Vegan Broccoli and Tempeh Salad

What I like best about this salad is the raw broccoli.  Eating raw broccoli is naturally the best way to reap all the benefits from this powerful, antioxidant-packed vegetable.

By adding the baked tempeh, you also get a smooth nutty flavor.  Combing it all with Just Mayo gives you a creamy, crunchy salad.

Ingredients:

6 cups organic broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

1 T organic oil

1 T organic garlic powder

1 T organic dried parsley 

1 package organic tempeh

1/2 organic onion, diced

1/2 cup Just Mayo

1/4 cup organic vinegar 

1/4 cup organic pure cane sugar 

1/2 t sea salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. 

Cut tempeh into 1" thick slices.  Put tempeh slices into a large bowl; add oil and seasonings and mix throughly.

Place slices into the lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove tempeh from the baking sheet and slice each strip into bite sized pieces.

Mix together the broccoli, onion, Just Mayo, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Gently mix in tempeh.

Refrigerate for 1 hour; give the salad a good mixing before serving.

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Vegan Cranberry Sauce

Time to make the cranberry sauce!  Thanksliving wouldn't be the same without the cranberry sauce.

There is no reason to buy that jelly, tin-can shaped, faux, cranberry gunk. YUCK!  What even is that stuff?  I am sure it's a GMO and not organic for sure!

This year make your own. All you need are cranberries, water, and sugar.  I added an apple, which is totally opitional.

Ingredients:

1 eight ounce bag of organic cranberries 

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup organic pure cane sugar

1 medium organic apple, diced

Place cranberries, water, sugar, and diced apple in a medium sized pot.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce to a simmer when cranberries begin to pop. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour sauce into a bowl and let cool completely; refrigerate 1-2 days so the cranberry sauce can set up properly.

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Vegan Avocado and Asparagus Dip

Earlier in the week, I made Corn Chowder with Asparagus soup, which was delicious!

The remaining asparagus I kept in a bowl of water to help keep it fresh, but soon the tops were beginning to fray and looking sad.  So I made a dip with my sad asparagus and my eat me NOW (or I'll deflate tomorrow) avocados.  You could also use this as a spread on your sandwich or as a pasta sauce.

Ingredients:

2 organic avocados 

1 cup orange asparagus 

1 t organic onion powder 

1 t organic red chili flakes 

1 t organic garlic, minced

1/2 t sea salt 

Place ingredients into your Vitamix or high powder blender.  Start on low and slowly proceed to high.  You will have to stop blending the mixture a few times to free up the blades.  Continue blending until smooth.

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Vegan Granola Cookies

What do you do with leftover granola?  You make cookies!

I needed a chocolate fix today, but also craved something different. I wanted chocolate chip cookies and already had some homemade chocolate chip granola in the pantry.  Voila! A new creation, Granola Cookies!

Use any variety of granola you have on hand.  You can also add nuts or chocolate chips if desired.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic spelt flour

1 1/2 cups granola 

1 t baking soda 

1/2 t sea salt 

1/2 cup organic coconut oil

1/4 cup organic applesauce 

1/4 cup organic hemp milk 

1/4 organic pure maple syrup

1 t organic pure chocolate extract

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 large baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.  Now, begin mixing in all the wet ingredients until a stiff mixture forms.

Using a medium sized ice cream scoop, scoop out cookie dough onto the pans.  Bake for 10 minutes; then remove sheets from the oven and using the back side of a stainless steel spatula gently press down each cookie.  Return cookies to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

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Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Do you ever wake up in the morning and crave chocolate?  Please tell me I am not the only one!

Even though it's a frigid autumn morning here, I am still thinking of a cold, thick and creamy chocolate smoothie as I lay in my warm bed.

Crazy I know, but by the time I make this chocolate delight, I'll be dressed warm, having put on a sweater, tights, leg warmers, and fingerless gloves!  Yes, we do have heat but I am playing it safe!

Ingredients:

2 ripe organic bananas

1 cup organic hemp milk 

3 heaping tablespoons of organic peanut butter

3 T organic raw cacao powder

2 T chocolate flavored nutritional powder

1 cup ice

Vegan chocolate chips (opitional)

Method:

Place ingredients in order above into the container of your Vitamix.  Start on level 1 and gradually increase to level 10.  Then on high for 12 seconds.

Pour smoothie into your glass and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.  

Warning! Don't try to suck the chocolate chips through the straw! 

Now stay warm!

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Vegan S'more Brownies

It's way too cold outside to make s'mores in the chiminea.  We have been hit with temps in the teens and winds that could knock you over.  So, the next best thing is making these s'more brownies in a warm kitchen.

Ingredients for batter:

1 cup vegan chocolate chips 

1 stick non-dairy butter

1 t pure organic chocolate extract

2 1/3 cup organic all-purpose unbleached flour 

3/4 cup organic pure cane sugar

1/4 cup organic brown sugar 

1/4 cup organic cacao powder

1 t non-aluminum, non-GMO baking powder

1/4 t sea salt 

1/4 cup water

Ingredients for topping:

1 cup vegan marshmallows 

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9"x 9" squared baking pan with unbleached parchment paper.  Leave an over-hang of paper over the sides of the pan so you can lift the brownies out when done baking.

Melt chocolate chips and butter, remove from heat and mix in chocolate extract.  Set-aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugars, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in chocolate mixture and water until a smooth batter forms.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chips all over the top of the brownies.

Put back into the oven and continue to bake until the marshmallows lightly brown.

Let cool before enjoying by a warm fire.

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Vegan Avocado Toast

In my kitchen, I always have a large bowl full of avocados.  Some are stone hard, others are at just the right stage to enjoy and sometimes they so soft that when you squeeze them you can break the skin with your fingers.  Avocados can turn on you in a second; I consider them the angry fruit.

Needless to say, I had two avocados that were angry, so, I had to use them now!  It didn't matter that it was breakfast time, these had to be used.  So, I combined an old staple of breakfast, which is toast, and the angry fruit.  Together they make a very happy meal!

Ingredients:

2 organic avocados 

1 large organic tomato, cut into bite sized pieces

1 T organic dried dill

1 T organic chili flakes 

1/2 t sea salt

1 1/2 t organic minced garlic

2 T cilantro (dried or fresh)

2 large pieces of Italian bread, toasted and cut into 8 slices

Method:

Wash avocados, slice in half, and scoop out the flesh into a medium sized bowl.  Mix in dill, chili flakes, salt, and garlic.

Spoon avocado mixture onto each slice of toast, top with tomato, and sprinkle cilantro on top.

Eat immediately!

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Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes with Streusel Topping

Have you started planning your desserts for Thanksliving yet?  Yes?  No?  Either way, these pumpkin cupcakes are a must to serve.  If cupcakes aren't your thing, this recipe can also be used for a bundt cake or a one layer cake.

The base of this recipe comes from the book A Witch's Halloween.  I made a few changes to make it vegan; also, the original recipe didn't have the streusel topping.  You could omit the top all together or even make a vegan cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients for batter:

Makes 12 cupcakes

2 cups organic all-purpose flour

2 t aluminum free, non-GMO baking powder

1/2 t sea salt 

1/2 cup vegan butter flavored shortening 

1/2 cup organic pure cane sugar

1/4 cup organic brown sugar

2 organic flax seed eggs

1/2 cup organic hemp milk 

2/3 cup organic pumpkin purée 

1 t organic pumpkin spice

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Place liners into cupcake pan; set-aside.

Beat the sugars and shortening together until well blended.  Add flax eggs, pumpkin purée, and hemp milk, continue to beat until thoroughly combined.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice to the wet mixture.  Beat until a smooth batter forms.

Ingredients for streusel topping:

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened 

1/2 cup organic pure cane sugar

1/2 cup organic brown sugar 

2/3 cup organic unbleached all-purpose flour

1 t organic pumpkin spice

Method:

Beat butter and sugars together until smooth, add remaining ingredients, continue to blend until throughly combined.

Fill each liner half-way with batter.  Now place 1T of the streusel mixture on top of each.

Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cupcake comes out clean.

Cool completely before enjoying!

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Vegan Braised Cauliflower and Squash with Shell Pasta

My sister gave me more squash from her garden and I also had a head of cauliflower that has been sitting in my refrigerator for longer than I'd like to admit, so I combined the two to make a hearty dinner.  You can use any pasta you like for this recipe.  You could also add more vegetables, like peas and carrots.

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed organic squash 

1 organic cauliflower, cut into small pieces

5 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth 

1 box organic pasta shells 

2 organic garlic cloves, minced

1 T organic dried oregano 

1 T organic dried parsley 

Method:

In a large stock pot, add squash, cauliflower, and stock.  Let simmer over medium heat until squash and cauliflower become tender.  Add pasta, garlic, and seasonings.  Continue to simmer until pasta is done cooking.  You can add more stock if needed, the pasta will soak up most of the broth while it cooks.  Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chive salt.

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Vegan and Gluten Free Ranch Seasoned Pretzels

Are you planning your menu for the upcoming holidays?  What about the snacks?  Do you have that covered?  When the holidays approach, we put all our energy into planning the meals.  When family and friends come over they also want something to nosh on before the big meal.  Be prepared with this simple and quick recipe.

You can also use wheat based pretzels if you don't have to watch out for gluten.

Ingredients:

1 bag of gluten free pretzels 

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil

2 T organic garlic powder

2 T organic onion powder

2 T organic dried parsley 

2 T organic dried dill

1 t sea salt 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper; set-aside.

Place pretzels in a large bowl, pour oil over pretzels and mix thoroughly.  Add spices and salt, mix well making sure all the pretzels are fully coated.

Bake for 15 minutes; watch the pretzels so they do not burn.

Let cool before enjoying!

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Vegan Dark Chocolate Mate

First, let me say how excited I am to find a tea I actually like!  I am not a tea drinker at all.  My daughter and husband drink tea everyday and I always cringed when they would ask if I wanted any.  I know tea is good for you, but gosh the taste, I couldn't get passed the earthy flavor.

So when I saw this recipe in the magazine Naturally, I just had to try it.  I mean it has chocolate in it, why wouldn't I like it? 

Now I am happy to say I like tea!  That is I like dark chocolate mate.  The magazine calls this drink a hot chocolate, but it does have tea in it so it's tea to me!

I did make some changes to the recipe, not huge ones.  Instead of cocoa I used organic raw cacao,  and organic raw cacao nibs; I used organic hemp milk instead of almond milk. 

Ingredients:

2 cups filtered waster

2 t organic Yerba mate leaves

2 t organic raw cocoa nibs

2 t organic raw cacao powder

1/4 cup organic hemp milk (opitional)

1 T organic maple syrup (opitional)

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Turn off heat and stir in Yerba mate leaves and cacao nibs.

Brew for 5 minutes.  Strain tea and whisk in the cacao powder until dissolved.

Add hemp milk and syrup (if using).

Serve hot!

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Vegan Chicken and Rice Soup

My mom made homemade chicken soup often. If someone in my family was sick, my mom made chicken soup, if it was a chilly autumn day my mom made chicken soup.  My mom giving me a steaming bowl of soup, was like a hug and if I was sick it was a guarantee that I will be well very soon. 

This is a simple but delicious soup and I would even say it's a hearty soup because of the rice.  Mmm, I can taste it now.

Ingredients:

1 T organic extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup organic onion, diced

1 cup organic carrots, chopped

1 cup organic celery, chopped

32 ounces of Imagine brand No-Chicken Broth

1 cup filtered water

1 T organic dried dill

1 T organic dried parsley 

1 organic garlic clove, minced

Cooked rice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup Beyond Meat Chicken Strips, cubed

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion, carrots, and celery, sautée until tender.

Add stock and water; when soup begins to boil add seasonings, garlic, salt, pepper, and chicken.

Simmer soup for 15 minutes.  In the mean time make the rice.

Ladle soup into a bowl and gently add rice.

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Green Fever Smoothie - Headache Elixer

Since I suffer from chronic headaches, we grow feverfew in our garden. I typically use the fresh, or dried, leaves to make a tea for headache relief, due to plant's anti-inflammatory qualities. Lately, I have been working on some drink recipes that incorporate feverfew directly instead of steeping. Because feverfew is terribly bitter, this has been a challenge; however, this morning I came up with a combination worthy of passing on.

CAUTION: DO NOT USE FEVERFEW (TANACETUM PARTHENIUM) IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM TAKING ASPIRIN OR OTHER SIMILAR ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES LIKE IBUPROFEN. PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN REGARDING THIS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE TAKING OTHER MEDICATIONS.

Green Fever Smoothie

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Fresh Organic Pineapple, sliced into 1"x 2" pieces
1 Organic Banana
1 Cup Organic Hemp Milk
1/8 Cup Organic Dried Feverfew (Tanacetum Parthenium)
1 T Organic Shredded Coconut
1 Heaping t Organic Matcha Powder
1/4 t Organic Black Tea Leaves
2 Large Leaves Organic Kale

Method:

In a high speed mixer or Vitamix, combine the ingredients in the order above. Vary the speed slowly from low to spending 20-30 seconds on the highest speed. Makes two servings.

This version of the drink is not frozen; for a frozen version, substitute frozen pineapple or add 1/2 cup of ice.

This post was written by guest blogger Jeff.

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Vegan Pizza

My husband has drastically reduced the sodium in his diet, so I have been cutting as much salt possible in my cooking.

This pizza recipe is very low on salt, but is very high on taste!  Even if you aren't concerned with how much salt you consume everyday, you'll love this pizza.

Ingredients for pizza dough:

2 1/4 t yeast

1 cup warm water

3 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T organic garlic powder

1 T organic onion powder

1 T organic dried parsley 

Ingredients for toppings:

1 large organic tomato, sliced

1/2 cup organic onion, diced

1/2 cup organic green pepper, chopped 

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil

1 T organic oregano 

Method for making dough:

Place yeast and water in the bowl of your stand mixer and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add flour and seasonings; using the dough hook, beat on medium speed until a dough forms.  Dough should come clean from the sides of the bowl; add 1T of extra flour at a time if needed to acheive this.

Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.

While dough is rising, assemble your toppings.

Remove dough from the bowl.  Divide dough to make several pizzas or make 1 large pizza.

Grease your pizza pan or sprinkle organic corn meal over a pizza stone.

Roll out dough and place in pan or on stone.  Brush dough with 1 T oil. put on toppings and sprinkle on seasonings.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the pizza(s) are slightly browned.

Sprinkle on remaining oil over the entire top of pizza. 

Enjoy!

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Vegan and Gluten Free Brownies

You know you have a great brownie recipe when the brownies have a thin shiny layer of chocolate on top.  Plus they are vegan and gluten free!  I am just over the moon with these.  For me, it can be difficult developing dessert recipes.  So, when I nail one, it's like a party.

I made the brownies in cupcake papers; you can also bake the brownies in a lined 9" square cake pan.

Ingredients:

1 stick of Soy Free Earth Balance butter

1 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks

3/4 cup organic pure cane sugar 

1/4 t sea salt 

2 organic flax seed eggs

1 1/3 cup Bobs Red Mill gluten free all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup water

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Put cupcake papers into the cupcake pan; set-aside.

Melt the chocolate and butter, remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat in the sugar, salt, and flax eggs.  Using a large wooden spoon, mix in flour until thoroughly combined.  The mixture will become dry; add the water and mix until a batter forms.  The finished batter will be very thick.  Now spoon into cupcake papers, filling each half way.

Bake 12-15 minutes, or until you a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each brownie.

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Vegan Autumn Root Stew

I purchased a huge bag of organic root vegetables from Whole Foods this week. My first thought was to roast them and they would be a side dish for tonight's meal. Once I started preparing the roots, I switched gears and made these organic root vegetables the center of attention for this evenings meal.

I served this stew over mashed potatoes but you could also serve it over wild rice.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups organic carrots, diced

1 cup organic parsnips, diced

1 cup organic celery root, diced

1 cup organic turnip, diced

2 T organic extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup organic onion, diced

1 T organic garlic powder

1 T organic dried parsley 

1 organic garlic clove, minced

1/2 t sea salt 

4 cups organic low sodium vegetable stock

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, set-aside.

Thoroughly wash root vegetables and dice. Place into a bowl and pour in 1 T of oil, add salt, garlic powder, and parsley. Mix thoroughly and transfer to the lined baking sheet.  Roast 15 minutes, or until tender.

While roots are roasting, heat 1 T of oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions and sautée until tender.  Add stock, roasted root vegetables, and garlic; cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.  You can add more stock if you prefer more "gravy".

Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

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Vegan Gluten Free Apple Cider Donuts

Who doesn't want donuts in the autumn?  Autumn is donut time!  At least that's how I feel when enjoying a freshly baked donut with vegan hot chocolate or steaming apple cider.  Life doesn't get much better folks.

These donuts are gluten free, moist, and fluffy; the cinnamon sugar coating gives alittle sweet crunch.

I don't have to eat gluten free, but I do find if I stay away from wheat flour my psoriasis calms down.  That along with avoiding stress, and eating donuts causes me no stress!

Ingredients for the batter:

Recipe make 12 donuts 

1 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour

1 cup organic pure cane sugar

1 t organic cinnamon 

1/2 xanthan 

1/2 t sea salt

1 1/2 t non-aluminum non-gmo baking powder

1/8 t baking soda 

1/4 cup organic apple sauce

1/2 cup organic apple cider 

2 t organic pure vanilla extract 

Ingredients for the coating:

1 cup organic pure cane sugar 

2 T organic cinnamon

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease donut pan; set-aside.

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl; to that, thoroughly mix in the extract, applesauce and apple cider.

Fill each donut mold with 3 T of batter.  Bake 15 minutes or until the edges of the donuts are slightly brown.

While the donuts are baking, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.  Place mixture in a clean paper bag, set-aside.

When donuts are done baking, remove from the pan, and while they are still warm; drop 1 donut at a time into the bag of cinnamon sugar.  Gently shake the bag making sure both sides of the donut are covered with the sugar mixture.

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