Archives for November 2016

Walnut & Chocolate Muffins. Vegan. Gluten Free.

November 29, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Nuts, Quick Bread, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Walnut chocolate chip muffins.

These muffins were inspired by The Minimalist Baker’s Banana Chocolate Pecan muffins. I’m admittedly not a fan of pecans so I made a few adaptations. Mainly, I reduced the sugar necessary in the original recipe and increased the baking time a bit. These muffins are insanely tasty and a perfect morning muffin or snack on the go!

As my oldest heads back to school this week, her final year of varsity swimming is upon her. I obsess about her nutrition each week because she does many double practices a day and I love to have plenty of options at her disposal. These muffins will be perfect – transportable, packed with protein and healthy fats along with great nutrition to keep her moving throughout her day & prepared for thousands of meters in the pool.

As I mentioned, I reduced the sugar from the original recipe. The bananas and chocolate chips, I find, add plenty of sweetness. These are dense muffins and quite filling. I store these on my countertop in my cake stand but the fridge would also work well. Plus freezing these in a ziploc would also work well. This recipe yields 11 muffins.
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— Knead to Cook

Chickpea Veggie Soup. Vegan. Gluten Free.

November 28, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Holiday, Pasta, Running/Races, Soups, Stocks/Broths, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 1 Comment

Chickpea veggie soup.

This recipe was a fun remix sparked by The Minimalist Baker‘s latest cookbook. Traditionally, I would always take my leftover turkey bones/meat and make my version of chicken noodle soup. The cold temperatures. The leftovers that had been worked over numerous times already… this recipe was always a welcome sight plus it froze perfectly for future, timely dinners.

Flip ahead 4 years & although I don’t have meat leftovers – I have a plethora of veggies leftover that I want to use up. When I was flipping through my new cookbook I saw that Dana had a chickpea veggie soup and BAM! The idea hit me that I could make my soup with chickpeas for the protein. It came out perfectly and makes a huge pot. We had some for dinner and froze leftovers for a easy prep dinner in the future.

You can easily add whatever veggies you have on hand and if you do eat meat & have leftovers – feel free to add that too. I prepared vegan/gluten free ramen noodles for our soup but brown rice, leftover quinoa or a small pasta would work nicely as well. I prepare & store it separately.

Happy meatless Monday!
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— Knead to Cook

Lucy Let’s Go Raw Espresso Crust Pumpkin Pie. Vegan. GF.

November 18, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Nuts, Party Foods, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 9 Comments

Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving feasts will be here before we can seriously accept or believe it as fall is quickly flying by. I love taking a traditional dish and putting a fun twist on it. Especially, mixing up classics with a plant-based alternative that is also gluten free is helpful if any of your guests have specific dietary or allergy concerns. Pumpkin pie is a customary dessert menu item but mixing it up by adding a rich chocolatey espresso crust to the creaminess of this raw pumpkin pie is seriously delectable. And chocolate and pumpkin is a wonderful flavor combination.

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— Knead to Cook

Cranberry Pomegranate Relish. Vegan. Raw. Gluten Free.

November 17, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday, Party Foods, Salads, Side dish, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vitamix Leave a Comment

Cranberry Pomegranate Relish.

Thanksgiving is one week away. ONE WEEK! I cannot get my mind wrapped around it. I’ve been working so much the past few weeks, I feel like this truly snuck up on me. I’m starting to prep some dishes and this is hands down, one of the easiest and favorites.

Long gone are the days of that gross, canned cranberry sauce/gelatinous blob. Creating homemade relish is super easy and takes just minutes. Seriously. Even if you hate to cook, think you cannot— this recipe is fail-proof! Plus it isn’t sugar laden like most recipes.

Cranberry relish is great on salads, in smoothie bowls, burgers, sandwiches or wherever you need a fresh flavor punch with some texture. Flexible recipe and this will keep in your fridge for weeks!
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— Knead to Cook

Coconut Ginger Molasses Cookies. Vegan. Gluten free.

November 15, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free 4 Comments

Ahhh ginger molasses cookies may be my favorite. Yes, I’m rushing the holidays. Sorry about that but when you live a life as a blogger, I’ve been working on food jobs for Christmas for the past 3 months. I honestly feel late in posting this recipe. This cookie is tender yet crunchy. It’s not overly sweet but packed with ginger & molasses which screams holiday season. These freeze perfectly & make a wonderful cookie to share with friends & family. Totally vegan and gluten free so no worries about food allergies. Plus, I’ll be honest – these make your house smell like coming home for the holidays.

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— Knead to Cook

Wheat Berry Cran Salad. Vegan.

November 14, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Holiday, Side dish, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Vinaigrette 7 Comments

Wheat berry cran salad.

This salad is a staple on my Thanksgiving menu. The orange flavored cranberries are such a fun twist on a classic seasonal berry. Wheat berries are not gluten free so please note that for any of your gf guests. As many grain types – the wheat berry is packed with carbs, fiber and protein. If you’ve never had a wheat berry, they are a very sturdy grain that holds up nicely in salads. This dish can be made several days ahead of time, allowing the vinaigrette to develop with the wheat berry. Serve cold or at room temperature. This salad is perfect to take to your host’s home or to place on your Thanksgiving buffet. This salad is also perfect for lunch or during the week or as a side dish.

Is anyone ready for Thanksgiving? I feel like we went from September to Thanksgiving in a hot second. Crazy to think I’ll have a Christmas tree in my house next Friday. Time to babysit the dogs/tree for hours on end… lol.

I also wanted to let you all know that the winner for the tempeh will be posted on Instagram!

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— Knead to Cook

Tempeh Veggie Scramble. Vegan. GF.

November 10, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Beans, Breakfast, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Product Review., Running/Races, Snacks, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 19 Comments

Smilling Hara Tempeh veggie scramble.

Not all tempeh’s are created equal… trust me, I feel like I’ve personally sampled every single one on the market. I was contacted by the awesome folks at Smiling Hara several years ago and I’ve never found or eaten another tempeh that rivals their products. Seriously.

So a little bit of tempeh product knowledge: Originated in Indonesia. Tempeh is made from a process of culturing beans. Result is a highly digestible and nutrient dense plant based protein. Organic soy. Gluten free. Vegan.

My good friend reached out to me a few weeks ago asking if I wanted to try out their new flavor combinations and I jumped at the chance. Raspberry habanero, miso ginger and smoked salt/pepper have all captured my tastebuds. The day they arrived I made this scramble and I’ve been waiting to share it with you all (taking pics/blogging the recipe does take time after all). Finally! Today, post long run, I was committed to getting this recipe up on the blog to share with you guys. PLUS, Smiling Hara is also wanting to share the love with you all and is giving me 3 boxes to share with one lucky friend of Knead to Cook! Ahhhh!
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— Knead to Cook

Beet Quinoa Burger. Vegan. GF.

November 7, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Grilling, Snacks, Travel & eating, Vegan, Vegan Burgers, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 5 Comments

Beet quinoa burger.

Oh this dreamy, protein-packed burger hit the spot yesterday not to mention, allowed me to use up the beets harvested from our garden last week. Okay, so you’re thinking you dislike the earthly flavor of beets, right? My husband’s main complaint until I made these burgers during football Sunday. I didn’t mention what was in them, after all he was paying more attention to the game and was too busy screaming at the television. I created this super flavorful burger and put it in from to him and he loved it. Then I divulged the ingredients. He was shocked.

The burger pan fries up so beautifully. Crispy exterior with a nice crunch. The flavors are wonderful. This recipe made 8 burgers (not huge or too small). They keep in the fridge or freezer if packaged well. Perfect make-ahead food for the week. I prefer to add these to a big salad in lieu of a bun (which I don’t eat). They were a hit and let’s face it… the protein in quinoa is more than beef so this is a big time winner especially after my run yesterday. Okay enough rambling… let’s get to this!
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— Knead to Cook

Triple Bean Salad. Vegan. GF.

November 1, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Beans, Breakfast, Fitness., Gluten Free, Mexican, Running/Races, Salads, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 17 Comments

Happy World Vegan Day! I figured I better post a recipe today in honor of the day. Beans are such an integral part of a plant-based diet that this recipe, easy and beautiful as it is was perfect to share. This is one of those recipes to make on the weekend and have all week for quick lunches or side dishes for dinner. Even perfect for a savory breakfast alongside some scrambled tofu “eggs”.

Today I was reflecting on so many aspects of a vegan lifestyle. I’ve never taken the aggressive approach with friends of my blog/social channels. I firmly believe that each person’s journey must be respected. Personally, over the past year I’ve adopted a firmer stance of a vegan lifestyle not purchasing any items derived from animals. I’ve been selling all of my high-end, designer purses, shoes and accessories. I haven’t purchased any leather goods, including shoes etc. I make conscious decisions more so than ever. It’s a migration and not something that happens overnight. I’ve been very happy with the ever-expanding faux, vegan leather products carried at my favorite stores and love the MUCH lower costs associated with them!

With that being said… I just finished up cooking for my clients for the week. I’m looking forward to our trip this weekend (late anniversary jaunt) and will be sharing all of the fun with you on my social channels. So let’s get rolling on this super easy recipe… and how perfect will this be on your taco bar tonight?

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— Knead to Cook