Photo credit: Ashley McLaughlin

Hello, I’m back with another Ask Angela on this glorious spring Friday…keep those questions coming! Also, be sure to check out this week’s latest Glow Getter post featuring a fun interview with Fresh Restaurants founder Ruth Tal.

Q1. Hi Angela! I’m wondering if you can share your highest-protein dishes, especially main course? Thank you. :)

Hi Patricia, Happy to help! The good news is many of my entrées tend to be high in protein, as I try to include one or more protein-rich plant ingredients within—things like lentils, beans, tofu, greens, and nuts/seeds. Here are some options you may want to get started with!

Sun-dried Tomato, Mushroom, and Spinach Tofu Quiche

DIY Burrito Bowl (shown in the intro photo!)

My Favourite Vegan Chili with Homemade Sour Cream

Golden Red Lentil Dal with Cilantro-Speckled Basmati

Next Level Vegan Enchiladas

Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup

Protein Power Goddess Bowl

The Best Marinated Lentils (Oh She Glows Every Day, p. 129)

Marinated Italian Tofu (Oh She Glow Glows Every Day, p. 135)

These last two recipes are great to mix and match with a variety of meals like salads, wraps, roasted veggies, etc., for a high-protein boost. And feel free to poke around my Entrées page for more recipes!

Q2. I love your Chia Power Doughnuts from The Oh She Glows Cookbook and bought two 6-mold doughnut pans just to make them. Unfortunately my kids don’t enjoy the doughnuts as much as I do, so the pans are now collecting dust. I’m wondering if you have any more nutrient-dense doughnut recipes to feed my kids, or if you have any muffin recipes that you think would hold up in doughnut form? Is there a way I can adjust the muffin bake time to use a doughnut mold for them instead? Thank you—our family LOVES your recipes, and I love reading your blog.

Hey Lindsay, I’m so glad you asked this question! I’ve actually been wondering the same thing myself, so I figured this was the perfect time to test out one of my muffin recipes! Thanks for the inspiration. :) After looking over my various muffin recipes, I decided to give my Blissful Blueberry Banana Spelt Muffin recipe a whirl using this standard-sized doughnut tin. I opted to leave out the blueberries and walnuts for a simple banana-cinnamon flavour, and I followed the ingredient measurements as written. I greased the doughnut tin with coconut oil spray and then added two heaping tablespoons of batter into each mold, smoothing out the tops as I went. I baked them for 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C), until the doughnuts slowly sprang back when touched. They rose a lot, so next time I may only add 2 tablespoons of batter into each, but we weren’t complaining! They have a lightly sweet taste and fluffy texture with little bits of mashed banana throughout. I’d say they are basically muffins in doughnut-shape instead! I spread them with a bit of Coconut Whipped Cream for Arlo and he gobbled them right up. All in all, I’d say it was a success and would love to hear what you think if you try it out.

Q3. Hi Angela! I’m a big fan of spice mixes, so I just made your Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix using freshly ground nutmeg and freshly ground allspice. Can you please direct me to some of your recipes that call for Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix? Thank you from sunny Vancouver Island!  

Hey Laurie, Yum…I think your comment made me crave pumpkin spice, because yesterday I tested a cake recipe with this very mix. Too good! For a rich, decadent at-home latte, you might want to try my Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte with Salted Pumpkin Spice Syrup. My Mini Pumpkin Pie Tarts with a Sunflower Cookie Crust are definitely crowd-pleasers too! I’d also suggest checking out recipes that list warming spices in their ingredients (like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves), and swapping the Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix in for those. My Creamy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie for Two and High-Rise Pumpkin Cupcakes (Oh She Glows Every Day, p. 224) can be tweaked to use the pumpkin spice mix instead. I hope that helps!

Q4. Hi Angela, I am making your Crowd-Pleasing Vegan Caesar Salad and soaking nuts for the first time. I have a couple questions! Do I soak the nuts in a specific amount of water overnight? Do I use the water in the recipe, or does that water actually go in the dressing when making it? Thanks a bunch.

Hey Sue, Thanks for your question! I’m so glad you’re trying this recipe out—it’s one of my most popular! Actually, I don’t measure the amount of water I soak nuts or seeds in…I just make sure to cover the nuts/seeds completely and leave about an extra inch of water as they expand/plump a bit as they soak. After soaking, I always rinse the nuts/seeds and then drain the water off before proceeding with the recipe. I hope this helps and please let me know how the Caesar dressing goes!

“I’ve made your Vegan Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheeze several times now— including once gluten-free using brown rice lasagna noodles—and it’s incredibly delicious. My husband LOVES the recipe and I do too! He has a dairy allergy and now he says he finally “gets” why everyone loves lasagna! Thanks for this great recipe!”

Aww, what a sweet comment from your husband. That made me smile. Thanks so much for making this lasagna a staple in your kitchen, Maria!