medium sized sweet potatoes

For the Ginger Tempeh

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp. soy sauce

8 oz. package tempeh, cubed

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, diced

For the Almond Butter Sauce

3 tbsp. creamy almond butter

juice of 1 lime

1½ tbsp. agave

1 tbsp. soy sauce

To Finish

2 scallions, chopped

sriracha (or other hot sauce)

Instructions

Bake the Potatoes

Preheat oven to 400°.

Poke a few holes in each sweet potato with a knife.

Bake until soft inside, 40-60 minutes, depending on size.

Make the Almond Butter Sauce

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Make the Ginger Tempeh

Begin when your sweet potatoes have about ten minutes to go.

Stir ginger, garlic, lime juice and soy sauce together in a medium bowl. Add tempeh cubes and toss to coat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.

Add tempeh and bell pepper. Stir fry until peppers are tender and tempeh browned, about 5-7 minutes.

Stuff the Sweet Potatoes

Cut each sweet potato open lengthwise and stuff with tempeh mixture. Top with almond butter sauce, scallions and sriracha.

For many there is still a lot of mystery behind what vegans eat. I have been offered fish more than once yet asked, “can vegans eat peanut butter?” just as many times.  There actually isn’t much secret behind what we eat, and preparing food is really quite easy – you just leave out the animals. 

I’m using Vegan MoFo to take an A-Z trip through my pantry to bring you 26 easy recipes to show you that anyone can cook vegan. Eating vegan, well, it’s as easy as ABC.

An Ode to Scones

Oh, that flaky pastry, slightly sweetened and perfectly buttery so that one bite into that golden crust and it is melting in your mouth.

You get it, right?

At my last baking job, back in 2011 before all the kids came (okay it’s just two kids, but most days it feels like a whole lot more), one of our most popular pastries was our oatmeal raisin scone. At the time I never quite understood why anyone would choose oatmeal raisin when walnut chocolate chip was sitting RIGHT NEXT TO IT, but my feelings were the minority and every day, within hours after opening, all that remained of our oatmeal raisin scones were a few loose oats and a couple of crumbs.

The scones weren’t vegan so I never had one and pretty soon I totally forgot all about them (you know, with all the kids to take care of and stuff) but when I started thinking about the letter “D”, which immediately led me to dates, those scones came back to me and I decided it was time to give (a variation of) them a try. I found a apricot oatmeal scone recipe in Martha Steward’s Baking Handbook – which, by the way, is one of my favorite baking books to get inspiration – and adapted and veganized the recipe. 

Okay guys, I get it now. I totally understand why one would choose an oatmeal date (or raisin) scones. I rarely forgo chocolate, but I can honestly say, I would choose these over walnut chocolate chip any day.

Date Oatmeal Scones

makes 8 scones

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Scones

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp vegan butter, cold

3/4 cup dates, chopped

1 flax egg*

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Topping

2 tbsp soy creamer

1/4 cup oats

Instructions

In a small bowl mix together soy milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes to allow it to curdle.

In a large bowl combine oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in small chunks of butter and mix with hands or pastry cutter until small crumbs forms. Fold in dates.

Combine the flax egg with soymilk mixture and add to the dry ingredients Stir until just combined. Turn dough onto floured surface. Flour an 8 inch cake pan and press dough evenly into pan. Flip upside down to release the dough and cut into 8 even pieces. Place on parchment line baking sheet and freeze until frozen all the way through.

Before baking brush tops with soy creamer and sprinkle with extra oats. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, until golden.

Notes

To make a flax egg: combine 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds with 3 tbsp water and mix until thick and gelatinous.

September 3, 2014 by Shannon Leparski · Leave a Comment

I wish I had a candle that smelled like this pie. The subtle aroma of rosemary, sweet, juicy pears and sugary butter – there’s nothing quite like it. I guess it’s time to transition into the mindset of September, although I can’t get too ahead of myself because it’s still 80 degrees around here but nothing says Fall more than a pie, right?!

How was your Labor Day? I’m happy to be back to blogging after the long weekend. So many fun things are ahead and I can’t help but be excited for the new season. I could totally go from summer to fall to spring and then back to summer and skip winter altogether. Doesn’t that sound way better?! I went to our family lake house in Wisconsin over the holiday weekend, and on one of the cloudy days, I was perusing through all kinds of recipes online with my mom. When I lived at home, I used to help her cook every night so we love getting inspired with new recipes to try. Nowadays, I can look at almost any recipe and figure out how to make it vegan. Love that! Get ready for some irresistible fall recipes to come. My mind was flowing with ideas and good thing I wrote all of them down or else I would forget those yummy thoughts. We looked at soups, stews, roasted fall vegetables and oh-so many desserts. Later on, we did make my Simple Greek Veggie Salad too, except we added pasta, broccoli and sunflower seeds. Everyone loved it!

After looking at all the ideas I wrote down, I knew I wanted to bake a dessert. I’ve never baked a vegan pie before! My inspiration led to this ah-mazing pie crisp (I don’t know if “pie crisp” is a real baking term or what but it describes this dessert perfectly) I’m sharing today. I had a slice for breakfast this morning – totally acceptable. This pie is bursting with pears smothered in a crispy, golden, crunchy, sugary, buttery topping. Yes, buttery. I used vegan butter which tastes the same as regular butter. Trust me. It has the same consistency and has to be the easiest swap for a vegan alternative ever. I used the Earth Balance stick butter. I also made life easier and used a store-bought gluten-free pie crust from Whole Foods in the freezer section. This simple recipe is a nice way to ease back into baking and using the oven again after the hot summer.

While the rosemary in this pie is subtle and not overpowering, it enhances the entire final product in the best way. I used fresh rosemary from my parents garden and I think I could smell it all day. While it’s baking, your entire house will have the most amazing aroma, like the sweet scent of freshly baked goods at the bakery. And you really can’t mess this recipe up. It couldn’t be any easier! Peel and chop the pears into bite-size pieces, mix them in a bowl with lemon juice and rosemary and add to pie crust, combine brown sugar, oats, butter, flour and salt with a fork (or your hands like me) sprinkle over the pears and bake! 

I paired it with hot coffee, fresh fruit and yogurt. Dessert for breakfast! For an actual dessert, it would be amazing topped with a scoop of vegan ice cream. 

Rosemary Pear Pie Crisp

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

40 min

Total Time

55 min

Ingredients

4 pears

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped (about 2 sprigs)

1 store-bought pie crust (I used a vegan, gluten-free kind from Whole Foods)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup flour (I used oat flour)

1/4 cup vegan butter

pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and chop pears into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine pears, lemon juice and rosemary. Toss together, pour into pie crust and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, rolled oats, flour, butter and salt. Mix together with a fork or your hands until well combined. Sprinkle mixture over pears evenly.

Bake in oven for about 40 minutes, until crust and topping turns golden brown.

September 4, 2014

in Main Meals

Veggie scrambles have been a go-to meal for me for the last couple of years, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I branched out from my usual crumbled tofu to try chickpeas. And oh man, I am making up for lost time! If you haven’t tried a chickpea scramble yet, I feel confident in saying you’re missing out. Let’s remedy that.

I’ve found that the key lies in mashing the chickpeas, but not so much that they’re completely uniform. I love the contrast in texture of the smaller pieces and a few whole beans throughout, and unlike with tofu, you don’t have to worry about pressing out the water to avoid a soggy scramble. Seasoning them well is also critical, and my favorite is a combination of turmeric (for color, flavor, and potent anti-inflammatory benefits), a little smoked paprika, and a generous helping of nutritional yeast, especially when paired with caramelized red onion and a big squeeze of lemon juice for brightness.

And then the toppings! Avocado is always a staple on my scrambles, along with fresh cilantro and salsa. I vary the salsa depending on my mood and whether I want the heat level mild or extra hot, but recently I’ve been smitten with a sweet potato salsa—specifically, a Moroccan sweet potato salsa with curry, lentils, and kale.

A Vermont-based company called Yummy Yammy reached out to me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I wanted to try their salsas, which include other flavors like Tuscan Sweet Potato (with roasted red pepper, white beans, and basil) and Mexican Sweet Potato (with black beans, corn, and chipotle). I thought the sweet potato base was genius, and the flavor combinations were really interesting. I also like that they offer the Mexican flavor in mild, medium, and hot. I enjoy spicy food, but I once had a company send me some salsa that was so hot it was inedible, and that’s not at all the case with Yummy Yammy.

I served the chickpea scramble over a giant plate of extra garlicky kale and that eat-out-of-the-jar-it’s-so-good Moroccan salsa. It was probably the best meal I’ve eaten in a long time, and one that only took half an hour to throw together, including time to wash the dishes. Aaron proclaimed this dish restaurant-quality, so I think if you’d like to branch out from tofu scrambles, this recipe would be an excellent place to start.

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Chickpea Scramble with Sweet Potato Salsa & Garlicky Kale (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Author: Amanda Maguire

Recipe type: Main

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  20 mins

Serves: 2

  Ingredients

for the chickpea scramble:

15 ounces cooked chickpeas

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

½ small red onion, chopped

juice of ½ lemon

1-2 tablespoons filtered water (optional)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

few pinches fine sea salt to taste

for the garlicky kale:

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch kale

few pinches fine sea salt to taste

for the topping:

1 jar Yummy Yammy Sweet Potato Salsa

1 medium avocado, sliced

fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Mash the chickpeas in a medium bowl with a fork or potato masher. It's okay to leave a few whole.

Heat a large sautée pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté it for 5 to 7 minutes, or until translucent.

While the onion is cooking, heat a second large sautée pan over medium heat for the garlicky kale. Once heated, add the 2 teaspoons of olive oil and minced garlic, and cook until the garlic is golden (1-2 minutes). Add the kale and stir to coat the greens. You can cover the pan for a minute or two to help steam the greens if you like. Continue to stir every so often until the kale cooks down (about 5 minutes). Add salt to taste, then turn the heat to low while you cook the chickpeas.

Once the onions for the scramble are cooked, add in the mashed chickpeas and cook for 4-5 minutes without stirring so that they brown. Stir and cook them for an additional 1-2 minutes, then mix in the lemon juice, water (if the chickpeas need a bit more liquid), nutritional yeast, turmeric, smoked paprika, and a few pinches of sea salt to taste.

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September 4, 2014

crepe w/ hazelnut spread & bananas

My boyfriend was looking for a vegan alternative for Nutella in the stores for a while now and finally we found something! Of course it is one super cheap brand, most often these brands have vegan products. That’s just great. Although I’ve never cared for Nutella in my earlier years, I think I’m starting to get addicted to this stuff now. So I had to try some crepes with the hazelnut spread & bananas.

Ingredients for about three crepes (depending on the size of your crepe pan):

100g all-purpose flour

170ml vegan milk (I used soy milk)

1 tablespoon of sunflower oil + 1 teaspoon for the pan

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 banana

hazelnut spread

Directions:

Put all the ingredients except the banana & hazelnut spread in a bowl and mix well.

Meanwhile cut the banana in slices.

In a crepe pan or similar pan add one teaspoon of sunflower oil and put it on medium high heat.

Add one soup ladle size of batter and tilt the pan lightly so that the batter is flat and even in the pan.

It will take about 2-3 minutes, loosen the edges, turn it once and leave it there for about another minute.

Take the crepe out, spread the hazelnut cream and add banana slices and fold it.

Once you tackle a vegan omelet head on, it seems the only logical thing to do is master the art of the tofu scramble. Not to sound cocky or whatnot, but I believe I may have done it. Let’s do this!

As you may know, I kinda have a thing for tofu. Since figuring out how to make it taste good, I’ve been stir frying it, eating it in salads, putting it in Vietnamese Spring Rolls, and baking it to crispy peanut perfection. I can’t get enough of the stuff.

Recently, I’ve been loving tofu for breakfast. It makes such a healthy, satisfying meal to have first thing in the morning as 8 ounces has nearly 20 grams of protein!

Tofu scrambles used to intimidate me. What goes in it? How do I cook it? Is there sauce involved? What if I’m afraid of turmeric? (Kidding but not kidding on the last one.)

Not so with his tofu scramble. It’s as simple as they come.

10 ingredients 30 minutes 1 skillet And NO fancy methods

Seasoning tofu scrambles was always a little daunting to me. But after taking a tip from Beth at Eat Within Your Means, I realized how was ridiculously simple it was.

Just mix the dry seasonings of your choice with a little water and huzzah! You have a simple, pourable sauce – a tasty, zingy, spicy sauce, no less.

You guys are going to LOVE this scramble. It’s

Savory Southwest-inspired Healthy Light Satisfying Perfectly spiced Mega flavorful Loaded with veggies Packed with protein And seriously simple

This is the perfect breakfast or brunch even if you only have 20 minutes to spend on food in the morning. Simply press your tofu the night before so it’s ready to add to your veggies and sauce! It doesn’t get much easier than that.

If you make this easy, savory Southwest Tofu Scramble, let me know! Leave a comment below or take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram, or @minimalistbaker on Twitter. I love seeing what you guys cook up. Cheers!

5.0 from 3 reviews

Southwest Tofu Scramble

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

  Savory, Southwest-inspired tofu scramble for two with lots of veggies and a simple 5-ingredient sauce. Just 10 ingredients, 30 minutes and 1 pan required!

Author: Minimalist Baker

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten Free

Serves: 2

Ingredients

SCRAMBLE

8 ounces extra firm tofu

Olive oil

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced

2 cups kale, loosely chopped

SAUCE

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)

FOR SERVING

Salsa

Cilantro

Hot Sauce

Breakfast potatoes, toast, and/or fruit

Instructions

Pat tofu dry and roll in a clean, absorbent towel with something heavy on top, such as a cast iron skillet, for 15 minutes.

While tofu is draining, prepare sauce by adding dry spices to a small bowl and adding enough water to make a pourable sauce. Set aside.

Prep veggies and warm a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil and the onion and red pepper. Season with a pinch each salt and pepper and stir. Cook until softened - about 5 minutes.

Add kale, season with a bit more salt and pepper, and cover to steam for 2 minutes.

In the meantime, unwrap tofu and use a fork to crumble into bite-sized pieces.

Use a spatula to move the veggies to one side of the pan and add tofu. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add sauce, pouring it mostly over the tofu and a little over the veggies. Stir immediately, evenly distributing the sauce. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until tofu is slightly browned.

Perinteisesti teriyaki-kastike tehdään soijakastikkeesta, mirinistä ja sakesta. Minulla ei kuitenkaan ollut sakea, joten korvasin sen kuivalla valkoviinillä – toimii hyvin näinkin. Seitanin tekeminen ei ole vaikeaa, mutta koska se vie hetken aikaa, kannattaa sitä tehdä kerralla isompi annos ja pakastaa loput. Tähän teriyaki-kastikkeeseen tarvitset ohjeen mukaisesta annoksesta vain puolet, jolloin siitä riittää 2–3 syöjälle.

Teriyaki-seitan

(2–3 henkilölle)

½ annos seitania (resepti alla)

seitan marinadi (resepti alla)

sipuli, siivuina

yhden parsakaalin kukinnot

teriyaki-kastiketta (resepti alla) öljyä paistamiseen seesaminsiemeniä

Ruskista sipulia öljyssä ja siirrä syrjään. Lisää parsakaalin kukinnot pannulle ja kaada niiden päälle tilkka vettä. Anna veden höyrystää parsakaali puolikypsäksi, siirrä syrjään. Ruskista seitan-viipaleita öljyssä kuumalla pannulla. Laske lämpötilaa. Lisää sipulit ja parsakaalit takaisin pannulle ja kaada teriayki-kastike päälle. Keitä, kunnes kastike paksunee. Koristele seesaminsiemenillä ja tarjoa riisin kanssa.

Seitan

ohje mukailtu Chocochilista (perusohje neljälle syöjälle, puolita määrä tämä teriyaki-seitanin ohjetta varten)

2½ dl gluteenijauhoa

1¼ dl gram-jauhoa

1½ dl vettä (tai tarvittaessa lisää)

1 rkl soijakastiketta

2 tl nestesavua

pippuria myllystä

Keitinliemi

1,5 l kasvislientä

1 rkl soijakastiketta

1 rkl balsamico-viinietikkaa

Sekoita kuivat aineet keskenään. Sekoita vesi mausteisiin. Yhdistä kuivat aineet nesteisiin ja vaivaa, kunnes muodostuu yhtenäinen pallo.  Muotoile taikina tangoksi ja leikkaa sentin paksuiksi viipaleiksi/pihveiksi.

Kuumenna keitinliemi kattilassa ja laita seitan-viipaleet kiehuvaan veteen. Keitä n. 30 min.

Marinadi seitanille

1½  rkl soijakastiketta

1 rkl riisiviinietikkaa

1 rkl öljyä

1 valkosipulinkynsi hienonnettuna

1 tl inkivääriä hienonnettuna

mustapippuria

½ tl sriracha-kastiketta

Sekoita marinadin ainekset yhteen. Pilko keitetyt seitan-pihvit pienemmiksi suikaleiksi ja laita marinoitumaan vähintään tunniksi.

Teriyaki-kastike

resepti Food 52

½ dl soijakastiketta

½ dl miriniä

½ dl valkoviiniä (minulla ei ollut sakea)

1 rkl sokeria

2 tl maissitärkkelystä

September 4, 2014 By Ciara Attwell 1 Comment

Hands up if you have a pasta loving veggie hating fussy eater. Ok great, it’s not just me then! My fussy little eater is literally obsessed with pasta in every shape in size. She would eat it for all three meals a day if I let her BUT she gets so annoyed when I dare to taint her favourite meal with some veggies. How rude of me!

So we now play the “hide the veggies” game with most of her pasta dinners. I try to secret squirrel in some form of veg into her meal. She, on constant look out for offending vegetables, picks out any bit of green or goodness she can find. Oh what fun! Thankfully all that has ended now that I have discovered the delights of Creamy Cauliflower Sauce. If you’ve not seen my previous post about my favourite new sauce have a look here.

This Macaroni Cheese with Secret Cauliflower Sauce is so so good and my fussy eater couldn’t get it into her quick enough when I served it last week. Mac ‘n Cheese is so versatile. I made the classic recipe here but you could also add some chicken or bacon for extra protein and any veg that your own fussy eaters will tolerate.

I used normal cheese in this but you could try dairy free cheese to make a vegan friendly version. Or even leave out the cheese altogether, and just enjoy it as a Creamy Pasta Bake. The options are endless!

Do you have any other sauce recipes that you use to secretly get some veg into your kids? I think I need to have more of these up my sleeve!

Macaroni Cheese with Secret Cauliflower

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

  Classic Mac 'n Cheese made with a secret veggie cauliflower sauce. Vegan friendly!

Author: Ciara @ My Fussy Eater

Recipe type: Main Meals

Serves: 4

Ingredients

300g Macaroni Pasta

1 jar Cauliflower Sauce

2 tbsp cheese or vegan cheese (optional)

1 tbsp breadcrumbs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180c.