Vegan Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
2. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
3. Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Recipe taken entirely from Chow.com. 

Vegan Buttercream Frosting--good for piping

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (earth balence)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted if clumpy)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup soy milk

beat the shortening and margarine until well combined and fluffy
add the sugar and beat for about 3 more mins
add the vanilla and soy milk and beat for 5-7 mins until fluffy.

Recipe taken entirely from chow.com

Lentil & Rice Pilaf

Super simple, super cheap, super healthy, and super delicious! --what more could you want? 

1 cup hulled small French green or brown lentils, sorted of debris and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions $
1 teaspoon minced garlic $
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. In a 3-quart pan over high heat, bring lentils and 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Cover and simmer until tender to bite, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, add oil, onions, and garlic to a 12-inch frying pan over medium heat; stir often until onions are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Add rice, salt, cumin, and pepper; stir until rice looks opaque, about 3 minutes.

3. Stir in lentils and 2 more cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender to bite and liquid is absorbed, 13 to 15 minutes.

Great served with tzatzik (Greek yogurt sauce) & roasted butternut squash.

Recipe taken entirely from myrecipies.com. 

Wild Rice Soup

This soup is unbelievably delicious, Jackson had 3 bowls!


1/2 cup butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks (or 1 large), finely chopped
2 cups diced potatoes
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (this is just a thickener, I bet a gf substitute would definitely work!)
4 cups of broth--I used vegetable, but the original recipe calls for chicken or turkey broth
2 cups COOKED wild rice
2 cups half-and-half cream
1.5 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook 1/2 cup wild rice--takes about an hour mostly unattended

In dutch oven heat butter over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion; cook until tender. Stir in flour unteil blended; cook until bubbly. Gradually wisk in broth. Bring to a boil, stiring constantly; cook and stir 1-2 minutes until thickened. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat; smmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Makes about 12; 1 cup servings. We had plenty for dinner and lunch the next day for the 3 of us.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home magazine Dec 2012 edition. 

Steakhouse Mushrooms

These are seriously delicious! Justin and I ate the whole pound of mushrooms in about 5 minutes.  I would eat these every week, they are so good.

2-4 tablespoons butter
1 lb fresh mushrooms
1.5 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Heat butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add mushrooms, cook until tender. Stir in seasonings and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Recpe adapted sligtly from Taste of Home magazine Dec 2012 edition. 

Tortellini & Spinach Soup

We just had this soup on Saturday night and not only was it delicious, but it literally took 15 minutes to prepare. We served it with crusty bread, yum!!


3.5 cups of vegetable broth (or 2 14 oz cans)
1 9 oz pkg  refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 can white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 oz can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3-4 cups fresh spinach
3 tbsp minced fresh basil (or about 1 tsp dried-I just eye balled it)
shredded parmesan or Asiago cheese for garnish

In large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add tortellini & reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and return to a simmer. Cook 4-5 minutes or until tortellini are tender.

Stir in spinach and basil, cook until spinach wilts and serve topped with grated parmesan cheese.   

Recipe taken entirely from Taste of Home magazine December 2012 edition.

Breakfast Rice Pudding

2 cups cooked brown rice 1-1/2 cups vanilla rice milk 3 tablespoons raisins 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon In a medium-size saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a slow simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes, or until thick. Recipe taken entirely from ChooseVeg.com.

Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

1 cup  milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa, (hs note: rinse quinoa)
2 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted*
4 teaspoons agave nectar or maple syrup

Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in blackberries and cinnamon; transfer to four bowls and top with pecans. Drizzle 1 teaspoon agave nectar over each serving.

Serves 4.

*While the quinoa cooks, roast the pecans in a 350F degree toaster oven for 5 to 6 minutes or in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Recipe taken entirely from 101 Cookbooks. 

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salad

The flavors in this salad are so good. We just had it last night for dinner for the first time and I'm already craving it! Yum!

Ingredients:
2 cobs of corn, kernels cut from cob (or use frozen)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno peppers , seeded & finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large avocado, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch dice
1 large fresh tomatoes, diced

For the Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine corn and oil, toss to coat. Spread corn in ungreased baking pan. Bake in oven 18-22 minutes or until corn begins to turn light golden brown, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile prepare dressing. Combine all ingredients in a small jar with tight fitting lid and shake well until blended.

3. In a large bowl, combine chopped onion, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, garlic, beans and corn. Mix well. Add dressing and mix again. Add avocados; toss gently to combine.

4.You can eat this with or with out lettuce, but we put 2 big scoops over the top of 1-1.5 cups packed romaine and it was delicious!

Recipe taken from Vegan Coach.

Cheesy Potato Soup

I must admit I only tried this recipe because the pictures of it were so beautiful, but once I started making it and realized how strange the ingredients were I was very nervous about it. Apple cider vinegar and spinach? However, it was actually very good. Jackson even at 2 servings! 

We served these in homemade bread bowls! yum! 

2 1/2 cups white potatoes (tiny or large or a mix of both)
1 small sweet potato, peeled, diced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
5 cups veggie broth
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup vegan cheese (cheddar or pepper jack) *Daiya is my fave*
1/2 block frozen spinach
salt & pepper to taste
2 bay leaves

Directions:

1. Start on your soup by prepping all the potatoes. Toss them into your pot along with most your required ingredients. Leave out the spinach and cheddar cheese.

2. Bring your soup to a boil, reduce to med-high and half-cover with lid. Simmer until all the potatoes are tender.

3. Add in the spinach. I just threw in half of the frozen block and let it thaw in the pot. And remove the bay leaves. Once the spinach has mixed in blend the soup with an immersion blender or in your regular blender until well blended, soup should pretty much turn green and there shouldn't be any visible chunks of spinach in it.

4. Put soup back in pot and add cheese.
  
Recipe very slightly adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

Healthy No Bake Cookies

Best No Bakes I've ever had, hands down! Delicious! 

3 tablespoons almond milk
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup all natural crunchy peanut butter
1/8 cup wheat germ (heaping)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground flax meal (optional)
1 cup quick oats (scant)

~yield 12 cookies

 

Heat milk, sugar and cocoa powder over high heat until boiling, stirring constantly.

Take off heat and stir in vanilla and peanut butter; stir until peanut butter has melted completely.

 

Stir in wheat germ, flax meal and oats. 

Put on baking sheet lined with parchment and freeze 10-15 minutes until set. 

*each cookie has about 100 calories including, 2 g fiber, 35 mg potassium, 3.2 g protein, 5% vitamin E, 6 g sugar & 4 g total fat

Snobby Joes

1 cup uncooked green lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4 to 6 kaiser rolls or sesame buns (optional – for serving)

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.  Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can’t wait.

Recipe taken from The Post Punk Kitchen. 

Broccoli Curry Udon

8 oz dry round udon noodles
Olive oil for sauteeing
1 pound broccoli florettes (6 cups)
Medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Big pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups vegetable broth mixed with 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup light coconut milk
4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

First boil water for the udon. Cook udon according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute broccoli in a few sprays of oil and a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes. Keep covered while cooking, lifting the lid just to stir a few times. In the meantime, prep everything else.

When broccoli is done, remove from pan and set aside. Next saute onions in a bit of oil, with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes. You want them to retain some crunch. Remove from pan (transfer to the same bowl as broccoli to cut down on dishes). Now you’ll make the sauce in the same pan.

Saute the garlic and ginger in a little oil for about 1 minute. Mix in the red pepper flakes. Add the vegetable broth/cornstarch, the curry powder and soy sauce. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Let thicken a bit, for about 3 minutes. Mix in coconut milk and turn off the heat.

Add noodles to the pan and mix to coat. Then fold in the broccoli and onions. Divide between bowls and top with garnishes (if using) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Recipe taken entirely from Post Punk Kitchen. 

Kathy's Veggie Pasta Stew

4 ounces sliced mushrooms (I used shiitake)
1 medium tomato
1 large sweet onion
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic
2 bay leaves
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 Tbsp Italian Herbs
1 potato, diced
1/3 cup nutritional yeast or 1/4 cup vegan cheese
1 cup dry fusilli pasta
1/3 cup leftover roasted tomato salsa
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 can of beans, drained (I used white cannellini beans)
6 ounces leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, collard..)

optional: a few dashes of cayenne for added heat.

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, add the onions, tomato, mushrooms, garlic and olive oil. Stir and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onions become translucent.

2. Add in all the remaining ingredients (except the beans and leafy greens). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with lid. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Do a few taste tests midway through and check on the salt/spice levels.

3. When you are just about ready to serve the soup, you can add in the beans and greens. Adding the last keeps them tender and not mushy. If you want your greens a bit more hearty, use kale or collard. Spinach wilts very easily.

4. Serve warm! With a nice slice of crusty bread.

Cobb Salad (vegan style)

6-8 cups of chopped romaine
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 avocado, chopped - tossed in the juice of 1 large lemon
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup chilled kidney beans, drained





Place lettuce in large bowl and arrange other toppings in rows on the lettuce. Serve with your favorite ranch dressing. Recipe slightly adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

Ultimate Panini

sliced sourdough bread (or multigrain)
buttery spread – spread on the outside layer of each slice of bread
thin slices tomato
handful fresh basil leaves
pepper jack cheese (vegan style if desired)
a few thin slices roasted red or yellow pepper (from a jar)
handful of baby spinach

Butter the outside of the bread. Layer on the sliced tomatoes, a roasted pepper, basil, spinach and the pepper jack cheese. Place in a panini grill if you have one or your George Foreman and cook until cheese is melted and bread has a nice crust. yum!

Recipe adapted from Healthy Happy Life.

5 Minute No Bake Peanut Butter granola bars

Ingredients:

Dry (use scant measurements):

• 1 & 3/4 C rolled oats
• 1 C crisp puffed brown rice cereal
• 1/4 C pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 C sunflower seeds
• 1/4 C chia seeds
• 1/4 C unsweetened coconut
• 1/8 C finely ground flaxseed

Wet (use generous measurements):

• 1/2 C brown rice syrup
• 1/3 C creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

1) Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Mix them together.

2) In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients, then microwave them for about 20 to 30 seconds. This will make it easier to mix and add to the dry ingredients since it’s really sticky!

3) Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix! Keep mixing until the wet binding ingredients are as well distributed as possible. 

4) Put the mixture into a shallow pan and flatten it down. 

Recipe taken completely from fannetasticfood.com. 

Vegan Black Bean Burgers

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped peppers (any color)
1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms  (when I don't have mushrooms, sometimes I substitute corn here)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add your onions, carrots, and peppers. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the ketchup, mustard, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Remove vegetables from heat and set aside to cool. Once they’re cool enough to handle, place the vegetables into a food processor with the black beans and bread crumbs and pulse a few times to combine.

Form the mixture into patties, usually makes us about 4 small. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 450°. The burgers will hold together, but they’ll always be slightly mushy and have a tendency to crumble if handled too much. Just place them on a bun using a spatula and garnish with your favorite burger toppings.

Recipe taken entirely from http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com. 

Parmesan Cheese

This is a perfect, healthy substitute for parmesan cheese. Obviously it doesn't melt like a cheese would, but it has great flavor!

8 oz sliced almonds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup dried basil
2 Tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp lemon zest or dried lemon peel
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Place ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz away. Store in refrigerator.

Recipe from The Vegan Family Cookbook. 

Stuffed Peppers

These were so good! Its actually one of the few meals I didn't get from closely following a recipe--I'm finally breaking out of my box.

1 cup brown rice
2.5 cups stock
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 bell peppers (I used green, but any color would work), with the tops cut off & seeded--if they don't stand upright cut a tiny bit off the bottom bulbs to keep them up
1 container of mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion diced
1/3 cup raw almonds, chopped (probably slivered would work best here, but I just used what I had)
3/4 cup parsley
1-2 tsp garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1.5 Tbsp tomato paste
2-3 Tbsp cooking Sherry
1 cup water
S & P to taste
vegan parmesan cheese

Cook brown rice in stock until liquid is absorbed or rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Its okay if there is some liquid remaining.

In the meantime cook cleaned peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Sauté onions and mushrooms in olive oil until soft. Add chopped almonds, sauté 2-3 minutes. Next add rice, garlic, chili powder, cooking sherry, and  S & P. Sauté 2 minutes. Add tomato paste to 1 cup water and mix well, add to vegetable mixture. Cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add parsley, adjust seasonings if needed.

Fill peppers with rice mixture and stand them upright in a casserole dish. If there is any left over rice arrange it around the bottom of the peppers to help them stand up. Sprinkle a little of this vegan parmesan cheese over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan & enjoy!

Serve with a nice green salad and these yummy green beans!