Category Archives: Vegetarian 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?
California Benedict, Vegetarian Style
If someone had told me in college that I’d be waking up at 5 am for a run or 6 am for a power sculpt hot yoga class, I’d have fainted in disbelief.
Morning workouts are becoming more and more of my jam {partially because I’m slowly becoming a morning person and partially because it’s the only time a Florida workout is feasible in the summers}. I get my sweat on before I even head to work, and the rest of the evenings are free. It’s a win-win!
Well…except for the awkward breakfast situation.
Spending all that time working to better your body makes it difficult to justify a Burger King run en route to the office, but AM workouts also eat up all the time you’d have on a less structured morning to make an elaborate breakfast.
While I’m perfectly happy with today’s pre-packed peanut butter oatmeal {which I intend to reheat once I get to work}, what I really want is a repeat of yesterday’s hearty egg breakfast.
I practically licked the plate clean!
Dippy eggs have skeeved me out for quite some time, but when a random craving for Eggs Benedict struck, I found myself mulling over the idea. With an onion ciabatta in my freezer just begging to soak up the saucy yolk, I went to town on a California-style Eggs Benedict, using fresh vegetables to top the eggs rather than Canadian bacon.
It was everything I was hoping for – tender, flavorful, and packed with protein! Spinach can be a bit of an aversion food for me {cooked greens usually have a texture I’m not fond of}, but the dense bread and perfect eggs were the perfect vehicle for the sauteed spinach!
California Benedict, Vegetarian Style
Serves one – prep time 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 English Muffin (or ciabatta/bakery roll – any thick crevice-filled bread will do!)
- 2 farm-fresh eggs
- 1 handful spinach
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 California Avocado
Directions:
- Split English Muffin in half – toast if desired.
- Poach your eggs according to your favorite poaching directions.
- In a saucepan, warm your olive oil and sauté the spinach with the olive oil and nutritional yeast. Spoon over each half of the muffin or ciabatta.
- Place poached eggs over top of spinach and muffin. Slice fresh, ripe avocado on top and serve immediately.
Fresh, fit and…not perfect for mornings when you’re working with time restraints. Such a shame – these pictures have me craving it all over again!
How do you fit time-consuming meals into a busy schedule? Weekend prep? Purchasing pre-chopped veggies? Share the secrets!
Honey Sesame Tofu Sticks
Whole Foods is a sneaky little bugger.
It’s bad enough that they can convince you that $8 cheese and $10 olives are vital to life as you know it. Their tricky marketing schemes are brilliant. As if that isn’t enough of a wallet-punch, though…
Then comes the hot bar.
The “oh maybe I’ll just meander by” bar.
The ‘”oh it couldn’t hurt to get a few pre-cut veggies for easier meal prep” bar.
The “Well maybe just one spoonful of the macaroni ” bar.
The “How the $&@*#!!* did I just spend $15 on a single box of food???” bar.
We’ve all been there, placing tiny bites in our cardboard box, “just to sample”…like the honey sesame tofu sticks that practically hopped into my basket last time I was picking up some groceries.
Addicting would be an understatement.
Luckily I plowed away and came up with a similar recipe for my own!
Honey Sesame Tofu Sticks
{Vegetarian, two servings}
Ingredients
- 1 block organic extra firm tofu
- 1/3 cup veggie broth
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- sesame seeds, to garnish
Directions
- Slice tofu into desired size sticks, then press (either in a tofu press or between paper towels).
- In a medium bowl, wisk together broth, soy sauce, honey, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Pour marinade over tofu sticks and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Bake tofu sticks at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Flip and bake another 10.
- Chill sticks in the refrigerator, if desired, and garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
Are you prone to the WF hot bar trap?
Wheatberry Salad with Feta and Asparagus
Ever since digging in to the glorious Fresh Vegetable salad at Cheesecake Factory {all of their entrees are on the calorically dense end of the scale, but the salads at least promise a hefty dose of nutrients to go with said hefty stats}, I’ve been obsessed with figuring out just how they made raw asparagus taste so good.
The green stalks really pop when roasted with garlic, parmesan and olive oil, sautéed in white wine and herbs or steamed and drizzled in hollandaise sauce. But left plain, they’re quite bitter, and have an odd stringy texture. Certainly not the star of the show, even for raw aficionados.
While experimenting with simpler, nutrient-preserving ways of preparing the vegetable, I came across the perfect technique: blanched asparagus. This quick cooking method makes them just tender enough to be palatable, but the stalks are still vibrantly crunchy. No mushy stems here!
Blanching asparagus
To blanch the asparagus, simply bring a full pot of water to a rolling boil. While the water heats, snap your asparagus steams off at their weak part {unexpectedly awesome stress reliever!} and fill a colander with ice cubes.
Once your water is boiling rapidly, drop your asparagus stalks into the pot and cook for two minutes {if using thin stemmed asparagus} or four minutes {if using asparagus with thicker stalks}. Drain your asparagus through the colander, allowing the ice bath to stop to cooking process.
Blanching your asparagus stops the enzyme processes that turn the vegetable mushy, so you’ll end up with a perfectly crisp stalk. It also helps the vitamins from leeching out of the asparagus while cooking. That means higher concentrations of vitamin K, C, folate and iron end up in your meal!
To play up the great texture of the blanched asparagus, I made it the star of a salad with two other distinct textures – chewy, hearty wheatberries and creamy, salty feta. The wheatberries have been in my bulk drawer, staring at me intimidatingly, for some time, but the cooking process is much easier than could be expected. It’s no tougher to cook than any other grain {we’ll ignore the fact that I’ve never once made instant rice without burning the living hell out of it or turning it into goop}.
That said – let’s get to the salad recipe, shall we?
Wheatberry Salad with Feta and Asparagus
Vegetarian, serves two. Prep time one hour.
Ingredients:
- 1 and a half cups (dry) wheatberries
- 1 stalk green asparagus (thin or thick stems – your choice)
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
- Salt and white pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Bring a pot with 4 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling rapidly, pour in wheatberries, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, for 45 minutes or until berries are desired texture.
- Blanch your asparagus according to the above directions.
- In a small dish, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt/pepper and garlic paste.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked and drained wheatberries, blanched asparagus and crumbled feta cheese. Pour dressing over the top and stir well. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more, then serve cold.
Raw asparagus: ever tried it? What’s your favorite way to prepare the vegetable?
{Vegetarian} White Chicken Chili
I’ve been holding out on you.
This recipe has been sitting in the depths of my computer for almost a month now.
Orlando recently hosted an all day chili cookoff, and after an afternoon at my apartment pool listening to my neighbors rave about the festival, I felt a little left out. Never the kid to sit in the corner depressed and sucking her thumb, I headed straight to the kitchen for my own white chicken chili-making endeavor, vegetarian style.
The best part? I didn’t have to share it with hundreds of drunk, hungry Orlando-ans.
All of the smoky, creamy, meatless goodness was all for yours truly.
Garlic and a poblano pepper provided the perfect amount of heat:
While chickpeas and Gardein chik’n scallopini gave me the hearty protein I was looking for.
To get the ultra-creamy factor of a white chili without all of the fat from sour cream, I swapped in Greek yogurt for the traditional sour cream.
Man oh man was this the perfect bowl of velvety deliciousness!
Vegetarian White Chicken Chili
Vegetarian, serves 2
Prep time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 poblano pepper
- 3 heads garlic
- 1/2 sweet onion
- 2 Gardein Chick’n Scallopini cutlets
- 1 can BPA-free garbanzo beans {Eden’s Organic all the way over here}
- 2 cans vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (each) cayenne, salt and white pepper
Directions:
- While slicing peppers, garlic and onion, warm olive oil in a small pan. Sautee until soft.
- Add Gardein scallopini to pan and continue to cook until chick’n is cooked through.
- Add contents of pan to vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Stir in garbanzo beans, Greek yogurt, flour, liquid smoke and spices.
- Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes {adding more flour if necessary to thicken, although the chili does thicken on its own as it simmers.}
Sharing with your neighbors is optional, but highly discouraged.
Ever entered – or been to – a recipe cookoff? Which end would you rather be on?
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???
{Secret Recipe Club} Asparagus with Goat Cheese
Happy Monday guys! Today we’ve got a secret recipe club dish to…well…dish about!
My Secret Recipe Club assignment was Danielle’s blog, Mostly Food and Crafts, which made me both hungry and acutely aware that I don’t have a single artistic bone in my body! Danielle’s cute, kid-friendly crafts make me {almost} wish I had students again so that we could take some of the ideas for a spin. Instead, I settled for one of her equally awesome recipes: Roasted asparagus with goat cheese and sunflower seeds!
Oh man – the combo of the creamy, salty cheese with the crunchy sunflower seeds {added right after I took the picture} with the crisp asparagus - such a winner! I think after my tempeh bacon-wrapped asparagus adventure, it may be one of my favorite veggies. The green-hater boyfriend loves it too, which is just an added bonus 
I also bookmarked a handful of Danielle’s other drool-worthy recipes to try in the future, including her eggplant and ricotta pizza and her rainbow beans and rice. To be honest, I’m not the biggest bean fan, so any recipe that makes me crave them like her dish did is bound to be a winner!
