Vegan Kitchen

It's Soup Season!

With wintertime upon us, soup just sounds, feels and tastes so good! What better to top them with than these easy Homemade Croutons!

These are really fast and simple to make. I promise anyone can do this, you might never go back to store bought again once you made them yourself for the first time!

Ingredients:

• Cubed Texas toast or thick brioche
• Olive oil
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder
• Parsley
• Sea salt (fine)
• Black pepper
• Cinnamon

Directions:

In a bowl, add the cubed bread, olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and black pepper, cinnamon, tossing everything together until bread is fully coated.

Add the cubes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (spread out evenly) and bake at 350°F to 375°F for 10-15 minutes or until the croutons are golden and crisp. Remove and let cool. These are not just great for salad and soup topping, they are excellent for snacking! And you can make them whenever you want!

I was at a Dave and Busters the other day because my wife dragged me into a bday party to which I was not invited. I got there with my kid also not invited. We went to the arcade then decided to go get a burger. So I keep looking at the menu and there's nothing. The lady comes to our table and I explain that I'm looking for vegan options. She said there was a bean based burger. But I prefer the impossible patty because hey I'm paying like $50 bucks for this burger and fries. So nothing. I then fell back to a Linguini Alfredo. Later the manager shows up and was apologizing for the lack of options. So I said no worries, that's fine. Then our food came and I got fries....no linguini. Apparently the guy assumed I didn't want to have the pasts because it had eggs. I regretted ordering it, buy since it didn't even get delivered I was totally fine with that.

Dave and Busters is another place where you gotta eat before showing up unfortunately. But I mean dang $50 bucks for a burger for my kid and two sides of fries. Dang!

We found it! The perfect grilled cheese recipe!

Note, the vegan cheddar cheese contains a blend of cashews for those with a nut allergy!

Here's the recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/the-best-vegan-grilled-cheese-sandwich/

**Be sure to give them a like and a follow on their website!

Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1. Thick sour dough bread
2. Vegan butter
3. Vegan cheddar cheese

Tip: A cast iron skillet would be best for this to get those crispy sides on the bread and those golden edges. But cast irons take time to preheat. The recipe may take longer if you haven't prepared the vegan cheese yet. Once the cheese is blended and you have a vegan butter of your choice cook time should be only 15 minutes.

The Butter: Most favored by all is Miyoko's Creamery European Style cultured vegan butter -"with a hint of sea salt" flavor. You can find it at most Trader Joe's. You can put this stuff on anything! If you can't get ahold of that, second option: Monty's Plant Based Butter

The Cheddar Cheese: Here's the recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-cheddar-cheese-spread--sauce/

According to the recipe it's made with a base of cashews and carrots. Then blended with tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and spices. Once blended enough it's the consistency of a thick spreadable cheese sauce! Versatile for mac 'n cheese, casseroles & just about anything else you need cheddar cheese for.

Instructions: Simple! Heat the pan, butter the bread, layer the cheese spread. Cook on both sides until the bread is crispy and the cheese is heated all the way through. Don't burn your mouth on the first bite!

What are your thought's about this one guys? Would you try it?

We are honestly so grateful for how fast this community has grown — 100 members already! When we launched Vegan Kitchen, we just wanted to create a positive space to share plant-based recipes, support, and ideas without judgment or Reddit's toxicity. Seeing this many people join so quickly means a lot!

Here’s to more good food, good vibes, and a healthy community. 🌿💚

— Zero Dark Media

I've always liked pinto beans, usually "refried", which is when you cook the beans and then mush them to a paste. Some crazy folks will blend the beans to a paste. I'm OK with that, but my latest thing is high pressure instapot beans with mushrooms.

Yeah you heard it here first folks! For the lazy people like me...6 volumes of beans to 1 volume of dried mushrooms in the pot with condiments and salt to your taste. Set it for 1 hr and come back to a meal full of various textures and the good bean flavor we've come to love.

🥑Hi everyone — welcome to Vegan Kitchen, a calm corner of the Zero Dark Wellness Network focused on plant-based living, nutrition science, and creative cooking.

Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, or just curious about eating more plants, you’re welcome here. 🍃

This community is about learning, not lecturing — sharing recipes, exploring plant proteins, discussing micronutrients, and discovering how nutrition can support mood, hormones, and longevity.

Let’s make this a space for:

🌿 Balanced discussion — no food wars, just food facts

🥗 Recipes that fuel body and mind

🧬 Science-driven insights into metabolism and nutrigenomics

💬 Respectful conversation between all diets and disciplines

Part of the Zero Dark Wellness Network — which includes:

!Perimenopause@lemmy.world !ScienceNutrition@lemmy.world !Fab40Podcast@lemmy.world

If you love food, science, and staying curious — you’re in the right place. Welcome to Vegan Kitchen. 🌱✨

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