I’m back after spending five days in hot and humid Austin, Texas with some of the best people in the world. I was there to attend Vida Vegan Con, an incredible conference that brings together vegan bloggers, cookbook authors, entrepreneurs and other such influencers to network, eat awesome food and share secrets of success.

Travelling to a new place and being in a large social setting where I don’t know people well is a really scary thing for me. I’m naturally a very shy girl and can easily become overwhelmed with anxiety, especially around those who are popular and outgoing. I feel somewhat intimated and, well, awkward.

I somehow managed to work through the fear to attend what was the trip of a lifetime, for the third time—this was the third and final VVC and it was one I will never forget. Of course, once I got there it wasn’t nearly as hard as I imagined it would be. Since I had met many of my online friends in person during previous conferences, it was like one big, happy reunion. And it was bittersweet.

As my dear friend JL Fields captured in a periscope video she created during Saturday’s lunch gathering, conferences like these are all about building community. Sure, the conference sessions are wonderful and insightful and it is clear how much time and effort the organizers spent taking care of every last detail, but what was most apparent was how much love and compassion radiated from each person I spoke with. I realize now more than ever how essential this community is to my life, because I wouldn’t be able to grow my efforts in changing the world for animals without their encouragement, steady engagement and ongoing support.

And the food, my goodness. What a feast it was! Just imagine an entire buffet of deliciousness that is all vegan (no labels to read and no need to inquire about ingredients!). There were some pretty fantastic vegan cafes in the area, and I particularly loved our visit to Counter Culture.

Now that I’m back at home, I’m getting reacquainted with foods outside of a soft taco shell. I’ve been enjoying lighter fare, like this delicious bowl of zucchini noodles with homemade pesto and protein-rich poppers. This is the perfect meal for warm spring and summer nights. From the juicy roasted tomatoes, the freshness of the basil pesto and the zestiness of the quinoa poppers, every bite screams “hello summer!” It’s light and refreshing and bursting with flavour. 

If you don’t own a spiralizer, you can just as easily thinly slice your zucchini into ribbons using a mandoline, and it will be just as gloriously delicious.

I should note that the quinoa poppers make more than you will need, so feel free to store leftovers in the fridge or freezer and add them to salads or pasta sauce or serve as a snack alongside your favourite dip. You can also make the poppers and pesto ahead of time (the night before, for example) so all you’d need to do is spiralize the zucchini and you’re good to go. Enjoy!

Lemon quinoa poppers with basil spinach pesto & zucchini noodles

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the quinoa poppers:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 (19oz.) can cannellini beans (about 1 3/4 cups), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper or ground black pepper

For the basil spinach pesto:

• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach, lightly packed
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 small clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the noodles:

• 2 zucchinis, spiralized into noodles
• 1 cup grape tomatoes

Directions:

To make the quinoa poppers:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has completely absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the quinoa to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients. Process until it turns into a thick, smooth paste.
4. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mixture. You should get about 20 balls in total. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them. I like them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so I bake them for at least 40 minutes. You can bake them for less time if you'd like. At about the 20-minute mark, add the grape tomatoes to the pan, and bake until shriveled and nicely roasted, about 15 to 20 minutes. While they bake, you can go ahead and make the pesto.

To make the basil spinach pesto:

1. Using a food processor, process the spinach, basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper until coarsely chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl if needed.
2. While the machine is running, stream in the olive oil and process until distributed. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve:

1. Mix the zucchini noodles with the pesto, stirring until all the noodles are coated (you can use clean hands if it's easier). Divide into two bowls and top with a few quinoa poppers and roasted tomatoes. Serve immediately. You'll likely have leftover quinoa poppers. Store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer.

Lemon quinoa poppers adapted from Fine Cooking.

Basil spinach pesto adapted from my basil spinach pesto hummus.

Oops…did I just spoil the surprise?

Yes, that means there are beans in these cookies. What’s not to love about that?

After being captivated by these chocolate black bean power cookies a few days ago, I immediately decided I needed to make my own. In order to create flourless cookies, I incorporated black beans as well as chickpeas to get the soft, fudgy consistency I wanted. I also bought some organic coffee extract during a recent visit to the states, and it makes a wonderful addition here, moving the fudgy chocolate flavour to a whole new level. My husband is currently on a hazelnut coffee kick, so I thought, Why not add some hazelnuts and dark chocolate, too?

It turns out my spontaneous experiments were a success. Everyone who tried these had no idea they were made of beans! Seriously, they were completely fooled. If you make them, I promise you will be, too.

I originally called these flourless cappuccino cookies when I revealed by experiments on Facebook the other day, but I decided that because of the flavour pairing, the mocha bean name makes more sense. Enjoy!

Flourless mocha bean cookies

Yield: one dozen

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp ground chia seeds (or flax meal)
• 1/2 tsp pure coffee extract
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (or other nuts), plus more for cookie tops
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for cookie tops
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar, for cookie tops

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a cookie sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.
2. Using a food processor, process the black beans, chickpeas, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt until it turns into a thick, flour-like consistency.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, coconut oil, chia seeds and coffee extract until well combined. Pour the mixture into the food processor and process until smooth. I let my processor run for about two minutes and scrapped down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
4. Remove the processor bowl from the base and remove the blade. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Alternatively, you can transfer the mixture to another bowl before folding in the nuts and chips.
5. Using a cookie scoop, drop rounds onto the prepared cookie sheet and use a wet finger or the back of a spoon to flatten and mold into cookie shapes. Keep in mind they won't spread while baking. Add a few more nuts and chocolate chips to the top of each cookie.
6. Bake the cookies at 375F for about 18 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are fairly dry to the touch. You don't want the middle to feel too wet or the cookies will be very fudge-like. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle coconut sugar on each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from the pan. Cookies can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Recipe inspired by Sarah's recipe and David's recipe.

I’m pretty unpredictable when it comes to baking for a crowd though. Sometimes I’m in the mood to “wow” the crowd, and other times I settle for comfort food recipes that are popular and recognizable. Either way, I always put a spin on it. Sometimes it’s obvious and sometimes it’s not.

This delicious pudding is one such example. Can you tell by the photos that it’s full of beans? You can’t tell by the taste either. It’s a thick, creamy chocolate-and-nut heaven thanks to the addition of silken tofu, cocoa and nut butter. It’s also incredibly versatile—I’d consider using it as a tart filling, a cream centre for cupcakes or even on its own as a pudding parfait. Here, I used some of it as a filling for mini almond-oat tart crusts. The pudding can be made a day in advance (it thickens and provides a deep chocolate and nut flavour after being refrigerated overnight), and then filled or piped or layered the day of your celebration…or just eat it as a simple fibre-rich pudding!

I was inspired to create this delicious recipe for this month’s SOS Kitchen Challenge, featuring adzuki beans. If it wasn’t for the challenge hosts, Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs, and Kim of Affairs of Living, this pudding would have never happened. The recipe below makes enough crust and filling for about 20 mini tarts. Enjoy!

Adzuki pudding tarts

Yield: 20 tartlets

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup almonds
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tbsp canola or sunflower oil
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Adzuki pudding:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked adzuki beans (or 1 can)
• 1 12-oz package firm silken tofu (I use Mori Nu)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 6 tbsp natural nut butter (I use almond and peanut)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Crust:

1. In a food processor, process the oats and almonds to a fine meal.
2. Add the cinnamon, salt, brown rice flour, baking powder and coconut and pulse to combine.
3. Finally, add the oil, maple syrup and vanilla and process until well combined. The mixture should stick together when pressed between two fingers. If it seems too dry, add a teaspoon or two of water.
4. Press the mixture into the bottom of oiled tart tins. Bake at 350 for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry to the touch and lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before filling.

Adzuki pudding:

1. In a high-powered blender, puree the beans and silken tofu. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for 2 or 3 minutes until smooth.
2. Refrigerate the filling in a covered container for several hours or overnight to allow it to thicken up. Pipe or spread the filling into tart crusts and refrigerate until ready to serve. Tarts are best eaten the day they are made.

Crust recipe adapted from More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts.