Yummy, homemade vegan food! The best way to live a happy and nurturing life, starts with the food that we put into our bodies and how we treat those that are weaker than us.
Any excuse to eat avocado is a good one! They are such a versatile food and can be used in sweet or savory dishes. I personally like using it in sauces and dressings to add the creamy and silky consistency.
What do I need?
1 large avocado (make sure it’s ripe)
3-4 cloves of garlic
juice from 2 limes
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar (ACV)
1/2 cup of oil of choice (I use EVOO, avocado, or safflower oil)
1/4 cup of water
celery seeds or celery salt to taste
1/2 bunch of cilantro or parsley
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce or sriracha to taste
How do I make it?
Pulse avocado, garlic, lime juice, ACV, and cilantro or parsley until smooth.
Slowly add in EVOO until combined and adjust to desired thickness with water.
Season with celery salt/seeds and black pepper to taste.
I use this dressing on my salads, slaws, and in wraps. You can make it more creamy, or more spicy, or you can go all crazy and do other stuff to it. It’s yours to experiment with and it is fine as it is or you can use it as a base to make something magical!
You can store this refrigerated for up to two weeks!
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan!
I absolutely LOVE asparagus any way that I can get it. Pickled is my new favorite was to eat it because it’s fast, convenient, and I love the dilly sour taste. I can’t get enough of it, so when I see asparagus on a sale, I stock up and get to canning!
What do I need?:
1 lb of asparagus spears
1 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of water
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp pink salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp of dried or fresh dill
How do I make it?:
Clean you asparagus
Snap at the natural break (hold the tip and the end and bend until it snaps on its own)
Put the dill and red pepper flakes in the mason jar(s)
Pack your mason jar(s) as much as you can with the asparagus
Meanwhile, bring water, vinegar, salt and peppercorns to a boil for one minute.
Pour the mixture over your asparagus up to 1/4″ from the top of the jar.
Let sit 24-48 hours.
Store in the refrigerator for up to a month (not that they will even last more than a few days).
This picture is after 3 days
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan.
I love having a quick, easy, healthy breakfast that is ready when I wake up and takes care of my sweet tooth. Chia seeds are versatile as well as a good source of omega 3s and fiber. Typically I use chia as a thickener for smoothies, egg replacer in baking, and PUDDING!
What do I need?:
1 1/4 cup of non dairy milk
1/4 cup of chia seeds
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1 TBSP mape syrup (the real kind)
1/4 tsp peppermint extract or crushed candy cane
How do I make it?:
In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix them to death.
Put in container or bowl and refrigerate overnight or for at least an hour to thicken to pudding firmness.
Eat
I like to separate my pudding into mason jars. Different sizes and number of jars depending on who I am making them for (children like the smaller jars). You can top the pudding with non dairy whipped cream or some crushed oreos if you want it to be more of a pie flavor/texture.
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan.
Whisk ground flax seed and water together and let sit.
Combine all dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, mix liquids and flax mixture
Pour wet into dry and stir until combined
Grease molds if needed
With a piping bag or a ziploc bag with a corner cut, fill the molds as per the picture below.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Let sit for 2 minutes before removing them from the molds.
Let cool before dipping them into the glaze of your choice (but they are still really good eaten warm without any).
For glaze:
Either glaze you use, you just need to combine all ingredients until incorporated.
Maple Glaze:
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of real maple syrup (don’t use the cheap stuff from the grocery store as it is too thick and your glaze will not turn out right. Real maple syrup is runny and the perfect consistency)
1/2 tsp of maple or almond extract (optional and either is good)
Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
2-3 tsp of non dairy milk
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make I can probably make vegan.
I always have a ridiculous amount of cereal in my house. I’m not sure what I’m actually stocking up for, but I do have plenty. I can never figure out what to do with it all, and yes, not buy it would be the obvious thing, but my children go through spurts of wanting it and not wanting it. Therein lies the problem. I decided a little while back to transform it into something that they will eat and still keep it a breakfast food. So far it has been a hit.
What do I need?
3 cups of cereal (whatever you have on hand, preferably healthy)
3 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup of chia seeds
2 cups of natural peanut butter (creamy)
1 cup of agave or any liquid sweetener
2 tsp vanilla extract
sea salt to sprinkle on top
How do I make it?
Stir together your cereal, oats, chia seeds, and ground flax and set aside.
In a small pot, heat up your agave and peanut butter over medium heat until melted and softened. Turn off heat and add in vanilla extract.
Mix your dry ingredients and peanut butter and agave “sauce” together until incorporated.
Line a 10X15 baking pan with parchment paper and press mixture into it evenly.
Sprinkle with sea salt or pink salt.
Once you let the cereal bars cool, cut them into squares or rectangles and enjoy.
The cereal bars last up to a week outside of the refrigerator or a few weeks refrigerated.
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan.
1 Tbsp brown sugar (or 1 tsp white sugar + 1 tsp maple syrup)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sriracha or hot sauce
1 Tbsp oil of choice
1-2 cups of meat substitute (beans, lentils, plant-based meat substitute, or chopped mushrooms). Remember that if you use chopped mushrooms, you need to add a little bit more because the mushrooms will shrink down.
I like to keep a couple of these on hand just in case my husband makes dinner instead of myself. It’s quick, easy, and no fail.
How do I make this?
Saute onions in oil until translucent
Add garlic until aromatic
Pour in first bit of water then add ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes.
Add additional water and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir often.
Stir in vinegar and sriracha or hot sauce.
Add in chopped mushrooms, lentils, meat substitute, or beans for the “meat” part.
Mhmmm
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan!
Gotta love canning stuff so you have a decent amount to last you for a little. I make applesauce often because not only do I use it as a snack for the children, but we also use it in place of eggs for baking! 1/4 cup of applesauce is equal to one egg and it makes your recipe more moist and fluffy. Try it, I promise you will love it.
I make applesauce two different ways. One way I make it is while I am making apple cider so that I don’t waste anything. Here is the link if you want to check it out.
I NEED COOKIES! Okay, well, I don’t need them, it’s more of a want. Actually, I don’t even want them, I just want to make them. I know, I’m an odd one.
So how do you make a good sugar cookie without eggs or butter? Impossible right? I thought so too. I have a perfect recipe but I need to tweak it a little bit so that I can use cookie cutters on it. As far as plain old circle, buttery, fluffy sugar cookies though. This one is awesome!
What do I need?
3 cups of AP flour
1 cup room temperature coconut oil
liquid from one can of white beans (garbanzo, pinto, cantellini beans)
1 cup of sugar
1.5 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
How do I do this?
Preheat the oven to 350
Cream coconut oil and sugar together
Add vanilla extract and bean liquid to the sugar and coconut oil mix
In a separate bowl, mix together the powdered ingredients
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1/3 at a time
Mix thoroughly
Separate evenly (or don’t, who cares unless you are trying to impress someone) and shape into balls. Flatten them with your hands slightly and add to a baking sheet. I like to preheat my sheet while the oven is heating up. Look at picture for how I have mine flattened.
lol, you can see finger marks!
Bake for 10-13 minutes depending on thickness. I look for a slight brown around the edges. Timing has to be a little more perfect if it is cookie cutter cookies that are getting iced. Too light and they will bend, too dark and they will crumble.
EAT!
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan.
I love all things spicy and I also love food from another ethnicity. Indian food makes my heart so happy because anyone that makes food this magical with herbs, to me is like an artist. I have a passion for food made with lots of beautiful herbs. The vibrant smell and taste of herbs. You can use them in savory dishes (and you should be) and you can also use them in sweet dishes, such as lemon rosemary cookies.
I had this dish at a restaurant with my husband the other day and I immediately fell in love. I mixed a little of this recipe with that one, made it vegan, and made it work. Now I can share it with you and I hope that you will give it a try!
What do I need?
2 Bay leaves
3 Tbsp EVOO
1 can of chopped green chilies or 2 fresh green chilies or 1/2 of a poblano pepper
7 cloves of garlic, minced
1″ of grated fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp dry ginger
2 onions, sliced thin
1 tomato chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp coriander
2 cups of shredded cabbage
1/2 -3/4 cups of frozen peas (if you use canned peas, add them at the end instead)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp of garam masala
Garam masala is made from bay leaves, cinnamon bark, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, whole cloves, and black cardamom. Now is when you wish you had a scratch and sniff screen.
How do I make this?
Preheat the oven to 350
Easiest way to make this is to prep all of your ingredients ahead of time and just add them when it gets to their turn!
Add the bay leaves and green chilies or peppers and fry for a few seconds (I wait until the smell hits my nose)
Add garlic and ginger
After a few more seconds add in the onions
Cook them for a minute or so to get the onions a little soft
Throw in the tomatoes, turmeric, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and simmer for 2-3 minutes
Toss in the frozen peas, cabbage, and salt
Simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
If you are using canned peas, add them now along with the garam masala
Stir and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
Serve
No filter or special lighting needed for this beauty!
So, this dish has been Morgan approved. She loved it so much that she asked me to pack some for her for lunch tomorrow. I just roasted an acorn squash, so I will stuff the squash and bake it for a little bit. Glad that she loved it as much as I did!
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan!
So, I was trying to think of a way that I could make a really flavorful set it and forget it kind of main dish. I wanted something that felt hearty but didn’t make you feel weighed down. Cauliflower! It is one of the most versatile vegetable that you can find.
That is a pretty cauliflower!
What do I need?
1 head of cauliflower
evoo
pink salt
black pepper
Optional Items:
Liquid smoke
Garlic
Hot sauce
BBQ sauce
Italian herbs
How do I make this?
Preheat oven for 350.
Take off all the extra leaves around the base of the cauliflower and cut the stem if needed so that it lays flat in the baking dish.
Drizzle with evoo and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake the cauliflower in the oven for 20 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.
Take the foil off of your roast and bake until the desired color on top and the tenderness of your cauliflower.
If adding a sauce, bake for an extra 5-10 minutes with the sauce on it.
I topped my cauliflower roast with some vegan nacho cheeze sauce, added some vegan chorizo, and some fresh avocado. Since I am on a high fat, low carb diet, I usually drizzle some flavored olive oil on it. Usually chili oil + persian lime olive oil.
Send me some ideas for next time. Just remember, anything you can make, I can probably make vegan!
Jen's Vegan Kitchen 