Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Mega Healthy Cookies

I’ve never been able to get the man in my life to eat any of my baking, even when I replaced practically all the sugar with healthier sweeteners. He has a zero tolerance approach to the sweetener unless it’s hidden in the form of my mother’s pies, but certainly makes no exception for my kitchen creations. Since it’s no fun for your tummy to eat an entire batch of cookies on its own, I caved and made a fiancé-friendly version for us to share and was ecstatic with the results! He joyously exclaimed that these are the only cookies he will ever eat and then proceeded to eat three of them right off of my beautiful photo display.

Not only are they delicious, but they couldn’t possibly get any healthier: sugar-free, gluten-free, oil-free and vegan!

If you’re looking for a slightly more decadent treat, add in 1/4 cup of 70% dark chocolate or carob chips.

Mega Healthy Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp vanilla vegan protein powder or 1 tsp stevia powder (optional)
• 16 pecan halves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix all ingredients, except pecans, in a large bowl.
3. Spoon 2 tbsp mounds of batter onto a parchement-lined cookie sheet and press pecans into tops of each. Bake for 15 minutes, let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Makes 16 cookies. Per cookie:

125 calories – 16 g carbs – 3 g protein – 6 g fat – 2 g fiber

Carrot Quinoa Tofu Scramble

Since going plant-based I’ll admit I miss my scrambled eggs on occasion. Scrambled tofu doesn’t exactly taste like scrambled eggs, but the texture is pretty convincing and with enough flavours and spices you’re practically there. I particularly love this his version of the popular egg breakfast substitute as it combines beans, greens and a grain for a well-rounded start to your day and the toasted sunflower seeds add a lovely crunch to the otherwise warm and hearty bowl.

Carrot Quinoa Tofu Scramble

Ingredients

• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 package extra firm tofu, crumbled
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 2 cups chopped kale leaves
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients, except oil and sunflower seeds, in a large bowl and mix well. Feel free to do so the night before and refrigerate overnight.
2. Heat oil in large frying pan over high heat. Scramble tofu mixture until tofu is firm and golden.
3. Remove from heat and serve with a generous topping of sunflower seeds. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Makes 4 servings. Per serving:

267 calories – 18 g carbs – 18 g protein – 15 g fat – 4 g fiber

 

 

Chana Masala

Oh man was I excited to learn chana masala was so quick and easy to make! Whenever I get the craving I visit my local chai bar for some satisfaction, but I find their version to be rather heavy (greasy). Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious, but my stomach feels sluggish for the rest of the day. Luckily, this recipe delivers all the flavour, but still leaves me alert enough to finish the afternoon at work and energetic enough to get out for a run.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, minced
• 3 jalapeños, minced
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 bay leaves
• chopped cilantro, to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring chickpeas and salt to a boil in 6 cups of water. Reduce heat to low and simmer chickpeas until soft, about 2 hours. Drain chickpeas and retain 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid.
2. In a small frying pan, toast fenugreek, cumin and coriander seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Using a food processor, grind seeds to a fine powder.
3. In a large pot, stir onion, garlic, ginger and jalapeños over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add turmeric and ground spices, fry for 1 minute and add tomatoes, tomato paste, lime juice and bay leaves. Let simmer for 5 minutes before adding chickpeas and retained cooking liquid. Bring everything to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Remove bay leaves, service with rice and top with cilantro. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Makes 8 servings. Per serving:

261 calories – 40 g carbs – 12 g protein – 6 g fat – 16 g fibre

Chipotle Baked Tofu Sandwiches

 

My meat-loving paleo brother and his vegetarian girlfriend (yes, they make an odd, but lovely, couple) came over for dinner while she was visiting from Miami. I wasn’t worried about feeding Megan, but I considered the possibility that my brother might order himself a bucket of chicken upon his arrival and discovery of tofu on the menu. Luckily, this spicy baked tofu was so flavourful, hearty and delicious that my little bro had not one, but TWO helpings.

This tofu would also make a great protein topping for a crisp summer salad or roll it up in tortillas for spicy fajitas.

To keep things easy on a work day, I made the marinade the night before and tossed it in a container with the tofu to refrigerate overnight.

Ingredients

• 1 lb super-firm organic tofu
• 1 cup Mexican beer
• 3 tbsp chipotles in adobo, pureed
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Whisk together all ingredients, except tofu, to make marinade.
2. Slice tofu into 1/2 inch wedges..
3. Pour marinade onto small baking sheet, toss tofu until well coated and bake for 20 minutes at 400F. Flip tofu and bake another 20 minutes until marinade has been absorbed.
4. Remove from oven and serve with soft whole-wheat buns smeared with refried beans and vegan mayonnaise, avocado slices, pickled banana peppers, tomato slices, shredded romaine and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Chocolate Coconut Quinoa Balls

This recipe combines two of my favorite snacking foods (chocolate and nut butters) into one convenient little bite. Super easy to make, they are creamy, nutty and just sweet enough to make you feel like you’re really indulging, but are WAY healthier than a chocolate bar or even a packaged granola bar. Carry a couple to energize on the go or take them over to your next tea party! I like to keep a batch in my freezer and grab a couple on my way to work to eat as a mid-morning snack that tastes more like dessert than a ball of quinoa.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbsp nut butter (almond, cashew, peanut)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients, except coconut, in a large bowl.
2. Spread coconut on a large plate. Line a baking sheet in parchment paper.
3. Form 1.5 tbsp balls in your hands, roll them in coconut and place on baking sheet.
4. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to harden before enjoying.

Nutritional Information

Makes 20 servings. Per serving:

75 calories – 10 g carbs – 2 g protein –  3 g fat – 1 g fibre

Panko Crusted Tempeh

This recipe makes a hearty meal paired with brown rice and a crunchy salad/slaw, but could also be served alone with a dipping sauce as a chicken finger-like appetizer. Marinating the tempeh overnight really helps camouflage that nutty mushroom flavour that some find off-putting in tempeh and the marinade is so good you could easily skip the breading step and bake it without – though the panko crumbs do give the tempeh fingers that crunch we so often crave in fried fast foods.

Tempeh Marinade

Serves 4 generously

Ingredients

• 8-ounce block of tempeh
• 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin, Japanese cooking wine
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/2 tsp ginger, grated

Directions

1. Slice tempeh into 4 long pieces and place into a container just large enough to fit.
2. Combine remaining marinade ingredients, add to container of tempeh ensuring tempeh is evenly covered in sauce. Cover and let marinate in the fridge overnight.

Sesame Panko Coating

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk, or any non-dairy milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp corn starch or tapioca flour
• 6 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• oil spray

Directions

1. In a shallow bowl or plate, whisk together soy milk, lemon juice, corn starch and 2 tbsp of the flour.
2. In a large plate, mix together panko crumbs, sesame seeds and oil. Distribute crumb mixture evenly over plate.
3. Remove marinated tempeh from fridge and dust with remaining flour to absorb surface moisture.
4. Dip each side of each piece of tempeh into soymilk mixture and then into panko crumb mixture, pressing panko crumbs around surface of tempeh.
5. Arrange each piece of tempeh on a parchment-covered baking sheet and spray generously with oil.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, flip tempeh and bake for another 10 minutes until panko crumbs are golden.
7. Remove from oven and slice each finger in half lengthwise into longer sticks. Serve with cabbage slaw, brown rice, a lemon wedge and Japanese BBQ sauce (recipe below).

Nutritional Information

Makes 4 servings. Per serving:

306 calories – 39 g carbs – 14 g protein – 12 g fat – 6 g fibre

Japanese BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup organic ketchup
• 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin, Japanese cooking wine
• 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sesame Kale Chips

Life has been a little CRAZY as of late, hence the 7 weeks that have swiftly elapsed since my last post. In all honesty I haven’t made any new recipes since then. It’s just been the same old vegetarian chili for 49 days, minus those where I’ve been away in Barbados, D.C., and Mexico. Having, alas, drained my vacation time for the next 8 years, you can expect an appreciable number of recipes to surface on this blog in the foreseeable future.

Figured I would take it easy my first day back in the kitchen, so as not to injure myself of course. Seeing as you can make kale chips without the use of a knife, they were an obvious choice for my rusty hands. Also, travelling can suck the health right out of you, so what better way to replenish it than with nutritional powerhouse of almighty kale!

Typically I wouldn’t speak proudly of eating an entire bowl of chips, but when they are made from kale and not from potato or tortilla, then I want to get on top of my soapbox (honestly, where would you even get one of these?) and preach the miracle properties of kale: MORE IRON than BEEF, MORE CALCIUM than MILK!

Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Spread kale over large cookie sheets and bake until crispy, but now brown.
4. Remove from oven and enjoy immediately!

Nutritional Information

Makes 2 servings. Per serving:

226 calories – 25 g carbs – 9 g protein – 13 g fat – 6 g fibre

Quick Tomato Balsamic Salad Dressing

Often the only reason I skip out on preparing a salad is because I loathe making a salad dressing, except for this one. Typically dressings call for a couple of garlic cloves, which add that kick you need, but no matter the garlic peeler/crusher/contraption you have, it always leave your fingers sticky and smelly. Ingeniously, this dressing uses tomato paste to tantalize the taste buds, so it is garlic-free to keep your fingers clean; make it simple for those lazy days; and, most importantly, maintain your breath in an acceptable state to leave the house after dinner.

I find salads to be best when the greens are tossed in the dressing and all other veggies are laid beautifully on top. This concentrates the dressing on the greens, which typically demand the most flavour to counter their bitterness; gives your salad a more dynamic flavour profile and allows you to get a little creative with presentation.

Last night’s salad was a bit of a “clean out the fridge” meal, which happened me upon the concept of using parsley (unless tabouleh is on the menu) and cilantro as greens and not simply as a garnish. It’s a great way to make use of that enormous bushel of garnish you are forced to buy when your recipe calls for only 2 tbsps of it, plus they taste GREAT!

Tomato Balsamic Dressing

Makes 1/4 cup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 medium lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together all ingredients, pour over greens and toss.
2. Layer any veggies, grains or beans you like on top and enjoy!

Shiitake Sticky Brown Rice with Tempeh Crumbles

I am very excited to share the premier recipe post of my new plant-based food blog. As I am new to plant-based cooking, ergo unimaginative and unpredictable in the kitchen, my posts for the coming indeterminate amount of time will be to highlight “blog-worthy” recipes from the cookbooks I received last week for my birthday: Vegan Eats World, Big Vegan and Chloe’s Vegan Desserts. “Blog-worthy” shall be awarded to any recipe that I would proudly serve to my carnivorous friends and family (if they dare come for dinner), in hopes that everyone can enjoy reading my blog, regardless of their dietary orientation. Understanding that vegan does not always equal healthy, I will attempt to “healthify” the recipes where I see fit, ex. replacing ketchup with tomato paste, reducing oils, employing healthier sugars, etc..

If you’re interested in perusing my healthy, but non-vegan, recipes check out my former food blog.

Today’s recipe is adapted from Vegan Eats World’s “Chinese Sticky Rice with Tempeh Sausage Crumbles”. Like me, if tempeh is new to you, this recipe is a great way to test it out. The dish is so packed with flavour and the comfort of Chinese food that you hardly notice the chunks of fermented soybeans camouflaged as crumbled sausage. I can’t say the tempeh resembles sausage, but it does add enough heartiness to the dish that you don’t feel as though you’re eating a big bowl of only rice.

The recipe calls for short-grain sticky rice, but I cringe at the thought of allowing white rice into my house, so I used the short-grain brown rice I had on hand and just cooked the hell out of it to achieve the stick factor. I completely omitted 2 tbsp of vegetarian stir-fry sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce), which were luckily redundant to the other flavours in the dish. Standing in the grocery store I couldn’t bring myself to purchase a sauce containing dextrose, corn syrup, and sugar. I also replaced the ketchup with tomato paste and the brown sugar with coconut palm sugar, cutting the amount in half.

If you don’t have dried mushrooms, then use fresh and replace the mushroom-infused hot water with low-sodium vegetable broth.

Sticky Brown Rice

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain brown rice, rinsed
• 1 cup/1.5 oz /42 g dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 cups hot water
• 6 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine, or brandy
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 4 tsp peanut oil
• 1-inch piece ginger, minced
• 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups hot water from mushrooms
• 1 recipe Tempeh Crumbles, see below
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Soak mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes, drain and reserve liquid. Sliced mushrooms into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Whisk together cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper and set aside.
3. Heat peanut oil in a large pot over medium heat and stir fry ginger and white part of scallions for 30 seconds. Add dried mushrooms and stir for 1 minute, add chestnuts and stir for 30 seconds. Add rice and cooking wine mixture and mushroom-infused hot water and bring to a boil. Stir rice and reduce to low simmer for 1 hour or until rice becomes soft and sticky, adding water as needed.
4. While rice is cooking, prepare Tempeh Crumbles (recipe below).
5. Once rice is soft and sticky with all water absorbed stir in Tempeh Crumbles. You may reserve some Tempeh Crumbles as a topping.
6. Serve rice and top with Tempeh Crumbles, cilantro and green scallions. Enjoy!

Tempeh Crumbles

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 8 oz package tempeh, chopped 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine, or brandy
• 1 tbsp coconut palm sugar, or sweetener of choice
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients, except tempeh and peanut oil, and set aside.
2. Heat peanut oil in large skillet and stir fry tempeh until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredient mixture, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Per serving

Shiitake Sticky Rice 287 calories – 55 g carbs – 5 g protein – 7 g fat – 5 g fibre

Tempeh Crumbles 113 calories – 12 g carbs – 6 g protein – 4 g fat – 3 g fibre

Total 400 calories – 67 g carbs – 11 g protein – 11 g fat – 8 g fibre

Tools for the New Diet

A change in diet can be an overwhelming endeavour for some, but having the support of those around you can make the transition much less of a challenge. Sometimes the toughest part though can be getting your friends and family to accept your decision and be supportive.

The biggest misconceived reproach of vegans is that they do not get enough protein in their diets, but this is far from the truth. The media have misconstrued our understanding of dietary protein sources and led us to believe you need meat, eggs and dairy in every meal. The truth is you don’t need to eat meat nor do you need to eat pounds and pounds of tofu on a plant-based diet; you can easily reach your daily protein needs through an assortment of vegetables, legumes and whole grains.

According to The Vegetarian Resource Group, the typical adult male vegan needs only 2.5 to 2.9 grams of protein per 100 calories and the typical adult female vegan needs only 2.1 to 2.4 grams of protein per 100 calories, which can be achieved and easily surpassed through everyday plant-based foods.

Protein Content of Selected Vegan Foods
FOOD	AMOUNT	PROTEIN(gm)	PROTEIN(gm/100 cal)
Tempeh	1 cup	41	9.3
Seitan	3 ounces	31	22.1
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	29	9.6
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	18	7.8
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	15	6.7
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	13	6.4
Veggie burger	1 patty	13	13.0
Chickpeas, cooked	1 cup	12	4.2
Veggie baked beans	1 cup	12	5.0
Pinto beans, cooked	1 cup	12	5.7
Black-eyed peas, cooked	1 cup	11	6.2
Tofu, firm	4 ounces	11	11.7
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	10	5.7
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	9	3.5
Tofu, regular	4 ounces	9	10.6
Bagel	1 med.	9	3.9
Peas, cooked	1 cup	9	6.4
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), cooked	1/2 cup	8	8.4
Peanut butter	2 Tbsp	8	4.3
Veggie dog	1 link	8	13.3
Spaghetti, cooked	1 cup	8	3.7
Almonds	1/4 cup	8	3.7
Soy milk, commercial, plain	1 cup	7	7.0
Soy yogurt, plain	6 ounces	6	4.0
Bulgur, cooked	1 cup	6	3.7
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	6	3.3
Whole wheat bread	2 slices	5	3.9
Cashews	1/4 cup	5	2.7
Almond butter	2 Tbsp	5	2.4
Brown rice, cooked	1 cup	5	2.1
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	5	13.0
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4	6.8
Potato	1 med. (6 oz)	4	2.7
Sources: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18, 2005 and manufacturers’ information.

The most important message to relay to your friends and family is that you have made an informed decision and understand how to eat a well-balanced diet with all your nutritional requirements. Your loved ones need to be reassured that you haven’t made a drastic decision just because you “want to lose weight”, “love animals”, “it’s trendy”, etc., at the expense of your health. So do your research and equip yourself with the tool of knowledge to demonstrate that going plant-based really is a healthier way to live for your body, animals and the environment.

Fortunately, the people in my life know me perfectly and support me entirely, and gifted me the most appropriate of tools for my 26th birthday on Wednesday.

I can’t wait to get started cooking!