Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Air Fried Crispy Brussel Sprouts. Vegan and Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Air Fried, Appetizers, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations

Hellllllllooooo! Yes, I know. I’ve abandoned my blog. However, as I’ve shared in the past I do have another job (just hit my 1 year anniversary there) and every other week is full-time for me so that leaves me pretty much no spare time for blogging. Now that I’m a bit more into a schedule, I’m committing to blogging every other week a new recipe. Fingers crossed I can maintain that. 🙂

So these… Bill got an air fryer for father’s day and although we’ve been terribly reluctant to purchase another kitchen gadget, this one has been awesome. Its not huge, fits nicely on the counter and we’ve been loving it for tofu and veggies!

This recipe, like most of mine, is super easy and quite flavorful. You can easily bake in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer too.

This is the link for the air fryer we have and recommend.

Ingredients:
1 lb of Brussel sprouts trimmed and halved or quartered if they’re large.
1/4 cup of a good quality aged balsamic vinegar
1 tbl of oil (I used olive oil but any other neutral oil will work)
1 tbl of a quality Dijon mustard
1 tsp of maple syrup

Method:
Into a bowl, whisk your balsamic, oil, Dijon and syrup until blended. Add your trimmed Brussel sprouts and toss to coat. I allowed them to marinade a bit in the sauce for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees. Once ready, spoon the Brussel sprouts out and into the basket. Close and set the timer on the air fryer for 10 minutes. At that point, toss them around, then return for another 8-10 minutes or until crispy and perfect.

If you are baking, add the Brussel sprouts to a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven (375 degrees) for 20-30 minutes, tossing occasionally, and remove when crispy brown edges are evident.

Remove and place on a platter. I drizzled a bit more balsamic over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy and try this recipe out. If you do, please leave a comment/review for me.


— Knead to Cook

Banana-free protein smoothie. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Smoothies, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins

Happy May dear friends. We’re back from Italy and had the best time. Happily also brought oldest home (she was studying abroad this semester). So this momma is happy to have all my chicks under one roof again… especially in the same timezone!

I’ve been working a lot and not blogging at all… sorry for that! I did shoot this smoothie a few weeks ago and neglected to post. I have a lot of people who can’t eat bananas and want a good vegan smoothie. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I am lately.

Ingredients:

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla nut based milk
1/4 cup of water
2-3 cups of organic baby spinach
1 tbl of your favorite nut butter
1 scoop of your favorite plant-based vanilla protein like Vega Sport
1 tbl of chia seeds
1 tbl of raw cacao powder
1/3 cup of crushed ice

Topping:
Cacao nibs
Chia seeds
Hemp hearts
Granola

Into your blender add all of the ingredients (minus toppings). Blend until creamy. Pour into a big glass and top if desired. Enjoy! This smoothie often goes to work with me and fills me for about 4 hours. 🙂


— Knead to Cook

Double chocolate Chobani muffins. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Muffins, Product Review., Quick Bread, Sponsored, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Wheat Free, Yogurt, Your Life Edit Foundations 2 Comments

Hello dear friends! A few years ago, I worked extensively with my favorite yogurt brand, Chobani but then I migrated to my plant-based diet. With that, I moved away from dairy based yogurt and that included Chobani. Well, much to my wonderful surprise, they reached out to me a few weeks ago asking if I would be interested in trying their new plant-based yogurt… ummm hell yes please & thank you! Well it arrived last week, amidst my crazy work schedule, and I couldn’t wait to try it & bake with it.

The yogurt and drinkable yogurts are coconut-based. They aren’t overly sweet yet perfectly balanced. The flavor options are heavenly and seriously, this is the best plant based yogurt I’ve eaten yet! They didn’t disappoint.

So today, being a day off, I jumped at creating a new recipe using their yogurt. First, the flavors are insanely awesome! I’m obsessed. Elated. In love. Smitten. You get the point. Then I baked this recipe up & the muffins are so moist and soft. Packed with healthy goodness. Seriously, these aren’t going to last very long. I hope you get to try these as soon as you locate some vegan Chobani in your area.

Ingredients:
Wet ingredients…
2 flax eggs (2 tbl ground flax meal plus 6 til water – mixed & allowed to sit for 8-10 minutes)
2 medium, spotty bananas
1 container of vanilla Chobani vegan yogurt
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry ingredients…
2 cups of oat flour, gluten free
2 tbl of raw cacao powder
2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)
By hand: Add 1/3 cup or more of vegan chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray your muffin wells or use liners. Into you stand mixer, paddle attached, add your flax eggs, bananas, Chobani yogurt, syrup and extract. Blend well. Then add your oat flour (blend oats in your blender until a flour is achieved), cacao, cinnamon, baking powder, soda and salt. Blend again until incorporated. By hand, blend your chocolate chips. Spoon into your prepared muffin pan. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely for 15 minutes.


Drinkable and conventional dairy free yogurts are brand new from Chobani.


The yogurt I used in this recipe.


Thanks Chobani for sending me this epic care package. I wholeheartedly love this yogurt and plan on enjoying this often. I haven’t found this in any local stores yet but I’m keeping my eyes peeled.

-ox


— Knead to Cook

The BEST Cheesy Tofu Scramble. Vegan and GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Bill & I went to a vegan diner in Philly a few months ago & dubbed their tofu scramble the best we’ve ever eaten… ever!  The Tasty remains one of our favorites to hit up when we have a day off.  Inspired by their tofu scramble, each Sunday, post workout, we would work on perfecting our tofu scramble and this recipe is IT!

I’m so excited to share this very cheesy and delectable scramble with you all.  Warm, satisfying and oh so decadent.  Cannot wait to hear your reviews!  

Ingredients:

One container of sprouted tofu (see the pic of my absolute favorite brand)
Drizzle of olive oil for your pan
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced
1 small jalapeño, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
Chopped tomato (I used 8 cherry tomatoes halved)
2 cups of baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast
1/2 cup of freshly grated Daiya cheddar 

Sauce mixture:
1/2 tsp of Celtic or Himalayan salt
1 tsp of each:  garlic powder, cumin, turmeric and smoked paprika
1/4 tsp of chili powder
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 tbl of water to make the sauce

Topping:
Fresh cilantro

Method:

Add a few drizzles of olive oil to your cast iron pan over medium heat.  Promptly add your onion, jalapeño & bell pepper.  Sauté until softened (about 4 minutes).  Prepare your spices in a bowl and set aside.  

To add your tofu, remove from package and drain.  No need to press it.  Then start to crumble the tofu (see pics below) into the pan.  Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes until the water from the tofu evaporates.  

Take your spice mixture and add water. Whisk until it a sauce-like consistency (thicker) and pour over the tofu.  Stir to combine and allow to cook for another few minutes.  In the meantime, grate your cheese.  Then add that and the nutritional yeast to the pan.  Stir thoroughly.  Add your spinach & tomatoes cook until wilted.  Top with fresh cilantro and promptly devour.  Enjoy!




    — Knead to Cook

    Vegan Eggnog Bread with a Spiced Rum Glaze.

    by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Lucy Let's Go Post, Quick Bread, Snacks, Sponsored, Vegan 12 Comments

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    Eggnog bread was a creation of mine from about 15 years ago-  long before I was plant based or an athlete.  Truth be told, it was my go-to holiday food gift for friends/teachers & neighbors for years.  Everyone I shared it with clamored over the flavor and moist texture of this treat.  Plus, it was a nice disparity from the sea of cookies everyone had in their kitchen.  You can find the original, vegetarian recipe here.

    As time has passed, I’ll admit, I hadn’t made this treat in several years.  Going plant-based, I never quite found an equal counterpart to a traditional eggnog until now.  I’ve tried this recipe with several vegan eggnogs and I found success with most brands.  I’ve suggested the versions below, in the recipe, that worked best in my opinion.  I prefer to make small loaves for gifting.  They are the perfect size and let’s face it, most people are drowning in other holiday sweets & treats.  However, this recipe would work perfectly in a regular size loaf pan.

    This recipe can be subbed out with traditional products like butter and eggnog but I wanted to take a healthier approach as much as possible while keeping with the integrity of my original recipe. I hope you give this recipe a try.  Also perfect on Christmas morning amidst the wrapping paper flying and children giggling for a fun and easy breakfast or brunch idea.

    Happy holidays!

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    — Knead to Cook

    Whole roasted cauliflower. Vegan. GF.

    by Filed Under: Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Potatoes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 2 Comments

    Happy Thursday.  Now my next statement will either evoke one of two responses… I’ll let you guess mine.  It’s snowing outside.  (Insert eye rolling here).  Okay, shaking my dismay and focusing on my to-do list.

    So I’ve been testing out a bunch of new recipes for Thanksgiving dinner. Not only a beautiful presented dish (with minimal effort and clean up).  It’s either the perfect side dish or main attraction depending on your dietary preferences.  It’s flavorful and my current favorite.  I hope you try this one! 

    Ingredients:

    1 larger head of organic cauliflower
    2 tbsp Dijon (I prefer Maille)
    3 tbl of veg broth
    2 tbl water for mixture
    1 tbl oil (I used avocado but olive would work well too) + more for the pan
    1 tsp of smoked paprika
    1 tsp ground cumin
    1/2 tsp garlic powder
    1/2 tsp tumeric powder
    Salt (per your taste) I used two pinches
    I added new potatoes around the cauliflower but large chunks of carrots would be fun too!  Just wash/slice into larger pieces and toss with a bit of oil. Season with salt and pepper and add around the cauliflower (once prepared).

    Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash and trim the leaves off of your cauliflower head.  Be careful not to cut any florets off. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the bottom of your pan or small baking dish (whatever you’re using).  Into a bowl, add the Dijon, 2 tbl water, oil and seasonings to a bowl. Whisk to combine.  Then brush the mixture all over your cauliflower head.  Place your prepared cauliflower into you pan or baking dish.  Pour the 3 til of broth into the bottom of the pan not over the cauliflower so it can steam and cook quicker (Thanks to Minimalist baker for the tip).  Bake for 35-60 minutes or until fork tender.  The cooking time is dependent upon the size of the cauliflower. 


    All my love,

    — Knead to Cook

    Dragonfruit Protein Smoothie. Vegan.

    by Filed Under: Breakfast, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Smoothies, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 2 Comments

    Happy August friends! Yes, I’ve been on a bit of a blogging hiatus lately since starting to work outside the home, taking my oldest back to college and training.  No excuses though, I’m back with a fun summery protein smoothie.  I love protein smoothies post training session or even for dinner with these very hot temperatures lately.  Great way to get your protein and fiber into your diet!  Plus this color?  I love it.  I will admit my smoothies are typically a lovely shade of green/gray due to all the veggies I pack in.  Fear not, these are veggie free but still so good for you.  Shall we get started?
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    — Knead to Cook

    The easiest vegan pesto sauce. Gluten free.

    by Filed Under: Brunch, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Italian-inspired, Party Foods, Raw, Sauces, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

    This recipe is so easy. Pesto is one of our favorite sauces to make because we grow so much basil in our garden.  Pesto is perfect in lieu of marinara sauce on pasta or on pizza crust.  It’s also great on new potatoes in a salad, drizzled on roasted veggies or as a condiment on a sandwich or panini.  So versatile and unbelievably easy to make.

    If you’re new to cooking… try this recipe out.  Seriously.  We also use this as a dip for raw veggies.  Plus with no dairy, it’s a great summer bbq recipe idea.  I can go on and on… but I won’t.  Take the recipe amounts as mere guide.  I typically do handfuls versus cups.  I do want to share this tip before I get into the specific recipe… when using this as a sauce on pasta, reserve some cooking liquid from the noodles.  Once you’ve drained the noodles, add the pesto to toss along with 2-3 tbl of the cooking water to thin the sauce out.  That’s it folk.  Love you, enjoy!

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    — Knead to Cook

    Pumpkin Protein Pancakes. Vegan. Gluten Free.

    by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Lucy Let's Go Post, Vegan, Vegan proteins 7 Comments

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    I know, it’s summer Robin (or almost) but the one ingredient I never stop using is pumpkin! Pumpkin is chock full of vitamins and is very low calorie.  Vitamin A, potassium and antioxidant rich.  Plus vitamin C & fiber which help promote a healthy blood pressure & heart.  So many benefits in this vibrant-colored ingredient.  Plus along with everything else that grows, it has protein.  Protein!  Never has one ingredient been so controversial for people.  If you’re vegan like me – the typical question is… “Where do you get your protein?” to “How much is necessary in a diet?”  At the vegfest this weekend…. this was a very popular question on the panel I was speaking on.

    So how much protein do I need?

    The US Department of Agriculture recommends that all men and women over the age of 19 should get at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (or 0.37 grams per pound). That means a woman who is 130 pounds should get at least 48 grams of protein but some recommend 70-80 grams if you’re athletic.  Depending on your daily activities, you still may not be getting enough to help your muscles recover from your workouts.

    If you get too little protein, you can suffer from fatigue, weakness or muscle loss. Your metabolism slows down and you put yourself at risk of gaining weight. It also weakens your immune system. This breakfast can be made ahead on the weekend so that you can refrigerate or freeze them and defrost as needed.  Plus this makes a perfect quick & healthy breakfast for your kids too.  And let’s face it… homemade trumps store-bought daily.  These are vegan & gluten free.

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    — Knead to Cook

    Green Pea Ricotta Spread on Baguette. V. GF.

    by Filed Under: Appetizers, Brunch, Cheese, Easter, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Holiday, Italian-inspired, Party Foods, Side dish, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 5 Comments

    Green pea ricotta spread.  Vegan.  Gluten free.

    Happy Monday friends.  I hope your mother’s day weekend was incredibly fun, food-filled and joyous.  This weekend we hosted Kira’s friends for her 17th birthday party.  Then after a trip to the gym early Sunday, we went to Philly for brunch and shopping.  It was the best.  My heart was filled along with my stomach.

    I’ve been recreating a bunch of old Lucy Activewear recipes that were lost since they merged with North Face.  This is a big favorite for summer, outdoor dining with friends.  Easy and prep-ahead!  It’s light and filling.  Great appetizer or side for dinner or soup.  Great for parties too!  All of the ingredients can be found at Whole Foods or local specialty food markets.  Vegan and gluten free!

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    — Knead to Cook