soy free – Instant Veg

Easy 2 Ingredient Rotis Recipe

Shannon — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 14:55:15 +0000

Rotis – Whole Wheat Indian Flatbreads (vegan)

A traditional Indian whole-wheat bread made without yeast. Serve it with curry, dal, or spiced vegetables.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword atta, indian flatbreads, naan alternative, rotis, rotis recipe, vegan rotis, whole wheat bread

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings people

Calories 32kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

2 cups atta (Indian whole wheat flour)
¾ cup water (more as needed)

Instructions

Mix the flour and water in a large bowl – add more water if too dry. Knead until smooth, then cover and let dough rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each part into a ball, then flatten into a disc about 2mm thick and 6-inches wide. Dust the discs with extra flour to keep them from sticking, and keep covered until ready to cook.
Heat a skillet on medium heat. Cook rotis one at a time until you see bubbles forming on the top. Flip and cook the other side until you see brown spots on the bottom.

Nutrition

Image of rotis by Usman Yousaf.

The post Easy 2 Ingredient Rotis Recipe appeared first on Instant Veg.

Vegan Gravy

Shannon — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 16:20:15 +0000

Easy Vegan Gravy

A simple recipe for dairy-free, vegan gravy that's goes well with mashed potatoes or roasted veggies.

Course Vegan Dinner Recipes, Vegan Holiday Recipes

Cuisine American

Keyword best vegan gravy, dairy free gravy, easy vegan gravy, vegan gravy, vegan recipes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 41kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

3 Tbsp vegan butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups water
2 tsp vegetable bouillon
½ tsp herbs de provence
salt & pepper
⅛ tsp browning sauce (optional)

Instructions

Melt vegan butter in a skillet and whisk in flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes (do not brown).
Dissolve the vegan bouillon in water, then gradually whisk it into the flour/butter mixture. Add herbs if using, then cook at medium-low heat until thickened (it's okay if it boils, just keep stirring so it doesn't burn).Taste it to see if more salt or pepper is needed.
Filter out the herbs using a fine mesh sieve (optional). Add a little browning sauce to make it a darker brown (if you want).

Video

Notes

The gravy may be frozen for later use. When using thawed gravy, the texture will be lumpy at first. Microwave or warm it on the stove until it’s hot, then add a bit more water and blend it to make it smooth again.
You can use 2 cups of vegetable broth instead of vegetable bouillon and water.

Nutrition

This vegan gravy has a delicious savory flavor that tastes lovely over mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables. It’s so simple and makes dinners extra special. Make it gluten-free by using a gluten free flour.

How To Make Vegan Gravy

There’s a summary of this recipe at the bottom of the post. Here are photos of the steps for those of you who learn by seeing, as I do!

Step 1 – Melt butter

Step 2 – Whisk in flour

Step 3 – Slowly add liquid & seasonings

Step 4 – Bring to boil & cool

Step 5 – Add browning sauce (optional)

Step 6 – Serve & enjoy

PRO TIPS

Don’t rush it – As the recipe states below, add the liquid gradually to the melted butter and flour. Otherwise, it’ll just be more frustrating to incorporate it.

Make it gluten-free – You can sub the all-purpose flour with your choice of gluten-free flour.

Add flavor – you can use any flavor of vegetable bouillon or vegetable stock in this. For the seasoning, I usually use an herbs de provence blend (which is comprised of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano) but you can use different dried or fresh herbs such as:

parsley
onion powder
garlic powder
dried green onion
paprika powder
chili powder
etc

Strain it – Once the gravy is done, I like to filter out the herbs using a fine mesh sieve. This isn’t necessary, but I like the smoother finish that you get if you strain it real quick. It only takes a second!

Add browning sauce – I use a tiny amount of a browning sauce called kitchen bouquet to add a darker brown color to my gravy. If you don’t use it, it’ll still be delicious, but the color will be lighter. I first heard of browning sauce in an 1800s cookbook (sadly, I can’t remember which one!) where it was made by cooking brown sugar and water. Here’s a recipe to make it at home.

Pair this vegan gravy with:

The post Vegan Gravy appeared first on Instant Veg.

Mashed Potatoes

Shannon — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 14:35:35 +0000

The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes

A simple & classic recipe for dairy-free mashed potatoes. You won't believe how delicious they are!

Course Side Dish, Vegan Holiday Recipes

Cuisine American

Keyword dairy free mashed potatoes, vegan mashed potatoes, vegan potatoes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 141kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

2 russet potatoes
2 Tbsp vegan butter
½ cup oat milk
¼ tsp salt
1 pinch pepper

Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into 1" size pieces. Place them in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover the potatoes.
Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Let the potatoes boil about 10 minutes, checking every few minutes for doneness. Potatoes are done when a fork can be inserted easily. Do not overcook!
Drain the water from the pot, and add the butter. Use a masher to squash the potatoes thoroughly. Add half the oat milk and the salt and pepper, mash it in. Mash in the last half of the oat milk, and the potatoes are done.

Video

Notes

Serve potatoes with extra vegan butter, vegan gravy, chopped green onion, or whatever you like!

Nutrition

The post Mashed Potatoes appeared first on Instant Veg.

How To Make Delicious Almond Milk

Shannon — Sat, 22 May 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Making almond milk at home is so easy, you’ll probably never want to buy it again. In this post I’ll show you how you can quickly make some delicious almond milk at home without any peeling.

For this recipe, you will need some equipment:

A blender, preferably a high-speed one
A nut milk bag, also called a juice bag.

The nut milk bags I use are extremely durable and work perfectly for making dairy-free milk alternatives such as this almond milk. I have been using the same ones for a few years now and haven’t had any problems with them breaking. If you take good care of your nut milk bags (don’t wring them in the same direction every time and always wash and hang to dry immediately after use) they should be a good investment towards a healthier diet.

My nut milk bag!

For the almonds, they should be raw almonds – not roasted and salted. I get raw almonds from Aldi and they aren’t terribly expensive. You can also order them in bulk online.

I recommend soaking your almonds in water for about 8 hours or overnight. I usually soak mine in the fridge.

If you don’t have time to soak the almonds, you can pour boiling water over them and soak for about 5 minutes. Either way works!

Once you have soaked your almonds, you are ready to start making almond milk! Just add the almonds to your blender and add water, and blend until very smooth. Remember, you don’t have to do any peeling off of the almonds skins. The nut milk bag will take care of them.

When your almonds are blended silky smooth and you see only very tiny pieces of the brown skins left, you’re ready to strain it. Place your nut milk bag over a bowl as shown below, then pour in your blended almonds and start squeezing.

Of course, make sure you wash your hands very well before you start straining the bag. Almond milk is very easily contaminated so wash those hands well first.

Almond Milk

Make fresh, delicious almond milk at home! Just blend and strain, no peeling required.

Course Drinks, Vegan Basics

Cuisine American

Keyword almond milk, how to make almond milk

Prep Time 8 hours

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes

Servings cups

Calories 206kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

1 cup almonds soaked 8 hours or overnight
3 cups water
pinch of salt optional

Instructions

Blend almonds and water in high-speed until smooth (about 1 minute).
Pour mixture into nut milk bag and gently squeeze to extract all the liquid.
Store almond milk in air-tight container for up to 7 days.

Video

Nutrition

The post How To Make Delicious Almond Milk appeared first on Instant Veg.

Vegan Taco Meat Made From Chickpeas

Shannon — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 14:47:00 +0000

This soy-free vegan taco meat is so delicious and easy. Mild chickpeas easily absorb the flavors of the spices and seasonings. You can make this recipe compliant with a whole foods plant based diet by omitting the olive oil.

I keep posting so many chickpea recipes lately but I can’t help it! They’re extremely versatile, and I feel like I’ve just discovered so many new ways to use them. So I hope ya don’t mind me sharing yet another garbanzo bean recipe (did you know, chickpeas are known by a lot of names?).

So this time it’s chickpea taco meat. We’ve tried so many different ways to make taco meat without beef, and this is one of my favorites so far. Let me tell you why.

Typical ways to replace beef in a recipe in order to make it vegan tend to include ingredients made from soy. There are store-bought vegan taco crumbles, vegan sofritas made from tofu, vegan taco meat made from TVP (which is dried soy). You catch my drift? It’s always soy.

This Vegan Taco Meat is Soy Free

I like soy and I especially love tofu, but it can be difficult to find, even for me living in a large urban area. And some people can’t eat it due to allergies. So I wanted to try making it from chickpeas to see if it could be a good vegan taco meat alternative.

I am really happy with the way this recipe turned out – everyone who has tried it says it’s delicious, even the kids. The chickpeas have a bit more texture that’s nice because they’re not total mush in the tacos.

It’s Lower Sodium, too

I’ve been trying to use less salt lately so that I can hopefully avoid giving myself blood pressure problems later on. Since the canned chickpeas are already a little salty, I find I don’t need to add any. You can add in a little sprinkle if you prefer, of course!

Chickpea Taco Meat

A vegan taco meat option that's allergy friendly and WFPB if you omit olive oil.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Keyword vegan taco meat, vegan taco meat nut free, vegan taco meat soy free

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

2 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 190kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

3 cups cooked chickpeas (2 12oz cans)
2 Tbsp olive oil (omit for WFPB)
½ cup onion
1 jalapeño pepper
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp chili powder (not cayenne)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
⅔ cup water
salt & pepper

Instructions

Prep: Dice the onion and jalapeño pepper, mince the garlic finely, drain the chickpeas.
In a skillet on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil (replace with ¼ cup water if WFPB), and cook the onions and jalapeños until onions are soft and transparent.
Set stove heat to low. Add in the rest of the ingredients except the water. Using a strong blunt cooking utensil (such as a wooden spoon, potato masher, or spaghetti spoon) smash all the chickpeas.
Add the water and keep mashing the chickpeas a bit more, stirring the water so you get an even consistency. Let it cook uncovered about 2 more minutes, stirring now and then so it doesn't burn. Serve immediately or keep in the fridge up to 3 days.

Nutrition

The post Vegan Taco Meat Made From Chickpeas appeared first on Instant Veg.

Pulla

Shannon — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 18:04:38 +0000

Vegan Pulla

My vegan version of the ubiquitous Finnish coffee bread. This vegan pulla is dairy-free and eggless.

Course Dessert, Vegan Baking, Vegan Breakfast Recipes, Vegan Desserts

Cuisine American, European, Finnish

Keyword vegan cardamom bread, vegan cardamom buns, vegan pulla

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings pulla buns

Calories 245kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ cup warm water
1 tsp active dry yeast
½ cup sugar
1 cup soy milk
½ cup vegan butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp salt
5 cups flour

For The Glaze

2 Tbsp vegan butter
2 Tbsp soy milk
1 tsp sugar
pearl sugar

Instructions

Add the ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger to the ¼ cup of warm water, and in it dissolve the 1 teaspoon of yeast plus a spoonful of the ½ cup sugar. Let rest for 5-10 minutes until bubbles form.
Warm the 1 cup of soy milk in the microwave or on the stove until warm but not hot. Melt the ½ cup of vegan butter for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Add them to the yeast mixture then add in the 2-3 teaspoons of ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the rest of the ½ cup of sugar.
Add in the 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time. (You may need to use slightly more or less flour depending on the humidity in your home.)
Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place until it has almost doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes.
Roll the dough into a thick disk and divide into 16 equal slices. Roll each slice up loosely from the narrow corner to the thicker edge, then gently press the seams and roll into a ball. Place with the seam side down onto a parchment baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Cover the pulla doughs with a damp kitchen towel and let proof in a warm place about 15 minutes. I put mine in a cupboard or inside the microwave to proof, with a cup of hot water.
For the glaze, melt about 2 tablespoons of vegan butter with 2 tablespoons of soymilk and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Brush the pullas with the glaze once all over. Add another brush of glaze to the top of the pulla and immediately add a sprinkle of pearl sugar.
Bake the vegan pulla buns for 12 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit (175°c). They are light golden brown when done. Try to let them cool before eating!

Notes

In this recipe I use all-purpose flour. You can also make it with unbleached wholegrain flour such as atta flour but traditionally it calls for white flour. If using whole grain flour I would sift the flour first to remove any large pieces of chaff.
In this recipe I use organic, unbleached sugar in granulated form.
The pearl sugar I use is made from beet sugar, which is vegan. I buy mine when I’m in Finland but you can also find it on Amazon. Pearl sugar is the best for making waffles, too!
I have made these vegan pullas successfully with my own recipe for vegan butter as well as these brands:
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not… It’s Vegan!
- Miyoko’s vegan butter
- Country Crock Plant Butter
- Earth Balance Vegan Sticks
An alternative way to make pulla is to divide the dough into four equal portions and form them into a type of braid before baking. This type of cardamom loaf is called lettipitko in Finnish. In America it’s more often referred to as nisu.
You can use this same dough recipe to make other Finnish coffee breads such as korvapuusti (Finnish cinnamon buns), omenatäytepitko (apple-filled coffee loaf).

Nutrition

Pulla is a type of Finnish sweet bread made with ground cardamom as a key ingredient. It’s usually served with coffee or tea.

I decided to make vegan pulla – normally pulla is made with eggs, butter, and milk in the dough.

So this version is made using vegan butter (I like to use the kind that comes in stick form, usually made with avocado oil or olive oil), and plant-based milk. No eggs, no weird egg replacements! It’s just an easy, sweet yeast dough.

One thing, however, you can’t leave out – the CARDAMOM! Ask me – I accidentally left it out when I was making this the first time. Without cardamom, they’re just buns. If you want to make pulla, you must use cardamom.

Bottles of ground cardamom can be found at most US supermarkets – look in the spices or baking section. The ground will be finer than what I show in the photo above. I am using ground Guatemalan cardamom from Finland – it’s a bit coarser.

You can also get cardamom in whole seed pods from Indian spice shops. You’ll want green cardamom pods, not black ones. Peel off the outer layer of the pod and take out the seeds, then you can grind them up for use in this recipe.

Optionally, you can add some pearl sugar on the top of your pulla. If you don’t have pearl sugar, I think sprinkling on regular organic sugar will be just as nice.

The post Pulla appeared first on Instant Veg.

Victorian Chickpea Soup

Shannon — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 20:17:34 +0000

Victorian Chickpea Soup (Vegan)

This vegan version of Soup à la Béarnaise is a chickpea soup made with mirepoix, cabbage, and mild flavors of tomato and garlic.

Course Lunch, Main Course, Vegan Dinner Recipes, Vegan Instant Pot Recipes, Vegan Soup

Cuisine American, European

Keyword chickpea recipe, vegan chickpea recipe, vegan chickpea recipes, vegan chickpea soup, vegan soup

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 104kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Equipment

Instant Pot
Stick Blender
Wire mesh sieve

Ingredients

1 cup dry chickpeas*
5 cups water
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 carrot
½ onion
4 stalks celery
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp vegan butter
5 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Rinse the chickpeas and place them in the Instant Pot with 5 cups of water. Pressure cook for 45 minutes. (If using canned chickpeas, skip this step). Then drain the chickpeas and set aside.
Finely dice the carrot, 1/2 an onion, and 4 stalks celery.
In the Instant Pot using sauté or in a saucepan, add 2 Tablespoons of vegan butter and cook the shredded cabbage until it begins to brown. Add a few spoonfuls of the broth and continue cooking it until it is evenly golden brown and well-cooked. (Continue adding spoonfuls of broth as needed if it becomes too dry). Then remove the cabbage and set aside.
In the Instant Pot using sauté or in a large soup pot, add another 2 Tablespoons of vegan butter and sauté the finely diced carrot, celery, and onion until golden.
Add in the 1 teaspoon diced garlic and 2 roughly chopped tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes are broken down, about 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place 1/2 cup of the cooked chickpeas in a bowl of water and very gently rub to remove the hulls.
Add the rest of the chickpeas and half of broth to the pot. Use an immersion blender to blend smoothly. Pass the soup through a mesh sieve to remove most of the roughage. Use a ladle to help push it through.
Add the refined soup, the 1/2 cup of hulled chickpeas, the rest of the broth, and the cooked cabbage back into the pot and let it gently cook for about 10 minutes, covered but not pressurized (I used the soup button on my Instant Pot). Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper (or to taste). Serve with bread or crackers.

Notes

You can replace the dry chickpeas with two 15oz cans of cooked chickpeas.

Nutrition

This vegan chickpea soup uses dry or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), cabbage, tomato, and garlic. But don’t be fooled – this soup, simple though it be, is rich in flavor and sure to become as instantly a classic in your home as it has in ours.

For the past few months I’ve been, like most of you, staying home as much as possible. My great “escape” during these months has been getting obsessed with all things of the Victorian-era: books, magazines, movies, TV dramas, anything I can get my hands on really!

So as I dug through yet another book of 19th century cookery, one recipe stood out to me for its unique combination of ingredients, as well as its potential to be made vegan with very little modification.

Vegan Chickpea Soup Recipe

I adapted this chickpea soup recipe from Soup à la Béarnaise, as seen in Charles Elmé Francatelli’s 1846 cookbook, The Modern Cook. You can read it for free on Archive.org.

If you’ve watched the Masterpiece TV drama series Victoria, you may remember Mr. Francatelli, the palace cook who flirts with Victoria’s dresser a.k.a. lady’s maid.

While it is true that Francatelli was Queen Victoria’s chief cook in 1840-42, the TV romance is not based on actual events (as far as we know!)

Frankatelli as he appeared in an engraving in his book, and as later portrayed by Ferdinand Kingsley in Victoria.

Francatelli’s cooking style was mostly French, and his chickpea soup recipe gets it’s name from Béarn, a region of southwestern France.

Here is how Francatelli’s recipe originally appeared in 1846:

Charles Francatelli’s recipe for Soup à la Béarnaise

What I Changed From The Old Recipe

The most obvious adaptation I made is using vegan butter instead of dairy butter, and skipping altogether on the Parmesan. I also used regular round cabbage instead of the white-heart cabbage, which I wasn’t able to find at my grocery store.

I also changed the method a bit just to cut down a bit on cook time. In the original recipe it says to soak the chickpeas (garbanças) overnight; I used the Instant Pot to quickly re-hydrate them.

Another modern time-saver I chose was to use a immersion blender and mesh strainer to refine the soup instead of pounding and rubbing it through a tammy (or tamis, as it is nowadays written).

Cooking Tips

To make the soup as I have done, you’ll need an immersion blender and something you can filter the soup through such as a mesh sieve, tamis, china cap/cone/chinois, etc. This will make the texture of the soup a lot smoother and give it a good body. You can make the soup without filtering but it will have a much different texture.

It’s worth it to remove the skins or hulls from the 1/2 cup of chickpeas that remain whole in the soup – it makes the soup easier to digest and less likely to make you bloated afterwards. We felt that this soup was very easy on our tummies compared to other bean soups.

The post Victorian Chickpea Soup appeared first on Instant Veg.

Wild Rice Soup

Shannon — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 16:00:00 +0000

Instant Pot Vegan Wild Rice Soup

A healthy vegan take on a hearty Minnesota classic. This vegan Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup is gluten free, dairy free, and soy free.

Course Main Course, Vegan Dinner Recipes

Cuisine American

Keyword instant pot wild rice soup, vegan wild rice soup

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings servings

Calories 134kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Cost $5.75 RECIPE / $0.96 SERVING

Ingredients

To Cook The Wild Rice

1/2 cup wild rice $3.50
1 1/2 cups water

For The Cashew Cream

1/2 cup raw cashews $1.04
1 cup water

For The Wild Rice Soup

1 cup carrots $0.20
1 cup celery $0.20
1 cup onion $0.21
2 cups potatoes $0.21
3 cups water
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast $0.38
1 ¼ tsp salt $0.01

Instructions

Prep: Cut the onion, carrots, and celery into 1/2" or 1cm pieces. Cut potatoes½ into 1" pieces.
Cook the wild rice: Add rice and 1 ½ cups water to the Instant Pot. Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
Do a quick release when done. Drain the cooked rice and set aside.
Make cashew cream: Blend 1 cup of water and ½ cup of raw cashews until very smooth.
Add carrots, onion, and celery to the Instant Pot and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add potatoes, cooked wild rice, and 3 cups water to the sautéed veggies. Pressure cook for 10 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes and then do a quick release.
Gently stir in the cashew cream, nutritional yeast, and salt.

Video

Notes

1 cup of carrots is equal to about 3 medium carrots.
1 cup of chopped onion is equal to about 1 medium onion or 1/2 of a large onion.
2 cups of potatoes is equal to about 2-3 medium-sized potatoes.
- For the potatoes, I don’t peel them when I make this soup, since potato skins contain potassium, fiber, antioxidants, folate, and other minerals. But you can certainly peel them if you prefer.
I make this wild rice soup recipe without oil. For a richer flavor, you can add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, olive oil, or vegan butter when sautéing the onion, carrots, and celery.
To make this soup on the stovetop, boil the wild rice and water for 45 minutes until tender, and simmer the combined ingredients for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Nutrition

Enjoy a delicious bowl (or two) of this creamy, hearty Vegan Wild Rice Soup that’s loaded with vitamins to keep you warm and healthy even through the coldest Minnesota winters.

In Minnesota you are never far away from a bowl of delicious wild rice soup.

We ate wild rice soup and other dishes made with Minnesota wild rice frequently when I was growing up. In fact, one of my uncles farmed wild rice up in northern Minnesota back in the 90s.

What Is Wild Rice?

If you’ve never had wild rice before, you might be surprised to know is that it’s not technically a rice like white rice or brown rice. It’s actually a type of grass!

In the Ojibway language, the word for wild rice is manoomin, which literally means “good berry.”

And wild rice IS very good for you. Along with protein and fiber, it’s also got vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese. (source)

Wild rice is also rich in antioxidants, protein, and contains all the essential amino acids (source). So, eating wild rice and especially wild rice soup is a great way to keep your body healthy when the cold weather hits.

Another thing you can feel good about is the fact that this soup costs less than a dollar per serving. Scroll down to see a more detailed cost breakdown for this wild rice soup recipe!

Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice is the perfect soup to make in the Instant Pot because you need to cook the dry wild rice for a long time first, and then put the soup together. Using the Instant Pot makes the cook time shorter.

Using the electric pressure cooker means you don’t need to babysit a pot of boiling water on the stove and can finish preparing the other ingredients in the meantime.

The way that this soup is usually prepared includes frying small pieces of chopped bacon with onions first and adding butter and flour to create a roux for the cream-based sauce.

Sometimes you also see recipes that use things like a can of Campbell’s cream of potato soup (which in my opinion tastes a lot worse than just using cut potatoes), or people will add chicken or venison.

How To Make Wild Rice Soup Vegan

Traditionally, wild rice soup is made with cream and butter. Chicken meat and bacon are also frequently added to the recipe.

In my opinion, making wild rice soup without animal products still tastes really good. If you are a brand new vegan you might not be used to the taste of wild rice soup without meat. Let the flavors of the veggies take center stage!

Cashew Cream

I make the soup creamy by adding a small amount of cashew cream at the end.

I recommend using raw cashews since they have a very neutral flavor.

To make the cashew cream, simply blend the raw cashews with water until totally smooth.

Carrots & Celery

I also added carrots and celery to my recipe to give it just a little more nutrition and flavor.

Carrots, onions, and celery… it’s mirepoix!

Nutritional yeast

Speaking of nutrition, you can optionally add some nutritional yeast flakes to this soup to add a little bit of richness and to give it more B vitamins.

How Long Does It Take To Cook Wild Rice In The Instant Pot?

It takes about 20 minutes, plus a few minutes to wait for the Instant Pot to get to pressure and then to let off steam.

On the stove, I usually have to cook wild rice for about 45-60 minutes before it’s tender enough to eat.

The Instant Pot is a great time-saver!

Wild rice before cooking in the Instant Pot

Wild rice after cooking in the Instant Pot. The extra liquid needs to be drained out.

The post Wild Rice Soup appeared first on Instant Veg.

Purple Blackberry Blueberry Smoothie

Shannon — Sun, 17 May 2020 01:40:12 +0000

Purple Blackberry & Blueberry Smoothie

A deep purple smoothie with antioxidant-rich blueberries and blackberries.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword blackberry smoothie, blueberry smoothie bowls, easy smoothie recipes, purple smoothie, smoothie ideas, smoothie recipes, smoothies with berries

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings smoothies

Calories 156kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Ingredients

1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1 cup frozen banana
1 cup oat milk

Instructions

Blend all ingredients until smooth.
Drink immediately or pour into silicone ice cube molds and freeze for future smoothies.

Nutrition

A deep purple smoothie with antioxidant-rich blueberries and blackberries. Bananas give it extra sweetness as well as a healthy dose of potassium. This is a great healthy smoothie that’s also lower in calories.

We’ve been making more and more smoothies lately as the weather warms up. Everyone enjoys the fact that smoothies are quick & easy to make as they are to drink – and so nutritious, too.

This blueberry smoothie has blackberries in it, which give it a deeper purple color and more sweetness. I use frozen bananas instead of fresh ones when I make this, because the cold bananas will keep the smoothie from warming up as it blends.

I hope you get a chance to try this smoothie out during the summer. Be on the lookout for the prices of blueberries to go down around June. If you have access to wild blueberries or blackberries, pick a lot and freeze them so you can enjoy this tasty purple blueberry smoothie all year long!

Southwest Ranch Dressing

Shannon — Fri, 15 May 2020 20:59:46 +0000

Vegan Southwest Ranch Dressing

This dairy-free southwest ranch dressing tastes so good you'll want to eat it straight off the spoon! It's great in salads, over rice bowls & buddha bowls, and makes a fantastic veggie dip.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword southwest dressing, southwest dressing recipe, southwest ranch dressing, southwest ranch dressing recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 minute

Total Time 6 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 88kcal

Author Shannon Hakala

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

½ cup water
½ cup raw cashews
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp dry green onion
1 pinch of salt

Instructions

Put the cashews in a microwave-safe dish, add water until nuts are covered, and microwave 30 seconds to blanch the cashews. Drain and discard the water.
Add the blanched cashews, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and spices to a blender and blend for about 40 seconds until mixture is totally smooth.
Serve immediately or store in the fridge up to 1 week.

Nutrition

This dairy-free southwest ranch dressing tastes so good you’ll want to eat it straight off the spoon! It’s great in salads, over rice bowls & buddha bowls, and makes a fantastic veggie dip.

I developed this dressing specifically for my southwest vegan quinoa salad. It’s the yummiest sauce ever that’ll make you think of creamy ranch dressing, but with strong Tex-Mex leanings.

This creamy southwest dressing can be used on burgers and salads, and of course in buddha bowls it’s perfect as well.

Before I was vegan I used to love the southwest ranch dressing at McDonalds and I wanted to create a copycat recipe that would mimic that flavor. Try this vegan ranch dressing on vegan fried chicken, pizza, or as a veggie dip, too!

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