I don’t know about you, but I LOVE fresh beets! I have tried every which way to cook them but the best and most efficient way is in the instant pot!! They are oh so good, but the only downside of beets is that they make your mouth purple haha. Put some salt and pepper on them and they are delicious!
Instant Pot Beets
2 or 3 bunches of beets ends cut and cut into even chunks. I quarter mine for the large beets and half them for the smaller ones (save those beet greens for smoothies)
1 ” of water and then the steamer basket in the instant pot
Prepare beets and add water and steamer basket to the instant pot.
Set instant pot on the steam setting for 14 minutes and let the steam release naturally. This takes a good 15-20 min.
Remove beets, let cool for about 10 min and peel them.
This creamy delicious mac and cheese is so good!! Your kids will love it!! The original recipe is taken from one of my favorite blogs called Monkey and Me.
Vegan Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Boil together: 2 cups cauliflower, trimmed into small florets 2 cups Russet potatoes, peeled, small dice 1/2 cups carrots, diced, tiny dice 1/2 cups cashews Sauce Ingredients: 1/3 cup unsweetened plain plant milk 1/2 cup vegetable broth * 1/2 cup water, (or broth) 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar, (+/-) 2 teaspoons white miso * 1 Tablespoons reduced sodium tamari * 1/4 cup + 2 T nutritional yeast, (+/-) 1 Tablespoon dried minced onions 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 1 teaspoon ground mustard Pinch turmeric, (optional) 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) * 1/8 teaspoon black pepper Other Ingredients: 12-14 oz. GF elbow macaroni, (or pasta of choice) Crumb Toppings: 1/2 cup GF panko, (or panko/bread crumbs of choice)
Fill a large stock pot full of water. Add some sea salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil then add the pasta. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Note: You want to coordinate the completion of the pasta cooking time with the completion of the sauce. If unsure, then just wait to put the pasta into the boiling water once the sauce is done. Just turn the sauce down really low or remove from the stove. Boil the pasta until el dente, drain, rinse with cold water to remove any excess starch, shake well, then transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce.
Set aside panko bread crumbs.
Preheat the oven to broil. Place the oven rack in the center.
Place the cauliflower florets, diced potatoes, carrots, and cashews into a medium stockpot, bring to a boil, gently boil until fork tender (about 10 to 12 minutes). Drain off the water, then place them in a high-speed blender. Add all the Sauce Ingredients into the high-speed blender with the cooked cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, and cashews. Blend on high until smooth and emulsified.
Place the cooked pasta into a baking dish, pour the sauce over the pasta, mix well, then sprinkle the Crumb Topping evenly over top. Place in the oven and broil until the top is golden brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure the crumble topping does not burn. Then turn off the oven and allow the dish to sit in the hot oven undisturbed for 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.
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Vegan French Toast? What? How do you make french toast without eggs? Well, look no further. Here is an awesome recipe from one of my favorite vegan bloggers, noracooks.com.
6-8 slices thick sliced quality bread, such as ciabatta or french
For serving: maple syrup, powdered sugar, or fresh fruit
In a shallow bowl, wide enough to hold a piece of bread, whisk together the almond milk, cornstarch, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla.
Add a little bit of vegetable spray to a pan set on medium high heat. Whisk the batter again right before dipping bread, as the cornstarch will settle to the bottom of the bowl.
Dip each side of the bread in the batter and let soak for about 10 seconds, then add the bread to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh fruit, if desired.
This recipe is a deliciously creamy. and my son said that it was a TEN!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! And please, if you make a recipe on my blog, please, tag @itsapegslife in your pic on Instagram or Facebook!
Vegan Broccoli Pasta
12 oz pasta (whatever kind you would like)
Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
2 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons white miso paste
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Trader Joe’s sun dried tomatoes (add to your liking)
3 cups broccoli
12 oz. button mushrooms (optional)
salt to taste
black pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
Cook the pasta according to the instructions. Set aside.
In the meantime, make the creamy cashew sauce. Place cashews (see tip for cashews below), garlic cloves, nutritional yeast, miso paste, salt, Dijon mustard and almond milk in a high speed blender and process until smooth. Add Vegetable broth, corn starch, lemon juice and sun dried tomatoes.
Cut broccoli into small florets and slice mushrooms, cook in a bit of vegetable broth in a large pan about 10 min.
Add cashew sauce to the sauted broccoli and mushroom mix.
Cook about 10 minutes to thicken.
Stir in the cooked pasta or serve sauce on the top of pasta. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
I LOVED this recipe. There were so many different flavors on my tastebuds that every bite was a little different. The coconut quinoa was some good vegan comfort food. This recipe is taken from one of my favorite blogs called fitfoodiefinds.com. I adapted it for an oil free version. Also, don’t get overwhelmed by all of the cooking steps! It just creates more opportunity for family to help you in the kitchen. Make it a family event and it will be quick and easy :).
Prep Time: 40 minutes Bake Time: 30 minutes
COCONUT QUINOA
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 15-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
To prepare the quinoa RINSE WELL, place coconut milk, water, maple syrup, and quinoa in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil over high heat.
Next, turn the heat to low, cover the saucepan and let the quinoa cook for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.
ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
2 large sweet potatoes and or yams, cut into bite-sized cubes
Spritz with a little bit of water
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Then, place diced sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet and spritz with water. Toss to fully coat.
Then, season with minced garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
Roast sweet potatoes at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes.
PURPLE CABBAGE SLAW
1 cup purple cabbage, sliced
1 cup shelled edamame (if you don’t have shelled edamame, you can use shelled like I did and spread them on top)
1 large red pepper, sliced
1 large carrot, cut into thin sticks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
Place purple cabbage, edamame, carrot, and red pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
Make dressing by whisking together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, grated ginger, and salt.
Then, toss veggies in dressing. Set aside.
PEANUT SAUCE
2.5 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter
2.5 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon maple syrup
To make peanut sauce, place all ingredients into a medium bowl or jar and mix together to combine.
TOPPINGS
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
squeeze of lime juice
Black sesame seeds, to toast
ASSEMBLY
Evenly distribute the coconut quinoa, sweet potatoes, and coleslaw into four bowls or meal prep containers.
Drizzle with peanut sauce if eating immediately and top with cilantro, chopped peanuts, a lime wedge, and more black sesame seeds.
Vegan alfredo sauce?? What the what?? This vegan alfredo is bomb!! Try it! It would be even better with homemade pasta!
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
1 white onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bag cauliflower rice (see note)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3/4 c. cashews (soaked overnight or boiled for 20 minutes)
Heat a bit of water in a medium size pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and let it cook for 3-4 minutes, or until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the cauliflower and vegetable broth to the pot, Cook until cauliflower is done–about 10 – 15 minutes until it is done.
Transfer cauliflower mix to a heavy duty blender, like a Vetamix, and add remaining ingredients, mix from low speed to high. Blend until creamy. Transfer this back into the medium sized pot and heat for a few minutes until it is hot. Service on your favorite pasta. Enjoy!
Note: This is the cauliflower rice I like to buy at Costco. It works great for this recipe.
One of the things that I love to have for lunch is a hearty salad. It just makes my body feel good when I nourish it with some good veggies for lunch. You can get creative with your own salad to use up leftovers you have in the refrigerator. I want to share just a few of my favorite combinations today.
Mexican Salad
Ingredients:
Spring mix
Baked sweet potato, cut into chunks
Black beans or pinto beans
Avocado
Salsa
Brown Rice
Layer ingredients in a bowl and enjoy. This is one of my favorite combinations. If you have a little cashew cream, that is a delicious addition as well. Just drizzle it on the top. No need to add dressing to this salad. It’s delicious with all of these wholesome salad toppings.
Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients:
Spring mix
Artichoke hearts
Avocado
Slivered almonds
Garbanzo beans
Lupini beans
These are the Lupini beans that I like to use and they are delicious for snacking too. They are very flavorful and again, no need for dressing. They flavors together are delicious. I would love your feedback if you try these salads. Please tag me @itsapegslife.com if you instagram a recipe made from my blog. Enjoy 🙂
Can you tell I’ve been on a Seitan kick lately? Haha. I actually am really liking it for a meat alternative. This week I’m bringing you an original recipe that I made up and it turned out to be one of our favorites. I’ll definitely be making it again. It was filling, packs a lot of flavor, and I loved the texture of the seitan.
I love this seitan from Harmon’s Grocery Store (if you live in Utah), as I mentioned in my last post. It comes in chunks, which I love, but some times the chunks are a little big, so I cut those in smaller pieces.
Quick & Delicious Balsamic Glazed Seitan
Serves 4-6
2 packages chunky seitan
1-2 teaspoons sage
Salt and Pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
For the sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
Take seitan out of the pack and separate. I like to cut the bigger chunks into smaller ones so they are all kind of the same size. Sprinkle it with 1-2 teaspoons sage, salt and pepper and rub the garlic into the chunks. Let sit while you make the sauce.
For the sauce:
Place all ingredients into a sauce pan and let it come to a boil until it’s thickened. This usually takes about 10 -15 minutes.
Place seitan in a skillet with about 1/2 cup sauce, stir and heat on medium high. Once sauce is absorbed into the seitan, add a little more at a time and turn heat down to medium low. Keep adding sauce and simmer until sauce is absorbed into the seitan, but yet there is a little left to use on the rice. I like to simmer it for 10-15 min. It gives it some good flavor.
That’s it! Simple. Easy. Packed with flavor. I like serving this with rice and here I show it served with zucchini and summer squash, but I think I prefer broccoli. Enjoy :).
It’s FRIDAY Y’ALL!! Time for a new recipe and I think you are going to love it. We sure did. I’ve been wanting to experiment more with seitan. I looked up a few recipes and then decided on this one that is adapted from the yupitsvegan.com site. If you haven’t checked out her recipes, you should. She’s got some amazing ones. I made a few changes though in the way you cook the seitan because I wanted it to take on more flavor while cooking. And, of course, I did not use oil.
Also, have you noticed how you can’t buy tofu in the grocery stores? I asked my local grocer, “Where’s all the tofu?” and he said that the tofu plants are closed for 3 weeks. Ummm hello?? I need tofu for my recipes!! I then decided that I’m going to make my own, so stay tuned for that recipe in the near future.
Let’s get back to todays recipe………
Vegan Mongolian Seitan
For the sauce:
1/2 cup vegetable broth (this is to use in place of the oil)
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
3 cloves garlic
1/3 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1/3 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or a scant half cup brown sugar)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
For the crisped seitan:
1 pound seitan, cut into 1 inch pieces (the seitan I bought was in chunks and it was awesome)
For serving:
toasted sesame seeds (optional)
sliced scallions
To make the sauce:
Heat a little of the vegetable broth in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and the garlic; stir constantly. After about 30 seconds, add the five spice and the red pepper flakes, and cook for one minute or until fragrant.
Add the soy sauce and the coconut sugar and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until the coconut sugar is dissolved and slightly reduced, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whisk together the cornstarch and the cold water, then add it to the pan and stir. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the sauce becomes glossy and thickened slightly. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and keep simmering gently until ready to add to the seitan.
To make the seitan:
In a wok or skillet, heat some of the vegetable broth over medium-high heat. Add a bit of the sauce to the seitan and cook, stirring frequently, for about 4-5 minutes or until slightly browned and crisped around the edges.
Reduce heat to low and add the remaining sauce to the pan. Stir to coat all of the seitan pieces, and continue cooking until the sauce has adhered to the seitan. Remove from the heat and serve hot, with the rice and/or vegetables of choice, and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.
It's a peg's life 