Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This recipe may be one of the best comfort food dishes I have veganized. I'm not even about to try and pretend like its the healthiest option lol but it is definitely a million times better for you than your traditional cheesy dips full of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal puss. This dish will satisfy all of your savory food cravings!

Ingredients:

1 cup of raw cashews

1 cup of water

3 garlic cloves

4 to 5 green onion stalks

sea salt

pepper

onion powder

garlic powder

1 container of vegan cream cheese

1 block of daiya pepper jack cheese (optional)

1 can of artichokes

2 to 3 cups of spinach

2 tbsp. of olive oil

 This is what it should look like before baking it

Directions:

1. In a highspeed blender add cashews, water, garlic cloves, 3 green onion stalks, sea salt, and pepper.

2. Blend until you have a queso like consistency, you may need to adjust the amounts of water or cashews.

3. Add the block of daiya cheese and blend again. This step is optional but if you want that traditional cheesy texture of dip then I recommend using it.

4. Place mixture in a large pot and set to medium heat.

5. Add spinach, diced artichokes, cream cheese, 2 diced green onion stalks, and olive oil. Stir everything together until cream cheese is melted and spinach is soft.

6. Add onion and garlic powder and stir it in.

7. Pour mixture into a glass baking dish and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

8. Let the dip cool down a bit then serve and enjoy!

After baking

You can serve this cheesy dip with tortilla chips, bread, cut up veggies, or whatever you think would be delicious with it. This dish taste exactly like the spinach and artichoke dip appetizers I remember enjoying before becoming vegan but this is even better because no animals had to suffer. Humans have no need to consume cow milk or the milk of any other species besides our own. Dairy is even more detrimental to the health of melanated people than anyone else and I strongly urge you to do your research if my word is not enough. If cheese is your biggest weakness when it comes to ditching dairy give this recipe a try you will not be disappointed! 

*Peace begins with your plate*

Gluten Free Pasta Salad

Summer is the season for cookouts and bbqs. As a vegan it is very common to get invited somewhere and discover there is absolutely zero options available for you to eat besides potato chips and fruit lol. Whether you are vegan or not this is a great recipe to have at a cook out to please everyone. Not only will meat eaters and vegans enjoy it, but those who live a gluten free lifestyle can indulge in this dish as well!

Ingredients:

16 oz of gluten free pasta (I used quinoa pasta)

3 celery stalks

1 red onion

2 roma tomatoes

1 cup of olives 

2 to 3 tbsp of vegan mayo

1 cup of Italian vinaigrette 

salt and pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

paprika

Directions:

1. Boil gluten free pasta using the directions on the box, drain and soak in cold water to prevent the noodles from cooking more or sticking together.

2. Once the noodles are chilled place them in a large mixing bowl.

3. Dice celery, onion, tomato, and olive and toss with the pasta.

4. Add vegan mayo, Italian vinaigrette and all the seasoning according to your liking.

5. Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly and allow to cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

This is a great dish to have on hand just in case you get in a situation where there are no vegan options and you want something to fill your belly up. If you want to keep it lower in fat you can ditch the vegan mayo and use a tad more Italian dressing. Here are a bunch of my other vegan recipes that are also great ideas to bring to a cook out!

Potato Salad

Raw Fiesta Salad

Cauliflower wings

Veggie Burgers

Chickpea (Tuna) Salad

Mac and Cheese

I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you try it out tag me on Instagram @veganhigh to let me know!

*Peace begins with your plate*

Lentil, Chickpea, Wild Rice Burgers

I have experimented with so many different veggie burger recipes and these are definitely on the top of the list for flavor and texture! A lot of veggie burgers end up too soft and fall apart but this one actually has a "meaty" consistency.  I posted a picture of them on my ig @veganhigh and I have had so many request for the full recipe so here it is!

Ingredients:
1 cup of chickpeas
1 cup of lentils
1 cup of wild rice
1/2 cup of walnuts (optional)
1 cup of chickpea flour
2 flax eggs (2 tsp of flax mill mixed with 2 tsp of water until you get an egg like consistency)
1/2 onion
1 cup of mushrooms
grapeseed oil
salt and pepper
garlic
burger seasoning

Directions:
1. Cook chickpeas, lentils, and wild rice. I cooked my chickpeas in the pressure cooker and my lentils and wild rice together in my rice cooker. Allow them too cool down.
2. In a high speed blender pulse together chickpeas, walnuts, onion, and mushrooms until everything is diced up enough to mold into patties with your hands and place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add wild rice and lentils to the bowl with pulsed chickpea mixture.
4. Add in flax egg, chickpea flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and burger seasoning and hand mix everything together thoroughly. If the mix is still too sticky and soft you may need to add more flour.
5. Coat a large skillet with grapeseed oil and set to medium high heat.
6. Form the burgers into the size you like and grill in pan for about 7 minutes on each side.
7. If you want to add vegan cheese put the cheese on the burgers and set them in the oven on low heat until the cheese melts.

You can top these burgers with whatever toppings your heart desires and they will taste just like a traditional burger without having to eat a dead cow! If you want to make these burgers alkaline simply ditch the lentils double up on the chickpeas, ditch the flax egg and alter the seasonings a bit. If your avoiding oil you can bake them. You can make these burgers to suit anyones needs! Give this recipe a try and let me know how you like them!

~Peace begins with your plate~

Vegan Alfredo

Who doesn't love a creamy bowl of pasta? Often times people think when they go vegan they have to give up meals like that but trust me when I say you can still have a delicious healthy version of all your favorites including alfredo! This recipe is super simple to make the most important thing you need to have is a high speed blender!

Ingredients:

1 pack of pasta of your choice, I used whole wheat penne

2 cups of raw cashews

2 cups of almond milk

1 tbs of vegan butter (optional)

3 garlic cloves

basil

oregano

cayenne pepper

 sea salt and pepper

Italian herb mix

fresh broccoli

mushrooms

cherry tomatoes 

onion

Directions:

1. In a high speed blender add cashews, almond milk, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne. 

2. Blend until you have a creamy alfredo consistency. You may need to add more cashews if its too liquidy or more milk if its too thick. 

3. Steam chopped broccoli for about 15 minutes to help soften

4. In a large skillet saute diced onion, mushrooms, and broccoli for about 10 minutes or until all the veggies are to your desired level of tenderness. While they are cooking add Italian herbs, and more salt and pepper. 

5. Boil pasta and set to the side.

6. Pour alfredo sauce on to the cooked veggies, add cherry tomatoes and stir everything together.

7. Add pasta and vegan butter and give the dish another good stir.

8. Let everything cook together covered on medium to low heat for about 5 minutes and then serve.

This dish will hit the spot if you have been craving a creamy pasta dish. I don't give measurements on seasonings because I feel like you should season everything to your own personal liking adding as much or as little as your heart desires. I personally go a little overboard on garlic and black pepper:) Top this pasta off with a dash of fresh basil and red chili flakes and serve with garlic bread and you wont be disappointed! 

~Peace begins with your plate~

Alkaline Dough for pizzas, wraps, buns, and more!

Learning how to prepare a basic dough will open the doors for a lot of new creations in the kitchen. Since being on this 30 day alkaline challenge I have realized that I will not find a lot of things in the stores that I'm used to finding when on a regular vegan diet such as buns, pizza crust, tortillas etc. I refuse to let that hold me back from enjoying many of the dishes I love so I decided to do some research and learned how EASY it is to make a vegan dough that can be used to create several different dishes. There were a few different recipes I found and I took a little inspiration from each one in order to create what I thought was the most simple recipe with minimal ingredients that are all on Dr. Sebis food guide. 

Empanadas before cooking

Empanadas after cooking

Pizza Crust

Tortilla wraps

Ingredients:

2 cups of spelt flour

1 cup of garbanzo flour

2 tbsp. of sea salt

2 tbsp. of onion powder

1 tbsp. of oregano

1 tbsp. of basil

1/4 cup of grapeseed oil

1 1/2 cups of spring water

1/2 cup of aquafaba (water chickpeas are cooked in) if making bread or buns

Burger buns

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, onion powder, oregano, and basil. Mix ingredients together thoroughly.

2. Add grapeseed oil and half of the water, aquafaba if necessary and mix together. 

3. Using your hand continue mixing the dough and adding more water as necessary. You will know the dough is ready when it stops sticking to your hands and is forming into a nice ball. If it is too sticky add more flour.

4. Clean off your working space and coat it with a little bit of flour.

5. If making tortillas or wraps pull off about a golf ball sized piece of dough and roll it out to the shape of a tortilla. Cook in a ungreased skillet on medium high heat for about 2 minutes on each side.

6. If making burger buns hand roll to the shape and size of a traditional bun and bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until its firm enough to hold up but not so hard you cant stick a knife through it. Slice in half and put in whatever vegan burger you desire.

7. If making a pizza crust roll dough out onto a pizza baking tray and fold edges up to shape like a crust. Coat it with a little grapeseed oil and bake at 400 for 10 minutes before applying your desired pizza toppings.

8. If at anytime your dough gets sticky you can always add more flour.

Portabella Fajitas

I like this dough because I consider it a multi purpose dough. There are so many different things you can try using these recipe and I will definitely be showing you guys some of my creations which are all of course Dr. Sebi approved!

~Peace begins with your plate~

Alkaline Mushroom Stroganoff

This dish is savory, filling, and bursting with flavor. Going alkaline you do not have to give up creamy pasta! Simply find pastas made from the ingredients on the Dr. Sebi food list and make your cream out of those same ingredients. I already have a regular vegan mushroom stroganoff recipe on this blog and this one is just as delicious only difference is its completely alkaline!

Ingredients:

1lb of chickpea, quinoa, or spelt pasta. I used quinoa.

2 to 3 cups of portabella mushroom

1/2 cup of brazil nuts

1/2 cup of chickpea flour

1 red pepper

1 sweet onion

1 cup of kale

2 cups of spring water

sea salt

cayenne pepper

onion powder

ground savory

basil

oregano

Directions:

1. Boil pasta and set to the side. Let sit in cold water to avoid sticking.

2. In a high speed blender place brazil nuts, 1 cup of water, salt, onion powder, and cayenne and blend until you get a smooth creamy sauce.

3. Dice mushroom, red pepper, and onion, and seasonings and sautee over medium high heat in  2 tbsp. of spring water until veggies are tender.

4, Add chickpea flour and spring water and whisk everything up to a gravy like consistency adding more water or flour as needed. 

5. Dice kale and add to the pan and allow gravy to simmer until kale is completely cooked down this may take about 10 to 15 minutes.

6. If necessary adjust seasoning to liking.

7. Drain pasta and add to gravy mix stirring everything all together.

8. Serve up and enjoy!

~Peace begins with your plate~

Alkaline Mayo

Mayo is a great staple ingredient to have in the fridge. You can make several different recipes with it and it gives that creamy sauce people like to have in sandwiches, salads, and several other dishes!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Grapeseed or Olive oil

4 teaspoons Key Lime juice

onion powder

sea salt

1 cup of Aquafaba (water chickpeas are cooked in)

Directions:

1. In a high speed blender add aquafaba, sea salt, onion powder, lime juice. Blend on high speed.

2. Slowly add oil while blending the entire time.

3. Once you reach a creamy consistency which may take up to 10 minutes depending on the type of blender you have, your alkaline mayo is complete. 

~Peace begins with your plate~

Chickpea salad