Vegan Chickpea Cakes With Mashed Avocado

You can find this recipe by clicking on Serious Eats. 
I have come to love chickpeas.  I don't care much for them on their own, but when they are mashed and mixed in with other ingredients it makes for a great combination.  Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are very high in protein. 



Photo courtesy of Serious Eats.

Vegan Sweet and White Mashed Potatoes

 

This healthy and delicious recipe can been found by clicking on One Sweet Healthy Vegan.

 As always you can substitute asafretida for onions and garlic if you prefer.

 

Photo courtesy of One Sweet Healthy Vegan.

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto - Vegan

Here is another vegan recipe that I found on Pinterest.  You can get the recipe by clicking on Chef Colby.  I love risotto and missed it.  I am glad to find a recipe that I can use.  I will be substituting the onions and garlic.  I love rice and I love just about any type of squash.



Photo courtesy of Chef Colby.

Raw Meyer Lemon Raspberry Tart - Vegan

OMG is this not one of the most delicious looking desserts you have EVER seen????  I saw this photo on Pinterest and had to look up the blog and recipe.  You can get the recipe by clicking on Rawmazing.

All photos courtesy of Rawmazing.

Veggie Burgers That Are NOT What It Seems?

My Mom is not vegan, but totally supports my vegan way of eating.  Mom does not eat red meat, but she does like chicken and turkey every now and then.  Yesterday my Mon called me on the phone and said she watched a news report on TV that claims the veggie burgers you buy in the stores are not always what it seems to be.  According to the person reporting this news, after an investigation the ingredients listed on the boxes in the grocery stores were not actually in the burger.  Some were, but not all of them.  The reporter further went on to say that the only way that you know for sure that you are getting a real veggie burger is if YOU grew the vegetables in your own backyard or went to the market and picked them fresh and then made the veggie burger YOURSELF. 

Many people around the world are going vegetarian or vegan, so many companies want to capture that market.   Unfortunately, not all companies are honoring your healthier choice.  It is about profits first and foremost to some companies, so if they fib about what is actually in their product it is justified in their minds.

I decided not to purchase anymore veggie burgers from the grocery stores.  I used buy the ones that did not have any ingredients listed that are not vegan.  My Mom said that on her next visit to me she with make me some vegan veggie burgers and freeze some of them.  All I will have to do when I want one (or two) is defrost and cook them.  I was going to start making my own veggie burgers anyway so it works out just fine.

I have posted veggie burger recipes in the past but here are some more.  The links to the recipes are under the photos. 

Vegan Quinoa Patties courtesy of Cooking Quinoa.         

Quinoa veggie burgers with roasted red peppers by Saveur.  This recipe is not vegan since it does list one egg in the ingredients.  Sometimes you can work around that though.  You can substitute asafretida for onions and garlic as well.  

Vegetarian burgers by Cindy.   I don't see any ingredients listed in this recipes that suggets it is not vegan.

Chickpea burgers by Cook2JHoom.  This is a vegan recipe.


The cookbooks that you see below I recently (one month ago) purchased online from Amazon.  The last time that my Mom visited me she prepared some delicious meals out of the Indian cookbooks.  They were YUMMY!!!  

One of the things I was concerned about going vegan was flavor.  I am from Panama, so I grew up in a household were food was highly flavorful.  I did not want to give that up, nor did I think one had to in order to eat healthy.  I that loss of tasty meals holds many people back from adopting vegetarian or vegan diets, and I can't say that I blame them.  Over the years I have known vegetarians and vegan whose food had nearly no flavor.  You do not have to sacrifice flavor when going to a vegetarian or vegan way of eating.    

 

If you are thinking about going vegan, my advice is to go vegetarian first, and then slowly ween yourself into being vegan.  I was mostly vegetarian before going vegan so it was not as difficult fo me as I thought it would be.  I also lost inches and weight from my body over a period of about ten ten months.  You should not be dropping weight too drastically fast, but the pounds will melt away quicker when you go vegan.  Once your body gets used to getting all of its nutrients from plant based foods your cravings for non vegan foods will go away.  At first I did not think it would, but it does and then you can't even imagine eating any other way again.  

If you have a heart condition, please stay away from red meat completely.  I am not a physician, nutritionist or anything like that.  I am simply sharing what I have learned about how food effects our well being.

Chickpea Veggie Burgers

This chickpea veggie burger recipe includes egg whites so it is not vegan.    I am not sure if you can leave out the egg whites.  

The recipe also includes ingredients that are from the can and frozen, but I think that is okay.  Everyone is not always in the mood to cook everything from scratch the long way.  This is a quick and easy alternative when you are tired, but still want to make yourself something to eat when you get home from work.  For the recipe click the link on the bottom of this post.

 
 

This recipe is from the blog Live Laugh Eat.  

Photos courtesy of Live Laugh Eat.

Asafetida - What Is It?

Asafetida is a spice that is native to India and Iran.  If you are looking to eliminate garlic and onions from your diet as I have, then  asafetida is what you would replace them with.  Asafetida's aroma is extremely potent so you only need to use a little of it at a time.

Uncooked asafetida can just about knock you out, but when you add it to food it is really good and enhances the flavors.  Click on Savory Spice Shop to read more about this exotic asafetida.  If you use asafetida in yor cooking I would love to know what you think of it.


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Red Lentil Stew With Cauliflower - Vegan & Glutenfree

I am always on the lookout for vegan recipes.  I love beans, and lentils are some of my favorites.  You can get this recipe by clicking on Vegan Richa.   One of the ingredients is asafetida, and you should be able to find it at any Indian grocery store. 
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Photos courtesy of Vegan Richa

French Bread Directly From Paris, France

How would you like to be able to buy French bread directly from Paris, France and have it delivered fresh to you straight away?  You can do it.  This morning I saw a posting on facebook from Chief Ina Garten, also known as The Barefoot Contessa.

Apparently Ina Garten likes to order crusty French bread from Paris.  Poilane Boulangerie will ship French bread out to you via FedEx to your front door.   How cool is that?  I assume that it must be worth it if people are willing to pay the FedEx shipping cost.

Click HERE to order.

Roasted Cauliflower With Red Chile, Cilantro & Lime

I was not always fond of cauliflower, but I have come to love it over the past couple of years.  One of the ways that I like to prepare this vegetable is by roasting it.  You can find this recipe by visiting REMCooks.

 

Photos courtesy of REMCooks.  

 

Easy Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers With Avocados

This is definitely a burger that I must try making soon.  For the recipe visit Healthy Happy Life . 

Photos courtesy of Healthy Happy Life.  

 

Creamy Pumpkin & Sage Pasta (Vegan)

I've had spaghetti squash before in lieu of pasta and it was very tasty and satisfying.  This dish looks delicious!  You can find the recipe by visiting The Detoxinista.  It is a vegan dish.

 

Photos courtesy of The Detoxinista.

Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich

Yummy!  

The recipe for this smashed chickpea and avocado salad sandwich can be found by clicking on Big Flavors From a Tiny Kitchen.




 

Vegan Breakfast Biscuit Casserole

I found this on Pinterest and then went to the blog.  For this breakfast recipe visit  Namely Marly.  It looks delicious doesn't it?  I don't like soy milk so I am wondering if I can use almond milk instead.  
 

Photos courtesy of Namely Marly.