Category Archives: Vegan

Kale Pesto

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Julie • 6 Comments

kale pesto

So my local Safeway sells kale one way and one way only: in a massive, Costco-sized three-pound bag. None of this namby-pamby “by the bunch” b.s. you see at Whole Foods. Nope, Safeway looks you right in the face and says “Hey man. If you want some kale, you’d better WANT SOME KALE.” Challenge accepted, Safeway.

For the record, three pounds may not sound like a lot, but when we’re talking about leafy greens…that’s a whole lot of leafy greens. I have trash bags at home that are smaller than this. It takes up a huge chunk of real estate in my fridge so I have to make a concerted effort to eat it down a little more every day until it’s time to go back to Thunderdome…uh…Safeway…and get more. Needless to say, I eat a lot of kale. Smoothies for breakfast. Ribboned and dispersed harmlessly through my lighter salad greens at lunch. Baked into crispy chips as a snack. And massaged, sautéed, braised and pureed six ways from Sunday all other times of the day, until every last bit is gone. Obviously pesto was going to happen at some point. Why not? It’s hardier than basil and doesn’t turn that awful dark color if you leave it out for a few minutes. No, simple oxygen is no match for the rugged kale leaf. It makes a beautiful bright green pesto that in turn is a fantastic spread for sandwiches or pizzas, or of course thinned out with a little water and mixed into pasta. As an added bonus, this vegan version is healthy as all get out. Nutritional yeast stands in for the parmesan cheese and cuts way down on the fat, while still lending a nutty, cheesy taste that does wonders for the flavor. This is such a good light replacement for traditional basil/parm pesto – and now that I have this in my back pocket, I can make tons of it and freeze it. Gotcha, Safeway – I’ve found your loophole. Check and mate, and on to the next three-pound bag.

Kale Pesto

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Category: Sauces, Sides

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Yield: About 1 cup

A healthy, vitamin-packed vegan pesto.

Ingredients

4 cups chopped kale leaves
½ cup raw walnuts
¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
⅓ cup olive oil

Instructions

Combine the kale, walnuts, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and pulse until blended. With the motor running, drizzle in olive oil until pesto is relatively smooth. Remove and store covered in refrigerator until ready to use.
To use as a sandwich spread: spread thinly on bread.
To use as a pizza topping: Add a bit of olive oil to the desired amount to make it a bit thinner and more spreadable. Spread evenly on crust and cover with toppings.
To use with pasta: Add hot pasta water to the desired amount of pesto and stir until desired consistency (somewhat thin like a sauce). Toss into pasta.

Filed Under: Quick & Easy, Sauces & Condiments, Vegan

Roasted Cabbage

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Julie • 3 Comments

roasted cabbage | baked in

I know what you’re thinking. “Really, Julie? You’re posting all weekend on the facebook about making cupcakes and now you’re giving me cabbage? And on a Monday, like Mondays need to suck more?” I know. I know. I’m not even going to try to make cabbage exciting. But hear me out. I have not one, not two, but THREE cupcake recipes coming at you over the next two weeks. And they’re good ones. If you’re not following my ridiculous train of thought, what I’m basically saying is I just gave myself license to give you one super unexciting thing for every three awesome ones.

I’m being pretty unfair to the cabbage here. Especially since I’ve basically made it my life’s work* to free its little cousin the Brussels sprout from its unfairly negative reputation. I actually really like cabbage, and like most of the cruciferous vegetables, it’s especially good roasted. It caramelizes a little and it completely changes the texture, with a pleasing crunch and a little brightness from freshly squeezed lemon juice.

… [click for recipe and more]

Filed Under: Quick & Easy, Side Dishes, Vegan

Vegan Deviled “Eggs”

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Julie • 1 Comment

Vegan Deviled Eggs | Baked In

Disclaimer: I am most definitely not a vegan, nor do I play one on TV, but I’ve been dying to try this recipe ever since I saw it over on Lagusta’s Luscious a few months ago. Of course it took me forever to get around to it, but now we’re coming up on Easter, so the timing is perfect. Holidays can be tough for vegans and vegetarians – most of the traditional holiday meals center around a big slab of meat, and Easter, of course, is all about eggs. I’ve seen lots of recipes for deviled egg substitutes, but this was the first one I’ve come across that really has the look – and, it turns out, the taste – down pat.

vegan deviled eggs

… [click for recipe and more]

Filed Under: Appetizers, Quick & Easy, Vegan

Cauliflower Buffalo “Wings”

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Julie • 19 Comments

cauliflower wings

I was never a wing person. When I started dating Nor and he still ate meat, we would joke about how there was really no polite way to eat chicken wings. Regardless of how appropriate you’re trying to be, at the end of the day you’re still sucking meat off a bone with sauce all over your face and fingers. There is truly no polite way to do it. Nor was the most gracious wing-eater I’d seen, and to this day he is the only person I’ve ever seen eat a tray of buffalo wings and not be completely smeared with sauce and grease at the end of that ordeal.

As for me, I honestly don’t think I have ever eaten a chicken wing in my life (anyone who knows me in real life that might remember better than me, feel free to speak up). But since Nor gave up chicken four-plus years ago, wings have been one of the few things he really misses. I’ve tried to replicate with seitan – those are amazing and you’ll probably see the recipe here at some point – but they are deep-fried. And I. HATE. FRYING. So those have been SUPER special occasion wings – think, your team is in the Super Bowl type of special. But then I found the recipe for these, and I thought “this is too good to be true. They’re made of vegetables and BAKED.” I could make these on any given Sunday and snack on them all day! And I did. For the “hey Mikey, he likes it!” factor, here are the reactions of my two cohabitants (the usual one and a guest) at the time I made these:

Chrissy: “Can I have a piece of cauliflower? OH MY GOD, this is amazing.” Note: her later reaction was that these are just as good before you toss them in wing sauce.

Nor: “Skeptical diatribe about using cauliflower for wings.” Pause for cooking time. “Whoa…these are really good. Can we have these next weekend? And for the Super Bowl?”

… [click for recipe and more]

Filed Under: Appetizers, Main Dish, Vegan

Pumpkin Mousse

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments

It happens to the best of us. You plan the perfect holiday dessert. You go to four different grocery stores to get the ingredients. Maybe you even order something online. You’re so excited to share your kitchen prowess with your family and friends, and then…something goes horribly wrong. The pie doesn’t set. The souffle falls as soon as the oven door opens. The cake doesn’t rise. And what are you left with? The dregs of all the ingredients you worked so hard to find, just enough to be completely useless if you want to remake your failed creation. Your own dashed hopes. Oh, and no dessert.

If you’re like me, and this happens to you often enough that you always, always have to have a backup plan, this is for you. This is your five-minute, failsafe, “look what I just whipped up!” backup dessert. This warmly spiced pumpkin mousse, made creamy with silken tofu and sweetened with maple syrup, can be served in individual ramekins, or spooned into miniature pie or pastry shells and topped with whipped cream for a makeshift pumpkin custard “pie.” It’s also on the lighter side, so it won’t contribute to the almost inevitable post-Thanksgiving dinner sweats.

… [click for recipe and more]

Filed Under: Desserts, Quick & Easy, Vegan