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vegan food
Vegan Cajun Tofu with Creamy Grits and Greens
I am madly in love with New Orleans, and it is actually not a long drive from where I live! My husband and I took our daughter to New Orleans a few months ago, and we had an amazing time. I had some amazing food, but couldn’t find a lot of Cajun food that was vegan. I was pretty jealous of all the spicy goodness my husband had. So here we are. Cajun spiced tofu and creamy grits with some super garlicky kale! This whole recipe is so quick and easy! The perfect weeknight meal!…
Vegan BLT Salad
The thing I hear a nauseating amount, is this, “I would be vegan, but I love bacon too much.” Well, if you have been following along with me, I have probably already informed you of how much I LOVE coconut bacon. If you feel like you will crave that sweet and salty crisp of bacon, I think this will help you make it through. Then one day, you will realize you don’t miss any meat at all. You will realize you feel so much better physically and can feel a lot better about how awesome you are!
I have been brainstorming about what else people put bacon on that I could create a vegan substitute for, and continue to make it so easy for people to live without animal products and salads are something I used to always put bacon bits on. Working off of that, I was thinking BLTs are pretty trendy, right? I don’t know. It seems like I have seen a lot of variations recently, so I thought why not come up with my own. Very often ideas come to me, and kind of actually wake me up, and I decide right then and there in the wee hours of the morning, that I am brilliant, and will work on my ideas upon becoming more lucid. Then once I have coffee, I can kind of determine if I am actually a genius or not.
It turns out, this time, it was a brilliant idea. This was one of the most delicious salads I have ever had. I really like sun dried tomatoes, but some beautiful cherry tomatoes, or really any kind you want would be amazing. I also made some of my cheesey garlic croutons, but if you want this salad to be gluten free, just nix the croutons and maybe add some pecans or something!
I have been toying around with the idea of a vegan creamy garlic dressing using tofu, and I finally felt like I found the correct vessel for said dressing. It was the perfect compliment to this salad. I think a balsamic vinaigrette would work great too, and be a lot less work, if you are not up to making the dressing, but I highly recommend it!
This a quick and easy week night meal, full of flavor and very filling! I hope you all enjoy, and as always, if you have any questions or feedback, I am happy to hear it!
Vegan BLT Salad
2017-01-06 12:01:37
Serves 4
Perfect salad of greens, tomatoes, coconut bacon and creamy garlic dressing!
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Coconut Bacon
- 1 C. Coconut flakes
- 1/2 Tbsp. Liquid smoke
- 1 Tbsp. Soy sauce or Tamari for Gluten free
- 1 Tbsp. Maple syrup
Creamy garlic dressing
- 15 oz. Block of extra firm tofu
- 1/2 C. Coconut oil, melted
- 2-3 Cloves of garlic
- 1/4 C. Soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 C. Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2-3/4 C. Water
- 2 tsp. Agave
- 2 tsp. Nutritional yeast
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Salad
- Lettuce of choice
- Tomatoes, sun dried or cherry
- Croutons(optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the coconut bacon first, stir all the ingredients together in a bowl until the coconut is completely coated in the liquid smoke, maple syrup and soy sauce.
- Pour onto a prepared baking sheet and smooth out to a single layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until it is nice and crispy.
- While the coconut is baking, make the dressing.
- Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, it will take a few minutes. You can add more or less garlic depending on your preference, and I would start with 1/2 Cup of water, and add more depending on how thin you want it.
- Once the coconut bacon is done, and the dressing is ready, toss together the lettuce, bacon, tomatoes and dressing.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- I used 3 cloves of garlic because I love garlic, but the choice is up to you.
- I also used about 1/2 cup of water because I like my dressing thick, but add more water if you want it to be easier to pour!
Rabbit and Wolves https://www.rabbitandwolves.com/
Vegan Clean Eating Mocha Brownies
Vegan mocha brownies! Yes please!
How did this happen? It is somehow 2017, and time for new year’s resolutions. I know, I know, new year’s resolutions are kind of the thing we make and never stick to. I am always all like “new year, new me”. Then it takes me about a month until I am drinking a bottle of wine and eating vegan nachos on the couch in my underpants. Last year I was totally into the idea of rock climbing, and my husband and I were like, we are going to the rock gym ALL THE TIME. Well, needless to say, we never made it. Ha! This year, I really want to work more on eating clean. Let me tell you, if that is your resolution as well, I think these brownies will get you through the whole year without feeling like you are depriving yourself of any magical desserts.
These brownies somehow manage to be one of the best brownies I have ever had, so fudgey and moist, crunchy outside with a hit of coffee flavor that just does amazing work at enhancing the chocolate. All of this with just 10 ingredients, no sugar, no gluten or grains of any kind, and of course as always vegan! These brownies are pure magic, and I had to ask them this morning where they have been all my life? They were just waiting for me to discover them!
All of this really simple recipe is also done in a food processor, making this a one bowl recipe as well. Literally throwing all the ingredients and processing into a dough is another reason this recipe makes it so easy to maintain your clean eating resolution. I am super lazy, and love a good quick easy recipe that requires very little effort. I would also like to mention, that I am very aware that brownies usually have no leavening agent, however, I had to add something to boost these a little since they have no flour or anything to help thicken them up a bit, and I didn’t want them to be just fudge.
I have been coming up with a lot of clean eating ideas, and I am super excited to test them out and share them with you all! I am also really into soup ideas, since my feet are currently freezing. I love a good hot soup in the winter. So keep looking for all my super healthy recipes, as well as my regular vegan comfort foods, because, ya know, we all need a little of that every once in a while!
Vegan Clean Eating Mocha Brownies
These healthy vegan brownies are so indulgent!
Servings: 12
Calories: 186kcal
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Dark chocolate, vegan
- 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking soda
- 10-12 Dates, pitted
- 4 Tablespoons Flax meal
- 6 Tablespoons Water
- 1/4 Cup Coconut oil
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Instant coffee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor, combine dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Pulse until the mixture is course, like small pea sized. It will take a minute.
- Add the baking soda, baking powder and dates. Process until the dates become soft and puree like, it will take another minute or so.
- Make the flax eggs, by combining the flax and water and let sit for a minute until it thickens.
- Add the flax eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, salt and instant coffee to the food processor, and continue to process mixture for a few minutes until it starts to come together and looks like a wet batter. It should still be pretty thick, but you want to make sure there are no large pieces of anything, and it looks pretty evenly combined.
- Scoop into an 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Press out so it is even.
- Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
- Let cool completely, serve!
Notes
If you check the brownies with a toothpick to see if they are done, the toothpick will still have a bit of batter on it, they will firm up when they are cooled completely. Just make sure the toothpick is mostly clean, and they are no longer jiggly.
If your dates are very large use 10, if they are a bit smaller, use 12.
You're awesome!
Nutrition
Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2.6mg
Vegan Caramelized Onion and Rosemary Skillet Bread
Are you sad that the holidays are over? I kind of am, but I am also ready to bring on 2017! However, holiday nostalgia brought on the idea to make this 9 ingredient, skillet bread. Caramelized onions and rosemary make this very easy no knead bread smell just like stuffing! This is the most simple bread ever, just stir together, let rise and flip into a skillet and bake.
I returned yesterday evening from a pretty long trip to visit my family in Midwestern Florida. I was pretty shocked to find that is was so warm we could go to the beach. The water was pretty cold, but pretty bearable, especially since it was very warm outside. I somehow managed to drink a fruity cocktail and lounge on the beach in December! Getting back to the real world today required a warm fuzzy sweater and the delicious yeasty smell of baking bread.
I love caramelized onions more than most things. When they are perfectly done, they are sweet and salty and melt in your mouth. Perfection. This bread is a perfect vessel for that perfection. This bread is suspiciously light, fluffy, soft on the inside with a fabulous crust on the outside, somehow all without kneading. I thought it needed another flavor to enhance the caramelized onions and decided to try rosemary. It was a really good idea. I recommend slicing while still warm and topping with a little vegan butter! Hot damn!
Happy New Years ya’ll! I can’t wait to show you what I have up my sleeve for 2017! I am going to be doing a lot more clean eating myself, and will be making it my mission to share more gluten free and sugar free recipes, while of course as always working on the best cruelty free recipes I can!
Vegan Caramelized Onion and Rosemary Skillet Bread
2016-12-31 13:17:25
Serves 8
No knead bread filled with caramelized onions and rosemary baked in a cast iron skillet.
Prep Time
2 hr
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
2 hr 30 min
Caramelized onions
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1/2 of a Sweet onion (sliced very thin)
- 2 tsp. Agave nectar
- 1 tsp. Salt
Dough
- 2 C. Warm water (between 105-110 degrees)
- 2 1/4 tsp. Dry active yeast (one packet)
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- 4 1/2 C. All purpose flour
- 3 tsp. Salt
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tsp. Rosemary(dried)
Instructions
- Make the caramelized onions, in a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil on high. Add the thinly sliced onion, and reduce to medium high heat.
- Saute onions for a few minutes until they begin to brown, stirring every few minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add the salt and agave.
- Cook onions until they are a nice caramel color, this will take about 10 minutes or so. Turn off heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until it blooms, it will look bubbly on top.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 Cup of flour and the salt, stir.
- Once the yeast is ready, stir it into the flour, continue adding flour and stirring one cup at a time until you have added all 4 1/2 Cups.
- Stir in the onions (reserve a few for the top), rosemary and 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
- At this point, you may want to mix a little with your hands, but you really don't need to knead.
- Spray a bowl with non stick spray and place dough ball into bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- Once dough has risen, in the same cast iron pan you used for the onions, spray with a little more non stick spray and place dough into the cast iron skillet, press out to fill the skillet.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and let the dough rise for another 20-30 minutes.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
- Half way through the baking process, brush the top with the remaining olive oil, top with a few reserved onions and sprinkle with a little rosemary!
- Serve!
Rabbit and Wolves https://www.rabbitandwolves.com/
Vegan Seitan “Chicken” Sandwich with Quick Pickle and Sweet Mustard Sauce
I have been thinking a lot recently about what my mission is, and why I wanted to start developing plant based healthy recipes in the first place. I have been thinking about how busy people live and people who really don’t know how to cook or hate cooking. I won’t lie, this recipe is a bit time consuming, but it is super simple, and you can make seitan ahead of time and keep it in the fridge and just use is whenever. So a little but of prep ahead if time, actually will make this a really fast recipe. So, back to my previous thought, people eat fast food, all the time. I actually don’t pretty much ever, mostly because I don’t have a lot of options, but also, my stomach is very sensitive and doesn’t like processed and greasy food. So, I often forget the fact that many people love fast food, and they get used to it and crave it. I have asked myself, what can I do, as part of my original mission to get meat eaters to eat a little better and realize how easy it actually is to vegan!
One of my fellow food bloggers who is super amazing, Janine who runs Nuts and Blueberries had an idea to get all us healthy food bloggers to create a plant based healthier version of some fast food for a #healthyfastfood4 carnival! I was immediately on it, as this is something I have been wanting to work on for a while. I thought back to what my favorite fast food item was when I was a kid, and something I would love to share with families everywhere! Chicken sandwich! It also just so happens that my husband makes a killer homemade seitan!
Now, you can totally buy seitan at the store and do the same thing if you want, but my husband’s seitan recipe is out of control amazing. However, some people don’t have time to make the seitan, and I don’t want to limit anyone low on time! This sandwich is better than a real fried chicken sandwich, I promise, and it isn’t even fried, it is baked!!!Yeah! You don’t have to feel guilty about giving this to your children, vegan, refined sugar free(I saw a lot of chicken sandwiches with powdered sugar in the flour mix) and totally amazing! If you want more ideas, please check out all the submissions for the #healthyfastfood4 carnival on Instagram and on Janine’s amazing website. I hope you enjoy!
If you have any questions about this recipe or any other, just let me know. I am happy to answer any questions you may have, or just leave some feedback if you want so I know if I am doing a good job or not!
Vegan Seitan Chicken Sandwich with Quick Pickle and Sweet Mustard Sauce
- Prep Time: 2h 15m
- Cook Time: 45m
- Total Time: 3h
- Yield: 4 Sandwiches
- Category: Entree
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Buns ( used pretzel buns)
Quick Pickle
- 1 Cucumber ( I like the seedless ones)
- 1/2 c Rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Pickling spice
- 3 tbsp. Salt
- 1 tbsp. Agave nectar
“Chicken Patties”
- 1 Basic Seitan Recipe(below)
- 1/2 c Almond milk
- 1/2 tsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 1 c All purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. Coconut sugar
- 1 tsp. Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
Sweet Mustard Sauce
- 1/2 c Vegan mayo ( I used Follow your Heart)
- tsp. Mustard
- 1 tsp. Lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. Agave nectar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the seitan, you can make this days before, (you can also half that recipe if you only want to make the four sandwiches, but I like to have it on hand) and save it in the fridge.
- When you are ready to make your sandwiches, make the pickles, by cutting the cucumber in thin slices. Then mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and letting the cucumbers marinate for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 450. To make the “chicken” patties, cut the seitan into thick slices, and then mix the almond milk and apple cider vinegar together in one bowl. Then mix all the dry ingredients in another bowl. Dip the seitan into the almond milk mixture, into the dry mixture and repeat. Place the patty on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other slices. I sprayed mine with a little avocado oil to make sure they got brown.
- Bake for 30-45 minutes or until brown.
- Make sauce by whisking all the ingredients together.
- When patties are done, assemble with sauce , patty, pickles and lettuce and onion or tomato if yo want!
Vegan Caesar Salad with Garlic Parmesan Croutons
All salads are not created equal, and I have to say, this salad falls into a new category of totally amazingly delicious salads. Young Lauren also thought all salads were healthy. I had decided that if you put anything on top of lettuce it automatically made it a health food. I would put cheese and croutons and ranch on top of lettuce and feel super proud of myself for eating a meal that was really good for me. Ha ha. I could fill a room with stuff I did not know about being healthy, and now I think I could fill a stadium with things I do know. One of my favorite, not-so-healthy-salads, was a Caesar salad. I loved the creamy dressing and the crispy croutons and the crisp romaine. When I became a vegetarian was the first time I actually realized the dressing was not only not vegan, but also not vegetarian.
Sadness, I really felt like I was missing out on that Caesar dressing taste I loved. I soon forgot about it though, as I did with many meaty food items I use to partake of. Then, a few years ago, my husband and I were in Gainesville, Florida, and there is an amazing restaurant there called The Top. I love it, they have so many vegetarian and vegan dishes, but also plenty of meat for those who are interested in that (like my husband). They have pecan crusted tofu to die for. I also discovered that their Caesar salad is vegetarian, and this was when I was still vegetarian and not fully vegan. So, I was super pumped and devoured it. Since becoming vegan, I have had the wheels turning, thinking of all the ways I could make a delicious vegan version of my beloved Caesar dressing and how to make some amazing croutons that taste cheesy. Thus this salad was born, and I would wager a guess that it is actually healthy. I added some more veggies, and made the dressing full of protein with a few calories as possible. It it also pretty fool proof, and you can change the seasonings pretty easily for your preferences.
These are literally the most delicious croutons I have ever had, by the way. They smelled so amazing, I ate a “few” right when they came out of the oven. I really hope you enjoy this versatile salad. You can really create whatever you want using the dressing and croutons, add your favorite veggies or protein. The next day I added vegan chicken strips to it and had a vegan chicken caesar salad! Have fun!
Vegan Caesar Salad
- Prep Time: 2h
- Cook Time: 10m
- Total Time: 2h 15m
- Yield: 4 Salads
- Category: Entree
INGREDIENTS
Caesar Dressing
- 1 1/4 c Cashews, raw(soaked for at least 2 hours)
- 1/4 c Almond milk
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 tbsp. Capers
- 2 tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. Mustard
- 3 Cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp. Rice wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp. Agave nectar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Garlic Parmesan Croutons
- 1 Loaf of Ciabatta
- 2 tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp. Garlic powder
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 c Olive oil
Veggies
- Romaine
INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut ciabatta into cubes. Place in a mixing bowl and add the other crouton ingredients. Toss until all of the bread is covered with oil and seasoning.
- Bake at 450 for 5-10 minutes being careful not to burn them, but that they get firm and crispy!
- Add all of the ceasar dressing to a high speed blend. Blend on high until nice and smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning to desired flavor.
- When croutons are finished, let them cool, and chop your romaine lettuce and any other veggies you want. Top with croutons, dressing and more nutritional yeast(if you want)
- Enjoy!
Vegan Fish Tacos with Mango salsa and avocado cream
I love tacos! Any kind, any day. A few years ago, I lived in Tampa Florida, and there is a magical place called The Taco Bus. This particular Taco Bus is not actually a bus, it started as a small taco truck and now has like four or five permanent locations. Why? Because their tacos are the f$#%&ing best! They also have at least five vegan taco options! Win! Not only that, but they are open 24/7. At this magical time, in this magical place, I worked right around the corner from one of the locations. Lunch time? Tacos. Three in the morning? Tacos. It was the greatest. I have really been missing the wizardry at the Taco Bus lately, and we were supposed to head down there this weekend, and the Hurricane Hermine hit north Florida this past weekend. Not only did I not get my amazing various vegan tacos, but we didn’t have power for days. So sad. The second our power came back on, I set out to make the perfect vegan taco. I hate to toot my own horn, but I think I nailed it.
Now obviously I have not had a fish taco possibly ever, but I have always liked the idea. I loved fish when I was a kid, I think it creeped me out a lot less than eating meat, and I like the salty sea like flavor. When I became a vegetarian a million years ago, that was the only thing I really missed. It quickly became no big deal, but I still love the flavor of seaweed! I wanted something that paired really well with a light fishy flavor, and I thought avocados and mangoes were the way to go!
These tacos are everything I have been dreaming of. Taco Bus will always hold a special place in my heart, but until I can get down there, these are insanely satisfying. Crispy “fish”, sweet and spicy mango salsa, velvety avocado cream. All the things you need in life! I hope these tacos bring you as much happiness as they did for my family!
Tools I used:
Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Stack and Snap Food Processor (70725A)
Good Cook Set Of 3 Non-Stick Cookie Sheet
Hölm Limes and Lemon Squeezer – Manual Hand Held Orange Lime and Lemons Citrus Juicer – Lemon Water Maker – Fruit Wedge and Salad Dressing Tool – Orange Slice Presser – Iced Tea Lemonade Press
Vegan Fish Tacos with Mango salsa and avocado cream
- Prep Time: 45m
- Cook Time: 20m
- Total Time: 1h 10m
- Yield: 10 Tacos
- Category:Entree
INGREDIENTS
Fish tofu
- 1 pkg Extra firm tofu
- 2 c Panko bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp. Kelp powder ( I got mine at Whole Foods, but probably available at any health food store)
- 3 tsp. Fresh dill
- 1 tsp. Old Bay
- 2 tsp. Garlic powder
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1 dash Black pepper
- 1/2 c All purpose flour
- 1 c Almond milk
- 1 tsp. Lime juice
Mango salsa
- 1 Mango (Make sure it is ripe)
- 1/2 of a jalapeno
- 2 tbsp. Lime juice
- 1/4 of a red onion
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1/4 c Cilantro
Avocado Cream
- 1 Avocado
- 1/4 c Almond milk
- 3 tbsp. Cilantro
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Drained your tofu, and slice into sticks. Place on paper towels, and cover with more paper towels. Set something heavy on top, and let dry out a bit while you prep everything else.
- Make your mango salsa by cutting up all the ingredients into small pieces and stir together. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning. Make sure to wash your hands after touching the jalapeno!! Set aside.
- Make the bread crumb mixture, by adding the bread crumbs, kelp powder, dill, Old Bay, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a food processor and pulse a few times just to combine. Be careful not to process for too long, you don’t want it to get too fine. Set aside.
- Make the avocado cream. Combine all ingredients in the food processor and puree. You can just wipe out your food processor from the bread crumbs to make it easier on yourself! Set in fridge.
- Now that the tofu has been drying for a while you can bread them. Preheat the oven to 450. Set up a breading station with three bowls. One with the 1 cup of almond milk and the tsp. of lime juice to make a buttermilk, another with the bread crumb mixture, and another with the half cup of flour. Take a tofu stick, dip it in the vegan buttermilk, the flour, back into the buttermilk and then into the bread crumb mixture. Place on a prepared baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. Repeat process with all the tofu sticks! Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes or until crispy and brown, Be careful not to burn, if your oven runs high.
- Warm up tortillas, place a few pieces of “fish” inside and top with mango salsa and avocado cream!
Vegan Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs
Korean food is some of my favorite food! I used to kill some bibimbap when I lived in New York City. These vegan sweet and spicy Korean meatballs remind me of those flavors. There was an amazing fast Korean food restaurant right next to where my Brother-in-law worked at the time. Unfortunately, it is closed now, however they made some killer vegan bibimbap, as well as a bunch of other insanely delicious dishes.
I have been thinking a lot about making a dish like this, to highlight the flavors I love, so I started to research what flavors were absolutely necessary to have in my meatballs. I discovered that black bean paste is used frequently, and decided that black beans and tofu combined would have great flavor and that the actual “meat” part of the balls would be a nod to that tradition. I also am pretty sure these meatballs have a great deal of protein in them with an entire can of black beans and an entire block of tofu. Then I just needed to figure out how much of each spice would work best, and ta da. These are super addictive and so delicious!
I served them with fried rice, I was thinking that there are so many possibilities though. Kimchi, noodles, and I found many other great Korean side dishes! This is a really easy recipe, you just need to throw everything in a food processor and bake. Then the glaze is just whisked together and brush on. Pretty easy! I hope you enjoy these as much as my family did (even the meat eaters).
Ingredients:
Meat ball:
1 Block extra firm tofu
1 Can black beans (drained and rinsed)
3 tsp. Ginger (ground)
4 Green onions
3 Cloves of garlic
1 C. Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black pepper
Glaze:
1 C. Apricot jam
3 Tbsp. Tamari or Soy sauce
4 Tbsp. Red chili paste
4 Tbsp. water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Put all meatball ingredients into a food processor, and process until everything is combined and starts to form a ball and is a pretty fine texture. The tofu and black beans will look a bit mushy. It will take a few minutes depending on your machine.
- Using a small ice cream or cookie scoop, form balls. You can make them more spherical by rolling them in your hand.
- Place in baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- While they are in the oven, make the glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
- When the balls are firm, pull them out and brush pretty heavily with glaze(reserve about half, you will brush again)
- Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
- Pull out and brush again. They are ready to eat!! You can pour some more sauce on top if you want (it is pretty delicious)
- Top with green onion and enjoy!
Tools I used:
Hamilton Beach 70730 Bowl Scraper Food Processor
OXO Good Grips Small Cookie Scoop
Zicome Set of 4 Silicone Pastry Basting Grill Barbecue Brush – Solid Core and Hygienic Solid Coating – 4 Bright Colored Red, Blue, Orange, Green – 8-3/4 Inch Long
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!!