Sour Cream Frosting
This frosting goes perfect with Vegan Carrot Cake but could be folded into a fruit salad. Leave the lemon out for a delicious “whip cream” for Vegan Pumpkin Pie.
1 cup light colored sweet potato (not orange “yam”)
15 small pitted dates soaked in ¾ cup water
1/4 cup raw cashews
Juice from 1 lemon (add zest if you like more lemon flavor)
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Use just enough water to make it a thick cream. You will need more water is using pecans.
Vegan Carrot Cake
“This is the best Carrot Cake I’ve ever had” was one dinner class participants comment. This cake is moist and very decadent with no oils, processed sugar and it’s gluten free if using gluten free oats.
1 cup pitted dates soaked in 1/2 cup water for at least 4 hours
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 ½ t baking soda
1/4 cup grated apple (about 1/2 apple, any variety)
1 packed cup finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
Add nuts, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda to a food processor work bowl. Chop until coarsely ground and mixed well. Add dates and soak water, vanilla and vinegar. Process to a thick dough. You may need to help it along with a fork. Then add in shredded apple, carrots, and raisins and mix to incorporate evenly. Alternatively, transfer dough to a large mixing bowl before adding carrots and fruit and mix them in with a fork. Spread dough in an 8×8 cake pan and baked at 350 for 20 minutes. Spread with Sour Cream Frosting or add dollop when served. .
Cauliflower Soup w/ Rice
This is creamy, comforting, and so satisfying! This recipe has saved me on my year-long elimination diet.
1 yellow sweet potato yielding 1 cup cooked
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium carrots, chopped
Florets from one medium head cauliflower
1 1/2 t marjoram
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper
Cooked brown rice or other grain*
Bake sweet potato in 350-degree oven until soft, about 2 hours. Higher temp is shorter time is needed.
Sauté onion in dry soup pot over medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add garlic and sauté one more minute.
Add about 4 cups water and loosen browning off bottom of pan. Add celery, carrots, then lay cauliflower florets over the top so they can easily be scooped out. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium, cover, and cook until cauliflower is tender.
Scoop out cooked cauliflower and place in a blender jar and blend until smooth. Add cooked sweet potato and blend. Stir in blender contents into soup pot along with marjoram and mix well. Heat for 5 minutes. Mix in cooked brown rice or other grain. Salt and pepper to taste.
*I love a combination of cooked quinoa and cook buckwheat. Boil 2 cups water, add 1 cup quinoa and ½ cup buckwheat. Lower heat to low, cover, and cook until tender, about 10 – 15 minutes.
Lemon Drop Truffles
25 small pitted dates
1 cup raw pecans or walnuts
1 cup rolled oats
Lemon zest from 1 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
Grand all ingredients, except coconut, in a food processor until they become sticky and hold together. Scoop out 1 tablespoon and roll into a ball. Then roll in the shredded coconut. Best frozen and then slightly thawed before eating.
Sesame Parmesan
1 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Toast seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Process all ingredients in a coffee grinder or blender until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.
This recipe is from a great little cookbook entitled “Of These Ye May Freely Eat” by JoAnn Rachor. See her YouTube channel here for some great cooking videos.
Eggplant Roll-Ups
Even meat-eaters will devour these comforting Eggplant Roll-Ups. Using thinly sliced eggplant instead of noodles is a great way to get this nutrient-dense vegetable into your diet.
2 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp Italian style seasoning
3 Tbsp Sesame Parmesan seasoning
2 Tbsp nutrition yeast flakes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
14 oz firm tofu pressed and crumbled
10 ounces baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped olives
1 large jar of oil free pasta sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange eggplant in a single layer on cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a second baking sheet or aluminum foil. Bake about 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 5 – 10 minutes to brown and become flexible enough to easily roll.*
While eggplant is cooking, sauté bell pepper, onion, garlic and mushrooms until tender. Add seasonings, tofu and spinach. Mix well and cover until spinach is wilted. Add 1/2 cup pasta sauce and salt to taste. Mix well. Lightly cover bottom of pan with pasta sauce. Place 1/4 cup of the vegetable filling on each eggplant slice, roll and place in a baking dish. Top with pasta sauce and olives. Bake 20 minutes.
*Baked eggplant slices are delicious with hummus spread on them and rolled up. See my Whole Food Hummus recipe found here.
Vegan French Onion Dip
This vegan French onion dip goes perfectly with crackers or vegetables! Made with cashews, sunflower seeds and white beans as your base, this dip is a healthy, high-fiber super-star that is simple and delicious! This recipe is in my cookbook Whole Food American Favorites.
1/2 cup each: raw sunflower seeds and
cashews soaked in 1 cup water for 1 hour
1 cup cooked navy beans (or great northern)
1 t garlic granules
2 T onion granules
3 T lemon juice
3 T apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced (use some of the green)
3 small pitted dates
Fresh dill or other fresh herb of choice
Chives for garnish
Sea salt
Puree all ingredients in a strong blender until smooth. Add in fresh dill or other fresh herbs, green onions, or chives. Salt to taste. Great with fresh-cut vegetables.
Better Than Meat Loaf
This recipe is from my cookbook Whole Food American Favorites.
1/2 cup dry green lentils
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms, cremini or white button
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 T dried oregano
1/2 t pepper
2 cups cooked kidney beans
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, raw
1 cup Blender BBQ Sauce (Page 98 in Whole Food American Favorites)
Boil 1 1/4 cups water. Add lentils, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until tender. Add more water if needed. Sauté onion, mushrooms, garlic, carrot, and celery until tender. Add herbs and pepper. Cook 3 – 4 minutes. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add cooked lentils, kidney beans, oats, nuts, and BBQ sauce. Using a pastry cutter, mash all ingredients together until they become sticky. Don’t mash too much. You want to leave a little texture. Transfer to a loaf pan. Top with more BBQ sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.
Gingerbread Man Cookies
A strong blender such as a Vita Mix or BlendTec, or a strong food processor such as a Kitchen Aid or Cuisinart, is necessary for this recipe.
25 small pitted dates
2 1/4 cups white wheat flour, sifted
2 t baking powder
1/4 t sea salt
1 1/2 t powdered ginger
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1/3 cup molasses
1 cup raw cashews
1 t vanilla
Soak dates in 1/2 cup water for at least 4 hours. Mix sifted flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Blend dates and water with remaining ingredients in a strong blender or food processor until smooth. Add to dry ingredients. Mix well and knead until you have a smooth ball of dough. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for several hours until chilled. (This step makes rolling out much easier.) Divide dough in half and roll one half between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a gingerbread man cookie cutter and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Brussels Sprouts w/ Avocado Garbanzo Dip
Avocado Garbanzo Dip
I could have this as a meal all by itself! It’s a great way to get that pound of veggies in.
1 large avocado
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1 T nutritional yeast
1/2 t onion powder
Salt to taste
Blend all ingredients in a food processor until creamy. Serve with steamed or roasted Brussel sprout halves, broccoli or cauliflower.
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