The Hopeful Herbivore

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 ...

  This recipe satisfies every craving; from sweet, to salty, to spicy. It's actually a common food truck snack in Mexico. I know that mangos can be a pain sometimes. Don't worry about making perfect cubes or strips. Any mango shrapnel will work ;) Ingredients: 2 mangos (any kind, yellow pictured) 1 tbsp raw cane sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp chili powder pinch of cayenne juice from 1/2 lime zest from 1/2 lime Begin by placing all dry ingredients into a small bowl. Then add zest from half a lime. Then squeeze juice from lime into a separate bowl or spritzer. Cut mango in half, around the pit. (in a similar fashion to an avocado) Twist to separate both halves. Remove pit. Cut mango into strips, then cut peel away. Again, don't worry if this doesn't go smoothly. Any small chunks or pieces of mango will work. Either spritz lime juice onto mango pieces, or dredge each one in bowl of lime juice. If dredging, place in a colander for a few minutes, or yo...

Spring is here. Which means, so are all those allergies. If you've just come to accept that spring (and sometimes fall) will be a constant torture of sneezing, itchy eyes, and sore throat.. perhaps you should consider cutting out dairy. I know, I know. You're shocked that a vegan-endorsing site is suggesting you cut out dairy.. But truly, it could help your allergies. Allow me to explain. I came onto this topic because my husband had severe allergies. Cats, pollen, soybean dust (he grew up farming, and still helps from time to time), etc. Since he's cut out dairy, almost a year ago now, he's had no seasonal/pollen-type allergies. We haven't had the chance to throw him into a room full of cats, but I'll keep you posted. What you may not know (most people don't) is that over 60% of our adult population is actually lactose intolerant . That's because we stop producing lactase (that breaks down lactose) after infancy. Obviously, some are more into...

So, I got in a couple debates about this: Meatless Mondays . Okay, it was on Facebook, so it was more snide remarks and disregard, followed by me being blocked, rather than an actual logical debate.. but I digress. There's a page on Facebook that calls themselves " The Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights." And as it's Monday, they posted a picture about how nobody should ever endorse or advocate for Meatless Monday, because it gives the false impression that eating meat is worse than eating dairy or eggs. Let me say up front.. I get it. I'm passionate about this issue as well. I desperately wish that everyone would just go vegan. I wish we could outlaw factory farming. I wish a lot of things about animal welfare; and my behaviors and lobbying all match up with that. But I'm also a realist. The reality is that most vegans didn't suddenly become vegans. They started with Meatless Monday, Weekday Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Vegetarian, or some other name ...

I'm going to give you a recipe to make vegan lasagna, but the sauce can literally be used on any pasta; so give it a whirl on your spaghetti! Ingredients: 6 cups (2 28oz cans) of diced tomatoes. You can use fresh, just add a little salt and water to compensate. 6 cloves of garlic 1/2 large red onion; chopped 2 bell peppers (green/red/orange); chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 6 oz (1 can) tomato paste 1/4 cup sugar 1/8 cup salt 1 cup crushed and torn spinach 3 tsp oregano 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper 1/2 tbsp capers pepper, to taste 1 box of lasagna noodles, cooked vegan cheeses are optional; mozzarella, parmasean, or nutrtional yeast faux meat is also optional, such as Boca crumbles; add it to your sauce if desired. To begin, place olive oil into a large sauce pan. Swirl around until bottom of pan is entirely coated. Add more oil if necessary. Warm oil. Place pealed cloves of garlic into oil. Cook until outside edges start to brown; around 10-12 ...

Here's my recipe for a super yummy (and oh-so-simple), spicy cabbage. And of course, all delightfully vegan. Enjoy it with a big mound of mashed potatoes :)   Ingredients: 1 head of cabbage 8 tbsp of Earth Balance (or other vegan 'margarine') 1/8 cup of olive oil salt & pepper, to taste red pepper flakes, to taste water Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish on sides and bottom. Cut cabbage into wedges (should be around 6-8 wedges) and place them on their side into the dish. Drizzle olive oil over the entire dish. Then place 1 pat of Earth Balance on each wedge. Add salt and pepper. Lastly, add on the red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it). Pour water into casserole dish until the bottom is completely covered. Cover dish with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Then remove the foil. Flip wedges over, and place dish back into the oven until all or most of the water has evaporated. Keep flipping/stirring the wedges. I know it...

Yeah, you read that title right. This is a super simple dessert hummus. The kind of hummus that satisfies your sweet tooth. The kind that gets your kids to eat beans, but they think it's a treat. Trust me.   Here's what you'll need: 1 can (15-oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup agave nectar (can use 1/3 cup for added sweetness) 1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper Combine all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in a food processor. Pulse/blend until smooth and creamy.   Depending on the peanut butter you're using, you might need to thin it out a little. Just add a few spoonfuls of your favorite non-dairy milk if necessary. Empty into a bowl, and stir in your chocolate chips. That's it! Enjoy. You can dip in some apples, celery, animal crackers, etc.. or even spread it on toast. But my favorite? Graham crackers! They were amazing! Want...