Nutrition

Vegan French Toast

November 28, 2022By 0 comment

#MeatlessMonday

How to make the BEST Vegan French Toast! So easy to make in just 10 minutes, using everyday ingredients. You won’t miss the eggs at all in this delicious weekend morning breakfast. A secret ingredient makes these French toast incredibly crisp, thick and perfect!

How Can You Possibly Make French Toast Without Eggs?

The secret ingredient in this vegan French toast recipe is so common it’s probably in the pantry right now: Cornstarch. It’s perfect for getting that crisp exterior, and works like a charm as the bread cooks in the pan.

Without eggs, your batter for vegan French toast includes these ingredients: Soy milk (or any other non-dairy milk), cornstarch, ground flaxseeds (just a teaspoon, to help thicken the batter), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla.

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 10 mins

Servings: 3 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon ground flaxseeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6-8 slices thick sliced quality bread, such as ciabatta or French
  • 2-3 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil for frying
  • For serving: maple syrup, powdered sugar, or fresh fruit

Cooking Instructions

  1. In a shallow bowl, wide enough to hold a piece of bread, whisk together the soy milk, cornstarch, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla.
  2. Add a little bit of vegan butter/coconut oil to a pan over medium-high heat and melt. Whisk the batter again right before dipping bread, as the cornstarch will settle to the bottom of the bowl. 
  3. Dip each side of the bread in the batter and let soak for about 10 seconds, then add the bread to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Add more vegan butter/oil to the pan as needed in between pieces of bread. 
  4. Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh fruit, if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 648mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 1mg

Nora. (2021, August 9). Vegan French toast. Nora Cooks. Retrieved November 8, 2022.

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Nutrition

Vegan Walnut and Lentil Bolgnese

October 24, 2022By 0 comment

#MeatlessMondays

A store-bought jar of marinara is such a beautiful thing—it’s a shortcut that doesn’t short. Tomatoes are an ideal food for preserving and jarred marinara sauce is no exception—loaded with wonderful, slow cooked tomatoes and herbs, it’s a time-saver that really delivers. And in this case, it pairs up with lentils and walnuts to make a flavorful, rich vegan bolognese sauce that packs a huge nutritional punch, too! Healthy, hearty, vegan, rich, quick, easy, yummy—this walnut and lentil bolognese is an update on childhood favorite and a weeknight superstar.

“Boldly flavored, super hearty and incredibly easy, this vegan walnut and lentil bolognese recipe takes your plant-based eating goals to new heights.”

How to Buy and Store Walnuts

  • Buy them in sealed packaging. This will ensure that they’re as fresh as possible when you first get them.
  • Store them in the fridge or freezer. Once you’ve opened the package—or if you’ve bought walnuts from the bulk section—store the walnuts in the fridge. Or, if you want to store them for more than a month or so, store them in the freezer.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1 cup minced celery
  • 1 cup finely minced yellow onion
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup raw walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable stock or broth
  • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
  • 1 cup red wine, such as Pinot Noir
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 pound cooked pappardelle or tagliatelle, for serving
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or vegan Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Cooking Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or braiser over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
  2. Add the walnuts and lentils, stir to combine. Add the stock, marinara, wine, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine again, then increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the lentils are cooked to your liking, about 35 minutes.
  3. Transfer 2 cups of the sauce to a blender or food processor and blend until mostly smooth. Return the blended sauce back to the pan and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt as needed.
  4. Serve the bolognese over your favorite pasta, topped with Parmesan if desired.

Nutrition

  • Calories 320
  • Protein 10g
  • Carbohydrates 23g
  • Total Fat 19g
  • Dietary Fiber 7g
  • Cholesterol 0mg
  • Sodium 344mg
  • Total Sugars 7g

If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #meatlessmondays, please email christian.bearden100@gmail.com.

If you would like to make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger help us grow our food rescue operations: Donate

#meatlessmonday #foodfindersinc  #FoodRescue #reducehunger #improvenutrition #helpfoodinsecurecommunities #HelpEndHunger #Volunteer #Charity #fightinghunger #rescuingfood #Donate #makeanimpact

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Sweet Potato SaladFood Waste

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cilantro-Cashew Dressing

October 17, 2022By 2 Comments

#MeatlessMonday

Rich roasted sweet potatoes, toothsome raw kale, a squeeze of lime, a hint of jalapeño, and lots of creamy avocado—blended into the sweet potato salad dressing and cubed up in the salad, too—this health-bomb of a vegan salad is self-care in a bowl. Plenty of protein—from black beans in the salad and cashews in the dressing—and healthy fats like avocado, olive oil and nuts mean that it you’ll feel full and satisfied for hours. And we haven’t even talked about those glorious roasted sweet potatoes yet—they’re a pretty magical food, so we figure they deserve their own little spotlight.

“A hearty mountain of roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, black beans and raw kale are tossed in a creamy lime-cashew-cilantro dressing in this brightly flavorful, vegan sweet potato salad recipe.”

Are Sweet Potatoes Good For You?

YES! Health-wise, sweet potato benefits are many and varied! Simple roasted sweet potatoes are as complete a snack or side dish as you could hope for—this colorful, sweet-and starchy root vegetable is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium, many B vitamins, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. A drizzle of olive oil before roasting—at 400°F for 30 minutes—doesn’t just make the sweet potato taste good, it helps your body to absorb all that nutrition, too. A few more things to know about sweet potato nutrition:

  • How many carbs in sweet potatoes? With 27 grams of carbs per cup of cooked sweet potato (and about 17 grams of net carbs) they’re not a super duper low-carb food, but they are still a healthy choice and can be enjoyed as part of all but the most restrictive low-carb diets.
  • How many calories in a sweet potato? One whole sweet potato has about 100 calories—and considering how filling they are (thanks, fiber and complex carbs!), and how many nutrients they deliver, they represent a really great bang for your caloric buck.

Ingredients 

  • 3 sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 2 bunches kale, stems removed, torn into 2 inch pieces (6 cups)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 avocado, large sliced

Vegan Cilantro Cashew Dressing

  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded
  • 1/2 avocado

Tools

  • A baking sheet for the roasted sweet potatoes.
  • A good blender for making the lime-cilantro-cashew dressing.
  • A sharp knife.
  • A large bowl for tossing and serving.
  • Salad tongs are nice to have, but not an absolute must.

Cooking Instructions

  1. Preheat oven at 400°F.
  2. Cut sweet potatoes into 2” cubes. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil and taco seasoning. Arrange on a baking sheet, careful not to overcrowd. Roast on the center rack in oven for 30 minutes, flipping the sweet potatoes half way through. (If sweet potatoes aren’t tender enough, cook for an additional 5 minutes.)
  3. In a high-powered blender, blend all ingredients for the dressing. You should end up with about 1 ¼ cups of the vegan cilantro-lime dressing.
    *For a thinner dressing, add a little more lime juice.
  4. In a large bowl, toss the kale, cilantro, green onions, black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, with desired amount of dressing. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Calories 359
  • Protein 11g
  • Carbohydrates 41g
  • Total Fat 19g
  • Dietary Fiber 12g
  • Cholesterol 0mg
  • Sodium 303mg
  • Total Sugars 7g

If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #meatlessmondays, please email christian.bearden100@gmail.com.

If you would like to make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger help us grow our food rescue operations: Donate

#meatlessmonday #foodfindersinc  #FoodRescue #reducehunger #improvenutrition #helpfoodinsecurecommunities #HelpEndHunger #Volunteer #Charity #fightinghunger #rescuingfood #Donate #makeanimpact

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