Author: Immacolata

Milk: It Does a Body Bad

Posted on by Immacolata

Everyone sees those dairy industry catchphrases, like “Milk: It does a body good” Or “Got milk?” You see them online, on billboards, on TV. You hear them on the radio. Their latest catchphrase is “Everybody Milk.” What the hell? No, everybody don’t milk. Or don’t dairy milk. Soy milk, almond milk, oat milk – but leave the dairy alone.

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine:

Milk and other dairy products are the top source of saturated fat in the American diet, contributing to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have also linked dairy to an increased risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

Cows in the dairy industry are not spared death. After their milk production declines, after a few years of spending their days hooked up to milking machines and seeing their babies taken away at birth, they face the same horrific end at the slaughterhouse. If you drink milk, if you eat cheese and ice cream, you are contributing to that cruelty.

Milk is bad for your body, and it’s bad for your soul.

#GoVegan

Flourless PB&J Cookies

Posted on by Immacolata

Flourless peanut butter cookies are chewy and delicious – you’ll never miss the flour. Add the perfect complement in the form of jelly and you’ve got the best of both worlds. They are very easy to make, with only 7 ingredients. You can use any kind of jelly that you want – I chose raspberry because it’s my favorite.

When shaping the cookies, don’t flatten them with a fork in the traditional criss-cross pattern. Instead, use your finger to poke a deep indentation into the ball of cookie dough. When they are finished baking they should form a shallow little “bowl” where you can put the jelly or jam.

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Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 c peanut butter
  • 1 c raw sugar (or half raw, half brown sugar)
  • 1 tbsp ground flax seed
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • dash salt (optional)
  • 1/2 c jelly or jam

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.

  2. Combine flaxseed and water, let sit until thickened

  3. Combine sugars, salt and baking powder. Combine peanut butter and flax mixture. Add to sugar mix and stir until well combined. If the dough is sticky, add a little more sugar.

  4. Roll into balls and place on a nonstick cookie sheet. Make an indentation into each cookie with your finger/thumb. You want the indentation deep enough so that it doesn't disappear while baking.

  5. Bake 8-10 minutes, checking carefully after 8 minutes. These will burn easily so be careful!

  6. Let cookies cool completely on the cookie sheet then remove to a plate or platter.

  7. WIth a teaspoon, add jelly to the center of each cookie. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If you like, before putting the cookies into the oven, put 2 or 3 chocolate chips into the indentation in the cookie ball. Bake, cool and fill with jelly as usual. Delicious!

Onion Soup Veggie Burger

Posted on by Immacolata

Remember Lipton Onion Soup? It happens to be vegan! My mom used to add it to her burger and meatloaf recipes for a blast of flavor – we couldn’t get enough of them!

Here’s my version of the Lipton Onion Soup burger. Try it, or you could easily add a packet to your favorite veggie burger recipe.

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Onion Soup Veggie Burger

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 3/4 cups cooked and drained blackeyed peas, or 1 can, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (sub chopped sunflower seeds if you can't or don't want to use nuts)
  • 1 envelope dry onion soup mix (Lipton is vegan!)
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp aquafaba OR a flax egg (1 tbsp. ground flax and 2 tbsp. water - stir together in a cup and let sit a few minutes)
  • 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 rolled oats (start with 1 1/4 c.)

Instructions

  1. Put all of the ingredients except for the rolled oats in the food processor and pulse a few times to break up the peas a little. If you don't have a food processor, mash the beans slightly and thoroughly combine the ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Add rolled oats until you've got a mixture that is moist enough to shape into patties, but not wet.
  3. Chill the mixture for at least 15 minutes.
  4. Form into patties and bake on a parchment lined sheet at 375 for about 25-30 minutes.

Easy Onion Bread

Posted on by Immacolata

Onion bread just like my Mom used to make! She made her onion bread by adding Lipton Onion Soup mix (yes, it’s vegan!) to her regular bread recipe. I did the same with my Easy Yeast Bread recipe and it was a success! It smelled so good while baking that I could hardly wait for the loaf to cool before I cut it and spread a slice with some vegan butter – as delicious as I remember!

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Easy Onion Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe Easy Yeast Bread (in Breads category)
  • 1 packet dry onion soup mix

Instructions

  1. Prepare bread as directed, except when you finish the first rising , stir in the packet of onion soup along with the remaining flour. You can leave out the salt.
  2. Shape loaf and finish as directed.

Vegan Power Bowl

Posted on by Immacolata

Power bowls are a newer trend in eating. The idea is simple – layers of different foods that complement each other in one bowl. I’ve heard that food tastes better in a bowl and after trying this, I think it’s true!

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Vegan Power Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked brown rice (see Notes)
  • 1/2 cup seasoned black beans (see Notes)
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1 avocado, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup tofu, in small cubes or strips
  • 2 tsp light olive or canola oil (see Notes)
  • 1/4 cup salsa
  • 1/4 cup vegan sour cream

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a nonstick pan and fry the tofu until it's golden brown, turning frequently.

  2. Layer the rice and beans in your bowl.

  3. Arrange tofu slices , avocado slices and diced tomato on top of the beans.

  4. Top with olives, salsa and sour cream.

Recipe Notes

Season your rice to your taste. I cooked mine in a little veggie broth with 1/2 t. of onion powder. I added 1/2 t. cumin and a tablespoon of salsa to the beans along with 1/4 ea. garlic and onion powder. You can season both to your own taste.

If you're avoiding oils, cook the tofu slices in your air fryer until golden.

You can vary your ingredients as you choose - try an Asian bowl with rice noodles or white rice layered with Asian cucumber salad, sprouts or greens, tofu cubes, edamame, sesame seeds and crunchy noodles. Or try a Southern bowl with blackeyed peas and rice with fried okra and greens - the possibilities are endless!

Easy Lentil Burgers

Posted on by Immacolata

These lentil burgers are super easy and fast to prepare. They hold up well, and have a great texture, not at all pasty like some veggie burgers. I had these last night with sweet potato fries and had to hold myself back from eating all of them by myself!

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Easy Lentil Burgers

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cup (or 2 10-oz cans) cooked and drained lentils
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup stuffed green olives, sliced
  • 1 cup Panko (see notes)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • oil for frying or baking

Instructions

  1. If you're using canned lentils, rinse and drain.
  2. Put the lentils into a blender with the walnuts and olives. Pulse a few times until you have a chunky mix.
  3. Put the mix into a mixing bowl and add the Panko crumbs and 1 t. salt (if desired), mixing thoroughly.
  4. Let mix sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the Panko to absorb any excess moisture. If the mix is too crumbly to form patties, add a little water, 1 T. at a time, to get a good consistency.
  5. Form into 4 - 6 patties, depending how big you want them.
  6. If frying, cook in a small amount of oil or a nonstick pan for about 3 minutes on each side, or until brown. If baking, cook for about 30-35 minutes in a 375F (185C) oven until brown, flipping (carefully) halfway through. I recommend that you use a nonstick pan or oiled parchment paper.

Notes

You can substitute sunflower seeds for all or part of the walnuts if you wish, and gluten free breadcrumbs for the Panko.

Upside Down Cornbread

Posted on by Immacolata

I got the idea for this recipe from Sweet Savant in a post someone shared on Facebook. I used my own cornbread recipe – veganized and low in fat, with diced green chiles instead of broccoli. If you want to kick it up a notch, layer some jalapeño slices with the onions.

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Upside Down Cornbread

Ingredients

  • Canola or other mild flavored oil to brush skillet or pan
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced (do not separate the slices into rings)
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
  • 1/4 cup Aqua faba (chickpea brine)
  • 3/4 cup almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
  • 1 can creamed corn (read the label to make sure it's vegan)
  • 1 small can diced green chiles, drained

Instructions

  1. Start preheating oven to 400F.
  2. Brush a 10-inch cast iron skillet with oil and line the bottom with slices of onion (mince the remaining slices and reserve.) Place skillet into the oven while it's preheating.
  3. Stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
  4. Stir together creamed corn, almond milk and aqua faba in a small bowl, then add to the dry ingredients, stirring until mixed.
  5. Stir in green chiles and reserved minced onion.
  6. By this time your oven should be preheated and your skillet hot. Remove CAREFULLY, using oven mitts/potholders, as it is extremely hot.
  7. Spoon the cornbread batter into the hot skillet and gently smooth over the onion slices. Be careful not to shift the onions; you want them to stay on the bottom of the pan.
  8. Return to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and done (a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.)
  9. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
  10. Run a knife around the edges of the cornbread. Invert a plate over the skillet, then carefully turn the skillet upside down to release the cornbread onto the plate.

Notes

Please be very careful when handling the hot iron skillet. If you don’t want to use a cast iron skillet, you can use a regular nonstick baking pan. Line the bottom with the onions, and bake in a preheated 400F oven for 10 minutes before adding the batter.

Roasted Vegetable Fajitas

Posted on by Immacolata

These Roasted Vegetable Fajitas are delicious, low in fat and so good for you! I serve these on warm flour tortillas with salsa and homemade almond milk pepper jack cheeze. This recipe supposedly serves four, but two hungry, fajita-loving vegans could probably finish it off in one go.

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Roasted Vegetable Fajitas

Ingredients

  • 2 bell peppers (red, green or a combination of both)
  • 1 large carrot, peeled
  • 1 jalapeño pepper
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 large potato, peeled and cut into wedges
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp (or more) smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Slice vegetables into fajita-size strips and place in a glass bowl or dish with the potato wedges.
  2. Mix together lime juice, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika and pour over vegetables. Marinate for at least an hour, stirring halfway through to make sure all gets covered in marinade.
  3. Drain vegetables and pat dry with paper towels. This step is important, so don't skip it!
  4. Brush or spray olive oil on the vegetables, coating all sides, and sprinkle with salt.
  5. Place in a nonstick or parchment paper-covered roasting/baking pan and roast at 400F for about 30 minutes. Vegetables should be just starting to brown.
  6. Serve in warmed corn or flour tortillas, with salsa, guacamole, vegan cheeze - whatever you like!

Buen provecho!

Vegan Picadillo

Posted on by Immacolata

Vegan Picadillo is a delicious Cuban-style dish that reminds me a little bit of sloppy joes. It’s quite tasty on toasted hamburger buns or with rice or macaroni. It has a delicious, tangy taste and it’s one of those dishes, like chili or spaghetti sauce, that tastes even better when it’s made the day before.

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Vegan Picadillo

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 5 large bay leaves
  • 2 cup ground beef substitute (see notes)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or use wine vinegar)
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 10 1/2-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp hot sauce, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Spray a non-stick skillet with oil.
  2. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to brown.
  3. Add 2 T. water and bay leaves and cook 3-4 minutes, or until water has evaporated.
  4. Add beef substitute and cook, stirring, until beef is hot.
  5. Add all remaining ingredients except for hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
  6. Cook for 7-8 more minutes, until heated through and flavors are blended.
  7. Remove bay leaves and season to taste with hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Notes

You can use soy crumbles, but I use the cauliflower ground beef recipe that I got from CookingWithPlants.com. It’s has no weird, unpronouncable ingredients like a packaged soy-based substitute might, tastes better, and is much better for you.

Hope you enjoy it!