The Full Helping

Cashew Parmesan Cheese

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 19:14:50 GMT

This four-ingredient vegan cashew parmesan cheese is my go-to recipe for topping pasta, salads, grain bowls, toast, and more!

There’s no shortage of crumbly, cheese vegan toppings in my life. I’ve made plant-based “parmesan” using hemp seeds and walnuts. There’s a cashew parmesan recipe in Power Plates, too.

Lately, though, I’ve been streamlining the Power Plates parm. I’m using fewer ingredients, which is indicative of how much I’m trying to streamline my cooking in general. My patience for cooking has actually decreased with quarantine, not increased!

This vegan cashew parmesan cheese is now my go-to parm. There is a mason jar full of it in my fridge right now. There was a jar of it in the fridge last week. And there will be a jar in the fridge next week at this time.

This perennial condiment goes on anything and everything in my home. I use it on pasta, salads, and bowls. I nearly always put it on dinner toast. It ends up on my savory oatmeal all the time. And I’ve put together twenty additional uses for the parmesan in this post.

Fortunately, this DIY staple is as easy to make as it is versatile and rewarding.

The four ingredients of cashew parmesan cheese

I don’t have too many four-ingredient recipes up my sleeve. But I get excited when I do have one to share. Here’s what you’ll need for your cashew parmesan cheese.

Cashews

I prefer using raw cashews for this recipe. I think the flavor works out best. The cashews are a sweet, neutral, buttery base for the parmesan. It’s the same role that they play in my cashew cream and cashew cheese.

If you don’t have raw cashews, roasted and unsalted is the next best option. The parmesan will have a toasty, nutty flavor. Not a bad thing, just something different.

Finally, you can use roasted and salted cashews in a pinch. If you do this, be sure to adjust the salt in the recipe to compensate for the salt added to the nuts. I’d suggest 1/4 teaspoon less salt than is called for.

Nutritional yeast

Nutritional yeast is what gives the cashew parmesan its “cheesy” flavor.

For those of you who are new to plant-based eating, nutritional yeast is an inactive form of yeast that adds a savory, umami-rich, cheesy taste to vegan dishes. It’s a good source of B-vitamins, including B-12 (though even the most yeast-loving vegans should supplement B-12!).

You can find nutritional yeast—aka “nooch”—it in a flake form or a powder form. I usually purchase nutritional yeast flakes, though the powder can be useful if you want to whisk nutritional yeast into a dressing.

Both flakes and powder work in this cashew parmesan cheese recipe, since the nutritional yeast ends up in a food processor, anyway.

Salt

I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for pretty much all of my cooking, and that’s what I use in this recipe. Fine sea salt will also work well, though you can probably use a little less (1/4-3/8 teaspoon), since it’s saltier than kosher salt.

Garlic powder

Garlic powder adds a little bit of garlicky flavor to the cashew parmesan cheese. It’s definitely not necessary, especially if you don’t like the flavor of garlic! I don’t use very much of it, but I think it gives the parmesan a nice, well rounded taste.

Optional add-ins

If you’d like to go beyond the basics, you can certainly add additional seasonings to your cashew parmesan cheese. These could include:

Onion powder
Dried thyme
Turmeric
Dried rosemary
Smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper (for a spicy version)
Dried oregano

The perfect ingredient ratio

A lot of nut-based parmesan recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of nuts and nutritional yeast.

Personally? I like my cashew parmesan cheese to be very heavy on the nooch, lighter on the nuts. This recipe calls for a 2:1 ratio of nutritional yeast to cashews.

I think this makes for a more flavorful vegan parm! It also allows for a little extra protein. Nutritional yeast is one of my favorite, plant-based protein sources.

What if I’m allergic to cashews?

Sometimes I feel bad about being the cashew fanatic that I am, since I know that tree nuts are one of the most common allergens.

To the many of you who message me on Instagram regularly with requests for cashew alternatives in my cooking, I see you! I’ll probably always use cashews as a base ingredient for lots of recipes, but I’ll always try to offer alternatives.

If you’re allergic to cashews and cashews only, you can make this recipe with:

Almonds
Pecans
Walnuts
Pine nuts
Macadamia nuts

If you have a tree nut allergy but you can tolerate seeds, try:

Hemp seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds

If all nuts and seeds are off limits, you could use a mixture of all nutritional yeast and salt. It’ll be different, but it’ll still be nice. You could even toss in some bread crumbs for the texture that nuts usually create. Herbs and spices could help to jazz it up, too.

Twenty uses for cashew parmesan cheese

There are so many ways to use your cashew parmesan cheese once you’ve made it. Here are just a few of the recipes that I most like to sprinkle it on:

But really, this is just a smattering of the homemade meals that I’ve topped with the cashew parmesan cheese. You can use it in any dish where you’d normally want a little shaved parm.

The texture isn’t the same, of course. But the saltiness and savoriness is definitely there.

Storing cashew parmesan cheese

The cashew parmesan cheese is easy to store. I keep mine in a mason with a lid and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks at a time.

I imagine it could last even one week longer than that, but I’ve never been able to keep a batch long enough to find out!

Vegan Cashew Parmesan Cheese

Vegan cashew parmesan cheese is the ultimate savory, salty, wholesome topping for pasta, salads, grain bowls, and more! Only 4 ingredients and so easy to make.

Course condiment, topping

Cuisine Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cashews, nutritional yeast

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

food processor

Ingredients

2/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (adjust the amount to taste)

Instructions

Process all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the S blade till they're ground up. The cashews should be very broken down, but not quite powdery. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

I’m all about shortcuts and getting a helping hand in the kitchen as we enter this new year.

That said, it does feel nice to make certain condiments from scratch. And I fell out of the habit of doing that this year. I’m getting back into the swing of homemade dressings and toppings, and I feel good about it.

In a couple days, I’ll share the pasta dish that I’ve been folding this cashew parmesan into lately!

The post Cashew Parmesan Cheese appeared first on The Full Helping.

Plantspired Meal Solutions

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 18:02:31 GMT

Nasoya’s Plantspired Meal Solutions allow you to create fast, flavor-forward, and nutritious plant-based meals in no time!

The last few weeks of December are always busy. Even under the circumstances this year, they involved a lot of frantic catching up.

Not to mention all of the extra cooking and baking.

January is often full of encouragement (and sometimes pressure) to cook and meal prep from scratch. I’m not sure about you, but I can’t remember the last time I entered a new year as fatigued as I feel right now.

So I’m giving myself permission—and issuing an invitation to anyone who needs to hear it—to keep things simple. Embrace a shortcut or two. Give yourself a break from time to time.

In this context, I couldn’t be more grateful for fast, semi-homemade meals. It’s a stroke of good fortunate that Nasoya’s new Plantspired dishes have entered my life.

What are Plantspired Meal Solutions?

Nasoya tofu has been my tofu of choice for many years now. It’s a wonderful product, always organic, always non-GMO, and available in many different consistencies.

I use the firm, extra firm, and super firm for marinating and baking, as well as stir fries and hash. It’s even the base of my homemade vegan cream cheese. Meanwhile, I turn to the silken tofu for dressings and soups.

Nasoya’s Plantspired Meal Solutions are the perfect bridge between plain tofu and a complete, home-cooked meal. They are available in two plant-based options: a pre-seasoned, pre-cooked, ready to heat chili and a classic Bolognese.

Tofu is the central protein in both meals. The hearty chili also contains kidney beans, which give it extra protein and extra fiber.

Both meals come ready-to-eat. They simply need some heating in a skillet before serving. They feature rich, flavorful sauces with lots of spices.

How to serve Plantspired Meal Solutions

I like to think of the Plantspired dishes as meal starters. They’re the central protein for a plant-based meal.

To turn them into a balanced meal with all three macronutrients (in other words, a Power Plate!), you need only add your favorite starch or whole grain.

Serving Plantspired Hearty Chili Meal Solutions

A few ideas for serving the Hearty Chili:

Over a baked sweet or white potato
With my whole grain vegan cornbread or my pumpkin cornbread
With grits
On a toasted burger bun (Sloppy Joe style)
With brown rice

As you can see, that’s what I’ve been doing a lot lately! And I love some vegan cheese shreds on top. A few more topping ideas:

Vegan sour cream
Chopped green onions
Yum sauce
Cashew cream
Toasted pepitas

Serving Plantspired Classic Bolognese Meal Solutions

The Plantspired Classic Bolognese is equally versatile!

To be honest, I’ve been very content piling it on top of pasta, and I have no plans of stopping soon. But there are many other options. You could serve it:

Over farro
With zoodles (or another veggie pasta)
In toasted ciabatta, maybe with some garlicky sautéed greens
Mixed with veggies and bake over pizza crust
Over toast

And, just as with the chili, you can further customize your Plantspired Meal Solutions by playing around with different toppings. My choices:

Vegan parmesan
Vegan mozzarella-style shreds
Cubed bread or bread crumbs (a great use for bread that’s about to get a little stale!)

By the way, I’ve made a lot of different attempts at vegan Bolognese. I’ve used lentils, mushrooms, cauliflower, vegan meats, vegan sausage. Nothing I’ve made is quite what I want it to be—yet.

But this tofu Bolognese hits the spot. It’s the Bolognese I’ve been most happy with, even though I didn’t make up the recipe myself! There’s something to be said for turning kitchen projects over to the experts sometimes.

Plantspired nutrition

The Plantspired Hearty Chili Meal Solutions feature thirteen grams of plant protein in each serving. That’s a good amount, and it becomes even more robust if you add some veggies or protein-rich accompaniments to the meal.

The chili also packs in six grams of fiber and an impressive 20% of the recommended daily allowance of iron for adults. The Bolognese is equally robust.

These meals are intended to provide good, balanced nutrition for plant-based eaters who don’t always have time to cook from scratch.

Meet yourself where you are

Speaking of that, it’s worth mentioning a conversation that I have with my nutrition clients on a near weekly basis.

It usually begins when I recommend a vegan product—or a whole slew of products—that are intended to help someone cut back on cooking while also eating wholesome, plant-based foods.

My clients often express incredulity, or even a little discomfort around this. I think we all like to cling to the idea that we can do it all ourselves. All the work, all the caretaking, all the cooking.

But one of the biggest lessons I learned in 2020 was to meet myself where I am. And I mean that I really learned it, in the sense that I accepted it and acted on it, rather than talking about it.

I stopped trying to do everything. Month by month, I learned to accept that there are some things I really don’t have energy for. Even if they seem doable, and even if I’ve been able to do them regularly in the past.

This isn’t the past. It’s the present.

The longer I do nutrition work, the longer I observe how profoundly healthy a realistic mindset is. Elaborate meal planning isn’t worthwhile if a person is too exhausted, distracted, or busy to actually cook the food. Wholesome vegan products are much better than “homemade” food that never gets cooked at all.

And products like the Plantspired dishes prove that semi-homemade can be as wholesome and nourishing as anything one might make from scratch.

A healthy, practical new year

As we kick off a new year, I cheer you on in meeting yourself where you are, not where you wish you were. It’s great to have goals and intentions, of course. But creating steady habits usually feels better than short-lived bursts of effort. And habits develop when we aim to do what’s actually achievable.

Or, to quote the yoga teacher whose words left such an impact on me years ago: “when it can be easy, let it be easy.”

Thanks to Nasoya and its Plantspired Meal Solutions for making my holiday season a little easier. You can check out the Nasoya website to learn more about how I plated these tasty dinners!

This post is sponsored by Nasoya. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

The post Plantspired Meal Solutions appeared first on The Full Helping.

Silken Tofu Chocolate Pudding

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 16:05:02 GMT

Silken tofu chocolate pudding is an easy-to-make vegan dessert that tastes rich, but uses nutritious, protein-packed silken tofu as a base.

Let’s wrap up the year with something sweet, yes?

There’s a lot of pressure to relinquish sweets at this time of year. Online recipe content switches suddenly from holiday treats to wholesome, sensible fare for a new year.

I can understand the impulse to get back to basics in January. After lots of holiday cooking, simplicity feels good. But sweet and simple aren’t mutually exclusive. This silken tofu chocolate pudding proves that.

This is a rich, creamy, very chocolate-y dessert that’s easy to make. Silken tofu is a nutritious, protein-rich base, which gets blended with both melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder.

The pudding takes only minutes to prepare, and it’s delightful to eat. It’s an easy indulgence—the best kind!

Why silken tofu is the perfect base for dairy-free chocolate pudding

There are many ways to create a vegan chocolate pudding. I’ve used avocado (the famous chocomole), pumpkin, and cashew as a base.

I’ve also seen recipes that call for whipped aquafaba as a chocolate pudding base. They’re made similarly to traditional chocolate mousse.

But silken tofu chocolate pudding is my personal favorite for a lot of reasons.

First, ease. Yes, you’ll need to melt your chocolate (either in a double boiler or in the microwave). But there’s no stand mixer required. No need to use cornstarch or another thickener. No custard to create.

Making the silken tofu chocolate pudding is as simple as blending silken tofu with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, a sweetener of choice, and a pinch of sea salt. It sets in the fridge overnight, and then it’s a perfect texture for eating.

Silken tofu does more than enable easy preparation. It’s also a nutritious base for this dessert, rich in all of the nutrients that soy beans offer. This includes plenty of plant-protein, healthful fatty acids, and anti-inflammatory soy phytoestrogens.

There may be other ways to create a dairy-free chocolate pudding or mousse, but I can’t think of a creamy base that offers as much nutrient-density as this one!

Silken tofu chocolate pudding ingredients

It’s not every day that I make a dessert I love with only five ingredients. But that’s how silken tofu chocolate pudding works. Here’s what you’ll need.

Silken tofu

I remember the days when silken tofu was easiest to find in 12-ounce packages. You can still find those online, but when I go to the grocery store, I usually see silken/soft tofu in 16-ounce containers.

So that’s what this recipe calls for: 16 ounces of silken tofu. If you happen to have the 12-ounce packages at home, you can always save your leftover tofu for smoothies, soup, or another use. You can also scale down the chocolate and other ingredients 25% to accommodate only 12 ounces of tofu.

Dark chocolate

Any vegan dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate should work in the recipe. You can use chips, chunks, disks, or a chopped up dark chocolate bar.

I like something in the semi-sweet range for this recipe. Bittersweet chocolate is too bitter for me. But you can use the percentage and level of sweetness that you like. When I use a bar to make the pudding, I usually use this one.

Cocoa (or cacao) powder

I tend to prefer the flavor of cocoa powder over cacao. Once again, though, you can use the powder you have at home. I use this cocoa powder for some of my baking, hot cocoa, this pudding, and chocolate mousse pie.

Maple syrup (or agave)

I like to use liquid sweetener—maple syrup or agave—in the recipe. However, I’ve tested it with both coconut sugar and cane sugar, and they also work well.

Salt

You won’t need more than a pinch of kosher salt or sea salt for the pudding itself. But if you like chocolate and sea salt together, you can definitely top each ramekin of pudding with some flaky salt, too!

Storing and preparing silken tofu chocolate pudding

There’s not much to the preparation process of this silken tofu chocolate pudding. Blend, chill, eat.

The pudding should yield 4 large or 6 smaller portions. I use ramekins to portion it out (and because it makes an otherwise low-key dessert feel fancy). But you can certainly store all of it in a larger storage container, too. It will keep for up to five days in the fridge.

Speaking of, the pudding needs at least 3-4 hours to chill in the fridge before eating. However, I like it a lot better once it sets in the fridge overnight. At that point, the pudding has a texture that’s still silky but also set. It’s some hybrid of pudding, mousse, and pot de crème.

So, if you have the time, I recommend making the pudding a day before you plan to eat it. For example, you can make it today and enjoy it tomorrow, as a means of welcoming the new year

More chocolate goodness…

I was so focused on gingerbread that I didn’t give much thought to chocolate this holiday season. But it’s always a good time for a little bit of chocolate. If you’d like a few more ideas, here are some of my favorite chocolate treats:

Silken Tofu Chocolate Pudding

This vegan, dairy-free silken tofu chocolate pudding tastes rich and decadent! But it uses nutritious, protein-packed silken tofu as a base. Easy to make, easy to include in your meal prep.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chocolate, tofu

Prep Time 15 minutes

Chilling time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours 15 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

16 ounces silken tofu
1 cup (5 oz/150 g) chopped dark or semi-sweet vegan chocolate
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup maple syrup or agave syrup (substitute coconut sugar or cane sugar)
Pinch salt

Instructions

Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler or by heating it for 30 seconds in the microwave, stirring, and continuing to heat for 15 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted. Don't microwave for longer intervals, as the chocolate may burn and lose its silky, melted texture.
Add the melted chocolate and all other ingredients to a high speed blender. Blend till completely smooth. Pour the mixture into 4 or 6 ramekins. Refrigerate overnight to set the pudding. Enjoy!

I’m having mixed feelings today, just the way I did on Christmas. I feel grateful to have made it through the year, but there’s a lot of sadness associated with what didn’t happen and wasn’t possible. Some of the things that I had hoped for at this time last year.

But in addition to being a reminder of the fragility and preciousness of life, 2020 had its sweet moments.

The sweetest of them were very sweet indeed: life coming back to NYC this summer. My first few reunions with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. Many outdoor walks, some chilly, some rainy, some absolutely glorious. A lot of special time sitting in the park with my mom.

These small moments were even sweeter because of the circumstances. As I savor this dessert today, I’ll honor them, and the sweetness of life. It’s always there, even in the toughest moments.

Enjoy the silken tofu chocolate pudding. Can’t wait to hear what you think. And a great big hug to you on this New Year’s Eve.

The post Silken Tofu Chocolate Pudding appeared first on The Full Helping.

Whole Wheat Raisin Bars

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 00:11:28 GMT

Whole wheat raisin bars are a perfect cross between a wholesome snack bar and a buttery cookie. Freezer-friendly and great for meal prep!

You know those recipes that drastically exceed expectations?

These whole wheat raisin bars are one of them. I had the idea for the recipe in my mind. I suspected I’d like them. After all, it’s not hard to sell me on soft, cookie-like layers of dough and a dried fruit center.

But the bars turned out to be so much more tender, buttery, and tasty than I was expecting. Within moments of trying one, I knew I’d make them as one of my edible holiday gifts for friends next week. And I was reasonably sure that I’d make a double batch so that I could snack on them, too.

Even better? The bars are made with sprouted, whole wheat flour and rolled oats. Which makes them a little more wholesome than they would be otherwise. It also gives them a rich, nutty flavor that works so well with the sweet raisin interior.

Whole grain baking

One of the most common questions I’m asked about my baking recipes is, can this be made with whole wheat flour?

The answer is…maybe.

Whole wheat flours don’t work exactly like all-purpose flour does. Whole wheat flour, which is made by grinding up all parts of the wheat berry. The ground wheat bran can impede development of gluten strands in baking.

This is why whole wheat baked goods can sometimes be less tender, have less rise, or be denser than cakes or breads made with all-purpose flour.

So no, you can’t always substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose. If you do, you may need to start by substituting 10 or 25% of the original flour for whole wheat, to see what your baking results are like.

I don’t often bake with 100% whole wheat flour, but I often add a portion of it to quick breads, muffins, and breads. In some recipes, using all whole wheat flour just happens to work well.

These whole wheat raisin bars are one of those recipes!

Sprouted wheat nutrition

If you are able to use whole wheat flour in baking, there are some wonderful benefits that come along with it.

Whole wheat flour is richer in fiber than all-purpose. Because the whole wheat germ is used, it’s also got richer amounts of vitamins and minerals. Whole wheat flour (and most whole grain foods) are often higher in protein than refined grain counterparts.

My whole wheat flour of choice is the Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour from One Degree Organics.

This flour is made not only from whole wheat, but sprouted whole wheat. Sprouting can help to make the nutrients in the wheat more bioavailable.

Beyond that, One Degree flours are organic and veganic (which means that they’re cultivated with plant-based fertilizers).

One of the things I love so much about One Degree Organics and its products is that the brand puts transparency at front and center. One Degree foods come with scannable QR codes on the packages. When you pull them up, they teach you more about the farmer who produced the grains, oats, legumes, or seeds.

Sneaky oats in whole wheat raisin bars

These raisin bars contain not only the One Degree Sprouted whole grain flour, but One Degree’s quick oats, too.

These are my favorite oats, period. They’re tender, sweet smelling, have an incredible texture, and they’re grown without glyphosate. I make them for breakfast all the time, but I also love to bake with them.

In this recipe, I grind up a cup of oats and add them to the flour. This serves two purposes: first, it infuses the recipe with the whole grain goodness and soluble fiber of the oats.

Second, I think the homemade oat “flour” actually helps to lighten and tenderize the dough. It’s a perfect compliment to the whole wheat flour.

Here are a few other baked treats that I’ve made with One Degree’s fabulous oats:

Whole wheat raisin bar ingredients

These whole wheat raisin bars are sort of a cross between buckle and cookies.

When I first thought about making them, I imagined a short crust bottom and a streusel top of some sort.

But the more I thought about that, the more it wasn’t exactly what I craved. I like soft, cake-y textures. And What I really wanted was a soft, cake-like bar. Similar to these blueberry oat bars, but with a smoother texture.

I’m so happy that I followed my instincts and made the bars this way. I love their tenderness and chew. As an added bonus, you only need to make one batter for the recipe. No need to create something separate for the top.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Whole wheat flour

It works perfectly in this recipe, with no need for all-purpose. You could, though, substitute spelt flour or white whole wheat flour. And of course, if you don’t have whole wheat flour, all-purpose is fine.

Oats

I used my food processor to quickly grind the whole, quick oats into flour. Rolled oats would also work. If you happen to have oat flour at home, you can simply use ¾ cup of it.

Brown & cane sugar

I often use a mixture of brown and cane sugar to get the right consistency (light, yet moist) in baked goods. You could use all of one or the other, if you need to. I also love baking with coconut sugar!

Raisins

When I gave a sneak peek of these bars on Instagram, a lot of people asked whether they were date or fig bars.

In theory? They could be. But making the whole wheat raisin bars reminded me of how underrated and wonderful raisins can be. They’re inexpensive and easy to find. No wonder I use them so often, especially in salads and cake.

You could use golden raisins or brown. And if you’re dying to use up another dried fruit, you can try one and a half cups of any of the following, chopped:

Apricots
Dates
Figs

Storing whole wheat raisin bars

These bars should be kept at room temperature for up to four days, stored in an airtight container. They make wonderful gifts.

If you need to make them last a little longer, you can freeze them, individually or in bunches, for up to six weeks.

Sometimes I get a little fatigued of holiday cooking. But honestly? I’ve enjoyed every minute of baking and cooking this season. It feels “normal” in a time when so little else does. I hope that new year will bring a return to some of what we know and love, along with a fresh beginning.

Hope you’ll enjoy these buttery, irresistible treats, too. You can head on over to the One Degree Organics website to find the full recipe!

This post is sponsored by One Degree Organic Foods. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

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Vegan Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 23:01:48 GMT

Vegan spinach lasagna rolls are a perfect way to enjoy all of the comfort food goodness of lasagna in an adorable, easier-to-serve package.

With only a few more days before the Christmas holiday and the winter solstice, I thought it might be a good day for some classic comfort food.

These vegan spinach lasagna rolls are my new favorite make-ahead, freezer-friendly, cozy meal.

The rolls have all of the goodness of regular lasagna. This includes red sauce, a vegan “ricotta” filling, and tender lasagna sheets. But they’re easier to portion and serve than regular lasagna is. And they cook in less time.

I can’t think of a better, stress-free option for holidays or special occasions. And while I love the addition of spinach to the “ricotta,” you can modify the rolls to include lots of different vegetables.

Why lasagna rolls?

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a traditional lasagna. So, why lasagna rolls?

In addition to being pretty to look at (and pretty when you slice them), vegan lasagna rolls have a few advantages over a regular, layered lasagna.

For one thing, they’re a lot easier to portion and serve! I never manage to slice lasagna evenly, and I always make a huge mess of things when I’m trying to get that first slice out of the pan.

With the lasagna rolls, you simply scoop two or three out of a dish and onto a plate. No slicing required, and no splatters or mess as half of a piece of lasagna topples off your spatula.

The vegan spinach lasagna rolls also cook more quickly than regular lasagna. I usually leave lasagna in the oven for 45-60 minutes. These are ready in 30-35.

In addition, there’s no resting time for the lasagna rolls. When I make regular lasagna, I always give it about half an hour to sit after it comes out of the oven, so that it’s not too sloppy when I slice into it.

No such wait time here: you can plate and enjoy the rolls right away.

Vegan spinach lasagna rolls, step by step

Many of the same tips that apply to making regular lasagna apply to the lasagna rolls. (I like all of the noodle-cooking tips here, as well as the recommendation to have extra sauce handy.)

And, like regular lasagna, making the rolls is a bit of a process. But it’s a fun process. Here are the major steps:

Make your vegan “ricotta”

I’ve been making tofu “ricotta” for a long time. It shows up in the shells in Power Plates and in this summery lasagna.

Ever since making this eggplant baked rigatoni, though, I’ve gotten in the habit of putting cashews in my ricotta, along with the tofu. I love the richness and creaminess that the cashews contribute. I think they give the “ricotta” a much more authentic texture.

Same rules that go for cashew cheese go for making this ricotta. Be patient. Allow everything to spend enough time in the food processor to get a creamy, even consistency. And use some nutritional yeast, salt, and lemon for seasoning.

Once the ricotta is ready, you’ll cook, drain, wring out (to remove excess moisture) and add some frozen spinach.

Boil your noodles

Use lasagna noodles that are about 10-inches long for this recipe. I’m usually a fan of the De Cecco no. 1 lasagna noodles for regular lasagna, but the wide, short shape doesn’t work for rolling.

In this recipe, I used Barilla’s wavy lasagna noodles. They’re just the right size.

Be sure to boil your lasagna noodles in salted water, without adding any oil to the pot. And it’s helpful to give them a cold rinse as soon as they finish cooking.

Prepare your lasagna sheets

Once the lasagna noodles are cooked, you’ll cover them with ricotta and marinara on a work surface. I like using a baking dish or a big, rectangular sheet of either parchment paper or aluminum foil for this part.

Spread each noodle with 1/4 cup of the spinach and ricotta mixture, followed by a heaping tablespoon of marinara. A small, offset spatula is useful for spreading the toppings around.

Roll & arrange

Once the lasagna noodles have been covered with the ricotta and sauce, you’ll roll them up. Have the noodles arranged so that the short edge is facing you, and roll from the bottom up.

Right before you start assembling and rolling, you’ll place some marinara sauce into the bottom of your 9 x 13 baking dish. Once you’ve got some rolls assembled, you can arrange them in the rectangular baker. You should have about 12-16 rolls in total.

Bake

The vegan spinach lasagna rolls don’t need too much oven time. Thirty or thirty-five minutes in total is just fine.

I recommend baking them with a foil covered for the first fifteen minutes, then removing the foil so that the sauce on top can thicken up a bit as they finish cooking.

Time-saving tip: use store-bought marinara

I love using a homemade vegan “ricotta” in this recipe. It’s a little less expensive than purchasing two or three containers of store-bought vegan ricotta (which is the amount you’d need). And I think the flavor is even better.

Marinara, on the other hand? These days, I leave it to the pros. Rao’s and Michael’s of Brooklyn are my two favorites.

It’s not that I don’t love making a good, old-fashioned, long-simmered marinara at home. I do. But no matter how much labor and love I pour into my batches, professionally made marinara is usually better than mine.

In this recipe, and others, using a store-bought sauce is the single shortcut that makes the entire dish feel faster, and more doable. That counts for a lot these days.

Can vegan spinach lasagna rolls be frozen?

They sure can! Make-ahead and freezer-friendly potential is one of the things I love most about this dish.

You can bake the rolls and freeze half once they’re out of the oven. Or, you can make the entire recipe and freeze: it’s up to you and your schedule. The rolls will keep in the freezer for up to six weeks.

Other ways to make ahead:

Prepare the tofu and cashew ricotta up to three days in advance
Assemble the rolls, cover, and store in the fridge over night before baking the following day
Prepare and bake the rolls one or two days before serving. The rolls keep for up to five days, covered, in the fridge.

Can I make the lasagna rolls gluten-free?

Yes you can, and very easily. Simply use your favorite, gluten-free noodle in place of regular lasagna noodles. I like the brown rice lasagna noodles from the Tinkyada brand.

Other comforting pastas

I’ve always loved cozy pasta dishes, but I’ve come to appreciate them more than ever this year. If you love this kind of comfort food as much as I do, a few other options:

Vegan Spinach Lasagna Rolls

These vegan spinach lasagna rolls have all of the comfort food goodness of traditional lasagna, but in a quicker-cooking, easier-to-eat form. Crowd-pleasing, freezer-friendly, and delicious!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword lasagna, marinara, pasta, spinach

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the ricotta filling:

3/4 cup (90 g) raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
15 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed between paper towels or flour sack towels to remove excess moisture
10 ounces frozen, chopped spinach, cooked according to package instructions and firmly pressed in a colander to remove as much moisture as possible

For the rolls:

16 lasagna noodles (you may only need 12, but it's better to cook extra in case some break or tear)
24 ounces (2 1/2 cups) marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly oil a large, rectangular (9" x 13" x 2.5") baker.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the lasagna sheets. Cook according to package instructions (probably 10-12 minutes), or until tender.
While the water heats and the lasagna cooks, place the cashews into a food processor fitted with the S blade. Add two tablespoons water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pulse a few times, then process for about a minute, to break the cashews down. Crumble the tofu into the processor. Continue processing for another 2 minutes, stopping a few times to scrape the sides of the processor down. When the ricotta is completely creamy and smooth, stop the processor. Taste and adjust the salt/pepper/lemon to your liking.
Transfer the ricotta to a mixing bowl and add the chopped spinach. Mix well.
Place about 3/4 cup of the marinara sauce into the prepared baking dish, then spread it evenly around the bottom of the dish.
When the pasta is ready, line a work surface with parchment, foil, or a baking sheet. Spread a cooked lasagna noodle over the surface. Top with 1/4 cup of the ricotta mixture and spread the mixture evenly over the noodle. Add a tablespoon of the marinara sauce and cover the top of the ricotta lightly. Starting at the short, bottom end of the noodle, roll the lasagna noodle up. Place the lasagna roll into the baker. Repeat with your remaining noodles, arranging the rolls in your baking dish in rows. When the baking dish is full, top the rolls with remaining marinara sauce, enough to cover them generously.
Cover the baking dish with foil and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, covered. Remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce is darkened, concentrated, and bubbling at the edges. Serve!

This year at Thanksgiving, I focused on recipes that were simple to make and designed to serve one or two people.

Theoretically, this isn’t a two-person meal. In fact, it’s a perfect dish for company. But I think it’s still a nice option for this year, because it’s so easy to store/freeze leftovers of the vegan spinach lasagna rolls.

Which means that you can enjoy some on Christmas (or any special occasion), then savor them all over again the next time you want an easy, from-the-freezer dinner.

Enjoy them, friends. Another holiday treat later this week!

The post Vegan Spinach Lasagna Rolls appeared first on The Full Helping.

The Best Vegan Gingerbread Cake

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 00:18:16 GMT

This is an unfussy, uncomplicated, delightful vegan gingerbread cake. It’s light and airy, not dense, and every bite is infused with ginger and cinnamon.

I know it takes a little moxie to call a recipe “the best” anything. I also know that there’s really no “best” version of a dish. Especially a classic, beloved dish. Taste is so subjective.

But sometimes it’s hard to contain one’s excitement about a recipe. And I really, really love this vegan gingerbread cake. So I can’t help throwing attaching the superlative to it. Because it really is the best, to me.

Vegan gingerbread cake inspiration

I know that I was just going on and on about Laurie Colwin (one of my favorite food writers) and cake. Colwin was the inspiration for my Nantucket cranberry pie this Thanksgiving. She also happens to be the inspiration for this gingerbread cake.

Laurie Colwin loved gingerbread. She devoted two whole chapters in two separate books to it. Her love of gingerbread is one of the most memorable things about her books, Home Cooking and More Home Cooking.

In 2016, writer Lindsay-Jean Hard did a ranking of some of Colwin’s gingerbread recipes for Food52. Hard wrote,

“I nodded along with Colwin all the way through both books and felt like I’d found a new friend in her words. And when a friend talks about making something over and over again, you make it: Time to bake some gingerbread.“

I can relate to that feeling.

Lindsay-Jean Hard and her taste testers actually chose a different Laurie Colwin gingerbread as their favorite. They preferred Colwin’s “damp gingerbread” (sort of an unfortunate name).

I’ve made that gingerbread, too, and I liked it. I had no trouble finishing mine. But again, taste is so subjective. I found that cake to be a little denser and more stodgy than the kind of cake that I crave.

My favorite kind of gingerbread cake

And what is that kind of cake, exactly?

I like a gingerbread that has plenty of fresh ginger, but isn’t overly spicy. I like being able to taste the cinnamon, too.

More importantly, I like my vegan gingerbread cake to be light, even a little airy. Moist and tender, yes. But not dense or claggy (claggy: a word I’ve learned from multiple GBBO binges).

Part of what I love about cake is its lightness and simplicity. I love a good, dense quick bread, like banana bread or chocolate pumpkin marble loaf. But when I sit down to eat a piece of cake, I want something just a little more delicate.

Finding the perfect sweetener

As it turns out, the factor that makes a big difference with gingerbread cake texture is the choice of sweetener.

I’ve seen all sorts of sweeteners in gingerbread recipes. Some call for sugar, some honey, some molasses. Most that I’ve seen call for a mixture of molasses and sugar. The more molasses, the denser and darker the cake will be.

It’s not that I don’t like molasses; I do. But in cake—as opposed to, say, molasses ginger cookies—I think less is more. Each time I’ve made vegan gingerbread cake with a lot of molasses, the molasses has been all that I can taste.

Laurie Colwin gravitated toward non-molasses sweeteners in a number of her gingerbread cakes. Her favorites were Steen’s Cane Syrup and Lyle’s Golden Syrup.

I had no idea what either was until I read Colwin’s books. But sampling them made me a fan quickly.

Steen’s Cane Syrup

Steen’s is cane juice that’s simmered in an open kettle. It reduces to a golden syrup that’s someplace in between maple syrup and molasses. It’s more thicker than maple syrup, thinner and less assertive than molasses.

It’s really delicious. Laurie Colwin called it a “cheap luxury,” and I can see why.

Lyle’s Golden Syrup

Lyle’s golden syrup is a syrup made from cane sugar. It’s also delicious, but in a different way. I think it tastes like a richer, more syrupy version of agave. I’ve also read that it’s sometimes used as a honey substitute, and that makes sense to me. The consistency and color are very close.

I think it’s fun to explore new baking ingredients, like these sweeteners. I gave both a try in my gingerbread experiments.

In the end, I liked Steen’s Cane Syrup best for the cake. Much more than molasses, and slightly more than Lyle’s (but I liked Lyle’s, too). If you happen to have either one of these syrups at home, or you want to try them, this is the place to use them.

DIY syrup

But no need to purchase a new syrup, either. Part of why I wanted to share a vegan gingerbread cake this year is that it’s a simple dessert. And simple is what so many of us need and crave this year.

If you have molasses and maple syrup (or agave syrup) at home, then you can make a syrup that I think is close to Steen’s. I think 2 tablespoons molasses + 6 tablespoons maple syrup works perfectly.

With this combination, you’ll taste a hint of molasses. You’ll know it’s there. But the cake won’t taste like molasses once you bake it, and it will be a light golden brown—lighter than gingerbread cookies.

If you happen to love molasses flavor, then feel free to use more! Again, this is only my favorite vegan gingerbread cake. You’ll have your own preference.

Other vegan gingerbread cake ingredients

Once you choose your own syrup adventure, the rest of this cake is pretty straightforward.

Vegan butter

I like the taste of vegan butter as a fat source in this cake. The butter goes into the cake melted, along with the syrup. The brand doesn’t matter too much: use what you can find and what you like.

However, if you don’t have vegan butter, don’t worry. A neutral tasting vegetable oil, like refined avocado, can be substituted (use the same amount, six tablespoons).

Flour

I like unbleached, all-purpose flour in this cake. That said, I’ve tried making it with whole wheat pastry flour and white whole wheat flour, too. Both work well! I also think that light spelt flour would be fine for the recipe.

And if you need to make this cake gluten-free, you can use a gluten-free, all-purpose blend of your choosing (I like King Arthur’s).

Applesauce

Applesauce is my egg replacer in the vegan gingerbread cake. It also adds moisture, without the need for too much vegan butter.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar helps to sweeten the cake, along with your syrup of choice. It adds more moisture to the batter than cane sugar. But if you have cane sugar at home, that’s OK—I tested the reicpe with it as well, and it works!

I also love using coconut sugar, which I think tastes a bit like caramel, in this cake.

Spices

Just ginger and cinnamon. Which makes the cake different from a lot of gingerbreads that call for cloves. If you love the taste of cloves in a cake like this, go ahead and add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon.

Currants or raisins

Totally optional, and not pictured! I like the cake best plain. But Colwin’s original recipe gives an option for including them, and I’ve tried it. They’re a fun change for when you want something that’s a little more like fruit cake.

What size pan should I use?

I learned this year that it’s helpful to give a few options for baking vessels when I share baked goods. No one likes to purchase a new dish for a single recipe.

Swapping baking vessels can be a little complicated for cooking times. But there’s usually a way.

I recommend cooking the vegan gingerbread cake in an 8-inch round cake pan. I love this one, which has a removable bottom.

If you don’t have that sort of pan, you could also use an 9-inch round cake pan. You could also use an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square baking pan.

No matter what, take a peek at the cake after 35 minutes. A bigger baking dish may make the cake cook more quickly.

Making and storing vegan gingerbread cake

This vegan gingerbread cake can be easily made in advance of a special occasion. It will keep in an airtight container or with wrapping for about five days. I recommend leaving it at room temperature for the first two days, then transferring it to the fridge.

If you think you won’t eat the cake within five days, then you can go ahead and freeze it (or some of it). The gingerbread will last in the freezer for up to six weeks.

Vegan Gingerbread Cake

The best vegan gingerbread cake! This cake is light, yet rich in flavor and infused with spices. It's the perfect simple snack cake for the holiday season.

Course cake, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cake, ginger, gingerbread

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings slices

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

2 cups (240 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons (heaping) ground ginger (make sure the ginger is pretty fresh, as the flavor diminishes over time)
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (84 g) vegan butter
1/2 cup Steen's Pure Cane Syrup or Lyle's Golden Syrup (substitute 2 tablespoons molasses + 6 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup)
1/3 cup non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup (about 4 ounces, or 113 g) applesauce
1/3 cup (64 g) packed brown sugar
Optional: 3/4 cup currants or raisins

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with vegan butter and line the bottom with a circle of parchment.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt into a large mixing bowl.
In another bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and vinegar. While they sit, melt the vegan butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the syrup (or molasses and syrup mixture). Add this warm mixture to the bowl with the milk. Stir in the applesauce, and brown sugar and mix everything together.
Pour these wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Mix well (a few tiny lumps of flour are OK.) Fold in the raisins or currants, if using.
Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until the top is domed and set and the edges are turning golden. Allow the cake to cool for fifteen minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack completely before slicing and enjoying.

Notes

Adapted from the “Old-Fashioned Gingerbread” in Laurie Colwin’s More Home Cooking, adapted from Mary Norwak’s recipe in The Farmhouse Kitchen.

I don’t really think it gets homier or more humble than gingerbread as a holiday dessert.

I love my dark chocolate pear cake, and for the past few years it’s been my Christmas dessert of choice. It’s rich and beautiful to look at. The many dark chocolate chunks, which sink into the top of the cake, make it feel decadent.

Somehow, an elegant chocolate dessert just isn’t what I’m craving for Christmas of 2020. I want something simpler and plainer, which smells of baking spices as it cooks.

I want a cake that would be great for dessert, with our without vanilla ice cream, but also fine for snacking as the holiday season winds down.

This vegan gingerbread cake is what I want, and need. And even though there are a lot of gingerbreads out there, I hope that it will be as perfect and pleasing for some of you as it is for me.

The post The Best Vegan Gingerbread Cake appeared first on The Full Helping.

Lentil Beet Salad

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 16:08:19 GMT

This vegan lentil beet salad is one of my staple salads. It’s packed with nutrition and perfect with toast!

There are plenty of festive recipes to make and think about at this time of year. But sometimes I like to interrupt all of the holiday cookies and cakes with an every day staple recipe. This lentil beet salad is one of my favorites.

I have an easy time finding beets year round where I live, so I don’t really think of this as a seasonal salad. I make it often: it’s in some ways a pared down version of the Provencal bowls in Power Plates.

And if you wanted it to be less simple, you could dress the lentil beet salad up. You could add cashew cheese, vegan feta, croutons or rustic bread crumbs, nuts or seeds.

As you’ll see, my favorite way to elevate the salad is to eat it with a toasted slice of really good bread. It’s nice with a baked potato, too.

My favorite way to roast beets

Roasted beets are one of the costars of this relatively simple salad.

I love beets, and I eat them often. Occasionally I grate them or thinly slice them to eat them raw. Once in a while, I’ll throw them into a soup and boil them. But most of the time, I roast them.

I’ve tried roasting beets a number of different ways through the years. For a while, I was peeling them before cooking, then tossing them in oil and into the oven.

I learned that peeling raw beets is one of my least favorite kitchen chores. So I started experimenting with different ways of roasting.

Nowadays, I always wrap them in foil before roasting at 400 till very, very tender. This takes about 1 hour for giant beets, maybe 40-45 minutes for medium sized ones. Then, once they’re cool enough to be handled, I run the beets under cold running water. The skins are easy to slip off this way.

I very lightly rub the beets with olive or avocado (or another cooking oil) before I wrap them. This isn’t exactly necessary, but I’ve found that it makes it much easier to slip the beet skins off when the time comes.

Once the beets are roasted, I chop and store them. They’ll keep for four or five days in the fridge like this. If you’d like to use them in this lentil beet salad as well as other recipes, go ahead and double the number of beets that you roast. You can put the leftovers in:

Or, you can just throw them into a lunch bowl!

Lentil cookery

Cooking lentils is one of those things that sounds so simple. But getting lentils to have the right texture can be surprisingly complex.

I’ve taken to cooking lentils the same way that I cook pasta and brown rice. I boil them in a big pot of water, test them for doneness, and then drain them.

I find that this helps to prevent having either too little water to get the lentils tender or excess water after boiling. Both of which were routine happenings when I tried to cook lentils in a precise measurement of water.

I love French lentils in this recipe, but brown, green, beluga, and pardina lentils are all OK! (More on all of the many lentil varieties here.) With the exception of red lentils, use what you’ve got.

Lentil beet salad variations

Just as you can vary the lentils you use in this lentil beet salad, you can vary the other components, too.

I love the way red lentils look in the recipe (that color!). But golden beets will also work, and as a bonus, I think they taste a little sweeter. Chioggia beets—the stripey kind—are also lovely.

The vinaigrette that I use here is my standard, simple vinaigrette for green salads. I like vinegar in it, but sometimes I swap whatever vinegar I’m using (red wine, champagne, or sherry) for lemon juice.

As for the greens, I can’t resist arugula in this lentil beet salad. I love the way its peppery bite helps to mellow the sweetness of the beets and brighten up the earthy lentils. But I’ve made the salad with baby kale and mesclun, too. It’s different, but also very good.

Serving lentil beet salad

I’ll put pretty much anything on a piece of toast, but I seem to especially like putting lentils on toast. Sometimes I serve this lentil beet salad with toast, sometimes on top of it. But bread is usually involved.

If toast doesn’t appeal, you can serve the salad with steamed or baked red potatoes. You can scoop it up with some seedy crackers or flatbread.

The salad is nice with a cup of pureed soup, like cauliflower, sweet potato red pepper, carrot, or my favorite green soup.

Finally, you can make the salad into more of a meal-sized salad by throwing in cooked quinoa, rice, or farro. You could also add some roasted sweet potato or squash, bread cubes or bread crumbs.

It’s a lovely salad all on its own, but it’s also a good one to build on.

Storing lentil beet salad

One of the upsides of this salad is that the leftovers keep really nicely. You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two or three days after mixing the salad together.

In fact, I think that the beets and lentils taste even better once they’ve marinated in the vinaigrette a little. Your arugula might get a little droopy, but it’ll still its characteristic bite.

Lentil Beet Salad

This vegan lentil beet salad is colorful, hearty, and so nutrient-dense! A lovely salad on its own, and even better with (or on) a slice of toast.

Course main, Salad, side

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword arugula, beets, lentils, salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the salad

4 medium or 3 large beets, trimmed and scrubbed
olive or avocado oil, for rubbing the beets
1 cup (200 g) dry lentils, picked over and soaked for 1 hour (you can use French, brown, green, pardina, or beluga lentils)
A few handfuls torn baby arugula leaves
2 tablespoons snipped chives (optional)
Fresh bread or toast, for serving

For the dressing

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons champagne, sherry, or red wine vinegar (substitute lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 small, finely minced garlic clove (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Rub all of the beets with a light coating of olive oil. Wrap each beet tightly in foil or parchment. Roast the beets for 45 minutes-1 hour, or until they're buttery tender when pierced with a knife. When the beets have cooled for about fifteen minutes, run them under cold water while you slip off their skins. The skins should come off easily. Chop the roasted, skinned beets into pieces that are about 1" (or a little smaller).
While the beets are roasting, bring a pot of water to boil. Drain the lentils of their soak water, then add them to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the lentils for 25-30 minutes, or until they're tender but still hold their shape. Drain the lentils, taking care to remove as much cooking water as possible so that they're not watery when you add them to the salad.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Add the prepared beets, lentils, and dressing to a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Add the baby arugula and chives, if using. Toss again, gently. Serve the lentil beet salad with your favorite toast or bread.

In spite of the fact that this holiday season will be smaller than usual (and my Christmases are usually pretty small to begin with), and in spite of the ever-present pandemic worries, I’m having a fun time with holiday baking and festive recipe ideas.

Even so, it’s nice to fall back on something elegant and nourishing every now and then. You know, Between slices of gingerbread, chocolate pear cake, and Christmas cookies.

Lentil beet salad is a good one for those moments. Hope it’ll be the refreshing, grounding meal you need, too.

The post Lentil Beet Salad appeared first on The Full Helping.

Turmeric Chai Latte Mix

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 18:54:05 GMT

No coffee shop necessary to enjoy a sweet and spicy winter drink. This DIY turmeric chai latte mix will warm you up at home!

At some point last spring, just when coffee shops were starting to reopen for takeaway orders, I fell in love with a turmeric chai latte at one of my local coffee shops.

It was warming and assertively spiced. But it wasn’t aggressive with ginger, as some turmeric drinks can be. The latte was gently sweetened. Creamy and comforting, it was just what the doctor ordered. Especially at that moment in the quarantine experience.

I started to revisit the latte this fall, as the weather got cool again. I’m all for supporting my local businesses. But after a while, I started to wonder whether I could create a homemade version that I loved as much.

This DIY turmeric chai latte mix was born.

I shared the drink on Instagram recently. I was surprised at how many people seemed interested in the recipe. But I shouldn’t be. This is a good time for cozy, nourishing beverages.

With that in mind, I thought I’d bring it to the blog, in the hopes that it’ll bring warmth and comfort to your winter days ahead.

The soothing power of turmeric

Turmeric is clearly the star of this turmeric chai latte mix.

There’s a lot to say about the health benefits of turmeric. Turmeric—specifically its active ingredient, which is called curcumin—is associated with anti-inflammatory effects.

For this reason, curcumin supplementation has been associated with pain reduction in a couple studies of osteoarthritis of the knee. It’s also been studied for IBD patients, though conclusions are mixed so far.

Curcumin is also an antioxidant. Early studies, based on laboratory research, shows that curcumin may have a beneficial effect in slowing cancer growth. More research is needed, but early information is promising.

There’s an optional pinch of black pepper included in this turmeric chai latte mix. Why? Because our bodies seem to absorb curcumin poorly. Piperine, an active compound in black pepper, increases absorption.

When I first made the turmeric chai latte mix, I made it without black pepper. I liked the mild flavor, and I still make it this way sometimes. However, if you want to maximize the nourishing properties of the drink, a pinch of finely ground black pepper will help.

Turmeric chai latte mix ingredients

First, it’s important to say that this turmeric chai latte mix is adaptable. The proportions that I’m sharing are what I like best. You can tweak and adjust as needed.

This includes the sweetness and the amount of cardamom and ginger. You might also like to add some vanilla extract to the latte.

Turmeric

I tend to order quite a bit of turmeric at once, because I use it so often. The ground form is convenient and easy to store.

But there are other forms of turmeric to use in drinks and cooking. One is turmeric paste; I like this one, which contains black pepper. Another is, of course, freshly grated turmeric root.

For the purposes of this mix, I recommend ground turmeric. But for what it’s worth, I’ve had success using a teaspoon of turmeric paste, a pinch of cardamom and cinnamon, and a teaspoon or two of coconut sugar for a single serve latte.

Coconut sugar

I use cane sugar and brown sugar in a lot of my baking. But I love the flavor of coconut sugar. It has a deep, almost toasted aroma. And I think it tastes a little like caramel.

You can use coconut sugar, cane sugar, or brown sugar here. Date sugar is another cool sweetener, and I think it tastes like coconut sugar!

Spice blend

The chai spices here are a mixture of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Use what you have, and don’t be afraid to adjust these a little based on your preferences.

Black pepper

This is optional if you’d like the latte mix less spicy, recommended for the most health benefit. I think that black pepper powder, or a finely ground black pepper, is best for a smoothly textured drink.

More turmeric recipes

Beyond its health properties, turmeric is a versatile spice. I’ve come to love its slightly bitter, pungent flavor. I use it in many recipes, this chai latte mix included.

A few of my favorites:

How long with homemade turmeric chai latte mix last?

The turmeric chai latte mix, as written, makes about twelve servings. I recommend storing it in a mason jar or another airtight container.

The mix should last for up to a month or two before it loses any of its flavor—which is definitely enough time to enjoy twelve warming, winter drinks.

Should I grind my own spices?

Grinding spices at home is a wonderful way to ensure that your spice blends are as flavorful and vibrant as possible.

For a while, I was grinding my own blends for kitchari at home, using this grinder. I’ve fallen out of the habit over time, especially this year.

So no, you don’t need to grind your own spices, though your DIY latte mix will be especially fresh if you do. Good, fresh ground spices should give you a similar result.

Lately I’ve been really impressed with the spices from Burlap & Barrel, a local (to me) company.

Which non-dairy milk works best for the turmeric chai latte?

It’s really a matter of preference!

Oat milk has become my favorite for drinks. Not just this turmeric chai latte, but also homemade café au lait, hot cocoa, and more.

Even so, you can pick a non-dairy milk that you love best. Soy milk will give you the most protein per serving. Nut milks—almond, cashew, pecan, or macadamia—are also options.

I generally encourage mindfulness with coconut consumption, because of the saturated fat content. But coconut milk—from the carton, the can, or homemade—tastes really nice with this spice blend.

Turmeric Chai Latte Mix

Skip the expensive coffee shop and make your own turmeric chai latte at home! This simple, DIY spice blend will allow you to enjoy a sweet, spicy, warming cup anytime you're craving it.

Course beverages, Drinks

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chai, plant milk, turmeric

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

4 tablespoons ground turmeric
3-4 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8-1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder (optional, and adjust to taste)

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and store them in a sealed mason jar.
To make a latte, add 2 teaspoons of the mix to a small saucepan, along with a cup of your favorite plant milk. Heat on the stovetop till warm but not boiling. Use a frother, if you have one, to make the mixture frothy. Enjoy.

By the way, you’ll see an option in the recipe for frothing the milk. This definitely contributes to a coffee-shop-worthy, homemade latte.

I don’t have a fancy milk frother and heater. I have a small, handheld frother, which a friend introduced me to last spring when I was visiting her place. It works nicely, doesn’t take up much space, and I’m very glad to have it.

No frothing needed for this drink to be delicious and grounding, though. It will be whether you add special finishing touches to it or not. And I hope you’ll enjoy it. It’s really good company for a work-from-home afternoon break, or to keep you company as you unwind in the evening.

More wintertime goodness soon. Wishing you a cozy day.

The post Turmeric Chai Latte Mix appeared first on The Full Helping.

Maple Brown Sugar Baked Oatmeal

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 01:18:38 GMT

This vegan maple brown sugar oatmeal bake is a wonderfully cozy, make-ahead breakfast for wintertime.

With winter approaching, I’m in the mood for oatmeal. This year, I’m also in the mood for recipes that I can make ahead and enjoy as the week goes by. Maple brown sugar baked oatmeal is it.

This recipe is sweet, comforting, and cozy. It’s a good thing to make on Sunday and then roll out for breakfast on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. It requires very little work, and you can enjoy the leftovers warm or cold.

The versatility of baked oatmeal

In fact, that’s what I love best about baked oatmeal: the versatility of leftovers. I’ve eaten baked oatmeal squares cold, sort of like a portable breakfast bar.

I also like to reheat them in the oven and drizzle them with maple syrup before I enjoy them.

And, when I have the time, I enjoy reheating them, mashing them up a little in a bowl, and topping them with warm plant milk.

Oatmeal bakes are versatile in terms of ingredients, too. This maple brown sugar baked oatmeal is a wintery version, good for the time of year when fresh fruit is hard to come by.

But I’ve made so many different seasonal varieties! Peach oatmeal (baked in a skillet) in the summer, blueberry and walnut year-round (using frozen berries as needed), pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip in the fall.

I love that oatmeal bakes are basically a dump-and-bake kind of recipe—hands off, easy to make while you’re doing other stuff at home. And I love that they can be frozen for future easy breakfasts, too.

Elements of baked oatmeal

The formula for maple brown sugar baked oatmeal—and really all baked oatmeal varieties—isn’t so different than regular oatmeal.

You’ll need some sort of plant-milk. I usually use soy milk for the added protein, but oat milk, almond milk, and cashew milk are all fine. In a pinch, you can use water instead.

I always add some sort of sweetener to my baked oatmeal. In this recipe, it’s a combination of maple syrup—which lends its unmistakable flavor to the recipe—and brown sugar on top.

Why two sweeteners? Maple syrup is for taste, and brown sugar is for a slightly caramelized top. There’s a bit of cinnamon in the recipe, too, but you could add a pinch of ginger or chai spice if you wanted to.

A lot of non-vegan baked oatmeal recipes call for eggs. I’ve never found replacing eggs to be a problem. I simply use ground flax meal (you’ll see that in this recipe) and a little baking powder for fluffiness.

As far as baked oatmeal goes, this is one of the more pared-down versions I’ve tried. I wanted the maple flavor to shine through.

Also, I was hoping for it to be a vehicle for any extra flourishes that I might be craving. Baked oatmeal is lovely with some nut butter, a sprinkle of hemp seeds, fresh banana or apple slices, or gingered blueberry sauce.

Why One Degree Organic rolled oats are my #1

Of course, the star of the recipe is the rolled oatmeal. And I used my go-to sprouted rolled oats, made by One Degree Organic foods.

I love One Degree products for a lot of reasons. Firstly, transparency. One Degree products have scannable QR codes that take consumers to online information about the farmers who grew each ingredient.

Additionally, One Degree ingredients are grown using plant-based cultivation methods. They’re organic, as the name implies. The grains, legumes, and seeds are also sprouted, so that their nutrients have a little extra bioavailability.

Finally, One Degree rolled oats are one of the few on the market that are free of glyphosate. Glyphosate is an active ingredient in certain herbicides that some consumers are increasingly choosing to avoid.

Most of all, I love One Degree oats because they’re always fresh. They have a faintly sweet and nutty taste, and they come in the rolled oat form (my favorite) and a convenient quick oat form.

Making & storing maple brown sugar baked oatmeal

Making this recipe couldn’t be simpler. Just mix the ingredients, pour them into a baking dish, bake, slice, enjoy. Nothing fancy or complicated.

Once the oatmeal is baked, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four more days. You can also freeze it for up to six weeks!

I’m getting excited for holiday cooking. But, with all of that to do, I’d like to keep my breakfasts simple and nourishing. This maple brown sugar baked oatmeal will allow me to do just that.

You can find the whole recipe on the One Degree Organic website now.

Hope you’ll enjoy it, and I’ll see you back here on Sunday.

This post is sponsored by One Degree Organics. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

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Vegan Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 16:45:05 GMT

Vegan Nantucket cranberry pie is inspired by Laurie Colwin’s classic recipe. It’s a cake, not a pie, and it couldn’t be easier to make! The perfect last minute holiday dessert.

I chose a weird year to go all out with Thanksgiving cooking, but it’s happening.

At the time of this writing, I’ve got two desserts in the works. I’ve also got green bean casserole, classic bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, and two types of cranberry sauce.

Then there’s the Gardein holiday roast that I trekked all around New York City to find. (Vegan roast was hard to come by this year—maybe a sign that more people are eating plant based?)

Anyway, it’s a lot of food for two people. But I guess it won’t be the worst thing for my mom and I to each eat leftovers for days.

And, in a year where nothing really feels “normal,” the traditional feast is my effort to maintain a sense of constancy. In spite of my worry for the country and what’s to come, holiday cooking is one thing that I can do to keep a sense of festivity alive.

Cooking and baking.

The pie that’s really a cake

The most important thing to say about this vegan Nantucket cranberry pie is that it’s not actually a pie. It’s a cake. This would probably confuse and disappoint some people, but it makes me happy.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy pie. I do, of course. Pumpkin pie is my favorite, but I haven’t really met a pie that I didn’t like. Chocolate mousse pie, apple pie, pecan pie, cherry pie. It’s all good.

Even so, I’d pretty much always rather be eating cake than pie.

Just as I was basking in the satisfaction of having baked my pumpkin pie last night, I started to think about how there were always two desserts at the Thanksgiving table when I was a kid. Usually two pies.

The idea wasn’t to make people choose. It was to augment the abundance that’s already part of Thanksgiving. When else is double dessert the norm?

I thought that it might be nice to have something extra this year for me and my mom. The worst that could happen was that we both froze some dessert and ate it through the holiday season. How bad could that be? And, since cake is my favorite, I loved the idea of making a cake as well as a pie.

Enter Nantucket cranberry pie, the holiday pie that’s actually a cake. Even apart from the name, there are so many reasons why this pie felt perfect for the year.

Why Nantucket cranberry pie is the perfect last minute holiday dessert

Nantucket cranberry pie isn’t a recipe I can take credit for. The credit goes to one of my favorite writers, Laurie Colwin. More specifically, credit goes to her friend Ann and Ann’s mother, who couldn’t remember where it came from.

“People who feel they must make a real dessert are often looking for something simple and wonderful, two words often felt to be mutually exclusive,” Colwin writes in More Home Cooking.

She goes on to say,

“I like a cake that takes about four seconds to put together and gives an ambrosial result. Fortunately, there are such cakes, and usually you get them at the homes of others. You then purloin the recipe (since you have taken care to acquire generous friends) and serve it to other friends, who then serve it to others. This is the way in which nations are unified and friendships made solid.”

Nantucket cranberry pie is, as Colwin notes, “a snap.” It’s ridiculously easy to put together. You chop up fresh cranberries and walnuts and layer them at the bottom of a pie plate or cake pan with some sugar. (The cranberries pretty much turn into cranberry sauce as they bake.)

Then, you make a simple cake batter and pour it on top. You bake it for forty minutes, and that’s it. What comes out of the oven is a layer of fragrant, almond scented cake covering a bed of sweet and tart cranberries. It’s delicious, and it requires so little effort.

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for ages. Laurie Colwin was a great fan of cake, like I am, and I’ve taken her advice on gingerbread and on rum cake. This is the one that I was waiting to try.

This strange Thanksgiving of 2020 felt like exactly the right moment for something simple and wonderful.

The recipe didn’t disappoint. Vegan Nantucket cranberry pie, along with my dark chocolate pear cake, is going to become a new holiday tradition for me.

Tips for making Nantucket cranberry pie

This isn’t a recipe that requires a lot of instruction. But two pieces of advice will make it easier.

First, use a nonstick pie dish or springform pan. You can use the pie dish that you have, but since the cranberries get sticky at the bottom, a nonstick surface will make cleanup and serving easier. I use this pie dish for baking, and I love it.

Second, if you have a food processor, it’s worth using it to chop the cranberries. Just pulse them till they’re roughly chopped.

It’s easy enough to do the chopping hand. But when I tried, my cranberries kept rolling all over the place and ending up on the floor. The food processor takes care of the job in less than a minute.

Nantucket cranberry pie ingredients

Cranberries

These speak for themselves! You’ll need two cups, or about 200 grams, total. If you have leftovers (the bag I got had about double that amount), you can use them in a cranberry sauce.

Or, you can use it as an excuse to make two cakes and give one to a friend.

Unbleached, all-purpose flour

Unbleached, all-purpose flour is my standard for cakes and muffins. But you can use white whole wheat flour in the recipe as well.

If you want to make the cake gluten-free, that won’t be hard. A gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend will work well in the recipe. I always use King Arthur’s Measure for Measure in gluten-free baking.

Almond extract

Colwin’s recipe calls for almond extract. I love the combination of almonds and cranberries together, which makes me think about these biscotti.

If you don’t have almond extract, vanilla extract is a good substitute. And if you like both flavors, it’s actually nice to do half a teaspoon almond, half a teaspoon vanilla. Best of both worlds.

Walnuts

Walnuts go at the bottom of this cake, along with the chopped cranberries. If you don’t have walnuts, chopped pecans will work just as well.

And if you need to make the cake nut-free, you can simply omit the nuts altogether.

Vegan butter

Colwin’s recipe calls for slightly more butter than I used. I think that the amount here is enough for a buttery, tender cake.

I tried the recipe with olive oil, and while I liked the buttery version better, olive (or vegetable oil) is a fine substitute. This isn’t the sort of recipe you want to run out and buy extra ingredients for, so use what you have.

Non-dairy milk

Milk isn’t a part of Colwin’s original recipe for Nantucket cranberry pie. But it’s part of how I chose to replace the two eggs that are part of her formula.

I used soy milk, though oat milk, almond milk, cashew milk, and other non-dairy milks should work, too.

Cane sugar

You’ll need a cup of cane sugar in total for this recipe. Half goes into the cake, half is mixed in with the cranberries, to sweeten them. The amount in the cake is less than what Colwin suggests, but I thought it was sweet enough for my sweet tooth.

If you don’t have cane sugar, you could use coconut sugar. Brown sugar wouldn’t be my first choice for the recipe, but I think it’ll be OK if that’s what you have lying around from your other holiday recipes.

Make ahead and storage options

The main question I’m asked about holiday recipes is whether or not they can be 1) made ahead and 2) frozen.

Fortunately, vegan Nantucket cranberry pie lends itself to both a few days of advance cooking and to freezing!

After you bake the cake, you can cover it and store it at room temperature for up to two days. After two days, I recommend transferring it to the fridge for storage. It should keep (with refrigeration after two days) for about five or six days total.

If you like, you can also freeze the cake for up to six weeks. The cranberries freeze and defrost well, just as they do in cranberry sauce.

Vegan Nantucket Cranberry Pie

This is a vegan version of Nantucket cranberry pie, the pie that's really a cake. It's a classic recipe from Laurie Colwin's More Home Cooking, and it is, as Colwin writes, "simple and wonderful."

Course cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cake, cranberry

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the cranberry base

2 cups (200 g) fresh cranberries
1/2 cup (65 g) chopped walnuts
1/2 cup (96 g) cane sugar

For the topping

1 cup (120 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (96 g) cane sugar
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
5 tablespoons (70 g) vegan butter, melted
1 teaspoon almond extract (substitute vanilla extract, or use a half teaspoon of each)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Oil or lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish (not necessary if you use a nonstick pie dish).
Chop the cranberries (pulsing them in a food processor makes this easy). Transfer the chopped cranberries, walnuts, and cane sugar to the pie dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cane sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and vinegar and allow them to sit for a couple minutes. Add the vegan butter and almond extract. Stir these wet ingredients together.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until you have a smooth batter (tiny lumps are OK, but no big lumps or streaks of flour).
Pour the batter over the cranberry and walnut mixture. Use an inverted spatula to spread it around the top. Transfer the pie dish to the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the cake portion is just turning light golden at the sides. Allow the pie to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying!

Sometimes I wonder what will stand out when I look back on 2020.

Right now, I’m wondering what I’ll remember about this Thanksgiving. Will it be the smell of my Nantucket cranberry cake coming out of the oven? The fact that the sky kept alternating between rainclouds and bursts of sun? Hopefully I won’t remember the fact that I was stressed out about under-seasoning my stuffing and worried that I’d burnt the crust on my pumpkin pie.

I’ll probably recall that many things were different, but a lot of the things that matter were the same. Only my gratitude was bigger. Gratitude for the big things—health, family, friends, life—and the small things. This cake, specifically.

From my home to yours, Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. I’ll see you back here on Sunday, for the usual roundup.

The post Vegan Nantucket Cranberry Pie appeared first on The Full Helping.

Root Vegetable Tofu Bake

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 13:57:05 GMT

This root vegetable tofu bake is an easy, nutritious plant-based sheet pan meal! Serve over your favorite whole grain or greens.

Whether you’re doing more cooking than usual this week, or feeling tired of cooking—as many of us are—this root vegetable tofu bake is for you. It’s a satisfying, nutritious meal that comes together with minimal work.

Why sheet pan suppers are the solution to cooking fatigue

With the arrival of fall weather, I’ve been feeling less burnt out on cooking than I was this summer. But I’m not as inspired and energetic as I usually am, either.

It’s been a long year. Many of us are cooking more than usual, and those of us who haven’t been may still be exhausted from stress and uncertainty.

Sheet pan suppers are one excellent solution to all of this. They come together with minimal fuss and mess. They allow you to prepare multiple kinds of foods—proteins, starches, veggies—at the same time. You don’t have to fuss with multiple cooking vessels and then clean up a sink full of dirtied pots and pans.

When I make sheet pan meals, I usually serve them over a favorite whole grain or with some greens. Or both!

This root vegetable tofu bake included Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and onion. It was rich in vegetables and the many nutrients they deliver. So, I served it over simple brown rice and called it a meal.

A very flavorful, low-key, autumnal meal.

Root Vegetable Tofu Bake Ingredients

Root vegetables

I used butternut squash, which is one of my favorite fall vegetables, in my bake. But you could use rutabaga, celery root, parsnips, or turnips instead. Carrots would also be great here.

Brussels sprouts

Tis the season. I put Brussels sprouts in just about everything at this time of year, from hash to salads to simple pasta dishes. They get a little crispy in this bake, and they also lend the goodness of crucifers to the dish.

You could use broccoli, cauliflower, or Romanesco in place of the sprouts, if you like.

Red onion

You can most definitely use white or yellow onion in the root vegetable tofu bake. But I love the sweetness of red onion, especially for roasting.

Super firm tofu

The superhero of this meal is Nasoya’s Super Firm Tofu!

There’s so much to say about why I love this tofu. It’s got all of the health benefits of tofu—plant protein, healthful fatty acids, anti-inflammatory phytonutrients—but the texture is special.

Normally, when I use tofu in recipes, I buy firm or extra firm and press the tofu before using. This helps the tofu to absorb flavor, and it creates the dense, toothsome texture that I like.

With Nasoya’s Super Firm Tofu, I don’t have to bother with pressing. The texture is perfect as is—dense, springy, ready to cook.

Making root vegetable tofu bake

In the spirit of stress-free meal prep, I tried to make this meal as streamlined as possible.

I marinated the tofu and vegetables in an apple cider vinaigrette that also serves as garnish for the dish. Whisk it together, pour most of it over your vegetables and tofu before roasting, and reserve a little for drizzling over your bowls later.

I was also able to roast all of the vegetables and tofu at the same time. This isn’t always an option for sheet pan meals. Sometimes one component takes longer to cook than others. But for this root vegetable tofu bake, it worked to have everything cook for the same amount of time.

While the root vegetables and tofu were baking, I made a pot of brown rice to serve them with. You could do this ahead of time, of course, and you don’t need to use rice. Quinoa, millet, farro, or couscous would all be lovely here.

I’m a big fan of the Saveur method of cooking short grain brown rice (boil it, like pasta). I often make a pot this way on Sunday, keeping some rice in the fridge for easy meals like this one, and freezing some of it.

Once your tofu and vegetables have roasted, you can enjoy them as they are, pile them in bowls, or use them in meal prep however you like.

I served them with the reserved vinaigrette, but you could pair them with a different sauce, too. I think yum sauce, delightfully green tahini sauce, and balsamic Dijon tahini dressing would all be stellar.

Storing roasted tofu and vegetables

It’s easy to store the components of this simple meal: simply place them in an airtight container and pop them into the fridge. My roasted root vegetables and tofu lasted for about four days when I stored them this way.

The vinaigrette can be stored separately. I keep small mason jars around for leftover dressing, and I find them to be very handy.

As this wild year enters its home stretch, I’m more grateful than ever for easy, nutritious dinners. Tofu will always be one of my first picks for a nutrient-dense plant based meal, and this is a new favorite way to prepare it.

You can find the entire recipe on the Nasoya website and you can purchase Nasoya’s Super Firm Tofu for the recipe online for convenience. Hope it’ll be practical and tasty for you.

One more holiday recipe coming your way tomorrow. Until then, happy cooking, easeful cooking, or super restful no-cooking wishes to you ????

This post is sponsored by Nasoya. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

The post Root Vegetable Tofu Bake appeared first on The Full Helping.

Mini Sweet Potato Casseroles

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 17:59:18 GMT

Mini sweet potato casseroles are perfect for an intimate, one or two-person Thanksgiving celebration.

This Thanksgiving is different in a lot of ways. But the excuse to make sweetly portioned, one and two-person recipes, has been sort of fun. Especially since my mom and I are two-person holiday veterans.

It doesn’t get much cuter than these little vegan sweet potato casseroles. I tested them on a whim last week. I’ve now made them twice, not only because the holiday is approaching. They’re delicious, plain and simple, and I wanted to eat them again.

The casseroles are decidedly sweet. The streusel topping makes the reminiscent of crisp, crumble, or a streusel muffin.

So they could be your holiday dessert, if you wanted them to be. (Doesn’t pie crust feel like a lot of energy this year?)

Or, you can serve them as a cinnamon scented accompaniment to the savory goodness on your Thanksgiving table.

Even if you’re not celebrating a holiday, there’s no reason to delay making the casseroles. They’re an anytime treat for winter, and they’re much easier than most baking projects.

Mini sweet potato casserole ingredients

Sweet potatoes

I used jewel sweet potatoes for the mini sweet potato casseroles. Sweet potatoes come in many shapes and colors. I like garnet and jewel sweet potatoes best for mashing, but Beauregard and Covington sweet potatoes would also be great in the recipe.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try purple sweet potatoes! I’m curious to try the recipe with them myself.

Unbleached, all-purpose flour

The streusel topping in this recipe is made with flour, vegan butter, brown sugar, and pecans. I used unbleached, all-purpose flour, my standard for baked things. However, whole grain flours will do the trick here, too.

You could use whole wheat, white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry flour, or another whole grain flour of choice.

Brown sugar

Cane sugar will technically work in the recipe, but I prefer light or dark brown sugar for crumbly, streusel toppings! If you don’t have brown sugar, or if it’s your preference, you can use coconut sugar instead.

Vegan butter

Any vegan butter will work well in the casserole topping. If you don’t have any vegan butter on hand, that’s OK. Coconut oil is a good substitute, especially if you keep it cold (and semi-solid).

In a pinch, it’s also fine to use vegetable oil (like grapeseed, safflower, or refined avocado).

Nuts

I used chopped pecans in the topping. But chopped walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or even cashews will be fine. If you’d like to make the recipe nut free, you could use a seed (like pumpkin seeds) instead. You could also omit the nuts altogether.

Can the casseroles be made gluten free?

Speaking of substitutions and swaps, it’s worth saying that the mini sweet potato casseroles can easily be made gluten free! Simply use an all-purpose, gluten-free flour blend in the recipe.

Additionally, I’ve made crumbly toppings with oat flour in the past and had good results. If you have oat flour at home (or want to try making it from scratch), that’s a good gluten-free option as well. Be sure to use a certified GF flour or oats.

Preparing your sweet potatoes

A lot of recipes for sweet potato casserole call for steaming the potatoes before mashing them. I found that the casserole was so much sweeter and more flavorful when I baked the potatoes instead. I baked them until they were collapsing and tender, and their interiors were super sweet.

If you have the time, I recommend baking the potatoes twice: once before mashing them, once after you’ve added your streusel topping.

If you don’t have the time, I think the microwave is the next best option. It’s faster than steaming, and no less flavorful. Which makes it the next best thing to baking.

I usually prick my potatoes and microwave them for 6-8 minutes, turning them over once during cooking. It can take as long as ten minutes to cook a sweet potato in the microwave, depending on the size of the potato and how many you cook at once.

Can mini sweet potato casseroles be made ahead?

The answer is yes! And there are a few approaches to making them in advance.

You can make your mini sweet potato casseroles entirely (prepare and bake them as directed) up to two days ahead of time. Then, you can reheat them in a 350F oven for 20 minutes before serving. Reheating them in the oven will help to keep the topping crispy.

I think the casseroles taste best when they’ve just recently been baked. To have that effect while also getting ahead on cooking, you can prepare the mashed potatoes one or two days in advance. You can also make the streusel topping ahead of time.

Store both the potatoes and the topping in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, heat your oven and bake them for 25-30 minutes right before your holiday meal. They’ll be a little bubbly, crispy on top, fragrant with pecans and cinnamon, and ready to eat.

Doubling (or tripling) mini sweet potato casseroles

This recipe is designed for two or three. As written, it’ll fill three ramekins that are each 4″ in diameter (similar to these). It could also fill two larger, oval-shaped crème brûlée dishes.

If you’re serving a bigger crowd, you can easily double the recipe to make 6 mini casseroles. You could even triple it to serve nine.

If you double it, you can bake the recipe in a smaller (1 quart) oval or square baking dish. If you triple it, you can bake it in a 2 or 2.5 quart rectangular baker.

Mini Sweet Potato Casseroles

These mini sweet potato casseroles are adorable and delicious—and they're completely #vegan! Perfect for an intimate Thanksgiving celebration of one or two people. A super easy spin on a classic recipe. #plantbased

Course side, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword casserole, flour, holidays, sweet potatoes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cooling time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the mashed potatoes

2 large or 3 smaller sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb)
1 tablespoon (14 g) vegan butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened, non-dairy milk
2 teaspoons maple syrup or agave
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the topping:

1 1/2 tablespoons (21 g) vegan butter
2 tablespoons (15 g) unbleached, all purpose flour
2 tablespoons (28 g) light or dark brown sugar
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt (only if your vegan butter is unsalted)
2 tablespoons (15 g) chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F. Prick the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork. Place them onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until they're completely tender when pierced with a fork or knife. Reduce the oven heat to 350F.
Wearing oven mitts, cut the hot sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the butter, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Mash roughly with a fork. The sweet potatoes should be mashed, but they should still have a bit of texture—you're not aiming for totally smooth or uniform.
Lightly oil or butter 2 or 3 small baking dishes. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes to the dishes. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the topping, place the butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt, if needed, in a small bowl. Use your fingers to crumble it all up. You're aiming for pea-sized pieces of butter and for everything to be well incorporated. Add the nuts and mix again.
Distribute the topping over the mashed potatoes in their little dishes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Serve.

I love that this dish is hard to define. It’s a sweeter than a typical side dish, but it’s not quite dessert. It reminds me of my corn pudding in that way.

The mini sweet potato casseroles are following in my holiday tradition of sweet potato themed dishes. From shepherds pie to wild rice stuffing to lentil and sweet potato loaf, I seem to go a little crazy for sweet potatoes at this time of year.

That’s nothing to be sorry about, if you ask me. I’m happy to make these little casseroles a new tradition, even if they came into being during a year that broke with tradition in a lot of ways. I hope you’ll enjoy them, too.

And more fuss-free holiday fare to come in the next couple days.

The post Mini Sweet Potato Casseroles appeared first on The Full Helping.

Mashed Potato Holiday Bowls

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 14:29:58 GMT

These vegan mashed potato holiday bowls are the perfect way to celebrate an intimate, low-key Thanksgiving or winter holiday. All the traditional favorites in one simple recipe!

A lot of traditional Thanksgiving side dishes can easily be made vegan. So my focus at this time of year is usually on holiday main dishes. What will feel substantial and celebratory, equally pleasing to plant-based eaters and their omnivore friends and family?

I’ve come up with many recipes I love over the years. Millet and lentil stuffed squash. Cornbread sage stuffing (easy to turn into a main dish with some vegan sausage added). Lentil sweet potato shepherd’s pie. Red lentil chickpea loaf, or lentil sweet potato loaf. Whole roasted lemon tahini cauliflower.

These mashed potato holiday bowls are every bit as filling as those dishes. But they’re simpler to make, and they’re appropriate for two or four people.

Or one person who’s happy to have some leftovers.

A different kind of season

This year, of course, is a little different. Many of us will be celebrating Thanksgiving solo, or with one other person. Some may not be in the spirit to celebrate at all. I understand that. I’ve been feeling a little low this week myself.

I typically love the winter holidays. As someone who spends a lot of time alone, I greet these big, collective celebrations with excitement each year. They help me to tap into a collective sense of gratitude and festivity, a widespread delight in coming together. They make me feel connected.

Funnily enough, I’m accustomed to two-person holidays. It’s usually just me and my mom. So, why should this year’s celebration feel so different?

I guess it’s the sense that things have to be this way. It’s the fact that I can’t ask anyone to join us at the last moment. The realization that I can’t go see a late movie with friends who live in the neighborhood. The absence of the Macy’s Day Parade, which I grew up.

All things considered, I have so much to be grateful for. And I’ll do what I always do next Thursday, which is to greet Thanksgiving as an opportunity to give thanks for the good stuff in my life.

But it’s still weird. With winter approaching and uncertainty about a second wave of Covid infections, I’m feeling fearful of another lockdown experience, this time with cold weather and dark, short days. I’m anxious about being by myself all the time, just as I was getting a taste of life feeling more vibrant.

One step at a time, though. And no day like the present. No matter how things look this year, I’ll enjoy some seasonal food.

Cooking for a quiet holiday

I did a little poll in Instagram stories this week, asking about what kind of holiday dishes people might want to see. The answer didn’t surprise me. Many people in the community said that they’d be spending the holiday season alone or with one other person. There were lots of requests for recipes for one or two.

I also got responses from members of four or five person families. A few of them mentioned being burnt out from 2020 and short on energy for cooking. They asked for a recipe that would be simple to make, yet still festive.

These mashed potato holiday bowls are it. They include the Thanksgiving “greatest hits”: potatoes, gravy, green beans, and a savory protein. But they don’t demand the customary four or five hours of cooking time.

As written, the recipe serves four people. But it can be cut in half to serve one or two. Alternately, you can make the whole thing and enjoy three days of leftovers on your own. That’s exactly what I did this week, and I was very happy to eat it a few times.

Vegan holiday bowl components

Mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes are the base of these fun, festive holiday bowls.

I went with classic mashed potatoes, my mom’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish. I love mashed sweet potatoes, too, and I use them in my favorite shepherds pie. But there’s nothing like a buttery, pillowy, traditional mash.

I’m a big fan of using Yukon gold (or other yellow skinned potatoes) for mashed potatoes. I think they create the best, creamiest texture.

I also use a potato ricer for mashed potatoes. It’s a great, one time investment for anyone who loves mashed potatoes, which I do. I’m never sorry to have it. But if you have a regular, handheld potato masher, that’s just fine, too.

Green beans

I actually did create a green bean casserole recipe this year. But I wanted to keep things a little simpler for these bowls, and I used steamed green beans. You could add some vegan butter to the beans for extra flavor, but I think that the gravy is enough to season them.

In place of green beans, you could add Brussels sprouts—another classic holiday side dish. You could also add broccoli, kale, or any other green vegetable to your bowl.

Alternately, try a salad in place of green beans (or cooked greens). This shaved Brussels sprout salad, my festive kale salad with coconut bacon, and my farro salad with sweet potatoes and apples are some of my favorite, seasonal options.

Cranberry sauce

Can I admit something? I don’t mind making cranberry sauce. Truly. But I really like the store-bought stuff, too. Sometimes—OK, most of the time—I think it tastes better than mine. And my mom is a fan of the jellied version.

In the spirit of keeping things realistic, I’m going with someone else’s cranberry sauce as a garnish for these bowls. You could use a sprinkle of dried cranberries, too. You could substitute another relish or chutney that you love.

Or, you can omit the cranberry component altogether, option for some fresh parsley or chives as a garnish instead. The bowls will still feel fulsome and complete.

Tempeh (or chickpeas!)

It wouldn’t be a Power Plate—or an appropriately filling and complete meal—without a plant protein.

I chose tempeh, which may be my favorite plant protein, for these mashed potato holiday bowls. I love the earthy, hearty texture of tempeh, and it works perfectly with the savory gravy in the recipe.

The tempeh is crumbled before it gets lightly sautéed, similar to the technique in this dish of tempeh “sausage” and grits. Then, it’s covered in a super simple vegan gravy, which I based off of this old, very loved recipe.

Can this mashed potato holiday bowl be made soy free?

I know that tempeh has been hard to come by during quarantine in a lot of places. Additionally, when I asked about holiday dishes on Instagram, I got some requests for soy-free options. I also got a lot of requests for chickpeas as a central protein.

So, I figured I’d test the recipe with chickpeas as well as tempeh. I smashed them partially, using a potato masher, so that they’d be “crumbled” as well.

It worked perfectly. The bowls can be made with tempeh or chickpeas, depending on what you can find, what you like, and what’s appropriate for your eating style.

The tempeh version is my favorite, but I really liked the chickpea version (pictured below), too. It reminded me of this hearty wintertime dish of chickpeas and mushrooms, which is also made with mashed potatoes!

Mashed potato holiday bowl make ahead and storage options

Even if this dish is less involved than other holiday fare, it’s still a bit of work. There are plenty of ways to make it feel more manageable.

To start, you can prepare the mashed potatoes ahead of time. I’m usually impatient and heat up leftover mashed potatoes in the microwave. But I’ve found that low and slow in the oven (or in my slow cooker) is even better for texture. The potatoes can be made two days in advance of eating, and they can last another two days in leftover form.

Ditto for the tempeh (or chickpeas) and gravy! You can prepare the protein two days before you plan to eat. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to four or five days, total.

And of course, green beans are easy to steam or microwave cook right before eating. But even those can be prepared a day or two in advance of your meal. As can most green veggies you might like to add.

Mashed Potato Holiday Bowls

These vegan mashed potato holiday bowls are the perfect way to celebrate a low-key, intimate Thanksgiving—or any winter holiday! They're homey, comforting, and can be made with either tempeh or chickpeas as a plant protein.

Course holidays, main

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chickpeas, cranberry, green beans, potato, tempeh

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings people

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the mashed potatoes

1 1/2 lb (4 large or 6 smaller) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
2 tablespoons (28 g) vegan butter
1/2 cup unsweetened, non-dairy milk (I like unsweetened soy milk)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the tempeh & gravy

1 3/4 cup vegan no-chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth)
4 tablespoons (30 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour (substitute superfine brown rice flour or chickpea flour for a gluten-free option)
3 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, divided
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons olive oil
7.5 ounces tempeh (1 standard sized block), crumbled or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 15-ounce can), partially mashed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons (heaping) nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the bowls

4 cups steamed green beans (substitute Brussels sprouts or another vegetable of choice)
Optional: a few scoops cranberry sauce, store-bought or homemade

Instructions

To make the mashed potatoes, place the potato pieces in a heavy bottomed pot. Add enough cold water to cover them by a few inches. Transfer the pot to the stovetop and bring the water to a boil. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes. In the same pot, melt the butter and add the milk. Remove the pot from heat and add the drained potatoes and salt. Use a potato masher to mash them until they're fluffy and creamy. Add milk by the tablespoon to achieve a consistency you like. You can also use a potato ricer for extra fluffy potatoes! Set the mashed potatoes aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the broth and the flour to create a smooth slurry.
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh crumbles (or smashed chickpeas). Add one teaspoon of tamari or soy sauce and the smoked paprika. Cook the tempeh, stirring often, for about a minute. Then allow it to cook in the skillet without stirring for a minute, to help brown the crumbles. Stir and then allow it to sit for another minute. Repeat until the crumbles are nicely browned throughout.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth to the skillet and bring the broth to a simmer. Stir in the broth and flour slurry. Give everything a stir, then add the remaining 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, garlic powder, mustard, nutritional yeast, and thyme. Stir everything well, then allow it to come to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the gravy is thick. Season to taste with additional salt and freshly ground pepper.
Divide the mashed potatoes into bowls, along with your green beans or other veggies. Top each bowl with a quarter of the tempeh and gravy. If you like, garnish each bowl with a small scoop of cranberry sauce—or even a few dried cranberries, if you're feeling low-key. Serve!

Having made and savored this bowl on my own (twice!) in the last week, I haven’t quite decided if I’ll repeat it next Thursday. I may get ambitious, and whip up a whole spread. If only to have one thing about this holiday that feels familiar.

But it’s nice to know that I don’t have to. It’s nice to have a holiday meal option that’s everything I want on a special, chilly day, without any of the cooking stress that I associate with special occasions.

Whether you’re celebrating this year or any year, I hope the bowl will bring you coziness and pleasure. I hope it’ll feel a little special.

And I’ll see you back here on Sunday.

The post Mashed Potato Holiday Bowls appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Cherry Hand Pies

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 16:21:54 GMT

These vegan cherry hand pies are delicious and adorable! The flaky crust and sweet filling of cherry pie in a single, hand-held serving. Great for the holiday season.

These vegan cherry hand pies are my first foray into festive recipe testing for this year’s Thanksgiving. It’ll be a low-key holiday, given the circumstances—just me and mom. But I’m never sorry for a chance to prepare a plant-based feast.

My love of sweet cherries is no big secret. I especially love baking with them. This sweet cherry upside down cake, these sweet cherry bars, and this summer’s cherry cobbler are just a few of the cherry recipes that I make often.

I’ve had the idea of cherry hand pies in my mind for a while now. I was reminded of the idea while recently watching Great British Bake Off contestants make Cornish pasties.

This led me to reading about the history of hand pies, and to this article, which notes that cultures around the world have their own, unique hand pie traditions and recipes.

My vegan cherry hand pies are sweet, not savory, which follows in Southern US tradition. This makes them a perfect dessert for the upcoming holiday season. Using frozen sweet cherries makes it possible to enjoy them year-round!

Holiday snooze: why sweet cherries are perfect for the season

In spite of my best efforts to focus on connection, I usually feel more rushed than usual during the holiday season. This year will involve fewer social commitments and less running around than usual. Yet it’s already shadowed by stressful world circumstances and a steady sense of uncertainty about the future.

2020 was marked by sleeplessness and anxiety for many. I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s entering the holiday season feeling unusually burnt out. I’ve also been having a lot of difficulty with focus, concentration, and getting things done. The more I fret about this, the more it seems to affect my sleep and my ability to rest, and the cycle continues.

The good news is that sweet cherries—already one of my favorite ingredients—could potentially help to regulate both sleep and stress.

Sleep supporting benefits of sweet cherries

Sweet cherries are a natural source of tryptophan, serotonin and melatonin, which interact with phenolic compounds in the cherries to help regulate sleep cycles.

Sleep quality can improve stress levels on its own. But sweet cherries may also be beneficial for managing stress. Cherry phenolics appear to protect neuronal cells from cell-damaging oxidative stress. And a number of studies have shown that serotonin, which occurs naturally in sweet cherries, is an important neurotransmitter that reduces stress and improves mood.

Studies show that plant compounds and pigments in cherries may have a vasorelaxing and antihypertensive effect—a fancy way of saying that cherries be beneficial for blood pressure control! Hypertension is a risk factor in cardiovascular disease, and it’s exacerbated by the everyday stress that affects so many of us.

Finally, cherries have health benefits that extend beyond seasonal sleeplessness. Regular cherry consumption has been found to decrease biomarkers that are associated with various inflammatory diseases. Polyphenols in cherries may minimize or prevent inflammation and oxidative stress, which may be risk factors for diseases like arthritis, diabetes, cancer and hypertension.

Enjoying sweet cherries year round

As you’ll see, I used frozen cherries in these vegan cherry hand pies. While fresh cherries are available only during the summer months, frozen, dried, and preserved cherries are available year-round. I often use dried cherries in muffins, and I’ve even put them into cashew cheese.

Meanwhile, frozen cherries are my favorite alternative to fresh! I use them in smoothies, as an add-in for banana soft serve, and in baking.

You can find frozen cherries in grocery stores year round. But if you have the option of freezing your own cherries while they’re in season, it’s so rewarding to do that. You’ll lock in the health benefits of cherries at their peak ripeness, and you’ll stock up for the winter ahead.

When substituting frozen cherries for fresh in baking, keep in mind that you may need to adjust ingredients like cornstarch or flour a little. If you make these hand pies with frozen sweet cherries, you’ll need a tablespoon of cornstarch and no added liquid. If you make the filling with fresh, pitted sweet cherries, you may a few extra tablespoons of water.

Vegan cherry hand pie tips

The process of making these hand pies may sound daunting, but don’t be afraid! It’s all easier than it might look, so long as you follow the steps closely. Here are some tips to help guide you:

Keep your pastry cold

I used my standard vegan pie crust for these hand pies. It’s a variation on classic, all-butter pie crust, to which I add a tiny amount of vinegar. (This helps with flaky texture.) As you work with the pie crust, it’s essential to keep it as cold as you can.

I recommend refrigerating the pie crust dough overnight once it’s made. You should pop it into the fridge again for thirty minutes after it’s rolled and cut into rectangles for the hand pies. Once the pies have been filled, put them into the fridge for another 30 minutes before baking.

I like to shape my pie crust into four disks for this recipe. It allows me to keep more of the crust cold while I work, and it’s appropriate for my very limited counter space! If you have a lot of counter space, you can shape the dough into a single disk, rather than rolling in smaller batches.

Keep your filling cold, too

These hand pies are unlike some of my recipes for pie or fruit galette in that the filling is cooked. If you add hot filling to the hand pies, you’ll also heat up the pie crust. This will make the crust soft and difficult to shape, plus it’ll make the crust less flaky upon baking.

I recommend cooling the cherry filling for at least four hours, and up to overnight, before shaping and baking the hand pies.

Don’t overfill your hand pies

If you add too much cherry filling to the hand pies, they’ll be impossible to close. They may also burst while they bake. I recommend the equivalent of 3 tablespoons (or so) of cherry filling per hand pie. That’s about 4 plump, sweetened cherries.

Crimp and vent

Using a fork to crimp the edges of your hand pies will help them to stay sealed as they bake. It also makes them look pretty!

And don’t forget to make two small cuts in the top of the cherry hand pies. These vents will allow steam to escape during cooking, and that will prevent the crust from getting soggy and soft.

Vegan cherry hand pie ingredients

Unbleached, all-purpose flour

I recommend all-purpose flour for this pie crust. It’s my first choice for baking. If you’d like to add a little whole grain flour, that’s OK, but I wouldn’t add more than a half cup (about 20%) if you’d like to keep a light, flaky texture.

If you need to modify the crust to be gluten-free, I recommend using a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend.

Sweet cherries

I used 1 pound of frozen, dark sweet cherries for the recipe. You can also use fresh, pitted cherries, too! If you use fresh cherries, simply add an extra two tablespoons of water to the filling when you make it.

I allowed my frozen cherries to thaw at room temperature (in the bag) for two hours before making the filling. This softened them and decreased the cooking time. I recommend doing this for 1-2 hours if you can remember, too.

Vegan butter

I usually bake with Earth Balance butter sticks. They’re reasonably priced, which is a consideration since I do a lot of baking. There are a lot of cool new plant-based butter brands, but I save the pricier ones for a slice of toast.

You can use the brand of vegan butter that you like best for this recipe, but I recommend one that comes in stick form. Using sticks makes it easier to cut the cold butter into pieces before incorporating it into the crust recipe. They’re also easy to measure.

Make ahead prep and storage

This is definitely the sort of baking recipe that lends itself to some advance preparation.

I made the filling and the pie crust a day in advance of baking. Assembly was the only remaining step when it was time to bake. The process felt seamless at that point! If you can prepare at least one component (filling or crust) ahead of time, it’s worth doing that.

The pies can be stored at room temperature for a day or two. If you need to store them longer, cover them and transfer them to the fridge. If you’d like to store them for longer than four days, I recommend freezing them.

You can warm them up prior to enjoying by placing them on a lined baking sheet and popping them in a 350F oven for ten minutes.

By the way, you may have a bit of cherry filling leftover once you bake the pies. If you do, lucky you! Try swirling it into warm oatmeal or piling it on toast for a breakfast treat.

Vegan Cherry Hand Pies

These vegan cherry hand pies are delicious and adorable! The flaky crust and sweet filling of cherry pie in a single, hand-held serving. They make great edible gifts or party favors for the holiday season.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cherries

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 25 minutes

Chilling time 5 hours

Total Time 6 hours 25 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the filling

1 lb (454 g) frozen or fresh pitted sweet cherries (if frozen, allow sweet cherries to thaw in the bag at room temperature for about two hours)
3 tablespoons (36 g) cane sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch

For the crust

2 1/2 cups (240 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cane sugar
2 sticks (224 g) cold vegan butter
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
7-8 tablespoons ice water

For the vegan egg wash

1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup

Instructions

To make the cherry filling, place the cherries, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Mix well. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer and stir periodically for about 3 more minutes. The cherries should be soft. There should be a little liquid in the saucepan, but not much. If there’s no liquid at all, add an extra tablespoon or two of water. (If you use fresh cherries, add two tablespoons of water to begin with.)
Transfer the cherry filling to a non-reactive bowl. Cover and allow it to cool for thirty minutes. Transfer it to the fridge and allow it to cool completely (about 4 hours, or overnight is fine).
To make the crust, mix the flours, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour, until the pieces of butter are about the size of peas (alternately, you can put the flours, salt, and sugar into a food processor, add the butter, and pulse until the ingredients are combined and the butter is the size of peas).
Mix the ice water (starting with 7 tablespoons) and vinegar. Add the water into the flour mixture in a thin stream, using a spatula to mix as you go. As soon as the dough holds together without being wet or sticky, and it sticks together when you squeeze a small amount in your hand, it's ready. If your dough is too crumbly and isn't holding together, add additional ice water by the tablespoon until it does. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape it into two disks. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. At this point, you can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for later use.
When the filling is cool and the dough has chilled, flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll the first disk of dough out into a roughly rectangular shape. Using a straight ruler and a pizza cutter (or a knife), cut the dough into rectangles about 3 ½ x 4 ½ inches. You’ll probably need to roll the dough once, cut four rectangles, gather the scraps, roll again, and repeat. Then, repeat this process with the other disk of dough, so that you have 16 rectangles total. Place the rectangles of dough onto two parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To prepare the hand pies, place about 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of 8 of the dough rectangles. One by one, cover each piece with another rectangle of dough. Use your fingers to gently smooth and press the dough together at the edges of the rectangle. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the hand pies. Then, use a paring knife to cut two small, diagonal holes in the top of the pies. Transfer the 8 hand pies to the fridge for another 30 minutes.
While the hand pies chill, preheat your oven to 425F. When the oven is hot, mix the non-dairy milk and syrup together for your vegan egg wash. Use a pastry or basting brush to glaze the tops of the hand pies lightly. Transfer the hand pies to the oven. Bake them for 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven and give them another glaze (they’ll already be turning golden at this point). Return the pies to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes, or until browning at the edges and golden all over. Transfer the hand pies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes before enjoying!

It’s really nice when a dessert as homey and tasty as this one also showcases a beneficial ingredient. Baking with dark, sweet cherries gives me lots of opportunities to squeeze cherries into my diet in delightful ways.

This year more than ever, it’s nice to have homemade dessert traditions to look forward to. I’m happy to have made these as part of my typically month-long culinary celebration of Thanksgiving (the actual day is a little more restrained).

Hope you enjoy them, too. And wishing you rest and ease—and ingredients that support those things—as we enter a busy season.

This post is sponsored by Northwest Cherry Growers. All opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!

The post Vegan Cherry Hand Pies appeared first on The Full Helping.

Butternut Red Onion Pizza

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 19:09:54 GMT

This vegan butternut red onion pizza is a perfect fall appetizer or flavorful meal. Full of sweet and savory flavors and topped with creamy cashew cheese and zippy arugula!

I made this vegan butternut red onion pizza a few weeks ago, and I can’t wait to make it again. I’d call it a perfect autumn appetizer, if I were having people over these days. In the meantime, it’s a wonderful plant-based meal for the season.

The perfect combination of savory + sweet

This pizza brings to life my favorite flavor combination of savory and sweet. The butternut squash and caramelized onions impart sweetness, while the cashew cheese adds umami and saltiness. The arugula adds a fresh, peppery bite. And the balsamic drizzle is an added kick of sweet, tangy flavor.

I love traditional margherita pizza, and my green goodness pizza is another go-to around here. But I’m really enjoying the untraditional flavors and textures of this pie. It’s beautiful and colorful to look at, and the experience of eating it is so satisfying. It feels abundant, as harvest season recipes should.

Tips for your homemade vegan pizza dough

Bread making is now a well-established, cherished ritual in my home, but it wasn’t always that way. Long before I was baking up peasant bread, sandwich bread, and even multigrain loaves of my own, I was terrified of anything yeasted.

I was able to get over my fear of pizza crust well before I attempted bread, though. And if I can do it, I promise you can, too. Yeast isn’t as scary an ingredient as it seems, and it’s so rewarding to make your own crust for pizza. If you’re dying to make this butternut red onion pizza but the thought of homemade dough is getting in your way, it doesn’t have to! Here are some encouraging tips:

Use a stand mixer, if you have one

Theres a lot to be said for the joys of kneading bread by hand. Kneading has taught me a lot about bread-making. It’s given me clues about how dough should look and feel at every stage of gluten development. And there’s nothing quite like the silky feel of bread that’s been kneaded for just enough time.

Even so, kneading can be time-consuming. On a busy day, the thought of having to knead by hand is enough to deter me from making pizza dough or bread at all. Taking shortcuts in the kitchen is part of my process of unlearning perfectionism. The result is usually that I cook more, rather than getting overwhelmed and not cooking at all.

Kneading dough in a stand mixer is easy and fast. It dirties less counter space than kneading by hand. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, now is the time to use it. It’s also an option to knead dough in a food processor, though I’ve never tried it.

Flour your surface and hands well

My main challenge when I started to knead bread was that I didn’t adequately flour my hands and counter space. My bread was always sticking to my fingers and the surface I was kneading on. This kept me from finding the soothing rhythm that emerges during kneading, which makes the process pleasurable.

I always keep a container of flour nearby while I knead. This allows me to flour my hands as often as I need to, especially if the dough is wet. I also like to keep my dough scraper handy in case the dough starts sticking to my counter.

Watch a few videos (or read a few guides)

There’s nothing like a quick video tutorial for bread (or dough) kneading instruction. Kneading is a process that becomes easier through practice, but watching someone else do it once or twice will help you to know what to expect. I really like this one from King Arthur Baking.

It’s also helpful to read about bread-kneading. I learned through Molly Katzen’s descriptions of how to knead in The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Her encouraging tone helped me to conquer my fears. I’d recommend that book for its bread tutorial, in addition to many other wonderful recipes.

While not a bread book, the Fannie Farmer Cookbook also has some good, introductory bread making instructions. It’s appropriate for beginners, and the book is a fun one to veganize from in general.

And if you don’t have time to make dough…

…you can use store-bought dough, if that’s available. Or flatbread. Or a gluten-free crust. You can even bake this recipe on a whole grain vegan tortilla. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the pizza!

Substituting active dry yeast for instant

SAF instant yeast is my go-to for baking. I find that it’s faster and easier to mix all of the bread (or dough) ingredients than to dissolve my yeast in liquid beforehand.

If you don’t have instant yeast, though, don’t worry. Simply dissolve the yeast in the warm water and oil and let it sit for 5-10 minutes (or until it’s active and a little bubbly) before mixing the dough. This post has more tips on swapping one type of yeast for another.

Meal prepping butternut red onion pizza

This butternut red onion pizza is a great candidate for meal prep. If you make it without preparing anything in advance, the pizza is a bit of a project. A delicious project, but still.

If you make the cashew cheese, roast the squash, caramelize the onions, or do some combination of these steps ahead of time, the pizza will come together more easily. When I made the pizza, I prepared a double batch of cashew cheese in advance. I used some for toast, salads, and freezing. I used the rest for this pizza.

The following day, I roasted my squash and caramelized my onions. A day after that, I prepared my dough, topped it with all of my toppings, which were ready to go, and baked it. By the time I pulled my pizza from the oven, it felt like an easy and low-stress meal.

I know that piecemeal food preparation isn’t everybody’s style. But as someone who does better with small, consistent baby steps than with big pushes of effort, it helps me to prepare complex meals without feeling overwhelmed.

Substituting homemade cashew cheese

My go-to cashew cheese is one of the homemade staples I rely on most. Whereas there are some staples that I’m happy to purchase, like marinara sauce, cashew cheese is one that I find fun and rewarding to make. And I use it often enough that preparing it from scratch and freezing it is more economical than purchasing.

Even so, there are so many good vegan cheeses these days. For this pizza, you could use a soft, goat-cheese style option like Treeline Cheese or Kite Hill Ricotta. Miyoko’s mozzarella is also excellent for pizza (my choice for margherita, if I don’t feel like preparing my own vegan cheese).

You can substitute a vegan cheese that you love and have an easy time finding to help save time with the butternut red onion pizza. In a pinch, you can even omit the cheese and dust vegan parmesan on top.

Vegan Butternut Red Onion Pizza

This is the plant-based autumn pizza of your dreams! Made with savory roasted butternut squash, sweet, caramelized red onions, and cashew cheese. Topped with arugula for some zesty bite, and finished with a drizzle of balsamic. A perfect party appetizer or flavorful vvegan meal.

Course Appetizer, main, Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword arugula, balsamic, butternut squash, red onion

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the crust

3 cups (360 g) bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons (7 g) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil, plus extra for coating your bowl during the bulk rise
1 1/4 cups (255 g) warm (but not hot) water (about 110F)

For the pizza

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled, and cubed (about 1 1/4 lb/568 g after preparation)
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 cup cashew cheese
2 big handfuls baby arugula

Instructions

To prepare the pizza crust, mix together the flour, salt, and yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir together, then add the water and oil. Use a spoon to mix everything into a shaggy dough ball. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead it a few times. Continue to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, or until it’s smooth, pliable, and resistant to tearing when stretched. Alternately, you can mix and then knead the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. It should take about 5 minutes on medium low speed.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl that’s been coated well with olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat, then cover. Allow the dough to rise for 60-90 minutes, or until it’s roughly doubled in size.
In the meantime, prepare the squash and onions. Heat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over it. Use your hands to coat the squash well. Sprinkle the squash with salt and transfer it to the oven. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the squash is golden at the edges and tender. Remove the squash from the oven and set it aside till you’re ready to assemble the pizza.
Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the red onions and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté the onions for five minutes over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low. Continue sautéing the onions for another 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until they’re greatly reduced in volume and taste very sweet. They should be lightly caramelized. Stir in the tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and set the onions aside.
Raise the oven heat to 500F. If you have a pizza stone, set it in the oven (use long oven its to protect your forearms!). If not, transfer a baking sheet to the oven now.
Punch the dough down. Divide it into 2 pieces on a floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll each into a circle about 12-14 inches in diameter. As you roll the dough, you can also pick it up and stretch it gently to help it widen into a circle.
Place your first circle of dough onto a round or square piece of parchment. If you have a pizza peel, place the parchment onto the peel. Spread half of the caramelized onions onto the pizza crust, followed by half of the squash. Finally, dot the pizza with half of the cashew cheese. Wearing long oven mitts, use your peel to transfer the parchment and pizza onto your pizza stone or baking sheet. Alternatively, very carefully transfer the parchment and pizza into your oven.
Bake your pizza for 15 minutes, or until the crust is puffy and browning around the edges. I recommend checking on its progress at 12 minutes. Repeat with the other round of dough and toppings. Top the warm pizza with a handful of fresh baby arugula and another drizzle of balsamic, if you like. Slice and serve!

Storing butternut red onion pizza

You can store slices of this pizza in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. If you plan to store it for that long, you can store slices before topping them with the arugula and balsamic drizzle. This will help to keep the fresh. When you’re ready to eat, simply add the arugula and vinegar and enjoy.

Reheat pizza slices on a lined baking sheet in an 350F oven for about ten minutes. I’ve recently learned that air fryers are also perfect for reheating pizza leftovers.

I went through a considerable Covid cooking rut this summer. For weeks at a time, all I could do was make sandwiches and pasta with Gardein meatballs and not-homemade marinara for dinner. That was OK. We do what we need to do from week to week, and that’s never been more true than it is in 2020.

With fall weather returning, I’m feeling inspired to cook again. The sight of winter squash at the farmers market is encouraging me. This butternut red onion pizza is the first recipe I’ve made in a while that asked me to roll up my sleeves and spend some real time in the kitchen.

It felt good, and I hope the pizza will bring some joy to you, too.

A big day tomorrow. Wishing you all as much peace and hope as you’re able to hang onto. A big hug from me,

The post Butternut Red Onion Pizza appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Apple Cider Cupcakes

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 16:08:31 GMT

These vegan apple cider cupcakes are the perfect autumn treat! They’re sweetened with apple cider, spiced with cinnamon, and topped with rich swirls of vegan cream cheese frosting.

For all my love of cake, I don’t make cupcakes nearly enough. I associate them with birthdays and special occasions, rather than everyday dessert cravings or snacking.

But why? Cupcakes are just a different presentation of cake, and cake is something I make all of the time. From banana cake to peanut butter and jelly snack cake to chocolate bundt cake, cake is my number one dessert. No reason why it shouldn’t make appearances in a single-serving form.

Last week, after an uncharacteristic month or so without any new cake baking, I set about making these apple cider cupcakes. I wanted to see what it would be like to use apple cider, now everywhere at farmers markets near me, in the batter. Would the cupcakes taste like the cider that I so strongly associate with fall?

They do. In fact, it’s even better than that: the cupcakes taste like a cross between apple cider donuts and carrot cake. I use the same cream cheese frosting that I use for my favorite carrot cake, just half the amount, since there’s less frosting to do.

Why apple cider in cupcakes?

I’ve made plenty of apple-laden baked goods—Italian apple cake (torta di mele), applesauce spice cake, apple ginger oat cakes, apple bran muffins. All of these used either chopped or sliced apples or applesauce.

Using cider is a little different. You won’t taste fresh apple in the finished muffins so much as the sweet, bright flavor of cider. The muffins will be faintly apple-y without actually being packed with apples or applesauce. They’ll have a light, cake-like texture—appropriate for muffins—and they’ll taste like fall. Cinnamon and cloves help to strengthen that effect.

Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider?

In a pinch, yes. Apple juice isn’t quite the same as cider. I think it has a richer, less tart flavor than juice. The filtration process used to make cider involves less filtration than juice making, which may explain the differences in taste.

Even so, juice will work well in the recipe if you need to make a substitute. But if there’s any way for you to get your hands on fresh cider for the cupcakes, I recommend trying it. The cupcakes will be even more of a seasonal treat!

Vegan apple cider cupcake ingredients

Apple cider

Fresh and local is best, if you can find it. The recipe calls for a cup of cider, so no need to purchase a huge amount. Unless you’d like some to warm up on the stovetop, which is always a cozy idea at this time of year.

Unbleached, all-purpose flour

Unbleached, all-purpose flour is my go-to for most baking. This is especially true of cake and cupcakes, since they have a lighter and more delicate texture than some other baked goods. If you need to make the apple cider cupcakes gluten free, you can use a gluten free, all-purpose baking blend of choice. I love the King Arthur Measure for Measure flour.

You can also make these cupcakes with cake flour. Not an ingredient that I happen to have lying around all the time, but the more I fall in love with cake making, the more often I use it. Again, my favorite is from the King Arthur brand.

Sweetener

I sometimes use a mix of both brown sugar and cane sugar in my baked goods. Case in point: these cupcakes and my pumpkin chocolate marble loaf. The reason is that brown sugar adds a little more moisture and chewiness to baked goods than cane sugar. I find that cane sugar creates a little more airiness and lightness.

You can use all light brown sugar or all cane sugar in the cupcakes if you only have one or the other. If you happen to have both in your pantry, it’s worth using a mix for the perfect finished texture. And of course, the cider adds some sweetness of its own, which is why I used slightly less sugar than I usually do in a recipe like this.

Cream cheese frosting and cupcake decoration

The vegan cream cheese frosting I use in this recipe is my favorite cupcake frosting. I prefer it to a straight up buttercream frosting. I love the rich texture and the fact that the cream cheese adds just a slight tanginess that undercuts all of the sweetness of confectioners sugar.

I’ve tested this frosting recipe with numerous vegan butters and cream cheese brands. I’ve tried Earth Balance, Miyoko’s butter (salted and unsalted), Fora foods butter, Kite Hill cream cheese, Toffuti cream cheese, and probably a half dozen more.

I usually use Tofutti and Earth Balance for frosting because they’re the least expensive options at my local grocers. I like to save the fancier brands for spreading on toast. You can use the brands that are affordable, accessible, and appropriate for your own diet.

Once your frosting is made, it’s time to decorate the vegan apple cider cupcakes. I use this reusable pastry bag and these piping tips. If you don’t want to purchase a whole set, you can make use of the Ziploc pastry bag hack I described when I made my chocolate peanut butter cupcakes.

And if you don’t feel like piping at all, that’s perfectly OK! You can use a small spatula or even a butter knife to frost the cupcakes simply. Have fun with the recipe, and allow decorating to feel playful, rather than burdensome.

Vegan Apple Cider Cupcakes

The ultimate vegan cupcake recipe for fall! The batter is sweetened and spiced with fresh apple cider and cinnamon. The cupcakes are topped with a creamy, 100% dairy free cream cheese frosting. Perfect for decorating with kids.

Course cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword apple cider, cream cheese, cupcakes

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1 3/4 cups (210 g) unbleached, all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (237 mL) apple cider
1/3 cup (79 mL) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (96 g) light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (48 g) cane sugar

For the frosting

4 ounces (113 g, or 1 stick) room temperature vegan butter
2 ounces (57 g, or 1/4 cup) room temperature vegan cream cheese
2 cups (227 g) confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and oil or line a muffin baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
In another bowl, combine the cider, oil, vinegar, and sugars. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until you have an evenly mixed batter (a few small lumps are OK).
Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/3 cup measuring spoon to fill the muffin pan (each individual muffin tin should be about three quarters of the way full). Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are gently domed, set on top, and golden brown. Let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely (about 2 hours) before frosting.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium low speed until they're very light and creamy. Add the confectioners sugar. Cover the stand mixer with a tea towel and beat the ingredients on low speed for 1 minute. Uncover, add the white vinegar, and continue mixing the frosting on medium low speed for another 2-3 minutes, or until the frosting is very light and fluffy.
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and use it to decorate the cupcakes, or simply frost the cupcakes with an inverted spatula or knife. Enjoy!

Storing and freezing your cupcakes

I sometimes find that when I store cake, cupcakes, and muffins in the fridge they seem to dry out and get stale quickly. Apparently it’s not just me. Storing extra baked goods always comes down to how much room is in my freezer and how quickly I’ll actually eat things. Most cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to two days.

If you need to store them longer, it’s best to keep them cold, but the freezer will preserve their freshness better than the fridge. My rule of thumb is to keep things at room temperature for a day or two and pop them in the fridge for another day or two if I need to. But I’ll almost always immediately freeze half of what I make as soon as it’s baked. If you freeze your cupcakes, don’t forget to pop the liners off of them before putting them into containers or silicone bags for freezing!

I think it’s easier to store baked cupcakes and frosting separately. That way, you can keep the frosting cold in the fridge and the cupcakes at room temperature. The frosting for this recipe will keep for up to five days in an airtight container in the fridge.

There’s so much going on right now. There’s the stress and uncertainty of 2020 in general, plus the looming election next week. With everything that weighs on our collective hearts and minds right now, it’s natural to seek out whatever little bits of sweetness we can.

Baking doesn’t solve any of my problems, but vegan treats do help to keep my spirits light. They do this in a small, yet meaningful way. They add pockets of pleasure to the days when I happen to have a few treats lying around. One small, pleasurable thing to experience.

These cupcakes brightened last week a lot, and they were well timed, as October has brought a real taste of fall to New York City. Hope you’ll give them a try and that they’ll bring you (and whomever you decide to share them with) some pleasure, too.

The post Vegan Apple Cider Cupcakes appeared first on The Full Helping.

Red Curry Dumpling Soup with Kimchi

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 22:57:57 GMT

This red curry dumpling soup with kimchi is the epitome of a meal that’s as flavorful and filling as it is fast. Thanks to ready to eat dumplings and kimchi, it comes together in just about fifteen minutes.

I often enjoy cool soups, like this carrot lemongrass soup or this gazpacho, during the summer months. But now New York City is entering fall, and it makes me excited for warm soup season.

This curry soup with dumplings is actually a perfect in-between for that time of year when it’s possible to have a very chilly morning followed by a warm, sunny afternoon. It’s served warm, but it requires less simmering than most pots of soup. The use of some pre-made ingredients is what allows it to be ready so fast.

Vegan meal helper: Nasoya’s Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings

Much as I wish I had the skills to make homemade dumplings, I don’t. At least not yet: Lisa’s tutorial will come to my rescue when it’s time to learn!

For now, depend on Nasoya’s organic, vegan dumplings. They’re completely ready to cook: all it takes to have them on the table is a few minutes of simmering. You can prepare them with water or a broth, as I do in this recipe. And they’re delicious, with a toothsome exterior and a savory, tofu-based filling.

Thanks to the tofu filling, the dumplings have 6g of plant-based protein per serving. The filling also has some veggies (onion, carrots, peas, bell pepper, carrots), which complement the other vegetables in the dish. I like the texture at the center of the dumplings, which is tender but not mushy—it still has some texture.

Red curry dumpling soup ingredients

Red curry paste

The dumplings are the star of this soup, but Thai red curry paste is the runner up. The flavors in most red curry paste products—garlic, lemongrass, chili pepper—will complement the flavors in the Nasoya dumplings well.

I’m still learning about the differences between flavor profiles of different Thai style curries. Based on my knowledge and experience using both green and red curry pastes in recipes, I think that either would work in this recipe. I tend to have red curry paste at home more often, so that’s what I used here!

Kimchi

This red curry dumpling soup gets a punch of flavor and texture from Nasoya kimchi. Longtime readers know that I’ve gotten to know this kimchi well! Last fall, I had the privilege of traveling to Korea to learn about how Nasoya’s kimchi is made. The trip also taught me about the history of kimchi and how its culinary origins have become modern day traditions.

I sometimes serve kimchi as a condiment, but I also love folding it into dishes, like this pumpkin porridge or my smashed kimchi chickpea salad. For this soup, you can either pile your kimchi into a bowl right before eating or stir the kimchi into the soup in the final minute or two of cooking. It’s up to you.

Vegetables

I used some of the vegetables that I often keep in my fridge for this soup: onion, red pepper, broccoli. I also stirred in some snow peas toward the end, so that they’d keep their lovely, crisp tender texture. I like how their sweetness compliments the savory and spicy flavors of the dish.

You can substitute a few other vegetables here, including cauliflower, sugar snap peas, green peas, or green beans. Zucchini would be great, too. Use what you’ve got.

Coconut milk

Coconut milk feels like the most appropriate source of creaminess in this recipe, as many Thai curries are made with coconut milk or water. It’s also a convenient choice, as adding it is about as easy as opening a can. If you don’t have, or would rather not use coconut milk, you can use my all purpose cashew cream in the red curry coconut soup instead.

Storing & serving red curry dumpling soup

The dumpling soup will last up to four days in the fridge. I recommend storing all of it except for the kimchi in an airtight container. The dumplings are sturdy enough to hold their shape as you store the soup, which is great.

You can store the kimchi and any additional toppings, like cilantro or green onion tops, separately, adding them before you’re ready to serve your soup.

This was actually my first-time enjoying dumplings in a while—maybe even since my trip to Korea last fall. New York City has a lot of wonderful places to order plant-based dumplings, but with the shadow of quarantine this year, I haven’t been getting out much. It’s been a treat to eat dumplings at home, along with a nourishing, spicy bowl of broth and veggies.

You can find the entire recipe for this red curry dumpling soup, along with more information on finding the Nasoya dumplings near you, over at the Nasoya website.

Enjoy it, and I’ll be back here soon.

This post is sponsored by Nasoya. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

The post Red Curry Dumpling Soup with Kimchi appeared first on The Full Helping.

Crispy Broccoli Caesar Salad

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 17:46:51 GMT

This vegan crispy broccoli Caesar salad is the most satisfying vegetable dish I’ve made in a while!

Before I get into it, a thank you for the kind words and messages I’ve gotten in the last week or so. I’ve been OK. Just focusing on my mom as she copes with a loss and weathering some challenges in my own life. I’ve missed weekend reading as usual, and I’ll be back to it this weekend.

In the meantime, I’ve been turning to comforting recipes, just as I have through the entire whirlwind of 2020. Salad may not customarily be classified as a comfort food, but I find many salads to be very comforting! This is true of pretty much any panzanella, any pasta salad, my tahini mustard sweet potato salad, my protein-packed bean and quinoa salad, and many other hearty salads that I make regularly. I love greens, and when they’re a vehicle for nutritious grains and legumes, I love them all the more.

My crispy broccoli Caesar inspiration

The inspiration for this vegan Caesar comes from Lekka Burger, which is a local eatery in NYC. Lekka burger features traditional diner food: burgers, milkshakes, crinkle fries, and soft serve. Yet all of the dishes are vegan, and they aren’t just imitations of traditional fare. They feature global flavors—from a masala burger with crispy pappadum and coconut chutney to zatar sumac fries—and unusual twists, like a halvah milkshake.

When I ate at Lekka Burger for the first time, my favorite two dishes were not, surprisingly, my burger or my fries. Those were both excellent, but I was blown away by the Lekka milkshakes and by my broccolini Caesar salad. The latter featured a nori caesar dressing, smoked crouton crumble, and romaine. It was unexpectedly complex, full of texture and rich in salty, umami-flavor.

I won’t even try to recreate Lekka’s heavenly milkshakes here at home. (I’d probably need to perfect my vegan soft serve game first.) But I’ve been thinking about the Caesar salad since I first ate it. Last week, I started to think about how I might be able to make one of my own, inspired by Amanda Cohen‘s creation.

Something old, something new

This crispy vegan Caesar salad features a dressing that is very familiar and two components that are very new. The first is the crispy broccoli that gives the salad its name.

The Lekka burger Caesar uses broccolini (sometimes called baby broccoli, even though it’s technically not), rather than broccoli. I love broccolini for its sweet, mild flavor and the fact that it’s so easy to prepare and cook. That said, regular broccoli is usually cheaper and easier to find, which is why I ultimately chose to test this recipe with it. You can use either broccoli or broccolini in the salad, depending on what you have.

It’s the broccoli florets that crisp up delightfully in the salad, but I recommend chopping and roasting as much of the stems as you can as well. If you’d like to leave the stems out but save them for another recipe, this broccoli stem stir fry is a favorite of mine.

The other new (to me) twist that I made to Caesar salad is to use fresh bread crumbs, rather than croutons, in the recipe. I loved the way these crumbs worked: they disperse more than croutons, so there’s a little bread in every single bite. Making the crumbs involves using your food processor, so if you’d rather have one less thing to clean, you can use croutons instead.

No matter what, you’ll start with three slices of bread and cube them. After that, you can blitz them in the processor to make fresh crumbs and roast those, or you can simply transfer the cubes to the oven. The bread roasts along with the broccoli, which helps to keep the preparation process streamlined.

Crispy broccoli caesar salad fixings

Aside from the broccoli and the bread crumbs, I used traditional fixings for this Caesar. The dressing is my Caesar dressing from Power Plates. I love it so much that I don’t even bother testing out new vegan Caesar dressings anymore. You may have a little leftover once you finish making the salad. This isn’t a problem, I promise! The dressing is terrific on most salads and grain bowls, and it’ll keep for up to five days in the fridge.

I also folded vegan parmesan right into the salad, rather than using it as a garnish. My walnut herb parmesan and hemp parmesan are my go-tos, but there are a lot of store-bought vegan parmesans that I like as well. One is Parma, which tastes similar to my homemade versions. For more cheese-like parmesan, I’m a fan of the Follow Your Heart parmesan and Violife parmesan.

Lekka’s Caesar uses nori in the dressing. I included seaweed as an optional addition to this broccoli Caesar. It can be nori flakes or crumbled nori sheets, kelp granules or dulse flakes. All will help to replace the subtle but distinctive flavor of anchovy that’s usually present in a Caesar salad.

If you don’t have seaweed, though, don’t worry. A combination of nutritional yeast in the Caesar dressing, vegan parmesan, and capers create a lot of umami in this salad, and it’s very flavorful as it is. Anything you’d like to add to the base recipe is simply a way of making it even more vibrant and complex.

Crispy Broccoli Caesar Salad

This vegan crispy broccoli Caesar is a fun, flavorful, creative spin on the classic recipe! It features roasted broccoli, fresh bread crumbs, and vegan parmesan for loads of flavor.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bread, broccoli, caesar, romaine, salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

blender

Ingredients

For the salad

1 medium head broccoli or 2 bunches broccolini, trimmed and cut into florets and pieces
Olive or avocado oil spray, for roasting the broccoli (or 1-2 tablespoons oil, as needed)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, trimmed, and chopped (about 6 cups)
3 slices peasant or sourdough bread (about 100 g), cut into cubes (slightly stale/dry is good!)
2 tablespoons (16 g) drained capers
1/2 cup homemade vegan parmesan (such as my walnut herb parmesan) or store-bought vegan parmesan
Optional: nori, kelp or dulse granules

For the dressing

3/4 cup (95 g) raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
1/2 cup (120 mL) water
1 teaspoon (5 g) Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (20 g) nutritional yeast

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the broccoli on the baking sheet and spray it with oil, or drizzle it with oil and use your hands to coat everything evenly. Season the broccoli with salt and pepper.
Next, prepare your bread. If you'd like to use fresh bread crumbs, add the bread cubes to your food processor and process until they're coarsely ground (these should be bigger, rustic bread crumbs, not too finely ground). It should take about 30-45 seconds. Add these crumbs to another parchment lined baking sheet. If you'd like to skip the food processor and make croutons, simply add the cubed bread to another lined baking sheet.
Transfer the broccoli and the bread to the oven. Toast bread crumbs or croutons for five minutes, stir, and then toast for another 3-5 minutes, or until browning and crispy. Remove the bread from the oven. Roast the broccoli for 25 minutes, or until the stems are tender and the broccoli is browning and crispy.
While the broccoli roasts, prepare the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor till smooth. You should have around 1 1/2 cups dressing, and you'll use 3/4-1 cup for the recipe. Save extra for other salads or for bowls, or freeze it for up to 6 weeks.
Add the romaine to a large mixing bowl, along with the capers, parmesan, crumbs or croutons, and nori or dulse, if using. Add 3/4 cup dressing and toss well to combine. Fold in the broccoli, then add more dressing as needed until everything is coated well. Serve, with an extra sprinkle of vegan parmesan if you like.

I’m pretty careful about using superlatives when I describe recipes, because my tastes are always changing. And Caesar salad happens to be a recipe that I really, really love, which is why I’ve made so many versions: quinoa chickpea Caesar, kale and white bean Caesar, and the tempeh Caesar in Power Plates.

Honestly, though? I think this new one really is my favorite. And while I’ll probably make other Caesars, I have a hard time believing that any will have this one beat for texture. I’m grateful to Lekka Burger for the inspiration; who knew that broccoli was such a good contender for this recipe? If you make it, I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

And I look forward to Sunday, when I’ll sit down and write and reconnect for the first time in a little while.

The post Crispy Broccoli Caesar Salad appeared first on The Full Helping.

Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 21:58:14 GMT

No frills and nothing fancy: just a perfectly moist, classic vegan pumpkin bread!

Pumpkin season kicked off last month. I kept trying to think of cool and creative things to do with my cans of pumpkin purée. But the first thing I really craved was a thick slice of pumpkin bread—no glaze, no add-ins, no frills—to be served with a cup of coffee. It’s a classic for a reason, right?

Components of a classic pumpkin bread

The right amount of sweetness

Unlike banana bread or banana muffins, pumpkin bread doesn’t contain a sweet fruit. And I don’t use applesauce as a liquid ingredient, as I do in a lot of baking recipes. The sugar here provides most of the sweetness, along with some natural sweetness from the pumpkin. For me and my taste buds, this loaf is perfectly sweet.

The right amount of moisture

Speaking of sugar, I use brown sugar in the recipe, which helps to keep the pumpkin bread extra moist. (If you’re out of brown sugar, cane sugar and coconut sugar are fine to substitute.) But the main reason that this loaf has such a lovely, tender texture is of course the pumpkin itself, which keeps the bread moist as it bakes. I used an entire cup of pumpkin purée in the bread, which makes it possible to only use 1/3 cup of oil.

No frills, no fuss

I like loading up my quick breads with fun add-ins as much as the next person. I’ve dumped dark chocolate chips, every type of chopped nut, chopped dates, and raisins into my muffins and quick breads. I’ve done pumpkin bread with chocolate swirl.

Honestly, though? I like an unadorned pumpkin bread best. I’ve seen glazed pumpkin bread and pumpkin bread with walnuts or pumpkin seeds. But when I set out to make this classic vegan pumpkin bread, I wanted it to be as simple. I wanted the pumpkin to shine through, and nothing else.

I guess this is a reflection of what I need and want from food lately: the comforting, familiar, and un-fussy.

Using pumpkin pie spice

I usually stock up on pumpkin pie spice at this time of year (King Arthur’s is my go-to). It’s perfect for so many fall baking recipes, from crisps and crumbles to scones and quick breads. Admittedly, I usually have its component spices in my pantry, but it’s an easy way to season recipes without having to open up lots of different jars.

With that said, you can easily substitute pumpkin pie spice in the recipe as directed. Or, if you’d like to make a big batch of your own and keep it in your pantry through baking season, here’s a good DIY tutorial from Sally.

Storing and serving classic vegan pumpkin bread

Once baked, this bread needs some time to cool: about fifteen minutes in the loaf pan, and another few hours on a cooling rack. As tempting as it is to eat the bread while it’s warm and freshly made, I think the cooling time is important. It helps the bread to hold its shape, so that you can slice it into perfect pieces later on.

If you don’t plan to eat your pumpkin bread right away, you can go ahead and freeze as many slices as you need to for up to six weeks. If you think it’ll disappear quickly (mine sure did), then you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four or five days. I usually freeze half of any quick bread—banana bread, zucchini bread, citrus bread, and so on—as soon as I’ve baked it. The other half becomes my snacking treats for the week ahead.

Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Fall's favorite quick bread! Moist and tender, this classic vegan pumpkin bread is just the right amount of sweet.

Course baked good, Dessert, quick bread, Snack

Cuisine American, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword pumpkin, quick bread

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

2 cups (240 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (substitute 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice
2/3 cup (158 mL) non-dairy milk of choice
1/3 cup (79 mL) vegetable oil (such as grapeseed, safflower, or refined avocado)
1 1/4 cup (240 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 cup (250 g) pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F and oil or grease a 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
Combine the non-dairy milk and vinegar and allow them to sit for a moment. In another mixing bowl, combine the oil, sugar, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Whisk in the milk + vinegar.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the center. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients into a batter. Don't over-mix: you want there to be no more streaks of flour visible, but a few little lumps are fine.
Pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan in your oven. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is domed and set. Allow the loaf to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack before removing it from the pan. Allow it to cool for at least two hours before slicing and serving.

Making this pumpkin bread, more than any equinox or change in the weather, makes it truly feel like fall. I’m happy to have a recipe that feels like my forever pumpkin bread recipe. Hope that some of you will feel the same way.

And hey: if pumpkin bread isn’t really your thing, there are other options, and I’ll enjoy them with you. Now that I’m stocked up on pumpkin purée, I see pumpkin cranberry walnut muffins, pumpkin oat scones, and pumpkin carrot cake in the not-too-distant future.

Sending you wishes of coziness and comfort today, both of which feel more needed than ever.

The post Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Eggplant Baked Rigatoni

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 21:26:17 GMT

This vegan eggplant baked rigatoni is the most perfect pasta dish for early fall. It’s a cross between Pasta alla Norma and baked ziti, and it’s a delicious way to use up your eggplant while satisfying your comfort food cravings.

I’m sort of embarrassed to admit how tired I feel of cooking right now. In the early weeks of quarantine last spring, I was hooping that the stay-at-home time would inspire me to get especially creative in the kitchen.

That hasn’t happened at all. 100% of the dishes I’ve craved in 2020 fall into the category of comfort food. About 50% of them are dessert. The other 50% is a mix of pasta and bread, with only a smattering of other foods thrown into the mix.

It is what it is. I’ve learned that I can’t force myself to get excited about food that I’m genuinely not craving. It never works, and if I force myself to cook dishes only for the sake of variety, I usually end up making a mess of them. Better to go with the flow, until the flow changes!

Comfort food, quickly

Baked pasta dishes are usually something of an undertaking. This one is pretty low key, all things considered. Using a store-bought marinara sauce makes a big difference. I like making marinara at this time of year, but I think that the tastiest batches require time. I’ve also noticed that my best homemade marinara is usually no better than store-bought versions, and honestly, it’s often less good.

So, I’ve been relying on Rao’s lately, and a few other local brands (I like Michael’s of Brooklyn, too). The time saved is usually worth it for me, and that’s definitely true in this recipe. Using store-bought marinara will allow you to focus on making a homemade vegan ricotta—which I think it’s totally worth the effort—and on assembly.

Vegan Eggplant Baked Rigatoni Ingredients

Vegan ricotta

The vegan “ricotta” in this eggplant baked rigatoni is basically a hybrid of my go-to cashew cheese and the tofu ricotta from Power Plates. The cashews give the ricotta richness, while the tofu helps to keep the texture light. Regular cashew cheese is a little too dense to be a stand-in for ricotta, while tofu isn’t quite creamy enough. Together, they’re perfect.

Marinara

Use your favorite brand in the recipe, or—of course!—use your own. You’ll want just over 3 cups, the same as a 25-ounce jar of sauce.

Eggplant

I used a decent sized globe eggplant in this recipe, just about 1 1/2 pounds. You can use two smaller eggplants, too.

As I mentioned recently when I posted stewed eggplant tomato lentils, I’m a big believer in salting eggplant. I know it’s not everyone’s preference, so if you’d really prefer to skip the step, go for it! If you have the time, I think it’s worthwhile for texture and flavor.

Pasta

Sure, this is eggplant baked rigatoni, but any tube shaped pasta will work nicely in the recipe. This includes rigatoni, ziti, penne, and reginelle. I think it could also work well with larger shells or macaroni.

Prepping and storing eggplant baked rigatoni

The baked rigatoni will be easiest to prepare if you have the tofu and cashew ricotta made ahead of time. I’ve made the dish twice now, and that’s how I chose to prepare it each time.

Once the rigatoni is baked, you can store the leftovers for up to five days in an airtight container in the fridge. Like many baked pasta dishes, this one also lends itself well to freezing. You can freeze individual portions (or however much you’d like to freeze) for up to six weeks.

Vegan Eggplant Baked Rigatoni

A perfect dish to make with your late summer eggplant, your favorite pasta shape, and a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. Simple, vegan comfort food at its best.

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword eggplant, pasta

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the pasta:

1 large or 2 small globe eggplant
10 ounces ounces (285 grams, or about 3 1/2 cups) ziti, rigatoni, or penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
25 ounces (3 cups) of your favorite store-bought or homemade marinara sauce

For the ricotta:

2 ounces (60 g, or a heaping 1/2 cup) raw cashews, soaked for several hours and drained
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons water
14 ounces (1 average sized block) extra firm tofu, pressed gently to remove excess moisture
2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly oil a 2.5 or 3 quart rectangular casserole dish.
Trim and cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Place it into a colander. Sprinkle it generously with salt, then allow it to sit for 25 minutes. Rinse the eggplant well, then pat it dry firmly.
To make the ricotta, place the cashews, lemon juice, and two tablespoons water in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process the mixture for about a minute, stopping once to scrape the bowl down. When the cashews have been broken down (they don't have to look smooth at all, just ground up), add the tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Continue processing for 2-3 full minutes, a few times to scrape the processor bowl down. Stop when the mixture is smooth and resembles something like ricotta, only thicker. Add an extra tablespoon water if needed to achieve a creamy consistency. Set the ricotta aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions, till it's al dente. Drain.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the eggplant. Allow it to sizzle for 4-5 minutes, until it's just starting to brown. Reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking the eggplant for 8 (or so) more minutes, until it's meltingly tender. If it's not cooking quickly enough, try covering the skillet for a minute or two.
When the eggplant is cooked, add the pasta and marinara sauce to the skillet. Mix and heat everything through.
Layer a third of the pasta mixture into your casserole dish. Dot this with a third of the ricotta, using a knife to spread the ricotta around a bit. Cover this with another third of the pasta and ricotta. Finish with a layer of pasta and lightly dot the top with the remaining ricotta. Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve.

Normally when I make vegan baked pastas or lasagnas, I top them with vegan cheese shreds or a homemade alternative (like a cashew cream sauce). The nice thing about this baked rigatoni is that the tofu cashew ricotta is substantial, and there’s a lot of it in the recipe. It adds so much creaminess that you don’t really have to worry about a melted cheese.

I’m still battling ambivalence about cooking here, hoping that my sense of inspiration comes back to me soon. Until it does, it’s nice to have meals that soothe my spirit and feel homey. This is one of those. Hope it’ll give you the same feeling.

The post Vegan Eggplant Baked Rigatoni appeared first on The Full Helping.