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Vegan Quiche with Smoked Tofu & Cauliflower Crust

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Diner-approved vegan brunchin’. This comfort-style vegan quiche has Father’s Day breaki written all over it.

An egg-y texture, with smokey bits and creamy hollanadaise, all on a cauliflower crust.

Comfort food with benefits… and lots’a tastiness.

Plus… it’s soy-free, gluten-free & oil-free (triple bonus).

I’ve been pumping out the treats over the last few weeks… cardamom muffins, cookies, parfaits, matcha cheese cake, so I had the urge to share some savoury goodness with you so you can create a masterpiece for your Pa this weekend.

Depending on the preferences of that Dad in your life, either take the savoury route with this quiche, or this omelette, or sweeten things up for the special occasion with these simple pancakes.

‘Quiche’ …the first thing that came out of Davey’s mouth when I asked him for a savoury comfort food recipe idea. Davey’s my professional taste-tester and cuts all BS when it comes to telling me whether it tastes good or not… And as the ‘cheese egg king’ before we went plant-based, he gave this quiche a 10/10 for eggy-ness and tastiness.  Winner.

The lemon-y hollandaise takes it to the next level on the brunch-0-meter.

When I told my G-Ma I was whipping up a vegan quiche, she didn’t get it. Quiche usually means eggs, cheese, butter, bacon. It’s pretty much an oxymoron. But the code is cracked, folks.

Plus, the cauliflower crust brings this quiche to a new level. It’s a cake-y crust with zero gluten and a good dose of cruciferous awesomeness.

Benefits:

  • Cauliflower is so versatile. Cauliflower Roast, Buffalo Cauli Wings…and this crust is totally usable for pizza crust too. Don’t let the white colour fool ya, cauli is packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Plus it’s part of the cruciferous fam-jam (known for cancer prevention).
  • Chickpea flour is the magical ingredient in the filling to create that egg-y texture. It’s packed with amino acids, and gluten-free for those with sensitivities.
  • Veggies!!! They’re good for ya. Duh. You can pack in as many veggies as you want in the filling and they’ll be surrounded by delicious egg-like texture and go down real easy.


Vegan Quiche with Cauliflower Crust
 
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A quiche for an occasion... veganized! A flavourful filling all on top of a gluten-free cauliflower crust.
Author:
Recipe type: breakfast, brunch, lunch, comfort food
Serves: 8
Ingredients

  • Cauliflower Crust: (or use any other kind of crust you like)
  • 3½ cups cauliflower, chopped, steamed 10 minutes (until soft)
  • 3 flax eggs (1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal + ¾ cup water in a jar, let sit for 5 minutes)
  • 1 cup flour (I used amaranth)
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

  • Filling:
  • 1½ cup chickpea flour
  • 1¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • pinch of black pepper
  • 1 tsp black salt (optional - but an amazing ingredient for that 'eggy' taste)
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 4 cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
  • ¼ cup red onion, diced
  • handful spinach
Instructions

  1. Make Crust:
  2. Pre-Heat oven to 400°F
  3. Place steamed cauliflower in a cheese cloth or nut milk bag. Let sit in the fridge for a few minutes (until you can handle it without yelping). Then squeeze as much liquid out of cauliflower into the sink as possible.
  4. In food processor, pulse the cauliflower, flax eggs, flour, nutritional yeast, tahini and spices until a creamy dough forms.
  5. Press and spread dough with a spatula on a 9-inch pie dish (non-stick, or lined with parchment paper) along the bottom and up the sides about ¼ inch thick.
  6. Bake crust for 20 minutes.
  7. At the same time, spread the mushrooms, red pepper, and cherry tomatoes on a parchment-lined (or reusable baking sheet-covered) baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile, make the filling: blend or whisk together chickpea flour, water and spices until smooth. Then stir in the roasted veggies, spinach, onion (and if you're fine with soy, add in ¼ cup of chopped smoked tofu YUM)
  9. Pour filling into the crust.
  10. Bake for 45 minutes.
  11. Remove and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
  12. Serve each slice with a drizzle of the hollandaise sauce from this recipe and a basil leaf or two:)

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This week was all about celeb vegan Dads 🙂

How to Make an Aquafaba Whipped Cream Parfait | Blueberry Matcha | Raw Vegan

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If you’re breakfast looks like this, your day is complete by 9am. This raw vegan aquafaba whipped cream parfait is taken to the next level with a snickers bar made by the lovely Laura.

And even though it’s whipped cream for breakfast, it’s still good for you.

But, how?

~ The snickers bar created by the raw vegan treat pros over at Little Tucker is raw, vegan and made with nuts, dates, some maple syrup… and it tastes heavenly because these girls got skills!! If you’re going to be at Veg Expo this weekend at the Vancouver Convention Centre, go say hi to Laura and the girls to sample some of their goodness.

~ The whipped cream is made of the magical ingredient, aquafaba. Yup, the juice of the chickpea, that’s right. You threw that down the drain without thinking twice before you read this, didn’t you? Don’t worry, I did too. Aquafaba creates a wonderfully stiff, yummy, and very low calorie alternative to your typical whip. It’s also a great egg-replacer in vegan baking (3 tbsp = 1 egg).  Who knew?!

~The base is made from my breakfast cereal, Jules Fuel. Matcha Date and Blueberry Cacao Overnight Buckwheat Oats that I soak in homemade hemp milk, or any kind of plant based milk kickin’ around. It’s packed to the rim with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, plant protein, and fibre. You can order it internationally from Vegan Supply, or locally at Spud Vancouver.

Layer it all up with some fresh berries and you’ve got yourself a true breakfast of champs.

You can get Jules Fuel overnight buckwheat oats (blueberry cacao, or matcha date flavour) online from anywhere in the world at Vegan Supply! Or, locally in the Vancouver/Whistler area from Spud online, or Be Fresh, Green Moustache, and any Whistler Grocery store. You can find the Little Tucker snickers bar here.


5.0 from 1 reviews
Aquafaba Whipped Cream Parfait with Jules Fuel | Raw Vegan
 
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Not your typical parfait! Aquafaba whipped cream, matcha blueberry oats, and a raw vegan snickers bar to top it all off!
Author:
Recipe type: breakfast
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In separate jars, soak ½ cup blueberry cacao Jules Fuel with ½ cup plant milk, and ½ cup matcha date Jules Fuel with the rest of the ½ cup of plant milk for at least 30 minutes (overnight if you can!!)
  2. Make Aquafaba Whipped Cream: add all whipped cream ingredients to an electric hand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on high for at least 5 minutes. The longer you mix, the stiffer it will become! Watch the magic happen.
  3. In 2 jars, scoop in one of the Jules Fuel oats, then some berries, then some whipped cream, then another layer of the other Jules Fuel oats, then go crazy with the whipped cream, and top it all off with the snickers bar.
Notes
Store extra whipped cream in the freezer, and use as you would 'cool whip'. Keeps for one month

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VEG EXPO IS THIS WEEKEND!

Come see me at booth #48 ! Or watch my talk at 12:40 (6 Ways to Get Hooked On Plants). SEE YOU THERE !!

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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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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