soy free – The Vegan Love Project

Amazing Lentil Chili

Amazing Lentil Chili

This simple bowl of yum is packed with protein, fiber, and flavor. With or without the Vegan ground beef, this chili is a winner. The vegan ground beef by Beyond Meat is gluten free and soy free! I topped this with Field Roasts’Chao Cheese and it is just awesome.

2c-cooked lentils, drained

1c-filtered water

1c tomato puree

½c chopped tomato, medium dice (about 1 medium tomato)

1 red bell pepper, medium dice

2t cumin

1-2t smoked chipotle powder (more or less for heat)

1t chili powder

1t turmeric

1t pink salt or to taste

2t coconut sugar

2-3T coconut or olive oil

1c gluten free, soy free vegan ground beef *optional

Fresh parsley, cilantro or both, minced

In a large pot, over medium-high heat, sauté the chopped onions in oil for about 5 to 7 minutes, or just until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder, turmeric, coconut sugar and salt. Stir well to incorporate the spices into the vegetables and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the lentils, water and tomato puree. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, slowly reducing the liquid content and thickening up to a stew like consistency.

In the last 3 minutes of cooking add the vegan beef and any fresh herbs. Remove from the heat and cover. Let stand for 3-5 minutes prior to serving. Adjust seasonings.

Serve topped with vegan cheese, nutritional yeast and a simple salad.

*chao chili pic — I used the Original flavor of Chao Cheese made by FieldRoast…YUM!

Plain Sour Cashew Cream

Ummmmmm. It’s Sour Cream. SOUR CREAM. Just made out of cashews…not animal milk.

This. Makes me. Happy.I just had my hands on junky store bought vegan sour cream that was filled with crap. THIS..is not.

Hello Onion Dip, baked potatoes, plain yogurt, you get where I’m going….. Oh. And its RAW and filled with pro-biotics.

Plain Sour Cashew Cream

1c cashews, soaked for an hour (this step can be skipped)

5 capsules vegan probiotics (empty powder and dispose of the capsule) or 1t powder

3/4 +up to 3T filtered water

—

1/2t pink salt

1T lemon juice (omit if fresh is not available)

—

Step 1.

In a Vitamix or high-powered blender, add the cashews (drained if soaked), the probiotic powder, water.

Blend this at a lower speed initially to well incorporate the contents, speed up the motor as it gets blended. You will need to process this for at least 3-5 minutes until the cashews are absolutely creamy. Scrape down the sides intermittently and be sure to get all possible ‘pieces’ of cashews blended into the mix. Add a T of water as needed if the mixture gets stuck or if the mixture seems to thick. If you run this too fast, the contents will heat up, creating an oily mixture.

When totally creamy and smooth, remove to a glass or stainless steel bowl and set in a safe, warm place- I place mine in the dehydrator at about 100 degrees and let it run overnight. You could also in lieu of a dehydrator, place it in a warm spot in your kitchen, covered. Leave this overnight or for 24hours.

Step 2.

Mix in the salt and lemon juice. Transfer to a container and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours to set, best, overnight. If this set up thicker than desired, add a little bit of water to loosen it up to the desired consistency.

Perfect Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

This pie is DELICIOUS. I mean, seriously good. Serve it up with some Coconut Whipped Topping or a side of vegan vanilla ice cream…..I love love love this pie. Happy Holidays!!!!

Perfect Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie

The Filling:

1 1/3c pumpkin puree (1 15-ounce can or cooked pumpkin puree)

1/4c maple syrup

1/4c maple sugar

1/2c unsweetened cashew cream (1/4c cashews/ 1c water blended)

1T coconut oil

2t pumpkin spice (or choose a mix of allspice, clove, ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg)

2T Kudzu root (blended in the cashew milk)

2”piece of fresh ginger

1/2″ piece of fresh turmeric

1T fresh lemon juice (omit if fresh is not available)

1/4t pink salt

1t vanilla

—

The Crust:

3T cold vegan butter

3T cold coconut oil

1-1/4c Bobs Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour, or your favorite GF mix.

1/4t pink salt

3T maple sugar

4-6T ice cold water

Prepare the Pie Crust:

You can make both the filling and the crust ahead of time- the crust you can make a day or two in advance and keep in the fridge. If you are preparing in one day, make the crust, chill it and then prepare the filling. Your dough should be ready to roll out after about 30 minutes in the fridge.

Sift the GF flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter and oil in 1T scoops and cut the oil into the flour using two knives or a pastry cutter. The end result should look like a sandy crumb or meal. There should not be any large chunks of oil; you want smallish bead sized bits of fat encased in the flour.

Add ice water 1T at a time using a wooden spoon to mix it in, grabbing the flour as you go. Only add as much water as you need to help it come together to form a ball.

Once a loose ball of dough is formed, transfer onto a piece of plastic wrap and work gently with your hands to form a ½” thick round. Wrap firmly and chill for a minimum 20 minutes, you can prepare and store for up to 2 days. Let it warm back up a little before using but not quite to room temp. You don’t want it too warm or it can get too soft to handle.

I uniformly press the hell out of it into the pie plate and then let it set for 10 minutes prior to filling.

Prepare the filling:

In a blender or vitamix, make the cashew cream (1c water/ 1/4c cashews) and pour 1/2c of the cream into a small glass.

Add the kudzu root and mix with a spoon until most of the root is dissolved. Add this into the blender with the rest of the ingredients.

In the same blender, add the all of the ingredients including the kudzu cashew cream slurry. Blend until completely smooth and creamy- taste it and adjust the flavors (more vanilla, more sweet, more ginger, more spice etc.). Set aside and roll out your dough.

To roll out the crust, unwrap the disc and place it between two sizable layers of wax paper (plastic wrap will work OK, but is a little more difficult to work with). Use a rolling pin to gently roll it into the shape of your pie pan. It will crack, don’t worry, you will mostly be pressing this into the pie plate with your hands- you just want to get the dough as thin as possible before hand. Any holes or cracks you can patch with no problem.

To transfer the crust, remove the top layer of wax paper and gently lay the pie dish face down on top of the crust and use the support of the wax paper to quickly but carefully flip it as center as possible over the pie pan.

Once in the pan, gently use your hands to form it into the pan, working the crust up along the sides. Try to get the pie up as uniformly as possible all around. You can leave a straight no fuss edge or I like to make a curve design by pressing my right knuckle in between the pie dough and my left pointer finger knuckle and thumb.

Pour the filling into piecrust and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until it smells and looks done. The crust should be golden brown and the filling will still be just a bit soft and have beautiful cracking on the top. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator to set. Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.

Blood Orange Creamsicle Power Smoothie

This is an amazing recovery smoothie- reminiscent of an Orange Julius (remember those???) but filled with omega 3’s and healthy fats and proteins.

Blood Orange Creamsicle Power Smoothie

1c nut milk- cashew or almond

1T hemp seeds

2 small blood oranges, peeled and quartered

2t raw agave or raw local honey

1T coconut manna

1T flax seeds

1t vanilla

1 scoop protein powder

___

1c ice

Blend all ingredients and process until smooth- taste and adjust if needed.

Add the ice and blend just until smooth.

Curried Ginger Squash Soup

Curried Ginger Squash Soup

1 small onion, minced

2T olive oil

2c sweet squash, roasted or steamed- cooked

2T maple syrup, agave, sucanat

2t curry powder

1/4t turmeric

4c hot water or veggie broth

1 veggie bouillon

3t fresh ginger, grated

1/4t cayenne or fresh hot pepper

1/4t salt

3/4c cashew milk *opt

Bring 4c of water to a boil.

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions with the sweetener until golden and soft. Add the cooked squash, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, salt, black and red pepper. Continue to sauté until the squash, onions, and spices meld, stirring often. Add the boiling water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

In batches, in a blender or vitamix*, puree the soup with the cashew milk. At this point, the soup is delicious without the cashew milk but the crème can be added to create a wonderfully elegant soup. Adjust the seasonings again after adding the crème.

*Caution: blending hot liquids can be extremely dangerous. Fill the blender only half way and proceed in batches if necessary.

Coconut Cream Maca Cacao Nib Chip Power Smoothie

Coconut Cream Maca Cacao Nib Chip Power Smoothie

1c almond or cashew nut milk

1T hemp seed

2t raw agave or raw local honey

1T raw Coconut Manna

1T Maca powder

2T cacao nibs

1T chia seeds

1t vanilla

1scoop protein powder

—

1c ice

Blend all ingredients together except the ice and process until smooth- taste and adjust if needed

Add the ice and blend just until smooth.

Sunshine Burgers

These are delicious, they just are….whether you keep them almost raw (the only cooked ingredient is organic brown rice) and stuff it into lettuce leaves or it is perfect inside a bun, pita or bread of your choosing baked, pan fried or toasted. Today I made this lightly pan fried, just to get a crust on the patty and to warm it through, and ate it on gluten free rice bread. I topped it with all of my favorite fixings; organic green leaf lettuce, avocado, vegan mayo, ketchup and mustard…..RIDICULOUSLY MESSY AND DELICIOUS……I ate it accompanied by one of my very own fermented sour dill pickles and a Steel Rail Beer….I did not want for anything.

Sunshine Burgers

Almost raw, wheat-free, gluten free

2c cooked brown rice (cooled or even cold)

2c sunflower seeds (raw, soaked and sprouted, can also use 1c of another sprouted seed like pumpkin)

1 small onion, rough chopped

1 large carrot rough chopped

1-2 stalks celery rough chopped

1/4 bunch parsley rough chopped

2 leaves kale or handful baby spinach

2T raw tahini

1T mello miso

1t chipolte powder

1t cumin

1/2t himalayan sea salt

*I have also used left over pulp from my savory green juices in place of new veggies VEGGIE JUICE PULP (KALE, CELERY, CARROT, GINGER, CUCUMBER, PARSLEY, LEMON, RED PEPPER!) Comes out delicious…

Process the seeds with the brown rice in a food processor until a meal forms. Add the other ingredients and process until a thick mixture is formed- if it is too wet, add more seeds or rice. Taste this and adjust your spices and seasonings- keep in mind that if you dehydrate, flavors will intensify somewhat so easy on the salt.

Form into patties- I dehydrate mine for 2 hours or so but you can coat them in a dusting of rice flour and then pan fry them or you can bake them until they dry out a bit.

Can be baked, pan fried, or eaten AS IS. I make a large batch and freeze them- then pull out as needed and decide how I would like it prepared!

I LOVE these. You can play with the flavors, spices etc…southwestern, mexican, spicy, mellow etc…

Basic Awesome Nut Milk

Since learning about nut milks, I have not puchased a box of soy, almond or rice milk- or any other milk for that matter since. I use it almost every day for making sweet breads, smoothies, creaming up soups, adding to gravies- you name it. The even MORE basic version is nuts and water in the blender- that’s it. In a pinch you can even use a nut butter and water and blend-and there you have it, milk. With these slightly flavored versions, they are delicious on their own or for use in cereals and shakes.

Basic Awesome Nut Milk

Almond:

1c almonds- soaked overnight

4c water

1T coconut oil/butter

2T raw agave

2t vanilla

pinch Himalayan sea salt………

Cashew:

3/4c raw cashews

4c water

1T raw agave

pinch Himalayan sea salt………

Use for smoothie bases, cereals, or drink as is. You can also add fresh fruit; strawberries, blueberries, cacao to flavor the milks….

SUPER FRICKEN YUM