Tag: no oil

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

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!

OG Scrumptious Bombdiggity Vegan Enchiladas

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This is one of my favorites!!! I think I say that about all of the recipes that I blog about haha, but I only post the very best for you. My goal is to teach you how easy cooking whole food plant-based food really is. It’s amazing the flavor you can get when combining whole food with some delicious spices and some cooking techniques that are tried and true. It’s truly one of the best decisions my husband and I have made in this life. We feel better, are heart healthy and LOVE the delicious food we make. Give this recipe a try and tell me your thoughts. I would love to hear from you!

Recently, I took dinner to my neighbor who just had a baby and this is what I made for them. They are meat eaters so I was really nervous that they wouldn’t like a dinner without meat, BUT I got a text from her the following day and she said that they LOVED IT!!! WAHOO!!! IT MADE MY DAY!

This original recipe came from my daughter which was for sweet potato black bean enchiladas, but I like to change things up a bit, so I modified it and added some ingredients to make it better :). I loved the changes and I don’t even miss the cheese that is in the original recipe. This recipe has a lot of homemade ingredients so it takes a bit of time, but I do it in stages, so one day I’ll make the pinto beans in the instant pot and then use it for another recipe, like tacos and then I’ll bake the sweet potatoes earlier in the day so they cool off a bit before putting them in this recipe. Don’t get overwhelmed with it–just take it one step at a time. Please read the whole recipe before beginning.

Vegan Cauliflower Hamburger/Sweet Potato/Pinto Bean Enchiladas

You can make a bunch of these to feed a crowd. I like making two pans–one for me and one for a neighbor or you can freeze these in the pan after assembling them but don’t add the enchilada sauce until the end of the cooking time. This helps your enchiladas stay a little crispier instead of soggy. (Put aluminum foil on them before freezing and use within a few weeks)

For the Cauliflower Hamburger:

  • 2 packs of Frozen Cauliflower Rice (I get them from Costco), cooked for 3 min in microwave to soften
  • 1 small package of white mushrooms (grated in food processor)
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
  • 1 T. Cumin
  • 2 Teaspoons Chili powder
  • 2 Teaspoons Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I like to wash my hands really good and mix it up with my hands. Taste it and make sure the spices are to your liking. Add a little extra of what you want. Take a cookie sheet and put a splat mat on it. Put cauliflower mix on top of the spat mat and cook for 15 min. Remove from oven and stir it on the mat and put it back in the oven for 15 min. When it comes out it should resemble hamburger–looks a little brown and delicious. Set aside.

While hamburger is cooking, cook the sweet potatoes one at a time in the microwave–poke holes in sweet potato with a fork all over the sweet potatoes (I prob do this about 4-5 times around the potato–cook 4 minutes for a medium one or 5 minutes for a large OR I like to cook the sweet potatoes earlier in the day or the day before to prep for this meal. Here is the oven instructions for cooking sweet potatoes:

Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke sweet potatoes with a fork and put them on a cookie sheet with a splat mat on and bake for about 45-50 minutes until they are soft. I like to poke mine with a fork and if they are fork tender, they are done. I just have the urge here to say to you, “STICK A FORK IN IT!!!” LOL!! Set aside to let cool and then peel them and mash them with a fork. Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder and mix the spices in with a fork until it is well mixed. Taste and make sure the spice is on point to your liking.

Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot

  • 3 C. Raw Pinto Beans
  • 6 C. Vegetable Broth
  • 1/2 Onion, diced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, crushed
  • Jalapeño (optional), cut in very small dices
  • 1 T. Cumin
  • 1 -2 tea. Chili Powder
  • 2 tea. Salt
  • a few sprinkles of pepper

Rinse pinto beans and pick out the beans that are duds. Add a little of the broth to the instant pot and put on saute setting. When it is hot, add the onion, garlic and jalapeño (if using). Saute for about 5-7 minutes until onion is translucent. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. The smell should be very fragrant and make your home smell so good! Just saute the spices for a couple of minutes and then add the beans and remaining broth. Stir well and turn off saute setting.

Put lid on instant pot and cook on regular pressure cooker setting for 55 minutes. After beans are done cooking let them sit for about 15 minutes before releasing the pressure.

Now you are ready to assemble the enchiladas.

These are the items you need to have in an assembly line to make the process streamlined:

Tortillas (I like the flour kind from Costco, but make sure you cook them well so they aren’t soggy, but you can use corn for these too if you need gluten free)

Sweet potato

Cauliflower hamburger

Pinto Beans

1 Brown Rice Package or as many as you need, cooked in microwave for 90 seconds (see picture)

32 oz. Green Enchilada Sauce, mild (I like LaVictoria or any other brand that is a favorite)

Put a bit of the enchilada sauce in the 9×13 pan–enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

In each enchilada put a little of the sweet potato mixture, a little of the cauliflower, pinto beans and brown rice and with a large spoon put a spoonful of enchilada sauce on top and roll up by tucking all of the ingredients in and roll it up.

Add rolled tortillas to pan and bake for 30 min on 400. Add remaining enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas after 30 min and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and top with your favorite toppings.

Here are a few of our favorite toppings:

Pico

Cashew Cream:

  • 1 C. cashews
  • 1 tea. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tea. lemon juice
  • 3/4 tea. salt
  • 3/4 C. water

Mix in high speed blender until well blended. This is delicious and one of my very favorite foods!!!

Avocado

Fresh tomato

Mateos Salsa (from Costco)

Corn and Chile Salsa (Trader Joe’s)

This is amazing Salsa!! I hope you enjoy these enchiladas. They are a lot of work, but trust me–THEY ARE AMAZING!!

Peanut Butter Energy Bites — sooooo good!

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St. George is hosting the World Ironman Championship this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited! This city is BUZZING with enthusiasm for the athletes competing. They come from all over the world and we couldn’t be more proud to host. I have four friends that are participating, so I made each of them a goodie bag that included these scrumptious energy bites. When I did the IM, I loved having these on the bike portion because they are real food and they didn’t make my stomach upset. I wish all of the athletes GOOD LUCK!!

These are good for a quick snack, quick to make and made from wholesome, delicious ingredients.

Peanut Butter Energy Bites

1 C. Natural Peanut Butter

1 C. Old Fashioned Oats

1/3 C. Honey or Maple Syrup

1/4 C. Flax Seed

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 C. Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips

1 C. Coconut (I like Trader Joe’s unsweetened shredded), toasted (I’ll give instructions)

For the Coconut:

Take a large skillet and add coconut. Put heat on medium, stir it, and watch closely. It won’t take long until the coconut starts to brown a bit. When it gets to this point, watch very carefully because it can burn quickly. Continue to stir and turn down heat until it browns nicely and then remove from pan to cool. MAKE SURE COCONUT IS COOLED COMPLETELY BEFORE ADDING TO THE REMAINING MIXTURE.

I like my coconut a little bit more fine so I put it in my food processor and give it a couple of pulses until it looks like this:

Next, add all of the above ingredients together except the coconut. I like to wash my hands and mix it with a wooden spoon.

When coconut is completely cool, add to mixture with your hands. Go ahead, don’t be afraid, just grab it and squish it. Haha. It’s great!! And a great way to take out any frustrations you have in the day lol.

Please let me know if you make these and how they turn out for you! I love hearing from my readers. You’re all the best!

XOXO

Peg

Tofu Teriyaki Bowls

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Servings: 4. Time to cook: 45 min.

These bowls are incredibly flavorful and you will love them. The tofu is delicious cooked on a crisper in high heat in the oven, which makes it so delicious and the teriyaki sauce is one I would use long ago for teriyaki spare ribs haha. No more of that! Now I have a new purpose for it and it suits my palate perfectly. This recipe looks complicated, but it really isn’t. First you make the sweet potatoes and if you have a double oven, make the tofu. If you don’t have a double oven, you can use one oven and put the sweet potatoes on one rack and the tofu on the other rack. Make the cauliflower rice, which takes about 15 minutes, cook the edamame and that’s it!

Teriyaki Sauce

  • 1 T. Garlic Powder
  • 1 C. Soy Sauce
  • 1 T. Dry Mustard
  • 1/2 C. Sugar
  • 1 T. Accent
  • 1 T. Corn Starch

Mix sauce together in a sauce pan and heat until thickened.  Set aside.

Sweet Potatoes

Heat oven to 425 to preheat.  Peel and cut sweet potatoes into even squares and dip in teriyaki sauce, take it out of sauce with a slotted spoon and put on a sheet cake pan with a splat mat on top.  Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes, then stir and then place in oven again for another 15 minutes.

(Option:  You can just cook the sweet potatoes without the glaze and just add it as a sauce later.  The hubs likes it that way but I like it cooked with the sauce on.  Try both and see which way you like better :). While sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare tofu.

For the Tofu

Above is the tofu that I love to buy.  It is extra firm and I find it in my local grocery store, Harmons.  Seriously,  YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS KIND OF TOFU!!  It is so much better than the other brands.  You just have to open the package and cut the desired amount you want and then rinse it, dry it off with a paper towel and it is ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425.

  • 1/2 block of tofu, cut lengthwise and then into 1″ squares
  • 3 T. Cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place cornstarch, salt and pepper in a ziplock bag and give it a good shake. Place tofu in the bag and shake, shake, shake until tofu is well coated. Place on rack roasting pan and put in oven. Cook for 10 minutes, stir, and cook for 10 more minutes until tofu is nice and golden.

Cauliflower Rice

  • 2 packages of frozen riced cauliflower (I found this at Costco)
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • 3 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1/2 c. vegetable broth to prevent sticking
  • salt and pepper

Put cauliflower bag in the microwave one at a time for 3 minutes. Set aside. In a fry pan or I used a wok, on medium high heat about 1/4 c. of broth until hot, add onion and garlic and cook until onion is nice and translucent. Add cauliflower and cook for about 7-10 min or until it appears to be cooked through. You may need to add a little more broth to it to keep it from sticking. Add a little salt and pepper if desired.

  • 2 bags edamame. Cook frozen edamame 3 min., but make sure you poke holes in the bag with a fork (I like the Peggy’s brand from Costco. Sorry, no relation haha)

Assemble the bowls:

  1. Place cauliflower rice in bowl
  2. Place sweet potato and tofu in bowl
  3. Next put the edamame
  4. Top it off with the yummy teriyaki sauce

ENJOY!!! This is seriously one of my all time favorites! Please let me know if you try it! I always love to hear from my readers :).

GNOCCHI WITH ROASTED BROCCOLINI IN WHITE WINE SAUCE

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My daughter introduced me to gnocchi in Portland. She is an amazing cook and has introduced me to a lot of different foods. Well, she is a dietician and that helps too. Gnocchi has come to be one of my favs.

The other night when I got home from work and the “What’s for dinner?” question entered my head, as my stomach was growling, I needed to make a quick dish before I smacked myself to death, I remembered I had some gnocchi in my pantry that I’ve been wanting to cook. I originally was thinking of a mushroom marinara for this dish, but at the last minute I changed my mind (definitely a woman’s prerogative haha) because when I tasted the white wine mixed with the mushroom broth and spices it tasted fantastic.

If you want to make this sauce creamy, blend up 1/2 c cashews in about 1/4 c vegetable broth in a high speed blender and add it to the dish at the end. Make sure you blend this up well so you don’t get that gross grainy texture. Another trick is to soak the cashews for 15 min in boiling water, drain it before adding it to the blender with broth. Now to the recipe…..

GNOCCHI WITH ROASTED BROCCOLINI IN WHITE WINE SAUCE

Serves: 4 but if you have big eaters I would double.

Cook Time: 30 min.

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small red onion

2 c. mushrooms sliced

1 bunch broccolini or regular broccoli (see recipe below)

1 package gnocchi, prepare as directed on package and set aside

1/3 c. dry white wine

1/2 c. vegetable broth (I like to make this with the “Better than Bouillon” brand

1 T. oregano

1 T. parsley

(Or in place of oregano and parsley add 1T. Italian seasoning)

1 tsp. salt

Prepare broth. Add 1/4 c. broth to a medium size Dutch oven or large rim pan and turn heat to medium high. As soon as pan is hot, add garlic and sauté for 2 min continuously stirring until it smells fragrant.

Add onion and sauté about 5 min or until slightly translucent. If you need to add more broth here to keep it from burning, do so. Add mushrooms and sauté these for 10-15 min or until a nice liquid broth forms from the mushrooms, add white wine and keep sautéing for 7 min or so until the alcohol burns off.

Add oregano, parsley and salt. Taste the mixture to see if it is to your liking. From here you can make a the cashew cream as mentioned above or leave it out. I thought it tasted good as is, so I opted not to. Add gnocchi and roasted broccolini. Mix well and taste once again to make sure it is properly salted and spiced. Enjoy.

ROASTED BROCCOLINI

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with baking rack on the top slot of the oven.

Place as much broccolini on a baking sheet pan as you want to serve.

Sprinkle broccolini with vegetable broth and salt and pepper.

When oven is up to temperature, place broccolini in the oven and set timer for 7 min. After 7 min stir broccolini on baking sheet and put back in oven for about 4 min or until it’s cooked to your liking.

Remove from oven and serve or add to cooking dish.

Peanut Sweet Potato Curry with Veggies and Peas

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SWEET POTATOES AHHHH they are one of my favs, so I love to use them any way I can, whether it’s a Mexican recipe, Indian, Asian or just a plain sweet potato, they call my name. I know, that’s a little weird, but the flavor is so satisfying and a comfort food for me.  This recipe is based on a recipe from veganricha.com.  I served it with Jasmine rice and it was SCRUMPTIOUS!  Here is the recipe:img_0633

Peanut Sweet Potato Curry with Veggies and Peas

1 C. Onion, chopped

5 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1/2 inch Ginger, minced (optional, I did not use it)

2 C. Cauliflower florets, coarsely chopped

1 small Red Pepper, chopped

1 med to large Sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 tsp. Curry

1 tsp. Garam Masala

1 tsp Salt

1/3 C. Peanut Butter

1 can Chick peas

2 T. Lime juice

2 T. Maple Syrup

1 tsp. Distilled white vinegar

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder

1/4 tsp. Pepper flakes

2 C. Light coconut milk (1 poured the can into a 2 cup container, which is a few ounces shy of 2 cups and then filled it the rest of the way with water to make 2 cups exactly.)

3/4 C. Frozen peas

Black pepper to taste

Lemon juice and Cayenne

Basil and peanuts for garnish

Put a small amount of water in a Dutch oven or skillet over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, add onion and cook until translucent.  Fold in ginger.

Add peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, curry powder, garam masala, and a dash of black pepper and cook for 3 min. or until spices are very fragrant.

Add the rest of ingredients until frozen peas and stir well. Partially cover and cook for 15 min.

Taste and adjust salt, sweet and heat.  Add a dash of lemon and cayenne if needed.  Add peas and simmer another few min until the vegetables are cooked to desired doneness.  Adjust consistency if needed, such as more coconut milk or water if its too thick.

Serve over rice.  This could also be served as a soup by adding more water and adjusting the spices to your liking.  Garnish with basil and peanuts.  Enjoy!

 

BOWLS BOWLS BOWLS!

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Bowls, bowls, bowls (thats what I call them) are one of our favs to whip up on a busy work night.  It’s very simple to make and you can make a very colorful, nutritious meal in no time at all.  I mean look at all of these beautiful bowls.  You can use whatever grain, veggies, tofu or no tofu haha, edamame or nuts you have on hand.  The combinations are endless!!

First, choose the grain:

Pearled farro, quinoa, brown rice, white rice.

I have to say pearled or perlato farro is my personal fav.  Pearled cooks faster than the regular farro because the the outer layer is peeled off, so make sure you buy the pearled, otherwise, you’ll be cooking your farro for A LOT longer to get it tender. We buy ours at the local grocery store, Harmons, in the bulk section.  My hubby is the master at cooking farro.  This is the way he likes to cook it—

Pearled Farro Recipe

Makes 4 small servings

Wash the farro throughly.  Farro 3 to 1 ratio vegetable broth to farro, so 1 c. farro to 3 c. broth.  Bring to boil, turn heat down to minimum, put lid on and cook 15 min, drain off access liquid

It’s that easy and so tasty.

If you choose to make quinoa.  The Vegan Corner has the best recipe:

http://www.thevegancorner.com/how-to-cook-quinoa/

Or here is his recipe for Quinoa:

How to cook quinoa

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup quinoa (6oz)

1½ cup water (12.5oz) (I like using vegetable broth)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Thoroughly wash the quinoa to remove the bitter-tasting saponins from the outer layer. Drain the Quinoa properly before moving on.
  2. Place a small pot over high heat, pour in the water and bring it to the boil.
  3. As soon as the water starts to boil add the Quinoa to the water, give it a good stir with a fork and cover the pot with the lid.
  4. Lower the heat to the minimum and cook the grains for 15 minutes.
  5. Once that time is up, turn off the heat and let the Quinoa rest for another three minutes before removing the lid.
  6. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, transfer it onto a dish and spread it. This will stop the Quinoa from coking any further.

If you choose to make brown or white rice, you can cook according to directions or in your rice cooker.

Next–choose your veggies:

Broccoli, butternut squash, cauliflower, asparagus, onion, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, corn, peas, beans–just any veggies.  You can prepare them by steaming them, roasting them in the oven at 425 for 20-30 min and sprinkle them with a bit of vegetable broth.  Make sure your veggies are cut the same size to equalize cooking times because some veggies cook faster than others.  You can put your veggies in columns on the cooking sheet and pull out the ones that cook faster.  Cover with foil to keep warm.

The last step:

Choose a crunch and a sauce (if you want sauce :).

For the crunch and a little protein:

Edamame, cashews, peanuts, or you can add some tofu and/or beans here too.

This is my favorite BBQ sauce because it has no oil and I can read all of the ingredients ha.  Always a good sign of a good product.  I found this brand at Harmons, but I’m sure other grocery stores have it too.

img_9982

I am also in love with this Miso Tahini Sauce in my Isa Does It Cookbook.  This is the recipe:

Miso Tahini Sauce

For the dressing:
1/4 cup mellow white miso
1/4 cup tahini
1 cloves garlic
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water

Place all ingredients in Vita Mix or other blender and mix well.  Start with 1/2 c water and add more.

I hope you enjoy these bowls as much as we do!  Please tag me on Instagram @itsapegslife when you make this recipe.  I want to see what you come up with :).