Cheesy Broccoli and Quinoa Wraps →

Lately the weeks have been flying by and I can't believe we are already into August.  Fall is coming up so soon, and if you know me you know how much I LOVE fall food!  Since I started A Plant Based Soul earlier this year, I haven't been able to share some of my favorite fall recipes with you yet, so I'm really looking forward to that as well as creating new recipes to share! 

I have some exciting personal news to share!  We love love love living in the City of Portland; being able to walk to some of our favorite restaurants, parks, and breweries has been amazing!  But lately I've been craving a big back yard, neighborhood potlucks, and less traffic. So acting rather impulsively, we bought a house in the 'burbs and will be moving this Fall after some initial renovations are complete! We will be moving our bed and breakfast to the 'burbs as well, which is actually going to be really exciting because we will be halfway between Portland and wine country, so it should be a really great location for future guests! Follow me on Instagram if you don't already for before and after pictures of my kitchen and bed and breakfast renovation, beginning next month!  This is going to be a very hectic yet very exciting Fall!

With the weeks becoming busier and busier, I was needing an easy (but healthy!) lunch option that I could make quickly while my daughter naps, that would also keep me energized and full until dinnertime. I love using quinoa as often as I can because it is the only plant based food that has all nine essential aminos (the building blocks of protein) that the body needs, fiber, iron, healthy fats, and carbohydrates!  I also added additional protein and healthy fats by using cashews to make a creamy cheese sauce.  Everyone knows that broccoli and cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly, duh!

This recipe is best served immediately, but I imagine it would also work well if you prepped a batch of the filling and made yourself wraps throughout the week for super quick on-the-go lunches.  Make it gluten free by subbing a gluten free wrap, and for a low-carb option, just ditch the tortilla altogether!

Strawberry Lemonade Tarts →

Last Friday we decided to go out to eat to a vegan cheese shop and restaurant that makes the best cheese I've ever had, vegan or not.  This is by far one of my favorite restaurants of all time because they make beautiful (and incredibly delicious) vegan cheese plates, amazing panini sandwiches, and unbelievable mac and cheese.  Seriously, if you're ever in Portland, be sure to visit Vtopia. 

This restaurant was recently up for sale as the super sweet owners are moving to Australia this Spring (jealous!), but luckily another vegan in the community bought it so we can all enjoy their amazing food for years to come.  Thank God! The night we decided to go there for dinner was just one week after the new owner had taken over, and true for any new business owner in transition, things were a little hectic.  So I offered to help out over the weekend and to my surprise, they said yes!  It was such a fun experience to help in the kitchen, meet customers- both local and visiting from out of state, and get to know other vegans in my community.  

One woman I worked with in particular was such an inspiration.  She is my parent's age, has beautiful rainbow hair (yes, literally), with a personality just as colorful to match...no one could forget her!  We talked about her work as a vegan fusion instructor (see below*), the vegan food cart she is starting this fall, her vast involvement in the vegan community, and recipe ideas.  We also talked about different ways to turn vegetables into dessert and she mentioned that cauliflower makes a great lemon tart "custard."  I won't lie; at first I doubted her.  Cauliflower...sweet?  It seemed too odd.  But then my imagination took off and I thought about using strawberries, tons of lemon juice and zest, and agave as a sweetener to cover the savory nature of cauliflower.  I used a basic crust dough to make the tart shells as well, but plan to experiment with other ingredients to make a healthier crust and different flavors for the custard in the future.  Chocolate? Apple? Cranberry? Sweet Potato?  This could get crazy!

*Deb Kay will be instructing two upcoming vegan fusion workshops here in Portland.  If you're local (or not!), you can find more info here.

Low Sugar Strawberry Shortcakes →

Its almost the weekend and we survived our first week home, battled jet-lag, and won (and it only took a couple days; much quicker than I anticipated!).  We managed to get back into the swing of things rather quickly, and are looking forward to a few weeks of having no plans before we head out on an Olympic National Forest and Victoria, BC adventure for my birthday weekend.  In just a few weeks I'll be entering a new decade, and I'm not sure how to feel about it...so I'll just avoid it for now! (changes subject...)

So, strawberry shortcakes are a summertime tradition, right? Theres nothing like super sweet strawberries crushed into a delicious sauce, drizzled over a fluffy cake and topped with rich cream. The only thing I hate about strawberry shortcakes made with angel food cake is that angel food cake gets so soggy, and eating soggy bread is really gross.  So what I'm saying is, the cake in strawberry shortcakes needs to be able to hold it together and not get all wimpy and mushy much like I do when I think about turning one year older!  Therefore, I made these cakes to resemble biscuits, giving them a firmer texture but equally delicious.  And because they are essentially just a softer version of a drop biscuit, there is no kneading or rolling required.  Just mix up the ingredients, spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet and bake!  

Top these with fresh strawberries (that you mash to become extra juicy), and some whipped coconut cream, because coconut cream is cruelty free and thats what this blog is all about! 

Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese Casserole →

Hello again!   It has been a while since my last post.  Over the last two and a half weeks I was exploring Iceland, Denmark, Sweden (briefly!), and Holland.  I saw some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, met some of the friendliest people, explored some exciting new cities, and ate some amazing European vegan food.  Before leaving for Iceland, I was told that it would be hard to find vegan food there.  When I arrived, I was told the same. I guess if you're not looking for vegan options its hard to find them.  But in Iceland alone, we ended up finding two ice cream places with vegan options, three vegetarian restaurants (with vegan options), one all vegan restaurant, a thai restaurant with options, and a local restaurant that was able to easily adapt a few items on their menu to meet our needs. Then there is always the supermarket full of ingredients to make your own meals, which we did half the time, partially to save money.  While Scandinavia is still culturally meat focused, we found that it was easy to find options everywhere we went. 

Overall, the trip went incredibly smoothly and traveling with a toddler proved to be no big deal at all.  We packed three travel backpacks with enough clothes for one week, and planned to do laundry and purchase diapers as needed.  I brought a few small books and activities for the airplane (play dough, stickers, etc.), and lots of healthy snacks for long layovers, train rides, etc. I was able to replenish my snack pile in local supermarkets wherever we were, and it was so much fun trying different vegan food that we can't get at home!  We also brought our ergo carrier for nap time on-the-go, and a stroller which we checked plane side, but no car seat because I knew we would be taking public transportation almost everywhere, and the one time we did rent a car in Iceland, they provided a free carseat with the rental!  

Each day we always had a plan of something we wanted to see and do, but made sure to break up the day with play time for my daughter.  Either a kid's museum, time in a park, or my child's favorite; a gravel parking lot.  Seriously, she could spend hours picking up small rocks and dumping them over her head.  I don't get it, but whatever entertains her!

Now the "fun" part...recovering from jet lag!  I'm currently writing this at 5am and have already been awake for an hour (along with my toddler!), but luckily I have the weekend to recover before we have to 100% get back to reality!

Before I left on my trip, I created a few recipes to share but didn't have time to post them!  I guess one benefit of jet lag is productivity very early in the morning!  This recipe is inspired by a family recipe for baked Mac and Cheese that my Grandmother used to make.  I wanted to create a quick and easy casserole dish that tasted amazing and uses just a few easy ingredients that can be picked up at your local vegan friendly market.  And whats better than an creamy cheesy pasta dish!?  Unlike my other macaroni and cheese dish, this one is made with store bought vegan cheese to save time from making your own, and includes some fresh broccoli for added nutrition! Enjoy!

Blueberry Bourbon and Basil Buckle →

Its hard to believe that June is coming to an end and our big trip to Europe is coming up in just a couple days!  I'm starting to get really excited, but there is still so much to do to get ready.  My bed and breakfast is 100% booked this summer, which means I will have guests coming and going for the almost three weeks we will be gone.  Luckily, I have a friend who has offered to stay at our home to manage the bed and breakfast and take care of my cat and garden. She is also vegan herself and has a lot of experience cooking for people so what a relief, and huge help!  

Those who know me know that one of my favorite things to do is travel.  Theres something about exploring new countries and adapting to new cultures that provides such thrill and natural high. I was lucky enough to have been bitten by the travel bug at a young age, and its safe to say I haven't stopped exploring the world since.  A few years ago, I went on my longest adventure to date, when I backpacked around the world for almost six months.  I'd love to get on the road like that again; hopefully someday soon!  But in the meantime, we are taking this little trip, with only our backpacks and toddler and I couldn't be more excited. Some people think we are nuts for taking a very active toddler on a trip like that, but I can't think of a reason good enough to stop us!  

So onto this recipe... 

It was inspired by an old family summertime favorite.  I cut the sugar, added some new flavors, and the result is fantastic.  Its still sweet, fluffy, moist, and flavorful.  The addition of basil really compliments the fresh blueberries nicely and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  The whole pan barely made it two days before it was gone!