Recipe for a light, smooth, creamy frozen treat without sugar or cream—gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free. Other nice-cream variations are provided as well.
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The Waldorf salad was created for the first time over 125 years ago, but its appeal endures. In this version, fresh cherries add welcome contrasts in texture and taste to the apple, celery, and raisins. Additional variation ideas are provided.
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Enjoy the indulgence of mascarpone cheese without dairy! This plant-based, oil-free version achieves its rich, silky texture from cashews, which are blended until they are completely dissolved. The maple syrup lends sweetness, and the lemon juice and zest provide the tang. Small amounts of nutritional yeast and miso give it just a hint of cheesiness. Suggestions for ways to use this vegan mascarpone are included.
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Try this recipe for the ultimate plant-based, oil-free sour cream. I use a combination of silken tofu and cashews as the base: not too thick, but with a little richness and silkiness. The lemon juice and vinegar provide the acidic tang, and the garlic powder and dill weed add the sour notes. Suggestions for ways to use this vegan sour cream are included.
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This post includes a recipe for oil-free crisp tortilla shells and a list of plant-based, oil-free toppings, including beans, crumbles, sauces, and garnishes. Use your imagination and customize your approach depending on what you feel like and what you have on hand.
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Don’t underestimate the potential of open-faced sandwiches to impress and satisfy. During spring and summer when beautiful vegetables are available, it’s not hard to create delectable handhelds that your family or guests will want to keep eating. I offer oil-free suggestions for spreads and garnishes that can work with a variety of vegetables and breads.
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This plant-based mayonnaise is oil-free but tastes thick and creamy. It also lasts a long time in the refrigerator. The flavor can be adjusted to your liking with more lemon juice, vinegar, maple syrup, and/or salt. The secret ingredient is aquafaba, the water that canned chickpeas are stored in. You wouldn’t know it—there’s no chickpea aftertaste—and the aquafaba helps as a thickener.
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Homemade aquafaba is the key to success for macarons, meringues, pavlovas, and whipped aquafaba topping. I found that Instant Pot aquafaba was just as good as stovetop aquafaba, and I found by trial and error that you can make aquafaba in the Instant Pot without soaking the chickpeas first. So I offer three variations here plus details on the critical steps for achieving super-gelatinous aquafaba.
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This versatile sauce has a healthy edge over most recipes for mango chutney: it contains no refined sugar. It gets its sweetness from orange juice, raisins, dates, and a little maple syrup. A bit of balsamic vinegar gives it a hint of smokiness, too. Delicious on Indian appetizers, curries, breads, rice, and vegetables.
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This thick lentil soup, oil-free and plant-based, takes “comfort food” to a new healthy level. The layered flavors and textures make the soup interesting and satisfying. Combine it with a salad and baked potatoes, rice, or whole grain flour tortillas, and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal.
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If you don’t like hard, chewy vegan scrambled tofu, this is your recipe. Aquafaba (chickpea brine) is the secret. It lends frothiness and body to these plant-based “eggs” without causing them to burn or brown in the pan, and it’s also very low in fat. This recipe is inexpensive–especially compared to commercial egg substitutes–provides about 20 grams of protein per serving, and it’s quick to make. Can be made into a veggie scramble and tastes great on toast.
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This simple recipe for za’atar, a Middle-Eastern spice mix, makes a seasoning that will enhance the taste of so many plant-based foods. It’s a great topping for plain cooked vegetables if you’re trying to eat lots of low-calorie vegetables. Just sprinkle it on before or after roasting, or after steaming. The mix goes well on salads, sandwiches, and avocado toast. The mix goes well on salads, sandwiches, and avocado toast. See post for suggestions.
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This delicious plant-based sauce is a core ingredient for healthy vegan tacos, tostadas, nachos, and burritos at our house. No one misses grated cheddar cheese any more. The cashews and carrot give this sauce creaminess and heartiness. Goodbye, gummy vegan cheese sauces — hello, heavenly, creamy, drizzly Nacho Cheese Sauce.
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This plant-based mac ‘n’ cheese sauce uses cashews and carrots, which prevents the sauce from getting gummy and provides a richness and heartiness that many vegan cheese sauces lack. Very low in cholesterol and saturated fat, and free of processed ingredients, this sauce is a double feel-good comfort food. See suggestions for how to use this sauce beyond cooked macaroni.
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These delicious oil-free crumbles are high in plant-based protein, use whole-food ingredients, and taste great. The nuts provide a wonderful contrasting texture and flavor to the tempeh, creating the complexity needed for the base of tacos, tostadas, nachos, or burritos. I provide a number of suggestions for using these crumbles in various dishes.
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This gluten-free, oil-free, plant-based burger has the two characteristics most needed in a good veggie burger: the right texture and an interesting flavor combination. Homemade vegan burgers with beans can be mushy, a real turn-off. These burgers get their structure from sturdy legumes, ground chia “eggs,” oatmeal, and seeds. The flavor comes from ketchup, mustard, and a good dose of dry spices.
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This vegan, plant-based vegetable broth powder tastes a lot like Seitenbacher’s Vegetable Broth and Seasoning powder. I created this copycat version because Seitenbacher’s was getting so expensive. If you buy your nutritional yeast and spices in the bulk section of your supermarket, your broth will cost only pennies per cup. I wish I thought of this a long time ago.
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This salad takes advantage of freekeh, a grain derived from young wheat that cooks relatively quickly, it has a nutty flavor, and it’s a whole grain. In this salad, which could serve as the main dish of a meal, and would be lovely at a summer picnic, freekeh is tossed together with roasted vegetables, currants (or other dried fruit), lemon zest, and a light dressing. It can be served cold or at room temperature, can be customized, and goes well with many foods.
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The filling is a snap to make in the air fryer ( oven directions provided too). It’s oil-free with delightful contrasting textures between the crispy chickpeas and the tender cauliflower. The swoon-worthy crema brings lime and cilantro flavors forward, all against the creaminess of blended raw cashews. Top this with a cabbage slaw and hot sauce, and you have a party in your mouth.
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This delicious plant-based stew comes from the unexpected combination of green lentils and millet. The curry flavoring here is on the mellow side, and softened even further by the miso. From a health standpoint this stew checks all the boxes: legumes, whole grains, and leafy greens. With a salad and optional bread, this stew makes a brilliant winter meal.
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