Zucchini Fries VeganMoFo Day #10

French fries are a weakness for me. These delicious oily bits of goodness are almost always vegan, which means, I eat them all the time.

(They aren't always vegan though. Outback Steakhouse uses beef fat for everything it fries, including its french fries. If unsure at a restaurant, always remember to ask.)

But when I am at home and craving french fries, I like to make zucchini fries instead. These are a delicious and healthier option to potato french fries.

Follow the link, make these fries, and thank me later :)

Zucchini Fries

Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas VeganMoFo Day #2

I had so much fun making my first ever video yesterday, that I just couldn't wait to make today's!

As most of you probably know, football season has officially started!!
That meant I had to make a game day themed snack and what's better than something spicy and crunchy?

Follow the link and be sure to hit Like and Subscribe!

Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas

Gluten Free Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Pizza may just be the bane of my existence. I love pizza. Before I was vegan, my favorite pizza was Hawaiian pizza. Mmmmm- I love me some pineapple. After I went vegan, I was so happy to discover that my favorite pizza place carried Daiya cheese. I've had many meals of white pizza crust, smothered in Daiya cheese and loaded with pineapple, red onions, and red pepper flakes. DELICIOUS! 

Unfortunately, white pizza dough and non-dairy cheeses aren't the healthiest options. Although I'm not gluten free, I am trying to eat less processed grains and when I saw cauliflower pizza crust roaming around Pinterest, I knew I had to give it a shot. The original recipe had egg as the binder, but I substituted it with a "flax egg" and I found that to be nutty and delicious.

Lately, I've found that I have an obsession with zucchini. It's amazing. So good. I come home from work, chop up a zucchini, steam it, and bask in its awesomeness. It also happens to be phenomenal on pizza. 

I added just a Basic Vegan Pesto to the pizza, added lots of my delicious zucchini, added raw red onions and just a sprinkle of Daiya cheese. So comforting, so good and full of great nutrients from the zucchini, the cauliflower, and hidden spinach in my pesto.

But this recipe made enough pizza dough that I had to make TWO pizzas. Such a terrible thing ;)

So I decided to try my hand at a barbecue pizza. I love barbecue sauce, but haven't had it in awhile because most bbq sauce has honey in it. And honey isn't vegan. I know a lot of my non-vegan family and friends will read this and not understand why I choose to not eat honey. But insects are as much a part of the animal kingdom as cows are. Besides, they are plenty of great substitutes. Try using agave syrup or even maple syrup instead. 

But I didn't want to just make any old bbq sauce, so while I'm looking around the kitchen for inspiration, I see the cute little sweet potatoes I bought. They were only about half the size of normal sweet potatoes. And I am just a sucker for small things. I'm short so whenever I see anything else that's little, I have to love it: mini-muffins, cake-pops, brownie bites and everything else petite and delicious. If you were using a regular size sweet potato, using half would be fine for this Sweet Potato Barbecue Sauce. Adding the sweet potato to the sauce made the sauce super creamy and silky. It was divine.

 To finish off my BBQ Pizza, I topped it with sauteed kale, caramelized red onions, and sweet delicious corn. It was amazing, all the good flavors of a Southern BBQ piled up on a pizza. You could eat the whole thing and feel no guilt.

But the star of the meal was the gluten-free cauliflower pizza crust.

Gluten Free Vegan Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Print Cauliflower Crust Recipe Here!

Print Basic Vegan Pesto Recipe!

Print Sweet Potato BBQ Sauce Recipe! 

Ingredients

1 Head of Cauliflower

1/2 Cup of Flax Seed Meal, divided 

1/4 Cup of Water

1 TBSP of Olive Oil

1 TBSP of Garlic Powder

1 TBSP of Dried Oregano

 Salt and Pepper

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place a piece of parchment paper on two pans. 

2. Process cauliflower in a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, or in a food processor. Process until the florets have broken down into small, almost flake like pieces. Be careful not to over process or you will turn it into a paste. 

3. In a small bowl, take 1/4 cup of the flax meal and mix the water into it. Let stand for 2-5 minutes until it becomes gooey. 

4. Mix the cauli-flour, 'flax egg', and the remaining ingredients together. 

5. Carefully form two pizza crusts out of your 'dough.' It will try to fall apart on you, so be gentle. Make the crust as thin as you can so it will cook more evenly.

6. Bake the pizzas at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. This seems like a long time, and the very edges might get a little burned, but it really does take this long to cook. 

When adding sauce and toppings, just be gentle and bake for another 10 minutes at most. 

Although this looks like pizza and tastes amazing, the crust does have a tendency to fall apart a bit. No shame or change in flavor by eating it with a fork!

Eric's Roasted Potatoes

Today is my wonderful amazing fantastic boyfriend's birthday! And although he loves my cooking, we will be enjoying dinner at our favorite Indian restuarant tonight. This blog is dedicated to vegan recipes but I think sometimes it is important to remember that food is not the only factor in being healthy. Part of having a healthy mind and heart is by surrounding yourself with positive people who are uplifting, supportive, and genuine. (I'm not trying to sound gushy, but my boyfriend is definitely all of those things.) So on his birthday, I thought instead of posting his favorite recipe that I make, I'm going to post my favorite recipe that he makes.

When I met him, my boyfriend ate the same thing for dinner every night: chicken and broccoli and rice. And while he is still an omnivore, he is 100% supportive of my choice to be vegan and loves to try the vegan food I make. His skills in the kitchen have expanded since we met and there are a few things he does better than me. 1) Steam veggies. I don't know how, but he has this internal clock that just tells him exactly how long everything needs to be steamed and they are always perfect. I have a tendecy to over steam. 2) Cook rice. Now I can put white rice in a rice cooker and press start, but he is flawless with brown rice and purple rice on the stove, which is something I always mess up. 3) Roasting potatoes. This following recipe is something he adapted over time from who knows where, but they really are the best roasted potatoes I have ever had. I am so lucky to be able to come home to a healing plate of steamed veggies, spinach salad, and these amazing roasted potatoes.

Click Here for the recipe: Eric's Roasted Potatoes!

Chewy PBnJ Granola Bars

Trying to eat a plant-strong diet means eating more meals in a day.Plants have less calories but more nutrients in a serving than animal proteins do. However, it takes more veggies to fill you up, so I've been snacking a lot. Interestingly enough, protein packed snacks are far more filling for  much longer than carbohydrate filled snacks. This is one reason eating a protein heavy breakfast is such a great way to start the day. Whether it's quinoa flakes in your oatmeal or peanut butter in a smoothie, find a way to add a little extra protein to breakfast if you want to be satisfied until lunch.

I got excited when I realized I could make my own granola bars.I was especially excited since about three months ago I purchased a bag of mixed dried fruits and nuts from Costco that I had yet to use.So I fished out some dried strawberries and peanuts and got to work!

Chewy "No Cook" Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars

Print Recipe!

 Ingredients

1/2 cup of dried strawberries

1 cup of roughly chopped peanuts

2/3 cup of agave nectar

1/2 cup of peanut butter

2 cups of quick oats

1/2 cup of quinoa flakes 

Directions:

1) Whisk peanut butter and agave together.

2) Pour mixture into dry ingredients until molded together.

3) Line a shallow baking dish with foil or Saran Wrap and press mixture into dish, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours.

4) When you pull the granola out, cut it into bars and enjoy. Bars can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

I'm excited to eat these over the week. Quinoa is actually a seed and is nothing but protein and the peanuts provide more protein and healthy fat. It will be a great protein packed snack after my workout, in the middle of the day, and between jobs!