Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Everything bagel seeded crackers. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brownies, Brunch, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations Leave a Comment

Everything bagel seeded crackers. V. GF.

I’m starting to think that Tuesdays are going to surpass Mondays on the suck factor.  Weird situations keep happening that 1. kill my run times 2. make my daughters cry and 3. make me feel like the worst mom on the planet.

Last Tuesday my youngest stepped off the bus and snapped her ligament that connects her leg to her foot.  We spent all morning at the doc, hospital, X-rays, resting, eating, ice etc.  Thankfully my sweet girl is on the mend and off crutches as of Monday but has a wonderfully bruised foot.  It was my oldest daughter’s turn this week for a rough patch.  Long story short, when she was younger my youngest smacked out about 1/3 rd of her front tooth out and it’s been bonded ever since.  With her moving 10 hours away to attend her university we wanted to get a veneer on that tooth for more stability.  While we await the 2nd attempt at the veneer (the first one the cosmetic dentist was not happy with) her temporary shattered at 1a this morning.  This was the 2nd time in 3 days.  Problem is that our wonderful cosmetic dentist teaches at Penn on Tuesday in Philly and isn’t here.  His assistant was able to help however without pain meds.  My daughter tried to handle the exposed nerve pain but after too long gripping my hand with great force, tears and pain… we found a nearby periodontist to come and administer Novocain. I felt like the worst mom EVER!  Finally repaired and home.  I won’t even get into my orthodontist appointment details and my pain because it doesn’t matter at this point.  My oldest opted to sleep this afternoon and not go to school.  Phew.  Can this day be over, please?

Sorry for the long tirade… I made these crackers yesterday and they came out great!  I wanted to share with you all because I feel like we all need a good cracker in our life.  Great snack with jam, almond butter or hummus.  Super easy to make.  Store perfectly for a week.  I hope you give these a try!

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— Knead to Cook

Best of… Vegan Meats.

by Filed Under: Beans, Best Vegan..., Brunch, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Lentils, Party Foods, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan Burgers, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 9 Comments

Moving on to the Best of… series I thought I would focus on a big one – vegan meats!  There are plenty of options out there and I feel like I’ve tried most (I’m sure I haven’t but…).  I compiled our favorites list and these can be found at most grocery stores and Targets across the country.  One caveat, my favorite – all time best meat alternative however is only found at Whole Foods but it is totally worth the trip to get your hands on their burgers.  More on that below.


Now the big comment every vegan hears from their carnivore counterparts is:  “If you need to find a meat replacement, why don’t you just eat the real deal?”.  Well… because we don’t believe in eating animals.  If there is a plant-based substitute available that is just as tasty, isn’t laden with hormones, blood and who-knows-what binders… why wouldn’t you eat that?  Tirade over. Ha.

Without further adieu… let’s get to the list.
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— Knead to Cook

Almond Walnut Milk and Everything Bagel Pulp Crackers. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Beverages, Breakfast, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 6 Comments

 

Homemade almond walnut milk & everything bagel wet pulp crackers.  Hi my friends!  Okay, so we survived Stella Superstorm/Nor’Easter blah blah blah.  We ended up with about 8 inches of fresh powder with a good inch of ice.  Super fun.  I won’t complain because my entire family was home together with no commitments or jobs on the agenda.  It was heavenly, I won’t lie.

More updates… So after a very thorough investigation/research – my daughter had narrowed her college search/applications down to 10 schools.  She has finally signed on the dotted line and is committed to university!  So excited.  So yesterday we did all things registration/booking dates for meeting her counselor and registering for classes, booking orientation week, ranking dorms, doing her school ID, choosing her meal plan & she actually has found her roommate.  We also got her bedding etc. last weekend.  What the what?  We’ve gone from zero to finished in a hot second.  Phew!

So I stocked up on all my nuts last week and figured I would make some milk over the weekend.  I wanted to do a combination of walnuts and almonds with cinnamon.  It came out great and I made crackers with the residual pulp (sans dehydration). No waste and lots of goodness.

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— Knead to Cook

Best of… vegan snacking.

by Filed Under: Best Vegan..., Breakfast, Brunch, Candy, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Ice cream, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Vegan, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

This week’s best of series focuses on all things vegan snacking.

So when I say vegan snacking, I wanted to share the best of great snack ideas not genetically modified *clears throat* crap that coincidentally is vegan like Oreos.  I wanted real, vegan and gluten free snacking.  I wanted to cover chips to ice cream and everything in between so everyone from sweet to salty palates are covered.

As clean as your eating is, it’s important to build in treats or desserts into your diet. Balance is key.  I shared favorites that are all gluten free and vegan.  Easily found at Whole Foods or your favorite markets (or online).  This is just a list of my top favorites and honestly the list could go on & on if you let me.

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— Knead to Cook

Chocolate Ricotta Mousse. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Party Foods, Raw, Running/Races, Snacks, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free 1 Comment

Chocolate ricotta mousse (vegan and gluten free).  Sharing one more decadent, super easy, recipe to prepare for Valentine’s Day tomorrow.


I’ll admit, I normally don’t get wrapped up in all the to-do surrounding Valentine’s Day. I’m more of a practical mind & we just wrapped up Christmas gift-giving, right?  Plus my focus has been hard and fast surrounding my oldest, who turns 18 this week, university decisions and all that.  How did I ever get this old so quickly? Ha.

I do normally get tiny, albeit thoughtful, presents for my girls and my husband.  I found these super cute felt envelopes at Target and instantly was smitten.


I filled them with fun little goodies from lip gloss, vegan chocolates etc.  I did buy several things for my husband but I can’t share quite yet as he reads my posts.  But today, I also picked up some of his favorite snack items (think nut/berry/seed blends to snack on, seaweed wasabi strips etc. and a cute Valentine to leave in his car tomorrow morning for his drive to work.  I like the thoughtful little presents that spread love.

As for dinner… I don’t really like going out to restaurants that aren’t vegan.  PLUS going out on the busiest day of the year – getting less than adequate service, being overcrowded and sub-par food isn’t our style.  SO… I’ll be cooking at home for my entire family. Not sure of the menu yet.  May go super cheesy and make heart-shaped pizzas or some other themed dinner.  Who knows.  But this will be on the dessert menu for sure.  I whipped this up on Saturday to test it out and my daughters couldn’t wait to dive in.  They both loved it.  It reminds me of a cannoli cream filling… & we all know that can’t be a bad thing.  Totally vegan and gluten free.  I was happy I special ordered a case of this vegan ricotta from a local market.  Toppings are optional.  Enjoy!
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— Knead to Cook

Almond cutout cookies. V. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gift ideas, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holiday Baking Ideas, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Snacks, Valentine's Day, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Almond cutout cookies that are vegan, gluten free and oh so delicious.  Looking for some simple Valentine’s Day treat to share with your Galentine? Valentine?  Or some special people in your life?  These are perfect!  You can get fancy and cut the dough out into BIG or little hearts, I didn’t use a cookie cutter just my knife, or roll into traditional rounds.  Top with melted chocolate or icing and sprinkles or leave plain. These cookies are my new favorite!

This recipe is inspired by Marco Borges.  Refined sugar-free.  Really simple to make and totally kid-friendly. Would be fun with some red or pink (even a few drops of beet juice for natural coloring) to make pink!  These cookies will replace the old butter cookie recipe ANNNNND won’t blow your gym efforts.  1 cookie is around 60-70 calories and has 2 grams of protein!

Okay without further adieu… let’s get started!
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— Knead to Cook

Vegan nachos. GF.

by Filed Under: 4th of July/Patriotic, Brunch, Dips, Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Holiday, Mexican, Party Foods, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free Leave a Comment

Vegan & gluten free nachos.  My final recipe in my week long vegan Super Bowl party food fest.  I wanted to share several plant-based football watching foods that were easy to prepare for hosting or taking to a party.  This is quintessential football food for sure.

This recipe is super flexible, allowing you to add or remove whatever you have on hand or prefer.  Add beans in lieu of the meatless crumbles, mix up the vegan cheese, add pickled jalapeños for extra spice.  Also top with salsa, hot sauce or guac for extra food fun.  The other wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can make a small or large tray depending on the amount of food you need.  You simply cannot go wrong with this dish.

My recipe gives you what I used along with substitution ideas.  I hope you enjoy!
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— Knead to Cook

Vegan Queso Dip. GF.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Brunch, Cheese, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Mexican, Nuts, Party Foods, Raw, Running/Races, Side dish, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Vitamix, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 9 Comments

Vegan queso dip.  Are you planning your menu for your Super Bowl party?  Or you attending a party & need a recipe to take with you?  We will having an intimate little party with lots of yummy food – just the way I like it.  This week I’m sharing recipes for the big day that won’t blow your fitness/healthy eating.  My recipes are all super easy and most of the time with ingredients you have stocked in your pantry.  This recipe is everything.

When you migrate over to a plant-based diet, the main thing I struggled with was the lack of cheese.  I’m not a dairy/milk fan, could care less about missing bacon or hamburgers but cheese?  Yes!  I missed it.  Thankfully nowadays there are so many incredible nut-based cheeses to curb the cravings.  This dip is a spin on a classic party dish – queso dip. This dip can be incorporated into a 7 layer dip or like this, served straight up with veggies, lentil or tortilla chips.  It has a lovely smokiness & a bit of spicy kick.  Perfect paired with a cold beer for football viewing!
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— Knead to Cook

Buffalo Tofu Bites. Vegan. GF. Valentine Giveaway.

by Filed Under: Giveaway!!!, Gluten Free, Party Foods, Running/Races, Snacks, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 27 Comments

Buffalo tofu bites.  What? Yes, the vegan version of Buffalo wings.  The Super Bowl is this Sunday and this week I’ll be sharing some football/tailgating/party foods with you all.  If you’re hosting, attending a party or having an intimate little football party – having some festive, yes festive food, always makes the game better, right?  I mean seriously, unless your team is in the Super Bowl, sadly my team is not, the game is all about the commercials and overeating all the food.  Period.  End of story.  So plant-based people of the world do like to partake in the bar-inspired snacks/appetizers and football menu items.  We don’t always eat salads but we do always eat tofu – HA!

These bites are super easy to prep.  Even my meat-loving peeps love these and let’s face it… they aren’t artery clogging and gut busting like their carnivore counterpart.  The tofu can be pressed and cooked up easily earlier in the day with the sauce made right before you serve.  Toss the bites and sauce in the pan to warm and you are good to go!  So let’s get started.
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— Knead to Cook

Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Vegan. GF.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Desserts, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Holiday, Nuts, Party Foods, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 8 Comments

   

Chocolate chunk cookies hot from the oven. Vegan & gluten free.

This recipe was adapted from Oh She Glow‘s one bowl chocolate chunk cookies.  I revamped this recipe to prep all in a food processor and with less ingredients/sugars.  I’ve been making these cookies for what seems to be FORever!  My girls drool over these when they’re in the oven & safely assume that they don’t last very long on the counter.  I also adapted these sans chocolate chunk so that my husband, who is allergic to chocolate, can enjoy as well.  Both versions work perfectly.

This week I’ll be sharing a recipe a day for your super bowl party this weekend.  All will be vegan and gluten free but oh-so-delectable that none of your guests will know.  I’m all about healthy options that don’t look like celery sticks and throw everyone into a tizzy.  Super Bowl parties are supposed to be filled with stick to your ribs kinda food… my food line-up this week promises to do just that!

So no time to waste… let’s get this week started!
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— Knead to Cook