Tag: plant based

Recipes

Hearty Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Pepita Cream Recipe

Miche

Now that temperatures are just starting to dip below the 80s here in California, I’ve been getting excited for soup season. I’ve been particularly pining for pumpkin soup to meal prep for work, but noticed that all the recipes I’d found weren’t nearly hearty (read: starch filled) enough to get me through the day.

So, I came up with my own! I wanted to add as much starch, protein, and fiber as possible while staying true to pumpkin soup flavor & texture, so I decided to add my favorite secret soup ingredient: chickpeas. Not only do they pump up the nutrition, but they make the soup really creamy.

This experiment once again confirmed my conviction that chickpeas are magical, and can and should be added to just about everything. (Including oatmeal–it’s good, I swear!)

Oh, and I whipped up a cream to top the soup with that looks and tastes fancy, but is super easy.

Did I mention this recipe takes only takes 20 minutes to make, and a serving (1/3 of it, about ~400 cals) has 19 grams of fiber and 24 grams of protein?!

Serves 3

Soup Ingredients:

  • 2 – 15 oz cans pumpkin puree
  • 2 – 15oz cans chickpeas
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 big cloves garlic
  • 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk (preferably light canned coconut milk)
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vegan chicken bouillon (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Topping ideas: cranberries, pumpkin seeds, roasted chickpeas

Directions:

  1. Sauté onions and garlic until onions are translucent.
  2. Combine all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.
  3. Heat the soup on the stove or microwave when ready to serve.
  4. Add toppings, and enjoy!

 

Pepita Cream Ingredients (optional):

  • 1/4c dry roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4c raw cashews
  • 1/2c water

Directions:

  1. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Add more water, 1 tbsp at a time, if desired for thinner consistency.

Bonus: it can also double as a creamy pumpkin pasta sauce.

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Recipes

Decadent Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Miche

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

I finally got my hands on the new Reddi-wip vegan whipped cream, and for my first time trying it, I wanted to make something a bit extravagant where whipped cream is a key ingredient: so I went with strawberry shortcake. My fiancé found a nonvegan recipe online, and we made it vegan and changed the method to make it easier—and it has turned out amazing every time! It’s now our go-to when we want a fun brunch.

We’ve also served it to nonvegan friends with rave reviews!

Vegan strawberry shortcake

Makes about 16 shortcakes

Ingredients

Shortcake

  • 4 cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 cups vegan butter (for dough)*
  • 1/4-1/2 cup vegan butter (for pan & topping)
  • 1 1/4c vegan heavy cream, half and half, or coconut cream

Toppings

  • 2 pints strawberries
  • ½ cup sugar
  • Vegan whipped cream

*Our favorite vegan butter is Miyokos, and we add a bit of extra heavy cream to make up for it being a bit less wet than most vegan butters. Depending on the brand you use, you may need to add more heavy cream or non-dairy milk to make the dough smooth and moist enough.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Slice strawberries to your desired size, crushing some of them if you prefer more juice rather than whole strawberry pieces. Mix with 1/2 cup of sugar, and set aside while you make the dough to let it produce strawberry syrup.

Make the shortcakes:

  1. Stir flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 3/4 cup of softened butter, and use your hands to rub it into the dry ingredients. Add 1 1/4 cups cream, and mix to a soft dough. Add more cream (or nondairy milk) as necessary to achieve a smooth ball of dough with no cracks.
  2. Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes in the bowl, then roll it to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter or jar (mine was about a 3″ diameter), cut an even number of rounds.
  3. Use some of the remaining butter to grease a baking sheet. Lay the rounds out on the sheet, leaving some space between them. Melt remaining butter, and brush it evenly on top of the rounds.
  4. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Make sure not to brown the bottoms beyond a golden light brown color.
  5. Serve warm. Top shortcakes with strawberries and whipped cream, and enjoy!

I would love your feedback if you try it! I would also love to see your posts–if you make it and tag me @veganmiche on Instagram, I’ll share your post! 🙂

 

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Recipes

Vegan Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe

Miche


Easter is coming, which means it’s time for (more) baking!

I tried to make my fiancé a replacement for his favorite vegan lemon tart that the store stopped carrying, and we ended up with something even better: these lemon cheesecake bars.

They’re like a cross between cheesecake and lemon bars: creamy cheesecake texture with bright lemon bar flavor and crust. It’s a match made in heaven.

If you like cheesecake and lemon bars, you’re going to love these!

Makes an 8″ round pan

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter (I highly recommend Miyoko’s)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Combine ingredients in a bowl, and massage butter and lemon juice into sugar and flour until it forms an even dough, without lumps.

Line an 8″ round pan with parchment paper, and press the dough into the pan. Bake at 350 for 15 mins. Remove from oven and let it cool for a few minutes.

Filling

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • 1 cup and 2 tbsp coconut cream*
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 5 tbsp maple syrup
  • Powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

Blend all ingredients except powdered sugar until completely smooth and creamy, with no pieces of cashew left intact. (If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you may want to soak the cashews for several hours before making these.) Pour into half baked crust and bake at 350 for 20-25 mins, until edges start to crack. Remove from oven to cool for 30 minutes, then transfer to fridge. Let cool overnight, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and enjoy!

*Coconut cream is the hard part at the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk that has a butter-like consistency; not the liquid. You can also buy cans of pure coconut cream.