My mom has always loved thick, puréed vegetable soups (or potages, as they’re known in France), and mushroom is her favorite. Her preference was the initial spark for this recipe, but I had a practical goal as well.

I wanted a wholesome, vegan version of the classic canned cream of mushroom soup that serves as a base for so many comfort food favorites, like holiday green bean casserole. The dairy-free store-bought options in this category are often underwhelming, and I knew there had to be a better way.

What I love about this method is its streamlined quality; essentially, it is a process of sautéing, then blending. You don’t need to make a separate batch of vegan cashew cream as you do for other soup recipes I’ve shared. Instead, you create a thick cashew and broth base directly in the blender, add your sautéed mushrooms, and let the appliance do the work. There are no mushroom pieces swimming around here; the soup is a savory purée that works as an elegant appetizer or a high-quality building block for nostalgic recipes.

The Dairy-Free Base

Unlike traditional recipes that rely on heavy cream, a flour-based roux, or potatoes for body, this cream of mushroom soup achieves its richness through (you guessed it) cashews.

I was inspired by a technique from Wil Yeung, in which raw cashews are blended directly into a mushroom soup mixture. Usually, I stir a few tablespoons of pre-made cashew cream into a soup at the end, but that necessitates a separate step.

You can bypass that extra work here. By blending the soaked cashews with just one cup of broth first, you create a thick, smooth cream foundation before adding the mushrooms. Because the ingredient list is minimal—just mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, and seasoning—the flavor is concentrated. This is a cream of mushroom soup that tastes truly and vibrantly of mushrooms, undiluted by dairy or starches.

Notes on the Process

To get the most from this recipe, both in terms of texture and taste, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• For tender mushrooms: Start the mushrooms in a covered pot or large sauté pan for the first two minutes. This “steam-sauté” method helps them release their juices quickly without soaking up too much oil.
• The Creamy Base: Blending the soaked cashews with broth first ensures they are fully pulverized before the mushrooms are added. This eliminates the need to prepare a separate cashew cream, saving you time and at least one round of cleaning the blender.
• The Right Blender: For a truly silky texture, a high-speed standing blender is best. If your blender isn’t high-speed, take an extra minute during step three to ensure the mixture is perfectly smooth. If you use an immersion blender, I recommend making cashew cream separately and stirring it in at the end; I include instructions in the recipe card.
• Minimal Garnishes: I usually keep the toppings minimal to underscore the soup’s lovely simplicity. A light drizzle of olive oil and a few snipped chives are my favorite way to finish it.

Choosing Your Ingredients

I typically use mild white button or cremini mushrooms when I make the soup, but you can easily incorporate shiitake, oyster, porcini, or portobello mushrooms for deeper flavor notes.

I don’t recommend substituting the cashews; their mild, buttery flavor allows the taste of the mushrooms to shine. Look for cashews labeled as “raw” (which are actually heat-treated for safety, but unroasted and unsalted).

The flavor here is mushroom-forward but balanced; because the soup isn’t aggressively garlicky or heavy, it can be added to other recipes without overpowering their ingredients.

A nutritious multitasker

What I love most about this soup is its versatility. It can serve as a dinnertime appetizer, a light lunch with a sandwich, or even a savory afternoon snack to sip from your favorite oversized mug.

The soup is also a perfect base ingredient for plant-based renditions of recipes like green bean casserole or pot pie. Since the soup keeps well in the fridge for up to four days, it’s an easy component to prepare ahead of time for more intensive holiday cooking.

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Velvety Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

This velvety vegan cream of mushroom soup is a umami-rich staple, perfect by the bowl or as a base for casseroles. It comes together easily by blending savory sautéed mushrooms into a quick cashew cream, resulting in a silky purée with a concentrated flavor that far surpasses anything from a can.

Course Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
• 1 1/2 pounds cleaned and sliced or roughly chopped white button, cremini, or baby bella mushrooms (680 g)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (a good pinch)
• A few turns freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups vegetable broth, divided (950 mL)
• 1/3 cup unroasted and unsalted cashews, soaked for 2 hours prior to preparation, then drained (45 g)
• Snipped chives (optional, for garnishing)

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cover the pot and allow them to cook for 2 minutes, then uncover and stir them. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the mushrooms begin to release their juices. Add the garlic to the pot and stir.
• Continue to sauté the mushrooms for another 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mushrooms are reduced in size and fully tender.
• Place 1 cup (240ml) of broth into a powerful blender, along with the cashews. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the cashews are fully blended and you have a mixture that resembles a loose cashew cream.
• Add the sautéed mushrooms and remaining broth to the blender. Blend for another 1-2 minutes, or until you have a smooth, puréed soup.
• Pour the soup back into your soup pot over low heat. Once the soup is hot, taste it and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
• Spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of extra olive oil and/or some snipped chives. Serve.

Notes

Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this soup, as there tends to be some separation and change in texture with defrosting.

I recommend a high-speed, standing blender to achieve a truly velvety, puréed texture. If you work with an immersion blender, then I recommend the following adjustments:

1. Add three cups / 710 mL of broth to the pot at the end of step two, then bring the mixture to a low simmer. Turn off the heat. Use your immersion blender to blend the mushrooms till the mixture is as smooth as possible. 

2. If you have a food processor, skip step 3 and make a batch of all-purpose cashew cream in your food processor a day or two ahead of time. Stir 3/4 cup (180 mL) into the soup after blending the mushrooms with your immersion blender. If you don’t have a food processor, then skip step 3 and substitute 1 cup (180 mL) of unsweetened vegan creamer or coconut milk for the cashew blend. 

Recipe inspired by Wil Yeung’s creamy mushroom soup, as told to Food52.

Whether you’re serving the soup as an appetizer for friends or using it to simplify your next holiday casserole, I hope it’ll bring you a sense of comfort, accompanied by ease. Enjoy!

xo

The post Velvety Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup appeared first on The Full Helping.

This roasted garlic tahini sauce is adjacent to tahini dressing, which is a weekly staple in my home.

What distinguishes the sauce from a dressing it’s thicker, richer consistency. It’s suitable as a dip or a sandwich spread. But it’s downright ideal for mixing with freshly cooked pasta and a splash of hot pasta water.

The sauce isn’t my first experiment with tahini and pasta (or noodle) combination. Creamy tahini pesto and a curried tahini pasta salad are both favorites of mine, especially during the summer months.

This sauce, and the pasta that results from it, is reminiscent of alfredo. However, it’s a little lighter than the various cashew or cauliflower-based alfredo sauces that I’ve made over the years.

More importantly, it features the intense and irresistable flavor of roasted garlic.

The magic of roasted garlic + tahini

Roasted garlic and tahini are an ideal match.

Oven-roasting softens the aggressive, spicy kick of raw garlic cloves. The flavor of roasted garlic is very nearly sweet, which is a perfect counterpoint to the slight bitterness of tahini.

I’ve relied on the roasted garlic and tahini combo to make white bean dip and smashed white bean salad.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before I combined the ingredients into a sauce.

One jar, many pasta possibilities

While it’s good to have a go-to list of complete pasta recipes, it’s also so useful to have a trusty jar of sauce at the ready.

From there, you can dress up different pasta shapes and make any additions—protein or vegetable—that suit you.

A jar of marinara sauce is a household staple for me and many others, of course. But it’s good to mix things up, and it’s especially nice for those who don’t like or can’t tolerate tomato-based sauces to have a trusty alternative.

Once you’ve got a jar of roasted garlic tahini sauce in the fridge, you can take your pasta meals in many directions. Try adding roasted vegetables, such as eggplant, peppers, or cauliflower.

For something fresher and with more texture contrast, you can mix the roasted garlic tahini sauce and pasta with crisp, steamed veggies.

It’s so good with all manner of peas: shelled peas, snow peas, or sugar snap peas. (That combination is what you see pictured in this post!)

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If the grain + bean + green combo speaks to you, you can create a pasta dish with crispy roasted chickpeas and lightly sautéed spinach or kale. Or you could use chicken-style soy curls for an even more protein-packed meal.

Any one, two, or three of these pasta dishes could appear on your dinner table over the course of a couple weeks. As written, this recipe will create four servings, enough for about 8 ounces of pasta + add-ins.

However, doubling the batch will give you something to freeze and use later. Increasingly, multi-tasking staple sauces like this one have become absolutely essential to my meal prep.

How to make roasted garlic tahini sauce

Step one: roast the garlic

To roast garlic, I begin by slicing the top of a bulb of garlic off crosswise. I drizzle some oil over the exposed cloves, then I wrap the whole bulb in foil.

This recipe calls for two bulbs of garlic, which sounds like a lot. But the beauty of roasting garlic is that even two bulbs won’t be overpowering in flavor. Oven-roasting mellows garlic in the best possible way.

Once you’ve prepared your bulbs for roasting, pop them into the oven for about 35 minutes.

After roasting, the garlic cloves will have shrunken and turned a golden color. Once you allow them to cool a little, you ought to be able to pop them out of the bulb by squeezing it from the bottom.

Step 2: Add the garlic to the tahini sauce base

After roasting the garlic, you’ll add it to the other ingredients needed for the sauce.

These include the usual suspects: tahini, water, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The olive oil helps to create an emulsified, silky texture when the sauce is added to pasta. Without it, the sauce is less smooth and luxurious.

I also add nutritional yeast to the sauce. This adds a hint of savory, cheesy flavor, which makes the sauce reminiscent of, but not identical to, alfredo.

Add all of these components to your blender or food processor. Squeeze the freshly roasted garlic cloves in after them.

Step 3: Blend (or process)

Finally, blend or process the ingredients into a silky sauce. Transfer it to a jar and store the jar in your fridge for up to five days, or freeze it for up to six weeks.

Optional step 4: Make pasta

If you’d like to make pasta with the roasted garlic tahini sauce, go ahead and bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Add eight ounces of any pasta shape to the water and cook it according to package instructions (or to your preferred texture).

When you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve about one cup / 240ml of the hot pasta water. Return the pasta, along with any other components you like (roasted or steamed vegetables, beans, toasted pine nuts, etc.) to the pot over low heat, along with the sauce.

Add a half cup / 120ml of the pasta water to the pot. Give everything a stir and heat it through. Continue adding splashes of pasta water as needed, until the pasta is creamy but has some lightness and looseness. Plate and enjoy!

Alternative serving suggestions

If you like the idea of this sauce but aren’t especially excited about pasta, there are many other things you can use it for.

A few bowls that would be especially good with the sauce spooned on top: quinoa beet bowls, warm winter squash bowls, and vegan harvest bowls.

Keep in mind that the sauce is thick, intended originally to be thinned with pasta water. I recommend diluting it with a few tablespoons of extra water if you use it for drizzling.

I’d use the sauce for all kinds of sandwiches. Roasted garlic is such a more interesting flavor than traditional mayo! It would be an excellent base for my vegan chickpea tuna with artichoke hearts and chickpeas, too.

Finally, you can try serving the sauce as a dip. It’s great with crudité, sure, but it’s also great for dunking sheet pan smashed broccoli florets or roasted cauliflower florets, crispy artichokes, or air-fryer mushrooms.

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Roasted Garlic Tahini Sauce (for Pasta)

Roasted garlic tahini sauce has a rich, creamy texture and is infused with the flavor of sweet, savory roasted garlic cloves. Create delicious pasta suppers in an instant by adding the sauce to your favorite freshly cooked pasta shape. Or, keep a jar of the sauce in your fridge to use as a dip, sandwich spread, or topping for grain bowls.

Course sauce

Cuisine Mediterranean

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword garlic, pasta, sauce, tahini

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 2 bulbs garlic
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup tahini (60 mL)
• 1/4 cup water (60 mL)
• 1 1/2-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (adjust to taste)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 ounces pasta shape of choice (for serving, if desired)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C. Use a chef's knife to slice off the top 3/4-inch/2 cm of each bulb of garlic in a crosswise fashion, exposing the cloves. Drizzle each head with a teaspoon of olive oil. Wrap each bulb in foil and transfer them to a baking sheet. Roast the bulbs for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves are tender and browning. Set the bulbs aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Add the tahini, water, lemon juice (starting with 1 1/2 tablespoons—you can add more to taste once you blend up the sauce), the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper to a blender. Invert each of the two roasted garlic bulbs over the blender and squeeze out all of the roasted cloves into the sauce mixture. 
• Blend the sauce for 1-2 minutes, or until thick and smooth. Transfer it to an airtight storage container. At this point, it can be stored for up to 5 days in the fridge or frozen for up to 6 weeks. 
• When you're ready to use the sauce, boil your pasta shape of choice according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup / 240ml of the hot pasta water. Return the pasta, along with any add-ins of choice (roasted vegetables, a bean, steamed greens, etc.) to the pot over low heat, along with the sauce*. Add 1/2 cup / 120ml of the pasta water. Heat and stir to incorporate the sauce into the pasta and serve. 
• The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days and frozen for up to six weeks.

Notes

*If you’re making smaller portions of pasta, rather than a full 8 ounces, you’ll need about 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce per 2-3 ounce serving of pasta. 

**Try thinning the sauce with a couple tablespoons of water if using it as a dip or a sauce for drizzling.

If you’ve been aiming to make more homemade staples and sauces lately—and especially if you love tahini—then this recipe will serve you well. It’s easy and reliable, and I hope you’ll enjoy it!

xo

The post Roasted Garlic Tahini Sauce (for Pasta) appeared first on The Full Helping.

There’s truly no more useful recipe to meal prep than a good, versatile protein. These savory, tangy baked curried tofu cubes have become one of my favorites.

In my meal prep cookbook The Vegan Week, there’s an entire chapter devoted to proteins. I wrote in the intro to that chapter that “I’ve learned to make plant proteins the backbone of my meals.”

This wasn’t always the case. I’ve always been able to include the other two macronutrients—carbohydrates and fats—into my meals effortlessly.

Selecting and preparing a plant protein source, however, was less intuitive. This is probably because I’d grown up eating carbohydrates and fats (grains, olive oil, nuts, etc.), whereas I hadn’t grown up eating tofu, tempeh, seitan, or even many beans.

The RD in me understood that all three macronutrients are key players in balanced meals. Over time, I trained myself to make sure that each homemade breakfast, lunch, and dinner plate would include a quality protein. This is still a guiding principle when I menu plan.

Within the world of plant proteins, tofu is a favorite; I love its ability to soak up flavor, its range of shape and texture.

Balsamic tofu cubes and teriyaki tofu cubes are already staples in my home. Recently, I wondered if I might mix things up a little, with a new marinade or spice blend.

These baked curried tofu cubes were what I came up with. There are a few dishes that I imagined adding them to from the start: tandoori cauliflower bowls, creamy curried quinoa, or spiced potatoes, lentils and peas.

But I’ve found that the cubes are useful in many other ways; I love putting them into pita pockets along with sautéed spinach or roasted broccoli. And they can give a lively boost to an otherwise simple bowl of rice and beans.

The cubes even make a good savory snack.

A gently spiced—and very tangy—marinade

The flavor profile of these curried tofu cubes is a good example of a happy culinary accident.

While I intended for the recipe to be seasoned with curry powder, I didn’t intend for it to be as citrus-forward as it is.

Thinking back to the paneer-inspired baked tofu that I included in my book Power Plates, I added lemon for acidity. When my first batch emerged from the oven, they were a lot more tangy than I thought they’d be, and I worried that I’d overdone it.

I decided that I really liked the lemony flavor, even though it hadn’t planned on it. It keeps the tofu cubes lifted and brought, with a nice contrast to the earthiness of their spices.

If you don’t love tangy flavors, you can reduce the four tablespoons of lemon juice to three.

As for the spices, most spice blends labeled “curry powder” in the US are similar to the curry powder that were concocted by British colonizers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Typically, this type of curry powder contains some mix of turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek, black pepper, and cardamom.

Curry powder can have heat, but it’s usually less hot than madras curry or vindaloo curry powders. (For more explanation and history, this article is helpful.)

In my kitchen, I like to use the Burlap and Barrel “curry,” and I also like Simply Organic’s curry powder. You can choose a blend with more heat, if you like.

If you have garam masala at home, rather than a curry powder, that blend will work well in the recipe.

Baking tofu

There are of course so many ways to prepare tofu: sautéing, scrambling, frying, and more. But my favorite preparation method has always been baking.

Unless I’m making a pudding, sauce, or soup, I like for my tofu to be nice and firm. I’m not a huge fan of the crispy-style tofu that involves dredging in cornstarch; I find that texture to be unpleasantly rough and sponge-like.

Over the years I’ve found that oven-baking can preserve tofu’s firmness and density, give its edges a hint of crispness, and help to lock in flavor. This is the kind of tofu that I love to eat.

Baked tofu can be prepared in slabs, slices, or cubes. As far as types of tofu go, firm, extra firm, and super firm tofu are all appropriate for oven baking.

Super firm is just what it sounds like: an especially solid and dense type of tofu. This variety of tofu has become popular relatively recently. Its compressed texture amounts to high protein content.

Super firm is now one of the tofu varieties that I cook with most often. It’s always what I reach for when I make smoky tofu or my lemon marinated baked tofu, and I think that it works especially well for these baked curried tofu cubes.

If you can’t find super firm tofu, that’s no problem. Extra firm tofu, which is pretty easy to source, will also work well for the recipe.

How to make baked curried tofu cubes

In addition to being lemony, salty, and spiced, these curried tofu cubes are easy to make.

Like most of my baked tofu recipes, this one benefits from planning. The cubes will develop more flavor with a longer marinade. If you can remember to marinate them overnight, that’s ideal, though a minimum of four hours will do the trick.

Step one: whisk together the marinade

The marinade is a pretty straightforward mixture of freshly squeezed lemon (or lemon + lime) juice, avocado oil, garlic powder, curry powder, and salt.

If you’re wondering why I use the garlic powder, rather than minced garlic, it’s a few reasons. For one thing, powdered garlic whisks really easily into marinades. It’s something I always have in my pantry, whether I have a fresh bulb of garlic or not.

And finally, the powder stands up well to a hot oven, whereas minced garlic can easily burn when it’s used in a marinade like this one.

Step two: marinate the tofu

The super firm tofu for this recipe should be cut into 3/4-inch / 2.5-cm cubes.

After this, I recommend arranging them in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as you can) in a larger, flat storage container with a lid.

Pour the marinade over the cubes, cover the container with its airtight lid, and give it a gentle shake to disperse the marinade.

You can marinate the tofu for as few as four hours or up to overnight. The longer the better.

I recommend shaking the container gently at least once during the marinating time, to ensure that the curried tofu cubes are soaking up seasoning evenly.

Step 3: bake

Finally, it’s baking time.

I recommend lining your baking pan with parchment or foil. Transfer the tofu pieces to the baking sheet, but don’t toss the marinade: you’ll need it for basting the cubes halfway through roasting.

Transfer the baking pan to a 400°F / 200°C oven. Bake the curried tofu cubes for twelve minutes, then remove the pan from the oven.

Use a basting brush to brush the cubes gently, flip them, then brush the other side.

Return the sheet to the oven. Bake the cubes for another 7-10 minutes, or until they’re lightly browning and crisping at their edges.

That’s it! Plant protein, ready to enjoy however you like for days to come.

Meal prep and storage

If you don’t use your curried tofu cubes in a recipe right away, then you can store them for up to five days in an airtight container in the fridge. The tofu can also be frozen for up to six weeks, then defrosted overnight in the fridge before reheating. 

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Baked Curried Tofu Cubes

These baked curried tofu cubes are seasoned with a marinade of garlic powder, curry powder, and a generous amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice. They're nicely spiced and surprisingly tangy. I like to use super firm tofu for its density and substance.

Course protein

Cuisine global

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword high protein, protein, tofu

Prep Time 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 block super firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch / 2.5cm cubes (1 lb / 455g)
• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (or 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice + 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; 60 mL)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder of choice (substitute a hot variety or an equal amount of garam masala if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

Instructions

• Transfer the tofu to a wide airtight storage container, preferably in a single layer. Whisk the lemon (or lemon + lime) juice, oil, garlic powder, curry powder, and salt together, then pour this mixture over the tofu. Cover the container and shake gently to disperse the marinade. Transfer the tofu to the fridge. Allow the tofu to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 24. If possible, gently shake the tofu again at one point during its marinating time, so that the cubes marinate evenly.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Transfer the tofu pieces to the baking sheet, reserving the marinade. Transfer the sheet to the oven. Bake the tofu for 12 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven. Use a basting brush to gently brush the cubes with more of the reserved marinade, then flip or stir the cubes, so that they don't only cook on one side the entire time. Brush the other side (now the top side) of the cubes. Return the sheet to the oven. Bake the cubes for another 7-10 minutes, or until the curried tofu cubes are lightly browning and crisping at their edges. 
• Serve the tofu or store for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The tofu can also be frozen for up to 6 weeks, then defrosted overnight in the fridge before reheating. Enjoy!

In addition to being flavorful and nutrient-dense, the cubes have a sunny golden color that can uplift many a meal.

I find that recipes for vegan basics, like this one, are the ones that give back the most over time. I hope you’ll agree!

xo

The post Baked Curried Tofu Cubes appeared first on The Full Helping.

Risotto is one of those dishes that feels simultaneously elevated and comforting. It’s enough of a “special occasion” dish to make when friends come over, yet it’s also cozy and hearty.

Better still, it’s usually a one-pot meal.

This savory vegan risotto with mixed mushrooms has become my favorite homemade version of the dish.

Why mushrooms?

There’s nothing quite like mushrooms for savoriness and texture.

Mushrooms are famously a dietary source of free glutamate, the amino acid that contributes to umami, or savory flavor, in food.

They’re also great sources of B vitamins, fiber, potassium, and Vitamin D2, along with some plant protein.

The chewy, bouncy texture of mushrooms is often described as being “meaty.” Whether you see it that way or not, mushrooms do add texture contrast and heartiness to meals.

There are of course many types of mushrooms, and each variety has a texture of its own. I think that this risotto benefits from a few types of mushrooms and the assorted textures that they provide.

My favorite mushrooms to use in the recipe are thinly sliced shiitakes, diced portobello mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, trumpet mushrooms, and sliced button mushrooms.

Any combination of these will work, and all of these mushrooms are nutritious (yes, even the humble white button mushrooms).

An easier approach to risotto

Risotto is made when room temperature or warm liquid—usually broth or water—is added in incrementally to arborio rice over heat. As the rice absorbs the liquid, it takes on a lovely, creamy texture.

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When I first tried to make risotto, I was prepared for drudgery. So many recipes emphasized how long the cooking time would be, how much stirring I’d need to do, how I couldn’t peel my eyes away from the stovetop for even a minute.

I think that the demands of risotto tend to be exaggerated. Yes, it’s a recipe that requires some patience. Frequent stirring is important.

But it’s OK to step away from your risotto for a moment or two while you take care of something else (maybe you throw together a green salad for the dinner table, or wash a few dishes).

You don’t have to stir risotto constantly, and actually, doing that can break the rice, which isn’t the goal.

Finally, it’s OK to add warm broth or water to your risotto by cup-and-a-half increments. Gradual incorporation of liquid is important, but you don’t have to work in tiny, half-cup additions.

A little less broth

One of the best risotto dishes that I’ve ever tasted is a meyer lemon risotto made with water, rather than broth.

The first time I tried this recipe, I was blown away by how vibrant its lemon flavor was. It was also impossibly light—a whole new take on risotto.

The chef, Jody Williams, devised the recipe without broth intentionally. A good broth will have flavor of its own, and while that might enhance some risotto dishes, it can also compete with other flavors—like the lemon that Williams wants to highlight.

I’m also convinced that broth can make risotto heavy; this is especially true if you use a very dark, heavily seasoned vegetable broth.

I take my cues from Williams in my own recipe, using a mixture of water and broth. The half-and-half approach means that broth adds flavor without weighing the risotto down.

How to make risotto vegan

I’ll always remember hearing Tom Colicchio declare on an early episode of Top Chef that risotto should always get most, if not all, of its creaminess from the rice, rather than added cream.

Arborio rice has a high starch content, which is why it does develops that creamy texture as you add liquid to it.

What this means for the plant-forward eater is that risotto has all of the makings of a “vegan as is” recipe—from the get-go, you have a main ingredient that develops creamy texture without dairy.

While many traditional risotto recipes call for the addition of butter or parmesan, it’s very possible to make risotto without either. Olive oil is a great fat source for the dish. 

And while you don’t have to substitute parmesan, I like adding some spoonfuls of my easy, savory, homemade vegan parmesan cheese to this version. 

Key ingredients

For a recipe that feels fancy, this one has a succinct ingredient list. Here are some of the primary ingredients you’ll need.

Broth

The broth that you do use (three cups total) can be vegetable, mushroom broth, or a vegan chicken-style or beef-style broth.

I prefer a chicken-style or beef-style broth here; vegetable broth can be earthy, and the mushrooms in the recipe are already earthy. Chicken-style or beef-style broth will keep things balanced.

Olive oil

Olive oil adds some richness to the risotto, and it also helps to carry flavor. I don’t recommend skipping the oil in this recipe.

If you don’t have olive oil, refined avocado oil can be a good substitute.

White wine

White wine adds acidity to risotto, and alcohol can also help to release flavor in cooking. The amount of white wine that I add isn’t a lot (one half liquid cup), and most of the alcohol should cook off.

However, it’s fine to make a version of the vegan risotto without the wine. I recommend using the same amount of broth to deglaze the deep skillet or pot that you cook the risotto in. At the end of cooking, you can add a small squeeze of lemon juice to help re-create the acidity that the wine offers.

Shallots and garlic

Shallots and garlic are the aromatic components in this vegan risotto. I love cooking with shallots because they’re small and easy to chop up quickly (albeit with a lot of tears along the way!).

I also love the mellowness of shallots in comparison to onions. I always keep shallots around—I use them in my simple, Champagne vinaigrette, if not in cooking—and I recommend using them here. A small, chopped onion can be substituted in a pinch.

Arborio rice

It’s possible to make risotto with long-grain or brown rice (or even with barley or farro), but it isn’t the same.

Long-grain or brown rice varieties have a lower starch content than arborio, which means they can’t become as creamy.

There’s a time and a place for non-traditional risotto, but my intention is for this vegan risotto to be classic and authentic. I recommend using arborio rice in the recipe for best results.

How to make vegan risotto with mixed mushrooms

Stirring can be the most annoying part of making risotto, or it can be the best part. When I make this vegan risotto, I roll up my sleeves and settle into the process. The stirring and patience can take on a soothing quality, especially after a hectic day.

Step 1: Warm the water and broth

Don’t skip this preparatory step! Using warm liquid helps the risotto to cook more quickly and efficiently. I keep my water and broth in a medium pot on the stovetop while I use another burner for the risotto itself.

Step 2: Sauté the mushrooms

To cook the mushrooms, add them to hot olive oil in a large, deep skillet or a heavy-bottomed pot. I recommend not stirring the mushrooms too much in the first five minutes of cooking, as this will help them to brown.

After ten minutes, the mushrooms will have reduced greatly in size. They’ll be browning nicely and tender, yet chewy.

Most of these mixed mushrooms will simmer with the rice as it cooks. A small portion of them should be removed before you add the rice; they can be used to top the risotto when you plate it.

Step 2: Add the alliums

Next, you’ll add a little extra olive oil to the skillet, followed by the chopped shallot and minced garlic. Allow the alliums to soften for about three minutes, stirring often.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, if you’re using it. Continue to cook the shallots and garlic for another three minutes before adding the rice to your skillet or pot.

Step 3: Begin simmering and stirring

Now comes the best part—or at least, the most important part. Begin adding the warm liquid in one cup ladles to the rice, stirring as you go. When the rice absorbs nearly all of the liquid that you’ve added, it’s time to add another cup.

Continue this process, stirring as you go, for about thirty minutes, or until the rice is tender. The cooking time will depend somewhat on your texture preference; I like my rice to be softer, so my risotto takes 30-40 minutes. If you prefer your rice to be al dente, then you may need only 25-30 minutes.

At the end of cooking, the risotto should be loose enough that it can be easily spooned into a serving dish. It ought to spread on its own with some ease—in other words, it shouldn’t be gluey or sticky. If it is, add an extra ladle of broth.

Step 4: Serve

For serving, you can top the risotto with cashew parmesan (which is easy to make and super versatile) or a store-bought vegan parmesan. Fresh, chopped herbs and lemon zest make a nice topping as well.

And don’t forget to top your portions of plated risotto with some of the extra, sautéed mushrooms that you reserved.

Meal prep and storage

With storage, the vegan risotto will thicken up. I think risotto is at its most magical when it has just been cooked, but the denser texture of leftovers can be nice in their own way.

Your risotto will keep in an airtight container for up to four days. You can even freeze it for up to six weeks and defrost overnight before reheating.

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Savory Vegan Risotto with Mixed Mushrooms

This savory vegan risotto gets taste, texture, and nutrient density from the addition of sautéed, mixed mushrooms. It's an elegant, impressive dish that's surprisingly easy to make.

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword entertaining, main course, rice, risotto

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• sauté pan

Ingredients

• 3 cups vegan chicken-style or vegetable broth (720 mL)
• 3 cups water (720 mL)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds stemmed and cleaned mixed mushrooms (I like to use any mix of baby bella, shiitake, king trumpet, and oyster mushrooms), sliced or cut into bite-sized pieces (680 g)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 shallots, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (substitute vegetable broth) (120 mL)
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice (270 g)
• cashew parmesan cheese (optional, for serving)
• chopped fresh parsley (optional, for serving)

Instructions

• Add the broth and water to a medium pot. Bring them to a simmer, then turn the heat to low. The liquid should remain at a low simmer while you prepare the risotto.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet (which has a lid) or a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms to the skillet or pot. Stir them once, then cover. Allow the mushrooms to cook, covered, stirring once during that cooking time. The mushrooms will release a fair amount of liquid. 
• Uncover the skillet or pot and continue cooking the mushrooms for another five minutes, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms should become soft, their juices should evaporate, and they'll brown gently. Season the mushrooms generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir to incorporate. Remove a heaping cup of mushrooms from the skillet and set it aside; these mushrooms will top individual portions of risotto when you plate the recipe. 
• Turn the heat to medium low. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet or pot, followed by the shallots and garlic. Cook the alliums, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, or until the shallot is softened and translucent. Then, add the white wine to to deglaze. Stir and cook the mushrooms, shallot, and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until most of the wine has evaporated.
• Add the rice to the skillet or pot and stir to incorporate it into the mushrooms. Use a ladle to add a heaping cup of the broth and water mixture. Keeping the heat on a medium low simmer, gently stir the rice as it absorbs the broth. You'll do this for the next 30-40 minutes, adding warm liquid by the heaping cup and stirring often. Add as much of the liquid as you need to achieve rice that's very tender, yet still intact and holding its shape; try to stir gently so that you don't break the rice grains as you go. Your finished risotto can be more brothy and "spread" on the plate, or you can make it thicker; this is a matter of personal preference! 
• Once you've achieved a risotto texture that you like, divide the risotto onto plates or into shallow bowls. Top each portion with some of the reserved, sautéed mushrooms and some cashew parmesan cheese and/or chopped fresh parsley, if you like. Enjoy warm. 
• Leftover risotto can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You can also freeze the risotto for up to six weeks, defrosting overnight in the fridge before enjoying. 

A good risotto is one of those standby recipes that can be anything you want it to be: an extra-special weeknight supper, a treat for your family, a dish for entertaining, a comfort food meal during tough times.

This isn’t my first vegan risotto recipe, and it won’t be my last, but it’s certainly one of the most satisfying versions I’ve tried. I hope you’ll come to love it, too.

xo

The post Savory Vegan Risotto with Mixed Mushrooms appeared first on The Full Helping.

As a pasta lover who is also a longtime plant-based eater, I’ve experimented with many vegan Bolognese recipes.

This vegan Bolognese with TVP is my favorite. It’s hearty, affordable to make, and so very tasty.

What makes the sauce special is that it’s got an authentically “meaty” texture. Similar to traditional Bolognese, it’s also rich in protein.

Both of these features are thanks to the use of TVP, or texturized vegetable protein. TVP is a versatile, inexpensive, and nutritious ingredient made from soy beans.

Once you start cooking with TVP, you’ll quickly find that it’s a perfect addition to plant-based tacos, stir fries, chili recipes, and more.

But let’s start with vegan Bolognese—a quintessential comfort food dish.

A more authentic Bolognese

When I set out to test a recipe, I usually discover that I knew less about it than I thought I did. Bolognese is a perfect example of this.

In my mind, Bolognese was a thick tomato sauce with meat. I suspected there might be a difference between Bolognese and ragù, but I didn’t know what it was. Nor was I confident about the distinction between Bolognese vs. an Italian American meat sauce.

Here’s what I was right about: Bolognese is a meat sauce, and it often incorporates tomatoes.

My first misconception was in thinking that Bolognese is supposed to be as tomato-forward as Italian American meat sauce.

Bolognese isn’t marinara sauce with ground meat added. In fact, it’s closer to the other way around. Some recipes call only for a couple tablespoons of tomato paste.

I was also surprised—and glad!—to learn that Bolognese often incorporates milk, or cream.

I love a creamy pasta sauce. Creamy vegan mushroom pasta, light and creamy vegan zucchini pasta, and creamy 8-ingredient vegan pumpkin pasta are all staple recipes in my home.

In the category of pasta that’s both meaty and creamy, my creamy vegan skillet lasagna is a forever favorite. This bolognese recipe is a close relative.

Bolognese vs. Ragù

How is Bolognese different from ragù?

It isn’t, actually. Bolognese is a type of ragù. Ragù is a meat-based sauce that can take on many regional variations, including different types of proteins.

Ragù alla Bolognese refers to a ragù that’s named after the city of Bologna (whether or not it actually originated there).

Ragù alla Bolognese begins with a sautéed mixture of carrot, onion, and celery, to which meat is added. Tomatoes can be involved, but they don’t strictly have to be. Dairy is usually stirred in toward the end of simmering.

Vegan Bolognese is highly non-traditional in that it excludes meat. But I tried to make this one more authentic than versions I’ve tried in the past.

The vegetables are prominent. All-purpose vegan cashew cream adds a lovely, light creaminess.

And while you won’t find any beef here, you will find a plant protein that’s notable for its meaty texture.

For the love of TVP

TVP belongs in a category of what I think of as “old school” vegan ingredients. I’d put seitan, soy curls, Tofurky, and even nutritional yeast into the same group.

It’s not that these foods are obsolete. On the contrary, they’re all available and as useful as ever.

But these are ingredients that existed before vegan meats and vegan cheeses had gotten high-tech. If you’ve been vegan for a long time, you can probably remember cooking with them before grocery store shelves were full of vegan protein options.

TVP is a protein that comes from soybeans. Specifically, it’s made when roasted soybeans are ground into flour, defatted, and then dried.

You can purchase TVP online or in most health food stores. Unprepared, it’ll look dry and crumbly; I think it resembles bulgur wheat.

After you rehydrate the TVP in hot liquid, like water or broth, it will more closely resemble ground meat.

I say “closely” because TVP won’t fool an unsuspecting meat eater. It’s not as realistic as, say, Impossible Ground Beef.

Once cooked, however, TVP does have a pleasantly chewy texture, which I’d describe as “meaty.”

So many vegan Bolognese recipes call for lentils. I love a lentil, but lentil-enriched pasta sauce doesn’t strike me as being meaty, even if it’s delicious.

Some longterm plant-based eaters come to dislike products that are realistically meat-like. I understand this, but I don’t relate. I crave meaty textures, and mushrooms don’t always cut it!

This recipe will help you get closer to a true meat sauce in your kitchen. And it will allow you to do that without spending lots of money on store-bought vegan meats.

TVP nutrition

In addition to being inexpensive, versatile, and having a fun texture, TVP has nutrient richness to offer you.

A quarter cup of dry TVP—that’s about half a cup once you’ve rehydrated it—has about ten to twelve grams of protein. This is more than a half cup of beans and about the same as a four ounce serving of tofu.

The same portion of TVP will also provide 10% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron and 15% of your RDA of potassium.

For those who are mindful of fats in their diets, TVP is virtually a fat free food until you season it.

The same goes for sodium: unlike store-bought vegan meats, which are usually generously seasoned, TVP is naturally low-sodium. You can control the saltiness and flavors however you like.

How to make vegan Bolognese with TVP

Step 1: Reconstitute the TVP

You’ll begin by rehydrating, or reconstituting, your TVP. This is as simple as adding the dry TVP to a bowl, then soaking it in hot water.

Specifically, you’ll use two cups of boiling water for one cup of dry TVP. Pour the water over the vegetable protein, then allow it to soak for ten minutes.

(It’s possible to soak it longer in room-temperature water for the same result, but I prefer to save time with hot liquid.)

Drain the TVP through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing it gently to remove as much moisture as you can.

Then set the TVP aside as you cook your vegetable mixture.

Step 2: Sauté your vegetables

Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large, deep skillet, then add the onion, carrot, and celery.

You’ll cook the vegetables for 6-7 minutes, or until tender. Deglaze the pan with some wine wine (substitute vegetable broth if wine isn’t for you).

Then, add your flavor base to the skillet: this is tomato paste and Bragg’s liquid aminos or tamari. These additions add umami to the recipe.

Step 3: Add the TVP to the skillet

Add the TVP to the skillet, then sprinkle it with some nutritional yeast. The latter adds savoriness to the Bolognese, along with some added protein.

Step 4: Add strained tomatoes, then cashew cream

Finally, you’ll stir one and a half cups of strained tomatoes to the skillet.

This isn’t a huge amount, and using strained tomatoes (passata), rather than diced, creates a light effect. You can substitute crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes for strained if that’s what you have.

Simmer the mixture for three to five minutes, or until it’s bubbly and thick. Finally, stir in three quarters of a cup of cashew cream, the recipe’s creamy component.

Thanks to a deliberate amount of tomato and the cashew cream, the acidity of this vegan Bolognese is less than other tomato-based sauces that I make regularly, such as my 20-minute marinara sauce.

It may be a more suitable option for those who have a hard time with high-acid foods.

At this point, you’ll have a creamy sauce that’s a bright, orange-pink color. It will be quite textured. I think this recipe is probably thicker than a traditional Bolognese would be.

But there’s a time to honor tradition, and a time break the rules.

Step 5: Boil pasta and serve it with the sauce

Finally, boil your pasta of choice. Drain the pasta, then divide it into bowls or onto plates. Top each portion with a generous heap of the vegan Bolognese, and dig in!

Meal prep & storage

You can make a batch of the vegan Bolognese, boil a big pot of pasta, and serve it all right away to friends or family.

Or, you can prepare the sauce, then store or freeze it. You can freeze it in small amounts (freezer cubes or small containers) if that’s best for your meal prep needs.

No matter how you choose to store the sauce, it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to six weeks.

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Meaty Vegan Bolognese with TVP (No Lentils)

This meaty vegan bolognese sauce uses TVP, rather than lentils or mushrooms, for authentic texture and a big boost of plant protein! The sauce is also made with onion, carrot, celery, strained tomatoes, and a touch of cashew cream. This bolognese is less tomato-driven than many others, so it's not overly acidic, and you'll truly taste its vegetables.

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword high protein, meal prep, pasta, sauce, soy

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• sauté pan

Ingredients

• 2 cups water (480 ml)
• 1 cup TVP (95 g)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely dice
• 2 carrots, trimmed, peeled, and finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (120 ml)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (60 g)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 cups strained tomatoes (passata) or crushed tomatoes (355 ml; one 14-ounce / 390g can or carton)
• 3/4 cup cashew cream (180 ml)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8-12 ounces dry pasta of choice
• salt

Instructions

• Bring the two cups of water to a boil in the microwave or in a saucepan. Pour the boiling water over the TVP. Allow the TVP to soak for 10 minutes. Drain the TVP through a fine strainer. While it's straining, use the bottom of a measuring cup to press down on the TVP, helping to remove as much moisture as possible. Set the TVP aside. 
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, deep skillet till glistening. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook the vegetables, stirring often, for 6-7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and all of the vegetables are tender. Add the white wine to the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until the wine has nearly all cooked down. Add the tomato paste and Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari to the skillet. Stir everything well, fully incorporating the tomato paste into the warm mixture. 
• Add the reconstituted TVP to the skillet, then sprinkle the nutritional yeast over it. Give the ingredients a good stir to incorporate well. Add the strained tomatoes to the skillet. Turn the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 3-5 minutes, or until it's bubbly and thick. Stir the cashew cream into the bolognese and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until it's hot, fragrant, and lightly creamy. If the sauce is overly thick for your liking, you can add a splash of water at this point. Taste the bolognese and add freshly ground black pepper to taste; you can also add a little extra Bragg liquid aminos or tamari, as needed. 
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to your preferred texture, or according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, then serve it with the bolognese. The bolognese will be enough for 4-6 portions, depending on how saucy you like your pasta to be! Enjoy.

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I’m a huge champion of legumes. I can’t imagine my culinary life without white beans, chickpeas, black beans, lentils, or split peas.

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Sometimes it’s worth branching out. Soy beans are unique in their versatility: they can become tofu, tempeh, soy curls, or TVP.

If you’re looking to diversify your plant proteins a little, then TVP is well worth trying. I hope you’ll love what it does for a plant-based Bolognese, and many other recipes!

xo

The post Meaty Vegan Bolognese with TVP (No Lentils) appeared first on The Full Helping.

One of the beauties of having an air fryer is the ability to cook vegetables in less time than roasting or sautéing.

These quick air fryer mushrooms have become one of my favorite vegetables to prepare at a moment’s notice or when I’m in a rush to get dinner ready.

I love mushrooms, in all of their umami-packed, savory, ultra-nutritious goodness. For a long time I prepared them almost exclusively by sautéing. Then I switched over to sheet pan roasting.

There’s a time and a place for both of those methods. And there’s a time and a place for shortcuts.

I can’t think of an easier way to prepare mushrooms flavorfully. If you have an air fryer and a taste for funghi, then I recommend it highly!

A savory and nutrient-dense topping

Like many plant-based eaters, I make a lot of recipes that include mushrooms.

Mushrooms are hearty and firm; they also have naturally occurring glutamate, the amino acid that’s associated with umami, or savoriness.

For all of these reasons, mushrooms are often described as being “meaty.” Whether you see it that way or not, they’re a great ingredient for crafting satisfying, plant-based meals.

Mushrooms find their way into my cozy vegan mushroom bourguignon, creamy vegan mushroom pasta, and my savory mushroom farro.

When they’re not playing a starring role in a recipe, mushrooms can also be an easy, savory “add-on” for something else.

What I mean by that is that you can use them as a topping or an instant means of adding more texture, more savoriness, or more heft to a dish that’s otherwise simple.

I like piling my air fryer mushrooms onto think spaghetti marinara, avocado or hummus toast, or a butter side lettuce salad.

And what a nourishing add-on they are: mushrooms are rich in B Vitamins, fiber, potassium, and Vitamin D2. They’re superfoods in the sense of the word that I stand by: nutrient-dense, versatile, and delicious.

What type of mushrooms should I use?

When I make air fryer mushrooms, I usually use halved cremini or baby bella mushrooms. These are two of my favorite varieties.

However, they’re quite similar in shape to humble white button mushrooms. And you can certainly use button mushrooms in the recipe instead.

You can also use halved shiitake mushroom caps—they work nicely in the air fryer! If you use them, you may need only 10 minutes of air frying time.

Air fryer tricks of the trade

My air fryer recipes are written for a four-liter capacity, basket-style air fryer. You can of course convert it to fit a toaster oven style air fryer, if that’s what you have.

And if you also have a basket-style air fryer, but with a larger or smaller capacity than mine, you can scale the recipe up or cut the amounts in half to make it work.

When I make veggies in my air fryer, including these air fryer mushrooms or my cubed air fryer sweet potatoes, I follow a few rules of thumb.

First, I always stop to shake the basket of my air fryer once halfway through the cook time. This helps to avoid any vegetables sticking or uneven cooking.

I also try to avoid over-crowding my appliance. Four liters sounds roomy, and for a solo-dweller it works well. But it’s not a ton of capacity, and if I pile in too many vegetables, they’ll lose some of their crispiness. (They may also take longer to cook.)

Seasoning options

Most of the time, I keep my air fryer mushrooms super simple: olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

If I’m in the mood for variation, the two seasoning additions that I turn to are usually balsamic vinegar or fresh herbs, such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary. I’ve included both options in the recipe card.

Other seasonings that I’ve added to the mushrooms before they get air fried:

• Truffle salt
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Smoked paprika
• Lemon juice or zest

After the air fryer mushrooms are fully cooked, you can also season them with a dressing or sauce. Some ideas:

• Vegan pesto with basil and cashews
• Italian salsa verde
• Vegan sun-dried tomato pesto
• 20-minute marinara sauce
• Sunflower seed romesco

Of course, these are only ideas. There’s lots of room for possibility here!

How to make air fryer mushrooms

Making air fryer mushrooms couldn’t be easier. When I meal prep them, I nearly always do a double batch. Even when I think I won’t use them all up by the end of the week, I do.

Step 1: Season the mushrooms

First, you’ll put your halved baby bella or cremini mushrooms into a mixing bowl. Add olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then mix them well.

I prefer garlic powder to minced garlic for this recipe for two reasons: first, it’s easier to distribute and mix evenly into the mushrooms than fresh garlic. Second, minced garlic can easily burn in an air fryer, turning bitter.

If you have a mister or spray bottle of either olive or avocado oil at home, you can also use it to season the mushrooms. Oil spray is often easier for evenly coating vegetables than a spooned measurement.

Step 2: Air fry for 10-12 minutes

You’ll air fry for a total of 10-12 minutes, but you need to stop midway through the cook time to shake the air fryer basket. This ensures that the mushrooms cook evenly.

One more step to consider: if you’d like to season the mushrooms, you can do so about four minutes before the end of cooking time.

As you can see above, fresh thyme leaved and a drizzle of syrupy balsamic vinegar are my favorite seasonings here.

Shake the basket of the air fryer again, then continue with the last few minutes of air frying. At this point, your mushrooms are ready.

Serving suggestions

You may make a batch of the air fryer mushrooms with a specific purpose in mind: putting them into a vegan pasta dish, for example.

Once you have them in the fridge, though, I bet you’ll find yourself wanting to add them to everything.

I routinely sprinkle them onto bowls of savory oats, crostini with cashew cheese, the top of a bowl of mushroom bulgur bean chili, or a cup of vegan potato leek soup.

You’ll find your own favorite uses. And as you do that, you can rest assured that you’re coming up with new ways to enjoy an especially nutritious veggie.

Meal prep & storage

The air fryer mushrooms can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

The recipe makes only two servings (easily doubled), and I almost never have reason to freeze them. But you can freeze them, for up to six weeks.

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Quick Air Fryer Mushrooms (Vegan)

These air fryer mushrooms are ready in less than fifteen minutes and are so easy to prepare! Made with cremini or baby bella mushrooms, they're simple, savory, and versatile. You have the option to give them additional seasoning with herbs or balsamic vinegar, and you can add them to countless types of dishes.

Course side, Side Dish

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword air fryer, mushroom, mushrooms, quick and easy, side dish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• air fryer

Ingredients

• 8 ounces baby bella or cremini mushrooms, brushed and halved
• 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil (substitute olive or avocado oil spray)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme or rosemary leaves (optional)
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (aged or commercial-grade)

Instructions

• Transfer the mushrooms to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle them with the oil, then season them to your liking with salt and pepper (I prefer a generous hand with both) and the garlic powder. Toss everything together. In place of the tablespoon oil, you can spray the mushrooms generously with an olive or avocado oil spray, then add the seasonings as directed. This helps to disperse the oil more evenly. 
• Transfer the mushrooms to the basket of an air fryer. Air fry them at 400°F / 200°C for 10-12 minutes, shaking them vigorously in the basket once halfway through roasting. The mushrooms should be soft, gently browning, and greatly reduced in size once done.
• If you like, add the herbs and balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms 4 minutes before they finish air frying, then give the basket a shake to disperse. Continue cooking them with these additional seasonings for their last 4 minutes in the air fryer.
• Serve the mushrooms or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. 

Within the vegetable kingdom, mushrooms can be a little intimidating to cook. This recipe is an approachable starting point, and I hope you’ll find it useful!

xo

The post Quick Air Fryer Mushrooms appeared first on The Full Helping.

Blended baked oats—usually served in ramekins or other single-serve dishes—became a viral trend on Tik Tok in around 2021.

I’m here, three years later, to report that the recipe is as fun and tasty as ever. And in spite of its formerly viral status, it’s worthy of a longterm spot in your breakfast repertoire.

One of the sweet parts of working as a dietitian is that I see a fair number of teens and twenty-somethings in my practice.

These thoughtful, incisive, humorous young folks keep me up-to-date on social media trends, acronyms, and recipes.

One of my clients told me about the blended baked oat trend back when it was first popular. It sounded like a cool idea, blending the oats prior to baking them. Yet the part of me that’s quick to dismiss a fad was reluctant to try them.

I’m not too proud to admit when I’ve been wrong about a recipe, and I was definitely wrong about this one!

Now that I’ve made baked oatmeal this way, better late than never, I can tell you that it’s a fun method with tasty results. As I’ve realized so many times over in my life and career, it’s good to keep an open mind.

What are blended baked oats, exactly?

This isn’t my first time trying, or writing about, baked oatmeal. In fact, oatmeal bakes are one of my go-to vegan meal prep breakfasts.

The baked oatmeal variations that I’m accustomed to making involve mixing rolled oats with some sort of liquid, then baking them in the oven.

The resulting mixture is dense and hearty, with plenty of texture from the rolled oats.

Some of my favorite examples are my vegan blueberry banana oat bake, vegan pumpkin chocolate chip baked oatmeal, and maple brown sugar baked oatmeal.

The vegan blended baked oats that I’m sharing today are different, in a good way. Rather than baking the oats whole, you’ll blend them with plant milk, nut or seed butter (I like tahini), some baking powder, and a pinch of cinnamon.

Then, you’ll pour this “batter” into individual dishes and bake or air fry them till they’re puffy and set.

The result is something that’s much more like cake than baked oats. In fact, when I made it, I kept thinking to myself that it had an almost soufflé-like texture.

After the blended baked oats have been out of the oven or air fryer for a few minutes, they’ll lose some of their height, which is what’s reflected in the photos here.

But they really are impressively domed and fluffy at first. Even once they’ve been stored, they retain a lovely, tender texture.

Key ingredients

Making blended baked oats is more of a cooking method than a specific recipe. I’ve chosen the ingredients that speak to me, but there’s room for variation.

I’ll offer some substitutes that I know can work. As I continue to make this recipe, which I know that I will, I’ll update the recipe card with more options.

Rolled oats

I love all types of oatmeal: steel cut, rolled, and quick oats. But the variety that I cook with most often is probably rolled oats.

Rolled oats are what end up in my favorite protein-rich vegan overnight oats, my savory turmeric chickpea oats, and most of my baked oatmeal recipes.

You can use either rolled oats or quick oats here. I don’t recommend steel cut oats for this particular recipe.

If you have celiac disease or don’t do well with gluten, be sure to use rolled oats that are certified gluten-free.

Nut or seed butter

Adding nut or seed butter to the vegan blended baked oats achieves a few things. It serves as an egg replacer, it makes the oats tender and flavorful, and it adds healthful fats to the recipe.

The latter is a win when it comes to staying satiated.

I’ve tested the recipe with almond, peanut, cashew, and sunflower seed butter, along with tahini.

All of these nut and seed butters add their own distinctive flavor. As you can imagine, the PB version is really peanutty, and so on.

My favorite option so far is tahini. I think it creates the most silky-textured baked oats. And while tahini is known for being a little bitter, that bitterness mellows with baking. Your finished oats will have a light toasted flavor, and the chocolate will shine through.

Banana

Ripe banana—half for a single portion, a whole one for a double portion—also functions as an egg replacer.

In addition, it ensures that the oats are fluffy and moist, and it adds a little naturally occurring sweetness to the recipe. (The only other source of sweetness in the recipe is the dark chocolate chips.)

I know that I have some readers who really don’t care for banana, so I have two suggested alternatives: pumpkin purée and applesauce. A quarter cup of either of these can work in the recipe.

So far, I like the banana + tahini + dark chocolate chip combo best, but it’s good to have options!

Dark chocolate chips

Your favorite vegan chocolate chips are welcome here, as is finely chopped dark chocolate. I like to use mini chips when I make the recipe.

Vegan milk chocolate, which is usually made with oat milk, is also an option and increasingly easy to find. While I enjoy it for snacking or dessert, I find it a little too sweet for the blended baked oats.

If you’re not in the mood for chocolate at breakfast, then it’s fine to replace the chips with chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts. Shelled pumpkin seeds are also a nice option.

If you want the crunch of nuts with a little added sweetness, I think that my crispy baked candied walnuts or crispy baked vegan candied pecans would be a great addition.

Plant milk

You won’t need a lot of plant milk to make the recipe (1/4 cup / 60ml per serving). Soy milk is my plant milk of choice, but you can also use oat, almond, cashew, or light coconut milk.

How to make vegan blended baked oats

A few things to keep in mind about the recipe:

• As written, it makes two servings, but I’ve successfully halved the recipe to make a single serving, and you can do the same if you like.
• The blended baked oats will be at their most impressively fluffy and high right after baking. They’ll collapse a little as they cool, but they’ll still be delicious.
• You can prepare reheat the oats in either the oven or your air fryer—I’m giving instructions for both methods!
• Since the recipe takes 15-25 minutes to cook, plus prep/blending time, it’s a weekend breakfast for me. But it’s really not difficult to prepare.

Step 1: Get set up

First, preheat your oven or air fryer. I don’t always pre-heat my air fryer before using it, but I do when I’m converting a baking recipe.

Then, lightly oil two small ramekins. I use ones that are 3-inch / 7.5cm in diameter and 1 1/2-inch / 4cm high.

If you don’t have smaller baking vessels like these, you could bake the two servings together in something a little bigger. You could also divide the recipe into four muffin cups (two muffin portions per person).

Step 2: Blend

If you happen to have a personal-sized blender, or a high-speed blender that also has a personal-sized blending attachment, that’s ideal for this recipe. It can be tricky to blend smaller quantities in a large blender.

Depending on the shape of the blender you have, however, it may not be a hassle. If you try blending the oats and have trouble, even with a tamper, you can try doubling the recipe and sharing it with others. Or, use it as an excuse to meal prep and get four portions out of the recipe.

In any case, add your banana, oats, plant milk, a little ground flaxseed, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, and your nut or seed butter to the blender.

The oats should blend up easily within 1-2 minutes.

Step 3: Stir in half of the dark chocolate chips (or chopped nuts)

While the batter is still in the blender, use a small spatula to stir in half of the dark chocolate chips, so that they’re evenly mixed through the batter.

Step 4: Pour the batter into ramekins and top with remaining chocolate chips

Once that’s done, pour the batter into your two prepared ramekins, dividing it up evenly.

Finally, sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of chocolate chips over the tops of your divided and portioned oats.

Step 5: Bake or air fry

If baking, you’ll need to give the oats 22-25 minutes in the oven. After baking, the tops will be golden, domed, and set.

If you’re air frying, the oats will need 15-18 minutes in order to achieve that same effect. I have an air-fryer with a 4L basket, which is roomy, but not roomy enough to fit both ramekins comfortably.

I hold one of the baked oat portions in the fridge while the other air fries, and then I make the second portion directly after.

Step 6: Serve, with or without some fun accompaniments

The vegan blended baked oats are really delicious enough to serve on their own; thanks to the chocolate chips, there’s plenty of flavor, and you won’t need a garnish.

However, a little extra nut or seed butter can be nice for drizzling, if you like.

As far as accompaniments go, a glass of soy milk for plant protein, a vegan yogurt with berries, additional banana, a cup of some sort of smoothie that you like, or some crunchy nuts are all nice ideas.

Storage & reheating

Again, I’m partial to this recipe when it’s freshly baked. But if you’re making a few portions and wish to store them, that’s also great. Future breakfast cake for future you!

Cover the ramekins with reusable silicone covers or Saran wrap, then transfer them to the fridge. You can keep them there for up to three days.

Air fry or re-heat in the oven (at 300°F / 150°C) for five minutes, or until nicely warm, before enjoying them again.

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Vegan Blended Baked Oats with Dark Chocolate Chips (Air Fryer Option)

These vegan blended baked oats with dark chocolate chips are based off of a viral recipe, yet I promise that they deserve an enduring place in your breakfast routine! Freshly made, the oats have a tender, soufflé-like texture that's irresistable. Featuring rolled oats, nut or seed butter, banana, plant milk, and dark chocolate chips, the recipe is a wholesome morning treat. I give two options for preparation: oven or air fryer.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword air fryer, breakfast, chocolate, oatmeal, oats, oven

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• blender
• personal blender

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup rolled oats (65g)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soy, oat, almond or cashew milk (120ml)
• 1 medium ripe banana*
• 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons nut or seed butter (I prefer tahini; almond, cashew, almond, sunflower, and peanut butter will all work)
• 2 tablespoons vegan mini or regular chocolate chips (30g)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C or an air fryer to 325°F / 165°C. Lightly oil two small (3-inch / 7.5cm in diameter and 1 1/2-inch / 4cm high) ramekins.
• Place the oats, non-dairy milk, banana, flaxseed, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, and tahini or nut butter in a blender and blend till smooth, about 1 1/2-2 minutes. This recipe works especially well in a personal-sized blender.
• Stir one tablespoon / 15g of the mini chocolate chips into the resulting batter. Divide it between the two ramekins.
• Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of mini chocolate chips over the tops of the oat mixture in the two ramekins.
• Transfer the ramekins to the oven or air fryer. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the baked oats are puffy, the tops are golden brown, and both look a little like mini-soufflés. Alternatively, air fry the oats for 15-18 minutes, until you achieve a similar appearance and doneness.
• The oats are best eaten immediately. However, you can cover them and store in the fridge overnight. Air fry or re-heat in the oven(at 300°F / 150°C) for five minutes before enjoying.

Video

Notes

*Substitute 1/4 cup pumpkin purée or applesauce.

With time, I default more and more to tried-and-true recipes, meals that evoke nostalgia, and classic preparation methods.

Yet I have to remind myself that a willingness to try new things is what drove so much of my development when I was learning to cook vegan food.

I’m glad that I woke up one Saturday morning with the desire to try something fun, and different, and I made vegan blended baked oats. They’re a nice little treat, and I hope you’ll enjoy them, too.

xo

The post Vegan Blended Baked Oats with Dark Chocolate Chips appeared first on The Full Helping.

There’s really no easier or more nourishing meal starter than some mixture of beans and greens.

As a longtime plant-based eater, I’ve come to rely on the duo for protein and a wide array of micronutrients: iron, zinc, and calcium among them.

I turn to beans and greens when I’m stumped about what to cook for dinner, or any other meal. When in doubt, beans and greens to the rescue.

In my home, they’re usually accompanied by a whole grain or some sort of bread-y thing.

A Grain, a Green, a Bean

A simple trinity of plant-based foods—grains, greens, and beans—will set you up to create an array of beautifully balanced and complete meals. Bring the beans and grains in your pantry to life with more than 80 wholesome recipes and a world of possibilities!

Order A Grain, a Green, a Bean

The trifecta of grains, beans, and greens never fails to deliver on satisfaction. (It’s dear enough to my heart that I’ve written a whole cookbook about it.)

On their own, beans and greens are a canvas for flavor. They can be very plain and will become as elaborately seasoned as you want them to be.

The miso butter beans and greens that I’m sharing today illustrate how a few bold flavors—in this case, white miso, garlic, and shallot—turn a humble duo of foods into a memorable dish.

Butter beans are having a (well-deserved) moment

Beans have been a dietary staple of mine for years; at any given moment, I’m likely to have cans of chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans in my pantry.

I’ve also always been a big fan of white beans, with their creamy texture and tremendous versatility. I make a pot of brothy white beans about once a month, or sometimes even more.

In the past several years, I’ve noticed one particular type of white bean finding its way into viral recipes on social media. Suddenly, butter beans are all the rage.

What are butter beans? You may actually know them as lima beans.

In the US, lima beans are often sold frozen. They have a pale green color, and they’re actually baby, or immature, lima beans.

Mature lima beans have a pale white or beige color and a wide, flat shape. They can be sold dried or cooked, in cans.

These are the beans that are used to make gigantes plaki, a classic Greek dish that I remember from growing up. Nowadays, I’m one of the many people who loves butter beans for their tender consistency, and satisfying, plump size.

I purchase butter beans canned, and there are options to choose from: Wegmans, Bush’s, and Goya all produce canned butter beans.

If you love to cook dried beans from scratch, then you can search for a bag of large white beans labeled as “lima” or “gigante.”

Miso butter beans and greens ingredients

Most of my go-to beans and greens recipes, including my cumin-spiced lentils and rice and beans and greens pasta, feature simple ingredient lists.

These miso butter beans and greens are no exception. You won’t need much to bring this meal to life.

The greens

I like to use kale as my dark, leafy green of choice here, and I’m especially partial to Tuscan, or lacinato, kale.

It’s fine to substitute another leafy green for kale. Spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli rabe, and bok choy are only some examples of greens that would work well here.

The beans

Much as I’ve come to love butter beans, they’re not your only choice of legume for the recipe. Other white beans, like cannellini or great northern, will work.

And if you don’t have either of those, you can try the recipe with kidney or pinto beans.

White miso

White miso is the type that I use most often in recipes because I like its mild, slightly sweet flavor profile. If you have a red or brown miso at home, then it’s fine to make a swap.

Keep in mind that white miso is generally less salty than other types. You may wish to decrease the amount of miso to three teaspoons, rather than four, if you use brown or red.

Broth

Vegetable broth is what I usually reach for at home, though I also keep vegan chicken-style broth around for soy curl chicken strips and chickpea noodle soup. It’s fine to use either style of broth for your miso beans and greens.

Shallot & garlic

I always keep shallots at home for making my simple champagne vinaigrette, but I also love to cook with them. Their flavor is a little sweeter and more mellow than that of onions.

Since shallots are small, they’re easy to chop and throw into quick and easy dishes.

If you don’t have a shallot at home, it’s fine to use a small white or yellow onion (or half of a large onion) in its place.

Meanwhile, the recipe calls for two cloves of garlic. I’m a supertaster and tend to be conservative with garlic, so feel free to increase the quantity to four or five cloves if you prefer more.

Lemon juice and zest

Lemon juice and zest give the beans and greens necessary brightness and acid. As with the garlic, you can increase or decrease the amount of lemon juice to taste.

Preparing miso butter beans and greens

Oh, the beauty of a quick and easy, one-skillet recipe.

This meal is sort of a shortcut version of my great big pot of braised beans and kale. They key differences are that you don’t have to cook beans from scratch and you have the option to use a roomy frying pan or skillet, rather than a big, heavy-bottomed pot.

Step 1: Sauté the shallot and garlic

Shallots tend to cook up quickly, so this should only take about two minutes.

Step 2: Add beans and broth to the skillet

Next, you’ll add your beans and broth (vegetable or chicken-style) to the skillet. Once the broth is simmering, use a ladle to remove a quarter cup from the skillet and transfer it to a heatproof bowl or measuring cup.

This broth will become part of your miso slurry.

Step 3: Add greens to the skillet

Add your chopped kale (or other leafy green) to the skillet in handfuls, stirring and wilting the greens down as you work.

Cover the skillet and allow the greens to simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until they’re tender.

Step 4: Create a miso slurry

Add your white miso to the reserved, warm broth and whisk together until you have a creamy miso slurry.

Once the greens are cooked, you’ll stir this slurry, along with the lemon zest and juice, into the beans and greens.

Step 5: Season and serve

Apply the golden rule of cooking here, and taste the miso beans and greens before you serve them. You can adjust salt, freshly ground black pepper, and lemon juice to your liking at this point.

Finally, serve the beans. I think they’re really great over a bowl of farro, rice, barley, or quinoa. But I probably eat them most often over toasted bread.

That bread could be a nice, big slice of your favorite sourdough or peasant bread. I also really like to pair this recipe with my easy vegan multigrain bread, and it’s excellent along with a few squares of the focaccia from The Vegan Week.

To make a vegan pasta recipe more protein-rich, you can easily stir in a scoop or two of the miso butter beans and greens.

No matter how you choose to serve them, I think the beans and greens are even better with an extra drizzle of olive oil. A squeeze of lemon or dash of red pepper flakes never hurt, either.

Storage and freezing

Another thing to love about this meal: it’s easy to store or freeze. You can keep leftover portions in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or freeze them for up to eight weeks.

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Miso Butter Beans and Greens

The addition of miso to simply sautéed butter beans and greens with garlic and shallot creates a dish that's so savory and flavorful! This mixture can be paired with a whole grain or served over toasted bread for an easy and nutritious meal.

Course main, Side Dish

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword a grain a green a bean, beans, greens, kale, quick and easy, vegan basics

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• sauté pan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for finishing)
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups cooked butter beans (2 15-ounce / 425g cans butter beans, drained and rinsed)
• 1 small bunch Tuscan or curly kale, stemmed and sliced into 1/2-inch / 1.3cm ribbons (about 2-3 packed cups / 30-45g)
• 1 1/2 cups vegan chicken-style or vegetable broth (360ml)
• 4 teaspoons mellow white miso (substitute 3 teaspoons brown or red miso)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Toasted bread or a cooked whole grain, for serving

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or medium-sized pot over medium low heat. Add the shallot and garlic. Sauté the aromatics for 2 minutes, or until the shallot is translucent and the garlic is quite fragrant, stirring often.
• Add the beans and broth to the skillet. Bring the broth to a simmer. Use a ladle to remove 1/4 cup / 60ml of the warm broth to a small bowl or measuring cup.
• Add the greens to the skillet, wilting and stirring them as you go. Cover the skillet and allow the greens to simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until they’re tender. Uncover and stir every couple minutes.
• While the greens cook, add the miso to the reserved, warm broth. Use a small whisk to stir it, dissolving the miso into a slurry.
• Once the greens are cooked, add this slurry back to the skillet, along with the lemon zest and juice. Stir well, heating and mixing everything through. Taste the beans and greens and add black pepper and additional lemon juice as desired. Serve the mixture hot, over your favorite toast, pasta, or cooked whole grain. Finish with an added drizzle of olive oil, if you like.
• The beans and greens will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days and can be frozen for up to eight weeks.

Video

A friend of mine once described this kind of meal as “almost soup on toast.”

I had to laugh—it’s a perfect way of summing up a lot of my every day lunches, including my braised lentils on toast and this savory mixture.

I hope the meal will find its way into your heart and meal rotation, just as it’s snuck into mine.

xo

The post Miso Butter Beans and Greens appeared first on The Full Helping.

When the weather turns cold, my salads become warmer and more hearty. This wheat berry salad is a perfect example of a dish that’s colorful and refreshing, as salads should be, but well-suited for winter.

Part of the salad’s heartiness is thanks to the wheat berries themselves. Once cooked, wheat berries are a nicely substantial whole grain.

There are also crucifers (kale) and chicories (radicchio) present. These leafy vegetables each has a little more heft than, say, mesclun or butter lettuce.

Finally, for texture, crunch, and sweet notes that offset the bitterness of the vegetables, there are candied walnuts and warm, chopped dates.

I can’t think of too many salad dishes that offer so much variety of texture and temperature, not to mention flavor.

Of course there are no hard and fast rules about when a dish beckons. If you’ve got wheat berries in your pantry and a bunch of kale in the fridge, then you can make this salad at any time of year.

What are wheat berries?

If you’re new to cooking with wheat berries, then you’re in for a treat. They’ve always been one of my favorite grains to work with, and grain salads are my favorite use for them.

Wheat berries are similar to farro, but with a rounder, firmer shape and a slightly longer cooking time. The similarities between these grains is thanks to the fact that they’re both a form of wheat.

Wheat berries are kernels of whole wheat. Technically, this could be any variety of wheat. Most wheat berries sold for cooking in the US are kernels of hard red winter wheat, hard red spring wheat, or soft wheat.

On the other hand, farro refers specifically to kernels of Emmer wheat. Emmer is an ancient wheat variety that’s popular in Mediterranean cuisine, and especially in Italy.

Where to find wheat berries

You can find wheat berries in the bulk sections of many health food stores or natural groceries. It’s also possible to order them online.

Lately, I’ve been cooking with Hayden Mills White Sonora Berries and love them; I also love that they cook a little quicker than other wheat berry varieties.

Wheat berry cooking time

Whereas rice, barley, and farro all cook within 35-45 minutes, wheat berries demand a little more patience.

You can expect to simmer them for 50-90 minutes, or until they’re tender. The cook time will depend on the variety of wheat berry that you’re working with, but you should put aside an hour at least.

Soaking wheat berries overnight before boiling can shorten their cooking time a little, to 45-50 minutes. If you do this, be sure to drain the soaking water and use fresh water for cooking.

A seasonal salad

Kale is available year-round in many places, and I appreciate the brassica’s density and substance for cold weather salads.

I’m a big fan of Tuscan (lacinato) kale, and that’s what I like to use here. However, chopped curly kale is also a fine base for the wheat berry salad.

At some point in the past few years, I fell head over heels for any and all chicories. Since then, most of my winter side salads have been loaded with endive, escarole, frisée, and radicchio.

Radicchio is my favorite type of chicory, so it’s fitting that I use it for the wheat berry salad. Its burgundy color makes the salad look especially festive and fun.

Wheat berries themselves give the salad a lot of texture, but crunchy diced celery, dried fruit, and nuts add to that effect.

The nuts in question are vegan candied walnuts, which are especially delicious and super crispy.

If you don’t have time to make candied nuts, toasted, chopped walnuts are fine to use instead. And you can swap the walnuts for pecans (candied or regular) as well.

Finally, there are the dates. But let me say a little more about those.

Lightly seared dates = deeper flavor

The instruction to pan-sear Medjool dates might alone come as a surprise, let alone going to that effort for a salad.

But it’s worth it, I promise.

First and least importantly, you’ll sear the dates with a little oil. This makes them easier to chop and prevents them from clumping together when you mix them into the salad.

The real reason to cook your dates like this is to bring out their caramel-like flavor. Just as heating sugar will result in caramelization, so too does heating these wonderfully sweet fruits.

The cooking method—4-6 minutes in a frying pan over medium high heat—could be called light searing or pan-sautéing.

The dates acquire pleasantly browned edges in the pan. The slight crispiness helps them to hold their own in a sea of other wheat berry salad ingredients with big personalities.

How to prepare a winter wheat berry salad

Step 1: Cook the wheat berries

Before mixing the salad, you’ll need to set aside some time to boil your wheat berries.

Wheat berries can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, and you can also freeze them for up to eight weeks. It’s easy to get a head start on the salad if you make the grains in advance.

When I make wheat berries at home, I always boil them in a large pot of water, just as I’d do for pasta. Increasingly, I prepare most of my grains this way.

It’s a choice that I write about in A Grain, a Green, a Bean. The upshot is that I think it leads to better consistencies—fewer mushy or dry/burned pots of grains—and requires less mental energy than using a precise grain-to-liquid ratio.

A Grain, a Green, a Bean

A simple trinity of plant-based foods—grains, greens, and beans—will set you up to create an array of beautifully balanced and complete meals. Bring the beans and grains in your pantry to life with more than 80 wholesome recipes and a world of possibilities!

Order A Grain, a Green, a Bean

The wheat berries will need between 50-90 minutes of simmering on the stovetop. You’ll know that they’re done when they’re tender, yet still chewy.

Step 2: Lightly sear the dates

Begin by halving lengthwise and pitting the dates. Press them gently to flatten them, then add them to a small frying pan with some olive or avocado oil.

Lightly pan-sear the dates for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they’re gently caramelized, glistening, and hot.

Allow them to cool for a few minutes, then chop the dates roughly.

Step 3: Whisk together the vinaigrette

The wheat berry salad dressing is an appropriately bold, punchy apple cider vinaigrette.

You can read more about this dressing, which is a favorite of mine, in the original recipe post. Preparing the vinaigrette is as simple as shaking/whisking.

Step 4: Mix

Finally, the fun part: mixing.

This step is self-explanatory, but do be sure to use a large mixing bowl, so that everything can be tossed together without overflowing!

As you can see, I add chopped green onion tops to the salad for extra savoriness and a little bite.

Taste the salad right before you serve it. Feel free to adjust salt and pepper to taste, and add as many extra drizzles of the vinaigrette as you like.

Step 5: Serve

Finally, plate and enjoy the salad. A few extra chopped green onion tops can be a nice finishing touch, but this isn’t a salad that needs too many flourishes.

Storing wheat berry salad

One of my favorite features of kale salads is their sturdiness over a few days of fridge storage. This is definitely a salad that can be mixed ahead of time, and it’ll actually acquire more flavor as the ingredients mingle.

My only recommendation, if you choose to make it ahead, is to store the candied walnuts separately and add them right before serving, so that they retain their crispiness.

A few possible variations

If you don’t have kale around, you can try arugula, roughly chopped baby spinach, thinly sliced collard ribbons, or chopped escarole in its place.

There’s also room to substitute the radicchio: I think that any member of the chicory family (red or white endive, frisée, etc.) would be fine to use. The addition of thinly sliced raw fennel would add nice crunch and some new flavor notes.

While wheat berries should technically be the star of a wheat berry salad, they aren’t the only grain that will work in this recipe.

Cooked farro, short-grain brown rice (a gluten-free option), barley, and spelt berries are all good substitutes for the wheat berries.

From a nutrition perspective, the offer similar benefits of dietary fiber, and the other forms of wheat will be similarly rich in protein.

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Winter Wheat Berry Salad with Warm Dates and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

This wheat berry salad is festive, textured, and wonderfully hearty, which makes it perfect for the winter months. It features kale, radicchio, Medjool dates that are given a quick pan-sear for depth of flavor, and a tangy apple cider vinaigrette. This is a perfect, wholesome dish for holiday gatherings, and it's also a salad that you can make ahead and store for a few days.

Course main, Salad, Salads, side

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword holidays, kale salad, make ahead, salad, wheat berries, whole grains

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• Pot or dutch oven

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups wheat berries (240g)
• 2 teaspoons olive or avocado oil
• 6 large Medjool dates
• 2 packed cups radicchio, cut into 1/2-inch / 1.3cm ribbons (1 small head radicchio)
• 2 packed cups Tuscan kale, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch / 1.3cm ribbons (1 small bunch; substitute 2 cups/30g chopped curly kale)
• 3/4 cup finely diced celery (80g)
• 2/3 cup crispy baked vegan candied walnuts (substitute 2/3 cup / 70g walnut halves and pieces)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion tops (40g)
• 1/2 cup tangy apple cider vinaigrette dressing (120ml, plus more as needed; substitute another favorite vinaigrette)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the wheat berries. Boil the wheat berries, like pasta, for an hour, or until they’re fully tender, yet still pleasantly chewy; the cooking time will depend on the wheat berries that you use. Drain the wheat berries thoroughly and allow them to cool enough to be room temperature. If you like, you can cook them up to 3 days before mixing the salad and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
• Heat the avocado oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Open the pitted dates so that the fruit appears to be in one large, flattened layer. Add the flattened dates to the frying pan. Simmer them in the oil for 4-6 minutes, flipping them once during cooking, so that both sides are lightly caramelized. Transfer them to a plate or cutting board and allow them to cool until they can be handled, then chop them roughly.
• Transfer the wheat berries, dates, radicchio, kale, celery, walnuts, and green onions to a large mixing bowl. Dress them with the vinaigrette. Taste the salad and adjust salt and pepper as needed; you can also add a little extra vinaigrette, if you like. Serve or store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

For me, the challenge and joy of winter cooking is to create color and brightness within a leaner, darker season.

This salad is so wonderfully celebratory and special. I hope that it’ll bring joy to your table and your plate!

xo

The post Winter Wheat Berry Salad with Warm Dates and Apple Cider Vinaigrette appeared first on The Full Helping.

There can never been too many homemade vinaigrette recipes, and this one packs a punch.

If you’re the type of person who adds an extra dash of vinegar or lemon to nearly every salad after you’ve dressed it (me!), then apple cider vinaigrette is probably right up your alley.

In addition to its bold, tangy flavor, the vinaigrette is easy to make. There are only five ingredients here, minus salt and pepper, and preparation is just a matter of whisking or shaking.

Keep this recipe on hand for all of your salads that feature bitter or boldly flavored greens, like kale or chicories.

Allow its punchy acidity to brighten up roasted root vegetables or nutty cooked whole grains.

The tangy dressing can also bring sweet flavors into balance. I love drizzling it over salads that include sliced apple, dried raisins or dates, or candied nuts.

A quick primer on apple cider vinegar

For a person with a small kitchen, I have an expansive collection of vinegars. I use all of them in my homemade dressings: champagne vinaigrette, red wine vinaigrette, balsamic vinaigrette, and so on.

Apple cider vinegar, also known as ACV, is one of the types of vinegars that I rely on most often. It’s not only good in apple cider vinaigrette, but also for marinades and creamy dressings.

Apple cider vinegar has a strong, sour taste, and you may be able to pick up on very faint apple notes when you try it.

That’s because the vinegar is made, just as the name suggests, from the juice of crushed apples. This juice is fermented with yeasts to convert its sugar into alcohol, and then eventually into acetic acid.

This fermentation process leads to the formation of spent yeast and bacteria. They often coagulate into a gelatinous mass called “the mother,” or they might look like strands of cloudiness in your bottle.

The bacteria in apple cider vinegar are probiotics, or the “good” bacteria that are found in most fermented foods.

Fact vs. fiction

Thanks to the presence of these probiotics, and also as a result of a lot of wellness hype, apple cider vinegar is frequently touted as a weight loss aid.

There’s limited research to support such claims. Drinking ACV before or after meals might cut appetite a little, thanks to its acidity.

Limited studies also suggest that it may help to slightly lower post-prandial blood glucose.

But these effects are modest, at best, and the research on them isn’t robust. ACV isn’t a sufficient or reliable therapy for prediabetes or diabetes.

Plus, the vinegar’s acidity will take a toll on tooth enamel, and it may exacerbate GERD and acid reflux.

The bottom line: apple cider vinegar is a great culinary ingredient, with the added bonus of probiotics that exist in all fermented foods. It’s not a cure-all.

A particularly punchy dressing

For most of my vinaigrette recipes, I use about a 2:1 ratio of olive oil to acid.

The ratio here is lower. I use a third cup of olive oil and quarter cup of ACV, resulting in a vinaigrette that’s unmistakably acidic, even a little spicy.

A heaping teaspoon of Dijon mustard enhances that effect.

To help balance the acidity, I also add maple syrup. This isn’t unusual for me, as I like a touch of sweetness in my vinaigrettes for balance.

But whereas I usually add a half teaspoon or teaspoon of maple syrup to dressings, I add a tablespoon to apple cider vinaigrette.

And while we’re on the topic of balance, there are savory notes in the vinaigrette, too!

One fat clove of garlic—or two smaller cloves—should be grated and added to the dressing, giving it extra bite.

How to make apple cider vinaigrette

The process of making apple cider vinaigrette is so simple. First, gather up your ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Garlic
• Maple syrup
• Dijon mustard
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Place them into a mason jar or glass measuring cup.

Next, just whisk the ingredients together, using a fork or a small whisk. Or, you can cover the jar tightly and give it a good shake.

If you used a liquid measuring cup, pour the vinaigrette into a storage vessel of some kind.

From here, you can store the apple cider dressing in your fridge, covered, for up to a week.

Ideas for using apple cider vinaigrette

I’ve mentioned kale and bitter greens, but the vinaigrette is also great over peppery arugula.

I also really like to pair this dressing with autumnal recipes and flavors. I use it as an alternative to the maple tahini dressing in my harvest bowls from Power Plates and on my vegan autumn harvest salad.

The vinaigrette will add brightness to any giant sheet pan of roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash, and I love mixing it together with roasted beets.

One thing I don’t emphasize often enough is how easy it is to liven up a pot of cooked whole grains by stirring in a few tablespoons of salad dressing. Instant flavor, instant seasoning!

If you like that idea, try drizzling apple cider vinaigrette over your next batch of warm, freshly cooked farro, brown rice, or quinoa.

And if none of those ideas is calling to you, I’ll soon be writing about a winter wheat berry salad that’s a perfect use for this zippy, multi-purpose dressing.

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Tangy Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing

This apple cider vinaigrette is a perfect option for those who prefer their dressings to be tangy and zesty. It features a lower-than-usual ratio of oil to vinegar, plus a kick of garlic and mustard, so it's pleasantly assertive. Use it to dress bitter greens, such as raw kale, or chicories. The dressing is also a great counterpoint to sweet flavors, so it's ideal for salads that feature dried or fresh fruit!

Course dressing

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword dressing, meal prep, quick and easy, salad, vinaigrette

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• small whisk

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (more to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Whisk all ingredients together in a liquid measuring cup, then pour into a jar (or other airtight container) for storage. Store the dressing in the fridge, covered, for up to 1 week.

I hope you’ll fall in love with the powerful personality of this vinaigrette. I can’t wait to hear how you use it in your kitchen.

xo

The post Tangy Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing appeared first on The Full Helping.

The vegan Wellington that I’m sharing today is a true centerpiece for your celebratory table.

Yes, we all have festive sides that are plant-based already, or they easily could be. And I know that a lot of people feel as though side dishes are the real highlight of holiday meals.

I’m not sure that I agree.

I love a heaping helping of mashed potatoes, a scoop of creamed spinach, or a side bowl of salad as part of a special dinner.

But I also like being able to serve a main dish that feels undoubtedly like the star of the show.

Vegan Wellington is such a dish. It’s also delicious, full of nutrient-rich ingredients, and fun to assemble.

How this recipe came to be

Years ago, I ate at a restaurant in New York City that had a (non-vegan) carrot Wellington on the menu. I thought to myself that it was a great idea for a “fancy” plant-based entrée, and I made a note to myself to try a homemade version sometime.

Years went by, and I conquered a lot of other elaborate or complex recipes. I baked bread, pie, and even puff pastry.

Yet I remained a little intimidated by the idea of a Wellington, until I finally gave it a try this fall. I realized that I’d been silly to avoid it for so long!

First, there’s no requirement to use homemade puff pastry when making a Wellington at home. The frozen puff pastry from Pepperidge Farm, Pillsbury, Sweet Loren’s, and Dufour Plant-Based are all vegan and can be used for the outer shell.

Constructing the Wellington is a little involved, as you’ll see. But if you approach it patiently and treat it as a (delicious) project, it’s also really rewarding.

I learned one critical thing in my homemade vegan Wellington experiments: overnight chilling time is essential.

If you put freshly roasted vegetables and hot lentils into a sheet of puff pastry, it’ll soften or melt on the spot. Puff pastry should be cold when it goes into the oven.

So, be sure to account for an overnight chill as you plan this meal.

A wholesome and beautiful cross-section

My carrot Wellington isn’t only filled with carrots. There are also braised lentils and walnuts involved.

These ingredients give the Wellington its structure and shape, and they lend plant-protein and healthful fats to the recipe. They increase its nutritional balance and help to make it a more filling vegan main dish.

You’ll braise, or simmer the lentils in liquid, in order to cook them. After they’re cooked, you’ll pulse them in a food processor with toasted lentils.

Some lentils will remain whole, others will be broken down. The processed mixture will hold the carrots in the center of the Wellington.

Speaking of that, you’ll roast the carrots in two parts. First transfer them to the oven with a foil or parchment cover, to steam-cook and tenderize them. Then, roast the carrots uncovered, so that they start to brown and become glazed in appearance.

The two-step roasting process helps to ensure that the carrots don’t start burning before they’re fully tender.

Let’s go through the steps, one by one.

How to make vegan Wellington

Before you start cooking the Wellington ingredients or thinking about assembly, devote a moment or two to planning.

You’ll need to give the lentil filling and the roasted carrots an overnight chill, so that they’re nice and cold when you construct the Wellington. It’s also important to thaw the puff pastry sheet about one hour before you use it (follow the manufacturer’s instructions).

When I make the recipe, I generally prepare the carrots and lentil filling on one day, then assemble and bake the following day. Splitting the process into steps makes the whole thing feel doable.

Step 1: Preheat the oven and toast your walnuts

Begin by preheating your oven and oven-toasting the walnuts that go into the Wellington filling. Toasting the nuts this way deepens their flavor.

Step 2: Roast your carrots

Once you’ve toasted and removed the walnuts, turn to roasting your whole carrots.

It’s not hard to roast whole carrots if they’re small. The problem with bigger ones is that it takes them quite a while to become fully tender. Often their exteriors start to burn before the interiors are cooked through.

In order to avoid this, I use a two-step roasting method for the Wellington.

First, you’ll wrap the carrots tightly in foil or parchment paper, like a sealed little package. It’s the same method that I use for my oven roasted beets, and it’s a form of par-cooking.

Unlike the beets, the carrots will get unwrapped and seasoned midway through cooking, and you’ll finish roasting them uncovered. They should be very tender and have an almost glazed appearance when you’re finished.

Step 3: Cook the lentils

You’ll braise, or simmer-cook, the lentils with broth and a mixture of carrots, onion, celery, and herbs. This seasons them nicely.

I like to use French lentils in this recipe, personally. I love this type of lentil and always have some on hand for my hearty vegan French lentil soup or French lentil Niçoise.

However, it’s fine to substitute black lentils, pardina (Spanish) lentils, or regular brown or green lentils in the recipe. If you use brown or green, they’ll need less cooking time than French (20-25 minutes rather than 35).

Step 4: Overnight chill

Once the lentils and carrots are cooked, transfer them to airtight storage containers and give them an overnight chill.

If you’d like to make the entire recipe in a single day, you can start early and chill both components for a minimum of four hours, or until cold.

Step 5: Pulse the lentils and walnuts together

On the following day (or at least four hours later), you can pull the lentils from the fridge. Transfer them to a food processor fitted with the S blade and pulse them together with the toasted walnuts.

You’ll end up with a somewhat crumbly mixture; the lentils will be partially broken down, and the walnuts will help with binding.

Step 6: Assemble your vegan Wellington

The fun of assembly begins!

Note that you’ll need to defrost your puff pastry about one hour before you assemble the Wellington, so plan accordingly. You should also preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C.

Store-bought puff pastry is usually sold in either a single 14- or 15-ounce (400-425g) sheet or a package of two 8.5 ounce / 240g sheets.

The recipe card, below, will give instructions for both options. Essentially, if you have two sheets at home, you’ll roll them out together so that they merge into a bigger sheet.

Either way, you’ll roll the puff pastry out and arrange a layer of the lentil/walnut mixture along the long side.

Top this layer with a nice, stacked layer of carrots. I do two layers and alternate their direction, so that they can be as evenly arranged as possible.

Once you’ve got a nice stack of carrots, you can cover them with the remaining half of the lentil mixture. Try to pat it down around the sides of the carrots, too, so that they’re fully enveloped.

Next, you’ll wrap one side of the puff pastry around your filling ingredients. It should impartially cover the top layer of lentils.

Roll the whole Wellington up sideways, so that you surround the column of fillings with puff pastry. When you finish, trim any excess pastry and seal the long edge.

Finish by trimming and tucking the pastry on the short ends of the Wellington. Finally, cut a few diagonal lines on the top of the Wellington to vent as it cooks, and brush the top with aquafaba.

Step 7: Bake

Transfer the vegan Wellington to your oven and bake it for 40-45 minutes.

I like to brush the top of the Wellington once again with aquafaba halfway through it’s baking time. This gives it a nice, subtle glaze.

After baking, the Wellington will be a beautiful golden brown and the pastry will have puffed up.

I recommend waiting at least twenty minutes before slicing and serving your Wellington. Alternatively, you can transfer it to the fridge and store it for up to five days, or you can freeze it for up to six weeks.

What to pair with your vegan Wellington

The Wellington will play nicely with so many veggie side dishes. Its earthy flavors and hearty consistency work well with a fresh green salad.

Try my favorite butter lettuce side salad, Brussels sprout kale salad, or cauliflower pomegranate salad. Or, pair it with your own favorite every day salad for freshness and crunch.

It’s also nice to serve the recipe with shaved or roasted Brussels sprouts, some simple steamed broccolini, or green beans with Dijon vinaigrette.

If you’d like to add a leafy green component, but you’re not in the mood for salad, it would be really pretty to serve the vegan Wellington slices over a bed of steamed kale or lightly sautéed spinach.

No matter how you present the dish, it’s sure to impress!

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Vegan Wellington with Oven-Roasted Carrots, Lentils, and Walnuts

This vegan Wellington is filled with braised lentils, finely chopped walnuts, and a beautiful orange center of tender, oven-roasted carrots. It's a show-stopping centerpiece for holiday meals, gatherings, and special occasions—and it's incredibly wholesome, also.

Course main dish

Cuisine British

Diet Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword carrots, holidays, lentils, main course

Prep Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Chilling time 8 hours hours

Servings 6 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• food processor
• 3 quart saucepan
• baking sheet

Ingredients

Oven-glazed carrots:

• 1 pound carrots, trimmed and peeled (455g)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Braised lentil and walnut crumble:

• 3/4 cup walnut halves and pieces (85g)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 white or yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, trimmed, peeled, and diced
• 2 medium stalks celery, trimmed and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup French lentils (150g)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves (substitute 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
• 2 1/4 cups vegan chicken-style or vegetable broth (530ml)

Wellington assembly:

• 1 14- or 15-ounce sheet vegan puff pastry, or two 8.5-ounce sheets, thawed for 40-60 minutes prior to assembly (according to package instructions) (One 400-425g sheet or two 240g sheets)
• 3 tablespoons aquafaba (drained liquid from a can of chickpeas)

Instructions

Toast the walnuts and roast the carrots:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the walnuts onto the sheet and transfer them to the oven for 5 minutes, to toast them. Immediately remove the walnuts from the sheet and set them aside to cool; allow the baking sheet to cool enough to be touched again.
• Line the baking sheet with foil. Place the carrots onto the sheet and place another sheet of foil on top of them. Wrap the carrots up with the foil, creating a tight envelope for them. Transfer them to the oven and roast for 20 minutes (for thinner carrots) or 25 minutes (for thicker carrots). Remove the top layer of foil. The carrots will be tender already.
• Drizzle the carrots with the avocado oil and maple syrup, then season them well with salt and pepper. Return them to the oven for 10 minutes, or until they’re browning gently and have a glazed appearance. They will be tender all the way through. Remove the carrots from the oven and set them aside.

Cook the lentils

• Heat the olive oil in a large, deep, lidded skillet or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté these vegetables for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is translucent and the carrots are just tender. Add the lentils, bay leaf, herbs, and broth to the skillet or pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover and turn the heat to low. Simmer the lentils for 35 minutes, or until all the broth has been absorbed and the lentils are fully tender.

Overnight chill

• Transfer both the carrots and the lentils to airtight storage containers with lids and refrigerate them overnight. Transfer the toasted walnuts to a mason jar (or another small container) and store them at room temperature overnight, or for a minimum of four hours.

Prepare the braised lentil walnut crumble

• On the following day: place the walnuts into a food processor fitted with the S blade. Pulse them a few times to break them down. Then, add the lentil mixture to the processor. Continue pulsing for about 20 seconds. You should have a lentil and walnut mixture that’s a bit crumbly and the lentils should be partially broken down, though many whole lentils should remain. The mixture will hold together relatively well if you apply pressure to it.

Assemble and bake the Wellington

• Preheat the oven to 400°/200°C once again. Be sure to thaw your pastry as directed.
• If using a 14- or 15-ounce / 400-425g sheet of pastry: lay the pastry onto a large sheet of parchment and dust the top with flour. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the pastry sheet out so that it’s about 13-inches by 15-inches / 36cm by 38cm, or as close to this as possible. If using two 8.5-ounce / 240g sheets, place them side-by-side with the long edges joining. Roll the sheet gently, helping to seal the two sheets together and creating one larger rectangle that’s about 18” by 12”; you’ll end up trimming away some extra pastry at the end, which you can freeze for future use or reserve for a homemade dessert.
• Arrange half of the lentil mixture along the long side of the sheet, about 6 inches / 15cm away from the long edge of the sheet. The lentil mixture should be arranged in a layer that’s about 10-inches by 3 ½ inches (25cm by 9cm) and about ¾-inch / 2cm high.
• Arrange the carrots on top of this bed of lentils, alternating the direction that the carrots face, so that they end up in two even (or even-ish) layers. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you want the carrots to stay in place; you may not use every single carrot. Gently arrange the remaining lentils on top of them, patting the lentil mixture down so that it stays put as a top layer.
• Brush the long edge of the sheet (next to the lentils) with the aquafaba. Tuck this edge up over the top of the lentil mixture. Holding it firmly in place, roll the whole log of lentils and carrots over, to wrap up your Wellington. When you finish rolling, the lentil layer that was on bottom of the carrots will now be on top, and the puff pastry will surround the whole Wellington. Trim away excess pastry on the long side of the Wellington, then be sure to seal the long edge by pinching and pressing it together.
• Next, fold the middle of the short sides into the center of the Wellington. Trim away the bottom flap and tuck the top flap over the side of the Wellington, pinching as you go to help secure it. Repeat on the other side. Brush the entire Wellington with aquafaba. Cut a few diagonal slits along the top, which will allow steam to escape and create a nice visual effect.
• Transfer the Wellington to the oven. Bake for40-45 minutes, or until it’s a deep golden brown and nicely puffed all over. Midway through baking, brush more aquafaba all over the Wellington.
• Wait 20 minutes before storing the Wellington or slicing and serving. Enjoy! Leftover slices can be stored for up to five days in the fridge or frozen for up to six weeks.

Yes, it’s a long one, but I hope that the length of the recipe won’t scare you off.

We have the whole year round for 30-minute recipes and easy weeknight meals. Special occasions are exactly that, and it’s a real pleasure when food on the table is as unique and special as the day itself.

I hope that the vegan Wellington will bring festivity to your table at a moment worth celebrating!

xo

The post Vegan Wellington with Oven-Roasted Carrots, Lentils, and Walnuts appeared first on The Full Helping.

For a long time, I said that I owned an air fryer for two purposes: reheating pizza and making sweet potatoes.

This was a joke, and I’ve expanded my air fryer repertoire considerably since then. But air fryer sweet potatoes are still a mainstay in my home. (As is leftover pizza.)

I serve my air fryer sweet potato cubes with tofu scramble for breakfast. I pile them onto vegan bowls. They’re an easy side dish at dinnertime. And I like adding them to tacos, too—especially my sweet potato tacos with black bean spread.

Making sweet potato cubes in the air fryer might sound like a self-explanatory process. For me, however, it was not.

It took me a while to get my air fryer sweet potatoes just right. This post is about the simple par-cooking step that gave me great results.

Air fryer trial and error

In the past, I roasted sweet potato in the air fryer similarly to how I roasted it in the oven. I cubed raw sweet potatoes, seasoned them with oil, salt, and pepper, then let the air fryer go to work.

Sometimes, this worked out just fine. But a lot of the time I ended up with sweet potato cubes that were dry and shriveled. Sometimes, they had a pale, starchy appearance.

Part of what I love about sweet potatoes is their rich, sweet flesh and satisfying texture. These cubes were too airy; it was as if they’d lost their substance, and it was disappointing.

I kept coating the potatoes in more oil in an effort to combat this effect. I only ended up with sweet potatoes that were both dry and greasy—not a great combo.

Finally, I added a step that turns out perfectly cooked sweet potato cubes each and every time: par-cooking.

Par-cooked potatoes = perfect results

Par-cooking is any process in which you cook a food incompletely before finishing cooking in another way, or at another time.

You can par-boil noodles before making lasagna or blanch vegetables before adding them to a casserole. Sometimes it’s helpful to simmer fruit before baking it in a pie shell.

Here, you’ll prick your raw sweet potatoes and microwave them for about four or five minutes before you cube and air fry them.

Technically, you could use the air fryer itself for the par-cooking step, but the microwave does the job faster.

I first started using the microwave to par-cook sweet potatoes when I was writing The Vegan Week. That book is all about meal prep, which means that it’s also about tight schedules and efficiency.

I wanted to present a means of oven-baking sweet potatoes with deep flavor and tenderness. Yet “low and slow” isn’t always an option for the hurried home cook.

Par-cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave before transferring them to the oven for baking does the trick: tender, candy-like potatoes in less time.

Similarly, the microwave helps to give the sweet potatoes a head start in this recipe. It’s also a cooking method that preserves their moisture. Once microwaved, the sweet potatoes will become crispy in the air fryer without getting dry.

I know it may seem a little nuts to cook a vegetable in two ways, especially if convenience is a priority. But five minutes of microwaving goes by quickly, and it ensures great sweet taters every time.

Adapting the recipe to your air fryer

This method works for my air fryer and my oven, so it ought to be adapted successfully for most types of air fryers.

That said, air fryers can differ in their heat, efficiency, and timing, so you may need to experiment a little with the method.

I have a Philips air fryer that’s now discontinued (this one is similar), but it’s the type with a basket, rather than one that looks like a toaster oven. It has about a 4L capacity, and this recipe is developed accordingly.

You can half or double the recipe if you’re working with a different sized machine.

How to make perfect cubed air fryer sweet potatoes—each and every time

Step 1: Pick your sweet potato

I usually make this recipe with one large sweet potato. It’s fine to prepare it with two smaller potatoes, but if you do that, you may need to adjust microwave time (four minutes for a single, smaller potato, or about seven minutes for two smaller potatoes at once).

Step 2: Par-cook in the microwave

Prick the sweet potato all over with a fork. Place it on a microwave-safe plate and microwave the potato for 5 minutes.

At this point, the potato will be tender, but it won’t be fully cooked. If you’re working with a medium or small potato, rather than a large one, four minutes of microwaving will do the trick.

No microwave? No problem. I include instructions for par-cooking in the air fryer itself in the recipe card.

Step 3: Cube the potato

Allow the potato to cool for five minutes, then cut it into 1-inch / 2.5cm cubes. Careful as you do this—it’ll be hot!

Step 4: Season the potatoes

I often use avocado oil spray when I’m making anything in my air fryer; it’s convenient and easy. So, you can transfer the cubes to your air fryer basket, give them a spray of oil, then season them with salt and pepper.

Alternatively, you can toss them with a small amount of regular avocado oil in a bowl, season them with salt and pepper, and transfer them to the air fryer basket.

Step 5: Air fry

Air fry the potatoes at 400°F / 200°C for 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and browning along the edges.

Stop once halfway through air frying to shake the basket well; this helps the potatoes to crisp up evenly.

Step 6: Serve

You can serve the sweet potatoes just the way they are, or you can sprinkle them with toasted chopped nuts or seeds.

You can also drizzle the potatoes with some kind of dressing. I’m really partial to my cashew queso, but vegan honey mustard (I sweeten mine with dates), beet ketchup, and yum sauce are nice ideas, too.

Meal prep & storage

A tender batch of cooked sweet potatoes is one of my favorite things to meal prep over the weekend. This recipe finds its way into my own meal planning all the time.

The potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

If you’re like me, and your first question about any food or recipe is “can I freeze this?” the answer is yes! You can do so for up to eight weeks.

Defrost the potatoes in the fridge overnight. Enjoy them cold, in salads or bowls, or reheat them in the air fryer at 350° for about five minutes.

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The Best Cubed Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes

Say goodbye to dry or shriveled sweet batches of air fryer sweet potatoes! This recipe offers a method of par-cooking your sweet potatoes in the microwave before cutting them into cubes and air frying them. The resulting sweet potatoes are perfectly tender and moist, yet crispy and gently browning at the edges.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword air fryer, side dish, sweet potatoes, vegan basics

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• air fryer

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, scrubbed and cleaned
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil (or avocado oil spray)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Prick the sweet potato all over with a fork. Place it on a microwave-safe plate and microwave* the potato for 5 minutes (4 minutes for a medium or small potato). The potato will be tender, yet not fully cooked. Allow the potato to cool for five minutes, then cut it into 1-inch / 2.5cm cubes. 
• In a mixing bowl, toss the cubes with the avocado oil and then transfer them to your air fryer basket. Alternatively, you can transfer them to the basket and spray them with avocado oil spray. Season the potatoes with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
• Air fry the potatoes at 400°F / 200°C for 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and browning along the edges, stopping once halfway through air frying to shake the basket well (this helps the potatoes to brown and cook evenly). Enjoy. 

Video

Notes

If you don’t have a microwave, you can par-cook the sweet potato whole in the air fryer. Prick the potato and air fry it at 400°F / 200°C for 15 minutes, flipping it over once halfway through the cooking time. Then, cube it and proceed with steps 2 and 3, above.

The sweet potatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or frozen for up to eight weeks. To reheat, air fry the potatoes at 350°F / 175°C for 5 minutes.

It’s funny to devote as much trial and error as I have to a simple side dish. But we love what we love, and I love sweet potatoes.

I’ll tell you all about my go-to air fryer mushrooms soon!

For now, I hope you find this method useful.

xo

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