Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: walnuts

Vegan Lentil Walnut Burgers

I make veggie burgers a lot at work, but for some reason not much at home. Maybe it is because there are only a few types of veggie burgers that appeal to me, and to me most veggie burgers are nowhere near similar to meat burgers. Not that I ever miss meat, in fact it grosses me out. But I used to be a big burger eater back in high school before my veggies only days. Nothing beat a big juicy burger at that point. I finally came up with a veggie burger that I think is much better than those meat burgers ever were, and I am sharing that recipe with you today.

It is a lentil walnut burger. I love lentils, they are a staple in my diet, and so it is no surprise that I used them in this burger recipe that I enjoy most. I have used them in loaves and meat balls, so it seemed right. They are neutral, and pack protein and fiber so what’s not to love?! I combined them with heart healthy walnuts as well as a few other savory ingredients and the mixture itself tasted delicious even before I baked them.

I don’t have a grill and I don’t like to fry things in oil in a pan and risk the burgers falling apart, so yes I baked my burgers. Which is actually the easiest no fuss way to make them. And they smelled wonderful. They were served up like classic burgers with some home made ketchup and they were so much better than any meat burgers I ever tried as a kid. These got a big thumbs up.

Vegan Lentil Walnut Burgers
Serves 4

Burgers:
2/3 cup uncooked French lentils
filtered water
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp tamari or shoyu
1/4 cup organic tomato paste
1 Tbsp miso paste
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats (or as needed)

To make the burgers, add the lentils to a pot, and cover them with enough water to have a few inches above the lentils. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 40 minutes until the lentils are tender. Drain, and set aside.

In a pan, heat the olive oil and onions, and cook until the onions are softened and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sautee a minute more until fragrant. Add to a food processor, along with lentils, and all other loaf ingredients. Pulse until everything is blended but not completely smooth (if it seems too sticky add some more oats).

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment. Shape into 4 burgers (they will be a little sticky) and set on the pan. Place in the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes until set.

June 8, 2016
Vegan Lentil Walnut Meat Loaf

I was never a huge meatloaf fan when I was younger. Probably because I did not like the meat itself, and it was unappealing and greasy looking to me. But vegan lentil loaves are another story. Back when I was in high school I remember having a really good one from a local co op. It looked like traditional meatloaf but it was vegetarian. I made my own once as well for Thanksgiving when I wanted a main dish, it had wild rice and mushrooms in it as well as the lentils. It was wonderful. But I didn’t have a blog at that point to share it with everyone. The only other time I made lentil loaf, it was a raw one, and it turned out awful. I did not like how it tasted at all and it ended up in the garbage. That was supposed to be for Thanksgiving but I ended up just making a hearty salad for dinner. Just goes to show not everything always turns out perfect that I make. Anyways, that is my history with making lentil loaves. I never really had a recipe that was something I would make often because it seemed like so much work. But I just remedied that on my day off.

I decided to make a lentil loaf, because a little while back, my Mom had enjoyed some she bought at the local co op and asked if I could make some. Took me a while to do so, but I finally did. It ended up being way less time consuming than I thought. Really not a lot of hands on time, just cooking time. Lentils are a big staple in my diet, so cooking them is like second nature. I added in the usual meatloaf ingredients like onions, garlic, and tomato paste but I also added walnuts for more protein and texture. Oats held these together but you could not tell they were in there once they were all finished. I topped them off with a simple glaze, but not ketchup this was a less sugary tomato maple glaze. They were baked in mini loaf pans so that they cooked faster and were easier to portion out.

They smelled amazing and tasted even better. My Mom loved them and said that they were even better than real meatloaf! They are really pretty easy to make, even with a couple steps that they have, and they are perfect served with mashed potatoes and green beans!

Vegan Lentil Walnut Meat Loaf

Serves 4

Loaf:

2/3 cup uncooked French lentils
filtered water
1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp tamari or shoyu
1/4 cup organic tomato paste
1 Tbsp miso paste
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup gluten free rolled oats

Glaze:
2 Tbsp organic tomato paste
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup filtered water or as needed

To make the meatloaf, add the lentils to a pot, and cover them with enough water to have a few inches above the lentils. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 40 minutes until the lentils are tender. Drain, and set aside.

In a pan, heat the olive oil and onions, and cook until the onions are softened and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sautee a minute more until fragrant. Add to a food processor, along with lentils, and all other loaf ingredients. Pulse until everything is blended but not completely smooth.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and oil two mini loaf pans. Spoon the loaf mixture into the pans, smoothing the top, and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the glaze ingredients, whisking in a little more water if it seems too thick. Once the meatloaf has cooked for 30 minutes, brush the glaze over it and return it to the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

April 20, 2016
Vegan Mushroom Walnut “Meatballs” with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

My Mom’s Birthday was a few weeks back, and she didn’t ask for a cake, but instead vegan meatballs. You see, I have made mushroom meatballs before and my Mom loved them so much she requests them every so often for special occasions. I made some for Christmas last year. I usually make them with red sauce, but this time she wanted them in a gravy. Also, she wanted mashed potatoes. She loves my mashed potatoes so much she says they are even better than my Grandma’s, which is a huge compliment. I don’t know if I agree, but coming from her it means a lot.

What I ended up making was a mushroom gravy with the mashed potatoes, because I feel like mushrooms add so much delicious flavor, and it echoed the flavor of the meatballs themselves. For the mashed potatoes, I made them creamy and fluffy with coconut milk. I served it with peas because it seemed right for this veganized classic comfort food meal. Mom loved it, and that made me happy!

Vegan Mushroom Walnut “Meatballs” with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes
Serves 3-4

Meatballs:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
3 cups chopped crimini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts
1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats, or as needed
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp sea salt

Mashed Potatoes:

4 cups cubed russet potatoes

sea salt to taste

1/4 cup coconut milk or as needed

Gravy:

1 tsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 cups filtered water

1 1/2 Tbsp tamari

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp white miso

3 Tbsp arrowroot starch dissolved in 3 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp coconut butter

Preheat the oven to 400F. To make meatballs, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute until fragrant, then remove from heat. Place mixture in a food processor along with walnuts, oats, nutritional yeast, and sea salt. Process until smooth. Add a little more oats if too sticky, then shape into 16 little balls and place on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until heated through, and starting to brown.

Meanwhile, place the russets in a large pot of salted boiling water on the stove, and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender, and drain. Add sea salt to taste, along with the coconut milk and mash until soft, adding a little more milk if desired.

To make the gravy, sauté the mushrooms and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat, then add the remaining ingredients except the arrowroot starch and coconut butter. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the arrowrootstarch mixture and cook until thickened, whisking. Then add the coconut butter and whisk until melted.

Once the meatballs have finished cooking, place them in the gravy and toss to coat. Serve with the mashed potatoes.

April 27, 2015
Raw Walnut Thyme Cheese Flatbreads with Sun Dried Tomatoes

I love nut cheeses, they always turn out delicious and in my opinion better than real cheese. Plus my stomach is happier than if I had eaten the traditional. But I tend to make the same ones every time, either macadamia nut or cashew. Which are amazing. But since I am one that likes variety I decided that I needed to change it up and make one with another type of nut. I know other people use almonds, but I love walnuts since they have a high ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 oils and they are so buttery and rich tasting. So I decided to try them in a cheese. My Mom had just given me a pot of herbs for Easter, since she knows me better than anyone, and she knows that I love receiving a bouquet of herbs more than flowers…so I thought I would use some in the cheese and make it herbed with thyme.

It turned out wonderful! The color was a little like pate or something, but don’t let that keep you from trying it out, it tasted amazing. I added in a little garlic as well, and probiotics as I often do in cheeses to give them the tang of traditional goat cheese. It is wonderful on crackers, but I made little flatbreads with it (using my cracker recipe), topping them with the cheese, some sun dried tomatoes and fresh thyme. It was altogether delicious!

Raw Walnut Thyme Cheese Flatbreads with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Makes 12

Walnut Thyme Cheese:

2 1/2 cups raw walnuts, soaked for 4 hours and drained

1 garlic clove

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

1/8 tsp sea salt

1 tsp powdered probiotics

Crust/Crakers:

1 cup ground flaxseeds

3/4 cup whole flaxseeds

4 scoops Sprout Living Simple Signature Pumpkin Seed Protein Powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 3/4 cups filtered water

1 cup sun dried tomatoes, rehydrated

2 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

zest of one large organic lemon

pinch sea salt

fresh thyme leaves

For the chevre, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into a container with a lid, and set in a warm place overnight.
Once it has become tangy in flavor, place in the refrigerator to chill completely.
For the crust, whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl until well blended, then spread out on a lined dehydrator tray in a big square about 1/8 inch thick.
Dehydrate at 115F for 2 hours, then score into 12 squares with a knife. Continue to dehydrate until completely dry, about 22 more hours.
Toss tomatoes in a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice and zest and a little sea salt.
To assemble the flatbreads, spread some of the chevre onto each flatbread,
Top with the tomatoes, making sure they are drained well, then top with a little of the fresh thyme.
Serve immediately!

April 20, 2015
Raw German Chocolate Chia Porridge

I always have some sort of porridge for breakfast during the week, whether it be oatmeal or chia porridge. I am pretty plain with it most of the time, with the chia porridge simply using coconut water and topping it off with bananas and ground flax seed. But sometimes I like to give it a little pizazz and make something that will make me excited for breakfast. Like chia seed porridge with a flavor! Like German chocolate! Which is what I decided to make last week. Something a little decadent and something that would be more exciting than my usual bland breakfast. The best part is it can be made the night before so no rushing in the morning to prepare it!

I used a coconut milk base made chocolaty with raw cacao and sweetened with date paste for a little bit of a caramel flavor. Then I topped it off with the things I would use in German chocolate cake, walnuts and coconut like in the frosting, plus more cacao nibs for some intense chocolate crunch action. I am a big texture person, so it was important for me to have crunch topping off my soft chia porridge for me to really enjoy this as much as I possibly could. It was simply heavenly. I will leave it at that!

Raw German Chocolate Chia Porridge

Serves 2-3

2/3 cup chia seeds

2 cups raw coconut milk

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

3 Tbsp raw date paste or maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Toppings:

raw walnuts, large flake coconut and raw cacao nibs

Whisk together the chia seeds, coconut milk, cacao powder, maple syrup, and vanilla in a bowl until well combined. Let sit at least 30 minutes at least or cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, top with walnuts, coconut and chia seeds!

April 14, 2015
Raw Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Walnut Butter

I am a big fan of making your own nut butter at home. Not only is it usually more cost effective, but you can create new blends of nuts that you would not find in a store. Sometimes I make flavors with dessert in mind like Raw Pecan Brownie Batter Butter or Raw Sugar Cookie Dough Butter, and other times it is just a blend like Macadamia Coconut Butter (which are all heavenly by the way).
This last week when I was making nut butter I wanted something a little in between. I had been grinding up pumpkin seeds at work for a recipe (I work in a deli), and I thought some pumpkin seed butter might be interesting. I had never tried it and I am always up for trying something new. I went for it when I got home and I was craving something a little sweet so I decided that maple and cinnamon would be lovely in the nut butter. I ended up adding in a few walnuts as well to make it more creamy, and some coconut sugar for low glycemic sweetness.

It ended up tasting amazing and has since become something that I stir into my morning oatmeal. I enjoyed the pumpkin seeds so much that I decided to create a savory version as well that I have the recipe for below the sweet one. The savory nut butter is great for making a quick salad dressing. I think I will keep using pumpkin seeds often in my daily use nut butters because they are cost effective (way cheaper than other nuts), packed with nutrients and yummy!

Raw Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Walnut Butter
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

3 cups raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw walnuts
3/4 cup coconut sugar (or you may use maple sugar)
1/4 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract

In a high speed blender, combine the seeds and nuts and blend until smooth (alternatively this can be done in a food processor but it takes a lot longer and will most likely not get as smooth). Add the coconut sugar, sea salt, cinnamon vanilla, and maple extract and blend until smooth. Store in a jar.

Variation: Savory Pumpkin Seed Walnut Butter
Omit the sugar, vanilla and maple and replace the cinnamon with 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried thyme and 1/2 tspground chipotle powder.

This savory nut butter makes a wonderful dressing if you combine 1 cup of the nut butter, 1 cup water 1 garlic clove, and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender and blend until smooth. I like to keep a bottle of this in the fridge for salads.

March 14, 2015
Vegan Maple Oatmeal Walnut Pear Scones

I work in a deli, and my coworker often bakes scones. They all smell amazing, and I think they are my favorite thing to have sitting next to me on the cooling rack because the heavenly aroma they give off makes me happy. I used to make a lot of scones at home, but sadly, it has been a while since that last batch.

I haven’t baked scones in years actually, and I figured it was about time I revamped my old recipe and healthified it to fit my standards. Because they were sounding so good to me! So, one night last week when I wanted something warm from the oven, scones it was! I have been wanting to try scones made with oat flour in place of regular flour and coconut oil in place of the butter for a while, so now was my chance. Would they behave like my other scones did in the oven? Or would the coconut oil melt too much?

Turns out they baked up beautifully! I ended up making pear scones, since I had a lovely perfectly ripe pear sitting on my counter. I added in oats for substance, walnuts for crunch and maple just because I love the scent of it with oats and fruit. These smelled amazing while baking and tasted even better. I think they may even be more delicious than my old scones!

Vegan Maple Oatmeal Walnut Pear Scones
Makes 8

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp gluten free oat flour
1 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, cut into chunks
1 cup cold full fat orgainc canned coconut milk (whisked until smooth if chunky)
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract
2 medium sized ripe, organic pears cut into chunks
1/2 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped
coconut milk for topping
coconut sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 with the rack set at the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the coconut oil with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture starts to clump into pea sized pieces. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla and maple extract into the coconut milk. Add the coconut milk to the dough, and stir a few times, but do not overmix. The dough should hold together when squeezed, but still be clumpy. fold in pears and walnuts until evenly distributed. place dough on a floured work surface, and shape into a 4 inch wide log. Use a bench scraper to cut into trianges. There should be about 8. Place scones on the prepared baking sheet, reshaping slightly if necessary. Brush the tops lightly with the coconut milk, and sprinkle with coconut sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown (after about 15 minutes you may need to reshape with 2 bench scrapers if the scones are spreading, then place back in the oven). Cool on a wire rack.

March 3, 2015
Vegan German Chocolate Cookies

A lot of times when I decide to make things, it is on a whim. That was how it was last Friday when I decided to bake a batch of cookies. I have been on a cookie baking kick lately, not sure why since cookies were never my favorite dessert in the past, but they have become sort of a weekly thing at my house in the last few months. Most likely because I am able to make them healthier than I used to, they are vegan and they usually taste wonderful. I had a little problem though last time. I was going to make some red velvet cookies, and use beets in them, but they were not blending up well. I only had one large beet and it was all chunky and not smooth like I wanted for cookie dough, and not quite large enough to work well in the Vitamix so…I ditched that idea and then decided screw red velvet cookies, I want chocolate cookies. Not chocolate chip cookies though, German chocolate cookies!

That is how random I am, and how it works out sometimes. I don’t give up, just change it up. I am happy I decided to make German chocolate cookies too, because they turned out awesome! I admit these were not a recipe I had made before, I actually took one of my old recipes and changed the dough quite a bit, but I was pleasantly surprised when it worked! They had the perfect texture, tasted amazing, and were just what I had pictured in my head.

The dough was amazing, how could it not be with a cacao base, coconut, crunchy walnuts and decadent dark chocolate. I could have eaten it as it was, and I did with some, but the dough that made it into cookies was wonderful warm from the oven. They smelled like heavenly brownies. Dare I say, they tasted better than traditional dairy and flour cookies. Thanks to the coconut sugar which has a wonderful caramel flavor and the coconut oil to make them a little rich. These are the type of cookies you bring to a potluck with people who are used to traditional food, let them try it and tell you how good it is, then tell them it was vegan. Hey, you might just catch their attention!

Vegan German Chocolate Cookies

Makes 16 large cookies

2 Tbsp ground flax seed

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp filtered water

1 cup virgin coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 cups gluten free oat flour

3/4 cup coconut flakes

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chunks

In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and filtered water. Set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, coconut oil with sugar and mix until well combined.
Mix in the vanilla extract and flax mixture until well combined.
Add the cacao powder, baking soda and salt then the oat flour, a cup at a time, mixing between each addition, until well combined.
Mix in the coconut flakes, walnuts, and chocolate chunks. Place in the fridge while you heat the oven.
To bake, Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll balls into about 2 inch balls, and place on prepared cookie sheets a couple inches apart (refrigerate unused dough while baking the other trays). Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until puffed and just starting to brown slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining cookies and let cool completely.

February 28, 2015