dairy free

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

This Pomegranate Vinaigrette recipe is the perfect way to dress up a winter salad! Super easy to make with  only 6 wholesome ingredients. And it’s vegan and gluten-free. The sunflower seeds add extra creaminess but if you are sensitive to seeds, leave them out.

 

 

 

 

 

1/3 cup water

5 small pitted dates

1 T raw sunflower seeds

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1 T lemon juice

1 T balsamic vinegar

1 t Dijon mustard

Soak dates and sunflower seeds in 1/3 cup water until soft, at least 4 hours to ease blending. Once softened, blend with raining ingredients until smooth.

 

Vegan Peanut Better Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is adapted from a recipe someone brought to the Vegetarian Society of Utah potluck. (Not sure of the source) The recipe called for coconut sugar and almond milk. I’ve replace the coconut sugar with dates, a whole food sweetener, and since I rarely have almond milk on hand, I just used water. I knew that small amount wouldn’t make any difference. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 small pitted dates  (deglet noor is the type I use)

1/4 cup water

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Soak dates in the 1/4 cup of water for a few hours to soften them.* The water will not cover the dates but moisten all the dates the best that you can. 

In a food processor fitted with an S blade, add oats and baking soda and grind to flour. 

Add peanut butter, softened dates, vinegar, and vanilla. Grind to a thick dough.  Carefully mix in chocolate chips.

 

*If you don’t want to take the time to soften the dates, grind the dates with the oats until crumbly then add other ingredients, including the 1/4 cup water. 

 

 

 

 

Gingerbread Man Cookies

A strong blender such as a Vita Mix or BlendTec, or a strong food processor such as a Kitchen Aid or Cuisinart, is necessary for this recipe.

25 small pitted dates

2 1/4 cups white wheat flour, sifted

2 t baking powder

1/4 t sea salt

1 1/2 t powdered ginger

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t cloves

1/3 cup molasses

1 cup raw cashews

1 t vanilla

Soak dates in 1/2 cup water for at least 4 hours. Mix sifted flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Blend dates and water with remaining ingredients in a strong blender or food processor until smooth. Add to dry ingredients. Mix well and knead until you have a smooth ball of dough. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for several hours until chilled. (This step makes rolling out much easier.) Divide dough in half and roll one half between two pieces of parchment paper.  Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a gingerbread man cookie cutter and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

1 small can pumpkin (1 3/4 cups)

1 1/4 cup almond milk

25 soft pitted deglet dates

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Soak dates in the almond milk for at least 4 hours to soften. Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Pour into the prepared nut crust and bake at 275 degrees for 20 minutes.  Turn off oven and leave in for another 20 minutes.

Crust (for one pie) 

3/4 cup raw pecans or walnuts

10 small soft pitted dates

1 cup rolled oats

Chop finely in food processor until it starts to stick together. Press into a pie plate or 8 x 8 cake pan. Fill with your favorite pie filling. This crust does not need to be baked.

Cranberry Relish Salad

From Whole Food American Favorites

This recipe was inspired by my love for cranberry sauce without all the sugar! If you prefer less sweet, use a more tart apple and/or less dates.  Cut down on the walnuts if you need to cut back on the fat.

1 medium Fuji apple

1 cup raw cranberries

8 small pitted dates

1/4 cup walnuts

Chop all ingredients in a food processor to a relish consistency.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

Adapted from a recipe by Cathy Fisher that was posted on the Forks Over Knives web site.Blueberry Muffins

1 cup pitted dates soaked in 1 1/4 cups water

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, divided

3/4 cup millet

2 t cardamom powder

2 t baking powder

1/3 cup walnuts or pecans

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 t vanilla

zest from one lemon

1 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

 

Grind millet and ½ cup oats in blender or coffee grinder to coarse flour.  Transfer to mixing bowl and add cardamom and baking powder. Mix well. Blend dates and soak water, 1/3 cup nuts, vinegar and vanilla until smooth. Add to dry ingredients. Add remaining cup of oats and lemon zest. Mix well. Fold in blueberries and chopped nuts if using. Fill muffin cups and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

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Whole Food Goodness and Whole Food American Favorites contain a collection of my favorite high nutrient whole food plant based recipes. My recipes are unique in that they contain no extracted oils, minimal processed sugars, and limited processed grains. I use an abundance of leafy green vegetables, which are the healthiest foods on the planet and have the greatest power to cleanse, detoxify, and repair damaged cells and bring you greater health for life.

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