Spinach and Kale Pierogis with Cripsy Paprika Onions and Sauerkraut Aioli

For the Crispy Paprika Onions:

1 onion

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

Vegetable oil for frying

Peel and thinly slice the onion into half rounds. Whisk together the flour, paprika, baking powder, and non-dairy milk. Toss the thinly sliced onions in the batter to coat. 

Heat oil to 365 degrees F. 

Fry onions till nicely browned. Season with salt. Drain on paper towel. 

For the pierogis:

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1 teaspoon "The Vegg" egg replacer

4 ounces vegan sour cream

1/4 cup kale or spinach (I used a combo of both)

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Place the water in the bowl of a food processor. With the processor running, add in the flax seed and "Vegg" egg replacer. Blend for 3 minutes. Add in the sour cream and blend till combined. Add in the kale and spinach and blend till smooth. Add in more if needed to get a nice bright green color. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add into the food processor with the liquid ingredients and blend till a soft dough forms.

Transfer to a lightly flour surface and knead for about 5 minutes, incorporating more flour if needed to from a smooth dough that is soft but not sticky. Wrap with plastic and set aside till ready to use. 

For the filling, you need about 1 cup of cold mashed potatoes. Making this when you already have leftover mashed potatoes is great since they will already be cold! If you need to make them specifically for this recipe, just peel and dice 2 to 3 potatoes. Place in a pot and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook till potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Strain and place potatoes in a bowl. Mix with a couple tablespoons of vegan butter and a couple tablespoons of vegan cream cheese (Trader Joe's has the best vegan cream cheese!!!). Add in some grilled onions and garlic. Let mashed potatoes cool before filling pierogis.

Roll the pierogi dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 3 inch rounds using a biscuit cutter. Place a small amount of mashed potatoes in center of each round. Brush the edges with water. Fold over and press the edges to seal. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the pierogis for about 5 minutes. Remove from water. 

Heat a couple tablespoons of vegan butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Brown the pierogis on one side. 

For the sauerkraut aioli, combine 1/2 cup Veganaise with 1 tablespoon sauerkraut. And for the slaw, toss some thinly sliced red cabbage with lemon juice and olive oil. 

To serve, place crispy onions on a plate, arrange the pierogis over the onions. Serve with the aioli, slaw, and some lemon zest. 

Small Batch Vegan Bourbon Peach Cobbler with Ginger Coconut Whip

For the cobbler:

1/2 cup peaches
1/4 cup sugar, divided in half
1/8 to 1/4 cup bourbon to taste
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup non-dairy milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, combine peaches, half the sugar, and bourbon. With pan off the stove, turn flame to medium. Return pan to burner and cook for about 10 minutes till the sugar is dissolved.

Meanwhile, melt the vegan butter in a small 5 or 6 inch round casserole dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, and non-dairy milk. Pour directly into the casserole dish with the melted butter. Gently spoon the peaches right on top of the batter. Pour most of the remaining liquid over the batter. I like to save some of this peachy syrup to pour over the top after the cobbler is baked.

Place in pre-heated oven and bake for about 40 minutes (depending on oven) till nicely browned. Serve with ginger coconut whip!

For the coconut whip:

Spoon the solid coconut cream off the top of 1 refrigerated can of full fat coconut milk. Whip with a couple tablespoons of powdered sugar to taste and about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger. If the coconut whip is too soft, place in freezer to firm up for a few minutes and then whip again.

Vegan Spanakopita

For tahini quinoa tabouleh:

1/2 cup white quinoa
1 cup water
1 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
1 small tomato, diced

In a small sauce pan, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in tahini. Let cool completely. Stir the parsley, mint, and tomato into the quinoa.

*For the tofu "feta":

7 ounces extra firm organic tofu
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Add in the cubed tofu and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Divide in half. Some will go into the spanakopita and reserve some to garnish on top.

For the spanakopita:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
16 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted, as much liquid removed as possible
1/4 cup Trader Joe's vegan cream cheese
3.5 ounces tofu "feta" (the half you reserved earlier)
1/2 pound filo pastry
1/4-1/2 cup vegan butter

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium. Sauté diced onion for about 3 minutes. Add in garlic. Cook another minute or so. Add in spinach. Cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Add in vegan cream cheese and lightly crumble in the "feta". Both should be cold so it will help cool down the spinach quickly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll phyllo dough. For the phyllo, cut into 11 by 3 inch rectangles. Keep phyllo covered when not using to avoid the phyllo drying out.

Lay one of your rectangles on a flat surface. Using a pastry brush, cover with melted vegan butter. Top with another rectangle of phyllo and brush with butter. Repeat until you have 6 layers of phyllo in total.

Place about 2 tablespoons of spinach mixture onto one end of the phyllo rectangle. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle. Continue to fold over, forming a triangle each time. (Check youtube if a visual is more helpful). Once you have folded up the whole rectangle, brush the top with more melted vegan butter. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Continue this process until you have used up your phyllo sheets.

Bake for 25 minutes till golden brown, turning over halfway through. This helps to make sure both sides get browned. Let cook slightly before serving.

To plate, spread some beet hummus on a plate. (I used Trader Joe's beet hummus because I had it on hand but just add some beets and lemon juice into your regular hummus recipe for the same result) With a sharp serrated knife, gently cut the spanakopita in half. Place in the center of the hummus. Sprinkle on some tofu "feta", some of the quinoa tabouleh, and some sliced kalamata olives.

(*The leftover tofu "feta" marinade makes an awesome dressing for salads as well!!)

Flaky Scallion Pancakes with Peanut Ginger Dipping Sauce

For the scallion pancake, I used this recipe from SeriousEats.com

You will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup boiling water

Up to 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

2 cups thinly sliced scallions

1/4 vegetable oil

Place flour in a food processor. With the food processor running, gradually add in about 3/4 cup of the boiling water. If the dough comes together and sticks to the blade, you have added enough water. If not, add more a little a time till the dough forms a ball.

Cover and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. 

Divide dough into 4 balls. On a lightly flour surface, roll a ball to about an 8 inch circle. Lightly brush with sesame oil. Starting at one end, roll up like a jelly roll, then twist roll into a tight spiral. (Think like an old fashioned lollipop) Flatten gently with your hands and roll out into an 8-inch circle again. Brush lightly with sesame oil, top with 1/2 cup scallions. Roll up again like a jelly roll, twist roll into a tight spiral, gently flatten with hands, and roll out into a flat circle. Repeat this process with the other 3 balls of dough.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high. Fry each scallion pancake on each side till golden brown, using tongs to keep the pancakes moving. Drain on paper towels and cut into triangles. 

For the dipping sauce:

3 tablespoons tamari

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons mirin

3 tablespoons jungle peanut butter (regular peanut butter works just fine)

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

 

Vegan Valentine's Day Cake

Vanilla cake with champagne buttercream, topped with chocolate covered strawberries and marzipan hearts.

For the strawberries, wash and dry about 10 small strawberries. Place a small bowl over a larger bowl full of hot water. Place about 3 ounces of dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips. Let sit and stir over the hot water till the chocolate melts. Dip each strawberry in the melted chocolate and place on a sheet of parchment paper to set.

For the cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup vegan butter

3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour and baking powder.

Combine non-dairy milk and vanilla extract.

Cream together the vegan butter and sugar.

Add in dry and wet ingredients to the creamed butter/sugar mixture and mix just till combined. Pour into greased and flour baking pans. I used two 4-inch rounds. 

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes depending on oven. Let cool 15 minutes and remove from pans. Cool completely.

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup vegan butter

1 to 2 tablespoons champagne

Cream together the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Add in the champagne. Add if too thin, add in more sugar, if too thick, add in more champagne. 

To assemble, place 1 cake round on plate. Top with a good layer of buttercream. Top with the other cake. Finish by placing a few chocolate covered strawberries on the top along with a few little roses. I also made some marzipan hearts colored with an all-natural pink food coloring from WholeFoods. 

Quinoa Buckwheat Porridge

Quinoa buckwheat porridge topped with maple chocolate glazed dates, coconut flakes, ground flax seeds, walnuts, fresh berries, and a drizzle of maple chocolate syrup.

For the dates, I just placed a few tablespoons each of maple syrup and apple juice with about 4 pitted dates. Bring to a boil and let simmer till the syrup reduces and thickens. Add in a couple teaspoons of cocoa powder and mix to make a chocolatey syrup. This mixture is very sweet from the syrup and apple juice so I don't add any sweetness into the porridge itself. 

For the porridge, combine 3 cups liquid (any combination of water and non-dairy milk) with 1/4 quinoa and 1/2 buckwheat cereal. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes

Vegan BBQ Tofu Santa Fe Salad

BBQ tofu salad with black beans, corn, tomatoes, baked chili tortilla strips avocado, BBQ sauce, and vegan ranch dressing.

For the strips, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Thinly slice 2 corn tortillas into strips. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes till lightly browned. Let cool. 

For the tofu, I used organic non-GMO extra firm tofu, cubed, and seared in a little olive oil. Then tossed with a vegan BBQ sauce that I got from Whole Foods. 

I tossed together the blackbeans, diced tomatoes, and corn. Then placed them over some greens. Finish off with a pile of the tortilla strips and a good drizzle of BBQ sauce and ranch.

Vegan Burrito Bowl

Garlic tomato rice topped with walnut tofu sofritas, tangy red cabbage slaw, mango corn salsa, avocado , fresh tomatoes and vegan sour cream.

For the rice: Place about 1/2 cup tomatoes, half of a roughly chopped onion, and 2 cloves of garlic into a 4 cup liquid measuring cup. Fill to 3 1/2 cups with vegetable broth. Add this mixture to a blender and blend till smooth. Place mixture into a large pot. Add in 2 cups of long grain rise (rinsed first). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Take off heat. Remove lid, place a clean towel over the pot and replace lid. Let sit for another 10 minutes. 

For the sofritas, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add in 1/2 of an onion diced, 1 diced poblano pepper (roasted, skins and seeds removed), and 1 clove of finely chopped garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add in 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts and 1 cup crumbled extra firm organic non-GMO tofu. Add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegan organic taco seasoning, and a 1/4 cup water. (The taco seasonings tend to have salt so if you are using a store bought taco seasoning like I did, don't add any extra salt) Stir to combine and simmer for a few minutes. Add more water if necessary. 

For the mango corn salsa, combine 1/4 cup finely diced mango, 1/4 cup roasted corn, 2 tablespoons diced red onion, a teaspoon finely minced jalapeño, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. 

For the slaw, toss together some shredded red cabbage with fresh lime juice, a dash of raw sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, place rice in your bowl. Layer on some sofritas. Top with red cabbage slaw, fresh diced avocado, mango corn salsa, diced tomato, and a some vegan sour cream. 

Vegan Apricot Chia Scones

Vegan apricot chia scones with whipped coconut

1 tablespoons ground flax seed

2 tablespoons water

2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute GF)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon organic chia seeds

1/3 cup sugar

6 tablespoons vegan butter (I like Harvest Award brand because it is palm oil free) 

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flax seed and water. Set aside. 

Add the flour, baking powder, chia seeds, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add in cold vegan butter and pulse about 10 times. 

Stir together the flax mixture and the non dairy milk. Add in the liquid ingredients and the chopped dried apricot into the flour mixture and pulse just till combined. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Pat out dough to about an inch thick. Cut out rounds using a biscuit cutter. Place an inch apart on parchment lined. baking sheet. Brush each scone with the wash mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes till golden brown. Serve with jam and coconut whip (the solid coconut cream from the top of a refrigerated can of coconut milk whipped with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar) 

For the wash: Combine 1 tablespoons organic corn syrup, 2 tablespoons water, and 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch.

Vegan Potato Skins

Vegan potato skins stuffed with jalapeño mash, topped with Heidi Ho Vegan Nacho Chia Cheese, lime Veganaise, candied coconut "bacon", and scallions.

For the candied coconut bacon:

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke 

2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened and not shredded)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine liquid smoke, soy sauce, maple syrup and brown sugar in a small same pan over low heat. Once sugar is melted, add in the coconut flakes and bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes or so until the liquid thickens a bit. Pour this mixture out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 6 to 10 minutes depending on oven. This can burn quickly so just watch it carefully. Let cool completely till it is slightly crunchy and sticky and then chop up into bits. Set aside. 

For the potatoes:

8 to 10 small red skinned potatoes

2 tablespoons Trader Joe's vegan cream cheese

1 tablespoon vegan butter, plus extra for brushing

1 jalapeño

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry potatoes. Poke a few small holes into each potato with a fork. Place whole potatoes directly on rack in oven and back for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn heat up to 450 degrees.

Let potatoes cool about 10 minutes. Slice in half. Scoop out most of the potato from each half, leaving about 1/4 of an inch, and careful not to break through the skins. To the potato that you just scraped out, add in the cream cheese, vegan butter, and finely diced jalapeño to your taste. I used about a teaspoon. Mix to combine and set this mixture aside. 

Brush the potato skins with melted vegan butter on all sides. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet cut side down, skin side up. Bake in 450 degree oven till lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip over. 

Divide the prepared jalapeño mash evenly among each potato skin and place back in oven for about 10 minutes.

Top with some melted Heidi Ho Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce, lime Veganaise (just add 1 tablespoon lime juice to 1/4 cup veganaise), some of the candied coconut bacon, a sprinkle of pepper and paprika, and scallions.