No Meat Zone Video Edition: 'Cheezy' Cashew Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles

I recently posted a photo of what I made for dinner on my personal Facebook page.  I was surprised by how many responses I received from people asking for the recipe. So I made a "how-to" video in response.

This is an amazing delicious and filling vegan, raw dish.

Enjoy!

Patty Malcolm | Website |Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
Los Angeles, CA Patty is an actress, artist, vegan, and raw foodist. She became a vegetarian at the age of 14, then eventually a vegan and raw foodist. Patty’s passion for healing and the prevention of disease through a plant-based diet are not only evident in her lifestyle, but is what inspired her to launch Lalaraw.com – her “place” to share her ideas, recipes, and un-cooking videos with the world. Currently, Patty is studying to become a nutritionist, as well as a certified raw food chef. She also practices yoga, rides horses, and enjoys time with her boyfriend and fur babies, Rooster & Junior.

Photo credit: TDIV

No Meat Zone Recipes Avocados from Mexico Edition: Avocado Pineapple Smoothie

Avocado Pineapple Smoothie

1 fully ripened avocado from Mexico, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks in juice
2 cups ice

In blender container, combine avocado, pineapple plus its juice and ice; whirl until smooth. Add sweetener of choice if desired.

YIELD: 4 cups

Recipe compliments of Avocados from Mexico

Photo credit:Avocados from Mexico

No Meat Zone Recipes Avocados from Mexico Edition: Avocado Toast

AVOCADO TOAST

1 fully ripened avocado from Mexico, halved, pitted and peeled
Salt and ground black pepper, as needed
2 large slices bread, toasted
2 slices vegan bacon, cooked and halved or 2 tablespoons chopped
tomato, optional

In a bowl, with a fork coarsely mash avocado; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide avocado onto toast and spread to cover; cut each slice in half. If using, tuck a piece of vegan bacon into avocado on each toast half or sprinkle tomato over top and serve immediately.

Yield: 2 portions

Recipe compliments of Avocados from Mexico -- Veganized by TDIV

Photo credit: Avocados from Mexico 

No Meat Zone Recipes Avocados from Mexico Edition: Guaca Mary

GUACA MARY

Kosher salt
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1/2 cup lime juice, divided
2 cups peeled, cubed cucumber
1 fully ripened avocado from Mexico, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced
1 cup raw cubed tomatillos
1 cup halved seedless green grapes
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 whole seeded fresh Serrano pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
6 dashes green hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/3 cups unsweetened coconut water
Tequila or vodka, optional
Avocados slices, grape tomatoes and pickled onions, optional garnish

On a small flat plate, stir together 3 tablespoons salt and the lime rind; set aside. Pour 1/4 cup of the lime juice into a shallow bowl and set aside. In a blender, combine cucumber, avocado, tomatillos, grapes, cilantro, Serrano pepper, remaining 1/4 cup lime juice, celery salt, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, the hot sauce and black pepper; whirl until smooth; mixture will be slightly thick. Transfer to a 2-quart pitcher; stir in coconut water. Add tequila or vodka to taste, if desired. To serve, dip glass rim in reserved lime juice, then into salt and lime rind mixture. Add ice and fill with Guaca Mary. Thread avocado, grape tomatoes and pickled onions onto toothpick or skewer for garnish, if desired.





Yield: 4 Portions (5-1/3 cups plus tequila or vodka)



Recipe compliments of Avocados from Mexico




Photo credit:cc:flickr.com/photos/evanblaser and Avocados from Mexico

No Meat Zone Recipes: Homemade Hummus

One of my favorite treats to eat year round is hummus. You can dip just about anything into it and it comes out tasting delicious. Here is one of my favorite recipes for hummus, which should make the perfect treat for spring and summer.

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, chopped in half
1 pinch paprika
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley

Instructions:
Chop parsley into super small pieces (can use food processor for this). Then place all remaining ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with broccoli, carrots, naan, pretzels or spread on a sandwich. I've found that you can also freeze hummus for a few months if you end up making a batch that's too large.

Caron Creighton | @caroncreighton | Blog
Michigan Caron is a student at Michigan State University studying Professional Writing, Journalism and Arabic. She has been vegetarian for three years and frequently posts delicious vegan dessert ideas on her blog, Vegan Monster. She also spends her free time running, writing, and enjoying delicious vegan meals.

Photo credit: Caron

No Meat Zone Recipes: Vegan Mixed Berry Crumble Tart

This mixed berry crumble tart is the perfect dish to welcome the arrival of spring. Serve with a side of vegan ice cream, and you'll be enjoying this unseasonably hot weather in the most delicious way possible.

The Tart:
1 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/3 cup vegan butter, melted

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the pie crust in the pan as directed. In a large bowl, mix berries with 2/3 cup sugar and cornstarch. Add berry mix to the pie pan. In a small bowl stir the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon peel, and butter. Mix together until crumbly and spread evenly over berries. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until fruit bubbles in center.

The Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp vegetable shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons water

Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in the shortening and mix until the pieces are the size of small peas. Add cold water one tablespoon at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves the side of the bowl. Roll the pastry into a large ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let cool in refrigerator for 45 minutes to an hour. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface, using rolling pin. Roll it into a circle slightly larger than the pan you are using. Fold over the flattened pastry and carefully unroll it in the pan.

Caron Creighton | @caroncreighton | Blog
Michigan Caron is a student at Michigan State University studying Professional Writing, Journalism and Arabic. She has been vegetarian for three years and frequently posts delicious vegan dessert ideas on her blog, Vegan Monster. She also spends her free time running, writing, and enjoying delicious vegan meals.

Photo credit: Caron

No Meat Zone Recipes: The Vegan 'Everything' Sandwich

If there was something my life was lacking recently, it was this: a big, juicy, sloppy, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink meal. In the recent months, I’ve become so neat and precise with my cooking skills, making sure everything is aesthetically perfect, that I forgot cooking without paying attention to detail can be SO FUN. Alas, it was time to take my gloves off and put two hands straight in the guacamole (I really did: since avocados brown rather quickly, I used the leftovers for a moisturizing face mask)!

16 oz. extra firm tofu, marinated & sautéed *See below for marinade recipe

Three pieces of bread for each sandwich
1/2 cup vegan bbq sauce & mustard (I used this combination because I had it on hand, feel free to use any sauce or dressing of your choice)
1 Cup of each:
Avocado
Baby Bella Mushrooms
Sprouts
Tomatoes
Kale
Kiwi

Tofu marinade

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. organic brown sugar
2 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. of each:
Cinnamon
Turmeric
Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin

To Prepare

 Press the liquid out of the tofu and slice into squares or rectangles.
in a shallow ceramic dish, mix together all of the ingredients for the tofu marinade.
Place the tofu pieces into the marinade.
Let sit for 15 minutes, or until you have finished preparing the vegetables.
Sautee in a splash of extra virgin olive oil, 2-3 minutes per side, until brown and crispy.

Sandwich Assembly

Toast the bread (optional)
Spread a tablespoon of the mustard/barbecue sauce on one slice of bread
Layer as followed:
Tofu
Tomato
Sprouts
Avocado
Kale
Kiwi
Mushroom
Add another slice of bread and repeat, until you have made a triple decker sandwich.
Enjoy!

Ashley Shamus | Email
Northeast Pennsylvania Ashley has a psychology degree, and is soaking up tons of knowledge while furthering her education. She has a passion for holistic nutrition, animal rights, and green vegetables. In her free time, she loves to cook, juice, and bask in the sun. She whole heartedly applauds and appreciates all of the wonderful people who strive to make a positive difference in animals’ lives!

Photo credit: Ashley

No Meat Zone Recipes: Vegan Mac and Cheese

Sometimes you just need some good old comfort food. And when you're vegan or dairy free, mac and cheese can be difficult to come by. This is the perfect recipe to help satiate your cravings for mac and cheese.


Ingredients:
1 pound pasta (approx.)

Cheese Sauce:
1 1/2 cup soymilk
1 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 block tofu, mashed
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp salt
1 dollop mustard

Preheat oven to 350 F. Boil pasta and place it in a pan when ready. Mix all of the “cheese” ingredients in a large bowl. Blend with a hand blender. (If you don't have access to a blender, its also possible to stir the "cheese" mix with a spoon, and mash the tofu by hand. This will create a thicker consistency, but still tastes great.) Pour the sauce evenly over the pasta. Bake for 25 minutes. The sauce and pasta should be boiling and getting a little crispy on top, then you’ll know its done.

Caron Creighton | @caroncreighton | Blog
Michigan Caron is a student at Michigan State University studying Professional Writing, Journalism and Arabic. She has been vegetarian for three years and frequently posts delicious vegan dessert ideas on her blog, Vegan Monster. She also spends her free time running, writing, and enjoying delicious vegan meals.

Photo credit: Caron

No Meat Zone Recipes, Mardi Gras Edition: Vegan King Cake

Nothing makes me think of Mardi Gras more than seeing a king cake. The first year I moved to Boston, I was homesick and unable to get home for Mardi Gras. So when Fat Tuesday rolled around, a friend of mine surprised me by having one sent to me from my favorite bakery. We devoured it in one sitting. Almost 20 years later she still has them sent to me every now and again. Now, that’s a good friend!

This was my first year making a vegan king cake from scratch and I was really happy with how this turned out. It tastes just like a regular king cake.

We are not in New Orleans this year for Mardi Gras, we are spending it in Cleveland with my father-in-law. However, we are still celebrating Mardi Gras just the same. We cut into this cake last night and my father-in-law got the baby which he promptly gave to my four year old. As you can imagine, she really wanted to get the baby. It’s all I heard about for the whole drive from Boston to Cleveland.

Today we are celebrating with more king cake and wearing our beads, I hope you can carve out some time to have your own little party too. If you are interested in the background of king cakes you can read up on it at wikipedia.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 tbsp bob’s red mill, egg replacer
6 tbsp water
1/4 cup earth balance
1 (16 ounce) container follow your heart, vegan sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1 tablespoon vegan sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup earth balance, softened
Icing:
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons earth balance, melted
3 tablespoons almond milk
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
Colored sugars:
green sugar crystals
purple sugar crystals
yellow sugar crystals
Directions:
Mix the egg replacer with the water in a small bowl and set aside. Cook first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until butter melts. Cool mixture to 100 degrees to 110 degrees.

Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add butter mixture, eggs, and 2 cups flour; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Stir together 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

Punch dough down and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface. (You can divide the dough and do this in 2 sections to make it easier, that’s what I did)

Brush the butter on dough…

and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Roll dough, starting at long side. Place dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough (if you divided the dough), cinnamon mixture, and butter.

Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 20 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Decorate with bands of Colored Frostings, and sprinkle with Colored Sugars.

Frosting: Stir together powdered sugar and melted butter. Add almond milk to reach desired consistency for drizzling; stir in lemon extract and ice the cake.

With your colored sugars, carefully sprinkle on the icing going in a pattern of purple, green and gold.

Dive in!

Delicious!

Julie Kelly | Facebook | @Mighty_Vegan | Blog
Boston, MA Julie loves finding new ways to make super healthy meals that are both easy and delicious. She has no special training as a chef just hours of playing in her own kitchen to feed her family. Julie believes you are what you eat, so she tries to keep it healthy with occasionally indulgences. Moving your body is a big party of being healthy and she tries to do that at least 6 times a week. When Julie’s not experimenting in the kitchen or spending time with her husband and 4 year old daughter, she is a partner at Three Bean Press, a custom self-publishing company. She is also a graphic designer and illustrator who has published three children's books: The Yellowest Yellow Lab, Lily and the Imaginary Zoo, and Frankie Goes to Fenway.

Photo credits: Julie Kelly

No Meat Zone Recipes: Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

It often comes as a surprise to people when I tell them that Oreo cookies are vegan. Some of my meat-eating friends find this disgusting, however, I tend to think its wonderful news. Especially when I can replicate the popular oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegan butter, Earth Balance
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg replacer egg
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
1 package oreo cookies

Directions:
Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg replacer eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and mix together. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Take one oreo cookie and pack the cookie dough in a layer around the entire cookie. Repeat until all oreos or cookie dough is gone. Note: the cookies spread a lot, so leave room on the baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-13 minutes. These cookies look a bit flat, but are quite delicious.

Caron Creighton | @caroncreighton | Blog
Michigan Caron is a student at Michigan State University studying Professional Writing, Journalism and Arabic. She has been vegetarian for three years and frequently posts delicious vegan dessert ideas on her blog, Vegan Monster. She also spends her free time running, writing, and enjoying delicious vegan meals.

Photo credit: Caron

No Meat Zone Recipes: Bulgur with Spinach and Basil

A few weeks ago, I received a chain email. Now, there are only two types of chain email that even make it past my spam filter these days: “inspiring” poetry and/or quotations about being a strong woman, living each day like it’s my last, etc. that my mom sends me; and recipe exchanges. This chain email was the latter.

It stressed me out for a couple of reasons. First of all, it instructed me to come up with a recipe, send it to a person I didn’t know, and then forward the original email to my twenty closest friends. Twenty closest friends? If I had twenty close friends, I thought to myself, I wouldn’t drive them away by forwarding them chain email.

But I did just that. I forwarded the chain email to my seventeen closest friends (and three people whom I consider to be just so-so friends), and I sent a pretty tasty quinoa recipe to the random girl whose contact information was at the bottom of the chain email.

The second reason this recipe exchange stressed me out was that I had to indicate that I wanted only vegan recipes, of course. I put “vegan” in parentheses after my name and contact info, knowing that it would likely limit the amount of recipes I received in return.

And I was right. I received only three emails, one of which was an apology for not participating. (Um, I forgive you.) Fortunately, one of the emails was from my friend Kinley, and it contained a recipe for Bulgur with Spinach and Basil.

I didn’t know what bulgur was, so I went to my local hippie grocery store, Lazy Acres. Amazingly, nobody at Lazy Acres knew what bulgur was, either. But after spending about ten minutes hunting around the bulk section with the help of a dedicated sales associate, I found it.

Turns out, bulgur is just whole grain wheat. Here’s the recipe:

Bulgur with Spinach and Basil

3 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups medium-grain bulgur
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bunch spinach (thick stems removed), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

First, I combined the vegetable broth, bulgur, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a skillet and brought it to a boil. Then I reduced the heat and let it simmer for about fifteen minutes, until the bulgur had absorbed all the broth. Meanwhile, I chopped up the spinach and basil. When the bulgur was ready, I just stirred in the greens until they were all wilted.

It tasted great; I always like the combination of spinach, basil, and garlic, and the bulgur was a nice change from boring old rice. I ate it as a main course and it was quite filling, but it would also work as a side dish.

Meghan Joyce | Facebook | @MeghanTheVeghan | Blog
Santa Barbara, CA Meghan has been a vegan for almost a year and blogs about it at meghantheveghan.blogspot.com. She's a PhD student in musicology, an opera singer, and a yoga enthusiast who loves eating and loves the world. Follow her eating adventures on Twitter and Facebook.

Photo credit: Meghan

No Meat Zone Recipes: Vegan Zucchini Banana Bread Pancakes

Vegan

Sometimes nothing is better than a nice, warm, gooey slice of banana bread, except when it can be eaten for breakfast. Pretty soon these zucchini banana bread pancakes will have you wanting banana bread for breakfast every day.

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup soy milk, add more as needed
1 1/2 banana, mashed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add soy milk, zucchini and vanilla. Mash banana with a fork, and add to the mix. Mix well and add more soy milk as needed.

Caron Creighton | @caroncreighton | Blog
Michigan Caron is a student at Michigan State University studying Professional Writing, Journalism and Arabic. She has been vegetarian for three years and frequently posts delicious vegan dessert ideas on her blog, Vegan Monster. She also spends her free time running, writing, and enjoying delicious vegan meals.

Photo credit: Caron

No Meat Zone Recipes: Vegan Blueberry and Banana Pancakes

Blueberry and Banana Pancakes

Vegan and free of added sugar

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup soy milk
1 1/2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
pinch, nutmeg
apple pie spice, to taste
1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional

Directions:
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and other spices. Add soy milk and vanilla, mix well. Add blueberries. Mash 1 1/2 bananas with a fork and add to the mixture. Mix together until smooth. This recipe makes about four thick, medium/large pancakes. Add more soy milk if thinner batter is desired.

Caron Creighton | @caroncreighton | Blog
Michigan Caron is a student at Michigan State University studying Professional Writing, Journalism and Arabic. She has been vegetarian for three years and frequently posts delicious vegan dessert ideas on her blog, Vegan Monster. She also spends her free time running, writing, and enjoying delicious vegan meals.

Photo credit: Caron

No Meat Zone Recipes: Fennel Salad with Basil Peanut Vinaigrette

VEGAN

Fennel Salad with Basil Peanut Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 bulbs of fennel with fronds, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 tsp. fresh marjoram, chopped
1 1/2 cups arugula
5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup Barlean’s flax oil
2 tsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
1/3 cup peanuts, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Barlean's flax seeds

Directions

In a large bowl, combine fennel, fronts, onion, marjoram and arugula; gently toss to combine.
In a small bowl, combine basil, oil, fresh orange juice, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and pepper; whisk well. Add peanuts and toss to coat.
Transfer salad onto serving plates. Sprinkle with flax seeds. Serve with vinaigrette on the side.
Enjoy.

Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP | Twitter | Facebook | Blog
New York Amie is a Manhattan-based culinary marketing consultant, recipe developer and food writer specializing in gluten free, soy-free and dairy free culinary nutrition. Amie is also the publisher and marketing director of the online gluten-free magazine Easy Eats.

Photo credit: Amie

No Meat Zone Recipes: Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Brownie Waffles

Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Brownie Waffles

Did you ever feel like eating a brownie for breakfast? If you ask me that question, I’d raise my hand as high as it could go. But for most people they’d feel a little guilty scarfing down a brownie before 8 am. Unless, you disguise it in something like a waffle and then you can legitimately call it breakfast. Here’s a recipe that’s got a lot of flavor and adding nuts give it an extra kick of protein.

Ingredients (yields about 7 round waffles)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup dark chocolate almond milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
1/3 cup safflower oil
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup hazelnuts, chopped coarsely
non-stick cooking spray

Method
Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, water, oil, sugar and vanilla. Form a well in the center of the sifted dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, water, soy yogurt, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together until almost blended. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Do not overmix.

Prepare in your waffle iron as you’d prepare other waffles. Once waffles are finished, add your desired amount of vegan butter (optional, but very tasty), mini chocolate chips, then drizzle with brownie chocolate sauce (optional). They also taste great with a drizzle of maple syrup and fresh raspberries.

Bonus Recipe! Brownie Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup nondairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Method
Add the sugar, flour, salt, and cocoa to a saucepan. Whisk these dry ingredients thoroughly before you add the milk and vanilla. Stir over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool.

London’s Loves Notes:
The Brownie Chocolate Sauce is perfect for pouring over nondairy ice cream or for making chocolate milk!

Josalyn Wilder | Blog
Albany, NY Josalyn is the author of the blog London Loves, a cooking project that shares vegan recipes that are kitchen tested & kid-approved! She's also a children’s librarian and a compulsive vegan baker. But her most important role is acting as the entertainment director for her 3 yr. old son London. The recipes on London Loves reflect her food philosophy… that there is no need to compromise taste to make cruelty-free food that you can feel good about eating & feeding to your kids. Josalyn believes that there is nothing more rewarding than sharing her passion and realizing that her recipes have the potential to change lives, change habits, and even change the world!

Photo credit: Josalyn

No Meat Zone Recipes: Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

This butternut squash soup is quite different than the usual super-sweet squash soup you find on many restaurant menus. With roasted poblano peppers and chipotle powder, it has a smoky, spicy attitude that will surprise you on the first bite.

The cashew cream topping, with a strong shot of lemon, is the perfect accompaniment.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 serrano peppers, diced
2 carrots, chopped  (about 1½ cups)
2 stalks celery (about 1 cup)
2 medium onions chopped
1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder, preferably ancho
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 7-8 cups)
8 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cashew cream topping:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or for at least a few hours
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup water
Pinch salt

Drain the cashews and place them in a food processor with lemon juice, water and salt. Process until very smooth (this will take about 5 minutes with a regular food processor). Season with salt to taste.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy pot. Saute the garlic, serranos, carrots, celery and onions for 4 minutes. Add the roasted poblanos and spices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the butternut squash and stock. Bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is quite tender, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes then puree in a food processor or blender until very smooth (a blender will give you a smoother result). Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve with a dollop of cashew cream.

Cathy Elton
Cathy is a Brooklyn-based food blogger who focuses specifically on heart-healthy food. A long-time foodie, she suddenly learned that she has hereditary heart disease. But she turned her health issue into a cooking challenge, and developed a heart-healthy, vegetarian cooking style that’s spicy, satisfying and adventurous. Cathy is on a mission to inspire others to eat the way she does, and shares her recipes on What Would Cathy Eat?

Photo credit: Cathy

No Meat Zone Recipes: Vegan Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

I know what you’re thinking -- she cheated and put chocolate chips in the muffins and of course he’d eat his veggies sprinkled with chocolate. Who wouldn’t? But hey before you start judging my decision, all I have to say is He ate Zucchini! And that’s all that matters in my book. When your 3 year old “asks” for something that has zucchini in it, you better believe it that I’ll be the first one to hand it over. However, I’m convinced that he would have eaten it if we swapped the choc-chips and used raisins. We got no problem in the raisin department; actually we’re really lucky with fruit. He’ll eagerly try just about any fruit we have in the house.

So back to how yummy the muffins turned out. We’ve been snacking on these goodies all week! And I feel good every time he gobbles them up. We had so much fun making them together too. London (my son) probably thought that the most fun of all was that he got use my trusty ice cream scoop to pour the batter into the muffin tin. Ever since I bought it for my cupcake baking business, he’s eyed it. Now it was his time to use it and he anxiously gripped it with pride. BTW: That scoop is one of the best kitchen tools that I use. If you bake a lot like I do and don’t have a scoop with a spring action release, treat yourself and buy one. London was so proud when the muffins came out of the oven. He made this recipe from start to finish. Hope you enjoy!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup of your favorite non-dairy milk
3 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon of apple cinder vinegar
2 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
2 cups of grated zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)
3/4 cup of (vegan) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease your muffin tin.

Combine the milk and ground flax seeds in a measuring cup and mix vigorously with a fork. Mix in the vinegar and set aside to curdle.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the milk mixture, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Use an ice cream to pour the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 25-28 minutes, until muffin tops are firm. Be sure to let these moist muffins cool for at least 20 minutes in the tin before you transfer to a cooling rake. That leaves just enough time to play a game together before you devour the muffins. Ours came out looking just like these from Peas and Thank you. She also has a great recipe where she uses whole wheat pastry flour and applesauce.

London’s Love Notes:
Since this is a bare bones recipe it leaves open plenty of options for yummy things to add. As mentioned, raisins would taste great and don’t forget about walnuts too. Get creative and experiment with the type of flour. These muffins can be extra healthy if you swap out the white flour and use whole wheat or spelt flour.

Josalyn Wilder | Blog
Albany, NY Josalyn is the author of the blog London Loves, a cooking project that shares vegan recipes that are kitchen tested & kid-approved! She's also a children’s librarian and a compulsive vegan baker. But her most important role is acting as the entertainment director for her 3 yr. old son London. The recipes on London Loves reflect her food philosophy… that there is no need to compromise taste to make cruelty-free food that you can feel good about eating & feeding to your kids. Josalyn believes that there is nothing more rewarding than sharing her passion and realizing that her recipes have the potential to change lives, change habits, and even change the world!

Photo credit: Josalyn