Articles with Vegan

Real Food Fudge

An easy dessert that fills the chocolate craving, without the sugar crash.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup peanut butter (no sugar added)
  • 2 cups fresh dates, pits removed*
  • 1/4 cup cacao powder (not coco powder)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Place dates in a high speed food processor and blend until a paste forms. If needed, add 1 T of water (or more) to soften dates and help form a paste. 
  2. Add peanut butter and cacao powder to the food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
  3. Adjust as needed with more cacao powder or peanut butter. 
  4. Once fully blended, serve with a spoon and ENJOY. 
Date paste consistency (left), Add in cacao powder and peanut butter (right), Desired fudge consistency (bottom)

* If dates are not fresh, soak in warm water for up to 5 minutes. Then drain before completing step 1. 

** Make sure you remove date pits or any pit fragments!

Summer Soup

A lemon bean soup that is refreshing, simple, and packed with nutrients.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 can of chickpeas
  • 1/2 large yellow onion
  • 1 cup water (can sub veg. stock if you have it available)
  • 1 t. garlic powder
  • 3-5 stalks of kale (can sub spinach)
  • 2 T. Nutritional Yeast
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • EVOO

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat a pan over medium heat.
  2. Thinly slice the onion. If using kale you may chop it up at this time as well to your desired size.
  3. Place onion, chickpeas (with brine), and water in a pot. Simmer over medium high heat for about 6 minutes.
  4. Add in garlic powder, kale, and about 3 T. of EVOO. Allow to simmer for another 3-4 minutes. 
  5. Add nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
  6. Add juice from the lemon.
  7. Serve in a bowl topped with a lemon wedge and drizzled EVOO. 
  8. Adjust seasonings as needed and ENJOY.

* Serves 1-2

** Add toasted sourdough or a side salad for a fuller meal.

*** You may need to adjust the water and oil depending on your preference. Sometimes I prefer lots of broth and other times I like it thicker. Enjoy!

Summer Cereal

A simple, cheap, and delicious alternative to cereal that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready to start your day strong.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries
  • 1 t. pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup (or more) almond or other plant based mylk
  • 1 t. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

  1. Add oats and blueberries in a serving bowl and drizzle maple syrup over the top.
  2. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add in any additional ingredients.
  3. Pour mylk over the cereal and mix together.
  4. Enjoy immediately, while blueberries are still frozen.

*I recommend using wild frozen blueberries for this recipe. They tend to be smaller and do not get soggy like normal frozen blueberries would. You want the blueberries frozen-trust me! They are soooo yummy and refreshing!

** Hemp seeds are a great add-in option if you are looking to up your protein and/or omega intake. They are also delicious!

*** I strongly recommend using a nut mylk over an oat mylk for this recipe. Oats tend to be naturally on the sweeter side and oat mylk can actually make this recipe a bit too sweet. One thing I love about limiting sugar in my diet is that the naturally occuring sweetness in real food stands out much more.

Two Bean Hummus

5 ingredients and 5 minutes to the best hummus ever

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 can Great Northern White Beans
  • 1 can Garbanzo Beans
  • ¼ cup EVOO
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • S & P

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat 1/2 T of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Peel garlic and saute until brown. Place sauteed garlic into the food processor.
  2. Drain and rinse both cans of beans before adding into the food processor.
  3. Blend until combined well. Slowly pour in the remaining olive oil while the food processor is still on.
  4. Adjust salt and pepper as needed and blend until desired consistency is reached. Enjoy!

*Serving Suggestion: Hummus is of course, great for dipping. One of my favorite ways to eat though, is on toast with sliced radishes or spread thick on a veggie sandwich. Adding it in nourish bowls is another great way to add flavor and get additional protein into your diet.

*I also like to make this regular batch and then add in toppings depending on what I am making. Olives, roasted red peppers, and sundried tomatoes are all great add-ins for this dish. I hope you enjoy!

Banana Hemp Pancakes

Less than 10 ingredients, flour-free blender pancakes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 2 eggs *
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/3 cup hemp seeds
  • 1 T honey *
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1/2 t baking powder
  • Dash of salt
  • coconut oil (for cooking)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. Heat coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Optional: Add in additional ingredients such as blueberries, nuts, or chocolate chips.
  4. Once skillet is hot, pour batter into roughly 6 inch rounds.
  5. Flip after three minutes or until edges begin to bubble.
  6. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. Makes 4-5 pancakes.

* Vegan Option: Mix two tablespoon ground flax seeds with four tablespoons of water to substitute the two eggs use in this recipe. Additionally, replace honey with pure maple syrup.

* Serving Suggestion: We like to eat this with blueberries mixed in and walnuts on top. These pancakes are filling! My firefighter husband usually eats two or three or them before tapping out. Hope you enjoy!