Baked Avocado Slices #vegan

Our family loves everything about avocados. We eat them raw on sandwiches, on toast, and plain with a bit of salt and pepper.  We eat them smashed into the tastiest guacamole, fried, and now baked.

Avocados are creamy and smooth when perfectly riped. I know that can be a tricky situation, trying to find a ripe avocado on the day you want to use it. The avocado is in control of when it is ready. I have waited and waited to use an avocado, missed a day, and then avocado went bad.  They are sensitive little guys and gals.

I have learned through trial and error that an avocado will last longer if they are stored in the refrigerator AFTER they have ripened on your counter. This works great for us. I will usually buy 12 avocados at a time, this last us about one week, as they ripen I put them in the refrigerator. We grab and go or use them in our favorite recipe.

I have fried avocado slices with great success.  That recipe is HERE.  This recipe is not plant-based. It does include eggs and parmesan cheese.  The recipe you see today does not include either of these options and taste just as good.

The baked avocado slices are:

crispy
creamy
easy
baked
delicious

The recipe is at the end of pictures. I served the baked avocado slices with rice and our favorite dipping sauce. They make a great main meal or an appetizer.

Our other favorite avocado recipes are listed and linked below:

Guacamole #glutenfree #vegan
Fried Avocado Fries 
Avocado Pesto Hummus Dip
Avocado Bowls #vegan
Avocado Cream Sauce
Avocado, Mushroom, and Tomato Salad
Creamy Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Creamy Salsa Verde

Like I said, we love avocado and are always on the hunt for new ways to use them in our recipes and diets.

This weeks essay, Sifting Through Life, talks about our happiness. I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions about your own happiness.  CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ESSAY.

Baked Avocado Slices #vegan

2 large avocados, (best if they are not over-ripe)
Panko crust, recipe below
Veganaise, enough to coat slices
Water to thin mayo
Your favorite cooking spray

Panko crust ingredients:
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt/pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1 1/2 cups of panko (depends on if you double dip the slices)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I use a wire cookie cooling rack inside my cookie sheet. This allows the heat to completely surround the avocado slices. This ensures that every part of the slice is crunchy.

2. Mix panko crust ingredients together. In a separate bowl mix mayonnaise and water. I thin it just a little. The mayonnaise will allow the panko crust to stick nicely to the avocado slices.

3.  Slice avocado with a sharp knife and scoop out the slices gently.  Place each slice in the mayonnaise and cover lightly.  Roll each avocado slice in the panko crust.

4. Place each avocado slice 1 inch apart. Lightly spray the slices with your favorite cooking spray. Bake for 18-25 minutes. I like mine a little brown, so I tend to cook mine for 25 minutes.

5. Remove the slices and serve with your favorite sauce. They are crispy right out of the oven, you can refrigerate any leftovers, but the crust will be soft...still good, but a different experience.

3 Ingredient Crepes #vegan

If anyone had told me that I would be able to make a crepe without egg and cow's milk, I would have laughed.

Oh, I am laughing now but with delight.  These crepes are easy to make and taste delicious. I serve these to our guests and then tell them they are vegan. There really is much difference in texture or taste. The only time I notice a change in flavor is when I use whole fat coconut milk. Then, of course, the coconut flavor seeps into the crepe.  I actually like this added taste to my own crepes.

The one suggestion I have is to be patient. I have found if I make the batter and let it sit for 30 minutes this allows the flour, milk, and flaxseed meal to work together. I also notice that sometimes I need more liquid, while at other times, I have had to add a bit more flour.  I always throw the first one away. I either have the pan too hot, not hot enough, the batter is too thick, or too runny.

Patience is required to make any crepe, not just this version. I bought a small egg pan to save for using it to make just crepes. It is free of scratches. I found that if my pan is scratched it affects the final crepe.  Start with a little oil (butter) in the pan and make sure the pan is hot.  The process works quickly once you add the batter.

I use a small ladle to add my batter to my hot pan, immediately swirl the batter to create a very thin pancake or crepe. I return it to the heat and watch the edges get start to curl. I use a soft spatula and flip it over once. I remove the crepes to a wire cookie rack and let cool. Once they are cool then you can stack them on top of each other and serve.  We rarely have leftovers, but when I do, I wrap them tightly and store them in the refrigerator.

3 Ingredient Crepes #vegan

1 cup flour (wheat or white) I personally use a half and half blend of wheat and white
1 cup of nondairy milk (almond, cashew, coconut, etc...)
1 flaxseed meal egg SEE BELOW

1.  Make the flaxseed meal egg first. 1 tablespoon blended with 3 tablespoons of warm water. Stir and let sit for a few minutes.

2.  Combine all three ingredients and blend well. For best results let sit for 30 minutes. If you are in a hurry, it will work, but may take a few practice crepes to get it perfect.

3. Heat pan. I use a pastry brush to oil the hot pan each time I add batter to the pan. This helps it to not stick. I do this even in my nonstick pan. The recipe does not contain any oil and it needs the added help to ensure the crepe stays in one piece.

4.  Remove from pan and let cool. Stack when ready to serve. Serve with fruit, syrup, cinnamon and sugar, coconut whipped cream, etc...

Avocado Bowl #vegan

Simply food is good food. I like making this dish because it is made with things I usually have on hand.  We always have a pot of rice, ripe avocados, and cucumbers.

The combination of the avocado with the rice and sesame seeds reminds me of an avocado sushi roll, minus the nori wrapper.  Although, I have minced up a nori sheet in the past and sprinkled it on top.

I usually drizzle soy sauce and make up a small bowl of Sriracha mayonnaise to add some spice.

Avocado Bowl #vegan

To make you will need:

-cooked rice
-one ripe avocado, sliced
-sesame seeds
-half a cucumber, cubed

Optional items are:

-soy sauce (highly recommend this)
-Sriracha Mayonnaise
-nori sheets, chopped up finely

1.  Warm rice, add ingredients.  Add sauce(s) and eat.

2.  Taste the umami!

Pickled Dandelion Greens and Stems

I recently started making pickled dandelion greens. I hated to waste the stems. I often threw them out because they are bitter when eaten raw. I didn't know what else to do with them until I thought to add them to the leaves and pickle the whole stem.

I discovered that the brine cut through the bitterness of the raw stem and created the right amount of stability to add zing to our hummus and dip experience.  In the pickling, I include whole garlic cloves and red onion slices.  I also used the fresh dill from my window herb garden.

I first read about how important dandelion greens our in our diet years ago. The hard part is now knowing what is good for you to eat, but actually convincing your family to eat it. This is the first time that we have all enjoyed our dandelions. In the past, I have sauteed them with success.  I treat them like I would any other leafy green.

There is a variety of dandelions to be purchased or grown. The variety I find in the grocery store is not the type that grows in my yard. Although we could eat them I choose not to because the previous owner used chemicals on the yard. If you choose to collect or forage for dandelions in the wild, keep in mind the location and how they have been treated. 

Pickled Dandelion Greens and Stems

1 bunch of dandelion greens, washed and sliced (see photo)
1 small red onion, sliced
Fresh dill
Raw garlic cloves
water
white vinegar
sugar
salt

1.  Chop dandelion greens and stems and red onions.  Peel the garlic and leave whole.

2.  In a container of your choice, add dill, greens, onion, and garlic.  Fill the jar 1/4 full with white vinegar.  Fill the jar within 1 inch from the top with water.

3.  Add 1/2-3/4 cup sugar (depends on how sweet you like your brine) and 1-2 tablespoons of salt.

NOTE:  This is an easy way to make brine for any jar you use. This gives you the freedom to pickle small and large batches. You can heat the brine before adding it to your ingredients. I personally don't because I like the bit of crunch they maintain when I use a cold brine.

4.  Let pickled dandelions marinate for a full day. I say this because dandelions are tough.  They need the extra time to brew.  They will last 2 weeks in the fridge. NOTE: You can test the brine a few hours into the process to see if you wish to add more sugar or salt.  I believe that there is not a perfect recipe because our taste buds are all different.