HookedOnPlants

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vegan comfort food

The Happiness Burger | Smokey Tempeh Beet Rice Patties

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There’s a million different ways to eat a burger without the beef. But, this Happiness Burger is a special one.

Have you heard of the Delivering Happiness Project?

Hundreds of low-income family homes across the lower mainland and throughout Vancouver are being graced by free vegan burger patties all summer long because of this awesome project. How cool is that!?

Vanessa at Feed Me Fit created this recipe, and Juno is the man behind the Delivering Happiness Project mission.

Juno says; “More than half a million people in B.C. live in poverty. It’s sad to know that low-income families face impossible choices: buying food, heating the house, filling a prescription or paying the rent…”By providing healthy alternative food to families for three months we will not only give them a well-balanced plant-based diet but also the chance to save money on food costs…”

So, here’s a thank you to Feed me Fit and Delivering Happiness! What a way to make a difference in the people’s lives that need an extra boost.

Everyone is loving this patty recipe, so I had to grab it off Vanessa and share it with you!

Happiness Burgers | Smokey Tempeh Rice Patties
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Happiness Burgers | Smokey Tempeh Rice Patties

Recipe by juliaCourse: Lunch, DinnerDifficulty: Medium
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2-3/4 cups quick oats (add more if the mixture seems too wet at the end)

  • 12 oz tempeh (about 320 grams or about 1.5 packages)

  • 2 cups short grain rice, pre-cooked

  • 3 cups (or 10 oz) sliced mushrooms

  • 1 cup grated beets

  • 3 cups onions, sliced (will caramelize down to 1.5 cups)

  • 1/4 cup vegan bbq sauce

  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke, or smoked paprika

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp pepper

Directions

  • Sauté onions and mushrooms until caramelized: Heat a pan to medium, add onions and mushrooms. Let sauté for a couple minutes, then turn the heat down to low. Let sauté for 15 minutes, adding a little bit of water when needed if it’s sticking. This should make about 2 cups of mushrooms and onions.
  • Add the onions and mushrooms to the food processor with all the other ingredients and pulse until evenly combined, but not quite smooth! Make sure there are still a few chunks (you could even leave 1/2 of the rice out, and hand mix it into the mixture after).

  • Once mixed, put the mixture in the fridge for 1 hour. Then take out to mould into burger patties.
  • BBQ, bake or pan-fry! About 5 minutes per side…Vanessa says: ‘We’ve tried baking them, and pan-frying them and I like the pan-fried option better myself, but many people disagree and like the baked version, so I suggest trying both!’

Notes

  • Prep time doesn’t include the pre-cooking time for the rice, and the hour of fridge time for the mixture!

If you make these, be sure to tag @hookedonplants @feedmefit & @deliveringhappiness on instagram)!

Need a guide towards a plant-based lifestyle? Try the 80/20 Plants Program.

Check out my e-book (your new vegan handbook) AKA …all you need for a #PlantsForAWeek mini challenge.

For more inspiration and info on eating plant-based, sign up to my emails for bi-weekly inspiration, recipes, plus a free PDF on How to Get Hooked On Plants!

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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BBQ’d Cheesy Sweet Potato Pierogies | Vegan

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Little packages of goodness!  Yup, Cheesy Sweet Potato Pierogies in all their glory, and completely veganized.

Top it all off with some Tofutti or cashew sour cream and caramelized onions to impress any fantastic Polish grandma in your life.

This one’s fun to make with kids, because I’ll admit, it takes some steps. Easy steps, yes, but they just take a bit of love and time to go through. So, throw on that cute apron, crank up the tunes and call your little buddy up to join the pierogi party (thanks Ava!)

This recipe makes 40 incredibly satisfying pierogies (8 servings-worth), so you can boil & freeze them, and say goodbye to those last minute weeknight dinner freak outs in the near future.

Hello there you chewy, comforting, tasty parcels of love.

This is comfort food to the max, and pretty much making art in your kitchen. Have fun;)


Cheesy Sweet Potato Pierogies | Vegan
 
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A comforting, flavourful favourite, veganized! Filled with sweet potatoes and cashew cheese, and topped off with caramelized onions and cashew sour cream. *Prep time doesn't include the overnight soaking time for the cashews!
Author:
Recipe type: pierogies, dinner, comfort food
Serves: 40 pierogies
Ingredients

  • Dough:
  • 3 cups all purspose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¾ cup - 1 cup water

  • Sweet Potato Filling:
  • 1 large sweet potato, chopped
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • Cashew Cheese:
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours (or overnight), drained and rinsed (**** If making cashew sour cream, soak 2 cups of cashews)
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ⅛ cup water (more if needed for blending)

  • Extras:
  • ½ cup chives, minced
  • 1 large onion (red or sweet), sliced thinly
  • Cashew Sour Cream
Instructions
  1. Make the dough: in your electric mixer, or a large bowl, stir together flour, salt and coconut oil. Then add in water a little bit at a time until a ball forms. If too dry, add more water, if too wet, add more flour.
  2. Knead the dough for 4 minutes on a floured countertop, then wrap it in sarran wrap and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Now it's time to make the two fillings.
  3. Make the sweet potato filling, steam the sweet potato for 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, then mash in the rest of the filling ingredients until they're evenly distributed and the sweet potato is smooth.
  4. Make the cashew cheese, blend all cashew cheese ingredients together in your food processor until smooth.
  5. Roll out the dough on a large floured counter until it's 2-3mm thick. Using a mason jar lid, press as many circles in the dough as possible to create the pierogi circles. Pull up the in between extra dough, roll it out again and make more circles. Repeat until all dough is used up.
  6. Fill em' up! Use an ice cream scooper to place a ball with half sweet potato filling and half cheese filling onto each pierogi circle (just off center). Wet the edge of one half of the pierogi, and fold the other half over the filling to the wetted edge. Press the edges together with a fork to form a half crescent pierogi shape.
  7. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place about 10 pierogies in to the boiling water at a time (making sure they don't stick to the bottom) and let boil 7 minutes. Set aside in a strainer. Repeat until all are boiled.
  8. Meanwhile, sauté onions: heat a pan to medium heat, add onions, let cook for 2 minutes, deglaze with balsamic vinegar. Let sauté for 8 minutes, adding more balsamic if they're sticking.
  9. Option 1: BBQ! Set BBQ to 400° and bake pierogies on a cookie sheet with parchment or a reusable parchment sheet for 10 minutes, flipping once.
  10. Option 2: Fry! Bring a pan to medium heat, use a tsp of coconut oil, then place the pierogies into the pan for 3 minutes a side.
  11. Option 3: Freeze! Let pierogies cool in a single layer on a baking sheet in the fridge or freezer. Then place in a reusable ziplock and freeze for up to 6 months (if you don't eat them before that).
  12. Serve them up with this Cashew Sour Cream, frech chives, and sautéed onions! With a side of greens (I steamed broccoli, and mixed it with tamari and nooch, YUM).

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This week is all about the incredible innovators in the vegan seafood realm!

 

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 🙂

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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