Italian Roasted Veggies over Chive & Turmeric Mashed Potatoes

It's Summer time and vegetables are plentiful. We have so many fresh zucchini, summer (yellow) squash, green beans, & tomatoes. Roasted Veggies is a very frequent meal at our home in the Summer and mashed potatoes are ALWAYS a favorite...so let's have BOTH!

This is an easy meal. I'm taking the short cut of using mashed potato flakes and "doctoring" them for convenience (nothing against homemade, please use homemade if you have the time). All you have to do is cut up your vegetables, toss them in your marinade (which becomes a delicious sauce for your potatoes!), and roast while you do your laundry,  help kids with homework, or enjoy a glass of wine while catching up on one of your favorite shows. This is so simple, it will become a staple in your home too.

Looking for more easy vegan family meals? Try my Vegan Cabbage Rolls, BBQ Tempeh over Southwestern Cauliflower "Rice", Baked Crispy Tofu, Kale Stuffed Eggplant "Parm", Chipotle Mac-n-Cheese with Smokey Lentils, Creamy Jackfruit Casserole & Baked Ziti

RECIPE:

3 small yellow squash, chopped 

1 large zucchini, chopped 

8 oz. Mushrooms 

2 cups green beans, chopped 

2 cups carrots, chopped 

1 large purple onion, chopped 

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes w/ juice

1 head of garlic cloves, pealed

1 cup Italian dressing 

Salt, pepper, paprika to taste

6 servings of mashed potatoes 

Fresh chopped chives 

1 Tbsp. Turmeric 

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 450°

2. Toss chopped veggies with diced tomatoes (do not drain!), Italian dressing, salt, pepper & paprika.

3. Pour veggies into a large roasting pan. 

4. Cook 30- 40 minutes (depending on how large you chopped your veggies), stirring once about half way through.

5. Prepare your mashed potatoes adding fresh chives and turmeric. 

6. Once your veggies are "fork tender", remove from oven.

7. Layer your mashed potatoes & top with roasted veggies. Make sure you get the pan sauce to pour over your mashed potatoes because it's delicious!

Makes 4-6 servings

Kale & Almond Pesto Pasta

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The other day, my dear friend, Jennifer, gave me the last of her basil for the year. I wanted to  make a dish worthy of such a lovely gift. This is not you "normal" pesto with pine nuts. Pine nuts are very expensive & this blog is all about affordable family meals. I did a little experiment tonight & it turned out delicious!! I used sliced almonds  ($2 a bag vs. $13 for pine nuts). I added kale, fresh lemon juice and nutritional yeast for a nutritional blast of flavor and tossed in some fresh, colorful cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives. This was truly amazing and easy to make. It only took 20 minutes tonight for dinner!

Looking for more vegan recipes? Try my 3 Cheeze Baked Ziti Al Forno, Vegan Fried Chick'n & Gravy,  Italian Stuffed Eggplant, Roasted Tempeh with Whole Garlic Cloves, Baked Spinach & Artichoke Pasta, Sriracha Black Bean Burgers, & No Bake Banana Oreo Pudding Cups

Recipe:

3 cups fresh basil

1 cup fresh kale

1/3 cup nutritional yeast 

1/2 cup sliced almonds 

5 cloves garlic, crushed 

2/3 cup olive oil *

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 

2 tsp. salt

1 box of pasta**

3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 

1 cup kalamata olives 

Method:

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain well. 

While pasta cooks, combine basil, kale, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, almonds and olive oil in a food processor on high. Process until smooth.

Toss pesto, tomatoes and olives with prepared pasta and serve.

Makes 4 - 5 servings. 

* You can use an avocado if you are oil free. 

** Use gluten-free pasta if you are gluten-free

Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

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This is my husband's favorite lite meal. We make this lovely, colorful, salad frequently. It's a great salad to keep in the refrigerator during the summer, or take to the pool. It's bright and refreshing with fresh lemon juice and parsley, a perfect dish to take to a picnic or cook out.

Looking for more great Vegans recipes? Try my Vegan Cabbage Rolls, Summer Berry Cobbler, Sriracha Black Bean Burger, Mediterranean Hummus Pizza, Hearty Vegan Spaghetti, & Vegan Philly & Cheese

Recipe:

3 medium cucumbers, pealed and chopped into bite sized pieces 

2 medium tomatoes, chopped 

1 medium purple onion, chopped

1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped 

Juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons 

1 cup olive oil 

1 tsp. Italian seasoning 

1/2 tsp. Dried mint leaves 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method:

Toss all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and cover.

Let marinate at least 1 hour before serving. 

Makes 6 servings. 

Summer Berry Cobbler

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This year has been a good year for berries in North Carolina. Lots of berries means it's time to make a cobbler, because that's what we do here in the South. This is an EASY recipe... really as easy as it gets with Southern style deserts.

Looking for more Southern Style Classics? Try my Savory Veggie Packed Grits, Fried Green Tomatoes, Classic Sunday Dinner, Banana Pudding Pie, NC Style Pulled Jackfruit & Greens, Cheezy Butternut Macaroni, Vegan Chick'n Casserole, & Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Recipe:

5 cups mixed berries

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of plant milk

1 stick (1/2 cup) vegan butter, room temperature 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

Method :

Preheat oven to 400°

Pour berries into a 2 quart casserole 

Mix flour and sugar in a mixing bowl with a  whisk to combine. 

Add butter, milk and vanilla to flour. Mix well. 

Pour batter over berries.

Bake 45 minutes. 

Makes 4 servings. 

* delicious over nice cream!!

Hidden Veggie Spaghetti

This spaghetti was so thick, meaty, cheesy and fragrant! I got my picky eater to eat so many veggies tonight because they form the "meaty" texture and basically disappear into the tomato sauce! This "trick" was so successful, that I will be using it in the future for Vegan "meatloaf" and all kinds of other "meaty" dishes like sloppy Joes!

The sauce was so fragrant, that I couldn't keep my family out of the kitchen. My husband kept waking in saying " that smells amazing. When can I eat it? "

Best part about this dish is that I didn't use any fake meats, oils, or fake cheese. It's just all "veggie" goodness made with love.

Looking for more Italian Vegan dishes? Try my Garlic and Lemon Pasta , Italian Roasted Tempeh and Veggies or ( My most popular recipe) Stuffed Eggplant Parm
Hidden Veggie Spaghetti :

1 package sliced baby Portobello mushrooms
8 baby carrots
3 handfuls of chopped kale
1 red bell pepper, sliced and seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced and seeded
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp mint
2 tsp fresh parsley
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chai seeds
14.5 oz canned tomatoes
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. prepared spaghetti

In a food processor, pulse mushrooms, carrots and kale until a "meaty" texture. Pour into a deep sauce pot.

Add peppers and onions to the food processor and pulse until very fine texture. Add to the sauce pot.

Cook all the veggies over medium heat until tender.

Add thyme, mint, parsley, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook an additional 2 minutes (this is where the fragrant part will start drawing the family through the door! )

Pour crushed tomatoes, canned tomatoes and chia seeds over veggie. Stir to incorporate. Cook until warmed through.

Add nutritional yeast and stir well. Reduce heat.

Allow sauce to simmer about 10 minutes until thickened and bubbly.

Toss spaghetti into the pot to coat. Top with more nutritional yeast and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.