Italian Potluck Night!!

30 Jun 2011 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As you know I LOVE Potlucks! And now we have a pretty regular Vegan Themed Potluck Party happening 🙂 Last nights theme was Italian Night! (last month was Asian) SUPER YUM! Not kidding this meal was out of control. We didn’t end up having dessert, but we all happily had seconds of the deelish food!

Lisa Dawn made this OUT of this world lasagna! We have seen her amazing Ricotta Cheese in her Stuffed Shells, but to taste this you would think that this was gourmet ricotta cheese made in Italy. But happily it was Vegan (but still super gourmet :)) And the homemade tomato sauce was also deelish!

Joey made this amazing pesto pasta sans cheese of course. It was so gorgeous with the fresh grape tomatoes and basil! Beautiful and super tasty!

I made my favorite Raw Crisp Caesar Salad with Pinenut parmesan and Artichoke Guacamole with mulit-grain pita chips. Yum!!!

On a side note, I can’t help but brag about Lisa & Paul’s overly impressive and adorable son Luke! Lisa had this great deck of cards with all the US Presidents pictures on them. Luke was able to go through all of them and name them!!! SO CUTE!! And he is under 2 years old!

Such a super great night with friends and deelish vegan food!

Amazing photo courtesy of Lisa's fabulous husband Paul!

Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff

10 May 2011 4 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Here is another Stroganoff recipe. The first one was such a hit but I still always love to experiment. I whipped this one up super fast and it was great! It was very different from the first one since I included the crumbles and vegan sour cream. Try both and see which one you like best 🙂

Mushroom and Crumble Stroganoff
Makes 4 servings

1-lb. pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1-lb. pkg. Morningstar burger crumbles (or your favorite soy crumbles)
1 cup vegan (I used Hain Pure Foods Vegetarian Brown Gravy Mix)
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti)
3/4 cup white cooking wine

  1. Cook the pasta in boiling water.
  2. While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat the oil and cook the onions and mushrooms until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.
  3. Drain the pasta, and serve the sauce over the noodles.

Lisa Dawn’s Vegan Stuffed Shells with Cashew Ricotta Cheese!!

28 Mar 2011 16 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I am super excited about having my amazing friend Lisa Dawn Guest Blog!! She has just started her own fabulous blog, Lisa’s Project:Vegan with deelish vegan recipes which almost all take less than a half hour to make! She was the inspiration behind the Coconut Lentil Soup, which if you tried I know you loved! The Vegan Stuffed Shells with Cashew Ricotta Cheese below looks out of this world. I know I will be making this soon myself!! Thanks Lisa!

About Lisa Dawn: I am a vegan mom and wife and I love to cook. I became vegan over four years ago for several reasons – the health and welfare of the animals, myself, and that of the world. My husband has been vegan since he was a teenager and together we are raising our son vegan. It is a challenge to do so in this world but it makes it that much more fun to be creative and to cook delicious meals that people really enjoy. Everyone who joins us for a meal leaves fully satisfied and with a handful of recipes!

My cashew ricotta cheese is outstanding and I use it in a lot of dishes. But nothing beats stuffed shells! You can vary the filling (e.g., you can use butternut squash or just plain cashew ricotta). My family loves it! It is not as hard as you think to make this and it is very satisfying!

Stuffed Shells

Cashew Ricotta
1 lb cashews (soaked overnight)
water
salt
nutmeg
fresh lemon juice
Stuffed Shells
1 box shells (to make it gluten free, use rice pasta shells)
1 small bag frozen spinach
garlic powder
1 jar of tomato sauce (or make your own)
Cashew Ricotta
Soak cashews overnight.  In the morning, drain them and then place 1 cup at a time into the in the food processor.  Process the nuts until fine and then add 3/4 cup of water, a pinch of salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and a dash of lemon juice.  Process and then place in strainer (with very small mesh) over a bowl to drain excess water.   Repeat until you finish all of the cashews.  Let this strain for a few hours.  The top might get slightly hard but don’t worry, just mix it back in.  When it seems like all the excess water has drained out, place in a container and use it when ready.
Stuffed Shells
Preheat oven to 350.  Boil up shells according to package directions.  Use lots of salt in the water to season the pasta.   While they are boiling, place frozen spinach in small pot with a little water and set on a high flame to defrost quickly or do this ahead of time.  Either way, make sure you drain all of the water out.  Mix the spinach with the cashew ricotta.  Add some garlic powder and mix.  Taste it and decide if you want any more seasoning, e.g., salt and pepper.
Coat the bottom of a baking dish with tomato sauce.  When the shells are done, carefully strain them.  Assemble your shells by stuffing them with the mixture and placing them into the baking dish.  Pour tomato sauce in between and around the shells.  Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes so they are thoroughly heated through.

Enjoy!

Creamy and Vegan low-fat Pasta

08 Mar 2011 4 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This sauce is beyond versatile and deeeeelish! Love when the words Creamy and Vegan come together 🙂 Check out these two pasta dishes I made with just 1 batch of the sauce. It makes a little more than 4 cups so its great to keep in your fridge to quickly whip something up.

Enjoy!!!

Creamy Pasta with sliced sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers and marinated artichokes

  • 1 handful of sundried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 jar roasted peppers
  • 1 jar marinated artichokes, rinsed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Bryanna’s Quick Creamy Sauce for Pasta
  1. Boil water, cook pasta
  2. Saute onion in olive oil about 5 minutes
  3. Add tomatoes, peppers and artichokes and less than half of sauce and stir until warm
  4. Combine pasta and sauce and serve hot

Creamy Pasta with sauteed Onions, edamame and peas

  • 2 onions
  • 1 cup frozen edamame
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • Bryanna’s Quick Creamy Sauce for Pasta
  1. Boil water, cook pasta
  2. Saute onion in olive oil about 5 minutes
  3. Add edamame, peas and less than half of sauce and stir until warm and veggies are cooked through
  4. Combine pasta and sauce and serve hot

Bryanna’s Quick Creamy Sauce for Pasta
Yield: 4 and 1/4 cups
From Bryanna‘s “The Almost No-Fat Cookbook”

1 1/2 cups cold water
3/4 lb (1/2 a box) of extra-firm Silken tofu
1/4 cup dry white wine
OR 3 tablespoons water plus 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons “chicken-style” veggie broth powder
2 teaspoons salt OR 2 tablespoons light miso plus 1 tsp. salt
2 teaspoons garlic granules or powder
OPTIONAL: 2 T. tahini
1 1/2 cups hot water

  1. Combine in a blender the first 1 1/2 cups water and all of the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the 1 1/2 cup HOT water.
  2. When the mixture is smooth, pour it into a heavy saucepan or a medium microwave-proof bowl. Whisk in the 1 1/2 cups hot water.
  3. Stir constantly over high heat until it comes to a boil. Turn down and simmer for a few minutes, until it thickens.

TO MAKE SOY-FREE: Omit water (all 3 cups in total) and the tofu. Instead, use 3 cups almond milk (the commercial type, such as Almond Breeze, is low in fat). Use 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch instead of 2 tablespoons. Use the salt, or use chickpea miso and salt.

Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 24.8 calories; 16% calories from fat; 0.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 251.2mg sodium; 96.0mg potassium; 2.8g carbohydrates; 0.8g fiber; 0.3g sugar; 1.9g net carbs; 2.8g protein; 0.4 points.

Coconut Lentil Soup

02 Mar 2011 10 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

My friend Lisa Dawn is an amazing Yogi, Wife, Mother and Cook! We were talking recently about simple, nutritious, delicious and fast vegan meals and she served me such an amazing soup that I had to replicate it at home! Sometimes I forget how simple meals can be so amazing delicious, fun and taste so complex! Thank you Lisa for Inspiring me and Reminding me of this! I had so much fun in the kitchen dancing, stirring, singing – I have been so busy lately and have been neglecting cooking; it was good to find my way back 🙂

p.s. this soup/stew is AMAZING!!! Michael and I were so excited to have such a big batch to eat all week at home.

Soup while using the immersion blender

Soup after immersion

Coconut Lentil Soup
inspired by Lisa Dawn

  • 2 onions, diced
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola)
  • 4 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 lb lentils, rinsed and sorted
  • 2 cans coconut milk (I used 1 light and 1 regular)
  • 4 cups of water (+1-2 cups once the pasta is added)
  • 8 ounces of little pasta (I used Conchigliette)
  • Salt and White Pepper to taste (black pepper is fine, I just wanted to stay with the colors)
  1. Heat the oil in a large pot and saute the onions for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and lentils and continuous stirring for 1 minute more. 
  2. Add coconut milk and water and bring to a boil. Reduce hear and simmer till lentils are cooked.
  3. Using an immersion blender or by pouring into a blender – puree the soup.
  4. Add the pasta into the soup and the additional 1-2 cups of water. Enjoy!

note: It came out super thick for me, but we enjoyed it that way. If you want more of a soup consistency add more water.


Mushroom Stroganoff

21 Feb 2011 8 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

HOLY deelish!!! This was soooo good!! You can also use any combo of mushrooms and I’m sure it would turn out really good! Michael and I could not get enough of this pure, vegan, comforting goodness! I would suggest eating this with a spoon to make sure you get all that lip-smackin sauce 🙂

Mushroom Stroganoff
Makes 4 servings

2/3 cup water
1 large onion, chopped
4 cups sliced white mushrooms
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 cup sliced oyster mushrooms
1 dash cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons white wine
3 tablespoons tamari
1 cup soymilk
1 cup Vegetable Broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
1 freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 ounces dry fettuccine noodles, cooked

  1. Place the water and onion in a large non-stick skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are slightly limp.
  3. Add cayenne, wine, tamari, soymilk, and broth and mix.
  4. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Uncover and add cornstarch mixture to pan, cook, and stir until thickened. Season with black pepper to taste.
  6. Serve mushroom mixture over fettuccine.

1 great reason to become vegetarian – Guest Post!

13 Jul 2010 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in In the News, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , ,

I am super excited to welcome Louise from vegetarianmenu.net to write a guest post today! See below 🙂

Give me five minutes and I’ll provide you 1 great reason to become vegetarian.

While fish may serve as the most important dietary supply of the long-chain omega-3s eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which were shown to be important in supporting brain health, low intake of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in vegetarians will not adversely affect mood, according to a new research (Nutr J. 2010;9:26. DOI:10.1186/1475-2891-9-26).

A study team from Arizona State University conducted a cross-sectional study to check the mood of vegetarians who never eat fish with the mood of healthy omnivorous adults.

A total of 138 healthy Seventh Day Adventist adults residing in Arizona and California (64 vegetarians and 79 non-vegetarians) were enrolled in the study and completed a health history questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire and two psychometric tests, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and the Profile of Mood States..

Vegetarians had significantly lower mean intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and the omega-6 arachidonic acid; they had higher intakes of the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 linoleic acid.

“Seed oils are the richest sources of α-linolenic acid, notably those of rapeseed (canola), soybeans, walnuts, flaxseed (Linseed oil), clary sage seeds, perilla, chia, and hemp.”

However, the vegetarians also reported considerably less negative emotion than omnivores in both psychometric tests. Mean total psychometric scores were positively linked to the mean intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid , and inversely associated with alpha-linolenic acid and linolenic acid intake.

The research team noted there is also the chance that vegetarians may make smarter dietary choices and could generally be healthier and happier.

If you would like to try it out, here is a good example of vegetarian recipe based on Italian cuisine.

Italian Spaghetti with Zucchini

Ingredients:

  • 17 oz. Spaghetti
  • 24 oz. Of thin sliced zucchini
  • A half cup of walnuts oil
  • Some basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons of yeast flakes
  • Salt and pepper

In a skillet or frying pan heat the oil and when hot, add garlic and zucchini. Raise the heat and stir often to finish their cooking. They need to be golden and crispy outside and tender inside. Cook the pasta, drain and sauté in pan with zucchini, basil and yeast. Serve immediately.

***Zucchini contain fewer calories and have no fat. However they are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin e, vitamin c, folate, lutein and zeaxanthin. These types of nutrients are very sensitive to heat and to enjoy their full benefits you need to find a quick method to cook or even eat raw in salads. From the therapeutic viewpoint, zucchini have laxative, refreshing, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and detoxifying action.

About the Author – Louise Infante writes for the www.vegetarianmenu.net. Her personal hobby blog focused entirely on vegetarian cooking tips to help people live better.

Quick, Easy & Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheeze

27 Jun 2010 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

This was so super fast and I whipped it up with ingredients I had in the house. Love that! I bet this would be great for kids and those peeps who are not into their veggies. The squash is just folded right into the cheeze sauce, perfecto!

Quick, Easy & Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheeze

1 lb. whole wheat/quinoa or rice rotini
1 cup soymilk
12 oz package frozen or canned butternut squash
2 cups Cheddar Daiya
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
pepper to taste

  1. Prepare pasta according to package and Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
  2. In a medium saucepan, simmer soymilk with butternut squash until combined
  3. Remove from heat and mix with Cheddar Daiya, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard and pepper to taste
  4. Pour drained pasta into a baking dish and stir in cheeze mixture
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 min
  6. ENJOY

Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna

01 Jun 2010 9 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This recipe was amazing and unbelievably low in fat! So many veggies and such a great idea for the sweet potato layer! And literally the only fat in the dish was from the tofu and daiya cheese, amazing! Also no need to buy no-boil noodles as these came out great and were completely cooked through.
The author loves it so much that he served it at his own wedding!

vegan cheesy goodness!

assembled before adding the cheese layer

Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna
Recipe altered from Engine 2 Diet
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 head broccoli, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
  • 1 package Silken Lite tofu
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 2 jars pasta sauce
  • 2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles
  • 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
  • 1/2 cup daiya cheese – I used both cheddar and mozzarella
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.
  3. Drain the silken tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.
  4. Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with daiya cheese.
  5. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 – 12 servings of sweet potato lasagna.

uncooked

OH MY Vegan Lasagna!!

31 Mar 2010 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

This is insane!! I love Daiya Vegan Cheese, amazing! The “ricotta” is beyond creamy and delicious. This is the Ultimate of all Comfort Foods! Both Michael and I were loving this. I have a feeling the next time we have company this is what I will make 😉 I am sure my guests will agree just how yummy this is! This is a crowd pleaser for vegans and carnivores alike!!

This is a perfect example of not only how easy living a vegan life is, but also how truly delicious and satisfying it can be!!

P.S. We are having a 2lb Chia Seed Giveaway that ends at Midnight on 4/2 – so don’t forget to enter HERE!!!

Amazing Vegan Lasagna

  • 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 12 oz. bag of soy crumbles
  • 18 oz jar of marinara sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 cup shredded vegan cheddar (preferably Daiya!!)
  • 1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella (preferably Daiya!!)
  • 1/2 – 1 tub lite firm tofu
  • tub of vegan cream cheese
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • few squeezes of lemon juice
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In skillet, saute soy crumbles with olive oil, onion, and garlic. Once browned, add marinara sauce, basil and oregano.
  3. In food processor, make “ricotta.” Put tofu, cream cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice. Pulse until mixed. Try to maintain coarser texture.
  4. In a 9x13x3 glass dish, layer bottom with noodles, then soy crumbles, then “ricotta”, then “cheeze”on top. Repeat layering process 2-3 more times. Top with oregano. Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and put back in the oven for 10-15 more minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Uncooked

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