Vegan Cooking with TLC

When I first started eating a plant-based diet, I ate smoothies almost daily. I don't eat them as often now because I've found other ways to make sure I'm getting a wide variety of healthy, nutrient dense foods in my daily diet. I used Dr. Gregor's Daily Dozen as a guide for making sure I eat all the nutrients I need each day. The Daily Dozen app (available free for both iphone and android devices) is great for helping to track eating habits. A smoothie is a great way to knock off several items on the list quickly and easily; however, the there are pros and cons to eating smoothies . (I would recommend watching the whole 5-part series starting with the one linked.)  We almost always eat a smoothie at least one morning of the weekend. It's a nice change of pace from the oats we eat many other days. Also, smoothies are great for those days when getting in all the nutrient dense food isn't quite working out. We've been known to do a smoothie for di...

I'd been wanting to make Apple Cranberry Bread for quite a while but hadn't for one reason or another. This week I decided to just make it and share it with you. As always, I made a tweak here and there. I find it so hard to follow a recipe as written, even when it's my own recipe. I've realized though if I keep trying to find a recipe that I don't change, I'll never share a recipe. I like this Apple Cranberry Bread so much I have trouble waiting for it to fully cool before cutting into it; however, it is a very moist bread, so it's imperative to let it cool fully before slicing. Apple Cranberry Bread 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground  cinnamon ½ teaspoon ginger powder ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom   ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon matcha powder (optional) ¼ cup date sugar 2 tablespoons ground flax seed 2 tablespoons hot water 1 cup almond milk (or other pl...

This week I wanted a matcha latte and I wanted ginger, so I combined the two for a nice cup of hot matcha tea. Sometimes matcha tea can be a bit grassy for me. Using a nutmilk and a spice or two tempers that grassiness a bit. I really enjoyed drinking my matcha latte with my breakfast; however, I would caution you to drink it hot because I find it is less enjoyable the colder it gets. Matcha tea offers a wealth of health benefits , so its worth finding a recipe that you can enjoy from time to time. Ginger Hazelnut Matcha Latte 1 cup hazelnut milk ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon matcha powder Add hazelnut milk to a small pan or a Turkish coffee pot . Heat hazelnut milk to a steady simmer whisking occasionally to keep from sticking. When steam rises from the milk upon stirring, it is warm enough.   Whisk in ginger. Turn off heat. Rinse large cup or matcha bowl with hot water. Pour hazelnut-ginger milk into cup/matcha bowl. Add ma...

I made Cardamom Cherry Spelt Muffins to start off the new year. I made them for breakfast on New Year's Day and now I'm sharing them with you. These muffins are incredibly simple to make and so tasty, particularly if you enjoy cardamom. The cardamom and cherry combination really makes me happy! These muffins always feel a bit like a celebration to me though I'm not sure why. So celebrate! Have a Cardamom Cherry Spelt Muffin or two or, six... Cardamom Cherry Spelt Muffins 1 cup hazelnut milk 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds 2 tablespoons hot water 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 cups spelt flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cardamom ¼ cup hazelnut pulp ½ cup date sugar or maple syrup * 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup cherries Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with unbleached compostable paper muffin liners or silicone liners. In a small bowl, mix together hazelnut ...