Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

Silken firm tofu is ideal for creating creamy, protein packed purees. It's easy. The texture is built right in to the product. It's an ideal vegan cream substitute. All you need to do is decide what flavors you want to add to it and you're on your way. Also make sure to fortify it with some fat. Tofu is pretty much fat free. A lot of the purees I create are made with running in mind. I'm always looking to seamlessly incorporate more protein, calcium and other vitamins and minerals into my meals without adding a lot of excess calories. This arugula and tofu puree is a perfect expression of that goal. It's great fuel and it also taste great so that you want to eat it. Food as fuel isn't any good if you don't want to eat it. This you'll want to eat. Ingredients One 5 ounce container arugula 1/2 block silken firm tofu 1/4 cup nutritional yeast powder or flakes 6 cloves garlic 1 poblano pepper, chunked 1 serrano, chunked 1 jalapeno, chunked...

This soup is all about the broth. Layers of flavor come together to create a complex broth in a relatively short amount of time. It has a strong chinese influence, but it draws from various cultures. It's great on its own and delicious over rice too. All the flavor is in that deep, dark, unctuous broth. Ingredients 1 pint mushrooms, diced 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 large red bell pepper, diced 3/4 cup diced carrots 1 poblano pepper, diced 2 jalapeno peppers, minced 1 serrano pepper, minced 1 cup chopped kale 1 can kidney beans, rinsed 1 can black beans, rinsed 4 cups water 3 tbls olive oil 1 tbl horseradish, the one with just vinegar, no mayo 1 tbl soy sauce 2 tsps chinese mustard 2 tsps dill 2 tsps crushed pepper flakes 2 tsps celery seed 1 tsp coriander seed 1 tsp paprika 3 tsps salt 1 tsp black pepper In a large stock pot cook down your mushrooms with 1 tsp salt. I used cremini mushrooms, but it's dealer's choice. When they start to take on a little color add olive oil....

I was looking for something creamy to use as a spread and a sauce. I also wanted to incorporate extra protein and potassium. I've learned that kidney beans have a lot of potassium, but I didn't have any kidney beans. I did have great northern beans. They don't have quite as much, but they do still boast a fair amount. White beans in general are a pretty good source of it. This is a spicy puree that's got a creamy texture and a lot of flavor. You can use it as a dip, a spread, a sauce. It can add richness and flavor to almost anything. It's simple to make. You just puree all the ingredients in your food process and then let it rest for a few hours in the fridge. When you're not cooking with heat resting in the fridge is pretty important. It helps the flavors coalesce. So when tasting (tasting as you go is a must) you need to keep in mind that everything will gain some intensity during that resting period. Ingredients 1 can Great Northern Beans 1/2 bl...

On my walk today I came across a young cow. I don't live in a location where one would encounter many cows. There are a bunch of horse ranches in the next town north. There are some goats. Some donkeys. Some bulls. Some alpaca. Even though I live in a fairly populous city, it is surrounded by rural areas. I've come across a variety of domesticated animals. Several steer that I know became someone's dinner. Plenty of horses. But cows are extremely rare. I've never encountered a cow before this close to home. This close up. My first thought? I hope it does't become someone's dinner. It had no interest in me. All it cared about was noshing on as much grass as it could. It's a big, dumb animal. Still, it's just an animal. Like a dog or a cat. It deserves our mercy. We don't need to eat animals. We don't need to exploit them. We have so many alternative methods for creating nutritious food. The irony being, a cow would never eat us...

I am living proof that a plant based diet is orders of magnitude better than one that includes meat or dairy. I took up running when I was 43 years old. It was a not too terrible transition from cycling. I excelled at distance running. Increasing my mileage up to about 10 miles for long runs. The thing is, I drink 4 beers most every night. Yet, still, I'm able to achieve this higher level of fitness. I"m not fast. But I have endurance. I've been running a couple years now. There's been some decline as I surpassed age 45, but overall, I'm still doing okay. I've never been a stellar athlete. Even when I was young and sober. But I'm stronger now, even as I age, even as I drink. It says a lot about how our choice of diet affects our overall health. I should stop drinking. If I did, I'd probably be superhuman. So what could a plant based diet do for those who are already young and sober? It would probably be spectacular.

I love tofu. Those that don't love it, don't understand it. If you're looking for it to add flavor you're fighting a losing battle. Tofu is for texture and protein. Nothing else. In this case, we'll use it to create a creamy texture. Ingredients 1 pint grape tomatoes 1 block, silken firm tofu 3 tsps salt 3 cloves garlic 2 jalapenos 2 tsps itallian seasoning 2 tbls olive oil 2 tsps black pepper 2 tsps harrisa paste 2 tbls hot sauce 1 tsp cayenne powder For current or would be vegans who are confounded by how to replace heavy cream or milk in recipes, tofu is your answer. But it has to be silken or silken firm. Coconut milk can also replace milk or cream with amazing results. But if you need a protein bump, then tofu is the way to go. Add all ingredients to your food processor and puree until a smooth emulsion is formed. Chill in the fridge a few hours and then enjoy. Tofu is a stellar thickening agent and provides that creamy texture in pur...

This entirely plant based soup boasts a rich, dark and flavorful broth that's far more satisfying and complex than anything you can get from a can. It's inspired by classic French Onion Soup, except mushrooms are the star instead. It's made in a single pot and requires very little work other than chopping all the vegetables. For your efforts you'll be rewarded with a hearty and filling meal that will last for days. This recipe yields about 10 cups worth of soup. My Ultimate Mushroom Soup Ingredients 1 pint white mushrooms, chopped small 1 pint baby bella mushrooms, chopped small 1/2 a medium yellow onion, diced 5 cloves garlic, chopped small 2 jalapenos, deseeded, minced 1 serrano, deseeded, minced 1 habernero, deseeded, minced 1 poblano, large dice 1 long hot pepper, sliced 2 pieces black garlic, diced 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped, including stems 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 12 ounce bag frozen brocc...