Stuffed potato skins with a sunflower "cheese" sauce

Here it's a cold and a gray winter, without snow, but with fog and sometimes rain.

That's why I love to cook recipes that are comforting, and make me feel good. It's the season of comfort food! And this recipe it's not only tasty, but looks good too. That's why I think that should be a part of my "Vegan Holiday" series...

And because usually the best cheese sauce is made out of cashews, which are quite expensive, I made a cheese sauce out of sunflower seeds, because they are less expensive and quite easy to find :)

Let's see the recipes down below!

Buckwheat stuffed potato skins

Ingredients:

Savory tofu and pineapple cups

I really love challenging myself and I wanted to put up some breakfast/ brunch recipes for this "Vegan Holidays" series.
I also wanted to make this recipes easy, different and in advance, because I really don't want to cook on a holiday morning.
So I came up with 2 recipes tofu and pineapple based - one sweet and one savory.
Both of them are so good! I can barely restrain myself from not eating the entire tray in one sitting.
They are husband approved also, and this is really important, as he isn't really a big fan of tofu. But this breakfast cups disappear so fast (he prefers the savory one)!
Ok, enough with the chit chat, let's see the savory recipe now - Vlad's favorite!

Ingredients (makes 12 cups):

Sweet tofu, pineapple and cranberry cups

I really love challenging myself and I wanted to put up some breakfast/ brunch recipes for this "Vegan Holidays" series.
And I also wanted to make this recipes easy, different and in advance, because I really don't want to cook on a holiday morning.
So I came up with 2 recipes tofu and pineapple based - one sweet and one savory.
Both of them are so good! I can barely restrain myself from not eating the entire tray in one sitting.
They are husband approved also, and this is really important, as he isn't really a big fan of tofu. But this breakfast cups disappear so fast!
Ok, enough with the chit chat, let's see the sweet recipe!

Ingredients (makes 12 cups):

Stuffed seitan wellington

I really love the idea of a wellington, but traditionally it's made with a lot of cruelty (meat and eggs and stuff like that), so I'll never make a traditional one. 
But hey! we have seitan, so I made a seitan wellington. And because I like to make things different, I made a stuffed seitan wellington, with a sweet and savory stuffing with cranberries and walnuts that is amazing! And really festive!
Only talking about this my mouth is watering!
Guys, I have to let you in on a secret! This is the recipe that I worked the most on from this entire "Vegan Holidays" series... But I think that it was worth it!
Let's go to the recipe, and keep in mind that it's a little bit more lengthy than usual.

Ingredients:

Beefy seitan dough

Seitan ham and cashew cream cheese

The second part of my vegan holiday appetizers is here! 
I have some seitan ham and carrot rolls that are to die for! 
If you take these with you, then I recommend you to set some aside for yourself, because they will disappear really fast.
You have the recipes for my vegan ham and for my cashew cream cheese (I used both in the rolls) here, in this post :)
To make the rolls you just need a carrot that you'll cut into ribbons with a veggie peeler. On the carrot ribbons spread some cream cheese, then add a slice of ham, them a thin layer of cream cheese and roll that with the cheese inside. You have a video for this too, so it's easy to put together everything.

Seitan ham:

Ingredients:

Quinoa and veggies stuffed mushrooms (with vegan parm)

Guys, I think that an apple tart and a custard pie are ok for desserts, at least for now. But we have to cover the savory part of the meal, don't we?

I think that mushrooms are perfect for appetizers, especially when they are stuffed, and with some vegan parmesan on top... 

They are so tasty!

And you are lucky, because in one post you have my recipes for the mushrooms and for the vegan parm :)

Ok, these are the recipes:

Quinoa and veggies stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients:

No bake coconut lemon custard pie

If you want a pie but you don't like to bake, then you can definitely make this one!

The second recipe in the Vegan Holidays series (and maybe the last dessert) is a no bake lemon coconut pie, sweet and sour, creamy and so fragrant from the lemon zest! And then you have a crust that it's sweeter and a little bit chewy :)

Ok, enough for now. Let's go to the recipe...

Ingredients:

Coconut crust apple tarte tatin

(With video too 💕😊)

For me apples and apple desserts, alongside pumpkin foods, mean fall and winter holidays. And what can be better than something sweet, fast and tasty for your holiday table?
It's not the healthiest dessert in the world, but it's a lot healthier than other desserts (or even other apple tarts), it's quick, tasty and really fragrant!
Also, it's oil free and gluten free if you don't eat oil or gluten.
The crust has a slight peanuty taste that goes really well with the spices and the filing.

Ingredients (for a 8 inch or 20 cm pie dish or tart pan):

Cauliflower and leeks curry

If you like Indian and Thay cuisine, then you like curries for sure.
This one is really easy to make, even if you didn't meal prep for the week. It keeps well in the fridge for at least 3-4 days (if you can resist the flavor and not eat it all :) ).
Also, the flavor is really nice, not too strong, but strong enough to have a great taste. 
And if you have you veggies prepped for the week, then you can have this ready in about half an hour. 
And it's not very high in calories either...
Ok, this is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Apple pie spice

I don't  know if you can find something similar in conventional stores, but I made my own blend that works amazingly well in apple everything: pies, tarts, cookies...

Ingredients:
3 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground dried ginger


If you want to know a few of the things that I love to have in my pantry just watch this video:

Chickpea flour pumpkin muffins

Because it's so cold here, all I want is to curl on a couch, covered with a blanket and eating pumpkin and pumpkin pie spiced foods.
And these muffins are perfect for this!
They are perfectly spiced, moist from the pumpkin, fluffy and they go really well by themselves, or with some coffee, plant milk, vegan yogurt, tea... The choice is only yours.
Seriously, everything pumpkin is delicious, but these muffins are not only healthy and oil free, but quite high in protein because of the whole wheat flour, chickpea flour and nut butter.
So they can be eaten for breakfast as well, because they're really satiating. And 2 or 3 muffins for breakfast sound quite good for me.
Also, they are pretty easy to make. You can use just a bowl and dump everything in there. Mix well, pour in muffin pan (lined with muffin liners if you don't have a silicone one)
It's easy to make delicious vegan food, guys!

Ok, the recipe now:

Ingredients (makes about 16 muffins):

Basic seitan burger

I usually like to make more creative recipes, but sometimes a good, basic seitan burger with beans is perfect and it tastes amazing, even if it doesn't have beets or Gods know what my mind creates in the moment...
This burger recipe is tasty, easy to make and you can make it using a grater if you don't want to use a food processor.
They are also high in protein, flavorful, satisfying and oil free :)
The secret is in the spices, guys! You don't actually miss the meat, but the texture and the spice combo. You can always have the feeling if you want, just choose the right (cruelty free) ingredients :)

Ingredients (makes 10-12 patties):

Fudgy guilt free chickpea brownies

What can be better than a dessert that is in the same time tasty, decadent, healthy and guilt free?
With these brownies you eat your dessert and a healthy portion or your legumes in the same time😊
They are also oil free for added goodness 😊
I know that usual people use black beans for brownies, but I LOVE chickpeas, and I couldn't let them out from my desserts either.
You cannot taste the chickpeas at all, and these brownies are really fudgy, decadent, moist and they hit the spot when you want something sweet.
Ok, even now, when I'm writing this, I'm salivating 😁
Enough of the description, let's go to the recipe now!

Ingredients:

Warming chickpea coconut curry

Here it's fall, and so cold that all I'm craving is warming and hearty food, like stews, chilies, curries soups and stuff like that.
And because I like experimenting in the kitchen I made my own rendition of a coconut curry that is hearty, pretty high in protein, oil free and really tasty.
It's not a traditional curry, but I know that at least a few other people besides me love it!
So it has to be good 😄 😉!
Jokes aside, even if this isn't a traditional curry, it is really warming and satisfying and it makes a really good dish for this weather.
The recipe is quite simple and easy to follow too 😊
You can make it in bigger batches and you can freeze it too. It keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days (if you can resist as much without eating it all 😀)

Ingredients:

Beet and seitan burger

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so I had to do something special :) 

So, I created a new burger recipe :))

This burger it's perfect as a traditional burger or wrapped in puff pastry like a mummy (just make sure that the pastry is vegan). It's really good with mustard, vegan mayo, ketchup or whatever sauce you prefer.

And I really think that the kids will love this one too because it's fun to eat a mummy any day of the year, not only on Halloween. 

And it's also pretty easy to make, because you don't have to cut anything in small pieces. Just toss everything in a food processor and press on. 

I just love to make recipes that taste like I cooked all day, but I actually need just a little time to make them :)

Let's go to the recipe now! 

Coconut pudding cups

Halloween is fast approaching and this is one of my favorite holidays!
I tried to make something special for this day, but my skills with a pastry bag are limited for now :)) I promise to practice more for the future projects!
Anyway, this is my favorite pudding recipe and it goes really well just by it's own, or in a pastry shell. And if you are skilled with a pastry bag, you can make something really festive with some food coloring and this pudding.
But keep in mind that this is a dessert, and it's to be indulged in moderation :)
Ok, enough for now. Let's go to the recipe!

Ingredients:

Chickpea flour omelette

If you used to love omelettes and scrambles before you went vegan, then I understand you.
I used to love them too. And I love them still. But now I don't use eggs for my scrambles and omelettes. I use tofu or chickpea flour. Because I get the same feeling of comfort food (ok, not the exact same taste, but the feeling is the same) without the cruelty, fat and the heavy feeling in the stomach.
If you ask me, I love this way of life a lot! I still have foods that I loved before, but I don't have the guilt and all those heavy feeling as before. Which is so much better!
Ok, I think that this is enough rambling for just one post :)
Let's go to the recipe now

Ingredients:

Pumpkin chickpea pancakes

Because the fall means pumpkin for me (you already know this if you saw my last post) I love cooking and experimenting with pumpkin.
I also love chickpea flour. And for a high protein, oil free and healthy breakfast I made these pancakes one day when I had some freshly made pumpkin puree and a need for something different :)
They are fluffy, really tasty and perfect for fall due to the pumpkin and the warming spices :)

Let's go to the recipe now!

Ingredients (2 servings):

Fluffy pumpkin bread (EN/ RO)

It's the pumpkin season!
Ok, this season comes with some annoying things too, like cold weather, rain, end of summer... But guys, PUMPKIN! and apples, and baking!
Here is already pretty cold, but now I have an excuse to use my oven and bake some things :)
Like pumpkin bread!
This version is fluffy but still moist, oil free and refined sugar free.
I used peanut butter as my fat and unrefined brown sugar as sweetener.
It's perfect for breakfast, desert or as a snack, with some nut or seed butter... Yum!
Let's see how this delicious bread is made!

Ingredients (makes 1 loaf or 12 muffins):

Pumpkin pie spice

Save this recipe, you will need it pretty soon :)

Ingredients:

7 tsp cinnamon, ground 

4 tsp ginger, ground 

1 1/2 tsp allspice, ground 

1 tsp cloves, ground 

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground 

Method:

Mix everything and store in an airtight container for up to 3 months


Ingrediente:
1 lingurite scortisoara macinata
4 lingurite ghimbir pudra
1 1/2 lingurite enibahar macinat
1 1/2 lingurite nucsoara macinata
1 lingurita cuisoare macinate

Metoda:
Amestecati totul si pastati intr-un borcan inchis pana la 3 luni 

Coconut and chickpea flour pancakes

Who wants some pancakes that are delicious and healthy? I know that I want them!
Maybe you know that I'm in love with two types of flour: coconut and chickpea. I combined them and I made some coconut and chickpea flour pancakes.
They're still fluffy, hearty and really delicious!
You have to keep in mind that the combination of chickpea and coconut flour (at least the ones I have) creates a pancake that is quite fragile if you want to make them big. The solution? Make them smaller and funnier :)
Ok, let's go to the recipe now :)

Ingredients (2 servings):

70 g (2/3 cup) chickpea flour

55 g (½ cup) coconut flour

480 ml (2 cups) plant milk

30 g (2 tbsp) brown sugar

10 g (1 tbsp) ground chia seeds

5 g (1 tsp) baking powder

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients then add all the wet ingredients.

Mix until you have thick batter. Let everything sit for about 10-15 minutes.

Heat a nonstick pan (even lightly oil it) an make pancakes  Cook them for about 3-4 minutes on medium-low heat then flip them and cook them for about 1-2 minutes.

Enjoy!

I have a video for this recipe too :)

If you want to see it, then go here: 

Chickpea flour seitan

If you want yet another recipe for seitan, here you have one. I added some chickpea flour to this one for some added nutrition: some fiber, a little bit of lysine, because wheat gluten has too little. It's not a huge lysine quantity, but still...

So, I chose to bake my seitan this time, but you can boil it, steam it... Your choice. 

I love to eat it instead of a steak or a roast, with a side salad, or use it in sandwiches or wraps. Sometimes I use it is stir fry or other things. I have a stir fry recipe here, if you want to take a look:)

Lentil and TVP chili

If you like to meal prep, then this recipe is perfect!
It keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days, you can freeze it...
If you don't want to use it for a meal prep, or you don't do that, then you can make only half or 1/3 of the recipe...
But believe me, it's really tasty, high in protein and quite healthy.

Ingredients:

Vegan french toast 3 ways

As I said before, I love french toast, and I didn't have it for a long time. For the first few months since I became vegan, actually...
Now I have 3 recipes for it :)

First recipe:  Flax french toast 

Coconut flour brownies

Since I became vegan I wanted to veganize a brownie recipe that is gooey in the middle, a little crisp on the outside... And doesn't have any oil or refined sugar.

And it had to taste really decadent and guilty, just like a non vegan brownie. 

After a few weeks, I present you a brownie that has all this traits: gooey, sweet, decadent, but without any oil or refined sugar added.

A few of my friends tried it and their reaction was priceless! They knew that it was vegan, because I told them, but couldn't believe it :)

If you want the recipe, just keep reading.

Seitan stir fry

Before being vegan I used to make some of my stir fries with meat. Obviously, I won't ever think of that thing again. So I tried to make it with seitan. And guess what? It works really well.
And it's even quicker that before, because there isn't any meat to cook. And it's cruelty free too :)
Let's get to the recipe.

Ingredients:

300 g (4 cups) chopped mushrooms

200 g (2 cups) chopped peppers

150 g onions (1 large onion)

200 g (3 cups) chinese cabbage, shredded

170 g (6 oz) seitan, cut into bite size pieces

Two beans and walnuts loaf

So... How do I have the time to work so many hours every week and cook healthy vegan food? Always do at least a minimal meal prep. So this is the bare minimum that I make every week:
I boil all my beans, quinoa, lentils and/ or rice for the week. If you want, you can freeze some beans and thaw them and use them when you need to.
Peel and clean some vegetables, not a lot of fancy stuff, just your favorite vegetables/ your staples.
And you have some basic stuff for the week to come.
I can make a chili in less than an hour with this things. Or burgers. Or whatever you need :)
And now, a recipe. Because this is a food blog :)

Vegan french toast

I really love french toast. Before I went vegan I used to make it quite frequently on week-ends...
And I didn't have any since I became vegan. Until today. And I really don't know why I didn't make it sooner. It's just an egg replacement, plant milk, a sweetener and some spices.
And I decided to post my version of the recipe too, even if I think that you can find a ton of similar recipes online. But it's my version, and I'm proud of it :)
So, here it goes.

Homemade granola and almond milk

Who doesn't like a crunchy, slightly sweet and tasty granola? I sure love it! But the store bought ones are full with added sugar, preservatives and added oils. But the best thing is that we can make some healthy granola at home :)

Granola:
Ingredients:
- 175 g (1.5 cups) grain flakes of your choice – I used granola base (equal parts oats, wheat, rye and barley flakes) for gluten free use gluten free flakes
- 90 g (2/3 cup) peanuts
- 100 g (1 cup) dates
- 50 g (1/2 cup) goji berries
- 25 g (1/2 cup) coconut flakes
- 20 g sunflower seeds
- 50 g (1/2 cups) almond meal (leftover from making almond milk) or crushed almonds
- 2 g (2/3 tsp) cinnamon
- 1 dash of salt
Optional – agave syrup (1-2 tbsp) or more dates if you want it sweeter

Applesauce and oats pancakes (with a bonus recipe :) )

Ingredients:

250 g regular or instant oats (with 200 g make oat flour - you can use a regular food processor or a high speed blender, just make sure that you have a fine flour -  and the rest of 50 g let it like that for texture)

250 g applesauce (preferably unsweetened)

200 ml oat or soy milk

30 g brown sugar

10 g baking powder

3 g cinnamon

1 pinch of salt

Simple bean burger with a cashew "cheese" sauce

Who said that vegans cannot enjoy a burger? I think that we can and this version is quite healthy, oil free and gluten free (if you try to avoid gluten).
We enjoyed this with a cashew "cheese" sauce and tomatoes. You can add pickles, lettuce, ketchup mustard or anything else that you like.

The burger:

Ingredients (makes about 6-8 medium patties):
350 g beans (red, pinto, black...) (2 cups)
165 g rolled oats (1.5 cups) *
150 g carrots, grated (1.5 cups)
150 g onions, chopped (1.5 cups)
2 tbsp tomato paste **
1.5 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sage
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp smoky paprika
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp chili powder ***

Crumbly coconut cookies

These cookies have a delicate coconut flavor from the flour, and they are quite crumbly, but without being too dry. They are perfect with some coffee or tea, or even milk (but make it plant milk, to keep it vegan).

Ingredients:

- 130 g (1 cup) coconut flour

- 250 ml (1 cup) plant milk (coconut, oat, soy – the more neutral (or coconuty) the better)

- 30 g agave syrup

- 10 g (1.5 tbsp) carob powder

- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water)