Cookbook Review: Happy Herbivore Light & Lean

I am so excited to be posting today about a new cookbook: Happy Herbivore Light & Lean. I stumbled upon Happy Herbivore a few years back when the school I attended for my masters degree had the author (Lindsay Nixon) down for a cooking demonstration. Unfortunately I heard about the event after it had already happened so I was not able to attend. Years later I am inspired by Lindsay's recipes and website and I especially love her Minimalist Monday series. And it turns out... Lindsay and I have my alma mater in common! We both attended the College of Charleston in beautiful Charleston, SC. Needless to say, I'm a fan. When I heard about the opportunity to share a recipe with my blog readers I jumped at the chance.
Lindsay's new cookbook is pretty amazing. I was especially surprised to find that the recipes are organized by calorie count, a life saver for someone like me who swears by calorie counting to keep my eating in check. If I know I have 400 calories left for dinner I can easily find a recipe that fits within my limits. Lindsay also lists nutritional information and weight watchers points.

Below you will find the recipe for Soba Peanut Noodles from her new cookbook, and below that - a Q & A with Lindsay herself! Check it out!

Soba Peanut Noodles

Serves 2

Gluten-free, Quick, Budget

All the taste you love in creamy peanut noodles but with less fat and calories thanks to a surprise ingredient: vegan yogurt! I call this a “cheater” recipe since I use a dab of peanut butter, but it’s still light compared to most peanut noodle recipes.

4 oz buckwheat noodles (could sub spaghetti)

2 green onions, sliced cubed tofu or edamame (optional)

vegetables, like broccoli or cucumber (optional)

Creamy Peanut Sauce

2 tbsp plain vegan yogurt

1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp sweet red chili sauce

few dashes garlic powder

few dashes ground ginger

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1–2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari

Asian hot sauce (e.g., Sriracha; optional)

Cook noodles according to package instructions, rinse under cold water in a colander, and chill in the fridge for a few minutes if you can. Meanwhile, whisk peanut sauce ingredients together. Taste, adding more soy sauce or tamari, garlic, onion, or hot sauce as desired. Toss noodles with sauce, then stir in green onion, tofu or edamame if using, and vegetables, if using.

Chef’s Note: Despite having “wheat” in the name, buckwheat flour is completely gluten-free. Just make sure your noodles are 100% buckwheat if you have an allergy or sensitivity.

Per serving

Calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274

Fat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6g

Carbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.5g

Fiber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.6g

Sugars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7g

Protein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.4g

WW Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Veg Review: Do you have any tips for being minimalist in the kitchen? (besides cleaning out drawers - which is great to do too!) 

Lindsay Nixon: Don’t stockpile. Only buy what you need. Never shop without a list. If you haven’t used it in 6 months, donate it. Never keep two of anything except for basic stuff like forks. Don’t buy random gadgets like an avocado peeler. Get things off the countertop! (See my minimalist monday posts for more ideas).

VR: What do you think having a minimalist attitude toward food looks like? I know many of us think about food often throughout the day which likely distracts from our productivity.

LN: I follow (and can’t recommend enough) my meal plans (http://www.getmealplans.com). You shop and cook once a week. Then your meals are just ready for you. It takes a lot of the thinking and wondering away -- its already decided. AND you only buy what you need with no waste or spoilage. Super minimalist!

VR: What was your favorite holiday growing up? 

LN: My birthday, which I guess doesn’t really count—but it was the only day in the year I got to eat exactly what I wanted.

VR: Where does your recipe inspiration come from? 

LN: It’s a mixed bag. Sometimes I’ll pick up an ingredient and figure out a way to make something with it. Other times I’ll see something and want to recreate it at home. For example, when I was in Ireland I saw signs all over the place for Guinness stew or Irish stew. Of course it wasn’t vegan, or vegetarian, so I waited until I got home, learned about the traditional recipe, then made a plant-based version… and now it’s in Light & Lean!


Thanks for stopping by on your blog tour Lindsay! Stay tuned for more recipe reviews from the Happy Herbivore Light & Lean Cookbook in the next couple weeks. - The Veg Review

BBB

T.J.'s Magnificent Black Bean Burgers! 

1 can of black beans rinsed and drained, then mashed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup of spinach
1 handful of various chopped vegetables (broccoli, tomato, zucchini, carrot, etc.)
1 small handful oats
1/8 cup flour
1 Tbl Olive oil
1 spoonful Veganiase
Salt, pepper, a dash of cayenne, and whatever else is on hand! Get creative with it.

Ninja together (or food process) the veggies until they are well chopped but not pureed, then add the mashed beans. Pulse and avoid over blending once the beans are in. Form into patties and fry them up on the stove with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Use more flour if the mix is too thin.
Top with veggie "cheese" slices and guacamole for extra points.

What do you throw in your black bean burger mix? Where did you have the best black bean burger of your life? Mine was right here in my kitchen. My husband sure does make a mean black bean burger!

Pie Crust Recipe + Quiche & Cookie Tarts

Making apple pie in the fall is must, and making cookie tarts out of the leftover pie crust is an important tradition in my family. Sometimes I just skip the apple pie and make a big batch of cookie tarts instead! I have only made the vegan version of my mom's cookie tarts a couple of times but both times they turned out great. 

While not the healthiest food, cookie tarts are a very special treat. To make the cookie tarts simply whip up a pie crust recipe and cut it into rounds. Add a spoonful of jam to the center of each one and cover with another round. Press around the edges with your fingers. Sprinkle sugar on top and bake! Above, the "cutting flour into shortening" step is shown.

Vegan Pie Crust 
(makes 2)

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup shortening
1 Tbl vinegar
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer mixed with 2 Tbl warm water (I use Ener-G)
1 tsp salt
4-5 Tbl ice water

Cut flour and shortening into small pieces (see photo above). Add egg replacer, salt, and vinegar. Mix. Add in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix with a fork until the dough clings into a ball. Do not over handle. Roll out 1/4 at a time.
Bake at 375 for 1 hour (for pie) Bake only 10 minutes for cookie tarts.


I like to use an upside down cup to get the perfect round shape. Cookie cutters work great too.

Bonus recipe review: Vegan Tofu Quiche from the Vegan Stoner Cookbook
I used the rest of my pie crust recipe for this delicious quiche!

The recipe called for mushrooms, onion, and broccoli but I am not a mushroom fan. I subbed in extra broccoli and carrots.

This quiche is seriously amazing. One of my new favorite recipes! 10/10 for sure. I have always been a little nervous to try tofu quiche because really, how could it possibly be good? It really really is. The recipe uses soft tofu which I have never really experimented with before but it blended up nicely in my ninja.

Garlic Cashew Cheese Recipe

Mmm garlic cashew cheese. This spread is good on crackers, french bread, and even licked straight off your fingers. It is a little salty and a little sweet and very creamy.

Garlic Cashew Cheese

3/4 cup cashews
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbl lemon juice
1 Tbl + 1 tsp plain almond milk
1/2 tsp tahini

Soak the cashews for 30 minutes in hot water, then drain. Put in a high speed blender (I use my ninja) with the rest of the ingredients and blend blend stir and blend until nice and smooth!

**This recipe is inspired by Luminos Vegans' first MoFo post this year, so hop on over there and see the original too!

Recipe Review: Vegan Sugar Cookies + Cream "Cheese" Frosting Recipe

Last week as I was heading into my birthday weekend, I decided I wanted to make something I usually only reserve for special occasions because it takes a lot of work: sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting. I love love love to make these for holidays like Christmas and Valentines day (with cookie cutters of course!).

Since I've been vegan I haven't yet found quite the right sugar cookie recipe to mimic the cookies of my childhood. The cookies I rolled out with my mom as a kid had buttermilk in them and the cream cheese frosting was to die for. It was a very distinct taste combo. While these are close, I wouldn't say they are a match. Overall I give the recipe a 6/10 with the hopes I find one that matches just a little bit better someday. I do have to give Chocolate Covered Katie props for making a healthier version of the sugar cookie as I'm sure the ones I had as a kid were hundreds of calories each, and these are only 110 calories each!

The recipe I used can be found here, on Chocolate Covered Katie's website. I love that it only makes 9 cookies (mine actually turned out to be 8 after I ate some dough right from the bowl!) because why in the heck would my husband and I need more than 9 cookies!?! A recipe can always be doubled for holiday gatherings.

I made the cream cheese frosting by kind of winging it, but it turned out really good.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

2 Tbl Vegan Cream Cheese (I use tofutti)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Start by working the cream cheese a little with a spoon to warm it up. Add the powdered sugar and once combined, add the vanilla to make it a little runnier/creamier. Throw in a drop or two of food coloring if desired. This should make enough for at least 8 cookies!

What kind of holiday baking traditions have you veganized? Did you find a perfect match or are you still working on it?

Chocolate Oreo Cupcake Recipe

Birthday weekend continues and today I bring you the cupcakes I made for my family birthday party over labor day weekend. I brought these bad boys:

They were pretty darn fantastic! The frosting was definitely the best part. My nephew can back up my story - he licked the frosting clean off of a few of them! Isn't it amazing that Oreos are vegan? One of life's little accidental gifts. The fam knew the cupcakes were vegan and ate them anyway. 1 point for open-mindedness! What they didn't know was that the devil's food cupcakes had a secret ingredient, one that freaked me out at first and I am pretty brave with my desserts these days: mayo! Well, Vegenaise to be precise. I found the cupcake recipe here (another one of Chocolate Covered Katie's!) and doubled it. The Devil's Food/Mayo cupcake gets a 9/10 from me... it is really really good, rich, and thick. You are supposed to store them in the fridge and now I know how delicious cold cupcakes can be!

Vegan Oreo Frosting

2 cups mashed Oreo cookies (approximately 10-12 cookies)
1/3 cup Earth Balance or other vegan margarine
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbl almond milk
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together the shortening and margarine in a mixer. Then mash up the 2 cups of Oreos pretty fine but not too fine. The best part when eating them was getting a little chunk of Oreo every once in awhile in the frosting. I mashed mine fine enough that I knew they'd fit through the hole in my pastry bag when frosting the cupcakes. Add the oreos to the shortening/margarine mixture and mix until combined, then add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. The frosting should be really dry now - add the 3 Tbl of milk and vanilla and it will magically become frosting-like as you mix it the rest of the way together. I like to then beat the frosting on a fast speed to make it fluffy. Throw it in a pastry bag or ziplock with one of the corners cut out and frost away!

I bought a bag of mini Oreos to garnish the top of each cupcake with. They were a big hit with the kids too!

 My niece and I celebrate our birthdays just 2 weeks apart... so we like to celebrate together! 

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday... to me!

Today I turn 25... yikes. A quarter of a century. Basically an old woman. I am trying not to dwell on it too much. I think this year officially marks the beginning of no longer wanting to be older and wanting to instead start counting backwards on my birthdays. The last year has been really good to me and I have much to be thankful for. I started running, I spent the last year eating vegan, and I have never felt better. I also got bangs, which was quite a big deal! I finished my 2nd year of the PhD and am now onto the 3rd. What could 25 possibly bring that would be better than all that? I guess I will find out!

My colleague and friend Jenna (who loves to bake even more than I do) made me a vegan birthday cake this year. She is so thoughtful! I requested chocolate and peanut butter and man did she deliver! I don't have the exact recipe to share but she said the chocolate cake is a wacky cake recipe (they were quite resourceful during the war).


Wacky Cake

(basic wacky cake recipe, not sure what variation my friend used!)

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup cold water

Mix dry, then add wet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.


Isn't it pretty??

Look at those layers!

For my birthday my husband and I are heading to Chicago because all I want to do on my birthday is eat, and where better for vegan eating in the midwest than Chicago? Restaurant reviews coming soon.

Usually for my birthday I go out for fettuccine alfredo. Obviously that is not my tradition anymore (love for the cows instead). Do any of you have birthday traditions that you uphold even as a vegan? Did you start new ones? 

Veggie Lasagna Recipe

Look at these veggies! I scored big at the farmer's market today. Check out that beautiful eggplant and round zucchini! I knew I needed to make a delicious lasagna. Bonus: this recipe is low-calorie.

 Veggie Lasagna
10 lasagna noodles
1.5 cups pasta sauce
1 large tomato
1 eggplant
1 large zucchini
1 cup spinach
1 cup tofu ricotta (see recipe below)

Boil a big pot of water and add the 10 lasagna noodles. Then get chopping! Slice the eggplant, zucchini and tomato pretty thin, about 1/4 inch.

 Before you start assembling, make the tofu ricotta.

 Tofu Ricotta
1/2 block extra firm tofu
1 large garlic clove
1 Tbl olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
375 degrees for 45 minutes

I like to use the Ninja - does anybody out there have one of these? It is amazing! My sister got it for me for Christmas and it is like a blender and food processor all in one.

Throw in the tofu ricotta ingredients, then chop with the Ninja! 

Next is a whole lot of layering. 3 noodles in the bottom first, then tomato sauce and a couple spoonfuls of ricotta. Then add in a layer of sliced veggies and spinach. Top with more noodles and do it all again. The top layer should have just tomato sauce and ricotta but a few slices of tomato would be really pretty too! 

Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees until veggies are tender. Enjoy with some fresh french bread!