Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

Finding myself in the mood for a dessert and not having many desserty ingredients on hand, I came up with this four ingredient recipe that I think is a total winner.  It's easy to make and only requires four common ingredients. It's also quite flexible in that you could easily substitute any kind of nut in place of the cashews and any kind of plant milk in place of the almond milk.  I considered using a leavening agent for a more cake like texture, but decided a denser  brownie/blondie style suited these ingredients much better. Anyway... brownies and blondies are way better than plain old cake.  To make it look nice and as an accompaniment, I made a simple chocolate sauce. I've included instructions for that at the bottom. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats 1 cup roasted cashews 1/2 cup sugar alternative sweetener 1/4 cup almond milk Instructions Preheat the oven to 375 F Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until you have a pasty dough and there are n

 Lately I've been using a new cooking method with my kale. I just get a frying pan hot and add a bunch of stalks, a little bit of water and some salt. The kale steams quickly and turns a beautiful bright green. It's a very quick method. The kale cooks in minutes.  As a compliment to the kale I wanted to do a garlicy sauce. Kale can definitely stand up to some garlic and some heat. That is how I arrived at this particular recipe.  Ingredients 1 cup almond milk 5 cloves garlic, sliced 1 jalapeno, chunked 1 serrano, chunked 1/3 can chick peas, drained and rinsed 3 tbls spicy mustard 2 tbls olive oil 1 tbl salt 2 tsps crushed pepper flakes 1 tsp black pepper Instructions In a large frying pan sauté the garlic, chiles, pepper flakes, black pepper and salt in the oil over medium high heat for 7 minutes.  Add the almond milk and whisk in the mustard. When the mixture comes to a simmer let it do that until the chiles begin to soften. About 5-7 minutes.  Add the mixture to a blender alo

This is a very loose translation of a mole style sauce. It uses lots of chiles and it uses chocolate (in the form of cocoa powder), so I think it's fair to call it by that name.  The main reason I wanted to do a sauce like this was to try to come up with a savory way to integrate cocoa powder into more of my meals. Cocoa powder contains a good dose of magnesium and also several anti-oxidants. A mole style sauce seemed like the ideal way to add more cocoa to my life without having to resort to consuming too many desserts.  Ingredients 2 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, minced 3 guajillo  2 jalapeno, minced 1 habanero, minced 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbls olive oil 3 tbls hot sauce 2 tbls sriracha 1 1/4 cups water 2 tbls cocoa powder 2 tsps oregano 2 tsp paprika 2 tsps cayenne 2 tsps cumin 1 tsp black pepper 1 tbl salt Instructions Begin by cooking the mushrooms and the salt in a large sauce pot over medium high heat. Let the mushrooms cook down until they release a good bit of liquid an

 Sauces are kind of an obsession of mine. I spend a lot of thought trying to come up with new flavor combinations and ways to create the prefect viscosity using strictly vegan ingredients. I also like to keep it uncomplicated.  This sauce recipe is quick and easy, but very tasty. All you need is a microwave and a whisk.  Ingredients 2 tbls olive oil 1 tbl turmeric powder 1 tbl paprika 2 tsps oregano 3 cloves garlic 2 tbls sriracha  1/4 cup water 1 tbl salt 1/2 black pepper Prepare your garlic by peeling it and then slicing into each clove several times without cutting all the way through (like hasselback potatoes). In a microwave safe container add the oil, spices, garlic and sriracha.  Heat on high for 45 seconds.  You should have a fairly thick paste. Whisk everything to emulsify.  Slowly whisk in your water until your desired consistency is achieved.  It couldn't be easier to make, and yet, it's packed with flavor. The combination of turmeric and paprika is a spectacular one

I love plating a recipe beautifully almost as much as I love creating one. Getting to eat them is equally as  intoxicating.  If it looks beautiful, it's more likely to persuade someone to try it. The goal is always to persuade more people who might be on the fence to try some vegan recipes. Plant based food is just as, if not more, wonderful. Cream. butter, meat... they can all be replaced. Moreover, replacing them smartly, can result in a far superior finished product in every conceivable way.  This is my goal with every recipe.  Flavor is easy in vegan food. Plants and spices are rife with flavor. So I was focused on texture in this case. Tofu can be too soft, especially for vegan meatballs'. The addition of par cooked lentils was my way of creating that perfect chew. I believe it was a success. I hope you agree.  Tofu and Lentils Vegan Meatballs Recipe 14 ounce block extra firm tofu, drained overnight 3 cloves garlic, chunked 1 pint white or cremini mushrooms, diced 1/4 cup

When I first came up with this idea, I googled it. That's usually what I do when I come up with a recipe idea.  There are always numerous other similar ideas out there done by other people. This idea is no exception.  Let's face it, to come up with something truly and 100% new is virtually impossible.  However, all the other recipes that looked good and were popular,  required first cooking your lentils.  In this case we use uncooked lentils for a crunchier and nuttier finished product. It also eliminates a lot of extra work.  These lentils crisps are quick and easy to make and only have two essential ingredients: lentils and water.  I actually opted for a few more ingredients, but they are very basic ones you more than likely already have on hand. Just some oil and a few spices. The first batch I made, I ate them all in a day and half. They were just too good to resist. I had to make another batch and take the pictures immediately just to ensure I'd be able to photogra

This recipe is for low carb, vegan brownies. They certainly don't look vegan or low carb, do they? I've made low carb brownies before, but they contained peanut butter. In this case, I replace the peanut butter with tofu.  This changes the texture and density. And makes it accessible to people who can't have peanuts.  My recipe uses almond milk, which obviously might be a problem for people who can't have peanuts, but any plant milk will work. Soy, rice, oat. All varieties are kind of carb rich, but the whole batch of brownies only has a 1/4 cup total.  If anyone tells you that it's hard to make vegan baked goods, don't believe them.  I'm just an average baker and I have no problem coming up with simple and delicious recipes. I don't even really measure. I just eyeball most things and they still come out great.  Some baking is truly science, but the basic stuff  (like cookies, brownies, biscuits, muffins) is more forgiving than pastry chefs would have