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Smokey Vegan Parmesan | Ready in 3 minutes

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This smokey vegan parmesan goes well with anything, and I mean ANYTHING savoury.

It has to be in the fridge at all times, ready to get it’s sprinkle on.

There’s nothing like a little smoky saltiness to add pizzazz to any meal.

Your next pasta, salad, tofu scramble, sandwich or wrap will welcome this parm with open arms.

The one thing people seem to miss most during the transition to plant-based eating… CHEESE, because it’s physically addicting. Casomorphins in dairy create an opioid effect to keep the calf coming back for more from her cow Mama. When milk is made into cheese for human consumption (it takes 10 lbs of milk to create just 1 lb of cheese), the casomorphins are concentrated to high levels and create a strong opioid effect, that keep us coming back for more. Once you’re separated from the addiction for a bit, you’ll be over and and see cheese for what it really is… Check out this post for more on that.

It’s becoming easier and easier with all of the amazing vegan cheese companies coming out with innovative, melty, flavourful, creamy, cheeses! And this recipe gives a cheesiness to any recipe.

When it comes to parm, I think VioLife makes the best store bought vegan version. But, when you don’t have any of that kicking around, you can resort to this smokey vegan parmesan recipe!

The smokiness adds a deep deliciousness to your typical parmesan flava flave.

Benefits:

  • Cashews provide you with 100% of your copper needs! Copper helps with the reactions needed for the metabolism of iron, energy production, and neurotransmission. They’re also packed with vitamins E for healthy skin and bones!
  • Paprika is ground up red pepper! It’s packed with antioxidants, and is very anti-inflammatory.
  • Sunflower seeds are also an amazing source of copper and vitamin E, as well as B1. Vitamin B1 helps the breakdown of fats and protein, and vastly improves the cardiovascular functioning of the body.


Smokey Vegan Parmesan
 
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This is your next meal's best friend. Sprinkle this stuff on anything to enhance any kind of savoury dish.
Author:
Recipe type: topping
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup raw cashews
  • 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¾ tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in a mini food processor, blender or spice grinder until you reach the consistency of parm! You shouldn't need more than 30 seconds.
  2. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

** This goes great with Simple Green Curry, Butternut Mac n’ Peas, Whole Roasted Cauli, Curried Collard Greens, Mashed Potato Butternut Swirl, and the Green Machine Curried Zucchini Hummus.

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Gooey Vegan Sweet Potato Brownies + Choco Frosting | GF + Oil-Free

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Gooey, decadent brownie indulgence, without rebelling from your ‘eating clean’ regime. These healthy, oil-free, gluten-free, vegan sweet potato brownies are so downright delectable that you’ll feel as if you’re re-living that brownie experience you had at the grade 4 bake sale (that one packed with alllll the sugar and butter).
Well nope, this one is gluten-free (just use gluten-free oats), vegan (always), and free of refined oil.
It’s packed to the frosting with unrefined whole foods!
Dates for the sweetener, sweet potatoes for the nutrient-dense filler, and almond butter for the density.
These brownies aren’t too sweet, and they go AMAZINGLY with nana’ nice cream!
But, what’s a brownie without a topper? This Chocolate Date frosting is thick and creamy with only whole food ingredients. Date paste is the magic that creates a frosting that’s a sweet, spreadable answer to cure that sweet tooth craving.
Let’s talk protein for a sec.
First of all, these brownies are packed with protein.
Surprisingly:
1 cup of sweet potatoes = 6 grams of protein
1/2 cup of oats = 5 grams of protein
1/4 cup almond butter = 13 grams of protein
Each of these ingredients has a bit of all 9 essential amino acids, too (plug it in on cronometer).
Around 42g of protein per day is more than enough for the average person (about 0.8g/kg of body weight).
Too much protein, on the other hand, is very hard on the kidneys, plus it leads to weight gain, water retention and poor digestion.
So? You can stop worrying about whether or not you’re getting enough protein throughout the day. You will most likely be getting much more than 42g of protein, or around 10-15% of your entire diet coming from protein on the plant-based lifestyle, as long as your eating enough calories (not starving yourself). Plant protein is easier to digest, and we can get all the essential amino acids we need from plants.
Where do you think the muscular Gorillas, Elephants, Rhinos and Horses get their protein?
Rather than having the cow eat the plants to grow meat for humans to eat, let’s get straight to the plant source and stop using the animal as the middle man.
As for complete protein, you don’t need to worry about combining plants on your plate to ensure you’re getting a full spectrum of amino acids in one meal (the rice and bean theory). As long as your eating a variety of whole plant foods, and enough of them, your body will store excess amino acids in the amino acid pool, and release these amino acids to form complete proteins when ever it’s needed throughout your week!
One more thing to think about. Protein doesn’t come on it’s own…it comes as a package.
Which protein package sounds better to you?

 

We can stop worrying about protein and ask the new question: where do you get your fibre? (Most people are low in this SUPER important nutrient)
Whole plant foods are packed with this F-bomb. And these brownies are a good place to start!

Brownie benefits:

  • Sweet potatoes are queen in my eyes. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and taste like heaven on earth. They’re incredibly sweet for a tater! Vitamin A for your eyes, B vitamins for your nervous system, manganese for your bones and fat metabolism, and potassium to lower your anxiety and stress levels.
  • Dates are packed with fibre and minerals. They’re essential if you need to move things along, if you know what I mean. The mineral content in these babies is amazing for your bones, and they are the best whole food sweetener you can find.
  • Tapioca flour is a flour made from the cassava root, so it’s naturally free of gluten. It’s amazing in baking because it gives anything a dense, chewy texture!

Sweet Potato Brownies | Oil-Free, GF, Vegan
 
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Sinful tasting brownies without the sins. Goo-ey, decadent, and chocolate-y. These are a go-to for a healthy snack, or a delicious dessert.
Author:
Recipe type: dessert, snack, brownies
Serves: 9
Ingredients
  • 12 medjool dates, soaked 5 minutes and strained (keep the liquid!)
  • ½ cup smooth nut butter of choice (I used almond butter)
  • 1 chia egg or flax egg (1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flax + 3 tbsp water)
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ cup raw cacao powder (standard cocoa powder works too)
  • 1 tbsp tapioca flour (or tapioca starch)
  • 1 cup oat flour (just blend 1 cup rolled gluten-free oats to a flour in your blender)
  • 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, poked with a fork (will become about 1 cup mashed)

  • Frosting:
  • ¼ cup date paste (left over from brownie mix, see below)
  • ½ cup nut butter
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder
  • 3 tbsp plant-milk (I used vanilla unsweetened almond)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven the 350°F, line a 7"x7" (approx.) cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Cook sweet potatoes: Either bake for 45 minutes (or until soft), flipping once. Once cooled enough to handle, scoop out the meat and discard (or eat) the peel. (Another option is to steam the potatoes: Peel, then chop into ½" cubes, then place in steamer for 30 minutes).
  3. Meanwhile in your blender, make the date paste by blending all medjool dates with ½ cup of the left over date soaking liquid. Once smooth, remove ¼ cup of the date paste and set aside (for the frosting baby!)
  4. Add the nut butter, chia egg, salt, tapioca flour, oat flour, sweet potato and cacao powder to the date paste in the blender. Blend until smooth (use your tamper to help it along). Another option is to mix by hand in a big bowl.
  5. Pour the mixture into the parchment covered pan and bake for 30 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
  6. Meanwhile, make the frosting: Blend the left over ¼ cup of date paste with nut butter, cacao powder and plant milk until smooth.
  7. Remove brownies from oven, let cool 10 minutes.
  8. Flip upside down onto a serving plate and spread frosting over the top. Sprinkle with walnuts.
  9. Place it in the fridge for 10 minutes to solidify the frosting. Then slice and enjoy!
  10. Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for months.

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Vegan Omelette (what?!) + Cashew Hollandaise Sauce

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We be BRUNCHIN’!  This vegan omelette shows up with the texture, taste and look you’re wanting when you dig into that savoury fave of a dish.

Finally, an egg-free version of one of the best breakis around. Drizzled it with this Hollandaise Sauce and call it a Sunday.

When it comes to veganizing old faves, it’s all about re-creating that texture, pleasing the taste buds, and replicating the sight of that nostalgic dish you used to devour over and over again…but this time, with plants.

I used to love cheese & avocado omelettes so much that they’d grace the plate for breakfast and dinner. Finally, I can sink my fork into that same omelette, without having anything to do with an animal 🙂

It even got a thumbs up from my hard-to-please fiancé/taste-tester. Davey’s specialty used to be cheese eggs, so needless to say, he’s got high standards when it comes to comfort-food brunchin’. I’m happy to report that this recipe passed with flying colours.

The black salt used in the recipe is a magical ingredient that gives the omelette that ‘egg-like’ suflur taste. If you can get your hands on some, do it. If not, your vegan egg mixture will still be delicious, but not quite as egg-y tasting. I ordered mine online from Vegan Supply (pick up some Jules Fuel while you’re at it!). You can also order it through Amazon or find it in any other natural food store these days.

Tapioca flour (from the Casssava root)  is another magical ingredient that gives the omelette a egg-like texture. It creates the chewiness and helps it all stick together. Cornstarch can replace this, but, if you don’t have either in your cupboard for this recipe, don’t stress, it’s not the end of the world.

I used Alligga Flax Oil for the cooking oil. When it comes to the beauty of this omelette, a little oil goes a long way to give it that crisp, brown outer layer.

Flax oil, you ask?! Yup.

Usually you wouldn’t be able to cook with flax oil. But, these guys are the first to figure out a way to filter the oil so it has a ‘high-smoke point’. This means that you can cook with this flax oil with the omegas will staying in-tact, and the healthy fats in there won’t turn into trans-fats. This is a great way to get in your omega-3 fatty acids (which is an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid that we all need to balance out our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio) for brain power, memory, arthritis, mood, and overall healthy function.

Benefits:

  • Tofu isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s super nutrient-dense and plant-protein packed. The phytoestrogens that come with it aren’t anything to worry about. These are plant estrogens that act completely differently than human estrogens. There’s no need to worry about about ‘man-boobs’ or hormone imbalances, when it comes to soy. Dairy on the other hand…cut that stuff out.
  • Chickpea flour is also packed with protein! Chickpeas are also packed with manganese for bone health and antioxidant function.
  • Nutritional yeast is an amazing source of Vitamin B12 for your nervous system, neurotransmitter signalling, and cell reproduction (great for hair and nail growth).


Vegan Omelette + Cashew Hollandaise Sauce
 
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A veganized omelette! The texture, taste and look are on point with this recipe. Wow your egg loving friends with this egg-free version of the beloved omelette.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: comfort food,
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups (350g) firm tofu, patted with tea towel to remove excess liquid
  • ⅓ cup chickpea flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 tbsp tapioca flour
  • 1tsp garlic/onion
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp black salt
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • Dash of Pepper
  • 2 tsp Alligga flax oil (for cooking)

  • Filling:
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp flax oil
  • Choice of veggies, diced (mushrooms, peppers, spinach, red onion)
  • Vegan cheese Chao, Black Sheep, Gusta are all good options
  • Avocado
  • Hollandaise Sauce
Instructions
  1. Sauté garlic and veggies in flax oil
  2. Blend all omelette ingredients, except for flax oil, in your blender until it’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
  3. Test the texture: dip a spatula in the mixture. Does the mixture stay on the spatula, but it’s on the verge of dripping? Perfect.
  4. Turn a pan to medium heat and oil it up.
  5. Pour half the mixture onto the oiled pan and set timer for 2 minutes 30 seconds. DO NOT TOUCH.
  6. When the timer goes off the omelette should be darkening on the top, maybe with a few bubble holes. Cover half of the omelette with half of your fillings. Then fold one side over to create your vegan omelette!
  7. Place lid on the pan and let cook for a minute to melt that cheese.
  8. Serve with avocado slices and a mega-drizzle of hollandaise sauce. Helloooooo Brunch.

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Easy Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce | 7 Ingredients

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The good ol’ days of broccoli and cheese sauce are making a comeback, this time in the form of this next-level raw vegan cashew cheese sauce.

Totally nostalgic…who’s with me on that?

In the attempt to get me to eat those veggies in any way possible… cheese sauce, and sometimes mayo, made it onto the plate beside those greens.

It worked like a dream, just like this new & improved eat-yo-veggies cashew cheese hack will.

Something special happens to broccoli when it’s paired with a creamy, tangy, cheesy sauce. Dip away with all the other veggies, and you’re easily munching away on greens like their goin’ outta style.

All you need to do for this recipe is soak the cashews, blend it all up, and then drizzle, spread, dip, scoop…

I’m all about the sauce.

If you’re looking for a veggie-based cheese sauce option, check out this Mind-Blowing Nut-Free cheese sauce recipe I posted not too long ago.

Either one is perfect for a colourful side dish for a holiday like……. Easter!

Benefits:

  • Cashews are packed with healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) to help the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and vitamin K) found in the nutrient-dense greens. Plus, these healthy fats help brain development and memory!
  • Nutritional Yeast (NOOCH) is a vegan’s best friend. Not only does it taste cheesy, but it also is packed with Vitamin B12 (which comes from microorganisms in soil), the one nutrient that you might be lacking in on a vegan diet.
  • Turmeric is a magical ingredient. Not only does it change any recipe into a smashingly colourful dish, but it’s also one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients out there. Add a bit of pepper to increase the bioavailability of the curcumin in the turmeric by 2000%!


Easy Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce
 
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Answer that cheese craving with this super easy vegan cheese sauce, ready to be best friends with anything that calls for cheese. Pizza, pasta, veggies, nachos, you name it!
Author:
Recipe type: sauce, condiment, snack
Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked at least 30 minutes and rinsed)
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt + pepper
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp plain unsweetened plant based milk (I used almond)
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in high-speed blender until smooth! You might have to turn it off and scrape down the sides with a spatula every now and then...
  2. Use it for dipping, drizzling, spreading... anything! Pizza, pasta, cracker plates, or saucin' anything up!

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St. Patrick’s Day Deep Green Cauliflower Spirulina Smoothie Bowl

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St. Paddy’s Day is just around the corner, so it’s time to get in as much of the colour green as humanly possible with this cauliflower spirulina smoothie bowl.

Make this uber healthy, nutrient-dense breakfast so you can happily balance it out with that green beer later!

Warning: The energy you’ll receive from this bowl o’ goodness might have you dancing on tables to those Irish fiddles until the sun comes up.

This recipe is pretty much the most amount of nutrients you can fit into your blender, blended into a thick smoothie bowl and topped off with any kind of superfoods you have in the house!

Smoothie bowls are a go-to around here.

Smoothies are great too, but bowls are better. Why? Smoothies go down too quick (unless you’re mindfully paying attention to chewing your liquid). It’s good to take your time eating blended anything, and actually CHEW your smoothie. Sounds weird, I know. But, by chewing, your mouth releases saliva with amylase (the digestive enzyme for carbohydrates). This is where it all begins (digestion, that is), so if you skip this step of physically chewing, the food by-passes the mouth without the first initial breakdown of nutrients. This makes it harder on the rest of your body during the digestion process.

Chew yo’ smoothie!

You might be thinking… Cauliflower in a smoothie WHAT?! But seriously, it creates a creamy texture and adds mega benefits. We should be eating something from the cruciferous family on the daily (cauli, broccoli, cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, bok choy, collard greens…), and this is an easy way to get it in ya.

Benefits:

  • Spirulina is one of the most detoxifying ingredients you can consume! It’s a blue green micro-algae with magical powers. Plus, it’s 60% protein (!) and packed with vitamins K1, K2, B12, A plus minerals iron, manganese and chromium. It’s extremely potent, so you don’t need much of it to reap the benefits. The antioxidants and phytonutrients will help decrease signs of aging and ward of disease and inflammation.
  • Cauliflower as I said earlier is a member of the cruciferous vegetable fam. This family is packed with disease-fighting phytochemicals, drastically lowering your rise of cancer and cell oxidation.
  • Greens of any kind are king when it comes to nutrient density. Chlorophyll, phytonutrients, antioxidants, fibre… these are all ingredients your body thrives on. You’ll be bursting with energy and vitality if you pack your mouth with greens at any chance you get.

 

St. Patrick's Day Green Cauliflower Spirulina Smoothie Bowl
 
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I always wing it when it comes to smoothies! But, this gives you a good idea of proportions for a deep green smoothie bowl! Feel free to add more or less of anything, it will all work out. If you need more sweetness, add more dates or banana! Try to pack in as many green leaves as possible.
Author:
Recipe type: smoothie, smoothie bowl, breakfast, ready in 5
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 2-3 kale leaves, de stemmed
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1-inch thumb of ginger root
  • 2 frozen bananas (3 if they're small!)
  • 2 medjool dates
  • 1 cup frozen cauliflower
  • 1-2 cups frozen berries (your choice)
  • 1 tsp spirulina
  • 1½ cups vanilla almond milk, or thishemp milk

  • Optional add-ins:
  • More Greens if you can handle it! Spinach, cucumber, celery, romaine...
  • 1 inch thumb turmeric root
  • Water (if you want a drinkable smoothie)
  • Your favourite vegan protein powder
  • Carrot
  • Apple

  • Recommended toppings:
  • Raw cacao nibs
  • Coconut shreds
  • Jules Fuel Buckwheat Oats
  • Banana
  • Hemp seeds
  • Omega 3-6-9 oil (Udo's has a good blend, and an option with DHA too!)
Instructions
  1. Fill your blender with all the smoothie ingredients in this order: ginger, greens, cauliflower, spirulina, berries, banana, dates, almond milk.
  2. Blend on low-medium, and use your tamper to help the consistency become as smooth as possible. Add a bit of water if needed to help blend.
  3. If you don't have a tamper for your blender, just add a bit more liquid so it blends on it's own (you'll just have a runnier smoothie bowl)!
  4. Pour into your favourite bowl, and top it with your favourite toppings!
Notes
** You can use unfrozen bananas and cauliflower, but it won't be quite as creamy or delicious...

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