I have been working on perfecting an oil free vegan version of drunken noodles (called Pad Kee Mao) to put into our regular meal “rotation”. I am a sucker for noodle soups and noodle based dishes, and drunken noodles ticks the boxes for being flavorful, filling, and versatile (in that I can use whatever type […]
Vegan Mushroom Oyster Sauce recipe (Oil Free, Low Fat)
Oyster Sauce is a common ingredient in many Asian dishes, but I have never seen a vegan version of the sauce available at the store (there does seem to be some available online, but contains additives and very expensive!) It’s very easy to make a healthy version at home with whole ingredients that you can […]
Vegan ramen with mushrooms and tofu recipe – with a spicy option (Oil free, Vegan)
I have made all kinds of spicy noodle soups, including several rough takes on ramen. But I have never made anything that resembled what I have ordered in a restaurant, until now. This vegan ramen recipe is easy to make, and is incredibly easy to adjust to what you have on hand. I’ll usually make […]
Deluxe Sunomono Salad recipe (Vegan, oil free, low fat)
One of my favorite things to order at a Japanese restaurant, or in general, is Sunomono salad. Sunomono salad simply refers to food in vinegar, so it can be just about anything. In Canada it typically has noodles in the broth, but when we lived in California it was never served with noodles and often […]
Spicy Thai Peanut Noodle Soup (Low Fat, No Oil, Vegan)
Most Thai Peanut Noodle soup recipes contain coconut milk and peanut butter. Because I follow a low-fat (and oil free) way of eating, I did not want to use coconut milk. Not only does a high-fat soup cause my gastrointestinal upset after adopting a low-fat diet, that saturated fat adds up quickly even in a […]
Hearty potato and vegetable noodle soup (Low Fat, Oil Free, Vegan)
This soup recipe emerged from the typical scenario: what did I have in the pantry and fridge to make something with. I added flavors until it was bold enough. I added “stuff” until it was hearty enough. Yes, a bowl of this soup is definitely a meal, no question. And it has enough flavor to […]
Spicy Cranberry Mushroom Bok Choy Stir Fry (Low Fat, Vegan, Oil Free)
This recipe is a great one for your leftover cranberries that might be in the fridge or freezer after the holidays (it also makes a fantastic holiday side dish if it’s the season!). I purchased way too many bags of cranberries, and have been left with more than I care to admit on hand. So […]
Is consuming fermented soy (like tempeh or miso) harmful or beneficial? What about soy?
Eating a 100% plant-based diet, I have certainly consumed my share of tempeh and enjoy benefits of consuming this fermented food. Fermented soy products have some health benefits, and in fact are some of the “safer” soy products as long as you stick with non-GMO and stick fermented or perhaps sprouted products. Miso and natto […]
Cucumber and noodle sunomono salad recipe (Low Fat, Vegan) – Updated recipe!
This magnificent side-dish (or meal-sized if you believe in yourself) is cold, refreshing, and of course entirely plant-based. A sunomono salad roughly translates to Japanese Vinegar Salad (or, “vinegared” food)- it’s kind of like sweetened vinegar soup, in a way, since the food is often in a small to large amount of “broth”. It’s delicious. […]
Quick and simple spicy vegetable udon soup (Vegan, No oil)
A quick lunch is often required if you’re working, whether it’s at home or in the office. This lunch of a simple vegetable udon soup fits the bill: it was prepared out of what happened to be in the fridge at the time: random vegetables (asian greens, mushrooms, and onions), vegetable broth that is always […]
How to eat out when following a low fat plant based diet (Mary McDougall)
It’s usually quite difficult to eat out when following a plant-based diet. But what about when you are following a whole foods plant based diet, without oil. Maybe no salt. What about when you decide to eat low fat too? It might seem impossible at this point, but it isn’t necessarily. It certainly isn’t easy […]
Thai Green Curry with Potato, Kale, and Peas (Low Fat, Vegan, Oil Free)
This recipe, again, came from what I happened to have in the fridge and pantry. The tomatoes needed to be used up (they were starting to wrinkle), and the fingerling potato bag was beckoning to me. I love fingerling potatoes. So I had a tin of Thai Green Curry paste and thought it would go […]
Mango Ginger Dipping Sauce – Vegan and dairy free dip
This mango ginger dipping sauce is the perfect complement to your plant based spring rolls made with fresh vegetables and rice paper wraps. The mango offers a bright and refreshing tang, while the ginger gives it a slight hit of spice. And of course you can heat it up even further by swirling a bit […]
Baked sesame ginger lotus root: Healthy side dish
I recently found some poached lotus root at our local Japanese grocery store. I love lotus root, having ordered it (pickled) in salads for years – a very common preparation at Vietnamese restaurants. I will certainly have a vegan version of that salad on this website in the near future. However, I wanted to use […]