Kale Caesar with Marinated Portobello Mushrooms – Kale Salad Challenge #5

I love all Kale Salads and this one was especially deelish. Not everyone is into sea vegetables, but this dressing manages to be chockfull of them without anyone being the wiser, super healthy goodness! They add such a great saltiness to this already super creamy dressing.

Kale Caesar with Marinated Portobello Mushrooms

Kale Caesar with Mar

2 heads of Kale

Chop up or tear pieces of Kale. Massage the dressing into the kale with your hands and top with mushrooms. Yum! Enjoy 🙂

Avocado Sea-sar Dressing (vegan, almost raw, gluten free, soy free)
Recipe from choosingraw.com
Yields over 1 cup

1 large Hass avocado
1 tsp vegan Worsterchire sauce
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Juice of two large lemons
3 tbsp mellow white miso
1 small clove garlic
1 tsp spirulina
1 tbsp nori, kelp, or dulse flakes (or a mix of all three, which is what I used)
3/4 cup water (or more if needed)
*2 tbsp olive oil (optional)*

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender till smooth. The olive oil is totally optional, but it lends a little added creaminess and richness to the dressing.

Marinated Portobello Mushrooms

3 1/2 cup portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup agave
2 tablespoons  Nama Shoyu or Tamari
2 tablespoons Herbamere
3 tablespoons herbs of choice – I used oregano and bail

Blend all ingredients except mushrooms for about 10 seconds. Place the marinade, along with mushrooms, in a large plastic container or zipped bag and seal well. Toss around until well coated. Refrigerate and let sit overnight, tossing to coat from time to time. Strain the mushrooms out prior to serving, but reserve the marinade to use as a salad dressing for another time.

Oil-Free Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Muffins

Crazy Blizzard prep! Been playing inside all day, what else to do! Bake 🙂 I love to cook & bake with my kiddos. It can often be twice my mess, sometimes involves a meltdown or 2 but it really is fun and I love teaching them about their food. We wanted to bake but I still wanted to keep it healthy. Thank you Oh She Glows for these Oil-Free Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Muffins!  They were super excited to make (and eat!) muffins! We loved grating the zucchini together and measuring all the ingredients.

I used twice the zucchini so ended up with 10 mini muffins on top of the dozen full size ones. But my kiddos loved the “baby muffins” too.

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Oil-Free Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Muffins
Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows
Yield: 1 dozen muffins

  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water)
  • 1 & 1/4 cup lightly packed shredded zucchini, skin left on (I doubled this) 
  • 1 & 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
  • 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose) (I used 1 1/4 WW Flour and 3/4 cup AP)
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life mini chips)
  • 2/3 cup walnuts, chopped

 

1. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray muffin with oil or grease with Earth Balance.

2. Mix flax egg in a small bowl and set aside. Grate zucchini using a grater box (regular grate size). Set aside.

3. Mix almond milk and apple cider vinegar (or sub fresh lemon juice) in a small bowl and set aside. It will curdle, but this is the point as we’re making vegan buttermilk.

4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar).

5. Mix together the wet ingredients (flax egg, almond milk mixture, maple syrup, and vanilla) and then pour over dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, walnuts, and shredded zucchini.

6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin filling each tin 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 15-17 minutes at 350F, or until muffins slowly spring back when touched. A toothpick should come out mostly clean. Cool in tin for 5 minutes. With a knife, loosen around the muffin edge and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool. (Mine took a bit longer because double the zucchini made it a little more moist, so took about 5 extra minutes to bake) 

 

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

I kinda have an obsession with hot sauce and vegan wings in general. Michael knows that if we go to Red Bamboo that we 100% have to order their amazing Barbecue Buffalo Wings. I love that there is a Cauliflower Buffalo Wing craze/trend these days! BEYOND better than so many of the other popular food trends of 2014!! And they are AMAZING!!!!!!!!

I had these at a New Year’s Party and had to make them immediately! I made them for a dinner party and even the biggest meat eaters enjoyed these! I doubled the recipe to make sure to feed a crowd 🙂 Loved the sauce & the dip together! But also soooo excited to try this recipe with a bunch of other flavors as well…. thinking Jamaican Jerk Marinade, Sweet Mango Barbecue, Teriyaki-Orange, Thai Chili and Thai Peanut! But I have a feeling we will return to the Buffalo ones again and again!!!

This is going to be perfect for Superbowl time too! Try this recipe! I think everyone will be so surprised and impressed with how yummy and substantial it is!!

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Cauliflower Buffalo Wings 

recipe adapted from hotforfoodblog.com

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1/2 C non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 C water
  • 3/4 C gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp of paprika
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tbsp earth balance buttery spread
  • 1 C frank’s wing sauce (can also use hot sauce)
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 450 F.
  2. Wash and cut cauliflower head into small bite sized pieces.
  3. Mix all the ingredients (minus the earth balance and hot sauce) into a mixing bowl. (The batter will be thin enough that it runs off your fork and the cauliflower florets)
  4. Dip each floret into the mixture and coat evenly. You can shake or tap off the excess on the side of the bowl.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. While the cauliflower is baking get your ranch dip (recipe below) and wing sauce ready.
  7. In a small saucepan on low heat melt earth balance and mix in hot sauce, bringing to a low simmer before removing from the heat.
  8. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and put all the baked florets into a mixing bowl with the wing sauce and toss to coat evenly. Then spread all the florets in wing sauce out onto the same baking sheet. Bake in the oven for another 25 minutes.

Ranch Dip

  • 1 C vegan mayo of your choice
  • 1/8 C non-dairy milk
  • 3 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp dill
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1 tsp vegan worcesterchire sauce

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins before serving.

Creamy Polenta with Barbeque Seitan Sauce

As you know we LOVE polenta over here 🙂 What is not to love; creamy, smooth corn goodness! And what makes this even better is a deelish, hearty sauce over top 🙂

Just a couple of past polenta dishes: Vegan Creamy Polenta with Sausage and PeppersMushroom and Kale PolentaPolenta & Shallot SquaresPolenta with Nectarine-Blackberry SalsaPolenta with Black Beans, Pan-Fried Tofu & Roasted Coconut Tomato SauceSlow Cooked Corn Polenta and Chiles and Polenta Vegetable Casserole.

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Creamy Polenta with Barbeque Seitan Sauce

1 1/2 cups water, divided
3 teaspoons tamari, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon stone-ground or Dijon mustard
8 ounces coarsley chopped or grated seitan
4 cups cooked polenta (see recipe)

Heat 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon tamari in a large pot. Add onion, pepper, and garlic and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add remaining 1 cup water and 2 teaspoons tamari, tomato sauce, sugar, chili powder, vinegar, peanut butter, mustard, and seitan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Spoon the cooked polenta into bowls and top with the sauce. Enjoy 🙂

Tofu and Veggie Stir-fry with Peanut Sauce

Stir-frys are the ultimate quick one-pot vegan meals. Typically it is a super balanced meal with proteins, veggies and a grain. Perfection! Quick, easy, Deelish!

Check out these other stir-frys for a quick meal. You can always get super creative and change it up easily for variations. Thai Vegan Tofu, Quick Seitan Stir-Fry, Super Fast Veggie Stir-frySpinach and Tofu with Peanut Sauce and Rice Noodle and Vegetable Stir-Fry.

Peanut Sauce is my typical go to sauce as we all love it! Check out these other variations on this super deelish sauce. Amazing Raw “Peanut” Sauce and Zucchini Noodles, Cold Sesame Noodles, Mixed Veggies with Peanut Sauce (slow cooker style), Raw Zucchini Noodles and ‘Peanut’ Sauce II, Lettuce Wraps with Almond Butter Sauce and Kelp Noodles & Veggies in Peanut Sauce.

Tofu and Veggie Stir-fry with Peanut Sauce


sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup tamari
3 tablespoons agave
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

veggie stir-fry
3 teaspoons peanut oil or sesame oil
2 blocks extra firm tofu, drained, pressed & cubed
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
2 jalapenos, minced
2 red pepper, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
Dash of lime juice or lime wedges
Roasted Peanuts

Cooked Brown Rice

  1. Combine vinegar, tamari, agave and peanut butter and whisk until smooth.
  2. In a skillet or wok, add the oil and saute tofu, garlic, white part of scallions, jalapeno, and red pepper for 2-3 minutes. Add water chestnuts.
  3. Add the sauce and turn heat to low, stirring until combined.
  4. Serve over brown rice, garnished with green part of scallions, peanuts and either lime wedge or drizzled with lime juice.

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