Author: PatagoniaLlami

Vegan Eggnog
Photo by Bobbi Lin

makes
6 cups

Author Notes

This dairy-free version of eggnog will blow your mind. It’s rich, creamy, and it’s just the right amount of sweet. Serve it spiked, or simply warm up a cup for a perfect, wintery afternoon treat. —Gena Hamshaw

Test Kitchen Notes

Believe it or not, creamy eggnog can be vegan and dairy-free. This recipe shows you how. Whip up a batch for your holiday party, or make one for yourself whenever you feel like a luxurious drink before dinner for happy hour or at the end of dinner for “dessert.” Either way, you can’t go wrong with this recipe, and your guests’ minds will be blown that it’s vegan. You have to plan a little bit ahead to make this, as the cashews and Medjool dates have to soak overnight. Otherwise, this recipe requires some coconut milk, spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, maple syrup for a touch of sweetness, and of course some bourbon or rum as the cherry on top. And all you have to do is blend all the ingredients together until it becomes nice and creamy—seriously doesn’t get much easier than that, and cleanup is super-minimal. If you want to make it alcohol-free, you can add a little bit of rum extract, then spike the drink for whoever may want it.

You may have to blend longer than you expect to get that perfect texture. Also, you can make it ahead of time and store in the fridge overnight, which also may help with the creaminess. But of course you can also drink it warm right out of the blender, it’s entirely up to you. But here you have it—a delicious eggnog recipe without any eggs! Give it a try and let us know how it goes for you. —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

Watch This Recipe

Vegan Eggnog

Ingredients

³/₄ cup

dry cashews, soaked overnight and drained (they’ll plump up to about 1 cup as they soak)

2

Medjool dates, pitted, soaked overnight and drained

1

(13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

2 cups

water

¹/₃ to ¹/₂ cups

bourbon or rum (optional)

¹/₃ cup

maple syrup

¹/₂ teaspoon

ground cinnamon

¹/₂ teaspoon

ground nutmeg

¹/₃ teaspoon

(or ¼ heaping teaspoon) kosher salt

Directions

In a blender, blend the cashews, dates, coconut milk, water, bourbon, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt on high speed until. It may take a few minutes for the mixture to become creamy and uniform; be patient. Serve warm or cold.
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December 9, 2024
Beluga Lentil Caviar on Blini
This appetizer is a total fake-out and a lot of fun to serve. Ellen and Portia absolutely loved these the first time I served them. They both had fond memories attached to caviar, and this recipe brought back those fun times without compromising their vegan diet. Serve these little morsels with a glass of Champagne and share them with some cool friends.

Ingredients

Beluga Lentil Caviar

1/2 cup black beluga lentils

2 cups water

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons minced capers, packed in brine

2 tablespoons brine from the caper jar

Vegan Sour “Cream”

4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Miso Mayo or white miso paste

Blini

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup organic, unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 cups nondairy milk (almond, soy, or rice)

3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted

Vegan butter or nonstick cooking spray, as needed

1/2 bunch fresh chives, minced for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Make the beluga lentil caviar: Rinse the lentils and put them in a small pot with the water. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.

Step 2

Drain the cooked lentils and place them in medium bowl. Add the salt, capers, and caper brine. Mix well and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, and a maxi¬mum of 2 days.

Step 3

Make the vegan sauce: Mix the vegan mayonnaise with the Miso Mayo in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Step 4

Make the blini: In a medium bowl, combine the flours and baking powder. Whisk the nondairy milk and melted butter into the flour until a batter forms. Allow the batter to rest a few minutes.

Step 5

Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a small dab of butter to the pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. To form each blin, pour a little more than a tablespoon of batter into the pan. You can usually cook 4 to 6 blini at a time. Wait until the pancakes begin to show air bubbles all over the tops and the bottoms are brown. Flip the blini over and cook until golden brown.

Step 6

Using the back of a spoon, spread a small amount of the Vegan Sour “Cream” on each blin, add a teaspoon of the beluga lentil caviar, and top with a pinch of minced chives. Serve immediately.

From Vegan Cooking for Carnivores: Over 125 Recipes So Tasty You Won’t Miss the Meat by Roberto Martin. Copyright © 2012 by Roberto Martin; photographs copyright © 2012 Quentin Bacon. Used by arrangement with Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
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December 9, 2024
Vegan Alfredo Sauce
PARTNER POST: Discover how delicious dairy-free sweet and savory cooking can be with DREAM Ultimate Almond.

Made with a rich and creamy almond beverage instead of dairy, this vegan pasta sauce is the a perfect substitution with delicious spiced and nutty flavors.

Eating a plant-based diet can be perceived by many as very restrictive. Favorite creamy foods that are dairy-based are no longer an option. But honestly, any traditional recipe can be recreated into a wonderful, healthy vegan option. This recipe is my case in point. This sauce is creamy, garlicky heaven. It was light and beautiful and packed with protein. The Dream Ultimate Almond added the luscious, thicker texture and nutrients without a caloric overload. Made with four times more California almonds in every cup, you can immediately see and taste the difference. This beverage is rich, creamy, and packed with 5g of natural protein from almonds. I used the unsweetened version and it paired perfectly with my spice selection.

As with all of my recipes, feel free to add more or less of the spices to work with your preferences. Being Italian, my family loves garlic so I was a bit heavier handed with that. This recipe is ready in the time it takes you to boil your pasta. Seriously. The perfect weeknight dish and to speed up your preparation – you can steam your cauliflower beforehand so you have it when you’re ready to whip up this sauce. I hope you enjoy!

The new DREAM Ultimate Almond beverage can be found now at Whole Foods and soon at your local Sprouts. Click here for a coupon.

For more inspiration, check out this turmeric smoothie bowl:

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One medium sized head of organic cauliflower (washed & cut into florets)

1 cup of Dream Ultimate Almond beverage (unsweetened)

1/4 cup of nutritional yeast

1–2 cloves of garlic (peeled)

Pinch nutmeg

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup fresh or frozen organic green peas

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Instructions

First, bring a large stockpot of water and a few pinches of salt to a boil for your pasta. I used a gluten free pasta.

Next up:: In a steamer basket/pot on the stovetop, bring your water to a boil and steam your cauliflower until fork tender (4 minutes or so). Then carefully drain and set that aside. Into your high powered blender or Vitamix, add your cauliflower, Dream Ultimate Almond, nutritional yeast, garlic, nutmeg, Dijon and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Taste the sauce once you’re done blending. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend again quickly to incorporate. Then reserve the sauce until your pasta is done cooking. If using a gluten free pasta – drain in a colander and do a quick rinse (a trick I learned when using gf pastas). Then add to pasta to a large serving bowl. Top with your sauce and peas (I normally let the peas out at room temperature while I’m prepping the sauce so they thaw a bit). Give it a good toss to coat the noodles with the sauce. Season with fresh ground pepper and enjoy!
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December 9, 2024
Vegan Pasta Bolognese
Made with all the same spices and San Marzano tomatoes, this vegan bolognese is hardly lacking in flavor.

I was thrilled to finally find a gluten free meat substitute to add a little variety to my cooking as far as vegetarian protein sources go. Beyond Meat (they don’t pay me) has a few tasty gluten free, vegan options to choose from. I bought the beef crumbles and was inspired to create a kind of traditional Italian Bolognese sauce that might even fool carnivores. The fennel gives it a bright and fresh sausage-y taste. This sauce came out so amazing I challenge you to try this out on anyone who eats meat and see if they can tell. It’s delicious on pasta or in baked lasagna, with or without the meat substitute. So good, vegan and gluten free!

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Vegan Pasta Bolognese

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Author: Jennifer Blume

Yield: 8 servings of sauce 1x

Description

Made with all the same spices and San Marzano tomatoes, this vegan bolognese is hardly lacking in flavor.

1 small onion (peeled and chopped)

3 large cloves garlic (peeled and minced)

2 cans San Marzano peeled tomatoes (roughly chopped)

2 tsp fennel seeds

4 TBSP olive oil

1 pouch Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves torn or chopped

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

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Instructions

Sauté onions in olive oil in a large saucepan for 5-6 minutes under medium heat until translucent but not browned.

Add the garlic and beef crumbles and sauté until crumbles are lightly browned and garlic is fragrant, about 7 minutes.

Add tomatoes, fennel, basil, salt and pepper and stir well. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 45 minutes to an hour.

Category: Pasta, Primi

Cuisine: Vegan
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December 9, 2024
Vegan Kale Pesto
Makes
2/3 cup

Author Notes

I’m not a vegan, heck, I’m not even a vegetarian, but it’s nice to have versatile options. To me, good food is just good, aside from any dietary qualifications. Maybe it’s just a California thing, but there are so many people following different diet paths that I can’t keep it all straight. I find comfort in good recipes that allow me to feed a variety of guests.

Enter this vegan kale pesto. It’s easy and delicious, fresh and yes, vegan. It’s bright green, tastes zesty and can be used in multiple ways. Salt brined capers are delicious and such a treat! Toss it in pasta finished with a scant pinch of chile flakes and a drizzle of top shelf olive oil, or spread it on a wrap sandwich in lieu of mayo, and if your eating field is wide open, and you like the taste of kale and nuts, then I highly recommend using this pesto as a sauce base for a pizza layered with creamy cheese and fennel sausage… I’m just saying. —eat-drink-garden

Ingredients

2 cups

chopped dinosaur kale, about 6 large leaves, stems removed

2

small cloves of garlic, smashed

¹/₈ teaspoon

red pepper flakes

¹/₂ teaspoon

salt

1 teaspoon

salt-brined capers, rinsed

3 tablespoons

blanched almonds

zest

one lemon

1 tablespoon

lemon juice

¹/₄ cup

extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Add the kale, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, capers, almonds, lemon juice and zest to your food processor. Pulse until incorporated.

Then add the olive oil and pulse until you reach desired consistency.

I produce the Santa Barbara based blog Eat Drink Garden. The inspiration for every meal, for every cocktail, and for every blog entry is from my garden. I learned a few years ago that if you choose seasonal fruits and vegetables, you don’t need to do too much to them in order to make them beautiful and delicious every time.
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December 9, 2024
Vegan chocolate truffles
step 1

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Tip the milk, sugar and vanilla into a small saucepan, then bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally.
step 2

Pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate, leave to sit for 1 min, then stir until the chocolate has melted and the mix is smooth. Cover and chill for 4 hrs until set.
step 3

Roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls using your hands, then transfer to a small baking tray or plate – you may like to wear gloves. You should have about 20 balls.
step 4

Put the cocoa powder on a shallow plate, and roll the chilled truffles in it until well-coated, tapping off any excess, if needed. Chill until you’re ready to gift. Will keep in the fridge for up to four days.