I have four words for you. Vegan. Organic. Pumpkin. Seeds. Okay, here’s a fifth: Delicious.
Seriously, they sent me eight not-small-at-all bags of SuperSeedz to try, and they didn’t last long. And no, I didn’t share. How quickly did I gobble them? Well, two bags (Sea Salt and Super Spicy) didn’t even last long enough to be photographed!
SuperSeedz are:
Gluten free
Peanut free
Tree nut free
Egg free
Dairy free
Fish & shellfish free
Soy free (Curious Curry uses a Non-GMO soy sauce)
Cholesterol free
Those are the Sea Salt, which were probably my favorite… although I loved them all. Even the Super Spicy weren’t too hot for me. The resealable bags make these perfect for stashing in your desk at work for a snack, or my personal favorite… throwing in your backpack for a hiking or camping trip! There’s so much seasoning on there that each handful you grab gives you tons of flavor… and there’s a flavor for everyone!! Really Naked, Coco Joe, Cinnamon and Sugar, Sea Salt, Super Spicy, Somewhat Spicy, Curious Curry, and Tomato Italiano.
Check out their nutrition stats, these are snack you’ll feel good about indulging in.
Can’t wait for the giveaway to be over before you try them? You can buy them online or from a whole bunch of IRL stores.
And now… the fun part! Enter below to win EIGHT bags of SuperSeedz, one in each flavor. There are lots of ways to enter… start by leaving a comment letting us know which flavor you think will be your favorite (mine was Sea Salt… and Somewhat Spicy. Oh, and Cinnamon and Sugar!). There are other FB and Twitter options too!
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Ahhh, The Meltdown. Vegan heaven, sandwich-style.
This beauty was totally ripped off from inspired by two sandwiches at my favorite sandwich joint, Sub Culture (It’s at Penn and 13th where Chipotle used to be, for you Denver locals!).
What makes them so damn special? Besides the fact that a large portion of their menu is vegetarian to start with, they’ve also brought tons of vegan substitutions to the game: tempeh, mayo, cheese, cream cheese, thousand island, and pesto! The two sandwiches in question are the meltdown and the sancho. I took my favorite parts of each, added bacon, and boom! The Vegan Meltdown.
What’s in this creation? We’ve got Daiya cheddar, cream cheese, bacon hatch green chilies and butter, all on thick sliced sourdough bread. Yumz.
Daiya had their first annual grilled cheese contest last week, and they asked me to enter (I’m a brand advocate which means I love them sooooo much and will do anything they ask me to, haha). This was my contribution, and while I didn’t win, I do think it’s insanely good and I just know you’ll love it!
And speaking of grilled cheese sandwiches… have you seen my incredibly delicious Pear, Raspberry and Bacon grilled cheese sammy?
The Meltdown Grilled Cheese
2014-05-20 09:06:59
Serves 1
- 2 slices Daiya Cheddar
- 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
- 2-3 slices vegan bacon (I used Uptons)
- 1/2 Hatch green chile, roasted and rinsed
- 2 slices sourdough bread
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- Cook the bacon per package instructions in a frying pan. While it's cooking, slice your green chile into long ribbons. When the bacon is done, remove from pan and set on a paper towel to drain.
- Butter one side of a slice of bread and place in the pan over low/medium heat. Top with 2/3 of the Daiya Cheddar Style Slices, followed by the bacon and green chile. Add the rest of the Cheddar.
- Slather the remaining slice of bread with the Daiya Cream Cheese Style Spread on the inside, and butter on the outside, and place on top of the sandwich. Cover the pan so everything gets all steamy and melty in there. Flip after 2-3 minutes. When the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, it's done!
By Barb
That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/
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Before I was awesome vegan, I would occasionally stop at one of those terrible-for-you fast food joints for a breakfast sandwich. There’s something so hearty and satisfying about a handheld breakfast, don’t you think?
I found myself craving that sort of breakfast last weekend, so I whipped up a batch of Bianca’s Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits (they’re in her book, Cookin Crunk, which you can order from her blog… which you should totally do right now!). Next step? Tofu!
There’s no real recipe here… simply press some firm or extra firm tofu, slice it as thin or as thick as you like, season and pan fry it. For seasoning I just used salt, pepper and an italian mix. Oh, and a shake of chili powder. To fry it, I just squirted a bit of grapeseed oil into a medium/hot pan and let them sit for a couple minutes on each side.
I added delicious vegan sausage (King Soopers Simple Truth brand… they have tons of vegan options that are less expensive than the brand name versions) to one, and vegan bacon (Uptons!) to the other.
I also added a little bit of ketchup and maple syrup. Not sure if that’s weird or not.
Tell us: What are some of YOUR favorite breakfast foods?
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This recipe originally appeared on Nasoya’s Tofu U website… go check it out!
These.
They’re the lettuce cups you’ve been waiting all your life for! (My apologies if that was a little over the top… I’m feeling very excitable tonight. These lettuce cups have got me twitterpated, and I can’t wait to share them with you guys!)
And they’re not just any lettuce cups… They’re Vegan Cranberry Tofu Lettuce Cups, and they’re full of delicious goodness. You’ve got carrots, mushrooms and peanuts, and of course the always-amazing cranberries and tofu. Even if you don’t like tofu, you’ll love these lettuce cups.
And the sauce?
Oh boy, the sauce! We’re talking cranberry sauce, ginger and garlic. It’s divine.
I have lots of other wonderful tofu recipes as well:
Asparagus & Tofu Stir-fry
Zucchini and Tofu Soft Tacos
Agave-Sriracha Tofu
Tofu Breakfast Scramble
Cranberry Tofu Lettuce Cups
2014-05-15 21:04:25
- Non-stick oil
- 1.5 cups diced mushrooms
- 1 block Nasoya firm tofu, drained and lightly pressed
- ½ cup cranberry juice
- 1 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 can cranberry sauce (whole berries or smooth, it’s up to you!)
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 10-12 leaves of Bibb lettuce
- Chopped scallions
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium, spray with a little non-stick oil and add the mushrooms. Leave in for 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the block of tofu and crumble (a wooden spoon works great for this!), then add the cranberries, juice, carrots, ¼ can of cranberry sauce, and the onion powder. Reduce heat to low/medium and let simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the juice is pretty much gone.
- In a separate pan, combine the remaining cranberry sauce, soy sauce, powdered ginger, garlic and sugar. Heat over low until it starts to simmer. Cover and turn off the heat.
- Stir the peanuts into the tofu mixture, and check for taste. If you used salted peanuts, you might not need to add additional salt. When it’s warm and you’re satisfied with the flavor, it’s ready to serve! One large spoonful per lettuce leaf (you can eye-ball it, there’s plenty here to really fill those leaves up!), topped with 1-2 teaspoons of the sauce. Top with scallions to give it a little extra bite!
By Barb
That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/
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These Vegan Garlicky-Pepper Tofu Bites with Chili Dipping Sauce are one of my absolute favorite appetizers, because they’re both delicious and easy. And I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand! These were actually first developed for Nasoya’s Tofu U website (go check it out!)
You’d never expect something so easy to be so yummy, or lovely. I mean look at those! You could serve them at your fanciest cocktail party and all your friends would just be wowed.
My favorite part is the dipping sauce. Or no, maybe it’s the crispy little black bits on the baked tofu.
Or maybe it’s the fact that you don’t need a fork or spoon to eat them. I mean c’mon… everything tastes better when its served on a toothpick, right?
So go on. Wow your friends. You know you want to.
And if you’re in the mood for more scrumptious tofu recipes, try some of these on for size:
Cajun Fettuccine with Tofu
Buffalo Tofu Spring Rolls
The Best Tofu Ricotta
Garlicky-Pepper Tofu Bites with Chili Dipping Sauce
2014-05-15 20:46:44
- 1 12oz package Nasoya Black Soybean tofu, well pressed
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (a little more or less, depending on how much you love pepper!)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Non-stick spray
- ½ cup vegan mayo
- 2 teaspoons chili powder (if you’re heat-averse, start with 1 teaspoon and taste before adding more)
- Firstly, make sure your tofu is really well pressed! You want these bites to be firm so they’ll stay on the toothpicks. Slice the tofu in half lengthwise through the center, giving you two large flat rectangles. Stack on top of each other, then slice into thirds. Slice again into thirds in the other direction. This will give you 18 bite-sized cubes. If you want smaller bites, slice into fourths.
- Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, garlic powder and lemon juice, then add the tofu. Let them hang out together in the fridge for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a little cooking spray. Spread the tofu out on the foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove, spray the tops of the tofu with more non-stick spray, then flip each piece.
- Cover with the remaining soy sauce mix, and add a few cracks of pepper, then back for another 15-20 minutes or until they’re firm and are starting to get dark and crispy around the edges. While the tofu is in the oven, mix together the Nayonaise and the chili powder for your dipping sauce. Chill until ready to serve. When the tofu is done, serve 1-2 per toothpick for a healthy, delicious appetizer!
By Barb
That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/
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This was my first time eating parsnip fries, and I’m officially a convert. I love these suckers!
In all honestly, I’m a pretty recent convert to parsnips in general. The first time I ever made them was while following a recipe that called for them. I had heard of them of course, but never tasted them. Now I’m all “Why didn’t anyone tell me to try these sooner!?” Cause they’re really good! I love them grilled (in the summer) or roasted (in the winter).
Sometimes I forget and call them turnips though, and then people think I’m weird. Totally true story.
In the winter, when I’m doing my “food prep Sundays”, I love tossing a bunch of chopped up parsnips, beets and sweet potatoes in a little oil and roasting them, then I’ll eat them for lunch all week. Yums.
This time around, I decided to branch out a little bit.
These fries were just perfect. You know how parsnips have that tangy flavor? These retain that, even when baked, and it goes perfectly with the taco seasoning.
I ❤ Parsnip fries!
Southwestern Parsnip Fries
2014-05-13 18:07:10
Who needs french fries when you can have PARSNIP FRIES!?
- 3 parsnips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- Sea salt (I used 4-5 cracks on the salt mill)
- Preheat oven to 420. Cut the parsnips into wedges and mix in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Place single layer on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until crispy. Stir 2-3 times. If needed, finish under the broiler for a minute.
By Barb
That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/
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I love bread, and although I’m definitely not gluten-free, I’m always excited to try new products! Especially when, you know, the product is bread.
ESPECIALLY when it allows me to easily bake delicious bread at home! Luce’s Gluten-Free Artisan Bread Mix was beyond easy to make. You add water. You mix. You bake in the provided baking bag. There’s hardly any clean up. Perfection.
Here’s the loaf of Rye…
Look at that texture! It was chewy and hearty and just perfect. The loaves are fairly small, enough to serve as a side for one family meal. I see this as a plus, because “easy to make” + “no leftovers” = fresh bread for every meal, right? And you have a wide selection to choose from:
- Classic Sourdough
- New Italian
- OMG Flatbread
- Really “Rye”
- Bold Buckwheat
I also love the story behind this company, which was started by a lifelong baker who was struck with celiac disease. His frustrations led to new GF recipes, which led to these mixes which allow everyone to enjoy delicious homemade bread, even those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
Ready to try some? You can buy the mixes in bulk online, or these cute little packages at these stores. No stores listed in your area? Ask the grocery manager to start carrying Luce’s!
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Here’s an incredibly easy dinner you can whip up with very little work that’s both delicious and healthy. Actually, calling this Asparagus & Tofu Stir-fry delicious is an understatement. It’s one one of those dishes that looks (and is!) so simple you take that first bite expecting to be satisfied, but not wowed. Then, before you know it, your hair is blown back!
It’s either a case of multiple flavors working together in synergy, or it’s magic.
It’s probably magic.
This would be a great way to introduce someone to tofu for the first time. It’s also nice and light and will be perfect for this summer… if it ever gets here. I woke up to SNOW on the ground yesterday morning, for crying out loud 🙂
Asparagus & Tofu Stir-fry
2014-05-08 09:20:56
Serves 4
- 1 block firm tofu, pressed
- 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends chopped off
- 1/3 cup soy sauce (I like the reduced sodium varieties)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Small amount of oil spray for frying
- Mix soy sauce, water, oil and seasonings. Cube the tofu, then add to marinade. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and fry the tofu (I used a spritz of grapeseed oil, but any kind would work) 1-2 minutes on each side (as in, all 6) till brown. Remove and set on a paper towel to drain.
- Add asparagus to the pan along with the remaining marinade (start with about 2/3 and add the rest as needed). Cook for 3-4 minutes, until they're tender yet crisp. Return the tofu to the pan to reheat, and mix together. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
By Barb
That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/
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I’m a smoothie kind a girl.
Well, okay. Mostly I’m a ‘putting mac n’ cheese on my pizza‘ kind of girl, but I aspire to drink more smoothies. I recently shared my delicious Cherry Beet Smoothie with you guys, and now I bring you this: the very adorably named Straw-bana Cabbage Smoothie!
I’ve been slacking lately, but when I can I like to carve out just 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon to make a big ol’ blender full of smoothie, fill a mason jar and stuff it in the fridge for my breakfast on Monday morning. It’s not hard (the 30 minutes includes everything from cleaning and chopping the veggies to cleaning up afterward), and it’s something I really need to do every week.
Especially now that I have TWO delicious go-to smoothie recipes!
Besides (or more importantly than?) being easy to make, they’re crazy-full of vitamins and nutrients. And don’t think you need to take out a second mortgage to buy a $500 blender to make smoothies either! I use a Waring Bar Blender that I got at a local outlet store for like $80, and it works perfectly. It blends and chops everything, never overheats, and I’ve been perfectly happy with it.
My point is, get in that damn kitchen and pull out your blender, no matter what kind it is! And put some fruits and veggies in it. You’ll be glad you did!
Straw-bana Cabbage Smoothie
2014-05-07 07:45:12
- 4 frozen strawberries
- 1/2 banana
- 1 cutie (peeled)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Handful of spinach
- 1.5 cups chopped cabbage
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla yogurt
- 1/4 cup nondairy milk
- 3/4 cup water (if needed/have room)
- Ice
- Roughly chop your veggies, and add to the blender with all the other ingredients. If you're not super confident in your blender, put the ice on the bottom with the liquid, then add the rest on top 🙂
- Add the water as needed to thin it out if it's too thick.
- Drink right away or store in air-tight container.
By Barb
That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/
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Last November I posted about the China Study Cookbook, which has become one of my go-to books when I’m craving something healthy, low-fat, oil-free and delicious. (Note: If you want a delicious summery dessert, go back and click through and check out that Fresh Strawberry Pie!) The same folks, namely Leanne Campbell, PhD., have put together a fantastic follow-up: The China Study All-Star Collection!
Who are these all-stars, you ask? Lindsay Nixon of Happy Herbivore, Laura Theodore of Jazzy Vegetarian, Chef AJ and Dreena Burton just to name a few! This cookbook is chock-full of delicious and healthy recipes: breakfast dishes, appetizers, soups, burgers, tacos, desserts and more! The best part is that I get to share a copy with one of you lucky readers! I’ve also shared one of the recipes below… Peanut Butter Fudge Truffles. #yum
But first, here’s a look at one delicious meal we made out of this book. Our friends Jamie and Mike came over for dinner (and rum drinks…), and Jamie and I made the Festive Kale Salad (pg. 75 by Laura Theodore), the Creamy Broccoli & Red Pepper Macaroni (pg. 157 by Heather Crosby), and the Thai Pineapple Curry (pg. 181 by Lindsay Nixon). Everything was delicious, although my favorite was definitely the pasta.
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Peanut Butter Fudge Truffles
2014-05-05 11:13:45
Yields 36
- 1lb pitted dates
- 1 cup liquid (water, unsweetened nondairy milk, or unsweetened juice)
- 1 cup date paste
- 1 cup peanut butter (not salt or sugar)
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Crushed peanuts
- Soak dates in liquid overnight or for several hours until much of the liquid is absorbed.
- In a food processor, process dates and liquid until completely smooth. You can store date paste in the refrigerator.
- Place all ingredients for Chocolate FUNdue in a food processor and process until ingredients are incorporated, scraping down the sides if necessary. Chill FUNdue until firm.
- Using a small retractable cookie scoop, drop FUNdue into crushed peanuts and coat evenly.
- Substitute cannellini beans for some of the nut butter for a lower-fat version.
- The FUNdue is also delicious when made with raw almond butter or tahini.
- Try dipping bananas in the FUNdue, rolling them in crushed nuts, and then freezing for a tasty treat.
By Chef AJ (Shared with permission)
That Was Vegan? https://www.thatwasvegan.com/
*The sponsors provided me with free product to review, but the opinions are 100% mine!
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