Festive Cheese Platter

Yields 2 round cheeses.

Ingredients

Cheese Base

Directions

1. Drain the cashews from the soaking water and add them to a blender. If you didn’t soak the cashews ahead of time, place in a pot of boiling water for about ten minutes and drain.
2. Add the garlic powder, salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and coconut oil. Blend together, scraping down the sides as needed until you have a thick cream. Depending on your blender, you may need to add a tablespoon of water to help it run.
3. Transfer the creamy mixture to a small pot and fold in the chopped chives.
4. Add the agar agar—diluted in a bit of cold water—to the pot and mix.
5. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let it cool slightly while you place some plastic wrap over two flat ramekins or small containers.
6. Divide the cheese mixture between the two ramekins, placing the mixture on top of the plastic wrap. Press it down well into the ramekin with a spatula since this will be your mold. Wrap the top with the plastic wrap.
7. Place the cheeses in the fridge for anywhere between 4 hours to 24 hours, depending on how firm you like it. It will still be a creamy cheese, but the more you leave it the more sliceable it will be. You can also increase the agar agar if you want an even firmer cheese.
8. Right before serving your cheeses, carefully remove them from the molds by pulling a bit on the plastic wrap, and then remove the plastic.
9. Place the extra chopped chives on a plate and carefully place the cheese over them so that they stick to the top. Turn it over and place it on your platter. Repeat the process with the second one, only this time using the crushed pretzels and smashed pink peppercorns.
10. Stick some whole pretzels on top of the pretzel-peppercorn topped cheese for a beautiful and festive look.
11. Add any additions you’d like to your cheese plate—from fresh fruit to different breads and toast, dried fruit, olives, etc.
12. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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Here’s a little motivation to wake up and conquer the morning—Cranberry Almond Biscotti. Thanks to Gena Hamshaw at The Full Helping for providing this sweet, seasonal breakfast idea.

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

Yields 2-3 Dozen Biscotti

Ingredients

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. If using a flax egg, whisk together 1 tablespoon ground flax meal and 3 tablespoons warm water and allow the mixture to thicken before using.
3. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the orange zest, sugar, and buttery spread on medium speed, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the aquafaba or flax egg and the two extracts. Beat for one more minute.
4. Turn the speed of the mixer to low, then add half of the flour mixture. When the flour is fully incorporated, add the orange juice to the mixer and beat until it’s incorporated. Add the rest of the flour mixture, the cranberries, and the almonds. Beat until the dough is evenly mixed and forming large clumps. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 hours).
5. Preheat the oven to 325 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Divide the dough into two evenly sized pieces and shape each of them into a log that’s about 8 inches long, 1 inch high, and 3 inches wide—space the logs a few inches apart on your baking sheet.
6. Bake the logs for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch. Raise the oven heat to 350°F. Remove the logs from the oven and allow them to cool for 15 minutes. Use a serrated knife to cut the logs into slices that are about ½-¾ inch thick. Arrange the slices on your cookie sheet cut side up and transfer them back to the oven. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the biscotti are golden brown. Transfer them to a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.

Click here for Gena’s original recipe.

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Ever since I was a kid, I have always eaten raw cookie dough from the store-bought, pre-made cookie dough packages before my mom even had a chance to bake them!

But can you blame me? Cookie dough is notoriously delicious!

I was such a little menace nibbling on the sweet treat with no knowledge of where the ingredients truly came from.

Although the threat of salmonella in the raw eggs and the high fat and sugar content were alarming, I still couldn’t resist the taste and texture of raw chocolate chip cookie dough.

When I discovered the vegan version on Tami Torossian’s YouTube channel, I knew I had to give it a try! To my surprise, it tasted exactly like how I remember it tasting when I was a kid—just without the unnecessary and unkind extras.

It was awesome to know I could make something so simple that would satisfy my sweet tooth and love for the taste of raw cookie dough!

Now, go make it and leave comments telling me how much you love it!

3 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Yields about 2 servings.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Remove the pits from the dates and toss them into a high-speed blender or food processor. Pulse for about 30 seconds or until they become a chunky, thick paste.
2. Add the oats to the date paste and pulse until the mixture turns into individual clumps.
3. When the cookie dough is fully formed, sprinkle the chocolate chips into your blender. Pulse only a few times to make sure they stick to the batter.
4. Remove the dough from blender with a fork and eat it any way you’d like!

Recipe Variations

• If you’re a fan of peanut butter, try adding 1 tablespoon (or more if you really love peanut butter).

The post 3 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough appeared first on Vegan Outreach.

By Toni Okamoto

With Cinco de Mayo today, I wanted to make something that was familiar and festive, but also really easy to make. 7-layer bean dips were a staple potluck item for my family when I was growing up, and it was surprisingly easy to make it completely vegan! With products like Beyond Meat beef-free feisty crumbles and Tofutti sour cream, it tasted exactly the way I remembered!

At the office we used the dip as a filling for burritos, and they were delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 package Beyond Beef feisty crumble
• Mexican rice
• 1 can vegetarian refried beans
• 2 avocados, mashed
• 1 cup salsa
• Tofutti or Follow Your Heart vegan sour cream
• Chopped green onions, tomatoes, and olives, for garnish

Directions:

In a medium pan, cook Beyond Meat beef-free feisty crumbles according to package directions.

Prepare rice according to Mexican Rice recipe.

In an 8-×-8 square baking pan or dish, begin layering with the can of refried beans spread evenly, followed by beef-free crumbles, Mexican rice, mashed avocados, salsa, vegan sour cream, and garnishes (green onions, tomatoes, and olives).

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With fall right around the corner, Renee Press’—with Fire and Earth Kitchen—Apple Pie Bars seemed like a very seasonally fitting recipe to share.

I haven’t personally made or tasted these bars, but given Renee’s very positive track record of offering this blog various delicious recipes, I’ve no doubt this one also will be fantastic.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, please take a few moments to comment after you’ve made them! I’d love to hear about the end result!

Apple Pie Bars

Yields 12-16 bars.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 420°F.
2. Put all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Put all of the wet ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Dice the apples.
5. Line 9″x9″ baking tray with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper goes up the sides of the pan about 1″.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
7. Fold in the apples and pour the batter into the pan. Spread the mixture out to the edge of the pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the dish cool slightly then lift parchment from tray—carefully flip over onto a cutting board and remove the parchment paper. Let cool before cutting into squares.

Recipe Tips/Variations

• Dust the bars with powdered sugar for an extra hint of sweetness!

The post Apple Pie Bars appeared first on Vegan Outreach.

Raising Vegan Kids—Protein-Packed Snacks!

Beans, beans, the protein-packed snack, the more my kids eat, the more they come back—for seconds! Beans are little super foods. They’re an excellent source of protein, complex carbs, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

And best of all, beans are inexpensive and super versatile. I blend beans into sauces, mash them into oatmeal, toss them on veggies and main dishes, and even whip them into creamy dips and desserts.

My kids love hand-held snacks, so these beany bites are perfect to munch on at home or to pack along on adventures. These bites are very easy and quick to make, and a wonderful nutrient-dense snack for any time of the day.

Beany Bites

Yields 3 ½-4 cups.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Drain and rinse beans—if using canned. Pat dry with a towel.
3. In a large bowl, toss beans with soy sauce, vinegar, and coconut oil.
4. Arrange beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt and onion powder.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. They’ll still be soft and a bit moist. Bake longer if you want a drier texture.

Recipe Tips/Variations

• You can toss the beans with a little barbecue sauce or ketchup in step 3 above. And feel free to sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper, thyme, oregano—or any spices you enjoy!

The post Beany Bites appeared first on Vegan Outreach.

Try this quick and easy, colorful spread on toast, crackers, or right off the spoon!

Beetroot Hummus

Ingredients

Directions

1. Begin by scrubbing the beetroot and boiling it for 30 minutes. Peel and place into a blender.
2. Place the rest of the ingredients, except the horseradish, in the blender. Blend until smooth.
3. Transfer into a bowl and spoon in the horseradish sauce—swirl it in instead of mixing fully into the dish. Serve & Enjoy!

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Who says you have to give up cheesecake when you’re vegan? You won’t find anyone at VO saying that—that’s for sure!

Thank you to Renee Press with Fire and Earth Kitchen, who has provided this delicious recipe!

Berry Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

Yields about 12 cheesecake squares.

Ingredients

Directions

1. To Prepare the Crust: In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, sea salt, and cinnamon until a fine crumb is achieved. Add the pitted, coarsely chopped dates and the agave or maple syrup and process again until it comes together and becomes sticky. If you pinch the nut mixture it should hold together.
2. Place parchment paper or plastic wrap into an 8″ x 8″ square baking dish, letting it hang over the sides a few inches so you can lift it out later. Press nut mixture into the bottom in an even layer. Put it in the freezer to chill.
3. To Prepare the Chocolate and the Filling: Put chocolate chips in a small heat safe bowl. In a small saucepan heat almond milk and pour over chocolate, stirring to melt. Will take 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside. In a blender, put in all filling ingredients. Blend 1-3 minutes until completely creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add a little water if needed to make it totally smooth.
4. Pour filling on top of nut mixture, and spread chocolate on top of that. Cover whole dish in parchment/plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least one hour, but up to overnight. To serve, remove from freezer and lift the entire dessert out onto a cutting board. Remove parchment/plastic wrap from the bottom and cut into cubes. Let warm a little bit at room temperature. Serve and enjoy!

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Margaret Chapman of The Plant Philosophy joins VO today to talk about vegan food! She is an Instagram superstar with over 174,000 followers — and we can see why, her food photography is amazing!

Margaret shares some of her tips in our interview below:

Where do you get your protein?

My highest sources of protein would have to be black beans, garbanzo beans and vegan protein powders. But I also get a high amount from hemp, chia and sunflower seeds. Smaller amounts are found in fruits and veggies, so I eat an abundance of those too.

What chain restaurant do you recommend if you’re traveling or in a hurry?

Chipotle, hands down. It’s found almost everywhere and they have so many vegan options for you to mix and match. My personal favorite is a Sofritas salad with brown rice, grilled veggies, pico de gallo, corn and salsa. You can eat anything there that isn’t meat, cheese or sour cream. They still have so much to choose from, plus it’s pretty affordable for the quantity they give you. A burrito bowl lasts me two meals and costs about $6.80 here in Texas.

How do you live without cheese or ice cream?

That’s a trick question, because I don’t have to! There are so many vegan alternatives today. I adore making my own cashew cheeze with just a few simple ingredients and the best ice cream I’ve ever had was coconut milk based. You can have your cake and eat it too, absolutely no restrictions whatsoever in today’s society with the amount of vegan options.

Is it possible to be vegan if a person lives with family members who are not vegan?

Absolutely! I have a huge family, I was actually living with them when I first became vegan. They were supportive and understanding of my choices, so I had no issue. Now my husband and I live alone and he’s not vegan, but we make due. All you need to do is focus on you, your needs and have a supportive family/partner that accepts that. Either way, you can make it possible all on your own if need be. There are so many like-minded people online. My Instagram community has become like family to me and supports this lifestyle wholeheartedly.

What easy recipe do you have to share with Vegan Outreach supporters who are interested in learning to cook veg foods?

Broccoli Wingz! They’re the easiest thing and come together really quickly.

(Yields 1-2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 bag broccoli florets
• 1 cup flour (can also be gluten-free flour)
• 1 cup water, filtered
• 3 tbsp hot sauce (Sriracha is best)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Start by prepping your broccoli. I bought mine already in florets – so that was super handy. Just wash, dry and cut into bite-sized pieces. Measure and whisk together all your batter ingredients, it should be similar to pancake batter in consistency.

Preheat your oven to 445 degrees F.

Dip each floret and let the excess run off by tapping the side of your bowl. Lay flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat till everything is coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through if you wish (not vital to do so though). Remove from the oven and toss in sauce of choice. I did BBQ sauce, garlic parmesan and a spicy mango chili sauce. All store bought, but the garlic parmesan was just Earth Balance buttery spread with garlic, nutritional yeast and salt.

Once coated, transfer back to your baking sheet and continue at 445 degrees F for another 5-10 minutes.
Serve hot with dipping sauce of choice. I went with roasted red pepper hummus and my cheezy sauce, recipe here.

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A few weeks ago, I received an email from D’s Naturals, makers of the delicious No Cow Bar and Fluffbutter. I didn’t even have to read the entire email asking if I’d like to review the products before a wave of nostalgia rushed over me.

In the fall of 2015 and spring of 2016, I toured a good portion of the country for Vegan Outreach as an Outreach Coordinator—leafleting dozens of college campuses. And during those wonderful eight or nine months, I frequently had a box of No Cow Bars in my car. They were the perfect pick-me-up snack as I was doing outreach or driving from one city to the next.

At the time, D’s Naturals only offered a few bar flavors—Mint Cacao Chip was my fav—so I was surprised to see that they now offer eight No Cow Bar flavors in addition to an entirely new product, Fluffbutter. D’s Naturals kindly offered to send me samples of their products, so I had the opportunity to try their new Dark Raspberry Chocolate and Chocolate Banana Bread bars. I also tried the Brownie Batter Almond Fluffbutter.

The bars were as good as I remembered, but the star of the show was definitely the Fluffbutter. I used my Brownie Batter Fluffbutter on toast topped with sliced bananas, and I also drizzled a few tablespoons over my morning smoothie bowl. The most unique way I used the Fluffbutter, though, was swapping out peanut butter for Brownie Batter Fluffbutter when I made a delicious batch of Puppy Chow (a.k.a Muddy Buddies)*.

Don’t wait to get yourself a jar—or two or three—of every flavor of Fluffbutter. I also highly recommend you get yourself a few different kinds of No Cow Bars! All bars and Fluffbutters are vegan, offer a great source of fiber, and are jam packed with protein—20g per bar and 11g per serving of Fluffbutter.

Visit D’s Naturals website to try their products! And after you received your jars of Fluffbutter, give the following recipe a try!

*Despite what the name suggests, Puppy Chow is a treat only to be enjoyed by humans—dogs should not eat chocolate. This is why I’ve re-named the recipe.

Brownie Batter Not For Puppies Chow

Yields 6 servings.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Add the cereal to a large bowl and set aside.
2. Measure powdered sugar into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, melt almond butter and ½ cup chocolate chips over low heat.
4. Pour melted chocolate mixture over cereal and stir with a large spoon until evenly coated.
5. Place chocolate covered cereal in Ziploc bag, close tightly, and shake bag until cereal is evenly coated with powdered sugar.
6. Spread cereal on wax paper and let cool for one hour.
7. Place the cooled cereal back in the bag and add coconut, remaining chocolate chips, and nuts (if using). Close bag tightly and shake. Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Justin’s Almond Coco-Nutty Buddies.

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