Tag: Gluten Free

My Favorite Cashew Cream

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Have you ever tried cashew cream? If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat! My husband always teases me that my love for cashew cream and avocados will be engraved on my headstone when I leave this world lol. He knows me well :).

Use cashew cream in place of sour cream. It is non dairy and tastes SO MUCH BETTER than sour cream!! My favorite is to use it on all of the Mexican dishes I make.

Cashew Cream

  • 1 c. Organic Cashews (I like the organic Costco)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 scant cup of water

Blend in a high speed blender like a Vitamix for a minute or 2 until well blended. Cashew cream should not be grainy at all. If it is, blend it some more. Let me know how you like it :).

If you don’t have a high speed blender, boil cashews for 20 min before mixing them in blender.

Vegan Fajitas with Cashew Cream

Good Morning Protein Smoothie

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In the morning I get a good workout in and then I love whipping up my Good Morning Protein Smoothie. It is one of my favorite breakfasts. Making this smoothie is easy, it’s quick and I put it in an insulated cup with a big straw(not shown) and head out the door for work. It’s nutritious and delicious and filling. I buy all of the ingredients at Costco, but you can get these ingredients at your local grocery store (maybe not the protein powder). This plant based protein powder really is the best. I’ve tried other brands and I like this one best.

Good Morning Protein Smoothie Recipe

  • 1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 2 Scoops (1 serving) of Orgain Organic Vanilla Protein Powder
  • 4 Large Frozen Strawberries
  • 2 Handfuls of Kale (I like to freeze mine)
  • 1/2 – 1 C Water

Put all ingredients into a high speed blender (I use a Vitamix) and mix on high until ingredients are all mixed in and it is smooth. If the mixture is too thick add more water. Pour into an insulated cup or into any cup. Makes a good size smoothie. Approx. 20 oz.

Please let me know if you try this recipe! It’s a good one! Cheers!

XOXO

Peg

OG WFPB Cowboy Cookies

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(WFPB – Whole Food Plant Based)

This one is DELICIOUS!!! Seriously, I have been eating these for my pre-workout fuel haha. So YUM and so good for you! I have been trying to experiment with different sweeteners and I read something about date paste, so since I had some dates all ready in my refrigerator, I thought I would experiment–the most fun part, except when it doesn’t turn out lol. In this recipe I subbed out the sugar for date paste, equal amounts. It tasted amazing and not too sweet, which I love.

The reason why I call them cowboy cookies is because I have been thinking about my dad lately and these cookies just seemed fitting for celebrating him. It was his birthday this month and he was a tried and true cowboy though and though. I can picture him out on the range herding cattle and eating some of these cowboy cookies. Oh man, I miss that guy. Here’s to you, dad!

WFPB Cowboy Cookies

  • 2 T. Flax Seed
  • 6 T. Water
  • 3/4 C. Date Paste (see below for recipe)
  • 2 C. Natural Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 C. Apple Sauce
  • 1 T. Vanilla
  • 2 tea. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 tea. Salt
  • 1/2 tea. Baking Soda
  • 3/4 C. Regular Oats
  • 1 C. Cup4Cup Flour (gluten free)
  • 1 C. Coarsely Cut Walnuts
  • 1/2 C. Unsweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes
  • 1 C. Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

Mix flax seed and water. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together and all of the wet ingredients together in 2 separate bowls. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl and mix by hand. Mix well and add walnuts, coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Mix well until all ingredients are combined and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have 2 cookie sheets ready with a splat mat on each cookie sheet. Get about 2 T of the dough and roll it into a ball with the palms of your hands and sit each ball on the cookie sheet. After the cookie sheet is full, take a fork and flatten out each cookie so they resemble the picture below. I just kind of pat the fork around the ball until it is to my liking. I like mine about 1/4 – 1/2 ” thick. Whatever thickness you decided on, make sure they are all uniform so they cook equally though. Repeat this process for the remaining cookie dough.

I put 2 cookie sheets in my convection oven – one on each rack. Cook for 12 minutes.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Recipe for Date Paste:

2 cups of fresh dates, pitted (pack it down good)

1/2 C. Water (add a little more if too thick)

Mix well in food processor or Vitamix. I used the Vitamix and used the tamper to mix it up well and I stopped and started it in between tapping it down. It worked great!

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

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This week I have been thinking about some creative dinner recipes that I could publish on my blog. Maybe it comes from not having so much to do because of being isolated and 6 feet apart from everyone in my world haha. The struggle is real folks! I hope all of you are doing well and filling your time with the people you love (virtually and real life) and some things that you have time to now do.

Today I am bringing you an original and with this recipe you can get creative yourself and use a different bean other than garbanzo, such as pinto beans (try my instant pot pinto bean recipe) and give it a Mexican twist.

Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms (an itsapegslife original 🙂

Serves 3-4 people

  • 6 portabella mushrooms, washed, gills and stems removed
  • 1 sweet potato, baked, sprinkle with a little cumin and chili powder and smashed
  • 1/2 green pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 white onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 bunch of green onions, sliced thin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup raw quinoa, cooked in veg. broth (1/2 c quinoa to 1 c veg broth, bring to boil, cover, and cook on med. low for 20 min.)
  • 2 cans any type of bean. I did a garbanzo bean mixture with sauted onion and garlic, salt, pepper and tumeric and slightly mashed them.
  • 1 can vegan refried beans
  • 1 sliced avocado

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and once it is up to temperature, put mushrooms gill side up on a baking sheet lined with a splat mat or parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 min while you get the remaining ingredient together.

While mushrooms are cooking saute garlic, onion, red pepper and green pepper on medium high. To do this, first add a little veg broth to the pan and let it get hot, then add garlic and onion. Saute for 2 minutes and then add peppers. I like to add a few shakes of cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste (1/2 tea. each approx.) at this point. Saute until peppers are cooked through (about 10 min).

Add whatever bean you want to this mixture.

After mushrooms are done cooking, remove from oven and let sit while you get your ingredients in order for the “stuffing.” This is also a great way to use up some of the leftover stuff in the fridge. For example, the sweet potato, garbanzo mix and refried beans were leftover from other meals that I had prepared last week.

First blot dry the inside of each mushroom with a paper towel to absorb the moisture. Now for the assembly–

  • Refried beans
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Bean, pepper, onion mixture
  • Quinoa
  • Green onion

Put back in the oven and bake for 10 min on 425. Remove from oven and enjoy. I like to serve this with some greens. So delicious. Please let me know if you make these and tag me at itsapegslife.

Tofu & Vegetable Teriyaki Bowls

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This recipe was a keeper! We have eaten tofu for years, but now we are eating more and it’s a great source of protein for us since we have gone plant based. I used brown and white rice cooked together, but you can also use quinoa, either works great. I prefer rice with teriyaki.

Tofu & Vegetable Teriyaki Bowls

Brown & white rice cooked together

1 package Tofu, firm or extra firm, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into a checkerboard

2 carrots cut into thin slices

1/2 onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 green and red peppers, thinly sliced

1-2 c. mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, (optional)

1 package of edamame, cooked according to package directions

sliced green onions, for garnish

Peanuts for garnish



Teriyaki Sauce:

6 tablespoons liquid aminos, or tamari

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

Mix teriyaki marinade together and gently toss over cut up tofu. Set aside.


Sauté the onion, peppers, carrots. Salt and pepper. Cook for approx. 7 minutes or until tender. Instead of using oil, I sautéed the veggies just a few min then added a tiny bit of water so they wouldn’t burn. It works great and much healthier.

Add tofu and teriyaki sauce to veggies. Cook approx. 5-7 min or until tofu is heated through. And that’s it! So quick and so easy!


Enjoy!