RECIPE - Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake (low cal)

... I know I still need the 2nd half of my blog regarding how to read labels and I'm hoping I can get it done today or tomorrow...but, in the meantime, thought I'd share a recipe for a vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake that I tweaked yesterday and it turned out really yummy!  Here it is (if you make it, let me know how you like it):

(NOTE: If you'd like more detailed nutrient information, go to the USDA food tracker website at https://www.choosemyplate.gov/SuperTracker/foodapedia.aspx )

Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Servings: 12
Calories per serving: 236

INGREDIENTS
For the topping:
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
4 fresh, sweet cherries (you can use the frozen ones as long as no sugar has been added), sliced in half
6 slices of fresh pineapple

For the cake:
1 cup of coconut palm sugar
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp egg replacer (like Ener-G brand)
1/4 cup water
1 cup crushed pineapple (with juice drained & reserved)
1 cup reserved pineapple juice (plus more pineapple juice if not enough to make 1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1) Preheat the oven to 375degrees F and spray a bundt cake pan with canola or coconut cooking spray.
2) Place the pineapple slices and the sliced cherries at the bottom of the bundt pan.
3) Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of coconut palm sugar over the fruit (make sure to use all of it).
4) In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients for the cake.  Then add all the wet ingredients and blend well.
5) Slowly pour the mixture over the fruit & sugar in the bundt pan.
6) Put it into the oven and bake for about 50-55 minutes, checking the doneness with a toothpick (FYI -toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean if baked thoroughly)
7) Immediately invert onto a heat-proof plate and let cool off.

Enjoy!!

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RECIPE - Sweet Twist Roasted Root Veggies

Roasted root vegetables with a sweet twist!  This was really good!  Hope you guys like it!

Ingredients
1 turnip, diced
3-4 small beets (various types if possible), sliced
5-6 fingerling (or new) potatoes, cubed
1/2 sweet onion, sliced
2 tbsp frozen pomegranate seeds
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vegan butter
2 tbsp cashew butter
1/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp Braggs aminos
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400F
2) Toss the turnip, beets, potatoes, and onion slices into a small casserole
3) In a small skillet, heat the olive oil and vegan butter over medium heat; toss in the minced garlic.
4) Add the cashews, rosemary, parsley, & salt.  Brown the cashews.
5) Add red wine, Braggs & pomegranate seeds; stir to combine, lower heat to low.
6) Add cashew butter and stir to melt through;remove from heat and pour over root veggies
7) Roast uncovered in oven for about 30-40 minutes.

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RECIPE - Chocolate Soy Yogurt Fruit Parfaits

"You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, 'Let's get some parfait,' they say, 'Hell no, I don't like no parfait'? Parfaits are delicious!" - donkey, from Shrek (2001)

So, on that note, here's something I "whipped" up in my kitchen to try to use up the rest of some soy yogurt before it goes bad!  The combination of the flavors are really good! Well, that's my opinion at least :D 

Chocolate Soy Yogurt Fruit Parfaits

Serves 3.

(Approximately 279 calories per serving - but you can change this by making smaller portions and increasing the amount of servings.)

Equipment:

3 Hurricane glasses (or tall glasses)

Hand mixer or whisk

Ingredients:

1 cup plain soy yogurt

4 tbsp Agave syrup

3 tbsp Mimic Creme Whipped Topping (almond & cashew cream)

3 tbsp Cacao powder (dark & organic)

1 ripe mango, chopped

1 ½ cups sliced strawberries

½ cup blueberries

½ cup cinnamon toasted rolled oats

Directions

1)     Blend the soy yogurt, Agave, & MimicCreme in a bowl with a hand mixer on low or mix by hand.

2)     Slowly add the cacao powder.

3)     In hurricane glasses (or parfait glasses) toss some mango, strawberries, & blueberries into the bottom, sprinkle with some of the toasted oats, then top with 2 tbsp (more or less) of the chocolate yogurt mixture.  Continue in this order until you’re done. 

4)     Finish with some fruit on the top and a sprinkling of toasted oats.

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RECIPE - Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 16 pieces
Calories without icing: 114 per piece
Calories with icing: 130 per piece
(Compared to a leading unnamed company's mini version that has 350cals each.)

Dough:
• 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• sprinkling of evaporated cane sugar
• 1 tbsp ground flax seed
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1tbsp evaporated cane sugar
• 2 tbsp organic canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or regular whole wheat flour)
• 1/2-1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

Filling:
• 3/4 cup organic brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp Blackstrap Molasses

Icing:
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. In a small bowl combine ground flax seed and water; set aside.
2. Warm soy milk in microwave but don’t let it get too hot then add yeast and sugar; Let sit for about 5 minutes.
3. Pour yeast mixture into a mixing bowl & add oil, flax seed mixture, salt, and wheat flour. Mix it a little with your hands then begin adding the all-purpose flour 1/4 cup at a time, kneading it in before adding more. The dough shouldn’t be sticky. When it’s not sticky, knead it for another 5 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, molasses, & cinnamon, making sure the molasses is mixed well into the mixture.
5. Once the dough is ready, form into a ball, spray nonstick spray into bottom of bowl, place dough back & spray top with nonstick (I used coconut oil). Cover with a moistened tea towel & let it sit in a warm area for 1- 1 1/2 hours to rise (1st rising).
6. When ready, put dough on a floured surface & roll out into a 10 by 14 rectangle. Brush entire surface with water & spread filling mixture over surface, leaving about 1 inch without filling at one of the short ends.
7. Begin rolling the dough up using the short edge that has filling. Try to roll it away from you, tucking and squeezing the roll as you go. When you get to the untouched dough edge, brush it with some water and finish rolling, sealing it with that edge.
8. Now cut the log in half, then each half in half, and so on. You should have about 14-16 cinnamon rolls. Place them in an 8” round pan or a square brownie pan. Cover with moist tea towel again and let rise in warm place for 45 minutes (2nd rising).
9. Heat your oven to 350˚ & bake rolls for 15-20 minutes. Rolls should be firm to the touch and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly while you make the icing.
10. To make the icing, place powdered sugar and water in a bowl - add only enough water to get a thick consistency of the icing. Add the vanilla. If you don’t want to do the icing, drizzle some organic, raw honey (yes, I still eat honey because it has no cholesterol).


Let me know if you like these!  We did!

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RECIPE - Vegan Ranch Dressing

Makes 1 Serving = 96 cals (approx.)

2 tsp. Low Fat Vegenaise
2 tsp. Galaxy Vegan Cream Cheese
1 tbsp. Almond milk (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp. Bragg's Cider Vinegar
Dried dill
Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Enjoy!

RECIPE - Vegan Samosas!

Here's my recipe for yummy vegan samosas! Enjoy!

Vegan Samosas (Serves 12)
(Note:  Prepare the tofu and marinade first.)

INGREDIENTS
For the pastry:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup nondairy milk (I like using coconut milk)

For the filling:
1/2 cup prepared tofu (see below for tofu marinade recipe)
2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered (leave peel on for more nutrients)
1 tbsp. organic canola oil (or cold-pressed virgin olive oil)
1 small, sweet onion - chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. Thai green curry paste (or any curry paste you prefer)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shelled edamame
3/4 cup chopped carrots
2 tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
Make the dough:

1. Place flour & salt in a large bowl and whisk together.  Add the nondairy milk & mix with your hands until dough forms a ball (you may need to add more flour or more milk to get the right consistency).
2. On a flour covered board, knead the dough for about 1 minute then cover the ball of dough tightly and store in refrigerator while you make the filling.

 Make the filling:

1. Boil the cut-up potatoes until they're soft. When they're done, rinse them under some cold water.
2. Mash the cooked potatoes with a masher but make sure to leave a few pieces so it's not perfectly smooth.  Set aside.
3. In the same pan you used for your tofu, add the 1 tbsp of organic canola oil and warm it up at a medium-high setting.  Add the onions, garlic, curry paste, & salt.  Saute until onions are soft.
4. Now add the edamame, the carrots, and the lemon juice. Stir and let cook for about 1-3 minutes to get the edamame and carrots to be tender but not overcooked.
5. Remove veggies from heat and add to the mashed potatoes. Mix and let stand to cool for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit while waiting for the filling to cool.

Assemble the samosas:

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick canola or coconut oil.
2. Remove dough from refrigerator, flour cover your hands and roll dough into 12 one-inch balls.
3. Have a small bowl of water and a fork ready nearby.
4. On a floured surface, roll out a dough ball with a floured rolling pin into a 5-6 inch circle.
5. Put dough circle onto a separate surface and put about 2-3 tbsp of filling in the center of it.
6. Dip your finger into the bowl of water (this will take several dips) & apply water to the edges of the circle.
7. Fold the dough over (it'll look like a half moon), matching the edges, then crimp those edges with the fork (careful to not tear/poke the middle section where the filling is).
8. Place finished samosa onto a prepared cookie sheet then repeat with the other 11 dough balls.
9. Bake samosas at 425degrees F for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375degrees F, flip samosas, & then bake for another 10 minutes.
10. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool slightly (the filling will be very, very hot) before eating.

Marinade recipe for tofu:

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup extra-firm tofu, chopped into thin squares/rectangles/strips

1/2 cup organic vegetable broth

2 tbsp. Cindy's Kitchen All-Natural Mango Coconut & Pepper sauce

1 tbsp. organic canola oil

DIRECTIONS

Pour the vegetable broth into a small, sealable container and add the sauce. Combine and then add chopped tofu. Marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator or up to 1 day. Next, warm up the canola oil in a skillet large enough to fit all of the tofu pieces at about medium heat. Add tofu when the skillet is ready...don't stir as this will break up the tofu. Let it get nice and toasty brown and then flip the tofu pieces over to brown the other side. Remove from heat when done - pieces should be slightly crispy.

The calories are not set in stone for this because it depends on which nondairy milk, curry paste, oil, and marinade sauce that you use.  With that said, doing the recipe like I did, this is the basic nutrition information (per MyFitnessPal):
                  Calories  Carbs   Fat   Protein   MonoUns   Cholest

Total:	2102	319	47	83	18	0
Per Serving:	175	27	4	7	2	0