I'm a bit sad that the summer heat is on its way, so I will take any chance I get to make a hearty potato-filled dish that I would normally be more inclined to make in the fall or winter months. That's why I grabbed the opportunity to make this easy vegan lentil and rice recipe as soon as I saw the first drops of rain the other day. (It rained again the next day, which I took as a sign that I was supposed to make yet another stick-to-your-ribs meal, but I will blog about that sausage pastry goodness in a coming post.)

This vegan lentil, rice and potato dish takes about an hour to prepare from start to finish, but a lot of that time is just simmering, so you can do other things once you have it on the stove.

This is a great side dish for a vegan Indian food feast, but we generally eat this as a one-dish meal for dinner, and then devour the leftovers for lunch the next day. I highly recommend adding cauliflower, peas and carrots to this recipe for an even tastier meal with higher nutritional value. When I make this just for myself, that is what I do...but when I'm cooking for me and the guy, I leave them out, since I haven't quite convinced him to love a wide variety of vegetables yet. I'm working on it, though!

Vegan Rice, Lentils & Potatoes Recipe

What You Need:

6 cups water

2 cups rice

2 cups red lentils

4 red potatoes

½ of an onion

2 garlic cloves

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cloves


What You Do:

1. Soak rice and lentils in bowl for 15 to 30 minutes (to shorten cooking time).
2. Wash, peel and chop potatoes.
3. Chop onion, and mince garlic cloves.
4. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat.
5. Sauté garlic, onion and spices for about two minutes.
6. Add potato, and continue to sauté for another five minutes.
7. Drain rice and lentils. Rinse, add to cooking pot, and sauté for a few more minutes.
8. Add water and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes (until lentils and rice are cooked, and potatoes are tender).

Vegan instant pudding is quick and easy to make, and is the perfect choice when you need a healthier chocolate fix or a fast dessert.

Below you will find three vegan pudding recipes that require three or fewer ingredients, and that can be whipped up in a blender or food processor in minutes.

Instant Vegan Pudding Recipe:

1 package of firm silken tofu
1 package of Mori-Nu Mates pudding mix (in your flavor of choice)
4 Tablespoons water

1. Place the tofu and water in a blender or food processor.
2. Blend until a creamy texture is achieved.
3. Add one package of Mori-Nu Mates pudding mix powder.
4. Blend for about 2 minutes.
5. Put finished vegan pudding in small bowls or jam jars, chill and serve.

As you can see by the picture, I found Mori-Nu Mates on clearance at my local Fred Meyer. If you can't find it locally, you can find Mori-Nu Mates pudding mixes here:

Vegan Chocolate Pudding Recipe:

1 package of firm silken tofu
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 to 1/3 cup vegan sweetener (depending on how sweet you like your vegan pudding)

Optional:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until creamy and well mixed.
2. Scoop the chocolate vegan pudding into pudding cups, jam jars or small bowls to chill before serving.

Vegan sweeteners that work for this pudding recipe include vegan sugar, agave nectar, stevia, maple syrup or your favorite similar sweetener. If you have some homemade vanilla sugar on hand, it makes a great sweetener for this recipe and adds more flavor to the pudding.


Instant Tofu Pudding with Jell-O Pudding Mix:

1 package of firm silken tofu
1 package of vegan Jell-O Instant Pudding mix

1. Place the tofu and the Jell-O Instant Pudding mix in a blender or food processor, and blend until creamy texture is achieved.
2. Place your finished vegan pudding in pudding cups, small bowls or jam jars to chill before serving.

Vegan Jell-O Instant Pudding mixes include chocolate, vanilla, banana cream and lemon. These are the ones I'm aware of, but you may also find other vegan flavors by checking the ingredients.

This easy vegan macaroni and cheese recipe takes just a few minutes to put together and is the perfect way to beat those comfort food cravings. Plus, the ingredients are cheap and easy to find -- if you don't already have them in your kitchen. Like I've said before, we'll leave the fancy vegan cooking to all those chefs and cookbook authors who already have it covered; this is a quick, everyday recipe for us regular vegan folk who need to be able to whip up a fast dinner from stuff we have in our pantry.

As always, I must apologize for the crappy pictures. Someday I will get something to use other than the camera on my phone, I promise. So you'll just have to trust me when I tell you that this vegan mac and cheese tastes much, much better than it looks in these pics.

You will notice in the top pic that there are two different types of pasta in the mix. This is not part of the recipe, and I was just trying to use up what was left in our pasta jars before we made a run to Winco's bulk section to stock up. You can use any type (or as many types of pasta as you would like).

Whenever I make this dish, I use gluten-free brown rice pasta to make vegan, gluten-free mac and cheese for me, and then make a second batch with whole wheat pasta for my partner. I also always like to make sure that there are plenty of leftovers to use for lunches and snacks for a couple of days, so the liquid portion of this recipe (the "cheese" sauce) is enough for two packages of pasta. If you are only making one package of pasta, just half the recipe, and you'll be all set.

Easy, Vegan Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (Gluten Free, if You Want It to Be)

What you need:

For Pasta:
2 packages of gluten-free pasta (or any pasta if you don't need it to be gluten free)

For "Cheese" Sauce:

• 1 package of firm silken tofu
• 2 cups rice milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or tamari or soy sauce)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Gluten-free bread crumbs (optional)

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook and drain your pasta (as directed on packaging).
3. Mix all ingredients for "cheese" sauce in blender or food processor.
4. Place noodles in baking dish.
5. Pour "cheese" sauce over noodles.
6. Mix well.
7. If desired, top with gluten-free bread crumbs (or conventional bread crumbs if you don't need them to be gluten free).
8. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
9. Broil for two minutes if top is not quite brown enough.
   

I also topped my vegan mac and cheese with a little dried oregano, basil and garlic (which we have in a grinder) for more flavor just before placing it in the oven.

Did you know you can save money by making your own vanilla extract? It’s actually quite easy to make and will generally have a more robust flavor than commercial varieties. With just some cheap vegan vodka, vanilla beans and a mason jar, you can make vanilla extract for use in your own baking or to give as a gift.

What you need:

A canning jar with a lid

Two cups of vodka (Check out Barnivore to find vegan vodka options)

5 vanilla bean pods


What you do:

1. Split your vanilla bean pods in half (lengthwise).
2. Scrape the beans from inside the pods.
3. Place the beans and pods in the mason jar (you may need to cut the pods to make them fit).
4. Pour the vodka into the jar (making sure that the pods are immersed).
5. Close the jar, give it a good shake, and then place it in a dry, dark spot (like a pantry or cupboard).
6. Shake it up every once in a while as you allow it to age for about six to eight weeks before use.

When you are ready to use your homemade vanilla extract, you can either strain it through cheesecloth and bottle the liquid, or you can leave the concoction as is in the mason jar. If you keep the liquid and vanilla beans together in the jar, you can continue to top off the jar with vodka and add any vanilla pod scraps you have from other recipes to ensure that you always have DIY vanilla extract on hand.

If you regularly use vanilla beans in other recipes, or bought some to try out making vegan vanilla sugar, you will likely have some left over that you can use for this vanilla extract recipe. If not, you can often purchase them in the bulk spices section of your local natural foods store or can order vanilla beans online.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to enjoy the taste of sugar cookies or fresh fruit sprinkled with homemade vanilla sugar, or tea sweetened with this divine creation, this is your chance to add this must-have item to your pantry.

Vanilla sugar can be found as a specialty (and expensive) item in some food markets, but this option is typically made with conventional sugar processed using bone char. I’m sure you could find vegan vanilla sugar in a vegan shop, natural foods store or online if you looked long enough, but when it’s this easy to make, there is no need to overpay for a product that you can create in minutes in your kitchen.  

I rarely hear of people under about 40 or so regularly using vanilla sugar in their baking or as an everyday sweetener, but those of us who grew up with grandmothers or mothers who kept a full mason jar of it within reach at all times know that life would not be complete without its superbly sweet splendor.

Of course, if you do much German cooking and baking (or the above-mentioned grandmother, mother or another older relative is German), then you are likely already familiar with vanilla sugar, which is referred to as vanillin zucker, vanille zucker or vanille-zucker in German recipes.

Here are just a few examples of what you can do with homemade vegan vanilla sugar:

• Add it to baked goods in place of part or all of the sugar called for in your recipe
• Use as a sweetener for coffee or tea
• Sprinkle on fresh fruit
• Use as a sweetener for cereal or oatmeal
• Mix with cinnamon and sprinkle on toast
• Sprinkle on sugar cookies or vegan donuts
• Store in a canning jar and give as a host/hostess gift, housewarming gift or as part of a gift basket
• Use in place of unflavored sugar for any purpose where a hint of vanilla will enhance the flavor

Vegan Vanilla Sugar Recipe

What you need:

1 cup sugar (vegan, of course)

1 vanilla bean

1 canning jar (or similar container)

You can easily double or triple this vanilla sugar recipe if you have a jar that will store two or more cups of sugar.


What you do:

1. Add your sugar to the canning jar.

2. Split the vanilla beans in half with a knife.

3. Add the vanilla beans to the sugar.

4. Shake it up.

5. Store in your pantry, a cupboard or some other dry, dark recess in your home.

6. Add more sugar as your supply depletes to get the most out of your vanilla pods.

7. Remember to give your jar of vegan vanilla sugar a good shake every now and then to ensure proper flavor distribution.

For the most flavorful results, you will want to store your finished product for about one week before use to allow the sugar to acquire a proper amount of vanilla goodness.

This is also a great way to reuse vanilla beans after you have used them in other recipes. If the vanilla bean is still intact after the first use, you can use it again by washing it, allowing it to dry thoroughly, and then following the above instructions to make vanilla sugar. Vanilla beans are pretty expensive, but fortunately they are also pretty potent, so this is one option that allows you to reuse vanilla pods to get more for your money. You can even keep reusing them to make more vanilla sugar for months after your initial batch.

You should be able to find vanilla beans in the natural foods section of your local grocery store or a health food store in your area. If you are having a difficult time finding them, you can also buy vanilla beans online.

Now that you know how to make vanilla sugar the cheap and easy way, come back and tell us what creative uses you find for this new addition to your pantry.

If you’ve been using vegan vanilla sugar all along, what are some of the ways you incorporate it into your baking or everyday sugar needs?

Most baking recipes are easy to veganize by using a vegan egg replacer and non-dairy milk product. However, a lot of new vegans get tripped up when it comes to finding a cheap vegan egg substitute that is easy to use and will meet their baking needs. To help remedy this, here are 11 vegan egg substitutes that are easy to throw together and made from stuff you probably already have in your pantry. And keep in mind that these aren’t just good for vegans; anyone trying to watch their cholesterol or move towards healthier eating habits can use these ideas.

11 Vegan Egg Replacers to Get You Started Down the Road to Vegan Baking Bliss

1. Ener-G Egg Replacer
This is a go-to commercial egg substitute that is widely available and easy to use. This versatile product can be used for vegan cakes, cookies, breads, muffins and more, and is a convenient option, since all you have to do is whisk one tablespoon of Ener-G Egg Replacer with four tablespoons of warm water to get the equivalent of two eggs. The downside is that it is fairly expensive, which will likely make it less appealing once you see how easy it is to whip up a vegan egg substitute for pennies from other products that you likely already have on hand.

2. Bob’s Red Mill All-Natural Egg Replacer
This is another commercial product that is easy to use as an egg replacement for vegan baking. Simply whisk one tablespoon of this substitute with three tablespoons of water per egg required, and you are good to go. It’s easy and convenient, but it is still more expensive than the homemade options you will find below.

3. DIY Commercial-Like Egg Replacer
You can make your own egg replacer that is very similar to the two mentioned above by mixing together these simple ingredients to get the equivalent of two eggs:

1 tablespoon of corn starch
1 tablespoon of potato starch
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4. Corn Starch
You can make an even easier corn starch egg replacer by whisking together two tablespoons of corn starch and two tablespoons of water to replace one egg.

5. Ground Flax Seeds
Flax seeds are best purchased whole, since you can find them cheap in the bulk section of your local grocer or health food store, and whole flax seeds keep longer than ground flax seeds. To grind your seeds, you can use a spice mill or a coffee grinder, making it easy to grind just what you need for the recipe you are making. To make an egg substitute out of flax seeds, mix one tablespoon of ground flax seeds with three tablespoons of water. You will end up with a gel-like concoction that can be used for making just about anything, including pancakes and muffins.

6. Bananas
Mash up about ½ of one ripe banana per egg needed for your recipe. I’ve used this for cookies and brownies, and it has worked out great. It will usually add a bit of a banana flavor to your end product, which also makes it perfect for pancakes. If you are concerned about the baked goods being too dense, you can always add ½ teaspoon of baking powder when using bananas or other fruits as an egg replacement.

7. Applesauce
Use ¼ cup applesauce to replace one egg. I usually use this one for brownies, and while it can add an apple flavor to some baked goods, I have not noticed this in the brownie recipes I have used. I love the added moisture from using applesauce, but -- again -- if you are concerned about density, just add ½ teaspoon of baking powder.

8. Silken Tofu
I use silken tofu in desserts all the time. I use it for making pudding, cakes, brownies, pudding pies, pumpkin pies, cheesecakes and anything else that can benefit from its smooth, creamy texture. To use silken tofu as a replacement for eggs, blend ¼ cup in your trusty blender for each egg needed. (This post is about baking, but you can also use silken tofu to make vegan omelets and such.)

9. Fruit Pulp
If you use a juicer for your juicing needs, you likely have plenty of leftover fruit pulp. I now use a blender for juicing, but back when I was using a juicer, I used fruit pulp as an egg replacement fairly regularly. You can even freeze the pulp for later use, making it easy to always have some on hand. About ¼ cup of fruit pulp will replace one egg for vegan baking recipes. Like with other fruit egg replacers, you can add ½ teaspoon baking powder to avoid an overly dense end product.

10. Agar-Agar
Use one tablespoon of agar-agar mixed will with one tablespoon of water to replace one egg. I usually don’t have agar-agar in my pantry, so I very rarely use this one, but it is a particularly good option for use as an egg white replacer.

11. Soy Flour
One tablespoon of soy flour mixed with one tablespoon of water is an easy way to get the equivalent of one egg. You can also use chick pea flour or tapioca starch, if you happen to have those on hand instead.

UPDATE (11/6/2016):

There is now a new product on the market that should definitely be added to this list: VeganEgg. Follow Your Heart's VeganEgg makes awesome omelets and scrambles and can also be used as a replacement for eggs in baking.

My guy and I both love applesauce, and it seems like I am always picking up a jar or two at the store. Even though we buy all-natural or organic applesauce, and the container is recyclable, I always get that little pang of guilt when I grab the jar off the shelf. You know the one -- that little voice that says I should be making this myself and storing it in a reusable glass jar that won't leach chemicals and will last me the rest of my life (or at least until I break it, which I will).

Whenever possible, I like to make things myself anyways. That way I know it's vegan, I know there aren't any weird chemicals in it and I know that it isn't coming from some company that supports animal testing or uses animal products.

So, I finally got motivated to figure out how to make applesauce a couple of years ago when a friend gave us a big bag of apples. Had I known making applesauce was so darn easy, I would have been doing this a long time ago.

The hardest part of making your own all-natural applesauce is coring, cutting and peeling the apples. And, really, that isn't even that hard -- it's just time consuming. Of course, if you have one of those handy apple corer/slicers or an apple peeler it's much easier, but I don't, so I did it the old-fashioned way.


What you need:

A large pot with lid

A bunch of apples

Water

Cinnamon (optional -- but totally recommended)

Vegan Sweetener (optional)

Container for storage

Something to use for stirring and mashing



What you do:

1. Wash, core, peel and cut your apples into small chunks.

2. Place the apples in the pot with about an inch of water.

3. Add about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/2 cup vegan sweetener (if desired).

4. Cover and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to get a nice simmer, then simmer (with occasional stirring) until the apples are soft.

6. Mash them up with your stirring spoon or a potato masher (I used a potato masher).

7. Serve warm or cold, or store for later use.

Notes:
1. If your applesauce ends up too watery, you have two easy options - either strain the applesauce through a sieve or simmer on low, uncovered, until the unwanted water has evaporated out.

2. I have no idea what kind of apples I used since there were a bunch of different kinds of apples in the bag and some I didn't recognize. But, some were sweet and some were sour, which leads me to the conclusion that whichever kind of apple you have on hand should work - you just might need a tad more sweetener.

3. If you aren't sure how sweet you want it, start out with a small amount of sweetener - or no sweetener. You can always add more.

What is your favorite applesauce recipe?

_Vegan pumpkin pie is actually quite easy to make and takes very few ingredients. There are a few different ways to make a vegan pumpkin pie and, of course, you can easily make your own vegan pie crust or use separate spices rather than a pumpkin pie spice blend. However, since this particular vegan pumpkin pie recipe is geared towards folks who are looking for a way to make a super easy vegan pumpkin pie, this recipe is about simple as it can get.


What you need:
1 pre-made vegan pie crust (graham cracker is a good, easy choice)
1 package of firm silken tofu
1 can pumpkin (organic, if possible)
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
¼ cup vegan sweetener of choice
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice blend


What you do:
Step 1: Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 425 degrees (Fahrenheit)

Step 2: Break up tofu and combine with the pumpkin. Blend with a hand mixer, blender, food processor or whatever mixing tool you prefer.

Step 3: Add brown sugar, sweetener and pumpkin pie spice and mix well.

Step 4: Pour mixture into pre-made vegan pie crust and place in the oven or toaster oven.

Step 5: Bake your vegan pumpkin pie at 425 for about 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for about 45-50 minutes. Baking time will differ depending on your oven, elevation and all that, so keep an eye on your pie.

Step 6: If your pie isn’t quite as firm as you would like, place it in the refrigerator until time to serve. Otherwise, this vegan pumpkin pie can be served warm or cold and goes quite well with vegan ice cream. I particularly love serving it with vegan Soyatoo whipped topping; however, I just heard that Safeway's store brand whipped topping in a can is vegan, and I plan to try that out very soon.

This recipe was originally posted on my old blog (Miss Mavyn's Vegan Blog) back in 2009, but I figured it was time to move it over to this blog.

_Since the rain has returned, and cloudy days call for hearty soups at my house, I thought I would share another vegan soup recipe that is easy to make with inexpensive ingredients.

Easy Vegan Bean & Potato Soup Recipe

What you need:
2 cups dry beans soaked and drained, or 2 cans of beans
3-5 red potatoes (depending on size and how much you like potatoes)
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can organic diced tomatoes
1/2 cup pearled barley (optional)
4 cups vegetable broth (organic, low-sodium if possible)
4 cups water
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme


What you do:
1. Put the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in your soup pot (a regular dutch oven that comes with pretty much every cooking set will work -- it will just be really full).

2. Add your onions and garlic, and saute on low heat while you cut up the rest of your vegetables, open your cans, etc.

3. Add your vegetable broth to the pot (but hold off on the water -- I will explain in a second).

4. Turn the heat to high and add your vegetables, beans, barley and spices, then stir.

5. Now that you have everything but the water in your pot, you can determine how much room you have left and add water accordingly. Four cups of water will fill a regular dutch oven to just below the top, which is fine as long as you aren't prone to boiling things over, but by adding your water last, you can see how high the level is in your pot and add water accordingly.

6. Once you have achieved a rolling boil, turn your heat down to a nice simmer that you feel comfortable leaving alone. Allow your vegan soup to simmer until the beans and veggies reach your desired level of tenderness -- for me, this is about an hour, but it can be up to 1 1/2 hours if I'm using older beans.

That's pretty much it -- see how easy that was? Now you just kick back and relax for an hour or so, checking on your soup every so often to stir and see how soft your beans and veggies are.


Mixing it up:

For a fat-free vegan soup, simply nix the vegetable oil. You can toss the onions and garlic in the pot with the rest of the veggies and it will cook up just fine.

I use low-sodium vegetable broth and we have never felt a need to add salt. So, this flavorful little number is good for folks on a low-sodium diet. Just remember that if you use canned beans there may be salt added.

The pearled barley isn't necessary, we just really like a hearty soup, and this recipe was an offshoot of my barley bean soup recipe, so we just decided to leave some barley in there. Folks on a gluten-free diet can cut the barley out and still have a tasty vegan bean and vegetable soup.

_I felt like eating soup yesterday, but wasn't in much of a mood for doing a lot of cooking -- so I threw together this easy vegan lentil soup recipe and let it simmer in my slow cooker for about six hours.


Easy Vegan Lentil Soup Recipe

What you need:
4 cups vegetable broth (organic, low-sodium if possible)
6 cups water
4 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 cups lentils (washed and sorted)
1/2 of a medium onion
1-2 garlic cloves (depending on how much you like garlic - I used two.)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)


What you do:
1. Chop onions, carrot, garlic and celery.
2. Heat olive oil (if using) in a pan.
3. Saute onions and celery.
4. Put all ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do it's thing for about six hours.

That's it!

You can include the garlic when you start cooking everything else, but to receive the most healthful benefits from the garlic, it is better to wait until close to the end of cooking to add it.

When you are ready to add your garlic, chop it up, and then let it sit for about 10 minutes before adding it to whatever you are cooking. This allows time for allicin to form, which is the sulfur-based compound that is credited with most of the health benefits of garlic.