You Would Never Know This Wasn't Ricotta Cheese!!

I have successfully made my very first vegan ricotta cheese and in all my excitement, I forgot to take pictures...but the recipe was far to yummy not to share right away! So, pictures to come the next time I make it!

This is a fabulous recipe for calzones, lasagna, stuffed shells and any other yummy recipe calling for ricotta cheese. Tofu tends to take the taste of what it is cooked in or mixed with, so you would never know the difference. I will be adding my calzone recipe to follow and this yummy ricotta was a scene stealer with that dish!


Recipe:
~ 1 container firm or extra firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove water
~ 1-2 cloves fresh chopped garlic
~ 2 tsp basil
~ 1 tsp salt (I use sea salt)
~ 2 tsp onion powder
~ 2 tsp dried parsley


Prep:


~ Remove tofu from packaging and place between 2 kitchen towels. Use a few heavy cookbooks for weight on top of the tofu block to press out the water. Let the tofu sit like this for 10-15 minutes.
~ Place tofu block into a small mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix and mash the tofu until it is the same consistency as ricotta cheese. It's actually amazing how perfectly tofu takes the consistency of ricotta.
~ Add the chopped garlic, basil, salt, onion powder and parsley and mix well.

That's it! That's all it takes to make your very own (super healthy!) vegan ricotta cheese.

Fruit Pizza!

This is easy and really fun to let the kiddos help with. Let them design with all the fun colors of the fruit! You can check out my full recipe with directions HERE

This is made with cinnamon sugar and non-dairy cream cheese. It's a sweet and fruity pastry, and just as much fun to eat as it is to make

Blueberry Pancake Muffins

We really wanted muffins. I really didn't have all the stuff I usually put in my muffins. These are a hybrid of different ideas that really turned out to taste just like blueberry pancakes in the shape of muffins. Enjoy!

Recipe (makes 12 large muffins):

~1 large ripe banana

~ 1/2 cup vegan sugar

~ 1 tbsp ground flax meal

~ 2 cups flour

~ 1 tsp cinnamon

~ 1 package quick cook maple flavored oatmeal

~ 2 tsp baking powder

~ 1 tsp vanilla

~ 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

~ 1/3 cup applesauce

~ 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk

~ 6 oz container blueberries

Prep:

~ Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with non cook spray

~ Mash banana very well with a fork in a large mixing bowl. Then add the flour, oatmeal, sugar, flax meal, cinnamon and baking powder

~ Add non-dairy milk, vanilla, almond extract, and applesauce and mix until well combined

~ Gently fold in the blueberries.

~ Bake for 30-35 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Yummy Strawberry Pancakes

This is something I routinely make for breakfast and dinner. We love breakfast for dinner in our house. This recipe can be made with or without the strawberries and it is well received each and every time. With Mother's Day fast approaching, I thought I would dedicate the next few posts and recipes to yummy breakfast and brunch ideas.

Recipe (makes approximately 8 medium sized pancakes):

~ 1 tbsp flax meal

~ 2 tbsp warm water

~ 1 tsp vanilla

~ 1 cup of non-dairy milk (I love vanilla almond milk in this!)

~ 2 tbsp plain applesauce

~ 1 cup whole wheat flour

~ 2 tsp baking powder

~ 3 1/2 tbsp sugar

~ 3-4 large strawberries, diced

Prep:

~ Mix flax meal and water in medium sized mixing bowl and allow to sit for a few minutes. (This mixture acts as an egg replacement.)

~ Pre-heat medium sized frying pan

~ Add vanilla, flour, applesauce, non-dairy milk, baking powder and sugar to the flax mixture. Mix until well blended and batter is no longer lumpy. 

~ Gently fold in diced strawberries.

~ Spray pre-heated pan with non stick spray and drop 1/4 cup fulls of batter into pan.

~ Flip each pancake when the top begins to bubble and the pancake begins to rise. 

~ Top cooked pancakes with sliced strawberries and maple syrup of your choice.

These are an easy way to make your very own pancakes from scratch. I hope you enjoy them!

Mommy, I Thought we Didn't Eat Meat Anymore?

Yummy! My family's favorite "These Aren't Really Meatball" Sandwiches! These are really easy to make and even the carnivore lovin' folks gobble 'em up. This is one of the very first recipes I made when we were transitioning into our plant based diet. And truly, my funny 5 year old son made just that comment to me as he was chowing down. I had to convince him it wasn't really meat.

Recipe (serves 4):


1 package of Gimme Lean Ground Beef style grounds
2 cloves chopped garlic
Basil to taste
1-2 tsp oil of your choice (I always cook with coconut oil, but any variety will work)
4 hoagie rolls
1 26 ounce jar organic pasta sauce (we love tomato basil)
3 large mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 bag vegan mozzarella style shreds

Prep:


~ Place entire jar of sauce into a medium sauce pan. Add the mushrooms and onion and simmer on medium low heat with a cover.
~ Place entire contents of the package of Gimme lean into a medium mixing bowl. Add chopped garlic and basil and mix.
~ Roll mixture into 16 small "meat" balls
~ Pre-heat a medium sized frying pan and add oil. Brown the "meat" balls on all sides.
~ Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees (this is optional. I toast the hoagie rolls before I build the sandwiches)
~ When the mushrooms and onions have cooked and are at your desired consistency, add the "meat" balls to the sauce and gently stir until they are covered in the sauce. I like to cook the "meat" balls and sauce together for about 10 minutes.
~ Split open your hoagie rolls and toast in the reheated oven. About 4-5 minutes.
~ Spoon 4 "meat" balls onto each hoagie roll. Top with a handful of the vegan cheese shreds and voila`!

I usually serve this with a nice big salad, but you can use any side of your choice. They don't last long, and I have often doubled the recipe so that there will be leftovers the next day.