Some quick and Easy Plant-Based Dinners

I have the luxury of working from home and I live on a farm where I grow all of my own food, but I know that a lot of people don’t live like this. So for anyone who is in a hurry to put dinner on the table for their family or for themselves I have put together some quick and easy recipes.

Easy Pesto Pasta (Makes 4 servings)

- 1 C of basil leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 C of nuts (I use walnuts)
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil
- a pinch of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 tsp of nutritional yeast (optional)

- 4 servings of whatever type of pasta you like

Directions:
- Put all of your ingredients (except pasta lol) in a blender or food processor and blend. If it seems to thick, you can add small amounts of water or more olive oil.
- Cook your pasta according to the instructions. Keep 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain and add the pesto and reserved water to your pasta.

Options:
- Add chopped fresh veggies like cherry tomatoes, spinach or roasted peppers.
- Add zucchini “meat” balls (recipe below).

Zucchini “Meat” Balls (Makes 4 servings)

- 1 C of shredded zucchini (squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can)
- 1/2 C of thawed frozen corn
- 1/4 C of finely chopped onion (whatever you have on hand)
- 1/4 C each of flour and corn meal
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast (optional) AND 1 Tbsp of nut milk
- 1/2 tsp each: salt, pepper, ground nutmeg and garlic powder
- about 3 Tbsp olive oil for frying

Directions:

- Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. If the mixture seems to dry add a small amount of nut milk. If it seems to wet add a small amount of corn meal or flour.
- Form the mixture into balls (you can refrigerate at this point to cook later).
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Cook and turn the balls until they are golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel.

Easy Vegetable Pho (Makes about 4 servings)

- 2 large containers (about 6 cups) of Vegan Pho broth**
- 3 cups of any type of frozen vegetables
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 4 servings of thin rice noodles (about 1/2 package)
- 1/3 cup of each: fresh torn basil, chopped cilantro and fresh mint
- 1 lime cut into quarters
- peanuts, sliced hot peppers and hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
- Heat up your broth in a large pot over medium high heat.
- Add your rice noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add your frozen vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Take off the heat and add your sprouts, basil, cilantro and mint.
- Serve and top with lime juice, additional soy sauce, hot sauce, sliced hot peppers and peanuts.

** If you can’t find Pho broth you can use vegetable or mushroom broth. Heat the broth up and add 1/4 cup of chopped onion, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, a couple of slices of ginger, 2-3 pieces of crushed garlic, a piece of star anise, 2-3 whole cloves and a piece or a pinch of cinnamon. Heat up and simmer for about 20 minutes, then strain and use in place of the broth above.

Thanksgiving Plant Based Main Dishes

Cooking a Thanksgiving feast shouldn’t be stressful. Most of the recipes listed here can be partially made up a head of time and then finished right before dinner, leaving you to be with your family and friends.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (Makes 8 servings)

- 8 large Portobello mushrooms (stems and gills removed)
- 2 pounds of potatoes, chopped
- 1 large package of baby spinach
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 C vegan cheese shreds (I used Daiya mozzarella)
- 1 C bread crumbs*
- 3 Tbsp vegan butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp each: salt and chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

- Cook the potatoes and garlic in a medium pot for about 15-20 or until soft. Drain and add salt, pepper, rosemary, butter, and mash until they are the consistency you like. Stir in the spinach.
- While the potatoes are cooking, remove the mushroom stems (you can chop these and add to the potato mixture if you like). Remove the gills with a small spoon. Wash and dry the mushrooms and brush them with oil. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Heat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit and cook the unstuffed mushrooms for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Using a large spoon overfill each mushroom with the potato mixture. Then top with 1/8 of the cheese and 1/8 of the bread crumbs. (at this point you can cover the tray and wait until you are ready to cook).
- Cook the stuffed mushroom for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown.

*You can use seasoned croutons and crush them with a rolling pin or put in a food processor.

OPTION:

- You can replace the potato/spinach mixture with about 4-5 cups of uncooked vegan stuffing. Recipe follows:

BASIC VEGAN STUFFING
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil or vegan butter
- 2 of each, chopped: celery stock, carrot and onion
- 1 cup of mushrooms, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup each: cooked rice and dried out bread cut into cubes
- 1 cup of vegetable or mushroom stock
- 2 tsp each: ground sage, thyme, rosemary, salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS
- Heat up oil or butter in a large pan on medium heat, add celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms and spices.
- Cook for about 5-6 minutes.
- Place rice, bread and veggie mixture into a large bowl and add as much stock as you need to make the mixture moist. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Put the mixture into a baking dish that has been greased with oil or butter. Cover with foil and cook at 375 for about 30 minutes. 

OPTIONS
- The sky is the limit with stuffing, add nuts, dried fruit or other vegetables.

Stuffed Sweet Peppers (Makes 8 servings)

These stuffed pepper are so easy and taste amazing. If you don’t like barley, you can easily replace it with rice, quinoa or any other grain you prefer. Also, changing the veggies to whatever you like or have on hand is perfectly fine. Just make sure you keep the total amounts close to the recipe.

- 8 medium to large green, yellow or red sweet peppers
- 2 C cooked barley (see package for instructions)
- 1 C each: chopped mushrooms, onions, zucchini and spinach
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp each: Thyme, Parley
- 1 tsp each: salt, pepper and chili powder
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 C of tomato or spaghetti sauce
- 1 C of non dairy cheese shreds (optional)

Directions:

- Rinse the bell peppers. Cut off the tops and carefully remove and remove the seeds and pith. If they wont stand up, cut a small slice off the bottom of the pepper.
- In a large pan, add the oil and heat to medium. Add vegetables, garlic, spices, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-6 minutes or until soft. (if you are using other veggies that are firm, you may need to increase your cooking time).
- Stir the barley into the vegetables and mix until completely combined.
- Pour 1 C of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold 8 peppers (or two dishes if you need to).
- Add the barley/veggie mixture to each pepper and place in the baking dish.
- Top the peppers with the remaining tomato sauce and top with cheese shreds if using.
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes uncovered.

We don’t all have time to make everything from scratch. Today there are quite a few tasty options available to serve as a main, that will please everyone at your table. Gardein has some great options that come with the stuffing, gravy and cranberries, making your job easier. 

Almost anything you can think of is now available in a plant based recipe and at your local supermarket. Remember, if you don’t see what you are looking for, ask for it. The more we demand these products, the more our grocery stores will stock them.

Your New Thanksgiving Tradition - Plant Based Side Dishes

There are hundreds of easy vegan Thanksgiving recipes out there that will satisfy all of your friends and family. Here are just a few - as always, you can change these to match up with your tastes or whatever you have on hand. These recipes make about 4-5 servings and can be easily doubled or tripled.

OVEN ROASTED BALSAMIC BRUSSEL SPROUTS:
- 3 cups Brussel sprouts cut in half
- 3 Tbsp each: balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Arrange Brussel sprouts on a baking sheet.
- Mix together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and drizzle over sprouts.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

SPICY CORN
- 2 cups of frozen organic corn
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder, chili powder, lime juice
-  ½ tsp cayenne
- 1-2 Tbsp of Vegan Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

DIRECTIONS:
- Mix all spices and add to frozen corn.
- Heat up in microwave or on stove top.
- Sprinkle with cheese or yeast and serve.
 

MAPLE CARROTS:
- 5-6 medium carrots, sliced on diagonal
- 1 Tbsp each: Vegan butter and maple syrup
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
- Boil carrots in water for about 15 minutes.
- Drain and stir in maple syrup, butter, rosemar.y, salt and pepper.
 

ROASTED ROOT VEGGIES WITH CURRY
- 4-5 cups of peeled and chopped root veggies: carrots, parsnips, turnip
- 1 large onion, chopped in big chunks
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine 
- Salt & pepper
- 2-3 Tbsp Cilantro or parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425. Toss all ingredients except cilantro together and layer on to two baking sheets. Cook for 15 minutes and turn over (or just stir them around). Cook another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

OPTIONS:
- Replace curry powder with 1 tsp each: rosemary and thyme
 

ASIAN STYLE GREEN BEANS
- 2 cups of frozen or fresh green beans
- 1/4 cup organic soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp each: garlic-minced, brown sugar and sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:
- Mix in medium bowl soy, garlic, brown sugar and pepper flakes.
- Toss green beans on mixture.
- Heat up sesame oil over medium heat. Add green beans and cook for 3-5 minutes –keep stirring.

OPTIONS:
- Use broccoli instead of green beans. Add sliced mushrooms or red pepper.
- Change up the spices - use olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper-delete soy, sugar and sesame oil.
 

CREAMED KALE
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 big bunch of kale cut into bite size pieces
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- Salt & pepper
- Grated coconut (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pan. Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add kale, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add coconut milk, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Top with coconut flakes if using.

OPTIONS:
- Replace kale with Swiss Chard or spinach.
 

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
- 8 medium potatoes cut in chunks, peel if you prefer
- 3-4 Tbsp of vegan butter
- 5 cloves of roasted garlic (see note)
- salt, pepper and chives

DIRECTIONS
- Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Boil for about 30 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and add to a large bowl. Add butter, salt and pepper.
- Mash with a potato masher or use a hand mixer (don't over mix).
- Mash the roasted garlic and stir into potatoes.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

NOTE:
- To roast garlic, wrap cloves in tin foil add a few drops of olive oil and roast in oven at 400 for 30 minutes.

OPTIONS:
- Replace potatoes with sweet potatoes. Replace garlic with a small sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.
 

BASIC VEGAN STUFFING
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil or vegan butter
- 2 of each, chopped: celery stock, carrot and onion
- 1 cup of mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup each: cooked rice and dried out bread cut into cubes
- 1 cup of vegetable or mushroom stock
- 1 tsp each: sage, thyme, rosemary, salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS
- Heat up oil or butter in a large pan on medium heat, add celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms and spices.
- Cook for about 5-6 minutes.
- Place rice, bread and veggie mixture into a large bowl and add as much stock as you need to make the mixture moist. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Put the mixture into a baking dish that has been greased with oil or butter. Cover with foil and cook at 375 for about 30 minutes. 

OPTIONS
- The sky is the limit with stuffing, add nuts, dried fruit or other vegetables.

Plant Based Options for Easter

Easter is here - it came really fast it seems. Like any other holiday, the easier you can put your food together the more you can enjoy your company.  Here are some really simple plant based dinner ideas that will make your day healthier and more enjoyable.

Buying store bought organic hummus is easy peasy. You can serve it with just about any type of fresh vegetable, plant based pitas or chips. There are other great plant based dips available at your grocery store, so serve a few of them for variety. Everyone will enjoy this one.

Today there are quite a few tasty options available to serve as a main, that will please everyone at your table. Gardein has some great options that come with the stuffing, gravy and cranberries, making your job easier. 

Side dishes are always the easiest part when you are choosing a plant based menu. Spring offers up great options like asparagus, peas, artichokes and even fiddle heads. Our site is filled with great side dish options, or you can google bazillions of easy recipes. Just make sure to use plant based butters and milks when preparing your side dishes. Salads are always a great option as well, and putting dressings together is as easy as your favorite oil, vinegar and some salt and pepper. You can make your dressing up the day before. 

If everyone isn't filled with chocolates from their egg hunt, Daiya offers 7 or 8 different types of "cheese" cakes. My favorite is the Key Lime. For a lighter option, fresh fruit with a plant based dip or a chocolate sauce is another really easy option.

Hoping you all have a happy, peaceful, plant-filled easter!

Thanksgiving Stuffing and Gravy - Easy and Cruelty Free!

In the US, Thanksgiving is coming up soon so that means lots of friends, family, food and football!  Last time we covered a main dish plant based alternative, but no thanksgiving meal would be complete without stuffing and gravy. Here are some great options to buy or make.

Grocery stores like Whole Foods carry plant-based packaged stuffing mix and they are all easy, quick and cruelty free. If you would like to make your own, here is an easy recipe with a couple of variations.

Basic Easy Stuffing – 6-8 servings, can be doubled or tripled

-  6 cups of cubed bread, whatever type you like
-  2 cups of cooked rice, white, brown or wild
-  1 large onion, diced
-  2 of each: stalks of celery, carrots and apples, diced
-  2 cups of mushroom or vegetable stock
-  1 Tbsp each: Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Salt & Pepper
-  2 Tbsp of Olive Oil or Vegan butter

Directions:
-  Heat oven to 350 degrees.
-  Add oil or vegan butter to a large pan on medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and apples and all spices. Cook until soft (about 7-10 minutes). Mix in cooked rice and remove from heat.
-  Place bread cubes in a large bowl and add onion mixture, and 1 ½ cups of stock. If mixture is dry add more stock. Taste and adjust seasoning.
-  Place mixture in a lined or greased 9x13 pan and cover with tin foil.
-  Cook for 35-40 minutes.

To make Cornbread Stuffing, use the above recipe and replace the bread with homemade or prepared cornbread.

To make Mushroom Stuffing, use the above recipe, add 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and use mushroom broth. Add the mushrooms to the pan when cooking onion mixture.

Again, many grocery stores offer plant based gravy mixes. Just add water and you are done. If you would like to make your own, here is an easy and delicious one:

Basic Turk’y Gravy, makes about 2 cups, can be doubled

-  ¼ cup Vegan butter
-  ¼ cup AP flour
-  2 cups Vegetable broth
-  1 tsp each: poultry seasoning (or ½ tsp each dried sage, thyme, rosemary), salt & pepper

Directions:
-  In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, add spices and flour and stir until completely combined.
-  Slowly add broth, stirring constantly until there are no lumps and gravy has thickened.

Easy Mushroom Gravy, makes about 2 cups, can be doubled

-  1 Tbsp Olive Oil
-  1 cup mushrooms, chopped finely (any type will work)
-  ¼ cup of minced onion
-  ¼ cup Vegan butter
-  ¼ AP flour
-  2 ½ cups mushroom broth
-  1 tsp each: thyme, salt & pepper

Directions:
-  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onions, mushrooms and spices. Cook until soft (about 7-10 minutes).
-  Add butter and flour and mix until it is completely combined.
-  Slowly add broth, stirring constantly until there are no lumps and gravy has thickened.

Easy Plant-Based Thanksgiving Main!

Thanksgiving really is a time to spend with your family and friends celebrating what you are truly thankful for. But it is also well known for everyone sitting down to a huge meal that traditionally is laden with meat products.  I have celebrated decades of this holiday serving plant based products only. It is absolutely delicious and much easier than you think. Today, we are going to cover Main Dish alternatives that will leave your guests wanting seconds and thirds!

No Need For Turkey or Ham!

There are so many options out there, and your supermarket most likely has at least a couple of choices, but here are some that I like:

1)      With only a 22 minute cook time Gardein Savory Stuffed Turk’y is a great choice. Delicious and easy!
2)      Field Roast Stuffed Celebration Roast - Stuffed with a savory sausage-style stuffing made with butternut squash, apples and mushrooms makes this plant based roast and great addition to your meal!
3)      To feed a big crowd try the Vegetarian Plus – Whole Vegan Turkey. Tastes great and can feed over 20 people. And for those of you who want the “look” it does look like the meat option.
4)      Vegetarian Plus also makes a ham substitute with an apricot plum glaze.
5)      For cozier dinners, Gardein offers a selection of Turk’y cutlets which I quite often include at my holiday dinners and my guests love them!
6)      If you want to make a main from scratch, here is a great recipe:

Portobello Mushroom with Savory Stuffing and Gravy – 4 servings, easy to double or triple

-  4 portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed
-  4 cups of cubed bread, whatever type you like-leave out to dry for an hour
-  1 of each diced: onion, celery stalk, carrot, apple
-  1 cup of cooked rice, white or brown or wild
-  2 cups of mushroom or vegetable stock
-  1 tsp each (dried): thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper
-  Olive oil

Directions:
-  Preheat oven to 350.
-  Trim the Portobello mushrooms and brush both sides lightly with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place on parchment lined baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes and remove. Let cool slightly.
-  While mushroom caps are cooking, add oil to a pan on medium heat, and add chopped vegetables and all spices. Cook until soft (about 7-10 minutes). Do not brown.
-  Add rice and stock. If the mixture is dry add a bit more stock, then remove from heat.
-  Mound stuffing into each mushroom cap. Place in 350 degree oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Gravy
-  2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Vegan butter
-  3 cups of sliced mushrooms, whatever type you like
-  1 small onion, diced fine
-  2 cloves of garlic, minced
-  1 tsp each salt, pepper, thyme-dried
-  2 cups of mushroom or vegetable stock
-  2 Tbsp organic corn starch or 3 Tbsp of flour

Directions:
-  In a medium saucepan heat oil or vegan butter over medium heat.
-  Add onions and garlic and spices, cook for 1-2 minutes and then add mushrooms. Sauté until soft (about 7-10 minutes).
-  Add your corn starch or flour to the pan and stir until veggies are coated.
-  Slowly add your stock, stirring constantly. Cook for about 5 minutes.
-  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Korean Tofu Stir-Fry - So Good!

The good thing about a stir-fry is you can add just about anything you like. This recipe has a Korean inspired flavors but you can easily change up the sauce and the veggies to whatever you like!

photo by VeganKitchn

Korean Tofu Stir-Fry (serves 2-3)

-  1 16 oz package of organic extra-frim tofu, dried and cut into cubes (see note below)
-  1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
-  1 small onion, chopped
-  1 cup of each: mushrooms-sliced; cauliflower florets; red pepper-sliced into strips
-  2 green onions, sliced
-  1/2 cup of organic cornmeal plus a pinch of salt and pepper
-  1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Sauce:
-  1/4 cup of Organic Soy sauce
-  2 Tbsp of Sesame Oil
-  2 garlic gloves, minced
-  1 Tbsp of Sesame Seeds
-  1/2 tsp of dried red pepper flakes or a tsp of hot pepper minced
-  1 Tbsp of organic cane sugar

Directions:
-  Mix all the ingredients together for the sauce.
- Once your tofu has been drained and cut into cubes, dredge it in the seasoned cornmeal.
- Heat up a large pan to medium high and add about 1 tbsp olive oil. Place the tofu cubes in the pan. Heat one side for about 2-3 minutes and then turn over and heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve.
- Add more olive oil and add the onion, cook for 1 minute. Add the rest of the veggies and cook, stirring often for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add sauce to the pan, stir for about 1 minute.
- Add cooked tofu to the pan, stir for about 30 seconds.
- Serve with cooked basmati rice or noodles. 

NOTE: An easy way to drain tofu is to wrap the entire block in several pieces of paper towel and then set a heavy object on it. I use a clean brick but you can place a plate on top and then a heavy food can of anything. Let it drain from 10 minutes to an hour.

Barbeque Season is Here!

Cookouts have been typically meat-laden, but you can easily change that. Putting together a Vegan barbeque can be simple and delicious. If you’re not sure where to start, try some of these tasty cruelty-free recipes – ENJOY!

These recipes serve 6 but you can easily change them up to whatever you need.

Grilled Corn with Chili and Lime

6 ears of corn
1 Lime cut into wedges – one per ear of corn
2 Tbsp. Chili powder
2 tsp. Cayenne powder
2 tsp Sea Salt

Directions:
- Preheat grill to medium high and lightly brush grill with oil.
- Peel corn and place on grill, turning occasionally for about 20 minutes. Corn should have charred spots.
- Mix together the chili powder, cayenne and salt.
- Transfer corn to serving platter, squeeze lime juice over corn and sprinkle with spices.

photo by One Green Planet

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

6 Portobello mushrooms
½ C of balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp each: garlic flakes (or minced fresh garlic), dried basil, oregano
Salt and pepper
Whole Wheat Buns

TOPPINGS: Sliced tomato, sliced avocado, sliced onion, Vegan cheese (Follow Your heart is delicious)

Directions:
-  Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Place in a shallow bowl smooth side up
-  Mix vinegar, soy, oil and spices together and pour over mushrooms. Let sit for 15-30 minutes.
-  Preheat grill to medium high and lightly brush grill with oil.
- Grill for 5-8 minutes per side. Top with cheese if using for the last 2 minutes.
- Serve on a bun and top with condiments and veggies.

Vegan Potato Salad

1.5 pounds of baby potatoes – red and purple work best but you can use any type
3 cups of cut raw veggies: red and green peppers, celery, onions, carrots, frozen corn and green onions
1/3 C of vegan mayo
3 Tbsp of pickle juice plus 3 Tbsp of chopped dill pickles
3 Tbsp of dried dill
Salt and pepper

Directions:
-  In a large pot, cover the cleaned potatoes with cold water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
-  Mix mayo, pickle juice, chopped pickles, dill and salt and pepper.
-  Drain potatoes and add dressing while potatoes are hot.
- Once potatoes have cooled slightly place in fridge until they come to about room temperature.
-  Add all of the cut fresh veggies and refrigerate until using (at least one hour before serving).

photo by The Food Channel

Mint Watermelon Lemonade

10 cups of watermelon
4 lemons, squeezed
2 tsp of lemon zest
6 sprigs of fresh mint
Ice Cubes

Directions:
-  Place the watermelon, lemon juice and zest into a blender or food processor.
-  Pour over ice and add mint sprigs.

These are just a few ideas, the possibilities are endless. For convenience and variety, there are loads of great vegan hotdogs, sausages, chicken burgers and beef burgers available at most grocery stores. If they don’t carry them, ask.

Easy Vegan Substitutes

Being Vegan is slowly becoming more mainstream. If you are new to this lifestyle choice and want to try converting some of your favorite recipes to Vegan, here is a list of some substitutes you can easily make to adjust your recipes.

Milk:  It is easy to substitute cow’s milk in any recipe. Use any nut milk, soy milk, rice milk, coconut or hemp milk in equal substitute amounts. For buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to your plant-based milk in the amount needed.

Cheese: So many choices out there. For vegan cheese lovers, Soy cheese melts, spreads and tastes like the real thing, without all the saturated fat! Nutritional yeast is another great choice!

Eggs: There are several vegan egg replacements. Tofu is quite often used when making a scrambled egg dish. When baking, you can use mashed bananas, applesauce, Ener-G egg replacer, a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds plus 3 tablespoons water or other liquid), or soft tofu.

Butter: Vegan margarines are available in most grocery stores. You can also use sunflower, olive or even coconut oil. For breakfast, toast with mashed avocado is amazing.

Beef and chicken stock: You can easily sub vegetable or mushroom stock or even water for most recipes.

Meat: There are tons of meat substitutes on the market today. In recipes you can use tofu, Seitan, Tempeh, TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein – it tastes better than it sounds) and chickpeas or other beans. You can also find veggie bacon and ground beef, veggie deli slices, premade veggie burgers, meatballs, sausage patties, and even soy chicken patties and nuggets.

Honey: Maple syrup and Agave can be used usually measure for measure. There are a lot of sweetener substitutes as well. I would avoid corn based sweeteners unless they are certified organic.

Sour Cream and Yogurt: Both can be subbed with soy or coconut yogurt. There are also commercially made vegan yogurts available.

Pre and Post Workout Vegan Meals

photo by www.onegreenplanet

Black Bean Beet Burgers - 4 servings

-   ½ cup cooked quinoa
-   ½ cup each: chopped onion and chopped mushrooms and chopped walnuts (ground)
-   1 large can of black beans, rinsed and drained
-   ½ cup grated raw beet
-   1 tsp each: cumin, chili powder and garlic powder
-   Salt & pepper
-   olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
-   Heat a pan on medium heat with a bit of olive oil and add mushrooms and onions, salt & pepper and cook for about 8 minutes.
-   Remove from heat and add beans and mash slightly – needs to have some texture.
-   Add mixture to a large bowl and add beets, quinoa, spices and mix.
-   Add walnut meal a little at a time until the mixture is thick enough to form into patties. Set in fridge to chill while oven heats up to 375 F. If cooing in pan, just chill for about 15 minutes.
-   Put on baking sheet sprayed with a bit of oil and cook for about 30-35 minutes.
-   If using a pan, spray with a bit of oil and cook on medium high for about 4 minutes per side

LEMON LIME RECOVERY DRINK

-   4 large dates, pits removed
-   2 cups of water
-   1 Tbsp each: Hemp protein and ground Salba
-   2 Tbsp sprouted buckwheat
-   Juice from ½ lemon and lime
-   ½ tsp lemon zest
-   1 tsp each: ground dulse flakes, maca and greens powder (chlorella or spirulina)

DIRECTIONS:
-   Blend all ingredients in a blender.

OPTIONS
-   Replace Salba with chia seeds or one egg replacement
-   Replace dulce flakes with nori or sea vegetable flakes
-   Replace maca powder with cacao powder