Tofu scramble is the ultimate high-protein vegan breakfast! It’s a quick and adaptable meal that can be modified in countless ways. Here are seven of my go-to, protein-packed tofu scramble recipes.

I’m all about breakfast this month, as back-to-school season kicks off.

For me, September isn’t just about the literal return to school—though I do get excited to watch my friends’ kids enter new grades. Early fall is all about getting back to business. It’s a time to refocus. I’m hoping that the crisp weather and change of seasons will give me fresh energy to create.

School, work, and all of our other commitments demand good fuel. September and October always encourage me to look after my nutrition. They remind me to plan, prep, and keep a fridge stocked with wholesome staples, like dressings, whole grains, and beans.

The fall season also inspires me to try new recipes. I’m really hoping that’s the case this year, given how tough cooking was for me this summer. No matter what, I can count on cooler weather to inspire new baking projects.

None of the creative energy or industriousness that I’m hoping for will be possible with a steady rotation of nutrient-dense vegan breakfasts. Breakfast is a cornerstone of my routine, the food that powers my day. I love my morning meals—and there’s no breakfast I love more than tofu scramble.

Why tofu scramble is my number one breakfast

If I had to pick a favorite breakfast, tofu scramble would be it. Yes, I love many other breakfast foods. But tofu scramble wins for the intersection of flavors that I enjoy, satiety that lasts me hours, and nutrition that warms my vegan registered dietitian’s heart.

Do I always make scramble in the morning? Honestly, no. If frequency of eating were proportional to enjoyment, I’d have a scramble four or five times each week. But even though it’s quick by most recipe standards, tofu scramble is more hands-on than, say, toast. Or oatmeal.

As it is, I probably make myself a tofu scramble every other week. One of my favorite things about this meal is the fact that the leftovers keep well. When I do prepare it, I always enjoy it for the next few days in leftover form.

A versatile morning meal starter

Here’s what else I love about tofu scramble: versatility! It’s is a meal unto itself, but it can also be a meal starter.

Here is a short list of the many, many things I like to do with my tofu scramble:

• Put it into breakfast tacos
• Layer it on toast
• Serve it with a (vegan) buttered English muffin
• Enchiladas
• Use it as the protein component of a vegan bowl
• Add it to vegan fried rice
• Use it as an ingredient in vegan nachos

I’m sure I’m missing a lot of creative ideas. But the options above are enough to illustrate that one batch of tofu scramble has a lot of utility.

Tofu scramble nutrition

From a morning nutrition standpoint, tofu scramble can’t be beat.

All of the recipes that follow are great sources of plant protein. Tofu is an excellent vegan protein source, and nutritional yeast, which is a common ingredient in these scrambles, is also high in protein. You can enhance the protein of your scramble by adding beans or a vegan meat (such as tempeh bacon).

Tofu is also a nutritional superstar in other respects. It’s a good source of iron, and some varieties of tofu are also good sources of calcium. It provides thiamin, otherwise known as Vitamin B1, which plays a role in energy metabolism and cell growth.

Moreover, the phytonutrients in tofu may play an important role in disease prevention. Plant compounds in soy foods called isoflavones are associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence, especially when they’re consumed early in life.

Those same isoflavones may also have a cholesterol-lowering effect. Consumption of them is associated with reduced rates of heart disease. They may also improve cognitive function in women who are post-menopausal.

What kind of tofu is best for tofu scramble?

I recommend using firm or extra firm tofu for your scramble recipes. Either will work. I used to always prefer my scrambles with a chunky texture and extra firm tofu. Lately, I’m preferring to use firm tofu and crumble it more finely.

I don’t recommend soft or silken tofu for scrambling. It turns into mush in the warm pan, and you’ll miss that crumbly texture.

How to make tofu scramble

Tofu scramble is easy to make. So easy, in fact, that it was one of the very first recipes I taught myself to cook and cooked regularly when I first became vegan. There are really just a few steps.

Press

I recommend pressing your tofu gently before you crumble it. You don’t need to press it for long or use a tofu press. Simply squeeze it with gentle pressure between two tea towels. This is enough to remove excess moisture, which helps the tofu to absorb flavor.

Crumble

Use your hands to crumble your tofu in preparation of scrambling. Again, you can choose to leave it in bigger pieces or to crumble it somewhat finely. Both are good choices. Think about the texture you want, and crumble accordingly.

Sauté your vegetables

Some scramble recipes call for a lot of add-ins and vegetable additions. Others are more pared down. You can make a tofu scramble as complex or as simple as you want it to be.

Before you add tofu to your hot frying pan or skillet, you’ll want to sauté any vegetables that you’re using until they’re tender. I do this in olive oil, but you can choose to sauté with water or broth as well.

My customary vegetables additions are onions, peppers, and chopped tomato. However, I also like to add grated carrots, scallion, and chopped broccoli. Tofu scramble is a great vehicle for using up leftover bits.

Add tofu

Next, you’ll add your crumbled tofu to the skillet. Stir it together with any vegetables you have.

Add seasonings

Now it’s time to season your scramble. There are so many spices, herbs, and sauces to choose from. Here are the seasonings that I add regularly:

• Turmeric (this gives the scramble a yellow color, similar to eggs)
• Nutritional yeast (this adds savoriness)
• Tamari or salt (I prefer tamari, which deepens the scramble’s flavor and distributes evenly
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Mustard (I think this gives the scramble a slightly spicy, but not hot, kick)
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Here are seasonings that I add when I’m in the mood for them:

• Cumin
• Smoked paprika
• Sweet paprika
• Oregano
• Italian seasoning
• Cajun seasoning
• Curry powder
• Hot sauce

There’s nothing authoritative about this list! It’s just a sampling of flavors that I’ve added to scrambles and liked. Once you grow accustomed to scrambling tofu, you can start to experiment with different flavor combinations that appeal to you.

Stir and heat through

Once the vegetables, tofu, and seasonings are in your hot skillet or frying pan, your scramble will almost be ready. I recommend stirring everything gently but thoroughly, so that the seasonings are evenly and well distributed. Then, continue to heat the scramble until it’s nice and fragrant. You can do this over medium low heat.

At this point, your tofu scramble will be ready to eat or store.

My secret weapon ingredient

There’s one ingredient that I add to my scrambles for a perfectly creamy texture and extra flavor: tahini!

Tahini isn’t necessarily a traditional tofu scramble addition. But I think it makes a big difference. The fat in the tahini helps to carry flavor. I also think that the tahini gives scrambles a slightly creamy texture and helps to bring everything together.

I like the addition of tahini so much that I have a dedicated tofu tahini scramble recipe. More on that below.

Storage

Tofu scramble can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Most of these recipes make four servings, so you likely won’t need to store it that long.

The scrambles are excellent make-ahead breakfast options for busy work or school days. To make the scramble more portable, you can stuff it into a wrap or combine it with black beans and brown rice to make a breakfast burrito.

Can I freeze tofu scramble?

You can absolutely freeze tofu scramble, and I often do. Most scrambles can be frozen for up to six weeks. Freeze them in individual portions if you think you might like to defrost one meal at a time.

I am always so grateful when I find these little protein-rich breakfast care packages in my freezer. I thaw them overnight and give thanks for something nutritious and ready-to-eat in the morning.

7 protein-packed tofu scramble recipes

I could go on and on about the flexibility, usefulness, ease, and wholesome features of this morning meal! But food speaks louder than words.

Here are seven protein-packed tofu scramble recipes to make, adapt, and use as a starting point for your own scrambling adventures.

Classic Tofu Scramble Recipe

My all-time favorite vegan scramble! Packed with plant-protein and veggies, this is a foolproof twenty minute meal.

Get the recipe

Tofu Scallion Black Bean Scramble

This scallion black bean tofu scramble is a fiber-filled and protein-packed vegan breakfast! Scallions add tons of flavor and are quick-cooking.

Get the recipe

Tofu Quinoa Veggie Scramble

This tofu quinoa veggie scramble combines the best of both worlds: protein-rich tofu and cooked whole grains. It's a hearty, healthy, one-dish vegan breakfast recipe that's easy to make.

Get the recipe

Tofu Scramble Black Bean Vegan Breakfast Enchiladas

These black bean and scrambled tofu enchiladas are a make-ahead, savory vegan breakfast that's packed with plant protein! They're also freezer-friendly and great for serving a crowd.

Get the recipe

Basic Tofu Breakfast Scramble

One of my simplest, most basic tofu scramble recipes, which is included in Food52 Vegan. An easy, crowd-pleasing answer to scrambled eggs!

Get the recipe

Green Tofu Scramble

This green tofu scramble is exactly what it sounds like! It's a high-protein vegan breakfast scramble that's loaded with green vegetables. It's a nutritious breakfast option that can be made ahead for morning nutrition on-the-go.

Get the recipe

Tofu Tahini Scramble

This tofu tahini scramble is deeply savory and flavorful. A combination of tahini and hummus create a creamy texture, while chickpeas add extra nutrition to the dish.

Get the recipe

Tofu tahini scramble recipe

It’s worth sharing a little bit more about the tofu tahini scramble above. It’s an old recipe that I’ve returned to many times, and it’s different from your run-of-the-mill scramble in a few ways.

First, the tofu is cut into small cubes, rather than crumbled. This makes the dish not traditionally “eggy,” but it still eats and tastes like a tofu scramble. I enjoy the different texture, which is enhanced by the addition of chickpeas (extra protein!) and cherry tomatoes.

The scramble incorporates tahini, as some of my other scrambles do. But it also uses hummus. More chickpeas, more tahini, more flavor. The hummus is bright and tangy and adds something special to the meal.

Because the tofu tahini scramble is not super egg-like, it’s an especially good recipe to enjoy at any time of day: breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You could even turn it into an appetizer for friends by serving it with endive or romaine leaves for dipping.

Here’s the recipe!

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Tofu Tahini Scramble

This tofu tahini scramble is deeply savory and flavorful. A combination of tahini and hummus create a creamy texture, while chickpeas add extra nutrition to the dish. Plus, 6 other tofu scramble recipes to power your day!

Course Breakfast, main, Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean, middle eastern

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Low Salt, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chickpeas, tahini, tofu, tomatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 15 ounces extra firm tofu
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas (half of a 14.5-ounce can)
• 3/4 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1/4 cup hummus (homemade or any brand you like)
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the tofu cubes and cook till they're browning, stirring frequently (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring the mixture constantly.
• Add the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, tahini, hummus, tamari, and lemon juice to the pan. Fold everything together and heat till the ingredients are all warmed through. Serve, with our without some greens on the side.

Fall has two effects on me, and I feel them by turns: it can make me feel focused and motivated, and it can also make me feel scattered and un-grounded. Returning to my kitchen and getting back into the rhythms of making wholesome, filling food contributes to my focus and helps to ground me.

May these savory vegan breakfasts do that for you, too. Happy scrambling.

xo

The post 7 Protein-Packed Tofu Scramble Recipes appeared first on The Full Helping.

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce turns a nutritious crucifer into the base of a delightful, creamy dairy-free pasta sauce. You can store it or use it to make an easy vegan Alfredo pasta with spinach. The pasta dish features prebiotic foods, which may benefit digestive health.

Hi friends! Thank you for the kind responses to Sunday’s post. I’m happy to say that a new oven has been installed and inspected and deemed safe to use.

Speaking of that, I’ve moved into the dessert phase of my recipe testing endeavors. After long days of trialing batches of baked goods, it’s a relief to have an easy, comforting, and nutrient-dense plate of pasta for dinner. The creamy cauliflower Alfredo sauce that I’m sharing today has made many such meals possible.

I’ve seen a bunch of recipes for cauliflower Alfredo sauce over the years. Most recently, I stumbled on this one from the folks at Purple Carrot, which looked great. I loved the idea of adding spinach to the finished pasta. I try to add greens to my meals whenever I can, and pasta is such a good vehicle for them.

In the last few weeks, I’ve experimented with a few batches of creamy, cauliflower Alfredo sauce. I decided to add a nut or seed to the sauce—more on that below—and I’m really happy with the result.

A pasta with prebiotics

Do you hear more and more about prebiotic foods these days? I sure do, and I’m glad that these foods are getting attention.

Prebiotic foods contain types of dietary fiber that feed probiotics. Probiotics are strains of bacteria that have been associated with health benefits, including digestive regularity, skin health, and immunity. Prebiotic fibers and probiotic bacteria have a synergistic relationship.

Prebiotic foods include garlic and onions, chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus, pulses, spinach, and cruciferous vegetables. The crucifer family includes the cauliflower featured in the cauliflower Alfredo sauce.

The Daily Synbiotic from Seed

I’ve learned a lot about prebiotic foods and the bacterial strains that they sustain this summer. Why? Because I’ve spent time getting to know the vegan Daily Synbiotic from Seed.

A synbiotic is a prebiotic + probiotic combined. Seed’s Daily Synbiotic is a 24-strain, broad spectrum probiotic and prebiotic. It’s formulated for digestive, gut immunity, and additional systemic benefits. I wrote about the Synbiotic earlier this summer, when I shared it in the company of a refreshing, kombucha berry smoothie.

Months later, I can report that I’m still taking and loving the synbiotic. It has supported me and contributed to my wellness through a summer that was a lot of fun, but also full of work stress and disruption. The Daily Synbiotic is now the probiotic+prebiotic that I recommend to clients and friends.

There are so many factors that make the Seed Daily Synbiotic unique. My favorites:

Sustainability

The Daily Synbiotic is delivered and packaged in a way that is gentle to the earth. The shipping boxis made from algae that would otherwise damage delicate marine ecosystems. The synbiotic arrives in a (very beautiful) reusable glass bottle. And refills arrive in bio-based pouches that are home-compostable, edible, and dissolve in water!

2-in-1 ViaCap Delivery Technology

The Daily Synbiotic is designed as a capsule-within-a-capsule. It has a prebiotic outer capsule made from Indian pomegranate that protects the inner probiotic capsule from stomach acid, bile salt, and digestive enzymes, ensuring 100% survivability to your colon. This prebiotic also protects the probiotic against moisture and heat. As a result, you don’t need to store the synbiotic in the fridge.

The probiotic inner capsule contains Seed’s proprietary formula of clinically and scientifically studied bacterial strains that support healthy regularity, gut barrier integrity, skin health, heart health, and so much more.

Responsibility

Seed’s reference library contains information on the research that was called upon in the synbiotic’s development. The synbiotic is currently being studied in two clinical trials. The reference library also includes information on the synbiotic’s rigorous allergen, pesticide, and thermostability testing.

Seed is also passionate about clear communication. As part of my experience working with the brand, I needed to complete Seed University, a free online course on Instagram that outlined the science behind the product, the gut microbiome, and probiotics in general.

Some of it was familiar to me and some wasn’t. I was very glad for an opportunity to learn. And I appreciated that the team at Seed is committed to evidence-based discourse.

Daily Synbiotic offer

If you’d like to try this earth-friendly, vegan Daily Synbiotic out for yourself, you can get 15% off your first month’s supply of Seed’s Daily Synbiotic by using code GENA15 at checkout on the Seed website.

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce ingredients

This cauliflower Alfredo spinach pasta is created in partnership with my friends at Seed. I love this recipe for its nutrition and flavor. However, I also love the simplicity of its ingredients.

Cauliflower

Is there anything cauliflower can’t do? Here, it provides a creamy and nutrient-dense base for a garlicky sauce. I’d love to try the cauliflower Alfredo sauce with broccoli in place of cauliflower at some point, but the color would of course be very different!

Nuts or seeds

I’ve made this sauce a few times, which means that I’ve had a chance to add different nuts and seeds. They increase the creaminess of the cauliflower Alfredo sauce, and they also add healthful fat and good nutrition.

For example, I’ve added tahini and cashew butter to the sauce. Each works well for creaminess. Cashew butter is a little sweeter, while tahini is slightly more bitter. I’ve also tried adding a few tablespoons of shelled hemp seeds, which are a great source of protein.

Finally, I’ve tried the cauliflower Alfredo sauce with soaked, raw cashews. Cashews are the basis of my simple cashew cheese and cashew cream. They work magic in creamy, dairy free recipes.

Nutritional yeast

Nutritional yeast adds a “cheesy” flavor to the cauliflower Alfredo sauce.

Garlic

The garlic in this recipe can be adjusted to taste. I’m sensitive to strong garlic flavor in cooking, so I have a light touch with it. If you love garlic, you should certainly add as much as you’d like.

White miso

Miso adds both saltiness and some umami to the cauliflower Alfredo sauce. If you don’t have white miso at home, you can omit it and add a little extra salt to the sauce instead.

Non-dairy milk

Unsweetened plant milk is another source of creaminess for the Alfredo pasta. I like to make this recipe with unsweetened oat or soy milk; the latter will add some protein. Unsweetened cashew milk is also a good choice for the recipe.

How to make cauliflower Alfredo sauce

Ease of preparation is one of the best things about this pasta. My goal when I made it was to combine as many steps as possible.

With that in mind, I used the same pot of boiling water to steam the cauliflower, boil the pasta, and cook the spinach. The cauliflower steams first. Then, you’ll salt the cooking water and add the pasta. When the pasta is almost ready, you’ll add the spinach to it.

The sauce itself is a breeze to make. Simply add your steamed cauliflower and other sauce ingredients to your blender and blend away.

Preparation & storage

You can use the cauliflower Alfredo sauce with pasta immediately after you make it. You can also store it for future use. The sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days after you prepare it.

Can cauliflower Alfredo sauce be frozen?

Yes, you can definitely freeze the cauliflower Alfredo sauce. I like to do this in large, wide-mouthed mason jars. I’m careful to leave some head space at the top of the jar, which prevents the jar from cracks as the liquid inside freezes and expands.

The sauce can be frozen for up to six weeks.

Variations & additions

Spinach adds color and nutrition to an already wholesome pasta. However, you can add additional vegetables as you like. Broccoli florets, additional steamed cauliflower florets, cut green beans, peas, steamed zucchini or summer squash, and steamed kale would all make wonderful additions.

Print

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce turns a nutritious crucifer into the base of a delightful, creamy dairy-free pasta sauce! You can store it or use it to make an easy vegan Alfredo pasta with spinach.

Course main, sauce

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cauliflower, pasta, spinach

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce

• 1 small head cauliflower, thick stem removed and cut into florets and pieces (about 1 lb after preparation)
• 1 cup unsweetened oat, cashew, or soy milk
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons raw cashew butter, tahini, or shelled hemp hearts (alternatively, you can use 1/4 cup soaked and drained raw cashews)
• 1 clove raw garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (extra for the pasta water, if making)
• Freshly ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Pasta & spinach

• 8 ounces medium pasta shape of choice (I like penne, fusilli, casarecce, and rigatoni for this recipe)
• A few big handfuls of baby spinach or washed and chopped kale leaves
• cashew parmesan cheese (optional, for serving)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fit the pot with a steamer attachment. Steam the cauliflower till fork tender (about 10 minutes). If you're preparing the cauliflower Alfredo spinach pasta, reserve the boiling water.
• To prepare the cauliflower Alfredo sauce, add the cooked cauliflower, milk, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, nut/seed butter, hemp hearts, or cashews, garlic, and sea salt to a powerful blender. Blend till smooth. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper or crushed red pepper to your liking.
• To prepare the pasta: remove the steamer attachment from the boiling water once the cauliflower is ready. Salt the water. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. In the last 3 minutes of cooking time, add the spinach or kale to the pasta and simmering water. 
• Drain the pasta and greens and return them to the pot. Add the blended cauliflower Alfredo sauce. Mix everything and adjust salt as needed; add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve, topped with cashew parmesan if desired.

I hope that this simple pasta meal will bring you the same comfort and good nutrition it has brought me in the past few, hectic weeks.

The cauliflower Alfredo sauce itself is a versatile keeper. Use it with any pasta shape, drizzle it over baked potatoes or steamed greens, and so on. It’ll deliver on nourishment and creamy goodness no matter what.

xo

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

The post Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce and Easy Pasta appeared first on The Full Helping.

These vegan protein peanut butter stuffed dates taste like a Snickers bar. But they’re made with wholesome, plant-based ingredients, including medjool dates, peanut butter, melted dark chocolate, and pea protein.

Hot summer days rarely deter me from turning on my oven, but July had enough super warm days that I often hesitated to bake. This left me in the position of seeking out no-bake treats instead. These protein peanut butter-stuffed dates are the best one of those that I’ve tried. 

The dates are sweet, gooey, and feature the completely irresistible combination of chocolate and peanut butter. They’re easy to make with wholesome, simple ingredients, plus they incorporate pea protein as an added bonus!

Snacking on these treats has given me a lot of joy throughout this summer of frantic (and often tricky) recipe testing. I’m glad to be sharing the recipe today.

For the love of plant protein

Plant-based protein is part of the reason that the peanut butter-stuffed dates make such a great, filling snack.

Honestly? I never thought I’d become a “vegan protein dietitian,” as I now jokingly refer to myself with clients. But I’ve come to see how important protein contributes to satiety, energy, and immunity. 

This is true in general, but it’s especially important for those who are transitioning away from, or reducing, animal protein in their diet. Sourcing protein on a plant-based diet can be a learning curve. 

I lean on legumes, soy foods, and vegan meats for protein in my meals, but I also love adding a high-quality protein powder to my smoothies and snacks.

My favorite vegan pea protein

My number one plant-based protein powder is Clean Lean Protein by Nuzest.

I first tried Clean Lean Protein in 2016. I was immediately impressed by its non-gritty texture and awesome flavor. 

Clean Lean Protein is sourced from peas. It’s free from common allergens like gluten, soy and dairy, along with being easy to digest (read: easy on the stomach and less bloating), plus it’s rigorously tested for gluten, so it’s allergy-friendly. 

Most importantly, it tastes great, and there are a wide-variety of flavors to choose from. Nuzest is the smoothest protein powder I’ve tried, and I’ve been a devoted fan since I sampled it years ago. 

I’ve now sampled four of the Clean Lean Protein flavors: Smooth Vanilla, Rich Chocolate, Real Coffee, and Chai Turmeric + MACA. They’re all fantastic; from a flavor perspective, they’re probably the best-tasting vegan protein powders that I’ve tried. They add sweetness to recipes without being aggressively sweet or artificial-tasting, which is key.

I spent much of the summer making a cold brew and frozen banana smoothie with Real Coffee Clean Lean Protein by Nuzest. For these stuffed dates, I used Smooth Vanilla, but the Rich Chocolate would also work very well in the recipe. 

Vegan protein can be a useful addition to baked goods, snacks, smoothies, banana soft serve, energy bites, and more. If you’d like to give Clean Lean Protein a whirl, you can get 20% off your first purchase on the Nuzest website by entering the code GENA at checkout.

How to make stuffed dates

The first step in making the stuffed dates is to cut each medjool date open and remove the pit. To do this, simply make a lengthwise cut in the date with a paring knife. It should be easy to find and retrieve the pit. 

Next, you’ll combine the ingredients for stuffing the date: protein powder, peanut butter, and maple syrup. It’s a soft, but slightly sticky mixture that you’ll stuff into each date by the heaping tablespoon. 

Next, you’ll melt vegan dark chocolate (morsels, chips, or chopped chocolate bar) in the microwave (or over a double boiler). Use a tablespoon to drizzle each date generously with melted chocolate. 

Finally, you’ll sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the dates. Just for a touch of that wonderful, sweet and savory, dark chocolate-meets-sea-salt alchemy.

Finally, you’ll chill or freeze the dates until the chocolate and sea salt is set. At that point, you can bite right into them and delight in how good they are.

The best dates for stuffed dates

I definitely recommend using medjool dates in the recipe! Deglet Nour dates can be great for using as a sweetener or using in raw energy bites, but they’re missing the caramel-like, super-soft texture of medjool dates. 

That texture is what helps to make the stuffed dates as satisfying as they are.

Melting chocolate

The melted dark chocolate is what takes the stuffed dates to the next level. Without it, the dates are sweet, salty, nutritious, and very tasty. 

With the chocolate, however, they become amazing. 

I melt chocolate in a Pyrex bowl in my microwave in 30-second intervals. If you microwave longer than that, the chocolate may overheat and lose its glossiness. Stir between each interval. 

You can also make a double boiler to heat the chocolate in the recipe. 

Once melted, the chocolate needs an addition of a little coconut oil (just two teaspoons). This helps to make it a good texture for drizzling. It also helps to harden the chocolate once the dates are chilled.

Can I substitute peanut butter in the recipe?

Yes, you can absolutely prepare the stuffed dates without peanut butter. Almond butter is a fine substitute if that’s your preference. 

If you’re allergic to all tree nuts, you can substitute sunflower seed butter for peanut butter in the recipe. 

Storing protein peanut butter stuffed dates

Once prepared, the peanut butter stuffed dates can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to ten days. 

Though there’s a very, very good chance that you’ll polish them off before that!

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Protein Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates

These vegan protein peanut butter stuffed dates taste like a Snickers bar. But they're made with wholesome, plant-based ingredients, including medjool dates, peanut butter, melted dark chocolate, and pea protein.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chocolate, dates, peanut butter

Servings 18 dates

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vanilla Nuzest Clean Lean Protein (30 g)
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (64 g)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 16-20 pitted Medjool dates
• 1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips or morsels (240 g)
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• Maldon salt

Instructions

• Use a paring knife to cut the dates open lengthwise. Remove the pits.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter, protein powder, and maple syrup. Use a tablespoon to stuff the dates with the peanut butter protein mixture by the heaping tablespoon. Transfer the dates to a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals in a microwave or use a double boiler to melt it. Stir in the coconut oil. Drizzle the dates with the coconut oil so that they're almost entirely covered. Then, sprinkle them with flaky sea salt.
• Transfer the dates to the fridge and chill for at least one hour, or freeze for at least fifteen minutes before enjoying.

Snack time is rarely this enjoyable or worth anticipating!

I hope you’ll give the stuffed dates—and the awesome vegan protein that inspired them—a try. The world of plant-based food is rich in protein options, but it never hurts to have some wholesome assistance in getting more. Nuzest is a great way to make that happen! 

xo

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

The post Protein Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates appeared first on The Full Helping.

These lentil tahini wraps are a simple, tasty, and nourishing plant-based lunch! They incorporate nutritious vegetables and legumes, and they’re easy to customize.

Feels like a while since I’ve checked in—because it has been!

I’m just back from a really special week with my oldest friend and her family. I got away at a moment when I needed to get away. And the little escape was exactly what I needed to recharge, regroup, and feel like myself again.

This is one of many special weekend trips that I’ve taken to be with friends this summer. I’m making an effort to live and connect in a way that is truly new for me. I’m less attached to routine, less solitary, and less fixated on work. It feels good.

Amid these weekends of connection and the feelings and desires that drive them, I’ve been taking it really easy with food.

These lentil tahini wraps are a perfect example of the kind of simple, nourishing meals that have sustained me this summer.

If quarantine was the year of Gardein meatballs and spaghetti, then the summer of 2021 has been my summer of sandwiches and wraps.

Wraps are quick, easy, and satisfying to me. They’re a canvas for endless possibility, but they never stress me out, which is an important consideration during the cookbook development process. And it’s easy to pack them with healthful ingredients, like the lentils, tahini, and vegetables in this recipe.

A quick, nutritious lunch

What are lentil wraps? Quite simply, they’re whole grain wraps that are filled with lentils. In this lentil tahini wrap recipe, the lentils are joined by finely chopped vegetables and tahini for creaminess.

I was first inspired to make the lentil tahini wraps when I purchased something similar at a local health food store. A spinach wrap was filled with a mixture of shredded vegetables, tahini, and cooked lentils.

I grabbed the wrap before hopping on a train to go upstate, too short on time to prepare something myself. And I was so glad to try it, not only because it tasted great, but also because it was convenient and healthful.

I was inspired right away to try a version of my own. I’ve made countless hummus wraps, and I also love my chickpea caesar wraps. But in spite of how much I love the mighty lentil, it took me until now to try lentils in a wrap.

How to make lentil wraps

To prepare the lentil tahini wraps, you’ll first shred some carrots into the bowl of a food processor. You could also grate the carrots by hand, but so long as you’re using the processor, you may as well use it to grate the carrots.

Next, you’ll put the S blade into the processor. Add cooked lentils and broccoli, tahini, lemon juice, herbs, and seasoning. Then, pulse until all of the ingredients are finely mixed.

Just look at that nutritious mixture!

Honestly, I think the filling of the wraps is delicious in its own right. It would work well as a tasty, nutrient-dense dip or snack. But it’s also great in these wraps, and it’s also really good on a sandwich—especially with my multigrain or maple oat bread.

Filling lentil tahini wraps

Once the lentil tahini filling is ready, it’s time to assemble your wraps.

You can add any vegetables you like to the wraps—in addition to the vegetables that are already in the filling, of course. I love to add cucumber slices and lettuce leaves. Tomato slices, thinly sliced radish, red onion, and additional fresh herbs would all make nice additions.

If you’d like to add more plant protein to the wraps, you could add smoky tempeh slices, strips of smoked tofu, soy curls, or a vegan bacon of choice.

It’s also worth saying that the broccoli in the wrap filling can be substituted as well. I can never get enough broccoli, but steamed kale, cauliflower rice, or shredded collard greens would be nice, too.

As for the wraps themselves, I love using a whole grain wrap here. But it’s hard to beat the fun color of spinach wraps, if you have them on hand 🙂

Best lentils for lentil tahini wraps

I most often use black or green lentils in the lentil tahini wraps. But most types of lentils, including brown and pardina lentils, will work in the recipe.

The only type of lentil that I don’t recommend for the wraps is red lentils, which become a little too mushy to work in the filling.

Make ahead & storage options

The lentil tahini wraps can be incorporated into a meal prep routine in a number of ways.

First, you can prepare the lentil vegetable filling up to three days before storing your wraps. Once made, it can be frozen for up to four weeks.

You can also prepare the wraps themselves up to two days before eating. If you do this, I recommend adding vegetables that aren’t too juicy—like shaved carrots and lettuce—to the filling, rather than tomatoes.

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Lentil Tahini Wraps

These lentil tahini wraps are a simple, tasty, and nourishing plant-based lunch! They incorporate nutritious vegetables and legumes, and they're easy to customize.

Course Main Course, main dish

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword broccoli, carrots, lentils

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 cup green, black, or brown lentils (200 g)
• 3 carrots
• 1 cup steamed broccoli (or another green, such as raw or steamed kale, spinach, or arugula)
• 5 tablespoons tahini
• 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 wraps of choice
• lettuce leaves, tomatoes, cucumber slices, or any other wrap fillings you like

Instructions

• Bring a medium sized pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the lentils. Boil the lentils for 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain the lentils and set them aside—you should have about 3 cups.
• Peel and trim the carrots. Use a food processor to grate them. Switch the grating attachment to the S blade. Place the cooked lentils, broccoli, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and salt into the food processor. Pulse about 20-30 times, or until the mixture is broken down significantly, but not pureed. 
• Taste the lentil mixture. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Adjust the salt and lemon juice to your liking. 
• Pile about 3/4 cup of the lentil mixture into a wrap. Add lettuce leaves and any other fillings you like. Fold in the sides and bottom of the wrap and wrap it up snugly. Slice and serve. Enjoy!

The lentil tahini wraps are really simple, but they’re a refreshing departure from the vegan BLTs, Tofurky mixtures, and hummus sandwiches that I lived on during lockdown. I love that they’re an easy vehicle for greens, and I know that I’ll be making them often through the seasons.

I hope that the wraps find their way into your lunch routine sometime soon!

xo

The post Lentil Tahini Wraps appeared first on The Full Helping.

These soft, chewy vegan breakfast cookies are studded with grated carrots, plump raisins, and rolled oats. They’re wholesome, filling, and delicious! They’re also freezer friendly and can be made ahead for breakfasts on-the-go.

I’ve always loved the idea of a breakfast cookie. A freshly baked cookie, full of ingredients that are wholesome enough to qualify as a sensible breakfast? Sign me up. Until now, however, breakfast cookies have been more appealing in theory than in practice.

I’ve tried so many different combinations, and something was always amiss. Some versions were too dense, others too pillowy. I’ve made batches that were overly crunchy and others that were mushy on the interior. I’ve never quite landed on the right combination of spices and mix-ins.

These carrot raisin breakfast cookies change everything! They’re soft and chewy, the way I like cookies to be. But they’re also substantial. Rolled oats give them just the right amount of heft, while grated carrots and raisins add nutrition and sweetness.

The breakfast cookies can be meal prepped, eaten on the go, or enjoyed at home, with a cup of coffee. They’re wonderfully versatile.

What is a breakfast cookie?

In short, a breakfast cookie is a cookie eaten at breakfast time.

There are no rules! Breakfast cookies can be crispy or soft, big or small, sweet or not-too-sweet. They can include whatever ingredients you like and be seasoned with your favorite spices and flavors.

The upsides of breakfast

As a dietitian, I’m passionate about messaging the benefits of breakfast. Research has linked breakfast eating to improved memory and concentration. There’s also an association between breakfast consumption and reduced rates of chronic health challenges, including Type 2 diabetes.

Practically speaking, breakfast helps to provide energy. Most of all, it presents us with a chance to get more of the vital nutrients we need each day, including fiber, protein, calcium, and healthful fat.

In my practice, I don’t force clients to eat breakfast if they don’t wish to. But I do frame breakfast skipping as a missed opportunity for nutrition. Without breakfast, a person has to source all of the day’s nutrition in two meals. It’s not always an easy task. Breakfast—even a small breakfast—helps with some of that heavy lifting.

With all of this in mind, I’ve tried to keep these vegan breakfast cookies relatively wholesome. I’ve certainly been known to eat less wholesome sweets in the morning (hello, leftover carrot cake!). But I like to emphasize protein and fiber when I can.

These carrot raisin breakfast cookies get a nutritional boost from rolled oats and whole wheat flour from One Degree Organics.

My favorite breakfast oats

I used my favorite rolled oats, which are the organic rolled oats from One Degree Organics, in this recipe.

I love these oats so much. They’re always fresh and have a wonderfully toothsome texture. I also admire and appreciate the way the oats are grown.

The One Degree brand is known for its transparent sourcing—right down to QR codes that trace individual ingredients.

The One Degree brand is known for its transparent sourcing—right down to QR codes that trace individual ingredients back to the farmers that grew them. The oats are organic, non-GMO, and produced without the use of glyphosate.

While oats are my favorite One Degree product, I also love the brand’s cereals, granolas, and flours. I used the whole wheat flour, which has a wonderfully nutty, sweet flavor, to make these breakfast cookies.

How to make breakfast cookies

The process of making these breakfast cookies is pretty simple.

I begin by mixing the wet ingredients and adding the rolled oats. This helps to soften the oats a little before baking. I think it improves the texture of the finished cookies (I tested them with and without this step).

Those wet ingredients include avocado oil (my first choice for baking), applesauce, which helps to add sweetness without too much added sugar, and a little non-dairy milk.

Dry ingredients include the whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed, which contributes some healthful fat and fiber to the recipe.

Once the wet ingredients have soaked for a while, you mix them with the dry ingredients and scoop them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. I use an ice cream scoop to do this, because I think the cookies are best when they’re on the bigger side. You can easily use a 1/3 cup scoop instead.

The cookies bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browning at the edges and puffed up in the center.

Are the breakfast cookies gluten free?

As written, the cookies aren’t gluten-free. But you can use your favorite gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend in the cookies if you like.

Prepping and storing breakfast cookies

The breakfast cookies can be baked and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. They also freeze very well. You can freeze them for up to six weeks at a time and defrost them whenever you need a quick, easy breakfast option.

Ingredient variations

As a serious lover of carrot cake and all things related to carrot cake, I love the carrot raisin combination in these breakfast cookies. However, there are plenty of variations to explore.

You can replace the grated carrot in the recipe with grated zucchini. The raisins can be swapped for currents, chopped apricots, or chopped, pitted Medjool dates.

If you don’t have applesauce at home, you could use mashed banana, unsweetened, canned pumpkin, or prune puree instead. There will be some color variations, but they’ll all work well!

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Carrot Raisin Breakfast Cookies

These soft, chewy vegan breakfast cookies are studded with grated carrots, plump raisins, and rolled oats. They're wholesome, filling, and delicious! They're also freezer friendly and can be made ahead for breakfasts on-the-go.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword carrots, cookies, raisins, walnuts

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 10 cookies

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (96 g)
• 1 cup applesauce (185 g)
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 1 cup rolled oats (100 g)
• 3/4 cup oat, soy, almond, or cashew milk
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (180 g)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 cup grated carrot (1 large or 2 small carrots)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional, for topping)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350F. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the brown sugar, applesauce, and avocado oil. Stir in the rolled oats. Allow this to sit while you proceed with the recipe.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, flax seed, baking powder, and salt. Add the wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Fold in the grated carrots and raisins.
• Use an ice cream scoop or 1/3 cup scoop to scoop the cookie batter onto your baking sheet. Be sure to leave a few inches of space between the cookies. Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browning and the tops are puffy. Allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks. Enjoy right away, or store as needed.

With summer in full swing, I’ve been getting away on weekends and prioritizing time with friends. It’s wonderful to have a grab-and-go option for travel mornings.

If you don’t wish to have them for breakfast, the cookies also make an excellent snack. They’re great to pack up for a long day at the beach, a hike, or so on. I hope you’ll find them as tasty, versatile, and convenient as I have.

xo

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

The post Carrot Raisin Breakfast Cookies appeared first on The Full Helping.

Eggplant is nutritious and oh-so-versatile! Here are 10 flavorful vegan recipes that show off the many ways that you can prepare eggplant at home.

It’s eggplant season!

August and September are my favorite time of year for produce. Deep purple, shiny eggplant has a lot to do with this.

I know that eggplant can be controversial. Along with beets and mushrooms, it’s one of the foods that my nutrition clients most often report being squeamish about.

Me? I’m a devoted eggplant fan. Eggplant is hearty, it soaks up flavor efficiently, and it is amazingly versatile. It can be baked, fried, stuffed, sautéed, or even turned into vegan “bacon,” as you’ll see in the vegan eggplant recipes that follow.

Eggplant is also a good source of nutrition.

The health benefits of eggplant

Eggplant is rich in health-supportive phytonutrients. Eggplant owes the beautiful purple color of its skin to anthocyanins. These are plant pigments that are associated with possible protection against cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Anthocyanins may help to enhance memory and boost cognitive function, and they’re also associated with anti-inflammatory action.

Eggplant is also a source of lutein, a carotenoid that may be beneficial for eye health.

Finally, eggplant is a high fiber food. This means that it can help to keep us full, to keep blood lipids in check, and to benefit digestive health.

Types of eggplant

I nearly always cook with globe eggplant, which has a meaty texture and deep purple color. I also really like Italian eggplant, which is similar but a little smaller. Italian eggplant has super tender flesh, which is perfect for my Pasta alla Norma or stewed eggplant tomato lentils.

I love slicing Japanese and Chinese eggplants, which are long and thin, into circles, then adding the slices to stir fries. It’s also fun to add lengthwise slices of these varieties to the grill.

Finally, Indian eggplants, which are short and round, are my perfect for stuffing.

You can learn more about types of eggplant in this handy primer.

How to cook eggplant

Eggplant can be grilled, pan-fried or sautéed, baked, stewed, or grilled. Eggplant flesh is sponge-like, and it absorbs flavor easily, so I think it’s a great choice for marinades.

Before cooking a globe or Italian eggplant, you’ll want to trim off the top. It’s not usually necessary to remove eggplant skin, though if a recipe calls for doing that, then there’s probably a good reason.

To salt or not to salt eggplant?

Whether or not to salt eggplant flesh prior to cooking is a topic of debate! Salting is thought to reduce any potential bitterness in eggplant.

Some say that ripe eggplant isn’t bitter and needs no salting. Others feel that salting doesn’t make a difference one way or the other.

Me? I’m pro-salting. I do think it helps to reduce bitterness, and more importantly, I think that it helps to tenderize the eggplant flesh. I almost always salt eggplant before cooking with it, unless I’m making baba ganoush.

Many of these vegan eggplant recipes call for a salting step. Plan accordingly!

10 flavorful vegan eggplant recipes

Here are ten of my favorite vegan eggplant recipes, which I hope show off the summery goodness and versatility of this nightshade.

There are stews, pasta dishes, stuffed eggplants, grain-based meals, a creative eggplant rollatini, and—last but definitely not least—a vegan eggplant bacon that’ll add salty, smoky goodness to all of your late summer BLTs.

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.

Get the recipe

Eggplant Tortilla Pizza with Arugula and Peppers

This vegan eggplant tortilla pizza is perfect for a nutritious plant-based lunch! It's made with a creamy eggplant spread that's reminiscent of baba ganoush, peppery arugula, and fresh or roasted red pepper strips.

Get the recipe

Stewed Eggplant Tomato Lentils

A savory, Mediterranean inspired eggplant, tomato, and lentil dish to celebrate the flavors and fresh produce of summer.

Get the recipe

Best Vegan Pasta alla Norma

This vegan Pasta alla Norma is so saucy and satisfying! Made with eggplant, basil, capers, and cashew cheese, it's a plant-based spin on the classic Sicilian recipe.

Get the recipe

Vegan Eggplant Rollatini

These vegan eggplant rollatini are a lighter spin on lasagna rolls, but they don't sacrifice any flavor! They're filled with a protein rich tofu ricotta and wrapped in layers of baked eggplant. A perfect plant-based dish for summer entertaining.

Get the recipe

Smoky Eggplant Red Lentil Dip

This smoky eggplant red lentil dip will add flavor to any sandwich, bowl, or appetizer spread. It's also packed with nutrition.

Get the recipe

Curried Eggplant, Tomatoes and Chickpeas

Curried eggplant, tomatoes and chickpeas make for a satisfying and flavorful summer meal. Served with a quick, homemade flatbread!

Get the recipe

Bulgur Stuffed Eggplants with Tamarind, Currants & Pine Nuts

These bulgur stuffed eggplants with tamarind, currants & pine nuts are bursting with flavor and packed with nutrition. They're especially good for entertaining and serving to friends!

Get the recipe

Eggplant Quinoa

This eggplant quinoa dish is a full of healthy, Mediterranean inspired ingredients! It's made with tender, roasted eggplant, white beans, and peppers, and it's dressed in a sweet and tangy balsamic vinaigrette.

Get the recipe

Vegan Eggplant Bacon

Vegan eggplant bacon will add a burst of smoky, salty flavor to sandwiches, burgers, and more! It's a healthful, plant-based alternative to meat. Best of all, it's easy to prepare.

Get the recipe

Eggplant bacon! Who knew, right? This is an old recipe of mine, which I originally prepared raw, in a dehydrator. Now I make it in the oven, and I prefer the baked version. I think it has a better texture and a deeper, more complex flavor.

You can learn more about making vegan eggplant bacon in this post! In the meantime, here’s my go-to recipe.

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Vegan Eggplant Bacon

Vegan eggplant bacon will add a burst of smoky, salty flavor to sandwiches, burgers, and more! It's a healthful, plant-based alternative to meat. Plus, 10 flavorful and versatile vegan eggplant recipes!

Course side

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword eggplant

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

marinating time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 medium globe eggplant
• 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Trim the top of the eggplant, then cut it into quarters lengthwise. Use a mandolin to slice the eggplant lengthwise into very thin slices (1/4" or slightly thinner).
• Whisk the tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, oil, paprika, and black pepper together.
• Line a rectangular glass lock (or other storage container) with the eggplant slices. Pour the marinade over the eggplant. Cover the container and shake it gently to distribute the marinade. Allow the eggplant slices to marinate for at least one hour, or up to overnight. Alternately, you can marinate the eggplant slices in a covered baking dish.
• Preheat your oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Remove the eggplant slices from the marinade, reserving excess marinade, and arrange them on the parchment lined sheet. 
• Bake the slices for 20 minutes. Flip them over, then brush the new exposed side lightly with your additional marinade. Return the slices to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes, or until they're lightly browning and crisping up at the edges. 
• Store the slices in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge. Slices can be reheated in the oven, using another parchment lined baking sheet, for about 10 minutes at 325.

Speaking of this, a BLT for lunch is sounding really great right about now.

I hope you’ll enjoy the eggplant recipes—and all of the joys of late summer at the farmers market!

xo

The post 10 Flavorful Vegan Eggplant Recipes appeared first on The Full Helping.

A classic American dessert goes vegan! This vegan sweet cherry pie screams summer. It’s made with a traditional, flaky, double pie crust.

What fruit dessert says summer more than sweet cherry pie?

I made this beauty on the 4th of July this year, while I was staying with friends near the beach. It was far from my first cherry dessert—cherry cobbler, cherry bars, and cherry chocolate ice cream are all favorites—but it was my first vegan cherry pie. Success!

Yes, this dessert is a commitment. If nothing else, pitting the cherries takes some effort. But the time you’ll spend on it is well worth it. The pie is sweet, juicy, buttery, and flaky. Plus, it feeds a crowd. If you don’t have a crowd to feed, you’ll have leftovers.

Is cherry pie vegan?

Traditional cherry pie crust is made with butter, so it isn’t vegan. Some cherry pie recipes call for dotting the top of the cherry filling with small pats of butter as well. This recipe forgoes that step.

How to make vegan cherry pie

The main trick in veganizing cherry pie is to use vegan butter in the pie crust.

I like to make a traditional, all-butter pie crust with vegan butter in place of dairy. Some recipes call for a mix of butter and shortening, which is also possible to make vegan. But I’ve never found that a butter + shortening combo is better than all buttah.

Making cherry pie filling

A lot of cherry pie recipes call for canned cherry pie filling. But I think that the beauty of this pie is the use of fresh, dark sweet cherries. Some of the best are Northwest cherries.

The cherries give the filling a fresh flavor and juiciness that can’t be beat. I like to add lemon juice to the filling, something I started doing when I tested my cherry cobbler last year. I find that the slight tart flavor helps to balance the sweetness of the cherries.

Health benefits of sweet cherries

Vegan cherry pie is a treat, of course. But it gives me a lot of happiness to make desserts that feature healthful ingredients, like sweet cherries. And I usually end up snacking on the fruit as I prep the filling.

Sweet cherries are rich in anthocyanins. These are plant-based compounds that result in the fruit’s vibrant, deep red color. The anthocyanins may help to ward off inflammation. The anthocyanins in cherries are also antioxidants, which means that they may help to protect against cellular damage that comes with aging.

Cherries contain melatonin, which can help to support healthy sleep cycles. They’re also sources of chemical compounds, known as phenolics, that can help to protect the nervous system against the stress and damage of aging.

Finally, cherries are a naturally occurring source of serotonin, a chemical that’s associated with mood improvement and stress reduction. Win, win.

Step by step

Prepare your pie crust

The double pie crust for this recipe needs to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before rolling and shaping. A little longer is better. You can prepare the crust up to two days in advance of assembling the cherry pie, which makes the entire pie-making process easier.

No matter what, you can plan to prepare the pie crust first. Allow it to chill while you start to tackle the task of cherry pitting.

Pit your cherries

This is the most time consuming step in the recipe, and it’s my least favorite. However, I’m now the proud owner of a cherry pitter, which makes it a lot quicker.

You’ll need 5 cups of sweet cherries, or 1 1/2 pounds. It’s a lot. Turn on some music, chat with a friend, or watch a rerun while you do it, and it’ll go much faster.

Cut your cherries

After you pit the cherries, you’ll need to cut them in halves or quarters. I use both in this recipe—halves and quarters. It’s a little trick that I learned from Sally’s blog.

Using a combination of bigger and smaller cherry pieces helps to make the pie filling juicy, but not runny. It also ensures that the cherry filling is evenly distributed in the pie.

Prepare the pie filling

I like to prepare the cherry pie filling before I roll out and shape the crust. It gives the cherries a little time to release their juices and for the lemon and cherry flavors to mingle.

Shape your crust!

This recipe makes enough for a traditional double crust, if that’s what you’re craving. It’s the simplest option, less time consuming than a lattice crust or other shapes.

If you’re in the mood for a challenge, I recommend attempting a lattice crust! It doesn’t matter how perfect it ends up looking. Rustic lattice crusts are still festive and beautiful. There are tons of good tutorials online, including this one.

After I make the lattice, I like to fork the crust all around. Forking isn’t as pretty as crimping, but it’s easier. If you have the energy and motivation to crimp, by all means, do.

Apply vegan egg wash

My formula for an “egg wash” in baking is always the same: equal parts non-dairy milk and agave or maple syrup. I use this egg wash on scones, hand pies, galettes, and this vegan sweet cherry pie.

The egg wash isn’t necessary, but it’ll make your finished pie look a little nicer. After I do the egg wash, I like to also sprinkle some sparkling sugar over the cherry pie. It’s another small decoration that isn’t essential, but is pretty.

Bake

Once your pie is decorated, it’s ready to bake! More baking details below and in the recipe.

Rest

The cherry pie will need a full 3-4 hours of cooling and setting time before you slice and eat. If you have time to make it in the morning and enjoy it in the evening, that’s a good baking schedule.

How long should I bake vegan cherry pie?

The sweet cherry pie needs a nice, long baking time. It’s tricky to par bake the bottom of a double pie crust (not impossible, but sort of next level as far as pie-baking goes). As a result, the risk of a dreaded soggy bottom is high.

I recommend a full hour of baking time to ensure a firm, un-soggy bottom. The bottom will likely be more pale than it would be if you par baked it, but it should be fully cooked and browning slightly.

You’ll bake the cherry pie for 15 minutes at 425F, then lower the oven heat to 350F and continue baking for another 45-55 minutes.

The pie should be browning nicely when you pull it out of the oven, but it’s possible for the edges to get burn a bit during baking. I recommend placing some foil around the edge of the pie if it starts to brown aggressively before the pie is ready. You can purchase a special pie crust protector for this if you’re a regular pie baker.

Speaking of foil, it’s also helpful to place some foil beneath the cherry pie as it bakes, just in case it starts to bubble and drip.

Storing cherry pie

The cherry pie will keep well at room temperature for about two days. I like to cover mine with a layer of foil. After two days, I recommend transferring the pie leftovers to the fridge. They’ll keep for another three days (five days total).

Can I freeze cherry pie leftovers?

If you plan to keep the cherry pie leftovers for 4 or more days, you can consider freezing them. The pie slices freeze and defrost really well.

This post has good information on thawing and reheating. Thawing the pie for an hour at room temperature is the first step. You can then bake individual slices at 375F for 10 minutes or an entire defrosted pie for 30-35 minutes.

Cherry pie ingredients

In spite of this being a somewhat involved dessert recipe, the cherry pie ingredients are pretty simple. You’ll need all-purpose flour, salt, vegan butter, and ice water for the crust. The choice of vegan butter is up to you, but I recommend using sticks instead of butter that comes in a tub. It makes measuring much easier.

The pie filling is cornstarch, lemon juice, cane sugar, and the starring ingredient—dark, sweet cherries from the Northwest!

Can I use frozen cherries in the recipe?

Yes, you can absolutely use frozen sweet cherries in the cherry pie. This makes the recipe accessible year-round, rather than seasonal.

If you do use frozen, pitted sweet cherries, be sure to thaw them completely before cutting them up and using them in the recipe.

Frozen cherries may release some juice as they thaw, which is fine. You can even press on them gently in a colander to help that process along. This way, they won’t make the pie filling overly juicy.

Can the pie be gluten-free?

In full transparency, I haven’t tried making the pie crust with a gluten-free flour. However, I’ve found that the King Arthur Measure for Measure flour is a pretty flawless, one-to-one substitute for all-purpose flour. I would recommend making the pie gluten free by using that flour or another GF, all-purpose blend.

If you make the pie gluten-free, I’d love to hear how it goes.

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Vegan Cherry Pie

A classic, American dessert goes vegan! This vegan cherry pie is sweet and screams summer. It's made with a traditional, flaky, double pie crust.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cherries, pie

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour

Dough chilling time 2 hours

Total Time 4 hours

Servings 12 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (300 grams)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar (12 grams)
• 16 tablespoons vegan butter (224 grams/2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup ice water (118 mL, more as needed)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

For the filling:

• 3 cups pitted and quartered sweet cherries
• 2 cups pitted and halved sweet cherries
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch (32 grams)
• 1/2 cup cane sugar (96 grams)
• pinch cinnamon

For decoration:

• 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• 2 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
• sparkling sugar

Instructions

• Prepare your crust. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt 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 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 teaspoon until it does. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape it into two disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. At this point, you can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for later use, if you like.
• When the dough has finished chilling, preheat your oven to 425F. Flour a work surface and rolling pin.
• On the floured work surface, roll one disk of the dough into a circle about 1/4 inch thick (and about 12 inches in diameter). Gently transfer this circle of dough to an oiled or lightly greased 9.5-inch pie dish. Transfer the dish to the fridge to stay cool while you prepare your cherry filling.
• In a mixing bowl, mix together the cherries, lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon. Let this filling sit while you prepare your top crust. 
• Roll out the other disk of dough, once again on a floured surface. Make a simple double crust or create a lattice crust (your preference). 
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cherries to the dough-lined pie dish. Place your top crust over the bottom. Crimp edges as desired. If using a traditional double crust top, cut some small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. 
• Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for another 45-55 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Allow the pie to cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. 

Needless to say, you can serve the vegan cherry pie however you’d like to. It’s delicious on its own. It’s good with a scoop of raw, cashew whipped cream. And, as you can see, it’s next level with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream.

Hope you’ll get a chance to enjoy this classic, nostalgic dessert while summer (and cherry season) is still in full swing. Happy baking!

xo

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

The post Vegan Cherry Pie appeared first on The Full Helping.

These vegan tempeh meatball subs are made with protein-packed, savory tempeh meatballs and a creamy cashew mozzarella sauce. A plant-based spin on classic comfort food.

Cashew mozzarella and tempeh meatballs are the two homemade “basics” I’ve been most excited about lately. So I guess it was only a matter of time before both found their way into a saucy, melty, savory tempeh meatball sub.

It’s hard to do justice to how delicious and satisfying these subs are. The tempeh meatballs are deeply savory and packed with umami. The cashew cheese adds creaminess to the sandwich. And red sauce is a source of bright, acidic tomato flavor that counterbalances the richness of cashews.

Best thing about the tempeh meatball subs? Once you make them, you’ll have three meal components—meatballs, cheese sauce, and marinara—that can easily be used in other dishes. Make subs one night, pasta the next, an Italian-inspired grain bowl the night after that.

How to make meatball subs

Traditional meatball subs are made with meatballs, tomato sauce of some kind, and bread. The bread can be Italian bread, a baguette, or a longer shaped bread roll.

I think meatball subs can technically be made without cheese, but they’re so much meltier and better with cheese. That cheese is traditionally mozzarella or provolone. For these vegan tempeh meatball subs, I use my new-ish, but already well-loved, cashew mozzarella sauce.

How to make vegan meatballs

My tempeh meatballs are the star ingredient of the subs.

I love these meatballs for their heartiness, savoriness, and simplicity. Even so, there are other vegan meatballs that you could use in place of tempeh meatballs for this recipe.

I’ve made vegan meatballs with various combinations of grains and legumes. I have a white bean meatball recipe that’s really nice. I’m also a big fan of these tofu bulgur meatballs. Finally, my savory Mediterranean chickpea oat balls are a longtime favorite.

What to put on tempeh meatball subs

I really like the simplicity of the tempeh meatball subs as they’re pictured: just meatballs, marinara, and cashew mozzarella.

That said, you could certainly dress the subs up to make them more substantial, hearty, or vegetable-forward. I’ve made the subs with sautéed broccoli rabe, which is an awesome variation.

In fact, any steamed or lightly sautéed leafy green will work well. I’d love to try the subs with steamed broccoli, cooked green beans, or sautéed zucchini.

For a burst of freshness and flavor, you could add basil or parsley to the subs. Another option is to add pesto to the subs. You could use any pesto you like; my favorites are this classic vegan pesto and my hemp seed pesto, which has a little extra protein. Tahini pesto is another favorite.

The best bread for tempeh meatball subs

Traditionally, meatball subs are served on Italian soft rolls. These can be called Italian sandwich rolls, hoagie rolls, or sub rolls, depending on the bakery. They’re are about 6 or 7 inches long and have a pillowy consistency.

I’ve been able to find these rolls at a couple of New York City bakeries. You can also find some options to purchase online. And, if you’re a bread baker and inspired to make your own, here’s a good recipe that can easily be made vegan without the egg wash.

If you don’t have Italian rolls or have another bread preference, feel free to customize the recipe. It can easily be made with soft baguette. And if you don’t mind a circular shape, the recipe would work well with sturdy hamburger buns.

Can the subs be made gluten free?

The subs can definitely be made gluten free! The tempeh meatballs and cashew mozzarella are gluten free as is. Choose a gluten free roll or bread to make the entire recipe suitable for gluten free eaters.

What to serve with tempeh meatball subs

The hearty subs are perfect for pairing with a nice, bright, leafy summer salad. I’ve been enjoying them with leftovers of my chickpea Greek salad lately. Tofu feta kale salad would be a nice accompaniment.

It would be very appropriate to serve the subs with a Caesar salad. This quinoa chickpea Caesar is a hearty choice, and I have a less traditional version with kale and white beans. My favorite Caesar, though, is this crispy broccoli Caesar.

If you’re not in the mood for salad, then any vegetable side dish would work nicely with the subs. Pick whatever is seasonal and calling to you.

Storage & reheating

All of the components in the tempeh meatball subs can be prepared in advance of assembling the sandwiches.

You can store the tempeh meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. I usually reheat them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350F, but it’s also possible to heat them by simmering them in marinara sauce. The latter option makes the most sense for this recipe.

Reheat the cashew mozzarella on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently. The same goes for heating up your marinara sauce.

I recommend storing all of the different components of the subs separately. However, an assembled sub will be fine in the fridge overnight. Store it in an airtight container or wrap and pop it in the oven (or air fryer!) to reheat. 10 minutes at 350F should work well.

Print

Vegan Tempeh Meatball Subs

These vegan tempeh meatball subs are made with protein-packed, savory tempeh meatballs and a creamy cashew mozzarella sauce. They're irresistable comfort food!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bread, cashews, tempeh, tomatoes

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 batch tempeh meatballs
• 1 batch melty cashew mozzarella
• 2 1/2 cups marinara or tomato sauce
• 4 Italian soft rolls (about 6-7 inches in length; you can substitute baguette or another type of roll)

Instructions

• Prepare the meatballs and cashew mozzarella according to recipe instructions.
• Pre-heat your broiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 
• Place the tempeh meatballs into a saucepan with the marinara sauce. Bring to a simmer. Simmer the meatballs for five minutes, then remove them from heat.
• Split the Italian rolls in half. Add 4-5 marinara-coated meatballs to the inside of each roll. Top with about 1/4-1/3 cup of the melty cheese sauce. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the bread is browning and crusty at the edges. Serve.

Just look at that saucy goodness!

I hope you’ll enjoy these filling, fun, comforting sandwiches as much as I have.

xo

The post Vegan Tempeh Meatball Subs appeared first on The Full Helping.

These teriyaki tofu noodle bowls come together in only fifteen minutes, thanks to Nasoya’s Plantspired TofuBaked. They’re high protein, nutritious, and flavorful. You might want to double the miso chili sauce: it’s addictive!

The last year has really taught me how to use my favorite store-bought products wisely and effectively. Like many people, I developed a case of serious cooking fatigue in quarantine. Relying on a few grocery store staples (OK, more than a few) helped me to avoid feeling overwhelmed. It gave me comfort and sanity.

I’m finally starting to enjoy cooking again. But I have no intention of giving up the habit of keeping my freezer and fridge stocked with intelligent, versatile, convenient vegan products.

Nasoya’s Plantspired TofuBaked is one of these. And it’s the foundation of the teriyaki tofu noodle bowls that I’m sharing today. They’re a perfectly nutritious and satisfying vegan lunch, and—thanks to the TofuBaked—they’re effortlessly high in plant protein.

What is Plantspired TofuBaked?

Plantspired TofuBaked is a ready-to-eat, seasoned and baked tofu from my favorite makers of tofu, the folks at Nasoya. TofuBaked comes in Teriyaki and Sesame Ginger flavors. I’m using the Teriyaki variety here. It can be enjoyed either hot or cold (I keep it cold for the teriyaki tofu noodle bowls), and it’s so versatile.

I’ve piled it into many lunch bowls, just like this one. I also regularly add it to stir fries, salads, and wraps.

Tofu health benefits

Tofu is an ingredient MVP in my cooking. I love what it can do in recipes: it’s sturdy enough for grilling, absorbs flavor perfectly for homemade vegan feta cheese, and the silken version can be turned into a creamy pudding or soup.

I also love tofu for its solid nutrition. Tofu is a source of vegan protein, of course. It’s also rich in anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, a source of healthful fatty acids (which aid in satiety, among other things), and a good source of plant-based iron.

In the tofu noodle bowls, marinated and baked tofu joins forces with pad Thai noodles, crispy raw vegetables, and a spicy, savory miso chili sauce. Altogether, it’s a meal that’s as varied and satisfying and colorful as it is nutrient-dense.

Assembling teriyaki tofu noodle bowls

These bowls are so easy to put together!

Step 1: boil water

I find it easiest to boil the water for the teriyaki tofu noodle bowls first thing. This way, it reaches a rolling boil just in time for all other components of the recipe to be almost ready.

Step 2: make the sauce

This sauce is based off of the sauce for the umami bowls in Power Plates, except that I use cashew butter here, rather than almond butter. I love the neutral, mild flavor of cashew butter for sauces like this one; it allows the spiciness of the chili sauce and the taste of sesame oil to shine through.

I prefer to use raw cashew butter, but roasted cashew butter is also fine. If you don’t have cashew butter, you can substitute almond butter without any problems!

Step 3: cube the tofu

Since Plantspired TofuBaked is already marinated and fully cooked, you only need to cube it to get it ready for the teriyaki tofu noodle bowls.

Step 4: prep your vegetables

This is fastest and easiest with the use of a food processor for grating and shredding. But you can also use a mandolin or a julienne peeler to speed the process along.

Step 5: boil your noodles

Once you blend the sauce and prepare your vegetables, the water should be boiling nicely. At this point, you can simply add your noodles to the water and allow them to soften. Pad Thai noodles typically only take minutes to be fully cooked.

Step 6: assemble

To serve, just divide the cooked noodles, vegetables, cubed tofu, and sauce between bowls. Garnish with sesame seeds, if you like!

Teriyaki tofu noodle bowl meal prep

This recipe becomes even faster if you prepare just a few of the components ahead of time. Not the tofu, which is just about ready to go. But the sauce will keep for up to six days in an airtight container in the fridge, so it’s easy to prep in advance.

I also find it really helpful to wash and chop vegetables over the weekend as part of my own prep. This usually includes cutting broccoli into florets, shredding cabbage, grating, chopping, or julienning carrots, washing and chopping kale, washing and cutting collards into ribbons, etc.

It’s a lot of work, but I’m always so grateful to have done it when weekday cooking rolls around.

It’s easy to shred the cabbage, grate carrots, and julienne or chop cucumber ahead of time for the teriyaki tofu noodle bowls. The cut vegetables can be stored in an airtight container with a small piece of damp paper towel for freshness; they’ll last up to two days before you assemble the bowls.

Storing teriyaki tofu noodle bowls

Once mixed and assembled, the bowls will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.

More quick & easy tofu recipes

Nothing enriches a plant-forward lunch with protein more efficiently than tofu. Here are a few other of my favorite quick, easy lunch ideas that feature tofu as a star ingredient:

• Balsamic tofu, quinoa, and strawberry summer salad
• Classic tofu scramble
• Tofu Udon noodle salad
• Savory spring oats with tofu, spinach & peas
• Green goddess club sandwich
• Plantspired meal solutions
• Quick dumpling bowls
• Chili roasted cauliflower, brown rice and kimchi bowls

Print

Teriyaki Tofu Noodle Bowls

These teriyaki tofu noodle bowls come together in only fifteen minutes, thanks to Nasoya's convenient TofuBaked. They're high protein, nutritious, and flavorful. You might want to double the miso chili sauce: it's addictive!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Diet Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword noodles, tofu

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the miso chili sauce

• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 2 tablespoons cashew butter
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2-4 teaspoons sriracha or gochujang (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For the noodle bowls

• 3 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1 1/2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• 14 ounces Nasoya Plantspired Teriyaki TofuBaked  (2 containers)
• 8 ounces pad Thai noodles (any variety, or substitute udon or soba noodles and cook according to package instructions)
• 2 tablespoons hulled sesame seeds
• chopped fresh cilantro or green onions, optional

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to boil.
• Whisk together the dressing ingredients till smooth. Cut the TofuBaked into cubes.
• Boil the noodles according to package instructions and drain.
• To assemble the bowls, divide the cooked noodles, vegetables, and Plantspired Teriyaki TofuBaked into bowls. Top with the miso chili sauce, sesame seeds, and cilantro or green onion, if using. Enjoy!

I’m looking forward to a whole summer of fast, flavorful, filling vegan lunches like this one. Enjoy!

xo

This post is sponsored by Nasoya, my favorite brand of tofu. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

The post 15-Minute Teriyaki Tofu Noodle Bowls appeared first on The Full Helping.

This melty, stretchy vegan cashew mozzarella cheese will make your plant-based pizza and pasta dishes shine! It’s calls for simple ingredients and is easy to prepare.

I’ve been relying greatly on a few hard-working, homemade staples this summer. These include my Greek vinaigrette (currently on repeat for salads and grain bowls), tofu egg salad and herbed tofu feta, tempeh meatballs and brothy white beans.

Last spring, I made a vegan grilled cheese sandwich with a melty, homemade American-style cheese sauce. I loved the sandwich, but the best thing about making it was discovering how useful the cheese was! I promptly started putting it on baked potatoes, homemade nachos, and other dishes.

This is a different spin on the same idea. It’s a white, melty, mozzarella-style cheese, made with cashews. I think it’s delicious, and most of all, I love how versatile it is.

A stretchy, melty cheese

Before I say anything else, it’s worth saying that this cashew mozzarella is more like a cheese sauce than a solid cheese. It’s melty and stretchy, perfect for dolloping onto pizza, drizzling onto a pasta casserole, and so on.

The cashew mozzarella does solidify a bit as it cools. When this happens, you can treat it more as a solid cheese, putting dollops into a pasta salad or mixing it into penne a la vodka.

Or, you can reheat it by warming it up in a small saucepan over low heat. It will once again take on a melty texture.

How to make cashew mozzarella cheese

The process of making cashew mozzarella begins similarly to the process of making my all-purpose cashew cream.

You’ll soak raw cashews for a few hours (or overnight, if that’s easier) in water. When you’re ready to make the mozzarella cheese sauce, you’ll blend the cashews with water, salt, and lemon.

Unlike my cashew cream, the cheese incorporates cornstarch. The cornstarch is what ultimately thickens the cashew mozzarella and helps it to take on that gooey, melty texture.

After blending, you’ll heat the mozzarella cheese up in a saucepan. Nonstick is convenient for quick cleanup, but any saucepan is fine. You’ll stir the cheese sauce as you heat it up to prevent clumps.

After just a short period of heating, the sauce will be stretchy, melty, slightly tart, and salty. At this point, you can use it in any recipe for which it would be well-suited (more ideas below).

Can I substitute something for the cornstarch?

Yes, you can! If cornstarch doesn’t work for you, you can try using arrowroot in its place. It’s one of my favorite thickeners, and it can be substituted for cornstarch in a 1:1 ratio.

Can I substitute something for the cashews?

It’s definitely possible to make the recipe without cashews if you have a cashew allergy. I’ve tried it with the same amount of pine nuts, and it turned out really well. Macadamia nuts will also work, though they tend to be pricey.

If you have an allergy to all tree nuts, making this sauce will become tricky. I’d love to test it with silken tofu, but I haven’t had a chance to do that yet. I’ll update the post if I have success!

In the meantime, you can always add some dairy free, cheesy goodness to your life in the form of my herbed tofu feta.

Storage & reheating

The cashew mozzarella can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently, or serve it with a more solid consistency.

You can also freeze the cashew mozzarella for up to four weeks, though I find that it loses a little of its melty texture after defrosting.

How should I use cashew mozzarella?

There are so many great uses for the cashew mozzarella cheese. I suspect you’ll start thinking of possibilities as soon as you make it. But if you’d like some ideas, here are my favorite serving options:

• On top of vegan pizza
• Mozzarella grilled cheese
• On top of my pizza pasta bake
• With baked rigatoni or ziti
• In a panini with pesto and roasted vegetables
• Folded into pasta vecchia alla bettola
• In a vegan quesadilla
• On top of vegan stuffed shells
• Pizza bagels!
• In a summery zucchini and tomato gratin

Print

Vegan Cashew Mozzarella Cheese

This melty vegan cashew mozzarella cheese is a perfect way to make your plant-based pizza and pasta dishes shine! It's made with simple ingredients and is easy to prepare.

Course sauce

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cashews

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Soaking time (for cashews) 2 hours

Servings 6 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 1 hour and drained)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

• In a high speed blender, blend the mozzarella sauce ingredients till smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to a. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, or until it's thickened and has a melty consistency. Use immediately in a recipe or store for future use.

I hope that you’ll get as much use and enjoyment out of this versatile vegan cheese as I have!

xo

The post Melty Vegan Cashew Mozzarella appeared first on The Full Helping.

This kombucha berry smoothie is so refreshing! It’s made with ingredients that may be beneficial for gut health, including kombucha and fiber-rich berries and greens. Avocado adds a wonderful creaminess. Plus, all about Seed’s science-and-plant-based Daily Synbiotic!

I’ll be traveling more than I’m used to this summer. Apart from that, my schedule will be hectic, especially in comparison to the monotony of quarantine life.

Travel and disruption are two of the things that tend to impact my digestion. It’s been years since I struggled with IBS, but there are a few triggers that seem to make my digestive system more sensitive than it usually is.

Stress is the main trigger. Travel, or any major change in schedule, is another. I’m dealing with both right now: considerable work stress (offset by summery good times) and a lot of weekends away.

It’s a good moment for Seed’s probiotic to enter my life!

Seed Daily Synbiotic (DS-01)

As a dietitian who works with digestive struggles, I’m discerning and thoughtful in how I talk to my clients about probiotics.

Probiotics—strains of bacteria that are thought to be beneficial to health—can help some people to experience greater well-being. But they aren’t always beneficial, depending on individual circumstances. And the quality of the probiotic matters a lot.

I always advise my clients to seek out a probiotic that’s research-backed and science-based. Seed’s Daily Synbiotic, a prebiotic and probiotic blend, meets that standard.

The value of this probiotic goes beyond digestive health. It was developed for systemic benefits beyond digestive health. It contains 24 strains of broad spectrum probiotics and prebiotics formulated for digestive, immune, and skin health.

Seed’s reference library contains information on the research that was called upon in the synbiotic’s development. The synbiotic is currently being studied in two clinical trials.

The reference library also includes information on the synbiotic’s rigorous allergen, pesticide, and thermostability testing. The product is vegan, of course, and gluten free.

Speaking of, Seed’s Daily Synbiotic is shelf stable—it doesn’t require refrigeration, as some other probiotics do.

In addition, the Daily Synbiotic is a 2-in-1 ViaCap, which means the outer prebiotic protects the probiotic from digestive enzymes, stomach acid, and bile salt. This ensures that the probiotics will actually make it to the small intestine for delivery into the colon, rather than being destroyed by the digestive process.

Seed’s pledge to the earth

Another awesome Seed feature is that the product is totally sustainable. It’s delivered monthly in a shipping box that’s made from algae. This algae would otherwise be damaging to marine ecosystems.

The Daily Synbiotic arrives in a glass bottle, which you can keep. Refills arrive in home-compostable, bio-based pouches that keep oxygen and moisture out of the product.

My experience with Seed

I’ve been taking Seed’s Daily Synbiotic for the past month. I’ve never felt more confident about a probiotic from an evidence-based standpoint. And I really like the company’s values: a vegan product that’s also focused on kindness to the planet.

Through this busy time, I’ve loved carrying around the Seed travel vial, which can easily hold a week’s worth of the Daily Synbiotic. It fits into backpacks, weekend bags, and carry-ons. I’m glad to be taking a product that might be beneficial to my digestive health, which has been solid in spite of work stress lately.

If you’re curious about Seed and would like to try this earth-friendly, vegan Daily Synbiotic out for yourself, you can get 15% off your first month’s supply of Seed’s Daily Synbiotic by using code GENA15 at checkout on the Seed site.

Science smoothie: kombucha berry smoothie

So, where does the kombucha berry smoothie fit in?

The makers of Seed offered me the challenge of creating a “science smoothie.” This smoothie needed to be rich in some of the ingredients that research suggests are important for gut health: vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and whole grains.

It’s never a hard task for me to come up with plant-based recipes, and this smoothie was no exception. I started making it while I was in Colorado last week. It was perfect refreshment for long workdays and piping hot temperatures.

Kombucha berry smoothie ingredients

To be honest, it would never have occurred to me to use kombucha as a smoothie base! I always end up using plant milk or coconut water in my smoothies.

My friend Ashley mentioned that she had recently been using kombucha as a smoothie base and that she loved the results. I thought it was a super intriguing idea. Since kombucha is itself a fermented food, and therefore a source of gut-friendly probiotics, it seemed like a perfect base for my science smoothie.

The rest of the ingredients here are straightforward. I add blueberries, which are full of phytonutrients that might help to benefit cognitive health and protect against chronic disease. They also add sweetness, and they give this smoothie a pretty, deep purple color.

I like an opportunity to sneak greens into a smoothie. The kombucha berry smoothie has kale, which I often clean and freeze in silicone bags for smoothies. Spinach or chard will also work well. Leafy greens add more phytonutrient power and dietary fiber to this already nutritious blend.

I add banana for sweetness. I love the flavor of banana in smoothies, but it can quickly become overpowering. My intention is for berries to shine in this kombucha berry smoothie, so I only use half of a frozen banana. If you’re not a banana smoothie person, you can increase the blueberries to 2 cups.

Finally, I love the fluffy, creamy quality that avocado lends to smoothies. The kombucha berry smoothie has one quarter of a large, Hass avocado.

I think you’ll find that the kombucha makes the smoothie light, while the avocado makes it just creamy and satisfying enough. I also like that avocado provides a little healthful, satiating fat to the blend.

Preparing the kombucha berry smoothie

This recipe is nice and simple. Just throw the ingredients into a blender, blend, and serve.

I like to start by adding 1 1/4 cups liquid total (3/4 cup kombucha + 1/2 cup water) and add more water to thin. Sometimes I want a thinner and more drinkable consistency, and sometimes I prefer a thicker smoothie that’s more like nice cream. You can use your judgment for this!

Serving the kombucha berry smoothie

I like to enjoy this smoothie as a refreshing afternoon snack. If have someone to share it with, so much the better. If not, I can cut the recipe in half or keep half of the ingredients frozen for my next refreshing treat.

I also enjoy the smoothie is as part of breakfast. It’s great with a slice of peanut butter toast or a homemade breakfast muffin (or another breakfast baked good).

Can you make smoothies ahead of time?

There are a few approaches to making smoothies ahead of time. The first—my favorite—is to place all the frozen ingredients needed for the smoothie into an individual, freezer safe container. When it comes time to make the smoothie, everything is portioned and ready to go. You simply add liquid and blend.

You can also make the kombucha berry smoothie first thing in the morning and store it at least through lunchtime. I like to do this in a mason jar (or another reusable container) in the fridge. The smoothie will get looser as time goes by, but it will still be delicious.

Print

Kombucha Berry Smoothie

This kombucha berry smoothie is so refreshing! It's made with ingredients that are beneficial for gut health, including kombucha and fiber-rich berries and greens. Avocado adds a wonderful creaminess.

Course beverages, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword avocado, banana, blueberries, smoothie

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
• 1/2 frozen banana (cut into pieces)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen kale
• 1/4 Hass avocado (save the rest for meals or freeze for future smoothies)
• 3/4 cup kombucha of choice
• 1/2 cup water (plus more as needed; see instructions)

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients together in a powerful blender till smooth and creamy. You can add more water as needed to thin the smoothie, or you can leave it very thick (more like a fruit-based ice cream) if you prefer. Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

I’m so glad to finally have a probiotic + prebiotic that I can really feel confident about. Again, you can try out the Daily Synbiotic for yourself with a 15% discount on your first month’s supply by using code GENA15 at checkout on the Seed website. As you explore the site, you’ll also find more information and links to interesting research.

Stay cool, everyone, and happy summer sipping.

xo

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

The post Kombucha Berry Smoothie appeared first on The Full Helping.

This is a plant-based spin on traditional Greek salad, made with the wholesome addition of chickpeas. It features a tart, salty vegan tofu feta, crisp romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion.

It feels so good to welcome in the official start of summer. It’s also the official start of salad season, though technically I’ve been enjoying salads since it started to get warm in New York.

A little while ago, I shared a simple Greek vinaigrette dressing. This dressing has been giving life not only to my salads, but also to my grain bowls and roasted vegetables.

Since I had Greek vinaigrette on hand last week, I figured it was time to make a cool, crispy, refreshing vegan Greek salad. I’ve made a barley version in the past, and I love it. This time I thought it might be fun to add a legume, not only because I love beans, but also because it’s added plant protein (in addition to the tofu feta).

I love how this chickpea Greek salad turned out! It’s refreshing yet hearty at the same time. With a few pita wedges, it’s an absolutely perfect summer lunch.

What’s in a Greek salad?

Greek salad is typically made with cucumbers, tomato, red onion, olives, and feta cheese. I’ve seen some recipes that include capers and some that include fresh oregano. Here, the oregano is dried, and it comes from the Greek vinaigrette.

I love the simplicity of a Greek salad. It’s a beloved recipe for a reason! But I’m rarely sorry when I add chickpeas to a recipe, and this chickpea version of Greek salad is no exception. The chickpeas add texture as well as plant protein and fiber. They help to make the salad more filling, too.

How to make chickpea Greek salad

This recipe calls for herbed tofu feta, and herbed tofu feta calls for a nice long marinade. When I make the chickpea Greek salad, I generally make the tofu marinade a day in advance. It tastes best when it marinates overnight.

Preparing the rest of the salad is really simple. The vinaigrette takes only minutes to whisk together, and the other salad ingredients are raw. The most time consuming step of salad preparation is probably peeling and chopping the vegetables.

Substitutions & additions

In place of chickpeas, you can use white beans, kidney beans, or another bean of choice in the salad. Lentils, which I’ve been loving in Niçoise salad this year, would also make a nice addition.

You can add some cooked quinoa, barley, or bulgur to the salad if you have a scoop of it leftover. I serve the recipe with pita wedges without fail, but I think it would be fun to add cubed bread and make a Greek panzanella of sorts.

If you don’t have the time to make tofu feta from scratch, you can try using a store-bought vegan feta in its place. The Follow Your Heart and Violife brands make vegan feta, and I’m a fan of both versions.

Storing chickpea Greek salad

This salad keeps well in leftover form. The romaine will lose some of its crispness as the salad is stored, but the whole mixture is still good for about three days. Over time, the flavors will meld together even more. I think that the tofu feta continues to intensify in flavor as the salad keeps.

Speaking of the tofu feta, it can be prepared up to two days in advance of making the salad.

More summery salads

If this salad is right up your alley, then there’s a good chance that some of the following might spark inspiration, too. These are some of my favorite bright, refreshing, crispy salads for long, hot days.

• Quinoa carrot spinach salad
• Barley Greek salad
• Lemon orzo pasta salad
• Lentil beet salad
• Quinoa chickpea Caesar salad
• Lentil Niçoise salad
• Protein packed quinoa bean salad
• Lentil tahini sweet potato salad
• Quinoa corn tempeh salad
• White bean avocado panzanella salad

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Chickpea Greek Salad

This is a plant-based spin on traditional Greek salad, made with the wholesome addition of chickpeas. It features a tart, salty vegan tofu feta, crisp romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion.

Course Salad, side, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chickpeas, cucumber, tofu, tomatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, roughly chopped 
• 1 large, English cucumber or 2 regular cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and chopped
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives, whole if small or halved if large
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 14.5-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
• 1 batch tofu feta (with or without the oregano)
• 6 tablespoons Greek vinaigrette
• cashew parmesan cheese (to taste)
• pita wedges (optional, for serving)

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, lettuce, onion, chickpeas, and vinaigrette. Remove the tofu feta from its marinade and add it to the bowl. Toss everything well.
• Taste and add either more of the vinaigrette or more of the tofu feta marinade, as you like. Fold in some cashew parmesan, if desired. Serve with pita wedges.

Happy June, everyone! I hope you’ll enjoy this quintessential summer dish.

xo

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Baked, roasted, mashed, or steamed, a sweet potato can be the star of any meal! Here are 20 wholesome vegan sweet potato recipes that showcase the versatility of this tasty, nourishing root vegetable.

I have never met a sweet potato I didn’t like.

I’ll eat sweet potatoes baked, steamed, fried, mashed, or hashed. I love them in salads, burgers, tacos, soup, and even dessert.

If you have a sweet potato on hand, you have the foundation for plant-based a meal. I can’t tell you how often a baked sweet potato, topped or stuffed with beans and greens and sauce, has turned into dinner.

As life reopens, many of us are excited to spend less time in the domestic sphere. I know I’m not the only person who’s gone through phases of major cooking fatigue this year.

Yet cooking still gives me joy, when it doesn’t overwhelm me. I’ve found that the trick is to keep making recipes that feel simple and manageable. Many of these 20 vegan sweet potatoes are wonderfully simple, including the quinoa kale stuffed sweet potatoes that I’ll be sharing at the end.

Sweet potato benefits

Sweet potatoes are as nutrient dense as they are tasty. They’re famously good sources of beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Beta carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A, in turn, contributes to healthy vision, growth, proper cell division, and immune function.

Sweet potatoes are a great source of dietary fiber. They’re complex carbohydrates, which is a type of carbohydrate that is digested relatively slowly and impacts blood sugar steadily, without dramatic rises or falls.

In addition, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, which plays a role in protein metabolism, and potassium, which aids in nerve function and fluid balance.

How to bake sweet potatoes

In spite of the fact that there are many ways to prepare sweet potatoes, I end up baking them more often than not. Many of the following vegan sweet potato recipes feature potatoes that have been oven baked.

There are different approaches to baking sweet potatoes, including a “low and slow” method that works well. However, I usually opt for a shorter baking time.

My main way of baking sweet potatoes is to scrub them, prick them, and transfer them to a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. I bake them in a preheated, 425F oven for 40-60 minutes.

The big variance in cooking time is because sweet potatoes vary a lot in size! A small sweet potato might take 40 minutes, while a large one can take 60 or even a little more.

You’ll know your sweet potatoes are ready when they can be easily pierced through with a fork or knife. I like sweet potatoes that are almost meltingly tender.

Types of sweet potatoes

Potatoes are often lumped into broad categories of white vs. sweet, but there are many varieties of sweet potato. I use sweet potatoes with orange flesh most often, usually jewel or garnet sweet potatoes.

That said, I also love purple sweet potatoes. There are many varieties of these, and they vary in color and size. I use Murasaki sweet potatoes and Stokes Purple sweet potatoes often. I love their distinctive flavors, and I especially love the color of Stokes Purple sweet potatoes.

20 wholesome vegan sweet potato recipes

Sweet potato meals make me feel grounded and nourished in a very particular way. It’s part of why I love eating them so much. The following vegan sweet potato recipes showcase the many ways in which sweet potatoes can be used.

But I hope all of them, including my simple—yet very cozy—quinoa kale stuffed sweet potatoes, will give you a sense of sweet satisfaction.

Tahini Mustard Sweet Potato, Lentil, and Arugula Salad

This lentil tahini sweet potato salad is bursting with flavor, texture, and plant-powered nutrition! Made with roasted sweet potatoes, juicy cherry tomatoes, lentils for protein, and a bold, mustardy tahini dressing.

Get the recipe

Curried Sweet Potato Lentils

These curried sweet potato lentils are so delicious and easy to make! They're ready in under an hour, and the leftovers will keep you satisfied for days.

Get the recipe

Unfussy Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

These unfussy sweet potato black bean burgers come together easily, but they pack a lot of flavor! They're also full of healthful ingredients, including black beans, sweet potatoes, rolled oats, and pumpkin seeds. Great for meal prepping and freezing.

Get the recipe

Tandoori Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas

These tandoori spiced sweet potatoes and chickpeas make for a vibrant, filling plant-based meal. Packed with flavor and great for sharing!

Get the recipe

Mini Sweet Potato Casseroles

Mini sweet potato casseroles are a single-serve spin on the classic, cozy holiday dessert. They're perfect for a small, one or two-person Thanksgiving celebration.

Get the recipe

Lentil Sweet Potato Salad

This mustardy lentil sweet potato salad can be eaten on its own, on toast, or with crackers! It's a super flavorful, nutritious plant-based spread that's perfect for meal prep.

Get the recipe

Easy Vegan Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos

These easy vegan black bean sweet potato tacos are made with ingredients that you probably have in your fridge and pantry already!

Get the recipe

Simple Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

This vegan sweet potato red pepper soup is so easy to make! Keep it simple, or use one of my seasoning suggestions to vary the flavors. It can be prepared with fresh red peppers in summertime or roasted bell peppers from the jar.

Get the recipe

Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers

These sweet potato chickpea burgers are vegan, gluten-free, and so easy to make. They're also a versatile plant-based protein! Serve them traditionally, in a burger bun, or add them to bowls, wraps, and salads.

Get the recipe

Wild Rice Vegan Stuffing with Roasted Sweet Potato & Apple

This plant-based wild rice stuffing with roasted sweet potatoes and apple will brighten your holiday table. It's festive, filling, and nutritious.

Get the recipe

Coconut Sweet Potato Rice and Beans

This sweet potato coconut rice and beans is accompanied by a bright, cashew cilantro lime sauce. It's so hearty and healthful, and it's bursting with flavor.

Get the recipe

Sweet Potato Bulgur Citrus Salad

This citrusy sweet potato bulgur salad is so hearty and filling, yet fresh and bright! It's made with nutritious roasted sweet potatoes, bulgur wheat, an orange-infused dressing, and chopped fresh mint. It's equally good hot or cold, and you can make it for any season of the year.

Get the recipe

Sweet Potato and Roasted Red Pepper Quesadillas

These roasted red pepper sweet potato quesadillas are a healthy and tasty vegan lunch! They use creamy sweet potato and white beans in place of traditional cheese. You can roast your sweet potatoes in advance to cut down on preparation time.

Get the recipe

Sweet Potato Hummus

This vegan sweet potato hummus is a non-traditional spin on chickpea hummus. It incorporates cooked sweet potato for creaminess and subtle sweetness.

Get the recipe

Vegan Sweet Potato and Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Vegan sweet potato lentil shepherd's pie is the perfect hearty and wholesome main dish for your holiday table. It's an untraditional version of the classic dish, made with layers of herbed lentils and pillowy mashed sweet potatoes.

Get the recipe

Lentil and Sweet Potato Loaf

Vegan lentil sweet potato loaf is healthy comfort food at its finest. It's made with nutritious lentils, sweet potato, and rolled oats. This is a great dish to freezer or make ahead for holiday gatherings!

Get the recipe

Moroccan Inspired Sweet Potatoes

These Moroccan-inspired Sweet Potatoes from the Power Plates cookbook are hearty and full of flavor! They're also a guaranteed crowd pleaser and perfect for entertaining.

Get the recipe

Creamy Sweet Potato & Roasted Red Pepper Spread

This creamy sweet potato & roasted red pepper spread is sweet savory, silky smooth, and very versatile. It's a great addition to vegan sandwiches or wraps.

Get the recipe

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

These vegan sweet potato black bean enchiladas are my favorite enchiladas! They're absolutely delicious and packed with nutritious ingredients. I make them with a flavorful tomatillo sauce.

Get the recipe

Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins

These vegan quinoa and kale stuffed sweet potato skins are super nutritious and hearty. Plus, they're a smart way to utilize sweet potato skins, which are full of gut-friendly fiber!

Get the recipe

It’s worth highlighting those tasty stuffed sweet potatoes above. I first made them years ago, when I was still a pre-med student. At the time, I was often caught between my desire to eat wholesome, homemade food and the scarcity of my time.

If I could put aside a (mostly passive) hour for baking, then I could very quickly make those stuffed sweet potatoes. They were always super nourishing and healthful, packed with fresh veggies. But they also tasted great. Win, win.

Here’s how I make them.

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20 Wholesome Vegan Sweet Potato Recipes: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

These vegan quinoa and kale stuffed sweet potatoes are super nutritious and hearty! They're a great way to use the whole sweet potato. Also, 20 of my favorite and most wholesome vegan sweet potato recipes.

Course main, Main Course, side

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword kale, salad, sweet potatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Cooling time 15 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 2 medium large sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa (rinsed)
• 4 cups packed, washed and finely chopped kale leaves 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon maple or agave syrup (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion tops  (optional)
• 1/4 cup toasted, slivered or sliced almonds

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425F. Prick each potato a few times with a fork. Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until each potato is fork tender. Allow the potatoes to cool for about 15 minutes, or until they can be handled.
• While the potatoes cook, place the quinoa in a fine sieve. Rinse it under running water for about a minute. Transfer it to a small saucepan and add 1 scant cup water. Bring the quinoa to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer the quinoa for 13 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat, fluff it gently with a fork, and then re-cover and allow it to steam for 5 minutes.
• Place the kale in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the oil, lemon, salt, pepper, and shallot. Place the quinoa in a mixing bowl. Whisk together the oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, agave syrup if using, salt, and pepper. Massage this dressing into the kale, until the kale is very well dressed and softening. Add the cooked quinoa, carrot, pepper, celery, and green onion. Mix well. 
• When the potatoes have cooled, cut them in half lengthwise and then gently scoop out most of the flesh. Chop the flesh roughly and add it to the quinoa kale mixture, along with the almonds. Stuff as much of the quinoa and kale salad as you can into each half of the sweet potato skin. Serve, along with any leftover filling.

Enjoy the recipes!

xo

The post 20 Wholesome Vegan Sweet Potato Recipes appeared first on The Full Helping.

This Greek vinaigrette salad dressing is as versatile and flavorful as it is easy to make! An all-purpose dressing for salads, grain dishes, and bowls.

I go through phases with my salad dressings.

Sometimes I’m in the mood for creamy dressing, and then weeks of tahini-based dressings will follow. Sometimes I make yum sauce and put it on everything for weeks, salads included. The roasted garlic vinaigrette in this protein packed quinoa bean salad is another one that I tend to get hooked on.

This Greek vinaigrette is my latest salad-dressing-that-I-can’t-get-enough-of. It’s light, summery, and flavorful but not overwhelming. It also seems to work on every kind of salad, no matter the greens and vegetables I choose.

I also like to use the vinaigrette to dress up bowls and sheet pans of roasted vegetables. I’ve discovered that it’s especially good on roasted carrots. And I can’t wait to drizzle it onto thick slices of tomatoes once they’re in peak season.

This is a very simple recipe to be sharing. But I’ve learned two things this year: this first is that people in this community want and need simple, household staple recipes—tofu feta, cashew parmesan or spreadable cashew cheese, brothy beans—as much as I do.

The second is that most of us are never sorry to have a new, reliable salad dressing recipe to depend on. Dressings are essential to my weekly meal prep (when I’m organized enough to meal prep) because they can elevate so many foods. Including even the simplest grains, vegetables, or beans.

What is Greek vinaigrette?

In all honesty, I’m not sure whether Greek vinaigrette is traditionally Greek. This isn’t something that my Yaya made or told me about when I was a kid, though perhaps other Yayas in other kitchens were passing a recipe like this down to their grandkids.

Basically, it’s a vinaigrette that’s like the ones typically found on Greek salad. And it features red wine vinegar and oregano, which are both commonplace ingredients in Greek cuisine.

The Greek vinaigrette packs a little punch of acid from red wine vinegar, which I think is more assertive than balsamic and champagne (the other vinegars I like to put in dressing). I love the use of dried herbs in it, too. Oregano will instantly make a plain green salad more distinctive.

How to make Greek vinaigrette salad dressing

This dressing is fortunately a breeze to make! You’ll need only to combine together olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano.

When I make vinaigrettes, I like to whisk them together. I do this in the same measuring cup that I used to measure the liquid ingredients. Then I transfer them to mason jars for storage.

A reader recently gave me the good tip that you can easily make vinaigrette in the same mason jar you store it in. You simply add of the ingredients, close the mason jar lid, and shake vigorously. I haven’t yet tried this, but it sounds like a great shortcut. So great that I’m wondering how it never occurred to me to do it in the past!

I’ll let you know when I give it a whirl.

Two kinds of acid = a better dressing

I used to only prepare this vinaigrette with red wine vinegar. Over time—and maybe this is where I’m channeling my Yaya, since she put lemon in everything—I’ve found that using both vinegar and lemon juice makes a rounder, better dressing. The lemon juice adds just a touch of sweetness to the Greek vinaigrette as well.

Even if it’s a little extra work to squeeze lemons in addition to pouring in the red wine vinegar, I recommend it for the best results.

Is Greek vinaigrette vegan?

So far as I know, there’s nothing to omit or veganize here—most dressings I’ve seen in Greek salad recipes are vegan to begin with. Many vinaigrettes that I come across call for honey, which I always replace with maple syrup. But there’s no need for that with this particular dressing.

Greek salad itself has feta, but of course that can be replaced with tofu feta. I have a barley version that I love, and I’ve been working on a chickpea version, too.

Storing vinaigrette

Vinaigrette that’s made without garlic or mustard, as this one is, could easily be stored on at room temperature for a couple weeks.

Sometimes I make my dressings with only olive oil, vinegar, and salt/pepper for the convenience of storing them on the counter. My vinaigrettes usually solidify a bit in the fridge, and I don’t always remember to let them come to room temperature before I use them!

This dressing, and others with garlic (or shallot, or fresh herbs) needs to be stored in the fridge. I’ve found that it lasts about a week in there.

I always store my vinaigrettes in glass jars, which makes it easy to see what’s inside them. I usually have a few dressings in the fridge at one time, so this is key.

Can I freeze Greek vinaigrette?

I freeze almost everything, down to tiny tidbits of food that are sort of ridiculous to save. And I’ve been known to freeze things that aren’t deemed freezer-friendly.

I will say, though, that while I’ve had tremendous success freezing tahini dressings and cashew-based dressings, I haven’t had much luck freezing vinaigrette. They end up more watery after freezing.

If you don’t think you’ll use the Greek vinaigrette within a week, I’d recommend just cutting the recipe in half and making a smaller batch.

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Greek Vinaigrette

This Greek vinaigrette salad dressing is as versatile and flavorful as it is easy to make! A perfect, all-purpose dressing for salads, grain dishes, and bowls.

Course dressing

Cuisine Greek

Diet Diabetic, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword garlic, oregano, vinaigrette

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

• Whisk or shake all ingredients together till smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

It’s most definitely salad season where I am. I’m excited for summer, for warm weather and long days and the buzzy excitement of New York City reopening.

And I’m also excited for salads, lots of them. This vinaigrette will give them life. Hope you enjoy it, too!

xo

The post Greek Vinaigrette appeared first on The Full Helping.

This is the best vegan vanilla cake! A simple sponge cake is layered with luxurious vegan buttercream frosting. It’s elegant, classic, and unbeatable for birthday celebrations.

With a birthday just behind me, I’ve had vegan cake on my mind more than usual! This vegan vanilla cake is perfect for birthdays. It’s also a classy, elegant layer cake that can be part of any celebration or special event.

With the exception of whatever decorations you’re into, this cake is frill and fuss-free. Three layers of simple vanilla sponge cake and sweet, rich vegan buttercream frosting. That’s it.

I love the scent and taste of vanilla and have never thought of vanilla desserts as being inferior or less memorable than chocolate or other flavors. True to its name, this vegan vanilla cake smells and tastes strongly of vanilla, in the best of ways.

What’s in vegan vanilla cake?

Vegan vanilla cake is vanilla cake prepared without eggs, milk, or butter.

In place of milk, I use non-dairy milk in the recipe—soy, oat, almond, and cashew are my favorites for baking. There’s no butter in my vanilla sponge cake. Instead, I use avocado oil, which could be substituted with another neutral-flavored vegetable oil.

There’s plenty of vegan butter in the frosting—it’s the main ingredient! You can use any stick form of vegan butter. I usually use Earth Balance, which is relatively inexpensive and works well in the recipe.

And what about replacing egg?

Honestly, I often find that replacing egg is unnecessary in vegan baking. Flax egg and aquafaba work wonders in some recipes, but they’re not needed in others. I find this to be especially true of quick breads, muffins, and some cakes—including this one.

How to make vegan vanilla cake

The cake in this vegan vanilla cake is a tried and true recipe. I use it in my strawberry shortcake, which is a favorite summer recipe. So I’ve made it many times, to the point where I almost have the proportions memorized.

To make the cake itself, you whisk together dry ingredients, mix and add wet ingredients, combine, and bake. It’s a loose batter, and it’ll smell wonderfully of vanilla even before it goes into the oven.

This is a three layer cake. You can bake it in 8-inch or 9-inch, round cake pans. These are the ones I use, and I always line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

If you prefer, you can bake the cake in a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking pan, turning it into a sheet cake instead of a layer cake.

Once the vegan vanilla cakes have baked and cooled, it’s time to decorate.

Whenever I make a layer cake, I like to trim and level my cake rounds. It makes the cake more even in shape, and it also helps the crumb coat of frosting to stick to the cake.

Speaking of, the “crumb coat” is the first, thin layer of frosting that goes on the cake. You apply it, then refrigerate the cake for about thirty minutes. Once the coat gets cold, it’s much easier to frost and decorate the rest of the cake.

You can make your cake decorations as simple or as complex as you like. I often frost layer cake and leave it just the way it is. It can also be fun to use a piping bag to make star shapes, flowers, swirls, or whatever you like.

The best flour for vegan vanilla cake

For the best, fluffiest, lightest results, I recommend using either cake flour or a homemade substitute—unbleached, all-purpose flour mixed with cornstarch—for your vegan vanilla cake.

Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose, which means that it develops less gluten in baking. It yields a tender, fluffy, moist crumb, which is perfect for cakes.

While I’ve had really good results making my vanilla cake with both all-purpose flour, I have to admit that cake flour really does yield a more delicate crumb! When I use it, I notice a difference—though it’s always hard for me to justify making space for yet another type of baking flour within my limited pantry space.

If you’d like to achieve the results you’d get from cake flour without actually purchasing cake flour, you can use a mixture of all-purpose flour + cornstarch.

The rule of thumb is to subtract two tablespoons of AP flour from each cup of flour called for in the recipe, replacing them with two tablespoons of cornstarch. For this recipe, I recommend three cups + two tablespoons of all-purpose flour and six tablespoons of cornstarch.

And if all of this sounds like too much to worry about, don’t worry 😉 All purpose flour will be fine.

Can the vegan vanilla cake be gluten free?

This cake can be made gluten free. I recommend using a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend, rather than a single type of gluten-free flour (such as almond or oat flour).

My favorite gluten-free, all-purpose flour for baking is King Arthur’s Measure for Measure. I use it in my cake recipes whenever I’m baking for a GF friend, and it works really well.

How to make vegan buttercream frosting

The trick to decorating the vegan vanilla cake is, of course, a good frosting. The frosting for this recipe is simple buttercream, made with vegan butter, powdered sugar, and non-dairy milk. I make it in my stand mixer, but you can also use a handheld mixer to whip the frosting into light, airy perfection.

One thing I did differently than usual when I made this cake was to sift the confectioners sugar before using it. It’s a step that I’ve skipped in the past, but it makes such a difference! I’ve always had little clumps in my frosting, because I’ve always been too lazy to sift the sugar beforehand. Now I know how worthwhile it is.

If you have the patience, I really recommend sifting as instructed in the recipe. You can use a sifter if you have one (I have this one), or you can just use a sieve.

Can I replace the buttercream frosting?

I love both this buttercream frosting and my vegan cream cheese frosting. I use them to decorate a majority of the cakes and cupcakes that I make for birthdays and other special events. Some people find these kinds of traditional frosting a little too sweet, which I understand.

If you’d like an alternative to the buttercream in this vegan vanilla cake, you could try doubling my creamy cashew frosting. You can also make a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting instead, using a double batch of my chocolate avocado frosting. The chocolate pumpkin frosting that I use with these raw vegan brownies is also really good.

Storing vegan vanilla cake

The buttercream frosting helps to keep the vanilla cake moist for about two days at room temperature if your home space is cool. If not, I recommend storing the cake in the fridge, as the frosting can easily get melty.

I store the cake with a light layer of Saran wrap over it. The wrap shouldn’t be tight enough to damage the decorations; just a loose, gentle layer to provide protection.

In my home, there’s only ever one of me and there’s often quite a lot of cake. I freeze leftover slices so that they stay fresher, longer. The texture of the vegan vanilla cake will be more tender if you freeze the cake after a few days, rather than letting it sit in the fridge for more than 3-4 days.

I usually freeze leftover cake one slice at a time, so that I don’t have to defrost more than I need.

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Vegan Vanilla Cake

This is the best vegan vanilla cake! A simple sponge cake is layered with luxurious vegan buttercream frosting. It's elegant, classic, and unbeatable for birthday celebrations.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cake, vanilla

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Cooling and decorating time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes

Servings 12 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

Vegan vanilla cake

• 3 1/2 cups cake flour or 3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour mixed with 6 tablespoons cornstarch* (448 g cake flour or 375 g all-purpose flour + 48 g cornstarch)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups oat, soy, almond, or cashew milk
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 3/4 cups cane sugar (336 g)
• 1/2 cup avocado oil (or another neutral vegan cooking oil)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Vanilla buttercream frosting

• 3 sticks vegan butter, at room temperature (336 grams)
• 5 cups sifted confectioners sugar (600 g)
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt (or 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons oat, soy, almond, or cashew milk
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Instructions

• To make the cake, preheat your oven to 350F. Butter or spray with oil three 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper rounds.
• Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
• In a separate mixing bowl, add the non-dairy milk and vinegar. Allow them to sit for a few minutes. Then, add the sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk the wet ingredients together until they're mixed.
• Pour the wet ingredients into your dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold everything together. Avoid any streaks of flour, but little clumps in the batter are OK. Pour the batter as evenly as you can into the three cake pans. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges and set in the center.
• Transfer the cakes to a cooling rack. After 30 minutes, remove the cakes from their pans (I like to use pans with a removable bottom—it makes this step easy). Cool the cakes on the cooling rack until they are completely cool, at least a couple hours.
• To make the frosting, place the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until the butter is fluffy. Stop the mixer, then add the sugar. Cover the mixer with a tea towel. Mix the frosting on low speed for 2 minutes. Remove the tea towel and add the salt, vanilla, and non-dairy milk. Beat on medium speed for another 3-4 minutes, or until the frosting is very fluffy again. Beat in the white vinegar, then stop the mixer.
• Trim the tops and sides of the cakes to make them even for frosting if you wish. (If you do this, save the scraps for crumbling onto fruit, vegan yogurt, or ice cream, or just for snacking.) Place one layer of cake onto a cake stand and cover the top with frosting (about 1 cup). Place another layer on top and frost. Add the final layer of cake and frost it. Proceed to frost sides, maintaining a thin layer of frosting to start with—this is your crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake after the crumb coat application for 20-30 minutes. 
• Use the rest of the frosting to cover the entire cake, making some nice swirls as you go. Make any additional decorations you like. Slice and enjoy your cake!

Notes

In place of either cake flour or an all-purpose flour + cornstarch mix, you can use all unbleached, all-purpose flour: 3 1/2 cups (420 g).

In 2020, when quarantine was fully underway, I walked one of my carrot cakes to my mom’s apartment. I handed it to her in the lobby of her building, my hands clad in nitrile gloves. Later that evening we ate slices of cake together on Zoom.

It is such a joy to now be able to share cake, my all-time favorite dessert, with my loved ones again. This vegan vanilla cake was made to be sliced and shared and cherished on special days. But as I make my way through the leftovers in the wake of my birthday, I can also tell you that it’s a lovely treat to have around and enjoy solo.

No matter how you serve it, I hope you’ll love it.

xo

The post Vegan Vanilla Cake appeared first on The Full Helping.

The annual birthday post.

Maybe you can relate to this:

At some point, something happens. A loss, a disappointment, a hurt, a reopening of trauma. Maybe a combination of those.

Things fall apart. Maybe not immediately, or obviously. But enough to make your life feel unrecognizable.

As you pick up the pieces, it seems obvious that you should try to figure out where and how you went wrong, so that you can avoid making a mess of things again. You comb over your mistakes. You spend a lot of time thinking about your regrets, which seem to have multiplied exponentially.

You cultivate something that feels like caution. You become more bounded and careful in how you connect. Risks that once felt reasonable suddenly seem to be too big, too much. Openness that once came easily becomes difficult.

Routines feel more important than ever. You know the dangers of being overly attached to routine better than anyone, but you can’t help feeling as though habit is the only thing you have left. You burrow into your daily rhythms and creature comforts. You retreat further into yourself.

Over time, you enter a space that feels sort of like safety. The great open wound you were trying to stitch up is no longer bleeding. But at a certain point it occurs to you that, while you’re no broken open, you can’t remember the last time you felt joy.

This is what happened to me in my thirties. In my case the joylessness turned into depression, and depression became despair.

Geneen Roth says that “most of us spend our lives protecting ourselves from losses that have already happened.” The sort of miraculous thing that happened this year is that I stopped trying to keep myself safe.

I can’t really tell you how that came to be, but I think I can tell you why. Covid had a lot to do with it. Countless hours of total solitude in the midst of a global pandemic will get you thinking.

What I figured out during lockdown is that I don’t want to keep living the way I have been. When I say this, I don’t mean that I want the shape or appearance of my life to change, though there’s plenty about my circumstances that I’d like to be different.

I mean that I’d like to change how I approach living. The pandemic woke me up, made me realize that it was time to start taking chances again. This wasn’t a conscious thing at first; rather, I was so starved for interaction and experience that I hurled myself back into living as soon as it was safe to do that.

As I re-entered the world, though, I realized just how stuck I’ve been. I was able, for the first time, to see how angry and resentful I’ve felt, how envious of other people, how attached to self-loathing, how stubborn in my refusal to hope.

A lot of this stuff is symptomatic of my depression. But I learned long ago, in recovery, that it’s within my power to notice and challenge my own patterns and triggers, whether or not I can entirely change them.

Useless, crazy-making self-rebuke is a good pattern to notice. I’ve spent the second half of this decade awash in remorse. I’ve dwelt on my failings, overanalyzed the ways in which I’m broken, and hated myself for being depressed (which is, of course, a very effective approach to managing depression).

Something has shifted, though, because I don’t feel those things today. Today, if I could, I’d go back and give thirty-five or thirty-six-year-old me a hug. I’d tell her that she’s OK, though it doesn’t feel that way to her. She’s doing the best she can, and she always was.

A few weeks ago, I started reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I haven’t made it very far, but the premise is that a young woman, Nora, dies by suicide and ends up in a place called the Midnight Library. This library is lined with volumes of books that contain Nora’s multitudes of regrets. And she’s given the chance, as she hovers between life and death, to slip in and out of the lives she would have had if she’d made different choices.

I don’t know, but I strongly suspect, that as Nora visits her unlived lives, she’ll discover that life itself is the point.

That’s what I figured out this year, anyway: life is the point. Living, breathing, and being, no matter how difficult sometimes, is the point.

There have been beautiful high points since last June. I took some risks, took action on things that were important to me. I reconnected with my friends. I laughed often and hard. I felt love again.

For every shining moment, there was a dark one. My thirty-ninth year was filled with heartache to match the joy. I cried a lot, got a taste of being broken open again. I remembered how terrifying it is to hope. But I was feeling, which meant that I was living, which is what I wanted.

This is my tenth annual birthday post. It all began with the big 3-0 in 2012, a post that embodies how cringe-inducing it sometimes is to have the ramblings of one’s younger self live on the internet.

I can’t relate to my blithe-sounding voice in that post at all. I grimace at my cheery, oversimplified perspective on biological clocks. I want to apologize to every women who may have read that post as she was aching with unfulfilled desire for partner or family, as I often am, and been hurt by its naïveté. I want all of the types of stability that I was once so dismissive of, whether they’re illusory or not.

But I have to smile at the confidence and buoyancy of thirty-year-old me. I remember that moxie. I set out to become a doctor at twenty-eight, undaunted by the challenges and unlikelihood of it all. I moved to a new place, made a lot of friends whom I still cherish today, and learned chemistry, of all things. I doubt I’d have the guts to do any of it now.

I especially have to to smile at this paragraph:

So, here’s to being thirty and uncertain. Here’s to not being sure if I’ll be a doctor or some other sort of healer, to not knowing whether I’m going to have children or not, to not knowing where I’ll live, who my companions will be, where I’ll travel, or who I’ll meet. These open ended questions are as exciting and liberating as they are frightening and strange. May the next decade of my life—and all the ones after—make me braver, bolder, and more courageous. May they enhance my sense of humor and increase my sense of fun. May they fuel my passions and give rise to new ones. May they continue to teach me things. Most of all, may they give me the strength and agility I need to deal with all of the uncertainty that lies ahead.

At least one hope came true: I learned a lot in this decade. This includes learning to deal with uncertainty, a skill you can’t avoid acquiring as you become old enough to realize that nothing is certain.

As for “braver, bolder, and more courageous,” I don’t know. Basically, I’m more fearful and self-doubting than I used to be.

For the first time in a long time, though, I feel a little more like the person who wrote that big 3-0 post, hoping out loud for a big, brave life. And I feel a little less like the wounded, shut-down person I had become by thirty-six. Just when I think I know what it’s doing, life has a way of taking me by surprise.

Thirty-nine-year-old me doesn’t have as many big hopes and dreams as thirty-year-old me did, which isn’t to say that I’ve stopped dreaming. I just do it privately, and my dreams look different than they used to.

But there’s a little prayer I’ve said to myself when I wake up lately: “may I be able to appreciate the gift of today.”

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my thirty-ninth birthday than to share that prayer with all of you. May I be able to appreciate—and enjoy!—the gift of today, and many of the 365 days to come. I wish this for you, too.

Thirty-year-old me couldn’t possibly have guessed that some people would have the kindness and interest to be reading this blog ten years later. Deepest thanks to those of you that have, and to any person who is reading today. My heart is full.

xo

The post 39 appeared first on The Full Helping.

You can create so many fast, flavorful vegan meals with a humble can of chickpeas! Here are 25 of my favorite, nutritious vegan chickpea recipes for lunches, satisfying snacks, and weeknight dinners.

I always tell my nutrition clients that, if you have a can of chickpeas in the pantry, you’re about halfway to a nutritious meal. I can’t think of a legume that I rely on more often in my own cooking. I’ve never been more grateful for chickpeas than I have been this year.

Chickpeas are one of my favorite sources of plant protein, and I love their versatility. Chickpeas can become dips, lunch salads, a crispy topper for salads, or the cornerstone of an awesome vegan main dish.

Healthy benefits of chickpeas

Chickpeas, like all pulses, are a good source of plant protein. But they’re also notable for other important nutrients.

One is folate, which is important for red blood cell production and for preventing developmental problems in babies. Another is iron, which is an important nutrient for plant-based eaters to consider. A half cup serving of cooked chickpeas has about 10% of the RDA of iron for the day. Combined with other iron-rich ingredients, this is a good amount. Finally, chickpeas contain zinc, which is important for immune function.

Aside from these micronutrients, chickpeas are rich in dietary fiber, which is important for both digestive health and healthy blood lipids. They provide complex carbohydrates, which are important for sustaining energy.

How much protein is in chickpeas?

And there’s the protein, of course! Half a cup of cooked chickpeas provides about seven grams of plant protein. If you combine the chickpeas with protein rich grains, like quinoa, or leafy greens—as many of the recipes below do—they’ll help contribute to your overall protein intake.

How to cook dried chickpeas

On the stovetop

There are two ways to cook chickpeas. The first is to cook dry chickpeas from scratch.

To do this, you soak the chickpeas overnight, or for eight hours. In the morning, you discard the soak water and add the dried chickpeas to a pot with enough fresh water to cover them by about five inches. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the chickpeas for 90-120 minutes, or until they’re tender but not mushy.

After boiling, you can drain the chickpeas and use them right away in these vegan chickpea recipes. You can also store them in the fridge for up to four days, or you can freeze them for up to four weeks.

In the slow cooker

If you have a slow cooker, you can also add a pound of dried chickpeas to your slow cooker along with seven cups of water, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Cook them for four hours on high or eight hours on low heat. Drain the chickpeas before using or storing.

I learned this method from Alton Brown, and I’ve had great success with it!

How to cook with canned chickpeas

Cooking with canned chickpeas is a lot quicker than preparing them from scratch. They’re fully cooked when they come out of the can. To use them in recipes, you need only heat them up.

Preparing chickpeas from scratch is the most economical option. But canned chickpeas are also perfectly healthy and nutritious. I encourage my clients to rely on canned legumes for convenience and ease, especially in stressful or busy times.

Some canned chickpeas have more added salt than other, so it’s worth peeking at ingredient labels if sodium intake is a concern for you.

Can you freeze chickpeas?

You can definitely freeze chickpeas. Whenever I cook a pound of dried chickpeas from scratch, I immediately freeze at least half of the cooked beans.

Cooked chickpeas, once cooled, can be put in storage containers or silicone bags and transferred to the freezer. They’ll keep well in the freezer for at least four weeks; I often freeze them for up to six weeks at a time with no problems.

25 Vegan Chickpea Recipes

Once your chickpeas are cooked, you can use them in any one of the following twenty-five wholesome, tasty vegan chickpea recipes. These are only a sampling of the many rewarding, delicious meals that I regularly make with chickpeas.

These recipes are a great starting point if you’re new to cooking with beans. And if you’re already a chickpea fan, maybe they’ll give you some fresh inspiration. Included in the list is a recipe for quick, easy chickpea scramble, a simple skillet meal that’s perfect for savory breakfast.

Spicy Cabbage Chickpea Soup

A warming, nourishing bowl of plant-based goodness, this vegan spicy cabbage chickpea soup is simple to prepare and features a spicy kick.

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Creamy Roasted Beet Hummus

Sweet roasted beets lend the most beautiful, vibrant pink color to this vegan hummus recipe!

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Savory Chickpea Cobbler

This vegan savory chickpea cobbler is the ultimate plant-based winter comfort food dish! Made with chickpeas, a rustic biscuit topping, and a flavorful sauce built from an umami-rich broth.

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Chickpea Pesto Pasta Salad

This chickpea pesto pasta salad is a fast, fresh, flavorful vegan lunch! It's made with a dairy-free pesto, chickpeas for some plant protein protein, and peppery arugula. It makes great leftovers, too.

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Quick Chickpea Carrot Couscous Salad

This chickpea carrot couscous salad makes for a flavorful, filling vegan lunch. Quick cooking couscous makes it super fast to prepare, and it can be served warm or cold. It makes great leftovers, too!

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Lemony Bulgur Chickpea Salad

This simple lemony bulgur chickpea salad comes together fast, and it tastes vibrant and bright! It makes perfect leftovers for weekday lunches or light dinners.

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Red Lentil Chickpea Loaf with Mushroom Gravy

This red lentil chickpea loaf is a nourishing, plant-based spin on the classic, beloved comfort food meal: meatloaf! It's made with red lentils, chickpeas, and a fast, flavorful mushroom gravy.

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Creamy Chickpeas & Mushrooms Over Mashed Potatoes

Creamy chickpeas & mashed potatoes are the ultimate, nutritious comfort food! They're packed with fiber and nutrients, cozy, and filling. The dish can also be made gluten-free!

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Easy Curried Chickpeas and Spinach

Curried chickpeas and spinach makes for a fast, flavorful, and nutritious vegan dinner. The recipe is easy enough to prepare on a busy weeknight, and the leftovers taste even better after a day or two. Pair with your favorite whole grain for a complete meal!

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Quinoa, Carrot, and Spinach Salad with Spicy Carrot Chili Vinaigrette

This quinoa carrot spinach salad is refreshing, yet hearty! It's made with nutritious quinoa and chickpeas, as well as tender roasted carrots. The carrot chili vinaigrette is a sweet, spicy dressing that you can double and use on all of your salads and bowls.

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Quinoa Chickpea Za’atar Burgers

Middle Eastern inspired, plant-based burgers served with a tangy, bright tahini sauce.

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High Protein Hemp Hummus

High protein hemp hummus is a great alternative to regular hummus! It features nutrient-dense hemp seeds as well as tahini. It's a nutritious, satisfying snack that's also great in sandwiches and wraps.

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Grilled Polenta with Chickpeas, Artichokes & Tomatoes

This dish of grilled polenta with chickpeas, artichokes & tomatoes is a hearty and flavorful plant-based dinner idea! It's easy to make ahead and perfect for grilling season.

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Golden Butternut Chickpea Curry

This vegan golden butternut squash and chickpea curry is so flavorful! It has a beautiful golden color, thanks to the addition of turmeric, and it's full of sweet and savory flavors. A perfect one-pot, plant based recipe for fall.

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Quinoa Chickpea Caesar Salad

This vegan quinoa chickpea caesar salad is a healthy spin on a classic recipe! It's made with a protein-rich combination of crispy chickpeas and tender quinoa. Plus, it's smothered in an irresistable, dairy free cashew Caesar dressing.

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Roasted Carrot Hummus

This roasted carrot hummus is creamy smooth and full of flavor! Roasted carrots give it sweet overtones, a beautiful orange color, and a boost of extra nutrition.

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Fattoush Nachos with Crispy Za’atar Roasted Chickpeas

A completely untraditional spin on nachos! This dish trades chips for toasted pita wedges and includes ingredients from fattoush salad. It's topped with crispy, za'atar roasted chickpeas and a bright tahini dressing.

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Quinoa with Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Chickpeas

Quinoa with roasted tomatoes and chickpeas is the perfect, easy summer vegan side dish. It's easy to make, but it's so flavorful, thanks to juicy and sweet burst cherry tomatoes. Chickpeas add some plant protein to this versatile recipe.

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Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers

These sweet potato chickpea burgers are vegan, gluten-free, and so easy to make. They're also a versatile plant-based protein! Serve them traditionally, in a burger bun, or add them to bowls, wraps, and salads.

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Lemon Dill Zucchini & Chickpea Rice

This lemon dill zucchini & chickpea rice is a wholesome, Mediterranean-inspired meal. It's fresh and filling for lunch or dinner. You can save time on meal preparation by cooking your rice in advance.

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Easy Spanish Quinoa & Chickpeas

This recipe for easy Spanish quinoa & chickpeas is a keeper for busy nights! It's so easy to make, thanks to quick-cooking quinoa. You can add vegetables to the recipe in order to make it a complete meal, or you can serve it as a nutritious side dish.

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Chickpea Miso Vegetable Stew

This creamy chickpea miso vegetable stew has a deep, savory flavor, thanks to the use of miso for seasoning. It's hearty and healthy, and you can make it with whatever vegetables you have!

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Moroccan Chickpea Tomato Stew

A fresh, flavorful spiced pot of tomatoes and chickpeas is the perfect accompaniment to any whole grain, flatbread, or even a bowl of noodles. This dish is a perfect way to use up your summer tomatoes and get some plant protein while you're at it!

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Smashed Kimchi & Chickpea Salad

This smashed kimchi chickpea salad is a simple and flavor-forward topping for toast, wraps, crackers, or veggies. It features gut-friendly kimchi, too!

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And last but not least, my chickpea scramble. This is a great one for piling over cooked rice or toast. I love it with fresh herbs, or with a generous drizzle of yum sauce!

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25 Nutritious Vegan Chickpea Recipes: Easy Chickpea Scramble

This chickpea scramble makes a wonderful, savory plant-based breakfast! It’s quick, easy, and packed with plant-protein and nutrition from beans and vegetables. Plus, 24 of my favorite vegan chickpea recipes.

Course Breakfast, main, Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chickpeas, mushroom, onion, peppers

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 8-10 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Dash crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas (2 14.5-ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
• Cooked whole grains (for serving)
• Fresh chopped parsley leaves (for serving)
• Hot sauce (optional, for serving)

Instructions

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and peppers. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is clear and soft. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed to prevent the vegetables from sticking.
• Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Mix the vegetables and cover the skillet. Allow the mushrooms to cook for another five minutes, or until they’ve released their liquid and are soft and cooked through.
• While the vegetables cook, mix your spices (salt, turmeric, chili powder, smoked paprika, and pepper flakes) together. When the mushrooms are cooked, add the spice blend, the nutritional yeast, and the chickpeas, as well as about a third or half cup of water. Stir the mixture thoroughly to be sure everything is well combined. Continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until everything is hot and and the chickpeas are just starting to get crispy. Check the mixture for seasoning and season to taste with additional spices, salt, or pepper.
• To serve, divide the chickpea scramble over even portions of cooked rice, another whole grain, or toast. Garnish with lime wedges and a sprinkle of parsley. Add some hot sauce, if you like. Enjoy!

I hope these recipes will give you a little inspiration for the next time you find yourself with limited energy to cook, but a can of trusty beans in your pantry. Enjoy!

xo

The post 25 Nutritious Vegan Chickpea Recipes appeared first on The Full Helping.

These vegan tempeh meatballs are simple to make and incredibly versatile. They’re also packed with plant-based protein! Use them for an instant protein boost in any grain bowl or pasta dish.

There’s no easy comfort food meal that I turn to more regularly than spaghetti and meatballs.

In fact, I’ve frequently joked that my 2020 was sponsored by Gardein meatballs (it really wasn’t, but it could have been). I had more dinners of Gardein meatballs, pasta, and marinara than any other food. These meals were quick, easy, comforting, and rich in protein—my essential criteria for dinner.

There’s still a bag of Gardein meatballs in my freezer, and there will be for the forseeable future. But lately I’ve been thinking about how to make vegan meatballs from scratch. Meatballs that are, like the store-bought ones I love so much, high protein, flavorful, filling, and good for simmering in a pot of marinara.

I think I’ve found my recipe. These tempeh meatballs are deeply savory and delicious, perfect for serving with spaghetti and marinara. Best of all, they’re easy to make.

How to cook tempeh meatballs

When I was resting these meatballs, my goal was ease. I wanted vegan meatballs that were simple enough to make that making them would be as appealing as heating up something store-bought.

Of course, there’s a time and a place for good, store-bought options. And these tempeh meatballs will require more work than something you defrost in minutes. But the process of making them is low-stress. Some of the perks of this recipe include:

• No chopping onions or garlic. I know it’s a little silly, but this step can be a real deterrent for me when I’m not in the mood to cook!
• A short ingredient list. As you’ll see below, the meatballs don’t require a ton of filling ingredients.
• Oven preparation. You won’t need to worry about searing the shaped meatballs to perfection on the stovetop in small batches. You’ll bake the meatballs in the oven, which helps them to become perfectly crispy all over—and is less hands-on than sautéing.

Here are the recipe steps:

Season the tempeh

I used to be on the fence about whether it not it was necessary to steam tempeh before using it in a recipe. It felt like a lot of extra work, and I like the earthy flavor of tempeh enough that I usually skipped this step.

Lately, however, I’ve come around to steaming tempeh. I really do think that steaming removes a little bitterness from the protein. Plus, I find that tempeh soaks up marinades and their flavors better when it’s been steamed beforehand.

Sometimes, instead of steaming, I simmer tempeh in vegetable broth for 15 minutes before cooking with it. This seems to combine steaming and seasoning in a single step. It’s especially good in recipes where the tempeh is crumbled. That includes these tempeh meatballs and my chili lime tempeh tacos.

To begin making the tempeh meatballs, you’ll simmer crumbled tempeh in broth and tamari. The tempeh absorbs all of the liquid, at which point it’s seasoned and ready to be shaped into meatballs.

Prepare the meatballs

To prepare the meatballs, you’ll grind up walnuts, nutritional yeast, fennel, and oregano in a food processor. This mixture gives the meatballs flavor and helps to bind the tempeh together. Then, you’ll add the tempeh and pulse to combine everything well.

In the past, when I’ve made vegan meatballs, I’ve always used combinations of cooked grains as well as nuts or flour or bread crumbs for binding. That’s true for my tofu bulgur meatballs, white bean balls, my chickpea oat balls, and the quinoa meatballs from Choosing Raw.

I was pleasantly surprised when walnuts + nutritional yeast alone were enough to hold these tempeh meatballs together. It saved me the step of cooking a grain and kept the recipe simple. It also means that the recipe is easily gluten-free.

Shape

The next step is simple: just roll the mixture into meatballs! I made each of my meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The mixture will be very sticky, but that’s OK. The tempeh meatballs will crisp up as they bake.

The prepared tempeh meatballs should be transferred to a parchment lined baking sheet, then into a 375F oven for baking.

Bake

You’ll bake the tempeh meatballs for about 35 minutes, or until they’re browning and crispy on top and bottom. I always flip the meatballs halfway through baking, so that they brown evenly.

Cool

In order to firm up properly for serving, the tempeh meatballs should ideally have 1-2 hours of cooling time. It’s OK to skip the cooling step if you really don’t have time for it. But if you do have time, it’s worthwhile.

No matter what, any leftover tempeh meatballs will firm up in the fridge.

Add to recipes

At this point, the baked tempeh meatballs can be stored in the fridge or freezer. Or, you can start to use them in whatever recipe you have planned. They can be added to pasta, grain bowls, a vegan meatball sub, or served on their own, as an appetizer.

If you’re serving the meatballs as an appetizer or adding them to pasta, you can also simmer them in marinara sauce before serving. Unlike most store-bought vegan meatballs, they’ll fall apart a bit if you simmer them for too long. But they do hold their shape nicely if you simmer them for about five minutes. I love preparing them this way.

Tempeh meatball ingredients

Tempeh

Tempeh is the star of this recipe. You’ll need 15 ounces of tempeh, total—that’s two 7.5-ounce blocks. You can use any variety of tempeh that you like; some are made with flax or whole grains incorporated, which is fine.

Fennel seed + oregano

My beloved Gardein meatballs are heavy on the fennel flavor, which helped to inform my seasoning choices here. I love the taste of fennel seed and oregano in the recipe, but you can skip the fennel if it’s not for you. You could use dried basil or thyme instead. Dried rosemary would also be a nice addition.

Tamari

Tamari will add saltiness and umami to the tempeh meatballs. As an alternative to umami, you can use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or coconut aminos in the recipe.

Walnuts

I use raw walnuts in this recipe, but toasted walnuts will also work well. If you don’t have walnuts, you can substitute pecans or cashews.

Can the recipe be made without nuts?

Yes, it’s possible to make the tempeh meatballs without walnuts, or another tree nut. If you have a tree nut allergy, you can try substituting 2/3 cups of rolled oats or breadcrumbs in place of the walnuts.

Tempeh health benefits

I’ve made a lot of different vegan meatballs, but I’ve always used combinations of beans and grains as my base ingredients. Using tempeh in this recipe yields a higher protein vegan meatball, so it’s a nice new addition to my tempeh repertoire.

Three ounces of tempeh delivers about 18 (!) grams of vegan protein. Not surprisingly, tempeh is one of my favorite sources of plant protein, on its own or in combination with other foods. I recommend it often to my nutrition clients, especially those who are trying to maximize vegan protein in their diets.

Tempeh has other health benefits to offer in this recipe and others. It’s a great source of dietary fiber, which is associated with digestive and cardiac health. It’s a good source of iron, and—like all soy foods—a source of anti-inflammatory phytonutrients.

Meal prep and storage

The meatballs are an easy make-ahead option for meal prep or weekend batch cooking. You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. In fact, I tend to enjoy them even more after a day or two in the fridge. They become a little less crispy, but they also firm up and have a more toothsome texture.

Reheating

You can heat the tempeh meatballs by simmering them in sauce. You can also heat them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350F, or you can microwave them for two minutes on high, or until warmed through.

Can I freeze tempeh meatballs?

You can! The tempeh meatballs freeze and defrost really well. Freeze them in freezer-safe containers (lately I love these silicone bags) for up to six weeks.

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Simple Tempeh Meatballs

These vegan tempeh meatballs are simple to make and incredibly versatile. They're also packed with plant-based protein! Use them for an instant protein boost in any grain bowl or pasta dish.

Course Appetizer, main, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword fennel, tempeh

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 22 meatballs

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 15 ounces tempeh, crumbled (2 7.5-ounce packages)
• 1 1/2 cups vegan no-chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth)
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2/3 cup raw walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 
• Place the tempeh into a wide, deep skillet or frying pan. Add the broth and tamari. Bring the liquid to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the tempeh crumbles until they've absorbed all of the liquid, about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat. 
• In a food processor fitted with the S blade, process the walnuts, fennel, oregano, and nutritional yeast till the mixture is a fine meal. Add the crumbled tempeh. Pulse to combine all of the ingredients well. The mixture should be dense and a bit sticky. 
• Roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. You should have 22-24 total. Place the balls onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes. Flip them over, then continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until they're lightly browned.
• If you have the time, allow the meatballs to cool for at least 1-2 hours before using. To simmer the meatballs in marinara sauce, bring 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce to a simmer in a sauce pot. Add the tempeh meatballs and simmer for 5 minutes. Otherwise, serve the tempeh meatballs with pasta, in vegan subs, in grain or pasta bowls, or pop one or two as a savory snack!

I’m so happy to have a new, homemade vegan protein that I really love. And the meatballs are easy enough to prepare that I’m confident I’ll make them often.

Lately, my test of a recipe isn’t only how good it tastes, but whether or not I’d cook it on a high-stress or busy day. I can cook just about anything on a good day, but tough days are another story. I cook more consistently when I stop to ask myself, would this recipe feel achievable on a tough day?

The more recipes that qualify as a “yes” to that question, the better. These tempeh meatballs are one of those. Hope you’ll find them easy and tasty, too!

xo

The post Simple Tempeh Meatballs appeared first on The Full Helping.

These vegan banana walnut muffins are the perfect breakfast treat! They’re sweetened with ripe bananas and have a little crunch from chopped walnuts. They’re so easy to make, and you can freeze them for future morning meals or snacks.

With Mother’s Day approaching, I’ve had big plans to make my mom some sort of vegan cake.

Last year, at the height of lockdown, I carried my homemade carrot cake 15 blocks to my mother’s apartment, trying not to stumble or fall as I did. I handed the cake to my mom outside of her building, and we gave each other an air hug. Later that day, we went on Zoom and ate slices of the cake together.

Thankfully, this is a very different Mother’s Day and a different kind of birthday for my mom. (Her birthday and Mother’s Day often coincide.) We’re both fully vaccinated, and New York City is reopening in hopeful, exciting ways.

With all of these lovely, springtime developments afoot, I’m still having a hard time with cooking and my recipe writer’s block. As great as baking a layer cake sounds, I think that a simple breakfast muffin is a better edible gift for my mom this year.

And what could be better than moist, sweet, fragrant vegan banana walnut muffins?

My favorite low-key baking project

I love baking anything and everything. I’ve had fun making vegan pastries, galettes and pies, buckles and cobbler, cookies and crisp, and lots and lots of cake.

When I’m in a hurry, though—or if I’m stressed out, tired, or feeling a little discombobulated in the kitchen—my go-to is always muffins and quick breads. These banana walnut muffins are my latest favorite!

Quick breads are usually easy to make. One or two bowls, baking powder or soda for leavening, simple formulas that can be adapted with seasonal flavors. I make banana bread year round, zucchini bread in summer, pumpkin bread in the fall. I love how quickly and easily these breads come together, and I enjoy eating and freezing the leftovers for days after I prepare them.

Muffins offer all the goodness of quick bread. However, they’re even faster and easier! It takes no time at all to make muffins—20-25 minutes of baking time. If you have a good scoop and some muffin tin liners at home, they’re fuss free and offer minimal cleanup.

Muffins are also versatile. Once made, they can be breakfast, snack, or dessert. I eat them with nut butter, yogurt, fruit, or some combination of all of those things for breakfast. I also love having them as portable afternoon sweet snacks.

Banana walnut muffin ingredients

The ingredients here are really straightforward, and they mirror those in my other muffin recipes. Main ingredients are:

Unbleached, all-purpose flour

My go-to for baking. You can use part whole wheat flour in this recipe: I’d suggest 1 cup of the 2 1/2 cups of flour that are called for could be whole wheat. If you do 100% whole wheat, the muffins may be a little dense.

Overripe bananas

…and when I say overripe, I mean really overripe! Blackening is good. Riper bananas will mean more flavor, moisture, and sweetness.

Cane sugar

I like to bake with simple cane sugar, but coconut sugar is a fine substitute if you prefer it.

Plant milk

I bake with oat and soy milks primarily, but I also sometimes use almond or cashew milk. You can use any of these in the muffins. I’d recommend against hemp milk, which can be somewhat bitter, and full fat coconut milk, which is more like cream than milk (it’s great in scones!).

Chopped walnuts

I love using chopped walnuts in the banana walnut muffins—and I’m a big fan of the healthful fatty acids that walnuts add to recipes! If you don’t have walnuts, though, you can use chopped pecans, slivered almonds, or shelled hemp seeds.

Can the muffins be made gluten-free?

Definitely! You can use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend of choice. My favorite is King Arthur’s Measure for Measure.

Freezing and storing banana walnut muffins

I store the vegan banana walnut muffins at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to five days. If you need to store them for longer, I recommend freezing them for up to six weeks. I usually freeze half of a batch of muffins right after I make it, and I eat or share the rest within four days.

More vegan muffin inspiration

Muffins are near and dear to my heart. They’re a homemade snack that makes commercial snack bars pale. And I’m always really excited to remember that I’ve got leftovers in the freezer for breakfast.

Here are some of my other favorite vegan muffins for all seasons!

• Apple bran muffins
• Corn & jam muffins
• Banana chocolate chip muffins
• Berry hemp spelt muffins
• Blueberry corn muffins
• Pumpkin cranberry walnut muffins
• Carrot raisin bran muffins
• Zucchini date muffins
• Chai spiced carrot almond muffins
• Double chocolate muffins
• Sour cream and cherry muffins

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Vegan Banana Walnut Muffins

These vegan banana walnut muffins are the perfect breakfast treat! They're sweetened with ripe bananas and have a little crunch from chopped walnuts. They're so easy to make, and you can freeze them for future morning meals or snacks.

Course baked good, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Low Salt, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword banana, muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (300 g)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
• 3/4 cup cane sugar (144 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup oat, soy, cashew or almond milk
• 2/3 cups chopped walnuts

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350F. Oil or line a muffin baking sheet with liners. 
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
• In a separate mixing bowl, mash up the 3 overripe bananas. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and non-dairy milk. Add the wet ingredients to dry and mix until everything is evenly distributed and no streaks of flour remain. (A few small lumps are fine.) Fold in the 2/3 cups chopped walnuts.
• Use a muffin scoop or 1/3 cup measuring cup to transfer the muffin batter to your prepared baking pan. Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes, or until they’re domed and golden. 
• Let the muffins cool for at least 20 minutes before enjoying!

Just look at that perfect crumb.

These banana walnut muffins are a cozy, comforting delight. They channel all of the nostalgia of banana bread, but in a sweet, neatly portioned little parcel. A perfect thing to make for mothers or mother figures this weekend, if Mother’s Day is a ritual for you. Or a vegan baking treat that’s easy and rewarding for any time at all.

Enjoy!

xo

The post Vegan Banana Walnut Muffins appeared first on The Full Helping.

Herbed tofu feta cheese is a flavorful, healthful, DIY vegan take on traditional feta cheese. It’s a perfect addition to any grain bowl, salad, wrap, or pasta dish! It’s a snap to make and is easy to store.

As I continue to wade through a long, murky period of recipe writer’s block, I find myself relying a lot on every day staples.

By “staples,” I mean good dressings, dips, simple whole grains, pots of beans or lentils. Foods that aren’t quite a meal unto themselves but can be the backbone of lots of different meals, depending on what you’re in the mood for.

One of the staples I’m making most often is my tofu feta. This salty, savory side dish has found its way into other recipes on the blog, including this barley salad, my tofu feta kale salad, and my pizza pasta bake. Lately I also love throwing it into simple grain bowls or using it to make a salad more protein-rich.

Given how often I rely on it, I thought it was time to revisit and spruce up the herbed tofu feta recipe!

Why tofu?

Why use tofu as a base for vegan feta? Texture, first and foremost. Tofu has a dense, yet crumbly texture that’s pretty comparable to regular feta. (To the naked eye, it also looks similar.) I use extra firm tofu to make the feta, rather than firm. But either variety will work in the recipe. I don’t recommend silken tofu, which is too soft.

Tofu has a neutral flavor, which makes it a perfect canvas for the briny, salty, lemony marinade in the herbed tofu feta recipe. And as far as nutrition goes, tofu makes this “feta” so nutrient dense. It’s rich in protein, healthful fatty acids, anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, and a good source of calcium. Win, win, win.

How to make herbed tofu feta

The process of making the herbed tofu feta is so simple! Just mix your marinade ingredients together, marinate the tofu, and serve. There’s no need to cook the tofu for this recipe; all it really demands is some patience.

I’ve marinated the tofu for about four hours before, and the results are good. That said, I think the tofu feta is better when it marinates overnight, or even for two nights. If you have the time to give it more time, do.

Tofu feta ingredients

Tofu

Extra firm tofu is best, but firm tofu will work if need be. You don’t need to press the tofu extensively for the recipe. Simply use some tea towels to press the tofu gently before preparation. This will get rid of any excess moisture.

White miso

I list white miso as optional in some of my recipes, as it’s not an ingredient that everyone has lying around. However, for this recipe, it’s a really crucial ingredient. It gives the tofu both saltiness and an umami that’s essential to the overall feta effect.

If you have brown miso at home, it’s fine to substitute that in place of white. This is the sweet white miso that I keep in my home and use in lots of my recipes.

Lemon juice

…and plenty of it. Be sure to use freshly squeezed.

Red wine vinegar

It seems a little redundant with the lemon juice, but it adds a different kind of acidity to the recipe. Worth the extra ingredient, I promise!

Herbs

I default to oregano in the recipe, but you could use thyme or Herbs de Provence instead. I also sometimes leave the herbs out altogether, if I want the cheese-like flavor without the taste of herbs.

How long does the feta keep?

Fortunately, the herbed tofu feta keeps well, becoming only more flavor-forward over time. You can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five or six days.

When I make the tofu feta, I usually serve it directly from the container in which I marinated it. No need to discard the marinade if you’ve got any of the tofu left, as the marinade will keep working its magic on what you have leftover.

How should I serve herbed tofu feta?

However you like! Or, however you’d normally serve tofu. Some of my favorite places to put it:

• Salads
• Pasta
• Pizza or grilled flatbread
• Homemade Greek salad
• Stuffed pita (with veggies and chickpeas)
• Mediterranean wraps (usually greens, tofu feta, white beans, grape tomatoes, and olives)
• Simple lunch bowls
• Tofu scramble
• Vegan frittatas (I’ve been using Just Egg to make these lately!)
• With roasted seasonal vegetables (a great way to add plant protein to any vegetable-centric dish)

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Herbed Tofu Feta Cheese

Herbed tofu feta cheese is a flavorful, healthful, DIY vegan take on traditional feta cheese. It's a perfect addition to any grain bowl, salad, wrap, or pasta dish! It's a snap to make and is easy to store.

Course side, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek

Diet Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword tofu

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Marinating time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 15 ounces extra firm tofu (pressed gently to remove excess moisture)
• 3 tablespoons white miso
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (heaping)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano (or two tablespoons fresh oregano leaves)

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the miso, lemon juice, and vinegar; you'll have a thick, smooth paste. Add the water and whisk till smooth, then whisk in the garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and oregano. 
• Place the cubed tofu in an airtight container (preferably one that's wide enough to allow tofu to rest in a single or double layer) and pour the marinade over the tofu. Shake to distribute the marinade over the tofu, then cover the container and transfer it to the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. The tofu will become more flavorful as it marinates. Serve with salad, pasta, in a grain bowl, or however you’d normally enjoy feta cheese!

In all honesty, I wish my cooking right now were more prolific and ambitious than it is. I’m still working through that, trying to shake off the creative block without attempting to force anything.

But, to echo the theme of “you can only do what you can do,” I’m glad that I’m making the things that I can make. Those things, this herbed tofu feta included, are humble, but they’re versatile and good. They make a difference.

Enjoy this easy vegan staple!

xo

The post Herbed Tofu Feta Cheese appeared first on The Full Helping.