Curry Mango Chik'n Salad

It has been a while since I have posted anything new.  I hope this recipe will make up for it! I promise to update more regularly.

So, I love chicken salad...but I hate all of the unnecessary fat that comes from mayo.  So, I did a little reading and decided to try using blended mango instead.  It is pretty damn good!

Here is what you'll need:

-1/2 pack of lightly seasoned Beyond Meat Chickn Strips.
-2 ripe champagne mangoes
-1 Tbl Curry Sauce.  I used Hela brand.  You may also use curry powder.  I would recommend starting with a small amount and adding more to taste.
-Black pepper to taste
-1/4 cup of diced red onion
-20 green grapes - halved
-1/2 cup walnuts

Directions:

-Using your shredder, shred the beyond meat in your food processor.  Once that is done, pour the shredded chikn into a bowl.
-Using the regular food processor blade, blend the mango and curry.  Also add in the black pepper. Once that is done, pour this over the chikn.
-Add the onion, grapes, and walnuts to the mixture and stir together.

Serving:

I would recommend serving over greens or with crackers.

Seitan Lunch Meat

I was tired of buying those pricey, heavily processed sliced of lunch "meat."  So, I decided to make my own!  This does not take long to prep, but it does take a while to cook, so this is a perfect recipe on a rainy day or just a lazy Sunday.

You will need:
-1 cup of white beans (cooked and drained.  You can use canned ones as well)
-2 cups veggie broth or water
-1/4 cup of Olive Oil
-1/4 cup of celery
-1/4 cup of diced onions
-2 tsp sea salt
-2 tsp garlic
-1 tbl sage (use ground or fresh)
-1 tbl soy sauce
-2 1/2 cups of vital wheat gluten

 What to Do:
-Combine all ingredients, except wheat gluten, in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  It will be very runny.  That is okay.
-Combine the 2.5 cups of vital wheat gluten and work into a dough
-Knead the dough to get all of the air bubbles out.
-Form into a loaf.
-Wrap the loaf tightly in tin foil.
-Place the wrapped loaf into a steamer and steam for 1 hour.
-When the steaming process is almost done, preheat the oven to 350.
-Take the loaf out of the steamer and place it into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
-Take the loaf out of the oven and remove foil.  Let bake for another 15 minutes.
-Once it is nice and brown, let it completely cool on a rack.
-Slice thinly and store in the fridge.

Creamy Cauliflower Bisque

You will need:

-3 cups cauliflower

-2 cups unsweetened, unflavored almond milk

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1/2 cup onions

-1/2 cup raw cashews

-1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes

-1 tsp garlic

-1 tsp sea salt

-1 tbl sriracha

What to do:

-combine all ingredients into a high powered blender (I use a vitamix) and blend until smooth. You'll want to start on a low setting and work your way up. You may have to use the tamper. Do not add more liquid. It'll all blend and come out thick and creamy. 

-Heat and serve

-Garnish with some sriracha and some vegan cheese (I used daiya cheddar).

Cardamom Almond Ice Cream

Before I was vegan, I used to be addicted to this cardamom almond flavor at a local ice cream store.  When I got my ice cream maker, I was determined to make it vegan!  I also decided to make it as low sugar as possible!

You will need:
-4 cans of Coconut Cream (5.4 oz)
-1/4 cup of almond milk 
-2 tbl of ground cardamom
-3/4 cup of raw almonds
-1/4 cup of Swerve sweetener (you can use stevia, but you not as much)
-2 tbl olive oil

What to do:
-Combine all ingredients, except the olive oil, into a blender.
-Blend together until it is nice and creamy and has the consistency of yogurt.
-Start your ice cream machine and pour the mixture into the ice cream maker.
-Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture as it is mixing.
-Let the ice cream maker do it's thing!  Mine took about 10-15 minutes.
-If you live soft serve, you can eat it immediately.  If not, place in covered container in the freezer until it has hardened a bit more.
-Enjoy!

Gluten Free Quiche

I was never big on eggs...however, I did love quiche.  This is a delicious, fluffy, and cruelty free version of a classic quiche!

You will need:
-1 Gluten free, vegan pie crust
-1 block of firm tofu (very well drained)
-2 tbl nutritional yeast flakes
-2 tbl garbanzo flour
-2 tbl tahini
-1 tbl lemon juice
-1 tbl tumeric (for color)
-Black pepper (to taste)
-Salt (to taste)
-Toppings (for this recipe, I used 1 cup of chopped Beyond Meat chicken, 3/4 cup quartered grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup of daiya cheddar, and 1/2 cup white onion)
-1/2 cup of daiya (to top it off)

What to do:
-Preheat oven to 350
-Combine all ingredients (except crust, toppings, and last 1/2 cup of daiya) into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.  Your mixture should be thick...like a combination of cookie dough and pancake batter.
-Once the mixture is smooth and creamy, pour into a bowl and stir in toppings.
-Pour mixture into pie crust
-Top with the 1/2 cup of daiya
-Bake for about 45 minutes, or until it is golden.
-Let cool for 10 minutes.  It will firm more once it has cooled.

Carb Conscious "Rice" and veggie salad

Someone turned me on to hemp hearts and I will never look back.  Imagine if rice, lentils, and sesame seeds decided to have a baby...that is a hemp heart.  I look forward to using them more and more.  If you have to watch your carbs or just want to cut down, try using them instead of rice.

What you will need:
-2 cups dry hemp hearts (or shelled hemp seeds)
-1 cup fresh brussels sprouts (chopped)
-2 large shallots (chopped)
-1 cup grated or Julianned carrots
-1 tbl minced garlic
-1 1/2 cup Beyond Meat, Lightly Seasoned "chick'n" strips (chopped)
-Salt and Pepper (to taste)

What to do:
-Combine hemp hearts and water in saucepan and bring to a light boil
-In the meantime, lightly saute the veggies and garlic in a pan with some olive oil.  I recommend leaving them crunchy but sauteing them enough to soften slightly and bring out the flavor.
-Drain hemp hearts well.
-Combine with veggies. Add additional olive oil, if needed. Add Salt and pepper.
-Combine the Beyond Meat Chicken
-Chill overnight
-Enjoy!

Gluten Free Biscuits and Gravy!

My friend decided to make this for me.  I had been craving a good biscuits and gravy recipe.  This definitely satisfied my craving!

You will need:
Biscuits:
-2 cups gluten free flour
-1 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
-4 tbl Earth Balance butter
-1 tbl baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp sea salt

Gravy:
-2 cups raw cashews
-1/2 cup almond milk (may need more depending on how thick you want the gravy)
-Salt and pepper (to taste)
-Vegan sausage crumbles (he used Gimme Lean)

What to do:
Biscuits:
-Preheat oven to 450
-Mix the dry ingredients together
-Add the butter
-Slowly add the almond milk to the dry mixture, stirring constantly until a soft dough forms.  This will be runnier than normal biscuits....its okay!
-Pour mixture into cooking pan in 6 parts, forming small circles
-Cook for 13-15 minutes

Gravy:
-Place sausage crumbles in skillet and brown
-Take the rest of the ingredients and place in VitaMix or blender and blend until smooth.  If you like your gravy thick, use the measurements provided.  However, if you want it a bit runnier, add more almond milk.

When the biscuits are done, place into a bowl or a plate and drizzle the gravy on top of them.  Top that off with the sausage crumbles and you're ready to stuff your face!