Usually people think that it’s hard to get your belly full with vegan food. But that’s definitely not true! Also the dishes that in their original version are quite heavy and filling, made vegan can still fill you up very quickly. Just in a healthier way! And without causing any harm to animals, of course. A great example of such a dish is my easy vegan Shepherd’s pie.
Originally this dish is made with meat and vegetables that are covered with mashed potatoes. My vegan Shepherd’s pie is made with lentils instead of meat. In case you wonder, if the flavor is identical to the classic Shepherd’s pie – it’s not. Simply because lentils don’t taste like ground beef, ha ha! But at the same time, I can reassure you that the flavor of this vegan Shepherd’s pie is so rich, that you will be more than satisfied with the outcome!
How to prepare easy vegan Shepherd’s pie
This recipe contains quite a lot of ingredients, so you might think that it’s hard to make it, but that’s not true! All the ingredients are easy to be found in any supermarket or local farmers’ market. Of course, it takes some time to prepare this vegan Shephard’s pie, but at the same time it’s not a dish that you’ll prepare every day. It’s perfect for holidays or special events where you need to demonstrate your cooking skills. And not just that! You can also demonstrate your creativity by making a nice “drawing” in the mashed potato layer. Sounds confusing? Well, then let’s find out how to make this easy vegan Shepherd’s pie!
First, you’ll need to prepare the mashed potatoes, by mashing boiled potatoes together with vegan butter or margarine, rosemary, lemon zest and salt. Then you’ll cook all the vegetables together with mushrooms, herbs, balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. At the end you’ll need to mix in the lentils, flour and vegetable stock and cook all the mixture until it turns slightly thick. After that it’s time to make your oven do the magic. In a baking dish as the first one you’ll put all the lentil and vegetable mixture, which then you’ll cover with the mashed potatoes. Here you can choose either you want to create some pattern in your potato layer with a spoon or fork, or simply leave it evened out. The baking dish then goes in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the mashed potato layer becomes golden brown.
Other simple and mouthwatering vegan recipes
Like I said, my easy vegan Shepherd’s pie is a very rich and flavorful dish that will definitely leave your guests impressed by your cooking skills. But there are also many other vegan dishes that are not just filling, but also very delicious and easy to make. For example, if you love potatoes, you will probably like my recipe for crispy garlic Hasselback potatoes with spicy bell pepper dip. Or maybe you’re more a pasta lover. In that case you should try my vegan cannelloni with roasted bell peppers. Or, if you prefer a juicy and visually beautiful vegetable dish, I suggest you my easy vegan Ratatouille. All these recipes have one thing in common – they all contain simple ingredients. And according to Specky, the simplest things (or vegetables) in life are the best ones… or in this case – the tastiest ones!
Dedicate a bit of your free time to make my vegan Shepherd’s pie – you won’t regret it! Because this Shepherd’s pie is:
-
vegan
- easy to make
- juicy
- flavorful
- filling
- creamy
- full of plant-based protein
- deliciously aromatic
- visually appetizing
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Healthy oven-baked vegan onion rings
This recipe was posted on: 15/04/2020
When I think about onion rings as a snack, the first thing that pops in my mind is “unhealthy”. Why? – Because usually onion rings are fried in oil. But not this time! As you already understood from the title, these healthy oven-baked vegan onion rings are not fried in oil. They are baked in the oven, in such a way completely excluding the usage of oil.
Of course, I don’t call my vegan onion rings healthy because they will improve your health. I do that because they are healthier in comparison to the deep-fried onion rings. Also the fact that they are vegan definitely makes them healthier than the traditional onion rings. So, if from time to time you have a desire for a fast food type of snack, now you know that you can make a healthier version of it. Let’s find out how!
How to make healthy oven-baked vegan onion rings
To make these healthy oven-baked vegan onion rings you’ll need five ingredients – onions, aquafaba, flour, breadcrumbs and spices. In case you don’t know what aquafaba is, it is the liquid from canned chickpeas. That’s right! – The same liquid that probably you always throw away, but that for vegans is a valuable food product. In general, aquafaba can be used not only in salty snacks, but also in desserts. But this time let’s concentrate on the onion rings. So, to make them, first you need to slice the onions and then separate the onion layers with your fingers. Then you must prepare three containers – one that contains flour, one that contains aquafaba and another one that contains breadcrumbs mixed with spices. The choice of spices is completely up to you! Use the ones that you like the best or simply stick to just salt and pepper.
When all the ingredients are prepared, start coating the onion rings! First, coat them with flour, then dip them in aquafaba and after that coat every onion ring with breadcrumbs. Place the prepared onion rings on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes. Your healthy oven-baked vegan onion rings will be crispy, low-fat and very delicious! I advise you to eat them while they are still warm. But they taste good also cold.
In Specky’s opinion the only tasty thing this time was the parsley that I used as a decoration for the photoshoot. The same thing happened when I made beetroot and spinach hummus rolls. But don’t pay attention to him! He’s a bunny, so he obviously prefers different things than us, humans.
But now don’t wait any longer! Try these onion rings and discover by yourself that they are:
-
crispy
- easy to make
- vegan
- healthy
- oven-baked
- low-fat
- dairy-free
- egg-free
- flavorful
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Creamy vegan lime and avocado cheesecake
This recipe was posted on: 31/03/2020
Almost everyone loves cakes – that’s a fact! Some people love sweet cakes, others – sour and refreshing cakes. But the common thing is that it’s very hard to find a person that will say “no” to a cake. This creamy vegan lime and avocado cheesecake is perfect for people who give preference to refreshing and delightfully sour cakes.
In my opinion, the best part of this creamy vegan lime and avocado cheesecake is the fact that it doesn’t need to be frozen. I have always discarded an idea to make a vegan cheesecake, because most of them require freezing. I really don’t like the thought of a cake that is frozen and then thawed to be eaten. So, I decided to create a vegan cheesecake that becomes solid in fridge. Once it’s ready, whenever you have a wish to enjoy a slice of cake, simply take it out from the fridge and indulge in the refreshing creaminess.
Nutritional value of the creamy vegan lime and avocado cheesecake
Probably you know that during processing many valuable nutrients, that the food products contain, are lost. Unfortunately, also by freezing the products, you lose part of vitamins and minerals. But since this creamy vegan lime and avocado cheesecake doesn’t require freezing, all the valuable nutrients stay in the cake. And I must admit that this vegan cheesecake is really healthy from the nutritional point of view! For example, avocados contain good amount of vitamins K, B5 and B9 as well as such minerals like copper and potassium. Lime has a very high concentration of vitamin C. It is considered that one lime can provide up to 32% of the required daily dose of vitamin C. Cashews instead are a great source of copper, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. Besides that, they contain also a decent amount of vitamin K.
Also the crust of this creamy vegan lime and avocado cheesecake is rich in nutrients. Almonds contain big amount of vitamin E and decent amount of other vitamins – B1, B2, B3, B9. They are rich in manganese and contain good amount of magnesium, copper, phosphorus, calcium, iron and potassium. Also dates are a great source of different minerals and vitamins. They contain potassium, manganese, magnesium and copper and vitamins B5 and B6. Basically, this vegan cheesecake is not just another dessert out of many. It is also a delicious way how to nourish your body with vitamins and minerals!
How to prepare creamy vegan lime and avocado cheesecake
The preparation process of this vegan cheesecake is very easy. Blend together the ingredients for the crust and press the mixture in your chosen cake form. Then blend together the ingredients for the creamy mixture and pour it in the created crust. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but better overnight. After that enjoy it whenever you want!
The crust of this vegan cheesecake is quite sweet because of the dates, while the creamy part is a bit sour thanks to the lime juice. Together it makes a perfect equilibrium of both flavors by leaving a sweet and sour aftertaste in your mouth. If you like the mix of sweet and sour, try also my fruit filled vegan chocolate candies made with pomegranate seeds and dried apricots. My baby bunny Specky in general likes fruit that is a bit sour. But in this case lime, I guess, was too sour for his taste buds. That’s why he decided to treat himself with some juicy orange! Yes, yes… I know – he is a spoiled little boy!
Even though the making of a vegan cheesecake might seem difficult, it actually is not! Make sure of it on your own by making this lime and avocado cheesecake that is:
-
vegan
- creamy
- refreshing
- easy to make
- nutritious
- healthy
- not frozen
- silky smooth
- deliciously aromatic
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Vegan pecan braided buns
This recipe was posted on: 20/03/2020
Even though pecan nuts are not the most popular nuts, they still don’t deserve to be forgotten. Being visually and taste wise somehow similar to walnuts, people tend to use more often the second ones. Pecan nuts are definitely not the most economic snack in the world. But for this recipe no other type of nuts are better than pecans. That’s why let me introduce you to vegan pecan braided buns that can become your new favorite sweet treat or breakfast snack.
I don’t know if where you live sweet buns are a common thing or not. But in my home country Latvia they are. Even though Latvians usually prefer savory breakfast, we eat a lot of sweet buns as a snack. If you ever go to Latvia, you should definitely visit some bakery to understand how common this culture of eating sweet buns is for us. Actually, this recipe for vegan pecan braided buns is simply a vegan version of well-known Latvian pecan buns that originally are not vegan.
Nutritional value of pecan nuts
Pecan nuts, despite being quite fat (just like any other nuts), contain many valuable nutrients. They contain a bunch of different kind of minerals, like copper, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, calcium and selenium. But apart from that they contain huge amount of manganese. Manganese is important for us, because it contributes to our bone, brain and overall health. Apart from minerals, pecan nuts contain also some valuable vitamins. For example, they contain big amount of vitamin B1 and a decent amount of other vitamins, like B5, B6 and others. But pecan nuts are not the only ones that are good for our body. So, in case you’re searching for other recipes that include nuts, try my vegan cranberry and walnut muffins or my easy vegan rye cookie sticks, that contain hazelnuts!
How to prepare vegan pecan braided buns
To make these vegan pecan braided buns you’ll need vegan puff pastry, dairy free spread or margarine, a bit of cinnamon, some oil for brushing the buns (but you can also use melted dairy free spread or margarine), maple syrup and, of course, pecan nuts. The most time-consuming part is the creation of the buns. But once you have learned how to prepare the first one, the others will seem very quick and easy to make. Basically, you start by making the filling. Put all the ingredients, except the puff pastry, in a food processor and blend them together. After that you need to make several cuts in the puff pastry pieces. Then put a bit of the filling in the middle of each piece and create a braid by crossing the puff pastry strips over the filling. Check out the pictures below to understand the process better.
Once all vegan pecan braided buns are prepared, brush them with oil or melted dairy free spread/margarine and bake in the oven until ready. Once out of the oven, over each bun pour a bit of maple syrup and sprinkle some roasted pecan nut pieces. And that’s it! Your sweet pecan buns are ready to be enjoyed both warm and cold.
Specky in general doesn’t understand this human need for sweet treats. Of course, he likes carrots because they are sweet. But at the same time, he doesn’t become desperate if during his day he hasn’t eaten anything sweet. That is why, while I was baking these vegan pecan braided buns, Specky decided to do something, according to him, more useful, which is – playing hide and seek with his daddy!
Discover new flavors by preparing these pecan braided buns that are:
-
vegan
- easy to make
- sweet
- nutty
- deliciously aromatic
- sticky
- flavorful
- nourishing
- comforting
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Healthy fennel protein salad
This recipe was posted on: 09/03/2020
Do you also have some specific food products that you constantly see in a shop but never buy, because you don’t know how to use them? Well, for a long time for me such a food product was fennel. While living in Latvia, I basically never used it. But since in Italy it’s quite popular, I was somehow pushed to include it in my daily menu. And that’s one of the reasons why I created this healthy fennel protein salad recipe!
Protein probably is one of the most popular things that non-vegans are concerned about. Yes, yes, I didn’t make a mistake – I really meant non-vegans, not vegans. Why? Because vegans know very well that you can get protein from plants without big effort. And this healthy fennel protein salad is a great example of it. But not just of that! With this salad you can fill your body also with other valuable nutrients.
Nutritional value of healthy fennel protein salad
First and foremost, I want to point out fennel’s contribution into keeping our digestive system healthy. It helps eliminate excess gas and it regulates our intestinal health in case of some unwanted situations, like, diarrhea or constipation. Apart from that fennel, just like lemon juice, contains a lot of vitamin C, which makes it valuable for our immune system. And it contains also a tiny bit of protein. Quite big amount of protein can be found in red beans and walnuts, which also are the ingredients of this salad. Besides that, walnuts contain good amount of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamins B1, B6, C and E, and minerals – manganese, copper, magnesium and phosphorus. Leeks instead have antibacterial and antifungal features. They contain several vitamins like A, C and K, and minerals like iron, manganese, copper and zinc.
Another valuable ingredient of this healthy fennel protein salad is carrot. Carrots are very rich in vitamin A and fiber, which means that they’re good for our eyesight, skin and our digestive system. Radishes instead contain good amount of vitamin C, while blueberries are rich in vitamin K and they contain good amount of manganese. Besides that, blueberries are considered to contain the biggest amount of antioxidants compared to other fruits and berries. And then there’s also parsley – the king of vitamin K! So, with this salad your body gets not only protein, but also a bunch of many other valuable nutrients.
How to make healthy fennel protein salad
Since the preparation process of this recipe includes mostly just cutting the ingredients, probably the most difficult thing for you could be finding the fennel, in case it’s not very popular where you live. But I really suggest you to try a little bit harder to find it, because it gives a very specific flavor to this salad. What regards the preparation process itself, you simply need to cut and mix all the ingredients together, pour over them the oil and lemon juice mixture, and your healthy vegan salad is ready!
Specky in general loves almost all the ingredients of this recipe. But parsley and blueberries are definitely his favorites. That is why during the photoshoot he couldn’t decide what exactly to eat, because it was all so delicious for him! And not just for him – this healthy fennel protein salad is really a filling, refreshing and delicious dish for everyone! Not only for vegans.
If you realize that you like the flavor of fennel, be aware that you can eat it also cooked. In case you need some ideas, try my caramelized oven-roasted vegetable recipe! But before that, definitely try this fennel salad that is:
-
vegan
- healthy
- easy to make
- full of protein
- nutritious
- filling
- refreshing
- juicy
- low-fat
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Yeast-free vegan seitan pies with leek
This recipe was posted on: 17/02/2020
People who are not familiar with Latvian cuisine, probably won’t understand easily what exactly yeast-free vegan seitan pies with leek are. Probably the closest comparison would be with empanadas. But basically, it’s a vegan version of a delicious snack that Latvians eat mostly around Christmas. The original version unfortunately contains animal products, but the thing that I have learned as a vegan, is that you can veganize basically everything. The only thing that you might need is a little bit of creativity!
What is seitan
Before we dive into the recipe, it’s worth to talk a bit about seitan. A food product that might be unfamiliar not only to non-vegans, but also to some new vegans. So, in short, seitan is a food product made of wheat gluten. Vegans use it, because its flavor and texture resemble meat. And that means that it can be very useful as a meat substitute when you need to veganize a meat dish. Like in this case the yeast-free vegan seitan pies with leek. Unfortunately, seitan is not suitable for people who are allergic to gluten. But at the same time, it can be a good alternative for vegans who cannot eat soy. You can prepare seitan at home by buying the wheat gluten powder, or simply buy seitan in a food store. Nowadays it has become so popular that you shouldn’t have any problems to find it.
How to prepare yeast-free vegan seitan pies with leek
The preparation process of vegan seitan pies might take a bit of time, but trust me – the result is worth it! The filling of the pies is very simple – seitan, leek and spices. Seitan and leek need to be cut in tiny pieces and cooked in a frying pan together with spices of your choice. Easy, right? Equally easy is also the preparation of the dough. You just need to mix together flour, oil, water and salt. No yeast, as you probably already understood. That means that you can start to work with your dough immediately. The making of the seitan pies is simple – roll out the dough, place a teaspoon of the filling close to one of the edges, fold the dough over the filling and create a half moon form with a glass. Continue with the rest of the ingredients.
Once you have used all the dough and all the filling, brush some oil and water over the pies. If you want, sprinkle over some seeds for extra flavor. Then put seitan pies in the oven and bake until ready. And that’s it! Enjoy these yeast-free vegan seitan pies with leek as a simple snack between meals. Or follow my suggestion and eat them together with some delicious vegan soup. A great option for this can be my creamy vegan potato leek soup!
As you could’ve already imagined, Specky is against these kinds of snacks. With that I mean snacks that he cannot eat. So, in these cases I treat him with some other delicious things. For example, with a fresh and crunchy romaine lettuce leaf!
In case you have never prepared anything with seitan, but you’ve always been curious about it, this is your chance! Prepare these seitan pies with leek that are:
-
vegan
- easy to make
- yeast-free
- perfect together with soups
- filling
- flavorful
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Beetroot and spinach hummus rolls
This recipe was posted on: 06/02/2020
Very often people who have no idea what veganism is, assume that vegans eat only salad. Other people, who know at least something about vegan lifestyle, probably have heard that some food products vegans consume quite often, for example, hummus. But hummus with vegetable snacks or a simple toast with hummus after a while can become boring. That’s why I decided to create something more interesting. In this case – beetroot and spinach hummus rolls!
Beetroot and spinach hummus rolls are actually a super simple vegan snack. The only difference is that the classic hummus is mixed with beetroot and spinach in order to obtain a different color and flavor. And the toast is not simply a slice of bread, but it’s transformed in a tube. You might ask – why make already delicious food more difficult? Well, first, the creation of this snack is actually very easy. And second – it’s simply a way how to make your party snacks more visually appealing! If you don’t want to make the rolls, simply spread these delicious two types of hummus on a slice of bread! Or try my avocado toast with fresh radishes.
How to make beetroot and spinach hummus rolls
First, let me say that when I make hummus at home, I don’t use tahini (sesame seed paste). Originally hummus contains it, but in my opinion, it tastes great also without it. And since it’s not that easy to always find tahini in every food store, I give my preference to keeping things simple. So, for this hummus you’ll need chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, boiled beetroots and fresh spinach. You need to blend all the ingredients, except beetroots and spinach, in food processor. That’s how you make the classic hummus. Then you need to split the obtained amount of hummus in half. One part you blend together with boiled beetroots and the other one with fresh spinach. And that’s how you make two types of delicious vegan hummus!
To make the bread rolls you simply need several slices of toast bread. Cut off the crust, roll out each slice with a glass to make it flat and create a tube. Use toothpicks to help the bread keep the desired form and put the rolls in the oven for some minutes. Once the bread rolls are golden and crunchy, they’ll maintain the form without the toothpicks. And then the only thing left to do is to fill the bread rolls with beetroot hummus from one side and spinach hummus from the other. So that everyone, who tastes these beetroot and spinach hummus rolls, have the possibility to enjoy both types of hummus with one snack. By the way – if you become a professional roll filler, I suggest you to continue practicing with my vegan cannelloni recipe!
Why you should prepare these beetroot and spinach hummus rolls
Well, the answer is easy – because they are super delicious! But apart from that they are great not only as a party snack, but also as a breakfast dish for people who give preference to savory breakfast. Just instead of making the rolls, toast your slice of bread until it’s golden and crunchy and then spread on half of it the beetroot hummus and on the other half – the spinach hummus. All the ingredients of this recipe are rich in valuable nutrients and can help you improve your immune system. To serve these beetroot and spinach hummus rolls you can use ingredients that add extra nutrients to this dish. For example, serve them with fresh parsley, chives or dill. To decorate my hummus rolls, I used fresh dill, but Specky was not that supportive of this idea… Actually, he demonstrated his disapproval by trying to eat all my decorations!
If also you like to surprise your guests with visually impressive vegan snacks, this recipe is perfect for you! Or, it will suit your needs also if you’re simply searching new ways how to prepare hummus. No matter what’s the reason, you should definitely try these beetroot and spinach hummus rolls that are:
-
vegan
- easy to make
- healthy
- slightly spicy
- visually appealing
- nutritious
- perfect for breakfast and parties
- creamy and crunchy at the same time
- deliciously colorful
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom and spinach gravy
This recipe was posted on: 28/01/2020
There are so many ways how to use potatoes, mushrooms, spinach and many other food products. You can make soups, stews, oven-baked goods etc. But sometimes it’s not actually necessary to work until complete exhaustion in the kitchen just to prepare something delicious and filling. Sometimes the simplest food products prepared in the easiest way can give you a divine meal. And these vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom and spinach gravy is the perfect example of it!
Vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom and spinach gravy is a meal that will definitely fill your belly. Its rich flavor will make your taste buds happy and the simple preparation process won’t make you tired. Actually, this recipe is so easy to make that you can easily prepare it also after a long day at work. A day after which our hands reach for something that usually is not healthy for us. Don’t harm your body just because you’re tired and you think that preparing a nutritious meal will take a lot of time and energy! Instead learn how easy it is to prepare these vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom and spinach gravy.
How to prepare vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom and spinach gravy
For the vegan mashed potatoes you’ll need oil, salt, non-dairy milk without added sugar and, of course potatoes. The preparation process is easy – boil the potatoes, then mash them together with non-dairy milk, salt and oil. And that’s it! Your vegan mashed potatoes are ready! Fortunately, also the preparation of vegan mushroom and spinach gravy is very simple.
For the vegan gravy you’ll need mushrooms, spinach, onions, vegetable stock, oil, salt and a bit of flour. Start by cooking the onions in small amount of oil, then add mushrooms and spinach. When the ingredients are cooked, add flour and vegetable stock to make the gravy. When the gravy is exactly as thick as you like, adjust the salinity to your taste by adding some salt. And once again – that’s it! With few simple steps that can be executed at the same time you can prepare both things – mashed potatoes and vegan gravy. In case you like the combination of potatoes and spinach, you must try also my recipe for potato and spinach vegan pancakes.
Nutritional value of vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom and spinach gravy
Even though none of the ingredients used in this recipe fall into the superfood category, still this meal can give your body valuable nutrients. For example, potatoes contain vitamins C and B6 and minerals – iron and potassium. White button mushrooms are considered to be good for the heart since they contain a decent amount of copper. Copper is known to help our body produce new blood cells. These mushrooms are also rich in selenium, zinc and potassium, as well as they contain vitamins B2, B3, B5 and B6. Besides that, white button mushrooms are very low in calories and they can improve our immune system. Spinach instead contain vitamins A, B2, B6, C, E, K, and such minerals as manganese, magnesium, calcium and iron. As you see, at the end the nutritional value of this meal actually is very good!
If you follow my recipes already for a while, you have probably noticed that my bunny Specky usually tries the ingredients before I cook them. But only if he can eat them, of course. In this case vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom and spinach gravy are not suitable for him. So, he decided to not waste his time in the kitchen. Instead he went out to play. But I guess he saw that I was preparing something with mushrooms. Otherwise I have no explanation for his attempt to visually transform himself into something similar to a mushroom…
If you like mushroom flavor, prepare these vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom and spinach gravy. This meal is:
-
vegan
- easy to make
- creamy
- healthy
- filling
- nutritious
- flavorful
- deliciously aromatic
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Vegan beetroot ice cream with chocolate pieces
This recipe was posted on: 18/01/2020
Ice cream in general is considered to be a snack or a treat – basically something that you should not eat on a daily basis. But what if I told you that you can create an ice cream that is not only vegan, but is also very healthy and that can provide your body with many valuable nutrients? Hard to believe that it’s true? Well, then let me introduce you to my vegan beetroot ice cream with chocolate pieces!
I must admit that the first time I made vegan ice cream, I was skeptical about its flavor and consistency. I thought that it will have a very powerful banana flavor since it’s made mainly from frozen bananas. But to my surprise the banana flavor is actually not that strong. Of course, you feel it, I’m not going to lie, but it’s definitely not disturbing. And the consistency really is exactly like the one of a dairy ice cream. If you don’t believe me, just try it by yourself. It’s very easy to prepare it! As easy as my vegan raspberry-chocolate chia pudding!
How to prepare vegan beetroot ice cream with chocolate pieces
Even though the preparation process of vegan beetroot ice cream with chocolate pieces itself takes around 5 minutes, there are two things that you need to have ready beforehand. One is banana that needs to be already frozen. And the other one is beetroot that needs to be cooked before, in case you don’t have a juicer. If you have a juicer, feel free to extract the juice from fresh beetroot. But if you don’t, simply boil the beetroot in advance, cool it down, then grate it and squeeze out the juice. Or simply buy already boiled beetroot in a food store.
Once you have all the necessary ingredients, you just need to put the frozen banana pieces in a powerful food processor and blend them until a thick mixture that resembles ice cream is created. Then add to it the beetroot juice and blend it together for a few seconds until all the mixture has a beautiful dark pink color. Then the last thing to do is simply to mix in tiny chocolate pieces. You can serve the vegan beetroot ice cream with chocolate pieces immediately or put it in the freezer for later.
Nutritional value of vegan beetroot ice cream with chocolate pieces
Even though this vegan ice cream contains only 3 ingredients, all of them are very good for our health. For example, a good quality dark chocolate with a high percentage of cacao (at least 70%) is considered to be one of the best sources of antioxidants. Beetroots instead contain many minerals – manganese, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. In terms of vitamins, beetroots are rich in vitamin B9 and contain also good amount of vitamin C. Also bananas are a great source of many valuable nutrients. They contain vitamins B2, B6, B9 and C and such minerals as manganese, potassium and magnesium. Specky in general is not that attentive to his health. It’s mommy and daddy’s task to take care of it. But he is very attentive to his taste buds. For him this recipe would be perfect if it contained only fresh bananas!
I know that this recipe was published during winter in Europe. But who says that you should have ice cream only in summer? If you want to eat a delicious vegan ice cream while being covered with a warm blanket, I say that you should do it! And now you also know that it’s very easy to prepare ice cream at home that is:
-
vegan
- healthy
- dairy-free
- easy to make
- nutritious
- full of vitamins
- flavorful
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
Vegan cranberry and walnut muffins
This recipe was posted on: 22/12/2019
There’s nothing better than something sweet and homemade that can be prepared in a very short amount of time. These vegan cranberry and walnut muffins are not only easy to prepare, but also very delicious, made of simple ingredients and they are perfect for the holiday season. Enjoy these muffins with a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and give yourself the well-deserved moment of relax.
How to prepare vegan cranberry and walnut muffins
The preparation process itself is very easy. You start by making the vegan buttermilk, which means, mixing together non-dairy milk with apple cider vinegar. Then you need to mix together all the dry ingredients, except walnuts and dried cranberries. To create the dough, you must add the vegan buttermilk and oil to the dry ingredients, mix everything well together and then at the end you need to mix in the cranberries and walnuts. When the dough is ready, simply fill your chosen muffin forms with it and bake the muffins in the oven. You might wonder why the vegan buttermilk is necessary. Well, in order to make your muffins rise and be fluffy, the dough contains both baking powder and a bit of baking soda. To avoid that the baking soda gives your muffins soapy aftertaste, you need to use the apple cider vinegar.
In case it’s not that easy for you to find dried cranberries, feel free to substitute them with other dried fruit or berries that you like. Or, if during summer you have created some stock of frozen cranberries, feel free to use those instead of the dried ones. The only difference is that in case you use fresh or frozen cranberries, you might need to increase the amount of sugar. Dried cranberries are sweeter than fresh ones, so, in case you’re making this change, to avoid that your muffins turn out not that sweet, always taste the dough before baking the muffins. In any case it’s vegan, so it’s safe to try the dough even in an uncooked state.
Vegan cranberry and walnut muffins – perfect for Christmas
If you think about both ingredients – dried cranberries and walnuts – don’t they make you immediately think of Christmas? For me they do. And that’s why this recipe popped into my mind exactly in the holiday season. Even though dried fruit and berries usually contain sugar, which means that they should be eaten with moderation, in Christmas you can eat them more, right? I mean, some muffins won’t harm your figure. And neither your health, because walnuts, for example, contain many valuable nutrients. They contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamins B1, B6, C and E, and minerals – manganese, copper, magnesium and phosphorus. And above all, these muffins definitely won’t harm any animal, since they don’t contain animal products. It’s a great feeling to know that your holiday meal does not have a price of animal sufferance!
Also Specky is happy for the fact that these Christmas muffins are vegan. But he’s even happier for the approaching Christmas itself, because he knows that in this time of the year he also gets some gifts! Actually, his happiness sometimes makes him very impatient, like it was during the photoshoot, when he wanted to check all his gifts without waiting for Christmas eve.
If also your level of patience is as low as Specky’s, create a Christmas atmosphere in your kitchen already now by baking these deliciously aromatic cranberry and walnut muffins that are:
-
vegan
- easy to make
- flavorful
- perfect for the holiday season
- chocolaty
- nutty
- nourishing
- comforting
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!