Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce

Published on October 24, 2017October 24, 2017 by The Planted Vegan2 Comments

When going vegan, or trying to eat more plant-based it seems daunting to give up cheese… it’s so creamy, rich, and delicious. But dairy is filled with saturated fat, cholesterol, milk proteins (which have been shown to be linked to all different types of cancers), and can cause inflammation all throughout the body. I came up with the perfect recipe to replace all your dairy-filled cheesey cream sauces. This cashew cream sauce is not only an amazing alternative to dairy cheese sauces, but it’s also packed with nutrients that are good for you!

Soaking the cashews helps to soften them and break them down so they can be digested better as well as blend more easily. I used raw cashews, but you can use roasted if that is the only option available to you. Cashews can be found in most bulk sections of the grocery store, as well as packaged with the nuts and seeds. They contain healthy fats that are unsaturated, and are also packed with selenium, vitamin K, magnesium, and iron.

Cashews are neutral in flavor which makes this sauce the perfect base for lots of recipes!

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Chocolate Covered Strawberry Milkshake

Published on August 7, 2015August 7, 2015 by The Planted Vegan2 Comments

It’s hot outside! Sweltering hot weather calls for cold drinks, especially milkshakes! I love any drink that is smooth, cold, & creamy and milkshakes are one of my favorite treats to have when it’s hot outside. This recipe is a delicious chocolate strawberry flavored milkshake and it definitely doesn’t have to be for dessert, because it’s filled with tons of nutrients and is good for you!

One ingredient in this milkshake that I’ve recently discovered is a vegan, plant-based supplement powder. I’m usually not a big fan of supplements, especially protein supplements. Protein isn’t something anyone really needs any extra of, most of our diets have plenty of protein without needing to supplement. We really need only about 8-10% of our diet to come from protein,but I’ll talk more about that in a future blog post.

So anyways, I was a little skeptical about this powder, but not only did it have good quality plant-based protein, but it had lots of other beneficial nutrients. It has digestive enzymes, omega-3 (from plants, not fish), minerals, vitamins, prebiotics, and is non-GMO, and is soy-free. It doesn’t have any artificial sweeteners, or colors which is also great. The serving size is 2 scoops, which has 20 g of protein, so I only used one scoop. The taste is great, and it is pretty easy to add a little bit to any type of smoothie or beverage to get in some extra vitamins and minerals, as well as probiotics/digestive enzymes. I picked up mine at CVS but you can check it out on Naturade’s website.

Now onto the recipe! Continue reading “Chocolate Covered Strawberry Milkshake” →

The Perfect (Not Gross) Green Smoothie

Published on January 11, 2015October 25, 2017 by The Planted Vegan8 Comments

Green smoothies can be really intimidating to some people but I have a really simple recipe that I wanted to share. Getting in greens can be really difficult, especially if you don’t have a lot of time to sit and eat them all. Putting them in a smoothie can hide the taste, and make it a lot more enjoyable.

There are three things I’ve learned throughout my green smoothie trials/errors over the years that’s made making smoothies a lot easier…

Don’t overthink / overcomplicate things

When I first started making smoothies, I would try to cram as much stuff in the blender as possible, not thinking about the actual taste of it. I’ve learned to not add a bunch of random ingredients, and keep it as simple as possible.

Fruit is the key

Fruit should be the main ingredient in your smoothies, not only for taste, but also for calories and carbohydrates. Using at least 3/4 fruit, and 1/4 vegetables you’re guaranteed to have a sweet and refreshing smoothie.

Choose your vegetables wisely

Choosing the best vegetables to put in a smoothie is also important. If you’re unsure about adding in vegetables, don’t be. You can barely taste them! Sticking with high water content vegetables is best because they have lots of nutrients, but lack in strong flavors. My favorite vegetables to add to smoothies are spinach, kale, celery, celery leaves, cucumber, avocado, and peppers. Not all of them should go into one smoothie, but a choose just a few to put in one.

Now, onto the recipe! I absolutely love this green smoothie recipe because it’s super sweet, inexpensive, easy to make, and it keeps me full for so long.

Ingredients:

2-3 frozen bananas (make sure they are frozen, this really helps to make the smoothie smooth and creamy. also use bananas when they are spotty, that’s when they are ripe)
1 cup frozen mango (you could also use frozen or fresh pineapple instead)
2 cups spinach or kale
4 stalks of celery (include the leaves, they are packed full of nutrition!)
1/3 of a medium sized cucumber (leave the peeling on, it also has lots of nutrients and fiber)
1/4 lemon with the seeds removed
3/4 cup orange juice (I like to buy it with lots of pulp, to include more fiber)
1 cup water
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger (optional)