Beehive Honey & Lemon Poppyseed Hot Pudding Cakes-Plant Based

As a descendant of Utah Pioneers, I love to make these adorable little beehive cakes to honor my heritage, especially on July 24th, Utah's state holiday. I use cast iron molds which create an awesome light outer crust (our favorite part), and depending on how long you bake them, they come our more cakelike (longer bake), or hot pudding like (shorter bake).  

Following is a plant based version of this previous recipe. 

Ingredients:

2 cups aquafaba (chick pea/garbanzo bean juice)

2.5 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 T. poppyseeds

1/2 cup plant based milk

1.5 Tablespoons chia seeds

2 cups honey 

1 medium sized, ripe avocado

1 medium sized ripe banana

2/3 cup plain soy yogurt

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Zest of 1-2 oranges or lemons for added flavor (optional)

Syrup:

1/2 cup raw honey

1/4 cup coconut cream

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

Preparations:

Whip aquafaba to medium soft peaks and set aside.

Mix wheat and oat flours, baking powder, salt, and poppyseeds together and set aside. 

Add chia seeds to milk, stir, and set aside

~ ~

In a mixing bowl, cream honey, avocado and banana together. 

Gently mix in aquafaba, yogurt, and vanilla. 

Add flour mixture. 

Mix in milk and chia seed mixture, along with orange/lemon zest (if desired)

Pour into prepared pans (lightly coated with coconut oil or coconut cream, then coated with whole wheat flour or lined with parchment paper or large muffin liners).

Bake at 350* for 60-70 minutes.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert and place on a baking sheet.  

Microwave raw honey and coconut cream for 3-4 minutes until combined and boiling - reaching a syrup like stage. Add almond extract. Spoon or evenly pour syrup over each individual cake, allowing excess syrup to pool around edges. Allow to cool.  

 

Rich Plant based Brownie Bites (Gluten, Dairy, Oil & Sugar free - and delicious!)

A friend introduced me to these and I couldn't believe how rich they are - and how much they taste just like baked brownies. I love that they are plant based, super quick and only require a few ingredients.

1.5 cup walnuts

1 cup dates (soft, or soaked in hot water for 15 minutes to soften and drained)

3 Tablespoons cocoa powder (or cocoa nibs - blended to powder in a vitamix)

1/2 - 1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. salt

A dash (or two) cinnamon

A dash (or two) cayenne pepper 

(this brings out the flavor and adds depth and richness)

Blend ingredients together in blender (such as a vitamix) until it forms a mass. 

Add water by the teaspoon if needed to slightly moisten. 

Scoop out of blender.

Shape into brownie sized bites

Vegan/WFPB "Chicken Tortilla Soup" Inspired Black Bean and Rice Soup

After thumbing through several vegan cookbooks tonight, I had decided to make a basic black bean and rice soup. However, as I began collecting ingredients, it morphed into something new, warm, comforting and reminiscent of chicken tortilla soup.
                
This soup comes together quickly and is awesome served over rice, topped with Pico de gallo, diced avocados, tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese (optional).

2.5 quarts boiling water
*2 cups cooked black beans
*1.5 cups cooked white beans
1 quart canned tomatoes (if home canned tomatoes are not available, add an additional 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice, & 1 Tbsp. sweetener such as maple syrup or sugar of your choice for taste as needed)
1/3 c. chopped leeks or onions
5 garlic cloves, diced or crushed
1 Tbsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste)
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds (to taste)
1.5 Tbsp. white miso
1/2 cup Maseca corn tortilla flour
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cooked Jasmine Rice
Pico de Gallo
Diced avocados
Baked corn tortillas broken into pieces
Grated Cheese and sour cream (optional)


Add water to large pan and heat to boiling. While water heats, blend tomatoes until smooth. Add tomatoes to water, then add beans, leeks, garlic and spices. Stir to mix.

Scoop several Tbsp. of liquid into a small bowl, then add miso and mix until smooth. Add this mixture back into the large pan and stir.

Place Maseca flour into the small bowl. Add cool water, mixing until it is a thin paste, (similar to the viscosity of honey), adding water as needed.  Once smooth, add a small amount of the tomato liquid mixture (1/2-1 cup) to the Maseca and stir until smooth. Once mixed, add back to the large pan and stir to combine. This will thicken the soup slightly.

Add coconut milk and cilantro, and season to taste.

To serve, place a serving of rice in the bottom of a bowl, add soup and garnish with Pico de gallo, diced avocados, tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese as desired.

*I pressure cooker or slow cool beans and freeze them in 2 cup quantities.

Hot chocolate - Whole Food Plant Based, vegan

We woke up to 8 inches of snow and after our walk and some snow shoveling, we were totally craving a warm mug of hot cocoa. 

Honestly, I'd been mulling over how to make a sugar free, vegan hot chocolate for a while. My very skeptical non-vegan teenage test taster said it wasn't too bad (that's like winning the lottery), and she said I could probably sale it, she then suggested we move to Seattle and set up hot chocolate stand and hot cider stand.  She's a funny one, but she asked for seconds and thirds. 

This comes out warm and creamy and perfectly hits the spot of a great comfort food on a snowy day.  Mmmm 

Ingredients:

3 cups almond milk 

2-3 T cocoa powder or cacao nibs (for a deeper chocolate taste)

6-8 dates (seeds removed) covered with and soaked for 15 minutes in boiling water

1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews preferably soaked overnight or 15 min in boiling water.

Additional boiling water

Cinnamon (optional)

Vanilla (optional)

Place dates and water they were soaked in, into a high powered blender. 

Blend until smooth.

Add cocoa powder, almond milk and cashews, blend until smooth. Add additional boiling water until it reaches your desired consistency. 

Add a dash of cinnamon or vanilla if desired (optional).

Serve immediately. 

Zucchini & Portabello Mushroom Stir Fry

Holy cow! This was such a great dish - my husband asked me when I was going to make it again, even though I just made it two days ago.
This takes a slightly Asian twist on zucchini and is so easy and healthy.
Truly a 15 minute dish.

2 medium zucchinis

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 portabello mushroom, sliced, coarsely chopped

1-2 T. soy sauce

1-2 T. grated fresh ginger

2 t. sesame seeds

Using a grater, thinly slice zucchinis. 

Place in cast iron pan, with a small amount of water (so they don't initially stick). Add onions and mushroom pieces and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until ingredients become tender and translucent.  

Add soy sauce, and grated ginger, and cook down to reduce the liquid. Add sesame seeds, salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.  

Tadka Dal with Potatoes (Split Red Lentils)

We've entered a new realm - the realm of whole food, plant based diet, with no refined sugars or flours, or oils.

So...these next recipes are recipes have been altered to fit into the no anything (see above) category. We've been very surprised to find workable recipes that we've actually liked. The following posts include some of our favorites.

I was at Winco last week checking out their bulk dry options and found some red lentils that I thought might be fun to try out.  They were awesome in this recipe!

Tadka Dal With Potatoes (Split Red Lentils)
1 onion - finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T. grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno pepper - sliced into rings (with or without seeds)
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 T. grated fresh turmeric or 1.5 t. ground tumeric
1 t. salt
6 cups water

1 quart tomatoes
1 T. yellow mustard seeds
1 T. coriander seeds
1 T. sesame seeds
2 t. green cardamon pods
2 T. cumin
1 t. allspice

Pre-heat a pressure cooker using the brown setting.
Add a small amount of water, then cook the onions, garlic, ginger and jalapeno until softened, stirring occasionally.

Add the lentils, potatoes, turmeric and salt. Then add the water, stir and lock the lid into place.
Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes.

Release the pressure using the quick release method.

While the dal is cooking, in a cast iron skillet, heat the spices, stirring occasionally - all except for the cumin and allspice.

Once they've begun to brown and are moving around and popping a bit, add 1 quart of canned tomatoes. Use a potato masher or similar tool to break tomatoes down, and boil and stir this mixture, Add the cumin and allspice, and boil and stir until it reduces and most of the liquid cooks off.

Remove from heat.

Serve in bowls, on top of rice or with naan bread, (or a homemade Maseca corn tortilla), with the tomato mixture on top of the dal.

Superfood Orange and Date Protein Power Bars - Gluten free

(Photos coming once they've cooled)

I am so excited about this recipe for protein/power bars!  

Besides being super yummy, they are rich in super foods/nutrients, (google flax, chia, quinoa, sesame, anise, and amaranth), 100% natural (no processed ingredients), and gluten free - yay! Made from nuts and seeds and so full of those healthy Omega 3's that we all need more of, but rarely get. I'm a proponent of 'made from scratch', and love that these are made with home ground nut butter, and my own shredded and toasted coconut. And did I mention that they are yummy?  

Filling and perfect for a morning when you don't have time for breakfast (I have a lot of those), after a run or bike ride, or as an afternoon snack for the kids after school.  Crunchy, nutty goodness, and totally versatile for whatever you might have in your pantry, to suit your taste.   

Heat oven to 350*

Mix the following together, spread on a cookie sheet, and toast in oven for 15 minutes - stirring occasionally. 

1 c. uncooked quinoa

1 c. uncooked oats

1 c. uncooked amaranth seeds

1/2 c. flax seeds

1/2 c. chia seeds

1 T. sesame seeds

1 T. anise seeds

Remove from oven, and place mixture in a large mixing bowl.

Add following fruit and nuts to mixing bowl with cooled grains: 

17-20 chopped (pitted) medijool dates (or any dried fruit - raisins, cranberries, blueberries, cherries)

3-5 chopped dried figs

1 c. shredded, unsweetened, lightly toasted coconut 

(Shred whole coconut, and toast in oven for 60 minutes at *225)

1/2 c. cashews

1 T. chia

Grate zest from 2 valencia oranges into a small bowl, and set aside. 

Binding mixture: 

1 c. unfiltered raw honey

Juice from 2 valencia oranges

2/3 c. nut butter (peanut, almond, or cashew)

(blend 3/4 c. raw nuts in high power blender until it turns to paste)

1 t. kosher salt

1.5 T. coconut oil

Heat honey in saucepan, over low heat.  Add orange juice and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes so that it reaches a syrup like consistency. Stir in nut butter and whisk until smooth. Add salt and coconut oil.  Stir constantly and bring mixture to a boil.  Allow to boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat before this reaches a nougat like consistency.  

Immediately pour over grain/nuts/fruit mixture, add grated orange zest, and quickly mix together. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.  Use hands or spatula to compress, and smooth down, and bake at 350* for 20 minutes. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2 hours.  

Cut into bars. 

Optional - Melt 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips with 1 T. coconut oil.  Dip bottom of power bars into chocolate, and allow to cool on parchment paper. 

Individually wrap in plastic wrap.  

These store well in the cupboard, or refrigerate or freeze.