Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

 Pre-made hot cocoa is convenient, but not really that great. It's also not vegan. Real, homemade hot cocoa is easy and actually quite nutritious. It's also very simple to make it vegan.  I've seen various recipes that require cooking it in a pot on the stove. Personally, I don't want to use a pot and cook it on the stovetop for every cup or two.  You can make your own dry mix in advance and then just use a tea kettle, coffee maker or the microwave to make each mug full as desired.  It's easy to do.  Ingredients 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup sugar substitute, like sucralose 1 Tbl soy protein isolate 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp nutmeg In a resealable storage container mix together all the ingredients. Store in a cool, dry place.  When you're craving a cup of hot cocoa, heat 10 oz. of water, either in a mug in the microwave or using a coffee maker or tea kettle and then pour it into the mug.  Add 2-3 Tbls of the pre-made mix and stir unt...

 I recently purchased soy protein isolate from a popular internet retailer. My motive was simply to incorporate more protein into my diet in an effort to speed my recovery from and improve my performance with exercise.  What I discovered is that it's also a great ingredient for vegan baking. It can be used to replace eggs as a binder and it can also help create a chewier/denser texture for vegan cookies and brownies.  Various sources indicate that it also helps produce a moister/lighter finished product, but I didn't find that to be true in my experience.  I wouldn't recommend it for vegan cakes or muffins. Unless you want them to have more chew. But I do like it for cookie and brownies. It might also work for low carb vegan breads, but I haven't tried that yet.  The first time I used it was when I made corn muffins. They came out nice, but I prefer my version without the soy protein isolate. Those were lighter and had a more tender crumb.  The second time ...

It's been a little while since I've added a new recipe. That's mostly because I've been using all my favorite recipes that I've already posted here. That's because they're so good, that It's hard not to just keep going back to them. But I do have a few new things forthcoming. First is this is quick and easy dressing/sauce that will add lots of pizzaz and spice to any vegetables or salads.  Just a handful of simple ingredients is all it takes to create a very flavorful sauce in a really short amount of time.  Totally vegan. Ingredients 12 Garlic Cloves, minced 1 Cup Water 2 Jalapenos, minced 1 Serrano, minced 1 Tsp Canola Oil 2 Tbls Vegan Mayo  1 tsp Crushed Pepper Flakes 1 Tbl Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper Instructions First, make a broth using the garlic.  In a small frying pan simmer the garlic cloves, oil, crushed pepper flakes, salt and pepper in the  water. Let simmer until reduced by 1/3. It'll only take 5-7 minutes. Remove to a medium sized bowl. Wh...