Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Healthy Broccoli Slaw (no mayo).

by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Party Foods, Raw, Salads, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vinaigrette, Wheat Free

My husband picked up a bag of broccoli slaw from Trader’s and I wanted to take a stab at a non-mayo (vegan, of course) version. I knew I wanted to pair this with a jackfruit carnitas sandwich and it was perfect! A nice crunchy cold side with a hot sammy.

Let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

1 bag of your favorite cole slaw or veggie slaw mix (I used broccoli)
1/4 cup of a good quality olive oil (you can use a scant amount and add a tablespoon of sesame oil if you prefer)
3-4 tablespoons of your chosen acid (lemon, lime juice or I used apple cider vinegar, champagne or even rice wine vinegar works)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
Add some fresh cilantro
sesame seeds (I garnished with that)
sliced jalapeños

Method:

I take a big bowl and make my dressing first, olive oil through salt/pepper. Whisk to combine. Then add your slaw mix and toss to coat. I allow this to rest and marinade in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours.

Before serving, toss again and garish as you please.



Enjoy!
~ox

— Knead to Cook

Chickpea Pasta Salad. Vegan.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Beans, Brunch, Dressings, Pasta, Salads, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vinaigrette

On the weekend, we were at one of our favorite little markets and I picked up a big bag of dried chickpeas. I soaked them overnight and cooked them on the stovetop the next day. They were so good! In this recipe post I’ll share how to make them and this delicious pasta salad – which is perfect for summer gatherings, weekly meal prep or whatever you have in mind. It’s completely flexible with what veggies and pasta you use and if you prefer, you can always use canned chickpeas.

Ingredients:

1-2 cans of chickpeas (drained and rinsed) OR
1 lb of dried chickpeas (soaked in cold water overnight)
1 box of your favorite pasta (cook per box instructions)
Fresh herbs (I used a palmful of fresh dill and parsley) washed and chopped
1/2 of a red onion, diced
1 large cucumber, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1/3 cup of fresh peas
2 garlic scapes, chopped
Other veggies you can use: Raw asparagus (chopped), carrots, radishes, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, halved sugar snapped peas, chopped broccoli, olives etc. If I opt to use tomatoes, I add them prior to serving as they get super mushy in the fridge.

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup olive oil
4 tbl good quality balsamic vinegar
5 cloves of garlic, (raw), minced
1 tbl of dijon mustard
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt and pepper

Method:
If using dried chickpeas, soak them in a large pot with enough water to cover by a few inches over the top. In the morning drain, and rinse. Add them to a stock pot and add enough water to cover with a good pinch of salt or two. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and allow to cook for about 45-60 minutes taste testing for the texture you enjoy.

Once done, drain and allow to cool.

For the pasta salad, I cook my noodles according the package instructions. Drain and add to a very large mixing bowl. Add your veggies, chickpeas and herbs through garlic scapes if using. Toss to mix.

Into a glass jar that you have a lid for, add your vinaigrette ingredients and place the lid on tightly. Shake vigorously. Add 1/2 of that dressing to your pasta salad and toss. I reserve the remaining dressing to dress the pasta salad if not consuming immediately as the pasta absorbs some of the dressing.

This vinaigrette is also heavenly as a bread dip!

Wishing you a very and safe Happy 4th of July!

~ox

— Knead to Cook

Easy Pickling Recipe for Veggies with a seasoning packet.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Condiments, Gluten Free, Pantry, Side dish, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free

While exploring one of my favorite little markets this past weekend I noticed packets of pickling spices. I haven’t used them before but we have quite a crop of cucumbers in our garden and I thought it would be fun to make my own pickles…the way we like them. Using a seasoning packet makes pickling very fast and easy needless to say. This recipe is extremely flexible and so easy. These little jars will sit in our fridge for about 2-3 weeks before consuming. Also, make a great hostess gift if you’re attending a party or bbq.

Tip: Save any glass jars you have in your pantry. My favorite are my artichoke jars that are empty. Perfect for overnight oats or pickles!

Ingredients:

Packet or two of pickling spices
3 cups of vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar are perfect)
3 cups of water
5 tbl of organic white sugar
2 tbl of salt
4 small/medium sized cucumbers
2 large beets
3 jalapenos
1 small red onion
5 cloves of garlic
Dill or your favorite herbs
Other veggies that would work well:
Green beans
Okra
Asparagus
Carrots
Radishes

These are all estimates of portions. Depending on your jars, you can fit more or less. I just prefer to cut the veggies thinner so more surface can be pickled. Place the herbs in the bottom, garlic if using and 1 tbl or so of the spice blend. Then pack in the veggies along with another 1 tbl or more of the spice blend. Then top off with more veggies. Pour the liquid over the top and fill to the top of the jar. Once cooled, place the lid on top and store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks prior to consuming. The longer you allow to pickle, the more intense the flavor.

So for my batch of beets I added no herbs but just the pickling spice and liquid.

The cukes got dill, garlic, jalapeño, spice blend and liquid.

I then pickled the red onion with just the spices/liquid.

I did one jar of jalapeños with spices/liquid.

Add what you love. Have fun with this food project. 🙂


Method:

Into a saucepan, add your vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Turn the heat up to medium and whisk to combine. The sugar and salt will take about 2 minutes to melt. Once done, turn the heat off and allow to cool a bit.

Into you jars, pour the liquid carefully over your veggies filling to the top of each jar. Allow to cool a bit and place the lid on. Refrigerate for at least 2 weeks. The longer, the more intense the flavors.

If you’re pickling beets- my tip is after slicing them add some coarse salt to the palms of your hands and “wash” to remove the red color from your skin. Then wash with soap and water.

Can’t wait to hear what you pickle!

~ox

— Knead to Cook

The best chocolate chip carob cookies EVER. NY Times.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Cookies, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan

You know those cookies…. the ones you grew up eating. Nestle tollhouse, hot-from-the-oven, ooey, gooey circles of perfection? Yeah… the NY Time nailed it in this kicked up VEGAN version. I morphed it so that my chocolate-allergic (I know, smh) husband could eat using carob chips. But how has this recipe eluded me? I feel like I’m a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur. I mean really, who doesn’t love this all-American staple? Well these cookies, needless to say are heaven. I made them huge! Perfect to be used in ice cream (vegan, of course) sandwich. Warmed up with a matcha latte or coffee. Or frozen…. yep! The original genius recipe can be found here. Okay, let’s get started!

Ingredients:

225 grams or 1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour (I highly recommend organic)
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
140 grams or 5 ounces of vegan butter (I used Earth Balance sticks) room temp.
125 grams or 1/2 cup organic sugar
125 grams or 1/2 cup of brown sugar (coconut sugar doesn’t add as much to the flavor as brown does)
1 flax egg (1 tbl flax meal mixed with 2 tbl water -stirred and allow to thicken for 3 minutes or so)
2 tsp of vanilla extract
12 ounces of vegan chocolate chips or carob chips
Maldon flaked salt (I used smoked salt) but this is optional


Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside. Into your stand mixer, cream the room temp butter with both sugars for about 3 minutes. While that’s working, make your flax egg. Then add it to the sugar/butter mixture. Add vanilla. Then add your flour mixture. Blend until JUST combined. Avoid over-mixing. Then add whatever chips (chocolate or carob) to the mixture and blend by hand. I used a large scoop and scoop out each ball of dough, add to your prepared pan. Then I add a pinch of Maldon salt to the top of each one. I gently push the cookies down a bit. Then bake for 15-16 minutes. I prefer a bit underdone but you do you. If making smaller cookies, adjust the time to 8-10 minutes or so.

When the cookies are done baking, remove the sheet pan and allow to cool and firm up for about 4-5 minutes.

Crunchy exterior, chewy interior.
Devour.

Hope you enjoy! ~ox

— Knead to Cook

Nut and Seed Breakfast Cookies. Vegan & GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten Free, Nuts, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free

I’ve been transitioning away from making breads for the weekly snack as the temperatures rise. They always get too moldy too fast with the humidity (despite my a/c running non stop) so I’ve been whipping up some breakfast cookies. I morphed this recipe to work with what I have on hand and what I wanted to use.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
6 tablespoons filtered water
1 cup rolled oats (certified GF and organic is a must)
¾ cup almond flour
1 tbl ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup chopped pecans (whatever nuts you prefer go ahead and use those)
Sesame seeds for the topping
¼ cup of coconut oil (whatever neutral oil you have you should be able to use)
¼ cup smooth peanut or almond butter
⅓ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method:
Prepare the flax egg by mixing the water and ground flax. Allow to thicken for several minutes. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. If you have, use a baking mat on your baking sheet.

Once your flax egg is ready, add to you mixer along with your oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, & baking soda. Blend well. Then add your oil, nut butter, syrup and vanilla. Blend. Finally add your seeds/nuts – omitting sesame seeds as I prefer to use them on top of the cookies.

Using a small or large scoop, scoop out the dough and place on your sheet. I sprinkled the sesame seeds on top. Bake for 24-28 minutes – my cookies are large. If you are making tinier cookies, bake for about 12-14 minutes but check them occasionally. Remove and allow to cool and firm up.

Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Matcha Lemon Muffins. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Easter, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Snacks, Vegan

While surfing for dinner inspiration, I came across this recipe and was ready to dive in. I of course put my own spin on it and used what I had on hand. These came out so beautifully, I mean look at that color! They taste great, super moist… quite lovely with a cup of tea.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour
2 tablespoons of matcha powder (I prefer Encha)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 good pinch of salt (1/4 tsp)
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 container of Culina Bourbon Vanilla yogurt (or 2/3 cup of whatever yogurt you have on hand)
1 cup nut based milk
Juice of one whole lemon
Zest of 1 lemon

Method:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray or line your muffin tin. This recipe made 11 muffins for me.

Into a bowl or stand mixer, add you dry ingredients. Blend well. Then add the remaining wet ingredients. Blend well but be mindful not to over-mix. Add to your muffin tins, 3/4 of the way filled. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

~ox

— Knead to Cook

Chickpea Mushroom Quinoa Skillet Dinner.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Pantry, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

This is simply the fastest dinner you can make especially if you have leftover quinoa on hand. Start to finish you’re done and plating in about 12 minutes. Plus, right now, using pantry ingredients is key!

This recipe is very flexible, add more or less spices if you like. Hot sauce would be a lovely addition, but hey – when isn’t it? Serve it up in bowls with some crusty bread and tuck in!

Ingredients:
1 tbl olive oil
2-3 cups of mushrooms (use what you have on hand), rough chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbl of smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
1 – 14 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 cup of frozen spinach or kale
2 tbl liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 handful or more of roasted cashew nuts

Method:

First prepare your quinoa according to package instructions. I cook mine in my Instant Pot 1 cup quinoa to 1 cup water, cover and cook for 1 minute. Natural release. Set that aside.

Into a skillet add your oil of choice. Once hot, add onions and mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and stir often to avoid burning. Add your spices, stirring often again. After cooking for about 11-12 minutes, add your chickpeas, quinoa and greens of choice. Stir well to combine and then add your liquid aminos. Stir and taste. Adjust spices as needed. Right before serving, add your cashews – mix in and serve piping hot. Enjoy!


— Knead to Cook

Vegan Tuna Salad.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

Last weekend I stumbled upon this vegan tuna in a package. I was intrigued. When I ate meat, I would occasionally crave tuna sandwiches – it was rare as I was never a seafood fan but it was a quirky craving. I picked up the packet and then funny enough I must’ve ordered one (it was different flavor) from Thrive market as well. So today I wanted to share my go-to recipe for how I used to make tuna but now am enjoying using this awesome vegan product instead.

As a side note, I found this on Thrive Market however a local grocery store also had it. I also found it on Amazon here. *This is an affiliate link that provides a small commission.

Ingredients:

1 packet of this vegan tuna
1 tbl vegan mayo
1 tbl Dijon mustard
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup of red onion, finely chopped
2 tbl of pickled jalapenos
4 mini dill pickles or 1 medium, finely chopped
2 tsp smoked paprika
Freshly cracked pepper

Method:

Into a bowl, add your mayo, mustard and avocado. Mash and combine well. Then add your remaining ingredients and mash and blend well. Adjust seasoning as you desire. I did top with red chili flakes but we like spicy!



Serve this on my salad or on a crusty roll that’s been toasted. Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Mixed berry buckle. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cakes, Easter, Vegan, Vegan proteins

The buckle cake is a fun one to make, super easy and you can use fresh or frozen fruit you have on hand. I used a mixed frozen berry mixture I had leftover from Costco. Black and blue berries and strawberries. It’s a good spring or summer dessert and tastes heavenly with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. The term buckle comes from the cake buckling around the fruit as it cooks for a bit of trivia. 🙂

This recipe was inspired by The Full Helping which can be found here.

Ingredients for the Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup oat flour or all purpose flour
1/2 cup of brown or coconut sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tbl of vegan butter, cut in cubes and must be cold

Method:

Into a bowl, add flour through cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Then add your cubed, cold butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or pinching with your fingers quickly. You want to avoid melting the butter. Set that aside in your fridge while you work on the cake batter.

Ingredients for cake/buckle:
3/4 cup of non dairy milk
2 tsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/3 cup of neutral oil – canola, refined coconut oil etc.
1 tbl vanilla extract
1.5 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of brown or coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Zest from one lemon
3 cups of fresh or frozen fruit (if using frozen, run under hot water then allow to drain for 5 minutes) – I only used 2 cups and it needed 3!
Plus 2 tbl flour to toss the fruit in

Method:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and spray a 8×8 pan with some oil. Set aside.

Into a measuring cup, add your non-dairy milk with vinegar or acid of choice. Whisk and allow to sit for a minute to “curdle”. Then add oil and vanilla. Whisk and set aside. Into your stand mixer, paddle attached, add your flour through zest. Blend. Then add your milk/oil mixture slowly and blend to just combine. Take your fully drained frozen or fresh fruit (no draining needed if fresh), toss with a bit of flour to coat. This helps the fruit to suspend in the cake and not sink to the bottom.

Pour your cake batter into your prepared pan. Then with a spoon- add your fruit to the top of the cake. Take your streusel topping from the fridge and spread evenly over the top of the fruit. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove and let cool before serving.

Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Vegan Skillet Sausage Peppers and Roasted Potatoes

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

It’s definitely comfort food time. Once a week I seem to gravitate to making this skillet for dinner. My dad, who lives with us, is not vegan although eats vegan 95% of the time, loves this dish so I indulge. Then the leftovers are repurposed with some Just Egg sheets for an sausage & egg sandwich for breakfast or lunch. It’s also great toss with pasta. Versatility is key. Plus when cleaning out your fridge, its a great way to use up onions and peppers you have on hand.

Let’s get to it!

Ingredients:

1 package of Beyond Meat sausage (I prefer the spicy)
1 to 2 yellow onions roughly chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-3 bell peppers, any colors
1 tablespoons of fennel seeds
3-4 Yukon potatoes, cubed
Olive oil

Method:

First, I begin by roasting my potatoes in a 350 degree oven on a baking sheet. I simply put my potatoes on a baking sheet and spray with olive oil. Toss around and bake until golden brown for about 35-45 minutes – tossing occasionally.


After the potatoes have cooked, remove and set aside. Let the oven on.

Into a cast iron skillet, add your onion and peppers and sauce until cooked down and the onions start to brown. Add your chopped garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Then add you fennel seeds. Cook for another minute or so. Add your sausage, cut however you prefer. Cook until golden over low/medium heat. This normally takes 10-12 minutes, stirring often.


Once cooked through add your potatoes into your skillet and stir well. Place the skillet into your oven for 10 minutes.



Serve immediately & enjoy!



— Knead to Cook