Vegan Mexican Pizza

Layer on the Southwestern flavors in this playful vegan Mexican pizza. It starts with refried beans (in place of red sauce), followed by salsa, corn and nondairy cheese. Serve with a colorful green salad and garlic-sautéed greens. This recipe doubles easily. Adapted from Vegan Express. Makes: 6 slices One 12- to 14-inch good-quality pizza crust, or Basic Pizza Dough 1 cup (about half of a 16-ounce can) vegan refried beans, (I like Annie’s organic refried beans with green chili in the BPA-free can) or homemade Refried Beans 1 cup mild or medium-hot salsa, your favorite variety 1 cup grated cheddar or Jack-style nondairy cheese 1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen organic corn kernels, thawed 1 to 2 scallions, sliced 1 fresh hot chili pepper, seeded and sliced, optional Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the crust on a pan. Spread it with the refried beans (thin canned refried beans with a tiny bit of water if need be, to make them more spreadable, depending on the brand), then the salsa. Sprinkle with the cheese and corn kernels, followed by the scallions and optional chili pepper. Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand […]

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List of Vegan Foods for a Tasty Plant-Based Menu

Vegan foods are healthy, delicious, and as nutritious as their animal-based counterparts. And thanks to an increased demand, a variety of these foods are available in most supermarkets. Now it’s only a question of picking up the right ones. Most vegan foods can be put into three categories: foods that add nutrients to vegan meals, foods that replace animal-based products, and foods that boost vegan meals. As a rule, each vegan dish should contain foods from at least two of these categories. If you are new to veganism, making the right food choices might be tricky. To give you some guidance, here’s a list of vegan foods that can enhance your plant-based diet. Look for Alternative Dairy Products Contrary to popular belief, cows and goats are not the only things that produce milk. Plants like soy, hemp, coconut, and rice are great sources of alternative dairy products. Alternatively, almonds produce a creamy milk that has an excellent nutty flavor. You can add almond milk to your coffee, and it’s also a great supplement for any vegan smoothie. Moving to other dairy products, there are more than a few options of vegan butter and cheese. These dairy products usually have a […]

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Tofu Spring Roll

Vegetarian spring rolls are all about texture. Inside you have rice vermicelli, crisp vegetables, and usually some type of meat or seafood, but here I decided to go with tofu. The resulting flavors and colors of the spring rolls are delicious. The only downside is that they take a little bit of time to make, but believe me it’s worth it!  These tofu spring rolls are a classic to prepare for a picnic or a potluck. Fresh and light, they will please everyone—young and old. Dip one into some creamy and slightly spicy peanut sauce. You can eat them whole or cut them into 3 or 4 pieces for small bites to share. Prep time: 40 min Cook time: 5 min Total time: 45 min Servings: 8 Ingredients 1 block / 500 g extra firm tofu 1 package vermicelli 16 sheets of rice paper 2 carrots grated 1 pepper cut in strips 1 cup mint leaves 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce Instructions Marinate the tofu 1 hour in the soy sauce. In a bowl, cover the vermicelli with boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a bowl of hot water, soak the […]

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Being Vegan on a Budget: It’s Easier than Many Believe

Adhering to a vegan diet is a major life decision. It involves embracing an entire philosophy, not just choosing what you’ll have for lunch tomorrow. And as is the case with all decisions of such magnitude, certain issues and questions are bound to arise. Now, it doesn’t matter if you’re still thinking about switching to veganism or if you are already onboard. One question which is sure to pop up is the matter of finances. As you are well aware, there is a rather widespread belief that this diet is expensive and that it is impossible to be vegan on a budget. Fortunately, that is not the case. The truth is, any diet can be either expensive or affordable. The cost depends on the limits you place upon yourself. The number of luxury and high-end products you’ll go for. Famous brands versus less-known alternatives. Organic or not. How many times you’ll eat in restaurants each month. Those are the factors which determine how big of a food budget you’ll need. Whether it’s vegan or not doesn’t play a particularly significant role. If anything, the staples of vegan cuisine tend to be on the lower end of the price scale. Things […]

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Plant-Based, Plant-Sourced, Plant Strong ™, Total Vegetarian, or Vegan?

Language is more powerful than we realize when it comes to affecting social change. This post details all the various ways that have emerged to convey the concept of “vegan.” Excerpted from Powerful Vegan Messages by H. Jay Dinshah and Anne Dinshah @2014 by The American Vegan Society, reprinted with permission. Also available from The American Vegan Society. Plant-based diet is one based on vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruit, with little or no animal products. It can refer to: 1. a vegan diet. 2. a diet derived predominantly from plant foods with the inclusion of some animal products. Plant based usually refers to eating plants for health reasons with emphasis on whole, unrefined foods. It sometimes excludes added oil, salt, sugar, and most processed foods. Plant based may mean with or without transitioning to being completely vegan. When one understands the concepts of plant based, it makes no sense to pile a few animals on the plate. People also use terms such as “completely plant based” or “whole-foods, plant-based diet.”   Plant-sourced diet could imply that the source is always plants. It is a term less used. Some people use it to mean that plants are one of the sources, and also may use animal […]

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Roasted Summer Vegetable Salad

This is one of my favorite things to make in the late summer — a gorgeous platter of roasted vegetables that’s really less work than it may seem at first glance. It’s an extravaganza of flavor, and though it’s perfect for late summer or early fall, with these particular veggies there’s no reason you can’t make it year-round. Substitute or add other vegetables if you’d like — mushrooms, yellow squash, green beans, asparagus … increase the amount of marinade if need be. Serves: 6 or more Marinade 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning, such as Spike or Mrs. Dash 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 2 long Japanese eggplants, about 1 pound, sliced 1/2 inch thick (see Note) 1/2 medium red onion, cut into thick slices 1/2 medium zucchini, sliced 1 medium yellow or red bell pepper, cut into large chunks 4 small tomatoes (such as Roma), quartered Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 3 to 4 ounces mixed baby greens, optional Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Line a roasting pan with parchment Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and stir together. […]

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Food of the Week: Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are native to North, Central, and South America as well as to the Caribbean. Over time they have not only been distributed throughout the the world, but have become widely cultivated in a very large number of countries. When analysts ...

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