Roasted cauliflower

 I am surprised at how easy and tasty this is! A video and complete directions can be found here: https://plantbasedcookingshow.com/2022/11/05/roasted-cauliflower/

Here are the ingredients:

1 large cauliflower 

3 dates

1 tablespoon tomato paste 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or stone ground 2teaspoons smoked paprika 

2 teaspoons onion powder 

1 tablespoon tamari 

1 teaspoon thyme 

1 teaspoon rosemary 

1/2 teaspoon sage 

Basically you put your Dutch oven empty in oven at 400 F. I did this while the oven was preheating.

You trim the leaves off the bottom of the cauliflower and remove a bit of the bottom stem just so it sits flat-(watch her linked video)

Make the sauce in high powered blender mixing the broth, dates, tomato paste, mustard, smoked paprika, onion powder, and tamari.

When pot is hot and oven ready place cauliflower in the pot and brush and pour your sauce over the cauliflower.  Brushing helps get more into the crevices.

Sprinkle it all with the 3 remaining spices: thyme, rosemary, sage.

Cook covered for 45 minutes to an hour until fork tender. 

If you desire it browned more remove cover after cooking and raise temperature to 450 and bake 5 more minutes or so— note: I did not do the browning.

Chocolate Almond cookies vegan

 These are easy and fast and nice with tea and or coffee. They make about 10 small cookies. I made them less healthy and added a bit of powdered sugar to the tops ( although not shown in my photos.

The recipe and directions I found at this blog https://wellnessdove.com/easy-chocolate-vegan-fudge-cookies-with-almonds/. So check it out.

Easy to do— just preheat oven 350 and cook 15 minutes ( I did mine on parchment paper). 

You place all ingredients except water in food processor and mix about a minute. Then dump into a bowl and add the water. Form by teaspoon into balls and press slightly down. I might try 14 minutes next time, but 15 did work.

Pumpkin pie vegan

 This is a vegan impossible type pumpkin pie that sort of makes its own crust. Therefore it is without a crust and is also GF.

This is not my favorite pumpkin pie---

INGREDIENTS

1 and 1/2 cups of soy milk (or whatever)

5 teaspoons of flax seed meal (golden) NOT not not 😜tablespoons!! One time I did wrong. I t IS teaspoons !!

6 tablespoons of water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can pure pumpkin

1/2 cup rice flour (I was out and used King Arthur measure for measure gf flour--I think it will be better with plain rice flour---I will update next time)

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/3 cup of dates pureed (may need to soak first) add more for more sweetness- can add some maple syrup as well .- a tablespoon or 2 of maple syrup.

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon  or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8-1/4 ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

TOPPING if desired

chopped walnuts, cinnamon and maple syrup (mix whatever amounts you like and after the pie is done spread over the top.

NOTE: this pie is much better completely cold--really good the next day.

Preheat oven 350--spray 9' pie with cooking spray.

Place flax seed meal and 6 tablespoons of water in small dish for 5 minutes until it thickens. (This replaces 2 eggs). Note--if you have used water to soak your dates if your dates were dry, you can use some of that water as part of the 6 tablespoons placing it with the flax seed to soak.

Mix milk, flax seed mixture, cornstarch and vanilla very well (blender or hand mixer)

Add the pumpkin and the rest of the pie ingredients (not the topping) together. Pour into pan and bake 40-60 minutes or until top and edges look brown but not over done. This is a custard like pie so the knife test may not work as it will remain moist in center. I cooked this first attempt 60 full minutes and I did do the knife test in the center and it came out pretty clean--just a tiny bit adhered. It seemed to me that this pie was fine this way as you don't want it under cooked. 

Remove from oven and cool. After it has cooled a bit you can spread the topping on and refrigerate. Best really cold.

Cheese spread vegan

 Tasty with veggies, crackers, toast, bagels etc. Yummy. At Christmas you can roll it in a log and coat it with pecans, chives and parsley. How to here; https://plantifulkiki.com/vegan-herbed-cheese-log/

Ingredients 

1 cup cashews soaked 4 hours in hot water and drained 

1 - 15. Ounce can chickpeas drained 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoons salt ( the recipe called for one teaspoon, but my cashews had a bit of salt and my chickpeas did too)

1&1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Spices to add at end:

     2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (or 1/2 the amount dried)

    2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped (I omitted)

     1 tablespoons fresh basil chopped ( or 1/2 dried )

     1 tablespoons fresh oregano (or 1/2 dried)

Chopped bell pepper good in it also

I f rolling into logs 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1 tablespoons fresh chives, 1 tablespoons fresh parsley 

Go to https://plantifulkiki.com/vegan-herbed-cheese-log/  For full directions.

     

Oat bread 100%

 Easy recipe and all oat flour. Recipe and details are here: https://www.powerhungry.com/2023/03/17/4-ingredient-100-oat-flour-bread-v-gf-oil-free/

This only is about 1 and 1/2 inches in height in a 9 by 5 pan. Might try a smaller pan next time. This is tasty. I used gf oats turned into flour in my vitamix blender.

INGREDIENTS 

1 & 1/2 cups plant milk

1 & 1/2 tablespoons light colored vinegar (I used rice vinegar)

3 cups oat flour ( I sometimes add a handful of quick oats too)

1 teaspoon baking soda 

Optional 1/2 teaspoon salt

350f and I used parchment paper to line my pan. You soak the milk and vinegar first for 5 minutes, then mix. But you have to place immediately in the bread pan and oven. Mine took 48 minutes.or sometimes 67 minutes — but I need a new oven😂

Go to link for more details and helpful comments and a printable page 😊

Thanks ps I have also done 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in place of the baking soda called for.

Muesli

 Easier than granola and makes a healthy snack with plant milk. This is from Forks Over Knives. I  like more cinnamon 😂https://www.forksoverknives.com/how-tos/plant-based-budget-one-week-vegan-meal-plan/

Kale potato white bean soup

 Nice recipe here https://umamigirl.com/easy-kale-soup-white-beans-potatoes/

The only thing different: I didn’t use oil, I added some thyme and oregano and puréed one of the cans of beans.

Baked beans

Very tasty.. recipe and ingredients found here:

https://veganhuggs.com/vegan-baked-beans/#recipe

This is vegan , loads of flavor. I made half the recipe using about 3 cups (cooked) navy beans which was about a cup of dry beans I think.
 

Pumpkin pie dairy free, egg free

 Very nice flavors . We did this without a crust, but it needs a crust or it falls apart when serving. It didn’t matter-/ we just spooned it out 😅. Comments on the recipe said some didn’t like the crust and that is why I didn’t try it. Next time I will. However the next day we were able to serve sections without it falling apart and with no crust.  

Here is the link: https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-desserts/pumpkin-tart-with-oat-crust/

However we like the following recipe better: 

https://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2023/10/pumpkin-pie-vegan.html?m=0

Corn sauce

We were so surprised at how good this sauce tasted!  Great on mashed potatoes. I found it here : https://youtu.be/vURYLN6wG2o?si=fZRBHlvVI4SG-0zY

1  sixteen ounce bag of sweet frozen corn

1 small sweet onion like vadallia

1/2 cup vegetable broth 

Directions 

They said to blend it in a food processor and then cook it on the stove stirring it until the onions were done. 

Instead, I cooked the onions first in a bit of vegetable broth. I thawed part of the corn in the microwave. Then I put a 1/2 cup broth, corn and onions in the food processor and got it nice and creamy.  Then I cooked it on the stove to get it warm. 

It almost tastes like butter on the mashed potatoes! So good. They said it is good on greens as well,