Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Spring Green Smoothie is Full of antioxidants and low cal. Cashew milk and coconut milk offers loads of flavor, filling breakfast! Enjoy this Low-Sodium, Vegan , Gluten-Free smoothie with dandelions and kale greens! Just 180 calories per serving!
Q: Why add Dandelion?
A: They excellent for strengthening your liver
Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Cashew Milk
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
• 1/2 banana
• 2 cups frozen fruit, I used mango, strawberry, pineapple frozen blend
• 1 cup dandelion greens-chopped
• 1 cup kale greens-chopped
• 1 cup of spinach

1 Tablespoon maple syrup, to taste

Instructions

Pour the cashew milk and coconut milk into your blender.
Add the chopped greens 1/3 at a time and pulse a few times until blended.
Add banana and pulse twice
Add frozen fruit and blend until thoroughly mixed.
1 Tablespoons maple syrup( or honey) to taste

Nutrition Information

Amount Per Serving Calories 180

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup raw cashews + 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or water
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (use vegetable stock or water if you prefer)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium white onion, finely diced
• 2 tsp mild chili powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 – 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with the juice
• 1 package organic firm or extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Press your tofu for at least 20 minutes.
• Place the raw cashews and almond milk in a high speed blender and mix until completely smooth. Set aside.
• In a large pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.
• Add the ginger, garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes while stirring.
• Add all the spices and cook for a few more minutes.
• Add the diced tomatoes, maple syrup, cubed tofu and cashew mixture. Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Serve with white, brown or quinoa rice and fresh cilantro.

NUTRITION

Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe Calories: 307 Sugar: 7.5 g Sodium: 377 mg Fat: 20 g Carbohydrates: 18 g Fiber: 4 g Protein: 15 g

Feel free to use whatever you would like to dip into your fondue, but here are our suggestions in case you don’t know where to start:

Crackers
Chips
Cubed bread — we like to used sourdough or french bread
Carrots, sliced
Celery, cut into small pieces
Steamed broccoli
Steamed cauliflower
Granny Smith apples, cubed
Roasted cubed potatoes
Cherry tomatoes

The easiest vegan cheese fondue that requires one pot and about 10 minutes of your time! It’s perfect for date nights, dinner parties and game day!

A photo of bread being dipped into vegan cheese fondue in a white pot surrounded by dippers by sweet simple vegan
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to share this easy vegan appetizer if you’re looking for a recipe idea for a dinner date night at home!

This recipe was inspired by our recent trip to The Melting Pot (check out the video here). If you didn’t know, they have vegan fondue and some locations even have a 4-course vegan dinner option as well! After seeing them put together the vegan cheese fondue at our table and seeing just how easy it was to make, we thought we would have a go at it and share our version on the blog! The fondue was a success and we are so excited for you to try it out!

Dippers For the Fondue

Of course, feel free to use whatever you would like to dip into your fondue, but here are our suggestions in case you don’t know where to start:

Crackers
Chips
Cubed bread — we like to used sourdough or french bread
Carrots, sliced
Celery, cut into small pieces
Steamed broccoli
Steamed cauliflower
Granny Smith apples, cubed
Roasted cubed potatoes
Cherry tomatoes

Alcohol in Fondue
Alcohol is used in fondue not only to add flavor to the dip but to also lower the boiling point and keep the cheese from becoming stringy or curdling. Instead of beer, a dry high quality wine would work as well! I have also seen fondues made with brandy or whiskey but I have not tried it myself.

If you would like to skip the beer in the recipe, we suggest you use vegetable broth in its place as well as add a squeeze of lemon juice or a touch of vinegar for acidity.

Fondue Pot
To make a good fondue, all you really need is a regular pot and stove! A specialty fondue pot is not really necessary but it definitely elevates the experience, as well as keeps the cheese warm and melty at all times. If you have a portable cooktop, that is also an option that can be used as a DIY fondue set up at the dinner table.

The only downside to using a regular pot is that you will either have to enjoy the fondue on the stove OR you will have to return the pot to the stove to rewarm/remelt it when it thickens up.

Ingredients
Fondue

4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons vegan butter (or cooking oil of choice)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or gluten-free if needed)
1 cup (8 oz.) lager-style beer, at room temperature * (see notes)
1 cup (8 oz.) vegetable broth
16 oz. shredded vegan cheese (we used 1 bag of cheddar and 1 bag of mozzarella)
1/2 to 1 tablespoon grainy mustard, to taste
Salt and pepper, if needed to taste
Dippers of choice, such as

Crackers
Chips
Cubed bread — we like to used sourdough or french bread
Carrots, sliced
Celery, cut into small pieces
Steamed broccoli
Steamed cauliflower
Granny Smith apples, cubed
Roasted cubed potatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Instructions
In a medium spot over medium heat, add in the vegan butter. Once melted, add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Add in the flour and mix it through until everything is evenly coated. Cook for about 1 minute.

Pour in the vegan beer, vegetable broth and mustard and mix until uniform. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Once simmering, slowly being to add the cheese a little at a time, stirring well between each addition to ensure a smooth fondue.

Adjust the seasonings to taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
If you have a fondue pot, transfer it to the pot and light it to keep the sauce warm.

Serve with dippers of choice and enjoy!

Happy Easter

Life is about Enjoyment!!

Enjoy this Vegan Pumpkin Pie !!

Pumpkin: you can use fresh pumpkin pie puree or canned, up to you!

Coconut Milk: You want to ensure you’re using the one from the can since it’s nice and thick and will yield that texture that you’re looking for!

Spices: Although I’ve listed the cinnamon, ginger and all spice separately, you can substitute 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead! If you like your pie extra spiced feel free to use 2 teaspoons instead.

Cornstarch: This is crucial for being the perfect thickener and for the binding of the pie with a smooth texture. I have not tested arrow starch but you can test if you’d prefer to use that.

Pie Crust: You don’t have to use mine if you’re not gluten-free! You can also substitute the gluten-free flour in mine for regular flour!

Pastry cutter on tip of pastry crumbles.

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Pie (Step-By-Step Instructions):

Step by step of making pie crust.

Pre-bake pie crust for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Step by step guide showing ingredients for pumpkin pie filling mixed into a glass bowl.
In a large bowl, add all the pie ingredients.

Side by side shots of whisking pumpkin pie filling mixture.
Blend together well with a whisk until cornstarch is completely whisked out. Alternatively, mix all the dry ingredients together first blend out the cornstarch, then add the wet ingredients.

You can leave this to set for an hour covered with a kitchen towel first to allow ingredients to completely blend together or bake immediately. To me, it tastes even better when ingredients are left to sit a bit.

Step by step adding filling to crust and before baking.
Pour the batter into the pie crust. Bake for 60 minutes in the oven on the lower shelf or highest shelf depending on your oven (furthest away from heat).

Remove from oven and let set and cool completely.

Step by step finished pumpkin pie and fork going through pie.

Cover with saran wrap or foil and set in the fridge for at least 4 to 6 hours, ideally overnight. Remove and cut the pie and serve. Dollop each slice with delicious vegan coconut whipped cream. Enjoy!

In terms of taste, WOW. I actually had to give away this pie the same day I made it. Like, I would have been out of control otherwise. It tastes absolutely amazing!! The maple syrup and pumpkin puree flavours blended SO well, and the spices really shone through. Also, the coconut milk added a beautiful silkiness to the pie.

Which Is Better For You?
Tempeh Or Tofu?

Both soy products are generally low in sodium and free of cholesterol. Tempeh and tofu are both nutritious. Tempeh provides more protein, fiber, iron, and potassium per serving, while tofu contains more calcium and is lower in calories.

tempeh – since we’re adding a marinade, plain tempeh is best…if you prefer you can use your favourite prepared packaged tempeh instead of adding your own marinade
tofu – medium, firm or extra-firm are all suitable
chickpeas – canned or home-cooked both work great, any other bean or lentil would work here if you don’t have chickpeas, I’d suggest cooked green lentils, white kidney beans or black beans
hemp seeds – swap for sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) but hemp seeds provide the most protein
arugula – totally fine to use any other green of choice, if using kale, I’d suggest massaging it with a little olive oil to soften though

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Start with the tempeh and tofu. They can be baked at the same time but ideally you’ll marinade the tempeh for 30 minutes up to 2 hours. If you don’t have time to marinate, you can skip it or just do as long as you have time for.

Step 2: For the tempeh, cube it, mix with the marinade ingredients, let sit then bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes.
For the tofu, cube it, toss it with the listed tofu ingredients then bake for 30 minutes until browned.

Step 3: Prepare the rest of the ingredients. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse and chop the cucumber and broccoli.

Quick Tip: I prefer to lightly steam the broccoli rather than leave it raw. To steam, bring water to a boil stovetop then use a steamer basket to steam the broccoli for 5 minutes.

NOTES AND TIPS

Topping: I love nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, lemon, sea salt, pepper and hot sauce. For additional dressing, make my lemon tahini sauce instead of using plain tahini

Breakfast: Believe it or not, this is perfect for a savoury, high-protein vegan breakfast! Start the day right with all this nutrition.
Tempeh: If you don’t want to do the balsamic tempeh, this almond butter marinated tempeh is amazing!
Low-Carb Option: For a lower-carb meal with close to the same amount of protein, omit the chickpeas.