Vegan Tempeh sausage Gumbo in honor of Mardi Gras

Delicious Vegan Spicy Tempeh Sausage Gumbo

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Savory, spicy tempeh sausage graces this rich and delicious vegan version of gumbo.  This vegan gumbo is flavored with a delicious mix of spices, lots of veggies as well as a homemade spicy vegan sausage and my famous sunburgers.

The spiciness of this dish can easily be adjusted according to your personal taste.  My family cannot even handle the spiciness of a garlic clove so I made this dish without the hot sauce, chili flakes and cayenne for them and then I added the spice for me.  You can give it just a little kick or you can pour on the hot sauce, however you like your gumbo!  This gumbo has a lovely flavor without the spice if you have a sensitive mouth like my family.

I must admit, I have NEVER tasted gumbo before in my life!

So you'll have to forgive me if it does not have the authentic flavor you are used to.  I researched a lot of gumbo recipes and I must admit there is a WIDE variation in ingredients.  Some used canned tomatoes and tomato paste, some didn't use any tomatoes!  It was hard to create a genuine recipe with such a wide variation among recipes so I tried to come up with the best of all recipes in my version.

My husband had quite a few cankers when I made this recipe and that is the reason I did not use any tomatoes because they sting his mouth when he has cankers.  If you want to add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies to this recipe I think it would add an excellent flavor!  Play with the recipe and see what you like.

My family LOVED this recipe!  Even my kids really enjoyed this recipe.  It has a delicious, subtle flavor and then you add the amount of kick you like, it is so easy to make.

 

Up coming Recipes you DON'T want to miss.....

 

HUGE fluffy vegan & gluten free buttermilk biscuits

 

HUGE vegan & gluten free cinnamon rolls

 

Vegan & gluten free black bean ravioli in a roasted red bell pepper cream sauce

 

and much more.......

Delicious Vegan Valentine Dinner Menu

Delicious Vegan Sausage Stuffed Gluten Free Seitan Valentine Dinner Menu

If you would like to continue following my work please visit my new site:  http://www.plantbasednutritionista.com

I hope to see you there!

The most amazing vegan valentine dinner featured delicious, hickory smoked vegan sausage smothered in homemade mozzarella cheese sauce rolled up in gluten free seitan sitting in a bed of fettucinni topped with a delicious garlic rosemary cream sauce.

My husband kept eating this until he said he was so full he felt sick!  He ended up over-eating on the delicious gluten free brownies and chocolate mint ice cream I made as well, it was certainly a button popping valentines dinner!

My kids LOVED this meal and have been eating the leftovers the past couple of days.  I was really trying to think of something special to make for my husband for valentines day and I was having a hard time.  I asked the kids what they thought would be good and of course I got responses like, "noodles and sweet and sour sauce"  or "pasta" 

I hate to admit that I was frustrated with their answers, but I really needed some inspiration.  I looked through some food websites and saw a lot of 'stuffed' style recipes and knowing my husband LOVES Italian flavors this recipe idea came to mind.  I had NO idea how this was going to turn out but much to my surprise it turned out delicious!   I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.








Gluten Free Seitan

2/3 c. water

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans

1/2 c. nutritional yeast

1/4 c. potato starch

1/2 c. orgran gluten substitute

1 1/2 Tb. egg replacer

3 Tb. cornstarch

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sage

2 Tb. parsley

2 1/2 Tb. tamari

1 tsp. rosemary

2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 c. minced dried onion

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. liquid smoke

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. marjoram

dash black pepper

Blend water and garbanzo beans until liquified. Transfer garbanzo paste into a bowl and add spices and nutritional yeast first, then add the flours, gluten substitute and other thickeners. Stir until thick dough forms.   Roll out entire recipe on wax paper into a large oval shape.
 
Spread the white cheddar sauce down the center 1/3rd of the seitan, then spread the tempeh sausage on top of the cheese sauce and top with the chopped spinach.   Roll each side of the seitan over the filling with the wax paper and then put in a steamer basket or use a large stock pot filled with 1-2 inches of water with a large metal sieve/strainer inside place the seitan roll inside the metal strainer [not in the water] cover the pot and steam on high for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Peel off the wax paper and place the seitan roll on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Slice the seitan roll into 1 inch slices.
 
Garlic Rosemary Cream Sauce
 
2 c. water
1/2 c. cashews
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
 
Blend until creamy.  Pour in a saucepan and warm over medium heat until sauce thickens.
 
Serve:  Place a serving of fetuccini on a plate, put a slice of stuffed seitan on the fetuccini and then top with the garlic rosemary cream sauce and more of the white cheddar cheese if desired.

Delicious Dairy Free Seven Layer Dip

Dairy-free Vegan Seven Layer Dip

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I hope to see you there!

This hearty seven layer dip was the hit of the party on superbowl Sunday.  My dad was a little skeptical about a dairy free seven layer dip.  However, when he dipped his first chip in for a taste he said, this doesn't have cheese?  Nope.

This delicious dairy free seven layer dip does feature a delicious vegan cheese sauce that compliments the flavors of the dip perfectly. 

As you can see the dip didn't even last for a photo before people started digging in!

We had an amazing superbowl Sunday menu, unfortunately I did not get photos of the entire spread.  Here is a teaser preview of what we had.  I will post the recipes for everything we ate in the coming weeks:

• Fruit tray with a delicious poppy seed dip
• Vegetable platter
• Gluten free seitan buffalo wings
• Seitan buffalo wings
• Healthy Hostess style gluten free cupcakes
• Potato chips with creamy dip

If you want a gluten free seitan recipe let me know in the comments!

I have created a delicious gluten free seitan recipe that will work prefectly for any recipe you would normally use seitan in.  I want to see how much interest there is in a gluten free seitan substitute.  I have seen a few on the internet but they seem complicated, time consuming and the review do not indicate that these seitan substitutes taste as well as people would like.

Okay, so on to the feature recipe.......dairy free, vegan seven layer dip

Dairy Free Brownie Mint Ice Cream

Dairy Free Brownie Mint Ice Cream

If you would like to continue following my work please visit my new site:  http://www.plantbasednutritionista.com

I hope to see you there!

 Rich, creamy, decadent brownie mint ice cream recipe that does NOT need an ice cream maker!   My kids were frantically scooping this minty treat into their cups and fighting over who was getting more.  The best secret about this delicious ice cream......it contains spinach.  Shhhhh don't tell the kiddos, they'll never know.

I have been participating in a 30 day boot camp that requires me to consume two green smoothies a day and I thought I'd make it into a delicious dessert and get some greens into my kids at the same time.  The idea for this delicious ice cream was born and it is a delicious green smoothie/dessert all in one!

**Don't let the spinach in this recipe scare you off....   

The only thing the spinach gives to this recipe is the amazing green color which goes perfect with its mint flavor.  Kids expect mint ice cream to be green, use that to your advantage and get some greens in those kiddos.

Unfortunately I think I ate a little too much of this ice cream, this ice cream could easily grace any dessert table and yet it is healthy and can be easily made without any refined sweeteners at all.

I have been striving to reduce the amount of refined sugar we eat in this house.  

Just as a clarification my definition of refined sugar includes:

• agave nectar
• maple syrup
• turbinado sugar
• succanut
• brown rice syrup
• coconut or palm sugar
• honey
•  

Any sweetener that is a concentrated source of sugars that is NOT the original WHOLE plant!  Yes, this recipe does contain some maple syrup but you can certainly leave it out and use more dates.  

Of course I would never use white sugar in any form, however, I do not use concentrated sweeteners and consider them whole foods, because the reality is, they are NOT!


They contain very little or no fiber, no protein, no fat, very minimal vitamins or minerals and do NOT grow on trees, plants or in the ground therefore they are NOT whole foods.  Dates and other dried fruits are the only whole food sweeteners available.  Eventually I would like to reserve all concentrated sweeteners for special occasions only and right now we are quickly moving in that direction.


I hope you enjoy this delicious Green Smoothie/Dessert Recipe!

Nutrition Profile for 1 serving of this Dairy Free Brownie Mint Ice Cream Recipe

Calories.............167

Protein.......... 3.1g

Omega 3's........10%

Vit. A...........43%

Folate............11%

B 6................28%

Vit. C.........14%

Vit. D........11%

Vit. K........49%

Calcium........10%

Iron.........5%

Magnesium.....16%

Manganese.....37%

Zinc.....8%

***The above ice cream has an excellent nutritional profile and even contains nearly the same amount of calcium and protein as cows milk ice cream!

Surprised?

Traditional Chocolate Ice Cream Nutrient Profile in 1/2 c. serving

 

Calories.............188

Protein.......... 3.5g

Omega 3's........10%

Vit. A...........23%

Folate............1%

B 6................2%

Vit. C.........0%

Vit. D........4%

Vit. K........1%

Calcium........11%

Iron.........4%

Magnesium.....7%

Manganese.....7%

Zinc.....6%