Cooked Vegan Recipes

Fat Free Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins

January 13, 2013 by Veronica Grace 44 Comments

Oh my… these banana blueberry muffins are delicious. I don’t know about you but I just love the little pop of the blueberries when you bite into them! Mashed bananas (make sure they are very ripe so they mash well) are a great substitute for oil and fat in baked goods. So I often use them for this purpose. Plus they add a nice natural sweetness as well which is nice.

I use stone ground whole wheat flour in this recipe, but you can use any whole grain flour that you like. If you want a lighter muffin you can look for whole wheat pastry flour, it’s not as dense as regular whole wheat flour. For gluten free versions you can use gluten free oat flour or an all purpose gluten free flour. I still like to use whole grain flour as most gluten free flours are highly processed and more like white flour.

These muffins also freeze well so you can portion them out and save them for later. I love adding blueberries to baked goods and smoothies, but feel free to use any other berries you like instead.

For truly oil free muffins you can use silicone non stick muffin trays, or paper muffin cups. But I like to use the silicone trays so there is no paper waste (and they also get stuck and tear off the muffins.)

Free Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins

12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups overripe (fully brown) mashed bananas (about 3 large, 4 medium)
1/3 cup almond milk (original unsweetened)
1/2 cup maple syrup (or 1/4-1/3 cup honey or agave as they are sweeter)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour (or ww pastry flour or GF flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ceylon cinnamon (or reg cinnamon)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/ 204 C.

2. Combine wet ingredients in a large size bowl and mix together.

3. Combine dry ingredients (except for blueberries) into a medium size bowl and whisk together.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

5. Spoon batter into non-stick silicone muffin trays or a lightly oil spritzed muffin tin.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a knife or toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cookie rack to completely.

8. Serve.

Additional Tips:

For a truly sugar free version you can try using more banana and omit the maple syrup/sweetener. For a whole food sweetener you can blend pitted dates with some water to make your own date syrup.

What’s your favorite way to use blueberries?

Asian Vegetable Stir Fry in Tahini Sauce

January 7, 2013 by Veronica Grace 10 Comments

Stir fries can vary widely from delicious and tasty to boring and bland, and as a vegan it isn’t always the most appetizing dish to make (if you’ve eaten it a thousand times before.)

I find the solution is to vary the sauces you use and I like to make different ones. You can also change up the rice you serve them on by using brown rice, white rice, red rice or a combination of any of them.

You can use this tahini sauce over steamed vegetables or stir fried vegetables in a non stick pan. (You don’t need to use oil in non stick pans, you can cook the vegetables by themselves or in a little water if necessary).

Use your favorite veggies and get creative!

Asian Vegetable Stir Fry in Tahini Sauce

Serves 2

Tahini Sauce Ingredients:

1/3-1/2 cup water (I use the lower amount, my Vitamix pulverizes everything, only use higher amount for low powered blender)
2 tbsp tahini
2 large medjool dates, pitted (and chopped if necessary for your blender)
1 large clove of garlic
2 tsp of fresh chopped ginger
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce (GF if desired)

Stir Fry:

3-4 cups frozen or fresh mixed vegetables
1 1/2 cups cooked brown or white rice

Directions:

1. Combine sauce ingredients in a Vita-Mix or blender and blend until smooth. If using a basic blender you may need to use the higher amount of water and chop your garlic, ginger and dates to ensure that it blends properly.

2. Saute fresh or frozen vegetables in a wok or non-stick skillet with 1/2 cup water. Cover with a pot lid and steam until tender. Add additional water if necessary.

3. Assemble bowl. Add brown rice to a bowl or plate, top with vegetables and drizzle with tahini sauce.

4. Serve.

Additional Tips:

You can customize this sauce by adding more or less garlic or ginger or dates, or by swapping out the tahini for almond or peanut butter instead for variety.

To make this recipe really quickly you can use frozen stir fry veggies or pre cut fresh veggies from the produce section of the grocery store.

What’s in your favorite stir fry recipe?

The Best Low Fat Vegan Chef Recipes of 2012

January 2, 2013 by Veronica Grace 19 Comments

A little bit of a prelude:

2012 was an incredibly crazy year for me.

Here’s the short versionof it: My website really started growing back in January 2012. I went to Dr. John McDougall’s 3 Day Advanced Study Weekend in February and started promoting my site to the McDougalls and others I met there. I released my first solo recipe ebook in March, Comfort Soups To Keep You Warm. I moved into a new house just outside of Vancouver at the end of May. By July I was on my own and working full time to support myself with this website. (I haven’t really told you everything that happened, but I was left by myself outside Vancouver, BC with zero notice from my husband and no money.) In August divorce papers were filed against me. At the end of September I moved back to my home town in Calgary, AB. to be near my friends and family and start over. In October I launched my second major ebook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World and sold over 300 copies myself in the first few weeks. (I had never felt so loved by you guys, seriously you made my year!) In December I moved all my products (twice) to test out different systems and streamlined everything so it was much easier for you guys to access my ebooks. And here we are in January of a New Year!

Now I know this is all a condensed version and filled with lots of ups and downs, and I’m sure I surprised many of you. Maybe I will talk about some of what happened last summer later but I’m really not sure what to say about that right now. It’s a very shocking story and might be hard for you to believe.

Well push came to shove, and I needed my own actual income (I didn’t have any personal income for a few years, I worked for free essentially) and to be able to support myself immediately, so I started promoting my recipe ebooks along with giving free recipes each week and thanks to you I have made it so far (and not crashed and burned!)

I have to say a really heartfelt thank you because I honestly don’t know what I would be doing without your support and kind words. Probably waitressing or something before I figured out what else I wanted to do, but being a health minded vegan you can see how unappealing that line of work would be!

But I wanted to highlight my top favorite recipes on the blog to celebrate all the delicious food we’ve made together and to remind you that we’re just getting started. We’re really just into the second year of this blog (as there wasn’t much happening back in 2011.) And this was something that I thought I would just poke away at and it’s really taken off!

Chef’s Pick of The Best Low Fat Vegan Recipes of 2012

From January:

Low Fat Vegan Deluxe Dijon Tofu Scramble With Veggies

Over the holidays I had made a few vegan breakfasts for my family while visiting in Texas. (They are Canadian, they just have a winter home in Texas) and it was my mom’s first season eating plant based so I did most of the cooking. This recipe is inspired by a recipe I tried by another vegan chef I met in Vancouver from VeganMischief. It is still my favorite tofu scramble and I really wish that more vegetarian restaurants would season their tofu as most of the time it’s so bland and not tasty! Tofu needs seasonings if it’s going to be in breakfast foods. 🙂

How To Cook Quinoa Perfectly Every Time

Quinoa is something that often eludes newbies as to how to cook it properly. I did some research and testing found out the reason most people don’t like or overcook quinoa is that they add a 2:1 ratio of water to quinoa. This mistake is perpetuated by grocery stores and manufacturers as instructions often say use a 2:1 ratio. It just yields mushy overcooked quinoa people! So I show you exactly how to cook quinoa perfectly and by using a 1:1 ratio of water to quinoa. Even today this is still one of my number one searched for blog posts. So spread the word!

From February:

Fat Free Vegan Eggplant Chickpea Indian Curry With Fire Roasted Tomatoes

This is a variation on one of Susan V’s (from Fat Free Vegan) recipes I made as I had previous created a chickpea curry and an eggplant curry for Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World and I was curious what it would taste like to put both ingredients together. The result is absolutely delicious and quite stunning when you garnish it with fresh cilantro. 🙂

Fat Free Vegan “Clean Out The Refrigerator” Fuhrman Style Soup

I had spent most of December and January at my mom’s place in Texas working on recipes for both Comfort Soups To Keep You Warm and Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World, so I hadn’t been blogging much. Just cooking like crazy! I was finishing up a few more recipes and photos to put in Comfort Soups and this was one of them!

From March:

The Best Low Fat Vegan Tofu Omelette

Omelettes are something you may miss at first on a vegan diet, so I wanted to make a delicious alternative. I have made this recipe for my family many times and it tastes very much like an omelette. The secret is using silken tofu, because it can be blended and poured just like beaten eggs or pancake batter, so you can make them as big or small as you like. These tend to work best if you make them small to medium sized. The bigger they are the longer they take to cook, so you have to be patient. The possibilities for filling your omelette are endless so give it a try!

Mexican Black Bean Corn Soup

In March I launched Comfort Soups To Keep You Warm, with over 30 homemade soup recipes. It was my first solo recipe ebook and I had a lot of fun making it. I still make soup regularly because it’s so much tastier than what comes out of a box or a can (not to mention healthier too) and it’s easy to freeze and keep for later. My mom makes these soup recipes all the time as well as she’s on the go and needs quick and healthy meals.

Mexican Black Bean Corn Soup is one of my favorites from the ebook, so definitely check it out. This recipe is also featured on the Forks Over Knives website!

From April:

Low Fat Vegan Apple Strawberry Giant Strudel Pie in Phyllo Pastry

This recipe has gotten rave reviews from everyone and is a great alternative to apple pie. Phyllo pastry is lighter and lower in fat than traditional crusts and this can be a better for you dessert if you’re trying to watch your fat and calories. Don’t be intimidated by working with phyllo, I’ve got excellent instructions for you to make assembling this strudel pie very easy. This is one of my favorite desserts and adding strawberries or another berry really makes this a beautiful dish.

Oil Free Low Fat Vegan Chickpea Hummus

This hummus recipe is from my new recipe ebook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World, which is full of comforting entrees, snacks, dips, spreads, sauces and gravies to help spice up your menu repertoire. Hummus is quite popular nowadays, but most recipes contain a lot of oil, so I wanted to show you how to make your own low fat recipe at home and then you can season it to taste with lemon, garlic, salt and seasonings.

From May:

Quick Lower Fat Vegan Pad Thai Recipe

Pad Thai can be quite delicious, but it’s usually really greasy and contains far too much oil. In this recipe I’ll teach you how to quickly “fry” your rice stick noodles without any oil and serve them with vegetables in a tangy Thai-like sauce.

Oil Free Vegan Fudgey BlackBerry Brownies

These brownies are a real treat. The blackberries add a natural sweetness to it, so they don’t even need to be iced and they still look really delicious. The secret to having them turn out fudgey is to not over-bake them and let them set in the refrigerator until they have firmed up in the middle. When served they are nice and fudgey in the center.

From June:

Fat Free Vegan Indian Tarka Chana Dal Curry

This is a deliciously spiced and thick dal curry that is really easy to make and is great served with fresh basmati rice or Indian flat bread. There are a million different ways to make dal and I think you’ll enjoy my version.

Fat Free Vegan Slow Cooker Indian Dal With Mixed Vegetables

This is a really easy recipe to make using the slow cooker or crock pot. Some lentils such as chana dal and split peas can take longer to cook, so this is an easy set it and forget it recipe you can make early in the day to have a warm dinner to come home to. It’s inspired from a thick dal soup from one of my favorite Indian places in Vancouver.

From July:

Super Protein Packed Spinach Salad With Quinoa, Chickpeas and Creamy Orange Hemp Seed Dressing

This is one of my favorite salad recipes, it’s hearty and filling and packed with lots of different textures and flavors. If you find salads a little unappetizing or boring to eat, you should definitely try this recipe. I especially love the creamy homemade dressing, which is quite easy to whip up in the blender too.

From August:

The Best Raw Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing

This is probably my most popular salad dressing recipe. I have made it many times and it’s always a hit no matter who I’m serving. It’s a great alternative to bottled dressing and it can also be used as a dip for veggies or pita chips. The seasonings are really what take this recipe from ordinary to extraordinary. I know you’re going to love it!

From September:

Low Fat Vegan Easy Mini Lasagna Casserole

I love homemade vegan lasagna, but it can take quite a while to prep and put together. So i designed this recipe to be much faster and go together like a casserole instead. You still get all that delicious lasagna flavor in less than half the work and time. If you can find mini lasagna noodles, use them, but you can easily substitute any other shape of noodle you desire.

How To Cook Dried Chickpeas From Scratch

Fresh chickpeas are incredibly tasty and much better for you than canned ones. I try to make fresh chickpeas as often as I can and have created instructions for cooking them in a pressure cooker or on the stove top. You can use fresh cooked chickpeas to make your own hummus, add to soups, add to curries, salads and many more dishes. Chickpeas are so versatile you can add them to almost any meal. If you’ve never had fresh chickpeas, you’re missing out so definitely check out this recipe.

From October:

Low Fat Vegan Greek Stuffed Eggplant

I love eggplant in any recipe. It was once a vegetable I was apprehensive about and didn’t think I would like. But the key to enjoying eggplant is cooking it properly. I loved having Greek stuffed eggplant in Greece so I designed this recipe as a fat free version with lots of flavor.

Low Fat Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

This is one of my favorite recipes, and I often make it for guests unfamiliar with vegan food. The butternut squash helps add color, flavor and thickens the cheesy sauce and baking it with panko bread crumbs on top makes it have a nice crunch. You can easily make this recipe gluten free as well and it’s a delicious healthier version of an old classic.

Low Fat Vegan Stuffed Quinoa Zucchini Boats

I made this recipe for Canadian Thanksgiving and it was so good I wanted to share it. I really love making stuffed vegetables for entrees as they are quite pretty and it’s a good way to show omnivores how to make an actual entree instead of just having vegetable sides served together on one plate for holiday meals. This recipe can easilly be made in advance and reheated the next day for a quick lunch or dinner.

Red Lentil Indian Tarka Dal Curry

Red Lentil Ta rka Dal Curry

This is a different spin on lentil curry, this time using red lentils (the fastest cooking split lentil). I often make this when I’m looking for a quick meal and serve it along with basmati rice. It’s very colorful and flavorful and you can make it as mild or spicy as you like.

From November:

Low Fat Vegan Carrot Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I love both pumpkin and carrot muffins, so I decided to combine this into a delicious new recipe. It’s very low in fat, high in fibre and packed full of vegetables. Who knew you could have a healthy muffin that tasted just as great? These are easy to make and can be frozen individually for quick snacks or a light breakfast on the go.

Quinoa Chickpea Pil aff

Quinoa is great to use for variety instead of rice and cooks very quickly. Most people don’t cook quinoa properly and it can become too soft and mushy. I’ll show you how to cook it perfectly and then use it in a variety of ways such as a side dish or cold salads.

From December:

Fat Free Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Banana bread was one of my favorite treats as a kid, so in this recipe I show you how to make it much healthier and completely oil free. This recipe yields a moist dense loaf and is very tasty.

Pomegranate Apple Green Salad With Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

I love making colorful salads and pomegranates are a nice addition to many holiday recipes. You can buy them whole or get them pre-peeled to make things easier. I love the accompanying dressing for this recipe too as it’s very bright and flavorful.

Well those are my top recommended recipes from the blog for 2012. I hope I listed some of your favorites and some you’ll want to try out. We did a lot in 2012 and I’m looking forward to creating many more delicious recipes to share with you for 2013!

Which ones have you tried or want to try this year?

Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli and Mushrooms

December 27, 2012 by Veronica Grace 16 Comments

Sometimes I like to play around with my own recipes and change them up for variety! This is a different spin on my Low Fat Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. This time I’ve left out the panko breadcrumbs so you can see all those lovely vegetables inside!

I’ve added lightly steamed broccolini/brocolette (a milder form of broccoli) and sautéed mushrooms to the mix!

So now not only is this probably the healthiest baked mac and cheese ever (cuz it’s oil free, cheese free and gluten friendly) but it’s packed full of nutritional powerhouse vegetables such as butternut squash, garlic and onions (used in the sauce) and broccoli and mushrooms.

This is just one of 60 delicious recipes in my Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World recipe ebook.

I’m sure kids would love this recipe too because the veggies are fairly mild tasting and covered in sauce!

Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli and Mushrooms

adapted from my Baked Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese in Comfort Foods From Around The World

Note: Because I added vegetables to this recipe, the flavor of the sauce needs to be enhanced so I increased the amounts of seasonings.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

½ medium butternut squash (or 1 2/3 cups cooked and mashed)
16 oz./454 g package elbow macaroni or spirals (for GF use Tinkyada brown rice pasta for best results)
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. salt (*optional for pasta)
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped into little pieces
1 cup mushroom slices, chopped
1/2 – 3/4 cup vegetable broth (for cooking)
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 – 4 tsp. brown rice miso (use a lot more if using shiro/white/yellow miso)
3 cups almond milk (unsweetened original)
2 tbsp. flour or cornstarch
3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 – 1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
3/4 – 1 tsp. salt (*optional for sauce)

Topping:
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

Directions:

1. Peel and cube the butternut squash and bring to a boil and steam just until soft. Alternatively you can cook in a pressure cooker at high pressure for 5-7 minutes. Drain well. (Tip, if your squash is hard to peel or cut, pop it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes to soften the skin to make it easier to slice.) Measure out 1 2/3 cup of mashed squash and set aside.

2. In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil and then add salt if desired. Add pasta and cook just before tender (about 2 minutes less than package directions). Generally it’s about 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander and rinse in cold water. (Do not overcook the pasta.)

3. In a non-stick pan, saute mushrooms in 1/4 cup of water over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and a little more water and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 177 C.

5. In a large saucepan heat vegetable broth over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 5-6 minutes until tender adding broth when needed to prevent burning.

6. Add cooked onions and any remaining broth from pan into Vita-Mix or food processor, add mashed squash, 1 cup almond milk and miso and blend until combined. Set aside.

7. In the same large saucepan add 1 cup of the almond milk and sprinkle 1 tbsp. of the flour or cornstarch when hot and whisk in. Add the remaining 1 cup of milk and sprinkle in another tbsp. of flour. Whisk this together fast. It’s ok if there are a few small bits of flour still.

8. Cook the sauce for a minute or two until hot and quickly add the squash mixture and whisk in. Heat through another minute or two and then add the nutritional yeast and whisk in. Turn off heat and add remaining seasonings starting with the lower amounts. Taste test and add additional seasonings to your liking.

9. Add drained pasta and mushrooms and broccoli to sauce pot and stir to coat. Spread out in a casserole dish. (If you want to add some vegan cheese like Daiya cheese you would layer some in now and mix it in, but I don’t feel the need to add it personally.)

10. Bake for 20-30 minutes just until pasta is tender. (20 minutes if you slightly overcooked your pasta, 30 minutes if you didn’t)

11. Serve.

Additional Tips:

To save time you can use frozen cubed butternut squash and then cook it and mash it, or use canned butternut squash. Both are sold at health food stores in North America.

Smoked paprika (also called Spanish Paprika) is much more flavourful than traditional paprika, it lends a nice smokey flavor to this cheesy sauce. McCormick makes one, or you can get it at some ethnic or Indian markets.

Brown rice miso paste is the best for this recipe, is has a stronger tangier flavor than the lighter misos. This is what gives the sauce a tangy cheezy flavor. If you don’t use it your sauce will not taste like a cheese sauce.

If you’d like a runnier mac and cheese you can add an extra 1/4 cup of almond milk to the sauce, but you’ll need to add some more seasonings to readjust the flavor.

Have you ever made an oil free, cheese free mac and cheese recipe? What did you use?

Gluten Free Vegan (Flourless) Black Bean Brownies

December 19, 2012 by Veronica Grace 66 Comments

Ooh black bean brownies… Have you ever heard of them before? They’re gaining popularity in the vegan, gluten free and health food movement. It’s a completely flourless brownie and has very few ingredients.

This is my take on the black bean brownie inspired by Dr. Fuhrman’s recipe. If you’re looking for something that is vegan and gluten free and a “better for you” treat, check these out.

I promise you will not taste beans in this recipe! When they are pureed they act as the batter in brownies and plain unsalted black beans have little flavor anyway. This recipe is also sugar free! It gets its sweetness from whole pitted dates, so it has natural fibre and vitamins in it instead of plain old sugar.

The only thing really essential to making this recipe is having a food processor or a high powered blender with a tamper such as a Vita-Mix. You need to get these ingredients pureed into a batter/dough to press into the pan.

If you’re craving brownies you should give these a try!

Gluten Free Vegan Black Bean Brownies

(Inspired by Dr. Fuhrman’s Black Bean brownies)

Makes 12 brownies

Ingredients:

1 19 oz./793 g can black beans (salt free) or 2 cups fresh cooked black beans, drained
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp almond butter or peanut butter
12 large medjool dates, pitted (18-24 if using smaller dates)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp ceylon (sweet) cinnamon
2 tbsp quick/instant oats (optional, use only if mixture is too wet)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 177 C.

2. Chop the dates into small pieces. Combine black beans, dates, vanilla and almond butter in a food processor or Vita-Mix and blend until smooth. (Food processor preferred.)

3. Add cocoa and cinnamon and blend again. (Do NOT add cocoa until the previous ingredients are blended or it will be virtually impossible to mix)

4. If mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of peanut butter. If mixture is too wet, add oats and process again.

5. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper leaving enough to fold up the sides.

6. Spoon mixture into pan and spread out with spatula or hands.

7. Bake for 30 minutes.

8. Allow to cool and then cool in the freezer for 2 hours to set up before slicing.

9. Top with frosting or fruit if desired and serve.

Nutritional Info: 12 Servings Amount Per Serving: Calories 134.0 Total Fat 2.3 g Saturated Fat 0.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.2 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 10.1 mg Potassium 349.4 mg Total Carbohydrate 28.3 g Dietary Fiber 5.8 g Sugars 16.0 g Protein 4.2 g

Have you ever had black bean brownies before? What’s your favorite way to use black beans?

(Vegan) Holiday Eggnog Smoothie

December 16, 2012 by Veronica Grace 15 Comments

When I was a kid I used to love eggnog. I have no idea why, but I would go crazy for it at Christmas and couldn’t help myself. Now I can’t even imagine drinking that stuff because it’s just so thick and rich and obviously not vegan. Last year I tried some vegan eggnog from the health food store, but it was also very thick and rich. My tastes have definitely changed and it just wasn’t my thing!

So this year I decided to make a healthier version, using ripe bananas. If your bananas are really ripe and spotted it will make the perfect drink. Please do not use green/yellow bananas as they are too starchy and not sweet enough or ripe enough to be used in smoothies. The bananas I used for this recipe looked like the one on the right, lots of dark brown speckles.

First I peeled and froze some bananas the night before, and then I left a few ripe ones on the counter to use in smoothies as well.

I find frozen bananas are excellent for adding an ice-creamy like texture to blended drinks, so I highly recommend trying it! They make this eggnog smoothie so delicious I’ve been making them all weekend! It takes a boring old banana smoothie to the next level!

To make this creamy you’ll need some non dairy milk as well too. I used almond milk. To make this a completely raw recipe, you can make your own raw almond milk from my recipe here.

Either way I think you will have a new favorite holiday breakfast or snack recipe! Feel free to impress your family or guests with this one too!

(Vegan) Holiday Eggnog Smoothie

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk, or other non dairy milk (unsweetened)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 ripe bananas, frozen (and broken into pieces if using a regular blender)
1 fresh ripe banana
1/4-1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon (true cinnamon)
dash or two of ground nutmeg
dash or two of ground cloves

Directions:

Place ingredients into blender or Vitamix and combine until smooth and creamy. If using a regular blender you may want to let the bananas defrost for a few minutes before blending to make it easier on the blender. Cutting them into smaller pieces helps too.
Garnish with additional cinnamon or nutmeg if desired.
Serve immediately

Additional Tips:

If you don’t have plain cloves or nutmeg you can use a little pumpkin pie spice instead.

What’s your favorite holiday beverage?

Pomegranate Apple Green Salad With Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

December 10, 2012 by Veronica Grace 5 Comments

The other day I went to a raw food potluck in Calgary and someone made this delicious salad that had a bunch of mixed vegetables and pomegranate seeds and it was quite delicious. So I thought why not make my own pomegranate salad for the holiday season?

To easily peel a pomegranate, you can cut it in half and fill a large bowl or sink full of water. Start peeling off the outer peel. The seeds will sink and the white parts will float so you can scoop them out and discard them. Once you’re done peeling everything apart you can drain the water and you’re left with pomegranate seeds.

(Or you can go to Costco and buy packages of fresh pre peeled pomegranate seeds in the refrigerated produce section if you don’t want to peel one.)

This is a really lovely salad that I designed to be really simple to make yet seem a little fancier. It’s got antioxidants from the pomegranate and the raspberries and omega 3’s from the walnuts (in the dressing).

I prefer to make all of my own salad dressings and not use any oil in them at all. So I used walnut pieces for healthy fats in this dressing. If you don’t have fresh raspberries right now, you can also use frozen. Just let them sit out for a few minutes to defrost a little first.

So let’s check out the recipe:

Raw Vegan Pomegranate Apple Green Salad

(With Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette)

Serves 2 side salads or 1 medium/large salad

Salad:

4-6 cups mixed greens
1-2 apples peeled and sliced
1-2 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
3 tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds

Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup mandarin orange juice (2 oranges)
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp broken walnut pieces
2 large medjool dates, pitted
1 tbsp Trader Joe’s orange muscat champagne vinegar/other fruit vinegar/apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp Herbamare or salt *optional

Directions:

Arrange the salad ingredients in side salad bowls or a large serving bowl.
Place the salad dressing ingredients into a Vita-Mix or a blender and process until smooth.
Drizzle dressing overtop of salad.
Serve.

Additional Tips:

Feel free to double this recipe if you’re entertaining.

What’s your favorite holiday salad? Have you ever used pomegranates in a recipe?

Fat Free Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Bread

December 3, 2012 by Veronica Grace 54 Comments

Banana bread is one of my favorite childhood treats. I remember baking it many times and trying to pack as much banana flavor into it as possible. But traditional banana bread isn’t very healthy. It’s made with white flour, oil, eggs and sugar. It’s also not usually vegan.

So I wanted to make a fat free oil free vegan version of banana bread and this one uses stone ground whole wheat flour. Even though it’s oil free, it’s actually very moist and a very similar texture to regular banana bread. I was really impressed with this recipe.

Instead of sugar I’ve used maple syrup, but you can also use another liquid sweetener such as honey or agave if desired, but since they are sweeter than maple syrup you should use a little less.

The best banana bread is made with VERY ripe bananas, who’s skins have turned black and are very soft. If you use regular yellow or spotted bananas they won’t be sweet enough for this bread. When bananas ripen the natural starch inside is turned into sugar by enzymes, so it’s important to let your bananas ripen a lot before using them.

The key to slicing fresh banana bread is making sure you let it cool completely before slicing it. It makes it easier to cut and you have less chance of tearing it.

Then you can wrap it up or store it in air tight containers.

Scroll down for the recipe.

Fat Free Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Bread

1 loaf (12 slices)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups overripe mashed bananas (about 3 large, 4 medium)
1/3 cup almond milk
1/2 cup maple syrup (or 1/4-1/3 cup honey or agave because it’s sweeter)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour (or other whole grain, or gluten free)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Note: for a sweeter (more traditional) loaf you can add an additional 1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/177 C.

2. Combine wet ingredients in a large size bowl and mix together.

3. Combine dry ingredients into a medium size bowl and whisk together.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until combined. If you want to add some dry ingredients such as fruit or nuts gently fold them in now.

5. Pour batter into a non stick silicone loaf pan or a lightly oil spritzed metal loaf pan. Use a spatula to smooth out the top. Sprinkle additional cinnamon on top if desired.

6. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a knife in the middle comes out clean.

7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cookie rack to completely before slicing.

8. Serve.

Additional Tips:

If you tend to have bananas that ripen and then turn black before you can use them, you can peel them and place them in a bag or in a plastic container in the freezer. Then take them out and thaw them for this recipe. It’s nice to have overripe bananas whenever you have an incling to make banana bread.

What’s your favorite addition to bake into banana bread? Walnuts? Raisins? Berries?

Vegan Quinoa Chickpea Pilaff

November 26, 2012 by Veronica Grace 18 Comments

Quinoa is all the rage now, and so are quinoa salads and pilaffs. There are hundreds of ways to season quinoa and you don’t have to just eat it plain on the side. If you find cooking quinoa properly still a challenge, check out my post How To Cook Quinoa Perfectly to make sure your next batch turns out amazing.

This time I decided to mix things up and make my quinoa a little different. A heartier side filled with chickpeas, carrots, onions and celery. This would work as a warm side dish, a cold salad, or you can make it a meal by adding some sautéed tofu, tempeh or soy curls on top as well.

To get those pretty colours I used both white and red quinoa in this dish. Feel free to use either, I just like the look of multicoloured quinoa for some variety. This recipe makes a lot so it’s great for leftovers you can keep in the fridge or freezer for a quick meal or snack later on as well.

Quinoa Chickpea Pilaf

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa (I used 1 cup white and 1/2 cup red)
3 cups/709.76 ml low sodium vegetable broth
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 15 oz./425g can of chickpeas
2-3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or GF tamari)
2 tsp roasted cumin (ground)
1/2 tsp roasted coriander (ground)
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 tsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (or other salt free seasoning mix) *optional

Directions:

1. Sauté the onions, carrots and celery in 1/2 cup of broth for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute and add the chickpeas.

2. Add remaining broth to a medium pot, quinoa, seasonings and saucepan ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low (about 3 on the burner) and cook covered for 25 to 30 minutes until quinoa is cooked. (If you put it on very low, or 1, it probably won’t have enough heat to cook the quinoa because of the other ingredients.)

3. Stir as required to prevent sticking at the bottom.

4. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Have you ever had a quinoa pilaff? What’s your favorite way to season quinoa?

Fat Free Vegan Spaghetti Marinara With Chickpeas

November 25, 2012 by Veronica Grace 9 Comments

So this is a recipe I made one day when I wasn’t sure what to throw into the spaghetti… I thought why not try a bit of chickpea for something to chew on. The results were not bad, but you definitely need a lot of sauce to add some flavour.

I used whole wheat pasta in this recipe, you can use gluten free or another variety if desired as well. Feel free to add some chopped steamed veggies to your marinara sauce as well if desired.

I just thought this vegan spaghetti recipe was too pretty not to share!

Spaghetti and Chickpeas With Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce:

Yields 50 oz/1.5 L of sauce

1 large onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 cups canned tomatoes, diced whole or crushed (about 3 14 oz/396 g cans)
1 6 oz./170 g can tomato paste
3 tbsp sugar or sweetener (or as desired)
2 tsp dried oregano
3 tsp dried basil

Spaghetti:

1/2 box whole wheat or gluten free spaghetti
1/2 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with cool water and bring to a boil. Add salt if desired and then add pasta and cook until desired tenderness.

2. Meanwhile prepare the pasta sauce. In a large non-stick skillet or saucepan add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute or two. Add the tomatoes and seasonings and cook for 5-8 minutes until the tomatoes break down a little. Add sauce to a Vita-Mix, food processor or blender and then blend until smooth. Return to pan to keep warm.

3. When pasta is cooked, drain and then combine with the pasta sauce. Use whatever pot is bigger and toss the pasta with the sauce.

4. Plate and then garnish with chickpeas and additional basil if desired.

What’s your favorite addition to vegan spaghetti?