Chickpea and Broccoli Casserole

I think you could make this casserole with just about any veggies you have on hand. I might try it even with a marinara sauce on the top next time. The texture and flavor of this was great! Especially the next day after the flavors have mingled. I love how the chickpeas are mashed, it makes the casserole have a rich texture that doesn’t seem like you are eating legumes (even though I love legumes, this change was a nice way to eat them).

I came across the recipe for chickpea and broccoli casserole posted on the Vegan Mama blog.

• Two 16-oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 3 large carrots, grated (about 2 cups)
• 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (preferably whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Roughly 2 Tbsp of powdered garlic
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• A bit of Daiya vegan cheddar cheese mixed into the body of the casserole.
• I also made a crumb topping–which I highly recommend–made of melted Earth Balance vegan butter combined with whole wheat bread crumbs and a little Daiya vegan cheddar cheese. I don’t know the amounts–sorry–but it’s pretty easy to eyeball and probably largely suited to individual taste, anyway.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In a large bowl, mash the chickpeas well, using a potato masher or firm fork. It takes about 2 minutes to get the right consistency.

Beginning to mash chickpeas

Prepped veggies

Add the vegetables and mix well. Add the bread crumbs and mix; then add the oil, and mix again. Finally, add the vegetable broth and salt, and mix one last time.

Transfer all ingredients to a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish (preferably glass or ceramic). Press the mixture firmly into the casserole. Top with crumb topping of whatever you like. Bake for 1 hour.

CREDIT: Vegan with a Vengeance, by Isa Chandra-Moskowitz

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Satisfying A Craving with Gardein Crispy Tenders

In my pre-vegan days, one of my faves was always chicken fingers with honey dill sauce. They are fried, crunchy and salty – come on, who doesn’t enjoy that!? Thankfully there are so many products out there to satisfy these cravings – you don’t need to break down and eat animal parts. I gave the Gardein Crispy Tenders a try. Craving satisfied!!

I find any craving you have – it’s all about the texture and nutrients!! We don’t actually crave meat, cheese, and eggs, we crave things like salt, fat, sugar, carbs, protein, etc. Get the true craving correct and it’s easy to satisfy 🙂

I made honey dill sauce to go with the crispy tenders from veganaise, dill, and honey/agave. Just spoon out a glob of veganaise, add a bit of honey or agave until it’s the right color, sprinkle as much dill as you like, and stir.

These make me a happy girl!!

Tofu-Spinach Lasagna

Don’t let the title scare you, you can not tell this is made with tofu – this lasagna is great!! The two types of tofu blended become just like the texture of ricotta cheese – brilliant! Because of all the great texture, you don’t even notice the cheese missing. It is so satisfying!

They key to make the flavor great starts with a good, flavorful, rich pasta/tomato sauce. Start with this and you will have a great result. I got this recipe from the recipe section of the ADAPTT website.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. lasagna noodles (I used brown rice lasagna noodles)
• 2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 lb. soft tofu
• 1 lb. firm tofu
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup soy milk (I used unsweetened almond)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 tsp. minced basil
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 cups (2 jars) tomato sauce

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside on a towel. Be careful not to let them stick together. If this happens, run warm water over them to separate. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Squeeze the spinach as dry as possible and set aside. Place the tofu, sugar, soy milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil, and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Check out that texture!

Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles (use about one-third). Follow with a layer of half of the tofu filling and half of the spinach.

Continue in the same order using half of the remaining tomato sauce and noodles and all of the remaining tofu filling and spinach. End with the remaining noodles, covered by the remaining tomato sauce.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes six to eight servings.

Nacho Dip

I’m a bit behind on posting what I’ve been cooking. I made this vegan Hearty Nachos recipe I got off the Forks Over Knives website for the Superbowl. My favorite thing of all time to eat is nachos, so when I became vegan I’ve since been looking for something satisfying like this. This will become a regular appetizer of mine for sure!

From the website this recipe was on: These nachos are a meal in and of themselves. You can also use the versatile cheese sauce on potatoes, raw or cooked vegetables, and cooked whole grains and legumes.

Cheese Sauce:
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes and then rinsed
1 TB. tahini
1 roasted red pepper (rinsed from jar or prepared from fresh) – with these I think less is more, add a little at first, taste and look at the color, then add more if you need
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 TB. tamari (or Bragg’s liquid aminos or low-sodium soy sauce)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup water

Bean Dip:
1 (16-oz.) can oil-free refried beans (plain pinto beans will work, too)
1 cup prepared salsa
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

Garnishes (optional):
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (parsley or lettuce can substitute)
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
Baked unsalted tortilla chips

 

• In a blender, combine cashews, tahini, roasted red pepper, nutritional yeast flakes, tamari, cayenne pepper, and water. Blend on high until smooth and set aside.

 

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place beans, salsa, and chili powder. Continue to stir while the mixture heats and combines. Once the beans are smooth, turn off heat.

• Spread bean dip evenly onto the bottom of a medium-sized serving bowl or baking dish. Smooth surface and sprinkle cilantro over beans. Pour some or all of the Cheese Sauce on top of the cilantro. You can serve the extra Cheese Sauce on the side for the rest of the meal or for dipping. Or you can halve the recipe.

YUM! This was great and very filling!

There is really nothing bad in here. Could it be…healthy nachos?? My belly thanks the creator of this recipe 🙂

The Best Creamy Mac and Cheese – Ultimate Comfort Food

Everyone loves a big bowl of creamy noodles, don’t they? I can’t think of a better comfort food. Since becoming vegan I never thought I’d have something like this again. But then I encountered this recipe, thanks to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and her book called The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. This recipe makes me do a happy dance!

Creamy Mac and Cheese

1 ¼ cups raw cashews
½ cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 ½ cups nondairy milk (I used unsweetened Almond milk)
3 tablespoons of a thickener such as cornstarch (this is what I used) or kudzu root
½ cup canola oil (I used 1/4 coconut oil, 1/4 canola)
¼ cup light (yellow or white) miso paste – get this in the Asian section of your grocery store, it’s a soybean paste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (around 1 lemon)
12-16 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked (I used brown rice macaroni)

Instructions:

Add the cashews to the large bowl of the food processor, and using the pulse button, finely grind the cashews. Don’t allow the cashews to turn into a paste. Add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper. Pulse three more times to blend in the spices.

Combine the milk, corn starch, and oil in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to low-medium, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the cornstarch is dissolved.

With the food processor running, gradually add the milk-oil mixture to the cashew/nutritional yeast mixture. Blend for 2 minutes or until very smooth and creamy. Next, blend in the miso and lemon juice.

Combine the cheese with cooked macaroni and serve. If you have leftover sauce you can pour it over broccoli or cauliflower (or whatever else you want to sauce up!).

*Drool*

Any vegan or otherwise must try this! It delicious, and of course, way healthier than any chemical filled processed box of KD crap you buy at the store.

Roasted Chickpea Tacos

This is a recipe I’m so glad I tried. I will make these Roasted Chickpea Tacos again and again! The flavor is so good.

Ingredients (8 tacos)
•    2 t. chili powder
•    1/4 t. garlic powder
•    1/4 t. onion powder
•    1/4 t. dried oregano
•    1 1/2 t. ground cumin
•    1 t. sea salt
•    1 T. lime juice
•    2 T. water
•    One 14 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
•    8 organic taco shells (i.e. Trader Joe’s brand)
•    Taco trimmings: shredded cabbage, tomato, guacamole, non-dairy (i.e. Daiya) cheese, etc.

 

Instructions
•    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, salt, lime juice and water.
•    Add chickpeas and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

•    Place chickpeas on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
•    Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until chickpeas are slightly crispy.

•    Prepare taco shells according to package directions. Fill with chickpeas and desired toppings. (I used a bag of choleslaw for the shredded cabbage, salsa, cheddar Daiya, and made a quick guacamole: avacado mashed with salsa, garlic and onion powder, and good squeeze of lime juice).

My mouth is watering just making this post. Enjoy!

Vegan Pizza

I always have a Tofurky Pepperoni Pizza on hand in the freezer. I have them on days when I need to throw together something quick or I’m craving a delicious pizza! This one really hits the spot and tastes like a traditional pizza; you aren’t missing out on flavor. Before it goes in the oven I throw a bunch of veggies on top to add to the nutrition, and it’s a good way to use up veggies also. The pizza in the picture has mushrooms, pineapple, green and red peppers put on top. Add a salad and you’ve got a meal! Check out the nutrition info below – this is a pizza you don’t feel guilty eating half of in one sitting!

Nutrition Facts / Valeur nutritive Per 1/3 of pizza (129g) / Par 1/3 de pizza (129g)
Calories/Calories 270
%Daily Value %valeur quotidienne
Fat/Lipides 7g	11%
Saturated/saturès 1g	5%
+Trans/trans 0g
Cholesterol/Cholestérol 0mg	0%
Sodium/Sodium 370mg	15%
Potassium/Potassium 550g	16%
Carbohydrate/Glucides 39g	13%
Fiber/Fibres 8g	32%
Sugars/Sucres 7g
Protein/Protéines 13g
Vitamin A/Vitamine A	15%
Vitamin C/Vitamine C	20%
Calcium/Calcium	2%
Iron/Fer	10%