Chickballs [oil-free, gluten-free, vegan]

A neighbor of mine shared a WFPB meatless "meatball" recipe she found online and said it was excellent. It didn't specify the amounts of the spices (or even specifically which you should use). So, I tweaked the recipe just slightly, and they came out fantastic! The original recipe is by Yumna @feelgoodfoodie / FeelGoodFoodie.net. I wasn't able to find this recipe on her website (which, warning, isn't vegan), but you can watch her video on TikTok or just follow my version below.

1 cup walnuts
½ yellow onion
15 oz of chickpeas
½ cup rolled oats
¾ cup breadcrumbs (whole grain is best)
5 T water (a little more if needed to form the batter)
2 T ground flaxseed
2 T tomato paste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t basil
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Put walnuts in the food processor first and process until chopped finely, then add the onion and process until chopped finely, and finally, add the rest of the ingredients in and process until everything comes together like a dough/batter. Add 1-2 T of water if needed. The dough/batter should be moist, but it should not stick to fingers. Fill a 3T-cookie scoop with the batter, form into a ball, place on parchment paper-lined baking pan. Do the same with the rest of the dough/batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the "meatballs" are just firm to the touch (but not hard). Serve with oil-free marinara over pasta or as a meatball sandwich!

Veggie Coconut Curry

I prefer to make this veggie curry on the stove top and not in the pressure cooker to avoid getting that "burn" message. 😕 At first, it will seem like there is not enough liquid, but as the veggies cook, it comes out perfectly!

1 onion, chopped into small pieces
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 t cumin powder
a few dashes of cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
1 carrot, sliced thinly
about 10-12 broccoli florets
2 small zucchini, chopped (but not too small or they will get mushy)
1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
1 15-oz can of baby corn, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can of lite coconut milk
1 15-oz can of organic diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups (or 1 can) cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)*
1-1 1/2 T yellow curry powder
1/2 t coriander powder
1 T coconut sugar (brown sugar if you don't have it)
salt to taste
Cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice

* I think chickpeas cooked from dry have a MUCH better texture. If you can, cook them in your pressure cooked first, let them cool, then add them to this soup. Otherwise, just use a can from the store.

Cook the onions in a large pot with a little water over medium-high heat until translucent and tender. Add crushed garlic and spices. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for another minute or so. Add all of the rest of the ingredients except the salt and coconut sugar and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes--until veggies are fork-tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and add the coconut sugar and salt. You may want to start with 3/4-1 t of salt, and keep adding more a little at a time until your desired saltiness. Serve warm over cooked rice.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

Making Warm Grain Bowls for dinner tonight, and I love something crunchy in them. I made our favorite CRISPY roasted chickpeas to go in them.

1 can low-sodium or salt-free chickpeas, drained (not rinsed)
1 T almond butter, tahini, or mixed nut butter
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t paprika or smoked paprika
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t salt (or more to taste)

Preheat oven to 320 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix everything except the chickpeas. Add the chickpeas and coat well. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Spread the coated chickpeas out on the pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until completely crispy. They shouldn't burn at this temperature, but still keep your eyes on them.

Layered Mexican Casserole

Working on dinner for the next 3 nights because I've got a BUSY schedule this week! I make this Layered Mexican Casserole just a bit different every time. You can layer it with anything you like! This time, I used previously frozen Smoky Pinto Beans I made a couple of weeks ago, roasted potatoes seasoned with PlantPure Nation cookbook Mexican seasoning (plus a little salt), fresh baby spinach, frozen corn also seasoned with the same seasoning (plus a little salt), Trader Joe's corn tortillas, my recipe for The BEST Veggie Cheeze, and Frontera Red Chili Enchilada Sauce. Again, you could layer with anything you like! It's such an easy recipe! I bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, refrigerate it, and heat sections up for dinner each night in the microwave.

When layering, you want to put a cup of the enchilada sauce at the very bottom to prevent sticking. Add a layer of tortillas, slightly overlapping them. I rip mine up so I am not overlapping too much. Here is the order that I layered this casserole (from the bottom up):

enchilada sauce
layer of tortillas
1/2 of the Smoky Pinto Beans
seasoned corn
spinach
layer of tortillas
other 1/2 of Smoky Pinto Beans
enchilada sauce
roasted potatoes
The Best Veggie Cheeze
layer of tortillas
remaining enchilada sauce
remaining The Best Veggie Cheeze

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Make sure all layers are nice and hot before serving.


 Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Altering Recipes for Health

My son and daughter-in-law sent me a fabulous-looking recipe that I really wanted to try. After looking it over, I knew that due to having diabetes-in-remission, I wasn't going to be able to make the recipe exactly as is. However, I  didn't want to dismiss the recipe because it had great merit! So, don't be afraid to alter a recipe to meet your health needs.

The original recipe came from an incredible vegan website called "Rabbits and Wolves." The title of the recipe is "Creamy Tuscan Vegan 'Chicken' Milanese," and it can be found here. After reviewing the ingredients and instructions, I decided to make the following changes.

1) I used reduced-sodium soy sauce rather than regular to cut the sodium a bit.

2) I used whole wheat bread crumbs instead of Panko since I haven't been able to find whole grain Panko in the store and didn't have the energy to make my own.

3) Instead of dredging the patties in all-purpose flour and pan-frying them in oil, I skipped the flour and oil completely and baked the patties at 425 degrees on a parchment-lined baking pan for 10 minutes on one side and 14 minutes on the other. Worked like a charm!

4) I used 1/2 the cashews (total of 1/2 cup) in the sauce. This cut the nuts down to 2 T a person because there was enough sauce for 4 servings. However, I decided to use the same amount of veggie broth and nutritional yeast in the sauce as it called for. You could reduce the nutritional yeast to 1 T, but we love it, so I kept it as is. The sauce was plenty rich with half the cashews.

5) I sauteed 8 oz of sliced mushrooms in a little veggie broth before cooking the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. I just thought adding mushrooms to this sauce sounded amazing, and I was right!

6) After making the sauce and "chicken" patties and serving it for dinner, I realized I forgot to make the pasta! It was so good even without it!

Those were the changes I made, which allowed me to have a fabulous meal with quite a bit less fat, less sodium, whole grain, and more veggies. Yet, we didn't sacrifice any taste or texture!

The Creamiest, Garlickyest, Deliciousest Hummus

This amazingly delicious hummus came from a recipe in High Carb Hannah's new "Let's Get Saucy"eBook. It's called "Traditional Hummus" and PEOPLE, it is PLANTASTIC!

Check out her eBook with more than 55 oil-free, dairyfree,wholefoods sauces, dips, and dressings recipes at my affiliate link:
Bit.ly/mpsaucy2
Use the code MRSPLANT for 10% off!

Buffalo Tempeh Roasted Veggie Toasted Sandwich

Occasionally, we LOVE having toasted sandwiches as a meal. This is one of our absolute favorites!
Serves 2

1 package of organic tempeh, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce or Frank's Hot sauce
2-3 T non-dairy milk
1 red bell pepper, cut into 4 big pieces
1/4 cup oil-free hummus
1 small avocado
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
baby spinach
4 slices of your favorite whole grain bread

Pour the hot sauce and non-dairy milk into a shallow pie plate. Stir to combine. Place pieces of tempeh into the Buffalo sauce mixture, turning over to coat both sides. Set aside.
On non-stick foil in the oven, roast the red bell pepper pieces and sliced onions at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Set aside. Reduce the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the Buffalo-marinated tempeh on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil and bake for about 20 minutes.
While the tempeh is baking, mash the avocado and hummus together in a bowl. Season it, if you like.
Toast the bread.
Spread avocado/hummus mixture on toast, add the baked Buffalo tempeh and veggies!

Healthy Vegan Instant Pot Smoky Baked Beans [no sugar added]

1 lb. dry navy beans, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 cup of pitted dates soaked in 1 1/2 cups water for about an hour, do NOT drain off liquid
1 cup water
1 small can of salt-free tomato paste
2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/8 t black pepper
1 t mustard powder
1/2 t smoked paprika
1 T liquid smoke
1/2 t salt or to taste
1 T molasses (optional)

Drain off soaking water from beans and add to the Instant Pot. Fill the pot with water 2 inches above the beans. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. When the Instant Pot beeps, click the cancel button and release the steam. Then, open the top, drain the beans (reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid), rinse the beans, and return them to the Instant Pot.

While the beans are cooking, blend the dates with their soaking water,  along with1 additional cup of water, tomato paste, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, mustard powder, smoked paprika, liquid smoke, molasses (if using), and salt in the blender until very smooth. Add the mixture to the cooked and drained beans along with 1/4 cup of the bean cooking liquid into the Instant Pot. Click the WARM button and warm through for about 5-10 minutes, making sure you stir gently often. Serve!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hummus (Refined sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan)

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
3 T cocoa or cacao powder
3 T natural peanut butter (no oil, salt, or sugar added)
4 gooey Medjool dates or date syrup to taste
a small amount of aquafaba (liquid left in the can of chickpeas or after cooking them homemade) or any non-dairy milk to blend to right consistency
1/8 t of salt (optional)

Blend all ingredients until very smooth and chill before serving. Serve on baked whole wheat lavash crackers, whole grain bread, or even on apple slices!

Mexican Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I found a recipe for a cauliflower pizza crust that was oil-free and sounded good. Me, being super lazy, decided to modify a few of the steps to simplify it. Thanks to Detoxinista for inspiring me with her recipe, though. I think the ingredients are genius. So here's my modified version of the crust recipe and my spin on giving it a Mexican flair:

Serves 2-3


Crust Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower
3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds, divided
water, ONLY IF NEEDED
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Toppings:
1 1/2 cups of fat-free pinto beans
1 ear of fresh corn kernels (or 3/4 cup frozen and defrosted)
1 small zucchini, cut into tiny dice
1 cup of The Best Veggie Cheese (or other plant-based queso or cheeze sauce)
1 cup of Salsa Fresca (or other salsa) - divided
a handful of chopped green onions

NOTE: The cauliflower can be prepared in advance.

Follow instructions for cooking the cauliflower in the pressure cooker WHOLE!
Allow the cauliflower to cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (you can leave it right in the pressure cooker pot!).
Remove the florets from the core and place HALF in a nut milk bag or a clean towel. Squeeze out all of the excess liquid you can and place the dried cauliflower into a bowl. Do the same with the rest of the cauliflower.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix 2 T of the ground flaxseeds with 3 T of water in a small bowl. Then, transfer to the bowl with the cauliflower. Add the last T of ground flaxseeds, almond meal, salt, garlic powder, and oregano.
Mix together well to create the "dough." Spread the dough (1/4-inch thick) onto a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes. Lay another piece of parchment paper over the crust and flip over. Bake another 15 minutes on the other side.
While the crust is baking, mix 1/2 cup of salsa with the fat-free refried pinto beans to make them spreadable.
Spread them on the crust. Next, sprinkle the corn and zucchini over the top. Drizzle the veggie cheeze and salsa fresca over the top.
Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve topped with green onions.

Oil-Free Roasted Garlic Pepperoncini Hummus

This makes a LARGE batch of hummus. It is best when made with chickpeas previously cooked in the Instant Pot, but you can use canned.

4 1/2 cups of freshly cooked chickpeas (in the Instant Pot) or canned, reserving some of the liquid
6 T fresh lemon juice
6 roasted cloves of garlic*
1/2 cup Jeff's Naturals (got them at Sprouts) or other brand of Pepperoncinis, along with some of the juice from jar
3 T raw tahini
salt to taste

Blend all in the Vitamix or other high-speed blender with a bit of the aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid) until very smooth and a bit loose (as it will thicken in the fridge).

* Cut the top of a head of garlic off, revealing each clove.
Place in a square of foil, adding a few sprinkles of water on top.
Wrap loosely in the foil, and roast at 375 degrees for 35-45
Squeeze cloves out and into your recipe.

Mrs. Plant's Instant Pot Hoppin' John

NOTE: It is essential that you use black-eyed peas that have been soaked in water for at least 8 hours before making this dish. I bought pre-soaked black-eyed peas from Sprouts in their refrigerated section. They only carry them for New Year's!

1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped small
3 stalks of celery, chopped small
5 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 large bunch of chard (or other green), chopped finely
1 t Liquid Smoke
2 t McCormick’s Salt-Free Garlic and Herb Seasoning
1 t dried rosemary
8 oz. of black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
1 cup wild rice mix (I got mine in the bulk bins at Sprouts and it had 2 kinds of brown rice, black wild rice, and red rice in it)
1 15-oz can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
4 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 - 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast flakes (depending on how much you like nutritional yeast)
Additional water
Salt to taste

Using the sauté feature (click on adjust to HIGH) on the Instant Pot, steamfry the onions, celery, and carrots with a little bit of water or broth until the onions become translucent.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and add additional water about 1 inch above all of the ingredients.
Seal the top, click the BEAN/CHILI button, and adjust the time to 25 minutes (instead of the default 30). Allow the Instant Pot to come down from pressure naturally.
The stew should be creamy and tasty, and the black-eyed peas and rice should be very tender.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

I made mine into a lettuce boat with grilled onions, tomatoes
and mango. DELISH!

NOTE: Make this "burger" batter ahead of time--at least 30 minutes before forming into patties. Keep in an airtight container until you're ready. Makes 6 patties.

Also, learn more about the "burger" press I used!

1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 medium-sized carrot, roughly chopped
1/2-1 jalapeño, seeds removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cups oats
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 t dried cilantro leaves
1/4 cup baked sweet potato (with skin left on if organic)
One 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
burger buns (optional)
Toppings
lettuce, avocado, tomato, ketchup, mustard, kraut, etc.

Place carrots, red bell pepper, and jalapeno into a food processor, and blend until pieces are small. Remove to a large mixing bowl.

In the food processor bowl (no need to rinse it!), add the oats, ground flaxseed, nutritional yeast, cumin, salt, chili powder, paprika, garlic, black pepper, and dried cilantro. Process into a rough flour. Add in the sweet potato and drained beans. Process until most of the beans are blended. Remove mixture to the mixing bowl. Add in the frozen corn and stir the mixture well until everything is incorporated.

Refrigerate the "burger" batter in an air-tight container for at least 30 minutes before making into patties.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With your hands or a burger press, form batter into patties--about 4. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the patties, and bake for another 10-15 minutes until they dry out and have crispy edges. Serve with lettuce, avocado, tomato, ketchup, mustard, kraut, etc.


Inspired by the glowing fridge http://www.theglowingfridge.com/


Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Smoky Pinto Beans

1 lb. of dry pinto beans, soaked overnight (or use quick-soak method below) and rinsed well
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 T Liquid Smoke
salt to taste
Enough water to cover the beans by 1.5 to 2 inches

Add all ingredients into pressure cooker.
Cook on pressure for 45 minutes with NATURAL RELEASE.
Remove 1 cup of the beans and 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth in blender.
Strain all of the beans, onions, and garlic into a bowl. Add in the blended beans and stir well. Add more of the cooking liquid to desired consistency and add salt to taste. Discard the rest of the cooking liquid.

Quick-Soak Method:
Put the dry (rinsed) beans in the Instant Pot with 1-inch of water, set the Instant Pot to saute, and boil the beans for 10 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot, and let the beans soak another 1/2 hour to an hour. Drain off the water. Then, follow the instructions on the recipe.

Pueblan Roasted Pepper Chowder

1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2 -inch wide strips
3 cups frozen corn
2 medium-sized yellow potatoes (or you can use sweet potatoes), diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 container (4 cups) of low-sodium vegetable broth
1 T. cumin
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. Ancho chili powder (or your favorite chili powder)
a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper
salt (to taste, if desired)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place pepper and jalapeno pieces on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes (until the edges are beginning to blacken).
While the peppers are roasting, add the corn, potatoes, broth, and seasonings to a large saucepan.
Bring mixture to a low boil and cook for 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Turn the heat off.
Place HALF of the soup mixture into a high-speed blender along with all of the red/yellow peppers (but NOT the jalapeños). Blend until very smooth. Pour mixture back into the soup pot and stir well.
Chop the jalapeños into small pieces and add to the soup pot, along with the black beans.
Warm over medium-low heat for another 5 minutes and serve!

CLEAN Shepherd's Pie

6 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 T. nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
12 ounces of button mushrooms, sliced then again in half slices
1 large shallot or 1/4 of an onion, chopped finely
1 16-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted
1 can of black lentils, rinsed and drained
1/2 t. dried crushed rosemary
1 cup of low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1 T. non-GMO cornstarch or arrowroot powder
salt and pepper to taste

Place the potato chunks in a saucepan and cover them in water. Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain water, add nutritional yeast flakes (optional), salt and pepper to taste. Mash by hand or blend with a hand blender until smooth. Set aside.
NOTE: You can also cook the potatoes in the electric pressure cooker: Simply place the potato chunks into your pressure cooker with 1/2 cup of water and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes with natural release.

Gravy Mixture: 
Whisk the veggie broth together with the garlic powder, soy sauce, cornstarch, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, add the chopped shallots and mushrooms. Cook over medium high heat until the moisture in the mushrooms is release and then evaporated. Add the frozen veggies and cook for about 5 minutes or until all of the moisture is released and cooked out. Add the black lentils and cook for one additional minute. Stir in the rosemary.

Add the gravy mixture to the veggies in the skillet and thicken over medium-high heat. Move the mixture to the bottom of your deep-dish pie plate or square casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes. Bake in the oven (uncovered) for 30 minutes or until the mixture under the potatoes is bubbling and the potatoes get lightly golden on top.

Fat-Free Hummus

The nutritional yeast in this hummus is a GAME CHANGER! No oil or extra fat required! It's truly luscious!

1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas (I made mine in the Instant Pot from dry beans)

1 clove of garlic

1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 t. cumin powder

2 dashes of cayenne pepper

1 t.. nutritional yeast flakes

1/4-1/2 t. salt (or none if you're doing SOS-free)

water or aquafaba (liquid from the chickpeas) to thin and blend smooth

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender for quite a while until very smooth and creamy.

Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry

This is one of the tastiest curries we have made thus far. So good that my hubby wanted it again this week and we just had it last week!

1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cups of cooked chickpeas
5 small purple or white-skinned sweet potatoes (with white flesh), chopped into 3/4" pieces
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup lite coconut milk (either in can or carton)
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 T. yellow curry powder
1/2 cup water
1-2 t. coconut sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 handfuls of fresh baby spinach


NOTE: You could replace purple or white-skinned sweet potatoes with orange if you cannot find them in the store. However, purple-skinned, white-fleshed potatoes are extra delicious and have a firmer texture in this curry.

PRESSURE COOKER INSTRUCTIONS:
Steamfry onion in the pressure cooker until tender, adding a small amount of water if the pieces begin to stick to the bottom. Add all other ingredients EXCEPT the spinach. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes with QUICK RELEASE. Stir in spinach leaves, close the pressure cooker top for 5 more minutes (leaving heat on LOW). Serve!

"Chuna" (Chickpea Tuna)

UPDATED 7-11-2019

NOTE: Leave out the nori for more of a chicken salad flavor

2 cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained well
2 celery ribs, chopped finely
1-2 green onions (white part only), chopped finely
a handful of grapes, cut into quarters or 1/4 cup chopped dried organic cranberries
2 T. firm tofu
1/4 cup cold water
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. tahini
1/2 T mild white or yellow miso paste
1 t. date syrup (or other sweetener)
1 t. dijon mustard
1/8 t. dried dill
1 t. kelp granules or 1/4 nori sheet cut into tiny pieces (this gives the "ocean" flavor)
salt and pepper to taste

Mash chickpeas in a bowl with a potato masher or fork until completely mashed (no whole chickpeas). Add chopped celery, green onion, and grapes.
Blend tofu, water, vinegar, tahini, sweetener, mustard, dill, and kelp granules in cup blender until smooth. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Stir dressing a bit at a time into chickpea mixture. CHILL THE CHUNA BEFORE SERVING.
Serve on toast with sliced tomatoes and lettuce or in lettuce boats.


Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Simplicity Series: Red Lentil Curry

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