Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Crispy & Spicy Tofu. Super Easy.

by Filed Under: Gluten Free, Pasta, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

First, allow me to apologize for the less than perfect images. The day I was shooting the recipe it was very rainy and overcast.

I made this recipe on Thanksgiving night. I’m admittedly not a fan of all the heavy Thanksgiving foods and was craving a big bowl of veggies and some tofu. I didn’t want to marinade it and wanted something I could whip up in just a few minutes. I shared on my Insta stories and everyone went wild. DM’s galore asking for the recipe so here we go!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup or so of vegan cornstarch powder
1/3 cup of chili paste
1/4 cup of liquid aminos
A few splashes of hot sauce
1 tbl of smoked paprika
1 package of extra or super firm tofu
Neutral oil for sautéing

The tofu pictured above has long been my favorite. Seriously no pressing required and it tastes like heaven!

Method:

Remove the tofu from the package and pat dry. Slice into small cubes. Place cubes in a bowl and add your cornstarch. I do this by eye. You want to coat each cube with a thin layer or the cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large bowl add your hot chili sauce, hot sauce and liquid aminos. Whisk to combine. Set that aside.

Place a skillet or fry pan add a tiny bit of olive or avocado oil. Once hot, add your coated tofu cubes to the pan and allow to brown up on each side. Stir often. I normally cook over medium flame.

Once browned up nicely, pour the sauce over the tofu carefully – avoid splashing yourself.

Continue to cook until the sauce is 90% absorbed/reduced.

Remove and serve or refrigerate for up to 4 days. I love this cold in my salads or reheated in my air fryer for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Dill pickle soup. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Holiday, Soups, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free

When I saw my favorite Instagrammer, Erin Ireland, make this soup I knew I had to give it a whirl. It was so good I wanted to share with you all.

I know it may sound super weird… dill pickle soup!?! However it’s a potato base, very thick and creamy with a dill twang. Seriously, it’s everything. I made this soup on Sunday while Sydney was home on fall break. My girls are dill pickle fanatics! She, and her lovely boyfriend, really loved it as my taste testers. Everyone else followed suit. It was a warm and comforting dish all week for dinner. Perfect fall dinner idea.

Ingredients:

1 tbl of vegan butter or olive oil in a large stock pot (use a large pot, I had to change it out mid way through as I needed more space)
1 medium sized onion, diced
4 dill pickles, chopped
4 large white potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup of pickle juice
4 cups of vegetable broth (reserve 1/2 cup to blend with your sour cream)
1 container of Tofutti or vegan sour cream
Fresh dill for garnish
Salt and pepper

Method:

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add your butter or olive oil. Once hot, add your onions and cook for 4-6 minutes until translucent. Then add your remaining ingredients through broth (reserve 1/2 cup to blend in a separate bowl with the sour cream) and bring to a boil. Lower temp, cover and allow to cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. In a separate bowl mix sour cream with broth. Whisk to combine – then add to the soup. Stir. Using a stick immersion blender or an actual blender in batches, blend until creamy. Return to the pot. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with a sprig of fresh dill. Enjoy!

This soup will easily keep in the fridge for 5 days making it a great meal prep idea. Reheats beautifully as well as freezes nicely. I hope you enjoy and if you’re on Instagram check Erin out… she is simply incredible.

— Knead to Cook

Roasted tomato coconut soup. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Gluten Free, Soups, Vegan, Vitamix, Wheat Free

End of season soups are my favorites to make. You can buy so many second-hand veggies, like tomatoes, for relatively little money, and make a great lunch or dinner option for the entire week. I love seconds of tomatoes, they may be bumped and bruised but it doesn’t matter so don’t be afraid!

This recipe is incredibly easy to make and is a wonderful meal-prep dish for your week. Let’s get started…

Ingredients:

5-6 lbs of tomatoes, I used heirlooms and regular beefsteak type of tomatoes, washed and quartered
1 head of garlic, top cut off for roasting (see below)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 bell pepper, (orange or red) washed and sliced
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt
Pepper
Fresh basil (one good handful)
2 stems of fresh fresh thyme leaves – stem removed
1 can of full-fat coconut milk or cream

Method:
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the top of your garlic off to expose the cloves
Cut a slice of foil and place your garlic head in the center.
Drizzle the opening (top) with a 1 tbl of olive oil.
Wrap your garlic bulb loosely. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Remove the foil. To extract the garlic cloves – simply squeeze the bulb from the bottom and the squeeze the cloves out. They will be a soft texture.

Change the oven temp to 350 degrees. Place your tomatoes, onions and bell pepper on your baking sheet. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the tomatoes (2-3 tbl). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 1 hour or until softened and aromatic. Remove and allow to cool a bit so you can handle safely. Then add your tomatoes/juice and onions and peppers to your stock pot or Dutch oven. Add your basil, coconut cream (entire can) and fresh basil.

Bring your ingredients to a simmer over low/medium heat. Then using your blender or hand immersion blender, blend until creamy. If using a blender, work in small batches for safety. Then add your soup back to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve and enjoy! You can easily freeze this soup or refrigerate for 5 days.

— Knead to Cook

Plant based meal prepping.

by Filed Under: Air Fried, Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Chili, Desserts, Gluten Free, Lentils, Nuts, Pantry, Potatoes, Pressure Cooker, Salads, Snacks, Soups, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

Since I’ve been working outside of our home for the past 15 months with a very demanding & crazy schedule – meal prepping has been a saving grace for me.

Meal prepping can be super easy & small or quite elaborate… its simply up to you. We keep ours very basic, but it allows us to throw lunches or dinners together in a snap – especially when you’re starving & can devour everything not nailed down while preparing dinner. Does this sound familiar? Yes, we’ve all done it.

So in this post I’m going to cover quick & easy ideas that will keep you afloat all week long without breaking the budget for time or money. Let’s get started…

The name of the game in our house lately is to use up all of our veggies from our garden that we’ve harvested. This week we’ve been inundated with plenty of tomatoes and green peppers. Being torn between salsa or homemade marinara… Bill voted for sauce. So I roasted all of my tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic to make a marinara that we could use for dinner one night. Click here for one of my roasted tomato sauce recipes. You can easily go this route as well with a tomato soup. Honestly roasting these veggies and blending them down… it’s such a versatile sauce to use for dipping, atop of a vegan meatball hoagie or over zucchini noodles.

I rarely use salt or oil when roasting. Maybe a slight spritz of olive or avocado oil and tons of fresh herbs from the garden are all you need. In the winter, tap into your spice cabinet and experiment.

While roasting that goodness, I will always roast up in my second oven or use your second rack in you oven, potatoes. ALL the potatoes every single week! I always do yams/sweet potatoes and Japanese sweet potatoes (always organic and unpeeled). If you roast other veggies with it, try to keep the baking sheet separated because veggies will cook at varying times. But feel free to roast as many veggies as you can! Here’s one of my favorite recipes. Cold, cooked potatoes are a wonderful prebiotic fiber source. I normally eat them in my salads cold but feel free to warm before serving if you wish. Also fabulous topped with your favorite nut butter as a snack.

So your oven is working away so let’s turn our attention to your stovetop. I’ve gone back to making my grains, mainly rice on the stove top as I cannot get the perfect texture in my instant pot for my long grain brown rice. So I will normally do one or two grains for the week. Quinoa and brown rice. We also use a ton for the dogs so double or triple the recipe if need be. Both serve as a wonderful base to curries, as a side dish, on a salad… whatever! Use the cooking instructions on the package.

Next up super simple overnight oats with chia. Ohhhhhh these are my favorite. They take NO TIME to prep and will stay perfectly in the fridge all week long. I use these jars and love the size/wide mouth opening.

It’s imperative that you buy organic rolled oats. Sadly the glyphosate aka Roundup contamination is a huge issue with grains.

My super simple recipe can be found here for this easy, healthy and delicious breakfast. Add your favorite nut butter, fresh or dried fruit in the morning.

Now for snacking… I always make a treat for the week. It’s healthy and I normally go for something portable like muffins, cookies, baked oatmeal squares etc. I have a ton of super easy recipes that can be found here. This week I was testing out a oat scone recipe I hope to be sharing in the future. Bill and my dad couldn’t get enough!

These were a lemon pistachio version.

Snack ideas are limitless. Here are some of my favorites… bites, muffin, or brownie.

Next up… savory proteins.

So if you’re looking for some meat-free protein options great for reheating or eating cold (like me) in a big bowl of greens – I’ve got some recipes for you. I always prep tofu. Bill and I go through a ton! Here is my favorite recipe which I’ve been cooking in my air fryer. More recipes you can prep ahead can be found here, here and here. My tofu scramble makes a great meal any time!

If you aren’t a tofu fan… here are some other great prep-ahead ideas. This tempeh recipe is one of my favorites. This salad recipe is great on sandwich bread or atop your favorite greens.

This bbq tempeh is so easy!

Soups or stews are another super easy, one pot meal that will serve you well all week. This one pot lentil stew is so good. I just made these lentil sloppy joe’s again and they are perfect on a bun or I add a big scoop to my salad. Or this double protein vegan chili made in your instant pot for the win!

And then finally, once a month I make my own nut butter combo deal. I’ve found it very hard to find organic nut butters that aren’t super spendy so I make my own. One batch lasts us at least a month and the recipe is super flexible.

This is a blend of cashews, almonds and walnuts.

Taking the time to food prep one or two dishes at a minimum helps to make your meals easier all week long. I hope this post helps you gain some helpful tips on meal prepping. Again, it can be a small or grand as you desire. Happy weekend friends!

— Knead to Cook

Super easy pickled red onions and jalapeños.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Condiments, Gluten Free, Salads, Vegan, Wheat Free

Hi friends and happy weekend – well almost! This week’s recipe is a super simple but one that will become a must have for sure. Pickled onions and jalapeños are perfect on your veggie burger, bagels with tofu, grain bowl or big ole salad. It add a punch of tangy flavor and crunch that is unmistakeable. Plus that lovely pink color is perfect! This recipe takes about 4 minutes to make and you can easily double or triple as needed. You can also do carrot chips, garlic cloves, radishes or whatever veg you want with this recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 large red onion, sliced very thin
3 jalapeños, seeded or not – sliced thin
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup of vinegar, white
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 teaspoons of salt
Optional: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes

Method:

Into a saucepan, add your water through salt. Bring to a boil and whisk to combine. Then promptly remove from the heat. Into a large glass Ball or Weck jar – add your onions and jalapeño slices. Carefully, pour the hot brine over the onions to coat. With a spoon push the onions down firmly into the jar (being very careful) and seal. Place the fridge for at least 10-12 hours before eating.

— Knead to Cook

Avocado and Bean Salad. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Beans, Brunch, Gluten Free, Salads, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

Oh kneadtocook.com has been under attack as of lately. Sadly, hacker attempts have been quite plentiful. Hopefully now it’s safe & secure. So on the Monday-est Monday ever – I’m sharing a delicious, and oh-so-easy, recipe that is great all week long for lunch or dinner. I made two batches of this and it lasted us a solid 4 days. Lunch, dinner, snacks… it was perfect! Bill enjoyed it on tortillas. I added it to salads. My dad ate it straight away. It was a great, fiber and protein packed dish!

Let’s get started…

Ingredients:
1 avocado, sliced in cubes
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves removed – washed and coarsely chopped
1 small or 1/2 of a large red onion, diced finely
1 can of beans (pinto, kidney, black… whatever you have on hand)- drained and rinsed well
1 medium to large tomato, chopped
The juice of one lime
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of smoked paprika
Pinch or two of coarse salt
Pepper

Method:

Combine all of your ingredients in a bowl and toss well. Adjust seasoning as needed. Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

Can you believe we are at the end of July? Insane. Here’s to embracing the last days of summer.

~ox

— Knead to Cook

The super easy raw Asian salad. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Asian inspired, Brunch, Fruit, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Salads, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins

This is one of my all-time favorite salads ever. But the trade off is that your kitchen will be quite messy due to the prep work but in the long run… it’s totally worth it! If you prefer, check your local market for sliced/chopped veggies that would make this recipe prep faster/easier.

I’ve been on a mission to eat as many different veggies and fruits in each meal I make. This one is packed with tons of veggies and the flavor – perfection! So less chatting and more sharing… can’t wait to hear what you think! Please leave me a comment if you make this salad. And please know that this dish makes a ton! Perfect for a big family gathering or as a meal prep on the weekend for the week. Please note if you wish to meal prep this salad for the week – prepare and store the dressing in a separate container and dress when needed.

Ingredients:

4 tbl of rice vinegar
4 tbl of liquid aminos or soy sauce
2 tbl of tahini paste
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
1-2 larger mandarin orange segments, peel and set aside
1 larger nub of fresh ginger, peeled and grated finely
1 tsp of chili paste
3 cups of Napa cabbage, finely chopped
3 cups of red cabbage
1 cup of shelled edamame, I used frozen and defrosted
1 bag (about 2 cups) of shredded carrots
1 lb of Brussels Sprouts finely grated or sliced on a mandolin
2 large red bell peppers, sliced into small pieces
1/2 to 1 cup of dry roasted organic peanuts or Marcona almonds
4 green onions, finely chopped
Garnish: 2 tbl black sesame seeds

Method:

Into a very large bowl, add your rice vinegar, aminos, tahini paste & syrup. Whisk to combine. Then add your remaining ingredients. I used a mandolin to slice the cabbages and Brussels sprouts for really thin slices. Toss to coat prior to serving. Enjoy!


This salad is the perfect summer lunch or dinner idea. Again: If you wish, you can always add the dressing ingredients to a Mason jar and keep separate if you aren’t eating that day. Just dress prior to serving. Enjoy!






— Knead to Cook

Banana Blueberry Muffins. Vegan. Gluten free.

by Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday Baking Ideas, Snacks, Vegan, Wheat Free

Being inundated with blueberries this time of year, they inevitably end up in breads, muffins or pancakes. I absolutely love berries and all the fresh fruit. Blueberries are a great source of fiber, vitamins A, C, K1 and manganese. Along with being antioxidant rich, they encompass the following plant compounds:

Not only are they packed with healthy goodness, they are the perfect summer treat! This recipe yielded 13 average-sized muffins.

See recipe below…

Ingredients:

2 large bananas, mashed till creamy
1 flax egg (1 tbl ground flax mixed with 3 tbl water – allow to sit 5 minutes until thickened)
1/3 cup of a neutral oil (avocado, refined coconut etc.)
1/3 cup of a nut based milk
2 heaping cups of oat flour (make sure they are certified organic)
1/4 cup of coconut sugar
1 1/3 tbl of baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup of blueberries (see notes)
1/3 cup of walnut pieces

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line your muffin tins with a liner or spray with oil.

Into a bowl add your bananas and mash until a creamy consistency. Add your flax egg, oil and nut based milk (I used almond and oat and both worked nicely). Mix until incorporated. Then proceed to add your oat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend. Wash your blueberries and toss with a tablespoon of oat flour – this will help suspend the blueberries in the muffins v. having them sink to the bottom. By hand mix and proceed to add the walnut pieces (I normally top each muffin with additional walnut pieces). Spoon into your muffin tins (3/4 of the way full). Bake for 24-28 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool before eating.

Life remains really busy between work, family, home and working out. I’ve been enjoying weightlifting, limiting my cardio and hot power yoga. Although limited in some moves with my knee, I’m embracing all that I can do along with looking inward and challenging myself.

I hope you’re enjoying summer and embracing all the lovely fruits and veggies that come along with the warm weather. Sending you all my love,

— Knead to Cook

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