- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Dice peaches into small cubes and set aside
- To make your own oat flour, place 1 cup of rolled oats in a blender and pulse until flour begins to form. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- In a high speed blender or food processor combine pitted dates, water, coconut butter, nut butter and blend until ingredients are well combined and a paste begins to form. Pour this mixture into a large bowl along with oat flour, cinnamon and salt.
- Mix well with a spatula and then add your rolled oats and walnuts.
- You can use your hands to mix to give it more of a “crumbled” look.
Scoop diced peaches into your single size serving containers 3/4 of a way full. - Then cover each container with crumble, this should be about 1/4 cup of crumble for each peach crumble.
- Place each peach crumble on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
- You can enjoy as is or top off with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice-cream, a sprinkle of extra walnuts, a drizzle of nut butter and ENJOY.
- 6 (yellow & ripe) peaches, diced
For the crumble
- 1 cup oat flour (or you can make your own, see step 3)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp cashew butter or any nut butter of your choice
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1 tbsp coconut butter
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
Healthy? YES HEALTHY. There is no refined sugars, oil or gluten in this peach crumble. It is made with 100% whole foods! You may be thinking…ok alexa, then how is this even dessert? When it comes to desserts I typically go all in. I think its important to treat our selves with a decedent, not so healthy dessert …as long as it’s vegan. Although SOMETIMES I am able to make a dessert that is SO delicious yet HEALTHY. THANK GOD. Dessert without guilt is the the BEST.
So peach season in California is during the summer. As summer is coming to an end I knew I had to perfect this recipe ASAP to give all my Californians a chance to enjoy this bomb dessert before the peaches leave us! If you’re reading this and we are not in peach season, that is okay! You can use apples or even a mix of berries! In the past I have spiced up the peaches by making it a “peach filling” as you would for a pie, where I sautéed the peaches in a concoction of spices and sugars… Although I have learned that there really is no need for that. When you have a sweet, ripe and flavorful peach it can stand alone! So seriously you guys, it is as simple as chopping up the peaches & THAT IS IT as far as the filling goes!
As for this crumble. OH BOY it is so good. Dates and oats work so well together. Traditional crumbles have loads of butter and while we could have used vegan butter…a little combination of nut and coconut butter can do the job just fine! Remember goal is to make this so healthy we can acceptably eat it for breakfast… hehe.
So lets talk about that generous, luscious ice cream scoop on top of the crumble (I used one of my FAVORITE non dairy ice creams Nadamoo vanilla bean). Is that healthy too? hmmm complex question… I would say miles healthier then dairy ice cream but does not necessarily fall under the “whole foods”, healthy, clean, whatever you want to call it umbrella. But hey! balance? Maybe compromise a scoop of ice cream since the crumble is healthy! or just leave it out, OR make your own “nice cream”. Whatever your heart desires, enjoy every bite!
Healthy Peach Crumble
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- In a large bowl, add the flour, water, coconut oil*, and salt. Knead the dough with your hands for 3 to 4 minutes, until it’s a smooth ball.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and set in the fridge while you assemble the filling.
- Saute onions, garlic and tomatoes for 10 minutes on medium high heat, add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a food processor put cooked tomato mixture with chipotle peppers and blend for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until a chunky salsa is formed.
- In the same pan you cooked the tomatoes and onions (do not wash pan) add tempeh and mushrooms and sauté on medium heat for 7 min.
- Open can of black beans, rinse with water and then add to the tempeh and mushroom mixture.
- Immediately after add the tomato chipotle sauce to the tempeh mixture and stir until everything is well combined.
- Turn off heat and transfer mixture to a large bowl to let cool. Give the mixture a good mix for about a minute to release extra heat. You want your mixture to be cooled before you assemble the empanadas.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 8 equal pieces and shape into small flat rounds.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface with 1 tbsp of flour. Roll out each dough piece into a round about an ⅛ of an inch thick (sprinkle additional flour on your table or dough as necessary).
- Place a large spoonful of filling in the center. Fold the dough over to close and use a fork to press the two sides together at the seam.
- Wipe the large skillet clean and heat over medium-high heat. Brush 1/4 tsp of vegan butter on the tops of the empanadas. (You can try to avoid using the vegan butter by using a non stick pan, although you will not get the same crispy browned look and taste. I did some with vegan butter and some without.)
- Once hot, add the empanadas top side down and cook until well browned, about 1-2 minute on each side. Flip empanadas, cook for an additional minute, and then transfer to a baking sheet, browned side facing up. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the cilantro cream sauce by adding all the ingredients to a high speed blender and blending until smooth and creamy. (If you’re using a food processor make sure to soak your cashews for at least 2 hours In filtered water.)
- Once empanadas are ready remove from the oven and serve with slices of avocado and a side of the cilantro cream.
The coconut oil in the recipe is optional. As some of you may know, I typically put out recipes that are oil free, although for this particular recipe I do have to say that using oil makes the crust of the empanada have a more traditional taste, leaving it moist, soft and flakey. I did some without the oil, and while it was still tasty, It was slightly dry and not as tasty as the oil ones! Your call! ENJOY!
Makes 8 Empanadas
For the dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour (+1/4 cup more for when you roll out the dough)
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 4 tbsp coconut oil (or water, See note below)
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the filling
- 3 cups yellow or regular tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 3 chipotle peppers from can with seeds removed
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 8 oz tempeh
- 2 cups button mushrooms, chopped into very small pieces
- 1 15 ounce can black beans
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
For the cilantro cream
- 3/4 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tso onion powder
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Crack of pepper
- Juice of one lime
SO this happened! I have to give full credit to Chancy for the idea of this recipe. Although yes I may have creating the recipe, he 100% is responsible for the idea! Not surprised! That man loves his empanadas! Empanadas are a traditional food popular in latin and South America. They’re fried or baked pastries stuffed with sweet or savory fillings.
They’re eaten often in the Mexican culture although my mexican mother NEVER made or had them in the household growing up. I remember having them every so often at parties or seeing them in Mexico on family trips. My mother didn’t see anything healthy about a fried piece of dough filled with meats and cheese and I can’t blame her!
I can’t deny it, I see why they’re so popular in latin cultures. Whats not to love? I ate a fair share of hot pockets in high school which is practically the Americanized version of a empanada! haha.
Chancy looked at me with his big, hungry, (yet so cute) eyes and said “Babe, VEGAN EMPANADAS!” And then followed a “Pleaseeeeeee”. I gave him the honest answer of, I’m sure I can pull it off, although I need to do my research and try a few different recipes before I can get it right. So with patience, time, a tummy full of empanadas I finally figured out the right dough, filling and method.
The filling is something that came to me in my mind when I was writing out recipe ideas. I often do this… I think of a recipe in my mind and know it will taste amazing. Its strange but it works.This stems from me either being hungry or thinking about childhood meals, passed recipes I have developed or meals I loves from restaurants from my travels. My mind will run in circles and the creative juices start flowing. I love the texture of tempeh and love that it absorbs and adapts nicely to any flavor you attack it with. I decided to pair the tempeh with mushrooms because mushrooms have a meaty like texture but also has moisture which is a nice contrast with the tempeh.
Disclaimer! You will have left over filling mixture. But this stuff is SO good you will be stoked. You can throw the mixture over rice, put it into a burrito OR double the dough mixture.
Vegan Chipotle Empanadas
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Next, prepare batter. Mix dry ingredients together, and then add soy milk. Stir with a whisk or fork until well combined. You want the batter thick but pourable so it can stick to the cauliflower… if it is too runny, it won’t stick.
- Once the oven is preheated, add cauliflower one at a time to the batter to coat. Shake off excess and place on baking sheet. Easiest done with a fork! Give each piece 1 inch of room.
- Peel and chop potatoes into thick fries. Place the fries in a large zip lock bag along with all the spices, seal the bag and shake!
- Line the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with 1/2 inch between each potato.
- Place potato fries in the oven first. After being in the oven for 7 minutes put in cauliflower wings on the rack under the potatoes.
- Potatoes will bake for 32 minutes total and the wings will bake for 25 minutes total.
- Meanwhile, In a medium size bowl combine all ranch ingredients and mix until well combined. Set aside in fridge until ready to use.
- Once the cauliflower its ready, remove from oven. Place cauliflower wings in a large bowl and mix with 1 cup of buffalo sauce. Make sure each cauliflower is coated. Place cauliflower wings back on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 more minutes .
- Once you take the wings out of the oven you can coat once again with 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce or keep as is.
- To assemble, place fries on a serving dish followed by the buffalo cauliflower wings, finish off with a generous drizzle of vegan ranch and a sprinkle of cilantro for garnish.
Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 1/4 Cup unsweetened soy milk or any plant milk
- 1 Cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1 Cup frank’s red hot sauce or any vegan buffalo sauce
Seasoned Fries
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 4-6 russet potatoes, peeled
Vegan Ranch
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo, I used the brand “follow your heart”
- 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Vegan Buffalo Fries
- Cut cauliflower into florets.
- Sauté deiced onions for two minutes on medium to high heat with water and season with salt and pepper to taste
- Add cauliflower to the onions and cook for 10 minutes. Add 4 tbsp of water at a time throughout process. Each time the water evaporates and the cauliflower begins to stick the the pan, add more water & cover with a lid to let the cauliflower steam.
- In a small bowl combine cornstarch and 4 tbsp water, mix and set aside.
- Put the orange juice, soy sauce, coconut aminos, maple syrup, vinegar and crushed garlic in a small sauce pan on medium heat and whisk together and let heat up for 1 minute. Add in cornstarch and water mixture and heat until bubbling and starting to thicken, cook for 5 minutes, then turn off heat.
- Add chopped purple cabbage to the cauliflower & onion mixture and cook for a for two minutes.
- Pour sauce over the cauliflower, stir making sure all the cauliflower florets are fully coated and let mixture heat up for 3 minutes are medium to low heat.
- Serve with white or brown rice & a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.
- 1 Cauliflower, About 3-4 cups
- 1/2 cup purple cabbage, diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Orange sauce
- 1/2 cup orange juice (fresh if possible)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 4 tbsp water
Orange chicken is a dish I enjoyed frequently from Chinese restaurants and fast food chains in my pre vegan days. Chancy and I would enjoy Panda Express ( a fast food Chinese joint) almost on a weekly basis in our first years of dating. It was so interesting because we knew going into a meal there, that we would not feel so good afterwards…hmm but still didn’t stop us! haha. We always got that sluggish, gross feeling post Chinese food meal.
I created this sticky sweet orange sauce and thought what better veggie to enjoy this with then cauliflower! Cauliflower is an amazing source of vitamin C, vitamin K, Fiber and so many more vitamins. Oh and it tastes amazing when given the extra love and attention… aka when its given an amazing sauce to go with!
I went back and forth wether I should go a more traditional route. One of the reasons why traditional orange chicken is so tasty is because it is FRIED! I mean we all can’t denny that anything fried is delicious. I decided to skip out on frying the cauliflower because well, its so tasty as is, without all the oil and breading. This is something that can be enjoyed multiple times a week because it is packed with nutrients and good for the body… Maybe eventually chancy will twist my arm enough to try a fried version… but until then, enjoy this amazingly tasty & very health vegan version of orange “chicken”
Vegan Orange "Chicken"
- Dice mushrooms, red onion, watered chestnuts, green onions and purple cabbage. Try to dice them as small as possible.
- Remove tofu from package and roll in paper towels until completely covered to soak up as much moisture as possible from the tofu.
- To a medium sized pan add onion and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes adding 1 tbsp of water at a time to prevent sticking.
- To the onions and garlic, crumble tofu with hands breaking it into small pieces, then add mushroom, carrots and purple cabbage and sauté for 5 minutes stirring throughout the process.
- After the 5 minutes, add water chestnuts, coconut aminos and hoisin sauce and sauté for another 5 minutes or until everything is thoroughly cooked through and tender.
- Turn off heat and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. You want the mixture to be warm but not too hot as it can wilt the butter lettuce.
- Chop the green onions thinly.
- Clean / separate butter lettuce leafs.
- Place a generous spoonful of the mixture in each butter leaf lettuce cup followed by a sprinkle of green onions and enjoy with a home made peanut sauce that can be found HERE
- 1 small red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 14 ounces Extra firm tofu
- 8 ounces mushrooms, button or cremini
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage or regular cabbage
- 5 ounces water chestnuts
- 4 tbsp coconut aminos, or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 4 green onions
- 1 head butter lettuce
These fresh and flavor lettuce cups are inspired by a popular dish served at the asian restaurant PF Changs. The lettuce cups from the restaurant are made with chicken, water chestnuts, green onions and sweet and salty sauce all wrapped in a butter lettuce leaf. I remember as a little girl loving these lettuce cups because they were so flavorful yet so fresh and light from the butter lettuce.
Mushrooms and tofu are a hearty plant protein that makes a dish filling and so satisfying. I love the combo of the two and knew they would be perfect in the lettuce cups! I also decided on throwing in some extra crisp vegetables like carrots and cabbage. These easily have become one of my favorite meals to make if I am in the mood for something fresh and light… especially in the recent hot summer days here in San Diego!
So these are delicious on their own but INCREDIBLE with my home made creamy peanut sauce that can be found HERE!
Asian Lettuce Cups
- On a medium pan. Add onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until almost translucent, adding 1-2 tbsp water throughout cooking process. Add garlic to onions and cook until softened.
- Add eggplant and sauté for 5 minutes, adding 1 tbsp of water at a time to prevent the mixture to stick to the pan.
- Add chopped tomatoes to the pan, and let simmer on low-medium heat until the sauce has thickened. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- Mix in garbanzo beans and let them warm through in the sauce. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Serve on toasted bread with a sprinkle of fresh basil and a little handful of olives
- 3 cups Heirloom tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups eggplant, chopped
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 15 ounce, can garbanzo beans
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 loaf of rustic bread
- 1/2 cup olives (optional)
- 1 small handful basil (optional)
Heirloom tomatoes are abundant this time of year! I am in love with making my own tomato sauces from scratch. The flavor explosion is unlike any store bought tomato sauce. This was created kind of on accident. I had over ripe tomatoes sitting on my counter top and the weekly eggplant I buy waiting to be eaten. YES! I buy eggplant nearly every week! It is one of my favorite vegetables. When eggplant is cooked down until its soft and tender, it melts in your mouth and is SO DELICIOUS. I feel like this vegetable is often times misunderstood! If you cook it right & give it a little extra love, I guarantee you will love it.
I always have a pantry stocked with beans. Black beans, great northern beans and GARBANZO BEANS! Aka CHICKPEAS. By the way, the name chickpeas is SO much cuter and more appealing then the name garbanzo beans… am I right? haha! but it seems that everywhere in the grocery stores, they’re only called garbanzo beans… so we’ll go with that. This recipe is so simple, yet so delicious. I can’t wait for you guys to try!
Garlicy Heirloom Tomato Chickpea
- Place all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium to low heat.
- Whisk together until well combined, whisk for 30 seconds, let simmer for 30 seconds, turn off heat and pour into a small bowl. (You may need to add more coconut milk until you reach the consistency you desire.)
- Enjoy with spring rolls, wraps, over rice bowls or any dish your heart desires.
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 1/2 tbsp cane sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
If you know me, you know that I have a ridiculous obsession with Thai food. I live for spring rolls with peanut sauce, pad thai, curry, and mango sticky rice. If I could be born into a culture aside from the Mexican culture I grew up in, it would be Thai culture. Not just for the food, but for the tradition and warm hearted people!
When I went to Thailand last summer I ate my weight in pad Thai noodles and peanut sauce. While all peanut sauces are great, they’re not all equal. I realized I would judge the greatness of a restaurant based on the peanut sauce they had. This is all becoming to sound so OVER THE TOP, but this is just how I feel. Sorry… haha!
So what is the best peanut sauce I have ever had prior to my “best peanut sauce” recipe? Hands down, without a doubt the best peanut sauce is from my favorite restaurant in San Diego called Plumeria Thai… and yes, even after traveling all the way to Thailand I still believe plumeria’s peanut sauce beats it all.
I never thought I would be a regular at a restaurant. I actually always kind of laughed at the idea of someone being a “regular” at a coffee shop and especially at a restaurant. Now, without shame I have fully accepted that I am a hard core regular, who gets greeted by all the staff when Chancy and I arrive to Plumeria. Because of the advantage of being friends with the staff, I was able to get insight as to SOME of the ingredients that are in the infamous peanut sauce. No measurements were given to me nor were all of the ingredients. All I had was just a glimmer of hope and drive to recreate this peanut sauce, and guess what… I succeeded.
Chancy claims it is even better then plumerias sauce. Not sure if he is saying it because he loves me or if its true. I’m hoping both! As for me, I really think it taste the same as plumerias except my sauce has a more authentic peanut flavor and I think that is due to using organic natural peanut butter. All in all, I am so thrilled and I am STOKED to be able to share it with you all.
The Best Peanut Sauce
- Rinse the rice in a strainer or colander until the water runs clear.
- Combine with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, the reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. (Feel free to use a rice cooker!) Rice should be tender and water should be completely absorbed. Transfer the rice to a large bowl to let cool for 10-15 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, cane sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn off heat to let cool for 5 minutes.
- Pour this mixture over the rice and use a fork to fluff and mix it all together. Add the sesame seeds and give one more mix.
- Prepare your fillings by slicing the baked flavored tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices, and slicing the vegetables thinly.
- Place all the chipotle cashew mayo ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to add 1-3 tbsp of extra water to help out the blending process.
- Pour the chipotle cashew mayo into a bowl or jar and set aside.
- Fill a small bowl with warm water… This will be for your hands to dip in, so make sure it is a big enough bowl for that.
- Dip your hands into the water and then into the rice bowl to form balls of rice. The rice should divide into 8 balls.
- Form the rice into balls a little smaller then a tennis ball. You don’t want them to be to big, because they can become too heavy and collapse the whole “Sushi burger”.
- You will then begin to form the ball into a “bun” like shape creating a flat surface on one side.
- Place the buns all right side up, place a generous spoonful of chipotle cashew mayo, followed by all your toppings and finished off with another rice bun. ENJOY!
Serves: 4
Sushi Rice
- 2 cups uncooked sushi rice
- 3 1/2 cups of filtered water
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Fillings
- 6 ounces baked flavored tofu (I used the Indian curry flavor)
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 1/4 purple cabbage, sliced thinly
- 2 carrots, sliced thinly
- 1 cucumber, sliced thinly
- 3 oz pickled ginger (optional)
Chipotle Cashew “Mayo”
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 – cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1-2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo (You can also remove seeds for a less spicy mayo)
I am SUCH a sucker for sushi, and anything sushi related really. We have all seen sushi burritos and I thought it was time we have a SUSHI BURGER. Do you ever wonder why sushi rice in particular tastes SO GOOD. Well that is because it is given a little extra love. It takes ordinary white rice to a whole new level and it plays a big roll in what makes sushi so amazing. Sushi rice is sticky which is why we can form them into “burger buns”!
Lets talk about the fillings! Any veggies would be perfect for this occasion. Make sure to always include AVOCADO. It cannot be left out. For the “patty” I kept it simple and used a baked flavored tofu (Indian curry flavor).
**Warning** The chipotle cashew “mayo” is so addictive! It can be drizzled on anything so if you have extra sauce, use as a dip, drizzled over pizza or even in pasta!
Vegan Sushi Burger | Chipotle Cashew Mayo
- In a medium sized bowl, place raw cashews and pour over hot water. Completely cover the cashews & set aside for 30 minutes to let soak.
- In a medium size pot of water over high heat, boil the cauliflower florets for 10 minutes or until tender and soft.
- Discard the water from the raw cashews, and give the cashews a rinse with fresh water. In a blender, combine raw soaked cashews, cooked cauliflower, almond milk, nutritional yeast and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large pot, sauté onions for 5 minutes or until onions soften and fragrant. I water sauté them, adding 2-4 tbsp of water throughout the cooking process… however, feel free to use any oil to sauté if you prefer.
- Add cauliflower cashew cream mixture to the cooked onions, followed by the vegetable stock. Mix until well combined. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients (all vegetables, vegetable bouillon and salt & pepper to taste). Boil for 20 minutes or until all vegetables are soft and cooked. Serve hot with fresh sourdough bread and enjoy!
*The smaller the florets the faster the cauliflower will cook
Serves: 6
- 3 1/2 cups organic vegetable stock
- 2 cups golden potatoes, cubed
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, cubed
- 1 cup carrots, cubed
- 2 ears of corn or 1 cup
- 2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped (we used half oyster mushrooms & half chremni mushrooms
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp vegan boullion
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 3 cups cauliflower florets or 1 small head
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp salt (Divided)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (divided)
Chancy and I just took a road trip up north to Monterey Bay with family. We had a sweet time away from San Diego for a bit. If you know anything about Monterey Bay, you know that seafood dishes are EVERYWHERE! Clam chowder is everywhere you look and it seems that every restaurant claims to have “The best clam chowder”. They even have people sampling their chowder outside the restaurants. After rejecting chowder after chowder, Chancy looked at me and said, “Babe as soon as we get back to San Diego, we are veganizing clam chowder.”
And so we did… and OMG I am so impressed with the team we made to make this happen.
Now let me tell you, Chancy and I both have had our good share of clam chowders in our pre-vegan days. I grew up eating canned chowder and when we first started dating we would take numerous trips up to San Francisco where we were always on a hunt for… yup you guessed it… “The best clam chowder”! So when planning this recipe, we had high expectations. It had to replicate the creamy, hearty and delicious chowder we used to enjoy.
We brainstormed back and fourth on the recipe and bingo! I thought of adding oyster mushrooms as the “clams”. Oyster mushrooms have a meaty like texture. Fresh oyster mushrooms can be found in some supermarkets and often times at farmer’s markets during this time of year. They’re slightly sweet tasting but also very versatile, because of the subtle flavor. To me, they have a clam like texture which is why I knew they would be PERFECT for our chowder.
Now, lets talk about the base of traditional chowder, It is typically half and half or heavy cream, leading it to be VERY rich yet not kind to our bodies. Luckily, with the help of cashews and cauliflower… yes cauliflower! We were able to create a decadent and CREAMY base. AHHH, I won’t stop being so excited about the success of this.
Chancy insisted on adding loads of vegetables to make it more hearty and filling, and I’m glad he did, because it did just that!
Vegan Clam Chowder
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine ground flax and 5 tbsp water and let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a food processor or blender combine garbanzo beans, nut butter, flax egg, coconut oil and blend for 35 seconds or until well combined.
- In a large bowl combine coconut flour, brown sugar, cane sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix until well incorporated.
- Pour the garbanzo bean mixture and chocolate chips into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until you reach a cookie dough like texture.
- Grease a round pan or cast iron skillet and pour in the cookie dough, flattening the entire mixture leaving an even surface. Top off with an extra sprinkle of chocolate chips and bake for 20 minutes.
- No need to wait here! Enjoy right away! Remove from the oven and immediately scoop on your vanilla vegan ice-cream of your choice!
Serves: 8
- 2 flax eggs = 2 tbsp ground flax + 5 tbsp water
- 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips ( I used enjoy life)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
COOKIE + PIZZA= PIZOOKIE. Genius. Who came up with this? When Chancy and I started dating over four years ago our date nights often times meant pizookie for dinner. Theres no better way to bond then making a gigantic pizza cookie?! Since becoming vegan I have forgotten about the glorious pizookie! How could I?
Beans in a dessert? YES! Garbanzo beans in particular have a very milk flavor so no worries you won’t taste the bean. The garbanzo beans make for a moist dessert and hey, also adds plant protein. So does this make this cookie healthy? hmm… healthier then a traditional pizookie!
Of course it had to be Chancy to give me the idea to veganize the heck out of this epic dessert. This is the perfect dessert to make for a dinner party or for a girls night in. It takes barely any time to whip up, and the bet part is… there is no waiting for the cookie to cool, (THE WORST PART WHEN YOU MAKE COOKIES)…You take it out of the oven and immediately top it off with some vegan vanilla ice cream and eat it ASAP.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Pizookie
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook your pasta noodles according to the directions on the package.
- Cut bell peppers in half and remove seeds. Place bell peppers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and place in preheated oven for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, remove and place the onion and garlic cloves onto the tray, leaving the bell pepper on the tray. Bake for 7 minutes.
- After the bell peppers, onion and garlic is out of the oven, place all three items along with the remaining sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until sauce is formed. You can blend until sauce is smooth or until sauce is almost smooth leaving it a bit lumpy. You will know when you can see little pieces of the onion and bell pepper.
- Combine cooked pasta noodles with the sauce in a large pan over medium heat, Give it one good mix, and let warm up for 3 minutes. Turn off heat, sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, a sprinkle of chili flakes and enjoy.
Serves 4
- 1 pound linguine pasta noodles or any pasta of your choice
- Red Pepper Sauce
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 onion
- 1/2 cup +2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Sometimes we try to do too much for a delicious and satisfying meal. At least I find myself feeling like I always need to add more of this or include more of that. This pasta recipe is SO SIMPLE. While playing around in the kitchen, before even trying the sauce my mind was already running ideas of what else I should add to it. To make it more creamy, decedent, healthy, delicious? After giving it a taste I was SO impressed with the flavor, richness and deliciousness from just 6 simple, wholesome ingredients. Nothing fancy, just ingredients that may be laying around in your kitchen.
This is one of my go to dinners when I need a quick, nourishing meal. The pasta sauce could be added to brown rice noodles, quinoa pasta, zucchini noodles or really any pasta of your liking.
There is something so special about roasting vegetables in the oven. The flavors that happen are so incredible. It also requires very little work… so it’s a win win.
This recipe could be made with any colored bell pepper, although I do think the red bell peppers have the most flavor! Try not to ditch any of the other ingredients, especially good ol’ nutritional yeast! Nutrtional yeast has a nutty, cheese like flavor that is sent from the vegan gods! I throw it into nearly every savory dish, especially PASTA dishes.
6 Ingredient Red Pepper Past
- Preheat the oven to 450°F if baking the potato (rather than microwaving it).
- Pierce the potato with a fork or knife a few times to allow the steam to escape. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, or microwave for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the size of the potato. Pierce the potato with a fork or knife to check if it is soft and cooked through.
- Meanwhile chop bell pepper and mushrooms into small pieces.
- In a large nonstick pan over medium heat, combine bell pepper and mushrooms. Add 1-2 table spoons of water throughout the cooking process to help prevent the vegetables to stick to the pan.
- Saute for 10 minutes, add frozen corn, season with a pinch or salt and pepper and saute for 4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- In a blender combine great northern beans, juice of lime, cilantro, avocado, water, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and garlic cloves. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add an extra 1/4 cup of water if needed.
- When the potato is done, slice in half and place a generous amount of sautéed veggies in the center, fresh chopped tomato, followed by a drizzle of cilantro cream sauce and a sprinkle of cilantro.
Serves: 2
- 2 baked russet potatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
Cliantro Cream Sauce
- 1 can great northern beans
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp Nutrtional yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
Mexican loaded baked potatoes! This is completely inspired by Chancy. Lately Chancy has been loving baked potatoes with vegan butter and almond parm! I must say, it is so simple yet so tasty and I do snag a few bites each time he makes it.
I has this idea when I was desperately looking for other ingredients to not only spice it up but also make it a more nourishing complete meal. Corn, bell peppers, mushrooms, avocado, tomatoes and beans are some of the staples in my kitchen!
Lets talk about this cilantro cream sauce. The ingredients listed below for the sauce will make extra. You can halve the recipe by just halving all the measurements OR use the left over sauce as a pasta sauce, a dip, or drizzled over pizza…I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Mexican Loaded Backed Potato
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