Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
23 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: almond milk, brown rice, brown rice pasta, butternut squash, cayenne, cheddar, coconut oil, comfort food, cream cheese, daiya, entertaining, mac & cheese, mac & cheeze, mustard, pasta, quick and easy, rice milk, sauces, sides, Skinny Bitch, soy milk, squash, vegan, vegan cheese, vegetarian, whole-wheat, winter squash
Mac and Cheese is one of my ultimate comfort foods and I am always up for trying out different vegan versions 
I love that this recipe uses 20 ounces of squash for the sauce so you “sneak” in the veggies and help make it a creamier sauce without needing extra vegan cheese. (although we didn’t really skimp on that:)) Check out Cheesy Baked Penne with Cauliflower (one of my fave versions ever!) and Quick, Easy & Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheeze (I also used winter squash in this one).
Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch
Serves 8
• 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
• About 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
• 1 pound whole-wheat or brown rice elbow macaroni
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
• 2 cups soy, rice milk or almond milk
• 8 ounces vegan Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) vegan cream cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Oil a 2-quart casserole dish; set aside.
- In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over high heat, combine 3 quarts of water with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the squash and milk, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon until the squash is defrosted. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Cheddar, cream cheese, mustard, cayenne, and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of salt.
- When the pasta is done, drain it, then return the pasta to the pot. Stir the cheese sauce into the macaroni. Transfer the entire mixture to the prepared baking pan.
- Sprinkle with more cheese and salt and pepper and then bake for 20 minutes.
Bring on the troops!
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
16 May 2012 3 Comments
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: agave, brown sugar, chocolate, chocolate chips, cinnamon, comfort food, cookies, earth balance, Ener-G, nutmeg, vanilla, vegan, vegetarian, whole wheat flour, zucchini
Of course I love all things veggie but sometimes and for some people you have to sneak them in there. So this is a great dessert recipe that also has a bunch of zucchini hidden inside These taste just like chocolate chip cookies – YUM – but with a great added bonus! I am sure by the time my little kiddos are ready to eat cookies they will already be super veggie lovers, but I still think, why not have the extra fiber and veggies in there
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 dozen cookies
Wet Ingredients
1 Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/2 cup earth balance
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup agave
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1-2 cup finely shredded zucchini (I like to use more, as it is a great way to sneak a veggie into a dessert!)
12 oz chocolate chips..vegan
- Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees.
- Combine wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Combine zucchini and chocolate chips into the wet ingredients and blend well.
- Mix all ingredients together and mix well.
- Drop by spoonful (I love to use a small ice cream scooper) onto greased baking sheet or silicon baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 13- 15 minutes.
- Cool on a rack and enjoy!
NYC Food Update
11 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in New York Highlights, Raw Desserts and Treats, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: Amanda Cohen, caesar, Cake Batter soft serve, Candle 79, cauliflower, chard, Chocolate Ganache Cake, Dirt Candy, garlic granola, Gingersnap's Organic, gobo, Jalapeno Hush Puppies, lettuce wraps, Lula’s Sweet Apothecary, maple butter, mushroom, non-dairy ice cream, Organic king oyster mushrooms, Pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps, popcorn pudding, Quintessence, raw, salad, Scallion pancakes, Seitan medallions, taco, truffle, vegan, vegetarian
What a great couple of food outings I have had over the last couple of weeks! YUM! Some goodies but oldies and some that I have been wanting to try out and finally made my way over to. Love that!!
My Babies Blessing Party at Candle 79. Awesome!! Always an amazing time there
Quintessence in the East Village has always been a solid stand out as far as vegan raw food. I have been totally craving Caesar salads lately and they make such a great one! I have actually had that and their raw tacos twice over the last 2 weeks haha. So good! The Caesar dressing is amazing with a generous amount of avocados in the salad to make for salad perfection! YUM! Plus the tacos are just super awesome too. I love that you can order just one.
Dirt Candy is also in the East Village and I have been wanting to go there since Amanda Cohen opened it up a few years ago. FINALLY we were able make it there! It was actually pretty hard to get a decent time reservation but luckily I planned this one in advance and there we were It is a pretty tiny, yet adorable place but of course the main reason why we were there was the OUTSTANDING food! As you know I am quite the foodie and been to many many restaurants but I have to say – I was beyond impressed with everything we ate! I am really hoping to go back super soon and try the other half of the menu!
We started with the Jalapeno Hush Puppies served with maple butter (how could we not!) and the Mushroom! dish portobello mousse, truffled toast pear & fennel compote, incredible! Complex, creamy and of course deelish! Then we moved on to our entrees. I have to say, everything we had was well thought out, very creative, visually stunning and sooo tasty! Chard – chard gnocchi, grilled chard, garlic granola & drunken fig jam and Cauliflower buttermilk battered cauliflower, waffles, horseradish, wild arugula. And although we were getting pretty full how could I not try their dessert after such an incredible meal! Popcorn Pudding salted caramel corn. The other desserts had more of an out there sound to them, and although I am sure they were deelish, I had to go with this one. Suffice it to say, there was no disappointment here We will for sure be back and are just sad that it took us this long to finally make it there!
Cauliflower - buttermilk battered cauliflower, waffles,horseradish, wild arugula
Chard - chard gnocchi, grilled chard,garlic granola & drunken fig jam
Lula’s Sweet Apothecary is another East Village fabulous vegan stand out when you are craving some amazing dessert. This awesome warm weather we have been having was just the perfect excuse to head over for some ice cream. They have a ton of fabulous flavors and I have tried many of them but I am sure as a lot of people would agree with – the Cake Batter soft serve is not to be missed. This is the first time I tried it with a topping and I had to go caramel sauce. So happy I did that! haha YUM!!!!
Cake Batter Ice Cream -- photo from www.theurbanhousewife.com
Gingersnap’s Organic is another amazing new raw place to open up in the East Village. It just opened up in November and I am so happy I didn’t wait too long to make it over there! The owner, Jamie, is super awesome, friendly and down to earth. The place itself is really cute, comfortable and they specialize in food on the fly. So although they have an awesome full menu, you can can just grab pre-made food and run. I had already eaten lunch when I went but wanted to try one of their raw vegan dessert specialties. OH MY Chocolate Ganache Cake! It was seriously the best raw food cake I have ever eaten! I am sure this would pass to anyone for a master slice of chocolate cake. I love raw food, but I know the thoughts and feelings many people have about them as desserts, and this one seriously measures up! YUM! I am excited to come back here and try the rest of the menu and their cool looking cleanse as well. Welcome to the neighborhood Gingersnaps!
Gobo is a West Village mostly vegan restaurant that has a cool vibe to it. I have been going there for years and years! It was always the, parents taking me out go-to restaurant, for so long But it had been maybe 2 years that we have been there and it was super nice to revisit. I always start with their Scallion pancakes with homemade mango salsa. Then we moved on to the natural Seitan medallions in sizzling spicy citrus sauce and the Organic king oyster mushrooms in sizzling basil black bean sauce. I typically would not order a mushroom dish as an entrée but last time I was here my friend ordered it and I was lucky to get a taste. So deelish! The king oyster mushroom is such a star! My very favorite dish there is the Pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps, which I could not help ordering to go for my lunch the next day Absence does make the heart grow fonder, it was nice to go back. Yum!
Pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps
Marisa’s Babies Blessing Party
21 Mar 2012 7 Comments
in New York Highlights, Raw Desserts and Treats, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: Angel’s Nachos, Apple Cranberry Pie, avocado, Babies Blessing, Baby Shower, Black Bean-Pumpkin Seed Burger, black beans, Brunch, Candle 79, Cannoli, chipotle, chocolate, Coconut-Mint Frappe, comfort food, dessert, entertaining, Guacamole Timbale, Home-Style Pancakes, lemon-caper sauce, Live Sweet Potato Parfait, maple, oyster mushrooms, Party, polenta fries, quinoa, raw, salad, seitan, Seitan Picatta, Steamed Dumplings, Stuffed Avocado Salad, vegan, Vegan Baby Shower, vegetarian, Wild Mushroom-Squash Risotto
Candle 79 is one of the best restaurants ever as far as I am concerned! It’s on the UES so a bit of a hike for us, but makes the ultimate date night spot. Romantic, Cozy and deelish!! Check out my review from 2009.
But I went there for a very different reason recently. I had my fabulous Babies Blessing Brunch Party there. SO much fun, a bunch of beautiful girlfriends and the best food to celebrate the almost arrival of our little kiddos Benay, the manager, was amazing in helping me set up this event and everything went super smooth. The food of course was deelish!
My mom made fabulous favors: Super cute planters all prepped with organic soil and seeds and a super cute flower on top So perfect!!
Thanks ladies! Such a great day to celebrate!!!
We had a great menu!
APPETIZERS
Guacamole Timbale
chipotle black beans, caramelized onions, cucumber-jicama salsa, tortilla chips, ranchero sauce
Steamed Dumplings
seitan, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, sesame-soy-ginger sauce
Angel’s Nachos
corn chips, mozzarella, tomatoes, refried pinto beans, chili-grilled seitan, guacamole, salsa, tofu sour cream, romaine lettuce
ENTRÉE
Stuffed Avocado Salad
baby greens, quinoa, zucchini, cucumber, radishes, black beans, toasted pumpkin seeds, grape tomatoes, chipotle-avocado dressing
Black Bean-Pumpkin Seed Burger
mixed lettuces, avocado, polenta fries, chipotle ketchup
Home-Style Pancakes
seasonal fruit, cranberry butter, gingered maple syrup
Wild Mushroom-Squash Risotto
cashew cream, pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs, frizzled leeks
Seitan Picatta
creamed spinach, grilled potato cake, oyster mushrooms, lemon-caper sauce
Check out my version of this famous dish
and then Dessert
Live Sweet Potato Parfait
nut granola, huckleberry ice cream
Cannoli
vanilla cream filling, coconut-chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate sauce
Apple Cranberry Pie
toasted oat crumble, french vanilla ice cream, berry
coulis, candied almonds
There were lots of fabulous beverages going around. I was super happy to have ordered the Coconut-Mint Frappe avocado, coconut water, agave, mint, lime. AMAZING!! I have been craving this drink ever since!
Like this:
Vegan Peanut Butter Mousse
15 Mar 2012 1 Comment
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: agave, banana, banana bread, breakfast, chocolate, chocolate chips, comfort food, cookies, cream, cream cheese, dessert, entertaining, granola, mousse, non-dairy cheese, peanut butter, pudding, quick and easy, silken tofu, snack, strawberry, tofu, Tofutti, vanilla, vegan, vegetarian
Addictive does not even describe how good this is! You are lucky if it makes it out of the blender to serve. Have fun with this and change up the toppings or get super creative and make a pudding pie or cake with the mousse.
This one is so super easy to whip up but be careful, not sure we should have mousse EVERY day ENJOY!
Vegan Peanut Butter Mousse
1 cup peanut butter
16 oz firm silken tofu (not the vacuum packed kind – I used Nasoya)
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup vegan cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Blend tofu and peanut butter in blender or food processor until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend more, scraping down the sides. Add agave and vanilla and blend again.
Assemble with toppings or just enjoy alone (maybe even straight out of the blender )
Toppings Ideas
bananas
strawberries
other fruit
granola
banana bread crumbles
chocolate chips
Like this:
Thai Root Veggie Curry with Coconut Milk
29 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: broth, butternut squash, carrot, coconut milk, comfort food, curry, curry paste, ginger, lime, onion, potatoes, quick and easy, rice, thai, tomatoes, turnips, vegan, vegetarian
I love curries! Since winter is ending (yeah!!!!) I wanted to get one last yummy root veggie dish on the table and this turned out amazing! I also love a big one pot meal, especially if I already have cooked rice in the fridge already like I did this night! Perfection!
Thai Root Veggie Curry with Coconut Milk
Serves 4
2 cups rice, cooked and set aside
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 turnips, trimmed and cubed
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 1/2 cups hot vegetable broth, or more as needed
1 teaspoon red or yellow Thai curry paste, or more to taste
1 cup low-fat coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Heat the oil in a large pan and set over medium-high heat. Add ginger, onions and salt and cook 4 to 5 minutes until the onions softens. Reduce the heat to low and add the butternut squash, turnips, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini and simmer.
- In a separate saucepan over medium heat, whisk the hot broth with the curry paste until the paste dissolves. Pour the broth over the vegetables to cover them; simmer over medium heat, covered , for 20 to 25 minutes,until veggies are tender.
- In the empty broth saucepan boil coconut milk until it reduces in volume by half. The pour over the vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lime juice and serve over rice with lime wedges.
Vegan Pizza with homemade dough
24 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in Home Cooking, New York Highlights, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: artichoke, broccoli, capers, comfort food, corn, daiya, dough, eggplant, flour, garlic, herbs, homemade, marinara, mushrooms, non-dairy cheese, olive oil, olives, onion, pala, pepper, pesto, pizza, sauces, sausage, soy, sugar, sun dried tomatoes, tempeh, tofu, tomato, tomatoes, vegan, vegan cheese, vegetarian, viva, yeast, zucchini
Who doesn’t appreciate a good slice, especially here in NYC where pizza is so very important and such a point of contention – even for vegans! Our favorite place to order from is Viva Herbal Pizzeria where we can get spelt or gluten-free crusts with daiya and even vegan sausage as toppings (our personal fave combo!) Pala Pizza also has great vegan options and that brick-fired pizza taste, yum!
Sometimes it is easy to buy dough and tomato sauce quickly whip up a pie at home, but if you are interested in making your own dough, here is a great recipe! My mom made the dough and I added the homemade sauce (thanks mom!!). It was really very very good!
Check out here for some of my other fun pizza nights Flatbread Pizza with hummus, green olives, cherry tomatoes and za’atar (this is a raw one and Well Worth the effort!), Raw Eggplant Pizzas and the quick at home whipped up kind with purchased dough.
Vegan Pizza with Homemade Dough & Daiya Cheese
Pizza Dough Recipe
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon finely ground sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast (1 packet of dry yeast)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees (if using a pizza stone – place in the oven to get hot and heat for an hour)
- Mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast. Put aside to get foamy. If it does not foam then the yeast is not good – redo this step.
- In a separate bowl mix all of the other ingredients. Add in the yeast mixture and mix well until dough forms a ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough – Use the palm of your hand and keep pressing in and folding it over and repeating for about 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 – one pound balls. Place these dough balls into containers and cover the container with anything that will keep the air out. Set the dough to rise in a warm spot for at least 45 minutes. (you can freeze any unused dough after rising*)
- Prepare your topping. Stretch out the dough and aim for it to be even thickness all around. Top your pizza and place in the oven. Bake for 8 minutes. Let it rest. Add any herbs to your pizza afterwards.
*If using frozen dough – allow dough to defrost in fridge 12 hours
- Either use a jar of Marinara Sauce or make your own
Basic Sauce Recipe
- 28 ounce pureed tomatoes
- sugar to taste
- salt to taste
- 3-6 finely grated fresh peeled garlic cloves
Mix all the ingredients together.
Topping Suggestions:
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Fresh or Roasted Garlic
- Broccoli
- Sweet Corn
- Peppers
- Olives
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Grilled/Fried/Baked Eggplant
- Grilled Zucchini
- Roasted Red Pepper
- Capers
- Saute Spinach
- Pesto Sauce
- Artichokes
- Soy Pepperoni or Soy Sausage or Tofu/tempeh
- Daiya Vegan Cheese or other vegan cheese
- Herbs
Unbaked Pizza
Mushroom-Barley “Risotto”
06 Dec 2011 6 Comments
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: barley, chanterelle, comfort food, cremini, garlic, morel, mushroom, olive oil, onion, oyster, sides, tumeric, vegan, vegetarian
I love all things mushroom! So this was one of those amazing recipes for my house. Thank goodness I made a bunch as we were super happy to eat it for a while The best part was that unlike regular risotto – I didn’t have to stand over the hot stove and stir this dish the whole time. And of course barley is way more nutritious than arborio rice.
Check out these other mushroom dishes from the past…Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff -Vegan Creme of Artichoke and Mushroom Soup with Pesto, Raw Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiche, Chopped “Liver” Spread, Thai Coconut Bliss Soup, Mushroom Stroganoff and Raw Mushroom Cream Sushi
Mushroom-Barley “Risotto”
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups mixed mushrooms, quartered (chanterelle, cremini, morel, and oyster)
1 cup pearl barley
3 cups vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onions; cook about 5 minutes and stir in the garlic and cook, 30 seconds.
- Add the mushrooms; cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the barley to coat.
- Add the stock, salt, and turmeric and bring to a boil.
- Lower to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender and liquid is absorbed.
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Yummy Protein Goo Ball Bites
29 Nov 2011 10 Comments
in Raw Desserts and Treats, Raw Vegan Recipes, Superfoods, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: agave, almond butter, artisana, breakfast, Brendan Brazier, chocolate, coconut, coconut butter, coconut milk, dessert, honey, life tim protein, peanut butter, quick and easy, raw, snack, superfood, vega, vegan, vegan protein powder, vegetarian
I have been doing my best to get as much protein as possible lately. (Thank goodness for Brendan Brazier’s Vega Bars!) I have made many versions of this snack throughout my life, but never added protein powder before and it really was such a perfect addition! I made both vanilla and chocolate versions to enjoy Awesome!
These were so super fast to whip up and even faster to eat haha so make sure you make some extra for the perfect on the go snacks.
Yummy Protein Goo Ball Bites
Chocolate Version
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (as I mentioned above – I love Brendan Brazier’s products from Vega and his Shake & Go Smoothie Chocolate is amazing!!!!)
2 tablespoons Artisana coconut butter (this is the best stuff ever!)
2 teaspoons honey or agave
1 heaping teaspoon organic peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
1/4 cup light coconut milk
Vanilla Version
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (my absolute favorite vanilla powder - Life Time Lifes Basics Plant Protein)
2 tablespoons Artisana coconut butter
2 teaspoons honey or agave
1 heaping teaspoon organic peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
1/4 cup light coconut milk
Combine all ingredients. You might need a little more protein powder or coconut if too wet or some coconut milk if too dry. Roll into balls in your hands.
Optional add ons:
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- Extra shredded coconut
Melt chocolate over a double boiler and dip the bites in the bowl. Then sprinkle coconut over and freeze until firm.
Like this:
Butternut Squash Cornbread Stuffing
21 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: butternut squash, celery, comfort food, cornbread, entertaining, garlic, mushroom, onions, red pepper, sides, stuffing, thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian
I’m so sorry to have gone MIA for so long! It was a crazy couple of months and then we went on a fabulous whirlwind tour of Australia So no complaining here but I am happy to be back home and back in the kitchen!! And just in time for an awesome Thanksgiving recipe!!
I have always Loved the stuffing part of the meal so this dish is pretty perfect. It has all the carby goodness of the cornbread but much more veggies than a normal stuffing, so you can even enjoy this as a great fall meal. Yum! And I just love roasted squash! Plus this dish is also really low in fat compared to all the butter laden stuffing recipes out there
What are your favorite vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes/dishes? I would love to hear from you!!
Butternut Squash Cornbread Stuffing
Serves 8 as Main Dish or 16 as Side Dish
- 1 butternut squash (love buying the pre-chopped!!), cut into 1/2″ pieces
- 2 Tbsp. canola oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 3-4 celery stalks, diced
- 1 lb. button mushrooms, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 ounce bag cornbread stuffing
- 2 cups “chicken” flavored veggie broth
- salt
Heat oven to 400°F. Spray sheet or roasting pan (I needed 2 pans – but I also made extra squash for buttnernut mash- nice to be able to double duty the recipe!) Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray and roast squash for 25 minutes. Rotate squash and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Set aside and reduce heat to 350°F.
In a saute pan or wok – heat canola oil and cook onions, pepper, celery and mushrooms until onion is translucent. Add garlic, cook for one minute more and remove from heat.
Combine squash, veggies, broth and cornbread in large bowl. Place in a baking dish/roasting pan (use the same 1 or 2 that you roasted squash in) and cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt to taste and enjoy
