Just In Time For Your Holidays - Vegan Friendly Pumpkin Spice Bread Recipe

The sound of relatives and company chattering and laughing as the aroma of dairy-free spice pumpkin bread tickles your guests' noses and Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" plays in the background, are some of my favorite memories of the holiday festivities and being surrounded by the people who are significant in my life. Food is the centerpiece of family functions and holiday parties, so naturally you want to make sure you put your best "dishes" forward and have a wide assortment of tantalizing treats on display. This vegan spiced pumpkin bread is an easy addition to complement your meat-free or vegan holiday feast. If your celebration menu is already maxed out with your traditional favorites, give your guests a piece of the evening to enjoy once they get home, by wrapping (in a cute and decorative cellophane wrap) these egg-free and dairy-free loaves of sumptuousness and giving them to your friends to take home with them. Who could resist the present of food? Even better, you could share this vegan recipe with your other vegetarian and vegan friends so that they can bake this bread whenever the mood sets in.

Ingredients:

Bread

1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon all spice

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of brown sugar

½ cup of softened vegan margarine

1 cup canned purée pumpkin

½ cup of plain soy yogurt

1 teaspoon rum extract

2 teaspoons chopped ginger

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 cup of raisins

Glaze

1 ¼ cup of powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla or plain soy milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x5 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, cloves, and baking powder.

2. In a mixer or food processor, mix the sugar, pumpkin, soy yogurt, rum extract, ginger, and orange peel. Mix until the batter is well-blended and smooth. Slowly pour in the flour mixture, a little bit at a time, until fully blended. Next, add the raisins and pulse for about 1 minute. Pour batter into loaf pan.

3. Bake the bread batter for 60 minute or until the edges pull away slightly from the sides of the pan and the center of the bread springs back when lightly touched.

4. Cool bread for 15 minutes. Once bread has cooled, remove bread from pan and allow to cool completely (about 30 more minutes)

5. While bread is cooling, in a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, soy milk, and vanilla extract and whisk together until smooth. With a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the bread. Let glaze set before serving (about 10 minutes)

This bread can very easily replace a piece of pie or cake as a dessert. The vegan pumpkin spiced bread is also a great sweet appetizer that can be sliced and smothered, with the vanilla glaze, and served on a platter. If you're cooking for a large group, and you need to save time with cooking and food preparation, you can easily prepare the bread ahead of time and freeze the baked bread for as long as 2 weeks and just thaw the bread at room temperature for at least six hours just before serving. What are some of your favorite holiday memories and recipes? Do you have a specialty vegetarian or vegan dish that all your guests rave about each year? Enjoy this recipe and more importantly, enjoy the company of your family members during this holiday season.

Are you a vegetarian like Ebony Johnson? Ebony has been living a meatless lifestyle since the age of 12 and she has created "Vegetarian Like Me," designed to help fellow vegetarians become healthier and more informed. Visit http://www.vegetarianlikeme.com/ today to receive access to vegetarian and vegan video recipes, cooking tips, vegetarian advice, and news. So what exactly are you waiting for? Become a healthier and more informed vegetarian and start enhancing your meat-free life right now.

Original article

Meat-Free and Vegan Friendly Kale Salad Recipe - A Tasty and Uncooked Way To Consume Your Greens

Meatless and vegan holiday recipes are probably the most yummiest dishes on the table during the holiday seasons and special events. In fact, consider how some of your favorite holiday dishes. It's not fairly often that I hear people "raving" about how delicious the Turkey, (bless its soul) was. Instead, I usually hear things like, "wow - that mac & cheese was absolutely wonderful," or "I have to get that potato salad recipe." Who would've thought that all of the stars of holiday gatherings are usually side dishes and desserts and are also meat-free?

During the holiday's, my mother would always cook Kale with Turkey Necks (I know...). As I become a vegetarian, I would always have to pass on the "greens" until my dad started making this meat-free and tasty vegetarian kale salad. This meatless recipe is also vegan friendly, which is always a plus, and it is really simple to make and absolutely delicious. Since this kale recipe is not cooked, you will be able to consume the many essential vitamins and nutrients that our green and leafy friends provide the body.

Kale Salad Recipe & Video

Ingredients:

·1 Bunch of Clean Fresh Kale

Dressing Ingredients:

·1/4 cup of Tamari (you can use soy sauce or liquid aminos)

·1/2 cup of water

·3 tablespoons of olive oil

·Juice from a 1/2 lemon

·1 clove garlic

·1/2 cup of sunflower seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop the kale in to small pieces and place in a large bowl (if you have a bowl with a lid so that you can toss the kale salad later) and set aside.

2. In a blender, pour the Tamari, water, olive oil, lemon juice, and clove and blend for about 1 minute. Taste the dressing to make sure it is not too salty. If the dressing is too salty, then add some more water and blend for another 30 seconds.

3. Pour the dressing on the kale and sprinkle the sunflower seeds on the kale.

4. Toss the salad, cover, and place in the fridge and let it marinade for at least 4 hours.

The more time you allow the Kale to soak in the dressing, the better. I would highly recommend making this salad the night before you plan to eat it as this allows plenty of time for all of the flavors of the dressing to mesh together with the Kale (or your green of choice). Also, fellow vegetarians, let me know if you try this recipe with a different type of green (i.e. turnip or collard). I have just prepared this salad recipe with kale and would be interested to find out how the substitute of greens worked out to suit your needs and taste buds. I am sure it will be just as fulfilling...but of course, inquiring vegetarian minds want to know!

You can also spruce this salad up by adding some a variety of flavors and textures by simply sprinkling a handful of sunflower seed kernels on top of the salad and even adding some sliced cherry tomatoes. Enjoy!

Want to watch as EJ prepares this Kale Salad Recipe? You can watch the video by visiting http://vegetarianlikeme.com/vegetarian-recipes/holiday-recipe-vegetarian-vegan-kale-salad/ Enjoy cooking and eating vegetarian and vegan foods? Grab your totally free vegan and vegetarian cookbook with over 100 meat and dairy free recipes plus 5 Free Vegetarian Instructional Video Recipes. Join hundreds of other vegetarians that have already experienced the easy but delicious means of making and eating vegetarian and vegan food.

Original article