Category Archives: Vegan Recipes
{Vegan} Spinach Artichoke Dip
I learned two things in college.
- A 12 page paper discussing literary devices in Allen Ginsberg’s contemporary poetry can indeed be written in five hours, given the appropriate all-nighter setup.
- Any bad day can be remedied with spinach artichoke dip and a brownie obsession from T.G.I. Fridays.
Since then, I’ve also learned that Juicy Couture sweatshirts and NFL caps should not be considered appropriate public attire…
…but I hold fast to my belief in the healing powers of lava-like brownies and the cheesy, creamy dip.
Life’s changed a little bit since then, though, so it only makes sense that my preferred spinach artichoke dip recipe has changed since then too.
My roommate introduced me to the TGI version; allow me to introduce you to mine: not exactly a much healthier version, but far closer to real food, and also free of animal products and preservatives.
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
Serves two; active prep time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews + 3/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons Veganaise or Mindful Mayo
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- salt, to taste
- 10 ounces {1 package} frozen spinach
- 1/2 cup {approximately 1/2 jar} marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 medium tomato + 1 tsp olive oil
Directions:
- The day before you plan to make the dip, put cashews and water into a container and refrigerate overnight.
- The day of, blend cashews and soaking water in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add in Veganaise and spices, then combine until smooth.
- Defrost spinach according to package directions.
- Transfer cashew crème into a sauté pan and stir over medium heat for two to three minutes. The sauce will start to thicken.
- Once spinach is defrosted, stir into the cashew crème. Add artichokes {cutting into smaller pieces if desired}.
- Cut tomato into small pieces; lightly sautee in olive oil, use as garnish.
- Serve your vegan spinach artichoke dip warm or cold; refrigerate any leftovers {although I dare you to leave any after your first serving!}
Any fun college traditions you still hang on? If you’re in college, what traditions can you see yourself bringing along to the real world?
Vegan Pumpkin Ravioli
Remember the time I made vegan portabello mushroom ravioli?
Remember the time I ate those ravioli lukewarm, right off the plate after the photo shoot, not even bothering to heat them up in the microwave?
Oh, that’s right…I didn’t tell you that part. It happened, though, and as I licked the portabello sauce off my fingers, I felt like it was one of the best things I’d ever made….
Until I got pumpkin involved.
Forget about ambrosia, pumpkin puree is the real nectar of the gods.
I used the exact same ravioli-making technique for the outer shells of the pasta, only switching up the recipe for the filling. Also, since the cashew crème was a little overpowering both on and in the portabello ravioli, I only used it as a filling for this pumpkin version, drizzling the top with olive oil and basil instead.
Vegan Pumpkin Ravioli
Vegan; soy-free. Dough adapted from Lasthours.org
Prep time 1 hour; serves two.
Ingredients (for the dough):
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup spelt flour
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- dash of salt
Ingredients (for the filling):
- 1/3 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Directions
The night before:
- The night before you plan to make the ravioli, pour the cashews and the water into a bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator to soak overnight.
The day of:
- Follow these directions for creating the dough {first four directions in the recipe}.
- Take your cashews from the fridge and dump into a high-powered blender or food processor. Puree (or blend on your highest setting) until a thick, smooth crème has formed. Add in garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast and salt, then blend again until smooth.
- Take dough from refrigerator and roll out with a rolling pin until thin and smooth. The dough doesn’t need to be papery-thin; a bit of sturdiness actually helps it hold up as you form the ravioli.
Using a circular cookie cutter (or a wide-brimmed drinking cup), cut two circles out of the pasta dough at a time. Scoop one teaspoon of filling into the center of one dough circle, then place the other circle on the top. Use a fork to press down all of the edges so the filling doesn’t leak out during cooking. Repeat until all dough/filling has been used.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, then drop in your finished ravioli. Cook uncovered for 6-7 minutes, then drain and plate immediately. Cover with olive oil and basil – serve warm.
I’ve been asked if making my own ravioli is really as complicated as it sounds – I promise it’s not! It’s a little time-consuming, but it makes you feel like a culinary champ. If you’re vegan, it’s one of the only ways to get your hands on non-ricotta filled ravioli, and as far as I know, it’s the only way to get pumpkin inside of a vegan ravioli as well! For an hour’s worth of work, it sounds like a win-win situation to me!
Have you ever tried more adventurous flavors of ravioli, like mushroom or pumpkin, or do you stick to plain? Ever tried making your own pasta?
Cauliflower Tabbouleh
For some reason, cold “salads” {other than your average everyday lettuce salad} don’t appeal to me much.
I drool over the creative grain-and-greens salads on other blogs, but when it comes to actually making them, I’m much more of a comfort foods girl. Give me macaroni and cheese over a raw celery-and-buckwheat concoction anyday.
But somehow, with parsley on sale for a quarter a bunch, I overstocked and found myself chopping the herb up into tiny pieces to make tabbouleh {a traditional Middle Eastern grain salad with bulgur wheat}.
Only conundrum: there was no bulgur wheat to be found.
Instead of the dense, chewy grain, I rolled with the finely diced cauliflower, and discovered a way to make a low-carb tabbouleh without the bulgur. {Incidentially, it’s also a gluten-free tabbouleh, for those of you missing out on the salad due to Celiac’s} . It may not be authentic, but it’s a fantastic, lightened-up version of the traditional dish!
Cauliflower Tabbouleh {Low-Carb, Gluten Free, Vegan}
Serves four
Prep time: ten minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch fresh raw parsley
- 1/2 box raw cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 head raw cauliflower
- 1/2 raw white onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- sprinkle of salt
Directions:
- Chop all vegetables {parsley, cauliflower, tomatoes and onion}. Toss in large bowl.
- Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and salt; toss until well combined.
- For best taste, refrigerate before serving.
Ever tried tabbouleh?
What was your last kitchen ingredient-swap that turned out well?
Smoky Cheddar Cauliflower Soup {Vegan}
My hair currently looks like Diana Ross’s {except blonde – but you get the picture}. It’s a shame, especially since I mauled it with a flatiron last night for no less than an hour. Still, within seconds of hitting the humid Florida air…boom. Instant frizz.
All of this fog and grayness is making me crave comfort food twice as much as usual {meaning I want it six times a day instead of three}! I’d whipped up a cauliflower cheese soup a few weeks ago, but this recent remake with liquid smoke and cheddar Daiya was a total step above.
This is not your average cauliflower cheese soup. It goes down like liquid velvet – albeit liquid velvet with an amazing touch of cheesy warmth and a drizzle of smoky goodness.
Smoky Cheddar Cauliflower Soup {vegan}
Vegan, serves two
Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
1/2 large head raw cauliflower
3/4 cup cheddar-style Daiya shreds
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
salt, to taste
paprika/parsley, to garnish
Directions
Cut your cauliflower into medium-sized chunks.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a colander over the top and steam your cauliflower pieces until tender.
In a blender or food processor, pulse together steamed cauliflower and 2 cups of vegetable broth.
Pour puree back into large pot, bring to heat. Stir in the remainder of the broth, Daiya cheddar, smoke and spices. Continue to stir until your cheddar has melted - then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Time to tame the ‘fro!
Easy Health{ier} Zeppolis
In retrospect, yesterday should have been the day I gave you a recipe for a simple, sweet dessert.
Then again, planning has never been my strong suit. In planning my trip to my best friend’s wedding in Illinois, I decided a day-and-a-half bus ride from Florida to Illinois was in fact, a good idea. That, my friends, is a planning failure.
At least these zeppolis require essentially no planning and are basically fail-proof!
I brought them to an Italian potluck at work yesterday, and they were promptly demolished. I’ve learned that the trick to potlucks is bringing something simple but unarguably delicious. Potlucks aren’t the time to try out a frou-frou recipe. Salad? Good. Greens? Good. Pasta? Good.
Sugar-covered dough balls? Better.
These are literally the easiest dessert ever – pinch of little stubs of premade pizza dough, bake for 10 minutes, then stuff in a paper bag with powdered sugar and shake-shake-shake until they’re totally coated. Throw in some orange extract if you’re feeling fancy and you’re home free!
Sure, that’s not how the authentic Italian zeppolis are made, but those require making fresh dough and deep frying it. Not only am I saving you time here, but I’m making them lazier heathier, too! {Ignore the fact that they’re carbs coated in sugar. They’re healthier.}
Easy, Health{ier} Zeppolis
Vegan, makes 2-3 dozen, depending on how big of balls you make
Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 ball premade pizza dough {aka from Publix bakery, Whole Foods or your favorite local pizzeria}
- 1-16 oz bag confectioner’s powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange extract {optional}
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Pinch off stubs of dough, roll between your hands to form small balls. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- IF you are adding the extract, gently sprinkle it over naked zeppolis.
- Remove zeppolis from pan, place directly into paper bag with powdered sugar. Shake until coated and serve warm!
Are you a good planner? I’m great at planning events and parties, but sometimes it’s the little details in life-planning that make me go DUH – what were you thinking, Faith???
Tempeh Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Bundles
Hello, lover. Come to mama.
The bacon season is upon us {also known as man food season, finger food season, football food season and – for some of us ladies who awesomely love the sport – superbowl season}. Thanks to tempeh bacon, I’m getting my party food on – vegetarian style – in time for the game.
Until now, I bacon fanboys were off their rockers. As a meat-eater, I never liked it, and I’ve never been impressed with the Morningstar Farms faux veggie bacon strips. Whenever someone verbally drooled over peanut butter bacon sandwiches, bacon chocolate chip cookies or salted bacon ice cream, I gagged a little bit. But now? Now I’ve seen the light. I’ve been sucked over to the dark side.
Bacon – whichever variation you so choose – pork, turkey, tempeh… – is the bomb. Let’s wrap this stuff around everything and go all Paula Deen on our friends for the Superbowl.
Bonus points: if you roll with this recipe, you’re still a hundred thousand calories ahead of any Paula recipe.
I made a light dinner out of the tempeh bacon-wrapped asparagus bundles by combining two of them with a pile of supremely amazing roasted cherry tomatoes and goat cheese:
But make no mistake – it was the asparagus appetizer that stole the show!
Tempeh Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Vegan, makes nine bundles
Prep time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 package Lightlife “fakin bacon” bacon-flavored tempeh strips
- 2 bunches of slender asparagus
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Wash your stalks, then snap or slice the crisp, white ends off the bottom of the asparagus stalks. Massage olive oil into the asparagus.
- Separate each asparagus bundle into four smaller bundles {one will be left over – roast it unwrapped along the wrapped bundles to eat on your own, or save for a later date}.
- Pull one tempeh strip from the package and hold at the bottom of the smaller, separated asparagus bundle. Twirl around the asparagus stalks until the bundles are fully wrapped. Be delicate – the strips don’t necessarily crumble, but they aren’t as limber as pork bacon.
- Arrange bundles in a baking dish or casserole dish; bake for 6-9 minutes. Serve warm. Cheer for the Giants to beat the Patriots {No skipping this last step}
Set, HIKE!
Are you Team Giants or Team Patriots this Sunday? Or are you just team food-beer-commercials-friends-anything-but-the-game?
Mediterranean Deli Salad
As promised – yesterday’s deli salad recipe!
If more deli salads were made without mayonnaise or cream-based dressings, I’d be a bigger fan of cole slaws, potato salads and macaroni salads. Since it’s pretty rare to find a vegan deli salad, though, I’m working harder to create more of my own at home.
This particular salad is Mediterranean inspired and requires only a few basic ingredients, but the variety of textures and colors keeps it interesting. It comes together so quickly because the base of the dressing is actually the juice from the jarred artichokes!
Mediterranean Deli Salad
Vegan, gluten-free, serves 2
Prep time 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 can organic garbanzo beans
- 10 baby carrots, shredded
- 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup jarred artichoke hearts
- splash of the juice from the artichoke hearts
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- salt, to taste
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a dish; stir until evenly distributed.
- Chill for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator; serve cold.
Ten Minute Thai Coconut Curry
In corner A, we have takeout from Bento.
Not just any takeout. The best takeout. Thick, doughy noodles, perfectly cooked tofu, an assortment of Chinese vegetables and a just-barely-spicy yellow thai coconut curry sauce.
In corner B, we have a yoga class, half of a J.Crew tank top, or a manicure at the super-sketchy-but-too-cheap-to-stray-from nail salon that you hope and pray nobody ever catches you walking out of.
As enticing as the takeout is, when I think about the cost in relation to a pair of shoes, I suddenly seem less interested in the ready-to-eat noodles and more interested in the budget option.
If you have a few bucks, a few minutes and a local Asian market, you’ve got a restaurant-quality alternative to Thai takeout…and possibly a nice little nest egg for the next pair of Tory Burch sandals that catch your eye.
The sauce is just hot enough – kind of like Justin Bartha hot. Not Ryan Reynolds hot, but not irregisterable on the hotness scale. (If you have no idea who Justin Bartha is, go make friends with Google. You’re welcome.)
I’m a sucker for baby corn, but pick whichever vegetables you like – load this bad boy up with bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, carrots, snap peas, mushrooms, you name it! I’m sure this would also work well with rice.
Ten Minute Thai Coconut Curry
Vegan, serves 4, prep time 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup Namya curry paste (found in most Asian supermarkets)
- 1 tablespoon wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 cups water
- 1 package whole wheat lo mein noodles
- 1 can baby corn
- 1 cup carrots, chopped or shredded
- 1/2 block tofu
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Directions:
- Slice your tofu and drain in a tofu press (or between two paper towels and a phone book)
- While tofu is pressing, bring coconut milk to a boil in a large saucepan. Add curry paste, wheat flour and soy sauce and combine thoroughly. Reduce heat to medium, cover and allow to simmer.
- In another saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Drop in lo mein noodles, reduce heat to medium and cook until tender.
- Remove tofu from press and slice into triangles or cubes. Lightly sautee in sesame oil.
- Drain noodles and drop into the thai coconut curry sauce.
- Stir in your vegetables and cooked tofu; stir warm.
What’s one splurge you spend most of your disposable income on?
Yellow Curry Tofu Wrap
Good morning!
Last night I had the pleasure of meeting up with a ton of amazing, talented lady bloggers at the World of Beer in Orlando. It was awesome to put faces to names and chat about all of our passions – but not so awesome to hit snooze about seven times this morning!
Lunch had to come together in a snap, and I had just the recipe in mind:
I nibbled on bites of the tofu filling as I cooked and now wonder how I’ll make it to lunchtime. This is seriously addicting – sweet from the apples and just a touch savory from the mild Indian spices.
The best part? It came together in all of 5 minutes. Here I thought I’d have to snag some takeout so I wasn’t late to work from holing up in the kitchen all morning!
Yellow Curry Tofu Wrap
Vegan, serves 1
Prep time 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/5 block organic, extra-firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon Veganaise
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon celery powder
- 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
- dash salt
- 1/2 apple, chopped
- handful of spinach
- wrap, pita pocket, ciabatta bread (or other bread of choice)
Directions:
- Squeeze moisture out of tofu. Crumble into small pieces.
- Add in Veganaise and spices; combine.
- Fold in your apple slices.
- Spoon yellow curry tofu mixture into wrap, pita, etc.
Blogger meetups: Have you ever gone? How was the experience?
Chicken Noodle Soup {Hold the Chicken}
It’s football season. Sweater season. Pumpkin-spice-latte season. Break-out-the-riding-boots season.
It’s also flu season.
Praise-the-Lord-you-live-alone-because-you’re-a-total-crank-when-you’re-sick season.
Hey-who-knew-they-made-sparkly-Kleenex-boxes season.
Antihistamines-kinda-make-you-feel-drunk-and-you-kinda-aren’t-complaining season.
Sucks-to-be-a-vegetarian-because-all-you-want-is-chicken-noodle season.
Wait. Scratch that last one.
Why should the meat eaters have all the fun?
Packaged faux-meats aren’t really my thing, but when you’re sniffly, sneezy, achy {or any other adjective that makes you feel like a defective Disney dwarf}, there’s something to be said about the tender, juicy slivers of “chicken” that beans or tofu just can’t replace. I used Gardein’s mandarin chicken pieces {sans the mandarin sauce}, but any non-breaded veggie chicken would work. Seitan wouldn’t be a bad option either!
I went the route of homemade noodles for this soup, but using your favorite boxed pasta can cut down the prep time. The recipe below includes the directions to make your own wide, flat spelt noodles, but I’m sure you could experiment with a gluten-free flour for a Celiac-friendly option!
Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup
Vegan, can be gluten-free, serves 2-3
Prep time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1/2 box prepackaged noodles, OR – 1/3 cup spelt flour + 1/8 cup water
- 8 cups water
- 3 vegan/vegetarian veggie broth cubes
- 1-12 ounce package pre-sliced broccoli slaw
- 1 package Gardein mandarin chicken slices {reserve the sauce}
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Directions:
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add in vegetable bouillon, parsley and onion
- If making your own noodles: Combine the flour and water in a small dish and knead for 10 minutes. Refrigerate noodle dough for a half hour. Roll out and slice into thin strips; drop into boiling water.
- If using storebought noodles: Drop pasta into boiling water.
- Add broccoli slaw to boiling water.
- Arrange Gardein strips on a microwavable plate. Microwave for 2 minutes or until all strips are thoroughly heated.
- Let Gardein strips cool, then tear “chicken” apart into small shreds or chunks. Drop “chicken” into the soup.
- Place a lid on the pot and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes.
- Serve warm and kick the Kleenex to the curb!
What’s your favorite “I feel sick” meal?
