Vegan Biscuits

Adapted from https://minimalistbaker.com/the-best-damn-vegan-biscuits/
Posted here for reference because it takes too long for the minimalist baker page to load, due to pics and ads.

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
4 Tbsp vegan butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C)
Add lemon juice or vinegar to almond milk to make "vegan buttermilk." Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
Add cold butter and use fingers or a pastry cutter to combine the two until only small pieces remain and it looks like sand. Work quickly so the butter doesn’t get too warm.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, stir gently while slowly pouring in the almond milk mixture. You may not need all of it. Stir until just slightly combined – it will be sticky.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface, dust the top with a bit of flour and then very gently turn the dough over on itself 5-6 times – hardly kneading.
Form into a 1-inch thick disc, handling as little as possible.
Use a 1-inch thick dough cutter and push straight down through the dough, then slightly twist. Repeat and place biscuits on a baking sheet in two rows, making sure they just touch – this will help them rise uniformly. Gently reform the dough and cut out one or two more biscuits – you should have 7-8.
Brush the tops with a bit more of melted butter and gently press a small divot in the center using two fingers. This will also help them rise evenly, so the middle won’t form a dome.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until fluffy and slightly golden brown.

Mushroom Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping

Mom used to make some sort of stew with potatoes, tomatoes or tomato sauce and other veggies with a biscuit topping and I've been thinking about it lately. Stew with biscuit topping. Like a pot pie but with biscuits. I can't remember what exactly Mom made, but the memory inspired me to make a stew and find a biscuit recipe to top it with.

Mushroom Pot Pie

Biscuit Topping

Here is the original biscuit recipe I found. It's very good; I followed it exactly and it turned out amazing.
https://minimalistbaker.com/the-best-damn-vegan-biscuits/

Mushroom Veggie Stew

I also found a stew recipe but only followed it very loosely using different ingredients and amounts, so probably best not to cite it.

The recipe turned out fantastic, but the biscuits could have used about 2 more minutes in the oven because they were a little gummy on the bottom where they touched the stew. Still cooked, but a little moister than we'd like.

Stew Recipe

Heat in heavy pot on medium/high:
1 tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance is what I used)

Add and cook for 2 minutes:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups carrots

Add and cook for 6 minutes:
8 oz mushrooms, sliced thickly
2 1/2 cups potatoes

Sprinkle over veggies and cook for 2 minutes while stirring:
1/4 cup flour

Slowly add while stirring then simmer 5 minutes:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup mushroom broth

Remove from heat and stir in:
1 cup of peas
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour stew into 9 x 12" casserole dish and top with the biscuit dough. Bake 15 - 20 minutes. 

I baked for 15 but next time will do 18 - 20.

Pot pie, fresh from the oven

Due to the oil, flour and salt, not the healthiest, but there are vegetables too, so not the unhealthiest either. Amazingly delicious comfort food.

Glazed Lentil Loaf

Glazed Lentil Loaf

Glazed Lentil Loaf

Loaf Recipe

1 cup dry lentils

2 1/2 cups water

3 tbsp ground flaxseed

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil for sautéing

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, finely diced

1 small red bell pepper, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced or grated

1 cup chopped mushrooms

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup oat flour

1 heaping tsp dried thyme

1/2 heaping tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper

cracked pepper & sea salt to taste

Lentils

We went to the Bulk Barn to buy the lentils and there are a lot of kinds to choose from, including organic ones, although they are much, much pricier. Bulk Barn had green ones, red ones, orange ones, brown ones, black ones, French ones, etc, so several options. We went with green. Although they look brownish.

Rinse the lentils and add 2 1/2 cups water with lentils to a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool but don't drain; mushiness is ok.

Lentils cooking

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Making "Flax Egg"

In small bowl combine ground flaxseed and 1/3 cup water and set aside for 10 minutes in the fridge. This is a vegan version of egg and will act as your binder!

Lentils, oats, oat flour, spices

Vegetables

I guess these don't all constitute as vegetables, since mushrooms are fungi, but same idea. Love all the colors. 

Chop and mince the veggies as indicated in recipe above. Sauté garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrots and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add spices and mix, then set aside to cool.

Chopped vegetables

Veggies sautéing

Mix it All Up

In a food processor, blend 3/4 of the lentil mixture. Combine sautéed vegetables with the lentils, oats, oat flour and flax egg. Add salt and pepper as needed. 

Lentils and veggies mixed

Loaf Pans

Place into a loaf pans lined with parchment paper and press down firmly to make sure the edges get filling too.

Prepared loaf pans

Uncooked lentil loafs, sans glaze

Glaze

3 heaping tbsp ketchup

1 heaping tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 heaping tbsp pure maple syrup

Combine ketchup, vinegar and syrup in a small bowl and mix. Spread over top of loaf.

Uncooked glazed lentil loaf

Bake in oven for about 45 - 50 minutes, then let cool before slicing.

Cooked loafs, boiling potatoes

Glazed lentil loaf with potatoes and Lady A's

Vegan Split Pea Soup

When I gave up eating ham it occurred to me I would never again have one of my all-time favorite meals: split pea soup. What a happy day the first time I made the vegan version and discovered that it is just as amazing, and much easier on the conscience.

Vegan Split Pea Soup

Spice It How You Like It

I'm sure I've made this from a few different recipes now but I've made it enough that I no longer need a recipe and I often make variations depending on how I want to spice it. Sometimes cumin, sometimes not. It's great with a bay leaf or two as well. If you really like an Indian flavor, you can also skip the thyme and marjoram and add ground coriander, turmeric and cinnamon to your cumin. Becomes more like a curry, but it's all good.

*A lot of recipes call for basil which sounds weird to me so I've never tried it. Thought I should mention it though, in case it's an integral or common split pea flavor. I can't imagine but go for it and let me know if it's worth trying.

Split pea soup ingredients

Ingredients

1 cup yellow split peas
1 box vegetable broth
1 small onion
2 carrots
1 potato
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp cumin or 2 bay leaves (depending on your version)
1/2 tsp salt
cracked black pepper

Directions

Chop all your veggies into soup-sized pieces (about 1/2" square) and mince the garlic. 90% of your work is now complete. Add the onion and a bit of veggie broth to the Instant Pot and set to "Sauté". Cook about a minute, stirring once or twice then add the potatoes, carrots, celery and garlic.

Veggies sautéing

Sauté another minute while stirring around then add the rest of the ingredients. Give it a final stir and put the lid on the Instant Pot.

Soup ingredients ready to cook

Close the steam valve and use Manual setting and cook 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (takes about 20 - 25 minutes).

I Love Our Instant Pot!

I've made this on stove top many times, but now that we have the Instant Pot, I probably won't again.  Turns out the same either way, but in the Instant Pot it's so easy - set the time and leave it. No stirring, no watching. I love that!

PS: Laura hates split pea soup. More for me! :)

Potato and Leek Soup

Potato and Leek Soup

This recipe was too amazing not to share. We've made it twice now, the first time without carrots and the second time with. It's good both ways but I'll probably continue adding carrots whenever I make it, which will be often, because this soup is so good.

Original recipe here

Potato And Leek Soup

I didn't stray too far from the original recipe, which was already a vegan one. I changed a couple of things but it's basically the same recipe, so I can't take the credit for coming up with it, but I changed some amounts, skipped the lemon juice, and added carrots.

Another thing I did differently than the original recipe was to not puree all the veggies. Instead, I divided the soup in half and pureed half and left the other half as chunky vegetables for our chewing pleasure. I make a lot of pureed soups, like squash and cream of broccoli, but sometimes you want a little bite.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegan butter
2 small onions, diced
4 leeks, cleaned well & thinly sliced
7 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
4 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut coffee cream

Step 1:
Wash and slice the leeks, chop the potatoes, carrots and onions and toss them all in a soup pot on medium high with the butter.

Sauté the veggies

Step 2:
Mince the garlic and add to the sautéed veggies along with the seasonings about a minute before adding the broth.

Step 3:
Add the broth and simmer until all the veggies are tender, about 10 or 15 minutes.

Add the spices and broth

Step 4:
Take half the soup and blend in the blender or puree in the food processor then add back to the stock pot.

Puree half and add back to pot

Step 5:
Temper the cream by adding it slowly, while stirring, to 1/2 cup of the hot soup, then add the mixture to the pot, continuing to stir it in well.

Step 6:
Serve and eat! We served our with some lovely artisan bread. So yummy!

Leek and potato soup with bread

Enjoy!!

Vegan Pad Thai

Vegan Pad Thai

This recipe is always a hit at family gatherings and potlucks and I've been asked many times to share my recipe, so here it is.

I love it because it's simple and pretty quick and very easy to make. And it's also really versatile, so you can change it to suit your own preferences.

Here's how I made the one for a recent potluck at work:

The Noodles

I guess you could use any noodles you like for this dish, like a linguine or fettuccine wheat noodle or especially any rice noodle but for best results, I stick with this type of rice noodle from a brand called A Taste of Thai. They're amazing and hold their texture so well.

A Taste of Thai Rice Noodles

How to Prepare
You don't need to boil water for these noodles. You actually just soak them in very hot tap water for 3 minutes, drain well and then add to a medium-hot skillet with sesame oil.

Vegan Pad Thai Recipe

• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 3 onions, cut in half and slice each half
• 4 carrots, cut in half or quarters lengthwise, then chopped in 1" lengths
• 1 red pepper, cut into large chunks
• 1 lb asparagus, chopped in 1" lengths
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Sauté the veggies and stir frequently until you can just begin to pierce the carrots with a fork (like when you know they will be done in 2 minutes) then add:

• 1 package of bean sprouts

Remove veggies from skillet once they're somewhat tender but not too soft. Then add:

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 package of A Taste of Thai rice noodles (prepared as described above). Let cook for a minute then stir, turning noodles and let cook another minute or so, then repeat one or two more times.

Add:

• 1/2 cup tamari (or soy sauce; I use tamari because it's gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Add the veggies back to skillet and stir everything together. Ready to eat! Serve with roasted peanuts and cilantro.

Pad Thai in Skillet

Versatility

You can use pretty much any vegetable in this dish. I nearly always make it with the above plus peas, green beans and spinach or kale, but you can use mushrooms, green peppers, broccoli or cauliflower too.

You can experiment with the sauce too; change the amounts to suit your taste and amount of sauce you like. Sometimes I use Sriracha sauce instead of hot pepper flakes. I have to be careful of the amount of heat I use because it causes rosacea flare-ups. Booo.

Sometimes I add 1 or 2 tbsp of peanut butter to the sauce.

You can serve it with roasted almonds or cashews instead of the peanuts.

If you want to make a healthier version, try using tahini instead of the sesame oil (and dry-fry your noodles) and use a low-sodium tamari or soy sauce. You can also skip the honey if you're avoiding adding sugars to you diet; I'm sure it would still be fantastic, and I'm sure I will find out soon enough. Or, if you just want to make it vegan, use coconut sugar or date sugar instead of the honey.

Mock Tuna Salad (No Oil)

I've posted a recipe for Mock Tuna Salad before, but as I am currently avoiding oil I have had to modify the recipe a bit, and I thought I would re-post my new, improved, modified recipe.

Oil-free Mock Tuna Wrap

I was hesitant to even try this recipe without the mayo, and I admit, I just made it without looking at the original recipe, so it's a bit different, but it was fantastic! Filling and very satisfying. Satisfies that "I need a sammich" thing we get...

Side Note: I've been following the Engine 2 Diet since May 21, 2017 and it's been an amazing journey. I have lost 12 lbs in 3 weeks and I feel more energetic and motivated to keep going. The founder, Rip Esselstyn says, "The fat you eat is the fat you wear." Of course, plant fats such as those found in nuts, seeds and avocados are fine in moderation.

Recipe:

1/2 can chickpeas drained
Roast on baking sheet at 300 for 15 minutes then toss them into a food processor.

Add to chickpeas:
1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp ACV (with mother)
Pinch of freshy ground black pepper

Pulse a few times until chickpeas are about halfway mashed but not pureed. There should be lots of big pieces. Pour into a salad bowl and add:

1/2 carrot grated fine
3 tbsp minced red onion
1 apple chopped fine
15 green olives, minced

Stir and serve on a bed of fresh spinach in a tortilla.

Make it Gluten-Free

I am also eating gluten-free so I had mine on a gluten-free tortilla (made from rice).

Gluten-free Tortillas

I don't have an allergy to gluten, but perhaps a bit of intolerance or sensitivity and I find I feel better when I eat gluten-free. I tend to have symptoms such as bloating and gas, brain fog and lack of energy when I fall off that particular wagon, and that's no fun. Eating gluten-free is also no fun sometimes, but there are more and more options available now, and it's still worth it to keep feeling my best.