Cauliflower Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

1 small/medium head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 English cucumber, sliced into thin half circles
5 scallions chopped
½ cup Vegeneise
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Add a clove of garlic to the dressing for a little extra zing, if you like :)

Instructions

Dice your cauliflower and place in a medium salad bowl (we used the small holes of the Vidalia Chop Wizard).
Cut your cucumber in half the long way and thinly slice. You end up with thinly sliced half circles.
A mandoline slicer will help speed up the process! Add cucumbers to your bowl.
Finely chop your chives and toss them over your salad (Chop and add the white parts if you like it more "oniony").
In a separate bowl, mix together ¼ cup sour cream and ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper. Stir the dressing into the salad and add more salt to taste if needed. I added an extra dash of salt at the end. Garnish with a sprig of parsley or dill if you like.

This is adapted from: http://natashaskitchen.com/2013/05/31/cauliflower-cucumber-salad-recipe/

Eggplant "Crab"cake

This came out really well. The texture of a crab cake, the health factor of eggplant. Win Win!

Ingredients:
2 small eggplants
1 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp fresh parsley
2 shallots
1 garlic clove
1 onion
1 tsp tarragon
olive oil

Directions:
Roast the eggplant. Just put it on a cookie sheet with a few fork pricks at 400 degrees. (I roasted this for 2 hours)
Once the eggplant is roasted, remove skin and mash it with potato masher. Add the nutritional yeast, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, minced shallots and minced garlic. Combine.
Put in fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat skillet with some olive oil and form the mixture into patties. This makes about 4. Place the patties in the skillet and flip when it's gotten golden brown so the patties don't fall apart. Cook until golden brown, flip, cook until golden brown.
Meanwhile, slice the onions, add a tiny bit of olive oil and the tarragon. Caramelize the onions.
Serve on a bun or English muffin with sriracha mayo and the caramelized onions.
Enjoy!

Flourless Thumbprint Oatmeal Jam Breakfast Cookies

I did this with raspberries instead of one of the bananas. Awesome. I'm sure you could do it with any berry. I also threw in some vanilla extract.

 

From Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 large)
• 2 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 8 teaspoons jam
• Peanut butter (or almond or sunflower seed butter), for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, add the oats and pulse until a coarse meal forms (see picture in blog post).
3. In a large bowl, mash the banana. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the jam and nut butter. The mixture will be very wet and dense.
4. With a retractable ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop the dough into 8 mounds. The cookies do not need to be spaced far apart on the baking sheet as they don't spread out. Press your thumb (or small spoon) into the centre of each cookie to create a well. Fill each well with 1 heaping teaspoon of jam.
5. Bake cookies at 350F for 11-13 minutes, until the cookies are slightly firm, but soft and doughy in the middle. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack for 10 minutes or so.
6. If desired, serve cookies with your favourite nut or seed butter. They also taste great with a pat of coconut oil or vegan butter!

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/10/24/flourless-thumbprint-breakfast-cookies-vegan-gf/#ixzz3ZsDXpEVA

Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

These were delicious. Rich, creamy, interesting texture, and quite satisfying. I only used one tortilla and just folded it over.

From: http://fitfoodiefinds.com

Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes
1 small red onion
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper

For the Quinoa & Black Beans

½ cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cup vegetable broth (I used low sodium)
1 15 oz can black beans
½ jalapeño, diced
⅓ cup salsa

Additional Ingredients Needed

Cilantro Lime Avocado Spread
coconut oil cooking spray
~8 tortillas

Instructions
For the Sweet Potatoes

First, preheat oven to 400ºF, then line a baking sheet with tin foil.
Prep sweet potatoes by washing and patting dry. Then, chop into bite size pieces. Mince onion. Spread vegetables onto baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO.
Then, sprinkle on garlic, chili powder, paprika, and salt and pepper and toss with your hands.
Bake at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have reached desired texture.

For the Quinoa and Black Beans

Place quinoa, vegetable broth, and diced jalapeño in a medium size pot. Then, bring to a boil. Cover and turn down to low. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid has absorbed.
Add in black beans and salsa and mix.

For Quesadillas

First, spread on some Cilantro Lime Avocado Spread. Then, place ~ ⅓ cup of vegetables and ~1/3 cup quinoa/black bean mixture on top of a tortilla shell. Then, place another tortilla on top of that.
Heat a large sauce pan to medium heat and spray with coconut oil spray. Cook both sides for 1-2 minutes or until they begin to brown. Serve with more Cilantro Lime Avocado Spread and a sprinkle of paprika.

Make these cheese-free vegan sweet potato quesadillas that are packed with protein and flavor and topped with a delicious cilantro avocado spread!

Orange Cashew Salad Dressing

From Super Healthy Kids

I think you can get away with 3 Mandarin oranges...


For dressing:

1 cup raw cashew pieces
4 oranges

Blend in a high powered blender until very smooth and runny. If you need to add more oranges to thin it out, feel free! Top your favorite citrus salad with the dressing. For Dip:

1 cup raw cashew pieces
1-2 oranges

Blend in a high powered blender until very smooth, thick and creamy. Use to dip apples, strawberries, bananas, or even celery.

Sweet Peanut Soba Noodle Sauce

From the lunchboxbunch...

Ingredients

6oz soba noodles (100% buckwheat preferred)
sauce:
1/2 cup roasted peanuts (unsalted)
1/2 cup almond milk, plain
1 clove garlic
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup, grade B
a few pinches of cayenne for heat
optional: 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ginger powder
salt and pepper to taste
optional: for more perkiness, add in a teaspoon of ice vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar (seasoned will be a bit sweeter)
2 cups fresh leafy greens (like spinach or chopped kale)
2 tsp chopped peanuts for garnish

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the soba noodles, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, usually about 5-8 minutes.
While the noodles are cooking, add all your ingredients to a blender like a Vitamix. Blend until creamy smooth. Tip: Use a narrower-style container to really whip some fluffy air into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and cayenne to taste.
Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water.
Place pasta and sauce in a large bowl and toss well. For lighter-sauced noodles, start out by only adding half the sauce and add more to taste or over top to serve.
Serve over a bed of fresh greens, and a sprinkle of chopped peanuts on top.

Sweet Potato Burgers

I have a new favorite thing: liquid smoke. Check out these sweet potato burgers from Forks over Knives!

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed

For the sweet potatoes:

2 small or 1 large sweet potato
2 tablespoons nondairy milk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1¼ teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Few drops of liquid smoke (about ½ teaspoon)
2−3 tablespoons ketchup
⅓ cup rolled oats
¼ cup instant oats
Hot sauce (optional)
Chipotle powder
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers
By Lindsay S. Nixon on November 14, 2014
Email

I love a good bean burger, but sweet potato burgers are in a category of their own! These smoky-sweet but spicy burgers will dazzle anyone they’re served to, so if your friends tend to snub bean burgers and other meat replacements, try serving these at your party. They’re so beautiful guests can’t help to be intrigued … then wowed!

From Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Mash the beans with a fork or pulse in a food processor so no whole beans are left, but the mixture is still chunky with some half beans.

3. To make the sweet potatoes, I cook mine in the microwave, but you can also steam for 15 to 17 minutes. (I leave the potato skins on for added nutrition, but you can peel them off after cooking, if desired.) Then mash and mix them with the nondairy milk to make “mashed potatoes.”

4. Mix the mashed beans with 1 cup of the mashed sweet potato, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, liquid smoke, and ketchup (use 3 tablespoons for a slight tomato flavor), stirring to combine.

5. Add the rolled and instant oats and stir to combine again. Add hot sauce to taste if desired, plus a few dashes of chipotle powder (a little goes a long way!), then season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired. Taste and add more heat or smoke as desired.

6. Separate into five equal portions and roll into balls with damp hands. Place balls on baking sheet (leaving room to spread), and press lightly into patties with your palm.

7. Bake for 10 minutes (patties should be somewhat firm after 10 minutes; if not, wait a few more minutes), flip with spatula, and bake for 5 more minutes. Then flip them again and bake for another 2 to 5 minutes, until they are deep in color, crisp, and firmer, but be careful not to burn.

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Yes. A dairy free CHEESEcake.

My favorite part about this recipe is the crust. Spicy, flavorful, and crumbly goodness.
My second favorite part is that it is not too sweet. I only used 1/3 cup brown sugar in the filling.

I found this recipe here: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/recipe-pumpkin-cheesecake-with-a-gingersnap-crust/Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Here is the recipe:



For the Crust

1 1/2 cups organic vegan gingersnap cookies (about 24 cookies)
1/4 cup almonds
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons neutral tasting oil
1/4 cup brown or palm sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the Pumpkin Filling

2 (8-ounce) containers vegan cream cheese
1/3 cup evaporated cane sugar
1/3 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 (15-ounce) can organic pumpkin, or pumpkin pie filling
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon neutral tasting oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

For the Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place cookies, almonds, ginger, oil, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sea salt in a food processor and pulse until uniform, about 20 to 25 times. Mixture should be a crumbly, even consistency that pulls away from the walls of food processor.
Grease a springform pan. Use damp hands to firmly press mixture into pan to form crust. Be sure to evenly distribute mixture and use thumbs to press crust into corners of pan. Bake for 7 minutes, to help crust stick together.

For the Filling

In a food processor, add cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, flour, lemon juice, oil and sea salt. Blend until uniform.
Pour filling into baked crust and gently tap mixture on counter to release any trapped bubbles. Bake for about 40 minutes or until mixture is slightly browned on top and feels firm when pan is slightly shaken.
Remove from oven and allow cheesecake to cool on counter for at least 20 minutes, then refrigerate for 4 hours to overnight before serving, to firm up.

Scuffins

Apparently, every pastry needs a cool identifier these days. Scuffins are exactly what you would imagine: a combination of scone flavor and muffin shape. Plus, there's jam inside!

This recipe is from the NY Times. I made them and they are definitely more scone-like, but quite good. Not a lot of sugar, which makes me happy. If you like cardamom, stick with the recipe. They definitely have a kick. If you're not so much a fan, lower the amount, or exclude it altogether.

Scuffins

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 ounces), plus 2 tablespoons for buttering muffin cups
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour (4 1/2 ounces)
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour (3 ounces)
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal or wheat germ (1 ounce)
• 3 tablespoons light brown or raw sugar (2 ounces), plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup whole milk
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup fruit jam, conserves, preserves or fruit butter (do not use jelly or marmalade)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a microwave or over very gentle heat. Using a pastry brush, butter the cups of a standard-size (3 1/2-ounce-capacity) 12-cup muffin tin. Let each coat of butter cool, then apply another coat; continue until the 2 tablespoons are all used.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter, add to dry ingredients and mix with a fork until just combined.
3. In another bowl, whisk together egg, milk and cream. Add to dry ingredients and mix to combine (the dough will be quite sticky).
4. Reserving about a quarter of the dough for topping, scoop 2 tablespoons dough into each cup. Using the back of a spoon, press dough gently down into the cups. The dough will move up the sides, and there should be a shallow well in each dough cup. Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t come all the way up to the top; there should be about 1/2 inch of space between the top of the dough and the rim of the cup.
5. Spoon about 1 tablespoon jam into each well. Using your fingers, pinch remaining dough into small clumps and scatter evenly over the jam in each cup, making a bumpy topping. Sprinkle sugar over the tops.
6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned. Let cool in the pan on a rack; run a blade around the sides of each scuffin before turning out.