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, ... Read More about Bean Queso From The Great Vegan Bean Book
recipes
Tri-color Quinoa Taco Filling
This recipe is one of my favorites because it has a ton of leeway. No red peppers? Use green peppers or toss in the leftover cooked veggies from last night. No quinoa? Leftover millet or even brown rice would do the job just fine. Just imagine cleaning out the fridge one a week on taco night! This is so simple and uses ingredients you probably have on hand. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner you didn't have time to plan ahead for. One of the things I love about Roland’s tricolor ... Read More about Tri-color Quinoa Taco Filling
Steel Cut Oat Risotto
The more I cook with oats, the more I find they have an endless amount of uses. Savory oats are my latest obsession. These steel cut oats retain an al dente quality to them just like arborio rice does in a risotto. Cheryl said she would have never guessed it was made of oats, but I have her prepped with a few barley risottos that I worked on for my new slow cooker book, Vegan Slow Cooking for Two or Just You! which comes out this fall. Of course you can pre-order it right now on Amazon. I ... Read More about Steel Cut Oat Risotto
Guilt-Free Date Caramel Sauce
Today I have a few more things that can make your weekend even more special! This time I've remade some syrups that will make your Sunday morning coffee awesome! Both the fat-free caramel sauce and the chocolate syrup are going to shock you with just how simple and easy they are. It doesn't hurt that you can make them thinner or thicker or even the amount of sweetness to suit you. To make your salted caramel mocha, just add a few teaspoons of each sauce to a ... Read More about Guilt-Free Date Caramel Sauce
Spiked Strawberry Mint Lemonade
It's always seems more exciting when Vegan Mofo is going on - or it that just me? Did you see Cara's Raw Peppermint Patties this morning? What about Veganosaurus' Raw Fig and Cinnamon Ice Cream? And I can't wait until I get time to cook Vegan Richa's Mango and Hatch Chile Pizza. This past weekend it actually cooled off and finally felt like fall. I was even wearing a sweater when I was writing on the deck. I also made a steaming pot of rose tea since I could finally be assured ... Read More about Spiked Strawberry Mint Lemonade
Step by Step Slow Cooker Pumpkin Purée
Last week the pie pumpkins were peeking out at me begging to join in on some cooking fun. I've talked about making pumpkin puree before, but today I'm providing some step-by-step instructions and pictures. Let's hear it for trying to overachieve for Mofo! It's really easy to make, but you've heard that before. Plus if you're like me, you want to see some proof *smile*. Here are some pumpkin recipes for you to try: Vegan Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread Minis Vegan Pumpkin Pie with a Teff ... Read More about Step by Step Slow Cooker Pumpkin Purée
Lemon Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies
Having a mid-week crisis? Lavender calms and soothes you in this small lemon chocolate chip cookie. They are certainly getting me through this after-Labor Day funk. I hope they help you too. You may not notice that there's avocado in these cake-like cookies. It's standing in for the typical oil. Avocados are cool like that! I used white whole wheat flour, but feel free to substitute whole wheat pastry flour or even unbleached flour. Culinary lavender and fresh lemon zest join in with ... Read More about Lemon Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies
New Book Updates and a Mint Mango Lassi
I know you're not supposed to apologize about not blogging, so instead of making that faux pas, I offer you a cute picture of my dog Brenna. In this picture she's trying to put her mind meld on me and saying, "What do you mean we can't go for a walk tonight?". She's ready for me to be done with my new books and get back to a normal schedule. But she'd like me to turn into a stay at home doggie Mom so she can sleep on the deck all morning. Being the super smart dog she is, she knows that ... Read More about New Book Updates and a Mint Mango Lassi
Vegan 7 Layer Dip
Happy 4th everyone! In case you need a last minute dish to bring to a bbq I have a make-shift recipe for you - layer dip. Yes, I really did say layer dip. If you have a few things in your pantry you can make short work of it and have an impressive tasting dip. There are a few shortcuts to go along with a few flavor surprises. ... Read More about Vegan 7 Layer Dip