Tortilla Soup

It is getting pretty cold outside and nothing warms your insides up like a bowl of warm, savory soup! This creamy tortilla soup will leave your taste buds very satisfied!

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pack of corn tortillas

1 yellow onion

1 red bell pepper

2 fresh jalapeno peppers

3-4 garlic cloves
cilantro

green onions

1 container of vegetable broth

2 cups of almond milk

2 cans of black beans

2 cans of corn

1 can crushed tomato

2 whole tomatoes

cumin

paprika

nutritional yeast

salt and pepper

1 pack of chipotle fields roast vegan sausage (optional)

daiya cheddar shreds (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Dice yellow onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, and sautee with a few sprigs of cilantro and minced garlic cloves. Add salt and pepper and cook on med high heat until vegetables are soft which should be about 10 minutes.

2. Add veggie broth, black beans, corn and crushed tomato. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Dice up tomatoes and vegan sausages add to the pot with cumin, paprika, nutritional yeast and almond milk. Let simmer for another 20 minutes
4. Cut tortillas into strips and place on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Bake strips for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees.
5. Dice green onions add them to soup and bring it to low temperature.
6. Pour soup into a serving bowl and top with daiya shreds and tortilla strips then enjoy!

You can serve this soup over rice and add more green onion and cilantro to make it pretty! Also the vegan sausage and vegan cheese is totally optional so if you are looking for a healthier meal definitely skip those ingredients and the soup is still delicious and full of flavor. And as always you can adjust the seasonings to your liking I usually go over board with garlic and onion because that's what I like but by all means use however much your heart desires. I hope you enjoy this soup and it keeps you warm on a chili day!

~Peace begins with your plate~

 



Perfect Tofu

I cant lie, the first time I purchased tofu I had no clue how to prepare it. I was really scared to even try it because of the common belief non vegans have of tofu being bland, having weird texture, and just being overall nasty. I didn't even try tofu until being vegan for nearly 2 years lol and now I could seriously eat it every day. The problem is most people simply don't know how to cook it. Tofu by itself is bland and it does have a weird texture but when you cook it right it can taste like whatever you want it to! Thats the beautiful thing about tofu, however you season it that's what it will come out tasting like. If you want it to taste like chicken use the same season you would on chicken, if you want to eat it in an Asian dish, use the same season you would in an Asian dish. Its really very simple! I'm gonna show you guys the most basic and delicious tofu recipe ever!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 package of firm or extra firm tofu

Garlic powder

onion powder

pepper

paprika

 

Directions:

1. Drain water from tofu and remove from package.

2. Wrap tofu in paper towels so soak up the water and let it sit for at least a few minutes in paper towels. If you have a tofu press you're really in business.

3. Dice tofu up into the size of pieces you desire. I usually cut each block into about 10 rectangular pieces but its totally up to you.

4. Season each side with seasonings and place on a tray lined with parchment paper or foil and nonstick cooking spray.

5. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 40 to 45 minutes flipping them over half way through. You can usually eyeball it, once the edges are crisp its usually time to flip it but if you don't let it cook long enough the texture will still be soggy on the inside. When its done it will have more of a firm texture like a chicken strip.

 

 

 

 

 

You can top it with gravy for a hearty meal

 

 

 

Tofu strips tossed in buffalo sauce over a salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baking tofu is by far the best way in my opinion to cook tofu. I used to sautee or grill it but I felt like no matter how pretty the outside of the tofu looked the inside would still be mushy and bland. Baking it keeps it firm and makes it easier to use as a meat replacement. You can also coat it with sauce and place it back into the oven for a few minutes if you want more of a saucy tofu especially as a meat replacement in Asian dishes. Tofu is also a cheaper alternative to buying other processed vegan meats. If you can tell, I like to dip mine in bbq sauce and it taste just like chicken! Give this recipe a try and you will never look at tofu the same!

 

~Peace begins with your plate~

 



Vegan Crab Cakes

Seafood was always my favorite type of food before transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. Whenever I get the chance to veganize a seafood dish I am all about it! You will be surprised about how with the right spices and ingredients you can get that same fishy flavor and texture with out the cruelty and toxins that come from actual seafood. Remember the ocean needs the life that exist in there to maintain our ecosystem and sea animals are very much so sentient beings! Enjoy this recipe:)

 

 

Ingredients:

1 package of oyster mushrooms

1 package of shiitake mushrooms

1 can of hearts of palm

1/2 or a red onion

1 stalk of celery

4 stems of green onions

approx. 1 cup of fish fry or vegan bread crumbs

1 flax egg (1tsp of flax mill mixed with 1 tsb of water)

1 tbsp. of vegan mayo

old bay seasonings

Cajun seasonings

 

(This is how they should look before baking)

 

 

Directions:

1. Rinse mushrooms clean and place in a blender. Pulse until shredded to look like crab meat and place in a mixing bowl.

2. Pulse hearts of palm in blender as well and add to mixing bowl.

3. Chop or pulse red onion, green onion, and celery into small pieces and add to mixing bowl.

4. Add bread crumbs or fish fry, vegan mayo, and seasonings and mix together. If its too mushy add more bread crumbs.

5. Add flax egg and mix everything together with your hands

6. Line a pan with parchment paper and mold mixture into patties the size of your liking and place in the oven at 400 degrees.

7. Cook for about 40 minutes flipping them over at the halfway point

8. Allow them to cool down a bit as this lets them firm up even more and then serve with vegan tartar sauce or cocktail sauce! Below is the crab cake diced up over a baked potato topped with my homemade vegan sour cream and green onions. This was my favorite way to eat them!

 

 

 

These crab cakes taste just like the real deal! If you wanted you could even fry them up in a bit of oil for a few minutes on each side instead of baking them but I wanted to show you guys an even healthier option. I hope you all enjoy!

 

~Peace begins with your plate~



 

Month 1-6 loc update videos

Vegan Carbonara

This was my first time making this dish, even as a meat eater I never tried making my own carbonara recipe. Pasta recipes can get kind of repetitive sometimes so I decided to try something new. Usually I make my creamy sauces with a nut base but today I am showing you a low fat alternative that will give the same creamy results. Its also great for people who want to try more vegan recipes but have nut allergies. This one is for the bacon lovers;)

(mushroom and bacon sautéed)

Ingredients:

1 package of pasta of choice 

1 block of soft tofu

approximately 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast

approximately 1 cup of almond milk

1 tbsp. of tahini or olive oil

Italian seasonings

salt and pepper

garlic

1 package of shitake mushrooms

1 package of vegan bacon (I used the sweet earth brand)

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 onion

(Sauce added to mushroom and bacon)

Directions:

1. Boil pasta and set aside until time to mix in with sauce. I usually let it sit in cold water after cooking to avoid noodles sticking together.

2. In a high speed blender add tofu, nutritional yeast, tahini, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, and garlic and blend until smooth and creamy.

3. Slice mushrooms and bacon into bite size pieces and saute in a pan until slightly crispy. Add more salt, pepper, and garlic to your liking.

4. Pour the sauce into pan with mushrooms and bacon and mix everything together

5. Drain pasta and toss together in the pan with the sauce.

6. Serve and enjoy!

(Dish complete)

This dish is a much healthier spin on traditional carbonara. If you want to make it even healthier you can ditch the vegan bacon but its a tasty option for those trying to transition from a meat based diet and are still having cravings. Remember pigs are our friends and they are sentient intelligent beings no different than a dog or a cat. They want to live just like you and me and all the other animals who are unnecessarily slaughtered by the millions. Give this recipe a try you will not only be doing a favor for yourself but also for the animals and the planet!

*Peace begins with your plate*

Potato Salad

Potato salad is the perfect side dish to bring to a gathering. Since summer is winding down get in as many barbecues as you can and whats a bbq with out a nice creamy cruelty free potato salad!

 Ingredients:

8 red potatoes

1 red onion

3 celery stalks

1 cup of vegan mayo

1/2 cup of brown mustard

1 cup or sweet relish

salt and pepper

paprika

Directions:

1. Boil or steam potatoes until tender when you stick a fork in them

2. Let the potatoes cool down and then chop them into bite size pieces and place into a bowl

3. Dice red onion and celery and put in the bowl with potatoes

4. Add vegan mayo, mustard, and relish and stir everything together. You can add as much or as little of these ingredients as your heart desires.

5. Season with salt and pepper and paprika.

6. Place potato salad into a nice dish that has a lid.

7. Garnish with a little more paprika pop a lid on it and let it chill until it is time to serve!

One of my favorite ways to eat potato salad is as a side to a hearty plate of soul food. Here it is pictured with collard greens, baked beans, and fried cauliflower which I have a recipe for on my blog as well. Hope you enjoy and be sure to let me know if you try this recipe.

~Peace begins with your plate~

Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy

Mashed potatoes is one of the most simple quick dishes you can make that are guaranteed to hit the spot! Here is a delicious recipe and I wouldn't feel right giving this recipe without my famous mushroom gravy recipe to go with it!

Ingredients:

8 red potatoes

 approximately 1.5 cups of almond milk

salt and pepper

garlic

onion powder

Gravy ingredients:

1 cup of mushrooms

1/3 cup of onion

approximately 1 cup of flour 

approximately 2 cups of veggie broth 

2tbsp of soy sauce

salt and pepper

garlic

Directions:

1. Boil or steam potatoes until they are soft this should take about 40 minutes you want them to basically fall apart. Drain them and put them back in pot.

2. Add salt, pepper, garlic, and onion to your liking then gradually add in almond milk.

3. Mash everything together and adjust the amount of milk for the amount of creaminess you like your mashed potatoes to have. For me its usually about 1 and a half cups maybe more.

4. Cover with a lid and keep on low heat until ready to serve.

5. For the gravy grab a large sauce pan.

6. Dice onion and mushroom and saute them in the pan with a couple tsp of veggie broth, garlic, salt and pepper until the onions are translucent. 

6. Add flour and veggie broth into the pan and whisk away. You control how thick your gravy is by adding more flour or thin it out by adding more broth.

7. Re-season with salt, pepper, and garlic and then add in soy sauce. The soy sauce gives the gravy a nice brown color.

8. Let simmer on medium low heat whisking occasionally until ready to serve!

This last picture is the mashed potatoes and gravy with tofu and green bean casserole which is also featured on my blog. This recipe is just as tasty as traditional mashed potatoes and gravy but it is going to be so much healthier for you! Definitely give this recipe a go!

~Peace begins with your plate~