Baked Sweet Potato

Here is another basic recipe for something that I feel like I have to look up each time I want to make a perfectly done baked sweet potato. It is easy to forget the details, so I thought I would capture the basics of this method here.

Baked Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

Sweet potato, washed

Directions:

Wash the sweet potato(s) and poke all over with a fork. Bake uncovered in a parchment-lined baking dish or tray in a 400-degree oven. You want the potato to get soft so this can take between 40-60 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes. Start checking them at 40 minutes. They are done when they are very soft and you can squish them. Let them cool before peeling. These keep well to be added to component bowls or other recipes throughout the week.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

 

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are oil-free, refined sugar-free, made with whole grains, and are of course, vegan, but they are still really yummy with a nice chewy texture. I love these for a quick snack or as a sweet something after a meal. They hit all the right notes with whole grains, flax, and banana, which are healthy ingredients that when mixed with oats and chocolate make a great cookie.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp ground flax

3 tbsp water

1 or 2 ripe bananas mashed (to equal a 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Optional: add in 3 tbsp raisins, nuts, chocolate chips, or sunflower seeds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the ground flax with the water and stir to combine. Mash the banana and then combine the wet ingredients (flax, banana, maple syrup, and vanilla). In a larger mixing bowl combine the wheat flour, oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to ensure there are no lumps of cocoa powder or baking soda.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in any optional nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, or raisins. Place heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment paper and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Oil-Free Cornbread

Oil-Free Cornbread

I have been working on an oil-free cornbread recipe that comes out with a nice springy bread texture. Some of my earlier tries were too dense and a little dry. After lots of tweaking, I found that the combination of flax and applesauce resulted in a moist bread with some lift. It was just what I was looking for in an oil-free version. I have been baking vegan cakes, breads, cookies, and pastries for just over 20 years now and have tried so many different things as egg replacers. For me, a flax egg gives the best texture to most baked goods without altering the flavor. If you are new to vegan cooking, know that your tastes do change over time. You can adjust to and grow to love this way of cooking and eating. I love the challenge of recreating old favorites and making them in a healthier way. Try a variety of methods and recipes and find the ones that suit you! 

This cornbread has just a hint of sweetness and is good on its own, especially when it is warm out of the oven.  We have made this a few times now and my family devours it within a day every time, so I knew it was a hit. Try this oil-free vegan cornbread alongside some chili, or a winter stew for a satisfying and healthy meal.  This can be made gluten-free if you use oat flour in place of the whole wheat flour, which still makes a great loaf of bread that is just slightly more dense than the whole wheat version.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp flax meal

6 tbsp water

1 cup soy milk (or other plant milk)

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

1/2 cup applesauce

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup whole wheat flour (oat flour works, too, but is a bit more dense)

1 cup cornmeal

1 tbsp baking powder (that is not a typo - you need a full tablespoon to get a nice rise to this bread)

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flax meal with the water. Give it a stir and let sit to thicken up a bit.

Stir the vinegar into the soy milk and add the applesauce and maple syrup to this mix.

Set these wet ingredients aside (I usually prep them in a glass measuring cup. Once the flax is thickened, I add the soy milk and vinegar to it, plus the applesauce and maple syrup).

For the dry ingredients, combine the whole wheat flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then add the wet ingredients and fold these in until everything is just combined.

Pour this batter into an 8x8 square baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake in the 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and if the top is getting too browned, loosely cover it with some foil. After 20 minutes check that the bread is done with the toothpick test - which is a real thing. 

Let the bread cool a bit and then dig in!

"Cheesy" Vegan Mashed Potatoes

These mashed potatoes are big on flavor and low in fat. After reading The Starch Solution, I have been tweaking many of my go-to recipes to eliminate added oils. These low-fat mashed potatoes are not lacking in any way; you won't miss the vegan margarine, I promise. The nutritional yeast and spices give these a richness in flavor and a bit of the cooking water makes them nice and fluffy.

"Cheesy" Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced (sometimes I leave the peel on a couple of the potatoes)
1-  1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

Wash and dice the potatoes, cutting them into 8 pieces works well. Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and let them cook for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are softened through and easy to pierce with a fork.

Use a 1 cup measuring cup and scoop up a cup of the cooking water, set this aside and drain the potatoes. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher, adding in a little of the reserved cooking water to create a nice creamy consistency. Add in the seasonings (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast) and stir to combine, taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Makes about 4 servings.

Smoky Hummus

Starting from scratch with dried garbanzo beans makes for a creamy hummus, and the seasonings bring a hint of smokiness that is just so good!

Making hummus from scratch isn't as daunting as it first seems....it just takes a little planning. I usually soak the beans the night before I plan to make the hummus. Once the beans are soaked, they cook fairly quickly in a pressure cooker (about 45 minutes total) or take a couple hours on the stove. Once the beans are ready, it is just a quick spin in a food processor (or blender) and voila you have delicious oil-free homemade hummus.

Smoky Hummus

Ingredients:

1 cup dried garbanzo beans or 2 15 oz cans, drained and rinsed (reserve the liquid).

1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup water or liquid from cooking the beans
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 tsp paprika
dash of garlic powder
rounded 1/2 tsp salt
dash of black pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke

Directions:

Soak the dried garbanzo beans in water to cover for at least 8 hours. Cook the garbanzo beans on the stove top until soft, adding water as needed to keep the beans submerged. Or cook the beans in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.

Once the beans are ready, put them in a food processor or blender with the other ingredients and blend until smooth. I prefer making them in the food processor and start them out on low for a minute or two, then scrape down the sides and process them on high for 3 to 5 minutes more. This hummus is great fresh and has a wonderful creamy texture.