If a vegan ever tells you "I have a faux-cheese recipe that is just as creamy and tastes just as good as the real thing", they are lying. My wife and I have yet to discover a cheese-substitute that is anywhere close to the real thing. Cheese has by far been the toughest animal product to give up for this diet.
Having said that, we do enjoy this dinner quite a lot. It's tasty despite having a lighter sauce than a real mac & cheese recipe.
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
1lb macaroni
1-14 cup raw cashews
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder
Ground pepper, to taste
3-1/2 cups non-dairy milk
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup coconut oil or olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil
Directions:
1. While doing steps 2-6, boil the macaroni for 10 minutes, or until al dente.
2. Finely grind cashews in a food processor (careful not to turn it into a paste).
3. Add nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Pulse a few times to blend the spices with the cashews.
4. In a large saucepan, combine milk, cornstarch, and oil. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then decrease heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until cornstarch dissolves.
5. Remove milk mixture from heat and slowly whisk in the cashew mixture until smooth and creamy.
6. Whisk in the lemon juice.
7. Combine cashew sauce with cooked macaroni noodles, then pour into a lightly oiled casserole dish.
8. Combine panko breadcrumbs with olive oil and sprinkle over the macaroni mixture.
9. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until breadcrumbs on top are a golden brown.
10. Eat and enjoy!
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Vegan "Tastes like Top Ramen" Polenta
When I first tried this recipe I thought, "I think I discovered the seasoning combination for Top Ramen!" It's yummy without the MSG and other crap the seasoning packets actually contain.
I'm still trying to figure out what to pair this dish with, as it's never felt substantial enough on its own. Might this go well baked with cooked pasta or mixed into actual Top Ramen noodles? Not sure since I haven't tried either yet. If you come up with something, please leave a comment and let me know!
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups non-dairy milk
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp oregano
2/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 1/2 tsp dried basil)
3 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil (coconut oil will add a sweetness you may or may not like)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Directions:
1. Put the parsley, sage, oregano, salt, and pepper in a prep bowl and set aside.
2. Pour vegetable broth and milk into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. When at a rolling boil, gradually whisk in the cornmeal, making sure there are no lumps.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. While stirring, add the parsley, sage, oregano, salt, and pepper mixture.
5. Remove from heat and add the basil, oil, and nutritional yeast.
6. Pour into an oiled 8"x8" baking dish.
7. Bake, uncovered, in a 350° oven for 10-15 minutes.
8. Eat and enjoy! Goes well with steamed broccoli and carrots.
I'm still trying to figure out what to pair this dish with, as it's never felt substantial enough on its own. Might this go well baked with cooked pasta or mixed into actual Top Ramen noodles? Not sure since I haven't tried either yet. If you come up with something, please leave a comment and let me know!
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups non-dairy milk
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp oregano
2/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 1/2 tsp dried basil)
3 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil (coconut oil will add a sweetness you may or may not like)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Directions:
1. Put the parsley, sage, oregano, salt, and pepper in a prep bowl and set aside.
2. Pour vegetable broth and milk into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. When at a rolling boil, gradually whisk in the cornmeal, making sure there are no lumps.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. While stirring, add the parsley, sage, oregano, salt, and pepper mixture.
5. Remove from heat and add the basil, oil, and nutritional yeast.
6. Pour into an oiled 8"x8" baking dish.
7. Bake, uncovered, in a 350° oven for 10-15 minutes.
8. Eat and enjoy! Goes well with steamed broccoli and carrots.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Vegan Meatloaf
I'm not a fan of lentils, but I decided to give this recipe a try because I like meatloaf. I was shocked at how much this tasted and felt like actual meatloaf. Then I thought about how much healthier this recipe is vs true meatloaf, and this dinner is amazing, in my opinion. Enjoy!
Servings: 8 maybe?
Ingredients:
1 cup dried brown rice, prepared and cooled
2 cups dried lentils, prepared and cooled
3 cloves garlic
1 large onion, diced
1-2 Tbsp oil or water for sauteing
Worcestershire sauce, to taste*
1/3 cup ketchup, plus extra for topping
2 Tbsp flour
1 egg* (or egg replacer)
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp sage
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Directions:
1. Prepare the brown rice and lentils, preferably the day before so it has a chance to cool and dry out. I personally put some worcestershire sauce in with the lentils to let the meaty flavor cook in well.
2. Saute garlic and onions in oil or water until onions are soft and clear, about 3-4 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mash the lentils until only about 1/3 of the lentils are still intact.
4. Add the garlic and onions, rice, ketchup, and flour to the lentils and mix well.
5. Add the egg, seasonings, and some worcestershire sauce and mix well.
6. Gently press the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan.
7. Drizzle additional ketchup on top.
8. Bake in a 350° oven for 60 minutes.
9. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving to allow the loaf to firm up a little.
10. Eat and enjoy! Goes great with mashed potatoes, of course!
Servings: 8 maybe?
Ingredients:
1 cup dried brown rice, prepared and cooled
2 cups dried lentils, prepared and cooled
3 cloves garlic
1 large onion, diced
1-2 Tbsp oil or water for sauteing
Worcestershire sauce, to taste*
1/3 cup ketchup, plus extra for topping
2 Tbsp flour
1 egg* (or egg replacer)
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp sage
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
*these are technically not vegan ingredients!
Directions:
1. Prepare the brown rice and lentils, preferably the day before so it has a chance to cool and dry out. I personally put some worcestershire sauce in with the lentils to let the meaty flavor cook in well.
2. Saute garlic and onions in oil or water until onions are soft and clear, about 3-4 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mash the lentils until only about 1/3 of the lentils are still intact.
4. Add the garlic and onions, rice, ketchup, and flour to the lentils and mix well.
5. Add the egg, seasonings, and some worcestershire sauce and mix well.
6. Gently press the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan.
7. Drizzle additional ketchup on top.
8. Bake in a 350° oven for 60 minutes.
9. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving to allow the loaf to firm up a little.
10. Eat and enjoy! Goes great with mashed potatoes, of course!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Veggie Couscous
Just tried this one last night, improvising and adding to another recipe I found online. Got great reviews, even after my wife was nervous that there were "too many different flavors" for one dish. It turns out to be fairly mild but still flavorful.
And aside from the prep work of cutting up all the veggies, this is a pretty quick meal.
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
1-2 Tbsp of cooking oil (for sauteing the veggies)
2 zucchini, yellow summer squash, or one of each
2-3 good-sized carrots
1 medium onion
4 cups vegetable broth
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 cups couscous
15oz (or just 1 can, drained) prepared garbanzo beans (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
PREP: Chop up all the veggies. Make the pieces as big or as small as you'd like (I like a little bigger).
2. Add all the veggies to the pan and saute, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes (until the onions are soft and translucent, but the rest of the veggies aren't limp). Add salt and pepper to taste
3. Add the vegetable broth, cumin, and coriander. Stir to combine and bring to a boil
4. Add the couscous, stir to combine. Cover the pan and remove from heat. Let it sit 5 minutes so the couscous can cook and absorb the liquid.
5. If you're using garbanzo beans, add them after the couscous has absorbed the liquid. Stir in the beans, cover, and let them warm up in the couscous for just a couple minutes.
6. Fluff with a fork and serve!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Black Bean Burgers
These have now become a top-favorite in our household.
Makes about 8 patties.
Ingredients:
2 16oz cans of black beans, rinsed and well-drained
1 bell pepper (color doesn't matter, but we use green)
1 onion
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 eggs (use a vegan binder if you prefer to be a vegan purist)
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp cumin
Hot sauce (we use just a few drops, but if you want it spicy, go for it)
1 Cup panko bread crumbs
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mash the black beans with a fork or potato masher until it's mostly a paste (some beans should still be intact).
2. In a food processor, finely chop the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. To avoid gooey patties, put the chopped veggies into a strainer and the use the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as you can (this is the most annoying task in the recipe, but really necessary).
3. Once the veggies are as dry as you can make them, stir them into the mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce. Stir this mixture into the mashed beans.
5. Stir in the breadcrumbs. The mixture should be pretty thick.
6. Start taking a small handful of the mixture into your hands and forming them into patties (if it seems a bit mushy or gooey, don't worry - the next step will help them firm up).
7. Place each patty onto a shallow baking sheet or large plate(s) lined with wax paper. Once you have formed all the patties, put the baking sheet in the freezer to let the patties harden up.
8. Once the patties are firm or frozen, take them off the wax paper and bake them for about 8-10 minutes at 425°. Then, to get patties that are nice and crispy on the outside and hold their form, turn your broiler on and let the patties broil for about 5 minutes on one side. Flip the patties and let the other side broil for another 5 minutes or so.
Makes about 8 patties.
Ingredients:
2 16oz cans of black beans, rinsed and well-drained
1 bell pepper (color doesn't matter, but we use green)
1 onion
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 eggs (use a vegan binder if you prefer to be a vegan purist)
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp cumin
Hot sauce (we use just a few drops, but if you want it spicy, go for it)
1 Cup panko bread crumbs
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mash the black beans with a fork or potato masher until it's mostly a paste (some beans should still be intact).
2. In a food processor, finely chop the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. To avoid gooey patties, put the chopped veggies into a strainer and the use the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as you can (this is the most annoying task in the recipe, but really necessary).
3. Once the veggies are as dry as you can make them, stir them into the mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce. Stir this mixture into the mashed beans.
5. Stir in the breadcrumbs. The mixture should be pretty thick.
6. Start taking a small handful of the mixture into your hands and forming them into patties (if it seems a bit mushy or gooey, don't worry - the next step will help them firm up).
7. Place each patty onto a shallow baking sheet or large plate(s) lined with wax paper. Once you have formed all the patties, put the baking sheet in the freezer to let the patties harden up.
8. Once the patties are firm or frozen, take them off the wax paper and bake them for about 8-10 minutes at 425°. Then, to get patties that are nice and crispy on the outside and hold their form, turn your broiler on and let the patties broil for about 5 minutes on one side. Flip the patties and let the other side broil for another 5 minutes or so.
About this Blog
In May of 2013 my wife and I finally got around to watching Forks Over Knives (see the trailer below). We had considered ourselves healthy eaters before then, but after watching we felt compelled to try out what the movie calls a "whole-food, plant-based" diet. A little nervous about taking the plunge into a diet we always considered the weirdest one out there, my wife found a book at the library called The 21-Day Kickstart, which suggests trying it out for just 3 weeks to see how we like it (For anyone on the fence about the vegan diet, we definitely recommend checking both that movie and that book out).
Over 4 months later, we're still eating whole-food, plant-based and have even encouraged some family and friends to try it out, too. We've discovered and/or modified some great meals and are getting asked for recipes ideas, so I decided to start this blog. I hope anyone who finds this enjoys these meals.
A few caveats that pertain to our diet (and therefore, many of these recipes):
- There are a lot of vegan "substitute" ingredients out there (cheese, eggs, margarine, etc.), but they're processed foods, so we don't use them at all. Hence, you won't find any in these recipes.
- We are not fans of soy products. This stems partially from the fact that it's one of the biggest GMO crops, but also because we've read enough about the controversies over soy that we choose to avoid it as much as possible. Hence, you won't find any soy/tofu recipes here.
- Not all of these recipes are 100% vegan (gasp!). When a recipe calls for an egg or two as a binder, we do not substitute it out for something vegan (see the first point above as to why). However, that is the ONLY time these recipes include any type of animal product.
Thanks for visiting this site!
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