Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

 Recently, I posted a recipe for gluten-free, sugar-free vegan almond sponge cake . I made the same recipe again, only this time, I also made vegan chocolate frosting to go with it.  The frosting uses tofu and cocoa powder. It is dairy-free and sugar-free.  It's very easy to make. It tastes and has the same texture as traditional cake frosting.  Ingredients 1/2 block medium tofu, drained 1/4 cup allulose 1/4 sucralose 2 tbls cocoa powder 2 tbls soy protein isolate 2 tbls almond milk 1 tsp salt Instructions Use a stick blender or a food processor to turn the tofu into a smooth paste.  Stir in the other ingredients.  Continue to process until smooth and fluffy.  Cover and chill for a few hours to firm it up a little.  Spread on your vegan cake . It's enough to cover one 9 inch square cake.  The sprinkles shown in the photo add a negligable amount of sugar.  Filed under: April 2025 Vegan Recipes

 This is a nice recipe to accompany vegan meatballs and/or mashed cauliflower.  The ancho chili powder really gives it depth and brings the flavors to life.  It also helps give it that classic gravy color. It has to look as good as it tastes.  Ingredients 12 cloves garlic 1/2 can chick peas 1/2 cup almond milk 1/2 cup water 1 tbl canola oil 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder 2 tbls salt 1 tsp black pepper Instructions In a small sauce pot, simmer the water, milk, garlic and oil. Allow to simmer covered for 10 minutes.  Add the pot cotents to a blender. Add the spices and chick peas. Puree until smooth.  Shown with black bean sausage balls and garlic mashed cauliflower.  If you're wondering where the heck to get ancho chili powder, Target has their own brand on their website for about $2. I was not paid to mention this. I just love Target's selectin of low cost herbs and spices. 

 Do you like corn and garlic? Of course you do. Everyone does. This recipe  takes those two wonderful flavors and combines them into a scrumptious vegan sauce.  It's pretty simple to make it. We'll simmer the corn, garlic and spices together and then we'll puree them to create the sauce.  Ingredients 6 oz. frozen corn niblets 10 cloves garlic 1 cup water 1/4 cup almond milk 1 tbl canola oil 1 tsp dry basil 1 tsp dry thyme 1 1/2 tbls salt 1 tsp black pepper Instructions Add all the ingredients to a small fry pan or a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.  Add contents to a pitcher blender. Cool before pureeing.  The sauce will thicken more as it cools.  That's it. Sweet and tangy corn and garlic sauce. Totally vegan. 

 I've continued baking with soy protein isolate. In this case, a savory corn bread. The soy protein acts as a binder and egg replacer. If I believed in magic, I would say that's what it is. But it's not magic. It's just the power of plants.  I love corn bread as both a sweet and savory food. It truly shines in both applications.  In this case, I went savory. It's a soft, fluffy and spicy corn bread that you'd never know is without eggs.  Instead of baking with white flour, I use old fashioned oats that I turn into dust using a spice grinder. Oats are gluten free. Oats are also better for you than white flour.  Ingredients 1 1/2 cups corn meal 3 1/2 cups ground old fashioned oats 2 Tbls soy protein isolate 2 Tbls Canola Oil 1 Jalapeno, minced 1 Serrano, minced 1 Habanero, minced 5 Small Cloves Garlic, minced 1 Cup Shreeded Vegan or Regular Cheddar Cheese 1/4 Cup Almond Milk 2 1/2 Cups Water 3 Tbls Baking Powder 2 Tbls salt Instructions The 3 1/2 cups measure of o...

 Recently I posted a vegan cookie recipe that usesd soy protein isolate as an egg replacer. I noted that the cookies came out soft and chewy, which is wonderful for cookies. Because of this, I thought that soy protein isolate would not work well in vegan cake recipes because no one wants chewy cake.  However, I have since learned that when you combine soy protein isolate with baking powder you do not get a chewy cake. In fact, you get a beautiful, fluffy and tender sponge. I was amazed at how perfectly it worked. I was able to create a vegan cake that was just as moist, fluffy and tender as a traditional one.  It really was a revelation for me that this one single ingredient could have such a profound impact on all my vegan baking. It makes such a supple, tasty cake that it doesn't even need frosting.  In this case, I created an almond cake. I like almond extract in conjuction with vanilla extract for this recipe because it's a little more potent. And since I used o...

 Pre-made hot cocoa is convenient, but not really that great. It's also not vegan. Real, homemade hot cocoa is easy and actually quite nutritious. It's also very simple to make it vegan.  I've seen various recipes that require cooking it in a pot on the stove. Personally, I don't want to use a pot and cook it on the stovetop for every cup or two.  You can make your own dry mix in advance and then just use a tea kettle, coffee maker or the microwave to make each mug full as desired.  It's easy to do.  Ingredients 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup sugar substitute, like sucralose 1 Tbl soy protein isolate 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp nutmeg In a resealable storage container mix together all the ingredients. Store in a cool, dry place.  When you're craving a cup of hot cocoa, heat 10 oz. of water, either in a mug in the microwave or using a coffee maker or tea kettle and then pour it into the mug.  Add 2-3 Tbls of the pre-made mix and stir unt...

 I recently purchased soy protein isolate from a popular internet retailer. My motive was simply to incorporate more protein into my diet in an effort to speed my recovery from and improve my performance with exercise.  What I discovered is that it's also a great ingredient for vegan baking. It can be used to replace eggs as a binder and it can also help create a chewier/denser texture for vegan cookies and brownies.  Various sources indicate that it also helps produce a moister/lighter finished product, but I didn't find that to be true in my experience.  I wouldn't recommend it for vegan cakes or muffins. Unless you want them to have more chew. But I do like it for cookie and brownies. It might also work for low carb vegan breads, but I haven't tried that yet.  The first time I used it was when I made corn muffins. They came out nice, but I prefer my version without the soy protein isolate. Those were lighter and had a more tender crumb.  The second time ...