Our independence day is almost here. Celebrate freedom with great tasting vegan delicacies. Make this year’s vegan Fourth Of July stand out with diverse cuisine ranging from BBQ burgers, vegan hot dogs, cheesecake, and many more. Who says parties without animal-based barbeques should be boring? With these recipes, even the non-vegan will find it hard to resist.

Thai Quinoa Burger

If you love the Thai flavors of cilantro, lemongrass, and curry paste and you cherish the American burger, then this is for you. The Thai Quinoa Burger combines all these ingredients to give you a spicy finger licking burger rich in protein.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa rinsed
• 2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
• Two flax eggs
• Three tablespoons ground flax seed
• Five tablespoons of water

For the Patty

• One can of rinsed and drained chickpeas
• 1/2 cup of chopped snow peas
• 1 cup dry oats
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• Two tablespoons canola oil
• One tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• One tablespoon red curry paste
• One tablespoon of freshly ground ginger-garlic paste
• 1 cup finely diced red onions
• A pinch of ground black pepper and Kosher salt
• Fresh green chilies
• One tablespoon of agave nectar

To Assemble The Burger

• 6 Burger Buns
• BBQ sauce of your choice (like mayo and hoisin sauce)
• Spinach, fresh carrots, or lettuce
• Mung bean sprouts

Procedure

In a bowl, whisk the ground flax with water and set aside for 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, boil the vegetable broth with quinoa. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until the broth is completely absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Meanwhile, pulse the oats in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add in the flax egg together with the rest of the patty ingredients. Process for a while until the mixture is smooth and thick. For a small serving, measure one cup of the cooked quinoa and add it to the food processor. Refrigerate the rest of the quinoa for future use.

Coat a baking sheet with oil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, Make at least six patties out of the burger mixture. Heat a large frying pan with vegetable oil. And fry the patties on each side until they are golden brown. Place the fried patties on the baking sheet and bake them for 10 minutes.

Get your six-burger buns and assemble with your favorite BBQ sauce, veggies, and sprouts.

Vegan Hotdogs

Hot dogs are a favorite summer meal. I love grilling mine on the Vegan Fourth Of July while basking in the sunshine. These vegan hot dogs have little or no saturated fat. In addition, they don’t have cholesterol and they are lower on calories compared to the animal-based hotdogs.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 pieces of well-drained marinated artichokes
• 12 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes
• 11/2 cups of kidney beans well drained
• One garlic clove – minced
• 1/3 cup of rolled oats
• One teaspoon of smoked paprika
• Black pepper, a pinch of salt, and oil.

Procedure

Drain the artichoke hearts and the sun-dried tomatoes using kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil. Add the artichokes, the tomatoes, kidney beans, clove, oat, and paprika to a food processor. Smear a pinch of salt, pepper, and oil. Blitz the mixture until it is evenly mixed.

Spray your baking tray with oil. Mold the mixture into sausage shapes of the desired size as you line them up on the baking tray. Spray the sausages with oil and bake them for half an hour checking them occasionally to ensure they are firm and golden brown.

Vegan Raspberry Cheesecake

This chilled cheesecake looks very sophisticated yet very simple to make. It has different layers of pink and a beautiful fresh raspberry arrangement on top with a velvety cream perfect for the Vegan Fourth Of July dessert. We use agar powder to make the cake firm even in this hot summer weather.

Ingredients

• 6 Medjool dates
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup raw cashews – soak them overnight and pat them dry
• 3 cups of freshly made coconut cream
• 1/8 cup of lemon juice
• 4 cups of fresh raspberries
• One tablespoon of agar powder
• 1 cup of water

Procedure

Pulse the dates, coconut, and salt in a food processor. Ensure the mixture still maintains its rough texture. Press the mixture firmly on a cake ring to prepare the cheesecake crust. Keep aside.

Meanwhile, blend the soaked cashews and 1 cup of coconut cream, slowly adding more coconut cream until the mixture is well blended. Add the lemon juice and mix lightly without curdling the milk. Divide the coconut base among four separate bowls and keep aside.

Puree the fresh raspberries with the dates to prepare the raspberry base. Remove the raspberry seeds by straining them. You can also use cheesecloth to get rid of all raspberry seeds.

In a small saucepan, add the agar powder, water and the dates-raspberry mixture. Heat the saucepan, and then let the mixture simmer for a minute. Do this quickly before the agar sets.

Get your four bowls of coconut base. In the first bowl, add ten tablespoons of the raspberry mixture. In the second bowl, add seven tablespoons of the raspberry mixture. Five tablespoons in the third bowl, and finally two tablespoons in the fourth bowl. The raspberry mixture shall create different layers of pink in your cake. The first bowl is mostly red whereas the last bowl is the lightest in color.

Use a spoon to mix the raspberry mixture into the coconut base in each bowl.

Get the cake ring. Spread fourth bowl mixture over the crust to create your first layer. Then spread the third bowl mixture on top of the first layer to create your second layer. Do the same with the second and first bowls respectively. Then top up any raspberry-date mixture that remained onto the fourth layer. Swirl it with a sharp knife to create pretty effects.

Chill the cheesecake for three hours before removing the cake ring. Garnish the cake with fresh raspberries or some edible flowers.

The Bottom Line

If you loved these Vegan Fourth Of July recipes, then I’m sure you’ll love our other collection of vegan recipes. The vegan pizza, vegan chicken nuggets, and vegan donuts can also be an excellent addition to your dishes for the 4th of July party. Try the above recipes this Vegan Fourth Of July, and let us know what you think.

The basic banana bread ingredients are the bananas, eggs, butter, flour, and milk. However, for the vegan chocolate banana bread version, we shall substitute the non-vegan ingredients and add a little twist to make it even more delicious and nutritious. Ideally, the difference between this bread and the ordinary vegan banana bread is the addition of chocolate. Let’s bake!

Preheat your oven to 350F (180 C)

The Ingredients

• 1-cup gluten-free plain flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup of vegan dark chocolate chips (for extra oomph)
• 1 vanilla pod (or your favorite flavor like strawberry or cinnamon)
• Mixed nuts (to add some coarse texture)
• ¼ cup agave nectar (although not necessarily because ripe bananas add some natural sweetness)
• 2 ripe bananas (very ripe ones work best)
• 1/2-cup milk (non-dairy) or just water (almond milk works fine for me)

The Procedure

Grease your baking tray with a tablespoon of coconut oil. Alternatively, just line it with a greaseproof baking paper to prevent the vegan chocolate banana bread from sticking.

In a wide bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth. You can leave them chunky for more texture but not very big chunks.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix evenly.

Now sift in your dry ingredients and using a wooden spoon, fold them in until evenly distributed.

The folding process is vital for moist banana bread.

Bake the bread for 30-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

To serve, garnish the bread with berries and dust with a little icing sugar.

The Twist

You can add as much vegan chocolate as you like. However, the surest method is to stick with the cocoa powder measurements and instead add melted dark chocolate. Similarly, you can substitute the dark chocolate chips with the white ones. However, the bread won’t have that deep-dark chocolate color.

The reason I used vegan chocolate chips instead of a roughly chopped dark chocolate bar is that the chips maintain a uniform profile while baking and once you bite into the bread, the chocolate melts in your mouth.

The nuts are optional. They just add a little texture to the cake and add air spaces to make the cake spongy. Unlike vegan cupcakes, banana bread can be quite dense. I use coarsely chopped (or whole) nuts to add air spaces while baking, which makes the bread lighter.

Again, if you will garnish with icing sugar, go easy on the sweetener, unless you have a very sweet tooth.

Finally, this can be your everyday type of bread, even if you’re on a diet. However, it only keeps fresh for a few days (less than a week), whether refrigerated or at room temperature. Please do not be tempted to keep it longer.

Is Chocolate Healthy?

As we wait for the bread to bake, let me fill you in on the nutritional value.

There are several categories of vegan chocolate: the original dark chocolate and the different versions of processed chocolate. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants. It also contains significant amounts of iron, zinc, manganese, fiber, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and selenium.

All these are important minerals in our bodies (not metals). When you feel a deep craving for chocolate, it is because your body has discovered that some of the minerals you lack can be obtained from chocolate. However, the type you crave for depends on you.

Is your vegan chocolate banana bread ready? Enjoy!

Crepes are quick yet delicious additions to breakfasts and desserts. In this article, I will share 3 variations for your vegan Crepes. You can decide to have them all in one serving or alternate these variations for a different taste each day. Without a doubt, you and your friends will be begging for more.

But first, let’s go over a quick and easy to follow recipe for making your very own vegan crepes.

Basic Vegan Crepes Recipe

• 1-cup whole-wheat flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup of soymilk
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
• A dash of vanilla extract (optional)

Procedure

Sift the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk to form a thin batter. The secret with crepes is in the consistency. The thinner the batter the thinner and crispier your crepes will be. If you make thick batter, you will struggle to spread the batter and hence you end up making thick pancakes.

In a hot nonstick skillet, add just enough batter to cover the pan. Quickly swirl the pan and allow your batter to flow evenly and coat all sides of the pan.

Let the crepe cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side depending on how thick your batter is. The end results should be a golden brown crepe that tears apart easily.

To serve them, we will use 4 variations.

#1 Blueberry Vegan Cream Cheese Crepes

• Use the cooked crepes from the recipe above
• Spread a vegan cream cheese mixture (either homemade or store bought).
• Add ½ cup of blueberries or more if you like.
• Then finish off with mint leaf as garnish.

#2 Chocolate Banana Cream Cheese Crepes

Who doesn’t love bananas and chocolate? Here are the ingredients:

• Use the cooked crepes from the recipe above
• Add a layer of vegan cream cheese.
• Chop up one medium-sized banana and layer over the cream cheese.
• Fold crepe in half
• Sprinkle dark chocolate and serve.

#3 Blood Orange vegan crepes

• Slice up one blood orange into 8 slices. Set those aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet on medium heat add the following:
• 1 tsp. of oil or vegan butter
• 1/8 cup of brown sugar

Stir this mixture for a minute or two until the sugar melts.

• Next, add crepes to the pan, making sure the crepes absorb this mixture.
• Next top up the crepe with 2-3 pieces of blood orange
• Cover with lid and cook for 2 minutes.

They’re ready to serve.

#4 Vegan crepe served with vegan béchamel

This vegan crepe recipe is a crowd favorite. It works well with almost any toppings you can think of.

To make the vegan white sauce:

• Melt coconut oil, cook with almond flour, and your choice of spices.
• Add nutritional yeast and enough water to form a thick sauce.

Your vegan white sauce is ready to devour.

In addition to vegan cream cheese, sautéed spinach and any berries in season are my favorite toppings to serve with this crepe.

In Conclusion

Vegan crepes can be cooked in so many different ways. You can also substitute wheat flour with the healthier flour alternatives available. Which is your favorite recipe?