Quick, Easy & Healthy Vegan Mac & Cheeze

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

Beet Ravioli with Herb Cheese Filling

This was deelish!! I love beets! I found this dish sweet, crunchy and savory! YUM! The herb cheese filling will make a fabulous dip as well. I know this dish will be a super crowd pleaser.

herbed cheeze

Beet Ravioli with Herb Cheese Filling
Adapted from http://www.therawtable.com/

1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1 Tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or Nama Shoyu
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 date, pitted
1/2 tsp. dried Herbs of Province or sprinklings of marjoram, thyme, basil & tarragon
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup water

1 1/4 cup fresh spinach
3 fresh basil leaves
1/4-1/3 cup red onion

Peeled beets for the outer layer

  1. Place the first set of ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth. Clean out your processor and put the second set of ingredients in. Pulse chop until they are finely minced, but not just a green mush. Gently fold the greens into the cheese-like mixture until well combined.
  2. Spiral or mandolin-slice your beets to a very very thin width.
  3. Spoon your “cheese” filling onto one slice and top with a second.
  4. Serve and Enjoy 🙂

Polenta with Black Beans, Pan-Fried Tofu & Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce

This was surprisingly easy to make and deelish! Michael and I both loved it so much!! I would say double this recipe as it will go FAST 🙂 This dish is hearty with great flavor. This is definitely a great dish for people transitioning to a vegan diet, meat-eaters you want to impress with how deelish vegan food can be, and of course Vegans will love this too!! So yum!!!

I added my go-to pan-fried tofu to this dish. As far as I know, it is the best way to make tofu that is super tasty! The crust is perfect!! You can always change up the spices to suit any meal 🙂

Before the Sauce

Polenta with Black Beans, Pan-Fried Tofu & Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce
Adapted from a recipe on http://www.thekitchn.com/

Polenta with Black Beans and Roasted Coconut Tomato Sauce
1 can black beans (15 ounces)
1 can diced tomatoes in juice (28 ounces)
6 large stalks swiss chard or kale
3 large or 6 small garlic cloves, diced
1 package pre-cooked polenta (18 ounces)
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 tbs. jamaican jerk seasoning
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1 lb extra firm tofu
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
dash of salt
dash of cayenne
sprinkling of Daiya/Italian – Mozzarella Blend

  1. Preheat oven to 500F. Empty entire can of tomatoes in a ceramic or glass baking dish, add coconut milk, and place in the oven. Bake 35 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a saucepan. Add 1-2 cloves diced garlic, 1 tbs. jerk seasoning and cook 2 minutes. Add entire can of black beans and set heat to low, stirring occasionally.
  3. Separate swiss chard stems from leaves. Dice stems very fine and add to a saute pan with 1 tbs. of oil and 2-3 cloves diced garlic. Heat through on medium 2-3 minutes, then add chopped leaves, apple cider vinegar, and 1/3 cup water. Cover with a lid and set heat to low.
  4. Check on the tomato sauce. Stir in fresh thyme and continue to roast.
  5. Drain, blot and press Tofu to release liquid. Slice into 1/2″ cubes.
  6. Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a non-stick pan and add tofu, sprinkling with salt and cayenne. Let tofu sizzle for 6 minutes without stirring until a crust forms. Turn tofu over and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and train.
  7. In the same pan heat 1 tbs. olive oil on medium heat. Slice polenta in 1/2″ thick slices. Sprinkle one side with remaining 1 tbs. jerk seasoning. Fry polenta, about 3 minutes per side until light brown and crispy.
  8. To serve: spoon about 1/3 cup of beans on a place, 1/3 cup of tofu. Top with a heaping spoonful of greens and a slice of polenta. Top with about 1/4 cup tomato-coconut sauce and a sprinkling of daiya cheese and enjoy!

Maple Squash

Super simple and super yummy side. My mom used to make this or something like this and we always loved it! So def. kid taste tested and approved 🙂 Make sure to buy organic, especially since you are eating the skin. Yum!

Maple Squash

1 acorn squash (or really any squash you want)
drizzle olive oil
drizzle maple syrup
sprinkle of cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spices)
Pinch sea salt

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Cut the squash into 1-inch circles, then halve them. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt. Use a brush to spread over and cover the squash.
  3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning over halfway through – until the squash is tender. Serve and Enjoy 🙂

Vegan Biscuits! For real!!!

A couple of weeks ago we were at a fabulous wedding down South in Jackson Mississippi! Not tons of vegan food to be had, but still a lot of fun! I always loved biscuits growing up in the South…..errr or NJ 🙂 Seeing all the biscuits down in Mississippi inspired me to make some deelish vegan ones that I could enjoy at home. YUM!!! They came out Fantastic! So simple and easy to make and baked in 15 minutes. I felt like a total Vegan Paula Deen, taking these babies out of the oven, smearing them with earth balance and enjoying! So good!! I used plain white flour, so I wouldn’t recommend making these all the time, but for a special treat, they really hit the spot!! Enjoy!!

Right out of the oven! Yum!!

Vegan Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup earth balance
1 cup soymilk – plus a splash or two on reserve

  1. Heat oven to 450degrees
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
  3. Add Earth Balance to the bowl and use a fork to mash together and form a crumbly mixture.
  4. Add the soymilk in and mix till you form a ball.
  5. Flour a counter top and pat down till dough is about an inch thick.
  6. Using a cookie cutter or the edge of a glass cut biscuits out of the dough and place on a greased baking sheet. Continue to combine the scraps and make biscuits till you run out of dough.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
  8. ENJOY right away with some earth balance or jam. YUM!!

Raw biscuits

Raw Biscuits

Easy Tofu Scramble

Tofu scram is one of those meals that I can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is super easy and fast and you can basically add whatever extra veggies you have in the house to it. We had it everyday for breakfast up at teacher training and if I am still eating it now, it must be a good thing 🙂

What is your favorite tofu scram recipe? I am always up for new ones!

Easy Tofu Scramble

  • 1 packages extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled or cubed
  • 2 small tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 bunch scallions, chopped
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 lb fresh spinach
  • Sprinkle of nutritional yeast
  • Dash of tamari
  • Dash of ground pepper
  • Dash of Cholula Hot Sauce or your favorite brand
  • Dash of crushed red pepper
  • Dash of curry powder

Cook onions and mushrooms for 3 min, add scallions & tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, add tofu and cook for 10 min, add spinach, yeast, tamari, pepper, hot sauce, crushed red pepper, and curry powder and simmer, stirring gently for 5-10 minutes. Serve and ENJOY 🙂

Even Mario Batali’s Doing It! 14 Top US Restaurants Go Meatless Monday

Meatless Mondays are growing!!! If you have not heard about this initiative, the goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet. Love it! Click here to read more about it.
I just read this article Veg Daily.  Go Mario!!! The message here is any effort helps. People are not being asked to give up meat all together, but just one day a week to improve people’s health and reduce the carbon footprint, water usage and fuel dependence dramatically. Go for it!

Even Mario Batali’s Doing It! 14 Top US Restaurants Go Meatless Monday

Mario BataliNo stranger to boar sausage, or to a finely braised veal shank, Mario Batali isn’t the first person that comes to mind when you think about vegetables. And that’s what’s so interesting about Batali’s decision to embrace Meatless Monday in all of his 14 restaurants across the country.

“The fact is, most people in the U.S. eat way more meat than is good for them or the planet,’ maintains Batali. “Asking everyone to go vegetarian or vegan isn’t a realistic or attainable goal. But we can focus on a more plant-based diet. That’s why I’m such a big believer in the Meatless Monday movement!’

So how’s he going to do it? Every Monday every one of his 14 restaurants will serve at least two vegetarian options, whether entrees or pastas or pizzas. In addition, many of the restaurants will designate these dishes as Meatless Monday options, using Mario’s new MM logo. With this simple gesture, Mario will send a powerful message to other chefs and restauranteurs that we can all start the week right by eating our veggies.

Meltaway Peppermint Patties

I love Coconut, Chocolate and Mint! YUM!!!!! If you are not into mint just leave it out and enjoy the chocolate coconut goodness! This was super simple and fast to make and more importantly to enjoy!! Love that! Keep these babies cold and they are perfect for these already super hot summer days!

Meltaway Peppermint Patties
recipe adapted from Elaina Love

Mint layer:
3 cups dry, raw shredded coconut
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. mint extract or 3 drops peppermint essential oil

Chocolate or carob layer:
3 cups dry, raw shredded coconut
1/3 cup maple syrup or date paste (made by blending dates and water)
1/8 cup organic cocoa powder or raw carob powder (add until mixture reaches desired color)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. Celtic sea salt

1: Blend the first 3 cups of coconut in a dry blender on low speed with the lid off. Use a spatula to keep things moving until it becomes the consistency of butter. Make sure you do not blend so long as to separate all the oil from the coconut. This step is tricky, and takes a good blender like a Vitamix. If you don’t have a Vitamix, you can still do this step, although you may need to separate the coconut into 2 batches.

2: Remove the coconut and put in a mixing bowl. Add the sweetener and mint extract. use a spatula to mix well. Set aside.

3: Blend the coconut for the chocolate layer. Mix the coconut by hand with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

4: Separate the chocolate mixture into 2 halves. Take one half, and press it into the bottom of a 4 x 4 baking dish or Tupperware. Put it in the freezer for 5 minutes until it is solid.

5: Remove your dish from the freezer and add all of the mint layer. Place in the freezer again for a couple of minutes.

6: Add the second half of the chocolate mixture to the top of the mint layer. Freeze again until solid or refrigerate.

7: Pop the meltaways out of the container by twisting or using a spatula to pry up. Place on a cutting board and cut your candies into whatever shape you like using a sharp, thin knife. Enjoy and store in the refrigerator.

Vegan Sausage & Peppers

I’m BAAAAACK!!!! Jivamukti Teacher Training was one of the MOST amazing experiences of my whole life. I feel so blessed to have gone through it and spent a month with so many beautiful Holy Beings!!

Up at Omega we all ate so well, it was deelish, vegan-scrumptious and abundant! If you have an opportunity to visit for an R&R weekend or any of their fabulous programs, I highly recommend it!!

This dish that I made (before I left for TT) reminds me of the Cheezesteak with Peppers and Onions at Omega. I love my version but next time I am going to make a cheeze sauce to go with as well! YUM!!!!

This is a dish my mom always made with meat growing up. I never ate it because I haven’t eaten meat since before I was 7 years old – but I knew how much everyone adored it so I set out to make the vegan version. YUM!!! I love sautéed onions, vegan sausage and peppers, so really I knew I could not go wrong! This is a great dish for vegans and for meat-eaters alike. Field Roast and Tofurkey sausage are so scrumptious that I am sure most people will love them!

Vegan Sausage & Peppers

  • 1 package of either Field Roast or Tofurkey Italian sausage (or your fave vegan brand)
  • cooking spray
  • 2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • salt to taste
  1. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove from skillet, and slice.
  2. Spray the skillet with cooking spray and stir in the onion and garlic, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in red bell pepper and green bell pepper, season with basil, and oregano and add white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender.
  3. Return sliced sausage to skillet with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through.

Banana French Toast

These were amazing! The banana was thick enough to really coat and soak the bread. It also gave the french toast the most deelish flavor. I highly recommend this!

Banana French Toast
Makes 4 slices

2 medium bananas
2/3 cup soymilk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices whole-wheat bread
1 vegetable oil spray

Blend bananas, soymilk, syrup, and cinnamon until smooth. Pour into a flat, shallow dish and soak bread slices 1 minute on each side. Transfer carefully to a vegetable oil sprayed skillet. Cook first side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook second side until browned.

Recipe from Food for Life, by Neal Barnard, M.D.

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