You've got questions and we've got answers!
Q: I have a question about lentils, what is your advice on preparing and cooking them?
A: See this informative post about lentils .
Q: I there a way to store baked goods to keep them moist? After just a day in the fridge, the apple fritters dried out very quickly, even though covered tightly with plastic wrap.
A: A fridge is designed to suck out moisture, so if you’re going to store anything in a fridge, it must be in an air-tight container or it’ll dry out (that’s the refrigerator doing it’s job). Tightly covered with plastic wrap isn’t air-tight, you need a container.
Depending on where you live and your climate, you might be able to store them on a dish, covered with plastic wrap on the counter, too.
Q: I'm gluten free but also soy free. I'm intrigued by your cookbooks as I'm wanting to go a lot more vegetarian/vegan. Are your books suitable for me?
A: YES! Both HHC and EHH are over 80% soy-free and gluten-free. Of the recipes that do contain soy or gluten, there are easy substitutions, such as using brown rice pasta instead of whole wheat, or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce or tamari. The meal plans are also completely (100%) soy-free and gluten free.
Q: I want to eat plant-based but I am so confused as to what to eat. Help.
A: This is exactly why we created meal plans -- it takes all the guesswork out, The meal plans make eating plant-based really easy, effortless and tasty!
Q: For your black bean brownie recipe , you mention grinding regular rolled oats to instant oat consistency in a food processor. How long do I need to grind to do this? I am not sure what instant oat consistency looks like, and ended up with a coarse flour peppered with small bits of oats.
A: You just pulse a few times so they’re chewed up -- not flour or a coarse flour. See this video, it’ll show you what size oats you’re aiming for, what are rolled oats vs. instant oats .
Q: are vegetarian and fat-free refried beans vegan?
A: It depends. If it says "vegetarian" on the label, than most likely yes. "Vegetarian" would mean there are no meat products in it (many brands of refried beans contain animal lard) but there's always a chance there might be an milk product in there, so check the label. As for "fat-free" refried beans, this gets more tricky. You'd think because they're labeled "fat-free" that there is no animal lard (fat), but the FDA is pretty loose with terms so things that are labeled "fat-free" can still contain fat (lard) if the quantity is small enough. So it might still be there AND hidden under "natural seasonings" or "natural flavorings" or any term like that. Kosher symbols can sometimes be helpful in determining what is vegan or vegetarian but you can always call the manufacturer too (say you have an allergy).