Archive for Vegan – Page 4

Can-Free, Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole


By Leslie · Comments (3) · November 15th, 2012

Green Bean Casserole is a staple on so many Thanksgiving tables, but who needs cans when you can make it fresh?  This recipe is super easy and so much more tasty when made from scratch.

Green Bean Casserole

Serves 8

1 1/2 fresh green beans, washed, trimmed, and cut into 2 inch pieces

3 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

4 oz. mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 garlic, diced

1 tbsp. flour

1 cup plain soy milk

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

salt and pepper

1 vidalia onion, halved and sliced

4 tbsp. flour

a pinch of paprika

a pinch of cayenne

Mix the flour, paprika, and cayenne in a bowl and toss the onion slices in.  In a frying pan, heat a inch of oil on high.  Shake the excess flour off the onions and fry in batches quickly until golden then let sit on a paper towel to absorb oil.

Steam the green beans until soft, but still crunchy (you’re going to bake them so they will cook more), set aside.

In a sauce pot, on medium heat, melt the butter and add the mushrooms, onion and garlic.  Saute until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the flour and nutmeg and stir continuously until it becomes a paste like consistency and tan colored.  Carefully add the soy milk and continue to stir continuously.  Toss the green beans in the sauce and pour into a casserole dish.  Top with the crispy onions, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.

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Comments (3)
Categories : featured, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Creamed Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms


By Leslie · Comments (2) · November 14th, 2012

My Grandmother’s Creamed Spinach is a legendary staple on my family’s Thanksgiving table (and very non-vegan lol!).  I tried my hardest to veganize her recipe and this is the closest I could get…  Grandma’s recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup and since I clearly wasn’t using a canned dairy-based soup, I thought, why don’t I just put it in a mushroom?  Voila!  I hope you enjoy!

Creamed Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Makes 24 mushrooms

24 mushrooms, I used “stuffing” mushrooms which are medium size portobellos

3 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 garlic, diced

1 tbsp. flour

1 cup plain soy milk

1 1/2 lb fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

salt and pepper

Place the chopped spinach in a large frying pan.  Do not turn on the heat.  In a sauce pot, on medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion and garlic.  Saute until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the flour and stir continuously until it becomes a paste like consistency and tan colored.  Carefully add the soy milk, and nutmeg, and continue to stir continuously.  When the flour is dissolved pour the sauce over the spinach in the frying pan.  Turn the pan on medium heat and toss until the spinach has wilted.

Scoop the spinach mixture into the mushrooms and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  Serve warm.

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Comments (2)
Categories : Appetizers, featured, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetables: Mushrooms, Vegetables: Spinach

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins!


By Leslie · Comments (2) · November 10th, 2012

This my absolutely FAVorite Fall recipe!  It has been in the family forever and when I veganized I found I liked them even more!!  I hope you enjoy!

And check out my video on how these can make the perfect gift!

Harvest Pumpkin Chip Muffins

Makes 2 dozen

What you’ll need:

3 cups gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Baking Flour) Or all-purpose, sifted

3/4 tsp. chia seeds

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

3 heaping tsp cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

3 cups sugar

1 cup melted vegan butter (Earth Balance is my favorite)

1 15 oz can pure pumpkin

2 mashed ripe bananas (mash them well)

12 oz bag of dark chocolate chips or carob chips

What you’ll do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour and carefully mix in the chia seeds, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside.

Mix sugar, butter, pumpkin, and butter in a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a standing mixer (kitchenaid) When incorporated, add the bananas.

Add slowly to the dry mixture to the wet mixture.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon into muffin cups (pretty full since they don’t rise much)

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Lesliesarnasig

Comments (2)
Categories : Dasani ECOmmunity, featured, Muffins, recipes, Vegan

Wild Mushroom Gravy


By Leslie · Comments (1) · November 6th, 2012

Mashed potatoes without gravy is like me without my puppy Pepe. Not the same! Coming up with an equally yummy vegan version of this rich and deep wild mushroom gravy that’s been a fave on my family’s Thanksgiving table for years was not so easy.  But this gravy will have vegans and meaties alike calling ‘pass the gravy’ all dinner long!

Wild Mushroom Gravy

Serves 4 – 6

What you’ll need:

1 small to medium onion, halved and diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

1 medium portobello mushroom, chopped

4 oz. wild mushrooms, sliced (these could be crimini, shitake, oyster or whatever you like)

2 tbsp. flour (for gluten free, just use more cornstarch)

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp. soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

In a large frying pan, on medium low heat, melt the butter and add in the onions, portobello mushrooms and garlic.  Add a pinch of salt.  Saute for about 2 minutes.  Add the wild mushrooms and saute for another couple minutes.  Add the flour and mix until dissolved.

Add in the vegetable broth and cornstarch.  Stir to dissolve all the cornstarch.  Let cook for another couple minutes and add the soy sauce.  Taste and season.

Comments (1)
Categories : featured, recipes, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetables: Mushrooms

Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes


By Leslie · Comments (42) · November 6th, 2012

It’s Fall!! Well, sort of… Here in Southern California where the temperatures are said to reach the 90′s this week it hardly feels like mid October!  But none-the-less I wanted to share with you a super easy and fabulous Fall recipe I whipped up the other night when some friends came over for dinner.  This would make a perfect protein substitution for Thanksgiving or a fabulous side dish for those veggies and gluten-free’s coming over for dinner.  I hope you enjoy as much as we did :)

Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Serves 8

What you’ll need:

4 sweet potatoes

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp. butter substitute like Earth Balance

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cups kale, broken into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/4 cup (plus) dried cranberries

salt and pepper

What you’ll do:

Bake the sweet potatoes in a 350 degree oven for 1 hours or until fork tender.  While they are cooking, make your filling.  Cook the quinoa in the vegetable broth.  And while that is cooking, saute the onion in the butter and olive oil with a pinch of salt until soft.  Add in the kale, almonds, and cranberries and saute until the kale is soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the finished quinoa to the frying pan and mix together.

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Comments (42)
Categories : Entrees, featured, gluten free, Quinoa, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Creamy Mashed Potatoes


By Leslie · Comments (1) · October 30th, 2012

Thanksgiving is on it’s way!  I’ve been cooking up a storm of new recipes and when I thought about which one to post first, I thought I’d start with one of the ultimate staples that will probably appear on every American table.  Mashed potatoes.  You have to love them, they are the foundation on which you can pile just about everything lol!  So here is how I make mine :)

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4

1 lb. potatoes (I like a 50/50 combo of yukon gold and red potatoes)

4 tbsp. butter alternative (like Earth Balance)

1/4-3/4 cup plain soy milk

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

Boil the potatoes with the skin on in salted water until fork tender, about 25 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes.  Drain and peel if you are not fond of the skins.  I personally peel about half of them cause I like a little skin ;)  Place the potatoes back in the pot or a large bowl with the “butter”.  Mash with a potato masher and add the soy milk a 1/4 cup at a time until you get your desired consistency.  Today it took about 1/2 cup.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Helpful tips & ideas:

- If you like your potatoes extra smooth, you can use a hand mixer.  Just be sure to not raise the power above medium.  If you whip them on high the potatoes will become “gluey” and gross.

- Feel free to stir in ingredients!  Mashed potatoes are delicious with sauteed leeks stirred in or chopped green onions.

- One of my favorite things is using half sweet potatoes and half yukon gold potatoes, they turn out amaaaazing!  Def give it a try!

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xoxo

Comments (1)
Categories : featured, gluten free, recipes, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetables: Potatoes

17 Bean and Barley Soup


By Leslie · Comments (0) · October 29th, 2012

With Winter on it’s way and Hurricane Sandy about to hit the East Coast I thought I’d post about a fabulous hearty soup I made.  This is a great recipe to have handy, because I usually always have all the ingredients on hand.  For this recipe, I found myself inspired in Trader Joe’s.  (Have you gotten your copy of the Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook I contributed to?)  I love all the interesting and unique products they carry that all come with a little sense of humor.  I found myself with a package in my hands of “17 bean and barley mix”.  The bag had a picture of a man leading a cow and an old woman saying “Joe, this time if you sell the cow, don’t settle for less than 17 beans”.  It’s humorous little touches like this that make me want to shop there.  So I bought my bean mix and here is the soup I made.  If there is no Trader Joe’s close to you, you can easily sub out for a pound of your favorite beans.

17 Bean and Barley Soup

Serves 6-8

What you’ll need:

1 package (1 lb.) 17 beans and barley mix

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (more if you like a kick)

a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:

If you have enough planning sense to soak the beans overnight than do so, or you can “quick soak” by combining the beans and 8 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to medium low so they are are simmering and let simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and let soak for an hour.  Drain.

In a large stock pot, saute the onions, garlic, and carrots for about 5 minutes in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with a pinch of salt.  When the carrots begin to feel tender add in the broth, (drained) beans, oregano, and cayenne.  Let simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Serve warm topped with some freshly chopped parsly and some warm crusty bread.

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Enjoy!

Comments (0)
Categories : Entrees, featured, recipes, Soup, Vegan

Vegan Creamy Butternut Squash Soup


By Leslie · Comments (0) · October 24th, 2012

I don’t know about you, but I love that it’s finally Fall in Southern California! Right around this time, I start to freeze and jar seasonal fruits and veggies to store up for wintertime so I can make delicious soups like this. Here’s a fun video on Dasani Facebook page showing you how!

Enjoy my easy-peasy Creamy Corn & Butternut Squash Soup  – great as a make-ahead meal or a yummy Thanksgiving soup. By the way, the longer it sits the better the flavor develops.

Creamy Corn and Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4
What you’ll need:
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large butternut squash (about 1 lb.), peeled and diced
3 cobs of corn, kernels removed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more if you like the heat)
Salt and Pepper to taste

What you’ll do:
Drizzle about 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot and set heat on medium.  Add in the onions and toss.  When they get soft after a couple minutes, add in the squash and garlic and a big pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir and let sit while you take the kernels off the corn.  Add the corn from 3 of the cobs to the pot along with the broth.  Let simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is tender.
Very carefully, transfer the soup to a blender and in batches puree and return to the pot.  Season with the cinnamon and cayenne.  Taste and season as necessary.  Keep the soup on low heat.
Serve warm and you can swirl with some vegan yoghurt if you want to be fancy ;)

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Comments (0)
Categories : Dasani ECOmmunity, featured, gluten free, recipes, Soup, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yoghurt


By Leslie · Comments (4) · October 9th, 2012

It’s that time of year when all the food lines start making everything pumpkin flavor so I thought I’d get a jump on it and make this Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yoghurt.  I’d never made frozen yoghurt before, but how hard could it really be?  Turns out it’s not!  This recipe is so easy, so delicious, and the perfect thing to make when you have just a little bit of leftover pumpkin!  The only fault (if you can call it one) is that this dessert has to be eaten the same day you make it… with such a high water content it will freeze into a giant block if you leave it overnight.

Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yoghurt

Serves 8

What you’ll need:

18 oz. vanilla flavored coconut milk yoghurt (I used Trader Joe’s brand)

2 tbsp. canned pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

What you’ll do:

Blend all the ingredients together in a bowl with a hand mixer.  Then either place in a ice cream maker and churn till desired texture or place the bowl of yoghurt in the freezer and stir every half hour until you’ve reached desired consistency about 4 1/2 hours.

Enjoy!

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Comments (4)
Categories : Desserts, Desserts: Ice Cream, featured, recipes, Vegan, Vegetables: Pumpkin

Earthburger Sliders


By Leslie · Comments (7) · September 29th, 2012

I’m here in Washington, DC speaking and performing at the spectacular Green Festival where I’ll be cooking up these yummy earthburger sliders today at 1PM!  I’ve put a spin on my typical burgers by replacing the rice with quinoa for an added boost of protein.  Hope you enjoy!  And if you are in DC make sure to stop by for some vegan sunshine! xo

Earthburger Sliders

makes 24 mini-burgers

What you’ll need:

2 cups (1 15 oz. can) black beans

2 cups (1 15 oz. can) pinto beans

1/2 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/2 cup oats

1 ear of corn, zipped

1-2 roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast

2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy!)

1/2 tsp. salt

What you’ll do:

With your hands or a potato masher,  smash the onions, garlic, and beans until about half the beans are mashed.  Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Form the mix into slider size patties and fry in a frying pan sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes on either side or until golden and slightly crispy.  Enjoy!

Comments (7)
Categories : Quinoa, recipes, Vegan, Veggie Burgers
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