Kathy Hester's Blog, page 13

General Tso’s Soy Curls

General Tso’s Soy Curls makes any dinner seem special with it’s sticky sweet and slightly spicy sauce. Making it with soy curls gives you the same texture as the chicken version, but this one has no added oil and uses your favorite liquid sweetener – including date syrup! 

General Tso soy curls chicken

General Tso is one of the most popular dishes at Chinese restaurants in America. Americans love it because it’s sticky sweet, salty, and a little spicy too. It’s the perfect balance of all t...

Vegan Pasta Cheese Sauce for Mac and Cheese

This vegan pasta cheese sauce makes the fastest mac and cheese that’s not already in a box! Just add some pantry ingredients and spice to cooked pasta and you have a creamy, dreamy dinner that you’ve made in minutes.

Some days you just need to have a super easy dinner that doesn’t even require you to think. This vegan mac and cheese is the answer to your busy day dinner. 

My other favorite recipes to make when I just don’t have much time are Instant Pot Vegan Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya, ...

Vegan Soy Curls Recipes

Soy curls recipes are some of my favorite comfort foods. Better yet healthy comfort food. Soy curls are non-gmo, vegan, gluten-free, and considered whole food plant based so chances are they fit into your eating plan.

If you have never had soy curls you are really in for a treat. They have a mouthfeel like chicken, but aren’t nearly as processed as many of the vegan chicken options you have in the freezer section of the grocery store. They just have one ingredient – non-gmo soy beans, so you kn...

Easy Air Fryer Salsa Verde

Ready to spice up dinner? This air fryer salsa verde equals compliments at the dinner table. It tastes so fresh and tangy from the tomatillos, plus you control the heat!

Do you love your air fryer as much as I do? I use mine almost everyday. You really need to give air fryer salsa verde recipe a try! You’ll be amazed at how incredibly easy it is to whip up, and who knows, it might just become a favorite in your list of whole food plant based air fryer recipes. 

What are tomatillos?

At first loo...

Vegan Slow Cooker Veggie Loaf

While there’s nothing wrong with a traditional lentil loaf, sometimes you need to jazz up your slow cooker veggie loaf a bit! Mine uses kidney beans, oats, pecan, and mushrooms to make the base and lots of goodies to flavor it up.

Photo by Kate Lewis

What size slow cooker does the recipe call for?

On my blog, and in the Revised Vegan Slow Cooker Cookbook, all the recipes us a 4 quart slow cooker unless otherwise stated.

If you cook this in a 6 quart I would recommend doubling the recipe and cook...

Chile Pepita Idaho® Potato Veggie Burgers

 

If you are looking for a vegan veggie burger that’s as simple to make as it is inexpensive, you are right where you need to be! Chile Pepita Idaho® Potato Veggie Burgers use potato and black beans as the base that get dressed up with pepitas (pumpkin seeds), chili puree, and spices. It’s easy make veggie burgers from scratch at home!

This is another in my series of posts sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission. I’m always amazed at how versatile and healthy potatoes are!

What is the best ve...

15 Minute Vegan Red Beans and Rice (No Oil)

We all want something that’s quick and easy for a weeknight dinner – but what if it could be healthy too? My vegan red beans and rice are the answer. Use organic canned beans, some prepped onion and bell pepper and it’s on the table in minutes. Serve over leftover rice or any grain that needs to be used up in the fridge!

Spoon carved by Faith Regn

Why is Monday red beans and rice day?

Red beans and rice originate from Louisiana. Women used to make red beans on Mondays while they did laundry and ...

Kung Pao Cauliflower from Your Slow Cooker!

Theres a new kind of take-out in town take (it) out of your slow cooker! This Kung Pao Cauliflower is so easy to make in your Crockpot and you can sub out seitan, chickpeas, or even cubed tofu for the cauliflower to make this dish your own. Its the perfect plant based replacement for Kung Pao Chicken!

photo by Kate Lewis

Its so easy to make Kung Pao Cauliflower in your slow cooker!

I know if may seem counter-intuitive to make a stir-fry in your slow cooker, but its time to think out of the...

Turtle Butter: Pecans, Chocolate, Dates and Maple Syrup

Pecans, Chocolate, and Dates – oh my! This is my new favorite spread and it’s good on just about anything.I enjoyed turtle butter on crackers, graham crackers and between 2 slices of whole wheat bread and grilled. Tell me how you are using it – I’m dying to know!

I always have pecans in my pantry because Cheryl gets a few pounds from her work at the holidays. If I’m really lucky a co-worker or two will donate their pecans to use too. Depending on where you live, pecans can be expensive.

When...

Vegan Avocado Cashew Cream Cheese

I love bagels. There’s nothingbetter than a nice smear on an everything bagel. I really miss the fresh-baked bagels Igotin my neighborhood when I lived in Brooklyn. There was a place that sold bagels wholesale, and you could smell the cinnamon raisin ones baking from blocks away.

It felt like you were doing something a littleunderhandedwhen you went through the back door into the huge room of ovens, men and cooling racks.Someone would eventually notice, andtell you what they were baking that...