The Hopeful Herbivore

A lil spicy, a lil sweet. Use this sauce on the noodle of your choice. Here's our basic sauce: 1 cup water  2/3 cup natural peanut butter (Santa Cruz creamy is our go-to -- has no added oil or sugar) 2-3 tbsp maple syrup  2-3 tbsp reduced sodium tamari sauce (or soy) 1 tsp cumin  1 tsp powdered ginger 1 tsp red pepper flakes  Simmer and stir for a few minutes and it will start to thicken.  Add to cooked noodles (we use Lotus Foods brown rice noodles) and veg  You can use any veg, and we added some sautéed firm tofu as well -- making it about 32g of protein per serving 

September hits and give me all things pumpkin. I created this to fill that "I need pumpkin pie" craving. It feels and tastes decadent, but it's totally healthy. Packed with pumpkin, chia, and cashews -- with no processed, white sugar or dairy. Note: I get my chia seeds, walnuts, rolled oats, canned pumpkin, etc all from Thrive Market . So many WFPB staples right to your door. You can just eat the chia pudding, but putting it in a glass with the other ingredients as a layered parfait is just over the top and soooo good. This will be layers of chia pudding, cashew cream, and then an oat and walnut crumble. Pumpkin Chia Pudding Ingredients: 15 oz can of pumpkin (plain pumpkin, NOT pie filling) 1 1/4 cups of plain oatmilk (you can sub any preferred non-dairy milk, but oat has a natural sweetness that works here) 1/4 cup chia seeds 2 tsp maple syrup (can adjust as needed) 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp nutmeg (note: you can use pumpkin pie spice in place of indiv...

Guys.. this stuff is addictingly good. Use it like you would whipped cream. You can eat it like pudding if you want to -- no judgment. Note: I hiiiiighly recommend a 'serious' blender for this. In general, a high speed blender (Vitamix, Blendtec, etc) is invaluable for eating WFPB. But, you can absolutely try this in other blenders/food processors. In that case, you MUST soak the cashews for a long time to get the best results. Ingredients:  1 cup raw cashews 4-5 medjool dates (pit removed) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3/4 cups of water (gradually adding more if needed) First, bring a few cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Then turn off heat, and add cashews to the water. Cover with lid and let sit for at least 30 minutes. If not using a high-speed blender, let them soak for 2+ hours. Drain cashews and place in blender with all other ingredients. Blend until creamy and smooth. If too thick, gradually add spoonfuls of water and keep blending. And that's it. Now use ...

Ohhh chile... I've been working on this one for awhile. But as always, this is very customizable to you. Nobody should tell you how much garlic to use, ever. This alfredo is cashew-based. I find it makes the creamiest sauce. I hiiiiighly recommend a serious blender when using cashews in sauces (Vitamix, Blendtec, etc). If you don't have one, soaking your cashews is even more important. So, let's go. PRINT RECIPE Ingredients: 2 cups raw, plain cashews 1 cup water 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (I use Bragg's) 1 tbsp light miso 1 cup vegetable broth 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 tbsp garlic powder (or more, or use roasted garlic if you have it) 1 tsp salt 1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes fresh ground black pepper, to taste 16 oz pasta (linguine, fettucini, etc) Your preferred vegetables -- I typically use broccoli and spinach, but just tried it with roasted zucchini and it was soooo good Start by boiling a few cups of water in a small saucepan. When it reaches boi...

These are a classic, but this version is protein-packed, without any added oils or refined, white sugar. They also happen to be gluten-free. These were so yummy, in fact, that our youngest would actually eat them, so we converted them into cupcakes for a dinosaur-themed birthday party. We just made a peanut butter frosting (peanut butter, Earth Balance, and powdered sugar blended), and No Whey white chocolate fossils to top them. Obviously, this version of toppings is NOT whole food plant-based, but still far healthier than your average cupcake. Let's get to it. PRINT RECIPE Ingredients: 1 cup mashed ripe (very ripe/brown) bananas (about 2-3 bananas) 1 cup oat flour 1/2 cup garbanzo (also called chickpea) flour 1/2 cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons of natural (no added oil/sugar) almond butter (can sub peanut butter) 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds 2.5 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup plain oat milk or unsweeten...

This is comfort food, yet healthy. A switch up from the usual marinara or tomato-based pasta sauces. Let's get to it. PRINT RECIPE Ingredients: 16 ounces of penne pasta (or any pasta shape you prefer) 1/2 cup raw cashews 2 red bell peppers 1 red onion (large is best) 5-6 cloves of garlic 1 cup plain (unsweetened) almond or cashew milk 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp arrowroot powder* 1/2 tbsp dried basil 1 tsp sea salt black pepper to taste optional: fresh basil to garnish *can sub cornstarch for arrowroot powder Bring a few cups of water to boil. Turn off heat, and add cashews. Cashews should be covered by water. Let sit covered for at least 30 minutes -- longer if you don't have a high speed blender (Vitamix, Blendtec, etc). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While cashews are soaking, roughly chop the peppers, onion, and peel the cloves of garlic. Put on baking sheet lined with parchment (or silicone baking mat). Bake for 30 minutes. Whe...

It's been a minute since I've posted anything to the blog. I've been busy (Haven't we all?). But unlike a million other bloggers that rejoice in making you read a life story before the recipe, I'm gonna get right to it. Just a quick heads up that most recipes posted now will be leaning towards WFPB (yes, always vegan) and that is how my personal diet has been trending. So, little to no added oil or added sugar. Sooo, I literally JUST made these for a holiday party for the first time. I was nervous. PB cookies.. that are vegan.. with no oil and very little (optional) processed sugar. But they are freaking delicious! PRINT RECIPE Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups almond flour (I use Thrive brand ) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/3 cup maple syrup 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Santa Cruz dark roasted) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional: a small amount of raw/organic cane sugar for the fork imprints Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I use ...

  Everybody loves a pasta salad. This one couldn't get any easier, and it gets rave reviews. This recipe size is for a party (think 15-20 servings). You can easily half it if you want to make less. Ingredients: 2 1 lb boxes of mini farfalle (bowties) 2 cups vegan mayo (I personally love Just Mayo) 1 packet of dry Italian dressing 1 12 oz bag of frozen peas 1 2.25oz can of sliced black olives In a large pot, boil water and add salt. While waiting on water to reach boil, combine vegan mayo and seasoning/dressing packet. If frozen peas are covered in ice/stuck together, place in strainer and run under warm water until broken apart. Drain and add to Italian mayo mix. Cover and place in fridge. Fix pasta according to directions. Make sure to stop cooking early. Al dente is best, as you don't want your pasta to turn to mush as it absorbs the dressing over time. Drain pasta and return to pot. Toss in Italian mayo and pea mixture. Spoon into serving dish. R...

The simple answer is, yes, it can. "Should it be?" is much more contested. The reality is, a high-quality vegan dog food (or very carefully planned homemade food, but that is much more involved and we don't recommend it) can provide all the nutrients that Fido needs. Many dogs thrive on such diets. Still, many folks argue that it's not natural. Sure, wild dogs most assuredly consume other animals. But here's the rub. It's hard to use the "natural" argument, as if we're still raising wolves in our home. Is the fluffy bed, water cooler, curling up for tv time, or daily walks on a leash "natural" by wild dog standards? What about the fact that the "meat" most dogs are now consuming aren't wild animals they've hunted, but instead, scraps and byproducts from the slaughterhouse floor and reject pile? Is that really 'better' for our pets? So, let's just let go of the 'natural' argument on thi...

Recently, I shared a post about criticism circulating in the vegan community . Vegans judging other vegans for not being 'vegan enough.' I had also written up a veg-friendly baby registry . Shortly after typing up that list of items, my pregnancy ended due to preterm labor. But I am now again expecting. And much to my annoyance, the two worlds have collided again -- vegan criticism and parenting. During my first pregnancy, I would occasionally post tidbits on Facebook, such as a picture of Seventh Generation diapers. And immediately, a vegan acquaintance would chime in with, "Why aren't you going to cloth diaper?" And again, with my current pregnancy, I recently posted a pic of an organic soy formula that I was excited to finally find locally. Almost instantly, I got, "Aren't you going to breastfeed?!" I was instantly peeved. Why? Because it bothers me that anyone feels entitled to publicly criticize such personal parenting decisions. It...

Ever been told, directly or indirectly, you're "not vegan enough?" Yeah. Me too. Even though I run a vegan/animal rights blog, a vegan/animal rights Facebook page, visit and donate to places like Farm Sanctuary, and haven't consumed any meat, dairy, or eggs in well over 2 years and counting. But you see, this morning, I posted a simple Instagram of a box of Oreos, captioned as "Some days, this qualifies as a #vegan breakfast." I expected a few of my omni friends to be surprised that Oreos were vegan, or for them to make a few lame vegan jokes. I even anticipated a possible hint of judgment with a "that's not so healthy" kind of comment. But no. My omni friends chimed in with good humor, like "I approve." or "I need a box of these!" Instead, it was my 'pure' vegan friends who chimed in to remind me just how non-vegan the Oreos really were, and ipso facto, how non-vegan I was. "They're notori...

As some of you know by now, we're expecting twins in June 2014. As is customary, people have started asking where we're registered, what items we need, and more importantly, "What should we not buy?" What they mean by that is, "What doesn't fit with your eco/vegan/animal rights lifestyle?" And the truth is, I appreciated that people cared enough to ask. But I keep feeling apologetic when I answer them. So, I tried to figure out a way to tackle this that didn't come across as demanding or somehow rude. Sure, we made registries, but people like to buy unique items for baby, or just see small items here and there and pick them up without thinking. We knew a registry wasn't going to be enough. So, how do we tell people what we prefer? I just wasn't sure. But once several people asked, I accepted that if people are going to go out of their way to gift us with something, they'd surely want it to be something we would proudly use and is i...

Fall is upon us. Pumpkin-flavored everything is being released. We're jumping on that bandwagon. It's time for a Maple Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (vegan, of course). When making the smoothie, you want at least two of your ingredients to be very cold. For example, my almond milk and canned pumpkin had been chillin' in the fridge for hours. Or you can use cold almond milk and frozen banana. It's up to you. Just make sure something is cold, so you don't end up with a room temperature smoothie. Also, you can vary the amount of pumpkin. 1/2 can will leave you with a fairly thin smoothie. 1 whole can will result in the thickest, almost milkshake, texture you've ever successfully sucked through a straw. So, that's all up to your personal preference.    Ingredients: 1/2 can of pumpkin 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk 1/2 ripe banana 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon nut...

Alright. I get it. When you picture a deli sandwich, you picture mounds of meat and cheese. But here's the thing. I don't really care for 'faux' meat and cheese. So I was looking to make a simple sandwich that gave me the salty and fatty taste -- with no animals or processed soy involved. And I must tell you.. this has become a bit of an addiction. That said, if you have favorite 'faux' deli meat or cheese, give it a whirl. Nobody will judge you ;) Ingredients: 1 loaf of crusty/deli-style vegan bread Vegenaise (or other vegan mayo) dill pickle slices iceberg lettuce, shredded or torn extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle salt, to taste pepper, to taste oregano, to taste If your bread needs to be cut to size, now's the time. Put a thin layer of Vegenaise on the inside of both the top and bottom piece. Add a sprinkle of dried oregano to both layers of Vegenaise. Place two layers of iceberg lettuce on the bottom. Add two layers of dill pickle slic...

This isn't just an issue that comes up for vegans. We've all heard someone say, "I don't eat soy. I don't want man boobs!" or "I'm trying to get pregnant, and soy messes with your hormones." or "Soy is GMO crap." Can we please lay this one to rest already? Soy has been villainized enough. Let's address the two major concerns with soy. Soy is all GMO -- No. Between 90-95% of soy (which is mostly GMO) is sold for livestock feed, not direct human consumption. So if you're worried about consuming GMO soy, stop eating meat from factory farms and/or anything that is 'convenience' or 'fast food.' In reality, most of the soy targeted to vegans and vegetarians is clearly labelled as non-GMO and/or organic. Most grocery stores these days carry non-GMO soy milk, faux meats, ice cream, etc. Soy messes with your hormones and/or will give you man boobs -- Again, no. The topic of debate here is the presence of phyt...

Who doesn't love a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich? So why not drink one? A healthier one.   In this recipe, I've used blueberries. I like the texture and taste in the smoothie, but you could use any frozen berry that you like. Ingredients: 1 cup frozen blueberries 1 cup almond milk 1 small banana 3 tbsp peanut butter 1/2 tbsp agave nectar (optional) ½ tsp vanilla extract   Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.     Enjoy your youth in a glass!

To call this a recipe may actually be a stretch. I'm just a vegan who doesn't like to eat too much in the way of 'faux' meats and cheeses. So how do I make tacos? Beans, of course! Ingredients: 1 can of black beans 1 packet taco seasoning (watch for milk ingredients in most brands) taco shells taco sauce iceberg lettuce 1 tomato, chopped (optional) Partially drain black beans (we don't want this super runny). Pour into frying pan. Add taco seasoning. Stir and heat for 10 minutes on medium heat. Tear or cut iceberg lettuce into small pieces. Spoon beans into taco shells. Sprinkle with lettuce and tomatoes. Drizzle with taco sauce. That's it! Recipe will make approx 6 tacos. It's amazingly simple, but equally yummy. Not to mention, packed full of fiber and protein. (Though the pictures shown involve hard shell; this works equally well for soft shell.)

Mmmm. Stuffed peppers. These were one of my favorites growing up. But those were packed with hamburger, and sometimes cheese. Neither one appeals to me now. Sure, you could just use Boca crumbles or something similar; but I wanted stuffed peppers that had nothing 'faux' about them. Just pure veggie goodness. And these are just the ticket. Ingredients: 4-5 bell peppers 1 can tomato sauce 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can sweet corn 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon Earth Balance or vegan margarine 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire (or soy sauce) 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 1/4 cups long grain wild rice, cooked Cut tops off peppers; removing membranes and seeds. Chop edible parts of tops and set aside.   Rinse peppers. Place peppers in large stock pot. Cover with salted water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approx...

I've never been a big user of worcestershire sauce, but my husband was. So, when we went vegan, we needed to find an alternative. Sure, you can just use soy sauce in some recipes.. but it's lacking a little something. By the way, if you didn't know that worcestershire wasn't vegan, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you... it has fish in it. So, I came up with this version. It may not be an exact match, but it'll give you that salty and vinegary goodness with a bit of sweetness. Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 3/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1 tablespoon of spicy brown mustard 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and liquid is reduced by half (roughly 30 minutes). Keep tasting it. If it is still overpowered by vinegar, leave it to simmer. Then...

Vegan gravy? Yes, indeed. Growing up, I was addicted to dipping bread in gravy. Of course, it was usually in some canned beef stew; that now reminds me far too much of canned dog food. Seriously, mother. What were you thinking? So, when I went vegetarian, my days of eating gravy were gone.. or so I thought. When planning to cook a vegan Thanksgiving, I started contemplating a vegan gravy. What could have a satisfying, creamy taste that is dip worthy? That my mashed potatoes would love to lay in? I started looking online, and mostly, I found mushroom gravies. Which is fine.. except I hate mushrooms. But you easily could use mushrooms in this instead of onions, if you prefer; or a 50/50 mix even. And don't worry about this being too "oniony." Caramelizing the onions first, makes them more sweet than pungent. Gravy Ingredients: 3 tablespoons of Earth Balance (or vegan margarine) 1 medium yellow onion, cut into strips 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 ...