Spinach Mushroom Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche [oil-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan]

NOTE: This quiche can be made a day or two ahead and warmed up in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.

Crust:
1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water, mixed together
1 cup almond flour
1 cup oat flour (gluten-free if desired)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 t salt
1-2 T water

Filling:
1 block (14-oz) firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 medium onion, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped and soaked in water for 30 minutes
3 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
2 T nutritional yeast
1 t dried oregano
3/4-1 t salt (or less if desired)
a few shakes of black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

For the crust: Mix together flax and water mixture in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, oat flour, oregano, and salt. Add in the flaxseed mixture and 2 T of water. Stir well. The dough will be somewhat crumbly, but it should stick together when you press it between your fingers.

Crumble the dough evenly over the base of a 9" pie dish. Press the mixture evenly into the pan, working your way outward and up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust at 350F for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm to touch. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you finish preparing the filling. Increase oven temperature to 375F.

For the filling: Break apart the tofu block into 4 pieces and add into food processor. Process the tofu until smooth and creamy. If it doesn't get creamy, add a tiny splash of unsweetened non-dairy milk to help it along. Set aside.

In a large skillet, steamfry onion over medium-high heat with a little water until tender and translucent. Stir in the garlic, mushrooms, season with a few dashes of salt, and cook on medium-high heat until most of the water cooks off the mushrooms, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the herbs, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, oregano, salt, and pepper until combined. Cook until the spinach is wilted. 

Finally, remove from heat and stir in the processed tofu until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning to taste if desired. Spoon mixture into baked crust and smooth out with a spoon until even.

Bake quiche, uncovered, at 375F for 35 minutes, or until the quiche is firm to the touch. For best results, cool the quiche for 15-20 minutes on a cooling rack before attempting to slice. 

Baked Blueberry Banana Nut Oatmeal [gluten-free, refined sugar-free, vegan]

Makes 4 servings

NOTE: It is important to use previously frozen and defrosted ripe bananas in this and not just ripe fresh ones.

2 cups Gluten-Free rolled oats
Boiling water
1 Medjool date, chopped
2 frozen ripe bananas, defrosted and mashed well
2 cups frozen blueberries, defrosted
2 T chopped walnuts
2 T sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a square baking dish (9x9), pour the oats in and level them out. Sprinkle the chopped date evenly over the oats. Pour boiling water over the oats/chopped date, just enough to barely cover them. Let sit for 10 minutes. Mix together the mashed bananas and blueberries. Stir them into the oat mixture along with the chopped walnuts until well combined. Top with sliced almonds. Bake for 35 minutes. Allow to cool before refrigerating. Reheat individual servings in microwave or toaster oven.

Banana Pecan Cacao Loaf [oil-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free option]

3 very ripe bananas (can be frozen and defrosted)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple butter
5 large, gooey Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 T vanilla extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a blender, combine the bananas, apple butter, dates, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix to combine well--but do not overmix. Add the chopped pecans and chocolate chips (if using) and fold in. Pour mixture into a loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. Test with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean and the top can be lightly pressed and bounce back, it is ready to remove from the oven. Cool before cutting and serving. Can be store in the refrigerator for 5 days in an airtight container or wrapped well and frozen. 

Diclosure: 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.

Pomegranate Chia Seed Pudding

1/2 cup plant-based milk
2-3 T pomegranate juice
2 T chia seeds
1/2 t vanilla
2 t of your favorite sweetener

Put all ingredients in a jar, small bowl or container that has a lid. Mix all ingredients together well with a fork for about 1 minute. After 3 more minutes, stir mixture again with a fork to make sure there is no clumping of the chia seeds. Cover container and chill overnight. Serve with your favorite fruit and nuts.






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.

White Sweet Potato and Fruity Breakfast Bowl

Most of the time I eat oatmeal or a green smoothie bowl for breakfast, but today I'm having roasted and cooled Hannah sweet potatoes* with a chopped banana, fresh organic blueberries, homemade unsweetened plain yogurt, chopped walnuts, in a Brazil nut! One of my favorite "treat" breakfasts!

Make breakfast fun! Check out all of my yummy breakfast recipes!

* To roast Hannah sweet potatoes (cream skin on outside, yellow flesh inside), preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees. Wash your sweet potatoes and dry them. Do NOT cut into them at all because this will release the sugars that you want to stay inside the potato. Place them on a piece of parchment paper or foil and into the oven. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes depending on how big the potatoes are. You will know when they are done when they start to leak some of the sugars. Gently squeeze with an oven mitt to make sure they are tender inside. Store in the fridge to eat cold for breakfast or a snack, or eat freshly warm!

Cooking OIL-FREE in a Waffle Iron

The worst thing you can do when you buy a waffle maker with nonstick plates is to use oil on it or in the batter. Rather than being nonstick, they eventually become "gummy" and it will become impossible to remove the waffle. The key to oil-free cooking in a waffle maker is HOW you cook them.

Tonight, we made my typical Veggie Hash Browns, but this time in our relatively new waffle maker (which we absolutely LOVE, by the way!) I am including the ingredients I used below, but you will have to decide how many you want to make and how much of the ingredients of each. You almost can't mess this up. Anyway, the KEY to making this recipe is to PRE-HEAT the waffle maker, setting it between MEDIUM and HIGH HEAT. Then, fill waffle iron bottom plate right to the edges with the Veggie Hash Browns ingredients, close the top, and CAREFULLY press the top down with an oven mitt. Reduce the heat a bit on the waffle maker to just a little higher than medium, and set a timer for 25 minutes.
DO NOT OPEN THE TOP!
If after 25 minutes, your waffle won't come up pretty easily with a silicone spatula, close the top, and go another 5-10 minutes until the waffle can be lifted off with ease.
NEVER USE A METAL UTENSIL IN A NON-STICK APPLIANCE!

This is what I put in my Veggie Hash Browns:
Cooked and cooled whole Yukon Gold potatoes, shredded with a flat metal grater into a bowl
I gently mixed in:
Spinach, finely chopped
Carrots, finely chopped
Onion, finely chopped
Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, finely chopped
Paprika to taste
Garlic Powder to taste
Salt to taste

Here are the delicious oil-free waffles we made by Shane and Simple last week in our new waffle maker!

Check out the things I like to use in my cooking and kitchen in my AMAZON SHOP!



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.

Apple Blackberry Oat Crumble [gluten-free, oil-free, dairy-free, vegan]

This makes a DELIGHTFUL dessert or breakfast!

Serves 2-3 (depending on the size of your ramekins)

Fruit Compote:
2 Fuji apples, peeled and diced small
1 cup of fresh blackberries
3-4 T coconut sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 T water
1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1 t cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
2 T brown rice syrup or maple syrup
1 t cinnamon
2 T finely chopped walnuts

In a saucepan, cook the fruit compote ingredients over medium-high heat for 12-15 minutes
(until cooked down and the apples are fork tender and some of the liquid has cooked down).
Transfer fruit compote into 2-3 ceramic ramekins.
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients.
Cover the fruit compote with the topping and bake for 15 minutes (uncovered) on the middle rack. Serve warm.

Creamy Coco-Banana-Peanut Butter Oats

1/2 cup organic old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup water
1 frozen banana, chopped
1 T cacao powder
1 T natural peanut butter (no added oil, salt, or sugar)
1 T ground flaxseeds
Molasses to drizzle on top (optional)

Mix everything (except molasses) together in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5.minutes. add a little more water if desired. Top with a drizzle of organic unsulphered molasses and a splash of plant-based milk if you desire.

Raisinettes Oatmeal

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 T cacao powder (use cocoa powder if you don't have it)
1 ripe banana, broken into pieces
1 T ground flaxseeds
1 T black raisins, more to garnish if desired
1 1/4 cup water
1 T chopped walnuts
a few raw buckwheat groats for garnish

Cook above over medium heat until desired consistency. Mash the banana in as it heats. Make sure everything is mixed in well. Top with chopped walnuts, a few more raisins, and buckinis (raw buckwheat groats), if desired.

Pineapple "Coconut" Muffins [no flour]

Pineapple chunks from a 15-oz can of unsweetened pineapple chunks (you can use the juice for a sauce or another recipe)

1 large cooked white sweet potato, peeled
3 soft Medjool dates, pitted
2 T. ground flaxseeds
2 cups oats
2 T. chopped walnuts
1/2 t coconut extract
1/4 cup Vitacost brand apple juice-sweetened dried cranberries or golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pulse the pineapple chunks, sweet potato, dates, and ground flaxseed in the food processor about 3 or 4 rotations. Transfer mixture into a bowl and stir in the oats, chopped walnuts, and cranberries, combining everything well.

Make balls of the "dough" with your clean hands and place them into non-stick muffin cups. These will stay relatively the same shape, so you can press them lightly into the muffin cups so they will look more like muffins when they finish.

Bake for 55 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned on the outside.

NOTE: I used my favorite USA PAN muffin tin. The muffins pop RIGHT OUT!
Affiliate Link >> http://amzn.to/2p0PLht

Thank you to Heather Goodwin for inspiring this recipe!

Chocolate Oats (Sugar-Free!)

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 Medjool Dates, pitted
1 1/2 cups water
1 T. cocoa or cacao powder
3/4 t amla powder (optional)
4 walnut halves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries

Blend dates, water, cocoa, and amla powder in a cup blender until combined well. Add to oats in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes (depending on the consistency you like). Top with chopped walnuts and fresh or frozen fruit.

Mrs. Plant's Cacao-Berry Green Smoothie Bowl

1-1.5 cups cold water
3 big handfuls of organic greens (mixture of spinach, red or green organic kale)
1 cup frozen organic blueberries
1 frozen banana, chopped or cut in half
1 T ground flaxseeds
1 T cacao/cocoa powder
3/4 t amla powder (optional) - Watch Dr. Greger's videos about why to include this!
1 small pitted date (optional, but recommended)

TOPPINGS:
1/3-1/2 cup fresh or frozen organic mixed berries
4 walnut halves, chopped (optional)
1 T raw buckwheat groats (optional)


Blend the water, greens, blueberries, cacoa/cocoa powder, and flaxseeds (plus date and amla powder) until well combined, smooth but still thick. Pour into a bowl and top with frozen berries, chopped walnuts, and buckwheat groats.

Here is a video on how I make the smoothie bowl. In this video, I didn't add the cacao powder or the date. Please LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE to my channel! 😃

Blueberry Green Smoothie Bowl

Blueberry Green Smoothie bowl for breakfast (topped with buckinis (buckwheat groats), cacao nibs, banana slices, and dried mulberries)...

Inside: 1 frozen banana, 1 cup of frozen orgnaic blueberries, 2 big handfuls of spinach, 1 big handful of kale, 1 cup water, and 1 T. of ground flaxseed.

A lot of people are against smoothies, but I lost a lot of my initial weight having a greens-heavy smoothie every day. My son is home from college, and we're making green smoothie bowls for breakfast every day until Christmas!

Make sure to rinse your mouth well with water after smoothies to protect your teeth from decay.

Blueberry Oats

I'm being cognizant with my fats, but I also want to make sure my breakfast is satiating. I don't count calories, but I did put this breakfast into Cronometer to see anyway. It was just about 500 calories, which is exactly how much I like to eat for breakfast everyday. I usually can't finish the whole bowl, though. I just eat until I am comfortably full.

1 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups of water
1 cup of frozen organic blueberries
1 T. unsweetened coconut flakes
1 T. ground flaxseed
a sprinkle of buckinis

Bring water, oats, and blueberries to a soft boil. Reduce to low heat and cook 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Top with coconut flakes, ground flaxseed, and a sprinkle of buckwheat groats (buckinis).

Soy Yogurt -- Made in the Instant Pot!

If you have the Instant Pot IP-DUO 7-in-1 with the yogurt feature, you can make your own soy yogurt with VERY little effort!
PLEASE read everything below BEFORE you start--INCLUDING the notes!

METHOD #1:
NOTE: You can make up to 4 pints in the Instant Pot at once! These instructions are showing you how to make one pint jar. Just follow the same instructions for EACH one you are making.

Step 1. Take 2 cups of Trader Joe's UNSWEETENED Soy Milk* in the aseptic (shelf-stable) container (containing only organic soy beans and filtered water!!!) and pour it into a pint-sized glass jar.
* You can use other brands of soy milk as long as they contained ONLY organic soy beans and filtered water.

Step 2. Stir in 2 T. of UNSWEETENED, PLAIN soy or coconut yogurt (or previously made soy yogurt) or 2 vegan probiotic capsules (emptied into the milk).

Step 3. Place the UNCOVERED jar in the Instant Pot inner bowl.

Step 4. Cover the pressure cooker top, set to SEALING, and click the YOGURT button.

Step 5. After 8 hours, cover the jar and chill it.


Method #2:

Step 1. Take 1 whole container (4 cups) of Trader Joe's UNSWEETENED Soy Milk* in the aseptic container (containing only organic soy beans and filtered water!!!) and pour it directly into the Instant Pot pot.
* You can use other brands of soy milk as long as they contained ONLY organic soy beans and filtered water.

Step 2. Stir in 5 vegan probiotic capsules (empty the capsules into the milk) or 1/2 cup of previously made unsweetened, plain yogurt into the soy milk. Stir WELL!

Step 3. Cover the pressure cooker top, set to SEALING, and click the YOGURT button.

Step 4. After 8 hours, cover the jar and chill it.

Straining the yogurt

NOTE: If you like your yogurt less sour, only cook for 7.5 hours. You can test the flavor any time after 7 hours by just inserting a clean spoon into the jar of yogurt and tasting it.

NOTE: If you want THICK yogurt, buy a jelly strainer bag or a nut milk bag and place it over a Mason jar. Tighten the string. Then, pour the yogurt in the bag over the jar and close the cap over it. Make sure the bag is high enough in the jar that it is not touching the bottom and there is room for the liquid to be released without touching the bag. Place jar in the refrigerator. Your yogurt (in the bag) will be thick in about 2-3 hours. Dispense of liquid in the bottom of the jar.

7. Add fruit and sweetener to your yogurt, if desired. We also use this yogurt as sour cream and for other condiments.

NOTE: This yogurt lasts about 4 days in the fridge. Make sure to SAVE at least 2 T of this plain yogurt to use for your next batch!

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.

Oil-Free Pumpkin Harvest Granola

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup pecans, chopped roughly
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup dried cranberries (or a mixture of other chopped dried fruits)

NOTE: You need a very large bowl to make this recipe. If you don't have a large bowl, half the recipe. You also need two large, rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
In a very large bowl, combine the pumpkin, coconut sugar, syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Stir well. Add the oats, chopped pecans, pumpkin seeds, and ground flaxseeds. Stir the ingredients to combine well.
On two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spread half the mixture on each. Bake for 25 minutes, stir the mixture around, and bake for 10-20 more minutes until COMPLETELY dry and lightly browned.
When slightly cooler, return the granola mixture back into the big bowl. Add dried fruit. Stir well and store in air-tight container.

YouTube: Cinnamon Banana Milk Oats

Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Toasted Almond Granola Bars

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown rice crispy cereal
1 cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/8 t salt
2 cups Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 coconut sugar or date sugar (optional)*
1/4 cup natural nut butter (any kind)
Splash of plant-based milk

In a food processor, combine the dates, brown rice syrup, sugar, nut butter and a splash of plant-based milk. Blend until smooth and thick (spreadable consistency).
In a large bowl, combine oats, cereal, salt, almonds, and chocolate chips. Stir in date mixture until well combined and the cereal mixture is coated well. This works best using food gloves and your hands.
Press mixture into a wax paper-lined 13x9 oblong pan using a scrap of wax paper to press down firmly and evenly. Keep pressing all around the pan, so the bars hold together well. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before cutting into bars.
Freeze or refrigerate.

* The coconut/date sugar is optional. If you like your bars less sweet, do not include it.

OIL-FREE Hash Brown Bird's Nests

Wanted to make a beautiful meal for Father's Day brunch today. Sticking with our oil-free lifestyle, we made these gorgeous Starch Solution-friendly OIL-FREE Hash Brown Bird's Nests. SO tasty and just the right crispiness!

4 russet potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 shallot, chopped into thin rings
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted and drained well
1 dash cayenne pepper (or more if you like it!)
1 1/2 T corn starch
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. dried parsley

1/2 t. salt (optional)

1/2 t. black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Press mixture into NON-STICK muffin cups (silicone or my favorite muffin pan). Bake for 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake until golden grown on top (about 10-12 minutes). The moisture varies in every batch, so if you don't think they're ready at this point, lower your oven to 300 degrees and continue baking to dry them more. Serve when they're how you like them!

NOTE: if you have extra mixture,  you can cook it in a nonstick skillet, spreading it out on the pan in a thin layer. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes and don't flip until the potato "pancake" can slip around on the pan easily. Cook on other side until crispy. 

Inspired by Minimalist Baker 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

1 small jar
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 T. cocoa powder
dash of sea salt
1 cup plant-based milk (I used soy)
3 Medjool dates (or 1 T. date syrup)

NOTE: If you use date syrup, you don't have to do any blending.

In a small jar, add the chia seeds, cocoa powder, and salt. In a blender (smaller the better), combine the milk and dates and blend until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients. Put the top on the jar and shake really well. Store in fridge overnight and eat the next day