Nutrition

Vegan French Toast

#MeatlessMonday

How to make the BEST Vegan French Toast! So easy to make in just 10 minutes, using everyday ingredients. You won’t miss the eggs at all in this delicious weekend morning breakfast. A secret ingredient makes these French toast incredibly crisp, thick and perfect!

How Can You Possibly Make French Toast Without Eggs?

The secret ingredient in this vegan French toast recipe is so common it’s probably in the pantry right now: Cornstarch. It’s perfect for getting that crisp exterior, and works like a charm as the bread cooks in the pan.

Without eggs, your batter for vegan French toast includes these ingredients: Soy milk (or any other non-dairy milk), cornstarch, ground flaxseeds (just a teaspoon, to help thicken the batter), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla.

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 10 mins

Servings: 3 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon ground flaxseeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6-8 slices thick sliced quality bread, such as ciabatta or French
  • 2-3 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil for frying
  • For serving: maple syrup, powdered sugar, or fresh fruit

Cooking Instructions

  1. In a shallow bowl, wide enough to hold a piece of bread, whisk together the soy milk, cornstarch, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla.
  2. Add a little bit of vegan butter/coconut oil to a pan over medium-high heat and melt. Whisk the batter again right before dipping bread, as the cornstarch will settle to the bottom of the bowl. 
  3. Dip each side of the bread in the batter and let soak for about 10 seconds, then add the bread to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Add more vegan butter/oil to the pan as needed in between pieces of bread. 
  4. Serve with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh fruit, if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 648mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 1mg

Nora. (2021, August 9). Vegan French toast. Nora Cooks. Retrieved November 8, 2022.

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Climate

Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta with Ratatouille

#MeatlessMondays

Classic French ratatouille sounds fancy, but is actually a simple, lovely way of cooking vegetables that are all in season at the same time together in a single plan. Ratatouille together with creamy polenta make a dinner that’s at once hearty and warming, fresh and oh-so-flavorful.

“Ratatouille—a classic combination of late summer vegetables, cooked to tender perfection—is an ideal partner for creamy goat cheese polenta. Together, they’re the vegetarian dinner of your dreams!”

The Modern Proper

Serves: 6 minutes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Calories: 513

Ratatouille

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, halved
  • 1 small globe eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 yellow, red, or orange bell pepper cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed

Polenta

Ingredients

  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 cups whole milk, plus more as needed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups stone-ground polenta or yellow cornmeal
  • 8 ounces goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, minced

Cooking Instructions

  1. Make the ratatouille. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and rub the cut sides of the garlic clove all over the bottom and sides. Discard the garlic clove.
  2. On a clean work surface, spread out the eggplant, zucchini, squash, bell pepper, tomato, and onion. Drizzle them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to taste. Toss to coat well.
  3. Transfer the veggies to the prepared baking dish.. Scatter on the thyme leaves.
  4. Cover. and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and continue baking until the vegetables are tender, about 25 more minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, make the polenta. In a medium pan, combine the stock, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the polenta.
  6. Cook, stirring often, until the polenta begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.
  7. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 6 ounces of the goat cheese. If you’d like the polenta a bit thinner, stir in a bit more milk.
  8. To serve, divide the polenta evenly among six bowls and spoon on a generous serving of the ratatouille. Top with additional goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, and basil. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

  • Protein: 18g
  • Carbohydrates: 56g
  • Total Fat: 25g
  • Dietary Fiber: 8g
  • Cholesterol: 45mg
  • Sodium: 1213mg
  • Total Sugars: 12g

Why Meatless Monday?

  • Meatless Monday is of utmost importance, especially in the United States, as we consume much more animal products than the rest of the world.
  • The meat industry uses vast amounts of our finite fossil fuels and water and lots of grain to feed livestock, which is extremely inefficient. Why not use those resources to feed people more directly?
  • About 1,850 gallons of water is needed to produce a singular pound of beef, comparable to only 39 gallons of water per pound of vegetables. A vegetarian diet alone could dramatically reduce water consumption by 58% per person!
  • Meat production also is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, which has proven to correlate to the climate change crisis. 
  • Some benefits of eating plant-based once a week include:
    • Save 133 gallons of water with each meatless meal!
    • Reduce your carbon footprint by 8 pounds each Meatless Monday you participate in
    • If you commit to participating in Meatless Monday every Monday, that is equivalent to skipping one serving of beef for a year, would save the same amount of emissions as driving 348 miles in a car.

***

If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #meatlessmondays, please email christian.bearden100@gmail.com.If you would like to make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger help us grow our food rescue operations: Donate

Creamy goat cheese polenta with ratatouille. The Modern Proper. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2022.

#meatlessmonday #foodfindersinc  #FoodRescue #reducehunger #improvenutrition #helpfoodinsecurecommunities #HelpEndHunger #Volunteer #Charity #fightinghunger #rescuingfood #Donate #makeanimpact

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Sweet Potato SaladFood Waste

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cilantro-Cashew Dressing

#MeatlessMonday

Rich roasted sweet potatoes, toothsome raw kale, a squeeze of lime, a hint of jalapeño, and lots of creamy avocado—blended into the sweet potato salad dressing and cubed up in the salad, too—this health-bomb of a vegan salad is self-care in a bowl. Plenty of protein—from black beans in the salad and cashews in the dressing—and healthy fats like avocado, olive oil and nuts mean that it you’ll feel full and satisfied for hours. And we haven’t even talked about those glorious roasted sweet potatoes yet—they’re a pretty magical food, so we figure they deserve their own little spotlight.

“A hearty mountain of roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, black beans and raw kale are tossed in a creamy lime-cashew-cilantro dressing in this brightly flavorful, vegan sweet potato salad recipe.”

Are Sweet Potatoes Good For You?

YES! Health-wise, sweet potato benefits are many and varied! Simple roasted sweet potatoes are as complete a snack or side dish as you could hope for—this colorful, sweet-and starchy root vegetable is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium, many B vitamins, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. A drizzle of olive oil before roasting—at 400°F for 30 minutes—doesn’t just make the sweet potato taste good, it helps your body to absorb all that nutrition, too. A few more things to know about sweet potato nutrition:

  • How many carbs in sweet potatoes? With 27 grams of carbs per cup of cooked sweet potato (and about 17 grams of net carbs) they’re not a super duper low-carb food, but they are still a healthy choice and can be enjoyed as part of all but the most restrictive low-carb diets.
  • How many calories in a sweet potato? One whole sweet potato has about 100 calories—and considering how filling they are (thanks, fiber and complex carbs!), and how many nutrients they deliver, they represent a really great bang for your caloric buck.

Ingredients 

  • 3 sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 2 bunches kale, stems removed, torn into 2 inch pieces (6 cups)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 avocado, large sliced

Vegan Cilantro Cashew Dressing

  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded
  • 1/2 avocado

Tools

  • A baking sheet for the roasted sweet potatoes.
  • A good blender for making the lime-cilantro-cashew dressing.
  • A sharp knife.
  • A large bowl for tossing and serving.
  • Salad tongs are nice to have, but not an absolute must.

Cooking Instructions

  1. Preheat oven at 400°F.
  2. Cut sweet potatoes into 2” cubes. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil and taco seasoning. Arrange on a baking sheet, careful not to overcrowd. Roast on the center rack in oven for 30 minutes, flipping the sweet potatoes half way through. (If sweet potatoes aren’t tender enough, cook for an additional 5 minutes.)
  3. In a high-powered blender, blend all ingredients for the dressing. You should end up with about 1 ¼ cups of the vegan cilantro-lime dressing.
    *For a thinner dressing, add a little more lime juice.
  4. In a large bowl, toss the kale, cilantro, green onions, black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, with desired amount of dressing. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Calories 359
  • Protein 11g
  • Carbohydrates 41g
  • Total Fat 19g
  • Dietary Fiber 12g
  • Cholesterol 0mg
  • Sodium 303mg
  • Total Sugars 7g

If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #meatlessmondays, please email christian.bearden100@gmail.com.

If you would like to make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger help us grow our food rescue operations: Donate

#meatlessmonday #foodfindersinc  #FoodRescue #reducehunger #improvenutrition #helpfoodinsecurecommunities #HelpEndHunger #Volunteer #Charity #fightinghunger #rescuingfood #Donate #makeanimpact

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