Pancakes....Vegan Style

What's Sunday without a great, late breakfast?  Try this great vegan pancake recipe!

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sale
1 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk the water and oil together in a small bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet. Stir just until blended; mixture will be lumpy.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Vegan Cashew "Cheese" Sause

This is great for a dip, to use in vegan lasagna, to use as a spread on vegetable sandwiches...etc.

2 Day Process
 
What you need:
 
2 large red bell peppers, roughly chopped
2 cups raw cashews
1 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)


Directions:

First Day-

Soak the cashews overnight in cold water to soften.

Next Day-

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, making sure the red peppers are on the bottom. Blend until a smooth sauce forms, adding a bit of water if the blender is having trouble blending.
Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.

Chickpea of the Sea Salad (for sandwiches)

This is one of my personal favorites - Easy and Delicious!

All you need:

1 - 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup veganaise (vegan mayonnaise)
1 tablespoon whole grain, regular or spicy brown mustard - (your preference)
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1/4 cup chopped celery, from about one rib
2 tablespoons sliced scallions, from about about two scallions
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Whole grain or artisan-style bread, to serve
Lettuce leaves, washed and dried well, to serve

All you need to do:

Place chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and pulse two or three times to roughly chop. Add remaining ingredients and pulse four to five times to mix well and smooth out.
Lay out the bread and place the lettuce leaves on two slices. Spoon on the Chickpea of the Sea and top with the other slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!

Vegan Shepard's Pie

This is a GREAT comfort food, especially when the weather is a little cooler.

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes (Idahos)
1/2 cup vegan sour cream subsitute
1/2 stick vegan margarine
1/4 cup almond milk (non-sweet)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chives
1 cup vegan cheddar style cheese
5 cups over your favorite veggies (chopped)
I use carrots, peas, corn, celery, broccoli and cauliflower
2 large tomatoes (chopped)
2 tsp seasoned salt (optional)

Directions:

Cube and boil potatoes until tender (about 10 minutes) - drain and set aside
add all veggies, except tomatoes to sauce pan, simmer on low until semi-tender, then put the veggies in an oven safe baking dish.
Add cubed tomatoes to the top of the veggies, sprinkle seasoned salt evenly over all veggies.

In mixing bowl, add boiled potatoes, vegan sour cream, vegan margarine, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, chives, vegan cheese and almond milk.  Use hand mixer to blend until smooth.

Place potato mixture on top of veggies, back in oven at 350 for 20 minutes, turn the oven on broil and brown the top of the potatoes.

Remove from oven, allow 15 minutes to cool and serve!

Place p

Red Beans and Rice (& Cornbread)

Ingredients (2 day process): 

1 pound of dry red beans (soaked in water overnight in the refrigerator)

Next day:

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion (finely chopped)
1 small bell pepper (finely chopped)
4 celery stalks (finely chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp oregano
2 whole bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon paprika (preferably smoked paprika)
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
6 cups rice (parboiled)

Directions:

Drain water off beans, rinse them in cold water and allow them to drain.

Simmer the celery, onion, garlic and pepper in the olive oil until onions become transparent.  Remove from heat.

Place all ingredients (except parboiled rice) into large soup style pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours.  Add rice and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken.  Serve.  Use your favorite hot sauce to taste.

CORNBREAD...The Perfect Accompaniment

Ingredients

2 cups cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup coconut oil (melted/liquid)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups almond milk (room temperature)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or fresh squeezed lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon salt

 Directions

Combine the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) in a medium-sized bowl and wisk together. Set aside. Combine all dry ingredients together (cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt) in a medium-sized bowl and stir until well combined. Add the melted coconut oil and maple syrup to the non-dairy milk mixture and wisk until foamy and bubbly. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. (The batter will be somewhat thick). Use a spoon or spatula to transfer the batter into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 - 35 minutes.

Black Bean Soup (Great for a Cold Winter Day)

 

Ingredients 

Makes 6 servings 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• PREP
  15 mins
• COOK
  30 mins
• READY IN
  45 mins

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. Stir in vegetable broth, 2 cans of beans, and corn. Bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, process remaining 2 cans beans and tomatoes until smooth. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Vegan Pad Thai

 

Ingredients 

Makes 6 servings 

• 1 (12 ounce) package rice noodle 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

• PREP
  40 mins
• COOK
  20 mins
• READY IN
  1 hr

Directions

1. Soak rice noodles in cold water 30 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.
2. Heat butter in a wok or large heavy skillet. Saute chicken until browned. Remove, and set aside. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, and cook until firm. Stir in chicken, and cook for 5 minutes. Add softened noodles, and vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and red pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender. Add bean sprouts, and mix for 3 minutes.