Simple Edamame Hummus

This is a great high-protein, multi-purpose spread that you can serve with veggies and crackers or put in a wrap. High-protein snacks like edamame keep your energy up and keep you feeling full.

What you'll need:

• 3/4 cup edamame, shucked
• 2 cups fresh spinach, tightly packed
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. asian chili sauce (use less or none if you're not a fan of spice)
• sea salt, sprinkle
• black pepper, sprinkle

What to do:

Steam the edamame until it's bright green and thawed if you're using frozen. In a food processor, combine the steamed edamame and the rest of the ingredients, and blend until smooth. 

You'll never buy premade hummus again.

Makes about two cups.

Vegan Creamy Cashew & Poblano Pepper Soup

I originally posted this recipe for cream of cashew & pepper soup on my old blog last winter. I noticed that it was consistently getting traffic, and because I no longer update that blog, I've decided to repost it here.

It's still one of my favorite recipes, because it incorporates spice and savor, and leaves you feeling satisfied.

When my friend Tim brought me a bowl of cream of poblano soup from his restaurant two years ago, it was love at first bite. I hadn't yet given up dairy, but I loved that it was meat-free and still satisfying. I asked him to send me the recipe the other day because I was craving the soup, and when I learned that it contained a lot of butter and heavy cream, I decided to improvise. I'm so glad I did, because what I've got now is a creamy, vegan version of this perfect, spicy winter soup. I've decided to share it in hopes you guys will try it out for yourselves!

Vegan Cream of Cashew & Poblano Soup

Ingredients

• 4 oz vegan butter (I use Earth Balance brand, but there's plenty others on the market)
• 2.5 oz flour
• 64 oz. vegetable stock
• 1 baking potato, peeled and cubed
• 5 medium, diced poblano peppers (about 1 lb.)
• 1.5 cups chopped celery
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1.75 c. cashew cream (you can find this at the store, but for a cheaper alternative I've included a simple recipe below)

Directions

1. Melt vegan butter in a sauce pan on low heat.
2. Add flour to melted butter; whisk together until smooth.
3. Add vegetable stock and bring to a simmer at high heat.
4. Add potatoes, poblanos and celery. Reduce to low heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30-35 minutes.
5. Strain out vegetables.
6. Place vegetables in a blender with 2 cups of the liquid. Blend until smooth. Repeat until all vegetables and liquid have been blended. (Be careful not to overfill like I did. I ended up with green liquid all over my kitchen the first time!)
7. Return blended mixture to a clean sauce pan. Add salt and bring to a simmer.
8. Remove from heat. Add cashew cream slowly and stir well.

This recipe makes about 8 servings and can be garnished with vegan cashew cheese or a real dairy Mexican cheese (Tim's recipe calls for cojita). I decided to put a slice of pobano and vegan sour cream on instead.

Cashew Cream

Use this as a vegan substitute for sour cream or heavy cream— in any recipe! It's so delicious I could eat it with a spoon.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Place cashews in bowl and pour boiling water to cover. Let sit 30 minutes.
2. Drain cashews and blend with salt, vinegar, lemon juice and 1/4 cup cold water.
3. Add water until pureed. 

That's it! Enjoy your soup. Love each other, and animals. 

Recipe: Vegan Banana Bread

Banana bread is one of those things in life that everyone needs once in awhile.

Like a back massage. Or an entire bottle of wine.

But hang on, sista. Before you tell the cashier at the bakery to ring you up for a thick slice of the stuff in the glass display, consider making your own egg-free, dairy-free version at home. You'll be able to pronounce all the ingredients, too.

This recipe is 100% perfect and is great for the bananas that have been sitting on your counter and are way brown and questionable.


What you'll need:

• 1/4 cup plain non-dairy milk
• 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegan butter 
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• sea salt
• 3/4 cup walnuts, optional

How to do it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mash the butter and brown sugar together until it has even consistency.

Whisk together the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let that sit for a few minutes. (Make a phone call, send a few texts, whatever.)

In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and a sprinkle of sea salt. Add the walnuts if you dig them.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until the mixture is smooth.

Pour into a floured loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. 

Let cool for five minutes before you pull the bread out or eat it all. 

Banana bread does it better.

Vegan Dark Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

My aunt Sandy is an excellent hostess. At any function, whether it be a holiday party or a casual get-together at her lake house, she always provides an atmosphere that makes you feel at home. She really goes above and beyond not only to make sure that everyone's having a good time, but that everyone is well-fed... and amused while they're well fed. This past Thanksgiving, for example, she made penguins out of olives, cream cheese and carrots, a task I'm sure took hours— just for the presentation! Somehow, though, she manages it every time.

As an adult, I want to make sure that I elicit a similar feeling when someone comes to my house. I may not be at the point of making turkeys out of bell peppers and cucumbers, but I'd like to at least play the part of a good hostess. So, when I found out our friend was coming to visit from Chicago for the week, I took it as a sign to try out a new recipe for dark chocolate coconut cookies. Because, uh, everyone loves cookies and whenever my house smells like baked goods I know I've done something right.

And even though the majority of the food I cook is vegan, that doesn't mean other people don't love it. With any recipe, I want to make sure that it's not so out there as to be unappealing to people who aren't used to vegan food, and simple substitutions allow just that.

Which brings me to this recipe for dairy-free, egg-free dark chocolate chip coconut cookies.

What you'll need:

• egg replacer to equal to 1 egg*
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

*I use Ener-G Egg Replacer

How to do it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a food processor, blend the egg replacer, butter, sugar, vanilla and cocoa powder until smooth and set aside. 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, coconut, and chocolate chips. Add the butter mix and stir until well incorporated. 

 

Roll dough into balls and lay out on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Let them cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet before taking them from the cookie sheet.

This recipe will make about 15 cookies, so double it if you have lots of guests! 

Recipe: Vegan Eggplant Chutney with Basil & Quinoa

Sometimes it gets colder outside and you just want to eat something warm. Other times, you realize you bought a perfect eggplant a week ago and you'd better use it soon or you may as well just throw away the money you spend on wasted produce. And sometimes, these two occasions fall on the same day, so you have to figure out kill two birds with one stone.

That day was today, which brings me to this fairly simple, cold-weather recipe for eggplant chutney with basil & quinoa. 

What you'll need:

• 1 eggplant, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 zucchini, julienned
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into ribbons
• 1 cup quinoa

How to do it:

Combine the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup of water in pot or dutch oven (thanks for the recommendation, Gary) on the stove. Mix in the cumin and cayenne pepper, and bring it to a boil. 

Once it's bubbling, fold in the eggplant, onion and tomato pieces. Reduce the heat, cover it and let it simmer for forty-five minutes, stirring occasionally.

While your chutney is simmering, add a half cup of water to a separate skillet and toss in your julienned zucchini. Turn the heat on low, and cover. Let it cook, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, get your quinoa going. Always use 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa. I generally buy Nature's Earthly Choice because it's quick, taking only 15 minutes, but depending on how long yours takes, you might want to get this going first, as some kinds can take up to an hour to cook.

That's it! Everything should finish cooking around the same time. Top with the fresh basil ribbons (which I hope you're growing in a windowsill herb garden by now... haven't you learned anything from this blog?) and a bit of salt and pepper. I also topped it with some bite-sized corn muffins I had in the oven while the rest was on the stove, which added a southern kick to this hearty stewed chutney.

Recipe: Vegan Banana Chocolate "Ice Cream"

Dairy is a real bummer because:

a) It's a fattening agent for baby cows and YOU ARE A HUMAN, not a cute lil' calf,
b) Our society raises us on it so we think it's normal to drink the breast milk from a COW, and
c) It's full of sugar and forces your pancreas to go into overdrive, which means insulin is invading your bloodstream and tissues (see: weight gain. see: diabetes. see: wacky metabolism.)

And, okay, I sound like a real debbie downer because uhhh hello ice cream parties and bad breakups and whatever else we are conditioned to believe that eating processed and frozen corn syrup is NORMAL. Ugh. Whatever - don't get me started on social norms.

So what do we doooooo, party pooper Ashlee?

Say hello to my little friend, the banana.

BORING, you scream! We don't want your bananas!

Yeah, you do. Especially when the banana fell behind your coffee pot and is now overripe and brown and questionable. Cut that guy up and throw him in tupperware in your freezer. (Because you don't really still use plastic bags, do you?)

Let that sit for, like, two hours or twenty-four, but at least two. Grab some raw cocoa powder (the kind you use for baking works) and put a tablespoon with the frozen banana in a food processor or blender. Turn it ON.

Top with peanuts or some sea salt. It's seriously so good you'll probably die. Death by bananas.

Now when you've got a sweet tooth or when your faaaaavorite Tinder match doesn't text you after your date, you can still have the comfort of ice cream without all the bullshit that's in that tub of Ben & Jerry's.

Get creative! Dried fruits or chunks of vegan cookies are good folded in, or use it to top a vegan brownie. Oh my god, I'm a genius.

But if you stick with the simple banana & cocoa powder, you're looking at a low 100 calories. And they're calories you can use because, hello, mister fiber.

Now go, live in frozen banana heaven.

You can thank me later.

Recipe: Vegan Ranch Dressing

I am one of those people that likes my ranch in heavy doses. Salads, wraps, as a dip, whatever. I want that familiar dill taste, and I want a lot of it.

But the ranch we all know and love is unfortunately not only not vegan, but it's also effing terrible for you. So whether you're trying to live cruelty-free or just slim down, this recipe for vegan ranch will be a staple.

It also tastes even better than the stuff you grew up on. For real for real.

This recipe will yield 1 1/4 cups, so you might want to double or quadruple it, or multiply the ingredients by seventy, depending on your needs...

What you'll need:

• 1 cup vegan mayo*
• 3 tbsp. soy milk
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley
• 1.5 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. dill**
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. dried garlic
• sea salt, black pepper to taste

*Veganaise or Just Mayo are the two brands I see most often. If you can't find either of these, combine 1/2 cup soft tofu and 2/3 cup soy milk in a blender and puree until smooth.

**The fresh or the dry stuff, whatever you've got.

How to do it:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth. Really complicated, I know.

Store in a container for up to 3 weeks in the fridge. Make sure you stir it up well when you use it after storing.

Recipe: Vegan Apple & Squash Bisque

This warm weather soup showcases the abundance of nature during a Midwestern fall... so naturally, I had to bring it to the south. It's light but filling and will keep you satisfied. Savory and sweet, you'll want to keep this one handy in your freezer for the colder months ahead.

What you'll need:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 4 cups apple juice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

How to make it:

Prehead your oven to 375.

On a baking sheet, combine the apples, squash, and onions. Drizzle your oil over the mix and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, until everything's tender and smelling fantastic. Make sure you keep and eye on it and turn it over a few times throughout the roasting process. 

Those colors, though. 

Let that cool for 10 minutes.

Combine your roasted fruit and vegetable mix with the vegetable stock and apple juice and puree until completely smooth. You might have to do it in batches. 

Transfer everything to a stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and thyme and let everything simmer for 20 minutes.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and serve immediately. Once it cools, refrigerate for up to a week. It will also keep well in the freezer for up to two months— but trust me, it won't last that long.

Makes 8 cups! 

Recipe: Vegan Coconut Macaroons

I made these bite-sized cookies for girls' night last week and they were snapped up fast. This recipe makes 9-10 macaroons, but you might want to double it if you're entertaining more than a few dainty ladies (or  if you have a vicious sweet tooth.)

What you'll need:

• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar*
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup vanilla almond or coconut (or other non-dairy) milk
• Vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup nondairy chocolate chips**

*Huh? Turbinado sugar is a raw brown sugar that has been partially processed to the point where only the surface molasses has been melted off. It has a mild flavor.

**You can use regular chocolate chips if you don't care about keeping this recipe vegan.

How to make them:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the sugar, shredded coconut, and whole wheat flour in a bowl. 

Add your nondairy milk and a splash of vanilla.

Mix everything together and shape into balls.

Bake on a non-stick cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes, until light brown. Let cool 10 minutes.

Heat up your chocolate chips in a pan and drizzle it over your macaroons, or dip for a neater presentation.

Try not to eat the whole batch. I dare you. 

Recipe: Restaurant Style Salsa

Megan and I hosted girls' night last week. Of course that meant snacks, and drinks, and playing Clue until 10pm when Megan accidentally revealed that it was Mr. Green in the Conservatory with the Rope before any of us actually had a chance to make a guess. But it's all good— we had fruit and guac and macaroons and, thanks to this recipe, a TON of this simple salsa.

Adjust and add spices to your liking! 

What you'll need:

• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
• 4 jalepenos, diced (leave seeds in if you like it spicy)
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
•  salt, to taste
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

How to do it:

Put everything together in a food processor or blender and pulse until it's at a consistency to your liking. Pulse only a few times if you like it chunky and similar to pico-de-galllo; pulse 10 or so times if you like it thin like me! 

Recipe: Green Kale & Quinoa Bowl With Vegan Tahini Dressing

This recipe takes less than twenty minutes and is packed with nutrients: quinoa is one of the best plant-based options for protein, and it's naturally gluten-free. Enter kale— this dark, leafy veg is a boss when it comes to vitamins, minerals and fiber (yes, the hype is real!). Zucchini is low-calorie and high in vitamins, and edamame adds even more plant protein.

The tahini dressing can be whipped up in under two minutes and is a perfect balance of sweet and savory with only three ingredients. You can make more and keep it in your fridge to use later as a salad dressing. (Trust me, when you try it, you'll want to make more.)

What you'll need for the dressing:

• 1/4 cup tahini
• juice from one lemon
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• sea salt, to taste

What you'll need for the bowl:

• 1 cup quinoa, cooked
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup edamame (fresh or frozen)
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• black pepper, to taste
• sea salt, to taste

What to do: 

Whisk your dressing ingredients together and set aside.

Cook your quinoa in a medium-sized pot, about fifteen minutes or until all the water is absorbed. (Use two cups water per one cup quinoa.)

While that's cooking, in a separate pan, heat up your coconut oil, and saute your garlic and onion for five minutes, or until both start to become translucent. Add the zucchini and edamame, and cook for an additional three to five minutes, or until the zucchini begins to soften. 

Add the kale last and cook for an additional two minutes.

Put some cooked quinoa in a bowl and top with your veggie mix. Drizzle two tablespoons of your tahini dressing. Munch.

This recipe makes 2-3 servings (depending on how hungry you are!) and keeps well in the fridge. Enjoy!