Dinner Archives - Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make

Vegan cold and creamy pasta

Natural Goodness — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 16:56:01 +0000

Sometimes we want pasta that feels ‘fresh’ or cold and creamy and with no tomato flavour. If you are one of those people, then this pasta is for you!

This versatile sauce can be used with any pasta, but my personal favorite is rigatoni. I love this sauce with vegan meats or salads as well.

Now, onto the recipe:

Get your ingredients:

Boil a full kettle and put the pasta to boil in a pot for the amount required (read your label, often 10-15 minutes). Don’t use the full kettle if you are planning to soften the cashews with boiling water. Put the cashews in a plate, and use the remaining boiling water and cover the cashews with it for 10 minutes (if your blender is very strong, this is not needed)

While the cashews are being soaked, heat a small sized pan with a 1-2 tbsp of olive oil or any oil of your preference for a minute or so at medium high.

I recommend using frozen everything lol… if you do, it makes it easier to ‘chop’ things. In this case, crush with your hands, but carefully, the coriander, and the chives, or chop them while the onion is cooking.

Add the coriander and chives and stir them constantly, then reduce the strength to medium-low, just enough so they don’t burn while you blend the other ingredients. Turn off in about 4 minutes

Put the tofu, the cashews, a small piece of chili, 1 teaspoon of veggie stock powder and about 300ml of water in your blender and blend at full strength until smooth

Add the pasta to a deep plate, then the tofu sauce, squeeze more lemon, add the solid onion/coriander/etc from the pan and mix, then and add the nutritional yeast

Optional, add some sliced tomatoes to the sauce

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/2M4EZcCUupU

Vegan cold and creamy pasta

Delicious tofu and cashew pasta

Course Main Course

Keyword Pasta, tofu

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 12

Total Time 17

Servings 2 people

Equipment

1 High speed blender I have a Ninja

Ingredients

1 teaspoon veggie stock powder
100 g diced onion I use frozen onion
30 g diced garlic I also use and prefer frozen
200 g extra firm tofu
60 g cashews
20 g coriander
20 g chives
20 ml olive oil
20 g nutritional yeast
200 g preferred pasta Rigatoni works better for this recipe
1 medium lemon
1 medium tomato
300 ml water

Instructions

Boil a full kettle and put the pasta to boil in a pot for the amount required (read your label, often 10-15 minutes). Don't use the full kettle if you are planning to soften the cashews with boiling water
Put the cashews in a plate, and use the remaining boiling water and cover the cashews with it for 10 minutes (if your blender is very strong, this is not needed)
While the cashews are being soaked, heat a small sized pan with a 1-2 tbsp of olive oil or any oil of your preference for a minute or so at medium high.
I recommend using frozen everything lol… if you do, it makes it easier to 'chop' things. In this case, crush with your hands, but carefully, the coriander, and the chives, or chop them while the onion is cooking
Add the coriander and chives and stir them constantly, then reduce the strength to medium-low, just enough so they don't burn while you blend the other ingredients. Turn off in about 4 minutes
Put the tofu, the cashews, a small piece of chili, 1 teaspoon of veggie stock powder and about 300ml of water in your blender and blend at full strength until smooth
Add the pasta to a deep plate, then the tofu sauce, squeeze more lemon, add the solid onion/coriander/etc from the pan and mix, then and add the nutritional yeast
Optional, add some sliced tomatoes to the sauce
Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/2M4EZcCUupU

Notes

The sauce can be stored for about 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge
“Reheating” can be done but it will reduce the quality of the sauce and the pasta itself, you could make just enough pasta for your current needs, store the remaining sauce and use it later with fresh pasta
This sauce is great with many salads and other dishes

The post Vegan cold and creamy pasta appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Vegan frittata

Natural Goodness — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 15:38:30 +0000

Jump to Recipe

Are you looking for a vibrant light yellow, turmeric free and delicious vegan frittata? this is your lucky day! I’ll show you how to make a delicious vegan frittata with a great consistency and taste!

Frittatas are a very common Italian dish made with eggs, vegetables and some meat. For this recipe we are using tofu with veggie stock powder and other spices to give it an “egg like” taste and a great combination of vegetables to make a delicious recipe!

If you are looking for something that “tastes like the real frittata” this is not a recipe for you :). I think this recipe tastes great and my Mexican family aproves lol so, if you want to try something new, keep reading!

For the vegetables, I’ve put specific measures that I use, but you can really add anything that you want. The key is not to leave your pan with at least 25 % of space for the tofu. Consider I am using a 26cm pan!

Some vegetables to consider are:

Cherry tomatoes
Spinach
Mushrooms
Peppers (red and orange give more taste)
Roasted carrots
Peas
Broccoli
Kale

Serving sides

Suggestions to serve this frittata:

Avocado slices
Sprinkling some chopped basil on top
Adding tabasco sauce
Your favorite bread (a toast is great!
Vegan butter

Storing the vegan frittata

You can keep it on the fridge for about 5 days
If you freeze, you can leave it for about 3 months. It won’t come out the same though! so consider doing this only if you really need it
It actually tastes better after a day, because the vegetables infuse the tofu. Remember that Tofu is quite bland, so it absorbs flavors
Eggless frittata

Vegan frittata without tofu?

Yes! you can follow Vegan Richa’s recipe for a frittata with chickpeas

Amazing tofu recipes

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

Easy, vegan and delicious!

A no egg, no turmeric frittata

Healthy and low calorie, low fat!

If you try this recipe, let us know! leave a comment, rate the recipe or tag a photo on our Instagram or Facebook with the tag #naturalGoodness! Get creative and make it unique, I love to see what you get up to when trying our recipes

Vegan frittata

Easy and delicious recipe for a vegan fritatta

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine italian-inspired

Keyword frittata, Vegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings 2 people

Calories 250kcal

Cost 10

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

400 g Firm tofu I like cauldron
1.5 teaspoon Veggie stock powder
2 tablespoon Yeast flakes
1/2 Red pepper
1/2 Orange pepper
1/2 Green pepper
1/2 Chopped onion
2 Minced garlic
300 g Muchrooms
1 tbsp Olive oil I like using extra virgin
1 teaspoon Chipotle flakes Optional
100 ml Water

Instructions

Chop all the veggies however you prefer. I chop them in smal squares so they are easy to eat
Preheat the oven at 140 degrees celsius or 284 fahrenheit
Add the olive oil to the pan, and then the veggies, let them sautee for about 10 minutes at medium fire
Meanwhile, blend the firm tofu, water, the veggie stock powder and the yeast flakes. Add the chipotle flakes if you want to make it a little spicy! You may need a bit more of water, or a bit less, you basically have to add water little by little to allow the tofu to become liquid!
It has to blend completely and look like a dense liquid. It will look mostly white, but once cooked it will have a light yellow color
You will need to cook this in the oven, so, if your pan cannot be put into the oven, you will have to move your veggies from the pan into a recipient that can be put in the oven
Pour the dense liquid into the pan (or the recipient you are using in the oven). Make sure you mix everything well, otherwise the veggies at the bottom will be a bit problematic!
Once everything is mixed, put it in the oven and let it be for about 40 minutes. But keep a close eye after 20 minutes! some ovens are way stronger and might burn the frittata
Let it cool down for 5 minutes so it get more solid and use a wooden spoon to cut it
Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/mUXRg3U5_Js

Notes

Use firm tofu! extra firm or silken tofu might not work as good or too liquid for this recipe
You can try to add just a teaspoon of psyllium husk to make it a bit more solid, but this is rarely neccesary
Make sure you add just enough water for the tofu to be blended. If you add too much, you will end with a “liquid” frittata

The post Vegan frittata appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Pambazo

Natural Goodness — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 02:10:51 +0000

If you came to Mexico and didn’t tried pambazos, oh dear! you will know now what you missed! or if you are looking for a recipe for this dish, this is your lucky day. Pambazos are easy to make and yet they are absolutely delicious!

They might not be the most handsome food to take glamorous pics, but trust me, they are delicious!

What are pambazos?

Pambazos are a very common street food in Mexico, it is an antojito. This is particularly true in Mexico city, but, actually, they are originally from Xalapa, Veracruz.

Let’s make pambazos!

Ingredients

2 Teleras Kaiser rolls if you are not in Mexico
2 cups diced potatoes
7 oz (200 g) Vegan/vegetarian chorizo I like Sabori from Parma brand or make your own
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 tbsp Tofu sour cream
1/4 cup Crumbled cheese
5/4 cup Guajillo sauce Make it or buy it
Pam Or just use canola oil or some sprayed oil

Start by dicing the potatoes into small cubes, spraying with oil a pan, and adding the diced potatoes into the pan:

The potatoes will need about 25 minutes to cook completely, do the following steps meanwhile

In another pan, place the guajillo sauce at a medium heat

Open the kaiser rolls

Bath them in the sauce and remove them from the pan with a wooden spatula. You can add a lid for a minute or so if you want to soften them

After 20 minutes from having the potatoes cooking, keep stirring them until they are ready

Mix the remainder of the sauce with the chorizo and the potatoes

Chop the lettuce

Add the chorizo with the potatoes and the lettuce to the telera or kaiser roll. Then also add your favorite cream and crumbled cheese!

Enjoy!

Recommendations

You can buy the sauce or you can make it. To make the sauce:

Soften for 10 minutes 3 – 4 guajillo chilies in 2 cups of boiling water

Blend the chilies with 1/2 a can of tomato sauce without any added flavor and a pinch of salt. Feel free to add a garlic clove, and a pinch of oregano. Voilá!

You need to eat the pambazo immediately because they don’t taste well cold!

I like the vegan chorizo from Parma. Not sure why they label it as vegetarian, I can’t see any vegetarian ingredient! if you find why, let me know! Another great and completely vegan option you can order from Amazon is cacique soy chorizo.

My favorite

If you want more antojitos, how about trying our recipes for tamal de elote dulce? or sopes?

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

Mexican
Can easily be vegetarian/vegan and still be delicious!
Easy to make and very filling!
Healthy (ish) if you use tofu sour cream and limit your intake to one

Pambazo

Traditional recipe for a Mexican pambazo

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Pambazo, vegetarian pambazo

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 45

Servings 2 people

Calories 470kcal

Cost 6

Ingredients

2 Teleras Kaiser rolls if you are not in Mexico
2 cups Diced potatoes
7 oz Vegan/vegetarian chorizo I like Sabori from Parma brand, or make your own. 7 oz is 200g.
1 cup Shredded lettuce
2 tbsp Tofu sour cream
1/4 cup Crumbled cheese
5/4 cup Guajillo sauce Make it or buy it
Pam Or just use canola oil

Instructions

Dice the potatoes and add them to a non-stick pan at high-heat with sprayed oil or the oil. You'll need to move them constantly with a wooden spatula
The potatoes will need about 25 minutes to cook completely, do the following steps meanwhile
In another pan, place the guajillo sauce at a medium heat
Open the kaiser rolls
Bath them in the sauce and remove them from the pan with a wooden spatula. You can add a lid for a minute or so if you want to soften them
After 20 minutes from having the potatoes cooking, keep stirring them until they are ready
Mix the remainder of the sauce with the chorizo and the potatoes
Chop the lettuce
Add the chorizo with the potatoes and the lettuce to the telera or kaiser roll. Then also add your favorite cream and crumbled cheese!
Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/_2LVW9bjpHM

Notes

Tofu sour cream works best in my opinion, but you can also try it with cashew cream
Guajillo chilies are not very spicy, but if you are not used to the heat, it might feel too spicy!

The post Pambazo appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Vegan picadillo

Natural Goodness — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 22:22:18 +0000

Do you miss picadillo as a Mexican? miss no more! this easy and healthy Mexican vegan picadillo is super easy to make and it is delicious! Mexican approved (myself and my family!)

Disclaimer: This post has affiliate links that help me to earn a small commission at no cost to you.

How do I pick the best soy mince?

My favorite brand, if you are visiting from the US, is Now Foods Textured Soy Protein Granules. Just make sure the chunks are “small” do not buy big texturized soy for this recipe, it will not feel the same. I prefer organic brands as well, but it is up to you to decide

Making vegan picadillo

OK, so let’s get this started!, get your ingredients

7 oz Textured soy
2 medium-sized Potatoes
4 tbsp Tomato puree
7 oz Mix of carrot, peas
1 medium-sized Garlic clove
1 medium-sized Onion We like purple ones!
1/2 teaspoon Crushed oregano Optional
2 tbsp Olive oil Optional
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon Veggie stock Called bouillon as well

Put the pan at medium fire and add the oil in case that you are using it, add 6 tbsp of water if you are not.

Chop the onion and add it to the pan. Let it caramelize for about 3-5 minutes

Meanwhile, mince the garlic and add it to the pan

Dice the potatoes and add them to the pan

Add the peas and carrot mix

In a separate bowl, mix the boiling water with the veggie stock

Once it is integrated, add the tomato paste and also mix it

Add the texturized soy and the the mix of tomato paste, veggie stock and water to the pan

Let it cook for about 20 minutes until the texturized soy is soft and the potatoes are cooked. Cover with a lid to speed up the process.

Enjoy!

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

Very filling!
Ideal for tacos and tostadas
Mexican inspired
A great meat-free picadillo

Are you into Mexican recipes? how about trying these entomatadas!

Vegan picadillo

Vegan version of the traditional Mexican picadillo!

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Natural Goodness recipes, Picadillo, Vegan picadillo

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings 4 people

Calories 490kcal

Ingredients

7 oz Textured soy Check recommendations
2 medium-sized Potatoes
4 tbsp Tomato puree
7 oz Mix of carrot, peas
1 medium-sized Garlic clove
1 medium-sized Onion We like purple ones!
1/2 teaspoon Crushed oregano Optional
2 tbsp Olive oil Optional
1 cup Boiling water
1 teaspoon Veggie stock Called bouillon as well

Instructions

Put the pan at medium fire and add the oil in case that you are using it, add 6 tbsp of water if you are not
Chop the onion and add it to the pan. Let it caramelize for about 3-5 minutes
Meanwhile, mince the garlic and add it to the pan
Dice the potatoes and add them to the pan
Add the peas and carrot mix
In a separate bowl, mix the boiling water with the veggie stock
Once it is integrated, add the tomato paste and also mix it
Add the texturized soy and the the mix of tomato paste, veggie stock and water to the pan
Let it cook for about 20 minutes until the texturized soy is soft and the potatoes are cooked
Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/pD7ZaFcUANg

The post Vegan picadillo appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Gordita

Natural Goodness — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 20:16:10 +0000

Gordita is a traditional “antojito” recipe in Mexico. They are super easy to make and you can fill them with various savoury food! join me to make this easy recipe!

What is a “gordita”?

Gordita is a Mexican antojito made from masa harina. You make a masa similar to tortilla masa, but then you chame a circular and thick “tortilla” but a bit smaller. Then you cook it, open it and fill it with savoury food, such as refried beans.

There are many variations around Mexico, I am suggesting to make a “healthy version” by avoiding the need to fry them, but feel free to fry your gorditas! I just really think that there is something very special about gorditas without oil as well!

What is the difference between a chalupa and a gordita?

A bit more of story: gorditas are not chalupas! a lot of people ask me about this because, well, Mexico uses corn for a thousand dishes . “Chalupa” is the name of a boat and chalupas have the chape of a boat and are filled also with beans and other things, but nooo they are not gorditas.

Are gorditas and pupusas the same?

Also, gorditas are not pupusas! pupusas is a dish found in El Salvador and Honduras (let’s not start a religious discussion about who made it first, please!), and the filling is stuffed within the pupusa, instead of introduced later like with gorditas. Also, gorditas are not arepas! arepas are commonly found in Venezuela and Colombia, and I think the filling is put before cooking the arepa.

What is the difference between sopes and gorditas?

Sopes tend to be similar but they are not filled, they have the edges shaped similar to “pizzas” because they usually put stuff on top of the sope, like beans, cream, lettuce, etc. Here’s a picture showing Mexican sopes:

Yes, all of these dishes are similar because Latin America has found a 1000 ways of use cornflour! but every country makes the dishes fit in their traditional food and culture :).

What I love about food, is that it brings people together in a way that very few things in life do! so, let’s make gorditas, shall we?

Making gorditas

Get your ingredients:

1/2 cup Masa harina. Maseca is best, but I actually used Pan which is also really good!
3/4 cup Warm water You may need more, check pictures to get the right consistency
1 teaspoon Veggie stock powder Optional
3 tbsp Canola oil

Combine the water with the veggie stock, then add the masa harina

Add more water or masa harina if needed, this is how the consistency should look like

Pre-heat a pan at medium-high and add the oil if you are using it!

Shape the gorditas with your hands. You don’t really need a tortillera!

Put the gorditas in a non-stick pan, you probably can fit around 4 hand-sized ones. Using a lid will help so they cook quicker

Let them cook for about 10 minutes. Check them so they don’t burn! and then flip them and leave them to cook for another 10 minutes.

Use a knife and cut them from the center

Add your favorite filling! check the recommendations in the recipe. I love them with refried beans and tofu scramble!

Enjoy!

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

Very easy and healthy (if you don’t fry them!)
One of the most traditional Mexican recipes!
Super customizable, just add your preferred filling!

Gordita

Out version of the traditional Mexican recipe: gordita!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword gordita, mexicanvegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings 2

Calories 200kcal

Cost 3

Equipment

Non-stick pan

Ingredients

1/2 cup Masa harina Maseca is best, but check recommendations
3/4 cup Warm water You may need more, check pictures to get the right consistency
1 teaspoon Veggie stock powder Optional
3 tbsp Canola oil

Instructions

Get your ingredients
Combine the water with the veggie stock, then add the masa harina
Add more water or masa harina if needed, this is how the consistency should look like
Pre-heat a pan at medium-high and add the oil if you are using it!
Shape the gorditas with your hands. You don't really need a tortillera!
Put the gorditas in a non-stick pan, you probably can fit around 4 hand sized ones. Using a lid will help so they cook quicker.
Let them cook for about 10 minutes. Check them so they don't burn! and then flip them and leave them to cook for another 10 minutes.
Use a knife and cut them from the center
Add your favorite filling! check the recommendations in the notes. I love them with refried beans and tofu scramble!
Enjoy!

Notes

Gorditas are normally fried, but, friends, they honestly taste amazing even without the oil! give them a try!
You really need a non-stick pan if you are not using oil!
The veggie stock powder will give them a bit more flavor, but honestly, it is not necessary, there is something magical about fresh-made gorditas anyway!
Fillings:
- Refried beans
- Tofu scramble
- Vegan chorizo
Toppings:
- Sunflower sour cream or tofu sour cream
- Mexican salsa roja or salsa verde

The post Gordita appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Tortas de papa

Natural Goodness — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 18:50:09 +0000

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

Tortas de papa is a traditional Mexican recipe that some think it is difficult, but, actually they are super simple to make! I made a vegan version of this recipe, because I particularly don’t like egg in potato patties and also because it was yet another experiment with psyllium husk!

Are you into Mexican recipes? look at our tamal de elote recipe or our sopes!

What are “tortas de papa”?

Tortas de papa (potato patties) is a very traditional Mexican street food. You will find them everywhere! they are so simple, yet so delicious and easy to make!

Traditionally, they’ll be made with eggs and a lot of times with some cheese. I wanted to make a vegan version, and I think they are very amazing! if you miss the cheese, and you are vegan, I suggest you add some vegan mozzarella to the recipe!

Let’s make potato patties! (tortas de papa)

So first get your 7 ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes
2 tbsp vegan butter (we love Vitalite!)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour (I actually use spelt flour, feel free to do so)
1 teaspoon psyllium husks
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil or corn oil, or just butter, to coat the patties when roasting them or frying them

Put the potatoes to boil at medium fire. Leave them for about 30 minutes, but be mindful! check them at 20 minutes, if you can easily introduce a knife, they are ready. You don’t want to overcook the potatoes, they’ll make the patty a bit less solid (which is definitely not cool!)

Let the potatoes cool down or drain them and run cold water. This will make it easy to manage them. Once they are “cold enough”, peel them and mash them in a bowl.

Start by mashing potatoes, salt, pepper, and butter

Then add the psyllium husk, flour and integrate well

Form the patties and put them in an oven tray. You can also fry them in a pan at medium fire, just make sure the pan is very anti-adherent!

Add some oil to the patties using a rubber spatula

Put them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celcious or 392 Fahrenheit. And yes, I don’t flip them! if you coat all the patty well, you shouldn’t need to flip them. Note that if you use a pan, you do need to flip them!

Enjoy!

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

A very traditional Mexican recipe
A vegan version of “tortas de papa” (vegan potato patties)
Easy to make and very delicious, you can also customise it!

Tortas de papa

A vegan version of this traditional Mexican recipe for tortas de papa!

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Mexican Vegan, Potato patties, tortas de papa

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings 2 people

Calories 350kcal

Cost 4

Ingredients

4 Medium-sized potatoes
2 tbsp Vegan butter
2 tbsp All purpose flour You can use spelt flour as well
1 teaspoon Psyllium husks To hold them together
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black pepper
1 tbsp Olive oil To coat the patties or just use more butter!

Instructions

Put the potatoes to boil for about 30 minutes at medium heat. When you can introduce a knife "easily" you know they are done. Don't overcook it! it will make the patties a bit sluggish
Leave the potatoes to cool down, or if you are very hungry like me, just run some cold water over them and remove the skin! You can fry it separately if you don't want to throw it away)
Put the potatoes in a big bowl and mash them
Integrate first the butter, pepper, and salt
Continue with the psyllium husk and flour
Form the patties and put them in an oven baking tray
Coat them with oil or butter
Put them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celcious or 392 Fahrenheit
Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/xb0zjZwQN9g

Notes

These are as delicious as the normal potato patties that use egg! I would say that I like them even more as I don’t like the flavor of egg mixed in a pattie
You can add your own toppings, I normally love to mix them with some coriander, chopped tomato or cucumber, etc
Calories depend on the size of the potatoes and the specific flour/butter/oil you use!

The post Tortas de papa appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Sopes

Natural Goodness — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 15:27:08 +0000

It turns out that sopes are one of the most traditional Mexican recipes! you find them everywhere in Mexico. So, if you are a Mexican living abroad, or a tourist that tried them, this is definitely one of those foods you will want to have again! and guess what? they are super simple to make, only 3 ingredients and about 15 minutes to make this delicious sopes!

What are them, anyway?

Sopes are made from the same “dough” that corn tortillas are made (masa harina). They are just a thicker version that is usually also smaller and that has some “cup” like form. They basically have a border so they can hold other food on them. Btw… How do you pronounce sope?… so – pe. The first part so it is like when you say “so, what are we having for dinner” the pe part you pronounce like when you say “perhaps”.

They are part of a bigger category we call antojitos Mexicanos they are also known as picaditas in Tierra Caliente, Guerrero. In Mexico City (my hometown) they are in most places circular and relatively small, but in other restaurants they are long and they are even made of blue corn masa harina!

The amount of calories in sopes is about 120 kcal for this recipe (small sopes). Bigger sopes have way more calories, my friends. It depends a lot on the toppings, this is just for the corn base with the oil.

Sopes toppings

Refried black beans or just some mashed beans will work if you can’t find refried in your store. Note that the most traditional way to use them is to put them at the bottom of the sope and then add the other toppings
Onion, avocado, tomato in cubes
Lettuce and sour cream. I love sunflower sour cream on this, but you can use tofu sour cream if you want a lighter version
In some places, they use diced cooked potatoes
Some spiciness! I love adding either salsa roja, or salsa verde. You can also add pickled jalapeños or carrots!

Sopes recommendations

They keep well in the fridge for about a week, they may dry a bit, so put them in the microwave or a pan with some drops of water to warm them up
For masa harina, I recommend to buy either Maseca or Pan, although this last one is more recommended for arepas
As always… easy with the spiciness! add a little and then more and then decide if you want more

Do I seriously have to make them?

I think they are very easy to make! but if you don’t have enough time, you may find them in certain Mexican food grocers. In the UK, you can buy them in some restaurants like Mestizo or if you are in the US you may be able to order them from MexGrocer.

But seriously, give them a try! just buy some masa harina and the toppings and you will have quick sopes

Shall we make sopes, friends?

First get your ingredients, basically:

1 cup of masa harina. I recommend Maseca if you live abroad, or Pan, but it is not quite the same!
3/4 cup of water. Or as needed! it needs to have the consistency shown in the pictures below
Pinch of salt. OK to get scientific here, a teaspoon will do. This is optional, I actually rarely put salt!
1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Toppings of your choice. Normally: refried beans, chopped onion, tomato in cubes, coriander, sunflower sour cream or tofu sour cream

Mix the masa harina, water and salt in a bowl. The consistency should be like this. While you make the sopes, add the oil to a pan and pre-heat at medium strength.

Create the sopes with your hands, or with a tortillera if you have one! I make them with my hands, it is super easy. The ingredients yield 4 sopes of the size you normally get in Mexico, basically think about dividing the masa into 4 equal parts and then give them form.

Once this has been done, you just have to rise the sides a bit to give them the proper form of a sope

Put the sopes in the pan and cover them with a lid so they are well cooked, no one wants raw sopes :P. Let them cook for about 5 minutes and then flip them for another 5 minutes

Enjoy

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

As Mexican as it gets, this is probably one of the most famous antojito Mexicano you’ll ever find!
Super customisable, add whatever topics you may like!
Easy recipe for sopes, sopecitos,

Sopes

Traditional Mexican recipe. One of the few you can find almost all across the country!

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Mexican Vegan

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Servings 4 sopes

Calories 120kcal

Cost 2

Ingredients

1 cup Masa harina Maseca is probably the best you can find abroad
3/4 cup Water
1 teaspoon Salt

Toppings (all optional, add your own!)

1 cup Refried beans
1/3 cup Cilantro
1/2 cup Sunflower seed sour cream or tofu sour cream
1/2 cup Diced tomato
1/2 cup Diced onion
1/2 cup Chopped lettuce
1/2 cup Pickled carrots/jalapeño chilies

Instructions

Get the ingredients
Mix them
Add 1-2 tbsp of oil to a pan and put it and preheat at medium heat
Form the sopes. You don't need a tortillera, but if you have one it might be helpful!
Once you have a sope, you can make them like "cups" by raising the sides a little bit
Add them to the pan and leave them to cook for about 10 minutes. Cover them with a lid. Flip at 5 minutes in and cover them again
Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/jXiDKwCdA6I

Notes

Calories area approximate per sope and it only considers the sope, not the toppings!
This goes amazing with sunflower sour cream or if you prefer a seed free version, try tofu sour cream
Add refried beans, onion, avocado, tomatoes!
Serve them hot, they are not good cold!
They keep in the fridge for about a week, but they dry up. Add some drops of water and heat them in a pan or the microwave it this happens
They keep for months in the freezer, but the texture once unfrozen might be a bit different

The post Sopes appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Tamal de elote dulce

Natural Goodness — Sat, 20 Jun 2020 11:35:16 +0000

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Tamales, oh tamales! Keep reading for the easiest and delicious 5 ingredient tamal de elote dulce recipe that you’ll ever find!

Into Mexican desserts? make sure you try Chamoy! Into desserts in general? check all our desserts here!

This post has some affiliate links from where I can earn a small comission at no cost for your. This helps me to keep creating great content for you!

Tamales are one of the most traditional Mexican dishes. You find them everywhere, and there are a lot of variations! One of my favorite are tamal de elote dulce. It is a dessert like tamal, used for breakfast, dinner, or simply as a snack. If someone is angry at you, make them some tamales and they’ll get happier (or at least, that’s what my grandma used to say :P).

A lot of people think that they are difficult to make, and that they can take a lot of time. This is because the most traditional way to make them involves using corn husks and a big “tamalera” which is a huge steamer. But you know how we love to break the rules and make things easier! so, by making a small batch (who needs 50 tamales anyway?) you can get this done in about 40 minutes! Follow us to know how to make tamal de elote dulce!

Let’s make tamal de lote dulce!

Get your ingredients:

5 cups of sweetcorn kernels (about 6 sweetcorn ears)
1 1/4 cup of cornflour. If you are in the US, this is my favorite. Just make sure you buy one that is actually corn flour and not “masa harina” or white corn flour. It has to be yellow corn flour!

1 cup of vegan butter (Vitalite is my favorite, feel free to use any butter that works for you)
1 cup of agave syrup or any other sweetener. To be fair, sweet corn is very sweet, so, perhaps start with 1/2 cup and add more if you need it. This one is my favorite from Amazon.

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (Optional)

First. start by removing the end of the corn and the husks to facilitate removing the kernels

Keep the husks if you want to use them to steam the tamales. Put them in hot water to make them more manageable.

Put the corn straight and cut it with a sharp knife on a cutting board. Or even better, use a large bowl and remove the kernels inside the bowl. Trust us, people living with you will thank you for this. If they get angry about any mess… just give them some tamales, it is proven to make people happier!

Blend the corn kernels in a blender or a food processor. Here you should not blend them for like ages! maybe 30-40 seconds at medium speed, we do want to feel the kernels when we eat the tamal! a food processor would work better than a blender, but as you can see, I used my Nutri Ninja, without any issues!

Melt the butter and integrate the corn flour, vegan butter, agave syrup, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl

Cornflour butter cinnamon

Now add the blended sweetcorn kernels. I find it easier to do it in a pot at a low fire, but it is up to you, integrating everything in a big bowl also works!

Tamal de elote dulce dough

Add the tamal dough to the husks or use aluminum foil or parchment paper to create rectangular tamales. I use about 8 tablespoons per tamal, if you want to use the corn husks to make them look like the tamales you would eat in Mexico, go ahead! I personally find that a bit more difficult, and I know that in some places it is not easy to find the corn with the husks! so I tried wrapping them in parchment paper and aluminum foil and it worked just fine!

Put them in a steamer. Note that you do not need a fancy tamalera for this a normal steamer will work!

Make sure you cover the steamer and let them cook for about 25 minutes. Check them at 15 minutes! we don’t want overcooked tamales. I know some recipes call for more than 1 hour. But this heavily depends on your steamer, and the strength of your stove. You know they are ready when the dough is solidified and it does not stick to the husk or the parchment paper, so check them periodically!

Unfold, fall in love, and prepare to eat!

Enjoy!

Also, hello rectangular tamal de elote dulce:

Tamales FAQ

Can I use parchment paper to make tamales? Yes, and also aluminum foil
How much dough do I put? As much as you want! OK no… I put about 8 tablespoons for each tamal, that’s a “small tamal” but I like them small so I can eat like 10
What’s the best vegan butter? I love Vitalite I hope they have it where you live!
How to reheat tamales? You can put some drops of water on top of it and put it in the microwave for about 40 seconds, or in a pan at a medium fire
Can you freeze tamales? Yes, but they will not be the same. They should last months in the freezer!
How long will they keep in the fridge? About a week! but after 2-3 days, they’ll become drier, just add some drops of water and put them in the microwave if this happens

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

Just like the original recipe of tamal de lote dulce! but vegan!
Simply delicious for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as a dessert!
One of the most traditional Mexican recipes!

Tamal de elote dulce

The easiest way to make Mexican tamales!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Tamales, Vegan tamales

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Servings 20 people

Calories 250kcal

Cost 15

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

4 cups Sweetcorn kernels Approx 5 ears of seetcorn
1 1/4 cup Corn flour
1 cup Vegan butter
1 cup Agave syrup Or another sweetener of your choice
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon Optional

Instructions

Cut the end of the corn and remove the husks
If your corn had husks and you want to use them to make the tamales, put them in a big bowl of hot water. This will make them much more manageable when adding the tamal dough!
Using a knife, remove the kernels by putting the corn standed up in a large cutting board, or preferably inside a big bowl to keep the kernels from going all over the kitchen. Trust us, people living with you will tahnk you for not making a huge mess! (although offering them tamales can alleviate any issues if they get angry at the mess)
Blend the sweetcorn kernels for about a minute. If you have a food processor, it will also work. The trick is not to blend them too much! we want to feel the corn kernels when we eat the tamal!
Meanwhile, integrate the cornflour, butter, agave syrup baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl
Integrate the sweetcorn kernels with the dough. You can do it in a pot at a low fire to facilitate the process
You can use corn husks to wrap the tamales and prepare them for boiling. If you don't have them, feel free to use parchment paper or aluminum foil. Whatever method you use, the key point is to wrap them very well so the dough don't get moist from the steamer! Add about 8 tablespoons to make each tamal
Put the tamales in a steamer. Yes! you don't need a fancy tamalera for this!
Make sure you cover the steamer!
Let them cook for 25 minutes. Check them at 15, just to make sure they don't overcook!
Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/xXFWK2SzCO4

Notes

Only 5 ingredients are the base! if you don’t live in Mexico, this recipe will suit you very well, because it does not require a tamalera and I even tested if you can make them without wrapping them in corn husks!
Yep… they are calorie-heavy! It also depends a lot on the size of the tamales that you make. I am putting a very rough estimate of calories due to this
This is my favorite vegan butter, it tastes sooo good! I hope you can find this or a good one near you

The post Tamal de elote dulce appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Vegan banana oat pancakes

Natural Goodness — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 20:48:55 +0000

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Vegan pancakes are tricky because you don’t have eggs… says someone who has not tried these pancakes! and talk about convenience, only 3 ingredients as a base, and 2 optional.

Vegan banana oats pancakes

Let’s face it, we all love pancakes! I get the craving very often, but I’ll be honest, I do not enjoy using normal flour, I feel it is sooo unhealthy! so, I decided to find the right proportions to make pancakes using oats, bananas and milk. Voilá! those are the base ingredients!

Let’s make vegan pancakes!

You’ll need: oats, ripe spotty bananas, plant based milk and psyllium husk if you want them fluffier!

First, blend the oats until they become “flour”

blending oats

Then, add the bananas and the milk, (optionally, the psyllium husk for more fluffiness) and blend until they integrate very well. At this point, pre-heat a pan at low fire, with most of your coconut oil, if you are using it. Do not use a high fire, as it’ll burn the pancakes! Also, your pan needs to be really good non-stick if you are not using oil, otherwise, it’ll … stick

Banana oats in blender

Add the mix to the pan, distribute it to get your desired size, and cover it with a lid. Leave them to be for about 3 minutes.

lid pancakes pan

You know they are ready to be flipped when they look like this. So go ahead, put some extra oil and flip them carefully!

flipping pancakes

Once flipped, you can increase the strength of the flame and leave them for another minute or so, to finish cooking them.

Enjoooy!

naked vegan pancakes

Vegan banana oats pancakes recommendations!

I keep repeating this… but dooo use oil if you have an old pan. I have tried to skip it on my old pan and trust me, they stick and they are then very difficult to wash u_u
Dooo use a lid and low fire to start with. that’s the key to the perfect golden brown color! and to not burn them
Patience, my friends! you do need to wait for 3-5 minutes at low fire so they cook properly and turn perfect
Psyllium husk only makes them fluffier, no need to add it if you don’t have!
Feel like you need vegan protein pancakes? then, have a look at our recipe flourless protein vegan pancakes!, or simply add a scoop of Vivo life protein or your favorite protein to this recipe!

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

Easy, healthy, flourless, eggless delicious!
Only 3 ingredients as a base, talk about being a no-fuss vegan!
Customizable, add fruit, syrup, chocolate chips!
This is a 3 ingredient banana oat pancakes recipe!
If you make your own milk and skip the oil, it is a vegan WFPB pancakes recipe!

Vegan banana oats pancakes

Easy and delicious vegan pancakes!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine International

Keyword Plant based, Vegan, vegan pancakes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings 2 people

Calories 425kcal

Cost 4

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

2 Large ripe banana
1 cup Oats
1 cup Soy milk Any plant based milk will do! Make your own for WFPB!
1 tbsp Coconut oil Or any other oil of your choice. Optional, skip for WFPB!
1 teaspoon Psyllium husk Optional, to make fluffier pancakes

Instructions

Preheat a non-stick pan at medium-low fire and add most of the oil. If you are not using oil it definitely has to be a very good non-stick pan! otherwise, trust me it will stick!
Put the oats in the blender. Blend for about a minute at medium until they become very fine, like a flour.
Add the banana in small pieces the milk and the psyllium husk if you are using it. Blend for about 30 seconds until they are well integrated.
Add the mixture to the pan and cover the pan with a lid. This is very neccesary to allow the pancake to cook properly without burning it!
Leave it to cook for about 3 minutes. It is very important that the fire is not strong, otherwise it'll burn one side of the pancake.
You know you are ready to turn it, when the pancake looks cooked, like in the picture
Add a little bit of oil on top of the pancake, unless you are using a good non-stick pan
Turn carefully the pancake. At this point, you can increase the fire, and leave it for about a minute to finish cooking it, you need to put the lid again!
Top it with honey, fruits, or anything that you fancy and enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/X4zMhswdYHg

Notes

Calories come from this site
If you do not use oil, this is a very healthy vegan banana oats pancakes!

The post Vegan banana oat pancakes appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.

Easy vegan pesto

Natural Goodness — Thu, 14 May 2020 21:34:25 +0000

This easy vegan pesto is nut-free, dairy-free, cruelty-free, cheap, and delicious! I really enjoyed the taste, I think it really goes great with pasta!

I remember trying pesto in Italy and it is one of those things that are sooo amazing that you really want to know how to make it!

Some friends asked me recently if it was difficult to make and when I researched, it turns out to be SO easy to make, that I decided to make a vegan version, and because I love saving money, I even decided to try it with cheap sunflower seeds. The result is really really good! let’s make some pesto my friends!

Let’s make vegan pesto

Get your ingredients

Vegan pesto ingredients

Start by blending the sunflower seeds, the oil, the water and the garlic

Ninja blender with seeds and garlic

Add everything except 1/5 of the basil if you want “to feel the bits” and blend for another minute.

Ninja blender with basil

Add the reserved basil and pulse for about a minute until you get the desired texture:

Ninja blender pulse

Enjoy!

Vegan pesto in bowl

Recommendations

Quantities are for an oily pesto (yes… let’s indulge with fat if we are going to sin, let’s do it properly, shall we?) but feel free to use less oil, or make it oil free and add more water, reduce. the oil, the seeds, or whatever. Basil has a strong flavor in my opinion, so, I would not use too much of it! I would rather add more water or lemon juice.

Nutritional yeast can cause facial blushing if you eat too much! so easy on it. It is delicious and makes everything super cheesy, but we have to be careful! especially if you are not used to eat it!

This recipe keeps well in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for months!

For substitutions: obviously, feel free to use pine nuts, cashews, almonds, or walnuts instead of sunflower seeds. I love sunflower seeds, and I think they go great with this recipe. Feel free to use some coriander as well, or to add or reduce the garlic quantities! I think I like it a bit more garlicky than normal, but feel free to experiment, and let me know your results!

Also, if you want to make a vegan pesto without nutritional yeast, you can use 1 tbsp of white miso paste to give it a bit of a cheesy, cultured flavor, characteristic of cheese.

If you want to make this WFPB compliant, skip the oil, and add the same quantity in sunflower seeds, and make your own broth. If you remove the yeast flakes, this will be a raw vegan pesto recipe!

Also, please note that for Whole30, sunflower seeds are not encouraged, so you’ll have to reduce the portion or skip it.

The original pesto is well known because you “feel the bits” of nuts. and basil, but I am a practical person so I just blend everything and enjoy it. Trust me, I made this recipe 4 times in the last 2 weeks because it is just the best vegan pesto recipe!

What goes great with pesto?

What about a vegan steak? or a dip for sweet potato rounds? perhaps some tofu with almond sauce, as well? Also great with pizza or lasagna!

And, of course, that delicious glass of wine!

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do , it’s:

Nut-free, dairy-free, on a budget, and delicious
Zesty cheesy, and garlicky!
Super easy and ready under 10 minutes!
Goes great with spaghetti or any pasta and some cheeky wine during the weekend
It is a vegan pesto without pine nuts, trust us, you won’t miss them!

Easy vegan pesto

Easy, quick, on a budget and delicious vegan pesto!

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword dairy free pesto, nut-free vegan pesto, vegan pesto

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Total Time 10

Servings 3 people

Calories 280kcal

Ingredients

200 g Basil leaves Only the leaves! remove the stems
1/2 cup Sunflower seeds
1/2 tbs Bouillon powder Known as broth or veggie stock powder. Use homemade for WFPB
3 Garlic cloves
1/4 cup Olive oil Replace with more sunflower seeds for WFPB
1/4 cup Lemon juice
3 tbsp Yeast flakes Optional, for cheesiness! substitute with 1 tbsp of miso paste if you don't like yeast flakes!
1/2 cup Water

Instructions

Get your ingredients
Start with blending the oil, water, seeds and garlic
Add everything except 1/5 of the basil if you want "to feel the bits" and blend for another minute.
Add the remaining 1/5 of the basil leaves and pulse, pulse, pulse until you get the right consistency
Enjoy!

Video

https://youtu.be/Mi3PHmsce2o

Notes

Calories are estimated using this tool
Substitute sunflower seeds with pine nuts for a more “original’ pesto recipe. I really liked it with sunflower seeds though! I have tried with pumpkin seeds and it was not as good. Probably because sunflower seeds have more fat!
This is freezer-friendly and keeps in the fridge for about a week
Easy with the pasta and pesto, it is one of those meals that leaves you very satisfied, but at the same time a little bit tired, ideal for those special ocassions or to enjoy it with some wine!

The post Easy vegan pesto appeared first on Natural goodness | Fuss free recipes everyone can make.