Vegan Apple Pie Stuffed Apples

Vegan Apple Pie Stuffed Apples PinThis Vegan Apple Pie Stuffed Apples recipe is a real treat and the perfect fall dessert. I spotted this dessert on Delish and decided to surprise Amelia and her family with a veganized version of it. I didn’t tell them what I was cooking, but the delicious aroma of the apples baking in the oven kind of gave it away.

By far the hardest part of this recipe is scooping out the apples. I started out using a spoon, but that was taking too long so I switched to a melon baller, which was much easier.

You start by slicing off the top of the apple. I threw the tops away, but next time I make this recipe, I’m going to save the tops and use them instead of the pie dough lattice.

I didn’t feel like the dough added much flavor…it was just for the visual appeal. It was also hard to find a vegan pie crust as most contain lard. Yuck! We had to go to 3 different stores to find the crust and it was the most expensive part of this recipe. I think using the apple tops will taste just as good while reducing the cost and waste.

After slicing off the top, I recommend coring the apples with an apple corer first before scooping them out. You can go all the way through the bottom to make it easier. I tried to core the apples without piercing the bottom, but it was a real pain and I accidently went through two of them, but it didn’t affect the baking. When you set them in the baking dish, the apple and juices form a seal as they bake preventing the yummy deliciousness from draining out the bottom.

While this dessert is perfect for your fresh, fall apples, you can serve it year-round. There’s absolutely no reason you can’t enjoy this delicious and healthy (sans pie crust) dessert whenever you want to!

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Vegan Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Vegan Cajun Red Beans and Rice PinThis Vegan Cajun Red Beans and Rice recipe was inspired by an old non-vegan recipe I used to cook for my daughter and me before I went vegan. Cajun red beans and rice with sausage was a favorite on our regular rotation, but my family requested a sausage-free version and I was more than happy to oblige.

This recipe uses dry red beans instead of canned. Dried beans take more prep work, but they’re a lot cheaper and we think they have a lot more flavor. They’re also more environmentally friendly due to reduced processing and packaging.

If you’re in a hurry or don’t want to mess with dry beans, you can use three 16 oz cans of red beans with the juice and reduce the vegetable broth to 1 cup.

This Vegan Cajun Red Beans and Rice dish pairs well with Vegan Cornbread and a Hearty Side Salad.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Tofu Bacon

Tofu Bacon PinThis Tofu Bacon recipe is simple to prepare but tastes just like bacon. It’s perfect for your Vegan BLT or as a side dish for your Vegan Pancakes.

Real bacon is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol. It’s one of the worst types of meat that people eat, and has been linked to cancer, heart disease and other serious illnesses.

This Tofu Bacon tastes like bacon, but without the harmful ingredients (and cruelty). Bacon gets its distinctive flavor primarily from the liquid smoke that’s poured over it during the curing process. By using the same liquid smoke along with maple syrup in this recipe, you get the same flavor.  It’s really challenging not to eat the whole batch!

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Easy Beet Brownies

Vegan Beet Brownies PinWe used to buy Beet Brownies far more than we should have at Beet Box Bakery & Cafe, a vegan bakery that used to be walking distance from us when we lived in Uptown. If you’re in Denver, you have to try this place. They have amazing bread, sandwiches and desserts.

One day, instead of walking to Beet Box, Amelia decided to make some Beet Brownies from scratch and boy were they delicious. These brownies are so moist and chocolatey that you might have to put them behind lock and key or they won’t last a day!

Beet puree makes a great binder so it’s a good egg replacer in baked desserts. It’s also naturally sweet, so combined with the maple syrup in this recipe, you get a very rich brownie.

If you don’t have a non-stick baking pan,  you may want to use a little cooking spray or oil to grease the pan. Just spray a tiny amount down the middle and use your fingers to spread it over the bottom and sides. Or, put a tiny amount on a paper towel as shown in the video and use it to lightly coat the baking dish.

Easy Beet Brownies Cooking Video

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If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding PinThis Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding is a delicious dessert or snack to satisfy your chocolate cravings. It’s also a good source of Omega 3’s from the chia seeds.

Most pudding has gelatin in it, which isn’t vegan. You can substitute gelatin with guar gum, but this recipe doesn’t need it. The chia seeds absorb the almond milk and form a gelatinous texture. It needs to sit for a least 3 hours for the absorption to happen so plan accordingly.

You can top it with some fresh raspberries or a dollop of vegan whipped cream, or just eat it plain like I do.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Chia Seed Jam

Chia Seed Jam PinThis Chia Seed Jam is a nutritious alternative to the sugar and additive laden jam you buy at the store. The chia seeds give it a gelatinous texture plus a lot of additional fiber, calcium, iron and magnesium.

You can make this recipe with either fresh or frozen berries. We usually keep a large bag of frozen berries in the freezer so we never run out of this delicious condiment.

You can mash the berries with a fork or potato masher if you prefer a thicker, chunkier jam. I prefer a smoother texture so we use the blender and pulse it a few times to break down the larger berries.

We like to use this jam on our multigrain toast and as a sweetener in our Rolled Oats Breakfast.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Balsamic Marinated Baked Tofu

Balsamic Marinated Baked Tofu PinThis Balsamic Marinated Baked Tofu recipe is easy and fast to prepare. It pairs well with Healthy Butternut Squash, Boiled Potatoes, Beet Greens, Sauteed Kale, a Side Salad or your favorite side dish.

Soy, and tofu in particular, have been attacked by the dairy industry for over a decade. When they noticed soy milk cutting into their cow’s milk profits, they funded a bogus “scientific” study and launched a smear campaign against soy.

Even though the study has been thoroughly debunked and soy has been proven to be healthy for us, the soy myth is still perpetuated by the uniformed, especially in the paleo and Adkins diet communities.

One of the most outlandish claims is that the phytoestrogens in soy will give men breasts. Plants do have phytoestrogen, but plant estrogen is completely different than animal estrogen. Unlike the animal estrogen in cow’s milk, phytoestrogen doesn’t have any affect on the human body.

Cow estrogen, however, does affect the human body. According to a 2015 study, “it seems that steroid hormones are very potent compounds in dairy foods, which exert profound biological effects in animals and humans.” As for cow estrogen hormones specifically, they have been shown to be responsible for “initiating and provoking of breast and prostate cancers.”

Regions of Asia have been consuming soy and tofu for thousands of years and they have some of the world’s longest life expectancies. Unless you have a soy allergy, you’re probably safe to consume it as part of a healthy, balanced plant-based diet.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Healthy Cooked Apples

Healthy Cooked Apples PinThese Healthy Cooked Apples make a great dessert, side dish, snack, or topping for your Vegan Pancakes, Vegan Chia Seed Pancakes or Rolled Oats Breakfast. They’re sweet, decadent and delicious!

Amelia has been pestering me to eat more apples, but I’ve never been a fan of raw apples. The texture doesn’t appeal to me for some reason. But apples cooked up in a pie is a different story altogether. I love apple pie!

So I came up with an idea that makes eating apples my way healthy. That makes Amelia happy with me for eating more apples, and it makes me happy by preparing them in a way that tastes delicious! It’s a win-win!

These apples only have a couple of ingredients, no added sugar and no fat. It’s important to use Granny Smith apples to bring some tartness or they can be too sweet. Leave the peel for the extra fiber. It softens when cooked.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Vegan French Toast

Vegan French Toast PinThis vegan french toast is just what your morning routine needs. It’s sweet and cinnamon-y, and only takes a few minutes to prepare.

French toast was a special occasion treat in our house when I was a kid. Mom usually made it on Saturday morning while I watched cartoons, but only a couple times a year. The nice thing about this recipe is that it’s fast and easy to make so you can eat it as often as you want.

Non-vegan french toast is made with eggs, but we used the 3 tbsp of aquafaba (aka garbanzo bean juice), which is the equivalent of one egg. And this recipe achieves the same taste and deliciousness of regular french toast.

We’ve tried a few different types of bread, but we found that denser bread works better. It doesn’t fall apart when you dip it in the batter. The bread in the pictures and video is Dave’s Killer Bread – Blues Bread with Blue Cornmeal Crust. It’s organic, non-GMO, has 5g protein, 4g fiber…and it’s delicious!

We used maple syrup and a little powdered sugar, but your favorite fruit spread would also taste great. If you like this recipe, you’ll probably love our Vegan Pancakes or Vegan Chia Seed Pancakes.

HINT: Refrigerate your bread overnight to give it some extra rigidity so it holds together better when you dip it in the batter.

Bon Appétit!

Vegan French Toast Instructional Video

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Vegan Chia Seed Pancakes

Vegan Chia Seed PancakesThese Vegan Chia Seed Pancakes are both filling and delicious. The chia seeds give them extra volume, fiber and protein to keep you going all morning.

Chia seeds are a great source of protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium. Numerous studies show that chia seeds help with skin conditions, aging, digestive health, heart health, treatment of diabetes, stronger bones, muscle building, weight loss, cancer prevention and treatment, and dental health. These benefits surely put chia seeds in the super food category.

Because they expand in liquid, chia seeds make you feel fuller and therefore eat less. That’s why they help with weight loss. When prepared in meals like these pancakes, they’re hardly noticeable, but you still get their powerful nutrient punch.

We like to cook our pancakes on an electric griddle. You can cook more of them at once and they cook more evenly than cooking them on the stove.

These Vegan Chia Seed Pancakes are oil free and soy free, but you can probably make them gluten free by swapping out the all-purpose flour with a gluten free variety. If you try that, let us know how it goes in the comments.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.