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One Ingredient Chef
10 Reasons to Join the One Ingredient Challenge in 2021
As you may have heard, I recently created a brand new event called the One Ingredient 30-Day Challenge where I invite you to join me in eating a completely "One Ingredient" diet for 30 days to start 2021.
These type of 30-day challenges can be powerful – when I first envisioned the One Ingredient Diet way back in 2013, it was a 30-day challenge like this one that changed my life, inspired me to start this blog, and the rest was history! 
To help you succeed with this challenge, I put together the deepest and most comprehensive program to date – an online course that walks you through this challenge day by day, with 30 daily videos, 55+ recipes, a place to get support in real time, and more. If you'd like to learn all about this course, see the link below:
I opened registration for this course just last week and already dozens of students have joined. It's going to be an incredible experience for all of us and I couldn't be more excited about it.
Today, as we're just over 3 days from the new year, I wanted to share what I consider to be the top 10 reasons you may want to join this challenge in 2021…
1. To start 2021 with a big win for your healthAfter coming off the holiday season where many of us gain weight by eating an unhealthy diet, "losing weight" and "getting in shape" is always the #1 new year's resolution for good reason. The thing is, it almost always fails, doesn't it? Not this time. After going through this challenge, you'll be in an amazing position to actually succeed with those resolutions once and for all. Starting the year with this intensive, 30-day challenge of eating nothing but real, unprocessed food will have positive ripple effects that change the course of the entire year.
2. To make healthy eating faster & more convenientOne of the biggest challenges people face when eating healthier is time! It's just not fast or convenient to cook healthy meals at home… or is it? Because I know many of you struggle with this, the course is laser-focused on helping you build routines, cook in bulk, and other "hacks" that make it faster + easier + cheaper to prepare healthy meals at home than to drive through Burger King. This one-month investment in learning these systems will save you hours in the kitchen every week for years to come.
3. To lose weightThe best thing about a whole-food, plant-based diet like this one is that you can pretty much eat all you want and still lose weight. How is this possible? It's all about calorie density. Once you remove the processed oils, sugars, and additives, you're left with real food which has way less calories per bite. With natural food, weight often returns to natural levels without any struggle.
4. To fight cravings for sugar and junk foodIf you're like many people, cravings / addictions for sugar or other junk food is a major cause of failure with any healthy eating program. It turns out, there is incredible science now that shows how you'll begin to prefer the type of food you have been eating recently. This study, for example, gave people a low sugar diet for 30 days and after that month, the sugary food that used to taste "normal" now tasted overly sweet. It was studies like those that inspired me to make this a 30-day challenge. Because, if you give your body 30 days to reset, you'll begin to actually prefer low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar foods and it becomes much easier to sustain those changes over time.
5. To put "diets" behind you once and for allThe One Ingredient "Diet" is really not a diet at all – there's no portion control or calorie restrictions of any kind. Instead, it's a common-sense approach to eating that keeps you full and satisfied with delicious, nutrient-dense food. There is no restrictions or willpower needed, and that makes it sustainable (and enjoyable!) over the long term. No on-again, off-again nonsense here.
6. To master some new recipesMost days of the challenge include two recipes that make sense for where you are. Early days focus on simple, easy meals. When we talk about cooking in bulk, I include recipes that can be made in bulk, etc. You don't have to make these as part of the challenge, but if your cooking is in a rut and you're looking for fresh recipe inspiration, you'll find tons of it here!
7. To lower your odds of diet-related diseasesOf course there is nothing we can do to guarantee good health, but the data is clear that those eating a low fat, high fiber, nutrient-dense diet of whole plant food tend to have less heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other health conditions. These diet related diseases are the biggest causes of death in the Western world and our dietary choices can lower (sometimes dramatically) the chances of contracting them. Who wouldn't want those statistics on their side?
8. To boost your knowledge of health & nutritionEver wonder why oil is so bad for us, or how much fiber we should be eating, or why salt is such a big issue? A number of the daily videos in this course are focused on the basics of plant-based nutrition so that you can build a deeper understanding of HOW and WHY this type of a diet works so well – and what nutritional issues to watch out for along the way.
9. To get support on this healthy-eating journeyYou can absolutely take steps to unprocessed your diet on your own, but it can be really hard to do it alone! This course has two things that make your odds of lasting success that much greater: 1) the daily videos, each day not only teaches you new information that you'll need, but there's an inspirational "quote of the day" and encouragement to keep you going. 2) Each daily lesson has a discussion area where you can ask questions and interact with me and other challengers in real time to get the support and encouragement you need to make this work.
10. To make healthy eating stick long-termWhat I love most about this course is that it is designed to help you build and maintain healthy eating habits for the LONG term. This isn't some 30 day "cleanse" after which you fall back into your old habits! Rather, the course teaches you how to shift your lifestyle to make healthy eating sustainable over time. In fact, the final week is entirely focused on helping you solidify these lifestyle changes needed to continue unprocessed eating for years into the future.
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Hopefully that list helps you gain a clearer understanding of whether this program might be the right thing for you to join this year. If you have any questions about this new challenge, feel free to post them in the comments below or message me here and I'll get back to you!
If you'd like to learn more and watch the intro video, check out the challenge here:
Click Here for the One Ingredient Challenge »
Either way, Happy New Year! I hope your 2021 is better than 2020 (which is a pretty low bar!)
Plant-Based Black Bean Queso Dip
Wow. I have to say, I was really shocked by this bean dip. For something so simple and quick to make, the flavors are incredible and the presentation is really cool.
At its core, this is just a humble mashup of canned black beans, frozen corn, and some spices all cooked together…
But we have to talk about that cheese. What looks like some kind of broiled mozzarella is, in fact, simple cashew cream! I've known for a while that cashew cream tends to harden and solidify when heated, so I decided to exploit that here. Once you've made the bean dip, just drizzle little pools of the cream on top and place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. The entire surface of the dip becomes slightly hardened, toasty, and beautiful.
Top with some other delicious stuff like guacamole + cilantro, and it's an incredible, nutritious, easy 15-minute meal…
Makes: 3+ meal-sized servings
Ingredients:- 1 yellow onion
- 2+ teaspoons chili powder blend
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 15 oz cans black beans
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup fire-roasted corn (frozen)
- 2 + 1 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 4 sliced green onions
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
Prep Soak the cashews for at least an hour before blending into cream.
Step OneIn a BIG skillet, warm a splash of water and throw in a diced white onion and the spices (2 teaspoons chili powder blend, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt) and allow them to simmer until the onions turn translucent. (In a way, this is like a curry where it's essential to spice the onions at the start in order to bring out maximum flavors.)
Step TwoAdd two cans of black beans and one can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid from all cans) into the pan along with 1 cup of corn (preferably the frozen fire-roasted kind), 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and a few sprigs of chopped cilantro (save some for topping). With a large fork, mash and stir repeatedly, every 3-4 minutes, and continue to cook for 15+ minutes until the tomatoes no longer taste raw and acidic.
Tip: Depending on how much liquid you have, you can thicken the dip in two ways: 1) Mashing more of the beans to release more starch and 2) adding more nutritional yeast.
Step ThreeMeanwhile, make some cashew cream. Drain the soaking cashews and add them to a blender with 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt, and just enough fresh water to make a thick cream. Blend until totally smooth. Then, stir in about 60% of this cream into the dip itself – reserving the other 40% for garnish.
Also give the dip a taste and feel free to add additional spices as needed, because the dip is basically done at this point.
Step FourFinally! When the dip is done, turn on the broiler to high and place an oven rack just beneath it. Carefully add a few of those "pools" on top, as shown, and gently place in the broiler for 1-4 minutes – watch closely and remove just before it burns.
Top with chopped cilantro, slivered green onions, or even some mashed avocado. Serve with corn tortillas or homemade baked tortilla chips by slicing some "one ingredient" corn tortillas and baking until crispy.
Vegan Poke Bowl with Sesame Cream Sauce
I've actually never had a poke bowl… I stopped eating fish long before the poke craze took over America a few years ago, but from what I gather, the only rule is that poke bowls have raw fish. Beyond that, anything goes, it seems.
Well, I guess that means we're breaking the only rule of Poke, because we're using tofu instead of fish. However, the tofu in this recipe is thinly-sliced, served cold, and almost "pickled" in rice vinegar, soy, sesame, and nori for some ocean flavors (as are the cucumber and red cabbage). These cold ingredients are placed atop warm brown rice with a sliver of avocado and an amazing sesame cashew cream on top.
This is honestly super delicious and quite unlike anything I've ever made before. I have SO MANY rice bowl recipes, but this one is kind of special. The fishy flavors of the nori make it feel like a seafood bowl, and that sesame + cashew cream is insanely good.
It seems like a lot of ingredients / moving parts here, but it's actually very simple to make – with no "cooking" required if you have some pre-made/leftover brown rice. It came together for me in about 15 minutes even as I was developing the recipe as I went along.
Recipe Note: I didn't provide measurements for the seasonings like vinegar and soy sauce because we'll be using them in several places and it would be too tedious – especially since exact measures aren't needed.
Makes: 2 bowls
Ingredients:- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 8 oz firm tofu
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 avocado
- 1 large sheet of nori
- 2 green onions
- 1/3 cup cashews
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Rice wine vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Toasted sesame oil
- garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Prep: make some brown rice and soak 1/3 cup cashews for an hour before blending
Step One: Pickled VegetablesThinly-slice the cucumber and red cabbage, then add them to a bowl with a marinade of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil. I'd start with about 1.5 tablespoons vinegar with 2 teaspoons of soy and 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame. Toss to coat and pop these in the fridge to pickle for the 10-15 minutes it takes to finish this recipe
Step Two: Pickled TofuCut the tofu however you'd like. I sliced it into random thin slices which worked well, but you can make small cubes as well. Then marinate it in a very similar mixture as above – rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil – but also a generous dash of smoked paprika and some broken up pieces of nori to infuse some oceany flavors…
Step three: Sesame Cream SauceIn a blender, combine the raw cashews, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and just enough fresh water (1/2 cup?) to make a cream sauce. Blend until totally smooth.
Step Four: The Poke Bowl!Add warm brown rice to the bottom of each bowl, then top with the tofu and pickled vegetables. On top of that, add sliced avocado and slivered green onions, and finally a generous drizzle of the sesame cream sauce, some sesame seeds, and (optionally) more sprinkles of nori.
The Savoriest Vegan Mushroom Gravy
I developed this incredible mushroom gravy a LONG time ago and I've been making it at every family holiday since then… It only recently dawned on me that I had never fully shared the recipe with you guys! Other than a quick mention in a biscuit recipe, I had been inadvertently keeping it a secret all this time.
That's a shame because, I'm telling you, it's the best vegan gravy I've ever made. It starts with mushrooms, soy sauce, and tahini, which is one of my favorite flavor combos. That gives it the salt and fat to be really tasty, but then the richness of the tahini with the umami from the mushrooms is just incredible. Let it simmer for a while with some herbaceous notes from the rosemary and it's the perfect gravy. I can (and do) eat this stuff by the spoonful.
All the people at your Zoom Thanksgiving will love it! (what a time to be alive…)
Makes: about 2 cups
Ingredients:- 2 cups chopped mushrooms (any kinds)
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Black pepper, to taste
- 12 oz vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons of tahini
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2-3 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
In a saucepan, warm a splash of water over medium-high heat and toss in the roughly-chopped mushrooms (any common varieties work fine like crimini or button, but extra credit if you add a shiitake or oyster as well) and a minced shallot (yellow onion works in a pinch). Cook these in the water for 5 minutes until the mushrooms reduce considerably.
Step TwoDrain the brownish cooking water from the mushrooms and add in all the tasty stuff right on the mushrooms – 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, a tablespoon of soy sauce (save more for later), and a generous grind of black pepper. Let these cook for 2-3 minutes until the soy sauce is basically seared onto these umami-bomb mushrooms.
Step ThreeAdd about 12 oz of veg broth into the pan and bring it up to temperature, then whisk in 3 tablespoons of tahini, a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, and a teaspoon or so of finely-chopped rosemary. Keep stirring / whisking until it becomes a smooth mixture.
Step FourAt this point, the gravy will probably be quite thin. In the past, I've thickened it with either cornstarch or whole wheat flour and both work. Here, I suggest adding about 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to a small dish, pouring in some of the broth, and stirring until smooth, THEN stirring that back into the gravy mixture to prevent clumping.
After 5 minutes of thickening, remove from the heat and taste. If it's still too thin, add a teaspoon more cornstarch. If you'd like to boost the flavors even further, add a drizzle more tahini, soy sauce, and/or garlic powder.
This can be served immediately, but it also keeps extremely well for 3+ days sealed in the fridge.
How to Substitute Oil in a Recipe
Every year, I try to learn more about nutrition and update my own diet to apply what I have discovered. Oil has been one of the big areas of improvement in my own cooking. Five years ago, my approach to oil was like, "I know oil isn't very healthy, but a little in moderation is okay." and a lot of my recipes from back in the day have ingredients such as a tablespoon of vegetable oil or even 1/4 cup of coconut oil (!) in some baked goods and desserts.
Today, my thinking and understanding of the research has evolved to the point where I basically avoid all oils, nearly all the time in my own cooking. In fact, other than an old jar of coconut oil that I rarely use, I don't even have oil in my kitchen.
I find my previous uses of oil to be unacceptable. I may even go back to a few of my more popular old recipes and "remaster" them to be made without oil. But in the meantime, I felt like it was my responsibility to write this article that shows you how to take a recipe with oil (including mine) and rebuild it by substituting the right oil-free ingredients that get you as close to the original as possible.
This is a challenge because (as we will see) the uses of oil are numerous and pervasive, so let's start with a little background to understand why oil is a problem and why it's used so frequently. Then, we'll dig into specific techniques and hacks that can help you replace oil in virtually any recipe.
The Problems with OilFirst, why? What is the problem with oil? Why do I now consider it to be unsafe and unhealthy even in moderation? What caused me to change?
There is a lot of conflicting noise on the effects of oil. Many nutritionists point to data that says that olive oil is actually good for you, but these studies are often flawed because they compare various types of fat against each other rather than simply oil vs no oil. Notice how the FDA words their recommendation (emphasis mine):
Supportive but not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that daily consumption of about 1½ tablespoons (20 grams) of oils containing high levels of oleic acid, when replaced for fats and oils higher in saturated fat, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. To achieve this possible benefit, oleic acid-containing oils should not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.
In other words, if you replace your daily butter with olive oil instead, you MAY get some benefits! Well, duh! Just because something is better than butter doesn't mean it is good for you!
Ultimately, oil has NUMEROUS health issues, such as: increasing inflammation, increasing risk of cardiovascular disease, increasing risk of type-2 diabetes, raising cholesterol and triglycerides, and being the most calorie dense "food" on the planet (240 calories in 2 tablespoons!).
Going deep enough to back up those claims is beyond the scope of this article, but if you'd like to do that, the following resources will give you a more rigorous scientific look at the subject:
- Olive Oil and Artery Function (NutritionFacts.org)
- Olive Oil Vs. Nuts (NutritionFacts.org)
- What's Wrong with Olive Oil? (Pritikin)
- Is Oil Healthy? (Esselstyn)
- How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind (Doug Lisle)
Oil is everywhere. It's hard to find any packaged food, restaurant meal, or even at-home recipe that doesn't contain oil. Why? It comes down to both biology and chemistry…
On the biology front, Michael Moss in his incredible book Salt, Sugar, Fat, explains how the processed food industry uses those three nutrients to control our tastebuds and create irresistible, addictive foods.
We were designed to crave fatty foods, and since oil is pure 100% fat by definition, oil is one of the most effective tools that food scientist can use to make things taste great and get us hooked.
What's incredible about the combination of salt, sugar, and fat is that scientists can omit one and then boost the others to compensate. So, in our current low-carb craze, they can drop the carbs/sugar and simply increase the fat and salt to keep addictiveness at a maximum.
Think of the most addictive unhealthy foods and they have large amounts of Salt, Sugar, and Fat (think orange chicken fried in oil and coated in a salty & sugary sauce). Or, they omit one and have even higher amounts of the other two (think potato chips with no sugar but ridiculous fat and salt).
The other reason oil is everywhere is about chemistry. As we will see repeatedly in the rest of this article, oil is a magical ingredient. There's no other edible liquid you can heat to 400º to instantly cook food and also create a beautiful crispy texture… Oils can help processed food stay moist and shelf-stable for years… Saturated oils in particular can create some pretty unique textures that aren't otherwise possible.
In other words: oils are a powerful tool in the food scientist's toolbox that can be used to achieve a variety of goals – in addition to also making the food taste great. It's a win-win for them, but a loss for our health.
Put the biology + chemistry together and it's obvious how you end up with the ingredients in a Hostess cupcake. It has 250mg of sodium, 19g of added sugar, and FOUR different kinds of oil/fat (palm oil, hydrogenated tallow, cottonseed oil, and sunflower oil) which are engineered to provide the fat we crave, but also the texture/stability needed from processed food.
It's important to understand all of this because knowledge is the first step towards replacing oils in our cooking. Only by understanding what the oil is actually doing can we begin to create an oil-free substitution, right?
Let's put this information into practice now. We can break it down into the two primary ways you'll encounter oil in recipes: oils added to baked goods, and oils used to actually cook / fry food:
How to Substitute Oil in BakingOil is used in baked goods for three primary reasons: flavor, moisture, and texture. Let me quickly explain each of these functions…
Flavor: We just explored this. Adding oil to baked goods increases the fat content, which makes people happy.
Moisture: Compare a cake with oil to one without oil and the oily cake will be luxurious and soft; the one without will taste like stale bread.
Texture: This is especially important with saturated fat (coconut oil, butter) which has a special property: it is solid at room temperature but melts when heated. This enables saturated fat to do magical things in baked goods. Example: Mix cold butter into puff pastry dough and the pastry cooks before the tiny bits of butter can melt, leaving little pockets of air. The crust becomes light and flaky.
Using that information, what can we do to replace oil in baked goods and end up with similar flavor, moisture, and texture?
Texture is hard because nothing but saturated fat behaves like saturated fat, unfortunately. This means things like flaky pastry are practically impossible. However, flavor and moisture are still very much in play!
When you run into a recipe for baked goods that calls for oil, go through these options and pick the substitution that best matches your situation:
Option 1: Skip the Oil (Easy Way Out)
If a recipe calls for a tablespoon of oil across an entire batch of 12 muffins, for example, you can feel pretty confident that it's not adding much and you may be able to completely omit the oil with no consequences. However, if the recipe has something like a CUP of oil, then we need more aggressive solutions…
Option 2: Fruit Purees (Meh)
The most common way to replace oil in baked goods is by using applesauce or mashed banana. Other fruit purees work too, but most of them add more flavor – apple and banana are neutral enough to not overpower other flavors. This is a fine option, but all it really does is add moisture back into the recipe so that your cake isn't so dry that you choke on it… As far as flavor and texture, it doesn't do much to make the dish palatable. For that, I have something much more interesting…
Option 3: Pureed Fruit + Nut Butter + Dates (My Secret Weapon)
When making baked goods like cakes, rolls, muffins, etc. I like to take things a step further than just a fruit puree. I typically start with the fruit puree, but then add nut butter and blended dates as well. Why? If you remember our triad, this brings some healthy fat back into the mix from the nut butter and also boosts the sweetness to compensate for the reduction in fat.
Typically, I'll make a 1:1 replacement by starting with 2-4 tablespoons of nut butter, 1-3 dates, and then fill out the rest of the measure with either applesauce or mashed banana. For example: 1/2 cup vegetable oil might be replaced with 2 tablespoons almond butter, 2 dates, and however much applesauce is needed to round out the half cup.
The dates do need to be blended, but here's how to handle that: in most recipes you add the oil to the wet ingredients like milk, vanilla, etc. So instead of adding them to a bowl, add all the wet ingredients to a blender along with the puree + almond + date mixture and blend until smooth, then continue on with the recipe.
In most cases, the end result is more moist and sweet, with a better mouthfeel since it retains a hint of the fat that the oil would have brought to the table. Try it. I think you'll be surprised at how well it works.
How to Substitute Oil in Frying / SautéingBeyond baked goods, the primary use of oil is to fry or sautéed dishes. Here, the oil has two main functions: to heat/cook the food and to add flavor.
Just like before, fat adds flavor and makes the food taste better. However, the biggest reason for using fat in cooking is to create a super-hot liquid so that the food 1) cooks fast, 2) gets all crispy and delicious, and 3) doesn't stick to the pan.
Once again, let's look at all the options you have to recreate those effects without oil:
Sauté Veggies: Use Water
Just use water. Seriously, it's that simple. When a recipe tells you to sauté the [onions / tomatoes / broccoli / whatever] in a tablespoon of olive oil, just use a 1:1 replacement of water. The end result will be nearly identical.
Deep Frying: Air Fry or Bake
Deep frying is a brilliant invention. Because you can heat oil to 400+ degrees and this oil completely coats the surface of the food you put into it, it's a fast and powerful cooking method. Unfortunately, some of that oil ends up on the food (and your arteries).
Unlike sautéing, it's not as simple as just using water. Water boils at 212º which is far lower than the 400+ smoke point of frying oil and your water-soluble food will just fall apart into the water at those temperatures.
Instead, an air fryer is your best option! Air friers circulate superheated air to create a similar effect to the superheated oil of a deep frier. It's not perfect, but it works quite well. I use my air fryer at least 2-3 times a week to make fried tofu, crispy hash browns, or oil-free french fries. It's a worthwhile investment and I would recommend one if you can find the counter space.
If you don't have an air frier, baking also works quite well for most deep fried foods. Simply preheat your oven to a pretty high temperature and bake the french fries / tofu / whatever until crispy.
Pan Fry Without Oil
Pan frying is in-between sautéing and deep frying. A recipe might instruct to heat 2 tablespoons of oil and sear each side for 5 minutes, for example It is important to recognize why you use oil in pan frying. Most often, it is to prevent sticking (in addition to adding tasty fat and crispy texture).
The best solution to pan frying is to omit the oil and use a nice non-stick pan (perhaps ceramic or one of the copper ones if you're worried about the toxicity of teflon). Or, if you have enough experience to know that something definitely won't stick (i.e. most veggies), you can simply pan fry in water instead of oil.
Case Studies Using My RecipesAs mentioned, some of my older recipes do use oil, so let me show you how I would remake those today using the guidelines outlined above.
Cornbread Muffins
This is my favorite example because I actually did remake these. Originally, my strawberry cornbread muffins had 1/4 cup canola oil (!) and 1/4 cup sugar. In a new blueberry cornbread muffins recipe, I omitted both the oil and the sugar by using something similar to my "secret weapon" technique above: dates and almond butter blended into the almond milk (no applesauce needed here). I love this example because the oil-free blueberry muffins are absolutely a better, tastier recipe.
One of my first and most popular recipes, this one includes a tablespoon of coconut oil across 6 pancakes, which makes it a good candidate for option 1: skip it. Here, you can safely omit the oil and no one would ever know. In addition, the recipe steps call for a dab of vegetable oil to prevent sticking. We discussed this as well. If you're using a non-stick pan at high heat, you should be able to get by without sticking. (Yes, I see that these are also drenched in maple syrup, but let's work on one problem at a time, okay? )
Here we have 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil which is used to sauté the onions. Sounds familiar, yes? See the "sauté veggies without oil" section. Simply cook those onions in water and you'll never notice a difference.
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Ultimately, substituting oil is a very case-specific kind of thing. There is no one-size-fits-all formula to substitute oil because its uses are so diverse and dependent on the specific recipe. That's why I wanted to go deep enough in this article to share the basics of how/why oil is used, and give various suggestions to get you started. When substituting oil, best approach is always to ask yourself, "what is the oil doing in this recipe and what can I do to best recreate that effect?"
If you have any questions or additional oil-free tips, feel free to leave them in the comments below!
The post How to Substitute Oil in a Recipe first appeared on One Ingredient Chef.translate | 1 Nov 2020 | 9:08 pmGeneral Tso’s Tofu and Broccoli
This is probably the best Chinese food I've ever had. Crispy breaded tofu sautéed with broccoli and a homemade sweet & sour sauce. Serve with some brown rice and it could not be a more delicious meal.
This is based on the idea of General Tso's Chicken, but as far as the dubious origins of that recipe, I'll let Wikipedia handle it:
General Tso's chicken is a sweet deep-fried chicken dish that is served in North American Chinese restaurants. The dish is named after Zuo Zongtang, a Qing dynasty statesman and military leader, although there is no recorded connection to him nor is the dish known in Hunan, Zuo's home province.
So, it's not really Chinese and has no connection to General Tso. Cool.
I did some deeper digging into the historical record and was shocked to discover that General Tso was a vegan! He was even one of the founding members of the Qing Dynasty's chapter of PETA. It's true (well, as true as the rest of the General Tso story).
Today, we're going to set the record straight and remake his famous chicken recipe the way he would have liked it – with TOFU! Because he was also a hardcore oil-free, WFPB kind of general, we'll air-fry (or bake) the tofu with a crispy breading to avoid oil and use all natural ingredients for our delicious sauce that coats the crispy nuggets and broccoli (because Tso was never one to skimp on his cruciferous veggies).
Now, if you are that person who once left a comment on my recipe saying "I clicked because it said One Ingredient and this has nine ingredients!!" (LOL) you should probably turn away now because there are quite a few ingredients here. We're making a breading and a sauce. And, it's a two-step process of first cooking the tofu in an air-fryer (or oven), and then sautéing it with the broccoli – but it's still
Makes: 3-4 entree servings
Ingredients:- 16 oz firm tofu
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 green onions
- 2 cups broccoli
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- brown rice, for serving
NOTE: You can either cook the tofu in an air fryer at 370º for 10 minutes, or bake at 370º for about 15 minutes until crispy.
PREP: Make some brown rice, for serving.
Step OneBreak the tofu into small chicken-like chunks as shown. This is way cooler than just cubing the tofu because it gives you a more authentic look and more surface area for the batter. Then, make a breading from the cornmeal, flour, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Dip each piece of tofu (it should still be moist) into the batter and place in your air fryer (or a baking sheet in the oven). When all the pieces are coated cook at about 370º F until the batter has become really crispy and golden.
While the tofu cooks, turn your attention to the sauce. There are about as many variations of General Tso's sauce as there are Chinese restaurants in America, but this one sticks with the basics: equal parts soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and maple syrup, with some minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. Add all of this to a small bowl and stir until well mixed.
Step ThreeWhen the tofu is crispy, sauté the final dish. In a large pan, add all the sauce along with some broccoli florets (ideally already cooked – frozen and microwaved is great), chopped green onions, and the crispy tofu nuggets. Toss repeatedly until coated and allow to simmer over medium heat (tossing occasionally) for 5-7 minutes until most of the sauce is absorbed and everything is warm and delicious.
Serve with a garnish of sesame seeds and a side of brown rice. Store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days (they are amazing!)
Easy Make-Ahead Acai Bowl Cubes
A few weeks ago I posted a vegan malt recipe that used maca powder for the malty flavor. I mentioned the Navitas Organics brand because I love their maca and, what do you know, a week later I have this box at my door, a gift from Navitas, packed with all kinds of superfood powders! More maca, ashwaganda, chai, turmeric, goji, cacao, and acai powder.
I've been experimenting with creative ways to incorporate some of these ingredients into my recipes lately and I think I hit on something really cool here. The idea is that you make a big batch of acai bowl, with all the ingredients you'd want (banana, berries, acai powder, almond milk, flax, etc.) and then you freeze this into ice cube trays so you have an instant acai bowl on hand anytime the craving strikes. Just blend with a little almond milk, top with some fruit and seeds, and you're ready to go in 2 minutes!
Now, WHY would you want to do this instead of just making one bowl at a time? A number of reasons:
- To save time. You can do all the "hard" work of measuring and preparing the ingredients in one big batch so that each bowl just needs to be quickly blended when ready.
- If all you have is acai powder instead of the frozen acai puree, this is ideal because it essentially turns the powering into frozen puree, if that makes sense.
- Texture! Becuase *all* the ingredients are frozen into cubes, you end up with a thick frozen texture almost ice cream which would be very hard to do if the ingredients were separate.
My base recipe here is pretty cool – it uses flax and almond butter to boost the creaminess, plus lots of blueberries which combine with the acai powder to add ridiculous amounts of antioxidants, and banana to round it all out. What's great about this recipe is that you can throw in whatever you like in your acai bowls and it should work fine.
Let me show you how I make the cubes…
Makes: 2 bowls
Ingredients:- 3 bananas
- 2 tablespoons acai powder
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-2 medjool dates (optional)
- 2 teaspoons maca powder (optional)
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- Fruits, nuts, seeds, for topping
Add all the ingredients (minus the toppings, of course) to a high-powered blender and blend until completely smooth. Go easy on the almond milk to start – you want this to be quite thick because you'll be adding more almond milk when you actually make the bowls in the end – so add just enough to blend smoothly.
Also, the dates are optional. This recipe isn't overly sweet, so if you'd prefer your bowls on the sweeter side, throw in some dates as well.
Pour into ice cube trays (cover so they don't absorb weird freezer tastes) and let them freeze for at least 6 hours. Then, break them out of the cubes and story in zip-top bags until ready to use.
Now, when you're ready to make the actual acai bowl, take the desired number of cubes (this batch makes 2 normal sized bowls) and add them to a blender with just enough almond milk to get things moving in the blender (1-2 tablespoons at a time). When it's totally smooth, pour into a bowl and top with fruit, toasted oats, seeds, or whatever your inner #SmoothieBowlArtist desires…
Holiday Stuffing-Inspired Savory Oats
I guess it's officially savory oats week here on One Ingredient Chef! After that incredible and shocking savory oats risotto, I'm back to take savory oats in a whole different direction…
Imagine if you took all the traditional holiday stuffing flavors, but instead of using dried bread as the base, you used rolled oats. WHY would you want to do this?
Well, oats are healthier than white bread. Also, the texture of oats works quite well in stuffing. But most importantly, speed! This entire recipe (I'm not kidding) can be made in about 7 minutes. It's so fast, it even beats out my 8-minute black bean soup, but falls way behind the two-minute taquitos
The flavors here are so delicious. All the celery, onion, sage, cranberry, and nuts you'd expect from stuffing, with the soft and starchy oats lightly sautéed in broth. I don't think of this as a replacement for stuffing itself, rather, it's so fast that it would make an awesome breakfast as you're getting more inspired by holiday flavors, or even a full dinner alongside some air-fried tofu and greens, perhaps.
I'm telling you guys – savory oats FTW. They have been surprising me again and again this week…
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 small white onion
- 6 stalks celery
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (sugar free)
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts)
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Begin by mincing the onion and celery and adding them to a large skillet with a splash of water and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the onions and celery soften and turn translucent.
Step TwoThen, add in the oats with about a cup of broth and stir until absorbed. Wait a few minutes and repeat. Unlike the oat risotto where the oats became very soft and flowing, here we want them to retain some shape and texture, so add just enough broth for the oats to fully cook and soften without falling apart. This may take about 3 cups, but it really depends.
Step ThreeIn between tending to the oats, prep all the other ingredients: finely-chop some sage, loosely-chop some parsley, get some dried cranberries and nuts ready. Then, when the oats are cooked to your liking, add in all these ingredients with a generous amount of black pepper and a dash of salt to taste.
Done! Serve immediately with an extra sprig of parsley and sprinkle of black pepper as garnish.
Savory Oats: How to Make RISOTTO from Rolled Oats
Okay. Well… What happened here may be one of the most surprising experiences in all my years of developing recipes.
For years I have been doing my best to ignore those annoying "savory oats" people who not only eat oats for breakfast, but also for dinner. Well, I could ignore them no longer and decided to start experimenting with savory oats recipes (this will not be the last one you see this week!).
So as I started thinking about how to use oats in savory recipes, I realized that rolled oats release a lot of starch as they cook, which is exactly what makes risotto so great, and if you followed the same procedure of slowly adding broth and stirring, you might end up with something of a similar texture as risotto. Maybe??
I've made a few risottos in my day and they are 1) slow, 2) unhealthy, 3) difficult, but 4) incredibly delicious.
Oats would solve all the "problems" of risotto. They are less finicky, much healthier than white arborio (risotto) rice, AND oats cook to the right texture so quickly that you can literally make this creamy risotto in under 15 minutes from start to finish.
For those of you familiar, the process is identical. You slowly stir veg broth into a base of oats, celery, and red onion, wait until it absorbs, and repeat. What you end up with (in 10 minutes, not 45) is an impossibly creamy, flowing, starchy dish with amazing savory flavors.
For this one, I've thrown in some fresh green peas and meaty caramelized mushrooms, but you could use any risotto add-ins you want. What really makes this work is a little bit of tahini and nutritional yeast (you've been seeing those guys around here a lot lately!) to add a slightly creamy, cheesy component that brings this risotto to live.
Incredibly, it works. It all works so well! An oat risotto, who would have thought?!
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:- 4 stalks celery
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 12 oz peas (fresh or frozen)
- 8 oz sliced crimini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
We'll start by cooking the mushrooms separately, because the longer they cook, the better they will be. Slice about 10-12 crimini mushrooms fairly thin and add them to a skillet over medium heat with a generous splash of water. Allow them to cook down for 5-10 minutes while working on the other steps…
Step TwoFinely chop the celery and onion and add them to a large skillet over medium heat with a splash of water and a dash of salt and pepper. Give them a few minutes to soften and turn translucent. Then add the 2 cups of rolled oats and slowly start folding in vegetable broth about a half a cup at a time, wait for it to absorb into the oats, and continue.
Step ThreeReturning to the mushrooms, after they have reduced significantly, drain the water and drizzle on a little soy sauce with a dash of garlic powder and black pepper. Let them continue cooking on medium-low until the liquid evaporates and they become all caramelized and delicious.
Step FourAfter 6-8 minutes, once the oats have absorbed 3+ cups of broth and the "risotto" has a flowing, lava-like consistency, add in about 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and 2 tablespoons of tahini and incorporate well. This adds a delicious cheesy flavor, but it will thicken things, so add a little more broth if needed.
Step FiveFinally, fold in the peas (defrosted if using frozen) and the mushrooms (trust me, cooking them separately to build up those delicious flavors was definitely worth the effort!) and you're done.
The 23 Best Vegan Instant Pot Recipes on the Internet
I have to admit that until last week, I hadn't been a member of the Instant Pot cult club. Yes, I have one, but I didn't really use it much. I was kind of afraid of it, I didn't know how to use all its functions, and I honestly just didn't see the point.
Recently, I decided to start learning more about the benefits of pressure cookers and I have to say – I'm a believer. I even posted my first Instant Pot recipe a few days ago (African Peanut Soup) and it was like magic. 10 minutes of cooking and the sweet potatoes were completely soft.
As part of this learning process, I have been scouring all my favorite vegan food blogs to find the best vegan Instant Pot recipes on the internet – with a special focus on uses that showcase the Instant Pot's creativity and versatility. I mean, everyone knows you can make bean soup in the thing, but did you know that it can make spaghetti, risotto, and pad thai?!
So without further ado, let's get into these 23 vegan instant pot recipes…
Enchilada Soup
Imagine the best of chili, combined with the best of enchiladas, all cooked together in a quick, one-pot meal. Check out Vegan Richa's Instant Pot Enchilada Soup:
Instant Pot Hummus
I have to say, making homemade hummus might be my favorite use of the Instant Pot. It just makes so much sense. you can buy an entire bag of dried chickpeas for $1 and cook them in minutes into a perfect, fresh hummus that crushes the taste of any store-bought version.
Spicy African Peanut Stew
This was my first Instant Pot recipe that I posted earlier in the week. I have to say, I loved the experience. The sweet + savory + spicy flavors of the peanut butter and sweet potatoes meld together so beautifully in the instant pot, and with a side of rice, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite 30-minute meals…
Lentil Sloppy Joe's
Lentil Sloppy Joe's are a staple in my house, but what a brilliant idea to make them in the Instant Pot. The lentils cook quickly and result in a soft, meaty texture with the right blend of tomato sauce, veggies and spices in this recipe.
Instant Pot Refried Beans
My favorite thing about making homemade refried beans (in addition to them being so much fresher and more delicious) is that you can control the sodium. Refried beans typically have a week's worth of sodium per serving, but here, you can add as much or as little salt as you want.
Minestrone Soup
A classic, comforting Minestrone soup recipe packed with veggies, beans, and pasta that you can make in 30 minutes thanks to the Instant pot…
Jackfruit Curry
An easy vegan Instant Pot curry made with warm Indian spices, jackfruit, sweet potatoes, and coconut milk. Jackfruit is the perfect stand-in for meat, and the coconut milk makes this curry extra rich and creamy.
Tofu Scramble
Who doesn't love a good protein-packed tofu scramble for breakfast?! This version is fast, easy, and super versatile – throw in whatever veggies you have on hand and let the Instant Pot do the rest!
Instant Pot Baked Beans
Canned banked beans are great! … except for the refined sugars, additives, and preservatives. Ditch the can and make your own homemade baked beans in minutes.
Takeout-Style Tofu and Broccoli
In a testament to the versatility of the Instant Pot, Emilie made this incredible Chinese takeout-style marinated tofu and broccoli with a chili-ginger sauce for an incredible side dish – or even an entirely meal alongside a serving of rice.
Tomato Soup
This super rich vegan Instant Pot Tomato Soup is made with canned tomatoes for convenience, cashews for vegan creaminess, and all the spices you'd expect in a classic tomato soup – without the cooking time!
Baked Potatoes
I love baked potatoes, but what I don't love is how the 350º oven heats up my whole house on already hot summer days in California. Deryn from Running on Real Food discovered that you can bake potatoes that are as delicious as they are energy efficient!
Mushroom Risotto
You may remember Risotto as that dish you have to stir constantly for 45 minutes to get just the right texture. Or… you can just throw everything into the Instant Pot and let it do all the work! Bonus: the recipe comes with a big batch of "vegan parm" to sprinkle on top.
Spaghetti?!
The idea that you can make spaghetti in an Instant Pot is just nuts. The pasta and sauce go right into the pot and come out perfectly cooked 15 minutes later…
Burrito Bowls
I love those southwestern quinoa & bean one-dish meals and the instant pot makes it easier than ever. Throw all the ingredients and voila – you have the perfect burrito bowl base that you can top with fresh avocado and lettuce.
Chili
What's better than a classic bowl of vegan chili? How about one you can make in minutes, with one pot! This recipe even has a brilliant trick to get just the right thick chili texture…
Ramen Bowls
Yet another dish I never would have imagined could be made in an Instant Pot, but it totally makes sense. As the recipe says, "the pressure cooker is able to infuse a basic vegetable broth with so much flavor in such a short amount of time, it's amazing."
Lentil Gumbo
This vegan gumbo with protein-packed lentils, okra, and tons of other veggies is the perfect one-pot meal when you're craving a warm bowl of soup. The best part is, this Instant Pot version of gumbo takes 12 minutes (not 12 hours) to cook to perfection…
Golden Lentil & Spinach Soup
Lentils are one of my favorite foods, they're so meaty and packed with protein + fiber… and just look how gorgeous this golden lentil soup looks! Instant Pots are one of the fastest and best ways to cook lentils. Combine that with hearty veggies and the perfect seasonings for an incredible bowl of soup.
Pad Thai
Pad Thai is one of my favorite foods, so I was thrilled to discover this Instant Pot version from Healthy Slow Cooking. It has a killer sauce, lots of veggies, and the best part is that you can make it with soy curls or chickpeas (both of which sound delicious!).
Corn Chowder
This vegan Instant Pot Corn Chowder is simple, healthy, and utterly divine. Make from frozen or fresh corn, this delicious, hearty meal is great for meal prep and makes for an easy, nourishing meal.
Tuscan White Bean Soup
How ridiculously good does this Tuscan white bean soup look?! Carrots, kale, and farro.
As Susan says, "Farro, an ancient grain similar to barley, adds texture and creaminess to this vegan version of Tuscan white bean soup with carrots and kale. Use Alubia Blanca or any small white beans, such as navy beans."
This Instant Pot Cauliflower tikka masala is one of the easiest curries with a perfect balance of spices, creaminess, and sweetness. Using an Instant Pot here is brilliant, as the spices can marinate the cauliflower until it's perfectly tender.
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That's all for today! Have you made any of these great recipes? Any others you would recommend? Let me know in the comments!
The post The 23 Best Vegan Instant Pot Recipes on the Internet first appeared on One Ingredient Chef.translate | 10 Oct 2020 | 2:40 pm