Tag: vegan

Vegan and WFPB What Can I Eat?

Vegan and WFPB What Can I Eat?

When I started on this vegan WFPB (Whole Food Plant Based) journey, I had to learn what I could and could not eat. Basically, I can eat any fruit or vegetable, except avocados or nuts. Because I am trying to reduce the plaque buildup in 

Vegan BBQ Sandwich

Vegan BBQ Sandwich

In my pre-vegan life I loved pulled pork sandwiches. I felt deprived that I would not be able to eat them again on my new eating journey. Luckily, while researching new food ideas, I came across soy curls. They sounded strange, but had lots of 

Nature Meditations

Nature Meditations

I decided to experiment with other meditations, other than chakra meditations. I choose to look for meditations in Nature because a few years ago I listened to a great nature meditation and still remember how much I enjoyed it. Alas, I can’t find it anywhere. So I was really excited to find a number of nature meditations on YouTube. My sister, Valerie and I haven been discussing connecting with our spirit guides and I found this meditation; Guided Shakmanic Journey to the Askashic Field: Connect With Your Spirit Guides by The Honest Guys from the UK. One of the things I like about this meditation is the use of drums. A slow, easy, powerful beat is also very calming and helps me to focus. The speaker takes you to a beautiful old forest to meet with your spirit guides.

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Susans Vegan Journey

Nature Meditations – Through the Eyes of a Squirrel

Another nature meditation I found on YouTube is titled A Guided Meditation to connect with Nature – Mother Earth – Gaia by Dreaming of Avalon Meditations. This meditation is 20 minutes long. I was going to listen for 10 minutes, but was enjoying myself so much, I listened for the whole 20 minutes. The speaker is Scottish or Irish. I enjoy listening to him and find myself really focusing on his voice, so that I won’t miss anything he says. The speaker takes you to a beautiful old forest. During your visit to the forest the speaker says – “you are looking through the eyes of a squirrel at the world around you” which gives a different perspective to this meditation.

Susans Vegan Journey

I love being out in nature. Taking a walk in the woods, mountains, or in a meadow is so inspiring and peaceful. Whether I am in the red sandstone formations in Utah, the beautiful mountains of Colorado, or listening to the sounds of the surf at the beach, I find these places to be spiritually uplifting, mind renewing, and help to open my creativity. Check out my Starting my Meditation Journey blog.

Vegan Mexican Black Bean Soup

Vegan Mexican Black Bean Soup

Mexican Black Bean Soup has been my favorite even before I was a vegan. Now, I leave out the meat and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Start by using one to two tablespoons of vegetable broth to sauté onions, garlic and hot peppers. 

Vegan Oil Free Zucchini Fritters

Vegan Oil Free Zucchini Fritters

Vegan oil free zucchini fritters make a great healthy snack or a tasty side dish with dinner. Gary and I grow zucchini in our garden every year, so I am always looking for good ways to cook and eat them. My favorite way to cook 

Vegan Gluten Free Oat Biscuits

Vegan Gluten Free Oat Biscuits

These vegan gluten free (oil free) oat biscuits are light and fluffy and so delicious. Switching up my whole wheat biscuit recipe, I decided to make it gluten free with oat flour. I had to tweak the ingredients slightly, by using more oat flour, adding more baking powder, and soy yogurt. I had to cook them slightly longer – for 20 minutes. Watching my fat content is important to me, so I can’t use coconut, cashew, or almond yogurt. Feel free to use your favorite type of non-dairy yogurt. I think the yogurt helps to give these biscuits a lighter feel.

Get The Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup oat flour
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened soy yogurt
  • 1/4 cup oat milk

Let’s Get Cooking: Vegan Gluten Free Oat Biscuits:

Susans Vegan Journey
  • Add oat flour and baking powder to a mixing bowl and mix well. I was out of oat flour so I ground up some old fashioned oats with my food processor to make my oat flour.
  • Next, add unsweetened soy yogurt and unsweetened oat milk and mix thoroughly. I sometimes use vanilla flavored yogurt and vanilla oat milk if I don’t have unsweetened ingredients.
Vegan Gluten Free Oat Biscuits Susans Vegan Journey
  • Place the batter on a silpat or silicone baking mat on top of your cookie sheet. This will prevent the biscuits from sticking and give the bottom of the biscuits a nice brown color. I love using them and the cookie sheet is so easy to clean.
  • Drop big spoonful’s onto a cookie sheet, spacing evenly.
  • Cook in preheated oven at 425 degree F for 20 minutes.
Susans Vegan Journey

As you can see by the picture above, the biscuits come out nice and brown on the bottom. They are light and fluffy and a little crunchy on the bottom which is a great combination. They taste great with my Vegan Butternut Squash Lentil Soup or my Vegan Tomato Basil Soup .

Vegan Gluten Free Oat Biscuits Susans Vegan Journey

Here is my favorite jam I like to put on these vegan gluten free oat biscuits. It’s made with blueberries, sugar, fruit pectin, and citric acid. I’m working on making my own jam, but for now, this jam tastes great. I only use a small amount, just enough to give my biscuits a blueberry flavor.

Enjoy!

This section contains Amazon affiliate links, meaning if you choose to purchase after clicking a link, as an Amazon associate, I may receive a commission on a qualifying purchase, at no extra cost to you.”

Vegan Gluten Free Oat Biscuits Susans Vegan Journey
Susan Jordan

Gluten Free Oat Biscuits

These light and tasty gluten free oat biscuits are perfect with soups and stews or compliment any meal.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 3
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/4 cup oat flour
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened soy yogurt
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened oat milk

Equipment

  • 1 mixing bowl
  • 1 cookie sheet
  • 1 silpat

Method
 

  1. Add oat flour and baking powder and mix well.
  2. Add soy yogurt and oat milk and mix well.
  3. Put a silpat on your cookie sheet
  4. Drop big spoonful's onto a cookie sheet.
  5. Cook in preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Notes

I make all my recipes with no salt, but you can add 1 tsp of salt for extra flavor.
I sometimes use vanilla soy yogurt as it is hard to find unsweetened at my local grocery stores. You can substitute other non-dairy yogurt in the recipes.
You can substitute any non-dairy milk in place of oat milk.
I sometimes use vanilla flavored oat milk if I am out of unsweetened. It gives the biscuits a slightly flavored taste.
Starting My Meditation Journey

Starting My Meditation Journey

Since I am starting my meditation journey, I decided to start with 10 minute meditations. I searched on YouTube for “10 minute guided meditations”. Meditation can lower blood pressure, by reducing stress, and quieting the mind. I thought starting with a 10 minute meditation should 

Vegan Pie Cherry Granola Bars

Vegan Pie Cherry Granola Bars

This vegan pie cherry granola bars recipe has been in my cookbook for over 10 years. The basic recipe has two ingredients, bananas and old fashioned oats. Well, maybe 4, I sometimes add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed and a tablespoon of cinnamon. I can 

Vegan Oil Free Banana Bread

Vegan Oil Free Banana Bread

This moist and delicious vegan oil free banana bread is great for a morning snack or for a dessert. My recipe is vegan, oil free, and nut free. I love finding a way to use ripe bananas. As the bananas ripen, the sweeter they will become. This will make the bread even sweeter. Gary and I love to eat desserts and, this banana bread recipe gives us several days worth of deserts. If you are allowed nuts, you can add them as well.

Get Your Ingredients:

Susans Vegan Journey
wet ingredients
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup vanilla oat milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
Susans Vegan Journey
dry ingredients

Lets Start Cooking: Vegan Oil Free Banana Bread

Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl with a fork. I like to use a fork as it leaves little chunks of banana for extra taste in the bread. Next, add the rest of the wet ingredients – vanilla oat milk, soy yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Fold in the dry ingredients. This includes whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir, until all ingredients are combined. I will make this recipe with gluten free flour. So far my experience is oat flour requires a little tweaking, since whole wheat flour and oat flour have different consistancies.

Vegan Oil Free Banana Bread Susans Vegan Journey

Cook in a preheated 350 F oven for 45 minutes. I like using a silicon bread pan. This silicon set from Amazon has everything you need. I use them all the time. It’s amazing how the food pops right out of the pan after I bake my food. Silicone cooking pans are very easy to clean.

Test bread with a toothpick. If the toothpick is sticky, cook an additional 5 minutes and check with a toothpick again. Cool for 5 minutes and turn out of pan to cool completely. This recipes goes well with my Tomato Basil Soup.

Enjoy!

This section contains Amazon affiliate links, meaning if you choose to purchase after clicking a link, as an Amazon associate, I may receive a commission on a qualifying purchase, at no extra cost to you.”

Vegan Oil Free Banana Bread Susans Vegan Journey
Susan Jordan

Vegan Oil Free Banana Bread

This moist and sweet banana bread is great for a snack or makes an excellent dessert.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup vanilla oat milk
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. cinammon

Equipment

  • 1 mixing bowl
  • 1 silicon bread pan

Method
 

  1. Mash the rip bananas in a mixing bowl with a fork.
  2. Add oat milk, maple syrup, oat milk and vanilla extract. Mix well.
  3. Next add flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix well.
  4. Add to a silicon baking pan. Cook in preheated oven at 350 Degrees for 45 minutes. Check with toothpick. If it doesn't come out clean, cook for 5 more minutes.
  5. Cool for 5 minutes then take out of pan to finish cooling.

Notes

I use soy yogurt as I have to stay way from nut yogurts.
You can use other flours. My diet requires whole wheat or gluten free flour.
If you are allowed nuts, add 1/2 up of chopped walnuts.
I sometimes melt a few vegan chocolate chips on a slice of banana bread to give it extra sweetness. Spoken as a true chocoholic. 
Vegan Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

Vegan Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

I love the flavors in this vegan butternut squash lentil soup and was so excited to experiment to find a great combination of seasonings to give this soup a great taste. I also love the taste of the butternut squash. The squash gives this soup