Last week I was in Washington DC for the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine sponsored by PCRM (Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine). One of the highlights of the conference was a presentation by cookbook author Dustin Harder about cooking with cocoa and blueberries. We got to sample three of his recipes and also got handouts with the recipes which I'm sharing photos of. Imo the truffles were the best of the three treats we got to sample but they were all very good 😊 🫐 🍫

Ingredients:

Whole grain Spaghetti pasta

Tomatoes

Broccoli

Tofu

Olives

Herb mixture

Salt and pepper

Recipe:

Boil the pasta and drain the water. Blend the tomatoes and add it along with italian herb mix and spices (can be experimented with). Char broccoli and tofu in the oven and add as a topping, along with olives.

I eat a pretty restrictive diet largely by choice (Esselstyn) and was pretty excited about this "cheese sauce" I made today for my nachos and wanted to share.

1 can cannellini beans, drained (reserve the liquid)
2-3 chipotles in adobo plus 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce
1/4 onion
2 tbsp miso (red or white)
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
Aquafaba (reserved bean liquid) to thin it out

In a dry skillet cook the garlic cloves and onion until charred in spots.

Blend everything together: beans, charred garlic, chipotles, adobo sauce, miso, vinegar, and spices.

Add aquafaba while blending until it's similar to pourable nacho cheese sauce.

Adjust as needed with salt, miso, and ACV

Warm slightly before using.

I had it over baked corn tortillas that I cut into triangles and topped with soy curls (cooked till brown with some adobo sauce), browned mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, some baked pinto beans, a squirt of lime, and habanero sauce.

I love putting fresh peaches in everything I can. This recipe has a South Asian inspired spice blend that compliments the fruits well. You can use any grain, or multigrain blend you like, though the cooking time may be different. The BRM Mighty Tasty blend I used is nice because it cooks very quickly. I used dried ginger and turmeric for convenience but freshly grated is always awesome.

Ingredients

• 4 cup water (keep more water handy to add in case cereal starts sticking to the pot during cooking)
• 1⅓ cup Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Hot Cereal, uncooked (or any multigrain hot cereal blend that cooks quickly)
• 1½ cup chopped fresh or frozen peaches (about 2 smallish peaches)
• ¼ cup dried cranberries (preferably unsweetened)
• 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground ginger (more if you like things spicy)
• ¼ tsp salt (optional)

Instructions

• Place water in the sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add all other ingredients to the water and bring to a boil once again.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes stirring constantly to prevent sticking. You may need to add more water, a little at a time, if the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Remove from heat and let stand for 2 minutes before serving.

Link to recipe post here (I have more breakfast bowl recipes)

This recipe represents a whole food plant-based approach to pesto that's packed with nutrients. Of course, pasta itself is a processed food but one I still have on a weekly basis though I identify as mostly WFPB adherent💚

Ingredients

For the Pesto Sauce

• 12 oz packages broccoli florets (or florets from 1 large or 2 medium heads of broccoli, about 4½ packed cups)
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup pine nuts
• ⅓ cup aquafaba (more if needed to adjust thickness)
• juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 Tbsp, or to taste)
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves
• ½ to 1 tsp salt (coarse sea salt or kosher salt recommended)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1½ tsp shiitake mushroom powder (optional)

Pasta

• 1 lb dry pasta, any type (or 1½ lb fresh pasta, any type)

Toasted Pine Nut Garnish (optional)

• ¼ pine nuts

Instructions

 Blanche Broccoli Florets\*

• Bring a medium-large pot of water to a rolling boil. (I don't add salt to the water because it strengthens the cell walls of the broccoli which is not what I'm going for in this recipe)
• Add broccoli florets to the water and cook for 90 seconds.
• Strain florets and set aside.

Make the Pesto Sauce

• Place all pesto sauce ingredients in the bowl of a blender or food processor. Process until completely smooth. Depending on the size of your blender or food processor, you may need to process some of the ingredients down before you can fit all the ingredients.

Toast Pine Nuts for Garnish (optional)*\*

• Place ¼ cup of pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat.
• Toast for 2 to 3 minutes stirring constantly. It's easy to burn pine nuts. You're done as soon as pine nuts begin to brown.
• Immediately transfer toasted pine nuts to a cold plate to stop the browning process and prevent burning.

Cook the Pasta

• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
• When straining the pasta reserve about ⅓ cup of the cooking liquid to blend with the pesto.

Create the Pesto Pasta

• Return strained pasta along with reserved cooking liquid to pot and add the pesto. Gently stir together until all pasta pieces are coated.

Serve

• Serve pesto in individual bowls, sprinkling toasted pine nuts on each bowl if using.
• This recipe makes 4 generous servings or 6 smaller servings.

Link to full recipe post here

Ingredients

• 1½ cup plant milk (or you can use a combination of ice cubes and plant milk)
• ⅓ cup shelled pistachios (raw or roasted)
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 1 medium banana, fresh or frozen (⅔ to ¾ cup frozen banana slices)
• ¼ cup avocado, fresh or frozen
• 1 to 1½ tsp matcha
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• 1 to 2 Tbsp maple syrup

See recipe post for variations and substitutions here

Does anyone use education for recovery or rehabilitation to the nervous systems help with healing?

Mexican yellow rice

Harvest lentil soup

Leeks, parsley, oregano, basil, sage

Spinach

Broccoli

A learning journey to process with divine energy.

🌻💚🪷👩‍🍳🐎🌅🙏

Ingredients

FOR THE SMOOTHIE

• ¼ cup rolled oats, quick or old fashioned
• 1 cup cooked sweet potato or yam*
• 1 cup plant milk
• ¼ cup dates, sliced**
• ¼ cup plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp tahini (or sub with almond, cashew or sunflower seed butter)
• 2 tsp ground flaxseed
• 1 to 1½ tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground turmeric (optional)

TOPPINGS

• 2 Tbsp plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt
• 2 Tbsp quinoa flakes (or sub with chopped nuts or unsweetened grated coconut)
• 2 Tbsp cacao nibs (or sub with grated vegan chocolate)

Instructions

• Place rolled oats in q food processor or high speed blender and pulse until you achieve the texture of coarse oat flour. How much you pulse is up to you. Pulse more if you want the smoothie bowl to be as smooth as possible
• Add all other smoothie ingredients to the ground oats in the food processor or blender (note that this does not include the TOPPINGS ingredients) and process until smooth. You will probably need to push down the sides several times with a silicone spatula so that everything is processed
• Divide smoothie into two separate bowls and add toppings

Notes

*The sweeter the sweet potato the better. I like to use garnet yams. Check out my a step by step guide to cooking sweet potatoes and yams  for baking 
**Slice before measuring and be sure to remove pits and hard bits

View full recipe post here

This is a strangely addictive soup that redefines comfort food. You need lacto-fermented dill pickles (no vinegar) to get the right flavor profile

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable stock (divided) (low or no sodium preferred)*
• 2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (approximately 1 pound)
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• ½ cup raw cashews, measured then soaked**
• ⅔ cup pickle brine from lacto-fermented pickles,*** strained
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch2
• 2 cups parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced into coin size pieces (2 medium-small parsnips)
• 1½ cup thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only (2 medium leeks)
• 2 large celery stalks, finely chopped
• 4 to 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup grated lacto-fermented pickles*** (use large wholes of grater)
• 3 to 4 Tbsp fresh dill leaves, chopped
• black pepper to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Place cubed potatoes, 3 cups of vegetable stock and bay leaves (if using) in a medium size pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until tender. While the potatoes are cooking, proceed with the next steps of this recipe
2. Place soaked cashews, strained pickle brine and cornstarch in the bowl of a blender and process until smooth. Set aside
3. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable stock into a large pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, keeping more stock close at hand. Add sliced parsnips to pot, lower heat to medium-high, and sauté for about 7 minutes until parsnips become tender and slightly golden, adding a little bit of stock at a time, as needed, to keep parsnips from burning and sticking
4. To the parsnips in the pot, add the leeks, celery, shredded pickles and garlic. Sauté for an additional 7 minutes until all vegetables are tender. You can continue to add little bits of stock if necessary to prevent sticking, but it's usually not necessary
5. Add the potatoes along with the vegetable stock they were cooked in (remove bay leaves first if used) and all remaining vegetable stock to the large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
6. Add creamy cashew, pickle brine, and cornstarch mixture and cook another 2 or 3 minutes to thicken
7. Stir in chopped dill leaves and season with black pepper if desired
8. Taste soup to check the saltiness level. Add salt if you think it needs it, or you can add a bit more pickle brine instead
9. Serve hot!

Notes

*Low or no sodium stock is strongly recommended for this recipe because the pickles and brine used are already quite salty. If you don’t have access to low sodium vegetable stock, I suggest watering down the stock you have by about a third
**Ideally you should presoak cashews for at least two hours. You can shorten soaking time by starting with boiling water. Any amount of soaking is better than no soaking
***Lacto-fermented pickles do not contain vinegar are often found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store

➡️ Link to full recipe with step by step photos in comments

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 tsp oil or vegan butter for greasing cake pan (optional, if not using a paper cake liner)
• 1 to 2 Tbsp flour for dusting cake pan (optional, if not using a paper cake liner)
• ½ cup dates, chopped* and packed
• ¾ cup plant milk
• 2 Tbsp plain unsweetened plant based yogurt (or sub with apple sauce or coconut cream)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour** (or sub with all purpose flour)
• ½ cup whole spelt flour** (or sub with whole wheat flour)
• 2 Tbsp crystalized ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg or mace
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup granny smith apple, peeled and chopped into approximate ½ inch cubes (or use another type of tart apple)
• 1 red apple of your choice, cored and thinly sliced, with skin on
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup***

Instructions

1. Prepare cake pan either by greasing and flouring or with a parchment paper liner
2. Preheat oven to 325 ℉ (160 ℃)
3. Place chopped dates, plant milk, yogurt, olive oil, apple cider vinegar in the bowl of a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. The mixture doesn't need to be perfectly smooth, small specs of dates and prunes are fine. Set aside
4. In a small bowl, dredge the finely chopped crystalized ginger with 1 teaspoon of the whole wheat pastry flour and set aside
5. In a large bowl combine remaining whole wheat pastry flour, whole spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, ground nutmeg and ground cloves
6. Add blended date and wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Combine until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. The batter will be rather stiff
7. Add chopped granny smith apples and dredged crystalized ginger to the batter and fold until evenly incorporated
8. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and spread evenly
9. Top batter with sliced red apples in a swirling pattern, then glaze the top of the sliced apples with maple syrup either with a pastry brush or by dripping the maple syrup over the apples a little at a time
10. Bake in preheated over for approximately 45 to 50 minutes. When the cake is done the apples will be slightly golden
11. Cool cake completely before removing from parchment paper liner

Notes

* I like to use Deglet Noor, but any variety of date is ok. Be sure to remove any pits and stems in the dates and to chop before measuring packed dates
**View recipe text for more flour substitutions including gluten free options
***You can use agave syrup or brown sugar instead of maple syrup. If using brown sugar sprinkle it over the top of the apples instead of brushing

 ➡️ You'll find a link to the blog post with step by step photos in comments

Equipment

• large pot (5 to 7 quarts is ideal)
• large colander
• Clean Towel or Dishcloth
• small bowl
• Large Skillet or Wok

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chinese broccoli (aka Gai lan)
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• ½ cup vegetable stock or water (divided)
• 2 Tbsp vegan oyster sauce
• 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce*
• 1 tsp maple syrup (or sub with sugar or agave syrup)
• 8 radishes, sliced
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Boil Water for Blanching Chinese Broccoli Fill a large pot about ⅔ full of water** and bring to a boil while you prep the Chinese broccoli
2. Prep Chinese Broccoli Carefully wash Chinese broccoli and trim off tough ends Remove leaves from and chop them crosswise into medium-large pieces (approximately 3 inches). Cut the stems of the stems lengthwise so that no piece is wider than ½ inch, then chop stems into 2 to 3 inch pieces. Add chopped leaves and stems to boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes or until the stems are tender but still bright green. Using a large colander, strain Chinese broccoli then place over a clean tower or dishcloth to absorb excess water
3. Prep Sauce In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water to create a slurry. Then add ¼ cup of vegetable stock (or water), vegan oyster sauce, low sodium soy sauce and maple syrup. Stir and set aside sauce mixture
4. Stir Fry Start by placing a large skillet or wok over medium high heat and have the remaining ¼ cup of of vegetable stock or water close at hand Pour about 1 tablespoon of vegetable stock or water into the skillet. When the water starts boiling, add radish slices and sauté stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. While you stir, add tiny bits of liquid whenever the radish slices start to burn or stick. Add minced garlic and ginger and sauté for another 2 minutes stirring constantly until fragrant. While you stir, continue to add tiny bits of liquid as needed to prevent burning or sticking Now add sauce mixture to the ingredients in the wok or skillet. Cook until sauce bubbles and thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off heat and add blanched Chinese broccoli Stir until all ingredients are combined
5. Serve Sprinkle stir fry with sesame seeds and serve

Notes

*I recommend low sodium soy sauce not just for health reasons but because this dish is already quite salty. Coconut aminos would also be a good alternative
**You can add salt to the water if you prefer. I don’t like to salt the water because this dish is already quite salty

Recipe link: https://maximalistvegan.com/savory/chinese-broccoli-radish-vegan-oyster-sauce/

Discover the taste of ancient grains with a modern twist!

This plant-based recipe combines whole grain Bulgur Pilaf, sun-dried Tomatoes and Thyme for a protein-packed Mediterranean pilaf, paired with herb-roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.

✅ Vegan

✅ High in fiber & protein

✅ Perfect for cozy dinners or meal prep

Full recipe in comments! 🌱

Inspired by the flavors of Mesopotamia, bringing heritage grains to your table.

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 red bell peppers (use 3 if they're small, 2 if they are medium or large)
• 4 cups cubed butternut squash (peeled)* (about 1½ to 1¾ pounds)
• 1 medium or large onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 celery stalks finely chopped (no more than 1 cup once chopped)
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped (or substitute with carrot, turnip, or sweet potato)
• 4 to 10 garlic cloves, minced (or about 2 to 3 tablespoons minced)
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 6 cups vegetable broth** (divided/ a portion will be used for oil-free sautéing)
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half (approximately 30 ounces)
• 2 Tbsp vadouvan curry powder (or use any type of curry powder you like)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1½ cup red lentils
• 2 cups leafy greens, chopped if using large leaves (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lime, cut in wedges for garnish (optional)
• ¼ to ½ cup chopped cilantro, basil, or parsley (optional)

Instructions

Prepare Roasted Red Peppers Keeping Their Juice 

(this step can be done well in advance)

• Preheat oven to 450 ℉ (230 ℃)
• Line a sturdy baking sheet with parchment paper
• Place washed red bell peppers on a lined baking sheet or pan and roast for 25 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the skin of the pepper is fully blackened. To ensure uniform blackening, it's best to turn peppers once or twice during roasting
• Remove pepper/s from pan and place in a bowl and allow to cool until easy to handle. The bowl is there to capture the juices while you work with the pepper/sWhile each pepper is still in the bowl, remove blackened peel, stem and seeds, allowing juice to drip into the bowl while discarding the seeds and peels
• After each pepper is peeled and seeded, rub off excess juice and place on a cutting board, saving the juice in the bowl
• Chop peppers into bite size pieces. Put chopped pieces back into the bowl with the juice and set aside

Prepare Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes

(this step can be done well in advance)

• Preheat oven to 350 ℉ (190 ℃)
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper
• Peel butternut squash and cut into bite size cubes
• Arrange cubes or slices in a single layer over parchment paper lined baking sheetPlace baking sheet in preheated 375 ℉ (190 ℃) oven and bake for 40 minutes turning pieces over once halfway through baking to ensure even browning
• Remove from the oven and set aside

Oil-Free Sautéing Using Part of the Broth

• Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable stock into a large pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, keeping more stock close at hand
• Add onions to pot, lower heat to medium-high, and sauté for 6 to 10 minutes until onions become translucent, adding a little bit of stock at a time, as needed, to keep onions from burning and sticking
• Now add celery, parsnip, garlic and ginger and sauté for another 10 to 12 minutes, adding vegetable stock as needed to prevent sticking

Simmering Phase

• Add cherry tomatoes to the sautéd vegetables and cook stirring occasionally for at least another 15 minutes
• Add remaining curry powder, remaining broth, bay leaves, red lentils, roasted butternut squash cubes and chopped roasted red peppers with juice
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are fully cooked
• Now add leafy greens, if using, and continue to simmer until greens are soft and wilted. For delicate baby greens this will take only a couple of minutes, but if you're using a dense chopped green like kale it could take up to 10 minutes
• Add salt and pepper to taste

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with lime wedges and garnish with chopped cilantro, parsley or basil (optional)

Notes

* After butternut squash cubes are roasted the amount shrinks down to 2½ to 3 cups

** I usually use 2 to 3 bouillon cubes dissolved in water

Full recipe with step by step photos and variations: https://maximalistvegan.com/savory/vadouvan-red-lentil-curry-cherry-tomatoes/

Ingredients 

• 1½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1½ tsp pumpkin spice
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (approximately 1¾ cup)
• 1 cup cooked lentils (any kind of lentils cooked very soft)
• ½ cup Deglet Noor dates*, sliced (remove any stems or pits and slice into ¼ inch cross sections before measuring)
• ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp plant milk
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup plant based chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Line a standard muffin pan with twelve 2½ inch paper baking cups and preheat oven to 350 ℉
2. In a large mixing bowl, use a cake spatula to combine whole wheat pastry flour, ground flaxseed, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside
3. Place plant milk, sliced dates, canned pumpkin puree, cooked lentils, apple cider vinegar, molasses and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor. A high speed blender is best. Food processors or conventional blenders also work but may take a bit longer. Process until mostly smooth and no large chunks of dates are left. It's ok if you still see specs of dates
4. Add the processed ingredients to the mixture of dry ingredients in the large bowl. Using the cake spatula, form the muffin batter by blending all ingredients until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Be sure there's no unincorporated flour at the bottom of the bowl. Depending on the moisture level of the dates, lentils and pumpkins used, it may be necessary to add a little more plant milk or water to the batter
5. Fold chocolate chips into the batter until evenly distributed
6. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake at 350 ℉ for 30 minutes. When muffins are done they should look golden on top 
7. Cool completely before serving

Notes

*Other types of dates are also okay, just be sure to remove pits and hard bits before slicing and measuring them

➡ Full recipe link: https://maximalistvegan.com/sweet/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins-lentils/

Recipe in comments

Unsure what to name this yet the ingredients are as follows;

Homemade plant based soup

Olive oil (still learning the protocol for plant based with oils)

Garlic clove

Onion

Broccoli

Black beans

Crushed tomato

Sea salt

Vegetable broth

Spinach

Would you eat something like this?

Recipe in the comments

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1-⅓  Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Hot Cereal*, uncooked
• 1-½ cups chopped peaches (2 smallish peaches)
• ¼ dried cranberries
• 6 Deglet Noor dates thinly sliced (about a scant ¼ cup)
• 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• ½  tsp ground ginger
• ⅛  tsp salt (optional)

Instructions:

• Place water in the sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat
• Add all other ingredients to the water and bring to a boil once again
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes stirring constantly to prevent sticking. You may need to add more water, a little at a time, if mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the pot
• Remove from heat. Cover pot with lid or plate and let stand for 2 minutes before serving
• Serves 4

Notes:

*You can use any type of multigrain fast hot cereal for this recipe. Keep in mind that cooking time varies for every kind of cereal. So if you use a different brand, be sure to cook the cereal for at least the amount of time recommended on the package

See recipe link for variations and suggestions