Vegan Mac&Cheese

When people find out Im Vegan their first response is " I couldnt do that".  Truthfully I probably said the same thing a few years back..heck even a few months back. My decision to eat a more plant based/vegan diet is strictly health related...yes the piggy's being boiled alive is awful (AWFUL) but that  wasnt why I made the choice. I was never a huge cheese person, so saying goodbye to the fat loaded block wasnt too sad for me. One thing I did use it for was on pasta-who doesnt love pasta?! Going vegan I thought well darn I guess those days are over..simply not true(also why people think they could never eat vegan). This is my favourite "cheese" recipe to date, and its packed full of nutrient dense squash.

• 1 med size butternut squash 
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance (or coconut oil)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened & unflavoured almond milk
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or flour)
• 6 tbsp nutritional yeast, or more to taste
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4-3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2-1 tsp kosher salt (to taste) & ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 servings brown rice macaroni

1.peel and chop squsah. Coat with oil and bake at 350 for 30 min or until soft.
2. While squash is baking, begin making your "cheese" sauce. Melt earth balance in a pan, slowly adding arrowroot powder (or flour) until sauce is thick. Add almond milk and stir. It should form a smooth sauce. Add in remaining ingredients (dijon mustard, nutritional yeasa, garlic powder, lemon juice)
3. Remove squash from the oven and combine the "cheese sauce" and squash in food processor. Combine until smooth.
4. Serve with brown rice pasta. I served with salad but you could just as easily chop in some spinach,kale, or even peas!

from oh she glows

Homemade breakfast hash

Sundays call for a lazy, yet delicious breakfast. I think this is the perfect combination of all things delicious for your lazy sunday (or monday or any day). I adapted it from one ingredient chef,  a wonderful food blog you should most likely take a look at. For this recipe I used a sweet potato (because they're amazing) but if you dont prefer sweet potato simply substitute 2 russet potatoes (should be about 2 cups grated potato). You could even use frozen hashbrowns..but hey, Im not going encourage that because homemade hashbrowns are delicious.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. nutritional yeast
1 cup tofu

1 med. sweet potato
1 med. potato
1 tbsp rice bran oil
1 cup black beans
1 green pepper
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder (to taste)

For this morning specifically I scrambled my tofu, you can cube it or scramble it or not use it at all-your choice. If you are going to use it (as I do!) please oh please use an organic, non gmo brand. (soyganic is great!) any healthfood store or grocery store with an organic section should carry it.

1.Take your 1 cup tofu and scramble it in the pan with a fork, add tumeric and nutritional yeast. Remove from pan. (check out this post about properly preparing tofu)
2.Heat oil in fry pan and grate your potatoes, squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the grated potatoes. It's easiest to do this with a potato ricer, using it much like you would a garlic press, except you don't force the potatoes through the ricer. You just press out the moisture. If you don't have a ricer, use paper towels to squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the grated potatoes. Add potatoes to fry pan with diced onions. Allow to cook for 4min (or until crispy) and 'flip' the hashbrowns to cook evenly on the other side.
3. add remaining ingredients(including tofu) and cook for 10-12min, stirring occasionally.

 how I will actually be eating it...smothered in homemade organic ketchup and a cup of coffee. yes please.

Vegan Fest- The BEST veggie burgers you will eat

This past week's vegan fest was A-mazing. Katy hosted at her sweet home, and we had a menu of delicious food. Veggie burgers with blueberry bars for dessert. It was all so delicious I barely snapped any photos-whoops.
Recipes at bottom!

 The BEST veggie burger:

• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• Flax eggs: 2.5 tbsp ground flax + 1/2 cup warm water, mixed in bowl
• 1 cup oats, processed into flour
• 1.5 cups bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and roughly pureed or mashed
• Heaping 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (or fresh herb of choice)
• 1/3 cup almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
• 1.5 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (if baking). In a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in 1/2 tbsp oil. Mix your flax egg together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 10 mins while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Place all ingredients (except spices and salt) into a large mixing bowl and stir very well. Now, add seasonings and salt to taste.
3. With slightly wet hands, shape dough into patties. Pack dough tightly as this will help it stick together. I made 8 medium patties.
4. Throw it on the bbq or fry 5 min each side in a skillet

 Blueberry Bars

• 2 cups regular rolled oats
• 1 & 1/4 cup oat flour (process rolled oats until flour forms)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp chia seeds (ground flax probably works)
• 1/2 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp nut butter (I used almond butter)
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a square pan with two pieces of parchment paper
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (rolled oats, oat flour, cinnamon, chia, salt, and Sucanat). In another small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (nut butter, applesauce, brown rice syrup, extracts). Add wet to dry and stir well until throughly combined.
3. Fold in the blueberries and almonds and pour into pan. Spread batter with wet hands and press firmly so it packs together. This will help them stick together.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Makes 12 squares or however many you want!

These recipes are from Oh She Glows

Lets eat delicious food and call it a vegan feast

Last night was such a success. Being around wonderful people, eating good food is bound to be a success. On the menu last night was black bean and kabocha stew (oh my so good!), whole wheat biscuits, and chocolate espresso brownies-yes, it was incredible.
We have basically been cooking our way through "the kind diet", trying out new recipes discovering what we like and what we would pass on. So far I pass on nothing...but this was only week two.
I hosted this lovely dinner evening and although cozy-we all fit!
Thankyou Rebecca, Renee, and Katy- such a lovely evening with friends. Katy hosts next week and we would love to see new faces! Scroll to the bottom for recipes!

Black Bean and Kabocha stew

1 cup black beans
1” piece of konbu seaweed
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (we used coconut oil)
2-3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp. chili powder
Sea Salt
Pinch of Crushed Red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 ½ cups diced tomatoes
 kabocha squash, peeled and cut into pieces
1 cup mirin
2 teaspoons white miso
2 celery stalks diced
1/2 cup cilantro 

1.Toast black beans in a dry skillet on low heat for 5-10 minutes.
2.Put beans in a large pot with the kombu and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover for 20 minutes (or longer if using dry black beans).
3.While the beans cook, combine the oil, garlic, onion and chili powder in a large skillet over medium heat. Add salt, red pepper flakes and cumin, continue cooking another 2-3 minutes.
4.Add tomatoes, squash, mirin,celery and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. Drain black beans and add to stew.
5. Garnish with cilantro-eat!

Whole Wheat Biscuits
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup non dairy milk (more or less as needed)


Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add oil and milk as needed. knead 20 times. form into biscuits and bake at 350 for 20min or until golden brown.


Espresso fudge brownies
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups maple sugar (we used coconut sugar!)
3/4 cup almond milk blend (or any nondairy milk)
3/4 cup espresso (or decaf coffee)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup walnuts

Heat over to 325 F and grease a 9 inch pan.

combine flour(s), cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar and oil. Slowly stir in milk and espresso. Stir in walnuts, Bake 25 min.

We served with coconut ice cream!

 

we were happy to host.

something scrumptious//Granola Bars

I love love love granola bars, these ones especially. I have one in my purse at all times-(you never know).

Granola Bars (vegan friendly)
1 cup whole oats
1 cup steel cut oats (or whole oats)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup almonds (chopped)
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 tsp vanilla


Combine all wet and dry ingredients in a large bowl until fully mixed.  You should have a mixture wet enough to form a ball but still crumbles. If its not wet enough add a bit more peanut butter or rice syrup. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (easy cleanup!) and press mixture into the pan. Should be enough to cover the entire cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15min or until edges are golden brown. Let cool and cut into bars. Baking them will make a crunchy granola bar, if you want a softer bar skip baking them and let cool in the freezer until hard. Cut into bars, wrap and store in freezer.

Optional ingrients:
Shredded coconut
carob chips
hemp protein powder (hello protein bars!)
almond butter instead of peanut butter

or whatever else tickles your fancy. Enjoy.