This recipe and countless variations becomes breakfast at least 4 days a week. With an unlimited amount of creations you can concoct with this base, it is sure to become a morning staple in your home too. I put these oats together at night before bed, pop in the fridge, then grab while I’m running out of the house like my hair is on fire in the AM. I eat them at the office while I’m checking email and making coffee.

Overnight Oat Base:

• 1/3-1/2 C rolled oats ( I use Bob’s Red Mill, thick cut ) – not instant here – if you like it a little runny opt for less oats
• 2/3 C any non dairy milk ( my go to is unsweetened almond milk )

Typically I add:

• 2 T PB2
  
• 1 sliced banana ( just before I eat the oats )

My next fave is:

• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 T reduced fat coconut
• 1 C sliced strawberries (just before I eat the oats)

I also really love:

• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 C blueberries (just before I eat the oats)

Sometimes I even get really crazy and add:

• 2/3 C unsweetened chocolate almond milk ( instead of the unsweetened plain milk in the recipe above )
• 2 T Chocolate PB2
• 1 sliced banana

Directions: combine oats and any add in EXCEPT fruit, then pop in the fridge overnight. 6 or so hours they are ready to consume. Add fruit before eating. If you add fruit the night before the water escapes into the oats and make them watery and icky. A very technical term, icky.

Pictured below is the “really crazy” variety minus the banana. My fave jar to use is pictured. Seems to be the perfect size for 1) the spoon and eating and 2) the oats for soaking in the milk.

UPDATE: The potluck is over, but the voting for faves just started! Below find my entry in the Virtual Vegan Potluck then click on over to cast your vote for Veg Bon Vivant for salad winner!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I’m part of a GLOBAL plant-based potluck today. Doesn’t that sound super impressive? Over 170 of my virtual vegan friends have committed to participation in Virtual Vegan Potluck, a twice-a-year, orderly, and yummy way to expose their blog followers to new recipes and new vegan blogs. I am so excited about the blogroll itself I can hardly stand it. New reading! My “dish to pass” is a salad. A tried and true salad that never has leftovers and leaves everyone shocked that they just ate Thai food. Hey, eat more veggies while you are at it.

I relish all of the different flavor combinations that comprise regional foods and on occasion I like to make up my own recipes from the most awesome parts of other recipes.  I love peanut sauce in Thai restaurants; however it is not good for you. At. All. I modified a recipe I found online cutting out the non-veg ingredients, pinched a little of the fat (bye-bye oil) and yet maintained a “dressing” consistency suitable for a salad instead of satay duty. Paired with a few of my fave salad ingredients including the beloved soba noodle, I dropped in a spicy protein too to give you a delightfully filling and portable salad that could hold its own at a REAL potluck. Hello summer!

Peanut Dressing:

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup (brown) rice vinegar
• 1 T tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp to 1 T chopped, ground, or pre-chopped ginger (test along the way)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• drizzle of toasted sesame oil (keep it to less than a tsp)
• big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or 1 tsp-1T of hot sauce, your choice
• 1/4-1/2 cup hot water

Salad:

• 1 package soba noodles prepared according to package instructions
• 2 carrots, peeled, grated
• 4 radishes, chopped
• 1 head napa cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 C crushed peanuts or cashews, toasted
• a handful of bean spouts per salad

• 1 package extra firm tofu, drained, sliced in half (thickness wise) and pressed (after pressing 20-30 minutes, cut into pieces about the size of a pinky finger-sorry, that’s kinda gross!)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 C soy sauce
• 2 inches ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Marinate tofu in mixture of the ingredients above for 30 minutes to overnight. Bake tofu on a foil lined, lightly greased, rimed baking sheet at 375 or grilled until firm in texture, turning every 5-10 minutes.  Serve with the salad.

The cupcake recipe can be found here: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes [this late night craving wanted coffee/chocolate so I added 1 T espresso powder to the chocolate batter for an espresso chocolate cupcake]

For the “frosting”:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1-2 C powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Smash the ripe banana in a large bowl with vanilla. Gently whisk in powdered sugar until you reach your desired frosting consistency. Pop in the fridge. Will keep for up to one week. Bonus, tastes really good on toast.

I’m part of a GLOBAL plant-based potluck today. Doesn’t that sound super impressive? Over 170 of my virtual vegan friends have committed to participation in Virtual Vegan Potluck, a twice-a-year, orderly, and yummy way to expose their blog followers to new recipes and new vegan blogs. I am so excited about the blogroll itself I can hardly stand it. New reading! My “dish to pass” is a salad. A tried and true salad that never has leftovers and leaves everyone shocked that they just ate Thai food. Hey, eat more veggies while you are at it.

I relish all of the different flavor combinations that comprise regional foods and on occasion I like to make up my own recipes from the most awesome parts of other recipes.  I love peanut sauce in Thai restaurants; however it is not good for you. At. All. I modified a recipe I found online cutting out the non-veg ingredients, pinched a little of the fat (bye-bye oil) and yet maintained a “dressing” consistency suitable for a salad instead of satay duty. Paired with a few of my fave salad ingredients including the beloved soba noodle, I dropped in a spicy protein too to give you a delightfully filling and portable salad that could hold its own at a REAL potluck. Hello summer!

Peanut Dressing:

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup (brown) rice vinegar
• 1 T tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp to 1 T chopped, ground, or pre-chopped ginger (test along the way)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• drizzle of toasted sesame oil (keep it to less than a tsp)
• big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or 1 tsp-1T of hot sauce, your choice
• 1/4-1/2 cup hot water

Salad:

• 1 package soba noodles prepared according to package instructions
• 2 carrots, peeled, grated
• 4 radishes, chopped
• 1 head napa cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 C crushed peanuts or cashews, toasted
• a handful of bean spouts per salad

• 1 package extra firm tofu, drained, sliced in half (thickness wise) and pressed (after pressing 20-30 minutes, cut into pieces about the size of a pinky finger-sorry, that’s kinda gross!)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 C soy sauce
• 2 inches ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Marinate tofu in mixture of the ingredients above for 30 minutes to overnight. Bake tofu on a foil lined, lightly greased, rimed baking sheet at 375 or grilled until firm in texture, turning every 5-10 minutes.  Serve with the salad.

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 12-16 medjool pitted dates
• 3 T dark cocoa powder
• 2-4 T nondairy milk
• 1/4-1/2 tsp peppermint extract 
• 1 tsp maple syrup

Dough should just stick together out of the food processor

A perfect scoop

Use a scoop to portion out the dough

Roll into balls after you measure out the dough

Nondairy milk, dates and cocoa powder

In a food processor mix the cashews and oats until they are a powdery consistency. Then add the dates, cocoa powder, 2 T milk and peppermint extract and mix until a dough starts to form. If the dough looks dry, add a bit more milk. Roll into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Set in the fridge to firm up. I got 25 bites out of my batch using a small pampered chef scoop to form the cookie bites.

Adapted from My Whole Food Life

From Happy Herbivore (pictured):

“Tuna Salad”

• 15 oz chickpeas (canned or from dry) rinsed and drained
• 2 celery stalks, washed and diced
• 1 – 2 T pickle relish or sliced pickles
• 1 tsp onion flakes or powder
• 2 T nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 T low sodium soy sauce or Tamari
• 3 T vegan mayo (I used half and still had great consistency)
• 1/2 tsp kelp powder (this is the “fishy” salty flavoring)
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice 
• pepper and salt to taste

I deviated  a little from the original instructions provided as I like a specific texture of spread. Mash chickpeas in a large mixing bowl OR pulse 3-4 times in a food processor-do not puree, or make hummus instead, you can’t really go wrong here I guess. Dice celery into bite sized pieces. Chop up pickles into small dice too. Add all ingredients to the large bowl, stir, stir, stir. Add more mayo or kelp as needed to taste.

“Tuna” Salad

Courtesy of Jon Dunn at VeganGR:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 2-3 T Vegenaise
• 1-2 T sweet pickle relish or pickle chopped
• salt pepper to taste
• 1/2 t dulse or kelp granules or other “fishy” seasoning (optional)

Send chickpeas through a couple of pulses in food processor (can be done by hand by the less lazy). Mix blended peas with the Vegenaise, sweet pickle and seasonings. EAT ON ANYTHING.

**note – all of the following ingredients are really to personal taste. Some people like green onion, mustard, or all sorts of other stuff in their tuna salad. Basically, you’re following whatever recipe you would with tuna, but using chickpeas instead.

• 2 whole-wheat Pita Pockets
• 1/2 C marinara sauce
• 1 C zucchini
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 1/2 T nutritional yeast or vegan parm
• sliced black olives (optional)

Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over the top of each pita. Not too much or you will just have soggy bread, icky. Top with squash, tomato and onion. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes (check at 5) until everything is warmed and browning slightly. I placed my pitas directly on the oven rack to get a crispy “crust.” Sprinkle with olives, nutritional yeast, or vegan parm (shown in photos). Don’t forget the Frank’s Red Hot!

418 calories for 2 pita pizzas, 4.8g fat, 77g carbs, 24g fiber, 20g sugars, 30g protein.

Sometimes I look at a recipe in the meal plan and think, how in the world will that taste good? Fortunately I’m kinda brave and will mostly eat anything, this recipe surprised me at 1) how few calories it has, 2) how filling it is, 3) it really is delicious and 4) you can eat take-out like food at home in under 30 minutes.

Enough of my blabbering, here’s the recipe (2 servings):

• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz peeled whole or diced tomatoes (canned)
• 15 oz chickpeas (canned), drained and rinsed
• 10 oz frozen baby spinach (fresh okay too)
• 1 C low sodium veg broth or water
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger (or double it with fresh)
• dash of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional, but use it…it makes it better)
• 1 tsp garam masala

Make magic:

In a large pot, saute’ onions and garlic with a few tablespoons of water, instead of oil. Once the onion is translucent, add spinach, chickpeas, tomatoes with juices and broth. Cover and cook over medium until the spinach cooks down [I used frozen and didn't drain and it came out fine]. Uncover and break up tomato bits. Add all spices except garam masala, add lemon juice at this point. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 garam masala and cook for 2 more minutes more. Taste, adding additional garam masala if desired plus salt and pepper if needed. Turn heat off and allow to sit for 5 or so minutes. The dish will thicken as it stands. Start to finish, this took me about 30 minutes. I served about 1/4 of this recipe over brown rice.

Per serving: 283 calories, 58g carbs, 3g fat, 10g fiber, 7g sugar, 12g protein

Reblogged from Vedged Out:

• 
• 

Simplest Chickpea Salad

I'm joining today with more than 200 other food bloggers to fight against hunger, an issue that millions of Americans and even more millions around the world face on a daily basis.

I was struck more than a month ago when I was asked by a blog follower how she would be able to do my Green Smoothie Challenge…

Read more… 527 more words

I know. Cheese. It’s the only think that separates you from vegan, right?

Well, this will certainly help bridge the gap. Faux nacho cheese.

I’m not a huge fan of nutritional yeast, it sorta weirds me out and it’s super salty, but I put fear aside for the sake of cheese-sperimentation and well, I’m super glad I did. This Happy Herbivore meal plan cheese sauce could make just about anything taste good; however I chose a homemade corn tortilla chip with sea salt to complete my cheese taste test. I doused my chips in black beans, olives, this sauce, onion, and some hot sauce, and it felt so, so dirty and wrong, yet I knew it was so right. Give it a try for yourself. This sauce also reheats nicely and would taste killer on some whole grain macaroni for a quick mac and cheese fix.

Quick Queso (by Happy Herbivore)

• 1 C unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 C nutritional yeast
• 3 T white whole-wheat flour
• 1 tsp onion powder, granulated
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, granulated
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp chili powder or cayenne (I used chipotle)
• 1/4 tsp salt (optional, I didn’t need it with a salty chip)

Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring often.

Yeah, it’s that easy.