Easy Vegan Meals

Rice & Asparagus Soup

Andrea — Sat, 19 May 2012 05:00:05 +0000

3/4 cup brown rice
1/4 cup wild rice
2 tsp sea salt
1 bunch of asparagus, rinsed and bottom ends cut off and discarded
1 TBL olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 brown onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup carrot, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
6 cups vegetable stock
2 TBL scallions, finely chopped
1 TBL fresh italian parsley, finely chopped
1 TBL soy sauce (use tamari)
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, add water, brown and wild rice, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes, until water is absorbed.

Steam asparagus for 2 minutes until tender but still crisp. Drain and rinse with cold water. Once cooled, cut into 1 inch pieces, keeping a few tips for garnish.

In a large saucepan, add olive oil, celery, onion, carrots, and thyme. Cook for 4-6 minutes on low heat until tender, stirring occasionally. Add in vegetable stock and cooked rice. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool a few minutes.

Pour small batches of mixture into a blender (fill only half way). Be sure to leave half of the room since heated ingredients pressurize. Place blender cap on and cover with a towel while holding down cover. Use blend and puree cycles until smooth. Pour into pan and repeat process until all is blended.

Add cut asparagus, scallions, parsley, soy sauce, hot pepper sauce, and freshly ground pepper to blended soup and stir to combine. Simmer to re-heat and serve in bowls with asparagus tip garnish and a dollop of Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream.

Serves 6

This recipe is hearty yet on the bland side. I like to spice up my individual bowl by adding in 1-2 shakes of additional hot pepper sauce. If you are one who prefers a completely smooth soup, then add in the asparagus, scallions, and parsley to the blender and puree with the broth/rice mixture. Serve with a side of crusty bread.

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vegetarian rice and asparagus soup

Cream Cheese-less Frosting

Andrea — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:00:37 +0000

2 8oz containers of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, softened
2 sticks Earth Balance, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ powdered sugar, sifted

In a large bowl, add the Tofutti, Earth Balance and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat at low speed until combined. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. Add in extra powdered sugar to thicken to your liking.

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Vegan Cheese Platter

Andrea — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:00:11 +0000

Growing up in Wisconsin, I have always been a big ‘cheese head’. However, having gone vegan and not eating any dairy, I have managed to be completely satisfied by some great tasting dairy-free cheeses. Forget about the cheese singles that are vegan or the blocks of Follow Your Heart. I was on a quest for great tasting cheese blocks that I could slice and make a cheese and cracker platter. I managed to find such a company who does that.

Ste Martaen is a Chicago based company that makes a variety of delicious vegan cheeses which are also soy-free. I ordered 4 different cheeses to sample and hoped that I would enjoy at least one of them. They arrived in a cold pack box 2 days after ordering. I immediately had to sample all of them. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and texture of all four cheeses. All of them are highly delicious, though my favorite is the pepper jack with a mild bite. I have always made a cheese and cracker platter for special occasions and am happy to have found Ste Martaen to carry on my tradition, just with vegan cheeses.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Bread

Andrea — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:00:07 +0000

Cooking spray (for loaf pan)
4 very ripe bananas
2 TBL canola oil
1/4 cup Silk soy original creamer
4 egg replacers (Bob’s Red Mill 4 TBL whisked with 12 TBL water)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBL ground flaxseed
1/4 cup chocolate chip morsels (reserve 1 TBL)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 8 x 4-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, mash bananas, then add in oil, Silk, and prepared egg replacer. Mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flaxseed and mix well.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add in banana mixture to dry ingredients and mix well to combine.

Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips to batter. Pour into loaf pan. Sprinkle 1 TBL of chocolate chips on top of batter.

Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let sit for 5 minutes, then turn out of pan and let rest for 30 minutes before cutting.

Tip: add in nuts or replace chocolate chips with dried fruit, like cranberries.

substitutions page

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GMO’s, What Are They?

Andrea — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:00:29 +0000

GMO is a term used to describe foods that are genetically modified. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) is against GMO’s stating serious health risks.

Read more about GMO’s, why you should avoid them, what foods are safe, including many soy based products by specific brands, and get a free shopping guide listing the non-gmo brands.

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Flaxseed Banana Bread

Andrea — Sun, 13 May 2012 05:00:05 +0000

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup light brown sugar
2 TBL ground flaxseed
1/2 cup chopped nuts *Optional (walnuts and pecans work well)
2 TBL Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer whisked with 6 TBL water
3 ripe bananas, mash with a fork
1/2 cup olive oil (or a vegetable oil of your choice)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and flaxseed. Mix well to combine. Add in nuts, if using, prepared egg replacer, mashed bananas, oil, and vanilla. Mix well until all of the ingredients are combined.

Pour batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Flip pan over to remove loaf and continue to cool on a piece of parchment paper or wire rack covered with parchment.

*Tip: you can add in nuts once you pour the batter into the pan. I like to make half without nuts, 1/4 with pecans and 1/4 with walnuts. I use a knife to work the nuts into the batter and lay a few of the same nuts on top of the batter.

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Dill Radish Dip

Andrea — Sun, 13 May 2012 03:14:10 +0000

12 oz container Tofutti Sour Cream
3 small lemons (1 teaspoon of grated zest and 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
3 oz Soy Feta (Mediterranean Herb Feta by vegcuisine.net), crumbled
20 radishes, trim ends and wash well (15 sliced thin, cut into matchsticks then chopped for the dip mixture, 5 sliced thin to use as dipping radish rounds for the dip)

In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, chopped dill, and sea salt. Add in crumbled feta and radishes just before serving. If you add in radishes the day before the nice white dip will be discolored. Stir well to combine. Serve with sliced radish rounds and crackers or crusty bread. Makes a delicious sandwich spread as well!

Chocolate Cupcakes

Andrea — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:00:31 +0000

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup soy milk
2 egg replacers (mix with water per package directions; 2 TBL Bob’s Red Mill whisked with 6 TBL water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners (makes 24 cupcakes).

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk together until combined and smooth. Fill each liner 2/3’s full with batter.

Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick stuck in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool before frosting.

Frost with chocolate frosting, cream cheese frosting, or make your own color by using either recipe (remove cocoa powder from the chocolate recipe) , adding in drops of color of your choice.

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chocolate cupcakes with red wrapping

Quinoa Salad

Andrea — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:00:36 +0000

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 tsp kosher salt
dash of pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed through garlic press
2 TBL extra virgin olive oil
2 TBL lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (curly)
8-12 small cherry tomatoes (use half red and half yellow), sliced in half
1 cup chopped cucumber (English goes well)

Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Once done, transfer to a bowl to cool until ready to use.

Mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Add quinoa and gently toss to combine. Serve with Yves Lemon Herb Chicken Skewers (shown) or Gardein Beefless Tips.

Serves 4
Tip: Whole Foods will special order Yves skewers for you. Just call it in to your store using the grocery department. I order a case, which is only 8 packages (2 skewers each) and keep in the freezer until ready to use. Took 1 day for my order to come in. Give them your number and they will call you once the product is in the store. Try my Madame Curry recipe.

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Quinoa Sweet Potato Spinach Salad

Andrea — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:00:10 +0000

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water (use Imagine no-chicken broth or vegetable stock instead to add more flavor)
2 TBL olive oil
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
2 TBL lemon juice
1 TBL Braggs or tamari
1 TBL maple syrup
1/4 cup sliced almonds (can use chopped nuts, like almonds, walnuts or pecans)
salt and pepper to taste

1 medium red bell pepper, core removed and chopped adds more color and crunch (Optional)

In a medium saucepan, add water and quinoa and stir. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

In a large skillet on medium heat, heat oil and add in onion, garlic, and sweet potatoes and saute until sweet potatoes are tender but firm to the bite. Add in cumin (if using bell pepper, add in now) and saute for 2 minutes. Set aside.

If using chopped nuts, toast in a small saucepan over medium to low heat until toasty brown, about 8-10 minutes, shaking the pan to evenly toast all pieces.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, Braggs and maple syrup. Add spinach leaves and toss to coat. Add in quinoa, sweet potato mixture, and nuts and stir gently to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or chilled.

Serves 4

Sweet Potatoes are loaded with sweet flavor and nutrients that help boost the immune system and provide disease-preventing, cancer-fighting benefits. Loaded with vitamins A and C, this tuber vegetable acts as an anti-inflammatory.

Low on the glycemic index this root vegetable has less of an effect on blood glucose levels, making it desirable for diabetics.