Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

Cauliflower mash is all the rage. It's great. I really like it. But, zucchini mash is even better. It's creamier and more similar to the texture of mashed potatoes.  It's also a little easier to prepare. Zucchini cooks quicker. It's also less expensive.  Ingredients 3 medium zucchinis 1/2 block medium tofu 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels 3 cloves garlic 1 jalapeno 1 habanero 3 tbls canola oil 1 tbl Italian seasoning 1 1/2 tbls salt 1 tsp black pepper Instructions In order to get a nice white color you'll want to steam the zucchini whole. You don't want to char any of the flesh because then you'll get a weird greenish/brownish color to your finished dish.  Steam them in a bit of water with the skins on.  When they're tender, slice in half and scoop out the 'meat' with a spoon. Reserve the empty skins. Slice them up into strip and season. They are tasty.  Add the scooped out zucchini 'flesh' to a food processor.  In a small microwave safe vesse...

 Like many people, I love apple pie. It's one of my favorite desserts.  It's easy enough to make it vegan using vegetable shortening. However, I don't like to use that stuff.  Obviously, to keep it vegan, I couldn't use butter. I also, don't really care for the plant based butters available in the supermarkets. Not to mention that they cost a lot.  I decided to use walnuts to make an apple pie crust. When you put walnuts in a coffee grinder they turn to a thick paste similar to butter. So, I thought, that could work. And work, it did! My pie crust came out pretty great.  Full disclosure: this is my first time ever making an apple pie from scratch. Now, I'm a cooking show junkie though, so I had all the theoretical knowledge. I just lacked the hands on experience.  Crust ingredients 2 1/2 cups AP flour Approx. 1 cup walnuts (or 3 small handfuls) 1/3 cup Splenda or other sweetener 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder Cold water Filling ingredients 2 granny smith ap...

 Here's an interesting variant on red pepper sauces. It uses multiple red spices and vegetables to create an uber-red sauce. It's a little bit smoky, a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy. Ingredients 1 med red bell pepper, chunked 1 red habanero, chunked 1 jalapeno, red or green, chunked 1 serrano, red or green, chunked 3 cloves garlic, halved 1/4 block medium tofu 1 cup water 2 tbls canola oil 1 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder 1 tsp aleppo pepper flakes 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tbl salt 1/2 black pepper Instructions In a dry small frying pan cook the bell pepper, serrano, jalapeno and habanero over medium heat until they have some good char.  Add the garlic, spices/herbs and oil. Continue to toast for a few more minutes. Until fragrant.  Carefully and slowly add in the water. Scrape to deglaze the dark bits from the bottom of the pan. Then simmer until reduced by 1/3. Add the tofu to a blender and then pour the pepper mixture on top. Puree until ...

 It's been a while since I've added any new vegan recipes. But I have one now. It's a creamy red pepper sauce.  It's somewhat similar to a vodka sauce minus the vodka. And with red pepper instead of tomato.  Still, it does have that creamy consistency as well as the bite.  In this case the creamy comes from tofu and the bite comes from a few spices.  Personally, I like red pepper based red sauces better than tomato ones. They have more depth.  Ingredients 1 large red bell pepper, diced 1/2 block medium tofu 5 small cloves garlic, halved 2 tbls canola oil 1 1/4 cups water 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes 1 tsp ancho chili powder 1 tsp aleppo pepper flakes 1 tsp dry oregano 1/2 tsp cayenne 2 tbls salt 1 tsp black pepper  Instructions Saute the bell pepper and garlic in the oil over medium heat for 10 minutes.  Carefully pour in the water and simmer for 10 minutes or until the peppers are tender.  Break up the tofu into chunks and add it to a blender...

 Tofu is the perfect vegan base for a variety of creamy sauces and aioili. When you find yourself craving something rich, thick and creamy look no further than a block of tofu.  In this case, I made a vegan garlic aioli which I had been jonesing after for quite a while.  It's light and fluffy like a typical mayo. It's also creamy and rich too. It's replete with delectable garlicky goodness.  It just takes a handful of ingredients and about 15 minutes of your time.  Ingredients 1/2 block firm tofu, drained 2 small heads of garlic, plus oil 1/4 cup canola oil 1 tbl white vinegar 1 1/2 tbls salt 2 tsps black pepper Instructions Peel the garlic cloves and place them into a 1 cup microwave safe container. Just barely cover the cloves with oil and microwave for 1 minute.  Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree until fluffy and smooth.  Enjoy as a salad dressing, sandwich dressing or mix it with your favorite beans to create a tuna/c...

 This is a simple sauce for anyone who loves saffron. Saffron is expensive, but it can be purchased through a certain online retailer for not that much. Saffron has a unique flavor that simply can't be replicated. If you love its taste, it's worth spending a few dollars. The thing to keep in mind, is that a little bit goes a very long way. So, even when you buy a small amount, it lasts a very long time.  This sauce only contains a few ingredients. When you're working with saffron, it's best to keep things simple and let the saffron shine. Ingredients 2 pinches saffron 1 small head of garlic, cloves halved 1 1/4 cups water 2 tbls canola oil 1 tbl salt 1 tsp black pepper 1/16 tsp xanthan gum I first experienced the taste of saffron when I tried a pre-seasoned rice packet which contained it. From that point on, I was hooked.  But over time, the taste of the pre-made stuff changed in not a good way, but I still craved that unique floral saffron flavor. So, I went ahead and ...

 It's time for a new sauce. Because the sauce is what brings it all together.  This sauce is fairly simple, but carries a lot of depth. The rosemary provides a smokey back note. The roasted garlic is smooth and earthy. The chiles add that necessary heat.  When creating vegan sauces you have to make full use of the power of the vegetables that you choose. Drawing out all of their potential in order to extract every last drop of flavor. It's the difference between an okay sauce and a really good one.  Ingredients 2 Jalapenos, deseeded and chunked 2 Serranos, deseeded and chunked 1 Habanero, deseeded and chunked 1 Small Head of Garlic, cloves halved 1 cup water 1 tsp rosemary 2 Tbls canola oil 1 Tbl salt 1 tsp black pepper 1/16 tsp xanthan gum I originally purchased xanthan gum to make soy based vegan ice cream at home. It worked perfectly in that application.  What I later discovered from experimenting is that it's also a very convenient way to thicken ...