Tuscan Gnocchi Bake

I love gnocchi.. this is not a secret to anyone who knows me. I also love olives  (especially kalamata olives!), spinach, sun dried tomatoes, zucchini, onions, and vegan cheese sauce that's extra garlicky.  This is my perfect dish. Creamy, salty, loaded with veggies and soft gnocchi.

This us my dream dish for you.. and it's EASY to make. 

Looking for more great vegan recipes? Try my Kale & Almond Pesto Pasta, Vegan Fajita Soup , Mushroom Egg Rolls , Mediterranean Hummus Pizza, Basic Marinara Sauce, and Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes 

Recipe :

2 (17.5 oz) packagesof gnocchi 

1 bunch of fresh spinach 

1 large zucchini, chopped 

1 onion, chopped 

Italian seasoning 

3 Tbsp. Vegan butter 

3 Tbsp. Flour 

3 cups unsweetened plant milk

5 cloves of garlic, crushed 

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 (3 oz.) package of sun dried tomatoes*

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped 

1 (8 oz.) Daiya mozzarella shreds**

1 cup panko breadcrumbs  (optional)

1/2 cup of vegan Parmesan  (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°

2. Sautée onions and zucchini over medium heat with Italian seasoning until tender. Set aside. 

3. In a large skillet over medium heat,  melt butter and flour together to form a roux. Stir with whisk to prevent lumps. 

4. Once you have a blonde colored roux, add plant milk, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to form your sauce. 

5. Whisk well as the sauce comes to a boil. This will prevent lumps.

6. Add your Cheese and allow to melt and become thickened.. about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 

7. Pour your packages of gnocchi into an 11×13 casserole dish. 

8. Add fresh spinach, zucchini and onions, sun dried tomatoes, olives and your cheese sauce. Toss well.

9. Bake gnocchi for 20 minutes. If using breadcrumbs (see below), add to your gnocchi when there is 10 minutes left to cook. 

optional topping: 

1. In a small dish, mix panko breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese. 

2. Pour breadcrumbs over gnocchi. 

Makes 4-6 servings.

* if you don't have sun dried tomatoes in your grocery store.. substitute 1 (15 oz) can of  petite diced tomatoes, drained well. 

** You can use any vegan mozzarella you enjoy. If you don't like processed vegan cheese, you can use 1/2 to 1 cup of nutritional yeast in its place.. adjust to your tastes. 

Vegan Mac-n-cheese with Green Peas

This is as simple as it gets. Vegan comfort food that even your kids will love. This mac-n-cheese has become a staple at our house because it's quick and easy. 

You could buy one of those boxed vegan mac-n-cheese meals, nothing wrong with that. I, honestly, use them when I'm short on time. I try to make this more than the boxed stuff just because we enjoy cooking as a family. 

This recipe is simply the old standard recipe I used to make before going vegan, veganized. I absolutely love taking a family recipe and making it vegan. It's a great way to prove that "anything you can make, I can make vegan!" Mac-n-Cheese is not the exception to that saying,  it's the proof that it's always true!

Looking for more great vegan recipes? Try my Sriracha Black Bean Burger, Buffalo Chic Pea Quesadilla, Stuffed Eggplant Parm , Baked Spinach and Artichoke Pasta , BBQ Tempeh over Southwestern Cauliflower "Rice" , & Triple Berry Cobbler

Recipe:

1 ( 1 lb.) box of pasta, cooked according to box directions & drained well.

3 Tbsp vegan butter 

3 Tbsp flour 

2.5 cups unsweetened plant milk 

1 tsp. yellow mustard 

3 slices of Chao creamy original cheese* 

4 slices of Daiya cheddar slices*

Salt, pepper and paprika to taste 

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed & warmed up in a microwave safe dish

Method:

1. Prepare you pasta according to the package and drain well.

2. In a large skillet, heat butter and flour over medium heat. Whisk constantly to prevent lumps. Cook 3-4 minutes, until well combined and "blonde" colored.

3. Add plant milk, salt, pepper, paprika and mustard. Whisk again to break up any lumps. Continue whisking occasionally until mixture comes to a boil and becomes thick. 

4. Add your cheese and stir until it all melts into a creamy cheese sauce. 

5. Toss pasta and green peas with your cheese sauce. Allow to cook a few more minutes until everything is heated throughly. 

6. Sprinkle with a little paprika before serving. 

Make 4-6 servings.

* If you don't have, or can't find, the Chao or Daiya I used in this recipe, use any combination & brands you like. Just make sure your cheese combination equals about 2 cups for this recipe. 

You can also use 1/2 - 3/4 cup of nutritional yeast in place of the cheeses I used in this recipe. It will not be as creamy, but the flavor will be similar. 

Enchilada Pasta

It's a COLD and icy night here in North Carolina. It was so cold today that I was late this morning because my garage door was frozen closed (the first time that's ever happened to me). It's cold, icy, dark, kids are out of school and I'm tired of looking at my house. Time to add a little warmth and excitement to our night. After a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is spend over an hour cooking enchiladas, but that was the request from my family tonight. It's time to compromise. This dish is my quick and easy compromise... 

Looking for more easy Vegan pasta ideas? Try my Hearty Spaghetti, Mac-n-cheese with Chipotle Lentils, Butternut Macaroni, Lemon & Garlic Pasta with Tempeh & Broccoli, Baked Spinach & Artichoke Pasta, 3 Cheeze Baked Ziti, & Kale & Almond Pesto Pasta

Recipe:

2 cups frozen beefless crumbles*

1 (7 oz.) bag frozen peppers and onions 

1 cup chopped fresh kale 

1 packet taco seasoning**

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Chili powder to taste

1 (10 oz.) can tomatoes with green chilies, drained

1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed 

1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce 

1 (1 lb.) box of pasta

2 cups 5 minute vegan cheese sauce

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

While pasta is cooking, cook beefless crumbles*, frozen peppers and onions, and kale over medium heat until tender. ( no need to add oil).

Add taco seasoning**, chili powder, tomatoes and black beans. Cook an additional 5 minutes. 

Stir in 1/2 can of enchilada sauce.

Toss pasta, beefless crumbles mixture and vegan cheese sauce together.

Before serving, garnish each bowl of pasta with remaining enchilada sauce. 

Makes 4 - 5 servings. 

* you can substitute diced mushrooms or TVP for beefless crumbles.

** to make your own taco seasoning, use 1 tsp. Cumin, 1 tsp. Paprika, 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder, & 1/2 tsp. Onion powder.

Cheezy Butternut Macaroni

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This was a recipe I had seen floating around the vegan recipe pages and thought it was worth a shot. My husband, as you probably know by now, loves all things butternut squash and my daughter is very picky, so, this seemed like a good way to hide a few veggies. I followed the recipe I saw online and I was not happy with the way it turned out. I was very sweet and my daughter would pick out the flavor and turn her nose up quick. My husband poured hot sauce on it and ate it anyways, but I knew I had to work on this recipe before feeding it to the kids. 

This recipe is similar to the one I saw online, except I made it more of a Mac-n-cheese with hidden butternut squash. If my daughter could taste the cheesiness first, she would be fine ( she pours ketchup on her mac-n-cheese anyways). This batch passed with fling colors! In fact, the ENTIRE pan was cleaned out and my daughter ate 2 helpings. I truly enjoyed this recipe once I reworked it and made it more family friendly. 

Looking for more great family friendly meals? Try my "Baked & Loaded" Stuffed Burritos, Vegan "Meaty" spaghetti, "Beefless" Pies with Roasted Butternut Squash, Vegan "Chick'n" (Jackfruit) Casserole & Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Cheezy Butternut Macaroni:

Recipe :

4 cups butternut squash, cubed
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves Chopped fresh garlic
1 cup nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups veggie broth
1 cup unsweetened plain plant milk
8 oz. vegan cheddar style shreds
1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Chili powder (optional)
1 (16oz )Box pasta

**For the breadcrumbs :

5 slices of bread
2 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast
1 Tbs. groundflax seeds
Sea salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. Paprika
Olive oil to drizzle

Preheat oven to 350.

Boil water and cook pasta about 7 minutes... just slightly under cooked.

In a deep skillet over medium high heat, cook butternut squash, onions, garlic, nutritional yeast and paprika in veggie broth & chili powder (Should cover all veggies, add more if needed).

Allow to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and add plant milk, salt & pepper to taste. Cook 10 minutes.

Drain pasta and pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish.

Transfer butternut squash and all the liquid it cooked in, to a high powdered blender and puree until smooth.

Pour over pasta. Add vegan cheddar shreds. Stir to mix well. Mixture will seem a bit "runny", but it will absorb during baking.

Toast your bread. Let cool completely. 

Add bread to a food processor with nutritional yeast, salt,ground flax seeds, pepper, and paprika.

Process on high until it becomes breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs over pasta and drizzle with olive oil.

Place in oven and cook for 25 mins.

Serves 6-8.

** you can substitute 1 cup of premade breadcrumbs if you don't have time to make them.

Vegan Philly & Cheeze

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You have to have a good sandwich every once in a while. As much as I love peanut butter and banana sandwiches, they are not "dinner worthy". I wanted a sandwich to serve my teenage son that would make him say "wow!". 

This whole idea started with the portobella mushrooms being on sale at the store this week. I grabbed 4 big mushrooms and through them in the cart and started looking for inspiration. It always takes me time in the grocery store, because I do love to browse and look for new ideas. I just walked up and down the isles gathering my already planned meals and looking for something, other than Stroganoff  I could make for dinner. (Nothing wrong with Stroganoff, but we have had this meal a lot & I'm just tired of it at the moment.)

 I found a steakhouse marinade when looking at pasta sauces. I decided to try and marinade my mushrooms and grill them up into a Philly style creation using up the rest of my Lazy vegan Beer Cheese sauce. This was not a recipe for the health conscious vegans out there, it was a recipe for a family dinner without worries. My messy, gooey, cheesy, tangy, "meaty", hearty, and delicious sandwich was a hit at dinner & will be come a regular rotation at the house since it was so easy to prepare.

More delicious  family meals:  Italian Roasted Tempeh w/ Whole Garlic Cloves, Harvest Vegetable Soup w/ Grilled Cheeze, Short Cut Red Beans and Rice, & Red Curry Veggies and Ramen, Easy Vegan Sunday Dinner & for desert try No Bake Banana Oreo Pudding

Philly Portobella & Cheeze Sandwiches:

4 (8oz.) Packages fresh mushrooms, sliced*

1 (16 oz) steakhouse style marinade *

1 (16 oz) Frozen peppers and onions

1 cup Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese , or other vegan cheese sauce

4 sub style rolls

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sliced jalapeños (optional )

Just Mayo (optional )

In a deep bowl, cover mushrooms in marinade. Cover tightly.

Place bowl in refrigerator for at least 1 hour ( I did this in the morning before work & cooked them when I got home).

Preheat oven to broil .

Warm up your flat griddle to high (or heat up a non stick skillet over medium heat heat).

Drain excess marinade from mushrooms.

Cook mushrooms, peppers and onions on griddle for about 8 minutes, until browned. Season to taste.

Place split rolls on a cookie sheet.

Coat each side with cheeze sauce

Brown under broiler. Remove from

Top rolls with mushrooms, peppers and onions. Pour more hot Cheeze sauce over mushrooms and top with desired toppings.

Makes 4 sandwiches

* For a quicker sandwich, you can use 2 bags of Gardein Szechuan beefless strips. Save the glavor packet for another meal. Cook strips over medium high heat with olive oil, A1 sauce & 8 oz. Chopped mushrooms.

Prepare as directed above.

White Bean "Queso" Dip

Looking for a simple vegan spicy queso? I made one today in under 5 mins, no cooking, peeling, or difficult to find ingredients. Simply good sauce ready to dip your sweet chili Doritos in..lol.

White Bean "Queso" Dip:

1 (15oz) can white beans, DO NOT DRAIN.
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup green salsa
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional - sliced jalapeños

Pour all ingredients into your blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.

Heat up, or eat as is - its up to you.

Makes about 3 cups.

Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce

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I'm a busy vegan mom who loves sports and nachos. Short cuts are my friend! I have been making the amazing cheese sauce recipe from veggie on a penny for months, but I hate peeling and boiling veggies. So I used my busy mom skills to come up with a solution for snacks with my husband that will get me back to the game quick. (This recipe does call for beer, so if you're making it for kids, sub it out for water or veggie broth since it will not cook out).

Now that you have the cheese- use it in: Cheezy Baked Enchiladas, Black beans and plantain Rice Bowl, Award winning Vegan chili, Chipolte Mac-n-cheeze with smoky lentils & Buffalo Jackfruit Quesadillas , Vegan Philly & Cheese, Caribbean Burrito, & Cheezy Bac'n & Chick'n Stuffed Jalapenos Or make my White bean Queso

Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce:

1 can (15 oz) potatoes, drained
1/2 can (15 oz) carrots, drained
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of your favorite vegan beer ( or veggie broth)
1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp.  paprika
1-2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 
Pickled or fresh jalapeños to taste (optional)

Toss it all in the blender on high until smooth.

Heat in a microwave safe dish and serve with your favorite chips or toss with warm pasta for a delicious vegan mac-n-cheese.

This recipe freezes and reheats well.

You can add to a ice cube tray to freeze into individual servings. 

Makes about 4 cups.

Cheesy Cuban Black Bean & Plantain Bowl

I wanted plantains. I wanted spicy. I wanted black beans and rice. I had fresh peppers in my garden. I had an avocado in the refrigerator. I have a batch of my cheese sauce ready. Sounds like the perfect set up for a rice bowl with lots of flavor! No real introduction today because the family is ready to eat this lovely dish.

Cheesy Cuban Bowl:

2 plantains, peeled and sliced into strips
chili powder (optional)
Oil to pan fry
1 1/2 cup of rice
1/2 cup salsa Verde
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups water
1 med. onion thinly sliced
1 fresh jalapeño, chopped
1 fresh red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup corn
2 (15 oz) cans of black beans, drained& rinsed
1 large avocado, peeled & chopped
1 recipe Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Prepare your rice with the turmeric, salsa Verde and water.

Heat oil over medium heat. Toss plantains in pan and fry until browned on both sides, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle plantains with chili powder whole still hot. Allow to cool on a paper towel.

You can reuse the pan you just used for your plantains to sautée your onions, peppers, and corn. Cook until browned over medium heat. 

Layer rice, black beans, peppers & onions, fried plantains & avocados. Top with vegan cheese sauce.

makes 4 servings

Vegan Baked Enchiladas

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Since going Vegan, how many have noticed that Mexican restaurants are pretty much off the list? As a vegetarian, I never even thought to ask if their beans and rice were ACTUALLY vegetarian because they were on the vegetarian menu. Turns out that most Mexican restaurants add lard (pork fat) to their refried beans and cook their rice in chicken broth! WHY?! My local restaurant even cuts it's guacamole with mayo...yuk! The only thing SFV (safe for vegans) their was the chips and salsa. Such a disappointment and outrage at the same time. I miss going to eat there, but I'm also very upset that I was eating animal products in my vegetarian meals all these years. 

This bit of disappointment, lead us to learn to cook our own Mexican meals at home. These meals we know for sure are SFV and made with all the ingredients we love. I know rice is usually not in enchiladas at your restaurant, but this is our "no rules" way of making them and the kids really love the cheezy rice in their enchiladas and also cheeze on to[p of their enchiladas. They are, after all, suppose to be melty, cheezy, gooey and hearty. Throw these together for company and have your own Mexican Feast by making my Buffalo Jackfruit Quesadilla, Black Bean & Butternut Squash Tacos, Cheezy Cuban Rice Bowl, Baked & Loaded Stuffed Burritos, The Best Vegan Tacos, Mexican Black Beans & veggies over Crispy Polenta Cakes, & Vegan Queso Blanco

Vegan Baked Enchiladas:

1 (28 oz.) can vegetarian refried beans

1 package of Gardein beefless crumbles (or use crumbled extra firm tofu, pressed well)

1 package of tacos seasoning

1 small can of green chilies (don't drain)

2 cups Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce

1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
1 (28 oz) can red enchilada sauce
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 medium orange pepper, chopped

1 medium  onion, chopped
8 oz. Sliced mushrooms 

1 bunch of kale, chopped & destemed 

Salt & pepper
8 burrito shells

Preheat oven to 350°

Over medium heat, brown beefless crumbles (or tofu) onions, peppers, mushrooms, & kale.

Add taco seasoning & green chillies to the pan.

Cook an additional 3-4 minutes. 

Prepare Vegan nacho cheese sauce.

Coat the bottom of a large casserole dish with enchilada sauce to keep enchiladas from sticking

To assemble:

Layer refried beans, beefless crumbles & veggies. 

Roll tightly like a burrito and place in casserole dish.

Top enchiladas with remaining of enchilada sauce.

Drizzle cheese sauce on top of enchiladas and bake for 25 mintues.

*If you have extra cheese sauce, you can put it in refrigerator or serve with chips on the side.

Makes 8 enchiladas.

Buffalo Tempeh over Cheeze Grits

Living in the South, I knew replacing my favorite "soul foods" would be a priority in my transitioning from Vegetarian to Vegan. You can't expect a Southern girl to give up her biscuits and cheese grits! I had to figure out a way to enjoy my Southern classics Vegan style.

One meal my husband used to adore was "Shrimp and Grits". This is a southern classic with fried,  spicy shrimp served over cheesy grits with sausage. Southerners are very picky about this dish. it ranks up there with a proper sweet tea, biscuit and mac -n- cheese. This is, obviously, not Shrimp and grits. I could have bought vegan shrimp, but my husband would have (at this point, anyways) totally rejected the idea of vegan shrimp. I would never get him to try something so similar to the dish he loves using a "fake" protein. I had to take that inspiration and make a new Vegan classic dish up for my family.

First, I had this meal for brunch and I smiled all day long. This is "Vegan Soul Food!" It made me warm, sleepy and happy...all the things a good Southern meal will do to you afterwards. I just made the Biscuits to show off my Southern Girl skills. I knew we needed them if I was going to make a real southern meal! The only thing missing from this meal was my Banana Pudding Pie , Vegan fried Green Tomatoes , NC Style Pulled Jackfruit Sandwhiches , Vegan Chick'n (jackfruit) Casserole and a big glass of overly sweet iced tea in a mason jar. Hope you get the feeling of the south with this meal.

Crispy Buffalo Tempeh over Vegan Cheese Grits:

1 package of Tempeh, sliced into 1/4" strips

Olive oil 

Buffalo sauce of your choice

2 cups of freshly cooked Grits (cooked according to package)

2 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan butter

1/4 cup Vegan cheddar style shreds

1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes

1 tsp Chia Seeds

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tempeh strips and cook until golden brown on both sides. Place strips on a paper towel to drain any extra oil. 

Add butter, cheese, nutritional yeast and chia seeds to your freshly cooked grits and stir to incorporate. ( You can add more butter and cheese to taste)

Toss tempeh in buffalo sauce to coat. Place tempeh on top of grits and serve.

Vegan "Cheddar Bay Biscuits"     

2 1/4 cups Bisquick ( Yes it's Vegan!!)

2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup Vegan cheddar style shreds 

Earth Balance Vegan butter

Preheat oven to 450.

Stir Bisquick, milk, garlic powder, and cheese together until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 10 times.

Roll dough out 1/2" thick and cut with 2 1/2" cutter ( should make about 8 biscuits)

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 8- 10 mins, until golden brown.

Brush tops of biscuits with butter and serve.

I will probably add a little crumbled vegan sausage to my grits next time I try it, just for that "shrimp and grits" feel, but this definitely made my day. A southern Style classic made in under 30 mins and good enough for any Southern table. Let me know how you like the recipe.