Tag Archives: #plantbasedrecipes

SUMMER VEGETABLE QUINOA DISH (vegan & gluten-free)

Lately I’ve just been wanting easy warming dishes that with fresh vegetables, flavor, and protein, and this is a 20 minute meal. This summer, I’ve been using marinated artichokes as an easy way to flavor pasta dishes and quinoa bowls. Although I’ve tried many different brands, I love the grilled marinated artichokes from Trader Joe’s. The marinated artichokes serve as an easy dressing for the dish.

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Summer Vegetable Quinoa Bowl (vegan & gluten-free)

  • Servings: 4 serving
  • Difficulty: easy
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20 minute meal full of fresh summer ingredients including asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, artichokes, and chickpeas.

Credit: My Real Dish

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 bunch asparagus (17 Spears)
  • 12 oz jar of marinated artichokes
  • 1 zucchini 
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon Redmond Real Salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups vegetable stock (gluten-free)


Directions

  1. Prepare 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups vegetable stock per directions on the bag.
  2. Drain the chickpeas and rinse until water runs clear.
  3. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Clean the vegetables using cold water and a vegetable cleaner (I like Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray and Thieves Fruit & Veggie Soak).
  4. Dice the shallot, chop yellow bell pepper, chop the asparagus, slice the zucchini, and mince the garlic.
  5. Heat the olive oil on medium heat, sauté shallot and garlic until almost translucent (~2 minutes). Add zucchini, asparagus and bell pepper, chickpeas, basil, add salt and pepper and sauté until vegetables are almost slightly tender (~6 minutes).
  6. Tun heat to low, add can of tomatoes and add jar of marinated artichokes and simmer for ~2 minutes.
  7. Fold in quinoa and remove from heat. Serve warm.

asparagus quinoa half dish

susanellenlogoweb

Fennel and Pear Tofu Scramble (Vegan & Gluten Free)

This is my fourth dish in my tofu scramble series. I like pushing flavor combinations; throwing things together that I would never think would work, but then they taste great! I had fennel in my fridge, and needed to use it up. The fennel adds a light bright taste, and balances well with the sweet pear and the warm allspice. This is a great dish when you want something healthy and quick to eat in the morning.

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Fennel Pear Scramble

Fennel and Pear Tofu Scramble (Vegan & Gluten Free)

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: easy
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This vegan and gluten-free tofu scramble features flavors of fennel, pear, shallots, allspice and maple syrup.


Credit: My Real Dish

Tips: (1) Drain the tofu before using it. (2) Extra firm tofu works best if you want chunks like a stir-fry, but the softer tofu, creates more of a soft scrambled egg consistency. However, the softer tofu has a tendency to stick to the pan, requires more oil, and is more wet.

Ingredients

  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1 small pear
  • 1 large shallot
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 10 oz tofu (I used House Foods Organic Super Firm)


Directions

  1. Wash fennel and pear (I used Thieves Fruit & Veggie Spray).
  2. Chop fennel bulb, shallot, and pear.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.
  4. Sauté fennel and shallot until slightly tender (~5 minutes).
  5. Drain tofu, slice it in the container with a knife, and add it to the pan.
  6. Continue to sauté until the fennel and shallot are tender, but not mushy (~ 2 – 3 minutes).
  7. Turn on heat.
  8. Add chopped pear, almonds, allspice, maple syrup and stir until pear is warm.
  9. Salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Serve and enjoy!


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susanellenlogoweb

Check out the first tofu scramble recipe here: Asparagus and Artichoke Tofu Scramble, the second here: Mediterranean Tofu Scramble (Vegan & Gluten Free),  and the third here: Blackberry Fig Tofu Scramble.

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Graham Crackers (Vegan, Oat-Free & Gluten-Free)

My daughter has a sensitivity to oats. When she was little she had reflux and would explode with eczema whenever she was exposed to them, but I didn’t know what was causing it until we had her blood tested. Before I was desperate enough to give her a blood test, I was slathering her with Aveno Baby Lotion and giving her oatmeal baths to sooth her eczema, only to make it worse. Recently, I tried to test the sensitivity with a couple servings of gluten-free oats, and she seemed to do okay. However, when she thought she was over the intolerance, she ate a bowl of oatmeal and a granola bar in one day; then, she got a huge tummy ache. I’m remaining positive. At least we are progressing beyond the eczema.

This oat intolerance, along with her sensitivity to wheat, makes it very difficult to find graham crackers at the store. Schar makes a wheat-free and oat-free graham cracker, but it has honey – so it’s not vegan. I’ve searched for vegan and gluten-free graham crackers, and I haven’t found any, so I decided to make my own. My daughter says that mine taste as good as the Schar ones! That’s a huge gluten-free vegan win, because mine are also refined sugar-free! Healthy and tasty!

Here’s what you do. Combine the dry ingredients…

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Slice the vegan butter into little chunks...IMG_0232.jpg

Cut-in vegan butter...IMG_0233.jpg

Stir in the wet ingredients until it begins to clump...IMG_0234.jpg

Form dough into a ball...IMG_0235.jpg

Roll dough over parchment paper, score it, and decorate it with a fork…IMG_0236.jpg

Bake, divide, and devour.IMG_0243.jpg

Make sure to save some graham crackers for s'mores or a pie crust. I'll post the recipe soon for this s'mores cake that I made with vegan marshmallows and dark chocolate (see below). It was delicious and easy!

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  • Servings: 20
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Easy gluten-free, oat-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan homemade graham crackers.

Tips: Make sure your gluten-free flour blend has xanthan gum, if not you will need to add 1/4 teaspoon. I really like the Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend, because I never have to add anything extra to the flour and it rises very well. It contains sweet brown rice flour, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, arrowroot powder, sorghum flour, and xanthan gum.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4  gluten-free flour (I used Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Redmond Real Salt)
  • 8 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)
  • 3 tablespoons cold water
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free pure vanilla extract


Directions

  1. Combine gluten-free flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and Redmond Real Salt in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Slice vegan butter into tablespoons (you can do even smaller pieces if you prefer).
  3. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut-in vegan butter one tablespoon at a time into the bowl until it resembles the texture of cornmeal. You also could do this easily with a food processor.
  4. Add cold water, maple syrup, and vanilla; continue to stir until dough starts to form large clumps. If dough is too dry, add more cold water one tablespoon at a time.
  5. Heat oven to 325.
  6. Lay out parchment paper.
  7. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
  8. Gather dough into a large ball and divide in half.
  9. Lightly flour the rolling-pin  (I used Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend because it was out already).
  10. Roll half of the dough into a rectangle to ~1/8″ thick.
  11. Score dough with a pizza cutter, knife, or multi-purpose scraper and chopper (I used this OXO Multi-purpose Scraper & Chopper) into desired shapes. I chose 2” x 2” squares, and used the OXO Multi-purpose Scraper & Chopper to measure easily with the measurements on the blade.
  12. Prick dough all over with a fork or toothpick.
  13. Repeat with the other half.
  14. Transfer the two parchment paper sheets to cookie sheets, and bake for 20 – 23 minutes or until golden brown.
  15. Let graham crackers cool for 5 minutes.
  16. Separate and eat.


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susanellenlogoweb

Asparagus and Artichoke Tofu Scramble (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

Every time that I ate eggs, my gut would be distended. I heard of tofu scrambles, when I discovered my high sensitivity to eggs, but they never really appealed to me. I loved omelets, and nothing can replace the flavor of an egg. However, since starting a plant-based vegan diet a month ago, I have been making a different tofu scramble every weekend. It switches up my morning smoothie routine; you can see my smoothies if you follow me on instagram @myrealdish. So, I’ll be doing a series on tofu scrambles, and this is the 1st dish in the series. This Asparagus and Artichoke Scramble is a favorite for not only breakfast, but also dinner! I love easy ways to add veggies into my morning meals, and this gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan dish is easy and packed with flavor! It’s a win for everyone!

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  • Servings: 2-3
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This vegan and gluten-free tofu scramble has asparagus, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and shallots.


Credit: Country Living

Tips: (1) Snap the ends of the asparagus with two hands, and where the natural break occurs is how you know which part of the stalk needs to be discarded. (2) Drain the tofu before using it. (3) Extra firm tofu works best if you want chunks like a stir-fry, but the softer tofu, creates more of a soft scrambled egg consistency.However, the softer tofu has a tendency to stick to the pan, requires more oil, and is more wet.

Asparagus Tofu Scramble

Ingredients

  • 1 can (8.5 oz) of whole artichoke hearts
  • 12 oz asparagus
  • 2 large tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes
  • 14 oz organic tofu
  • 1 – 2 large cups of spinach
  • 1 shallot (chopped)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Prepare your vegetables: break the asparagus in ~3 or 4 parts discarding the ends, chop the shallot,  and slice the whole artichokes in half.
  2. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat, with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
  3. Sauté the shallots and asparagus first for ~4 minutes.
  4. Drain the tofu, and slice it into chunks
  5. Add the tofu, spinach, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes.
  6. Continue to sauté for ~4 more minutes or until you see the asparagus is crispy-tender, but not mushy. Add a little extra olive oil as needed to the pan.
  7. Serve and enjoy!


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What are your favorite vegetables to mix with tofu?

susanellenlogoweb

 

 

Summer Squash and Edamame Salad

Last week when I was at Sam’s club, this magazine From Garden to Plate caught my eye, probably because of the color on the cover – turquoise is my favorite color!
620_1_.jpegThis magazine is “both a resource for creating an organic, edible garden as well as a cookbook for making the most of the harvest.” I don’t have a garden. While I love the idea of fresh organic produce, since I killed some cactus recently – it’s probably a horrible idea. I’m aware of my skills and time constraints. However, these recipes had tons veggies and perfect for summer! I felt like I didn’t have to tweak them too much to make them vegan or gluten-free! I’ve made three recipes so far and they are delicious and easy!

For this Summer Squash and Edamame Salad, you just chop….

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Sauté…

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and voilà!

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  • Servings: 8
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This Summer Squash and Edamame Salad is vegan, gluten-free and a perfect bbq or picnic dish.


Credit: Country Living

This recipe called for butter, but I changed it to make it vegan by preparing it with olive oil. It also called for thinly slice red onion, and I chopped it.

Ingredients


  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow summer squash
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
  • 2/3 cup red onion (chopped or thinly sliced)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar or champagne vinegar (I used white vinegar)
  • 2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper



Directions


  1. Heat skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil to medium heat
  2. Add yellow squash, zucchini, edamame, red onion and garlic.
  3. Sauté for 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, but still crisp.
  4. Stir in vinegar, basil, salt, and black pepper.
  5. Serve at room temperature, or cover and chill up to 24 hours before serving.


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susanellenlogoweb

 

 

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