Plant based PB2 Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe for the plant based sweet tooth

The trick to keeping the fat level low in these cookies is to use PB2 powder and make the cookies small. The icing on top is important to intensify the flavor.
This recipe will make 18 small cookies.

Plant based peanut butter cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f).

Ingredients:

4 ounces unsweetened applesauce
5 tablespoons date sugar
3/4 cup PB2 peanut butter powder
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tbsp egg replacement powder plus 2 tbsp water, beat until frothy
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Raw sugar for rolling, plus a dash of salt

Stir all ingredients together until just combined, don't over mix.
Roll each rounded spoonful of dough in a plate of sugar (add a dash of salt to the sugar before rolling). Bake 10 minutes, cool on wire rack. Drizzle with icing.

PB2 Icing Recipe
5 teaspoons powdered sugar
5 teaspoons PB2 powder
1 1/2 teaspoons soy creamer or non-dairy milk (or more if needed for smooth consistency)

This recipe make about 16 cookies this size, flattened with fork dipped in flour.

Thai Peanut Noodle Recipe, low fat, vegan style with PB2 powder

Plant-based Pad Thai

Noodles!

A lot of the recipes I use are based on a tomato type of sauce and sometimes I want a little something different.  This recipe is a version I derived from "Julie's Peanut Sesame Noodles" at www.everydaydish.tv/index.php?page=recipe&recipe=119.   I am sure her version tastes wonderful but since I don't want so much fat and must avoid onions I made a few little changes…..:)

This recipe is one of the most popular that I have blogged. I hope you just love it!  It's one of our favorites.

Thai Peanut Noodles or "Vegan Pad Thai"


1 pound whole grain linguine such as brown rice type

Sauce:
1 cup dry peanut butter powder (PB2)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup warm water
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or diced fine
4 cloves garlic, diced fine
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (omit to decrease fat)
2 teaspoons sweetener such as agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoons siracha sauce  (bump this up if you like food really spicy)
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal

Other ingredients to add at the end:
1 pre-packaged coleslaw mix, (without the dressing) or 4 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups fresh spinach, baby leaves or regular leaves cut into bite size pieces
1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts or 1 cup steamed asparagus, or broccoli, etc.
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup diced grilled tofu, optional
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (toast them in a medium hot non-stick skillet until golden)
   
Steps:
1.  In a large pot, boil the noodles until al dente. Drain but don't rinse.  Place in large bowl.
2.  While the noodles are boiling, put all the sauce ingredients into blender and blend away for a minute.  Let this sit for a few minutes while the flaxseed helps it to thicken up.
3.  Pour peanut sauce over noodles and other ingredients, toss well to coat.
4.  This works as a hot dish or later as a cold noodle salad.

Serves-8

Note:  The longer we are on a plant based diet, the less sweet and salty I seem to like in my recipes.  I have gone back twice now and decreased the amount of soy sauce and sweetener in this recipe to adjust it to my ever-changing tastes.

Low-Carb PBNAF PB2 Chocolate Banana Pudding

Hello, this is Rebecca guest blogging again. At my favorite smoothie stand, they have something called a "Peanut Butter Protein" Smoothie, with chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas. They taste amazing, but then again they should with the whopping 900 calories! Once I found out about the truth behind these milkshakes, I set out to create a healthier version, which eventually became this smoothie/pudding recipe. Enjoy!

Base Recipe:
3 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup PB2 Powder
1/2 cup Almond Milk

    Mix well in a blender, food processer, or bowl. If making into a pudding, pour into serving dishes and refridgerate over night.  
Serves 4. 
121 calories per serving.

For Smoothie:
1 Base Recipe
1/2 cup unsweetened Apple Sauce
1/2 cup frozen Berries, no sugar added (I like boysenberries best)
1 tbs. Matcha powder (or 1 oz very strong green tea)
1 tsp Ground coffee

     Mix well in blender, adding more Almond milk if necessary. Drink immediately.

For Ice Cream:
1 Base Recipe
2 Tbs frozen cashews
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

     Mix well in blender or food processor, and freeze for at least one hour. 

Pantry Items

Sometimes information is worth posting twice, so this is a repeat:

Here is a list if items that you may want to have on hand in your pantry for a plant based diet, some of which may be unfamiliar if you are new to this (in no particular order, just how they came into my head for this list):

Nutritional Yeast Flakes
Flaxseed Meal
Oatmeal, Old Fashioned Quaker type or bulk
Chia Seeds
Quinoa
Brown Rice
Beans, all kinds canned and dry (use soy beans less often since they have the most fat)
Whole wheat flour
Oat flour
Whole wheat pastry flour
Frozen berries, frozen cherries, mango chunks, etc.
Yeast (for making your own bread and pizza crusts)
Grape-nuts Cereal
PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
Freeze-dried fruit of all kinds from Honeyvillegrain.com
Walnuts (keep in freezer, you will use them sparingly)
Sunflower seeds (keep in freezer, you will use them sparingly)
Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
Bragg Essential Amino's (liquid) and Bragg 24 herb spice mix (dry)
B Vitamins, Complex or at least B12
Real Maple Syrup
Date Sugar (which is just ground up dates--considered a "whole food" instead of processed sugar)
Egg replacer powder
Vegan Custard Powder
Vegan Fat-free mayo by Walden Farms
Mustard, pickles, ketchup, hot sauce
TVP Textured Vegetable Protein (use once in a while)
Vital Wheat Gluten
Keep a steady supply of Kale, spinach and other dark leafy greens in the fridge, use them every day
Fresh vegetables for salads and stir-frys, and well just about everything
Cocoa powder (use instead of chocolate in recipes)
Canned pumpkin puree to replace fat in baked goods
Whole grain pastas, all sorts
Non-dairy milk such as rice milk or almond milk (fat free soy is best if you can stand it)
Soy Curls (made by the Butler family in Oregon)
Apples, fresh and crunchy plus applesauce to replace fat in baked goods recipes
Bananas, oranges, other fruit you like
Extracts and spices you like, make sure they aren't older than 18 months
Garlic, fresh and powdered
Non-fat broths, mushroom and vegetable
Bouillon, vegan type but flavored to taste like chicken or beef
Canned tomatoes, diced, pureed, sauce, look for low sodium versions
Enchilada sauce (or use the recipe published by The Happy Herbivore, Lindsay Nixon--it's good)
Smoked Paprika
Mori-Nu Soft and Firm Tofu
Extra Firm tofu from the refrigerated section of the market
Miso Paste
Vegan Oyster sauce (made from mushrooms)
Liquid Smoke
Tortillas--look for the very lowest fat content! We keep corn tortillas and whole wheat tortillas on hand.  (I like the spinach wrap tortillas even though they are not fat-free because they are so large and convenient and still healthier than eating out).
Panini Press--we use ours every day for grilling vegetables, warming tortillas, grilling tofu, etc.
Ice Cream Alternative--Dr. Greger's recipe on Nutritionfacts.org is one we make often.  It uses frozen cherries, cocoa powder, vanilla and date sugar among other things.  It's really good!

Vegan Low Fat Crepe Recipe, Elvis Style

I awoke with a plan to create a healthy crepe without eggs or dairy, using soft tofu as the binder to keep the whole grain batter together. The filling has a slightly sweet peanut butter flavor and tastes rich and creamy.

Crepe Recipe without eggs or butter

Ingredients for crepe batter:
1 box Silken lite tofu, soft type
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup 7 grain hot cereal blend, like Bob's Red Mill
1/4 cup Bird's Custard Powder
2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
3 tbsp golden flaxseed meal
1 tbsp date sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups almond milk

Stir all ingredients together and let sit for a few minutes while you prepare the filling. You may need to add more milk to maintain a thin batter, I noticed the longer it sat, the thicker it became and I had to keep adding splashes of milk.

Filling ingredients:
1 box Silken lite tofu, soft type
1/4 cup peanut butter powder
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Dash salt

Place all filling ingredients in food processor and pulse to combine thoroughly.

Plant-based crepe

To make crepes, pour 1/4 cup of batter onto preheated non-stick crepe pan or griddle that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Spread batter into thin layer and cook over medium low heat until edge appears dry, flip to cook other side. Place finished crepe onto serving plate and spread 1/4 cup filling down the center, place sliced banana pieces on top of filling before rolling crepe into tube shape, with seam side down. Garnish with more sliced banana and peanut butter sauce.

Peanut butter sauce:

1/4 cup PB2 powdered peanut butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp almond milk, more or less to desired pourable consistency

Keb Mo and Lyle Lovett would be good music to play in the background while whipping these up!

Some days crepes and I don't want to cooperate with each other in which case the batter still makes a nice, delicate pancake that seems like it has eggs in it but it doesn't.

Fruit and Whole Grain Breakfast Bar, no eggs or added fats

Homemade breakfast bar!

9x13 pan, 16 servings,  Bake at 350 degrees F, for 30-40 minutes (just make sure it doesn't look wet in the center before removing from oven)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup PB2 peanut butter powder (optional)
• 1/4 cup Bob's Whole Grain Hot Cereal Mix
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg or mace
• 1 teaspoon coriander (optional)

Mix these dry ingredients together and set aside.
In a different bowl, combine the wet ingredients:

• 1/2 cup date sugar (use less as you see fit)
• 1 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup low fat almond milk, or non-fat soy milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a different small bowl combine:

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons egg replacer powder
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

Whip together and pour over wet ingredients.
Fold dry and wet ingredients together carefully, (too much stirring will make the cookies tough) and add dehydrated fruit:

• 2 cups dehydrated fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, peaches, raspberries, etc.  (I like to purchase freeze-dried fruit by the case from Honeyvillegrain.com and keep it around for recipes, cereal, snacking.  It isn't nearly as sugary and sweet as dried fruit.  It is a little bit of a luxury, but a case--6 large cans--will last us several months, and you can mix it up so each can is a different fruit.  The cheap shipping is a steal.)

Spread evenly into a 9x13" pyrex baking dish that has been sprayed lightly with canola oil or use a non-stick pan.

• Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of chopped walnuts, optional.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  Cut into 16 or more bar cookies.