Robin Robertson lets you know when recipes are gluten and/or soy-free which is a huge help for special diets. There were many recipes that jumped out for me to add to my to-cook list.  Who wouldn’t be tempted by Carrot-Cashew Soup with Apple, Savory Three Nut Pate, Sweet Potato Red Bean Stew and Ginger Walnut Scones?

If you still need more reasons to buy Robin’s wonderful book check out more great posts and recipes from the Nut Butter Universe’s blog tour or take a look at some of the beautiful photos that Robin has pinned on her Nut Butter board. Don’t forget to keep scrolling to get the recipes for Indonesian Gado-Gado and Chocolate Macadamia Truffles with Coconut – two of my favorite things!

Photo by Lori Maffei

Indonesian Gado-Gado from Nut Butter Universe ©2013 Robin Robertson
serves 6

Gado-Gado is an Indonesian main-dish salad composed of raw and cooked vegetables tossed with a spicy peanut sauce. The flavor improves with time, so plan on making this crunchy salad the day before you need it. This recipe is from Nut Butter Universe by Robin Robertson. Used with permission.

• 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil or 1/4 cup water
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon natural sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 cup small cauliflower florets
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts

Heat the oil or water in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter, tamari, lemon juice, sugar, cayenne, and coconut milk. Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring to blend.
Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender, and puree until smooth, adding water or more coconut milk to thin, if needed.

Steam the green beans and cauliflower just until tender and place them in a large bowl. Add the carrots and cabbage. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss to combine. Sprinkle the bean sprouts and peanuts on top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Photo by Lori Maffei

Chocolate Macadamia Truffles with Coconut  from Nut Butter Universe ©2013 Robin Robertson
Makes 12

When you love chocolate, macadamia nuts, and coconut, there’s only one thing to do—make these lovely and decadent truffles. This recipe is from Nut Butter Universe by Robin Robertson. Used with permission.

1 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips
1/3 cup macadamia butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

Finely chop the coconut by pulsing it in a food processor. Set aside.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set it over a small saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate chips by placing them in a small microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for about 1 1/2 minutes, or just until the chocolate is completely melted.) Add the macadamia butter and coconut milk and blend until smooth and creamy.

Place the chocolate mixture, sugar, and 1/3 cup of the reserved coconut into a food processor and process until well combined.

Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and roll them in the remaining 1 cup coconut, pressing so the coconut adheres to the truffles. Place the truffles on a platter or a baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Terry Cole wins the copy of  The Great Vegan Bean Book!

Thanks to everyone who participated. There will be more chances to win a copy during  blog tour coming up in June.

The look in the book feature should be turned on soon, but for now here’s a sneak peek into the book.

The Chapters with recipes from staples to dessert!

1. The Beautiful Bean: Basics, How-Tos and Recipes To Keep Your Food Budget in Check
2. Morning Beans: Beany Breakfast and Brunch Dishes
3. Noshy Beans: Appetizers, Dips, and Spreads
4. Nutritious Soups: Easy and Delicious One-Bowl Meals
5. Cool Beans: Legume-Centric Salads
6. Portable Beans: Sandwiches, Patties and More
7. Sultry Stews and Hearty Chilies: Quintessential Bean Dishes
8. Casseroles, Pastas, and More: One Dish Meals
9. Bean-a-licious Sweet Treats: Desserts that Love Beans

Morning Bean Recipe List:

• Almost-a-Meal Black Bean Tamale Muffins
• Almost-a-Meal White Bean Pesto Muffins
• Lemon Coconut Chickpea Muffins
• Weekend Vanilla Belgian Waffles
• Mini Baked Rancheros with Tofu Scramble Mix
• Sausage-Spiced Savory Pancakes
• Roasted Root Veggie Kidney Bean Hash
• Southern Style White Bean Gravy
• Cheryl’s favorite Citrus Collards
• Enchanted Vanilla Pancakes
• Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Pancakes
• Red Bean Mini Muffins or Baked Donuts
• Orange Blossom Brunch Biscuits

I’m so excited to participate in Virtual Vegan Potluck! This is my first one, but it certainly won’t be my last. The photo above was taken by Renee Comet who took all the photos for The Great Vegan Bean Book and she did an amazing job!

The pudding in these parfaits is thick and gets its cheesecake-like flavor from the vegan yogurt. The magic bean ingredient? Well, that would be the cooked red lentils. I promise you no one will know they are in this decadent dessert. I do use silken tofu but you could make it with all yogurt instead, it just won’t be as thick.

Sandwiched in between layers of vanilla cookie crumbs, it’s something all your dinner guests will want seconds of. It’s a great mini dessert to serve in shot glasses at your next party.

Vanilla Rosewater Parfaits from The Great Vegan Bean Book

gluten-free option*, oil-free

• 1 cup  (262 g) vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup ( 192 g) cooked red lentils
• 1 container (12.3 ounces/349g) silken tofu
• 1 tablespoon rosewater
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar (more if using plain yogurt)
• 3 cups (240 g) vanilla cookie crumbs (*use gluten-free cookies to make gluten-free or leave them out and just have pudding)

Add everything except for the cookie crumbs to a food process and purée for about 8 minutes. Stop every few minutes and scrape down the side of the bowl to make sure it all gets smooth.

In 8 small (10 ounce) custard cups (or in shot glasses to make minis) layer the crumbs on the bottom, add a layer of the tofu mixture, more crumbs, another layer of tofu and end by completely cover the top with the rest of the cookie crumbs.

The mixture will thicken up when you refrigerate the parfaits, so put them in the fridge at least 2 hours before serving but will keep covered for a few days.

Yield: 8 servings
Per serving: 124.1 calories; 3.1 g total fat; .0 g saturated fat; 6.0 g protein; 17.8 g carbohydrate; 2.3 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholesterol.
Total Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Serving Suggestions & Variations: Use different extract flavors, add cocoa powder or even liquors to make an unlimited array of versions. Graham crackers and chocolate cookies make great crumb layers as well.

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Forward to Cheerfully Vegan

My third book, Vegan Slow Cooking for Two, comes out this September and  is available for pre-order on Amazon today for only $10.31. If you pre-order now you will get the lowest price between now and when the book releases!

I have great news for you!  The Great Vegan Bean Book is shipping from Amazon right now so if you already pre-ordered the book look for it to hit your mailbox soon. To celebrate here’s another recipe from my newest book  that is the perfect warm weather meal and is an awesome packed lunch too - Indian Chickpea Yogurt Salad.

You didn’t order your book yet? I am doing a giveaway and you can win a copy of  The Great Vegan Bean Book that you can keep or give to a friend! Enter by leaving a comment on this post telling me your favorite bean or bean dish. I will pick a winner Monday May 13,2013. Please make sure you fill in your email on the comment form so I can get in touch with you if you win.

Get extra entries by doing one or more of the following and leaving an additional comment for each one you do. If you already follow me on Pinterest or Facebook  just leave a comment telling me that. So you can follow me on:

•  Pinterest
• Facebook

This recipe uses  kala namak or Indian black salt. Calling it black salt is always confusing to me because the outside is black but what you buy is pink and powdery. You can get it cheapest in an Indian market though you can easily order it online too. What’s so special about it is that it really makes things taste like eggs. It has a higher sulfur content than regular salt and is amazing in scrambled tofu too.  If you hated the taste of eggs you can leave it out.

Indian Chickpea Yogurt Salad

Gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free option*

• 3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 cans (15 ounces, or 425 g each), rinsed and drained
• 1 large potato, cooked and diced (peeled if not organic)
• 1 large cucumber, diced (peeled if waxed)
• ½ small onion, minced (optional)

For the dressing:

• 1 cup unsweetened soy yogurt (*use So Delicious plain coconut yogurt to make soy-free)
• Juice of ½ lime
• 1 ½ to 2 ½ teaspoons kala namak
  (use less if you are on a low sodium diet, but kala namak is less salty than most salts – also do not use this much if subbing regular salt!)
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ to 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne or other spicy chili powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• Chopped cilantro, for serving

In a large bowl, combine the beans, potato, cucumber, and onion.

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Add the dressing to the veggies and mix until thoroughly combined. Serve topped with cilantro.

Substitute just about any cooked beans that you have in the fridge, though kidneys and chickpeas tend to keep their shape the best. Add shredded or chopped carrots, summer squash, or even a few spicy radish slices to make it a dish all your own.

(The photo above was taken by Renee Comet.)

Here’s a new recipe for you, biscuits with shredded carrots, kale and quinoa. I didn’t go 100% whole wheat one these, but you could make them with all whole wheat flour instead.

(For full disclosure I was paid to develop this recipe and given free Roland Foods quinoa to make it. But I was not paid to post about it on my blog.)

These are not low fat, but I’m going to experiment with swapping out mashed avocado for the fat in a future variation. If it works I’ll post that recipe too!

Veggie Quinoa Drop Biscuits
Makes about 12 biscuits

1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
¾ cup soy milk
1 tablespoon olive oil or broth
½ cup finely grated carrot
1 ½ cups finely minced kale or other green
1 cup cooked RolandⓇ Tri-color Quinoa
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegan butter, shortening or refined coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the apple cider vinegar to the measuring cup with the soy milk and set aside. (Please note you can use any nondairy milk, but only soy with get thick after the vinegar is added.)

Heat the olive oil, or broth, in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the kale. Sauté for 1 to 3 minutes or until it turns bright green. Pour into a large bowl with the carrots and quinoa. Set aside.

In a food processor add the whole-wheat pastry flour and process for about 2 minutes to make it finer and the biscuit a little lighter. Add unbleached flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and process for about 1 minute to mix everything together well.

Next add the vegan butter or shortening to the food processor 1/8 of a cup at a time and pulse for 30 seconds to a minute each time. At the end of the process, the mixture will start to look like coarse cornmeal. If there are a few teaspoon-sized lumps of butter, don’t worry–they will mix in later.

(Directions are continued below mixed in with the photos.)

Pour the flour mixture into the large bowl with the veggies, quinoa and soy milk vinegar mixture. Mix well with a wooden spoon to spread the veggies throughout the mixture and to smash up any butter pieces that remain.

Grease 2 cookie sheets or use baking parchment. Using a large scoop (about ¼ cup), form about 12 biscuits. They will be domed from the scoop, but if you don’t like that you can flatten them with the palm of your hand. They will not spread out during cooking.

Cook for about 13 to 17 minutes, or until they turn light brown on the bottoms. Eat as is, covered with gravy, or in the middle of your favorite meatless stew or chili.

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions about my second book, The Great Vegan Bean Book, that releases June 1st or my third book which comes out this September, Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You.

Each one is available for pre-order on Amazon. If you pre-order now you will get the lowest price between now and when the book releases!

Here’s another recipe from The Great Vegan Bean Book that comes out June 1. This recipe may look familiar because it started out on this blog. It’s been slightly tweaked, a stove-top cooking method has been added in addition to the original slow cooker one and there’s nutritional information!

This Book is not an all slow cooker book like The Vegan Slow Cooker, but I added in some slow cooker variations whenever there was space. A few got cut in editing, but I’m planning to adding them here on the blog so you’ll be able to slow cook more of the recipes. I know you guys love slow cookers as much as I do!

Super Simple Mexican Quinoa with Black Beans

soy-free, gluten-free, oil-free

1 1/2 cup (225 g) bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (or a 14.5 ounce can – do not drain)
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 can (15 oz/420 g), rinsed and drained
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder, to taste
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3/4 cup (127.5 g) quinoa, rinsed well
salt and pepper to taste, if needed

Stove-top Instructions:
Add all ingredients except for the salt and pepper into a medium sauce pot with a lid. Bring to boil then turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is done.
Season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more chili powder or cumin if needed. (Remember as your spices age the flavor is not as strong.)

Slow Cooker Instructions:
Increase the amount of water to 2 1/2 cups.
The night before: Prepare the veggies and rinse the beans if you are using canned and keep in fridge overnight.

In the morning: Add everything listed in the ingredient list above the quinoa to an oiled slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 10 hours. (You will add quinoa later.)
1 to 2 hours before serving: Turn the slow cooker to high and add in the quinoa. Cook until you see the quinoa’s little white tails. That’s the signal that they’re ready to eat. Taste and add salt, more cumin, extra chili powder – what ever you need to do to make this taste the way you like it!

Yield: 4 servings
Per 1 ½ cup serving: 254.3 calories; 2.6 g total fat; .1 g saturated fat; 11.6 g protein; 46.5 g carbohydrate; 9.3 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholesterol.
Total Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions about  The Great Vegan Bean Book or Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You which comes out this September and uses all 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cookers in all the recipes.

If you pre-order now you will get the lowest price between now and when the book releases!

Looking for a few snacks to have on hand for the spring parties in your future? This is the post for you. There are actually 4 new things in Earth Balance’s new snack line, but you will only get to see three on this post.

Yes, I had all four to begin with. The white cheddar vegan popcorn is crazy good so I don’t feel entirely responsible for eating it before I could take a picture. The people at Earth Balance need to accept their part of the blame since they created this addictive cheesy popcorn that tastes just like the real thing. I even double checked the label after my first bite in case I grabbed the wrong bag at the store!

Second on my list, but really just as good as the cheese popcorn is the P. B. Popps. These are amazing! Rich, peanut butter flavor smeared over crunchy, light popcorn with flecks of toasted oats. Make sure to eat all the covered peanuts that sink to the bottom of the bag – they were Cheryl’s favorites.

All I can say is the P.B. Popps is a popcorn revelation for me. Next time I’ll put them in single servings so I don’t get quite as carried away as I did on my first bag…

Vegan buttery popcorn – the name says it all. This tastes better than movie popcorn ever could. I really liked the flavor and I think you will too. It is cheaper to pop your own at home, but this could be the best road trip food ever!

The Vegan White Cheddar Puffs were my least favorite. The flavor was excellent, but the puff was very dense. I’m used to my beloved Tings that are much lighter in comparison. It’s a personal thing so maybe the Earth Balance ones will be your favorite.

Want to try some of your own for free? Earth Balance sent me some free coupons and 3 lucky winners will try one of these delicious goodies for free.

To enter this giveaway leave a comment on this blog post telling me about your favorite popcorn memory, what vegan food you made last weekend or if you’ve pre-ordered The Great Vegan Bean Book. Make sure you add an email on the comment form so I can get in touch with you if you win!

Get a second entry by pinning any photo in this post onto one of your Pinterest boards, and tag Earth Balance by putting @earthbalance  in your description. Then leave a second comment letting me know the url of your pin.

Get a third entry by following me on Pinterest and leaving yet another comment: http://pinterest.com/kathy_hester/ (If you already follow me put in a link to your Pinterest profile.)

My favorite last minute meal is a few baked tortilla chips served up with a cup of queso from my newest book, The Great Vegan Bean Book. The base recipe is mild, but you can spice it up to suit your taste. It’s perfect for a lazy spring lunch!

The beans create a stable base and the cashews add a richness that’s so creamy you might not believe it’s really dairy-free. The nutritional yeast adds the cheesy flavor. On top of that you can add some elements from your favorite queso like tomatoes, hot peppers from your summer garden, or even some chopped cilantro. It’s all up to you.

If you don’t have a blender that’s super powerful feel free to soak your cashews a few hours or even overnight. I tend to make this at the last minute, but I have a Vita-mix that comes to my rescue!

Have you pre-ordered  The Great Vegan Bean Book yet? If you have let me know in the comments. (The photo above was taken by the awesome Renee Comet.)

Vegan Cashew-Bean Queso
soy-free, gluten-free
makes about 4 cups

• 1½ cups cooked white beans (or 1 -15 ounce can white beans rinsed and drained)
• ½ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ cup So Delicious Coconut milk (unsweetened is best)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons green chilies, to taste
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• a few slices of pickled or fresh jalapeño, optional

Add everything into a food process or blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Feel free to add hot chili powder to get more heat in.

Also if you’d prefer a thinner sauce add an additional 1/2 cup nondairy milk.

Now you can put this in your slow cooker for a no fuss party!

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions about my second book, The Great Vegan Bean Book, that releases June 1 or my third book which comes out this September, Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You.

If you pre-order now you will get the lowest price between now and when the book releases!

I feel like I should start this post with it was a dark and stormy night due to yesterday’s cold rain that put me into a bit of a  funk. It’s those chilly times of despair that the best soups spring from. As they say, it’s always darkest before there’s a steaming bowl of tasty soup in front of you! If the soup alone is not enough to bring up your spirits, the cheezy garlic croutons on top will do the job.

This is a quick and easy slow cooker soup that’s soy and oil free (without the croutons or by making the croutons oil free as well). I threw in some turnips I had in the fridge, but you can use potatoes, carrots, or even sweet potatoes if that’s what you have. The spices add layers of flavor that turn this simple soup into something you can even serve at your next dinner party.

I’ve had a great time playing with the farro that Tuscan Fields sent me to try this week. One type is called farro ai funghi which is 100% farro blended with organic dried porcini mushrooms, carrots, onion, parsley, garlic. I wanted to make a soup with this because the dried veggies in the mix would make a rich broth without adding any extra bouillon. Lucky for me it worked great!

I’m actually entering this recipe for a scholarship that’s being given by Tuscan Fields for this year’s Eat Write Retreat so wish me luck!

It’s one of my favorite food blogger conferences. Eat Write Retreat is May 31 – June 2, 2013. It was the very first food blogger conference I went to a few years ago and this year it’s in Philadelphia. I’ve always learned a lot and met the most amazing people. Let me know if you are thinking of going.

Farro and Veggies Split Pea Soup
serves 6 to 8

This recipe uses a 4 quart slow cooker

• 1 package Tuscan Fields farro ai funghi (or 1 1/2 cups plain farro plus 2 veggie bouillon cubes)
• 1 cup split peas
• 8 cups water
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cups chopped turnip or potato
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• salt and pepper, to taste

Add everything but the salt and pepper to your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or high for 3 to 4 hours).

Before serving add salt and pepper to taste. You can add 1 to 2 cups water to thin out the soup if it’s too thick for you.

(I made some croutons with the small ends of some bread I bought this weekend. I spread some olive oil and sprinkled garlic powder and nutritional yeast on top and cooked at 350 degrees in the oven for about 7 minutes.)

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions about my second book, The Great Vegan Bean Book, that releases June 1 or my third book which comes out this September, Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You.

Each one is available for pre-order on Amazon today for only $10.31 today. If you pre-order now you will get the lowest price between now and when the book releases!

 

It’s been too long since I’ve made a new breakfast recipe. The nice people of Tuscan Fields sent me some free farro to play with and  I started with a slow cooker breakfast!

I will warn you that this recipe is super-duper rich and fits in just as well as a dessert. If you do decide to serve this for a dessert you might stir in a tablespoon or two of spiced rum to make it even more sophisticated.

You can healthy it up by using So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk in place of the canned coconut milk and cooking it without the sugar and just add some stevia to taste right before serving.

Pineapple Coconut Breakfast Farro
serves 3 for breakfast, 4 to 6 for dessert

Please note this recipe uses a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker

• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup minced pineapple (fresh or canned)
• 1/2 cup  Tuscan Fields farro perlato (pearl)
• 1/4 cup water (or pineapple juice if you use canned)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Add all the ingredients to your small slow cooker and cook overnight or about 8 to 9 hours on low. Mix well and serve topped with some fresh pineapple and a sprinkle of shredded coconut.

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions about my second book, The Great Vegan Bean Book, that releases June 1 or my third book which comes out this September, Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You.

Each one is available for pre-order on Amazon today for only $10.31 today. If you pre-order now you will get the lowest price between now and when the book releases!