Category: Vegan

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All-Purpose Seasoning

I like to make up different seasonings to add a new dimension to the flavor of the dish. Each mix I make gives a dish a new flavor profile, making it unique. Today its the quintessential All-purpose mix. It is probably my most used seasoning blend. Enjoy the flavor.

  • 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 2 tbsp Himalayan Salt (optional)
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp dried mustard
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Measure all ingredients into a mason jar. Shake. Sprinkle. That’s it. Try it on any protein or vegetable you like. This seasoning will transform your dish.

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Tuscan Bean and Spinach Soup with Homemade Sourdough Croutons

The homemade croutons are a must. They take this soup to the next level of comfy, cozy goodness. The creaminess is easily done by pureeing part of the beans with broth. The lemon adds just a hint of zip to keep the soup from being boring. This recipe makes 4-6 servings. Oh, and it only takes 30 minutes to make. Here is another quick and tasty meal in 30 minutes flat to your table.

  • 2 15 oz cans cannnelini white beans, rinsed, drained, divided
  • 3 c vegetable broth, divided, 1c/2c
  • 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 8 oz baby spinach, chopped
  • 1 large tomato, seeded, chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, zested, juiced
  • Homemade Sourdough Croutons – GF/V

In a food processor or blender, blend together 1 can of cannelini beans and 1 c of vegetable broth until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, saute onions with all-purpose seasoning and vegetable broth as needed, until soft.

Add garlic, red pepper flakes. Stir. Add spinach and stir. Cook until spinach is wilted.

Add remaining beans and broth along with the tomato and lemon.

Stir thoroughly. Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until heated through.

Serve with homemade croutons. Eat. Enjoy.

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Homemade Sourdough Croutons – GF/V

I do not know what possessed me to make croutons. I really do not like croutons. They are usually hard as rock and have no flavor. Before I realized I had gluten issues I still would not have croutons on my salads. I would always request them to be left off my food. It has been years since I actually ate one – Years.

For some reason I thought they would go really well with some soup I was making. That (the recipe) will be in another post. I think too, it was because I had part of a loaf of my GF bread that was starting to get stale. That bread is too good to waste. So here we are talking about making croutons.

I will be honest I think I am a total convert, at least for my croutons I will be. My husband and I kept eating them right off the pan, still hot from the oven. Just thinking about them makes me smile. I have already got some ideas for these little gems of goodness.

You can make these with any bread, but honestly my GF sandwich bread is awesome. Which will make these croutons even better. You only need 3 ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut bread into large cubes. Spread out evenly onto sheet pan. Drizzle olive oil over bread cubes. Generously sprinkle all-purpose seasoning onto bread. Stir with hands so that bread cubes are evenly coated with olive oil and seasoning.

Bake in oven for a total of 20 minutes, until the bread cubes are golden. Stir after ten minutes.

Remove from oven. To store the croutons make sure they are cooled completely and put into an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Use for salads or as a garnish on soups. You could even turn them into bread crumbs. There are lots of possibilities.

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Whole Grain Vegan Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

It has taken me a few years to make the perfect vegan gluten-free sandwich bread. Previously the breads were either gritty and crumbly or just not tasty. This Whole Grain Vegan Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread is perfect. It is reminiscent of a honey wheat bread I used to bake weekly. It is soft and holds up to sandwich fillings and slices nicely.

Dry Ingredients:

  • 3/4 c sorghum flour
  • 3/4 c GF oat flour
  • 1/2 c tapioca starch
  • 1/2 c potato starch
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 c almond milk, unsweetened
  • 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 c water
  • 1 1/2 c gluten-free sourdough starter
  • 3 tbsp psyllium husks
  • 3 tbsp golden flaxseed (whole)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan

Combine all the wet ingredients together into a large bowl. Set aside. Grease an 8×4 loaf pan.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together. The batter will start to thicken as your stir. Transfer dough into the prepared loaf pan.

Note: You want to combine the dry and wet ingredients fairly quickly. Otherwise the wet ingredients start to thicken too much and makes it more difficult to combine the wet and dry ingredients together and the dough tends to toughen up.

Smooth out  the surface of the dough. Make sure to press the dough into the pan so there are no holes or gaps.

Oil the surface of the dough and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise 3-6 hours, until the dough has risen as least 1/2-inch above the pan at its peak.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove plastic wrap. Place loaf into oven and promptly close the oven. turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees.

Bake the bread for 55 minutes. Allow the bread to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. After cooling the pan for 5-10 minutes remove the loaf and finish cooling on a rack.

Let the bread completely cool before slicing.

Note: I purchased the culture to make the gluten-free sourdough starter from        culturesforhealth.com.

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Orange Sourdough Scones

I have been working on some sourdough recipes. These Orange Sourdough Scones are one of those recipes. They are light and fragrant, and it is hard just to eat just one. A great addition to a weekend brunch.

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 c sorghum flour
  • 1/2 c brown rice flour
  • 1/4 c tapioca flour
  • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 orange, zest
  • 2 tbsp vegan sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
  • 6 tbsp solid coconut oil

Combine the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together. Cut in the coconut oil with a pastry cutter or two forks, until the flour mixture becomes crumbly, the size of small peas. Set aside.

Stir- In:

  • 1/2 c cranberries, dried

Stir the cranberries into the dry ingredients. Set aside.

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c almond milk, vanilla, unsweetened
  • 1/2 c gluten-free sourdough starter
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix together until thoroughly combined and formed into a ball.

Place dough ball onto some plastic wrap. Press the ball into a 1-inch thick disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-12 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside baking sheet.

Unwrap the dough disk. Cut the disk into 8 pieces (like a pie). Place scone triangles onto prepared baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart.

Bake scones for about 12 minutes, until golden.

Remove from oven and cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes. Transfer scones onto cooling rack.

Note: I brushed mine with a mixture of orange juice and some confectioners sugar.

Note: I had purchased a gluten-free sourdough culture starter from culturesfromhealth.com

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Kung Pao Peanut Veggie Kabobs

I had some Kung Pao Sauce and some Peanut Sauce leftover so I combined them and made an incredible sauce to marinade the veggie kabobs. I served them with some brown basmati rice.

  • Kung Pao Sauce (about 2/3 c)
  • Peanut Sauce (about 2/3 c)
  • Vegetable Stock – to dilute sauce (about 1/2 c)
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch coins
  • 1 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/2 inch coins
  • 16 oz Cremini mushrooms
  • 1 package extra firm tofu, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

Combine all of the ingredients into a gallon size ziplock bag. Add enough Vegetable Stock to dilute the combined Kung Pao and Peanut Sauce to coat the veggies and tofu.

Let veggies marinade for about 1 hour; turning bag over periodically to coat the veggies.

Thread veggies onto skewers. Grill until the veggies are tender.

Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

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Lemon-Strawberry Loaf

I had a package of strawberries that were a little past their prime to eat fresh, so I decided to using them in baking. This loaf reminds me of strawberry lemonade, a little tart and a little sweet – Perfect.

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c plain almond yogurt
  • 1 lemon, juiced, zest
  • 1/2 c almond milk, unsweetened, vanilla
  • 2 tbsp applesauce, unsweetened
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8×4 loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine together all of the wet ingredients. Set aside.

Dry Ingredients:

In a large bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.

Stir-In:

  • 1 c strawberries, sliced

Add the sliced strawberries to the dry ingredients. Stir the strawberries so that they are thoroughly coated with the dry ingredients. (This will help to keep the strawberries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf pan.

Transfer the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and fold them together.

Spoon the batter into the loaf pan. Spread the batter out evenly in the loaf pan.

Bake for 60 – 65 minutes.

Remove loaf from oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove loaf from pan and let it completely cool on the rack.

Share. Eat. Enjoy.

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Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

My Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup is the perfect accompaniment to vegan grilled cheese. Especially, on a rainy day like today. It takes under 30 minutes from prep to serving.

  • 1 1/2 c onions, diced
  • 1 tsp All-Purpose Seasoning
  • 1 c Vegetable Stock
  • 2 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, canned
  • 1 15 oz. cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
  • 1/2 c basil, chopped, reserve some for garnishing

Over medium-low heat sauté the onions and All-Purpose Seasoning until the onions are softened and translucent.

Add the Vegetable Stock, diced tomatoes and cannellini beans to the onions.  Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil; cook about 5 minutes. Stir in basil.

Transfer soup to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Pour into bowl and garnish with basil.

Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

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Bow Tie Veggie Salad

This salad is so beautiful and colorful; purple, red, yellow, orange and green. The proverbial colors of the rainbow. I used fresh and frozen veggies, and it has more veggies than pasta. I would say, that is a fresh tasting nutritious pasta salad.

  • 12 oz. farfalle (bowtie) pasta, gluten-free
  • 1 head, cauliflower, purple, cut into bite size, steamed
  • 2 c tomatoes, cherry, variety of colors, quartered
  • 1 c corn kernels
  • 1 1/2 c edamame, shelled, steamed
  • 1 lime, zested, juiced
  • 1 tbsp All-Purpose Seasoning
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

In a large pot cook farfalle according to package directions. I used Jovial (my favorite brand) and it cooks for 10 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and set aside.

Meanwhile, steam cauliflower for about 5 minutes. Long enough that the cauliflower was softened but still has a bite. Rinse with cold water and set aside.

In a very large bowl combine all the ingredients and stir thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

Note: I added greens to this salad when it was served.

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Barbecued Maitake Mushroom Steaks

Maitake Mushrooms are also called hen of the woods. These are great when you want a “meaty” texture. The key to getting that “meaty” texture is pan searing and pressing the mushrooms before you barbecue. This recipe is for cooking in the oven.

  • 4 Maitake mushrooms

Heat a large heavy skillet (I used cast iron) over medium heat. Make sure your cast iron is seasoned, or use a little oil to keep the mushrooms from sticking.

Place the mushrooms into the skillet. Place a heavy skillet on top of the mushrooms to press them. Cook for about 2 minutes. Turn over the mushrooms and repeat the pressing process. Continue to turn and press the mushrooms (about 10 minutes) until the mushrooms are golden, crispy steaks and all the liquid is gone.

Marinade:

Combine all of the ingredients into a medium size saucepan. Bring marinade to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until marinade is reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 the volume.

Coat the mushroom steaks liberally with the marinade. Let marinate for at least one hour. The longer the mushrooms marinate the more flavor you will have.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place marinated mushrooms onto baking sheet. Flip and baste mushrooms about every 10 minutes. Roast for about 30-40 minutes.

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Serve. Eat. Enjoy.

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