Vegan, No-Fat Molasses Applesauce Flax Muffins

 

 

 

1/4 cup ground flax seed  (flax seed meal)

1 3/4 cup unbleached white wheat flour

1/4 cup xylitol (or 3 tablespoons sugar)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons EnerG egg replacer

2 tablespoons warm water

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (used the 45 calorie per cup variety of SoDelicious Coconut milk)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup dark molasses

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Mix the egg replacer with the warm water.  Add the other wet ingredients and stir.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture.

Stir just until the dry in incorporated.  Don't over mix.

Divide between 9 muffin cups that have been coated with spray oil.  If you use cupcake papers in your muffin pan, coat them with spray oil for easy removal.

Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

 

Makes 9 muffins at 155 calories each.  If you would like like to make smaller muffins, at fewer calories each, just divide the total calorie count (1392) for the recipe by the number of muffins you make.

 

Black Bean, Corn, Tomato Stew and Quinoa

 

 

In September 2012 I posted a recipe for a black bean, corn and tomato salad.  This is the same recipe with a cup of added water and it is cooked rather than raw.  I used frozen corn and canned tomatoes rather than fresh.

1 15 ounce can black beans, not drained
1 1/2 cups diced sweet onion
1 1/4 cups sweet red pepper
4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
3 cups frozen corn
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
dash of black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper (a few dashes for me)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
Cooked quinoa (or rice or couscous)

Saute the onion and red pepper is a 5 quart pot that has been coated with spray oil.  When the onions begin to brown, add the beans, tomatoes, corn, water, salt, cumin and peppers.
Bring top boil, then reduce to to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the corn is cooked.
Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Remove from heat and serve over a bed of cooked quinoa.
Makes 9 cups.
Each cup of the stew has 111 calories.  Each cup of quinoa has 222 calories.
I had mine with 1/2 cup quinoa and 2 cups stew.  I also topped it with a bit of non-dairy sour cream.

Vegan Gingerbread

 

 

 

Traditional gingerbread recipes have ground ginger.  I happened to have fresh ginger root in the fridge so used that instead.  The result is mild ginger flavor.  ground ginger can really hit you over the head.  The fresh ginger is more subtle.

I substituted applesauce for the fat and Ener-G egg replacer for the egg.

 

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer

2 tablespoons warm water

1/2 cup molasses (I used dark because I enjoy the richer flavor)

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup evaporated cane juice

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger root

 

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

 

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Coat an 8 inch square baking pan with spray oil.  Dust with flour.  Set aside.

Mix egg replacer with warm water.  Then add molasses, applesauce, evaporated cane juice and sugar.  Mix well.

Stir in flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir just until mixed. 

Pour into prepared pan. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until done.

 

Makes 9 servings at 145 calories each.

 

 

 

 

Vegan Tomato Basil Soup

 

So often I see this type of soup referred to as a bisque.  In general, a bisque is a cream soup with Cognac added, thickened with rice and pureed.  Tomato basil soup most often contains no rice or Cognac.

I used canned tomatoes for this soup, but await wonderful ripe tomatoes at our local farmer's market this summer. 

 

3 cups diced onion

2  28 ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice

2  6 ounce cans tomato paste

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

3 cups water

1 tablespoon dried parsley or 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

a dash or two of ground cloves 

2 teaspoons evaporated cane juice

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 cups non-dairy milk (I used SoDelicious Coconut milk, the 45 calorie per cup variety)

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

 

Coat an 8 quest stock pot with spray oil.  Add the onion and saute over medium high heat until they begin to brown.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, water and dry seasonings.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Mix the non-dairy milk and cornstarch until smooth.  Whisk until the soup and continue stirring until the soup returns to a boil.  Add the basil and continue stirring for one minute. 

Remove from heat and enjoy.

Makes 16 cups at 68 calories per cup.  I like a two cup serving at 136 calories.

 

 

 

Vegan Mexican Pozole

 

 

For those who think vegan food is tasteless and boring, give this Pozole a try.

Pozole (po-sol-ee)  is a Mexican pork and hominy stew served with corn chips, sour cream, lettuce, cilantro radishes and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.  Some like this stew with the addition of guacamole or sliced avocado.

 

In place of the pork we use Field Roast Vegan Mexican Chipotle Sausages.  These are hot and spicy so I kept the other seasonings to a minimum.  The result was a medium heat stew.  If you like it hot, add some chipotle.

I also lightened up this dish by leaving out the cooking oil.  The generous 2 cup serving in the photo was enough to leave me quite full.

The chips- 

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a baking sheet with spray olive oil.  Cut 5-6 corn tortillas in quarters.  Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Spray again.  Place in the oven and watch carefully.  They go from brown to burned very quickly.  When they just begin to brown, turn them oven and bake until crisp.  Total time is 10-12 minutes.  If you wish to salt them, do it as soon as they come out of the oven.  I used 60 calories tortillas, so each chip had 15 calories.

 

The stew- 

2 1/2 cups diced onion

1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

2 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages, chopped

2  15 ounce cans hominy (white or yellow)

1  16 ounce bag frozen corn (or 1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh corn)

1 cup cooked red quinoa (or white)

4 cups vegetable broth

4 cups water

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

 

Coat an 8 quart stock pot with spray oil.  Over high heat saute the onions, garlic and sausage.  When onions are tender add all remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil, then simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy!

 

Serve your choice condiments on the side:

sliced radishes

chopped lettuce

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

avocado

vegan sour cream

guacamole

salsa

diced tomatoes

jalapenos

chips

 

Make 16 cups at 134 calories per cup (266 for a 2 cup serving).  The condiments are not included in the calorie count.

 

 

 

 

Italian Romanesco Salad Vegan Style

 

 

Romanesco con Alici (Green Cauliflower with Anchovies) is a dish from the Calabria area of Italy.  Calabria is in southern Italy (in the toe of the boot)

The original recipe has anchovies, buffalo mozzarella, hard cooked egg and a lot of olive oil.  I lightened it up and made it vegan.  I substituted cannellini beans for the egg and cheese and strips of sauteed vegan pepperoni for the anchovies.  I reduced the olive oil to one tablespoon.  These changes cut the calorie count from 270 to 140.

 

7 cups steamed Romanesco florets

20 pieces Yves vegan pepperoni sliced into strips and sauteed in spray olive oil for a few minutes

1  15.5 ounce can cannellini beans drained

6 cloves garlic roasted (or sauteed with the pepperoni)

2/3 cup whole Kalamata olives

1/3 cup Peppadew peppers sliced

juice of two lemons

1 tablespoon olive oil

 

Toss all together in a large bowl and enjoy!

 

Makes 6 generous servings at 140 calories each

 

 

Old Fashioned Tofu Burgers

 

 

 

Remember the days when there were no garden burgers, black bean burgers or any other kind of meatless burger?  We made our own from the vegan's staple protein- tofu.  These aren't filled with brown rice, eggplant, carrots, beans or any of those other things found in packaged veggie burgers.  Just a few basics for flavor, binders to hold it together and tofu.

I first made these burgers in 1983- 30 years ago.  So for me, these are old fashioned back to basics vegan burger.

 

1 1/2 cups diced onion, sauteed until soft

2 pounds extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry and chopped

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons egg replacer (ENER-G)

8 tablespoons water

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

dash of black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat two baking sheets with spray oil.

Place the onions, tofu, soy sauce, egg replacer and water on a food processor and pulse until the consistency of ground beef.  You will need to do this in two batches.

Place the tofu mixture in a large bowl.  Add the bread crumbs, garlic and pepper.  Mix well (use clean hands).

Measure 1/2 cupful of the mixture and form into a 1/2 inch patty and place on the baking sheet.  I use a crumpet ring for this.  I place the ring on the baking sheet and pat the mixture into the ring.  It results in a round patty with an even thickness.

Coat the tops of the burgers with spray oil.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Flip over and bake another 20 minutes.

This are always better the day after they are made.  The flavors meld together and the texture becomes more firm.  But they are good right out the oven as well.

You can serve these on a bun like a burger, or with a mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes.  they are great cut up on a green salad as well.

This recipe makes 11 large burgers.  They freeze well, or cut the the recipe in half if you wish.

Some may prefer a smaller burger.  The total calorie count for the recipe is 1934.  Just divide that by the number of burgers you make to get you calorie count.

 

Made per the recipe each burger has 175 calories.

enjoy!

 



Breakfast Quinoa

 

 

 

Quinoa ('keen-wah') has been cultivated in South America for hundreds of years.  It is a native of the Andes Mountains in Peru.  It pairs well with Mediterranean and Mexican dishes.

Quinoa is one of the best protein sources in the plant kingdom.  It is also a good source of fiber, potassium, iron, zinc and B vitamins.

I like quinoa added to a salad and also for breakfast.  Because it is high in protein and fiber it carries me through the morning without a need for a snack.

Today it was with raisins and cinnamon.  You could add any kind of dried or fresh fruit you like, either during cooking or after.  Quinoa can be made ahead and warmed for breakfast or cold with some fresh berries.

 

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1/4 cup raisins

dash of ground cinnamon

 

Rinse the quinoa with cold water in a fine strainer.  This removes any bitterness.

Place the quinoa, water, raisins and cinnamon in a 2 quart sauce pan and bring to boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to low, stir, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir several times while simmering.

After 20 minutes, remove from heat and leave covered for 10-15 minutes.  Then fluff with a fork and serve.

 

Makes 4 servings at 173 calories each.  Or this could be two large servings at 346 calories each.