Snacks
Vegan Chocolate Mousse Brownies
Tofu. Yes, tofu. The answer to most of my food problems. What can you grill, fry or bake? Tofu. What can be sweet or savory? Tofu. What tastes great in any marinade? Tofu. Sometimes I forget, while trying to be super innovative, that sometimes all I need is an old standard. I having been trying for weeks to get a mousse that I like, that is the proper texture and flavor I am looking for. I have had many fails in the past month or so, trying to figure out what I think is the best method and base for a chocolate mousse and custard. I have been trying a lot with aquafaba, and I get a nice meringue, but nothing that holds up for what I wanted. I have tried making a standard type custard on the stove with almond milk and some different thickening agents. Most tasted good, they all looked super gross after sitting for a while.
My husband Chris and I were discussing my frustration a few days ago, and I thought what if I go old school and try some tofu? So I did, and I know most everyone has told me to use silken tofu, and I think silken tofu is great for different things. It is wonderful in smoothies, I love fried silken tofu that I get at my favorite dim sum restaurant, but I didn’t think it would work for what I was trying to accomplish. So, this recipe uses firm tofu, not extra firm, but firm. It holds up really well, and my daughter even left the leftovers from her brownie out for hours and my husband ate it and delightedly said “this is still the best chocolate mousse ever, and it has been sitting out for a long time!”
So, now that you have the story of the mousse, I will now state, that I definitely didn’t want to bore you, so I decided I could improve upon some boring old chocolate mousse. What makes everything better? Answer: a brownie. So I can up with possibly the easiest brownie recipe in the history of time, as well as being one of the most delicious. There are only 7 ingredients in the brownie and only 5 ingredients in the mousse. They both could be eaten separately and stand up as an exceptional dessert all by themselves. However, if you want to impress everyone. put that s#$@t together. I promise, you will thank me later. Adapted from Martha Stewart.
Ingredients:
Chocolate mousse:
4 oz. Dark chocolate
1 block firm tofu(drained)
1/2 C. Almond milk
1 1/2 C. Powdered sugar
1 tsp. Salt
Brownies:
2 C. All purpose flour
3/4 C. Cocoa powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 C. Sugar
1 C. Vegan butter ( I use Earth Balance)
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 C. Almond milk
Directions:
- Make your mousse. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.
- Warm almond milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds as well, you want it warm to the touch, not super hot.
- Add all of the mousse ingredients to a food processor and process until it becomes super smooth. It will take a few minutes, scrap down the sides during the process if needed.
- Put mousse in fridge to set up while you make the brownies.
- Preheat oven to 350. In a medium mixing bowl sift all the dry ingredients together and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugar. Add the vanilla.
- Start adding the dry mixture and almond milk a little at a time, alternating until everything is incorporated.
- Pour into a 8×8 pan for very thick brownies or a 9×13 for thinner. Bake for 25-35 minutes depending on the thickness, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely and then top with mousse. Refrigerate for a little while to make sure mousse sets up on top and then cut and serve!
Tools I used:
Hamilton Beach 70730 Bowl Scraper Food Processor
Pyrex Basics Clear Oblong Glass Baking Dishes, 2 Piece Value Plus Pack Set
KitchenAid KHM512ER 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Empire Red
If you make this recipe, I would love you to leave some feedback. I want to make sure I am doing a good job!
Gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies
I have major stomach problems, I have tried a lot of different things to make it better, what seems to help the most is not eating dairy of course, but also not eating gluten seems to help. So in an effort to not eat much gluten, I decided to come up with more gluten free recipes.
When my husband, daughter and I lived in New York City, I worked in the West Village. Next door to my work was an awesome little bakery. They made the greatest chocolate chip sea salt cookies. I tried not to eat too many, but resistance was futile. I have been missing New York so much recently, so I tried to recreate the cookies I loved so much, but gluten-free and vegan!
This recipe is super easy, you don’t need one million ingredients, and it is pretty fool proof. I hope you enjoy! Adapted from My Gluten Free Kitchen.
Ingredients:
1/4 C. Vegan cream cheese
1/2 C. Vegan butter ( I use Earth Balance)
1 C. Brown sugar
1/2 C. White sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 flax eggs ( 2Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp water = 1 egg)
3 Tbsp. Almond milk
2 1/4 C. Gluten-free all purpose flour( I used Bob’s red mill)
1/2 tsp. Xanthan gum
1 tsp. Baking soda
3 tsp. Sea salt + more for sprinkling on top
1 1/2 C. Dark chocolate chunks
1/2 C. Mini dark chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together vegan butter, vegan cream cheese and sugars.
3. Add flax eggs and vanilla.
4. In another bowl, sift gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, and baking soda. Add sea salt.
5. Add almond milk and dry mixture to the wet, and stir together.
6. Add the chocolate chips and chunks. Mix just until chocolate is incorporated.
7. Roll about 2 Tbsp. of dough into a ball and put on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press each ball down a bit and top with more sea salt.
8. Bake at 350 for 12-15 or until brown.
Enjoy!
Tools I used:
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
KitchenAid KHM512ER 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Empire Red
OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop
Vegan PopTarts
I used to DESTROY Poptarts when I was a kid. I was a super picky eater. My parents struggled constantly to get me to eat anything. I ate bagel bites, eggo waffles, mac n’ cheese, peanut butter sandwiches(no jelly, under any circumstances), plain pasta and poptarts. As you can see, these are not the healthiest choices, but I would barely eat any of these things anyways, resulting in me being a small child. However, as you can probably guess, eventually this caught up with me. At the time, I think my parents were just happy if I ate anything. The only vegetables I liked were broccoli and carrots, and I really like watermelon, but not much else in the fruit department.
Eventually realizing I couldn’t live like that, and beginning to try new things, finding all of the different types of food I liked really helped. Then becoming very aware that I didn’t like meat( which was part of why I wouldn’t eat anything my parents cooked) and finding out others were the same, and there was a whole group of people and diet based around this concept, was very exciting. I didn’t want to lose everything I loved in my childhood, I just didn’t want to eat the processed crap version of all of these things.
Using my super awesome and easy vegan pie crust, I turned ordinary dough into extraordinary Poptarts. You can fill them with anything you want, I used various jam fillings. Blueberry and raspberry to be specific, just because that is what I had lying around. They were so delicious and flaking and had rainbow sprinkles on top which always makes my heart happy! Please enjoy! (my daughter had one for breakfast this morning!)
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 C. All purpose flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Sugar
1/2 C. Vegan butter ( I use Earth Balance)
1/3 C. Almond milk
Filling:
1 1/2 Tbsp. Jam or Jelly of choice
or
1 tsp. Vegan butter+1 Tbsp. Brown sugar+1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Glaze:
1 C. Powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. Almond milk
Topping:
Rainbow sprinkles
Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar.
- Cut in vegan butter with a pastry cutter or fork. Cut until vegan butter is pea sized.
- Add almond milk and combine to form a ball. Make sure it isn’t sticky , you can add a little more milk or a little more flour if you need it.
- Place dough ball in the fridge for at least in hour.
- Preheat oven to 450 when the dough is ready.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface to about an 1/8th of an inch thick.
- Cut dough into rectangles, place one side on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Poke holes with a fork in the rectangles that will be the bottom.
- Place filling of choice in center of dough and spread out leaving a border around the edge.
- Place another rectangle on top and seal edges with a fork and poke more holes in top rectangle.
- Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes or until browned.
- Let cool, combine powdered sugar and almond milk. pour on top of cooled tarts and top with sprinkles(if you want)
Super easy, and fun!
Tools I used:
Winco 5 Blade Pastry Blender, Stainless Steel
Fox Run Marble Rolling Pin with Wood Base, White
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
If you make this recipe or any of my others, please leave me a comment with some feedback! I want to make sure I am doing a good job! Thanks!!
Vegan Cheddar and Chive Biscuits
One of my favorite flavor combinations happens to be cheddar and chive. So when I sit down and think about what I miss eating and what I think others would really have a craving for, I think about a cheddar and onion type flavor. A big thing for me is proving that anyone can be vegan, I think if I hone in on all the reasons people come up with for why they CAN’T be vegan, and create alternatives, no one will have an excuse. I hear a lot of, “I need more protein”, “I love cheese too much!”, “What about baked goods and butter?” I have got you covered.
Working with this theory, I also thought a lot about when I was a kid and my dad would take us for a “fancy” dinner at The Red Lobster. I don’t remember what I ate there, except for their biscuits. From what I remember, these biscuits taste very similar! That is the only thing I can think of that I miss about eating at chain seafood restaurants. These biscuits are super flaky and buttery, and they were eaten in my house in a matter of minutes. I can not think of a regular non vegan biscuit I have eaten anywhere that I liked better than these.
I put quite a bit of vegan cheddar and chives into my biscuit mixture, and I think it was the perfect amount. There is a bit of cheese and chives dotted in every part of the biscuit. I ate one warm with a bit of vegan butter, my husband made a breakfast sandwich( that looked insane), so many options. I think a biscuits and gravy situation would be fantastic!
These biscuits are also one of the easiest recipes I have made. I am pretty confident, that even if you have very little cooking or baking experience, you could manage to make them. You are literally throwing everything in a bowl, mixing, kneading a bit, cutting and baking. They are pretty fool proof. I know many people say they can’t cook or bake and that is why they can’t be vegan. Yes, when you are vegan you have to make a lot of your own food, but it’s popularity is on such a rise, that I can find pretty much everything I need at any grocery store! However, for the things that are not mass produced at this point, I’ve got you covered! Please enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 C. Almond milk
1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
1/2 C. Chives(chopped)
1 C. Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
2 C. All purpose flour + more for kneading
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
5 Tbsp. Cold vegan butter ( I use Earth Balance)
Directions:
- Make vegan buttermilk by mixing the milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 450.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir just to combine.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix Daiya cheddar and chives with 1 Tbsp. of flour. Toss to coat.
- Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the vegan butter into the dry mixture. Make sure your vegan butter is very cold. Cut in until the butter is small pea size.
- Add the cheddar and chive mixture into the dough and stir.
- Pour the vegan buttermilk into the flour mixture and stir to combine. It will still be a little sticky.
- Turn dough out onto floured surface, and add a little more flour, kneading and adding until it is no longer sticky.
- Pat dough down in a large circle until it is about an inch thick. Using a large circle cutter or a cup, cut out your biscuits.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes. I topped with a little more vegan butter half way through baking to help them brown.
- Eat them all!
Tools I used:
Winco 5 Blade Pastry Blender, Stainless Steel
ChefLand Mixing Bowls Standard Weight Stainless Steel, Mirror Finish, 3/4, 11/2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 Qt. (Set of 6)
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
Baker’s Secret 1067738 3-Piece Biscuit Cutter Set
Try these Amazing Plant-Based Broccoli and Cheddar Bombs!
My dad is a true connoisseur of soups. When I was a kid, he used to make us some really good ones from scratch when he had the time. One of my absolute favorites was broccoli cheddar soup. It was warm, comforting, and made me feel safe and loved in a way only a big bowl of cozy soup can.
Now it’s my turn!
Now that I have a daughter of my own, I find myself thinking about how to bring those same feelings to her. I was going to make a classic (vegan) version of broccoli cheddar soup, and I probably still will, but this time, I wanted to do something a little more creative. A twist on the comfort food I grew up with, made with the same love but through a new lens.
The secrets in the dough!
So, instead of a soup, I decided to take my super simple basic pizza dough and turn it into something a little more unexpected: stuffed dough balls filled with lightly steamed broccoli and vegan cheddar. This is comfort food that’s anything but ordinary. Warm, cheesy, perfectly doughy little bites that hit all the right notes. Every time I take a bite, I feel all the feels.
You can absolutely use prepared dough if you’re short on time. Just make sure it’s vegan. A store-bought vegan pizza dough or biscuit dough works great! Just press it out, stuff it, and bake. You’re good to go.
That said, if you’ve got a little more time, making the dough from scratch is almost foolproof. My basic pizza dough is exactly that: basic, simple, and super reliable.
Whichever route you choose, I promise you’ll be making these again. They’re just that good.
Ingredients:
16 oz. Pizza dough, vegan
1 1/2 C. Broccoli (chopped and slightly steamed)
1/2 C. Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
4 Tbsp. Vegan butter( I use Earth Balance)
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 C. Vegan Parmesan (optional)
Directions:
- Make pizza dough according to directions, or if you are using a store bought dough, preheat oven to 375.
- Divide dough into 8 equal balls and roll until smooth.
- Flatten out each ball and fill with a Tbsp. of broccoli and sprinkle with Daiya cheese, about a 2 tsps. each.
- Fold dough around filling and pinch together to seal. Place sealed side down in cast iron pan that has been brushed with vegan butter.
- Repeat and place each ball next to the other in a circle, and one in the center.
- Let proof for about 10 minutes.
- Brush with vegan butter and top with garlic powder, salt and vegan parm.
- Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or until brown. I like to brush a little more vegan butter on top during baking to help brown.
- Eat one or two or eight!
Vegan S’mores Oatmeal Cookies
If any of you have been paying attention, or know me, you know, I hate summer. Enough about the bad things though, here is something I felt like I needed to lay on you before summer was over. I have a million ideas for Fall and Winter flavors, but summer is a hard one for me. What is more quintessential in the summer than s’mores, though? Nothing.
I have been toying with other s’mores flavored items since Trader joes made my life more amazing, by presenting everyone with their vegan marshmallows. They are delicious and about half the price of other brands! Also, I love oatmeal cookies. My dad used to get use the little debbie oatmeal pies and all was right in the world when I shoved one of those in my mouth! This is a very similar flavor, with a summer time twist.
These are so simple, you are really just throwing stuff together, baking (a little under done) slapping some marshmallows on top, broiling, topping with chocolate. Easy, quick, amazing!
They are soft, not too sweet, just right, can’t eat just one! You don’t have to feel guilty with my plant based deliciousness. So, go ahead, eat a few!
Ingredients:
2 C. Rolled oats
3/4 C. All purpose flour
3/4 C. Crushed graham crackers
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Vegan butter ( I use Earth Balance)
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1/4 C. White sugar
2 flax eggs (2Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp water = 1 egg )
2 Tbsp. Almond milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
12 Vegan marshmallows( I used Trader Joes)
Dark chocolate chunks
Directions:
1. Combine all dry ingredients in small mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream vegan butter and sugar together in large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add flax eggs, almond milk and vanilla.
3. Add dry mixture, and combine until everything is incorporated.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375.
5. Scoop about a Tablespoon of dough and form a ball, then slightly flatten on pan.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes( slightly under bake, you will be putting them back in the oven)
7. Cool for a few minutes, top with half a marshmallow.
8. Set oven to broil, broil cookies for a minute or two until the marshmallows are brown.
9. Let cool for a minute, top with dark chocolate chunks. Thank me later!
Vegan Gluten Free Nutella Cookie Truffles
Many of you may have noticed my previous post, I dove head first into the dream that is vegan, refined sugar free nutella. I have been using this on everything. Also, I now have a million ideas about how to incorporate this into my favorite recipes. Look forward to a lot of delicious breakfast items and desserts in the very near future. This idea came about by just thinking of some healthier desserts items that I think are fool proof and anyone who says they would be vegan, but they don’t know how to cook, this ones for you. This is a no bake, one bowl recipe, with very few ingredients. You do have to make the nutella first, but then you can just use the food processor without cleaning it, and save the rest of the nutella for your morning toast!
My daughter was super pumped to help, this is so easy she probably could have done it herself, and she did do all of the sprinkle topping! Please enjoy! I love what I create, and I hope you will love these as well!
Ingredients:
2/3 C. Vegan Nutella
20 Gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies( I used Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Joe Joe’s) (You can also use regular oreos or whatever you like)
2 Tbsp. Almond milk
1 C. Dark chocolate
Rainbow sprinkles
Directions:
- Put the vegan nutella, cookies and almond milk in a food processor. Process until it forms a semi wet ball.
- Scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture and form a ball and place on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
- Freeze for at least an hour.
- Melt dark chocolate in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until completely melted.
- Dip or top balls with chocolate and top with sprinkles. Freeze again for 30 minutes or so, and enjoy!
- You can keep them in the fridge after that and pop one in your mouth whenever it strikes your fancy!
Tools I Used:
Conair Cuisinart DLC-2ABC Mini Prep Plus Food Processor Brushed Chrome and Nickel
Vegan Nutella
Nutella is amazing, if you have ever dug a big spoonful right out of the jar, and into your mouth, you have lived a good life. However, then you may have looked at the ingredients and calorie content, and felt a little less awesome. This is the exact scenario I was in right before I stopped eating meat over a decade ago.
The flavor still haunts me though, and the ideas I have of what I could do with some vegan nutella are endless. So, I concocted a sugar free, dairy free, gluten free version that I will be linking back to, probably often! So, please enjoy!
Ingredients :
1 1/2 C. Roasted hazelnuts
1/4 C. Cocoa powder
1/4 C. Almond milk
10-12 Dates (pitted)
1/2 tsp. Salt
Directions:
1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor. Blend until super smooth.
2. Adjust seasoning, you can add more dates or another sweetener if it needs to be sweeter or more salt if it needs it.
3. Make sure the consistency is nice and smooth and not too liquidy or too thick. You can add more hazelnuts or more milk.
4. Enjoy on toast, in recipes, and anything you desire!
Vegan Copy Cat Nacho Cheese Doritos
I friggin’ love Doritos, they are something I still crave, nacho cheese, cool ranch, all the 90’s goodness. They were my jam in the 90’s! Pop open a bottle of soda and a bag o’ Doritos, oh man! So, I was pondering this craving the other day, and wondering how many other vegans(or just people who try not to eat crap) have this craving? My dad is a pretty healthy guy, eats mostly whole foods, and cooks a lot! He is also super active, and is on an outdoor adventure most days. However, when I was a kid, I don’t think he knew a lot about nutrition. He came from an era where there were no processed foods, so when everything became processed, I think he just accepted it and didn’t look into all the processed junk in foods. So, when I was little he would get us some junk foods, chips, mac n’ cheese, pop tarts, all kinds of stuff. So, as I have said before, part of my mission is to update all my childhood favorite non vegan processed foods, as well as things people don’t think can be veganized. I will be trying my hand at a cool ranch flavor as well, but for now these are the sh#%@t!
Chris and I have been talking a lot about nostalgic foods, what they mean to us, and how to update them. We talk about are dream food truck(that may happen one day) and how we would love to give people adult versions of kid foods. So, as I got to thinkin’, what if we bagged up delicious, baked not fried, whole food Doritos? Thus this recipe was born, I hope you enjoy as much as I did. To all the kids and kids at heart, you can now savor these guilt free chips!
Ingredients:
6-8 6 in. Tortillas ( I used Trader Joes Habanero Lime, they were already orange, however you can use plain, the seasoning will turn them orange)
4 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. Vegan Parmesan
2 tsp. Chili powder
2 tsp. Smoked paprika
1 tsp. Salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350. Brush all the tortillas on both sides with veggie oil.
- Cut each tortilla into 8 equal triangles using a pizza cutter.
- Pour all the seasoning into a large plastic ziploc bag and shake to combine.
- Place all of the tortilla triangles into the bag and shake to coat fully with seasoning.
- Place tortillas in a single layer on to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. They will get super crispy and amazing!
- Devour!
Tools I used:
KitchenAid Pizza Wheel, Black
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
