The Vegan 8

From the “jokes” I see on social media, it seems that most people think that healthy food is boring and bland. While, yes, some healthy food can be a little on the tasteless side, it’s totally possible to make meals that are both nutritious and delicious. And Brandi Doming is here to show us how with her new cookbook The Vegan 8.

Eight Ingredients or Fewer

As the name suggests, the recipes in Brandi’s cookbook can all be made with eight ingredients or fewer. That “eight ingredients” doesn’t count salt, pepper, and water, but those are all things that everyone has in their kitchen anyway. All of the recipes are vegan, of course. Most are oil-free and gluten-free, and there are nut-free options as well, so the book the book is suitable for those with various dietary restrictions.

If you’re new to healthy vegan cooking, Brandi begins The Vegan 8 with just about everything you need to know about getting started. There are tips for baking, lists of ingredients that might be unfamiliar to you, and information on equipment that might be handy to have on hand in your kitchen.

Classics and Comfort Food

If you’re a vegan cooking pro, you can skip right ahead to the recipes. These aren’t boring dishes. Brandi focuses on veganized versions of classics and comfort food, making it easy for vegan newbies to transition their diets.

This isn’t a book full of recipes for kale salads and green smoothies. You won’t find crazy “superfoods” listed in the ingredients, either. These dishes are made with ingredients that can easily be found at any grocery store, and they’ll appeal to everyone. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be happy with a plate of Baked Mac ‘N’ Cheese, a bowl of Ultimate Broccoli-Cheese Soup. or a few Crowd-Pleasing Brownies!

The Chapters in The Vegan 8 include:

• The Vegan 8 Kitchen
• Breakfast
• Scrumptious Snacks & Appetizers
• Time-Crunch Lunches
• Sauces & Dressings
• Easy Entrées
• Comforting Soups & Stews
• Sides & Dips
• Crowd-Pleasing Desserts
• Staples

If you’re looking for healthy and easy-to-make comfort food classics, The Vegan 8 is the book for you!

Pumpkin Spice, Cranberry, and Pistachio Morning Cookies

 

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This may sound a bit crazy, but I enjoyed these cookies every bit as much as the insanely indulgent cookies from the dessert chapter in this book. That is hard to believe considering chocolate is nowhere in sight. I was moaning happily while eating them. They are wonderfully chewy with a moist and fudgy center and addicting pumpkin spices.

Author: Brandi Doming

Yield: 13 cookies

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup (128g) roasted creamy almond butter
• 6 tablespoons (120g) pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon (8g) ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon (9g) pumpkin pie spice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon (2g) fine salt
• 1⁄2 cup (50g) gluten-free old-fashioned oats, not instant
• 1⁄2 cup (23g) brown rice crisp cereal
• 1⁄4 cup (38g) dried cranberries or cherries
• 1⁄4 cup (38g) unsalted pistachios

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Add the almond butter, syrup, flaxseed, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to a large bowl, and stir. Add the oats, cereal, cranberries, and pistachios, and stir for a couple of minutes until incorporated and the batter gets very thick and sticky.
3. Using 2 tablespoons worth of batter, roll into tight balls and place them on the prepared pan about 2 inches apart. I fit 9 on one pan. The batter will be very sticky, so wet your fingertips to help, if needed. Do your best to keep the balls pieced together.
4. Use a small square piece of parchment paper to flatten each ball to about 1⁄2 inch thick, pushing any loose pieces together. They are fragile at this step but will firm up beautifully as they bake.
5. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes or until golden brown on top. Leave on the pan to cool for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Now, taste one and tell me how freaking delicious they are! Store them in a tight container so they stay moist. They will lose their crispiness by the next day but will still be chewy and delicious.

Tip

1. To make these nut free, sub the almond butter with sunflower seed butter if you don’t mind a strong sunflower seed butter taste. Leave out the pistachios or replace with pumpkin seeds.

Notes

Recipe reprinted with permission from The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming.

3.5.3226

Other recipes from The Vegan 8 include:

• Fool ‘Em “Cream Cheese” Spinach-Artichoke Dip
• Ginger Sesame Teriyaki Burgers
• Chocolate–Peanut Butter Candy Bites
• Hungarian Red Lentil Soup

Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely, Food Stylist: Anna Hampton

Review reprinted with permission from Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen 

The post Pumpkin Spice Morning Cookies from The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Pumpkin Spice Cheeze-Cake

Makes 8 to 10 servings / Ease Factor 3

Crust

• 1 3/4 cups vegan cookie crumbs (ginger cookies work well)
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine, melted

Filling

• 2 tablespoons rolled oats
• 14 to 16 ounces firm regular tofu
• 1 can (about 16 ounces) unsweetened pumpkin purée
• 2/3cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice

Topping

• 3 tablespoons vegan cookie crumbs

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally coat a 10-inch round springform pan with vegan margarine.

To make the crust, put 13⁄4 cups cookie crumbs and the melted margarine in a medium-sized bowl and mix with a fork until well combined. Pat the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.

To make the filling, put the rolled oats in a blender and process into coarse crumbs. Add the tofu, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and allspice and process until smooth and creamy.

Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Cool for 15 minutes, then carefully run a table knife around the perimeter of the cake to ensure it does not stick to the side of the pan.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of cookie crumbs evenly over the top of the cake, gently pressing them into the top, so the crumbs adhere. Release the side of the springform pan to unmold.

Cover the cake very loosely and refrigerate 3 to 24 hours before serving. Serve with vegan whipped cream on the side, if desired. Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover cheeze-cake will keep for about 2 days.

Recipe from Laura Theodore’s Vegan-Ease: An Easy Guide to Enjoying a Plant-Based Diet © Laura Theodore (Jazzy Vegetarian, LLC 2015), reprinted by permission. Photo by David Kaplan.

The post Laura Theodore’s Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cheeze-Cake appeared first on Chic Vegan.