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The Plant-Based Momma

Vegan and plant-based recipes

Berry Crumble with Vegan Cream Cheese Drizzle

February 13, 2019

Something sweet for your sweets this Valentine’s Day! Try our simple Berry Crumble, with an out-of-this-world vegan cream cheese drizzle on top! It’s made with frozen berries, so this dessert can be enjoyed all year long.

My sis-in-law got me this cute Martha Stewart heart shaped cast iron dish for my birthday. The second I opened it I knew exactly what I wanted to make! Hope you have a great Valentine’s Day.. and if you aren’t spending it with anyone special, I hope you’re treating yourself to something delicious!💘

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Berry Crumble with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

  • 4 cups mixed frozen berries
  • 1/2 cup organic sugar (organic ensures that it's vegan)
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Crumble Topping

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
  • 1/2 cup organic sugar
  • 3/4 cup flour

Cream Cheese Drizzle

  • 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese (our favorites are Kite Hill and Trader Joe's brand)
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp vegan butter, softened (I use Earth Balance)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • food coloring of choice (I used a powdered form, made from beets)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pyrex dish. 

  2. Gently combine berries, sugar, flour, cinnamon and vanilla. Place in prepared dish. 

Crumble Topping

  1. Place flour, sugar and vegan butter into large mixing bowl. Mix together with a fork until it starts to crumble.

  2. Sprinkle topping over berry mixture, covering completely. 

  3. Place in oven for 30-40 minutes, until crumble topping is lightly brown. 

Cream Cheese Drizzle

  1. Mix all ingredients together with hand mixer. Add food coloring. Add to crumble once cooled, with ziploc bag or by drizzling with a fork. 

  2. Enjoy!

 

 

1 Comment · Labels: recipes

Valentines Day Almond Shortbread Cookies!

February 11, 2019

 

February is one of my favorite months. Not only is it my birthday month, but it is the month of Valentines day as well.. which also means it’s a pricier, thought-inducing time for my husband — who has two occasions to buy his wife gifts for! I can’t let the sweetest holiday go by, without sharing our very favorite cookie recipe. If you love almond or marzipan, this Almond Shortbread Cookie is definitely the cookie for you! Almond flour combined with coconut oil, gives this cookie a delicious marzipan-like texture.

And to make it even more fun for the kids to make, we make them into a thumbprint cookie – complete with whatever jam of your choosing. My brother and my new sister-in-law visit Cambria often, which is a town off of the coast of California. They always bring back Ollalieberry goodies, which happened to be the jam that I had on hand (and made for a delicious cookie!). But these would be just as great with something like a raspberry or cherry jam.

Keeping it easy and delicious is my motto in the kitchen, so I hope you enjoy these one-bowl Almond Shortbread Cookies. And I hope you have the sweetest Valentines Day!💘

 

 

 

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Valentines Day Almond Shortbread Cookies!

Servings 1 dozen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups + 2 tbsp almond flour (I use Trader Joe's brand)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp melted vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
  • 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • jam of choice

Pink Drizzle

  • 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar (Using organic ensures that it's vegan)
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tbsp plant-based milk (+more or less, depending on desired consistency)
  • Food coloring of your choice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.

  2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Stir, until ingredients are just mixed together.

  3. Roll dough into 2 inch balls, and place on un-greased cookie sheets. 

  4. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your finger (These cookies won't spread). Fill hole with jam of your choice.

  5. Bake for 12 minutes. 

Pink Drizzle

  1. Mix together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and plant milk until smooth. Add more or less to get the consistency that you want. Add in food coloring - I use a powder form (made from beets!). Drizzle over cookies with a fork, or by cutting the bottom tip of a ziplock bag.

  2. Enjoy! 

 

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5 Minute Vegan Banana Bread French Toast

January 8, 2019

Ever had a craving for something, but not want to spend the entire afternoon in the kitchen? I love making foods from scratch, but seeing how far vegan food items have become readily available in the past few years makes me appreciate being able to buy them. And that’s exactly where my love for Trader Joes comes in (no, this isn’t sponsored, I just have a genuine love for the place 🙃) and every single ingredient in this recipe was purchased from there.  And thus, I give you “Five Minute Banana Bread French Toast.” Seriously, impress your friends for brunch, vegan or not, on a whim.

 

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Five Minute Vegan Banana Bread French Toast

Impress your friends for your brunch, with this five minute french toast, made from Trader Joes Banana Bread. 

Ingredients

  • 1 Loaf Vegan Banana Bread from Trader Joes
  • 1 cup Non-dairy Milk
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp Earth Balance Butter

Chocolate Drizzle (optional)

  • 1 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips (I use Trader Joes brand)
  • 1 tbsp Coconut Oil

Instructions

  1. Cut banana bread into slices, about 1" thick. 

  2. In a shallow bowl whisk non-dairy milk, vanilla and cinnamon. 

  3. Melt vegan butter in large skillet over medium heat.  

  4. Dip each slice of bread into the liquid mixture (on both sides), then place in heated pan. 

  5. Cook on each side until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes). 

  6. Top with dusted confectioners sugar, fresh fruit, vegan whipped cream and chocolate drizzle (instructions below).

Chocolate drizzle

  1. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to ceramic bowl, put in microwave for 25 seconds. 

  2. Remove from microwave, stir and put back in for another 25 seconds. Drizzle over french toast with a fork and serve immediately.

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ps – be sure to follow @plantbasedmomma on instagram and facebook for more vegan goodness. 

 

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The Best Gourmet Vegan Cheese

December 20, 2018

There are a lot of vegan cheeses to choose from on the market these days – which is an incredible dilemma to have. But if you have never heard of Spero Foods before, this is a bandwagon you will likely want to jump on. You already know that we are fans of their vegan egg and of their healthy and sustainable philosophy. On top of that, they are plant based, made from totally clean ingredients, without unhealthy preservatives that you probably can’t pronounce (and free from soy, gluten and nuts!). They are also an impressive nine times more sustainable than dairy cheeses. 

Aside from all of that, these cheeses are AMAZING. If I haven’t stressed it enough, you will undoubtedly want to bookmark this company in the back of your mind. We shared our provisions with our extended family and they were completely stunned. Everyone’s favorite, hands down, was the “Goaty Chèvre” which was remarkably similar to the real thing. I am still amazed by the flavor and the fact that everything used to concoct this masterpiece of a non-dairy cheese was made from entirely clean ingredients. 


Our favorite combo was pairing the Goaty Chèvre with a peach jam. 



The different flavors of chèvre that we enjoyed were Sun Dried Tomato, Smokey Chipotle, Goat and Herbacious. I am really looking forward to trying their new Camembert, as well. These cheeses can be used on a platter, in or on pasta, soups or in any recipe that calls for a gourmet cheese.  

And the icing on top is this gorgeous Whipped Cinnamon Cheesecake. It is as beautiful, rich and delectable as it looks. 

Spero Foods is absolutely changing the face of veganism and sustainable living and I am so glad that they exist. Vegans can undoubtedly rejoice in a delicious cheese plate again. You can wow your dinner guests with something impressively vegan, or enjoy it as a delightfully rich and gourmet snack by yourself. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for this great company. 

**I received product in exchange for my honest feedback and opinion. I only share products that I absolutely love and believe in.

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A very vegan Christmas at Disneyland!

December 12, 2018

It’s the most beautiful time of the year at Disneyland…and let me tell you: they did not skimp on their gifts to vegans this holiday season! This season has by far had the most vegan friendly offerings of any Disney special event. If you were contemplating going, now is the time. On top of all the new delicious seasonal additions, there are a handful of new vegan items that are a permanent fixture on their menu as well. This comes right after releasing an entirely plant-based menu for World Vegan Day. The progression is amazing and is so appreciated. Thank you, Disneyland. Our vegan kids appreciate it more than you can imagine!

Here are some of the holiday options that we thoroughly enjoyed. Scroll all the way down to see what my very favorite was!

Chana Masala and Pomegranate lemonade, Festival of Holidays Winter Wonders Booth; California Adventure

This was the husbands favorite dish of the day. It was deliciously loaded with flavor and we were so excited to have vegan naan.  The pomegranate lemonade was a huge family favorite. It was so loved that we went back for another round of refreshing seconds.

 

Pumpkin Soup, Festival of Holidays Winter Wonders Booth; California Adventure

This pumpkin soup was packed with holiday flavor and a delicious addition to their vegan menu.

 

Vanilla and Cranberry Trifle, Festival of Holidays Winter Wonders Booth; California Adventure

This dessert was the most anticipated from our trip. The two words vegan and dessert do not usually go hand in hand at Disneyland. We are lucky to have a few miniscule options, but nothing as loaded as this tangy deliciousness. We’re crossing our fingers that Disneyland continues with the vegan dessert offerings.. because what is a trip to Disney without a lot little bit of sugar.

 

Plant–etarium Street Tacos, Studio Catering Co.; California Adventure

As an avid and self-proclaimed taco connoisseur, these were by the far most interesting tacos I have ever tasted. I intentionally didn’t read anything about them beforehand and was totally surprised by the fresh pomegranates. They were an interesting addition and completely lended to the holiday flavor.

 

Vegan Chile Rellano, Paradise Garden Grill; California Adventure

My absolute favorite dish of all of the holiday offerings was this gorgeous chile rellano! A roasted poblano stuffed with veggie stew and served with spanish rice and beans.  It was literally stuffed with a multitude of flavors, that all complemented each other so well. The most amazing part is that as a vegan or vegetarian, it is so rare to be able to eat spanish rice, since it’s traditionally flavored with chicken broth. So anytime I can order it vegan, I appreciate it so much more than I ever have.

 

 

And while not a holiday offering, but a permanent menu fixture, Hungry Bear Restaurant in Disneyland, has now added the Beyond Burger! You can grab this “Messy Melvin’s Vegan Specialty Burger” in Critter Country. Disneyland now has a decent selection of veggie burger, as this joins their house made patty and the Impossible Burger, which is a secret menu item at Lamplight Lounge in DCA.

 

 

 

Here’s one of our happy vegan kiddos, thoroughly enjoying all of Disneyland’s vegan gifts to us this holiday season. We are incredibly hopeful that this is just a taste of more awesome vegan things to come!

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The new vegan egg in town

November 30, 2018

After our “Great Vegan Egg Showdown” I was pleasantly surprised to learn about a new awesome company, Spero Foods. What has inexplicably stood out to me the most is not only the flavor, but their passion for wholesome plant based alternatives. All of their products have ingredients that you can pronounce…which means NO additives or preservatives. Simple, wholesome and real plant-based goodness. I love love the concept of this company and I feel good about feeding this food to my children. It genuinely is just plants.

And on top of their impressive background and their promise for food without compromise, the food tastes unbelieveable (and stay tuned because there’s more than egg – and we got our extended family in on it!). We enjoyed their Scramblit, with sauteéd veggies,  sprinkled their “Black salt” (which will be available soon) and topped wih avocado and their Sundried Tomato Chevre. The similarity is unbelievable and the texture was on point. Our family was so impressed and I am absolutely the newest and biggest fan of this company.

 

**I received product in exchange for my honest feedback and opinion. I only share products that I absolutely love and believe in.


1 Comment · Labels: recipes Tagged: vegan cheese, vegan egg

The secret ingredient to creamy vegan mashed potatoes!

November 21, 2018

 

Thanksgiving is almost here and I couldn’t be more excited! Our family loves every single traditional dish.. so even if I’m not hosting dinner at our house, I make (or buy!) all of it so that my family can enjoy everything, without compromise.

Today I’m sharing one of those very favorite dishes, which is simply vegan mashed potatoes and gravy. Plant-based milks tend to have a different consistency than what’s used in traditional mashed potatoes. So our trick over the years to create a creamy dish has been to use (::drum roll, please::) a dollop of vegenaise! This ingredient makes THE creamiest, most delicious mashed potatoes. So, without compromise, I give you the creamiest mashed potatoes and the heartiest, most savory mushroom gravy you can imagine. No animals harmed, no hormones from other mammals consumed. 😉

 

Hope you have a wonderful holiday!

 

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Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 8-10 Average Sized Potatoes (I use red and I don't skin them, but that's a preference!)
  • 1/4 cup Vegenaise or any other Vegan Mayonaise Secret to the creaminess!
  • 1 tbsp Earth Balance/Vegan Butter
  • 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
  • Fresh Garlic **I don't add in fresh garlic when making for my kids, since it's "spicy"
  • Sea Salt To taste
  • Garlic Powder To Taste

Instructions

  1. Boil Potatoes until soft.


  2. Drain and Mash the Potatoes. I also use a hand mixer, but it's not necessary.

  3. Add all ingredients to the potatoes; mix and taste to desired flavor and thickness.

 

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Savory Vegan Gravy

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/3 cup Chopped Onion
  • 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
  • 4 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
  • 1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce Can use less, to taste
  • 2 cups Vegetable Broth
  • 1 cup Sliced Mushrooms
  • Sea Salt + Pepper To Taste
  • Water Depending on thickness preference

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. 

  2. Saute mushrooms, onion, and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. 

  3. While sautéing these ingredients, "toast" your dry nutritional yeast in another saucepan for 1 minute, over high heat. Set Aside. 

  4. After onions and garlic are translucent, stir in flour, nutritional yeast and soy sauce to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  5. Bring to a boil. Remove half of the gravy and place in a high speed blender until completely blended. Return to sauce pan.

  6. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened. 

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The Great Vegan Egg Showdown

October 16, 2018

 

I posted an Instagram story last week of our first time using Just Egg in a scramble. It was such a crazy day that I forgot to follow it up and update everyone. I received so many messages asking what we thought so I figured I would give an update. And to make it interesting, since I always have Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg on hand for baking, we thought it would be fun to do a side by side taste comparison.

We’re big vegenaise and Follow Your Heart fans and we also love what the Just for All company has done… As a mom, their cookie dough is a complete game changer and I loved getting mini packets of their mayo in the hospital while having a baby. Both are amazing companies and we couldn’t wait to compare them side by side. So we give you, the Great Vegan Egg Showdown:

Just Egg: Everyone has been highly anticipating this product for the last few years, us included. Made primarily with mung beans (of which I am a fan, being part filipino) this egg had a sweet undertone, which eventually disappeared after a few bites. The texture and smell were pretty close to what we remember the real thing being like, making it more realistic for someone craving an actual egg. The downside is that there were no baking directions on the bottle, whereas FYH has simple conversions readily available. The biggest bonus is that it is ready to pour for quick and easy egg access.

 

 

FYH Vegan Egg: Definitely has that sulfur egg flavor and smell. It has the typical runny egg consistency and texture when eating. We already know that it bakes really well, but the downside is you do have to mix it with ice cold water before you can bake or pour it in a pan. To a seasoned vegan, this isn’t that big of a deal, who likely has experience with mixing flax eggs or any other vegan egg replacer. Another impressive contender.

 

 

All in all, we were impressed with both products and are incredibly happy to have these two great options available to us. My personal winner was the Just Egg. I think it’s an easy purchase for vegans and non-vegans alike (possibly looking to lower their cholesterol or cut down on animal products). However, since I haven’t tried baking with it quite yet (that’s a blogpost for another day) I will say that I have been been incredibly happy with the baking results of FYH egg.

And here’s what the husband had to say for his vote: “I see the appeal with Just Egg for someone who is new to veganism/a plant based lifestyle. It’s very simple to pour into a pan or recipe, without having to mix a bunch of things together to create your faux egg. As a veteran vegan I’m used to mixing instant egg replacer for recipes so the FYH Vegan Egg wasn’t that big of a deal, but the Just Egg is really nice for quick egg access and convenience. My vote is for the taste and consistency of the FYH Vegan Egg. The Just Egg, in my opinion, has a little bit of graininess to it. And that would be my only negative takeaway. But the ease of use might surpass all of that.”

So there you have it, it’s a tie. I should mention that one of our kids was napping and the other at school, so we didn’t get their votes. But my guess is, with how similar both products are to the real thing and because both of our children have been vegan since birth, they may not be big fans of the smell and taste. But I know they are happy to partake in any baked goods with them. 🙂

Both options make veganism so simple and readily available and I am so glad that we have options at all. I will happily use both products and continue to show family and friends how simple eating vegan can be.

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THE BEST Pumpkin Muffins

October 15, 2018

 

 

When I was nine months pregnant with my first October baby, six years ago, a friend told me about a local coffee shop that had amazing vegan pumpkin muffins. We excitedly drove there after dinner that night, with my pregnant mind on all things pumpkin. By the time we arrived, they had completely sold out and I was so bummed. Right then and there in the parking lot, we scoured the internet for the best vegan pumpkin muffins, ran to the store and grabbed the ingredients and hoped that I wouldn’t go into labor before I could get a taste. Luckily, we hit the jackpot on our first try. These really are THE VERY BEST pumpkin muffins. They are a total crowd pleaser, fall or not. We always love eating them at our annual fall picnic with coconut caramel and sliced apples.

I know a lot of people have had success with adding nuts, but I always add chocolate chips and a little bit of vanilla. But they are honestly the perfect fall spice blend, no additions necessary.

So thankful to Isa Chandra from PPK for these gems: The BEST Pumpkin Muffins

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October Days

October 4, 2018

 

 

October is here! We are so excited, not only for all of the fun fall activities, but it also means birthday month for our boys. To welcome one of our very favorite months, we went on our annual pear picking adventure. It definitely pays to have a tall dad when trying to get the best fruits at the top. Now we need to figure out what to do with all of our pickings. I’m so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers….

 

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers….

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Mama. SoCal.
Passionate about making healthy food taste delicious.
@plantbasedmomma

Recent Posts

  • Berry Crumble with Vegan Cream Cheese Drizzle
  • Valentines Day Almond Shortbread Cookies!
  • 5 Minute Vegan Banana Bread French Toast
  • The Best Gourmet Vegan Cheese
  • A very vegan Christmas at Disneyland!

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