Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

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

Whole Wheat Carob Chip Cookies. Vegan.

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

My friend was sharing a recipe with me and it turns out it is from one of my favorites Cookie and Kate (here is the original recipe). I modified it a bit and they came out perfectly! Plus using carob chips made this allergy-friendly for my sweet hubby who is allergic to chocolate! However, this recipe would clearly work beautifully with whatever chocolate chips you have on hand. They are the perfect soft and gooey on the inside, crunchy on the outside cookie. Heaven! Okay, less talking and more baking! Let’s go!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose (try to buy organic whenever possible for your flours)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tsp of course sea salt
1.5 cups of carob chips
3/4 cup organic white sugar
1/2 cup of coconut or brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tbl of walnut oil (you can use coconut as well)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbl of water
Optional: top with sea salt before baking

Method:

Into a stand mixer, paddle attached, add your flours, baking powder and soda and salt. Blend to combine. Then add the remaining ingredients – I hold off and add the carob chips last. Blend until just incorporated.

Scoop onto a prepared cookie sheet (lined with a silpat liner) and freeze for about 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and once the cookies are chilled, bake for 16 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Enjoy! ~ox

— Knead to Cook

Balsamic Kale and Tomato Pasta

by Filed Under: Beans, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Pantry, Pasta, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

This week I’ve been working more days, still restricted hours, but early- I mean EARLY mornings. I’m running on fumes at this point and I needed a quick and easy dinner. This came together in under 15 minutes flat, protein and fiber packed…. and oh so good!

Ingredients:

1 box of lentil pasta (I used fusilli but any short pasta will work)
5-7 cloves of garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbl of dried Italian seasoning OR I used a palmful of fresh oregano and thyme leaves roughly chopped
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup of good balsamic vinegar
1 cup of frozen spinach or kale
Red pepper flakes

Method:

Cook the pasta according to package directions in salty water. Drain and set aside.

Into a skillet, add a glug or two of olive oil and get that heated up. Add garlic and the herbs. Stir often and cook for 2 minutes or so. Add tomatoes, greens and vinegar. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add drained pasta. Stir to coat and reheat the noodles. I added a pinch of red pepper flakes but that’s optional. Fresh basil would also be perfection. Serve with a nice crusty bread.

Options: If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, sun-dried would be lovely.
You can use regular pasta and add 1 can of cannelloni beans for protein/fiber.
Artichokes (jarred or canned) would also be lovely in this dish.
Cooked mushrooms would be great!
Use what you have on hand and roasted leftover veggies would be a great addition.

~ox

— 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

Mexican Instant Pot Black Lentils. Vegan.

by Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Lentils, Mexican, Pressure Cooker, Side dish, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free

Since I received a preview copy of my friend’s first book, Fiber Fueled, I’ve become very conscious of eating way more fiber in each meal. Lentils are, of course, the king of the fiber world so I thought it was fitting to share my lunch today considering tomorrow is the epic Taco Tuesday with Cinco De Mayo on the same day! These lentils can easily be a replacement for you taco “meat” or a lovely addition to your taco bar.

These lentils are super easy to make in your instant pot and store beautifully in your fridge all week. I love to add leftover lentils to my salads or tofu scramble. Okay so let’s get started!

Ingredients:

1 cup of Beluga black lentils (green or brown would work)
1.75 cups of water
Pinch of salt
1 tbl of ground cumin
1 tbl of smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp of chili powder
Lime juice from one lime

Method:

Add all of your ingredients to your Instant Pot insert and swirl around to mix. Set the manual timer for 6 minutes allowing it to release pressure naturally. Once its done, stir and adjust your seasoning per your taste and add your citrus juice. I added additional salt.

Endless ways of using these lentils. I added to Romaine boats and made tacos that way. You can use as a protein for your salad. Add these to nachos.

Hope you love these as much as I do!
~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

One bowl vegan whole wheat banana bread.

by Filed Under: Breads, Brunch, Quick Bread, Snacks, Vegan

I have an abundance of bananas in my house since quarantining. They are our go-to’s and we’ve been hoarding while others hoard toilet paper. So my weekly treats always have some bananas in them. Today, I morphed this recipe into a vegan and to work what I had on hand. It came out perfectly so I wanted to share. Would be lovely with some chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts. Because my husband is allergic to chocolate I omitted it.

Ingredients:

3 tbl flax meal
5 tbl of water
2 large, overripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/3 cup of melted coconut oil (I used refined)
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of coconut sugar
1/4 cup of nut based milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbl of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
Optional: 1/3 cup of nuts or chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Spray your loaf pan with oil and set aside.

Into you stand mixer, add your flax and water. Mix to combine and allow to thicken for about 5 minutes. Then proceed to add the remaining ingredients in order from wet to dry. Blend until just combined. If adding mix-in’s … blend by hand. Pour your batter into your prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Sending all my love, ~ox

— Knead to Cook