These vegan broccoli melts are delightfully cozy and satisfying, while also being wholesome. The melts are made with homemade vegan mozzarella cheese and tender, garlicky broccoli. They’re perfect for lunch or as part of a casual dinner.

There aren’t too many things that I love more than a recipe involving toasted bread and melted cheese.

Vegan grilled cheese is always an option, of course. So are my vegan tempeh meatball subs, which to this day are a recipe creation that I’m proud of.

Variety, though, is important. I’ve been craving some fun new recipe inspiration to offset gray skies and chilly damp outside.

Vegan broccoli melts have come to the rescue.

I expected to like these crispy, cheesy toasts when I first made them; after all, broccoli might be my favorite vegetable, and bread is probably my favorite food.

But the finished product was even better than I thought it would be. I love the contrast of tender broccoli, stretchy, melted cheese, and crisp toast.

Are the broccoli melts a neat lunch to eat?

No, not exactly. There will be crumbs, and a stray floret or two of broccoli might go tumbling while you dig in. I wouldn’t recommend the melts when you need a lunch that’s quick, portable, or good for meal prep.

These are, however, a wonderful combination of vegetable-forward and super comforting, and I’m happy to be sharing them with you.

What is a broccoli melt?

I’ve seen recipes for broccoli melts that resemble grilled cheese sandwiches and some that resemble open-faced toasts.

The vegan broccoli melts that I’m sharing with you today are the open-faced kind, though I may try a sandwich version next.

I think all that’s really required for a “melt” is that there be melted cheese and bread involved.

Both are present here. The bread can be any type of bread that you like. I’ve now made the melts on a round boule of peasant bread, on slices of ciabatta, and on loaf-shaped sandwich bread slices. I enjoyed all three versions.

For the cheese component, I use my melty vegan cashew mozzarella cheese.

If you don’t want to make a vegan cheese from scratch, then you could try using your favorite brand of store-bought vegan mozzarella. I really love the mozzarella shreds from GOOD PLANeT.

Cozy and nutritious

I was recently on a podcast to chat about The Vegan Week, and I found myself trying to articulate my food philosophy (or something like that).

I said that my aim is always to create recipes that strike a sweet spot between being wholesome and hearty, nutritious and comforting.

This is such a recipe. Broccoli is packed with health benefits: it’s a great source of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and folate, not to mention phytonutrients that may help to protect our bodies against chronic illness and inflammation.

I love broccoli, so much so that I usually steam it. I like its unadulterated flavor.

But these broccoli melts present me—and anyone who makes the recipe—with a comfort food approach to eating this ultra-nutritious crucifer.

The melts offer the goodness of green vegetables and the delight of melted cheese on crispy bread at the same time. They’re easy to love for many reasons.

How to make vegan broccoli melts

Assembling the broccoli melts is a pretty straightforward process.

Prepare the broccoli

To begin, you’ll cook and season your broccoli. I start by simmering them in water until they’re fork tender, yet still bright green.

Next, I sauté the broccoli with some garlic, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and salt. Nothing fancy here—the goal is simply to give the broccoli flavor before it gets smothered in vegan cheese.

Prepare vegan mozzarella cheese

When the broccoli is ready, you’ll prepare the vegan cashew mozzarella.

It’s a fairly easy vegan cheese to make; you’ll start by blending cashews, water, salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and cornstarch together till smooth in a blender.

Next, you’ll transfer the mixture to a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer, and it’ll start to thicken. You’ll simmer the cheese over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, or until it has a “stretchy” consistency.

Assemble the broccoli melts

Finally, it’ll be time to assemble your melts. To do this, you need to arrange slices of bread on a lined baking sheet.

Top each slice with cooked broccoli, then spoon the melty vegan cheese over the tops.

Broil

Finally, you’ll transfer the broccoli melts to an oven that’s on the high broiler setting. Broil them for 3-8 minutes—this will vary significantly with the type of oven that you have—or until the cheese is just starting to brown.

And now, it’ll be time to dig in and enjoy.

Serving suggestions

I always serve grilled cheese with a vegan soup, so that’s where my mind goes for broccoli melt pairings.

The first time I made the broccoli melts, I had them with my Tuscan white bean kale soup. It was a wintery, hearty, filling meal.

I’d also like to try them with roasted garlic chickpea soup and pantry tomato soup. If you’d like to double up on broccoli, the melts would be great with my cream of broccoli and quinoa soup.

Also nice with the melts: a salad! Something fresh and crispy.

You could try them alongside my perfect winter chopped salad, winter panzanella, or Brussels sprout kale salad, for starters.

If those ideas aren’t calling to you, but you have some leftover roasted veggies in the fridge, or maybe some sort of vegan protein that needs using (tofu, tempeh, seitan—whatever), then of course you can mix and match as you like. The broccoli melts are nicely versatile.

Can the melts be prepared gluten-free?

Yes, they can.

Simply choose your favorite vegan and gluten-free bread to make them with. There are more and more options that fit both categories these days.

Do I have to use broccoli?

Much as I love broccoli in this recipe, no, you don’t!

The melts will work well with cauliflower florets, zucchini, asparagus, or sautéed kale. I could even imagine preparing it with sautéed cabbage, a vegetable I’ve been having a love affair with this winter.

Make ahead options

There are a few ways that you could get a head start on the broccoli melts.

One is to simmer the broccoli ahead of time, then cool it and store it until you’re ready to sauté it with the garlic and lemon. You can do this up to two days ahead of time.

You can also prepare the broccoli entirely—meaning, you can simmer it, then also season and sauté it—and store it for up to two days before making the melts.

The cashew mozzarella cheese can also be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat the cheese on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently, before you assemble the melts.

Even without any advance prep, however, the melts are easy and fun to make. Here’s how you can whip them up in your own home.

Print

Vegan Broccoli Melts

These vegan broccoli melts are delightfully cozy and satisfying, while also being wholesome. The melts are made with homemade vegan mozzarella cheese and tender, garlicky broccoli. They're perfect for lunch or as part of a casual dinner.

Course main, side

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword broccoli, comfort food, lunch, sandwich, toast, vegan cheese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 melts

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 pound broccoli florets and pieces, about 1 1/2-inch/4cm in size, or broccolini, cut into 1 1/2-inch/4cm pieces (455g)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 batch melty vegan cashew mozzarella (substitute 1 1/2 cups vegan mozzarella style shreds)
• 6 slices bread (I recommend a round, sliced peasant or sourdough boule, halved slices of ciabatta, sliced Italian bread, or a sturdy sliced sandwich bread)

Instructions

• Bring a few inches of water to simmer in a large, wide skillet or frying pan. Add the broccoli. Simmer the broccoli for 3-4 minutes, or until it's tender when pierced with a fork or knife, yet still a nice, vibrant green. Drain the broccoli and wipe the skillet clean. This step can be done up to 2 days in advance of making the melts. 
• Preheat your broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil. Arrange your bread slices on the sheet.
• Heat the olive oil in the same skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic. Cook the garlic for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the broccoli, lemon juice, salt, and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. Stir everything and cook for a minute or two, or until the broccoli is heated through. Distribute the broccoli over the bread slices on the prepared baking sheet. 
• Prepare the melty vegan cashew mozzarella cheese as instructed in the recipe. Spoon the cheese evenly over the tops of the 6 bread slices with broccoli.
• Transfer the broccoli melts to the oven. Broil for 3-8 minutes, or until the bread is fully toasted and the cashew mozzarella is just bubbling and browning slightly. The broiling time will depend greatly on your oven (mine takes a little longer than most—a full 8 or 9 minutes), so be sure to keep peeking at the melts in order to ensure that they toast, rather than burn.
• Remove the melts from the oven and serve right away. 

Enjoy these lovely, nutritious, delicious little toasts, and let me know if you come up with any fun variations!

I’ll be back for the usual links and musings this weekend.

xo

The post Vegan Broccoli Melts appeared first on The Full Helping.

If you’re looking for a simple, yet rich and satisfying vegan chocolate snack cake, then look no further! I love this cake because I can make it at a moment’s notice, with ingredients that I have at home, yet it always feels like a special treat. The cake is topped with rich swirls of vegan chocolate buttercream frosting.

Yesterday I shared my favorite vegan chocolate frosting, and today I’m sharing the snack cake that I love to put it on.

This cake is moist, fluffy, chocolatey, and sweet, with an emphasis on the moist and fluffy part.

I made the snack cake for my neighbor’s birthday last week. She had a friend staying with her when I brought it over, and we all helped ourselves to pieces in the late afternoon.

“It’s so…fluffy!” they both exclaimed.

I loved hearing this, because cake with a tender, fluffy crumb is my favorite kind. This includes chocolate cake, which can sometimes turn out denser and more fudgey than I actually want it to be.

Here, then, is a cake that is undeniably chocolate, but also light enough to be a perfect, spirit-lifting snack.

What’s a snack cake?

What makes a cake into a snack cake, exactly?

This is probably one of those culinary questions for which there is no definitive answer.

In my mind, a snack cake is simple enough—both to prepare and also to eat—that it doesn’t have to label itself as “dessert.”

Snack cake can be dessert, of course. But it can also just be a random afternoon pick-me-up.

Another way of putting it might just be “simple cake.” And in fact, Odette Williams has a great cookbook with that very title.

In the front matter, Williams writes, “These recipes are the ones that are in high rotation in my busy home. They’re simple enough to survive a little household chaos; in fact, let’s just agree that pandemonium is one of the ingredients.”

In explaining her deep and abiding love of cake, Williams also says, “The fewer ingredients a cake has, the more I want it.”

Basically, I agree.

Cake is my favorite dessert, period, and there aren’t too many cakes that I’d turn down. Sometimes I enjoy a festive and celebratory layer cake.

At the end of the day, though, the cake recipes that I make most often are always simple. They tend to be snack cakes, and my favorite moment in the day for enjoying them is the late afternoon, maybe with a cup of decaf or some tea.

How to make vegan chocolate snack cake

There’s nothing quite like a foolproof cake recipe.

I’ve now made this vegan chocolate snack cake enough times that I feel comfortable presenting it that way.

You can make this one of those “back pocket” recipes that you can rely on again and again. Even better, you’re likely to have all of the ingredients that you need to make it at any given time.

Here are the steps.

Step 1: whisk the dry ingredients together

Dry ingredients here are flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch.

Why cornstarch? Because it makes the cake texture lighter and more fluffy. Basically, if you add cornstarch to all-purpose flour, it’s an easy way to approximate cake flour without having to purchase a box.

If you don’t have the cornstarch, you can substitute an additional two tablespoons of all-purpose flour in the recipe.

But if you really love cake, then I recommend experimenting with the cornstarch + flour combo. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the delicate crumb that it creates!

Step 2: mix wet ingredients

Next, you’ll whisk together sugar, avocado oil, vanilla extract, water, and a teaspoon of some sort of acid.

The acid could be lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Even though this snack cake recipe calls for no plant-based milk, the reason for adding acid is the same reason that I often use homemade vegan buttermilk in cake and quick breads.

Acid reacts with baking powder to help cakes rise. This is called chemical leavening, and it’s a key part of achieving a fluffy cake!

Step 3: add wet to dry

In step 3, you’ll add the wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

It’s totally OK if there are some tiny clumps of flour in the batter, but there shouldn’t be many. This is a wet batter, as far as cake batters go, so be prepared for it to look very pourable.

Step 4: bake

You’ll bake the cake for about 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake is domed and firm.

I tend to find that it’s better to err on the side of over-baking rather than underbaking cakes, at least if we’re talking about a few extra minutes.

Taking cakes out of the oven too early will really knock the lightness out of them. Be sure to give this cake the time it needs to develop a domed top in the oven; you’ll be glad that you preserved its lift.

Step 5: cool

Before frosting the cake, you’ll want to give it a few hours to cool completely. If you skimp on cooling time, you’ll run the risk of melting your chocolate buttercream frosting.

I usually bake the vegan chocolate snack cake in the morning and frost it sometime in the mid or late afternoon.

Step 6: decorate!

Technically, you don’t have to frost this cake. It can be eaten plain, and it’s quite tasty that way.

But the cake becomes more festive and celebratory when it’s topped with delightful, creamy swirls of chocolate buttercream frosting.

For this recipe, you’ll need a half batch of my vegan chocolate frosting.

When I make the cake, I usually cut the frosting recipe in half, so that I don’t have frosting leftover.

But if you’d like to give the gift of homemade frosting to your future self, then you could certainly prepare the whole frosting recipe, use what you need for the chocolate snack cake, and then freeze what’s leftover.

Defrost the frosting overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to decorate another cake or batch of cupcakes.

Step 7: slice and enjoy

This is the fun part, or course.

Storing vegan chocolate snack cake

Slices of the snack cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I recommend keeping them in the fridge, rather than at room temperature, so that you don’t run the risk of the frosting becoming too warm and melty.

If you plan to store the cake for longer than 3 days, then I recommend freezing squares until you’re ready to enjoy them. This will ensure that they stay nice and moist.

I’ve found that 1-cup, round glassware storage containers are perfect for squares of leftover cake.

Can the cake be made gluten-free?

Yes, it can!

The chocolate snack can can very successfully be made gluten-free for friends who don’t eat gluten or wheat.

I recommend using a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend. The one I’ve had most success with is King Arthur Measure for Measure.

What type of cocoa powder should I use?

Choosing the right cocoa powder for baking is…complicated.

Basically, it all comes down to the science of acids and bases and which type of leavening agent you plan to use.

Different cocoa powders can also have different flavor profiles. Dutch process cocoa powder, which is what I recommend for this recipe, has an especially rich, dark chocolate flavor.

However, if you have a different type of cocoa powder at home, making a substitution probably won’t make or break this very forgiving recipe.

Speaking of the cocoa powder, I know that sifting is another step, but cocoa powder can get very clumpy. I do recommend sifting it before mixing in order to guarantee that your snack cake has a nice, even consistency.

More vegan snack cakes to savor

If you’re as enthusiastic about enjoying cake at any time of day as I am, then this post might have you hungry for more vegan snack cake recipes.

I got you.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Vegan gingerbread cake
• Applesauce spice cake
• Chocolate beet cake
• Peanut butter & jelly snack cake
• Vegan chocolate bundt cake
• Banana cake with cashew frosting
• Nantucket cranberry pie (actually a cake)
• Italian apple cake

And here’s the simple square cake that I’ve made for countless last minute birthday gifts, cheer-up offerings, thinking-of-you surprises, and—as of this week—happy-Valentine’s-Day-to-me celebrations.

Print

Vegan Chocolate Snack Cake

If you're looking for a simple, yet rich and satisfying vegan chocolate snack cake, then look no further! I love this cake because I can make it at a moment's notice, with simple ingredients that I have at home, yet it always feels like a special treat. The cake is topped with rich swirls of vegan chocolate buttercream frosting.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cake, chocolate, dessert, snack cake, snacks

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 9 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• 8-inch/20cm square baking pan

Ingredients

• 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour (120g)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (15g; substitute additional all-purpose flour)
• 1/2 cup sifted Dutch process cocoa powder (40g)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup avocado oil (80ml; substitute another neutral tasting vegetable oil)
• 3/4 cup cane sugar (150g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup water (240ml)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 batch vegan chocolate frosting (cut the recipe in half, or freeze half of the chocolate frosting for a future cake!)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line the bottom of an 8-inch/20cm square baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly oil the sides if the pan is non-stick. 
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar for a full minute, until the wet ingredients are well combined. 
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix the batter fully. Some small clumps are fine, but there should be no large clumps or streaks of flour in the batter. This is a relatively loose/wet batter for cake—that's how it should be!
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake the cake for 40 minutes, or until the top of the cake is domed and set.
• Allow the cake to cool on a wire cooling rack for at least 1 hour before removing the cake from its pan. Continue cooling the cake for 2-3 hours, or until it's entirely cool.
• Before frosting the cake, prepare the half batch of chocolate buttercream frosting. Use an invert spatula to spread the frosting in a thin, even, smooth later over the top of the square cake. Decorate with a dash of sprinkles, if you like. Cut the cake into 9 squares and enjoy. 

Notes

The cake can be enjoyed without frosting for something more plain.

Speaking of Valentine’s Day, hope you’ve found a few small ways to show yourself and others a little extra love today so far. That’s what it’s all about.

And if, between now and bedtime, the expression of love involves a slice or two of homemade chocolate snack cake, then so much the better.

xo

The post Vegan Chocolate Snack Cake appeared first on The Full Helping.

If you love traditional cakes and you love to eat vegan food, then you may have found yourself wondering whether a classic vegan chocolate frosting is possible. The answer: yes! This vegan chocolate frosting recipe is a rich, sweet, buttercream with chocolate flavor. It’s easy to make, and it’s perfect for cakes and cupcakes.

I often mention favorite foods in passing, only to be asked “but wait, how is that vegan?”

This is especially true when I mention vegan desserts, including vegan cakes, puddings, and pies. 

One thing that’s lost in translation here is the existence of products that make it easy to veganize traditional recipes.

For example, plant milks and vegan butter bring so much possibility to vegan baking.

The notion of vegan butter is new to many non-vegans. Folks don’t necessarily have vegan butter brands on their radars. 

Non-vegans might not know that there are actually a growing number of store-bought vegan butters nowadays. And these butters have many of the same properties and capabilities of dairy butter. 

Buttercream frosting may be the ultimate example of a food that’s now easy to make vegan. This is true because vegan butter exists and is perfect for creating creamy, rich swirls of frosting.

My favorite vegan chocolate frosting is a vegan buttercream frosting, specifically. I create it with the same ingredients that’s in traditional buttercream frosting: powdered sugar, (vegan) butter, and a little milk.

I add cocoa powder to give the frosting just the right amount of chocolate flavor, as well as a hint of vanilla to deepen flavor.

The chocolate frosting is truly delicious, and it’s about time I shared it. 

How to make vegan chocolate buttercream frosting

Making buttercream frosting usually involves beating butter and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. 

Making vegan buttercream frosting works very similarly. The only real difference is the butter, which is vegan butter, rather than dairy butter.

This isn’t the only way to make vegan frosting for cake or cupcakes. I’ve made vegan frostings that used coconut and cashews as bases. 

There’s even a vegan chocolate cake in The Vegan Week that uses melted chocolate and sweet potato purée as a frosting base! It’s inspired by a recipe of Genevieve Ko’s, and it’s really good.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

I like these unusual, somewhat more wholesome vegan frosting recipes.

But sometimes a sweet, super buttery frosting is what one wants. And for those moments, this frosting is it. 

Here’s what goes into making it.

Step 1: cream vegan butter

Step one in making the vegan chocolate frosting is to beat vegan butter until it’s light and creamy. 

I use a stand mixer to do this, on medium speed. You can also use a handheld, electric mixer for this step. 

When the butter looks somewhat “whipped” and light, it’s time to add sugar. 

Step 2: add sugar and flavorings

In step two, you’ll add powdered sugar, along with any other flavorings, to the frosting-in-progress. 

Flavoring could be an extract, like peppermint or lemon extract. It could be ground up, freeze-dried fruit.

In the case of this vegan chocolate frosting, the flavorings are cocoa powder and a little vanilla extract. 

Important note about the sugar here: it needs to be powdered, or confectioners sugar. And, while I don’t usually bother sifting ingredients when I bake, it’s important to sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the chocolate frosting.

Un-sifted powdered sugar can have lots of little clumps, which result in a clumpy frosting.

In addition to the sugar and flavorings, you’ll add 2-4 tablespoons of non-dairy milk to the frosting. This helps to keep the texture light and easily spreadable/swirlable. 

I recommend starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more only if the buttercream is too dense for your liking. 

Once you add the powdered sugar, you’ll continue beating the frosting for 2-3 more minutes, or until it’s rich, yet light and fluffy. 

Step 3: use or store

At this point, you can frost whatever vegan cake or cupcake you’re waiting to decorate. 

You can also store the frosting in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

The best vegan butter for frosting

So, if this vegan buttercream hinges on the use of vegan butter, what’s the best butter brand to try?

There are a lot of vegan butters that I like. For frosting, however, I’ve found Earth Balance to be the best choice. Its texture seems the most sturdy: with some other brands, the butter softens and melts too easily at room temperature to hold its own. 

Other vegan butters that I’ve tried, and had success with, in frosting: Fora Foods (incredible, but hard to source), Miyoko’s Creamery, and Om Sweet Home (a small company, local to me). 

For more a very detailed review of multiple vegan butter brands, you can check out this post. It’s from 2021, and new brands are always emerging, but it’s a good place to start!

Cocoa powder

When it comes to baking, there is actually a science to choosing the right cocoa powder. (It has to do with acids and bases!)

For this recipe, any type of cocoa powder is fine. But I recommend unsweetened cocoa powder, so that there’s a nice balance between bitter cocoa and powdered sugar.

How to store vegan chocolate frosting

Storing the chocolate is simple enough: transfer it to an airtight container and cover the top gently with a layer of Saran Wrap. Cover the container and transfer to the fridge for up to 5 days. 

What about frosting cake or cupcakes with frosting that’s been in the fridge for a few days?

I’ve found that it’s best to let the frosting come to room temperature before frosting anything with it. 

If your frosting has lost a little of its fluffy quality, then I recommend re-beating it briefly in a stand mixer or with an electric mixer for optimal texture.

Can I freeze buttercream frosting?

Yes, you sure can. 

I think that freshly made frosting has the lightest, creamiest consistency. However, I’ve frozen and defrosted this vegan chocolate frosting many times with good results. 

The frosting can be frozen for up to six weeks. It should be defrosted in the fridge overnight, then brought to room temperature before application. 

What size cake will the frosting cover?

This frosting is enough to cover the top and sides of an 8-inch/20cm or 9-inch/23cm round cake or 12 cupcakes.

One half batch is enough to lightly frost an 8-inch/20cm square cake (top only).

What to do with vegan chocolate frosting

Quite simply, you can use this vegan chocolate frosting however you’d use regular chocolate frosting.

For me, that’s usually for cakes or cupcakes. But I also love a frosted soft sugar cookie, and there’s nothing wrong with a frosted brownie, either. 

Tomorrow, I’ll share another cake that pairs with this frosting perfectly.

For today, here’s the chocolate buttercream recipe.

Print

Vegan Chocolate Frosting

If you love traditional cakes and you love to eat vegan food, then you may have found yourself wondering whether a classic vegan chocolate frosting is possible. The answer: yes! This vegan chocolate frosting recipe is a rich, sweet, buttercream with chocolate flavor. It's easy to make, and it's perfect for cakes and cupcakes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword baking, cake, chocolate, dessert, frosting

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Total Time 12 minutes

Servings 1.75 cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• stand mixer

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons room temperature vegan butter (112g; 1 stick)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (300g)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (20g)
• 2-3 tablespoons plain soy, oat, cashew, or almond milk

Instructions

• Add the butter and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. 
• While the butter and vanilla are mixing, shift together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. 
• Add the sugar and cocoa to the bowl of the stand mixer, along with 2 tablespoons of the non-dairy milk. Turn the mixer on and leave it on low until the sugar is fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Raise the speed to high and continue mixing until the frosting is very light, smooth and creamy (3-4 min). Add additional plant milk by the teaspoon if the frosting is overly thick. The consistency should be rich, but smooth and spreadable.
• Use the frosting to immediately frost a cake or cupcakes, or store it for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature before using it. 

Notes

This frosting is enough to cover the top and sides of an 8-inch/20cm or 9-inch/23cm round cake or 12 cupcakes.

One half batch is enough to lightly frost an 8-inch/20cm square cake (top only).

Sending you into the start of the week with sweet, rich, chocolatey swirls. 

Happy Monday!

xo

The post Vegan Chocolate Frosting appeared first on The Full Helping.

This vegan smoky red pepper pasta takes only twenty minutes to prepare, but it’s so vibrant and flavorful. The creamy, roasted red pepper sauce is both dairy-free and nut-free. Best of all, the pasta can be made with simple ingredients that you may have in your pantry already!

I always say that my pasta is my default meal, which is true.

Yet this makes it sound as though I have an easy time creating pasta dishes, which isn’t true at all.

Actually, I think it’s pretty tough to whip up pasta meals that are as simple as they are good. There’s a reason that marinara sauce is my go-to: it’s easy, and I know that it won’t disappoint.

In the last few weeks, I’ve made not one, but two easy pasta dishes that are going to be keepers. Both recipes hinge on a great sauce.

The sauce for this smoky red pepper pasta is wonderfully straightforward. The pasta that results tastes more complex and bold than it should, given how few ingredients go into making it. I’m excited to share it!

A different kind of red pepper sauce

There’s a recipe in my cookbook Power Plates for a red pepper pasta that calls for blended cashews.

Cashews, as many of you know already, are my go-to for creating creamy texture in vegan sauces.

Cashew cream is the behind-the-scenes superhero in so many of my favorite pastas, casseroles, and desserts.

Here’s the thing: some people have nut allergies.

Some people don’t have powerful blenders or food processors that can easily pulverize nuts.

Some people—or should I say, this person—often forgets to soak cashews in advance of making cashew-based sauces. (It’s not a crucial step if the blender is powerful, but it’s usually a helpful step.)

Plus, cashews can be pricey.

All of these factors make me want to create a few pasta sauce recipes in which cashews aren’t the star, for a change.

The sauce for this vegan red pepper pasta, amazingly, does not rely on cashews, or on any other type of nut.

Plus, the pasta recipe turned out to be even simpler than I intended it to be. Five ingredients, in fact!

Ready?

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Roasted red bell peppers (I use jarred)
• Smoked paprika
• Salt

That’s it.

Roasted red bell peppers contribute acidity, sweetness, and saltiness to the sauce. They allow this pasta recipe to embody the notion that less can be more when it comes to cooking.

Olive oil, meanwhile, is what gives the sauce its silky, luxurious texture. And garlic, which is browned gently before blending, provides depth of flavor.

How to make 20-Minute Smoky Red Pepper Pasta

Lately, a few readers have pointed out to me that the estimated prep and cook times for some of my recipes are a bit, er, optimistic.

If you need to chop onion, carrot, and celery for a soup, for example, does it really take only 10 minutes?

This has been really great feedback for me to receive! I underestimate how long recipes will take me sometimes, and that miscalculation probably finds its way into more of my recipes than it should.

From now on, I want to try to be more precise about the prep/cook times that I give.

That said, this vegan red pepper pasta is one of the few recipes I can remember making recently that really did take me only 20 minutes of cook time.

Here are the straightforward steps you’ll take to make it.

Step 1: Set pasta water to boil

Before you do anything else, you’ll bring a pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop.

Step 2: Boil your pasta

Next, you’ll cook your pasta.

I recommend cooking the pasta according to instructions on the package. Usually, these prompt you to cook the pasta al dente, which is exactly how it should be for this recipe.

Step 3: Cook your garlic

Instead of adding raw cloves of garlic to the red pepper pasta sauce, I add cloves that have been lightly sautéed with olive oil.

You’ll do this while your pasta water boils and pasta cooks.

Just a little bit of browning in a pan helps to mellow out the spicy, assertive edge of raw garlic, bringing out subtle sweetness.

It’s the same effect that happens with roasted garlic, simply with less time and effort.

Step 4: Blend the sauce

In this step, you’ll transfer the cooked garlic to your blender, along with additional olive oil, roasted red peppers, smoked paprika, and salt.

Blend the ingredients together, and the red pepper pasta sauce is finished. It is truly that easy!

Step 5: Mix and serve

By the time your pasta is cooked, the sauce ought to be blended and ready to go.

You’ll drain your pasta, first reserving some cooking water to help bring the sauce together.

Then, you’ll transfer the cooked pasta, cooking water, and sauce to a pot. Heat the pasta over low heat, stirring gently as you go, until it’s saucy, thickened, and piping hot.

At first, the pasta will look very liquidy when you return it to the pot and add the sauce. This is totally OK. As you heat and stir, the pasta will absorb some sauce, and everything will come into balance.

I like to top the vegan red pepper pasta with some of my cashew parmesan cheese.

However, a simple pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, toasted nuts, chopped fresh parsley, or just a little freshly ground black pepper would be fine, too.

Vegan smoky red pepper pasta ingredients

Ingredients for the smoky red pepper pasta are spare, but it’s worthy making a few notes about them.

Roasted red peppers

I like to use jarred, roasted red peppers for this recipe for a few reasons.

First, the liquid from the roasted red peppers actually becomes a part of the pasta sauce. This liquid is salty and acidic, and it creates a lot of flavor in its own right.

Second, jarred, roasted red peppers are useful to have at home in the cold months, when red peppers aren’t in season where I live.

And finally, using the jarred variety of peppers allows me to make this dish super quickly, without needing to take the step of roasting peppers from scratch.

I’m sure it’s possible to create the red pepper pasta with homemade, roasted red peppers, but I haven’t yet tested proportions of peppers and liquid myself. When I do that this coming summer, I’ll update the recipe!

Olive oil

I recommend using your favorite extra virgin olive oil for the red pepper pasta. And in the case of this recipe, I don’t recommend either omitting or decreasing the oil.

Omissions and substitutions can be tricky in a recipe that depends on a very small number of ingredients. Here, olive oil is responsible for most of the smoothness and richness in the sauce, so it’s a very important component.

Smoked paprika

The inspiration for this red pepper pasta was a pasta dish that I had in veganized form at a restaurant called Kindred.

Kindred closed down in 2022, which made me want to make a version of my favorite dish from the restaurant’s menu.

That version contained pickled garlic and tomatoes as well as peppers in the sauce. My version is simpler, but I tried to recreate the wonderful smoky flavor of the original.

I suspect that smoked paprika had a lot to do with the flavor. It, along with the red peppers, creates the smokiness in this recipe.

If you don’t have smoked paprika at home, you can substitute sweet paprika instead. However, it’s worth trying the smoked paprika when you can—it really brings this vegan pasta to life.

Salt & pepper

The use of roasted red bell peppers from the jar will give this recipe plenty of saltiness. For that reason, I recommend tasting and adjusting salt as needed.

I like to add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes in the final stage of mixing and heating the pasta. This, too, can be adjusted to taste.

Garlic

Speaking of adjusting ingredients to taste, you can definitely decrease or increase the number of garlic cloves that you lightly sauté for the pasta.

Four is the perfect amount for me.

Pasta

The pasta that you use for this recipe can be any pasta that suits your preferences and dietary needs.

I like regular ‘ole pasta, but gluten-free pasta, legume-based pasta, and whole grain pasta are all options.

Meal prep and storage

While part of the beauty of this pasta dish is its speed, there’s no reason why you can’t prepare it in advance. A few weeks ago, it became part of my own meal prep for the week.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

The red pepper pasta will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. (For more about my favorite storage containers, check out my beginner’s guide to vegan meal prep.)

You can also freeze portions of the pasta for up to six weeks.

More quick & easy vegan pasta suppers

With the intention of being accurate in mind, I won’t claim that all of my favorite pasta suppers are of the “quick & easy” variety. Some of them take a little time and TLC to come together.

But I do have a home collection of pasta dishes that I make specifically when time, energy, cooking enthusiasm, or all three of those “ingredients” are limited. Here are some:

• Creamy vegan mushroom pasta
• Beans & greens pasta
• Curried tahini pasta salad
• Creamy zucchini corn pasta
• Cauliflower alfredo pasta
• Sausage mushroom marinara pasta
• Carrot mac n’ cheese

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing another.

For now, here’s my new favorite, 20-minute, smoky vegan red pepper pasta.

Print

20-Minute Smoky Vegan Red Pepper Pasta

This vegan smoky red pepper pasta takes only twenty minutes to prepare, but it's so vibrant and flavorful. The creamy, roasted red pepper sauce is both dairy-free and nut-free. Best of all, the pasta can be made with simple ingredients that you may have in your pantry already!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword dinner, pasta, quick and easy, red pepper, weeknights

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 16 ounces roasted red bell peppers, with their liquid (450g; 1 16-oz/450g jar, or 2 8-oz/225g jars)
• salt
• 12 ounces pasta of choice (340g)
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• cashew parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup/240ml of the pasta cook water, then drain the pasta. 
• While the pasta cooks, heat the 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic cloves. Brown the cloves gently (you're not aiming for them to burn) on one side, about 1-2 minutes of cooking time. Use tongs to flip the cloves and brown them gently on the other side, another minute or so. 
• Transfer the cooked cloves of garlic to a high speed blender, along with the oil they cooked in. Add the additional 2 tablespoons olive oil, the smoked paprika, the entire jar of red bell peppers, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend for a minute, or until the sauce is silky smooth. 
• Transfer the pasta back to the pot you cooked it in and add all of the sauce from the blender, along with 1/2 cup/120ml of the cook water. Heat the pasta and sauce over medium low heat, stirring as you go, for about 5 minutes. At first there will seem to be a lot of sauce, but the sauce will thicken and the pasta will absorb some of the liquid as you cook. Add additional cook water as needed, adjusting the consistency of the pasta to your preferences, and add additional salt and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. 
• Serve, topped with cashew parmesan cheese to taste.

I’ve been thinking a lot this week about softness and ease: where can I create them? How can I fold these sensations into my busy weekdays, so that I don’t end the week feeling tired?

A simple weeknight dinner recipe always helps. This one is warming and cozy for the cold winter temperatures that are moving in as I write this post. I may just need to make the red pepper pasta again.

I hope that the recipe will bring you some ease—and plenty of flavor!—too.

xo

The post 20-Minute Vegan Smoky Red Pepper Pasta appeared first on The Full Helping.

These crispy baked vegan candied walnuts will add sweet and savory flavor, along with healthful Omega-3 fatty acids, to salads, roasted vegetable dishes, whole grains, and more. They’re a wonderful topping or snack, and they make excellent edible gifts, too!

It was only a week ago that I was here chatting about vegan candied pecans. So you may be wondering, why candied walnuts, too?

The honest answer is that, when I tested the candied nuts, I wasn’t sure which was going to work better, pecans or walnuts.

I basically prefer the buttery taste and creamy texture of pecans. I also like their wide, flat halves; the shape makes them especially good for snacking.

Pecans are a bit pricey, though. And walnuts are a little more nutrient-dense, all things considered. Which would it be?

In the end, I really liked both versions, and I liked them in different ways. So, I decided to post both recipes.

Also, writing about these vegan candied walnuts gives me a chance to write about all of the fun and cool health distinctions and health properties of nuts. That’s a win in my book.

This post is divided into a few sections:

• Walnut health benefits
• What to do with vegan candied walnuts
• Tips for a perfectly crispy texture
• How to make crispy baked vegan candied walnuts
• How should I store vegan candied walnuts?
• Can I substitute another type of nut?
• Recipe suggestions

What are the benefits of walnuts?

This is a question that nutrition clients ask me fairly often. Many of the folks that I work with as a registered dietitian are curious about whether some nuts are more healthful than others.

They seem especially interested to know more about walnuts.

As it turns out, walnuts are an especially nutrient-dense food. This is true of nuts in general, but walnuts have a few distinctive properties.

Walnuts and heart health

Nuts have been studied quite extensively for their potential to protect heart health and their association with healthy blood lipids.

Numerous population level studies have shown that higher consumption of nuts is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease.

Related to this, nuts seem to have a beneficial impact on blood lipid profiles. Clinical trials in which patients with hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and/or triglycerides) incorporated more nuts into their diet resulted in significant reductions in total and LDL cholesterol.

Why is this? Two mechanisms might help to explain it.

The first is that soluble fiber in nuts binds to, and encourages excretion of, bile acids during the digestive process. Bile salts transport fat, so this results in reduced fat absorption.

The second mechanism is also related to fiber. When bacteria in our large intestines ferment the fiber in nuts, it produces compounds called short-chain fatty acids, or SCFAs. These SCFAs can help to block the production of cholesterol.

Less absorption + less production = a reduction of cholesterol in our circulatory systems.

Almonds, pecans, peanuts, and walnuts all seem to have an especially strong association with reduced total and LDL cholesterol.

Hazelnuts, pistachios, and walnuts seem particularly associated with improving HDL cholesterol. HDL is the “good” cholesterol that’s thought to actually help protect our hearts.

Walnuts fall into both cardioprotective categories, which is a cool mark of distinction for them.

Antioxidant activity

Nuts are great sources of antioxidants, a group of micronutrients that help to reduce inflammation and protect our cells against damage associated with aging.

There are many different antioxidants. Flavonoids, selenium, Vitamin E, folate, phenolic acid are antioxidants that are typically found in nuts.

It’s possible that these antioxidants are involved with the cardioprotective effects I just mentioned. But they seem to play an even more significant role in protecting our brains.

Walnuts and brain health

Walnuts are especially rich in antioxidants, as far as nuts go.

Unlike many nuts, which have primarily monounsaturated fatty acids, walnuts have a high amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

One of these is alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA. This is a type of Omega-3 fatty acid that is thought to be highly anti-inflammatory.

ALA, combined with antioxidants, may help to explain why walnuts are associated especially strongly with brain health.

Inflammation and oxidative stress, which accumulate through aging, are particularly damaging to the brain. The nutrient profile of walnuts gives them special potential to help protect us from cognitive decline.

Several robust, long-term observational studies have shown an association between walnut consumption and higher cognition and memory scores, compared to diets with less nut (specifically walnut) consumption.

The bottom line? Walnuts are highly nutritious! And their good nutrition may help to protect our brains and hearts as we age.

Ways to enjoy walnuts

Here’s a little secret: in spite of knowing how healthful they are, I don’t really enjoy nuts that much.

By this, I mean that I don’t love eating nuts whole. Even if they’re salted and roasted, a handful of them is never what I reach for when I want a snack.

For better or for worse, I’m much more likely to reach for something sweet, or something involving bread/pita/crackers.

Still, I want to harness the nutritional goodness of nuts. So I’ve learned to consume them in ways that I know I’ll stick to on a regular basis.

One such use is to blend them up into dressings. I make a lot of cashew-based dressings, for example, and I like to use almonds in sauces as well. (There’s a really tasty romesco in The Vegan Week.)

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

I also love to eat nuts in sweeter foods. For example, I incorporate them into my favorite blueberry banana walnut oat bake.

Walnuts make an incredible addition to both vegan banana bread and banana walnut muffins.

I like to grind nuts and dates up into delicious little energy balls.

And now, having just tested two separate versions, I’m a also huge fan of vegan candied nuts.

What to do with vegan candied walnuts

Some might argue that the sugar in these crispy baked vegan candied walnuts is an affront to all of the sensible nutrition that I’ve just mentioned.

I get it, but I try to keep the big picture in mind. In candying walnuts, I’ve suddenly given myself encouragement to eat them much more often than I was before.

I love throwing some of the candied walnuts into salad, and I especially like to sprinkle them on freshly roasted vegetables. I think they’d be great in grain salads, too.

They might even make a fun, sweet/savory addition to pasta.

Rather than adding raw, chopped walnuts to baked goods, it would be fun to add candied nuts to muffins, banana bread, cake, or cookies.

All in all, I find it much easier to snack on these candied nuts than I do plain walnuts.

I’m now eating walnuts on a very regular basis. This is a good thing.

And I’m enjoying walnuts more than I ever have, which is an especially good thing!

Tips for a perfectly crispy texture

Before I talk about the steps in this recipe, it’s important to point out why the texture is so special.

These are the most crispy, light vegan candied walnuts I’ve ever had.

In the past, when I tried to make batches of candied nuts, they always ended up on the sticky side. If they weren’t sticky, they were still not perfectly dry and crispy in the way that I like my candied nuts to be.

Hilariously, it took me ages to think to make vegan candied nuts with aquafaba.

Aquafaba! The most reliable, authentic replacement for the egg whites that are so often used in non-vegan candied nut recipes.

Aquafaba is my first tip for creating vegan candied nuts with a crisp texture and sweet, ultra-thin coating.

The second trick of the trade here is to use powdered sugar.

Not cane sugar, not brown sugar, not maple syrup, and not agave. Powdered sugar.

Use of powdered sugar, also known as confectioners sugar, is truly important in achieving the crispy texture that makes these candied walnuts special.

Last tip? Oven baking! It’s possible to make candied walnuts (or any candied nut) in a skillet. But oven baking helps to create an especially light, crisp texture.

And that texture is what makes these nuts so delightfully snack-worthy. It’s also the reason that they can add texture contrast and crunch to so many of your favorite recipes.

How to make crispy baked vegan candied walnuts

I’ve certainly had a lot to say about walnuts, candied and otherwise, here. Fortunately, this recipe is simple enough that there’s not too much to say about making it.

Step 1: Whisk your aquafaba

The first step in making baked vegan candied walnuts is to whisk one tablespoon and one teaspoon of aquafaba until the mixture is frothy.

That sounds simple enough, but if it’s your first time using aquafaba in a recipe, it may be less than self-evident.

Basically, aquafaba is the liquid that comes in a can of chickpeas. Can it also be created by cooking dry chickpeas from scratch?

Yes. But it’s quickest and easiest to obtain aquafaba from canned chickpeas, and I tend to use canned beans in my cooking, so that’s my default.

Aquafaba from most canned chickpeas will work in recipes, but I recommend finding one that’s from a can of low-sodium or no salt added chickpeas. That way, salty flavor of the aquafaba won’t interfere with your recipe.

If necessary, aquafaba can be whipped into stiff peaks, just like egg whites. For most of the recipes in which I use it, only a light whisking is necessary. And that’s what you’ll do here.

Step 2: Mix aquafaba and seasonings

The next step in making the baked, vegan candied walnuts is to mix together the whisked aquafaba, powdered sugar, and some spices.

I like to use cinnamon, chili powder, and salt. It’s a nice marriage of savory and sweet, and it’s not overwhelming in flavor.

However, you could add heat to the recipe with a pinch of cayenne. You could also try entirely different spices from the ones I use. Curry powder, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, a ground harissa seasoning: there’s room to play here.

Step 3: Coat the walnuts

In step 3, you’ll mix the walnut halves and pieces with the aquafaba/sugar/spice mixture.

Try to do this thoroughly, until all of the walnuts are fully coated.

Step 4: Bake

In step 4, you’ll transfer the coated walnuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer them to a 300F oven.

Bake the walnuts for 25-30 minutes, stirring the walnuts gently on the sheet with a heatproof spatula every 10 minutes.

Each time you stir, be sure to leave the walnuts in a single, even layer on the baking sheet. This helps them to bake evenly.

Step 5: Cool

As hard as it may be to wait for the vegan candied walnuts to cool 100% before trying them (or storing them), it’s also really important.

Cooling is the final step in getting the walnuts nice and crispy. Tempting though it will be, try to allow the nuts to cool entirely before you dig in.

How should I store vegan candied walnuts?

The nuts should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two full weeks.

If, that is, you can manage to resist finishing the vegan candied walnuts before two weeks pass by. In my experience, it’s unlikely.

Can I substitute another type of nut?

I know that I’ve sung praises to the benefits of walnuts in this post, but it is certainly possible to substitute another nut in the recipe.

The nuts I recommend most are either pecans (see the pecan version of this recipe here), or cashews.

Nuts with harder textures, like almonds or pistachios, will also work. But nuts with softer textures, like walnuts or pecans, will become the most light and crispy.

Recipe suggestions

Candied nuts are very versatile. If you like sweet and savory flavors, then chances are you can find a lot of recipes in which to enjoy them.

Here are some of the recipes that I’d like to add the vegan candied walnuts to, or sprinkle them on top of, sometime soon:

• Roasted butternut salad with quinoa and grapes
• Autumn harvest salad
• Braised red cabbage
• Winter panzanella
• Farro breakfast salad with sweet potatoes and apples
• Spice roasted cabbage steak wedges
• Roasted carrot hummus
• Vegan farro bowl
• Radicchio Brussels sprout salad
• Vegan harvest bowls with tempeh and roasted root vegetables
• Farro salad with balsamic roasted cauliflower
• Quinoa kale stuffed sweet potatoes

And if none of that appeals, then feel free to snack away. Here’s the recipe.

Print

Crispy Baked Vegan Candied Walnuts

These crispy baked vegan candied walnuts will add sweet and savory flavor, along with healthful Omega-3 fatty acids, to your salads, roasted vegetable dishes, whole grains, and more. They're a wonderful topping or snack, and they make excellent edible gifts, too!

Course side, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword easy, nuts, side dish, snacks

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 2 cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• baking sheet

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon aquafaba
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60g)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 cups (scant) walnut halves and pieces (200g)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat.
• Place the aquafaba in a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk it vigorously for 30 seconds, or until it's frothy.
• Stir the sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt into the beaten aquafaba. Continue mixing until you have a smooth, sticky, even mixture. Add the walnuts to the bowl and use a spatula to mix them with the aquafaba and sugar, until they're all evenly glazed.
• Transfer the walnuts to your baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer. 
• Bake them for a total of 25-30 minutes, stirring on the sheet every 10 minutes. Each time you stir the nuts, be sure that you rearrange them in a single layer before returning them to the oven. When the nuts are browning and smell nutty, they're finished. 
• Allow the nuts to cool *completely* before breaking them apart. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

I hope you’ll enjoy the candied walnuts and find some of your own favorite ways to use them. If you do, let me know what you make!

xo

References:

Altamimi M, Zidan S, Badrasawi M. Effect of Tree Nuts Consumption on Serum Lipid Profile in Hyperlipidemic Individuals: A Systematic Review. Nutr Metab Insights. 2020;13:1178638820926521. Published 2020 Jun 15. doi:10.1177/1178638820926521

Arab L, Ang A. A cross sectional study of the association between walnut consumption and cognitive function among adult US populations represented in NHANES. J Nutr Health Aging. 2015;19(3):284-290. doi:10.1007/s12603-014-0569-2

Baden MY, Liu G, Satija A, et al. Changes in Plant-Based Diet Quality and Total and Cause-Specific Mortality. Circulation. 2019;140(12):979-991. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.041014

Chauhan A, Chauhan V. Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health. Nutrients. 2020;12(2):550. Published 2020 Feb 20. doi:10.3390/nu12020550

Guasch-Ferré M, Li J, Hu FB, Salas-Salvadó J, Tobias DK. Effects of walnut consumption on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors: an updated meta-analysis and systematic review of controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2018;108(1):174-187. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy091

O’Brien J, Okereke O, Devore E, Rosner B, Breteler M, Grodstein F. Long-term intake of nuts in relation to cognitive function in older women. J Nutr Health Aging. 2014;18(5):496-502. doi:10.1007/s12603-014-0014-6

Valls-Pedret C, Sala-Vila A, Serra-Mir M, et al. Mediterranean Diet and Age-Related Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Clinical Trial [published correction appears in JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Dec 1;178(12):1731-1732]. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(7):1094-1103. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.1668

The post Crispy Baked Vegan Candied Walnuts appeared first on The Full Helping.

These crispy baked vegan candied pecans are the best I’ve ever had! A mixture of aquafaba and powdered sugar, plus oven baking, is key to achieving a super light and crispy (not sticky!) texture. The candied pecans are great for snacking, to use in recipes, or to give as holiday gifts.

One month ago would have been such a perfect time to publish this post.

Candied pecans, and candied nuts in general, make wonderful holiday gifts. They’re also a lovely party favor or small gift for a friend who’s hosting a gathering.

I did actually make these wonderful, crispy vegan candied pecans in advance of Christmas. My neighbor received some, and so did a few yoga friends. I enjoyed snacking on them and crumbling them into my salads.

I didn’t, however, get around to writing about them before the holidays had come and gone.

To write about them now is, I guess, a perfect expression of where I am lately: embracing the philosophy that things take as long as they take, and perfect is the enemy of good.

But while we’re on the topic of perfection, I have to say that these are just about the most perfect vegan candied nuts I’ve had, let alone made myself.

Today, I’m finally sitting down to tell you about them.

The secret to perfectly crispy, not-even-a-little-bit sticky vegan candied pecans

When I made this recipe, it was not my first go-around with homemade, vegan candied nuts.

Actually, I’ve made a bunch of candied nut recipes through the years, using all sorts of nuts (and sometimes seeds).

I always ended up with the same issue, which is that the nuts were crispy when they first emerged from the oven. After a few days, though, they lost some of their crunch.

Over time—sometimes very little time—they became a bit sticky. The worst batches were downright gluey.

It was discouraging. The thing that I like about candied nuts is a light, very crispy texture.

It’s that crispy texture that makes it fun to find candied nuts in a big, soft, leafy green salad. And I think that it’s what makes candied nuts nice for snacking, too.

Breakthrough #1

When I first tested this recipe, I wasn’t sure it would be any different. Then I realized that most non-vegan candied nut recipes call for beaten egg whites.

I had tried vegan candied pecans with flax egg and various combinations of vegetable oil and sweetener. But I’d never tested one with aquafaba, which is arguably the most egg-like vegan egg.

Breakthrough #2

That was my first big breakthrough. Breakthrough #2 was to use powdered, or confectioners, sugar.

I spent some time researching possible sweeteners for my candied pecans: maple syrup, agave, brown sugar, cane sugar, etc.

Liquid sweeteners were the least successful. Each batch of candied nuts I made ended up sticky. Cane and brown sugar were a little better, but crispy texture didn’t last long.

It was this article by David Lebovitz that convinced me to give powdered sugar a try.

That move, combined with aquafaba, was the game changer.

I needed to tinker around with seasonings a bit, but the texture of my vegan candied pecans with aquafaba + powdered sugar was perfectly crispy on the first try.

Best of all, the candied nuts remained light and shatteringly crisp at the surface through their whole storage time (not that they lasted long). I didn’t even have to think about transferring them back to the oven for re-crisping.

And they weren’t even a little bit sticky.

Oven baking vs. stovetop

Mid-January, it’s no big deal to turn on the oven. Come summertime, it may be less appealing.

So, I wondered whether it might be worthy making the candied pecans in a frying pan or skillet, rather than baking them.

I tested both methods—low and slow in a skillet vs baking—and baking was by far the winner for crispy texture.

It’s certainly possible to make candied pecans on the stovetop, and I don’t discourage anyone from experimenting with that cooking method.

But if a crispy texture is your objective, then I recommend oven baking. Added bonus? It’s more time-consuming than stovetop cooking, but it’s more hands-off!

How to make the best, most crispy vegan candied pecans

The crispiest and most salty-sweet pecan halves come together with little fuss. Here are the steps.

Step 1: Lightly beat aquafaba

In step 1, you’ll drain the liquid from a can of chickpeas.

Low sodium chickpeas are best, so that the salty flavor of their chickpea brine doesn’t interfere with this recipe (or any other).

However, I’ve used plenty of aquafaba that came from chickpeas not labeled as low-sodium, and the aquafaba did its job. I simply had to adjust other salt in the recipe.

Aquafaba can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days once opened, and it can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

Step 2: Mix aquafaba with seasonings and powdered sugar

In step 2, you’ll mix your lightly beaten aquafaba (this sounds fancier than it is—basically, you whip aquafaba with a whisk till frothy) with some seasonings.

For this recipe, I use cinnamon, salt, chili powder, and sugar.

The sugar needs to be powdered sugar. I know that I’ll get some questions about whether a different type of sugar can be used for these vegan candied pecans.

Technically, you can, but if you want the candied nuts to be crispy, then you’ll be proceeding at your own risk.

I tested the recipe with both brown and cane sugar, and both worked well from a flavor perspective. However, neither of the two resulted in pecan halves that had a crispy texture and crackle at the surface.

Only powdered, also known as confectioners, sugar did that. If you have some, or if you can easily get it, I recommend using it!

Step 3: Coat your pecans

In this step, you’ll simply mix your pecan halves with the sugar and seasoning mixture. I do this with a spatula.

Mixing should take a full minute or two, so that all pecan halves are well-coated.

Step 4: Bake

The vegan candied pecans will bake at 300 for 25-30 minutes.

You’ll want to bake them on a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment or silpat (even if your sheet is nonstick).

I also recommend stirring them every 10 minutes. This will help them to brown evenly in the oven.

The pecan halves are ready when they’re a deep brown and smelling a bit toasted.

Step 5: Cool

Now it’s time to cool the vegan candied pecans.

I can’t emphasize strongly enough how important it is to allow them to cool entirely before putting them into an airtight storage container for storage.

If you do that while the nuts are still warm, they’ll essentially steam in their container. This will soften them and disrupt their lovely, crispy, sugary coating!

Allow the pecans to cool for at least a few hours before breaking them apart and storing or eating them.

Flavor variations

I season the candied pecans with cinnamon, salt, and chili powder.

For me, the chili adds spice without adding heat. Combined with cinnamon, it gives the candied pecans some savory notes without making them overly savory or spicy.

If you love heat, then you could certainly add a pinch of ground cayenne pepper to this recipe.

You could also experiment with allspice, cloves, cumin, coriander, or Chinese five spice. There’s a lot of space to play and have fun with the flavors of this recipe!

Storage

How long do the vegan candied pecans last?

They’ll keep in an airtight container—crispy the entire time!—for up to two weeks. However, my experience is that the nuts are too tasty and enticing to store for very long.

Using other types of nuts

Could you use cashews in this recipe? Almonds? Walnuts?

The answer to the last of those three options is most definitely a yes. In fact, tomorrow I’ll share the candied walnut version of this same recipe.

Candied walnuts and almonds will also work with the method I shared above. Just keep in mind that they both have a harder texture than walnuts and pecans, which have some buttery softness.

I think that the capacity of both walnuts and pecans to remain tender while crisping at the surface makes them especially nice for a candied preparation.

The benefits of pecans

Speaking of, what’s nutritious and special about pecans?

For one thing, pecans are packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and protein. These fats can help to keep us full after meals.

Pecans are also a good source of fiber, and they boast flavonoids. These flavonoids, which are also found in coffee, tea, onions, kale, grapes and red wine, and berries, may have a protective effect when it comes to heart health.

Finally, pecans contain a trio of minerals—manganese, copper, and zinc—that are important for health. Zinc in particular plays an important role in immune function.

What should I do with vegan candied pecans?

Technically, you don’t have to do anything with these lovely, salty, sweet, and savory nuts. They’re delicious to snack on, and I find them very satisfying, too.

If you don’t want to snack on them, you can try one of the following uses:

• Adding to salads or slaws
• Using them as a topping for oatmeal (or another hot cereal)
• Adding to bread dough
• Folding the nuts into brownies, chocolate chip cookies, or chewy oatmeal raisin cookies
• Sprinkle on top of roasted carrots, beets, or other root vegetables

The recipe

If you weren’t a candied nut enthusiast before, then I hope you feel inspired to play with these vegan candied pecan halves a little bit now.

I have a hunch that you won’t be sorry to have a batch at home!

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Crispy Baked Vegan Candied Pecans

These crispy baked vegan candied pecans are the best I've ever had! A mixture of aquafaba and powdered sugar, plus oven baking, is key to achieving a super light and crispy (not sticky!) texture. The candied pecans are great for snacking, to use in recipes, or to give as holiday gifts.

Course side, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword holidays, nuts, pecans, side dish

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 2 cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• baking sheet

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas)
• 1/2 cup powdered/confectioners' sugar (60g)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (scant) pecan halves (210g)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat. Place the aquafaba in a medium sized mixing bowl.
  
• Whisk the aquafaba vigorously for 30 seconds, or until it's frothy. 
  
• Stir the sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt into the beaten aquafaba.
  
• Continue mixing until you have a smooth, sticky, even mixture.
  
• Add the pecans to the bowl and use a spatula to mix them with the aquafaba and sugar, until they're all evenly glazed.
  
• Transfer the nuts to your baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer.
  
• Bake them for a total of 25-30 minutes, stirring on the sheet every 10 minutes. Each time you stir the nuts, be sure that you rearrange them in a single layer before returning them to the oven. When the nuts are browning and smell nutty, they're finished. Allow the nuts to cool completely before breaking them apart. Store the vegan candied pecans at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
  

I love classic, homey desserts: fluffy, delightful vegan cake recipes, chewy and chocolate-laden cookies, or slices of veganized, all-American pie.

Even so, it can be fun to satisfy my sweet tooth with something a little different. Candied nuts were a really nice, sweet addition to my December, and I look forward to bringing them into 2023 with me.

Hope you’ll find the texture of these candied pecans to be as impressive as I have! Let me know, and I hope you’ll enjoy them.

xo

The post Crispy Baked Vegan Candied Pecans appeared first on The Full Helping.

I love the versatility and incredible nutrition of cabbage! These 20 healthful cabbage dinners and sides will help you to incorporate this humble and inexpensive vegetable into more of your meals.

I get so excited when I read about, think about, or prepare any recipe with cabbage.

Yes, cabbage. Within the vegetable kingdom, I know that cabbage isn’t always greeted with as much excitement as some of its neighbors.

Even among crucifers, cabbage is unflashy. It seems to receive less attention than broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.

There is no reason for this, however. Cabbage more than holds its own in nutrient density when compared to those vegetables. In some ways, I think that it has greater versatility than they do when it comes to texture and preparation styles.

Cabbage is available year-round where I live. But I feel a special kind of appreciation for it in the deep winter, when it’s one of the few vegetables that is fresh and abundant at the farmer’s market.

There’s nothing I love more than finding myself at home with a giant head of cabbage, thinking about what I’ll prepare with it. I know that I can easily use for two or sometimes even three cabbage recipes.

Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite cabbage dinners and side dish recipes with you. May this winter be a time to celebrate cabbage in all of its forms: crunchy, tender, raw, cooked, savory, and sweet!

I’ve divided this cabbage deep dive into sections:

1. Cabbage vegetable family
2. What does cabbage taste like?
3. Raw vs cooked cabbage
4. Cabbage nutrition
5. Types of cabbage
6. How to cut up a head of cabbage
7. How long can I store cabbage for?
8. 20 vegan cabbage recipes
9. Caramelized cabbage onion pasta

Before diving into recipes, let’s chat a bit about what cabbage is.

Cabbage vegetable family

Cabbage belongs to a family of flowering plants known as Brassicaceae. The vegetables in this family are also commonly known as mustards and, very aptly, the cabbage family.

When I was writing this post, I was confused about Brassicaceae (brassicas) vs. Cruciferae (crucifers), which is the other classification that I know of for cabbage.

Turns out, Cruciferae is just an older and alternative name for Brassicaceae.

“Cruciferae” is latin for “cross-bearing.” It’s a reference to the shape of the cross-shaped, four-petaled flowers that cruciferous vegetables produce.

Other Brassicaceae family members include:

• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Turnips
• Rutabaga
• Radishes
• Kohlrabi
• Bok choy
• Collard greens
• Arugula
• Mustard greens
• Brussels sprouts

These happen to be some of my very favorite vegetables to eat.

What does cabbage taste like?

Brassicas tend to have slightly bitter, sharp, and peppery flavors. I love this flavor profile, and I think it’s part of why cabbage is such a favorite of mine.

The beautiful thing about cabbage, though, is that its sharp bite can be entirely transformed with cooking.

When you braise, simmer, sauté, or roast cabbage for enough time, it’s pepperiness and bitterness give way to a lovely, deep sweetness of flavor.

While I enjoy the assertiveness and crunch of raw cabbage, I also love to bring out this sweet side of its character.

Raw vs. cooked cabbage

One of the nice things about cabbage is that it has so many culinary uses in both its raw and cooked forms.

Raw cabbage

In its raw form, cabbage is delightfully crunchy and crisp. It can be sliced or shredded very thinly or left a little more thick, for more texture.

When I prepare raw cabbage, I typically use my food slicer for ease and uniform slicing. However, you can also use a food processor or simply a sharp chef’s knife for this job.

Here’s just a small sampling of the cabbage recipes that you can create with raw cabbage:

• Salads
• Traditional coleslaw and other slaws
• Shredded cabbage for crunch in tacos or burritos
• Cabbage ”cups” for beans, tofu, tempeh, whole grains, or other nutritious fillings
• Sauerkraut or lacto-fermented cabbage

Cooked cabbage

Cooked cabbage becomes tender and sweet. It has wonderful range in recipes!

Cabbage can be cooked with many different methods. You can roast, sauté, steam, or bake it. Steaming cabbage will help the vegetable to retain a bit of its crunch and freshness.

Sautéing and roasting cabbage will allow the vegetable to release its assertive quality and crunchy texture. The longer you cook cabbage, the more mellow, sweet, and soft it will be.

Cabbage nutrition

As a registered dietitian, it’s hard for me not to become comically enthusiastic when I write about the remarkable nutrient density of cabbage.

Cabbage is chock-full of so many powerful micronutrients and phytonutrients. These include the following, but aren’t limited to them.

Vitamin C

A single cup of shredded cabbage contains more than 50% of the adult RDA of Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid.

Ascorbic acid is an antioxidant, which means that it can help to guard against oxidative damage and its associated inflammatory effects. Ascorbic acid is also important for overall immune function, as well as absorption of iron from food.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin that’s necessary for the production of two important proteins. One is prothrombin, which plays a key role in blood clotting.

The other is osteocalcin, which is produced by osteoclasts in our bones. Osteocalcin plays a role in metabolism and is increasingly thought to play a role in cognition and reproduction, too.

There are two naturally occurring forms, or vitamers, of Vitamin K. One is a group called menaquinones, often labeled as Vitamin K2. Menaquinones can be obtained through some animal foods as well as natto, or fermented soybeans.

The other is phylloquinone, also labeled as Vitamin K1. Phylloquinone is supplied abundantly by brassicas, cabbage included!

Phytosterols

Phytosterols are a type of plant compound that has a similar molecular structure to cholesterol.

For this reason, they compete with cholesterol in digestion pathways, essentially blocking cholesterol absorption. Phytosterol consumption has been shown in studies to have the effect of lowering total and LDL cholesterol.

Cabbage is a good source of phytosterols generally. Chinese cabbage, one type of which is also called Napa cabbage, is an especially good source.

Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are a type of pigment that’s found in red, purple, and blue fruits and vegetables. Accordingly, red cabbage is an excellent source of anthocyanins.

This is good news, because anthocyanins are, like the Vitamin C that’s also in cabbage, antioxidants.

Their antioxidant activity helps to explain why anthocyanins have been associated with protecting the cardiovascular and nervous systems, both of which are susceptible to oxidative stress.

Anthocyanins are associated in particular with neuroprotective properties, which means that they may have a positive impact on neurological health and the prevention of cognitive decline.

You may have read at some point that blueberries are a positive food choice for those looking to boost brain health, and this is why.

Similarly, the anthocyanins in red cabbage may help to support longterm cognitive health and function.

Glucosinolates

Glucosinolates form from cabbage and other brassicas, including kale, broccoli, and arugula. They’re sulfur-containing plant compounds that contribute to the bitter taste we tend to associate with these cruciferous veggies.

Like anthocyanins, glucosinolates are increasingly being studied for their potential to support cardiovascular and neurological health through combatting oxidative stress.

Glucosinolates become bioactive when brassicas are broken down through chewing or chopping. This is a reason to chew your cabbage slaws and slice or chop your cabbage before cooking it!

Fiber

Finally, cabbage is also a great source of dietary fiber, which contributes to digestive health and satiety after meals.

Dietary fiber also plays a role in helping to lower LDL cholesterol, which is the “bad” cholesterol associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Types of cabbage: green vs. red vs. Napa

There are apparently over 400 varieties of cabbage grown worldwide. Here are the ones that I most commonly use in my recipes, and which you might encounter most often in stores:

Green cabbage

Green cabbage comes in globe-shaped heads, which can range in size from small to large (bigger than a human head, for sure).

This type of cabbage grows throughout the United States. In the Northeast, where I live, green cabbage is abundant in colder months, but it can usually be found easily year-round.

Green cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked. It’s generally inexpensive, and, as we’ve seen above, it’s highly nutritious.

If you see a head of green cabbage that seems to have very wrinkled leaves, there’s a good chance that it’s savoy cabbage. Savoy cabbage is a green cabbage variety that’s named for the Savoy region in France.

Red (or purple) cabbage

Is it red or is it purple? I’m sure I’ve used both designations on this blog, but usually, I refer to it as red cabbage.

In any case, this variety of cabbage can range in color from a deep, dark purple to bright and almost fuschia.

Red cabbage is often used for pickling and braising.

From a taste and culinary perspective, I think you can use red cabbage interchangeably with green cabbage. Simply be aware that the color will bleed out as red cabbage cooks, so it might turn soups, stews, or pasta dishes a slightly muddy, purple color.

On the other hand, raw red cabbage can add a beautiful crimson pop of color to salads more.

Napa cabbage

Napa cabbage isn’t the only type of Chinese cabbage, but it is a type of Chinese cabbage, and it’s often referred to as Chinese cabbage.

The name “napa,” however, is actually Japanese in origin. Nappa (菜っ葉), in colloquial/regional Japanese, describes edible leaves of any vegetable.

Napa cabbage has long, thick stems and crispy, slightly curly leaved tops. I love sautéing it for use in stir fry dishes.

Napa cabbage can also make a really good slaw, especially those crunchy, green top parts of its leaves.

When I went to Korea in 2019, I learned that napa cabbage is also the main type of cabbage that’s used to make kimchi throughout the country.

How to cut up a head of cabbage

Maybe the one thing I don’t love about cabbage? It can be tough to break down for slicing, shredding, or cutting into wedges. Especially if it happens to be one of those enormous heads of cabbage.

With that said, the end result—tons of cabbage for eating right away or cooking—is well worth it.

This is a good tutorial on cutting cabbage up.

How long can I store cabbage for?

Cabbage will stay freshest if you store it whole, rather than cut. It should be stored in the fridge, and it’s best to keep it in a produce or silicone storage bag, if you have one large enough to fit it.

Stored this way, cabbage can keep in the fridge for 10-14 days.

Cut cabbage should be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap to protect the cut side. It should keep in the crisper of your fridge for about 5 days once cut.

20 Healthful Cabbage Dinners and Sides

Now that we’ve covered the ins and outs of this wonderful crucifer, let’s talk about recipes!

Here are 15 of my favorite, healthful cabbage dinners and sides.

Dinner recipes

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Rice, Lentils, and Currants

These vegan cabbage rolls are stuffed with a mixture of rice, lentils, currants, and spices. They're flavorful, filling, and a perfect dish to make for entertaining!

Get the recipe

Spicy Roasted Broccoli Kimchi Noodles

These vegan kimchi noodles feature spicy roasted broccoli and two forms of cabbage: fermented kimchi and crunchy, raw red cabbage. The noodles have a variety of textures and pack a big punch of flavor! This is a colorful, vibrant noodle dish to meal prep for you work week lunches.

Get the recipe

Vegan Borscht Recipe

This vegan Borscht recipe from Anya Kassoff's book, Simply Vibrant, is as nourishing as it is beautiful to look at! The cabbage becomes meltingly tender with slow simmering, and the soup has so much depth of flavor. Serve with some hearty bread for a perfect winter lunch.

Get the recipe

Brown Rice Lentil Stir Fry with Peanut Butter Sauce

This quick, easy vegan brown rice lentil stir fry will become your go-to weeknight dinner! Lentils and rice meet shredded cabbage, carrots, and broccoli in a nutritious plant-based meal. Make the stir fry complete with a versatile and delicious peanut butter sauce.

Get the recipe

Tempeh Tostadas with Citrus Slaw

These tempeh tostadas are easy to prepare for a fresh, high-protein breakfast or lunch. Sautéed tempeh strips are topped with a zesty, citrusy slaw of cabbage and carrot and served on crispy, baked corn tortillas.

Get the recipe

Chickpea Burrito Bowls

These vegan chickpea burrito bowls are easy to meal prep and so delicious! They feature chickpeas that have been seasoned with salsa for almost instant flavor, along with tender rice and crunchy cabbage and romaine lettuce. Top them with my creamy cashew queso sauce for a vibrant and filling meal.

Get the recipe

20 Healthful Cabbage Dinners and Sides: Cabbage Onion Pasta

This caramelized cabbage & onion pasta is one of my favorite winter comfort food dishes! It's deeply savory, a little sweet, easy to make, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Plus, 20 cabbage dinners and sides that show off the versatility and incredible nutrition of this humble vegetable!

Get the recipe

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.

Get the recipe

BBQ Soy Curl Sandwiches with Cabbage Apple Slaw

These vegan BBQ soy curl sandwiches are made with a crispy and tangy cabbage apple slaw. The sandwiches have it all: protein, crunch, and tons of flavor. Serve them on your favorite toasted burger bun for a hearty meal!

Get the recipe

Breakfast Macro Bowls

These breakfast macro bowls are proof that it's never too early in the day to eat your veggies! The bowls feature cabbage in the form of kimchi or sauerkraut, steamed greens, roasted vegetables, beans, brown rice, and a vibrant sauce. They're such a nourishing and grounding way to begin the day.

Get the recipe

Crispy Cauliflower Chimichurri Tacos

These crispy cauliflower chimichurri tacos are a vibrant, colorful, and gluten-free plant-based meal that are perfect for sharing with friends! Crispy roasted cauliflower makes a satisfying and nutritious filling. Shredded, crunchy cabbage adds texture, while a bright chimichurri gives these tacos tons of herbaceous flavor.

Get the recipe

Salads and sides

Braised Red Cabbage

This is my favorite recipe for braised red cabbage! It's tart, salty, and a little sweet, thanks to the addition of sliced apples.

Get the recipe

Turmeric Slaw

This turmeric slaw recipe is a bright, fresh, crunchy celebration of color, texture, and plant-powered phytonutrients! Cabbage, carrots, greens, sprouts, and cilantro are brought together by a golden-hued turmeric tahini dressing. This is the perfect, colorful accompaniment to sandwiches, wraps, soups, and other simple lunch fare.

Get the recipe

Cauliflower Pomegranate Kale Salad

This festive salad is packed with healthful, plant-based ingredients! Spice rubbed, roasted cauliflower, pomegranate seeds, kale, and cabbage make it a nutrient dense option for holiday gatherings and celebrations. Easy to meal prep, and the leftovers keep well.

Get the recipe

Carrot Miso Kelp Noodle Salad with Seared Tempeh

This carrot miso kelp noodle cabbage salad has the best mix of textures! Crunchy cabbage and kelp noodles meet tender, seared tempeh. A sweet and salty orange carrot miso dressing brings this colorful dish to life.

Get the recipe

Vegan Kale Colcannon

This is a vegan version of traditional colcannon, prepared with kale or cabbage for extra nutrition! I love adding a vegan meat for extra protein and satisfaction. This dish is so cozy and hearty, and it's truly the best winter comfort food.

Get the recipe

Cabbage Apple Sesame Slaw

Nothing beats a great slaw recipe, and this crunchy cabbage apple sesame slaw is so unique! It features a sesame-based dressing, rather than vinaigrette or mayonnaise. The slaw also has shelled hemp hearts for protein and texture.

Get the recipe

Spice Roasted Cabbage Steak Wedges

These spice roasted cabbage steak wedges will add flavor, nutrition, and substance to your plant-based plates! They're made with a spice blend of turmeric, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. The cabbage wedges steam cook before they finish roasting, which gives them incredible, tender texture. Serve them with whole grains, a vegan protein, and a drizzle of sauce for a wholesome meal.

Get the recipe

Perfect Winter Chopped Salad with Pumpkin Seed Peppercorn Dressing

This is the perfect vegan winter chopped salad! It has a wonderful contrast of textures from raw, chopped carrots, celery, and cabbage mixed with tender, roasted sweet potatoes. Plus, you'll fall in love with the zesty, creamy pumpkin seed peppercorn dressing.

Get the recipe

Super Simple Very Green Soup

This super simple, very green soup is a warming, cozy way to get your greens in! It can be made with any green vegetables that you have at home, including green cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, kale, chard, spinach, collard greens, and more. It's easy to make and so healthful.

Get the recipe

Caramelized Cabbage Onion Pasta

There’s much that I love in so many of the recipes above. But there’s one cabbage dinner on the list that I love and make more than any other.

It’s a warm, savory smoky dish of caramelized cabbage onion pasta.

Since I first prepared the pasta dish in 2019, I’ve made it so many times.

The cabbage pasta is especially craveable in the winter months. It’s so hearty.

Plus, I love the way that sautéed onion and cabbage create sweet contrast with the savory and smoky flavors of the dish. This pasta includes a pinch of smoked paprika and also crispy tempeh bacon.

When all of the ingredients—pasta, sweet and browning onions and cabbage, plant-based bacon, maybe a pinch of fresh herbs—come together, the effect is comfort food magic.

For all of cabbage’s many uses, one doesn’t see it in pasta recipes all that often. If you’ve never tried cabbage pasta before, this recipe is a really fun place to start.

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20 Healthful Cabbage Dinners and Sides: Cabbage Onion Pasta

This caramelized cabbage & onion pasta is one of my favorite winter comfort food dishes! It's deeply savory, a little sweet, easy to make, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Plus, 20 cabbage dinners and sides that show off the versatility and incredible nutrition of this humble vegetable!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine American

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

Keyword cabbage, dinner, easy, onion, pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• sauté pan

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegan butter (substitute olive oil)
• 1 large yellow or white onion
• 1 lb green cabbage (455g; about 1/2 medium-sized head of cabbage, or 5-6 cups)
• 1 cup vegetable broth (more as needed)
• 8 slices tempeh bacon (or 4 slices store-bought vegan bacon of choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (substitute 1 teaspoon sweet paprika)
• 8 ounces pasta of choice
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Splash white balsamic vinegar (Optional and to taste; red balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar is also fine)
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or as needed)

Instructions

Prep your vegetables

• Cut the onion in half and slice it thinly. Chop, shred, or thinly slice the cabbage (you can use a food processor to speed this step up).
  

Caramelize the onions and cabbage

• Heat the oil or butter in a large, roomy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion.
  
• Cook, stirring every now and then, for 8-10 minutes, or until the onions are gently browning and translucent.
  
• Add the bacon and sauté for 1 minute more.
  
• Add the cabbage, 1 cup vegetable broth, and smoked paprika.
  
• Continue cooking the vegetables for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until the onions have darkened and the cabbage is very tender. If the vegetables get at all dry, add a few extra splashes of broth.
  

Prepare the pasta

• While the onions and cabbage caramelize, cook the pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta and vegetables are both ready, drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add both the pasta and a half cup the pasta water to the skillet.
  
• Warm all of the ingredients through. Taste, and then add salt, pepper, and/or vinegar to your liking. If the mixture gets a little dry, add some more of the pasta water. Serve the pasta, with chopped parsley if you like.
  

Video

https://youtu.be/OiTpSYuC_dk

Hope one or two of these recipes will give you inspiration to incorporate a truly wonderful vegetable into some new, everyday meals!

xo

The post 20 Healthful Cabbage Dinners and Sides  appeared first on The Full Helping.

These baked, American-style teriyaki tofu cubes are easy to make in your air fryer or oven. They’re a perfect, homemade alternative to pre-seasoned and baked tofu from the store, and they’re super versatile. Add them to bowls, stir fry dishes, or noodles for extra protein!

One of my small wins of 2022 was that I got back into the habit of preparing homemade staples.

What are staples? There isn’t a single or obvious answer, but for me, “staples” are everyday, household items that I use to build or enhance my meals.

Staples are items that I tend to have on hand at all times, because I turn to them so often.

They include the following:

• Sandwich bread
• Marinara sauce
• BBQ sauce
• Salad dressings
• Vegan cheeses: soft cheese, vegan ricotta, vegan cream cheese, feta, yellow cheese sauce
• Refried beans
• Sour cream
• Quick pickled onions
• Hummus

Another “staple” category, for me, is the category of simple vegan proteins.

As far as macronutrients go, I never struggle to incorporate either carbs or healthful fats into my meals.

Protein can be a little trickier: it’s the macronutrient that I need to give conscious attention to.

For this reason, I often organize my meals reflexively around a plant protein source. When I wrote The Vegan Week, I intentionally started with the proteins chapter; everything else followed.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

For years, I’ve relied on store-bought, marinated and baked tofu. Several mainstream brands, including Nasoya and Wildwood, make baked tofu that you can purchase, cube or slice, and eat right away.

I have nothing against naked tofu. But sometimes it’s nice to eat well-seasoned tofu that you didn’t have to season yourself.

That said, the pre-baked tofu products are more expensive than plain tofu. And I nearly always have all of the ingredients at home that I’d need to create something very similar.

As is often the case with me and cooking, the toughest thing is to stand up and get the preparation process started. Once I do that, the actual cooking is almost always less of a burden than I thought it would be.

The store-bought, seasoned tofu that I purchase most often is teriyaki tofu. So today, as a new month and new year begin, I’m sharing a recipe that I recently made as an alternative to buying it.

Is there anything terribly wrong with buying teriyaki tofu at the store? No, of course not. I’m so grateful that convenient options exist for me. But when I have just a little extra time and motivation, it sure is nice to eat a homemade version instead.

This one is particularly simple.

About teriyaki

Before I say more about this recipe, it’s important to note that, in Japan, teriyaki refers not to a sauce or seasoning, but to a cooking method.

Teriyaki, which by my understanding translates to “glossy broil,” is a method of grilling food with a glaze of soy sauce, mirin or sake, and sugar. Garlic and fresh ginger can be added to the glaze.

Teriyaki sauce

Bottled teriyaki sauces and teriyaki sauce recipes in the US are often very different from the glaze mentioned above.

They might include, as my teriyaki tofu recipe does, vinegar. They might also include honey; mine includes maple syrup instead.

US versions of teriyaki sauce also frequently use cornstarch for thickening. In Japan, the thickening apparently comes from pan reduction and caramelization.

I learned a lot from this post by Namiko Chen, and I highly recommend it if you’d like to prepare teriyaki sauce with traditional Japanese methods and ingredients. As Chen notes, that sauce is all about delicate taste.

You may also enjoy, and want to recreate at home, the American versions of teriyaki sauce. The prepared teriyaki tofu I’ve grown accustomed to picking up in stores has an Americanized flavor profile. I follow that flavor profile for this recipe.

About this teriyaki marinade

The “sauce” in my baked teriyaki tofu recipe is really more of a marinade than a sauce. There’s no cornstarch or other thickening agent.

Rather, the idea is for the marinade to reduce during baking. This is how the tofu cubes become darkened and deeply flavorful.

After baking, they won’t be glazed, but they will have a very concentrated flavor. When you pull them out of the oven or air fryer, they’ll have some crispy texture, too.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that I use to make my non-Japanese teriyaki glaze:

Soy sauce

I use tamari shoyu in this recipe, as I almost always have it at home. I also like the Kikkoman organic naturally brewed soy sauce.

For more on history and varieties of soy sauce, you can check out this post.

Maple syrup

I use maple syrup in place of the honey or sugar that’s often incorporated into teriyaki sauce recipes in America.

However, brown sugar will also work in this recipe. If you make that swap, you can use 3-4 tablespoons of sugar (adjust to your taste).

Rice vinegar

Rice vinegar will add a touch of acidity and tartness to offset the sweet and salty flavors of the sauce. You can substitute cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or distilled white vinegar if that’s what you have at home.

Avocado oil

Refined avocado oil is my go-to for high temperature cooking, including baking and roasting. You can substitute another vegetable oil that’s neutral in flavor and stable at high temperatures, such as safflower or grapeseed.

Ginger

I like to use ground spices in marinades for easy coating and smooth consistency. I like to use ground ginger here, but fresh minced ginger is also fine. The ginger is optional.

Garlic powder

As with the ginger, I use a ground form of garlic powder here. If you prefer to use minced garlic cloves, go for it! And you can also omit or increase the amount of garlic to suit your taste.

How to make baked teriyaki tofu cubes

Baked or air fried, I should say!

I tested the teriyaki tofu cubes in both my air fryer and my oven. Both work nicely, and I’m sure that I’ll use both methods often.

If my oven is on because I’m in the middle of my vegan meal prep for other things—roasted veggies or a sheet pan meal, for example—I can pop the teriyaki tofu into the oven as I’m ready.

If the oven isn’t on, the air fryer is often a quicker option. I’ve used it often to make my tempeh nuggets in the last few months, and it’s perfect for this tofu recipe as well.

Step 1: Cube

I cut my block of tofu into 32 cubes in total. Each should be about 3/4″ on each side.

Step 2: Marinate

A mere 2 hours of marinating time will be enough for the tofu to soak up some flavor.

However, if you have the time to marinate the tofu overnight, then I recommend marinating it overnight. It will soak up all of the sweet and salty boldness of the teriyaki marinade.

I often find that an overnight marinade is even easier than a short one, since it helps to break my meal prep process up into steps.

Step 3: Air fry or bake

You have two options for cooking the marinated tofu. One is to use an air fryer, if you have it.

The advantage of an air fryer is even, quick cooking. Hot air will circulate around the tofu as it cooks, which speeds cooking time. If you air fry, the tofu will need about 10 minutes at 400F.

In the oven, the tofu cubes will need 12-14 minutes. The cooking temperature will be the same: 400F.

No matter which method you choose, I find it’s helpful to “baste” the cubes a little with leftover marinade halfway through their cooking time.

Doing so helps to give them the glazed quality that’s associated with the teriyaki cooking method, and it simply adds more flavor.

I use a simple silicone basting brush to do this. In the air fryer, I shake the basket to redistribute the cubes after five minutes, then use the brush to gently brush more marinated over them. You don’t have to be overly fussy about this; just coat them with a little extra liquid.

In the oven, I brush the top sides of the teriyaki tofu cubes with marinade after 6 minutes of cooking. Then I flip the cubes on their baking sheet and return them to the oven for another 6-8 minutes.

In the end, cubes should have a nice, deep color, thanks to the soy sauce, and they should appear firm and slightly browned at edges.

Step 4: Store

The teriyaki tofu cubes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 6 weeks.

How to serve

Serving the teriyaki tofu cubes may be as simple as placing them in a bowl with some cooked rice, some veggies, and your favorite vegan sauce.

You can also toss a bunch of the cubes into a hot or cold noodle dish for added protein. I think they’d be great as an addition to a spicy, brothy winter soup.

Here are a few other recipes that I like to use these cubes in:

• 15-minute meal prep teriyaki tofu noodle bowls
• Add some of the cubes to this easy, inexpensive brown rice lentil stir fry
• Chili roasted cauliflower and brown rice kimchi bowls
• As an addition to my cultured breakfast macro bowls or Power Plates macro bowls
• Try them as a topping for my smashed kimchi chickpea salad toasts
• Make the cubes a protein-rich add-on to my roasted broccoli & kimchi spicy soba noodle toss
• Turn my savory squash & kimchi breakfast porridge into an even more high-protein option by adding a handful of teriyaki tofu cubes to your bowl
• Add plant-protein and a flavor punch to this otherwise simple broccoli stem stir fry
• Make these vegan dumpling bowls even more filling and fun

I’m sure that there are so many other ways to use the cubes. I’ll find more of my own, and you’ll find your own if you make the recipe, too.

With that in mind, here’s how to do it!

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Baked Teriyaki Tofu Cubes (Air Fryer and Oven Options!)

These baked teriyaki tofu cubes are easy to make in your oven or air fryer. They're a perfect, homemade alternative to pre-seasoned and baked tofu from the store, and they're versatile! Add them to bowls, stir fry dishes, or noodles for extra protein.

Course protein, side

Cuisine Japanese-inspired

Diet Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bowls, meal prep, protein, soy sauce, tofu

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Marinating time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 17 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• air fryer (optional)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup soy sauce (you can use a lower sodium version if it suits your health needs best)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional and adjust to taste; can be substituted with 1-2 teaspoons fresh, finely minced ginger)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional; can be substituted with 1 finely minced clove garlic)

Instructions

• Cut the tofu into cubes, each about 3/4" on all sides (I get 32 cubes for a standard 14 or 16oz block of tofu). Place the cubes in a storage container that can fit them all easily. Whisk the soy sauce or tamari, maple syrup, vinegar, avocado oil, ginger, and garlic powder together.
• Pour this marinade over the cubes.* Cover the container and shake it gently to disperse the marinade. Refrigerate the tofu for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• If using an air fryer: use a slotted spoon to remove the tofu cubes from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer (if your basket is small and this isn't possible, air fry the tofu in 2 batches). Air fry the tofu at 400F for 10 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, pause the cooking cycle, remove the basket from the air fryer, and give it a gentle shake. This will help "stir" the tofu and help it to cook evenly. Use a brush to coat the tofu cubes with a little extra marinade. Return them to the air fryer and allow them to cook for the remaining 5 minutes, or until browning along the edges. Serve.
• If using an oven to bake: preheat the oven to 400F. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tofu cubes from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Place the tofu cubes in a single layer on a nonstick or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes. 
• Use a brush to brush the top sides of the tofu with extra marinade, then gently flip them over, so that they cook evenly. Bake for another 6-8 minutes, or until the cubes are browning and crisping along the edges. Serve.

Notes

*There will be plentiful marinade and you’ll have some leftover from the recipe, but having enough marinade to submerge the cubes fully makes marinating easier. You can save leftover marinade for up to 5 days in the fridge and use it for seasoning, or freeze it for future seasoning if you like.

I love starting my week with the knowledge that I have some sort of nutritious vegan protein in my fridge.

It’s absolutely fine when that protein happens to come from the store. I’m thankful to have some vegan meatballs and chick’n in my freezer now, along with seitan deli slices in the fridge that I definitely didn’t make from scratch.

Yet it feels unmistakably nice to whip up a protein from scratch and realize that it probably took less effort than running to the store would have.

I hope that these little salty/sweet flavor bombs will find their way into some of your simple meals soon. And I’ll be back around this weekend for the usual roundup.

xo

The post Baked Teriyaki Tofu Cubes appeared first on The Full Helping.

These spice roasted cabbage steak wedges will add flavor, nutrition, and substance to your plant-based plates! They’re made with a spice blend of turmeric, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. The cabbage wedges steam cook before they finish roasting, which gives them incredible, tender texture. Serve them with whole grains, a vegan protein, and a drizzle of sauce for a wholesome meal.

My favorite feedback that I’ve gotten about The Vegan Week so far has nothing to do with the book’s recipes.

Rather, I’ve been surprised and amused by the fact that my love/hate relationship with cooking, which I describe in the book’s pages, has struck a chord.

Many of you have shared that you struggle with the same emotional barriers to cooking that I do: overwhelm, lack of motivation, and resistance.

My reluctance to cook is always heightened in this week of pause between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I’ve usually been at my mom’s, enjoying the coziness there. I don’t see nutrition clients this week, and honestly, the last thing that I feel like doing with my extra time is to cook.

With all of that said, I feel so much better when I start a new year with a fridge full of delicious, homemade meals.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

This is the real message of the new cookbook: sometimes I have zero motivation to cook, yet I want to enjoy the food that cooking creates.

Meal prep is the bridge between these two conflicting states. It’s the habit that helps me to cook regardless of whether I’m in a phase of loving or downright hating it.

With this in mind, I’m going to cook some food this weekend. I’ll probably make some of my favorite recipes from the book, since I’m still getting used to holding a physical copy.

In the meantime, I can share the tender, sweet and savory spice roasted cabbage steak wedges that I prepared right before the holidays!

What is cabbage steak?

Cabbage “steak” is really just a way of preparing cabbage that highlights the vegetable’s heartiness.

It’s the same idea behind cauliflower “steak,” and it’s the principle that makes whole roasted cauliflower popular, too.

Certain vegetables—cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, some mushrooms—are inherently sturdy. They hold up well to being cut and served in large pieces. In this way, they capture some of the substance and fulsome quality that’s often associated with a steak dinner.

Why wedges?

Cabbage steaks can be cut in a few different ways. I’ve seen recipes that call for slicing them so that the “steak” is an entire cross-section of cabbage head.

It can be tricky to do this, however, especially if you have a large head of cabbage on your hands.

I find it simpler to slice the head of cabbage in half, then cut each half into wedges.

In addition to being a simple way of creating “steaks,” I like that the wedges have some variety in thickness/texture.

Why spice-roasted?

Cabbage steak that has been prepared plainly—with only salt and pepper and some oil—can be very delicious.

But I think that the spice blend that I used for this recipe really elevates the cabbage.

That spice mixture is a combination of turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. It’s a nice mix of warm, sweet, bitter, and earthy.

If there’s a spice in there that you don’t care for, you can of course omit it. You could also make substitutions based on your preferences, adding different herbs or spices as you like. This is a flexible recipe!

Achieving a perfect texture

You’ll see that the cabbage steak recipe calls for a 2-step cooking process.

First, you’ll roast the cabbage wedges underneath a layer of foil or tightly wrapped parchment. Then, you’ll remove the foil and allow the wedges to finish roasting. Each step will take 20 minutes or so.

Why the 2-step roasting?

Well, the steaming step ensures that your cabbage steaks are entirely tender through the center. The uncovered roasting allows them to become beautifully browned, but not burnt, at the surface.

I use this method often when I roast vegetables. It’s especially useful if you prefer to roast vegetables without a lot of cooking oil.

Most importantly, it will allow your vegetables to become truly tender without encouraging them to crisp up too much.

One challenge that I often find with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli is that it can take a lot of roasting for them to tenderize. By the point they’re roasted enough, they might be more burnt than I enjoy at their edges.

Steam roasting, then uncovering the vegetables, creates the best of both worlds: tender texture without a charred exterior.

How to make spice-roasted cabbage steak wedges

The two step roasting process might sound complex, but all in all, this is a simple recipe.

Step 1: cut the cabbage into wedges

You’ll need a nice, sharp chef’s knife for this. I recommend using a medium large head of cabbage for nice, thick wedges.

It won’t be possible to make all of the wedges uniform in size, but simply do your best. They definitely don’t have to be identical.

Step 2: coat and spice rub the wedges

For this step, you’ll transfer the wedges to a prepared baking sheet. Coat each side lightly with avocado oil (or another vegetable oil) and dust it with the spice mixture. Repeat on the other side, so that the wedges are spice-rubbed on top and bottom.

Step 3: roast, covered

For 20 minutes or so, the cabbage steak wedges will roast with a layer of foil wrapped tightly over their baking sheet. This will seal in flavor and help them to become tender throughout.

Step 4: roast, uncovered

Next, you’ll remove the foil and roast the wedges until they’re browning lightly and very tender. This step will take another 15-20 minutes.

When you finish, you’ll have beautifully golden, flavorful, and fragrant wedges of sweet and savory cabbage.

How to serve cabbage steak wedges

There are so many ways to enjoy these wholesome slabs of veggie goodness.

When I first made them, I took the easy route, which was to put them into a vegan lunch bowl. It consisted of cooked brown rice, chickpeas, steamed greens, the cabbage steak wedges, and a nice drizzle of my turmeric tahini dressing.

The wedges would be a great addition to, and a nice pop of color for, my cumin-spiced lentils and rice.

You could use the wedges to top a beautiful slice of smashed avocado toast or add them to a bowl of soup.

And if you need a quick, easy meal, serve them with some cooked couscous (or another grain) and a vegan protein of your choice (a store-bought vegan meat, some beans, like these brothy white beans, or baked tofu/tempeh).

If you have time, add a dressing. A simple drizzle of nice olive oil and a squeeze of lemon would be fine, but I’m eager to try the wedges with my yum sauce, too.

This easygoing mix of ingredients will make for a very inviting plate.

Meal prep and storage

The baked cabbage steak wedges can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover wedges, if you have them, for up to 6 weeks.

More winter vegetable goodness

Cabbage is accessible where I live year-round, but I always think of it as being a winter vegetable. Beautiful, big round heads of cabbage exist at the farmers’ market near me when few other fresh veggies do.

If you love this recipe, then here are some other fun, wintery, vegetable-driven dishes to explore:

• My favorite braised red cabbage
• Miso butter brussels sprouts
• Loaded garlic kale potatoes
• Super simple, very green soup
• Cauliflower steaks over garlicky edamame mash
• Simple vegan creamed spinach
• Vegan kale colcannon

And I hope that the cabbage steak wedges will find their way to your table soon.

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Spice Roasted Cabbage Steak Wedges

These spice roasted cabbage steak wedges will add flavor, nutrition, and substance to your plant-based plates! They're made with a spice blend of turmeric, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. The cabbage wedges steam cook before they finish roasting, which gives them incredible, tender texture. Serve them with whole grains, a vegan protein, and a drizzle of sauce for a wholesome meal.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cabbage, easy, roasting, side dish, winter

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• baking sheet

Ingredients

• 1 medium large head cabbage (2-2 1/4 lb/900-1015g)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil (or another vegetable oil for roasting)
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the cabbage

• Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Evenly mix the turmeric, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small pinch bowl. Trim off the tough stem of the cabbage head. Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise, from top to bottom.
  
• Lay each half, cut side down, on a cutting board. Cut it in half lengthwise once again. At this point, you should have 4 large cabbage wedges.
  
• Cut each wedge in half one final time through the center. You'll have 8 wedges total. They won't all be identical in size, which is OK!
  

Roast the cabbage steak wedges

• Transfer the wedges to the baking sheet. Drizzle them with half of the oil, then use your hands to rub the oil onto the cut, upturned surface of the cabbage wedges. 
  
• Next, sprinkle the wedges with half of the spice mixture. Rub the spices over the upturned surfaces of the cabbage wedges. 
  
• Flip the wedges over and repeat this process with the other half of the oil and spice mixture, so that both sides of the cabbage wedges are spice rubbed and gently coated with oil. If you like, you can use avocado oil spray instead of drizzling.
  
• Cover the wedges with a layer of foil, tucking the foil under the edges of the baking sheet so that it's placed tightly and securely over the baking sheet. You may need two overlapping pieces of foil. 
  
• Bake the cabbage wedges for 20 minutes, then remove the foil. The wedges will be tender, but not yet browning.
  
• Return the wedges to the oven, uncovered, and bake them for another 15-20 minutes, or until they're tender, sweet, and very crispy at the edges. Serve or store for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
  

As always, I’m behind on sharing recipes. But there are more new ones to come.

In the meantime, these tender, roasted wedges feel like a good recipe with which to wrap up 2023. They’re oh-so-simple as they are, but they have infinite potential.

I hope you’ll enjoy them. And I’ll check in just as the new year begins, for weekend reading.

xo

The post Spice Roasted Cabbage Steak Wedges appeared first on The Full Helping.

Tiramisu is a classic and beloved Italian dessert that features layers of custard and coffee-soaked sponge. This post will show you how to make homemade vegan tiramisu that’s delectably creamy and entirely dairy-free. This version uses tender, melt-in-your mouth vanilla cake as a sponge, which is easier to make from scratch than ladyfingers!

I’ll never forget the first time I saw tiramisu.

I was at an Italian restaurant in my grandmother’s neighborhood, probably six or seven years old at the time. My grandmother—my Yaya—ordered it for dessert. I asked about what she was having.

“Tir-a-mis-u!” she replied joyously.

My grandmother went on to tell me that tiramisu was made with layers of cake soaked in coffee and liquer, cream, and cocoa powder.

I was too young at the time for the sounds of coffee/liqueur-soaked sponge to be especially appealing. But I didn’t forget her enthusiasm.

Years later, tiramisu became one of my favorite desserts.

Then I became vegan, and since then, I’ve struggled to create a recipe that could rival any of the traditional versions that I remember.

Last year, I partnered with Modern General Dreamy Coffee Company on a homemade vegan tiramisu, using the brand’s signature coffee concentrate. After maybe twenty-five or more tries, I finally developed a vegan tiramisu recipe that I loved.

I always think of tiramisu as being a festive, wintery dessert. As the holiday season started this year, I re-tested my tiramisu, hoping that it would be as good as it was the first time.

It was. It is! And today, I’ll share the details of how to make it.

Since tiramisu is a slightly more involved dessert, this post is divided into sections:

• What, exactly, is tiramisu?
• Tofu cashew cream
• Cake > ladyfingers
• How to make vegan tiramisu
• Swaps and substitutions
• How long with the vegan tiramisu keep in the fridge?
• Can I freeze vegan tiramisu?
• More festive vegan dessert recipes

What, exactly, is tiramisu?

My grandmother’s explanation of the dessert was pretty spot on. But here are a few more details.

Tiramisu consists of sponge that is layered with mascarpone and whipped cream. The sponge is soaked in coffee or espresso, often with the addition of coffee liqueur or rum.

The top of the tiramisu is dusted with cocoa powder and sometimes chocolate shavings, too.

Those are the basics. But the details are where it gets interesting.

Sponge

The tiramisu sponge is usually soaked savoiardi. Savoiardi, also known as lady fingers, are long, finger-shaped biscuits. They’re usually made with whipped egg whites.

Savoiardi are tender when they’re freshly baked, but they crisp up quickly. Store-bought versions are usually quite crispy.

Some tiramisu recipes, however, call for layers of sponge cake. As you’ll see below, my vegan tiramisu calls for rectangular slices of a simple, vanilla-scented vegan cake.

Coffee

Most tiramisu recipes that I’ve seen call for espresso and some sort of spirit for soaking the sponge.

I’ve seen recipes made with any of the following: coffee liqueur, rum, brandy, amaretto, and marsala wine.

I choose to use a coffee liqueur in my vegan tiramisu. There’s one made by a local-to-me spirits company, Forthave, but any coffee liqueur would work in its place. So would rum, amaretto, or brandy.

If you’d like to make a non-alcoholic version, you can simply omit the addition of liqueur.

As for the coffee part, tiramisu made with espresso has a predictably bolder flavor than coffee-based versions. But having enough espresso on hand to soak all of the cake means pulling a lot of espresso shots!

Instead, my vegan tiramisu calls for cold brew concentrate. The concentrate has very bold flavor, so it easily imparts a lot of intensity to the soaked layers of cake.

Cream

I’ve seen different variations of the mascarpone + cream layer that creates pillowy softness in tiramisu.

In all cases, mascarpone creates some density, while cream adds lightness.

For me, the challenge was to make a version that featured a cream solid enough to hold its own, yet still silky and light.

Cashews and tofu to the rescue.

Tofu cashew cream

Both tofu and cashews have been cornerstone ingredients in my cooking and baking since I first adopted a plant-based diet.

It’s only in the last couple years, however, that I’ve realized how powerful they are as a duo.

The combination of (extra firm) tofu + cashews is what creates a perfect texture—not too crumbly, not too creamy—for my 10-minute vegan ricotta cheese.

Last year, I learned that I could create a perfect vegan whipped cream using silken tofu + cashews. This was great news to me, since I had been looking for a dairy-free whipped cream alternative to the many coconut-based versions out there.

When you combine soaked, blended raw cashews with tofu, you get a mixture of rich, luscious creaminess and some firmness of texture.

Added bonuses, at least from my perspective as a dietitian, is that cashews and tofu are both nutritious ingredients to work with.

Cashews are a source of healthful poly- and monounsaturated fats—the good fats that are associated with cardiovascular health.

Tofu is a great source of plant-protein, along with phytoestrogens that may benefit bone health and be associated with lower rates of certain cancers. It’s also rich in healthful fatty acids.

Culinary utility and good nutrition! What’s not to love?

In this vegan tiramisu recipe, tofu and cashews join forces to create the rich layers of cream that would normally be created by mascarpone and whipped cream. They do this beautifully, adding some nutrition along the way.

Cake > ladyfingers

I don’t have anything against ladyfinger cookies. But my opinion is that cake is an even better—and easier!—option for vegan tiramisu.

Ladyfinger cookies rely heavily on beaten egg whites. Yes, you could spend quite a bit of time cajoling aquafaba into stiff peaks and then piping ladyfingers yourself.

All of this takes considerable time, though. I love involved baking projects, but over the course of my many tiramisu trials, I found that vegan ladyfingers were a serious hassle.

Then I decided to try a version with cake instead.

It’s sort of funny that it wasn’t my first instinct to use vegan cake as my sponge here, since cake is my favorite dessert by far.

Here are the advantages of using cake instead of ladyfingers for the vegan tiramisu recipe:

• Yummy, tender, vanilla-scented layers of sponge
• No need for a piping bag
• Even layers with no gaps (the cake will fit precisely and snugly in your square dish)
• Egg replacer not required!
• Make ahead options

There are two tricks to working with cake in this recipe. The first is to cut the cake into long, rectangular pieces, so that they’re similar in shape to ladyfingers.

Yet cake pieces will have the advantage, since they’re made from a single sheet/layer of cake, of having no gaps between them. This makes it easy to spread your cream layer evenly over the cake.

The other trick-of-the-trade here is to let the cut cake slices sit out for a day or so.

Why? Because the time in open air will dry the cake slices out a bit. It makes them similar in texture to ladyfinger cookies, and it also makes them more able to absorb the coffee liquid without becoming soggy.

How to make vegan tiramisu

That’s the back story. Now it’s time for the fun part: assembly!

Here’s how to make perfectly layered, decadent and rich, mocha-scented vegan tiramisu.

First things first: ideally, preparation of the vegan tiramisu will take place in stages over 2-3 days.

The process can be condensed and done in 2 or even a single day instead. But the recipe works out best if you’re willing to take your time and work through the steps progressively.

An added bonus of slow assembly? Ease. Each step will feel manageable, even if you’re busy or tired or have other things to cook. Progressive dessert making is always more enjoyable for me than rushing through the process.

That’s how to think about your time commitment. And here’s what you’ll need to do.

Step 1: bake your cake

The cake itself is simple. Basically, it’s a variation (with different proportions) of my beloved vegan vanilla cake, a go-to for birthdays. No aquafaba, stand mixer, fancy decoration, or piping bag is required!

Step 2: slice and stale your cake

Once the cake layers have been baked and cooled, you’ll slice them into long, rectangular pieces.

I do this by cutting each square cake in half, then slicing each half into 8 rectangular pieces. You’ll have 16 pieces total for each of your two square cake layers.

Once these rectangles are cut, I recommend allowing them to sit, uncovered, at room temperature for about a day. This will dry the cake slices out, making them more effective for tiramisu.

If you’re in a rush and need to skip this step, don’t worry about it.

Step 3: make your cream

While your cake slices sit out and get a little dry, you can make your tofu cashew cream.

Making the cream is simple: it involves blending soaked, raw cashews and silken tofu in a powerful blender till smooth. I add vanilla and maple syrup for some sweetness.

This cream will thicken up when it sits in the fridge overnight. And that’s definitely what I recommend for the tiramisu. The goal is for the cream layers to be silky and scoopable, but not runny.

If you simply don’t have the time to allow the cream to thicken overnight, then a minimum of 2-4 hours will also work.

Step 4: dunk your cake layers

Steps 4 and beyond should happen on the second day of your vegan tiramisu adventure.

The first of these steps is fun: dunking your cake slices in a mixture of coffee and liqueur!

The sponge layers in classic tiramisu have been steeped with coffee or espresso. You achieve this by dipping them in a coffee mixture, then transferring them to the dish where your tiramisu will be built.

The trick to this step is to dunk your dried out cake fingers quickly. You don’t want to submerge the cake in the coffee mixture for too long, lest they become downright soggy. The goal is for them to be submerged for a moment, then transferred to your square pan.

Step 5: layer

With dunking will also come the process of layering. In other words, it’s time to build your tiramisu.

You’ll arrange a layer of coffee-soaked cake pieces in your pan. Next, you’ll spread them with half of your thickened cashew tofu cream.

Repeat this process with another layer of cake and cream, and you’ll almost be at the finish of making your tiramisu.

Step 6: decorate

“Decorate” is probably a little misleading, since the decoration here is ridiculously simple. Simply smooth over the top cream layer of your tiramisu, then sift some cocoa powder over the top.

Step 7: chill

The final step in vegan tiramisu creation is to chill the whole tiramisu overnight in the fridge.

At this point, you may be more than ready to taste your tiramisu. Yet trust me when I say that the last refrigeration step is worthwhile. It will allow all the flavors to mingle and the layers to set.

When it’s time to slice, scoop, and serve the tiramisu on day 3, your effort will be rewarded with a creamy, elegant, coffee-scented and wholly delightful creation.

Swaps and substitutions

With a complex dessert like tiramisu, I don’t recommend taking too many liberties with ingredients. However, there are a few substitutions that will easily work.

Gluten-free

To make the tiramisu gluten-free, you can use a gluten-free, all-purpose baking blend. King Arthur’s Measure for Measure flour is my favorite.

No cashews

If you need to replace the cashews, you can use soaked macadamia nuts or pine nuts instead.

At this time, I don’t have a nut or soy-free version. However, if I develop one, I’ll be sure to update this post accordingly.

How long with the vegan tiramisu keep in the fridge?

Once your tiramisu is ready to eat, the leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 more days. Be sure to cover the tiramisu with foil or saran wrap to protect the top and keep the cake from drying.

Can I freeze tiramisu?

Technically yes, you can. And I have.

Here’s what I’ll say: this is a slightly wet dessert to begin with. So you may find that the defrosted tiramisu becomes a little soggy as it sits in the fridge.

Is this a terrible thing? Honestly, not really. Tiramisu can be very structured, but it can also be softer and more like a pudding that you scoop into a serving bowl. It’s actually quite nice this way, and the flavor is as heavenly as ever.

So, feel free to freeze your tiramisu for up to 8 weeks.

More festive vegan dessert recipes

Looking to add some cheer to your holiday season? Or to brighten up the winter months?

Here are some of the vegan dessert recipes that I associate with winter cheer.

• Vegan apple cake (torta di mele)
• No bake vegan chocolate mousse pie
• Vegan plum galette
• Sweet cherry upside down cake
• Thumbprint cookies
• Classic vegan pumpkin pie
• Cherry hand pies
• Glazed vegan chocolate bundt cake
• Warm cashew chocolate pudding

It gives my heart joy to be posting one of my favorite desserts on the eve of Christmas eve. This week was not the pre-holiday week of festivity that I hoped for, and the holiday itself will be different from what I planned.

Yet I’m remembering that, a year ago at this time, I was about to get an unexpected positive Covid test and spend a full twelve days in isolation. This year I’m run down and pitifully tired, maybe a bit sad, but I’m not by myself. And that’s everything.

Hope you warm your bellies and spirits with a good treat or two this holiday—and if you have the enthusiasm to make vegan tiramisu, I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

xo

The post How to Make Homemade Vegan Tiramisu appeared first on The Full Helping.

This vegan farro bowl is a wholesome, flavorful, and filling meal that can be prepared ahead of time for a busy schedule. It’s full of nutrient-dense plant-based ingredients, including vegetables, grains, and legumes. Pickled red onion and a lemony tahini dressing add bright flavor, while chopped pistachios add crunch!

This recipe was originally going to be titled “fall farro bowl.” I couldn’t help but laugh as I started to write about it on December 14th.

In fairness, I did actually make it and eat it back in the fall. Yet publishing this post has been a different story.

All of this is a perfect expression of the chaos and perpetual behind-on-things feeling that has characterized the last quarter of 2022.

But this period of a few months has also taught me that the best I can do is, really and truly, the best I can do.

And the good news is that the farro bowl that I originally intended for fall isn’t only a fall recipe. It can be enjoyed all through the cooler months or adapted to work for the warm ones. One of the nice things about vegan bowl recipes is that they travel well through the seasons.

So, why fret about the timing? The bowl was a delight when I had it a couple months ago, and it still is. So happy to be sharing today.

What is farro?

Farro is the star of this grain bowl. But what is farro? And why do I love it as much as I do?

My favorite thing about farro is its texture. I love how chewy it becomes with cooking, and I like the robust size of the grains.

Farro reminds me a bit of wheat or spelt berries, but it takes less time to cook.

Farro is a great source of fiber, and it’s relatively rich in plant protein. It’s also an excellent source of niacin, a B vitamin associated with nerve system, skin, and digestive health.

In addition, farro provides both iron and zinc.

From what I understand, true farro is a form of Triticum dicoccum, which is a type of emmer. Emmer, in turn, is an ancient form of wheat.

There’s another grain, Triticum monococcum, or faricella, that’s sometimes sold as farro. Forms of spelt can be sold as farro, too. Yet the “true” farro is emmer.

Farro can be sold in both hulled and pearled varieties. The hulled variety has had its tough outer husk removed. The pearled variety (also known as a “polished” grain) has had some of the bran removed.

Removing the bran from the grain does remove a little of farro’s nutrition as well. However, pearled farro is quicker cooking than hulled (usually 20-25 minutes compared to 40-45). I opt for the pearled variety for convenience most of the time.

Is farro gluten free?

No, it isn’t! Since farro comes from a member of the wheat family, it is a gluten-containing grain.

Other farro bowl ingredients

Along with the farro, this bowl contains vegetables and fruit, legumes, a creamy dressing, and some toppings for flavor and crunch.

Salad base

The salad base for the bowl is a mix of arugula and radicchio.

Peppery and bitter flavors are the name of the game here! As you’ll see, those are offset by the sweet addition of grapes.

I love the slightly bitter flavor of radicchio; it’s one of the vegetables that I most eagerly look forward to in the fall. And lemony peppery arugula might be my go-to salad green.

These base leafy ingredients can be modified based on what you have. I’ve used shredded red cabbage in the bowls in place of the arugula. Baby kale, escarole, chopped spinach, and spring mix will all work in place of the arugula.

Broccoli

Why did I add broccoli to the bowl? Probably because it’s my favorite vegetable, and I always have steamed broccoli florets and pieces someplace in my fridge. They turn up in a lot of my bowls for that reason.

But I think that the broccoli really works here. It adds texture, and it feels like a more substantial green vegetable than the salad greens.

Bright green, majestic browns of broccoli pop up abundantly at farmers markets in the fall months. Where I live, they’re available through winter, too.

At other times of year, you can use zucchini, green beans, or another green vegetable of choice.

If you love brassicas, but broccoli isn’t a favorite, you can try steamed cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or cabbage instead.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are sort of my go-to bean in general, and that’s especially true when it comes to bowls.

For example:

• Chickpea burrito bowls
• Turmeric rice bowls
• Soba noodle & spicy chickpea bowls

So maybe I ought to have used a different legume here for variety. And for the record, you could: cannellini beans and lentils, for example, would work well in the recipe.

But, I love what I love, and I really love chickpeas.

Chickpeas lend their plump shape, creamy texture, plant-protein, fiber, iron, zinc, magnesium, and many more nutrients to the farro bowls.

Grapes

It’s funny, I’m not a huge fruit-in-salad person. Yet, at the time when I was first preparing these bowls, I had red grapes in the fridge. They come into season in the fall, and I always grab them when I can find them at that time.

I’m so glad I decided to throw some of them into the farro bowl! I love how their sweet flavor contrasts with the nutty farro, tangy pickled onions, and bitter, peppery greens.

Dijon lemon tahini dressing

The dressing here is a Dijon lemon tahini dressing. It’s tangy and zingy, and I think that it enlivens the bowls a lot.

Plus, the dressing requires 5 ingredients, minus water, and it’s so easy to make.

If this particular dressing doesn’t speak to you, then there are many others that you could try. Some of my picks would be:

• Tahini beet dressing
• Turmeric tahini dressing
• Caesar dressing
• Greek vinaigrette
• Sweet Dijon vinaigrette

Pickled red onions

Quick pickled red onions are one of those “superstar” ingredients that you can keep in the fridge and rely on to add a big flavor punch to any salad or bowl.

Yes, you could just use finely chopped or thinly sliced red onions for the farro bowls instead of pickled. But quick pickling red onions really only takes 10 minutes of time, and the payoff is so rewarding.

Chopped, shelled pistachios

The cherry on top of this farro bowl, so to speak?

Chopped, crunchy, salty shelled pistachios.

Why? Mostly for the crunch. And I think that the nutty flavor is a great overall compliment to the other ingredients that are in the bowl.

But pistachios also add some healthful fat to this recipe, as well as Vitamin B6 and thiamine.

If you don’t have pistachios and love another nut or seed a whole lot more, feel free to make a swap. I also like chopped walnuts, pecans, and pepitas in the farro bowl.

How to make farro bowls

The steps in making the farro bowls are very straightforward.

The longest part of the process will be to cook your farro. This will take 25-45 minutes, depending on whether you use pearled or hulled grains.

While the farro cooks, you’ll also steam your broccoli (or vegetable of choice).

Once both of those steps are done, serving the bowls is just a matter of assembling ingredients together.

By the time you finish, you’ll have a hearty, abundant, and wonderfully colorful vegan grain bowl to dive into.

Can the recipe be made gluten free?

Absolutely. To make this bowl without use of a gluten-containing grain, you can simply swap your favorite gluten-free grain into the recipe.

I’d opt for brown rice or quinoa.

Meal prep & storage

The farro bowls are a great option for a weekly vegan meal prep routine. Cooked farro can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge or frozen for up to 8 weeks.

The broccoli can be steamed up to 4 days ahead of making the bowls. You also have the option of using frozen broccoli for convenience, microwaving it directly before you serve the bowls.

The Dijon lemon tahini dressing will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge, and the quick pickled onions can keep for 4-6 weeks.

Preparing only one or two of the components here ahead of time will make assembling the bowls quick and easy when it’s time to eat!

More vegan bowl love

If you love the looks of this farro bowl, and if the variety and color and satisfaction of one-bowl meals makes your heart beat faster, then here are a few more ideas:

• Lemon pepper tempeh vegetable pasta bowls
• Chili roasted cauliflower, brown rice and kimchi bowls
• Turmeric rice bowls with quick pickled onions
• Macro bowls
• Cuban black bean and cilantro rice bowls
• Vegan harvest bowls with tempeh and root vegetables
• Seitan sofrito bowls
• Red curry rice noodle bowls
• Sweet potato hash brown & black bean breakfast bowls
• Tandoori cauliflower chickpea bowls

Print

Vegan Farro Bowls

This vegan farro bowl is a wholesome, flavorful, and filling meal that can be prepared ahead of time for a busy schedule. It's full of nutrient-dense plant-based ingredients, including vegetables, grains, and legumes. Pickled red onion and a lemony tahini dressing add bright flavor, while chopped pistachios add crunch!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bowls, farro, grain bowl, meal prep

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 cup pearled or hulled farro (200g)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-2 heaping cups broccoli florets (substitute cauliflower florets, zucchini pieces, green beans cut into 2-inch/5cm pieces, or another bite-sized vegetable of choice)
• 4 heaping cups baby arugula, roughly torn or chopped
• 2 cups chopped or torn radicchio leaves
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (240g; 1 15-oz/425g can, drained and rinsed)
• 1 1/3 cups red grapes, halved  (215g)
• 1 cup pickled red onions
• 1/2 cup shelled, roasted, and salted pistachios, whole or roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup Dijon lemon tahini dressing

Instructions

• Fill a medium/3 quart sauce pot with water and add the salt. Bring the water to a boil over medium high heat. Add the farro. When the water reaches a boil again, reduce the heat to medium low. Boil the farro—uncovered, just like pasta!—for 25 minutes. Drain the farro and return it to the sauce pot to cool. Allow the farro to come to room temperature before assembling bowls. You can prepare the farro up to 4 days ahead of preparing the bowls and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. 
• While the farro cooks, bring another pot of water to boil and fit it with a steamer attachment. Add the broccoli. Steam for 3-5 minutes, or until the florets are crisp tender. Alternatively, you can microwave cook them till crisp tender. Allow the broccoli florets to come to room temperature before assembling your bowls. 
• To assemble the bowls, divide the arugula and radicchio between 4 bowls (or storage container bowls). Top each with 1/4 of the cooked farro, chickpeas, broccoli florets, and grapes.
• Add 2-4 tablespoons of pickled red onion to the top of each, then sprinkle the bowl with 2 tablespoons of the pistachios. Drizzle each bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of the Easy Lemon Dijon Tahini dressing and serve. 
• Alternatively, assemble the bowls and store them in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store the dressing separately and dress the bowls right before eating. 

Oftentimes what I love most about a vegan bowl is its simplicity. I can easily prepare lunch bowls with the leftover odds and ends in my fridge, which makes them a low-key meal option.

There’s nothing fussy or elaborate about this farro bowl, but it does feel a little festive! It has so much layering of flavor (salty, sweet, tangy, earthy) and texture (crispness, crunch, chew).

I can vouch for the fact that the farro bowl will make lunch on a chilly day feel like a treat, something to look forward to. I can even imagine the bowl becoming a nice option for quiet, small holiday celebrations.

Hope it’ll give you the same pleasure that it’s given me!

xo

The post Vegan Farro Bowl appeared first on The Full Helping.

This Dijon lemon tahini dressing is so simple to make! It requires only five ingredients (plus water), and you don’t need a blender to mix it. Keep it in your fridge for salads, bowls, drizzling onto grains and roasted vegetables, and much more.

As I was writing this post, I thought to myself, do I reeeeally need to be posting another tahini dressing?

I have, after all, posted many a tahini dressing on this blog.

Yet any time I find myself making something again and again, I know it’s a recipe that I should probably share. What’s useful to me might be useful to someone else, or useful to several someone elses.

Plus, tahini dressing is one of those staples that can elevate so many different foods. If the only vegan meal prep that you’re able to do in a given week is to prepare a jar of this stuff, then you’re in good shape. Tahini dressing will add flavor and brightness to even the simplest meal.

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I love this particular tahini dressing because it requires very few ingredients, I don’t need to pull out my blender to make it, and it’s tangy and bold.

Initial hesitations aside, I’m excited to share it with you.

What is tahini?

If tahini dressing is a new idea to you, then you might be wondering about tahini itself. What is it?

The answer is that tahini is sesame seed paste. It’s usually made with toasted, hulled sesame seeds.

Tahini is a central ingredient in Eastern Mediterranean and North African cuisines. It can be served on its own or as a sauce. Tahini is used in hummus and, very often, in babaganoush.

I first got acquainted with tahini when I started to prepare homemade hummus. I quickly fell in love with it’s slightly nutty and ever-so-slightly bitter flavor.

It didn’t take long for me to learn that tahini is remarkably versatile. Yes, it’s wonderful in sauces and dressings and dips. But I also use it to add healthful fat to baked goods, like my fudgy vegan tahini brownies.

Tahini adds creaminess to my Moroccan-inspired chickpea tomato stew. It can be the base of a great pesto sauce, and it turns plain lentils into these savory and nutritious lentil tahini wraps.

In short, there’s so much that tahini can do!

How do you make tahini dressing?

Tahini creates creaminess and carries flavor beautifully and efficiently in salad dressings. In fact, it has become my more frequent go-to base for salad dressings than olive oil.

It’s usually very easy to make tahini dressing. You simply need to mix tahini with a source of acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, and then add seasonings of choice. These could be herbs, salt, pepper, or spices.

Some tahini dressings, such as my delightfully green tahini dressing, need to be made in a blender. Others only require whisking.

The type that can be whisked together are faster than dressings that demand some time in a blender. I’m happy to say that this Dijon lemon tahini dressing can be mixed with a whisk or a fork. That contributes to its simplicity, and therefore to its appeal.

Dijon lemon tahini dressing

The flavors here are simple: mustard, lemon, tahini, and a little onion powder. That’s it.

Can you add garlic?

Smoked paprika?

A pinch of cayenne? Or some harissa paste?

Maybe some fresh, chopped herbs?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. The beauty of this dressing is that the flavors can work with lots of different additions and mix-ins.

And yet, they don’t have to.

I can make the Dijon lemon tahini dressing by heart now, because it’s so straightforward. Each time, I enjoy it, and there are some weeks when I actually favor its pared-down flavor profile because I can serve it with many different foods.

Process & steps

There’s not much for me to explain here, fortunately!

Step one: combine ingredients (except for water)

You’ll start by placing the tahini, lemon juice, mustard, onion powder, and salt in some sort of vessel for mixing.

I like to use a 1-cup Pyrex liquid measuring cup for this, but it would be fine to use a wide-mouthed mason jar, too.

Step two: mix

Use a fork or a small whisk to whisk the dressing ingredients—minutes water—together.

You’ll end up with a very thick, almost paste-like mixture.

Why mix the ingredients prior to adding water?

I find that the tahini dressing is smoother when I add water little by little to the dressing ingredients, rather than mixing it with them all at once.

When I try the latter approach, the dressing can seem quite thin at first. It does thicken up eventually, but it tends to develop little lumps during whisking.

When you add water into the tahini and other ingredients little by little, you can whisk continuously. The dressing will remain very smooth, and you’ll have precise control over the consistency of the dressing.

Step three: add water

So, now’s the time to add water.

I do this two tablespoons at a time at first. Then I start adding water by the tablespoon as the dressing is close to the consistency that I want.

When the dressing is the consistency that you want—and you can choose to make it a little thinner or thicker—it’s ready to enjoy.

How long does tahini dressing stay fresh?

Most tahini dressing will keep for 4-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I usually store mine in mason jars.

Can tahini dressing be frozen?

Yes, tahini dressing can be frozen for up to 8 weeks at a time.

If you want to freeze the dressing in a mason jar, that’s fine! But be sure to leave at least 3/4-1 inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Liquids expand as they freeze, so you run a risk of shattering the glass if it’s over-filled.

How can I use the lemon tahini dressing?

I think the more appropriate question here would be what can’t I do with lemon tahini dressing?

Honestly, I put tahini dressing on and in everything.

I drizzle it over simple combinations of whole grains and beans, like this one-skillet, cumin-spiced lentils & rice, or my zucchini chickpea rice.

Tahini dressing can instantly jazz up a pan of roasted vegetables. I especially like it over roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts, and crispy broccoli.

You can use Dijon lemon tahini dressing for vegan lunch bowls or salads, of course.

Tahini dressing can also be an all-purpose means of adding creaminess to food. I like it on pasta salad in particular. It also makes killer smashed beans, which I love to eat on toast.

If any of these ideas appeals to you, then the Dijon lemon tahini dressing below can be your first step in exploring them, or other recipes like them.

Hope you’ll find plenty of your own uses for it!

Print

Dijon Lemon Tahini Dressing

This lemon Dijon tahini dressing is so simple to make! It requires only five ingredients (plus water), and you don't need a blender to mix it. Keep it in your fridge for salads, bowls, drizzling onto grains and roasted vegetables, and much more!

Course dressing, sauce

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword dressing, easy, sauce, tahini

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 0.75 cup

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup tahini (60g)
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon onion powder (adjust to taste; or, substitute with garlic powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 cup water, additional as needed to thin the dressing (60ml or a little more)

Instructions

• Place the tahini, lemon juice, mustard, onion powder, and sea salt into a liquid measuring cup and whisk to combine. The mixture will seize up a bit. Add the water, 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking as you go. Add enough water for a rich and creamy, yet pourable, dressing.
• Store the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 8 weeks. 

If you’ve made one or two of my tahini dressings before, you’ll find that this is a much more mustardy version. It’s lively and zippy, in a good way. If you’d like to make it spicier, you can use an especially spicy Dijon mustard for your batch.

Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing a bowl recipe that makes perfect use of the dressing. Stay tuned!

xo

The post 5-Ingredient Dijon Lemon Tahini Dressing appeared first on The Full Helping.

Quick pickled onions instantly transform salads, bowls, and sandwiches with a burst of flavor. They’re an easy way to elevate vegan meals! My go-to recipe takes only 10 minutes to prepare. It’s easy and reliable, and I share options to use it with other vegetables, too.

If the past week has involved any amount of holiday cooking, you may find yourself in need of a week off.

My Thanksgiving week actually didn’t involve any cooking. But it did involve a sincere effort to slow down, take a few days off, and savor time with my mom.

For me, this also meant a break from the kitchen. I worked on defrosting a lot of what I already had at home. This included some vegan chick’n, some bagels for sandwiches, a store-bought frozen pizza, and two burritos.

In my freezer there are usually some random portions of cooked grains, beans, tempeh, or tofu from past weeks of vegan meal prep. It’s easy to turn these ingredients into simple vegan lunch bowls.

And those lunch bowls are better when quick pickled onions are involved.

If any ingredient deserves to be labeled as a flavor hack, it’s quick pickled onions. They contribute acidity, saltiness, and the savoriness of onion. However, they’re much more mild than raw onion, which can “repeat” on one, as my mom used to say, for hours after a meal.

I reference quick pickled onions often on this blog, but I have yet to actually share my go-to recipe. I’m fixing that today.

What are quick pickled onions?

Quick pickled onions are onions that have been soaked in an acidic pickling liquid and refrigerated until they’re eaten.

Usually, quick pickled onions have been sliced thinly prior to pickling.

What’s the difference between quick pickling and long pickling?

What, exactly, makes quick pickled onions quick?

The “quick” designation refers to the fact that these onions are soaked in pickling liquid, then transferred to the fridge.

In fact, quick pickling is sometimes called “refrigerator pickling” instead.

With traditional—i.e., long—pickling, pickles are put through a canning bath and then canned. They become shelf stable through canning, which means that the can be stored for long periods of time.

Quick pickled onions, on the other hand, along with all quick pickled vegetables, should be consumed within about 2-4 weeks. (Some guides say that quick pickles keep for up to 2 months, but I eat them sooner, just to be on the safe side.)

The pickles need to be kept cold through their entire storage time.

Here’s the other “quick” thing about quick pickled onions: they’re quick to make!

Even fifteen minutes in pickling liquid, especially if that liquid is hot, will be enough to soften the onions, remove some of their “bite,” and season them a little.

The longer you allow the quick pickled onions to rest in the fridge, the more flavorful they’ll be.

What do quick pickled onions taste like?

Speaking of flavor, you can expect quick pickled onions to have some of the pungency of regular onions.

However, they’ve got less of a spicy quality than regular raw onions, and I think that they tend to have less of an aftertaste.

Because quick pickled onions are made with an acidic pickling liquid, they tend to be tangy and sharp. Pickling liquid is salty, so the onions can also add a salty dimension to food.

You have the choice to add some sugar to pickling liquid, and I usually do. This helps to offset all of the vinegar that’s used, and it can give quick pickled onions a slight sweetness.

How to make quick pickled onions

My favorite thing about refrigerator pickling is how incredibly easy it is. There are only a few steps toward zippy vegetable goodness.

Step 1: slice your onions

You can use a food processor, mandolin, or a good, old-fashioned chef’s knife to thinly slice your onions for pickling.

Step 2: making pickling liquid

Liquid for quick pickles is usually made with a combination of vinegar, water, and salt.

The vinegar can be distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar.

I usually use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to make pickles. This recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, but you can use any of the above instead.

I think that it’s essential to use enough salt in pickling liquid. Salt will lend character and flavor to the onions, or to any vegetable that you’re choosing to pickle.

Finally, I do prefer to add a little sugar to my pickling liquid. I don’t add a lot, but the slight sweetness that sugar imparts helps to balance the flavor of the onions. You can omit the sugar in this recipe if you prefer to.

To heat or not to heat?

I choose to bring my pickling liquid to a simmer before pouring it over my thinly sliced onions.

This isn’t an essential step in the process—technically, you can make a quick pickle with cold pickling liquid. That’s especially true if the quick pickle has plenty of time in the fridge. Over the course of days, the pickling liquid will continue to soften and flavor your onions.

However, I think that heating the pickling liquid does two things. First, it helps to dissolve salt and sugar into the vinegar and water.

Second, it helps to soften and flavor your sliced onions right away. If you want to enjoy them soon after preparing them, it’s best to use hot liquid.

When I make quick pickled onions with hot pickling liquid, I typically find that they’re ready to eat within as little as 15 minutes. They won’t have developed a lot of flavor at that point, but they’ll still have a good kick to contribute to dishes.

Step 3: soak the onions

All you need do in this step is to soak the onions in the pickling liquid.

What matters most here is the container you put the onions into.

I use a wide-mouthed 2 pint/950ml mason jar to store the onions. This is really more room than is necessary, since the onions shrink down after pickling. But it doesn’t hurt to have some extra wiggle room.

If you use a smaller onion, then you can get away with using a 1 pint/480ml jar, too, or something of a similar size.

I have a jar funnel that I use when I pour my hot pickling liquid from a saucepan into the mason jar. You don’t really need to use this; it’s just an easy way to prevent spills.

Step 4: store

At this point, you need only cover your jar and transfer the onions to the fridge. There, they’ll keep for 2-4 weeks in their pickling liquid.

Step 5: enjoy

For the weeks in which you have quick pickled onions in your fridge, you’ll be able to enjoy them in so many ways.

Think: salads, grain bowls, burritos, tacos, wraps, and so much more. I’m sharing some specific recipe ideas below.

What type of onion should I use?

This is a great question!

Personally, I like to quick pickle red onions best. But I’ve made this same recipe many times with white or yellow onion, because I had run out of red. It always works, and I always love the pickled onion flavor.

I’ve also used the same recipe to pickle shallots when I ran out of onions. That works, too.

Can I use this recipe for other vegetables?

Most definitely.

You can use this same quick pickle recipe for:

• Sliced cucumber
• Green beans
• Shaved carrot strips or thin carrot slices
• Sliced jalapeños
• Sliced radishes
• Sliced beets
• Small cauliflower florets

As you can see, many vegetables make a great quick pickle.

Recipe suggestions

Below, you’ll see some of the vegan recipes that I love to use my quick pickled onions in or on.

This list is by no means exhaustive. If you make the onions and find that you love them, then I’d say you should add them to as many dishes as you like.

However, here are some of the dishes that my pickled onions will find their way into, when I’m fortunate enough to have a jar in my fridge.

Salads

• Tahini mint kale salad
• Chickpea Greek salad
• Tempeh quinoa salad with cumin vinaigrette
• Roasted butternut squash salad with quinoa, grapes, and Brussels sprouts

Bowls

• Macro bowls
• Turmeric rice bowls
• Chickpea burrito bowls
• Warm winter squash bowls

Wraps & sandwiches

• Rice & bean collard wraps
• Lentil tahini wraps
• Tofu egg salad sandwich
• Miso tahini vegetable sandwich

Grain & bean dishes

• Cumin spiced lentils and rice
• Turmeric rice, beans & greens
• Quinoa kale stuffed sweet potato skins
• Lemon dill zucchini chickpea rice

I could probably go on and on. But instead, I’ll share the recipe.

Print

10-Minute Quick Pickled Onions

Quick pickled onions instantly transform salads, bowls, and sandwiches with a burst of flavor. They're an easy way to elevate vegan meals! My go-to recipe takes only 10 minutes to prepare. It's easy and reliable, and I share options to use it with other vegetables, too.

Course side

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword onion, pickles, quick and easy, red onion

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 cup

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• 1 2-pint mason jar
• small sauce pan
• jar funnel

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, medium size (you can also use white onion, yellow onion, or shallot)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup vinegar (apple cider, white distilled, white wine, and rice vinegar will all work)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons cane sugar (optional)

Instructions

• Peel, trim and slice the onion into very thin slices.
  
• Place the sliced onion into a wide-mouthed mason jar (at least 1 pint/480ml and up to 2 pints/950ml in volume).
  
• Bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a vigorous simmer in a sauce pot over medium high heat.
  
• Pour the hot liquid into the mason jar and over the red onions. If all of the onions are not submerged in the pickling liquid, use a spoon to press them down into it. Their volume will decrease as they pickle. 
  
• Cover the mason jar and transfer it to the fridge for storage. The pickles will be ready in 30 minutes and will keep in the fridge for up to 2-4 weeks.
  

If you’ve never made quick pickles because it seemed to you that it might be difficult, I hope this post changes your mind!

More importantly, I hope it encourages you to try making this very versatile veggie side/accompaniment. Once you get into the habit of having quick pickled onions around, you’ll likely find that you want to add them to everything.

Onions are pretty nutrient-dense, so that’s a good thing!

Experiment, enjoy, and let me know what you make.

xo

The post 10-Minute Quick Pickled Onions appeared first on The Full Helping.

This vegan salisbury steak with mushroom gravy is made with nutritious, satisfying tempeh. It’s an entirely homemade, plant-based version of the classic American comfort food dish. This is a hearty and cozy meal that’s perfect for winter and also a great option for the holidays.

I have a soft spot for American comfort food classics. Specifically the types of recipes that have, and could, end up as TV dinners.

The reason for this may be that I ate a lot of TV dinners growing up.

I came from a family of Greek immigrants who cooked, but also delighted in the convenience of ready-to-eat food in American supermarkets.

My grandmother and mother both liked microwave dinners, and I followed in their footsteps. Turkey tettrazini, chicken à la king, Swedish meatballs, meatloaf with gravy, mac n’ cheese, pot pie—I loved every single one of these.

I channel this love into many of my vegan comfort food recipes now. Chickpeas à la king, mac n’ cheese with peas, shepherd’s pie, lentil sweet potato loaf, cheesy quinoa broccoli bake—these are just a few of my favorite meals that are inspired by American comfort classics.

Now, vegan Salisbury steak is joining that list.

I was inspired to make this recipe when I saw Eric Kim’s recipe in the New York Times. “Salisbury steak deserves another chance,” the headline read.

I thought back to tasting and loving the frozen version as a kid. I remembered liking it because the beef was a patty, not an actual steak, which I preferred. My mom would serve it with a baked potato, and of course, there was that savory gravy (Worcestershire sauce!).

Kim’s article seemed like a pretty great reason to try a vegan version of Salisbury steak. So I did.

What is Salisbury steak?

Salisbury steak is a “steak” made from lean, ground beef. In the original recipe, it’s broiled, then seasoned to taste with butter, pepper, salt. Worcestershire sauce, mustard, horseradish, and lemon juice are option.

That recipe was developed by Dr. James H. Salisbury. Salisbury, who was born in 1823 and died in 1905, served as a physician during the Civil War.

Today, he’s known for his eponymous “steak” recipe. Salisbury was also one of the first physicians who argued that a specific diet was integral to overall health and well-being.

The diet he believed in consisted mainly of meat, with vegetables, fruits, starches and fats limited to a third of the diet. (The irony of sharing one of his recipes on this plant-based blog is fun.)

Apparently, Salisbury recommended that his steak recipe be eaten three times daily, with hot water to flush the digestive system.

Salisbury steak is similar to the traditional recipe for Hamburg steak, which is the recipe that the hamburger evolved from.

Salisbury steak caught some interest and became popular after World War I. Anti-German sentiment was strong at that time, and “Salisbury steak” described the ground beef dish without reference to a German city.

The recipe became a comfort food classic through TV dinners, which rose to popularity in the 1950s and 60s.

How to make vegan salisbury steak

When I chatted with Eric Kim about his recipe, he said that for him, its essence lay in the “umami-rich” onion mushroom gravy. This part of the recipe is easy to make vegan.

As for the steaks themselves, I turned to what is probably my favorite plant protein: tempeh.

Tempeh is probably my go-to when I really want to achieve the effect of “meatiness” in my recipes.

I use it to make tempeh bacon, tempeh meatballs (and tempeh meatball subs), tempeh tacos, and tempeh nuggets.

It also shows up in a lot of other, simple recipes: lemon pepper baked tempeh, balsamic mustard baked tempeh, and tempeh lunch salad.

The tempeh meatballs, in particular, are a fan favorite recipe from this site. And it’s a consensus that I agree with.

The meatballs are easy to make, deeply savory, and I think they’re as flavorful as store-bought vegan meatballs. (I’m a big fan of vegan meats, so in my book this is a compliment.)

I used the same ingredient base as I use for those meatballs—tempeh and walnuts—to make my Salisbury steaks. I adjusted the seasoning here, inspired by Kim’s recipe.

And of course, they have a different shape than the meatballs. They’re patties, rather than little globes.

I’m so happy with how they turned out. Here are the steps you’ll go through to prepare the entire recipe, steaks included.

Step 1: simmer your tempeh

Speaking of tempeh, I recently posted a recipe for tempeh nuggets. In that post, I mentioned that simmering tempeh in broth before cooking takes care of two purposes.

First, it helps to remove some of tempeh’s natural bitterness. This is the reason why many tempeh recipes call for steaming tempeh prior to cooking in other ways.

Second, it seasons the tempeh somewhat. More seasoning gets added when the tempeh is turned into patties.

For this recipe, you’ll crumble the tempeh before simmering it.

Step 2: process and season the tempeh

At this step, you’ll process the tempeh with walnuts and a number of seasonings, until it’s a mixture that you can shape into patties.

Step 3: bake the steaks

The patties need to bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crisping up on each side.

Step 4: make mashed potatoes

While the tempeh Salisbury “steaks” are baking, you’ll make mashed potatoes.

I’m a fan of steaming potatoes for mashing—I think it gives them better flavor than boiling, which can water-log the potatoes.

For this recipe, I make simple mashed potatoes with steaming russet potatoes as the first part of the process.

Step 5: make mushroom gravy

A very rich, savory mushroom and onion gravy is the component that brings these vegan Salisbury steaks to life!

This may become my new favorite gravy recipe to make at home. The Worcestershire sauce and a hint of Dijon mustard give it a really fun intensity of flavor.

And there’s a touch of cream added to most Salisbury steak gravy recipes, so I follow suit. I use my go-to cashew cream, which works perfectly.

If you need a substitute, you can try the same amount of an unsweetened, store-bought vegan creamer.

Step 6: plate and serve

At this point, the only remaining step is to plate the tempeh steaks with the potatoes and smother everything in gravy.

Serving suggestions and accompaniments

I’ve been enjoying serving this vegan Salisbury steak with simple, steamed broccoli or baby broccoli.

But the recipe would be wonderful with so many other vegetable side dishes:

• Any simple green salad
• Braised red cabbage
• Green beans with vegan butter, salt, and pepper
• Miso butter brussels sprouts
• Perfect winter chopped salad
• Sautéed spinach, chard, or kale
• Radicchio Brussels sprout salad

…and the list goes on and on. Essentially any simple preparation of a seasonal vegetable that you love could be a nice pairing with the Salisbury steak.

Meal prep & storage

I’ve been writing a lot about my meal prep routine and some of my favorite vegan meal prep dinners.

I’m happy to tell you that the vegan Salisbury steak would be a good contender.

All of the components here will keep for up to 5 days in airtight containers in the fridge. And everything can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

If you want to freeze it all, or freeze leftovers, I recommend freezing the “steaks” separately from the potatoes and gravy. This way, they won’t become soggy as you defrost.

Are the vegan salisbury steaks gluten-free?

Most vegan Worcestershire sauce (and Worcestershire sauces in general) have gluten in them, so as written, no, the Salisbury steak isn’t gluten-free.

However, the Worcestershire sauce can be replaced with tamari or coconut aminos if you’d like to make the recipe gluten-free.

In addition, be sure to also use a certified, gluten-free vegetable broth in the recipe.

Print

Vegan Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

This vegan salisbury steak with mushroom gravy is made with nutritious, satisfying tempeh. It's an entirely homemade, plant-based version of the classic American comfort food dish. This is a hearty and cozy meal that's perfect for winter and also a great option for the holidays.

Course holidays, main, Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword comfort food, holidays, make ahead, protein, tempeh

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• food processor
• sauté pan

Ingredients

For the "steaks"

• 8 ounces tempeh, crumbled (225g)
• 1 1/2 cups vegan no-chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth)  (360ml)
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2/3 cup raw walnut halves or pieces (75g)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (20g)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

For the mashed potatoes

• 1 1/2 lb (3 medium) Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (680g)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (30g)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, non-dairy milk (I like unsweetened soy milk) (120ml)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the mushroom gravy

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 8 ounces sliced button, baby Bella, or cremini mushrooms (225g)
• 1/2 white or yellow onion, finely chopped  (or 1 small onion, about 85 grams after chopping)
• 1 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour (substitute a GF all purpose blend)
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• 1 1/4 cups vegan no-chicken broth (300ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup cashew cream (60ml; substitute unsweetened vegan creamer of choice)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 

Season the tempeh

• 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. 

Prepare the patties

• In a food processor fitted with the S blade, process the walnuts, nutritional yeast and onion powder till the mixture is a fine meal. Add the crumbled tempeh, ketchup, and Worchestershire sauce. Pulse to combine all of the ingredients well, about 10 pulses.The mixture should be dense and a bit sticky. It should still have some texture, but no big chunks of tempeh remaining. 
• Shape the mixture into 8 patties, each about 3 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 3/4-1 inch high. Place the patties onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping once through, or until the patties are golden brown on each side. Set the "steaks" aside.

Prepare the mashed potatoes

• To make the mashed potatoes, bring a pot of water to boil. Place the potatoes in a steaming basket. Steam the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, or until fork tender.
• Drain the potatoes. Melt the butter in the still-warm pot. Add the milk, cooked potatoes, and salt to the pot.
• Use a handheld potato masher to mash the potatoes until they're fluffy and creamy. Add milk by the tablespoon to achieve a consistency you like. You can also use a potato ricer for extra fluffy potatoes! Set the mashed potatoes aside.

Make the mushroom gravy

• To make the gravy, heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and onion. Sauté, stirring every minute or so, for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released all of their juices and are browning a bit.
• Sprinkle the mushrooms and onion with the flour and nutritional yeast. Continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until no streaks of white flour are visible.
• Pour in the broth, stirring the mushrooms constantly as you go. Then, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and cashew cream. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the gravy for 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently, or until it's thickened. 

Plate and enjoy

• To serve the Salisbury steaks, divide the mashed potatoes onto 4 plates. Top each with 2 of the tempeh "steak" patties. Top with a quarter of the mushroom gravy. I love to add steamed baby broccoli to my plate. Enjoy!

Notes

Inspired by Eric Kim’s recipe for New York Times cooking. 

I had some of the steak, potatoes, and gravy in my freezer this past week. And I’m happy to tell you that it was one of the cozy recipes that helped me to feel better and take care of myself.

I hope that this comfort food will truly be comforting for you, too, at a moment when you need that from your meals.

Enjoy!

xo

The post Vegan Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy appeared first on The Full Helping.

This hearty, nutritious butternut chickpea stew is seasoned with Moroccan-inspired spices and has a kiss of sweetness from golden raisins. It comes together in a single pot and is easy to meal prep or freeze. Serve it over couscous, quinoa, millet, or another whole grain for a complete and flavorful meal!

Weeks ago, just as fall was beginning in earnest, I made this Moroccan-inspired butternut chickpea stew.

I had plans to go to a friend’s place for dinner and had offered to bring something with me. I wanted a recipe that would be one-pot and easy to make, yet likely to please me and her and her partner.

This is what I created. It was one of those rare recipes that I was able to make spontaneously, with what I had at home. (Cooking without a plan is not my specialty.)

But I had a template in my mind, at least. The recipe is sort of a hybrid between this dish, in which sweet curry is a predominant flavor, and my Moroccan-inspired chickpea tomato stew.

That latter recipe is not only a fan favorite here from this blog, but one of my personal favorites as well.

This butternut chickpea stew features similar seasonings, but butternut squash gives it more heartiness and texture.

The squash, along with a handful of golden raisins, also adds a savory and sweet component to the recipe.

And it gives you an excuse to put butternut squash, one of my favorite autumn ingredients, to very good use.

The joys of a one-pot meal

I welcome one-pot vegan meals at any time of year, but they’re especially welcome during the busy fall season.

One-pot meals include soups and stews, which are also especially appropriate for cold weather. They also include chili, which is a meal prep staple for me, braised beans, and a lot of my favorite, simple grain + legume skillet meals.

An advantage of this type of recipe is that it tends to yield a plentiful amount of food, which is true of the butternut chickpea stew. You’ll have leftover portions to enjoy as the week goes by, or to freeze for the future. (More tips on freezing and defrosting vegan meal prep dinners dinners here!)

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Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Finally, these bountiful soups and stew-like meals are also a great opportunity to use a lot of vegetables or legumes or both. Whenever a nutrition client who’s trying to cook or meal prep more often asks me where to start, I recommend one-pot suppers.

This is a good one.

Butternut chickpea stew ingredients

This recipe came together because I had most of what I needed for it. You may have a lot of the ingredients in your pantry right now, too.

Butternut squash

You’ll need about 1 – 1 1/2 pounds (455-680g) peeled and cubed squash to make the recipe. This is about one medium small squash, seeded, peeled, and cut.

You could use fresh squash or frozen butternut squash in the recipe. If you use frozen, I recommend defrosting it according to package instructions first, draining it, and then adding it to the stew, so that it doesn’t add too much moisture.

Olive oil

Olive oil is used to sauté onion and garlic for the stew. It also helps to carry flavor and create some richness in the stew’s sauce.

If you like, you can sauté the onion and garlic in broth or water instead, though the stew may lose a little of that rich quality.

If you don’t have olive oil at home, then avocado oil, which is my other go-to for cooking, is a good substitute.

Ginger and garlic

Ginger and garlic help to add flavor and complexity to the butternut chickpea stew. You can use fresh cloves of ginger and fresh, minced or grated ginger root, of course.

If you have chopped garlic and minced ginger in a jar, that’s fine to use as well. In a pinch, you can use a quarter teaspoon garlic powder and a half teaspoon ground ginger.

Spices

Speaking of spices, the spice blend here is inspired by the spices that are commonly in ras el hanout. Ras el hanout, which in Arabic means “head of the shop,” is often used in Tunisian, Moroccan, and Algerian dishes.

It can include cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and allspice; this butternut chickpea stew includes all of those. Ras el hanout can also include nutmeg, dry ginger (I used fresh instead), cardamom, or clove.

Diced tomatoes

I use canned, diced tomatoes in the stew, but it’s fine to use crushed tomatoes if that’s what you have.

If you only have whole, peeled tomatoes, you can use those as well. Use a back of the spoon to crush and break them apart when you add them to the dish.

You’ll need 14 1/2 ounces—one 14 1/2-ounce/415g can, or half of a 28-ounce/800g can.

Broth

Homemade vegetable stock will add depth and flavor to the stew, and it’s something that I wish I were more consistent in making from scratch!

However, store-bought vegetable broth and vegetable bouillon will both work well in the butternut chickpea stew.

If you don’t have either, you can even substitute water, but know that you may need to increase the salt in the recipe accordingly.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are probably my favorite legume, so it’s no surprise that a can of them is always to be found in my pantry.

You’ll need one 15-ounce/425g can of chickpeas for the recipe. If you cook legumes from scratch, then you’ll need 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas.

And if you don’t have chickpeas, never fear. Cooked white beans, lentils, cranberry beans, and kidney beans will all work well in the recipe.

Golden raisins

Golden raisins, which are also sometimes called sultanas, increase the sweet and savory notes of this stew. I love what they add to the recipe, but if you prefer more savory than sweet, you can omit them.

You can also replace them with either regular raisins or with the same amount of currants.

How to make Moroccan-inspired butternut chickpea stew

The steps for this recipe are wonderfully straightforward, and there are only two of them.

Ready?

Step 1: sauté

First things first, you’ll sauté onion till translucent and tender. You’ll add garlic, ginger, and spices, allow it to become very fragrant, and proceed with step two.

Step 2: make stew!

All that’s left to do now is add all of the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring them to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it do its thing.

You’ll simmer the stew for 10 minutes covered, another 10-15 uncovered, and then it’s ready to eat.

Right before serving, I recommend adding just a tiny splash of acid. Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, or—my favorite—white balsamic vinegar will all work.

Serving suggestions and accompaniments

I like to serve the butternut chickpea stew over couscous, regular or pearl, or quinoa. But I think it would be nice over millet, rice, or even orzo.

If you don’t have any of those grains, but you do have some pita bread, that’s a great serving option.

Some fun things to garnish the stew with:

• Chopped, roasted pistachio nuts
• Chopped, fresh parsley
• Toasted pine nuts
• A drizzle of olive oil
• Pickled onions (I’m sharing my go-to recipe soon)

Meal prep & storage

The butternut chickpea stew is a great meal prep option: leftovers will be good in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Like many stews, it will seem to deepen in flavor after a few days.

You can also freeze portions of the stew for up to six weeks.

A cold weather keeper

To be honest, right after I made this recipe I thought that it probably wasn’t something I should post, because it was reminiscent of some other recipes on the blog.

But the test of a recipe’s value, for me, is always how often I make it. And I’ve now made the stew not once, but twice more since I first brought it over to my friend’s apartment. And that occasion was only a month or so ago.

For the record, she and her boyfriend loved it, too.

There’s no point in not sharing something warming, nutrient-dense, crowd-pleasing, and easy-to-make. Those recipes are worth their weight in gold. And if you plan to have any low-key holiday gatherings this year, this one is filling enough to hold its own as a plant-based entrée.

So here it is—my favorite new stew of the fall season!

Print

Moroccan-Inspired Butternut Chickpea Stew

This hearty, nutritious butternut chickpea stew is seasoned with Moroccan-inspired spices and has a kiss of sweetness from golden raisins. It comes together in a single pot and is easy to meal prep or freeze. Serve it over couscous, quinoa, millet, or another whole grain for a complete and flavorful meal!

Course main, Main Course, stew

Cuisine Mediterranean, Moroccan

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword butternut squash, chickpeas, make ahead, meal prep, one-pot, stew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• Pot or dutch oven

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium or large red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh, grated or minced ginger (substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 cups vegetable broth (950ml)
• 1 1/2 cups canned, diced tomatoes with their juices (1 14.5-ounce/415g can)
• 1 – 1 1/2 lb peeled and cubed butternut squash (455-680g; about one medium small squash)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (240g, or one 15-ounce/425g can, drained and rinsed)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins (40g; optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice (adjust to taste)
• 4 cups cooked couscous, quinoa, bulgur wheat, or another whole grain, for serving

Instructions

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot or Dutch oven. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion. Sauté the onion for 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring often. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. 
• Add the broth, tomatoes, squash, chickpeas, and raisins. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and cook for 10-15 minutes more, or until the squash is tender and the stew has thickened. Stir in vinegar and adjust salt to taste.
• Serve over cooked couscous, quinoa, or bulgur.

This has been a “clean-out-the-freezer” week for me. I can’t tell you how glad I was to find that I had three portions of the stew—and even some frozen, cooked couscous!—in there, amid all of the other random and assorted things.

Hope you’ll turn to the recipe many times this season, friends. I’ll be checking in on Sunday.

xo

The post Moroccan-Inspired Butternut Chickpea Stew appeared first on The Full Helping.

These air fryer tempeh nuggets are smoky and savory little flavor bombs! Crispy and satisfying, they add vegan protein to any salad or bowl, as well as to pasta dishes and soups. I like to snack on them, too. I’ve included an oven cooking option for those who don’t have an air fryer at home.

I spend a lot of time wondering how I could put my air fryer to more use.

The things I use the air fryer for, I really use it for. Primarily, I use it to reheat leftover pizza and to make sweet potato fries or home fries to eat with tofu scramble.

Pizza leftovers and savory breakfasts are big in my home, so the air fryer has more than been worthwhile.

However, I don’t often branch out with my air fryer. I can’t attribute this to laziness, because making things in the oven is actually more time-consuming. And I don’t suffer from a lack of inspiration, because I bookmark many air fryer recipes for weekend reading!

I think I’m just overly deliberate sometimes, which makes it difficult for me to try new things, start new things, and so on.

Lately, however, I’ve been determined to do more with my air fryer, and these air fryer tempeh nuggets are the fortuitous result.

What are tempeh nuggets?

A good question.

I’m calling these tempeh nuggets because they’re crispy at the edges, savory, and dense in texture. That density seems to evoke the idea of a “nugget.”

The tempeh nuggets are also very craveable.

You’ll probably want to add them to salads and bowls and tacos and such. But it’s also very likely that you’ll want to pop a few into your mouth as they cool, snack on them, grab a few whenever a plant protein craving strikes.

In this sense, they’re not unlike chicken nuggets. You can serve them with things or on top of things, but they’re fun to eat just as they are, too.

How to make tempeh nuggets in the air fryer

Use of the air fryer does two things in this recipe.

First, it makes cooking time quick. On average, anything that I air fry takes me at least a few minutes less than an equal amount of time in the oven.

Second, air fryer gives everything undeniable crispiness. And it does that without the need for too much oil, as well.

The recipe really is divided into two parts. The first is seasoning the tempeh nuggets, the second is air frying them.

Step 1: seasoning

I season the tempeh nuggets here with a technique that I’ve used in other recipes. Essentially, I simmer the tempeh in broth prior to cooking.

Many cooks recommend steaming tempeh prior to cooking, so that it loses some of its naturally bitter flavor. I never used to do this, but once I started, I could understand the advice.

Tempeh that’s been steamed prior to marinating or cooking does taste less bitter to me. I also think that it absorbs flavors more readily than tempeh that hasn’t been steamed.

The problem is that steaming tempeh is just another step. And lately, I seize any and all opportunities to streamline, rather than complicate, my cooking.

What I’ve found is that simmering the tempeh in broth (and any other seasonings you like) does a number of things at once. It decreases tempeh’s bitterness, seasons it, and helps it to absorb those seasonings and flavors, all at the same time.

I use this method for my chili lime tempeh tacos and the tempeh meatballs that I love so much.

And I use it for these air fryer tempeh nuggets. Before going into the air fryer, the tempeh nuggets simmer in a mixture of broth, tamari or soy sauce, paprika, mustard, onion and garlic powder.

One thing worth saying is that the simmering liquid would taste very overly seasoned if you tried it as it is. That’s completely intentional.

Think of it as you would the salted water for boiling pasta, which is always purposefully salty. This is because the pasta itself won’t absorb salt at any other point in cooking.

Similarly, this simmer time is the only chance you’ll have to season the tempeh nuggets. They’ll absorb some of the simmering liquid, but some will be drained.

The liquid needs to be doubly strong in flavor so that the finished nuggets are well-seasoned.

Step 2: drain and air fry

After 10 minutes of simmering, you’ll drain the tempeh. And you’ll give it a tiny coat of oil before it goes into the air fryer.

The oil helps the tempeh cubes to become crispy without becoming dry.

You can coat them lightly by returning them to the pot, adding a teaspoon of oil, and stirring them gently to distribute it.

You can also add them to the basket of your air fryer and then use an oil spray (I like to use avocado oil) to coat them lightly.

Next, you’ll air fry the nuggets for 8-10 minutes at 400F. Midway through this cooking time, pause the air fryer and either gently shake the basket to stir the cubes, or (if your air fryer is more like a toaster oven), flip them on their tray.

At this point, you’ll have perfectly browned, savory, and very irresistable little nuggets of plant goodness.

Oven option

While I created this recipe for my air fryer, you can make it in the oven, too!

To do this, simply preheat your oven to 400°F (200°). Lightly rub or spray a baking sheet with oil, or use a nonstick baking sheet. 

Bake the tempeh cubes for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy and browning. Flip the cubes on the sheet once, halfway through baking, so that they brown evenly.

Which air fryer do you recommend?

I have the compact Phillips Essential Digital Air Fryer. I’ve been really happy with it, and the size has worked for me so far with my limited storage and counter space.

I’ve definitely thought about investing in an air fryer that’s also a smart oven/toaster oven. Right now, it probably won’t work with my space, but if I do decide to go that route, I’ll update this post.

In the meantime, my basket-style Phillips has been a win: easy to clean, efficient, fast, nice interface. I think there are probably more economical and budget-friendly models that work similarly, but I do recommend it.

What to do with tempeh nuggets

Once prepared, there are so many fun things you can do with these scrumptious nuggets.

This week, I have plans to use them in the Power Plates sweet potato salad with tempeh and maple mustard dressing.

I also have tortillas in my fridge, so I might use them as a protein in breakfast tacos with homemade refried beans.

The nuggets will of course work well in grain bowls. I’ve also always liked to use tempeh cubes as protein-rich “croutons” in vegan soups and stews. They work especially well with split pea soup and chowder.

Another idea is to add the nuggets to pasta, in order to make a simple pasta meal richer in vegan protein. Some pastas that the nuggets could work well in/on:

• Balsamic roasted vegetable pasta
• Caramelized cabbage onion pasta
• Cauliflower Alfredo pasta
• Creamy vegan mushroom pasta
• Sausage mushroom marinara pasta (use the tempeh nuggets to replace the vegan sausage)

The nuggets are also delicious to simply snack on, or to have alongside other components in a lunch or dinner! I could imagine them working really well in kids’ lunch boxes (or grown-up kids’ meal prep lunches for the week).

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Meal prep & storage

The tempeh nuggets can easily be incorporated into your weekly meal prep routine. They’ll keep for up to five days in an airtight container in the fridge once cooked.

You can also freeze the tempeh nuggets for up to 8 weeks.

The only downside is that the nuggets will lose some of their crispy texture as you store them. Accordingly, you can reheat them in the air fryer (3-5 minutes at 350°F should do it).

Or, you can enjoy them cold, without letting the changed texture get to you. To be honest, I’ve been doing that all week, and I haven’t enjoyed the nuggets any less.

Here’s the recipe.

Print

20-Minute Air Fryer Tempeh Nuggets

These air fryer tempeh nuggets are smoky and savory little flavor bombs! Crispy and satisfying, they add vegan protein to any salad or bowl, as well as to pasta dishes and soups. I like to snack on them, too. I've included an oven cooking option for those who don't have an air fryer at home.

Course Appetizer, side, small plate

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword air fryer, protein, quick and easy, tempeh

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• air fryer (see oven cooking option if you don't have an air fryer)

Ingredients

• 2 cups vegan no-chicken broth (480ml; substitute vegetable broth)
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons paprika (sweet paprika or smoked paprika—it's up to you—or use 1 teaspoon of each)
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1-2 teaspoons avocado oil (or avocado oil spray, as needed for a light coating)

Instructions

Prepare the the tempeh

• Lay your rectangular block of tempeh out on a small cutting board or work surface.
  
• Cut the tempeh into 3/4-1 inch cubes (32 cubes per 8oz/225g block of tempeh).
  
• Place the broth, tamari, mustard, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a 2 or 3qt saucepan. Whisk or stir them together to combine.
  
• Bring the liquid mixture to a simmer over medium high heat.
  
• Add the tempeh cubes. Turn the heat to low. Simmer the tempeh, uncovered, for 10 minutes. 
  

Air fry the tempeh

• Drain the tempeh cubes. Coat them lightly with the avocado oil. You can do this by adding them back to the empty cooking pot, adding a teaspoon or two of avocado oil, and lightly stirring. You can also add the nuggets to the basket or tray of your air fryer, then spray them lightly with avocado oil spray. The oil, while not a lot, helps the nuggets to become crispy.
  
• Transfer the nuggets to your air fryer. Air fry the tempeh for 8-10 minutes at 400F, or until they're crispy and browning. Shake the basket once halfway through to ensure even cooking.
  
• Store these nuggets for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze them for up to 6 weeks.
  

Oven instructions

• If you don't have an air fryer, begin by preheating your oven to 400F. Lightly rub or spray a baking sheet with oil, or use a nonstick baking sheet. 
• Bake the tempeh cubes for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy and browning. Flip the cubes on the sheet once, halfway through baking.

This post has me thinking about other, easy air fryer recipes to come. Roasted veggies for winter, of course, but also simple proteins like this one. I’ve occasionally made my baked tempeh bacon in the air fryer, but there’s so much else to explore.

I’ll keep you posted on my experiments. In the meantime, happy Friday!

xo

The post 20-Minute Air Fryer Tempeh Nuggets appeared first on The Full Helping.

These vegan breakfast pinwheels are protein-packed, thanks to refried beans and vegan egg, which is made with silken tofu and chickpea flour. They’re a great make-ahead option for breakfast or lunch on-the-go. Plus, they’re smoky, savory, and delicious!

I know there’s been a lot of breakfast content lately, but there’s one more idea that I have to share.

These vegan breakfast pinwheels were created thanks to two other, recent breakfast recipes.

One of those was a simple recipe for smoky, vegan refried beans, which can be ready in about 15 minutes.

Another was a recipe for a homemade vegan liquid egg mixture. It’s a nutritious and economical alternative to store-bought, liquid vegan egg.

What happens when you put these two components together, maybe with some leafy greens, and wrap them up?

You get vegan breakfast pinwheels, of course. Breakfast pinwheels that happen to be rich in protein, portable, and a great option for vegan meal prep breakfasts.

What do you mean, pinwheels?

Within the realm of food, what’s a pinwheel?

Basically, it’s a wrap that’s been cut into crosswise sections.

I first became aware that there was such a thing when I was in high school. I wasn’t yet vegan or vegetarian. There was a place near my school that sold smoked turkey, arugula, and tomato pinwheels, and I (along with most other students) loved them.

I hadn’t thought about the famous pinwheels until recently, when I made the refried beans and the vegan egg in the same week.

I was also thinking about a frequent reader request, which is for savory, make-ahead breakfast recipes.

For me to think of make-ahead sweet breakfasts isn’t a struggle. There are overnight oats, muffins, oat bakes, and more.

I eat a lot of savory breakfasts, but they tend to be less portable than sweet ones. When I do think of a savory vegan breakfast that can be part of a meal prep routine, I get excited. These breakfast pinwheels fit the bill.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Early day protein power

I’ve written a lot about the importance of protein at breakfast. My thoughts in this post, but the Cliffs Notes version is that a protein-rich morning meal can contribute to satiety and blood sugar stability.

A protein-rich breakfast can also make it easier in general to meet protein needs for the day.

While most Americans tend to over-consume protein, sourcing adequate protein can be a learning curve for vegans. Starting the day with a protein-rich meal can help.

While this certainly isn’t something to obsess over, it is something to think about. My experience with nutrition counseling suggests to me that most clients have the hardest time with protein first thing in the morning.

There’s tofu scramble, of course. Yet it never hurts to have more high-protein vegan breakfast ideas.

These breakfast pinwheels have protein from several forms of legumes: soy beans (tofu), pinto or black beans, and chickpea flour. If you use a higher protein, whole grain wrap, that will contribute even more of this important nutrient to the recipe.

How to prepare breakfast pinwheels

Step 1: make your beans and vegan egg

Before making the breakfast pinwheels, you’ll need to prepare the refried beans and the vegan egg that are part of the recipe.

But it’s worth saying that you have the option to use shortcuts! And you should, if you want to.

I’ve gotten a lot of satisfaction from making more homemade staples this year, but I know when I’m too tired or busy to try. It’s such a gift that nowadays, there are store-bought versions of so many plant-based foods.

So, if you prefer to purchase canned, vegan refried beans and store-bought vegan liquid egg, go for it.

You’ll need to prepare the egg in disk shapes, as described here. I’ve included those instructions in this recipe, too.

Step 2: layer

The rest of the breakfast pinwheel recipe is a breeze, once you’ve made your components.

Simply layer the refried beans onto a flour tortilla or wrap.

Cover the beans with your disk-shaped egg. That may be fine for you, or you may want to add some vegetables.

I’ve tried the pinwheels now with roasted red bell pepper, very thinly sliced tomato, and romaine leaves. I like them all!

Step 3: roll & slice

At this point, you’ll simply roll the wrap up and then slice it into cross-sections.

I don’t bother tucking the ends when I roll my pinwheels, as I would do for a burrito. You can trim the ends, or you can just not mind that the cross-sections with the ends have their own, unique shape

To help “seal” your roll, you can use a little bit of extra refried beans.

As far as size goes, I like to make my pinwheels about 1 1/2-inches/4cm thick.

What type of wraps should I use?

Each roll will yield the most breakfast pinwheels if you use a larger wrap—burrito-sized, or 10-inches in diameter.

However, if you have smaller wraps at home, that’s OK. You may simply want to prepare more than 4, knowing each will give you a few less pinwheels than the approximate 6 that a larger wrap will create.

You can use a whole grain wrap, a spinach wrap, a gluten-free wrap, or whatever you like. So long as it’s pretty sturdy, it ought to work fine!

Storage and meal prep

Part of why I thought of the breakfast pinwheels as a meal prep option is that they’re easy to store for a couple days.

I don’t recommend storing for longer than 2 nights; at this point, the pinwheels may become a little mushy. But they’ll be fine until then.

I think it’s easiest to store them in a container that’s cozy. If they have too much storage space, they can come apart. This container holds the breakfast pinwheels nicely.

Breakfast pinwheel variations

I’ve been loving the flavor of the breakfast pinwheels, with their smoky refried beans and savory, “eggy” tofu layer.

However, I can think of so many ways that you might vary the pinwheels. You could adjust the seasoning of the beans to make them more spicy. You could even replace them with hummus (hemp hummus, if you want a little extra protein) or cashew cheese.

The egg could be replaced with thinly sliced tofu, if you don’t feel like making liquid vegan egg and need another protein.

If you like, you could add sun-dried tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, shredded vegan cheese or yellow cheese sauce, and/or cooked or steamed greens.

There are, of course, so many sweet variations to ponder for vegan breakfast pinwheels, and now the wheels are turning.

But savoriness is what makes this recipe shine. Here it is.

Print

Protein-Packed Vegan Breakfast Pinwheels

These vegan breakfast pinwheels are protein-packed, thanks to refried beans and vegan egg, which is made with silken tofu and chickpea flour. They're a great make-ahead option for breakfast or lunch on-the-go. Plus, they're smoky, savory, and delicious!

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword beans, breakfast, make ahead, meal prep, tofu

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 4 servings (about 6 pinwheels each)

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 4 burrito-sized (10-in/25cm) wraps (regular, spinach or whole wheat wraps will all work well)
• 3 cups vegan refried beans (1 recipe will yield 3 cups; substitute a store-bought refried bean of choice)
• 2 cups vegan liquid egg (or a store-bought, vegan liquid egg replacer)
• lettuce leaves, tomato slices, roasted pepper slices, or another component of choice (optional)

Instructions

• Heat a 10- or 11-inch (25cm or 28cm) non-stick frying pan over medium low heat. Add 1/2 cup (120ml) of the liquid egg mixture, or enough to cover the round center of the pan. 
• This liquid egg takes longer to cook than store-bought, liquid vegan egg or regular egg. The egg is ready to flip (for omelets or rounds) when bubbles form along the top surface, and that surface starts to become firm, about 3-4 minutes. Use a large spatula to gently flip the egg over. Cook until the bottom size is set, another 2 minutes. 
• Transfer the cooked egg circle to a plate or cooling rack while you repeat with the remaining liquid egg. You'll create 4 or 5 circles. Allow the circles to cool to room temperature before proceeding. The egg circles can be prepared up to 2 days in advance of making your pinwheels.
• To prepare a pinwheel, place a wrap on a flat, clean work surface. Spread 3/4 cup of the refried beans over the wrap. Top the bean layer with your cooked egg round, then enough lettuce leaves to cover the egg. Start at the bottom edge of the wrap and wrap/roll it upward into a long, tight tube shape. Use a little of the refried beans to help the top flap of the wrap stick to the roll. 
• Turn the seam of the roll onto your work surface and cut the roll into pieces that are each about 1 1/2-inches/4cm wide (this is similar to making maki rolls). These little pinwheels can come apart easily, so immediately transfer them to a container where you can store them snugly. Enjoy.

I’ve so been enjoying the color and cuteness that these little rolls are adding to my morning, and I hope that you will, too. If you try a fun variation, let me know—I’d love to hear about it.

xo

The post Protein-Packed Vegan Breakfast Pinwheels appeared first on The Full Helping.

This homemade vegan liquid egg will be your secret weapon for plant-based omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and scrambles! It features simple, nutritious ingredients and can be stored for a few days in the fridge.

Recently, I wrote about vegan meal prep breakfasts. It made me think about the fact that my own breakfasts have been a little repetitive lately.

That’s a norm for me in the summer. When tomatoes are perfect, all I seem to want are bagels or toast with hummus or avocado and thick, juicy slices of tomato on top.

When the weather cools down, though, I start to think about cozy oat bakes and dishes of savory breakfast hash. And of course, there’s always tofu scramble.

For convenience and easy protein, I sometimes pick up the Just Egg liquid or folded vegan eggs. I like to use the liquid for omelets and the folded version in breakfast sandwiches.

This year, I’ve been making an earnest effort to create more vegan staples from scratch. The ever-growing list includes vegan mayo, marinara sauce, vegan ricotta cheese, tempeh bacon, and date-sweetened BBQ sauce.

Since the store-bought, liquid vegan egg is pretty pricey, I figured it was time to experiment with a homemade alternative.

I’m so happy that this recipe worked out as well as it did.

How to make liquid vegan egg

Ingredients

The first challenge that I faced was to make the liquid vegan egg with simple, accessible, and nutritious ingredients.

I settled on some of the components that I’ve used for scrambles and egg-like dishes before: tofu (in this case, silken tofu), chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, and black salt.

Tofu gives the liquid egg its protein, as well as some of its texture and strength.

Chickpea flour helps to bind the mixture together. It also contributes protein, as well as some savory flavor. In fact, I’ve used chickpea flour for a breakfast scramble that has no tofu at all—it’s soy free.

Black salt, which is also called kala namak, has a high sulfur content. For this reason, it also has an “eggy” flavor and scent. It’s not mandatory for this recipe if you can’t find it.

However, you can order it online, and it’s a handy ingredient to have at home for any plant-based dish that is inspired by a traditional egg dish.

Nutritional yeast, finally, gives the vegan liquid egg added umami.

Process

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s really as simple as blending ingredients together.

You can use a food processor or a blender for the task. Either will work.

Once that’s done, you have a liquid “egg” that can be cooked in a few different ways.

How to use vegan liquid egg

Once the vegan egg is ready, there are a few uses for it that I know of already.

I say this because I only made the liquid egg for the first time a month or so ago. I’m still discovering all of the different ways I can use it!

I’ll update the uses below as I come up with more and can offer instructions for them.

Omelets + sandwiches

Most of the time, I like to cook it over low heat in a skillet. I use about a half cup of the mixture to make one disc-shaped serving.

The liquid egg will take longer in your skillet than does store-bought, liquid vegan egg. Be patient! It’ll need about 4 minutes for the first side, 2-3 minutes for the second.

Add your 1/2 cup of liquid egg to a skillet over medium low heat. Flip it over once the top is looking almost entirely set—and not until that point. The disc will get damaged if you flip too soon.

At this point, you can add filling ingredients to the center and make a lovely little omelet. Lately, I like to add sliced mushrooms and spinach that I sauté ahead of time and some Good Planet vegan cheese shreds.

You can also take the disk and fold it up. Once folded, it’s the perfect protein for a vegan breakfast sandwich!

Make your egg sandwich on toast, a toasted English muffin, or a roll. Add a slice of vegan cheese or some of my homemade yellow cheese sauce.

You could also add a slice of Tofurky ham or a vegan sausage patty here. I love the sausage patties from Field Roast.

You can also go for something a little fresher and more summery by adding sliced avocado, tomato, and sprouts.

No matter what, you have a great little breakfast sandwich on your hands.

Scrambles

If you don’t want to make a set disk, you can also scramble the mixture over low heat. Once again, I use a half cup of the mixture at a time.

Because the homemade liquid egg cooks more slowly than Just Egg, it takes longer to scramble. Again, be patient, and use a spatula to gently move it and stir it once you see parts that are solidifying.

By the time you finish, you’ll have a tasty, homemade scramble to work with.

I like folding cooked, leftover vegetables into my scramble. It’s a good place to incorporate your leftover broccoli florets or cooked greens.

What kind of cookware should I use?

This is an important question!

The best way to cook the liquid vegan egg is with nonstick cookware. Doing so will ensure the smoothest flipping and scrambling. It will also allow you to cook the vegan egg without needing to add any oil, or only a small amount of oil.

I’m a huge fan of Caraway’s non-toxic, nonstick ceramic cookware set and bakeware set. I use the fry pan for this recipe, but you can of course use any nonstick pan that you love.

You can also use well-seasoned cast iron or a stainless steel pan to prepare the vegan liquid egg. Just be sure to add some oil or vegan butter to prevent sticking.

And again, if you make an omelet or disk, be sure to let each side of your disc cook till set before flipping.

Storage

One of the cool things about the liquid egg is that you can prepare it, pour it into a large mason jar, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Give it a good shake, then use it by the half-cupful as needed.

You can also make disks of the vegan egg for breakfast sandwiches and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can freeze the disks for up to 6 weeks.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

More savory breakfasts

If you love savory breakfast fare, and this post has you excited about it, here are a few more recipes to explore:

• Savory squash and kimchi porridge
• Farro breakfast salad with sweet potatoes and apples
• Chick’n enchilada breakfast casserole
• Butternut squash hash with tofu
• Black bean & scrambled tofu enchiladas
• Cultured breakfast macro bowls
• Grits with tempeh sausage and Brussels sprouts
• Savory turmeric chickpea oats

Print

Vegan Liquid Egg

This homemade vegan liquid egg will be your secret weapon for plant-based omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and scrambles! It features simple, nutritious ingredients and can be stored for a few days in the fridge.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword breakfast, chickpea flour, homemade, protein, tofu

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 2.25 cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• frying pan
• blender

Ingredients

• 16 oz silken tofu (450g)
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour (60g; substitute 1/2 cup/70g unbleached, all-purpose flour)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon kala namak (optional; replace with 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt in addition to the sea salt listed below)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients together in a blender or a food processor till smooth. At this point, the mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• To prepare the liquid egg for omelets, folded egg sandwiches, or scramble, use a nonstick pan over medium low heat. Pour the liquid egg into the pan by 1/2 cup (120ml) amounts. 
• This liquid egg takes longer to cook than store-bought, liquid vegan egg or regular egg. The egg is ready to flip (for omelets or rounds) when bubbles form along the top surface, and that surface starts to become firm and set, about 3-4 minutes. Use a large spatula to gently flip the egg over. Cook until the bottom side of the disk is set, another 2-3 minutes. 
• Fill and fold this round for omelets, or simply leave it in a large, pancake shape. This round can be folded and added to breakfast sandwiches. 
• Alternatively, scramble the egg gently as it cooks and serve as desired. 
• Leftover, cooked vegan egg will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

I’m so excited about all of the possibilities of this tasty, nutritious, and versatile concoction. And I’ll continue to share with you about how I end up using it.

Hope you’ll find some good uses for it, too!

xo

The post Homemade Vegan Liquid Egg appeared first on The Full Helping.

Devoting a few hours of time each week to vegan meal prep can make your life more nutritious, organized, and a lot tastier. This beginner’s guide tells you everything you need to know, from planning to storage. Plus, it includes more than 20 vegan meal prep recipe ideas to get you started!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing more about my meal prep process.

On any given week, I might meal prep my dinners, lunches, or breakfasts. Most weeks, I prep at least some components for all three of these meals.

It’s great to chat about the types of foods and recipes that lend themselves to meal prep. Today, though, I’m taking a step back.

What is meal prep? How do you get started with it? How much food does one need to prep, and how do you plan? How long does meal prepped food last?

This is just a sampling of the questions that I’m typically asked when I write about or talk about meal prep.

I’ve learned that a lot of folks love the idea of meal prep, yet feel totally overwhelmed by the details and logistics.

Hence this beginner’s guide to vegan meal prep.

I’ve divided the post into the following sections, all inspired by feedback and questions that I commonly get asked about this topic:

1. Meal prep basics
2. Planning
3. Storage and reheating
4. Freezing and defrosting
5. My favorite storage containers
6. Vegan meal prep recipes
7. A meal prep-friendly vegan chili

Meal prep has made my life and self-nourishment so much easier. I’m hoping that it can do the same for you, too.

Meal prep basics

What is meal prep, anyway?

First things first: what, exactly, does it mean to meal prep?

Quite simply, meal prep involves making some, most, or all of the food one plans to eat for the week ahead of time.

What’s the advantage of meal prep?

So, what’s the point of making food in advance? Why might it be a better option than cooking day-to-day?

In my mind, the point of meal prep is to cook during the least rushed, fatigued, and stressful moments in one’s week.

I don’t cook well when I’m dealing with any one of those factors: tight time constraints, exhaustion, or stress.

I mess up recipes, including my own. I rush through the process, taking less care than usual, and my food suffers as a result. Sometimes I forget to purchase the ingredients that I need and make substitutions that don’t really work.

More importantly, I don’t enjoy cooking when I’m tired and hungry.

My meal prep isn’t always a joy. Sometimes it’s just functional, the thing I know I need to do. But it’s always more pleasurable than my efforts to cook at the end of a long day.

Here are some other reasons that I like to meal prep:

Variety

I do my best to eat a variety of dishes each week. Like most people, however, I fall into ruts.

This becomes more pronounced when I don’t have a plan. If I need to figure out what I’m making on the fly, I’ll tend to default to the same dishes over and over again.

There’s nothing wrong with having tried-and-true recipes that work. But variety matters, too.

As of 2019, food based dietary guidelines (otherwise known as FBDG) were available for 90 countries around the world. Each one of them stressed the importance of variety.

Why? Because a greater variety of foods ensures a higher overall and more diversified intake of nutrients.

Case in point: we know that the colors of fruits and vegetables are due to plant-based pigments that are associated with protective benefits against aging and disease. These pigments are phytonutrients. Each color—green, purple, red, orange, and so on—is associated with different health benefits.

The reason we’re told to “eat a rainbow” is because doing that allows us to take in more phytonutrients overall.

I’d like to pretend that I always “eat the rainbow” in a given day, but I don’t. When I don’t have a plan, I tend to eat the same veggies (broccoli, carrots, zucchini) and fruits (apples and bananas) again and again.

When I meal prep, I actually sit down and give some thought to what I’ll eat in the week ahead. In doing that, I diversify my produce.

Meal prep also helps me with culinary variety. When I pick a few dishes to make for the week, I’m thinking about variety of texture and flavor as well as color and nutrition.

Budgeting

Groceries can be expensive in the first place, and this only becomes more true with inflation.

Even so, I always spend less on food for the week when I meal prep.

This is because I’m intentional with my shopping. I don’t make impulse buys. I don’t spend money on ingredients that end up going to waste because I didn’t use them up quickly enough.

When I make food for the entire week ahead, I think carefully about what to purchase. I stay focused on what I need, rather than getting distracted by enticing (but sometimes pricey) new vegan products at the store.

Organization

There are many areas of my life where I’d like to be better organized. Meal prep, thankfully, has allowed me to stay organized when it comes to cooking.

This is true even if I have a week in which the days seem to fly by in a blur. I may lose track of many things, but my meals are taken care of.

Reduced decision fatigue

Decision fatigue is a weight that more and more of us are carrying as we navigate the responsibilities in our lives.

It’s not always possible to avoid decision fatigue, but there are strategies that can assist in managing it.

The strategy that works for me is to make decisions before making them becomes urgent. Without urgency and rush, I can apply more clarity and thoughtfulness to my choices.

Meal prep helps with this. It also reduces the number of choices that I need to make. When I commit to two or three recipes for the week ahead, I eliminate excess deliberation.

When should I do my meal prep?

You can choose to meal prep over the weekend, if your work life gives you weekends off.

If you have a work, academic, or parenting schedule that gives you other days off—Mondays, for example—then you can meal prep on Mondays.

In essence, you devote some of the free time you have to make-ahead cooking. It can happen when you want it to happen.

How much food do I need to make?

That’s up to you. You can prepare nearly everything you plan to eat in the coming week, or you can make one dish that’s a good multitasker.

Most of the time, I do extensive meal prep over the weekend or on Thursdays. (Thursdays are a day on which I don’t see my nutrition clients as a dietitian.)

My meal prep is usually on the more comprehensive side. I prepare most of my lunches and dinners ahead of time, and sometimes I make my breakfasts in advance, too.

Of course, I don’t make every single thing that I’m going to eat in advance. I intersperse simple, quick eats into my week as well. That might be a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast or a sandwich for lunch.

When I just can’t or don’t want to meal prep, I skip a week. I defrost things that I’ve made previously, or I have a week of simple food: sandwiches, pasta with marinara sauce from the freezer and some Gardein meatballs, skillets with a grain and a bean.

Having a meal prep habit doesn’t mean that you need to do it every single week. It’s a flexible ritual that should make life less stressful, not more.

How much time will it take?

When I was writing The Vegan Week, one of my recipe testers told me that she appreciated the fact that I was honest about how long it takes to meal prep.

I was grateful for that feedback.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Listen, I wish I could tell you that my vegan meal prep only takes me an hour or two. But the reality is that it usually takes me about 3-4 hours. This includes prepping before I cook, cooking itself, and putting everything that I’ve made away.

The good news is once again that you can choose to do more or less. I’m happier when I make more food upfront and have less to do during the week.

Of course there are some weekends when I have fun plans and only limited time for meal prep. If that happens, I just do a little more cooking during the week.

Something is always better than nothing. If all you have time to do is make one salad dressing, a simple vegan protein, or a cooked grain, that’s great! You’ll be able to use those components in a number of ways as the week goes on.

Planning

Now that we’ve covered what meal prep is and how it works, let’s chat about planning.

Planning weekly meal prep can be broken down into steps.

1. Think about how much food you need for the week

This sounds straightforward, but actually, it’s easy to underestimate. I often finish my make-ahead meals more quickly than I thought I would.

For the most part, though, I’ve learned that 2 recipes, each making about 4 servings, can give me five days’ worth of lunches and dinners.

Within those days, I alternate my prepared food with some of the simple options I mentioned above, like vegan sandwiches or frozen meals.

If your family’s needs are essentially triple of what I eat in a week, you have choices. You can make two recipes, like I do, and double them so that there’s more to go around. You can make an additional recipe. And you can also alternate meal-prepped options with your own favorite simple and convenient standbys.

Thanks to vegan meal prep, you’ll have more time to be present with family, or with yourself, on weeknights.

2. Choose your recipes

Sometimes readers ask me how I choose the recipes that I include in my meal prep.

Most weeks I just make whatever I’ve been craving. Sometimes I’m inspired by produce that’s just coming into season. At other times, there’s a recipe I want to test for the blog or revisit from a cookbook.

You might choose your meal prep recipes based on requests from your family. You may have health considerations that influence what you’d like to prepare.

Whatever your deciding criteria are, just choose a couple of recipes and roll with them.

3. Choose some not-recipes

After I pick the recipes that I plan to make, I also give a little thought to basic staple foods that I want to have around for the week.

This can look like:

• Store-bought sandwich ingredients
• Fresh fruit for snacking and to eat with breakfast
• Veggies (fresh or frozen) for vegetable side dishes
• Any pantry items that need to be restocked
• Snack foods
• Frozen foods/products I want to have around

Again, my two or three meal prep recipes won’t take care of all of my food needs for the week. So I stock up on foods that will fill in the gaps.

4. Make a grocery list

Once you know what you want to make, you can create a grocery list around it.

My grocery shopping list is divided into two sections. One is for the ingredients I’ll need for the 2-3 recipes I’m making.

The other is a list of those staple foods that I mentioned above. I add to it household items and cleaning supplies.

5. Shop

Once the list is made, it’s time to shop.

I usually get my groceries at a nearby Whole Foods. I rely on their 365 Everyday Value line for a lot of my staples (grains, canned beans, and so on). If I can, I get to the farmer’s market.

That’s just what works for me. Shopping can happen wherever and whenever is most economical and convenient for you. All that matters is that you have supplies before it’s time to cook!

5. Cook

Cooking is the time-consuming step in meal prep. But it’s easier and more efficient when you have a plan, which is what meal prep will afford you.

I usually plan what I’ll be making on Fridays, shop on Saturday morning, and cook on Saturday and/or Sunday. If I meal prep midweek, I plan and make a grocery list on Wednesday night after work. I shop and cook on Thursday.

6. Store

Once your food is prepped, you’ll be ready to store it.

One of the concerns that people express to me most commonly when I write about meal prep is that they’re afraid of the prepared food going bad.

While I understand this concern, a great many leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Some can keep for up to five days.

If you prep on a Saturday, your food will be good for eating until Tuesday or Wednesday. You can freeze some of it and defrost later in the week to keep everything optimally fresh. When I meal prep, I almost always freeze half of what I’ve made right away.

Speaking of, there’s a lot to say about safe food storage, freezing, and defrosting.

Storage and reheating

Meal prepped portions of many vegan soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, bowls, and other ingredients can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Of course, this is just an estimate. Always pay attention to smell and taste with leftover food. If you notice any off odors or flavors, it’s best to err on the side of safety. The FoodSafety.gov FoodKeeper app is a helpful reference tool.

When you reheat food, the goal is to heat it to a minimum internal temperature of 165F throughout. If you’re not sure, a probe thermometer makes it easy to know whether you’ve heated food adequately.

Freezing and defrosting

Many pastas, soups, stews, cooked grains and legumes, cooked vegetables, desserts, and dressings or sauces can easily be frozen. Freezing times vary, but most of the recipes on this site can safely be frozen for at least 6-8 weeks.

The most foolproof way to defrost food safely is in the fridge. But you can also microwave food directly from frozen, using your microwave’s defrosting setting. And you can safely cook food directly from its frozen state.

My favorite storage containers

If you get into a regular meal prep habit, you’ll need some containers to help store your creations.

I’ve accumulated a lot of meal prep containers! Some have worked better than others. Here’s my list of favorites:

Divided containers

• Mepal medium bento box
• Pyrex 3.4 quart bento box and 2.1 quart bento box
• Mepal duo lunch box
• Lunchbots trio container

Containers for salads and bowls

• W&P porter bowl
• Mepal duo lunch box

Storage containers

• Pyrex 3 cup containers
• Mepal nested storage bowls

Snacks & accesories

• W&P utensil set
• W&P porter dressing containers
• Stasher snack bags and sandwich bags

The best vegan meal prep recipes

For vegan meal prep meal ideas that are mealtime-specific, check out:

• Vegan meal prep breakfast ideas
• Vegan meal prep lunch ideas
• Vegan meal prep dinner ideas

Apart from this, there are some recipes that I think are particularly useful for meal prep:

• Sauces and dressings, for instantly jazzing up simple bowls, salads, roasted veggies, and more
• Dips and spreads, for snacking and sandwiches
• Simple proteins, for adding to to salads, wraps, burritos, and bowls
• Vegan one-pot meals, for easy dinners and lots of leftovers

Here are some of the ones that I prep most often.

Sauces & Dressings

Tahini Beet Dressing

This creamy vegan tahini beet dressing has the most beautiful, vibrant pink color! Sweet and tangy, it's the perfect accompaniment to your plant-based salads and bowls.

Get the recipe

Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Tahini Dressing

This vegan turmeric tahini dressing is the perfect way to incorporate turmeric into your diet regularly. Versatile and easy to make! #vegan

Get the recipe

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.

Get the recipe

Versatile Vegan Cashew Queso

This recipe for vegan cashew queso is pure magic and extremely versatile. It’s tangy, a little sweet, and it has the perfect amount of spice. Using pre-soaked cashews, it’s ready in five minutes!

Get the recipe

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.

Get the recipe

Dips & spreads

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.

Get the recipe

Go-to Cashew Cheese Recipe

Get the recipe

15-Minute, Smoky Vegan Refried Beans

Get the recipe

Creamy Vegan Sweet Potato Hummus

This vegan sweet potato hummus is a non-traditional spin on chickpea hummus. It has the most wonderful creamy texture and slight sweetness, thanks to cooked sweet potato. You can roast, steam, or microwave your sweet potato—it's all good! Perfect for dipping, snacks, sandwiches, and more.

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10 Minute Vegan Ricotta Cheese

This vegan ricotta cheese is ready in only 10 minutes! Made with cashews and tofu, it's a nutritious, homemade staple that can be used in a variety of dishes. Plus, it's creamy and so satisfying.

Get the recipe

Simple Proteins

Easy BBQ Lentils

These BBQ lentils couldn't be easier or quicker to make. I prepare them with my naturally sweetened, date BBQ sauce, and I use them as a staple in my vegan meal prep. They're a super versatile plant protein.

Get the recipe

Favorite Lemon Pepper Baked Tempeh Cubes

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The Best Salty & Savory Vegan Feta Cheese

Yes, vegan cheese can be successfully made at home! This recipe for homemade vegan feta cheese uses a combination of extra firm tofu, white miso, and other seasonings, to create a delightfully salty, savory vegan feta. For best results, allow the tofu feta cheese to marinade for at least 4 hours in the fridge, but preferably overnight.

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Creamy Coconut Curried Green Lentils

This versatile vegan recipe for coconut-curried green lentils is so creamy and easy to make at home. Serve like a soup, or as part of a vegan buddha bowl.

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Baked Balsamic Tofu

Baked balsamic tofu cubes are one of my favorite versatile, everyday plant proteins to keep in my fridge. I use them in salads, bowls, pasta dishes, in wraps, and even as a nutritious snack food. Learn how to prepare this easy and flavorful vegan staple!

Get the recipe

Vegan one-pot recipes

Lentil Tomato Pasta Stew

This one-pot, plant-based lentil tomato pasta stew is so cozy, hearty, and comforting! It's also packed with nutrition from vegetables and legumes. Easy to make gluten free!

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One-Pot Italian Quinoa and Lentils

This quinoa and lentils recipe is one of my favorite easy vegan meals for beginners because it’s so adaptable, and because it’s made in one pot! Made with protein-rich quinoa, lentils, greens, and sun-dried tomatoes, it’s seasoned with herbs that are common in Italian cuisine. Option to top with vegan cashew cream.

Get the recipe

Curried Potatoes, Lentils & Peas

This recipe for curried potatoes, lentils, and peas is one of my favorite quick and easy plant-based meals. It’s full of nourishing spices and nutritious vegetables — serve this dish alongside flatbread, rice, or enjoy on its own.

Get the recipe

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!

Get the recipe

Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Chili

This hearty vegan black bean quinoa chili is packed with nutrient-dense vegetables, whole grains, beans, and greens. Plus, 20+ other make-ahead recipe ideas in my beginner's guide to vegan meal prep!

Get the recipe

A meal prep-friendly vegan chili

A few more words about that chili!

This guide is intended to be a starting place for those who are curious about meal prep. And black bean quinoa chili is a perfect recipe to start with.

The chili delivers what a great meal prep recipe should:

• Solid nutrition
• Easy preparation
• Lots of portions for storage and freezing
• Budget-friendly
• Adaptable

By adaptable, I mean that there are many ways that you could serve the chili:

• With a slice of vegan cornbread
• With a salad or other vegetable side dish
• As filling for breakfast tacos or a vegan burrito
• Bowl-style, with a vegetable component, an extra protein, and any toppings you like

Me, I like to top the chili with my 4-ingredient vegan sour cream or my cashew queso.

But avocado slices, pepitas, chopped cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips are all great, too.

Here’s the recipe!

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Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Chili

This hearty vegan black bean quinoa chili is packed with nutrient-dense vegetables, whole grains, beans, and greens. Plus, 20+ other make-ahead recipe ideas in my beginner's guide to vegan meal prep!

Course main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword beans, chili, make ahead, meal prep, one-pot, quinoa

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• Pot or dutch oven

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (substitute 1/4 cup vegetable broth to make the recipe oil-free)
• 1 white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded, stemmed, and chopped
• 8-10 ounces sliced button mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, with their liquid (reduce the amount to 2 peppers if you prefer less heat)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed through a fine sieve  (180g)
• 3 cups cooked black beans (480g, or two 15-ounce/425g cans, drained and rinsed)
• 28 ounces regular or fire-roasted, diced tomatoes, with their juices (800g)
• 4 cups vegetable broth (950ml)
• 1 cup water (240ml)
• 1 bunch curly kale, stemmed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4-ingredient vegan sour cream (optional, for topping)

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers, and mushrooms. Sauté the vegetables, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and reduced in size and the onion is clear and soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute; add a splash or two of water at any point if the vegetables are sticking.
• Add the chipotle peppers, paprika, cumin, salt, quinoa, beans, tomatoes, broth, and water to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the kale to the pot (you may need to stir it in in batches). Re-cover the pot and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender.
• Add the lime juice. Taste the chili; adjust salt and extra lime juice to taste. Serve with vegan sour cream, if desired.

I know that meal prep can feel like an overwhelming concept if you haven’t done it before. My hope is that this post covers just some of the basic information that you need to get started.

And if you have a question about any of this, comment and ask!

I’ve come to cherish meal prep for its capacity to keep me nourished. I love talking about it, responding to questions, and continuing to figure it out for myself along the way.

Till soon,

xo

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Vegan Meal Prep appeared first on The Full Helping.

These smoky vegan refried beans are a staple for tacos, wraps, burritos, snacking, and more! They’re full of vibrant, savory flavor, thanks to the addition of lime juice, tomato paste, and smoked paprika. Best of all, they take only 15 minutes to prepare with cooked beans.

When my friend Ashley and I were working together on Power Plates, I went to stay and work with her in Denver.

When she asked me if there was anything I wanted to have on hand for breakfast, I asked if she could pick up some soft tortillas and canned, vegan refried beans.

Ashley was later surprised at how often I made soft tacos for breakfast. Fittingly, my go-to breakfast tacos ended up becoming a recipe in the breakfast section of the cookbook.

I noted there how often I rely on breakfast tacos because they’re versatile and satisfying. They’re also a good vehicle for so many kinds of plant proteins and vegetables.

Leftover cubes of baked tofu or tempeh? Roasted sweet potatoes or sautéed greens? The last cup or two of a tangy vegan slaw? Put them into a breakfast taco.

Not much has changed. Soft tacos are still one of my favorite, most frequent vegan breakfasts. The only difference is that I now make my own, smoky vegan refried beans more often than not.

What are refried beans?

Refried beans are beans that have been cooked and mashed, then fried or baked. “Refried” comes from the word “refritos,” or “well-fried.” They aren’t, as might be inferred from the name, fried twice.

This recipe is for vegan refried beans. While some vegan refried beans are available in stores, traditional recipes for refried beans might be prepared with chicken stock, lard, bacon fat, or butter.

It’s also worth saying that beans are typically soaked and scratch cooked for traditional refried beans. In order to make this version quick-cooking, I use canned beans.

If you like to scratch cook your beans, then you can of course use 3 cups of pinto beans that you’ve soaked, boiled, and drained.

Refried beans are typically made with onion and garlic, and they can be seasoned with epazote or oregano.

The main seasoning note in these vegan refried beans is smokiness. The smoky flavor comes from smoked paprika, which is a wonderful spice to keep on hand. I use it in chili, soup, tacos, my cashew queso, and many other recipes.

Making refried beans

Traditionally, the first step in making refried beans would be to boil dried beans until they’re tender. I bypass this step for my smoky vegan refried beans, opting to use canned instead.

The recipe calls for a total of 3 cups of cooked pinto beans. That’s about 480g, or two 15-ounce/425g cans, drained and rinsed.

Step 1: Sauté onion & tomato

The first step in the process of making the vegan refried beans is to sauté some onion and garlic in a skillet or deep sauté pan.

I use avocado oil, which is my go-to neutral oil for cooking and baking, to do this. You could use olive oil or vegan butter as well.

I also add a small amount of fresh, chopped tomato or tomato paste to the onion and garlic mix. This a non-traditional addition. For what purpose? Umami.

Tomato is a source of umami, which is also known as the “fifth taste.” It can be thought of as savoriness, but it roughly translates to “deliciousness” in Japanese.

Umami is responsible for the deep, savory quality of soy sauce, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Plant-based sources of umami can be a powerful tool in vegan cooking, as umami is also sometimes associated with protein in recipes. In any case, I think that it enhances the flavor of the refried beans.

Step 2: Add beans, broth & spices

Next, you’ll add your cooked beans, a half cup of broth (I like to use a vegan chicken-style broth, but vegetable broth is fine) or water, and spices to the pan.

The spices I like to use are smoked paprika, cumin, and fine sea salt. You could modify these to your liking: for example, if you like, you can add cayenne for heat. Oregano is also a nice and more traditional flavor addition.

Step 3: Mash

Now it’s time to get mashing!

Refried beans are typically mashed. I’ve tried refried beans that have a more chunky texture, in which some of the beans are whole. I’ve also tried some that are silky smooth, almost like a purée.

For these vegan refried beans, I’d invite you to use your judgment about how much you’d like to mash the beans. I like mine mostly mashed, with a little bit of texture still remaining.

You might prefer more mashing or less than me.

In order to do this mashing, I use a handheld potato masher, and I mash the beans right in the sauté pan they’ve been cooking is. This spares me the need to dirty an additional bowl for the mashing process.

If you prefer a very smooth texture, you could use an immersion blender here.

Step 4: Stir in acid

The smoky refried beans benefit from the addition of a little bit of acid. I like to use freshly squeezed lime juice, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. Sometimes it just depends on what I have.

Once you do this, you can taste the beans and adjust all other seasonings. They’re now ready to store or eat!

How to serve vegan refried beans

There are so many ways to serve these convenient, flavorful beans.

You can use them in any simple taco, of course. Add any vegetables, additional protein, and some sort of condiment.

I like to garnish tacos with my 4-ingredient vegan sour cream, cashew queso, cashew cheese, and vegan feta cheese.

I’ve used the refried beans to make a creative spin on huevos rancheros with cauliflower and my easy black bean sweet potato tacos.

The vegan refried beans could go into a tray of homemade vegan nachos. I love this seasonal version with butternut squash.

Or you can simply serve them on toast or with tortilla chips, for a savory little snack.

Do I need to use pinto beans?

You certainly don’t have to use pinto beans in the recipe. The vegan refried beans can be made with black beans, kidney beans, black eyed peas, or adzuki beans. Use what you have.

Can I make vegan refried beans with no oil?

You can make a whole foods, plant-based version of the vegan refried beans if you wish. To do this, sauté the onion and garlic in 1/4 vegetable or vegan no-chicken broth instead.

I find that the avocado oil contributes to a creamy texture and also helps to carry the smoky flavors of the dish.

Meal prep & storage

The vegan refried beans are a great option to include in vegan meal prep for the week ahead.

Like many sauces or dips, they can add instant flavor and life to otherwise simple combinations of ingredients. And the refried beans can be used in a few different recipes or methods as your week goes on.

The refried beans will keep for up to four days in an airtight container in the fridge.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Can I freeze vegan refried beans?

Yes, the refried beans can be frozen! I often make this batch as directed by the recipe and immediately freeze half, so that I can make soft tacos at a moment’s notice in the future.

The refried beans can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

And here’s the recipe.

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