The Veggie Gal

Potato pancakes are soooo good!  Of course you can find tons of different ways to make the on the Internet but this is my families favorite way and of course egg free and that means cholesterol and fat free too!  I have tried them with fresh chopped onions but for some reason those little freeze dried onions give it such a good flavor.  I have also found that celery salt brings out an amazing flavor in just about all potato dishes so I use it them often.

Potato Pancakes
Makes; 6-8

1 cup shredded potatoes (can use frozen just let them defrost)
4 Tablespoons of oat flour (whole oats ground into flour in your Magic Bullet) can use gluten free oats if desired
4 Tablespoons dried chopped onions (can do 1/4 cup freshly chopped)
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the oat flour with enough water to make it like you would pancake batter.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients and toss well to blend flavors.

Grab a nice handful and smash it together in your hands to make a pancake.  Don’t worry if it does not stick together perfect once it cooks on one side it will stick together.  Place into a  good nonstick skillet (sprayed with a small amount of cooking spray if needed) and smash down.  Cook over medium heat until golden brown, flip, press down and cook again until golden brown.  That’s it!  ENJOY!

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Tags: Breakfast, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Potato pancakes, Potatoes, Quick and easy, Quick dinner, Quick vegan, Side dish, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

Some things just need a topping and I think spaghetti is one of them!  When I was a vegetarian I used to pack tons of cheese on top of my baked spaghetti and everyone loved it.  When I went vegan that same baked spaghetti was pretty dry and bland without the cheese.  Yes, I could pack on tons of Daiya vegan cheese and it would probably be very good and who knows one day I might give it a try but I like to eat low fat where I can so a bread crumb crust is where I landed.  It is a nice landing too because most people like some crusty bread with their spaghetti and this is the best of both worlds.

As many vegan’s know finding vegan bread crumbs at regular stores is almost impossible.  Plus, I don’t like all the stuff that is added and like to add my own spices to flavor it the way I want it so I make my own.  It is quick and easy, don’t worry.  If you have a gluten intolerance you can use rice or quinoa noodles then don’t put the bread crumbs on (unless you have found a great gluten free bread you like-I haven’t).

Baked Spaghetti w/Bread Crumb Crust
Serves 6-8

1/2 package of spaghetti noodles
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1  28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon sugar
Breadcrumbs;
4-6 slices of whole wheat bread
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Boil spaghetti in salted water until tender then drain.

Preheat your oven to 400° F.

While spaghetti is cooking steam the onion and bell pepper in a little bit of water until soft.  Add crushed and diced tomatoes, and spices then stir well.

Pour the spaghetti and tomato sauce into a 9 x 12 baking pan, mix well and cover with tin foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

While spaghetti is baking put the bread slices and seasonings into your Magic Bullet or blender and process until you have nice bread crumbs.

Remove pan from oven, remove the foil and sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top.  Spray the top of them with a quick and even coat of cooking spray so they don’t burn and return to the oven.  Cook until the bread crumbs turn golden brown, 5-10 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes then ENJOY!

Lemon & Vanilla Pudding makes a great dessert after this dish!

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Tags: Baked Spaghetti w/Bread Crumb Crust, Dinner, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Pasta, Quick and easy, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

Mexican food is the best right?  Who does not love guacamole and chips?  Well I love all Mexican food, especially guacamole and chips but I like to keep the fat to a minimum and even with baked tortilla chips you can still consume tons of fat and calories when digging in to a bowl of guacamole.  For me adding more onions, tomatoes and black beans makes this dish much less sinful and much healthier so its a no-brainer.

Black beans are the perfect legume to choose to add to this dish because they are so creamy and complimentary to Mexican flavors but feel free to add another type if you prefer.  This dish is a wonderful dip for my Vegan Crunch Wraps, slop it onto each bite and your in heaven.

Pita bread is also a really good choice to use with this dip instead of higher fat tortilla chips.  I add salsa to my dip instead of worrying about chopping up a hot pepper and the pain that can come with that if you don’t wash your hands well after and you touch your eye.  Lazy, I know but it works really well and you can adjust the heat by your choice of salsa.

Black Bean Guacamole
Serves approx; 6

4 large ripe avocado
Juice of 1 lime or approx 2 Tablespoons
1 tomato, deseeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2-1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (chose your heat) or use cayenne pepper to your taste
2+ Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Cut the avocados in half and remove the seed.  Scoop out the inside and place into a medium sized bowl.  Smash the avocados to the side of the bowl with a fork until well mashed.  Add your lime juice and stir.  Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, taste and add more garlic powder, cilantro,  salt and pepper as needed.  You can eat this right away or store covered in the fridge for 1-2 days.  ENJOY!

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Tags: Avocado, Beans, black bean guacamole, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, Quick and easy, Quick vegan, Vegan, Vegetarian

Since bell peppers are so rich in Vitamin C you should try and include them in your diet where you can. These Cheesy~Stuffed Bell Peppers are an easy and delicious way to do it. The vegan cheese (Daiya brand) is added in such a small amount that the fat is minimal but if you are really watching your fat intake just omit it. My husband actually prefers them without the vegan cheese.

You can really get creative with what you add inside of the peppers. I added rice, beans and tomatoes as the main ingredients but you could easily switch that up and use protein packed quinoa, red lentils and sun dried tomatoes.  I also used the Italian style tomatoes with Italian seasonings but I have tried it with the Mexican flavored tomatoes and use cumin, oregano and chili pepper instead and it is a very good Mexican dish.  Just get creative with your favorite ingredients.

FYI;I bake the peppers ahead of time while I cook everything else to cut down on the time by about 20 minutes.  If you stuff the cooked food into an uncooked pepper it takes longer for it to cook through and the inside ingredients can dry out since they do not have added fat.

Did You Know!?

• One green bell pepper contains twice as much vitamin C as an orange!
• The natural oils in brown rice helps to lower cholesterol.
• Black beans have the most antioxidant activity of all beans going down by darkness of color.
• Click here to read more food facts

Cheesy~Stuffed Bell Peppers

Makes; 8 halves

4 bell peppers (color of your liking)
1 brown rice
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can of Italian style diced tomatoes
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (the Italian tomatoes already have some spices so adjust accordingly)
S&P to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cook rice according to package directions which usually takes about 30-40 minutes.

While the rice cooks wash the peppers well, cut in half length wise, and remove seeds and membranes from the inside walls.  Place open side down in a baking pan with 1/4 cup of water added to it to keep them moist.  Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes until a knife easily slides through the side.

Chop the onions and garlic and steam them in a little water to soften.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese) including the rice and cook on med-low for about 15 minutes to mix the flavors.

Stuff the cut peppers very tightly with the rice mixture and top with a little vegan cheese if desired.  Broil for 5 minutes until the cheese melts.  WATCH CLOSELY vegan cheese burns quickly!  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and ENJOY!

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Tags: Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, rice stuffed bell peppers, Side dish, Step by step meal, stuffed peppers, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

With the 4th of July around the corner we tend to spend more time outside  eating cooling foods and enjoy the beautiful summer weather.   Fruit salads are a perfect side to any outdoor menu item you may have and since fruit is at is peak right now it will taste amazing and look impressive, even if you have no cooking skills at all!

I try and buy organic if I can like the strawberries and grapes and  then I use what ever other frozen fruit looks/tastes good along with some freshly cut bananas.  This can make for some slightly deflated blueberries but as the frozen fruit melts it helps to keep the whole salad cold and gives off some nice juices that mix well with the whole salad. Of course there are many different ways to make a fruit salad you could mix in some kiwi for beautiful color or add some cantaloupe and honeydew melons for a new look and flavor mixture.  You just need to mix together the fruits you love best.

This is a salad you can always be proud of because you know it is going to be healthy for your whole family.  This is a nice side to Black Bean Veggie Burgers because it is just sweet enough to satisfy the sweet tooth you get after dinner.

Fruit Salad

Makes: approx 5 cups

1 Banana

1 pint Strawberries

1 cup Grapes, sliced in half

1/2 cup Peaches, sliced

1/2 cup raspberries,

1/2 cup Blueberries

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sweetener (if desired-takes away any tartness of fruit)

1 Tablespoon water

Wash and chop all the fruit and put into a bowl.

Mix together the lemon juice, sweetener, and water and pour over the fruit salad and toss.  Chill or serve right away and ENJOY!  EASY right!!

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Tags: Breakfast, Dessert, Easy Vegan, fruit salad, Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, Lunch, Quick and easy, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

I know I already have a mac and cheese recipe on here by Alicia Silverstone from her book The Kind Diet but there are so many ways to make it and I could eat every kind!  I think most people love this comfort food and when you go vegan it is one food that you do miss.  This version does not have any added oil like the one from Alicia and the only fat in it is from nuts which we all know is a healthier form of fat.  Other than that it is very similar to hers by the ingredient list but the nuts really make it much creamier. You can cut the amount in half and use a thickener if you want to lower the fat further but this is pretty good.

My little ones love it and will eat two bowls, even with the broccoli in it!  Like I have said before I try and add vegetables into anything I can if I can get away with it and the broccoli is complimentary if chopped up small enough.  I know it sounds weird but sometimes I top my bowl of this mac & Chz with salsa and it just pops but that is me I like ketchup on my broccoli .  Try it your might like it!

Mac & Chz w/Broccoli
Serves: 4-6

2 cups dried noodles (can be gluten free with the right noodles)
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 head of broccoli, finely chopped
1 1/4 cup Rice or soy milk

Cook the noodles according to the package directions, drain and rinse slightly.

While the noodles cook, steam the broccoli in a small amount of water until it is cooked through.  Drain and set aside.

Blend 1 cup of cashews with 1 cup of milk until very smooth in a blender or your Magic Bullet.  Pour into a medium sauce pan and add soy sauce, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder, mustard and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook on medium heat and add the 1/4 or more of milk to desired thickness.

Pour the sauce over your cooked noodles and add drained broccoli and mix.  ENJOY!

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Tags: Dinner, Easy Vegan, Lunch, macaroni and cheese, Quick and easy, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

I get on a sweet kick every few months and this is one I have enjoyed and have made one too many times.  Who does not love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and this is even better because it is made with almond butter that is full of calcium and vitamin E.  I have tried it with cashew butter too and they are pretty amazing but the almond butter is less fatty and has more nutrients and a great flavor you can’t beat.

My kids just can’t get enough of these and compared to regular cookies or store bought packaged cookies these are so much healthier.  Of course kids can get away with eating a little more fat than adults can, especially mine since they are all so thin.  These are oil free but not fat free because of course nuts have fat in them naturally.  But, if you use the raw, organic, sugar and oil free almond butter your are going to feel better about these.  I also buy a wonderful all fruit, no sugar added jelly to fill them with so they are as healthy as you can get when it comes to eating a fattening cookie.

Almond Butter & Jelly Cookies
Makes: 16-20 cookies

2 cups finely chopped nuts (I used almond and pecans)
1/2 cup nut butter (almond is the best)
1/2 cup flour (to make gluten free I used a mixture of coconut & buckwheat flour and they are amazing that way-better than white flour!)
2 Tablespoons applesauce
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pure fruit jelly/jam (I used raspberry but use the kind you love the most)

Blend everything except the jelly together in a high powered blender until nuts are broken down well.  If you have to you can blend nuts up into small chunks then mix everything together in a bowl.

Moisten your hands and roll into 1″ size ball of dough and roll firmly.  Put onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and press down the middle to make room for your jelly, a moistened finger works best. Place each cookie 1″ apart and fill your cookie sheet.

Fill the cookie dent with jelly, do not overfill or it will run out. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes.  Place on cooling rack for 10 minutes then ENJOY!

*Don’t stack the cookies on top of each other when you store them (If you actually have some to store) because they will stick together.

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Tags: Dessert, Easy Vegan, fingerprint cookies, Gluten Free, Quick vegan, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

These little balls of heaven taste so good you won’t want to share them with your friends or family but they will love you for it if you do!  There is no added sugar or anything fake in them and you can eat more than one without feeling too guilty.  Nuts of course have fat in them but if you share you won’t eat more than you should.  You can feel indulgent without buying some packaged candy that has colors, sugar and artificial this or that in it.  Mix and match your nuts to your taste preference and use what ever liquid sweetener you like best to slightly adjust the flavor.

Sesame Truffles

Makes 18-20 balls

12 pitted dates

1 cup various nuts of your choice (I like to mix pecans, almonds and cashews)

1 Tablespoon liquid sweetener (I use agave nectar or maple syrup in a pinch)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3-4 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Optional topping :

shredded, sweetened coconut

Put all the ingredients except the sesame seeds or coconut into a large food processor and blend until pretty smooth or until it won’t mix anymore.  You will have to stop periodically to push down the sides to get it all to mix together well.

Wet your hands and scoop out enough mix to make a bite size ball, roll it in your wet hands and place on a large plate.  Continue to roll all of the mix until it is gone, moistening your hands occasionally so they don’t get too sticky.

Toast your sesame seeds in a non stick pan until slightly browned and pour onto a small plate.

Roll your balls in the sesame seeds until well coated and place back onto your large plate.  If you prefer the coconut then roll the balls in that and place back on your plate.  These can be eaten right away or chilled in the fridge.  ENJOY!

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Tags: Breakfast, Dessert, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Quick and easy, truffles, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

This soup’s flavor is absolutely wonderful!  There is  some added fat in the form of cashew nut butter and almond milk but wow they really give an amazing flavor and make it rich and creamy.  As you may have noticed I have a lot of soup recipes on my blog and that is because I love soup and could eat it every day.  The problem is my family does not love soup as much as I do and they never feel like making it a meal but rather a starter for a meal.  Not with this soup, everyone felt full, satisfied and no one even needed dessert.  I think the almond milk and nut butter are the reason behind that; not forgetting, everyone loves potatoes!

As usual with my recipes you can change the ingredients to suit your likes but this one does not need any adjustment, I promise.  If you don’t have cashew butter on hand almond butter would work well and soy milk will work instead of almond milk but stick with the original if you can.  The great thing is no one noticed the healthy kale in the soup because it is chopped down small enough and the soup has such wonderful flavor it is hidden in the mix so you get your greens without realizing it!

Mixed Potato Chowder
Serves: 6+

1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 small sweet potato or yam
6-8 medium white potato of your choice (red or Yukon are the best)
3 stalks of kale, de-steamed and chopped into small pieces
2 cups Vegetable broth
1-2 cups Almond milk (adjust milk to control thickness of soup-remember blending after cooking will thicken the soup)
1 Tablespoon Cashew butter
1 teaspoon ground thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Chop onion, celery and carrot and cook in the broth for about 15 minutes on medium heat at a slow boil to soften.  Add the remaining ingredients (add one cup of milk and add more as needed to keep a thick soup but covered enough to cook everything).

If you want a richer and thicker soup you can use all milk as the liquid but remember almond milk has fat in it.  When the potatoes are done use a hand mixer, blender or a fork to blend 1/4 or half of the soup up creamy then remix and ENJOY!

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Tags: Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, Lunch, potato chowder, Potatoes, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

I had never really been fond of rice pudding and after learning about how the traditional kind is made I am glad I did not eat it or I would have packed on more pounds.  The traditional kind is full of fat and sugar and is super high in calories.  My recipe is low in calories, fat and sugar and much more healthy for you and of course tastes wonderful.

The blueberry sauce on top gives it that decadent touch and makes you feel like you are being much more naughty than you actually are.  If you are not a blueberry fan then of course you could use any other berry that you like in place of the blueberries.

There are so many types of rice to chose from and you can experiment with them all to find the right texture for you.  Brown rice is much more healthy than most white rices but is a little more tough than some of the white varieties.  I really like Basmati rice because of the creamy texture but it is a little sticky.  Italian Arborio rice seems to work really well but honestly I have not tried  all the types of rice with this recipe so if you have a favorite give that a try, it will probably be great.

Rice Pudding with Blueberry Sauce

2 cups of cooked Rice of your choice

2-3 cups non-dairy milk of your choice (I used almond-gives it a great flavor)

1/4-1/2 cup sweetener of your choice (I used rice syrup but maple works great or any other sweetener you like)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Zest of 1 lemon

Blueberry Sauce:

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup water

1-2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon granulated tapioca or other thickener (cornstarch works well too-make sure to mix cornstarch with water first)

In  medium pot mix your cooked rice together with the milk, sweetener, cinnamon and lemon zest and cook until thickened to desired consistency.  You may need to add more milk to get the rice as soft as you want it so adjust accordingly.

While rice pudding is cooking mix together all ingredients for the blueberry sauce in a sauce pan and cook until it is well broken down and starts to thicken at a medium low heat.  It should be bubbling but not boiling while it cooks and make sure to stir often so it does not stick.  Set aside to thicken more as it cools.

When rice pudding and blueberry sauce are finished pour rice pudding into a bowl and top with desired amount of blueberry sauce and ENJOY!

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Tags: Breakfast, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Quick vegan, Rice Pudding with blueberry sauce, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian