EARTH ANGEL VEGAN’S FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING… When I was switching to this way of eating (WOE) I knew I would need to eat a lot of salad, especially when eating out.  Lets face it… in a lot of restaurants sometimes a salad is all you can get when all you eat is unprocessed plant foods.  Salad dressing was a problem for me.  I had a real hard time finding one I could like let alone love.  I love this salad dressing!  The base of it is balsamic vinegar and it really does make a difference which one you use.  You really need to find a good high quality balsamic.  I have found a fantastic balsamic vinegar locally at THE HAPPY EGGPLANT.  The Happy Eggplant is an awesome small town store that has everything you could ever think of for your cooking, kitchen, and baking needs and they also happen to import an excellent balsamic vinegar.  They import this vinegar from Modena Italy and if you save your bottle you even get a discount on the refills!

I whip up this salad dressing and keep it ready made in the refrigerator and I take a little to go bottle of it with me everywhere I go!  It turns any salad into a delicious meal!

MY FAVORITE SALAD DRESSING RECIPE: 

1 cup good quality balsamic (I USE ARISTON BALSAMIC) 

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup dijon mustard (one you like the taste of)

Sometimes I add 2 tablespoons of plain hummus when I have it on hand… it adds a little more body to the dressing and some good garlic flavor!  If you are not a mustard fan drop the amount of mustard to 1/8 cup.  You can play around with the amounts in order to get the taste you like.  This particular ARISTON BALSAMIC is so good it can be used alone.  

Put your ingredients in a shaker and really shake it up.  If using a thick hummus sometimes you need a blender.  If you use a lesser quality balsamic taste it and add 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup to enhance the flavor.   

So on this small business Saturday… I would like to give a shout out to THE HAPPY EGGPLANT for the awesomeness they bring to my little town!  I encourage you to stop in and see what culinary treasures you can find and get yourself some of this amazing balsamic vinegar!  Tell them EARTH ANGEL VEGAN sent you!

EARTH ANGEL VEGAN S’MORES MUFFINS WERE OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD.  I got some accidentally purchased graham flour and immediately thought graham crackers… and once you think graham crackers… your mind just jumps to S’mores!  They were easy to make and delicious to eat when warm.  The vegan chocolate chips were oooey gooey and the vegan marshmallow was crispy deliciousness.

RECIPE – makes about 10 muffins  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Dry ingredients:  In a mixing bowl add…

1 cup graham flour

1/2 half cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup brown sugar 

whisk these dry ingredients together

Wet ingredients:  In a glass measure or other bowl add…

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup molasses 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Now stir your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients until it is all incorporated.

add 1/2 cup of vegan chocolate mini chips to the batter (3/4 cup if you want them super chocolaty)

Cut vegan marshmallows into 4’s or use mini

Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan or liners and top with chopped vegan marshmallows

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes!

 

Enjoy!

EARTH ANGEL VEGAN VISITED HOT SHOTS IN MASURY OHIO TO TRY THE PIZZA…I don’t know about you but when I see the word VEGAN on a menu I get very excited.  We happen to live in an area where the concept is not so popular.  I have been hearing about this new little place that makes wood-fired pizza and thought we would stop and I could ask all the usual questions about the ingredients… but …when she handed me the limited menu and I saw VEGAN… well I could hardly contain myself.

Vegans can get a 12 inch wood-fired pizza with fire roasted tomato sauce and FOUR TOPPINGS for $10.50… that is a steal!

This place could be featured on diners, drive-ins, and dives… It is a quaint place with pool tables and canned beer… but the PIZZA WAS DELICIOUS!

And yes… they have great stuff for your non-vegan friends and family!

 

Dine in or take out but give them a try!

EARTH ANGEL VEGAN’S BEEF-LESS STEW is so tasty and easy to make that you will be making it all winter long.  It is a stick to your ribs kind of dish.  It is full of whole food ingredients and the right amount of seasoning.

Recipe for 4

4 large or 6 medium potatoes cut into chunks

2 large carrots cut into chunks

2 stalks celery cut into chunks

1 small yellow onion diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup frozen green beans

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon Wildtree herb grilling marinade (or poultry seasoning)

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon smoked paprika (optional for smokey flavor)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup plant milk or additional vegetable broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a heavy bottom pot add the mushrooms, onions and celery and over medium heat start to dry saute them.  Keep stirring them around… the vegetables will start to give off some liquid.  When they start to give off liquid add all of the seasonings and the soy sauce.  Let this cook for about 5 minutes on low and then add all the rest of the ingredients except the frozen peas, plant milk and cornstarch.  

Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and cook over this medium low heat until the potatoes are cooked through about 45 minutes.  Taste the broth and add salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.  When you can pierce the potatoes with a knife and they are soft you can thicken the broth.  To thicken the broth make a slurry of plant milk (or extra vegetable broth) and cornstarch. Mix the liquid and cornstarch and then pour it into the stew.   Stir the slurry into the stew and turn up the heat to bring it to a boil.  Keep stirring until the sauce comes to a boil and  is thickened.  Let boil for about a minute and then turn off the heat and throw in the peas.

This can be made in your slow cooker by putting all the ingredients except peas, plant milk and cornstarch into your slow cooker.  Cook on low 5-6 hours or on high 3-4 hours.  When vegetables are tender thicken the sauce.  If you crock pot runs hot I would add an additional 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Crock pots should be at least 1/2 full to operate properly.  You could also make this in a pressure cooker in about 20 minutes.

You can serve this over egg free noodles for a extra special meal.  My mom always made this stew and we had it with crusty bread and pickled beets.

Good old fashioned comfort food… Enjoy

You can buy Wildtree herb grilling marinade at http://www.mywildtree.com/gerri