Everyday Plant-Based

This is absolutely the most amazing cake. It’s moist, chocolate-y, and almost – yes – even healthy, with lots of fiber from the sweet potatoes. Of course it contains sugar, and fat from almond butter – but hey, it’s a dessert.

No one will ever guess that it’s based on sweet potatoes.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

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Frosted Chocolate Cake from Sweet Potatoes

Moist, chocolatey, delicious

Course: Dessert

Keyword: chocolate, sweet potatoes

Servings: 12

Equipment

• food processor
• blender

Ingredients

Cake

• ¾ cup sweet potato peeled cooked, and cooled (see Notes)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour see Notes
• ⅓ cup coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 scant teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

• 1 cup sweet potato peeled cooked, and cooled (see Notes)
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup cashew butter or almond butter
• 2 tablespoons plant-based milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch round or 8-inch square silicone or other nonstick cake pan with parchment paper. Will also make 12 standard-size cupcakes or 36 mini-size.
• For frosting: in a blender or food processor combine sweet potato, coconut sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, cashew butter or almond butter, plant-based milk, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Cover and blend until very smooth, scraping sides as needed. If necessary, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk and 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar to make desired consistency and sweetness. Cover and chill until ready to use.
• For cake wet ingredients: in a blender combine sweet potato, maple syrup, vinegar, vanilla, and ½ cup water; cover and blend until completely smooth.
• For cake dry ingredients: In a large bowl stir together flour, coconut sugar, and salt. Sift in cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Add sweet potato wet mixture to flour mixture. Use 1 tablespoon water to rinse blender to remove any remaining puree and add to flour mixture. Mix just until well incorporated. Transfer batter to prepared pan (s).
• Bake 21 to 23 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Remove cake from pan and top with frosting. Cupcakes: 18-20 minutes. Mini-cupcakes: 12-15 minutes.
• Test with a toothpick to see when it is done. Remove from oven and let cook before frosting.

Notes

I cook sweet potatoes in the microwave. Scrub them, and stab in 5-6 places with a sharp knife, to let the steam out. I microwave on “potato” setting until they are soft – usually 3-5 minutes depending on how big they are.

Another great option is canned organic sweet potato puree. You need 1 3/4 cup for both the cake and frosting, and that’s exactly the amount in a 15-oz can.

The recipe makes more frosting than you will need, probably, but you can freeze it.

Tempeh is made from soybeans, fermented and formed into a nutty-tasting cake. It’s high in protein (22 grams per 4-oz serving) and, unlike tofu, must be cooked.

In this recipe, it’s combined with flavorful spices and colorful vegetables. This scramble is great in a wrap. It also makes a wonderful brunch dish with a drizzle of plant-based Hollandaise.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

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Scrambled Tempeh

Protein packed, a great brunch dish.

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp kala namak aka black salt
• 2 Tbs nutritional yeast
• 8 oz tempeh crumbled
• 1/2 – 1 cup veggie broth
• 2 cups potatoes diced
• 5 cups kale chopped
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 1 red onion chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped

Instructions

• To a sauté pan, add the tempeh, turmeric, kala namak, nutritional yeast and 1/2 cup broth. Cook 5 minutes. Drizzle in more broth as needed to keep everything from sticking.
• Add the vegetables and cover the pan; cook a further 5 minutes until the potatoes are done. Add more broth as needed.

Hollandaise is traditionally made with butter and egg yolks – hardly plant-based! This recipe comes close — it’s rich from the cashews, and flavorful with lemon and mustard. The turmeric gives it the rich yellow color.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

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Plant-Based Hollandaise Sauce

Rich and lemony, a perfect sauce for vegetables

Course: Sauces and dressings

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for 1 hour
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water 240ml
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp Kala Namak black salt
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

• If you don't have a high-speed blender, place the cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them to soak for one hour. Then drain the cashews.
• Add the soaked cashews to the blender along with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, white vinegar, water, turmeric, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, black salt and cayenne pepper.
• Blend until smooth.
• Heat the sauce over a double boiler until warmed through. You can improvise a double boiler by placing the bowl of sauce into a pan with a couple inches of water. The sauce will thicken while heating.

Which leafy greens to do you like? According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman (Eat for Health), the most nutrition-packed food is kale. Kale gets a a perfect score against which all other foods can be compared. It’s a nutrient-dense super food.

But I will confess it’s not my favorite leafy green – that would be broccoli rabe. I’m also a fan of turnip greens. I find raw kale a challenge – it’s too chewy or something. Also not as easy to digest when it’s raw, so I have to cook it.

Enter the creamy walnut sauce. Drizzle it over steamed kale, and it’s more than edible – it’s very delicious.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Print Recipe

Kale with Creamy Walnut Sauce

I can inhale my leafy greens when they're served with this creamy walnut sauce.

Course: Salad, Sauces and dressings, Side Dish

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch kale washed, de-stemmed and thinly sliced
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup water plus more as needed
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon tamari
• 1 clove garlic
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Get the steamer ready: bring a pot of water with a steamer basket to boil.
• Place the kale in the steamer basket and steam for 5 minutes.
• Drain and transfer the kale to a medium-sized bowl.
• Put the walnuts, water, Italian seasoning, tamari and garlic into a blender and process until creamy in texture, adding more water if needed, two tablespoons at a time, to achieve desired consistency.
• Pour the sauce over the cooked kale and toss until the kale leaves are evenly coated. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.