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kbaked

vegetarian

Baked Buffalo Tempeh

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Hi! How are you? Are you in the mood for some scrumptious Baked Buffalo Tempeh? Well, if so, you’re in the right place.

It’s no secret I love all things buffalo. I’ve shared my recipe for Baked Buffalo Tofu Bites, as well as my recipe for Buffalo Potato Wedges. Basically, if you cover something in buffalo sauce, chances are I’ll enjoy it. Yum. Spicy tangy goodness!

These buffalo tempeh bites are delicious on their own. You could also serve them as an appetizer with your favorite dip, like vegan ranch or guacamole.

These also make a wonderful addition to a snack plate, if snack plates are your thing. You can also enjoy them on a salad, or cozied up in a tortilla with some of your favorite dip or spread, some crunchy lettuce, and an extra drizzle of hot sauce. Yum.

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Is Beyond Meat Healthy? Is Impossible Meat Healthy? Is that even the point?

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Beyond Meat and Impossible Meat have exploded in popularity over the past couple of years. It’s noteable that you can now get a plant-based option at most major fast-food establishments. As someone who has followed a meatless diet for over 20 years, the emergence of plant-based products in recent years still astounds me. But many people ask me, and wonder: Is Beyond Meat Healthy? Is Impossible Meat Healthy? 

I’ve seen a lot of back and fourth on the internet about this. I’ve also overheard arguments on the topic. So, I thought it could make for an interesting blog post. 

Now, before I get any further, I just want to acknowledge that yes, I am a vegan, and I have been for about 6 years. And I haven’t touched meat since I was around 7 years old. 

I would also like to acknowledge that I personally do not care for Beyond Meat and/or Impossible Meat. To me, they are too realistic and I honestly find them…well…they’re not for me.

That said, I plan to be as objective as possible in this post. Scientific integrity is of utmost importance to me.

If you want to read more about what you need to know about nutrition on a plant-based diet, please see this post. 

Okay, Now Let’s Look at the Nutrition Facts:

I created the chart below from nutrition labels found on the Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat websites, and compared these two burgers to 80% lean ground beef and low sodium cooked white beans. I sourced the nutrition information of the later two on the USDA food database (see links).

*Sources: 

Looking over the comparison chart above, a couple of things jump out at me. First of all, it caloric content of both plant-based, imitation meat patties are about on par with a beef burger.

While both imitation meats are lower in fat that the beef burger, none of the three “meat” options are low fat foods. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it is recommended that 20-35% of total calories come from fat, provided that these are consumed as part of a healthful, diverse, and balanced diet. 

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December Recent Vegan Eats

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Hi friends! Welcome to this edition of recent vegan eats, December/holiday style! I have been oddly busy since getting home for the holidays. Like, from the day I got home I’ve had days packed with appointments, family stuff, errands, etc etc. I’ve still barely had time to just sit down and rest! I am hoping to catch up on chill time, blogging, and some work this weekend. I feel so out of my routine it’s making me crazy!

Anyways, on to the recent vegan eats! If you’re new around here, in these “recent vegan eats posts,” I simply share some phone pics of random foods that I’ve eaten recently. These posts are not meant to depict what an ideal diet looks like, but rather, they are meant to just give you a glimpse of cheap easy vegan eats, restaurant highlights, and new vegan product reviews. Enjoy!

Chocolate Tofu Pudding

Two nights in a row before I left town to go home for winter break, I made full-brick servings of my chocolate tofu pudding. Basically, I whirled silken tofu with a hefty amount of coco powder and a tiny drizzle of syrup and a tablespoon or so of peanut butter. I topped it with coconut whipped cream from Trader Joe’s. So good.

Amba Mango Sauce Tofu + Bowls

Last Sunday I whipped up a quick, wholesome dinner for my mom and I. I had been wanting to try the Amba Mango Sauce from Trader Joe’s for a while, so I bought some a weekish ago and put it to work! I quickly marinated some firm tofu with the sauce, and baked it for 25ish minutes at 425 degrees.

I also steamed some cauliflower and broccoli, and cooked up some veggie rice. I then assembled everything in a bowl and topped it off with more Amba Mango sauce, Sriracha and some cilantro.

It was a tasty quick meal! The Amba mango sauce was pretty good. I think it’d be even better with a hit of lime juice for some aded brightness. Next time!

Bran Muffins and Cereal

I am so into bran stuff lately it hurts. In a good way. Pictured here is a random vegan bran muffin. But I’ve also been VERY into bran flake cereal. I get the Millville Bran Flakes from Aldi and they are scrumptious with chilly almond milk for a night time snack.

Beans and Barley Blueberry Pancakes

The best vegan pancakes ever! Yum.

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Mid November Recents Vegan Eats

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Hello again my friends! I hope you have been well. I write to you from the comfort of my futon, as I wrap up a more-social-than-usual weekend and prep for a busy week ahead. Today’s post is another recent vegan eats! If you’re newish around here, in these posts, I share some photos and descriptions of what I’ve been noshing on lately, in hopes that it might provide some entertainment and/or food inspiration for you if you like eating plant based on a budget. I also hope to show that most things I eat are totally unglamorous. So it goes!

I feel a bit all over the place lately. I am so looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving and the holidays. I feel like going on always refreshes me. I cannot wait to spend time with people I love in my cozy hometown! #MidWestBestCoast

I’ll stop chattering and get to the recent vegan eats, mid-November edition!

Maple Salt Bananas:

Me, eating bananas? Shocking, I know! This is a snack I made up recently that I am SO into. Bananas sliced with a sprinkle of sea salt, some raw almond butter, and a drizzle of syrup. Delish!

Cinnamon apples

On repeat! The recipe for cinnamon apples can be found here. Individual apple crisp for one recipe coming soon.

Tempeh stir fry:

I made stir fry for dinner on Friday night. I typically grocery shop on Saturday or Sunday so I’m usually low on produce and other staples by Friday night, and this Friday night was no exception.

But, I was able to make a stir fry using some Banza rice, and some leftover fresh cauliflower, which I bulked up with a bag of frozen vegetables, and I marinated half a brick of tempeh in a milk of liquid + coconut aminos, ginger, Sriracha, and maple syrup.

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How to Roast Peppers

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Hey everyone! Today’s blog post is going to be short and sweet. It’s going to teach you how to roast peppers in the oven. Aka how to immediately upgrade any pasta dish, salad, or sandwich with absolute minimal effort.

These peppers remind me of my childhood. Growing up, my Italian grandmother, who was the best cook ever, used to make roasted peppers to go alongside her amazing penne arrabbiata. There is something about these sweet, juicy, flavorful roasted peppers that instantly upgrades a meal.

The best part? They are so so easy to make. I remember when I learned how to roast peppers, I kept thinking that the end result was much more delicious than you’d expect given the minimal amount of effort they require; furthermore, I couldn’t believe such a deep, complex roasted sweet pepper flavor had developed from a single ingredient: bell peppers.

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Fall 2019 Recent Vegan Eats

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Hello internet friends of my mind! It’s been a couple weeks so I thought I’d do another recent vegan eats. In this mini-series on my blog, I take a break from facts and recipes, and share little bites of my life and every deal meal and snack ideas along with the occasional interesting food highlight.

I have been busy and stressed and anxious lately and not on my phone as much (in fact I’ve taken a couple weeks of Instagram here and there) so I may not have photographed all of my foods. In fact, I realized while typing up this post that I included very few dinners/meals (hanger happens), but as always, this is just a random compilation of food choices meant to review new products, and offer budget-friendly plant-based meal ideas to you all, and is never intended to depict an ideal or perfect diet.

Okay, now on to the eats!

Toaster waffles

On a serious kick lately! I get Vans or natures path or 365 brand when I can (both are vegan) and top with nut butter, cinnamon, bananas, and real maple syrup.

So scrumptious! #toasterwafflesarelife

Amy’s burritos

These were on super sale at Wegman’s and so I got myself some to keep on hand. I love all things Amy’s and these are great for when I feel like I need to mix things up and/or don’t want to think about lunch or dinner.

I tried the new Tagine wrap. It was good! I still think my favorite might be the tofu breakfast burrito – that is a true gem. I love amys burritos because you can get them without rice. While I like rice I feel like sometimes in small frozen burritos it just takes up half the potential flavored filling space, so I appreciate that amys has options.

These burritos run a bit small to fill me up for a meal, so if I eat them for dinner I always pair them with avocado, salad, beans, and/or veggies. Yummy!

Peanut butter and banana sandwich…dipped in syrup?

Im not sure how or why I did this the other day. But my stomach was feeling really off and it sounded good. And it was. Basically I just dipped my peanut butter & banana sandwich in a wee bit of maple syrup. I was really craving sweet and my stomach felt super off so I followed my cravings which lead me here. Honestly, it was good. A little sweet for the everyday in my opinion, but I wouldn’t not do it again if that makes sense…ha!

The last of the Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls:

I’ve been slowly eating these Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls (made with beans!) out of my freezer and finally finished them. Perhaps another batch is in order!

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Mid-October Vegan Eats, Some Fall Family fun, and WIEIAD 2

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Hey there internet pals! It’s time for another recent vegan eats and another bonus WIEIAD. I decided I may do a couple more even though I find them odd. More than anything, I find video a fun medium to play with, and it gives me content to edit.

Before we dive in, I want to address my post frequency (or infrequency) recently. I’ve slowed down a bit since the summer time, simply because moving/adjusting to a PhD program/getting in the swing of things and juggling research, classes, TA-ing, graduate student orgs, and being a human/dog mom in a new town while being homesick has been…a lot! I’m trying to post at least once a week, and striving to value quality over quantity.

I decided I’d rather post once a week than have 3 crappy posts a week. So for now, that’s what’s going on. If you have post requests, leave a comment below or say hello to me on Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube. 

Okay, now read on for recent vegan eats featuring some visiting fam!

Apples

Once again, starting off a recent eats post with apples. Holy yum. The apples around here this time of year are incredible! I’ve been snacking on them daily. SnapDragon apples are a delicious new-to-me variety that have been fun to add to my apple rotation.

Other than that, fresh Fuji, Jonagold, golden ginger, pink lady, Cortland and gala have been my favs. What are your favorite apples? Tell me so I can try them!

Creamy Cheesy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta

I keep making this because it’s so cozy! Recipe for this creamy cheesy vegan pasta is here.

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Creamy Cheesy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta

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Holy cow it’s fall! Welcome fall and all things pumpkin! Including this dreamy Creamy Cheesy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta. I couldn’t deicide if I should name this “creamy vegan pumpkin pasta” or “vegan pumpkin mac’n’cheese,” and since the dish falls somewhere in the middle, I just went with Creamy Cheesy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta. I hope you’re okay with the title. I am. According to James ‘It’s not about the pasta’ anyways (…Vanderpump Rules reference anyone?)

Now let’s talk about this pasta. This Creamy Cheesy Vegan Pumpkin Pasta is lucious, healthful, dish bursting with warm flavors and nooshy goodness.

The deep umami flavor of the pumpkin puree is embellished a bit with aromatics like shallots and garlic, and punched up a notch with a bit of mustard, as well as some spices, like cayenne, cinnamon and paprika. If you’re feeling ambitious, feel free to steam or roast pumpkin or butternut squash, then cool it and puree. If using canned pumpkin is easier for you, that will work just fine.

Either way, you’ll be adding some beta-carotene and fiber-rich vegetable goodness to the base of your pasta, building a healthful, nourishing, and satiating plant-based meal.

If you don’t like any of the above mentioned spices, feel free to omit them. This pasta is fairly forgiving; as long as you have a good amount of salt, the pasta will taste delicious.

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Early August Vegan Eats + Random Life Updates

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Hello there internet friends! Time for a fun recent vegan eats post. In case you’re new here, in these “recent eats” posts, I share photos of yummy food and my dog and interweave some tidbits of daily life into the post. It’s like good old fashion wholesome bloggin’!

Now, let’s hope to it! Vegan eats time!

Honeydew

Why does honeydew get so much hate? When it’s good, it’s so good (IMHO)!

Buckwheat Oatmeal Waffles

Last weekend I realized I hadn’t made waffles in a hot second. So, I decided to change that! Vegan buckwheat oatmeal waffles were enjoyed with banana slices, peanut butter, and real maple syrup. Yum. I will share the recipe soon!

Vegan Salad Nicoise with Mustardy Beans

So yummy. Would highly suggest making. Recipe here.

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Vegan Salad Nicoise with Mustardy White Beans

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Hey there! How’s it going? Are you enjoying your summer? I hope you are. And I hope you also enjoy this Vegan Salad Nicoise with Mustardy White Beans.

I made this recently and was nervous about bringing the idea to life as I had it in my head. Specifically, I really wanted a tangy, punchy bean component but wasn’t sure I could execute it as I had it in my mind.

You know how sometimes you have an idea in your mind for a dish and then it turns out funky? I was worried about it. But somehow, by tasting as I went, I got it right on the first try! Yippee!

The mustardy white beans add the perfect punch to this nicoise-inspired salad, and take the place of eggs as a creamy, cold protein. They play nicely with cold boiled potatoes, chilled cooked green beans, tomatoes, and other veggies. It’s a veggie-powered, flavor and texture slam-dunk, in my humble opinion.

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