breakfast, daily eats, dinner, life, lunch, snack, weekly eats roundups

What I’ve eaten this week (vegan)

July 19, 2018August 5, 2018by Katherine BakerLeave a Comment

Another food roundup for ya! Hope these meals and snacks inspire some deliciousness in your life.

Just Salad:

Grabbed Just Salad the other day with my mom who is in town. Just Salad will forever be my fav salad chain. No shade to the others, just Salad just holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s the reusable bowls, maybe it’s all the toppings. Perhaps it’s the yummy grilled roasted tofu or the variety of dressings or the nostalgia of it all since it was a staple for NYUers since they had one right by the library. Whatever it is. It yum.

My go-to is a build-your-own with kale and romaine mixed as the base, with apples, double roasted sweet potatoes, raw beets, apples, roasted broccoli, chickpeas, avocado, and grilled tofu. With agave Dijon dressing. And bread always, duh. YUM.

Onigiri from KoroKoro Riceball cafe

Recently tried a local onigiri cafe in jersey city and am hooked! They have rice balls stuffed with yummy and creative fillings.

Onigiri is itself a Japanese Street food, but the fillings are Koro koro are inspired by other cultures making it a fun fusion place of sorts.

Continue reading “What I’ve eaten this week (vegan)” →

breakfast, dinner, life, lunch, product review, snack

Recent (Vegan) Eats

June 30, 2018June 30, 2018by Katherine BakerLeave a Comment

Hey hey! I want to make my recent vegan eats roundups more regular. I love reading about other people’s random daily eats for inspiration for new snacks and meals, and I strive to write a blog I would want to read, so here we are.

Without further audieu, here’s a peak into what I’ve been nommin’ on lately. Hope you enjoy! Drop a comment below if you like these kinds of posts, or if you don’t!

Pesto Meatball Sub and air-baked sweet potato fries with ALL the beet ketchup and chipotle aioli from byChloe

Last Saturday I met up with my NYU friend (and future MD!) Nina and her awesome vegan mom. We had a yummy dinner at byChloe, complete with all the condiments (really what’s best about byChloe), and dessert (a vegan/gluten-free cupcake + a cookie, split three ways).

It was so nice to meet Dr. Chris IRL! I feel like we’ve been internet friends for a long time. After we all went to Trader Joe’s…aka a perfect Saturday night!

For more on what I like at byChloe, check out my NYC Vegan Eats Roundup!

Snap Peas with Hummus:

YUM. Snap pea season! I got some yummy ones from the farmer’s market near by apartment and raged on them with hummus. Yummus.

Cherries

Again, tis the season! I love love love cherries, and they have such a short season, so when I saw a big bag for $1.88/pound, I had to get some. So sweet and refreshing.

Continue reading “Recent (Vegan) Eats” →

5-ingredients, appetizer, bananas, breakfast, fruit, gluten free, glutenfree, peanut butter, vegan, vegetarian

Banachos (Banana Nachos)

May 22, 2018May 22, 2018by Katherine Baker4 Comments

Sometimes I think I could live off of potatoes and bananas and things to dip them in. Seriously. I eat both pretty much every day and never tire of them. The best.

One of my favorite ways to eat bananas is sliced up, topped with cinnamon, hemp hearts, oodles of nut butter, and/or granola. My sister coined this creation “banachos” and the name just stuck (at least in our circle).

This is less of a recipe and more of an idea. I want you to make banachos with whatever you like to eat bananas with.

Continue reading “Banachos (Banana Nachos)” →

baking, blueberries, breakfast, fast, healthy, oats, vegan, vegan baking, vegetarian, whole grains

Re-Sharing my Most Popular Recipe: Vegan Blueberry Flax Breakfast Muffins

December 1, 2017by Katherine BakerLeave a Comment

Happy December 1st to you! And, happy Friday. Can you believe it’s December already? I feel like this year was an insane whirlwind and I cannot believe 2018 is around the corner.

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs this year. A lot of pain, growth, and struggle. But I’ve also seen a lot of kindness come out of friends old and new, and for that I am insanely thankful.

As I try to revive my blog after neglecting it time and time again, I thought I’d re-share a recipe that continues to be a top source of traffic to my site.

Behold, an old delicious favorite: vegan blueberry flax breakfast muffins.

These muffins are originally from my ebook, 40 Easy Vegan Desserts, and were published on the blog in March 2015. In case you weren’t following way back when, I thought I’d repost them because they are a true delight and make a wonderfully nourishing breakfast, snack, or dessert. I fancy them warmed up with a smudge of almond butter, or dunked in almond milk.

I hope you enjoy these! Bake a batch while watching Great British Bake Off (season 4 is now on Netflix!) and enjoy life. 🙂

Have a great weekend! I’ll be finally whipping out the DSLR and doing some new recipe development AND have a product review planned this weekend. Stay #blessed

Vegan Blueberry Flax Breakfast Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25-35 minutes
Level: Easy

Ingredients:

2 cups oat flour (can make with 2 cups rolled oats processed in a food processor or blender until fine powder forms)
- Note: I also made these with 1 cup oat flour and 1 cup spelt flour. This was also wonderful!
1/4 cup ground flax (can sub chia seeds)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (can sub canola)
1 cup almond or soy milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar, left to sit for at least 10 minutes
1/2 cup apple sauce or 1/2 mashed banana
1/2 cup – 1 cup brown sugar (depending on level of desired sweetness); can also sup 1/3rd-1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. In a cup or bowl, combine almond milk and vinegar and allow to curdle, at least 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, flax seed, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix together well.

4. Add apple sauce, melted coconut oil, sugar and/or maple syrup, almond milk + vinegar mixture to bowl with flour. Mix gently until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

5. Grease or line a 12-tin muffin tray. Fill each spot about 3/4ths of the way full with muffin batter. Place into the oven for 25-35 minutes until puffed, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean upon removal. Allow to cool (or don’t) and enjoy. Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 4 days, and/or freeze.

5-ingredients, almond meal, baking, breakfast, delicious, dessert, easy, fast, frozen, gluten free, glutenfree, health, healthy, oats, pie, vegan, vegan baking, vegetarian

Quick and Easy Vegan Fruit Crisp

September 7, 2017September 7, 2017by Katherine BakerLeave a Comment

Yummy yummy yummy I have Fruit Crisp in my tummy!

….apparently I’m 5 years old. Anyways I thought I’d share the recipe for this easy vegan Fruit Crisp that I made on Vegan Bites this week, because it’s so incredibly simple. I usually eyeball these crisps because I’m lazy and because they are quite forgiving, but below you’ll find a general guideline for making your very own Fruit Crisp.

This recipe serves 2. You can easily double, triple, or quadrupole it, depending on how many people you’re feeding or how hungry you are.

I used peaches, but you can use whatever tickles your pickle or whatever fruit happens to be spoiling around your house. Frozen fruit works well, too.

I suggest using almond or oat flour. This makes it gluten-free if you care and delicious regardless of if you care. If you don’t have these flours, you can use all purpose.

This tastes amaze with non-dairy or ice cream or whipped cream. DO IT.

Enjoy!

Easy Vegan Fruit Crisp

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes, but need at least 1 hour to freeze
Servings: 2, easily doubled

Ingredients:

2 cups fruit (I used peaches today, frozen berries are also fab)
1 tablespoon sugar -1/2 tablespoon lemon juice -3/4 cup oats -1/4 cup flour (I recommend almond or oat, AP is fine too)
1/4 cup brown or coconut sugar (regular will also be okay)
1/4 cup softened non-dairy butter
cinnamon
dash salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Chop fruit into even pieces, add lemon juice, sugar, and toss. Place in well-greased baking pan.
Combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Mix. Cube softened butter and mix in.
Cover fruit with oat mixture and bake for 30-45 minutes until fruit is tender and top is crispy.
Serve with non-dairy ice cream or coconut whipped cream!

20 minutes or less, 5-ingredients, appetizer, avocado, bread, breakfast, delicious, easy, gluten free, glutenfree, healthy, lunch, vegan, vegetarian, whole grains

5 Easy Avocado Toast Ideas for YOU

August 24, 2017August 24, 2017by Katherine BakerLeave a Comment

Yum yum yum. Avocado toast. I love to make it! Because I am a millennial and never want to be able to buy a house! I’d rather spend my time creating easy avocado toasts so you can have some easy avocado toast ideas on hand.

Lol. All jokes aside, people who rip on avocado toast can shove it. Sure, it can be overpriced on brunch menus, but isn’t everything? Like people pay $8-20 for an omelet. And eggs are CHEAP AF.

Anyways, here are a few avocado toast ideas for you. I hope you enjoy for a snack or breakfast or for lunch or for whatever!

Avocado Toast with Pomegranate Seeds

An old favorite! And so cute and festive for the holidays. The recipe exists on my site here, but basically it’s just bread + avo + pomegranate perils. You can add red pepper flakes if you want too. Add S&P and: Yum!

Avocado Toast with Nutritional Yeast

Yes. Simple and delicious. The nutritional yeast truly kicks it up a major notch. Try it. Trust me. Cheesy, umami goodness. Add S&P, of course. Yum. #vegan

Avocado Toast with Preserved Lemons and Radish

This was better than expected. I had a jar of perserved lemons I had no idea what to do with. Honestly, I’d never even had them before. I opened them up and they tasted like olives. But lemon. It’s weird and wonderful at once.

They are super salty, so naturally they go well on avocado toast. I added radish. You could also do tomatoes. Whatever you want!

Avocado Toast with Everything Sea Salt

Another simple wonderful creation. Simply mash avocado, and sprinkle with everything bagel salt. I get it at Trader Joe’s for $1.99. This salt is a GAME CHANGER. Invest.

Avocado Toast with Herbs, Walnuts, and Crushed Chips or Sundried Tomatoes

I love avocado toast with herbs. It just tastes and feels so right. Cilantro on top makes it like a guac toast (also good). Parsley also tastes SO FRESH. I also like adding nuts for crunch, and something to contrast the savoriness.

In this case, it was Just Beets from Trader Joe’s. Any pop of sweet tanginess (see pomegranate perils above, or sun-dried tomatoes), or juiceness (like tomatoes) will do.

Hope this gave you some ideas! Stay #blessed, y’all.

baking, breakfast, dessert, easy, entertaining, frozen, pie, vegan, vegan baking, vegetarian, YouTube

Mini Vegan Berry Pies

August 6, 2017by Katherine BakerLeave a Comment

My very wise sister once said “Pie makes everything better.”

Which is true, for the most part.

I had an incredibly hard past few days, and today I pulled one of these mini pies (the last one) out of the freezer. I made them on the 4th of July and since I didn’t eat them all that day, froze a few to eat over the following weeks.

I do this a lot with baked goods, and it’s awesome. Because you always have fresh-made baked goods on hand. #winning.

These mini berry pies are easy to make and completely vegan. I made them mini by baking them in a muffin tin. You can be as fancy or as unfancy as you’d like with the pie cover.

Personally, I’m not that into pie crust (unless it’s cookie crust or graham crust) so if I hadn’t been making these for something, I may not have been so fancy with the tops. In fact, I probably would have left them topless. Anyways.

These are scrummy little summer bites and fabulous to make with frozen or fresh berries. I used frozen because when I have fresh berries around I usually eat them by the pound + per sitting and rarely have enough left to bake with. I wonder if Mary Berry would approve.

Anyways, you can also watch me make these pies below or on YouTube.on YouTube.on YouTube.on YouTube.

Happy Pie Eating!

Mini Vegan Berry Pies

Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus time to chill dough
Cook Time: 25-40 minutes
Servings: 6 mini berry pies

Ingredients – Crust:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan butter (I used earth balance baking sticks)
1/3-1/2 cup ice water

Ingredients – Filling:

3 cups berries (I used frozen)
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour

Method:

Prepare dough by whisking together flour, salt and tablespoon of sugar.
Cube vegan butter and cut into flour with back of fork or pastry cutter until dough is crumbly texture.
Slowly add water as needed, mixing with a wooden spoon, until a ball forms.
Chill dough for one hour in refrigerator or 20 min in freezer.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Make filling by combing berries, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cornstarch. Toss gently.
Remove dough from refrigerator/freezer. Roll out until about 1/4 inch thick.
Oil the crap out of a muffin tin.
Cut 4 inch circles of dough out of rolled dough. I used an oatmeal canister top. You can also use a cookie cutter.
Fill crusts with filling.
Use remaining dough to garnish tops of pies.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until bubbly and lightly golden.
Enjoy with vegan whipped cream or ice cream.

For more yummy daily eats, follow me on Insta, and subscribe to my blog/channel!

breakfast, cinnamon, oatmeal, oats, sweet, Uncategorized, vegan, vegan baking, whole grains

Vegan Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Coconut Vanilla Yogurt Icing & Walnuts

July 30, 2017July 30, 2017by Katherine Baker1 Comment

CINNAMON. ROLLS.

Is there anything like ’em? No. There is not. When you’re craving a cinnamon roll, absolutely nothing else will do.

Which is why after craving them like cray for several days in a row, I decided to make some. Now I’m simultaneously #satisfied, and eager to make some more cinnamon roll variations (my friend suggested carrot cake…genius?! yes).

Me being me, I decided to tweak classic cinnamon rolls and put my own lil twist on ’em. I used oat flour because I wanted something not junky tasting (tho I do love a junky cinnamon roll sometimes…just was more in the mood for hearty/substantial/I really love the texture/flavor of oat flour in baking).

Then, for the filling, I used apple sauce + cinnamon + a wee bit of non-dairy butter (tho you could even skip the non-dairy butter).

For icing, I used vanilla coconut yogurt. This was actually because I was out of powdered sugar and too lazy and cheap to buy more at the moment so I opted for yogurt. And you know what? IT WAS AMAZING. Happy accident AF. Tangy, sweet, vanilla-…it was like a shortcut, less intense cream cheese icing. 10/10 would reccomend.

You should make these cinnamon rolls if you are looking for something satisfying, not junky, and different fr breakfast. If you are looking for a classic, more junky, Cinnabon-esque cinnamon roll, this recipe probably isn’t what you want right now. If you want to make cream cheese icing or other icing, be my guest. Either way, get rockin’ and rollin’.

Vegan Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Coconut Vanilla Yogurt Icing & Walnuts

Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus 6-8 for proofing
Cook Time: 20-40 minutes
Servings: about 4 small cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons yeast
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon melted non-dairy butter
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup oat flour (can sub AP or whole-wheat flour if desired)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour or whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar

For Filling:

1/3 cup apple sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon non-dairy butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

For Icing:

1 container coconut or soy milk vanilla yogurt (I like So Delicious, Soyo, Silk, and Stony Field’s Brands)

For garnish:

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

Warm almond milk in a bowl to about 110 F. The milk should be warm, but not boiling.
Add yeast and allow to bloom, about 10 minutes.
Add sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix
Add flours, 1/2 cup at a time, folding gently into the butter mixture.
Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, roughly 6-8 hours.
When dough has risen, roll out into a rectangle, about 1/4th inch thick.
Coat dough rectangle with apple sauce, and then add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cubed.
Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apple sauce.
Roll dough into one log. Use a knife to cut into fourths.
Place fourths/rolls into well-oiled pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and fragrant.
Remove from oven and drizzle with yogurt. Top with chopped nuts, if desired.

baking, breakfast, gluten free, glutenfree, strawberry, vegan, vegan baking

Easy Vegan Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

May 20, 2017May 20, 2017by Katherine BakerLeave a Comment

So I have this weird habit of making some recipe, taking photos of it, uploading the photos onto my computer, putting them in a folder on my desktop, and then forget to ever post the recipe and photos. Like, it happens way more often than it should. WTF.

Or maybe I didn’t post this recipe because the photos aren’t great. I took some on my phone (ie one above) and forgot to DSLR anymore of the finished project. Probably cause I was eager to eat them. Sometimes I wonder why I pour so much time and energy into the stuff I do for other platforms that consistently under or don’t pay me and so little on my own site. I am actively changing this RIGHT NOW. So I’m gonna creep around my desktop, find some old (but new to you) recipes, and post ’em. Starting with this one.

I made these on Easter when I had a baking bug in my pants and wanted a sweet treat but was limited on baking supplies. I also didn’t feel like going to store, so I crept in the freezer, found a bag of frozen strawberries, and got busy.

I was craving a sweet, oaty bar, and googled “oatmeal strawberry bar,” and was directed to one of Ree Drummond’s recipes. Related: low key love watching the Pioneer Woman. Yes, I know I’m a non-meat-eater of 17 years and the Drummonds live on a tycoon cattle ranch and raise animals for the purpose of human consumption. And yes I know Ree makes a bunch of stuff I would like, never want to touch with a 10 foot pole.

But you can’t deny there’s something eerily enchanting about that show. And that the violin theme song is perfect. And that you love learning what’s happening on the ranch that day. And most importantly, you can’t deny that Ree has some good trips and tips for cooking, no matter what your dietary pattern or preference.

So these easy bars were inspired by her. I looked at her recipe, adapted it, veganized it, healthified it a little, and proceeded to watch The Pioneer Woman while baking. It was a lovely Easter indeed.

These bars are lightly sweet, oaty, chewy, and gushing with strawberries (in a good way). I made the jam for the filling using only frozen strawberries and chia seeds. This works tremendously. You just let them jell up. It’s wonderful.

Anyways, enjoy this recipe. More life update type post tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

Easy Vegan Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Adapted from pioneerwoman.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Servings: about 12 bars

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup frozen strawberries, thawed
2 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds
8 ounces non-dairy butter
1 cup oat flour (you can make oat flour by pulsing rolled oats in a food processor until a fine powder forms)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Method:

Thaw frozen strawberries in the microwave by warming for about 1-2 minutes until soft. Mash with a fork. Add chia seeds, mix well, and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 12×12 pan.
Combine oat flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix well.
Cut cold non-dairy spread or butter into small bits. Then add to flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, back of a fork, or your fingers, crumble butter into mixture until coarse crumbs form.
Divide mixture in half. Pack slightly more than half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Spoon strawberry jelly mixture over the packed flour mixture into the pan.
Crumble and sprinkle remaining flour mixture over the top half of the strawberry mixture.
Place pan in oven for 35-40 minutes, until lightly golden.
Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy.

20 minutes or less, breakfast, easy, pancakes, peanut butter, Uncategorized

That Time I Made Rosa Park’s Pancake Recipe (Vegan Style)

May 19, 2017by Katherine BakerLeave a Comment

If you follow me on Instagram, you may recall these pancakes I posted a few weeks ago.

So what’s so special about a damn picture of pancakes with awkward irregular shaped edges and a few walnuts and banana slices on top as a despite attempt on food styling? Oh, that’s right. They’re Rosa Park’s pancakes.

Well, not Rosa Park’s pancakes per se; I didn’t go back in time, steal them from her table, freeze and then defrost them decades later for the sake of an Instagram photo. No, I merely made them from a recipe she had written on the back of an envelope, a photo of which was featured in this article for NPR (side note: I <3 NPR).

They’re endearingly called “Featherlighte Pancakes,” and the recipe is written in handwriting that looks charmingly like my Oma’s. As soon as I set my eyes on the recipe, I knew I had to make them.

And you know what? They were darn delicious. I was hesitant to add a full two tablespoons of baking powder, but then decided since Rosa Parks was right about so many things, she was probably right about this too. I put my trust in her and was not let down. The pancakes truly were, featherlight.

The pancakes were fluffy and delicate, yet substantial and hearty, with a bold peanut butter flavor that could stand on its own, and also tasted great with maple syrup. Just a few would fill you up, which according to the article, means the pancakes achieved their purpose of offering a form of delicious, extended substance from inexpensive ingredients. They were delicious, and I do plan to make them again.

And while I was eating them, yes, I did think of Rosa Parks. How humbling is it to remind ourselves that we all must eat? No matter the time period, our religion, our views of the world, our level of education, or our environments. All humans eat, and it is something that connects us and equalizes at a primal level.

I slightly adapted the recipe to make it plant-based, but the original recipe can be found here.

Recipe adapted from Rosa Parks.

Rosa Park’s Featherlight Pancake Recipe (Veganized)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: about 2

Ingredients:

1 cup flour (I subbed 1/2 whole wheat flour)
2 “T” baking powder
1/2 “t” salt
2 “T” sugar
1 flax or chia egg (1 tablespoon chia/flax + 3 tablespoons water) –> original recipe calls for 1 egg
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk –> original recipe calls for milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon oil

Method:

Combine flax or chia and water in a small dish and allow to thicken, at least 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add flax/chia egg. Mix until just combined.
Cook on a griddle at 275F (I cooked each side roughly 3 minutes before flipping)