September 16, 2018September 16, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Reduced-Calorie Caramel-Cashew Popcorn with Chocolate Drizzle

Let’s be honest…this is an outrageously delicious occasional splurge, not health food, despite being vegan. I have reduced the calories by using Skinny Pop, Stevia Baking Blend and Smart Balance Light, but I am not going to share the calorie count because it is still alot. Make a batch and enjoy a little to satisy your craving, but then share small bags with friends, as I did.

4.4 ounce bag Skinny Pop popcorn
1 cup roasted and lightly salted cashew halves and pieces
1/2 cup roasted and lightly salted almonds
3/4 cup Smart Balance Light (made with Flaxseed Oil–other SB are not necessarily vegan)
1 cup Stevia Baking Blend
2 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Chocolate Drizzle
1 cup vegan dark chocolate chunks or chips
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper, parchment paper, or Silpat and set aside on wire rack. Combine popcorn and nuts in large roasting pan.

In medium saucepan, combine Smart Balance, Stevia, molasses, corn syrup, and sea salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Drizzle over popcorn and nuts, stir to combine, and bake for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 15. Spoon onto prepared baking sheet and cool completely.

Melt cocolate with oil in microwave safe bowl in microwave in 30-second intervals, whisking after each. Transfer melted chocoalte to sandwich bag, seal, snip corner, and drizzle over caramel corn in a zig-zag motion. You may alternatively use a reusable pastry bag fitted with circular tip.

Let sit at room temperature about 3 hours or until chocolate is set. Store in an airtight container or sandwich bags.

#vegan#veganrecipes#veganfood#veganfoodshare#veganfoodporn#plantbased#plantbasedrecipes#plantbasedfood#plantbasedfoodshare#plantbasedfoodporn

September 13, 2018December 3, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Cauliflower Biscuits
no pre cooking of cauliflower!

Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Biscuits–yowza!

Yield: 1 dozen biscuits (only 28 calories each, including the butter!)

As I was developing the recipes for my hard-to-beat cauliflower tart dough and cauliflower pizza dough, I stumbled across a reference to cauliflower biscuits. Specifically, cauliflower cheese biscuits. My interest was definitely piqued.

Home from school as hurricane Florence bears down on the East Coast, and avoiding grading quite admirably, I decided to experiment. I got these right on the first try!

What distinguishes my cauliflower based recipes, in part, are that they do not require pre-cooking of cauliflower as virtually all of the recipes do. I simply can’t take time for an additional step. And my final products are delicious with beautiful texture.

As for biscuits, I grew up in Mississippi, and I know from good biscuits. When I was in high school, Hardee’s introduced their biscuits and my boyfriend and I would spend Saturday mornings trying to duplicate them. I am a biscuit fanatic, but I haven’t eaten even vegan ones in years because of the calories.

However, a whole batch of these biscuits has about the same calories as one regular biscuit, vegan or not! Are they an exact replica of a biscuit? No, but they somehow satisfy much of the same craving.

1 pound trimmed cauliflower

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons Vegan Egg (available as a powder at healthier grocery stores)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese ( I used Daiya)

Optional: Chesapeake Bay Seasoning

1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Line a baking pan with a silicone baking mat, if available, and spray with non-stick spray. I used Baker’s Joy which has flour mixed with the oil.

Place cauliflower, water, Vegan Egg powder, garlic powder, and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the consistency of a very slightly textured cookie dough. Pulse in cheese.

Using a cookie scoop, place 12 balls of dough a couple of inches apart on prepared baking sheet, and then slightly flatten to make a biscuit shape. If desired, sprinkle very lightly with Chesapeake Bay Seasoning and bake for 30 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter, remove to a wire rack to cool slightly, and serve warm.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

September 11, 2018 by betsy

Single Vegan Microwave Chewy Ginger Cookie

For the first day of school this year, I made my Advanced Placement and Advanced Art students my favorite autumnal cookie: chewy Lemon – Ginger cookies. A hit! Even picky Bob loves them.

So, with Hurricane Florence bearing down on us and the likelihood of widespread power outages (read: only being able to use the microwave with our generator), I decided I better quickly test my formula for a ginger version of my single vegan microwave cookies.

It worked beautifully. These aren’t as big as my others because they lack chocolate chips and/or nuts. So count on this serving just one person.

But count on making them–like the others– over and over again.

Recipe:

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons flour (I use white whole wheat)
2 + 1 tablespoons Stevia or Demerara sugar ( I highly recommend Demerera, as the dough needs that depth of flavor to taste like a true ginger cookie)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegan butter, melted or not
Oprional: 1 teaspoon Chia or flax seed meal
1 teaspoon non-dairy milk (I use soymilk)
2 drops vanilla extract
1 drop almond
A few grains sea salt

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients, using only 2 tablespoons of the sugar, with your fingers. Roll into a ball, roll the ball in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar–you will have extra–place on a microwave-safe plate, and press gently to flatten into a disk about 1/2-inch thick . Cook at full power for one and a half minutes. Depending on your microwave’s power, you might have to adjust cooking time. Let cool slightly before devouring.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

September 5, 2018September 16, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Cauliflower – Oat Pizza Crust
no pre-cooking of cauliflower required, unlike virtually all other recipes

Eureeeeeeka!

My Vegan Cauliflower-Oat Pizza Crust retest was a success…the slices now hold up with no precooking of cauliflower, like virtually all other recipes!

This success makes me ridiculously happy after my failed attempt last night. I hate to be thwarted. The keys? Slightly thicker crust and optimal cooking times.

Blooming Vegan Cauliflower-Oat Pizza Crust
(only 200 calories for entire crust)

2 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons flax seed meal or ground chia seed
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray baking stone very well with nonstick baking spray. Process ingredients in a food processor until the consistency of slightly course cookie dough. Press into a disk 1/2-inch thick (no thinner) on pizza stone. It should be about 8 inches in diameter. Bake 20 minutes. Carefully flip and bake 5-6 minutes more. Top as desired–but avoid thick heavy toppings if you plan to lift the pizza slices by hand–and bake another 5 minutes. Cool 3-5 minutes, slice and serve.

Note about flipping: I used one of those plastic cookie flipping devices that slides under a batch of cookies, as it will slide under the whole crust. They are inexpensive, but if you don’t have one and don’t want to purchase one, perhaps bake the crust on oiled foil over a baking sheet and then carefully flip onto oiled baking sheet.

#vegan#veganrecipes#veganfood#veganfoodshare#veganfoodporn#plantbased#plantbasedrecipes#plantbasedfood#plantbasedfoodshare#plantbasedfoodporn

September 4, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Berry Sorbet Sparkler
only 70 fizzy calories

My Vegan Berry Sirvet Sparkler is only 70 calories and deliciously refreshing.

Using a small scoop, place 1/4 cup, or about four spheres, of raspberry sorbet in a glass, top off with Lacroix berry-flavored sparkling water and watch it foam and fizz, turning the prettiest colors. Sip it down with a paper straw.

Ahhh…

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

September 3, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Creamy-Cheesy Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions
Plus Bonus Blooming Platter Low-Cal 4-Ingredient Mayo

Vegan Creamy-Cheesy Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions

Yield: 1 serving (2 with a side salad)
App. 350 calories for entire recipe!

Decadent, delicious, low-fat and low-cal, this quick recipe is unbelievably tasty and satisfying.

By now, most of you know that my main calorie-saving secret for pasta is Shirataki (20 calories for 8 cooked ounces). Find it in a pasta-in-liquid filled pouch in the cold section of some grocery stores, including Whole Foods.

For this recipe, the other key low-cal ingredient is my Blooming Platter Mayo found on my website of the same name (and below).

Mayo in a pasta dish that isn’t a salad? Odd-sounding I know. But my mayo is silken tofu-based so it can be used whenever a savory creamy binder is needed, e.g. in place of cream, sour cream, or condensed soups in recipes. And it is, of course, the perfect tasty, thick, and creamy mayonnaise substitute at 10, rather than 100, calories per tablespoon.

Nonstick spray
1/2 red onion, slivered
1 cup sliced raw mushroooms
2 to 4 tablespoons white wine or water
8 ounces Shirataki pasta, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons Blooming Platter Mayo (only 10 calories per tablespoon!)
2 tablespoons shredded vegan cheddar
2 tablespoons shredded vegan parmesan
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons pine nuts, smoked almonds, or a combination ( I like the combo)

Spray a large skillet with a couple of squirts of nonstick spray and heat over medium or medium high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and saute for about 1 minute, stirring continually. Add white wine or water and continue sauteing just until vegetables are barely soft. Stir in remaining ingredients, except nuts, and heat through, stirring, until cheese is melted. Stir in nuts and serve immediately.

Blooming Platter Low Calorie 4-Ingredient Mayo
Yield: 2 cups (only 10 tasty calories per tablespoon)

16 ounces (1 pound) silken tofu
Juice of 1/2 medium lemon
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Black salt to taste (sea salt may be substituted but Indian black salt–at Indian markets and online–lends a sulphury, eggy quality that is perfection)

Blend together in a food processor or blender for 3 or so minutes until completely combined, thick, and creamy. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

August 26, 2018August 26, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Grilled Onion Tacos

Grilled Onion Tacos (vegan)–oh, wow!

These are fast, inexpensive, nutritious and, perhaps best of all, a rave in the flavor department.

I heard about onion tacos recently when I caught the tail end of Splendid Table, so I have no idea how the cookbook author made hers or who she was. But here is how I make mine:

I warmed two corn tortillas, spread each with a tablespoon of garlic hummus, piled in some arugula followed by freshly grilled onions– though sauteed or roasted would be great too), pico de gallo with plenty of cilantro, a dab of vegan sour cream, and plenty of lime on the side for squeezing over.

I wouldn’t change a thing, but riff away. They were exactly what I craved after a 4-mile Beach Walk.

Happy Sunday!

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

August 21, 2018 by betsy

Single Vegan Microwave Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookie

I had to do it…follow up my Single Vegan Microwave Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies with a yummy peanut butter version.

Like the others, it is ready in under 5 minutes, including 1 and 1/2 minutes of microwave cooking time.

First try was the charm and I discovered that
chia/flax/egg substitute not necessary.

Save 96 calories by using stevia!

Recipe:

3 tablespoons flour (I use white whole wheat)
2 tablespoons Stevia or Demerara sugar
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon non-dairy milk (I use soymilk)
2 drops vanilla extract
1 drop almond extract
1 tablespoon vegan dark chocolate chips or small chunks
1 tablespoon roasted and lightly salted peanuts
A few grains sea salt if peanut butter is on the sweeter side

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients with your fingers. Pat into a cookie shape about 1/2 inch thick on a microwave-safe plate. Cook at full power for one and a half minutes. Depending on your microwave’s power, you might have to adjust cooking time. Devour warm or slightly cooled/cooked and it will hold its shape.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

August 16, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Umami Mushroom Pasta
only 75 calories for a heaping bowl of umami!

A heaping bowl full of vegan umami… and only 75 calories for the entire meal!

By now, most of you know that my secret to being able to eat 8 ounces of cooked pasta and only sacrificing 20 calories (as opposed to hundreds) is Shirataki.

And because it is so light, it seems to call out for lighter, brighter ingredients. But today for some reason, I was really craving depth of flavor and that Indescribable umami.

So I went in deep and earthy with mushrooms, miso paste, and sage. My trick to making calorie dense pastes stretch is too thin them with a bit of water. This works beautifully for miso paste, nutbutters, and the like, although miso paste isn’t nearly the calorie hit that nutbutters are.

Here’s my simple recipe:

Vegan Unami Mushroom Pasta
Yield: 1 serving

3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon yellow miso paste
1 cup sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
1-8 ounce package Shirataki, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon minced fresh Sage or one teaspoon dried (but I highly recommend the fresh)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium-high or medium heat, whisk together water and miso paste until well combined. Add mushrooms and saute for a couple of minutes until coated with the miso sauce and softened. Stir in remaining ingredients except garnish. Serve immediately in a bowl topped with a sprig of fresh Sage.

Though this dish isn’t particularly Asian with the addition of the sage, I love to eat it with chopsticks because of the Shirataki and the Miso and just how much fun it is.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

August 15, 2018August 15, 2018 by betsy

Single Vegan Microwave Oatmeal – Chocolate Chip Cookie

Single Vegan Microwave Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookie!

It is ready in under 5 minutes, including 1 and 1/2 minutes of microwave cooking time.

It took three attempts over three days, but I finally got it right. Recently I posted my recipe for a single vegan microwave chocolate chip cookie, but wanting something with some more healthful ingredients in it, I decided to try an oatmeal version.

Bob, my fiercest critic and greatest supporter, said the first one tasted good – a far cry from his “not bad” – but crumbled into a heap. So I tried it again and created an oatmeal-chocolate chip pancake.

Today’s version, however, was perfect: delicious, cookie-like in texture, and sugar-free because I made it with stevia, though you could use Demerara sugar if you prefer.

Recipe:

2 tablespoons flour (I use white whole wheat)
2 tablespoons old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons Stevia or Demerara sugar
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 teaspoon Chia or flax seed meal
1 teaspoon non-dairy milk (I use soymilk)
2 drops vanilla extract
1 drop almond extract
1 tablespoon vegan dark chocolate chips or small chunks
1 tablespoon broken walnuts

Sea salt

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients with your fingers. Pat into a cookie shape about 1/2 inch thick on a microwave-safe plate. Cook at full power for one and a half minutes. Depending on your microwave’s power, you might have to adjust cooking time. Sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt and let cool slightly before devouring.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn