Vegan And Alkaline: Almond Butter

Source:http://innerscientist.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/vegan-and-alkaline-almond-butter/

I love almonds at this time of year, when the cold really bites and the body yearns for warm, comforting foods. I try to incorporate them into my diet as much as possible – eating them with my fruits in the morning, or soaking them overnight and eating them with honey and black pepper. That’s a must try if you feel the sniffles coming, by the way.

Almonds are generally great for the body – they are high in protein, aid digestion, lower cholesterol levels, they’re rich in Vitamin E and contain zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and others.

Almond Butter

So I’ve been wanting to make a delicious spread to eat with bread or rice crackers – kind of a healthy snack between meals. Peanut butter is too acidic and so I came across this really simple, delicious recipe which is both vegan and alkaline.

1 cup almonds – preferably roasted, as that gives them a nice crispy flavour

1/2 tbsp Olive oil

Salt to taste

Blend together and voila – you have a nutritious, delicious spread. I poured some over my fruits this morning, added some raisins and had a very yummy, filling breakfast.

View the original article here

Vegan Banana Cake

Source::http://veggielover99.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/vegan-banana-cake/

This banana cake was one of the easiest to bake.  You don’t need a fancy topping on this cake: a simple sprinkling of confectioners powdered sugar does the trick. 

 Ingredients:

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Beat together the oil and sugar with a handheld mixer for about two minutes.Add the soymilk mixture and beat until just mixed.Add the mashed bananas and beat in. Make sure there are no big lumps remaining.Add the flour to the banana-soymilk-oil mixture in 2 batches, beating in after each addition until the mixture is smooth. Do not overbeat, though. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment or wax paper. Oil the paper.Pour in the batter and bake 25-30 minutes in a 350-degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Place the cake on a rack to cool.After about 10 minutes, lift out the cake by the parchment paper and place it on the rack to cool thoroughly.Dust the confectioners’ sugar over the cake.Cut into squares and devour!

View the original article here

Vegan Substitutes

Source::http://veggielover99.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/vegan-substitutes/

Finding substitutes for animal products is perhaps the trickiest part of vegan cooking, both for a new conscious-eater, and for someone who’s been doing this a while. But it can also be a lot of fun to upend some long-held traditions on cooking and baking by using cruelty-free products and getting results that are just as good and usually healthier than their animal-infested versions.

Here is a list of the substitutes that always work.

1 EGG
(To replace more than one, just multiply)
1 tbsp of ground flax meal + 3 tbsp of water
used  most often for baked bread-cakes, like Banana Nut Bread and Zucchini Bread, and in cookies and muffins.

1/4 cup tofu
(I usually blend my tofu so it is smooth before using it. If you add it as is to a recipe, you might never be able to break the lumps. Tofu works especially well in quiches and pancakes and pastas. It is also a great replacement in scrambled eggs).

1/2 banana
(don’t use banana unless you want the recipe to be banana-flavored, as in Banana Cake.)

1/4 cup applesauce
(Applesauce also makes a baked good really moist, so it allows you to cut down on fat in the recipe. It works great in  Carrot Cake.)

Commercial powder substitutes like EnerG
(I don’t use these a lot, but they are handy at times, especially in lighter cookies, like Amaretti. Read package instructions for measures.)

**

1 CUP MILK

(With all the alternatives available, there is really no excuse to use dairy milk. Soymilk with cereal and in cakes and muffins etc, or using almond milk instead of milk in many Indian sweets)

1 cup Soymilk

1 cup Rice Milk

1 cup Almond Milk

1 cup Hemp Milk

1 cup Hazelnut Milk

**

1 CUP YOGURT(Yogurt substitutes work great in raitas and other Indian foods like biryanis which call for yogurt Commercial soy yogurts are also available in all parts of the world.)

1 cup silken tofu blended with 2 tbsp lemon juice + 1/4 tsp salt (use more or less lemon juice if you don’t want your yogurt to be too acidic.) 
Look in the regular refrigerator aisle alongside regular yogurt.

**

1 CUP BUTTERMILK
(Buttermilk substitutes can be used in any recipe that calls for it, including cupcakes, pancakes, and southern-style biscuits)

1 cup soymilk or almond milk + 1 tsp vinegar (use any you have on hand, from plain vinegar to balsamic to apple cider. Mix and set aside for a couple of minutes to curdle.)

**

1 TBSP BUTTER
(Butter substitutes, like milk and yogurt substitutes, replace all the cholesterol with healthy fats that are better for you. Of course, vegan fats also contain the same number of calories as animal fats, so don’t overdo the use of fats of any kind.)

1 tbsp vegan margarine or “butter”

1 tbsp flavorless oil

1 tbsp vegetable shortening (vanaspati in India)

**

1 TBSP CHEESE

1 tbsp nutritional yeast
(This is most commonly used in pestos, pastas etc. as a cheese substitute and it adds a wonderfully cheesy flavor. It has all the yumminess of cheese minus the bad fats, and, cherry on the icing, it is packed with healthy B vitamins.)
1 tsp miso
( this Japanese seasoning can be used all the time instead of salt and in place of cheese in pestos and soups. You can also add it to quiches, sauces, etc. Always add miso at the end of cooking, since heating miso can kill the wonderful enzymes it has that regulate your digestion).

**

OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS

There are commercial brands of vegan cream cheese and vegan sour cream (like Tofutti) that taste and acts like the original thing.
 

**

1 TBSP HONEY: 1 tbsp maple syrup (Maple Syrup can be a great flavor-enhancer in some treats like oatmeal cookies and even nut breads.)

1 tbsp agave nectar ( Agave nectar  has a low glycemic index and makes a healthy sugar substitute)

**

1 TBSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: 1 tbsp soy sauce with a smidgen of vinegar to add a slightly tangy note. Vegan versions of worcestershire sauce are also on the market, but be sure to read labels carefully.

**

THAI CURRY PASTES: Thai curry pastes are great to have on hand for quick curries, but vegans need to watch out because most off-the-shelf products contain animal ingredients. The pastes are super-easy to make at home, and you can’t beat the flavor.

View the original article here

Vegan Amaretti Cookies

Source::http://veggielover99.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/vegan-amaretti-cookies/

With a crispy, crumbly exterior and a chewy inside, these cookies, which are made mostly with almonds and which bedazzle you with their almond-y flavor, are a delicious treat from Italy.

Method:
Mix together the almond flour, pastry flour and baking powder.

In a food processor, or by hand, add to the flour mixture the sugar, the two extracts, and the egg-replacer mixture. If using a food processor, pulse a few times to mix the ingredients.

The dough will be sticky. With a teaspoon, place rounded mounds of the mixture on a cookie sheet greased well, or covered with parchment paper and then greased.

Bake in a preheated 300-degree oven about 25-30 minutes until the tops are lightly browned, and the bottoms are a deeper, richer golden-brown.

Place the sheet on a rack to cool about 10 minutes. Then, using a thin spatula, remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and place directly on the rack to cool thoroughly.

When cooled, sprinkle tops with some powdered confectioners sugar.

View the original article here

Vegan Amaretti Cookies

Source:http://veggielover99.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/vegan-amaretti-cookies/

With a crispy, crumbly exterior and a chewy inside, these cookies, which are made mostly with almonds and which bedazzle you with their almond-y flavor, are a delicious treat from Italy.

Method:
Mix together the almond flour, pastry flour and baking powder.

In a food processor, or by hand, add to the flour mixture the sugar, the two extracts, and the egg-replacer mixture. If using a food processor, pulse a few times to mix the ingredients.

The dough will be sticky. With a teaspoon, place rounded mounds of the mixture on a cookie sheet greased well, or covered with parchment paper and then greased.

Bake in a preheated 300-degree oven about 25-30 minutes until the tops are lightly browned, and the bottoms are a deeper, richer golden-brown.

Place the sheet on a rack to cool about 10 minutes. Then, using a thin spatula, remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and place directly on the rack to cool thoroughly.

When cooled, sprinkle tops with some powdered confectioners sugar.

View the original article here

Vegan Substitutes

Source:http://veggielover99.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/vegan-substitutes/

Finding substitutes for animal products is perhaps the trickiest part of vegan cooking, both for a new conscious-eater, and for someone who’s been doing this a while. But it can also be a lot of fun to upend some long-held traditions on cooking and baking by using cruelty-free products and getting results that are just as good and usually healthier than their animal-infested versions.

Here is a list of the substitutes that always work.

1 EGG
(To replace more than one, just multiply)
1 tbsp of ground flax meal + 3 tbsp of water
used  most often for baked bread-cakes, like Banana Nut Bread and Zucchini Bread, and in cookies and muffins.

1/4 cup tofu
(I usually blend my tofu so it is smooth before using it. If you add it as is to a recipe, you might never be able to break the lumps. Tofu works especially well in quiches and pancakes and pastas. It is also a great replacement in scrambled eggs).

1/2 banana
(don’t use banana unless you want the recipe to be banana-flavored, as in Banana Cake.)

1/4 cup applesauce
(Applesauce also makes a baked good really moist, so it allows you to cut down on fat in the recipe. It works great in  Carrot Cake.)

Commercial powder substitutes like EnerG
(I don’t use these a lot, but they are handy at times, especially in lighter cookies, like Amaretti. Read package instructions for measures.)

**

1 CUP MILK

(With all the alternatives available, there is really no excuse to use dairy milk. Soymilk with cereal and in cakes and muffins etc, or using almond milk instead of milk in many Indian sweets)

1 cup Soymilk

1 cup Rice Milk

1 cup Almond Milk

1 cup Hemp Milk

1 cup Hazelnut Milk

**

1 CUP YOGURT(Yogurt substitutes work great in raitas and other Indian foods like biryanis which call for yogurt Commercial soy yogurts are also available in all parts of the world.)

1 cup silken tofu blended with 2 tbsp lemon juice + 1/4 tsp salt (use more or less lemon juice if you don’t want your yogurt to be too acidic.) 
Look in the regular refrigerator aisle alongside regular yogurt.

**

1 CUP BUTTERMILK
(Buttermilk substitutes can be used in any recipe that calls for it, including cupcakes, pancakes, and southern-style biscuits)

1 cup soymilk or almond milk + 1 tsp vinegar (use any you have on hand, from plain vinegar to balsamic to apple cider. Mix and set aside for a couple of minutes to curdle.)

**

1 TBSP BUTTER
(Butter substitutes, like milk and yogurt substitutes, replace all the cholesterol with healthy fats that are better for you. Of course, vegan fats also contain the same number of calories as animal fats, so don’t overdo the use of fats of any kind.)

1 tbsp vegan margarine or “butter”

1 tbsp flavorless oil

1 tbsp vegetable shortening (vanaspati in India)

**

1 TBSP CHEESE

1 tbsp nutritional yeast
(This is most commonly used in pestos, pastas etc. as a cheese substitute and it adds a wonderfully cheesy flavor. It has all the yumminess of cheese minus the bad fats, and, cherry on the icing, it is packed with healthy B vitamins.)
1 tsp miso
( this Japanese seasoning can be used all the time instead of salt and in place of cheese in pestos and soups. You can also add it to quiches, sauces, etc. Always add miso at the end of cooking, since heating miso can kill the wonderful enzymes it has that regulate your digestion).

**

OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS

There are commercial brands of vegan cream cheese and vegan sour cream (like Tofutti) that taste and acts like the original thing.
 

**

1 TBSP HONEY: 1 tbsp maple syrup (Maple Syrup can be a great flavor-enhancer in some treats like oatmeal cookies and even nut breads.)

1 tbsp agave nectar ( Agave nectar  has a low glycemic index and makes a healthy sugar substitute)

**

1 TBSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: 1 tbsp soy sauce with a smidgen of vinegar to add a slightly tangy note. Vegan versions of worcestershire sauce are also on the market, but be sure to read labels carefully.

**

THAI CURRY PASTES: Thai curry pastes are great to have on hand for quick curries, but vegans need to watch out because most off-the-shelf products contain animal ingredients. The pastes are super-easy to make at home, and you can’t beat the flavor.

View the original article here