HookedOnPlants

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Date Caramel Candy Apples

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Ringin’ in the New Year with some festive sweet treats that you can feel great about treatin’ on. This recipe is a nice way to ease into the healthy resolutions you might have after indulging in all of the Holiday goodness.

You see, these treats are a trick.

They look indulgent. They taste indulgent. They aren’t indulgent. But don’t tell your taste buds that.

The base of these are made from whole foods! Of course, topping them off with things like sprinkles or chocolate chips will take them to the level of indulgence that you may have been experiencing over the holidays. You don’t have to go that far though. You could even stop at the date caramel layer and call it a super delicious day!

Layer 1: The powerhouse of nutrition that you know well, the apple.

Layer 2: Caramel made from the delicious date. Nothing more (except vanilla and a bit of sea salt, that is). A whole food sweetener at it’s finest, still packed with all the fibre a fruit should have, plus minerals and vitamins from that glorious date.

Layer 3: Your choice. Loved the popcorn layer. You could throw in some coconut ribbons, raisins, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, pecans…. or go for gold and roll it in some vegan chocolate chips.

See? Healthy! But, totally indulgent looking and delicious tasting.

The kids will love it, and so will your ‘new year, new you’ YOU.


Date Caramel Candy Apples
 
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Date Caramel candy apples to make your taste buds sing, and your waist line happy! A great festive way to ring in 2019 and ease out of the totally indulgent experience of the holidays.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert, Snack
Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • 15 dates, pitted and soaked 10 minutes in warm water, then strained
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of sea salt
  • about a ¼ or a bit more of coconut milk (add a bit at a time, just enough for the caramel consistency)
  • 3 apples
Instructions
  1. Blend dates, vanilla, salt and water in a mini food processor or small blender until a smooth paste forms.
  2. Stick a wooden skewer into the bottom of a couple apples (I like honey crisp!).
  3. With a spatula, spread the date caramel evenly over each whole apple.
  4. Roll it in your choice of toppings! I used Nooch Pop sweet + savoury popcorn + coconut ribbons for one, and vegan chocolate chips for the other).
  5. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes to let firm up slightly (it will still be gooey delicious).
  6. Enjoy!

Tag me if you make this! (@hookedonplants on instagram)

I love seeing your recipes.

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All the info is here!

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff with Garlic Cream Sauce

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When there’s a ‘strog’ there’s an ‘noff’.

Too far? Ya, that’s a stretch. I just like the word too much.

But, not as much as I like the TASTE of this Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff!!! This is truly comfort-food to the max!

I’ve got a pretty picky hubby when it comes to taste-testing and recipe recommendations. And when I ask him what he wants for dinner, it’s always an old-time, nostalgic recipe from his childhood that he misses since going vegan, and I take this as an opportunity, no… a competitive challenge to veganize the sh#%t out of it!

That’s what happened on this particular night. Stroganoff, you say mister? You got it.

It’s meaty with mushroom-y texture.

It’s creamy from the insane garlic cream sauce.

It’s super flavourful with allllllll of them spices.

And, it only takes 25 minutes….plus 5 minutes to whip up a simple salad with whatever raw veggies and leafy greens you have kickin’ around, drizzle with one of these dressings, or my fave go-to oil free creamy nooch lemon dressing.

It’s pretty much a winner. As much of a winner as Michael Phelps at the Olympics.

Fair comparison.

Oh, and make sure you have a continuous supply of this garlic cream sauce in your fridge in a squeeze bottle, ready to drizzle on savoury meal. It’s ridiculously delicious, and makes everything seem mega-gourmét.

Ok, onto the recipe!


Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff with Garlic Cream Sauce
 
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This stroganoff with knock the socks off your next dinner party guests! Especially drizzled with this cashew-based, garlicky, creamy deliciousness!!! Prep time doesn't include soaking the cashews for the creamy garlic sauce!
Author:
Recipe type: pasta, dinner, comfort-food
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 package of ribbon noodles
  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 4 tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 3 cups mushroom or vegetable broth
  • juice of 1 small lemon
  • 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp sage
  • 1 tbsp thyme
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 6-7 cups of mushrooms (use a mix! I used white and portobello)
  • 1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • ¾ cup green peas
  • ¼-1/2 cup chopped parsley

  • Easy Creamy Garlic Sauce:
  • 2 cups cashews, soaked at least 2 hours in water, then strained
  • ¾ cup water
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than what is recommended.
  2. Oil-free sauté onions: Heat up a deep dish pan to medium, then add the onions. Sauté until translucent, adding a bit of broth as you go to prevent sticking.
  3. Add 3 tbsp of flour and ¼ cup of broth to the pan and whisk until combined.
  4. In a bowl, make a broth mixture by mixing together the tomato paste, tamari, lemon and 2½ cups of the broth.
  5. Add broth mixture to the heated pan a little bit at a time, stirring periodically as you go. Mix until it is bubbling and thickened slightly (about 5-10 minutes).
  6. Meanwhile, make your creamy garlic sauce: Add all sauce ingredients to your high-speed blender and blend until very smooth (at least a couple of minutes).
  7. Add ½ cup of the garlic sauce, plus the thyme, sage and salt to the pan, mix until combined.
  8. Add all mushrooms to the pan to simmer. Cover with your lid for a few minutes to cook them down.
  9. Add the white wine vinegar and 1 tbsp of the flour if you feel you need to thicken it more. Mix to combine.
  10. Add green peas and parsley, let cook for 2 more minutes.
  11. Mix in the pre-cooked pasta.
  12. Serve it up with a drizzle of creamy garlic sauce and a sprinkling of parsley!

Tag me if you make this! (@hookedonplants on instagram)

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Top 12 Vegan Recipes of 2018

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It’s almost 2019!

Which means, second to the top vegan recipes of 2018… you may be looking back on the ebbs and flows of the last year…your successes, your learning experiences, your highlights, your epiphanies… Life is full of change and it is truly a game if you learn to accept that.

Never take things too personally to too seriously… Live with acceptance that you don’t know all the answers… Give that direction you’re weirdly pulled to a chance… Put time into the passions you know you have, and if you haven’t found your passion, then be patient, have an open mind, and follow your gut…

Do things that make you happy and be with people who bring you up to be your best you.

Whew, where did that come from!?

Pretty much, life is ever-changing, you are ever-growing. Annnnnd, without getting too deep and rambly, let’s bring it back to the light vibe of this blog and get into the most popular recipes of 2018!

12 days of Christmas… or top 12 fricken awesome vegan recipes of always and forever?!

2nd, please.

Vegan Omelette + Hollandaise Sauce

Vegan Egg Nog ~ Whole Food Creaminess

Sweet Potato Toasts

BBQ’d Cheezy Sweet Potato Perogies

Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip

Grateful Fred Stuffed Tofu Turkey  ~ Holiday Main

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Curry Tahini Sauce ~ Holiday Main

Maple Dijon Pecan Hasselback Butternut Squash ~ Holiday Main

Hemp Pesto Pasta Salad

Carrot Cake ~ oil-free

Sachertorte ~ dense chocolate cake

Chewy Chickpea Coconut Cluster Cookies

There you have it! Lots to choose from here, and more through out the site.

There’s something for everything when you eat plant-based.

It’s definitely NOT just carrot sticks and lettuce, but an abundance of textures, colours, flavours, concoctions and delicious tastes.

Tag me if you make any of these! (@hookedonplants on instagram)

I LOVE seeing your recipes.

… and if you want more:

Sign up to my emails for weekly inspiration, recipes, plus a free PDF on How to Get Hooked On Plants!

 

Try the #PlantsForAWeek challenge by grabbing my brand new E-Book!

On sale until Dec. 24!

Hello Christmas presents and Veganuary!

Maple Dijon Pecan Hasselback Butternut Squash | Simple Vegan Holiday

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Simple.

Beautiful.

Delicious.

Tha’s what I’m talkin’ about!

This Holiday, why not skip the Turk and whip yourself up a hasselback butternut squash?

Hasselback it up to prett-ify it to the maximum, and you have yourself a wow-effect kinda dish.

Why Hasselback? According to the Google-tron, it’s because once upon a time at the Hasselbacken hotel in Stockholm, Sweden, they sliced up potatoes like this, served them to the guests and dubbed them the funky name. Ya learn something new every day.

If you’re a last minute kind of person, and you need to whip something special up for the holiday table, I’ve got you.

In just a few steps, your house will be smelling better than Jamie Oliver’s fancy kitchen.

This is a dish that looks fancier than the minimal effort you put into it. Shhh… You can tell everyone you were in the kitchen for hours and hours, I won’t tell.

This Maple Dijon butter topped off with caramelized pecans really does take your typical butternut to the next level. Grab a beauty organic squash from Spud (you can use my code if you’re around the Vancouver area CRVAN-MURJUB, for 20$ off 🙂

Happy Holidays!!


Maple Thyme Hasselback Butternut Squash | Simple Vegan Holiday Dish
 
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A delicious way to devour the butternut squash. If you're looking for a beautiful dish for the holiday table, you've come to the right place! A simple dish with a big wow factor.
Author:
Recipe type: Holiday
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 large butternut squash, halved length-wise, seeds scooped out, then peeled to the bright orange colour
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (or avocado oil)
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced

  • Baste:
  • 1 tbsp thyme, minced
  • 1 tbsp vegan butter (I used 'Melt')
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1½ tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Place squash face down on a parchment-covered baking sheet, rub with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  3. Bake for 10-15 minutes (to soften).
  4. Take out of the oven, and transfer to a cutting board to cool for 10 minutes.
  5. When the face-down squash is cool enough to handle, slice the hasselback cuts as thinly as you can. Stop slicing ¾ of the way down the squash to keep the base in tact.
  6. Place the squash, face-down, back onto the parchment covered baking sheet.
  7. Stuff a few garlic slices throughout the sliced squash.
  8. Bake for 10 more minutes while you make the baste.
  9. Make baste: whisk all of the baste ingredients together in a bowl.
  10. Remove the squash from the oven and pour ¾ of the baste over both halves. Use a basting brush to get it all over!
  11. Bake for another 20 minutes. Then add the pecans to the rest of the baste, and pour this mixture over the squash. Use the basting brush to spread any excess liquid on the pan, overtop of the squash.
  12. Bake 10 more minutes.
  13. Serve with roasted veg!

Tag me if you make this! (@hookedonplants on instagram)

I love seeing your recipes.

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Sign up to my emails for weekly inspiration, recipes, plus a free PDF on How to Get Hooked On Plants!

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Top 15 Vegan Halloween Treats

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I’ve searched the net, so you don’t have to, for spooky, cute, creepy and 100% vegan halloween treats. Creep out your guests with these yummy ideas from a few of my favourite food bloggers out there in the blogosphere.

Death By Chocolate by Hot For Food

A deathly delicious smoothie that feels sinful to eat… from Lauren Toyota over at Hot For Food. Her Youtube channel is packed with inspirational and funny vegan-ness.

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Severed Hand Punch by Edgy Veg

Candice from Edgy Veg always comes up with crazy ideas. Her Youtube channel is full of awesomeness too. This is just creepy.

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Vegan Milky Way by Minimalist Baker

Dana, over at the Minimalist Baker, is one of my fave vegan bloggers. Make this healthy version of your fave candy bar, and you won’t miss the mega-unhealthy version.

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3-Ingredient Halloween Apple Bites by Oh She Glows

Angela at Oh She Glows is one of the first food bloggers I started to follow. She’s got a massive following now with her best-selling books and delish vegan recipes. These are easy and awesome for kids to do too!

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Raw Vegan Witch Fingers by The Full Helping

A rendition of your usual witch fingers (because who doesn’t make witch fingers annually?), but pretty darn good for ya!

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Graveyard Taco Cups by Fork and Beans

Zesty, Mexican theme-party must haves I’d say. Not dessert, but definitely needed for the halloween spread.

 

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Raw Candy Pops by The Rawtarian

Raw with all the nutrients intact, and crazy simple with just a few ingredients!

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Bloody Cups by Elephantastic Vegan

Like peanut butter cups but bloody. Just 3 ingredients too! We like simple.

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Spooky Guacamole and Corn Chips by Raw.Vegan.Not Gross

Laura Miller is hilarious. And so is this vid. Hopefully it inspires you to dress up and make food.

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Stuffed Jack-O-Lanterns by The Healthful Pursuit

Why leave carving to just pumpkins? Here’s a gutsy idea for a halloween-y dinner.

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Dark Chocolate Coconut Ghosts by Feasting on Fruit

These are high-carb, low fat, and oh-so-spooky.

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Raw Pumpkins by Girl Gone Raw

Raw, good for you, and delish.

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Oh My Raw Caramel Apples by Rawesome Vegan Life

Emily is the queen of decadent vegan desserts, and I just had to add this one in here because, even though it’s not spooky… it screams Fall and sweetness… plus, I just had to feature Emily because a dessert post round-up without her would be criminal.

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Dairy Free Pumpkin Cheesecake by To Die For

OK, again, I know this isn’t really halloween-themed, besides the pumpkin in there. But I had to include a dessert from Erin, because she is just amazing and she posts some of the most drooool-worthy recipes.

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Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding by The Pure Life

One more fall-flavoured dessert, minus the halloween theme… Only because I want to give a shout out to Sisley! These flavours will taste like halloween, don’t you worry. You could even add some creepy eyeballs to a bowl of this on the treat table to do the trick.

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Tag me if you make these! @hookedonplants on instagram.

I love seeing your recipes.

Want more?

Sign up to my emails for weekly inspiration, recipes, plus a free PDF on How to Get Hooked On Plants!