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Cheezy Chickpea Tahini Drizzle

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Ahhhh the feeling of having that something in the fridge that will make any meal taste and look gourmét … Well, make this, and then you’ll get that warm fuzzy feeling. That feeling of… no matter what I make… it’s going to taste fantabulous with this drizzle-y goodness. This cheezy chickpea tahini drizzle is up there as one of my faves at the moment!

I love this because it’s not as heavy as making a tahini-only sauce.

Adding those chickpeas makes the sauce go further…meaning I can smother my dish even more liberally.

It really is all about the sauce. Dinners can be so incredibly easy when you have a pre-cooked grain, protein (bean, legume, tempeh, tofu), a bunch of greens or sprouts, and a whole lot of sauce.

Pro tip:

Each week, switch up the sauce, cook up a couple different grains and proteins, and use what ever raw veggies and greens that are on sale…and you have a quick, throw-together, uber nutritious, super delicious, stress-free DINS. You could even wrap this up and take it out to lunch.

Cheezy Chickpea Tahini Drizzle
 
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An everything sauce to pump up that gourmét chef in you!
Author:
Recipe type: sauce, drizzle, dip
Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup tahini
  • ⅔ cup chickpeas
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3 tsp tamari
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ½-3-4 cup water
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients until smooth! I used the smaller blender attachment for my high speed blender. Add just enough water for it to be the consistency that you can drizzle.

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Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin Spice Muffins + Charcoal Turmeric Icing

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I can’t boolieve it’s Halloween already!

Time for a funky, trying to be scary…not so scary…super dense, delish muffin recipe. These Pumpkin Spice Jack-O-Lantern Muffins are a cute replacement or add-on to your carved up big one. Or, if you don’t want to carve up a big one this year, just make these little guys and enjoy that halloween pumpkin-y feeling, and eat it, too.

These turned out better than Jack himself could have hoped for.

Sweetened mostly with dates, and packed with pumpkin-y goodness makes them so dense and so flavourful!

Smush in some vegan butter and call it a good day! (Used ‘Melt’ vegan butter here OMG)

…Density. A must have in a good muffin.

Add in that activated charcoal and turmeric to the cashew icing mix and you can pretty much call them superfood muffs!

Grab some kids, or call out your inner child, along with the squeeze bottles to create some delicious art (that will hopefully turn out spookier than my attempt at scary).

And…. Happy Halloween!

For more Halloween-y treat ideas, check out this Homemade Candy Bar round-up or these Top 15 Candy Recipes!

Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin Spice Muffins
 
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Dense, halloween-y, super pumpkin-y muffins with a superfood-y turmeric and charcoal cashew icing!
Author:
Recipe type: halloween, snack, dessert
Serves: 10
Ingredients

  • Dry Ingredients:
  • 2 cups oat flour (blend 2 cups oats into a fine flour in a food processor or blender)
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup chopped pecans

  • Wet Ingredients:
  • 1 can pumpkin pie mix puree
  • 2 chia eggs (2 tbsp chia soaked in 6 tbsp water for 5 minutes)
  • ¾ cup medjool dates (about 6-8), soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Icing:
  • 1 cup cashews, pre-soaked for at least 3 hours (or over night for smoother icing)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1½ tsp activated charcoal
  • 1½ tsp turmeric
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Mix together dry ingredients.
  3. In blender, mix together wet ingredients until smooth.
  4. Then add the wet to the dry and until combined.
  5. Spoon about a ¼ cup in each lined (with paper muffin cups or re-usable silicone ones) muffin tin.
  6. Bake for 22 minutes.
  7. Make the icing: In a small food processor, or blender, blend all pre-soaked cashews, almond milk and maple syrup until smooth (you will have to scape down the sides and leave it running for a few minutes).
  8. Take out a ¼ of the cashew icing and set aside. Add the turmeric to the icing in the blender and blend until combined.
  9. Spread this orange icing over the top of the muffins.
  10. Then, add the white icing back into the blender with the activated charcoal. Blend until smooth.
  11. Scoop this black icing into a squeeze bottle or a ziplock with a tiny hole cut in the corner, and create your jack-o-lantern art!
Notes
*Prep-time does not include the soaking of cashews

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Grateful Fred Stuffed Tofu Turkey | Vegan Holiday Feast

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The holidays are all about love, connection, community, cheersing and good times. The food and the love that goes into it is always big part of all the festivities. So, this Thanksgiving, here’s a stuffed tofu turkey recipe to spread the love, and fall in love with…without the cost of the turkey, Fred (he’s grateful).

Turkey shmurkey. Ham shmam. Steak shmeak.

Eating plant-based during a holiday dinner party isn’t always an easy task, that is unless you bring this comfort-food recipe of a lifetime!

I wanted to help you create something that won’t be a compromise… and may even be just as popular at the Thanksforgivin’er shindig than your Auntie’s turkey pie!

If you’re looking for a pre-made option, Gardein makes a delicious ‘stuffed turkey’ (use CRVAN-MURJUB to shop at Spud to get 2 free ones in your order), and Tofurky does too.

But, if you want to go the cooking route and put as much of that love ingredient in there as possible, look no further!

Fred is thankful he can live out that Turkey life of his, and the fam will be thankful that the vegan doesn’t bring carrot sticks to the comfort-food party!

This turned out really well. The outside is browned, the inside is tasty with pecan stuffing, and the overall feel is incredibly turkey dinner-like.

Top it all off with this mushroom gravy, and this mashed cauliflower for your tastebuds to explode.

Pin this!

Other ideas for a Holiday dinner recipes… Meatless Balls, Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Mashed Butternut Swirl, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake, or this Apricot Butternut Lentil Loaf (an oldie but a goodie).

Pin this!

Grafeful Fred Stuffed Tofu Turkey
 
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A perfect replacement for Fred the Turkey for a holiday feast! This pecan stuffing rolled up in a tofu 'turkey' will shine on the centre of the dinner table.
Author:
Recipe type: thanksgiving, holiday, christmas, dinner
Cuisine: holiday, thanksgiving
Serves: 8
Ingredients

  • Tofu Turkey:
  • 4 blocks organic firm tofu (each 350g)
  • 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2½ cups of vegan stuffing (recipe below)
  • 3-4 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos (for basting)

  • Vegan Pecan Stuffing (makes enough for stuffing the tofu turkey, plus a side dish):
  • 8 cups bread of choice, cubed
  • 1 cup large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1½ cups celery, chopped
  • 7-8 white mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage, minced
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped
  • ½ tsp Pink Himalayan or sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

  • Goes well with this Mushroom Gravy
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F
  2. Press tofu: Place a layer of paper towel on a plate, then the tofu cubes, then another couple layers of paper towel, then a cutting board, then a bowl filled with water. Let sit for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better)
  3. Meanwhile, make the stuffing! Start by spreading the cubed bread out over a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes (stir at the 10 minute mark), until it's dry...smells so good.
  4. In a large pot, oil-free sauté the onions, celery and mushrooms for 5 minutes (just add a bit of the veggie broth if it's sticking), until softened. Add the herbs and salt and pepper. Mix it up, then add 1½ cups of broth. Add the bread and mix everything well. The stuffing should be moist, but not soaking wet. If your stuffing is still a little dry, keep adding a bit of veggie broth until it's moist (you shouldn't need more than 2 cups total)
  5. Set aside 2½ cups of stuffing for the turkey filling.
  6. Pour the rest of the stuffing into a baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes (hello side dish!)
  7. Prepare your 'turkey' zone: Lay out 2 sheets of tin foil, side by side overlapping about 3 inches, with a layer of parchment on top. The parchment paper should be about 15 inches long by 13 inches wide, with the tinfoil as a border beneath it.
  8. Time to make the 'turkey': To go easy on your food processor, start by blending half of all the tofu turkey ingredients together (except for the stuffing and Bragg's liquid aminos) for at least 1 minute in your food processor, or until a dough-like ball starts to form. Place that mixture as a ball on the parchment paper.
  9. Then, blend the other half of all the tofu turkey ingredients (again, except for the stuffing and Bragg's liquid aminos) in the food processor, and add it to the pile on the parchment.
  10. Spread out the tofu mixture into a ½ - ¾ inch thick rectangle (about 8x12")
  11. Spoon the 2½ cups of stuffing into the middle of the tofu rectangular 'turkey' in a lengthwise tube shape.
  12. Use the parchment paper to roll one side of the tofu turkey over the stuffing, then the other side until the tofu turkey just overlaps. Give it a nice squeeze to make sure it's all overlapping by at least 1 inch.
  13. Unwrap it and fold the ends. Use your fingers to press down any open areas, or cracks.
  14. Pour Bragg's liquid aminos over top and use basting brush to cover the whole turkey.
  15. Then wrap it up with the parchment and tinfoil nice and tight, folding on top and twisting the ends (so it looks like a tootsie roll turkey)
  16. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
  17. Let cool 15 minutes, then place in the fridge.
  18. When you're ready to serve it, take it out of the fridge, slice in 1 inch slices, wrap it back up and bake for 20 minutes at 350°F.
  19. Serve with the mushroom gravy from this recipe and this cauliflower mash!
  20. Happy Holidays! The Turkey's thank you!
Notes
*Great to make ahead of time, then store in the fridge until you're ready to put it in the oven for 30 more minutes before serving
*If you want to make it right before, just skip the fridge part, and keep it in the oven for another 15-30 minutes, then slice when it comes out!

Tag me make this! (@hookedonplants on instagram)! I love seeing your recipes.

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This week’s email is all about the most important thing to be grateful for… yourself, and what you should do about it.

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Vegan Hemp Pesto Pasta Salad | GF + Oil-Free + Ready in 20

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This is the meanest, greenest vegan hemp pesto pasta salad on the block!

Super flavour-y brilliance without the parm, oil, or gluten. BOOM.

To do list: make the pesto, boil the pasta, throw in some flavourful colours and you have yourself a meal!

Not only does this bode well for potluck-style weddings (which is what our weekends have been filled with this month), but it’s also a saviour when it comes to busy weeks and last minute dinners. Just make a TON of this goodness and your week will be stress-free in the food realm.

Serve it up with a big ol’ salad drizzled with this dressing, and spruce it up by adding different proteins each night (tempeh, smoked tofu, seitan or sausage slices, anything gardein, veggie burger chunks… you get the drift).

Easy & plant-based… that’s what it’s all about!

BY THE WAY:

I’m working away at an e-book for you guys!

All you need to know about being plant-based for a week with 30 recipes, nutrition tips, and a whole week of meals planned out for you.
My goal is to make this plant-based lifestyle as fun and easy as possible for as many people as possible. I hope this e-book will to be the ultimate guide for YOU to achieve that🙂

Get in touch with me on Instagram by tagging @hookedonplants and #plantsforaweek and let me know what questions you have about this lifestyle that you want to be answered in my E-book! I’d LOVE to hear from you!

~~~

Vegan Hemp Pesto Pasta Salad
 
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A pesto pasta dish to please the whole family, or just you for a whole week!! This stuff is great for leftovers, and shines at those potluck dinners.
Author:
Recipe type: pasta, ready in 20, easy dinner
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 package of your favourite pasta noodles (go for 2 ingredient pasta like fusilli with brown rice and water), cooked according to directions
  • 10 kalamata olives, chopped
  • 1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 3 basil leaves for garnish

  • Pesto:
  • 2 cups of packed fresh basil
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup hemp seeds
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ⅛ tsp each salt + pepper
  • ⅓ cup water
Instructions
  1. Make pesto: blend all pesto ingredients together in your food processor
  2. Mix the pesto, pasta noodles, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes together in a large bowl, then top with extra basil leaves.

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This week was all about you and your relationship with you GUT. SO interesting!

 

Peachy Rainbow Soba Summer Rolls + Zesty Orange Sesame Sauce

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Hot summer days call for fresh, crisp, rainbow soba summer rolls… on a patio… with a side of white wine spritzer…and a super fresh seasonal corn on the cob.

This has got to be the best way to get in as many raw veggies as possible.

Soba noodles give you that tasty filler, smoked tofu provides the surprising twist of flavour, and any raw veggies you have kickin’ around the kitchen make these rolls so satisfyingly crunchy & fresh.

This recipe gives you A LOT of sauce. Which is definitely on purpose.

Making extra is key because the party this zesty orange sesame sauce is having doesn’t stop at these rolls. Don’t be afraid to use it on anything, everything and all the in betweens. Here’s what I’m thinkin’:

  • douse your veggie BBQ skewers 
  • smother your soba noodle salad in it
  • drizzle it on roasted veggies
  • spread it on a sanny
  • squirt it in a wrap
  • dunk your raw veggies in it
  • water it down and use it as a salad dressing!

Sauce is what makes the world go ’round.

Kids will love getting in the kitchen to help fill the rice papers, and having them create the rainbow, gets them excited to actually eat the rainbow 😉

I would have to say, since I love dipping and crunchy freshness, this is up there as one of my most favourite recipes. Ever.

We just made this on Hornby Island, at my parent’s place which is totally outdoor livin’. An airstream trailer, a deck attached, a teepee guest bedroom and a beautiful long picnic table to dine on while we watch the sunset. Simple. Perfect. Summer.

We threw in a side salad, packed with beets, green onion, heirloom tomatoes and butter lettuce, but you’ll be getting more than enough veggies without adding that in. Maybe put some of the lettuce in the wraps and call it a day of delish nutrish.

Peachy Rainbow Soba Summer Rolls + Zesty Orange Sesame Dipping Sauce
 
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A fun recipe that packs the nutrition into the most delicious handful you could ask for. Crunchy, fresh and perfect for a summery eve.
Author:
Recipe type: dinner, lunch, summer,
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients

  • Wraps:
  • Rice paper wraps (we made 15)
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cup purple cabbage
  • 1 peach
  • 1 cube smoked tofu
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 2 carrots
  • 1-2 bell peppers
  • 2 cups sprouts of choice (sunflower seed sprouts are crunchy and delish)
  • 1 package soba noodles (this will make more than you need, but they're great leftover with the sauce)

  • Zesty Orange Sesame Sauce:
  • 1-2 tsp zest of orange
  • Juice of 1 orange (medium navel)
  • ½ cup almond butter
  • ½ cup tahini
  • 3 tbsp braggs liquid aminos OR tamari
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cm fresh ginger
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ cup water
Instructions
  1. Cook soba noodles according to directions, then strain, let cool for 10 minutes
  2. Slice all veggies and the tofu thinly & vertically
  3. Make your sauce by blending all sauce ingredients in a food processor until smooth
  4. Set up your rolling station: fill a wide plate with water (for rice paper), have your bowl of noodles, have your veggies/tofu laid out on a plate, have a cutting board to roll on, have an empty platter ready for your finished rolls
  5. Make your rolls: soak a rice paper in water for 2 seconds, then place on the cutting board. Fill the paper with all the fixin's, then roll the rice paper like a burrito (fold two sides towards each other to cover the ends of the veggies, then roll the opposite ends until the paper is closed)
  6. Serve them up on a platter with individual dipping bowls and a plate!
Notes
If the rice paper is breaking, double them up and use 2 per roll!

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