Video: Guacamole

By Toni Okamoto

My favorite thing about guacamole is that it is so versatile! You can make it really creamy, full of garlic, or with extra lime juice for a more sour taste. This is my favorite way of making it and it is always a huge hit! Sometimes I also throw in a quarter of a diced red onion, and that is amazing too! We’d love to know in the comments below how you make yours.

Make sure to also watch the Guacamole video above, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos like this one!

Ingredients:

  • 3 avocados
  • juice of half a lime, or to taste
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 roma tomato, chopped
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut avocados in half, scoop into a bowl and mash until desired consistency.

Add lime juice and oil to the avocados, and blend with garlic, cumin, cilantro, and tomato, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Veggie-Packed Potato Leek Soup

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By Toni Okamoto

I love soup season! You can pretty much throw whatever veggies you have into this soup and puree them. This recipe makes a HUGE batch, so if you don’t want a lot, feel free to cut it in half. I like to freeze the extra servings.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 carrots, thinly sliced
  • 3 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 large zucchini, chopped
  • 3 leeks, chopped
  • 6 medium potatoes, chopped
  • 8 cups veggie broth
  • juice of one lemon
  • pepper, to taste
  • sriracha, to taste (optional)

Directions:

Put a large pot on medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the zucchini, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and leeks and stir.

When veggies are sautéed, add broth, potatoes, lemon juice, siracha and pepper. Turn heat to medium-low and let sit until veggies are soft, about 30 minutes.

To thicken the soup, use an immersion blender to puree — I recommend doing 2/3 of the pot. You can also use a regular blender if that’s what you have.

Serve hot and enjoy!

7 Layer Bean Dip

Vegan 7-Layer Bean Dip Recipe by Vegan Outreach!

By Toni Okamoto

With Cinco de Mayo today, I wanted to make something that was familiar and festive, but also really easy to make. 7-layer bean dips were a staple potluck item for my family when I was growing up, and it was surprisingly easy to make it completely vegan! With products like Beyond Meat beef-free feisty crumbles and Tofutti sour cream, it tasted exactly the way I remembered!

At the office we used the dip as a filling for burritos, and they were delicious!

Ingredients:

Directions:

In a medium pan, cook Beyond Meat beef-free feisty crumbles according to package directions.

Prepare rice according to Mexican Rice recipe.

In an 8-×-8 square baking pan or dish, begin layering with the can of refried beans spread evenly, followed by beef-free crumbles, Mexican rice, mashed avocados, salsa, vegan sour cream, and garnishes (green onions, tomatoes, and olives).

Presto Pesto and Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Reviewed by Toni Okamoto

Complete with familiar and easy-to-follow recipes, Mistress Ginger brings fun into the kitchen with her hilarious book, Mistress Ginger Cooks!. Her lighthearted approach to vegan cooking is welcoming and approachable, which makes attempting a new style of cooking less daunting.

My favorite thing about the book (besides her personality) is that Mistress Ginger doesn’t assume the reader knows basic cooking skills. Although, some of the recipes are more complex, she walks you through them step by step and in detail. She also caters to both health conscious groups, as well as those seeking comfort foods, with tasty recipes including: French-Kissed Toast, Blueberry Stud Muffins, Tofu Gone Wild, Miso Sexy Soup, and many others with equally creative names.

I chose to review Tie-The-Knot Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie and Presto Pesto. Both were extremely delicious and copied straight from her book, you can see my notes below:

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Unfortunately I couldn’t get a good enough photo of this pie, but it was seriously amazing! I recommend following the recipe as written, but if you’re impatient like me, you can have the pie “chill” in the freezer to expedite the process. Also, I only used 2/3 cup of sugar instead of the 1 cup of sugar and it was still sweet enough.

Another note: the second time I made the pie, I made it gluten free by lining a pie dish with gluten free ginger snap cookies instead of using a prepared graham cracker crust. It was delicious!

Tie-The-Knot Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie

1 cup nondairy cream cheese, softened
1 cup unsalted smooth peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled for 6-8 hours
1 prepared vegan graham cracker crust
1/3 cup nondairy milk
2/3 nondairy semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegan buttery spread, softened

Dearly beloved, we have gathered here to make a pie. Using an electric mixer, blend the nondairy cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until well combined. Rinse and dry the beaters.

Remove the coconut milk from the fridge, but do not shake the can. (When chilled, the cream from coconut milk rises to the top.) Gently turn the can upside down and carefully remove the lid. Pour the watery liquid into a storage container and reserve for other purposes. Scoop the coconut cream from the can and put it in a large bowl. Using the electric mixer, beat the coconut cream on high until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Fold 1 cup of the coconut cream into the peanut butter mixture. Using the electric mixer, blend on low speed until smooth. Scoop the mixture into the pie crust, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Heat the nondairy milk in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it begins to steam and bubble. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until melted. Add the vegan buttery spread and heat over low heat, stirring until smooth. (This chocolate sauce is not only delicious on peanut butter pie. Try spreading it on you lover … but wait until it cools).

Pour the chocolate sauce evenly over the peanut butter filling. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and chill for at least  hours so the chocolate topping becomes firm.

Store loosely covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator and use within 1 week.

Consider extending marriage rights to other foods in your pantry. Why should peanut butter and chocolate be the only ones allowed to wed? Lets spread the love, broaden the spectrum of flavorful pairings, and brighten our plates with glittering diversity. Amen, sister friend!

pesto

As you can see from the photo below, the Vegan Outreach staff LOVED this dish! Josie and Jack ended up thumb wrestling for the last serving, and you can see from the picture who won the battle. Josie loved it so much that she couldn’t even wait to serve the pasta in a bowl — she ate it straight out of the giant pot.

The only thing I changed about the recipe was adding nutritional yeast. It’s totally a personal preference, but I enjoy a little cheesy-tasting kick to my pesto. I added 1/8 cup and it was perfect!

Presto Pesto

2 cups stemmed fresh basil, firmly packed
1/2 cups walnuts
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice. salt, and thyme in a food processor. Pulse until just mixed and still chunky. Stop as needed to scrape down the work bowl with rubber spatula.

Process the mixture while adding the oil in a steady stream. Stop processing as needed to scrape down work bowl. Continue processing until completely mixed but still a little chunky. Pesto should be mostly smooth with just the right amount of stubbly texture, like my men.

Season with additional lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. The flavor of the pesto by itself should be very bold, also like my men. Wow, I never realized how much my men and pesto have in common. That must explain why I cannot get enough of either.

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Sunflower Seed Pesto

Interview by Toni Okamoto 

Today we meet Renee Press of Fire and Earth Kitchen.  As you can see in this interview, she is really knowledgeable about different aspects of food and food preparation, and has the sweetest way of explaining so it is easy to understand.

We’re thankful that Renee took the time to chat with Vegan Outreach about the questions commonly asked about veganism. Check out her answers below, and if you have the chance, try that tasty Sunflower Seed Pesto. I have made batches of the pesto and froze it in individual servings — it’s amazing! So much cheaper than using walnuts or pine nuts, too.
Fire and Earth Kitchen

What chain restaurant do you recommend if you’re traveling or in a hurry? Hmm, probably Chipotle. If Veggie Grill is around, I’d go there for sure.

Is it expensive to be vegan? It can be as expensive to be vegan as being an omnivore, it depends what you buy and where you shop. Buying in bulk (if available) saves a lot of money, as does buying fresh produce and certain staples, rather than pre-packaged meals. Shop around for the best deals and make a grocery list of what you’d like to buy that week.

Is it possible to be vegan if I live with family members who are not vegan? Yes, you just need to plan. Think ahead to make dishes that would appeal to everyone (veggie lasagna, rice and beans, curries, stir fries) meals that can easily be enjoyed veg.

Is it boring to cook only vegan foods? Learning to cook with plants has been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. You hear time and time again, “The day I went vegan, the doors of culinary experimentation were opened to me” And it’s true, vegan cooking is one of the most versatile, healthy, and delicious ways to cook. You just need to ignite that spark by giving it a try.

What easy recipe do you have to share with Vegan Outreach supporters who are interested in learning to cook veg foods?

This Sunflower Seed Pesto  is spectacular on pasta, veggies, pizza, toast. The light nuttiness of the sunflower seeds mixes with the punch of the fresh garlic, and the bright taste of basil wonderfully and really captures the essence of summer. The photo shows it mixed with gluten-free spaghetti and a mound of fresh vegetables. But it’s so tasty, anything goes. Double this recipe if you like it!

Sunflower Seed Pesto on the Vegan Outreach Blog

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basil
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until creamy. Usually 1-2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Toss with warm pasta, spread on toast or pizza, or use as a dip.

Thia Pizza

Interview by Toni Okamoto 

Sapling Vegan‘s founder, Stephanie Lundstrom, is fantastic! She’s hilarious, her food is delicious, the photography is beautiful — she has contributed photos to several of Vegan Outreach’s booklets and our website. It is only natural that we’d ask her to be featured for Veg Food Fridays!

Below you’ll find our interview with Stephanie, as well as a delicious recipe from her blog! Enjoy!

Veg Food Fridays with Sapling Vegan on the Vegan Outreach blog!

How will you live without cheese or ice cream?

I was vegetarian for 11 years before going vegan. I thought chickens were laying eggs anyway, so why not eat them? Cows made milk anyway, so why not drink it? Then I read Skinny Bitch and that got the ball rolling. I decided cheese and ice cream weren’t worth the animals having crappy lives. There are TONS of amazing vegan ice creams. My favorite is So Delicious Almond Milk Mocha Almond Fudge. It also makes a perfect milkshake. I made one for a friend and it he couldn’t believe it was all vegan.

Before I became vegan, I LOVED cheese. It was flowing through my veins. But after a while the cravings stop. Your taste buds actually change and you like new flavors. That may sound scary, but cheese does not control you! You can do it! On pizza I leave off the cheese and use pesto or peanut sauce. It’s always a pot luck hit.

Is it possible to be vegan if I live with family members who are not vegan? 

Oh yes! That’s what most vegans do! I was 14 when I went vegetarian. My Mexican family didn’t know what to do with me. I was still living at home when I went vegan. I was in Hawaii when I decided to ditch dairy and eggs. I told my mom, “When I come home I’m going to be vegan.” So upon my return she tells me she bought me a carton of eggs and a gallon of milk because she thought I would have changed my mind by the time I got home. Five years later and I’m still sure I made the right choice.

If you can, take an afternoon to make yourself a bunch of food so if your family didn’t make you a veggie option, you have stuff already made to pop in the microwave. It was hard at times. Expect a little teasing, and have a light hearted non-judgy come back. When you can, bring a veggie dish to family gatherings to show you don’t have to eat salad alone in a corner. My aunts now make the rice and beans vegan for me or they’ll put a small portion aside of dishes before adding in cheese ot meat. They ask me for recipes now! It takes a while but people come around when you show it’s important to you and you are going to stick with it. I’d say join a veggie meet up to make some friends. If there is one thing vegans like, it’s talking about being vegan. If a new vegan wanted to pick my brain, I’d so so stoked.

Is it boring to cook only vegan foods? 

Nooooo. It’s not at all. I have eaten so many things that I love that I never tried as a meat eater or vegetarian. When I cooked as a vegetarian, I relied on cheese to make things better. My meals were heavy and left me in a food coma. You get creative with flavors and trying new things. It’s really opened up my life so much mush good food.

Best veggie tip? 

Make batches of different flavored overnight oats for quick easy breakfast. Always have frozen bananas in the freezer for extra good smoothies. Everything tastes good in a burrito or over a bed of garlic-y sauteed kale.

Sapling Vegan shares her Thai Pizza recipe on Vegan Outreach's blog!

Ingredients:

  • One pre-made dough (Mine was from Trader Joe’s)

For the Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk plus 2 Tablespoons
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 Tablespoon agave
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice

For The Pizza:

  • 6 oz tofu cut into small cubes or triangles
  • 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro divided into two parts
  • 1/2 cup carrots chopped into tiny matchsticks
  • 1 green onion chopped

My dough needed to sit out to rise for 15 minutes. Do what your dough says to do, and preheat the oven according to its package, mine was 400°.

Start making sauce by adding all sauce ingredients and tofu into a pot and stir together under lowest heat (just to take some of the bite out  of the garlic).

Chop all pizza toppings, remembering to keep an eye on the sauce. Stir so as not to burn.

Spread dough out on a baking sheet and top with sauce (with tofu in it) and add all toppings, reserving 1/4 cup of cilantro

Bake until pizza crust is golden brown. Mine baked for 20 minutes. Once it’s done, top with remaining cilantro.

Bean and Zucchini Cutlets

Interview by Toni Okamoto

This week we meet with vegan blogger and cookbook author, Sandra Vungi, of VeganSandra.com!

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Is it expensive to be vegan?

Definitely not. For me, it would be expensive to eat meat and dairy products. Veggies, fruits, grains, seeds and nuts are not that expensive and if you know some hacks, you can save even more. For example, eat porridge for breakfast instead of sandwiches. Porridges are filling, healthy and cheap. My favorite is buckwheat flake porridge with a dash of olive oil and soy sauce. Of course, oatmeal is great too. Cook a load of food for lunch or dinner and save the leftovers for next day or freeze them. You can also bring the leftovers to school or work. Make your own food rather than eating out. You will save a lot of money that way. Stock up on grains, veggies, canned or dried legumes, nuts and seeds and condiments.

Is it possible to be vegan if I live with family members who are not vegan?

It is. I lived that way for many years. Number one advice would be: learn to cook your own food. It is one of the best skills you could ever learn. There are tons of great vegan recipes out there. Just check out my tasty, cheap and easy recipes at vegansandra.com or look for my cookbook Vegan Dinner Party on Amazon. It is filled with delicious vegan dinner ideas. No one can deny the amazing taste of a finely made vegan meal!

Is it boring to cook only vegan foods?

Absolutely not. For me, cooking with meat, dairy and fish seems mundane and pretty nasty, to be honest. You wouldn’t believe what foods you can make out of all these vegan options. Just one day I made crispy turnip and bean balls and served them with vegan mayo. They had only 4 ingredients and they tasted amazing!

Do you have any tips or advice for people interested in vegan living?

1) Roll up your sleeves and start cooking and experimenting. Good food is the game changer.
2) Don’t pay attention to the negative comments of others. It’s just noise. Most of the people are not arguing with you, they are arguing with their conscience.
3) When in doubt, always follow your heart.
4) Thank you for considering a compassionate lifestyle!

Recipe to share? Bean and Zucchini Cutlets! Only a few ingredients but packed with tons of flavor and texture. I have heard only high praise for these cutlets from the omnivores and vegans.

Bean and Zucchini Cutlets made by Vegan Sandra on the Vegan Outreach blog!

Ingredients:

  • 2 x 14 oz / 2 x 400 g canned kidney beans
  • 3 bigger onions
  • medium zucchini
  • 3 tsp curry powder
  • salt to taste (1-2 tsp)
  • ¾ cup / 100 g whole-wheat flour
  • oil for cooking

Directions:

Drain and rinse the beans, put them into a bigger bowl and mash them with a fork or use your hands to do the job (I prefer the last option). Add finely diced onions and zucchini along with curry powder, salt and whole-wheat flour. Mix carefully with your hands or with a fork. Heat up the pan, pour a couple of tablespoons of oil on it, form medium cutlets with your hands and cook them in hot oil until crispy on both sides. Serve with potatoes and gravy, as a burger or just on a bread with a little bit of mild mustard.

Jackfruit Noodle Soup

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By Toni Okamoto

Nothing says comfort like a big bowl of soup, and this particular bowl took me right back to my childhood home! It has the familiar taste and texture of chicken noodle soup, but without all the cruelty.

I originally saw this recipe posted by Justin Lewis, one of the contributors on my blog Plant Based on a Budget. I had been meaning to add more jackfruit recipes to the Vegan Outreach blog, and with his permission I was able to test it out for all of you!

If you haven’t cooked with jackfruit before, it can be a little strange. This recipe calls for you to let the fruit sit in broth for an hour. I made the mistake of not doing that, and began cooking on an empty stomach. Make sure you give yourself sufficient prep time to avoid hangry-ness*. After you let the fruit soak, the rest goes by quickly and easily.

I really enjoyed the recipe. It was perfect for this cold and rainy day!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of jackfruit in brine
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 2 bouillon cubes
  • 1 cup dry noodles
  • 8 cups of water

Directions:

  • To make the “chicken” you’ll want to open and drain the can of jackfruit and put into a bowl. Add in two cups of boiling water and one bouillon cube. Let that sit for an hour or so. The idea here is that the jackfruit will soak in some of that flavor. Once you’ve let it sit for a while,  fire up the stove. In a skillet, add a couple tablespoons of oil. We use sunflower or safflower oil because their flavors are mild and won’t interfere with our seasoning. Carefully add the jackfruit and fry until each side browns. Save that broth. Once the jackfruit browns you’ll want to take a couple forks to shred it.

  • Once it is all shredded, add one cup of broth to the skillet and simmer until most of the liquid is cooked off. At this point your “chicken” is ready for the soup. You can roast it in your oven to toughen up the texture a bit more if desired.

  • For the rest of the soup you only need to make some mirepoix, add the “chicken” and more broth, and whatever noodles you prefer.

If you give it a try, please let us know how you liked it!

*Hangry: When you get so hungry that you become angry.

 

Tofu Scramble

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By Toni Okamoto

I’ve made this tofu scramble a million times and it has always come out perfect! The recipe was originally created by my friends Gina and Jeremy on Plant Based on a Budget, and I modified it slightly for the Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating.

Like a lot of our recipes, you can mix and match ingredients based on what you have on hand. For the scramble photographed above, I kept it simple with spinach and red bell pepper, but in the past I’ve added olives, or finely chopped potatoes, tomatoes, etc.

It’s a great breakfast entree that is delicious paired with potatoes, toast, and vegan sausage! Let us know how you try it!

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz firm tofu
  • crumbled 1/2 yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 tbsp non-dairy margarine
  • 1-1/2 tbsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • your favorite veggies
  • salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large frying pan, cook the tofu, diced onions, and minced garlic in the oil for a few minutes. Add margarine, let it melt, and stir so that it coats the tofu. Add in the turmeric, oregano, and nutritional yeast and stir again. Add in most of your veggies. If you are using veggies that cook longer (such as broccoli, carrots, or potatoes), you’ll want to let them cook for about 10 minutes before adding in veggies that cook fast (such as mushrooms, kale, spinach, and tomatoes). Cook the whole mixture for about 15 minutes.

Tortilla Soup

TortillaSoup

By Lisa Rimmert, Director of Development

Recently, a Vegan Outreach supporter shared via Facebook a recipe by her daughter, Maddie, who is vegan because she loves animals. At only ten years old, Maddie makes dinner once or twice a week, and this tortilla soup is in frequent rotation because it’s easy, fast, and tasty. The soup was inspired by an online recipe, but Maddie modified it so that it is easier to make.

Maddie uses cumin and chili powder rather than a commercial taco seasoning, and she’s eliminated ingredients that aren’t essential to the soup. Feel free to add fresh herbs, more veggies, or lime juice. Mix it up and use chickpeas and pita chips instead of black beans and tortilla chips! When I saw this recipe on Facebook, I was impressed by its simplicity and ease–not to mention Maddie’s kitchen skills! I asked her mom if I could share it with all of you on the VO blog, and here it is!

Recipe by Maddie R.

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
  • 28 oz low-sodium diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 15.5 oz black beans (drained)
  • Small can diced green chilis
  • Tortilla chips
  • Avocado
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin

Directions:

  1. Put the vegetable stock in a stockpot and heat on high.
  2. Stir in chili powder and ground cumin.
  3. Add diced tomatoes, frozen corn, black beans, and diced green chilis.
  4. Once the soup is hot, pile tortilla chips in a bowl, pour the soup over, and garnish with avocado.

Let us know in the comments below how yours turns out!