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Dairy-free Dinner Gluten-free Seasonal Vegan Vegetarian

Creamy Curry Butternut Squash Soup

November 7, 2019

If there is one thing I love most about cooler temps it is ALL THE SOUP.

I’m one of those people that could live off soup when the temps drop but my better half doesn’t agree and if we have soup he demands something to dip into it, like corn bread, biscuits, crusty bread or crackers, which I agree to ALWAYS so I can have soup.

One of the first soups I always make in the Fall is this soup! Butternut squash starts popping up in my grocery store and I immediately start collecting the ingredients to make this soup. And most of the time I already have all the ingredients in my pantry, sans the butternut squash. This recipe only has 5 ingredients (if you don’t count olive oil, salt, pepper or condiments). Plus I love anything I can prepare with minimal clean up and this one pretty much fits that bill. All you need is two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper (makes for a quicker clean up), large pot and an immersion blender or stand alone blender. Bonus: leftovers. Soup is always better the next day and this one is no exception!

cubed butternut squash, onions & apples

This recipe whips up pretty quick making for a great weeknight meal. Butternut squash, onion and green apples get tossed in olive oil and S&P and nicely roasted…I know what you’re thinking, apples?! YES!! It’s a must, it lends a nice sweetness and balances out the flavors perfectly. Everything gets puréed with some broth and poured into a large pot to heat up while you continue to add more broth to thin out the soup as needed. The addition of curry powder adds a nice spice and with the condiments of toasted coconut and green onions the flavors harmonize perfectly! You’ll wonder why you never thought of curry and apples in butternut squash soup before.

I hope you enjoy this soup as mush as I do. Please let me know if you give it a try by tagging me #platefulnutrition on IG.

Dairy-free Dinner Gluten-free Main Dish Vegan Vegetarian

Vegan Butternut Cashew Cream Sauce

November 4, 2019

I have been experimenting a lot lately with cashews. Cashews are a mild tasting nut, super versatile and nutrition power house. Noted as one of the healthiest nuts it aids in heart health, supports brain function and improves nutrient absorption of foods it is eaten with.

It amazes me how soaking cashews can turn into a creamy decadent sauce when blended. Cashew sauce is an amazing invention (one I wish I discovered but did not). It’s a great alternative for those who cannot tolerate dairy, gluten or wish to eat vegan as it contains only plant-based ingredients and no milk, cheese or flour as most creamy sauces contain. It’s also a great substitute for those looking to increase the nutritional value of their meal as cashews are a great source of protein, essential minerals, mono- and poly-unsaturated fats.

I’ve used the base of this cashew sauce (sans the butternut squash as an all-purpose sauce) for numerous dishes, like alfredo sauce, mac and cheese, twice baked potato filling, topping to my soups or chili, etc. But one of my all time favorite ways to use cashew cream is in this recipe! It’s a very easy recipe and you won’t even realize there are cashews in it.

I blend soaked cashews with some onion, lemon juice and garlic to create a delicious creamy and flavorful base. To this sauce I also blend in nutritional yeast which lends to a “cheesy” like taste. Without the butternut squash, the sauce makes a great base sauce but I wanted a “mac & cheese” type dish. So I roasted fresh butternut squash and pureed this with a little water until creamy and smooth which gives a great orange color to look like “cheese” sauce. To the butternut squash I add the cashew cream sauce until it created a creamy consistency to mix with pasta noodles. Taste is creamy and flavorful with a subtle sweetness from the butternut squash shining through. This sauce pairs perfectly with pasta noodles making for a healthier mac and cheese-like dish, without the cheese!

Nutritional yeast is a type of yeast from saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nutritional yeast is a significant source of B-vitamins and often lends a cheesy flavor to foods it is added to.

I used elbow pasta noodles from Banza which uses chickpea flour to create a high protein, gluten-free (GF) pasta. I really liked this pasta. It was not too starchy and didn’t become a sticky mess like some of the corn-based GF pastas can be. It had a great neutral taste so it worked well with this recipe so the sauce could really be the star.

I also really like broccoli in my mac & cheese so I threw in some of that too but you can absolutely leave that out and by all means add some cheese if you like! I’d recommend something like shredded gruyere or another good melty cheese.

This dish is really perfect for Fall. I’ll be enjoying a bowl of this for a cozy night in!


Dairy-free Drink Gluten-free Seasonal Vegan

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

September 23, 2019

Cooler temps, shorter days, cozy nights, soup season, leaves falling, pumpkins and pumpkin spice lattes. Happy first day of Fall! My favorite season of the year!

I love pumpkin spice lattes. Starbucks version is good but I am not a fan of the ingredients in their syrups. I have found some coffee shops who make their own pumpkin spice syrup with real simple syrup and pumpkin spice flavors and to me these taste a million times better and more authentic to the “pumpkin pie” taste.

Honestly, making a delicious creamy pumpkin pie spice latte at home is really simple. This is my favorite warm cozy drink in the Fall. Move over matcha latte its all about the pumpkin spice latte now. 🙂

I use the pumpkin pie spice from Trader Joes which has the perfect combo of pumpkin pie spices. Regular or dairy-free milk of your choice will do but my favorite is the Califia Farms coconut-almond milk. REAL pumpkin puree gives this latte a more authentic pumpkin pie flavor. SO GOOD. Slightly sweetened with maple syrup and a touch a vanilla to balance the flavors. You can add espresso or skip this entirely if you prefer to not have any caffeine and the taste is just as delicious. And if you want to make this latte creamier add a dollop of whip cream or my favorite So Delicious cocowhip, YUM!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and please remember to use #platefulnutrition so I can see your yummy creation!