As a kid I thought there was nothing worse then egg nog. Thankfully as an adult I helped a friend cater holiday party where we did homemade egg nog, I got hooked. There is something wonderful in the blend of creaminess and seasonings. I had tried some store bought plant-based nogs and found them very lacking in flavor and in texture. I fortunately purchased a NutraMilk system a while back and decided to create my own recipe. While I have the nice plant-based milk system you can some extra effort do this recipe with a nut bag. Truth be known I pull last bits liquid using the bag.
I start this by soaking the cashews for at least 30 mins, this is not necessary with a high-speed blender or food processor, it is just a habit I have. Since I have the NutraMilk, I add all the ingredients except for the water to the system and process them into a nut butter, usually I process for nine minutes. I then add the water and mix the ingredients for three minutes to liquify as best as possible. I drain to my container and then transfer the pulp that is left over to a nut bag to squeeze out remaining liquid. For thinner nut milks the system is very efficient to drain all liquid, but this is a very thick cream like and needs the extra help.
If you do not have nut milk system just add all ingredients in blend/processor and blend until smooth then use the nut milk bag to separate the liquid from the pulp.
Chill and enjoy straight or with a hit of your favorite bourbon or rum.
One of my fondest memories of my father was coming home from Sunday school to the aroma of his sourdough pancakes. I have always enjoyed pancakes of any fashion. My goal with this recipe is to make a simple but highly nutritious version.
Pancakes with Blueberry and Cauliflower Topping
Ingredients
For Pancakes 1/4 cup Red Lentils 1/2 cup Rolled Oats 3/4 cup Filtered Water 1/8 tsp Fresh Grated Nutmeg 1/4 tsp Baking Soda (Optional)
On Saturday night prep the lentils by soaking them 1/2 cup of water. I do this right in my bullet blender. In the morning add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. I transfer to a 2 cup liquid measuring container from easier pouring. Preheat a non-stick pan to medium heat. The pan is ready when water droplets dance in the pan. Pour in some of the mixture and cook until you see the pancake looks dry around the edges. Flip to finish cooking. Repeat for remaining mixture. This recipe makes five nice size pancakes. Stack finished pancakes and server with fruit topping.
Fruit Topping 3/4 cup Fresh Blueberries 2 cups Frozen Riced Cauliflower 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/8 tsp Fresh Grated Nutmeg
In heated pan add ingredients and put on lid to steam heat the mixture. After a few moments remove lid and continue to heat. As the berries strait to release their juices stir to blend and color the cauliflower. When done use to top the pancakes and enjoy.
So I have been working on this recipe to improve the texture and make it more usable for different recipes. To add a richer texture I decided on the reduction of the tapioca flour and the addition of white beans. Not only does the sauce come out thicker from the blender but I now have added a source of good prebiotic fiber. I have started a seven week gut health course led by the author of Fiber Feuled, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, so I am trying to incorporate ideas from his book to my daily life.
1 Large Head of Cauliflower 2 Can/Box of White Beans (Garbanzo is my choice) ½ cup Roasted Red Bell Pepper 4-5 Lower Sodium Chipotle Peppers with some of the Adobo Sauce ½ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes 2 tbsp Tapioca Flour 2 tbsp Granulated Garlic 1 tbsp Granulated Onion 1 tbsp White Miso 2 tsp Lactic Acid (1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, still an option, but I am leaving out to have a base sauce.) 1 tsp Cumin 1 tsp Ground Mustard ½ tsp Black Pepper ½ tsp Ground Turmeric ¼ tsp Nutmeg 2 cups Low Sodium Veggie Stock 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce – Vegan 1 to 2 tsp Liquid Smoke I have move to 1 1/2 and like the results
Directions
Trim the green parts off of the cauliflower and then pressure cook the head for 2 minutes with a 10 minute natural release period.
Combine all ingredients in 64 ounce high speed blender container. Blend at maximum speed until smooth. When the sound changes the sauce is thickened and is ready to transfer to storage containers.
Serve with home air fried corn tortillas and a good low sodium salsa. Alternately add some additional Nutritional Yeast Flakes and use for a great ‘cheesy’ sauce for macaroni and cheese.
Since childhood I have always loved and even craved Queso and Chips. When I learned to make the traditional smooth cheese product and tomato / pepper combo, I was in heaven. I have found several variations of vegan cheeze sauces and really wanted something even healthier. Since I am a follower of Dr. Greger and his strong recommendation for finding a way to add in a cruciferous vegetable where ever possible, I came up with this idea. This recipe is similar to my WFPB Béchamel Sauce.
John’s WFPB Queso
Recipe
1 Head of Cauliflower 1 cup Tapioca Flour ½ cup Roasted Red Bell Pepper ½ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes 2 tbsp Granulated Garlic 1 tbsp Granulated Onion 1 tbsp White Miso 2 tsp Lactic Acid 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes 1 tsp Cumin ½ tsp Black Pepper ½ tsp Ground Mustard ½ tsp Ground Turmeric ¼ tsp Nutmeg
2 tbsp of Low Sodium Salsa for each serving to complete the feel of the traditional sauce
Directions
Trim the green parts off of the cauliflower and then pressure cook the head for 3 minutes with a 10 minute natural release period.
Combine all ingredients in 64 ounce high speed blender container. Blend at maximum speed for 5 to 7 minutes. When the sound changes the sauce is thickened and is ready to transfer to storage containers.
So yesterday I was pondering what to make for dinner. While visiting my neighborhood store I came across a jar of cajun seasoning and I thought to myself “self you have not made any New Orleans-style food in a long time.” I started formulating my Whole Food Plant Based version of a jambalaya. This is not the easiest to make Whole Food Plant Based, because of heavy use of meats in the dish. I could have easily used a variety of the plant “meats”, but they are not WFPB compliant. I chose instead to focus on lots of fresh vegetables and in keeping with the current program that I am on, Engine 2’s 10X, I made sure that I had plenty of greens included. If I were not on the 10X program, I would have included some Soy Curls to give it a poultry-like texture.
John’s WFPB Jambalaya
Recipe
1 medium Red Onion 3 stalks of Celery 1 Red Bell Pepper 1/3 Orange Bell Pepper 1/3 Yellow Bell Pepper 1 Zucchini 1 Yellow Squash Tips from 1 bunch of Asparagus (thick stalks) 1 8 ounce package of frozen Cauliflower and Broccoli blend 1 cup frozen Sweet Corn 1 and 1/2 cup (170 gr) frozen Riced Cauliflower 1 can of No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes 1 cup sprouted Brown Rice 3 cups of Fat and Salt Free Vegetable Stock
Seasonings
2 tbsp Salt Free Cajun Seasoning 2 tbsp Granulated Garlic 1 tbsp Poultry Seasoning 1 tbsp Dried Oregano 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika 1 tbsp Black Pepper 1 tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce 1 tsp Low Sodium Hot Sauce 3 Bay Leaves
Directions
I used my Instant Pot to prepare this meal. Start by cutting the Onion and Peppers into a large dice. Slice the Celery to be about the same size. Sauté in the Instant Pot with some water to prevent sticking. When Onions become translucent add in the seasonings and blend / sauté to fragrance the spices. Cut the Zucchini and Yellow Squash in to four long strips then into large dice. Add all the remaining ingredients in to the instant pot and pressure cook for 20 mins then a 10 minute natural release followed by quick release. Serve and enjoy.
Option Idea
One option you might try is using various mushrooms sautéed separately with some dried kelp seasoning added at the time of service to help give the effect of seafood. I did not have any mushrooms to try this.
This sauce started life as a test to produce a asian-style dipping sauce that was nut free. I was not sure what to expect and the first attempt was so delicious that I have not gone back to make any adjustments.
The recipe:
1 Can No Salt Added Chickpeas – Drained, Rinsed and Roasted 1 Tbs Braggs Liquid Aminos 1 Tbs White Miso 1 Tbs Apple Vinegar 1 Pitted Date 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger 1/2 Zested and Peeled Lime Big Dollop of Minced Garlic, I use a prepared Minced Garlic in packed in water 2/3 C Low Salt Veg Stock 1 1/3 C Water
Place drained and rinsed chickpeas in your air fryer to roast. I used Instant’s Vortex Pro using both trays for 11 minutes. You may also roast them in a conventional oven at 375 until they are turning golden brown.
Chickpeas after 11 mins in the air fryer
Transfer 1 cup of the roasted chickpeas in to high speed blender, a bullet type cup blend works great. Add in rest of ingredients.
Serve and enjoy with fresh vegetables, spring rolls, really anywhere or way you want.
This sauce has become a go to sauce for me. I air fry my fresh cut French Fries and dip in to this sauce. It allows me to leave the fries unseasoned and still taste great.
Bonus recipe:
John’s WFPB White Beans and Kale Soup
This is really simple to make and it is totally up to you which beans you want to use. I used one 15.5 ounce can each of No Salt Added Cannellini, Great Northern, Butter beans and one 29 ounce of Navy beans. Simply add entire can of beans and juice to stock pot and heat. I added one cup of No Salt Added Vegetable Broth and blend of herbs to taste. The herbs included Italian Herbs, Oregano and a couple of Bay Leaves. Add Black Pepper to taste and if you need some salt character add in some White Miso at the end.
Once the bean soup is heated serve on top of chopped Kale. I fill the bowl with a big handful of Kale and then ladle the bean soup on top. Let the soup rest for a few moments to heat/cook the Kale. I freshly grate some Black Pepper on top and enjoy.
Hint: I purchase a large bag of pre-chopped Kale weekly to use throughout the week. it is a great time saver.
Often I feel the need for a good burger. I discovered a good recipe to start as the foundation for my adaptation. I was watching a YouTube video from Sauce Stache who was remaking a recipe from a Canadian chef. The video can be located at his site http://www.saucestache.com.
For my version of the recipe I removed the oil and upped some of the other ingredients. One major adjustment I did was to use Methylcellulose HV which is a thickener and emulsifier. It is soluble in cold water and when heated it adds a nice structure to the burger giving it a bit of chew. Methylcellulose HV is derived from cellulose and is inert to the human body. I felt the original recipe while tasted good still lacked the texture I was looking for in a burger this proved to be a good solution.
Time for the recipe:
12 oz Portobello Mushrooms 1 Can No Salt Added Black Beans drained and rinsed 1 Can No Salt Added Chick Peas drained and rinsed 1 Can No Salt Added Lentils drained 2 Cup Rolled Oats 1 Luv Beets 1 tbsp Tapioca Starch 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast 1 tsp Marmite 2 tbsp Liquid Smoke 4 g Methylcellulose HV
Lightly brush portobello mushrooms to clean them. Chop the mushrooms. Heat in a skillet over medium heat adding mushrooms once heated and cook them until they have expressed most of their liquids.
Drain and rinse both cans of beans and drain Lentils and add 1/2 to food processor bowl (reserve the rest for later). Add 1 cup of oats and all the sautéed mushrooms into blender with the beans. Pulse quickly to mix
Chop beet and to blender. Pulse to mix
Add tapioca starch, marmite, nutritional yeast, and liquid smoke to blender and pulse to mix
Pour mixture into bowl and add remaining lentils and oats. Mix to incorporate.
Divide the mixture in to 12 parts and place each in a plastic bag (you can also us layers of parchment paper) to chill and then flatten. Our goal is to make the burger pretty thin.
Cook on each side for 4 to 5 mins and the burger is ready to enjoy.
To serve I have found a whole grain lavash bread at one of those big box store that serves as my bun/wrap. I start out by using a layer of hummus because hummus is just better than mayonnaise. I use mixture of baby spinach and arugula to get my cruciferous vegetables. Top the greens with some fresh salsa and then my homemade white cheese from John’s WFPB Béchamel Sauce bonus recipe. I place the cooked burger on top and then wrap the burger with the lavash and then in dry skillet brown both the top and the bottom. I serve the burger with homemade fries and John’s WFPB Ummm…my Sauce that will be posted in the next few days.
I have been impressed on how well this recipe solves my need for burgers. It has enough texture to simulate actual cooked ground beef. I hope that you find this recipe helpful in developing your own WFPB lifestyle.
The other day I came up with what I though was a great idea for a white/cream sauce replacement. I had been racking my brain on how to incorporate additional cruciferous vegetables in my diet per Dr. Michael Greger, MD who wrote in his book How Not to Die,
“Common cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, collards, and kale. I recommend at least one serving a day (typically a half cup) and at least two additional servings of greens a day, cruciferous or otherwise.”
Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (p. 311). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.
Armed with this idea to increase my cruciferous intake I started to wonder if I could make a sauce that could be used on multiple dishes. When looking a most of the cruciferous vegetable you come to realize that they are mainly green and while there is nothing wrong with that in general, it tends to not be as appetizing on many dishes. It struck me that there was one cruciferous missing on the list above that could be the perfect solution, CAULIFLOWER! Once I got the idea to use cauliflower my thoughts went to how I could make it a silky / creamy sauce that fit into the WFPB mode of cooking. Thankfully we have many options to provide the smooth texture with the use of corn starches or tapioca flour. In this case I used both. I was able to make the John’s WFPB White Sauce meet all the requirements to be what is referred to Salt, Oil and Sugar (SOS) free. Some of the tricks include the use of white miso which is high in salt, but as Dr. Greger puts it:
“Over a four-year period, they tracked men and women in their sixties who started out with normal blood pressures to see who was more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure: those who had two or more bowls of miso soup a day or those who had one or less. Two bowls a day would be like adding half a teaspoon of salt to your daily diet, yet those who consumed at least that much miso were found to have five times lower risk of becoming hypertensive. The researchers concluded: “Our results on miso-soup have shown that [the] anti-hypertensive effect of miso is possibly above [the] hypertensive effect of salt.” So miso soup may actually be protective overall.”
Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (pp. 318-319). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition
I also keyed in to one of the missing characteristics for many cream-style plant based sauces which is the addition of lactic acid. Once I figured out that adding a bit of plant based lactic acid to my non-dairy recipes the products came to life.
Enough of the blah, blah, blah…Recipe time.
John’s WFPB Béchamel Sauce
1 Head of Cauliflower ½ cup Corn Starch ¼ cup Tapioca Flour ½ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes 2 tbsp Granulated Garlic 1 tbsp Granulated Onion 1 tbsp White Miso ¼ tsp Nutmeg 3 tsp Latic Acid 4 cups Low Salt Vegetable Broth
Remove the green leaves and stem from the cauliflower. Pressure cook the cauliflower for three minutes at high pressure then let natural release for 10 minutes.
In a high-speed blender combine all the ingredients. Recommend starting with the vegetable broth to help the blend from getting stuck. Blend all ingredients at the highest setting for five to six minutes. When the sauce is done it will no longer whirlpool in the blender and the sound of the blending will change. Transfer to storage dish or use right away. This will thicken more as it sits, you can add water a preparation time to thin it to the level you need.
John’s WFPB Carbonara
1 serving of either a whole grain pasta or grain free (chickpea or lentil) pasta Enough of John’s WFPB Béchamel Sauce to completely coat pasta and vegetables, you can’t add too much Additional items frozen green peas (requirement for this carbonara), onions, peppers, carrots really any extra vegetable is good option Let’s get in so extra cruciferous and use 1/2 cup of chopped kale
Cook pasta according to package. With about one minute left add in the kale. Drain and place back in pan. In a skillet add all but the frozen peas and sauté to soften. combine John’s WFPB White Sauce in with the pasta to coat thoroughly. Add in the frozen peas, do not thaw the heat will warm them through. Add remain sautéed vegetables and serve.
I topped mine with some toasted sesame seeds.
Bonus time:
Take about a third of the prepared John’s WFPB Béchamel Sauce and heat it in a pan and add in agar-agar. This will cause the sauce to thicken more like a block of soft cheese which is perfect for the John’s WFPB Burger recipe that I will be posting soon. Note: I used 1/4 of the water when preparing the agar-agar per it’s recipe. I did this to not dilute the white sauce too much. After adding the agar-agar I mixed the sauce for about five minutes to make sure I dispersed the agar-agar throughout.
All food begins from scratch it just depends where the process is done. My focus is to build meals that start as close to original form for ingredients as I can do. It is as simple as making a nice chili with cornbread from scratch.
Instead of going to the store and getting a pack of chili mix and some cans of beans you go to your cabinet and use the spices you probably already have hiding in there. The only thing you might need is to purchase is some dried beans that you will prepare as listed on their package.
“Beans and peas belong to the third largest family among the flowering plants (after the orchid and daisy families), and the second most important family in the human diet, after the grasses. The distinctive contribution of the legumes is their high content of protein, two to three times that of wheat and rice, which they develop thanks to their symbiosis with certain soil bacteria.”
Excerpt From: Harold McGee. “On Food and Cooking.”
Once I have all the ingredients prepared I start by sautéing large chopped onion in a stockpot. I then add the beans, canned tomatoes, the only canned product you need in the preparation. My reason for using canned tomatoes is a desire for constancy in batches. To thin out the chili I add in homemade vegetable stock. My spice blend is straight from my cabinet and consist of the following; granulated garlic, granulated onion, dark chili powder, cumin, black pepper and kosher salt. I add each spice and taste and adjust as needed. To keep it healthy I always add the salt towards the end of the cooking so that I can use less.
The cornbread recipe is the one provided on the bag of plain cornmeal if you want traditional cornbread. I prefer to use substitution of one can each of sweet corn and creamed-style corn and pickled jalapeños to add a bit of flair.
So, why am I going through all this effort to make meals from scratch? It is very simple the more I control what I eat the more in tune I will be in the healthfulness of the food and build in the desire to consume appropriate amounts. It is very simple to get in the habit of mindless eating. It is doubly so when your main diet consist of prepackage foods. It is way to easy to just pop open that bag of chips and start eating with out the care of what is in there or even what is a proper portion. I have tried many different diets and realistically the all work for me until I get in the mode of convenience over concerns related to what I am eating.
It is my goal to go Whole Food Plant Based by scratch so that through the effort of producing what I consume in the home I will avoid the pitfalls of the ‘convenience’ factor. Whole Food Plant Based from scratch does not necessary need to prevent the easy meals, it means that I need to plan my schedule so I give myself time to prepare food that will be available when I want it.
My basic rule for any prepackage store item is that the ingredients label must be understandable and the fewer ingredients will be the best. I will strive to keep prepackaged ingredients to a maximum 20% level of any dish.
I will work to provide weekly menus and recipes for each. It will take me a bit of time to develop this part but my goal is to post menus in the very near future.
