Serves: 4

For the ranch dressing:

• Explore more of VegKitchen’s Vegan sandwiches and wraps.
• Here are more easy bean main dishes.

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Serves: 3 to 4

• 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• ½ cup carrots, shredded (about 2 medium carrots)
• ½ cup celery, finely chopped (1 large or 2 average-size stalks)
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh squeezed
  from about 1 large or 2 small lemons)
• 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise, or as desired
• 2 tablespoons chives or scallion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish, or more, to taste
• 1 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons dried dill
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon sea salt (or to taste, optional, see Note)

Mash chickpeas in a bowl with a potato masher until there are no whole chickpeas left. A potato masher works best but if you don’t have one, you can use a fork (or for the totally lazy, place the chickpeas in a food processor and pulse on and off until finely chopped).

Combine the mashed chickpeas with the remaining ingredients and mix together. Serve as suggested below.

Note: Depending on what brand of chickpeas you use, you may or may not need to add additional salt. Some canned beans have more salt than others. You can buy no-salt added chickpeas for complete control over your sodium intake. You could also soak and cook your beans instead of buying canned. This requires a little extra work but can be more economical.

Serving Ideas:
Serve as a sandwich with toasted bread. Try it on Food for Life Ezekiel bread with sliced tomatoes, or your favorite multigrain bread over a bed of greens, like baby spinach, baby kale, or romaine lettuce.

Or make romaine lettuce boats. Just scoop some chickpea salad onto a romaine lettuce leaf – so good and refreshing.

This is also delicious on whole grain crackers or stoneground tortilla chips served as an appetizer.

• Explore more of VegKitchen’s Vegan sandwiches and wraps.

Serves: 4 to 6

For the Frittata:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 stalks fresh asparagus, tough ends removed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium-size red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Dash salt
• 1 3/4 cups gram (chickpea or garbanzo) flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 3/4 14-0unce tubs packages extra-firm tofu,
  drained and pressed for at least 4 hours or overnight (see Note)
• Additional sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup packed shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup packed chopped fresh parsley

For the Salsa Verde:

• 4 tomatillos
• 1 Serrano chili pepper, diced
• 4 shallots, peeled
• Giant handful fresh cilantro
• Half of a ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1/2 to 3/4  teaspoon sea salt, to taste

To make the frittata:

Preheat your oven to 350° F and lightly grease a standard-size pie pan. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the asparagus, red onion, garlic, and a dash of salt and sauté gently until the asparagus turns a bright green and is barely tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gram flour, water, sea salt, nutritional yeast, and olive oil to make a somewhat runny, yet substantial, batter. Crumble the blocks of tofu on top of the batter and salt lightly but evenly. Stir well to combine, but use a gentle touch so as not to purée the crumbled tofu.

Fold in the asparagus mixture, shredded carrot, and chopped parsley and then spread into the prepared pie pan. Bake for about 60 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing. Top with the salsa verde and serve either warm or cold.

To make the salsa verde:

Peel, wash, and roughly chop the tomatillos. Carefully deseed the Serrano pepper while wearing kitchen-grade gloves to prevent burning of the skin. Very roughly chop the shallots and place all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse a few times until well combined to a salsa consistency. Add sea salt to taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Note: To easily press tofu, drain all water from the package and then wrap the tofu tightly in a large, clean kitchen towel. Place the tofu on a flat baking sheet or plate and then top with another flat baking sheet or plate. Weigh down the tofu with a few heavy cans (two 30-ounce [840 g] cans of tomatoes work great) for about 4 hours until most of the water from the tofu has been absorbed into the towel, replacing the saturated towel with a clean towel halfway through pressing time, if necessary.

• Here are more easy vegan breakfast recipes and ideas.
• Explore more easy, festive vegan brunch recipes and menus

*This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!

Makes: About 1 1/2 cups

• 15 sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2  cup water (substitute 3 tablespoons of water with
  white wine for an extra bit of zing)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 small red onion, diced 
• 1 clove garlic, sliced 
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided 
• 1 1/2 cups pitted black olives 
• Flatbreads or gluten-free crackers
• Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

In a small bowl, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in the water for about 1 hour or until softened.

While the tomatoes are soaking, heat the olive oil in a medium-size frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, and 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt and sauté over medium-high heat until the onions are evenly browned and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Once the tomatoes have soaked, drain well and combine with the sautéed onions and black olives in a food processor. Add the additional sea salt and pulse until all ingredients are combined and the olives and tomatoes are very finely chopped.

Serve on top of flatbreads or gluten-free crackers with a garnish of fresh cilantro.

• Here are more tasty vegan appetizers.
  

*This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!

Makes: 18 cookies

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup vegan granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup flaked coconut, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375º F.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, melt the coconut oil in a double boiler or the microwave. Once melted, stir the vanilla extract. Add mixture to the larger bowl’s dry mixture. Stir until slightly assimilated.

One by one, add peanut butter, coconut, and chocolate chips, following with even portions of the water as you go. Mix until the dough is firm enough to work with and the chips, peanut butter, and coconut flakes are distributed throughout the dough.

Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch ball,s spacing them out on two parchment-lined cookie pans.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes. 8 minutes for a softer cookie, 12 minutes for a crunchy cookie.

• Sweet tooth still craving? Here’s more Vegan Baking and Sweets.
• Explore more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Cookies and Bars.

Ashlee Piper is a governmental strategist, writer, and wellness coach living in Chicago. She owns All Is Wellness, a boutique plant-based lifestyle consultancy, and manages the Vegucated Schoolhouse Online Community, a free space that offers expert advice and support to thousands of people in transition to veganism. Her writing can be found in Ecorazzi, Reader’s Digest, Our Hen House, and Girlie Girl Army, and on her own vegan food and style website, The Little Foxes.

A small dish of this is an elegant addition to any brunch
table or party (when paired with fruit and sweet biscuits for dipping). Making a strawberry shortcake? You’re gonna need this. Extra perk: I’ve made this before for kiddos and they lap it up. And since there are no processed sugars, grains, or gluten, it’s a sweet treat everyone can feel nice about. Recipe and photo contributed by Ashlee Piper, from The Little Foxes.

Makes: About 2 cups

• 2/3 cups raw cashews
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 5 dates, skins on
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a medium sized dish, place the cashews, almonds, and dates, and cover with 1 cup of water. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.

Once soaked, add the entire mixture (soaking water included), lemon juice, and vanilla extract in to a high-speed blender. Blend until creamy and thick. The consistency doesn’t have to be completely smooth (when making this more like traditional sweet Ricotta, I use a bit less water and allow the blend to be chunkier).

This recipe will keep covered in the fridge for up to a week. When ready to use, just stir and slather on!

Variations and notes:

This recipe is a base for many wonderful variations. I encourage you to be creative! Add fresh orange peel, a dash of cardamom, orange blossom water, or some light espresso powder (not all together, though) for different flavors. You could get really Italian with this and serve topped with some Bee-Free Honee and pine nuts for a gorgeous treat.

I especially like this basic recipe paired with sour marmalade on fresh toast, and topped with some Flower Pepper (a nice mixture of peppercorns and edible dried flowers).

• For more vegan cheese-like recipes, go to Vegan Cheese-y Delights.
• Here are more easy vegan breakfast recipes and ideas.

Ashlee Piper is a governmental strategist, writer, and wellness coach living in Chicago. She owns All Is Wellness, a boutique plant-based lifestyle consultancy, and manages the Vegucated Schoolhouse Online Community, a free space that offers expert advice and support to thousands of people in transition to veganism. Her writing can be found in Ecorazzi, Reader’s Digest, Our Hen House, and Girlie Girl Army, and on her own vegan food and style website, The Little Foxes.

There’s nothing wrong with dairy-free cakes, cookies, and candy—these foods have helped portray veganism as accessible, mainstream, and delicious. In marketing our message, it’s vital to show that there’s no deprivation when ditching the meat and dairy (I believe this wholeheartedly). But does this mean every day can be Thanksgiving just because we’re vegan? The answer is a resounding no, especially as we get older and wiser.

Eighteen years ago, when I first took the vegan plunge, my options were limited. My new diet consisted of salads, whole grains, soups, stir-fries, curries, and smoothies—and I felt incredible. Ironically, my core diet hasn’t changed that much over the years (I enjoy eating healthfully), but, over time and as the availability of vegan junk food increased, it slowly crept into my life.

Soon, a mid-morning snack might consist of a vegan cookie, lunch could be a meatball sub smothered in marinara and vegan cheese (because it’s vegan!), and something chocolate in the afternoon was more and more welcome. By dinnertime, I often wasn’t hungry but would eat a large (healthy) meal just to feel nourished. I like high-quality food, I don’t believe in deprivation or dieting, and I generally felt great, but I carried around an additional 15 pounds for the last decade. I was fine with this since, essentially, I could eat whatever I wanted.

But last summer, everything changed. I accepted a writing assignment along with four VegNews editors to test out popular vegan cleanses for our January+February 2013 issue. On day one of my 21-day raw-food regime, I was irritated—I don’t want to be told what to eat, and I don’t like to deprive myself. But as day after day went by eating nothing but whole foods (and, in my case, uncooked whole foods), I felt my body changing. I felt lighter, clearer, and, frankly, more confident. The extra weight came off quickly, and I found I needed an hour less sleep each night to achieve the same level of productivity. Most importantly, for me, I no longer craved a daily sugar hit and have found that to reduce your dependency on something, you have to get it out of your life. In just 21 days, I had become a healthy vegan.

Nearly a year later, I have sustained many of the habits I learned during those three weeks. I eat mostly unprocessed foods (fresh and cooked), keep added oils to a minimum, limit my portion sizes, and try my best to keep sugar out of my diet. Do I splurge a few times a week on gourmet vegan cuisine and adult libations? Absolutely. But I balance it all out by eating mindfully and healthfully the rest of the time. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:

Cut the crap.
Today, there seem to be two camps in veganism: the healthy vegans and the junk-food vegans. I love them both, but let’s be honest: vegan cupcakes and coconut ice cream are not food. Study after study shows that we should be eating mostly unprocessed, whole foods for optimal health, and after years of reporting these findings in VegNews, I finally had to admit to myself that these studies were true. An oversized burrito with refried beans, plantains, guacamole, and chips has become a bowl of smoky black bean soup with broccoli for lunch, while that plate of pesto gnocchi at dinner has been replaced with a kale salad and sweet potato. Campbell, Esselstyn, McDougall, and Fuhrman: you were right all along.

Limit your indulgences.
As a die-hard foodie, giving up luscious, rich foods just isn’t going to happen. After all, it’s my duty as a magazine publisher to report on the latest restaurants and new products for my food-obsessed audience. But by developing a healthy foundation of unprocessed foods most of the time, indulging a few times a week in appropriate portions becomes no big deal. Limiting these indulgences is not always easy, but every day is a new opportunity to find that balance.

Stop treating every day like it’s Thanksgiving.
For years, I balked at the diet industry’s condescending crusade for “portion control”—we’re all adults, can’t we eat what and how much we want? Of course we can, but I have to say managing my portions has made a big difference in the way my body feels (gone are the post-meal slumps after eating too much—a habit I justified since I don’t eat animal products). Years ago, I lived in Japan and was fascinated by the Japanese ability to manage portion sizes and stay trim. There is a saying there that says we should only eat until we’re 80-percent full for optimal health, a way of eating that has been engrained into that culture. I now strive to achieve this, and not treat every meal like it’s Tofurky Day.

The less you have, the less you crave.
The biggest achievement for me in becoming a healthy vegan has been to get the sugar (mostly) out of my life. I have a huge sweet tooth, and sugar had become a daily ritual in the form of whatever delicious treat arrived to the VegNews office that day. But because what I ate was always vegan, what was the problem? By eliminating the daily hit, my cravings have diminished drastically, and being well aware of the dangers of sugar, I know my health has benefited greatly. Whenever possible, I now get my fix with chilled oranges and almonds instead of cookies and chocolate.

The French rule.
After spending a summer in France, and having more than my fair share of pain au chocolat, croissant aux amandes, and éclairs, I discovered their stay-trim secret. They don’t deprive themselves (but don’t waste calories on processed foods or snacks), yet they don’t overeat and savor just a few bites of those heavenly French pastries. Since trying to be a healthier vegan, I’ve adopted this practice whenever I really want to indulge in a rich dessert — and have found that three forkfuls of that double-chocolate torte with coconut whipped cream can be incredibly satisfying, and all I really need.

Treat health as a holistic practice.
Good food and eating habits is paramount to good health, but health goes way beyond the plate. Being our best selves — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — is also about taking care of our minds, our relationships with others, and our environments. It means managing stress and expectations, getting enough sleep, exercising, deepening social connections (and ditching toxic ones), practicing unconditional love, and experiencing joy in everyday moments. I think about this constantly in my path to be the best person I can possibly be in every part of my life.

To some, this insight may seem like the same jargon we’ve been hearing from mainstream media for years. But it’s my belief that something changes when we become immersed in vegan culture. Sugar, fat, and processed foods suddenly become acceptable—and celebrated—as long as they’re vegan. It is my goal to be a glowing ambassador of the veg lifestyle, and becoming a healthier vegan (however one defines it) has helped me achieve this.

Passionate about publishing and business, Associate Publisher Colleen Holland is the co-creator of VegNews.  Colleen has traveled around the world and enjoys yoga, cooking, urban hikes, and dining out at veg restaurants.

• Visit VegKitchen’s Healthy Vegan Kitchen for lots more tips on healthy vegan living and eating.

When author Brian Patton (aka The Sexy Vegan

This Little Macs recipe is from the book’s The Happiest Meal Happy Hour Menu that also includes a recipe for Baked Sweet Potato “Fries” with Adobo Dipping Sauce. Excerpted with permission from The Sexy Vegan’s Happy Hour at Home* ©2013 by Brian Patton. Published with permission of New World Library. 

Serves: 4

• One 15-ounce can black or green lentils, drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari
• 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 16 small slices vegan cheddar cheeze
• 8 tiny sesame seed buns (about 2 inches wide) plus the bottom halves of
• 8 other tiny buns (to use as the middle bun)
• 1/2 cup Very, Very Special Sauce (recipe follows)
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 small dill pickles, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup minced white onion
• 8 long toothpicks or skewers 

To make the burger patties, in a medium bowl, combine the lentils, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, tamari, and Worcestershire. Mash it all together with a fork or your hands until about 70 percent of the lentils are mashed.

Add the wheat gluten and continue mashing until there are no dry parts remaining and you have a ball of dough. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and place it on a large cutting board or other work surface. Repeat until you have 16 lumps of dough. Roll each lump into a ball, then flatten it into a 2-inch patty.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil to medium-high, and add the patties (you may have to fry them in two shifts). Fry on one side for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Then flip, top each patty with a cheddar slice, and fry for another 5 minutes.

In the meantime, get your tiny buns ready. Slather the top and bottom bun halves, and one side of the middle buns, with the Very, Very Special Sauce.

By now your patties should be ready, so it’s time to start assembling. Place one patty on each of the bottom bun halves. Top the patties with half of the lettuce and half of the pickles.

Place the middle bun pieces, sauce side down, on top of that, followed by the remaining patties, lettuce, and pickles, and the onion. Finally, cover with the bun tops and use toothpicks or skewers to hold them together.

Very, Very Special Sauce

• 1 cup vegan mayo
• 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard 

In a small bowl, whisk all this stuff together.

Brian Patton is author of The Sexy Vegan’s Happy Hour at Home* and The Sexy Vegan Cookbook. He is also executive chef for Vegin’ Out, a vegan food delivery service in Los Angeles. As the quintessential “regular dude” vegan chef, he started posting instructional cooking videos on YouTube as his witty, ukulele playing alter-ego The Sexy Vegan and quickly gained a large following. Visit him online at The Sexy Vegan.

*This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing! 

• Here are more tasty vegan appetizers.
• Take a look at VegKitchen’s other Vegan burger recipes

This Baked Sweet Potato “Fries” recipe is from the

Serves: 4

• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of pepper
• Adobo Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.

In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, oil, paprika, coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper, and toss until the sweet potatoes are well coated. Spread out the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until cooked through and browned. Keep them warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve. Serve with Adobo Dipping Sauce.

-

Adobo Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups vegan mayo
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (see Note)

In a small bowl, whisk all this stuff together.

Note: Adobo sauce that thick, deep red sauce that canned chipotle peppers are packed in. It’s spicy with a great smoky flavor, and it usually comes in a 7-ounce can labeled Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce.

Brian Patton is author of The Sexy Vegan’s Happy Hour at Home* and The Sexy Vegan Cookbook*. He is also executive chef for Vegin’ Out, a vegan food delivery service in Los Angeles. As the quintessential “regular dude” vegan chef, he started posting instructional cooking videos on YouTube as his witty, ukulele playing alter-ego The Sexy Vegan and quickly gained a large following. Visit him online at The Sexy Vegan. 

*This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!

• Enjoy more of VegKitchen’s sweet potato recipes.
• Here are more tasty vegan appetizers.

Serves: 6

• 14- to 16-ounce tub firm or extra-firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 medium diced ripe tomatoes (or see Note)
• 3 to 4 cups cooked fresh corn kernels (from about 4 medium ears or see Note)
• 4 scallions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley or cilantro, to taste
• Dried hot pepper flakes to taste, optional

Cut the tofu into 6 slices and blot well between layers of paper towel or clean tea towels, then cut into dice.

Heat the oil in a wide skillet. Sauté the tofu over medium-high heat until golden on most sides.

Add the tomatoes, corn, scallions, and paprika. Heat gently, just until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature with parsley or cilantro sprinkled over the top of individual servings.

Note: When fresh corn and tomatoes aren’t available, use a 16-ounce bag organic frozen corn and a 15- to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes — try fire-roasted!

• Here are lots more easy tofu recipes.
• Here are more recipes for fresh corn.