Vegan Peach Muffins is what happens when I made an impulse buy of a flat of “seconds” peaches. Unfortunately, a few were bruised and the whole lot started turning quickly. I was going to make a rustic peach tart, but decided to do something different like muffins. Vegan, With Bisquick.
Bisquick is Vegan.
I didn’t realize that Bisquick was vegan. Crazy, right? That’s good news. Not all varieties of Bisquick are vegan so make sure you check. I used Bisquick Original or as the box says, “pancake and baking mix.”
Vegan or Not.
The nice thing about this recipe for these Vegan Peach Muffins is it is super simple and you can swap planted-based ingredients with animal-based ones not effecting the favor. I swapped the egg for a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax and 3 tablespoons water mixed together then let gel for 10 minutes). I used Miyoko’s Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter Unsalted which is crafted for baking and unsweetened oak milk. The toughest part of the recipe is peeling the skins off the peaches, but it is well worth the effort.
If you like the Vegan Peach Muffins, then try my vegan banana bread which is huge family favorite.
While thumbing through the latest Forks Over Knives magazine for ideas, I came across easy oil-free granola and one, Vegan Cherry-Chocolate Granola, caught my eye. I love granola a lot and I do have a go-to recipe that my family loves. But I’m always looking for new recipes to mix it up. And who doesn’t enjoy chocolate in the morning? I know I do. Especially in the morning. OK, I enjoy chocolate anytime.
Vegan Cherry-Chocolate Granola
With a whole food plant-based diet like what Forks Over Knives suggests, the ingredients are simple and fresh for this recipe. The granola is exactly that using old-fashioned oats, pitted dates, nuts, dried fruit, unsweetened cocoa powder, and flaxseed meal with some salt and vanilla extract.
I like this granola. It is not overly sweet. I like that as it has flavor without overwhelming sweetness. You taste the chocolate, nuts, and dried cherries. Every bite is different. Serve with non-dairy yogurt or plant-based milk with some fresh fruit making it a great way to start off the day. And a cup of tea, of course. At least in our house, tea is how we start our day.
3. Place dates, flaxseed meal, vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder in a food processor.
4. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the top.
5. Let stand for 15 minutes to soften the dates.
6. Blend until smooth.
7. Transfer blended date mixture to a large bowl containing oats and almonds
8. Spread mixture on the baking sheet and place in oven.
9. Bake 10 minutes and stir breaking up into pieces then bake another 10 minutes more. Bake another 10 minutes and turn off the oven allowing the granola cool.
I love yogurt, but it no longer loves me so I decided to make vegan yogurt. I know the grocery stores are filled with options today so why attempt to make my own? Two reasons. One is I can choose my own flavor combinations. The other reason is quantity as this recipe makes 4 servings which as far as I know you can’t buy big tubs of plant-based yogurt yet.
I guess there is a third as since I have all the ingredients handy always. So then why not? I like making food from scratch. I know what’s going into it and I can modify to my tastes.
Vegan Yogurt Made Easy
It is pretty easy to make. I’ve tried to make my own dairy yogurt before. It failed miserably on more than one occasion. So when I saw how easy the recipe was for making plant-based yogurt, I thought I’d try it.
Five ingredients: frozen fruit, extra firm tofu, cashews, maple syrup, and lemon juice. I used a frozen cherry berry blend, but you could use frozen peaches or mango. Or a combination. As I attempt to be plant-based, I use maple syrup, but you can use honey.
It is nice to have yogurt back into my breakfast routine as it was creamy. I will continue to refine this recipe as I wasn’t so sure of the texture of cashews.
Are you looking to top the vegan yogurt with something then try my granola recipe.
2 Cups Frozen Mixed Berries (or frozen fruit of choice.)
1/4-1/2 cup Cashews
12-14 ounces Extra Firm Tofu
1/4 Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Preparation
1. Put everything in a blender blending at high speed until very sBlend everything together on a high speed setting until very smooth about 5-7 minutes.
2. Store in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Berry chia seed jam got me out of a sticky situation. Raise your hand if your overbuy fruit. Yup, raises hand. I do this all of the time. Especially when I go to BJ’s Wholesalers and the huge boxes of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries lure me into buying them. I always promise myself I’ll eat all of that fruit. Promise broken and recently I was left with good fruit that going to go bad. And quickly.
What’s a girl to do? Make jam.
That’s what. The favors are fresh and bright. It is sweetened with pure maple syrup allowing for the berry flavors to come through. My neighbor says that it tastes of fruit not sugar. Adding the chia seeds gives it fiber. I know when I just eat a slice of bread with jam, I’m starving an hour later. This jam has some bulk in a good way.
Depending the size of your jars, you can make enough for the freezer or better yet share with friends and family.
Look for another recipe with the super chia seed? Try Chia Pudding.
Who has time to make overnight oats? The recipes are complex with lots of ingredients. This easy overnight oats recipe to the rescue for those of us who are breakfast lazy and want to start the day off healthy.
While I’m a breakfast person, I’m not a make a breakfast person. When I get up in the morning, I want to grab and go not stand around making something. I admit it. I am a lazy breakfast person which makes me make some questionable breakfast choices. My husband usually eats bread for breakfast. He makes the breakfast and I usually like Nutella on my bread without butter. There is nothing wrong with eating bread and Nutella. No shaming here. BUT. It doesn’t fill me up and give me the energy to power through my morning.
Overnight Oats
A couple years ago, I was turned on to overnight oats when a friend shared their swag bag from an event with me. They came in a jar, just add milk of choice, and put in fridge overnight. I was hooked. There was a catch. The brand was hard to find and expensive. So I started looking for recipes online. So many. Too many actually. With too many ingredients. And high in calories as well as other things. It was overwhelming.
Finally I found a basic recipe that can be built on. Four ingredients: old-fashioned rolled oats, plant-based milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. From there, any other ingredients can be added like chia seeds or a nut-butter for extra protein. Mix ingredients in a glass jar with a lid popping in the fridge. The overnight oats can be then topped with fruit. Quick and easy breakfast that’s filling and healthy. To mix it up then try chia pudding.
Chia pudding. Up until a couple of years ago, if you were to say “chia,” the first thing that came to mind was “chia pet.” Yes. That. For those of you who didn’t grow up with commercial TV and when you couldn’t fast forward through commercials, here is one of the commercials for the infamous “chia pet.” Sorry that I now gave you an ear worm from the past and it will be stuck in your brain for hours.
Fiber, Omega-3, and Protein
Low brow, I know, but that’s how I knew the word “chia.” I didn’t know you could eat it. Let alone how good it is for your health. Honestly, I discounted it all of these types of seeds as well weird until I moved towards a plant-based diet. I need to find replacements for animal-based proteins. Chia seeds has large amounts of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, plenty of high quality protein, and several essential minerals and antioxidants. Recipes kept coming up with chia seeds. As I watched Mary McCartney Serves It Up on the Food Network, she made a chia pudding as part of a brunch. It look good topped with fruit and easy. I tried it. And loved it.
Chia Pudding is easy to make
It does look very appealing, but the end result is yummy. The ingredients are simple: chia seeds, plant-based milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Mix it throughly and pop it in the fridge overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning. Since I’m the only one enjoying it, a batch will last me a week. You can top it with anything you like, but I prefer fruit. It is very filling so start with 1/4 or 1/2 cup. Mary McCartney’s recipe is so simple and worth checking her show and recipes out.
2 cups unsweetened plant-based milk (Mary uses almond milk while I prefer oat milk)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (add in more cinnamon)
Preparation
1. Add the chia seeds, milk, maple syrup and cinnamon to a bowl and whisk together with a fork for a couple of minutes so they are well combined and evenly distributed.
2. Cover and place in the fridge to chill overnight. By the morning it will have set into a pudding.
3. Top with fruit, granola, etc. Make it your own.
Hello! I'm Ann Marie and I wear the well-worn apron. Join me as explore plant-based eating while I live on an island off the U.S. state of Rhode Island.
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Hello! I'm Ann Marie and I wear the well-worn apron. Join me as explore plant-based eating while I live on an island off the U.S. state of Rhode Island.