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. 

Mexican Lasagna

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Today was one of those days. I couldn't figure out what to cook for dinner & I, honestly,  didn't want to cook dinner. I have been busy this week because my oldest son is getting married this weekend. Cooking has been low on my list, to say the least. This dish helps me to keep my sanity for a few reasons. First, it was easy. Second, used up some left over rice, peppers and onions  I had from earlier this week, along with a container of my white bean queso I had in my freezer. The best part is probably the fact that I can eat off this dish several times and not worry about cooking until after the wedding festivities! I love a good casserole for a busy week! 

Looking for more Vegan Latin Style Dishes? Try my

 Buffalo Jackfruit Quesadilla, Cheezy Cuban Black Bean & Plantians Bowl  Vegan Tacos ,  Vegan Caribbean Burrito, Chick'n & Bac'n stuffed Jalapenos, Chipotle Mac-N-Cheeze & Smokey Lentils

                            

Recipe:

2 cups of prepared Rice 

1 (13 oz. )Gardein beefless crumbles *

1 small red onion, diced 

1 small red pepper, diced 

1 small orange pepper, diced 

5 oz. Fresh spinach, chopped 

1/4 cup Spanish olives, chopped 

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

1 cup of corn 

1 tsp. Cumin 

1 tsp. Paprika 

1/2 tsp. Garlic powder 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

2 cups White Bean Queso sauce **

1 (10 oz) can of tomatoes with green chilies 

8 flour Tortillas 

Vegan sour cream to garnish, optional 

Method :

Preheat oven to 350°

Over medium high heat, brown Gardein beefless crumbles *, peppers, onions, &  corn.

Add paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper  to Gardein beefless crumbles &cook an additional 2 minutes. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine Gardein beefless crumbles,  rice, spinach, olives, and black beans. Mix well.

In another mixing bowl, mix White Bean Queso sauce with tomatoes with green chilies. 

Spray your casserole dish with non stick spray. Layer 4 tortillas to cover bottom of dish.

Top tortillas with 1/2 Gardein beefless crumbles & rice mixture. Spread evenly.

Top Gardein beefless crumbles and rice with 1/2 of the White Bean Queso sauce and tomatoes. 

Repeat thelse layers twice.

Bake 25 minutes. 

Serve topped with vegan sour cream. 

Makes 8 servings. 

* If you can't find Gardein, any vegan beefless crumbles or 8 oz. of chopped mushrooms will work just fine.

** If you don't have time to make my amazing White Bean Queso sauce, substitute any vegan cheese sauce you like or shredded vegan pepper jack cheese.

Vegan Cabbage Rolls with homemade spicy, smokey tomato sauce

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Cabbage rolls are such a simple meal. They are easy to make & a common dinner  in most homes. These are a little different than the cabbage rolls your mother used to make. I top these cabbage rolls in my homemade tomato sauce that's a bit spicy and smokey thanks to the paprika in my recipe. There are a few ways to customize this recipe. If you don't like it spicy, use plain diced tomatoes. Make it your own! 

Looking for Vegan Family Style Meals? Try my Family Style Dinner, Kale Stuffed Eggplant Parm, Vegan Family Breakfast, Baked Spinach & Artichoke Pasta, Cheezy Butternut Pasta, Vegan Chick'n Casserole, 3 Cheeze Ziti Al Forno, & Summer Berry Cobbler

Recipe :

Tomato Sauce-

Olive oil 

3 Tbsp. diced onion

1/2 cup veggie broth 

1 tsp. smoked paprika 

1 (14 oz.) Can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (use plain if you don't want it spicy)

1/4 cup tomato paste 

Salt & pepper to taste 

Cabbage Rolls -

8 cabbage leaves

8 oz. Mushrooms 

1 small red pepper, diced

1 small purple onion, diced 

2 cups cooked quinoa (or rice)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning 

Salt & pepper to taste 

Method :

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Prepare the cabbage leaves:

Remove tough stem from cabbage leaves with a sharp knife and steam for about 6-8 minutes until softened, but not mushy. Don't over cook the cabbage. It will cook some more in the oven. You just want it soft enough to work with when stuffing & rolling the cabbage. 

Set cabbage leaves aside to cool.

2. Make the sauce:

 In a skillet over medium heat, sautée 3 Tbsp. of onion in a bit of olive oil until soft and translucent.

Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, veggie broth, paprika, salt and pepper. Heat through. 

Add warm tomatoes to blender and puree until smooth. 

3. Prepare the filling:

Cook mushrooms, onions and peppers in a skillet over medium heat with Italian seasoning.

Remove from heat and add quinoa (or rice) & 1/2 cup of tomato sauce to mushrooms . Mix well. 

4. Assemble:

Place 1/8 of mushroom & quinoa on each cabbage leaf.

Fold both ends of the cabbage over the filling. Roll tightly, like a burrito, sealing off the filling. 

Place cabbage rolls into a greased casserole dish and top with sauce.

5. Bake:

Bake 20 minutes. 

Makes 4 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!!

Cheezy Chick'n &Bac'n Stuffed Jalapeños

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Wow!!! Just wow!! This is the appetizer recipe you NEED for your Super Bowl Party, Next gathering or just because you love spicy, cheezy, smokey, jackfruit stuffed into jalapeños. I impressed myself and probably ate far to many tonight, but I have NO REGRETS! Please, stop reading this blog and go make these for yourself NOW!! Then spread the vegan goodness everywhere!

Looking for more great Jackfruit recipes? Try my Buffalo Jackfruit Quesadillas, or my AMAZING Creamy Jackfruit & Poppyseed Casserole ( Vegan Chick'n Casserole)

Recipe :

2 (17oz ) cans of young green jackfruit
1 dozen jalapeños, steamed, seeded and cut in half
2 Tbsp vegan butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp  onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup unsweetened plant milk
1/4 cup Nutritional yeast
3 Tbsp. Bac-os  (or other vegan bacon bits)

Topping:

1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers
1 tsp parsley
1 Tbsp vegan butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Assembly :

Preheat oven to 400°

Sautée jackfruit over high heat about 8 mins until browned.

Over medium heat, heat butter until melted. Add flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, & paprika. Whisk continously.

Add milk, bacos and nutritional yeast. Whisk continously until smooth and bubbly.

Mix jackfruit and Bac'n cheeze sauce in a mixing bowl.

Stuff jackfruit into jalapeños.

Crush Ritz. Add to a bowl with parsley, salt and pepper & butter.

Microwave Ritz 30 seconds. Mix well.

Top jalapeños with Ritz.

Spray cookie sheet with non stick spray.

Place jalapeños on cookie sheet and cook 20 minutes.

Allow to cool 5 minutes  before serving.

Makes 24 jalapeño poppers!

Hot Chili Ramen with Veggies & Tofu

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This recipeis is simple, inexpensive, and comes together in under 30 minutes!  We all eat Ramen at some point. Why not make it a real meal? My kids love this dish! You can easily adjust the heat in this dish by reducing, or omitting the hot chili crisp. You can also use any left over veggies up by throwing them in with the Ramen. 

Looking for more great Asian inspired recipes? Try my Spicy Peanut Curry with Asian Veggies,  Szechuan Beefless Stir Fry, Thai Stylr Panang & Tempeh, Veggies and Red Curry Noodles & Sriracha Roasted Tofu with Rainbow Veggies

Recipe :

2 (32 oz.) Veggie broth ( or use water and the flavor packs, if desired)

1 (14 oz.) Tofu, pressed well &cubed 

1 (24 oz.) Bag fresh Asian Veggies 

1/2 cup chopped green beans 

1 cup chopped mushrooms 

6 packs Oriental Ramen noodles (do not use the included  flavor packages! )

1-2 Tbsp. Hot Chili crisp *

Sriracha  (optional)

Soy sauce  (optional)

Method :

Add veggie broth, tofu, Asian veggies, green beans, mushrooms, & hot chili crisp to a large stock pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. 

Add Ramen to pot. Boil an additional 3 minutes. 

Serve with soy sauce and sriracha if desired.

Makes 6 servings.  

Three Cheeze Baked Ziti

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This is a classic dish in our family. It is usually made with ricotta and ground beef topped with lots of cheese. This is my veganized version of this classic dish. It's just as hearty and delicious as the original & perfect for serving at family dinners because no will know it's vegan!

Looking for more great vegan pasta ideas? Try my Hearty Vegan Spaghetti, Kale Stuffed Eggplant Parm, Chipotle Mac-N-Cheeze with Smokey Lentils, Baked Spinach and Artichoke PAsta, Cheezy Butternut Macaroni, & Lemon Garlic Spaghetti with Tempeh

**Recipe**

Tofu ricotta :

1 (14 oz) tofu, do not press

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast 

4 cloves garlic, pressed 

3 Tbsp. Olive oil 

1 tsp. Italian seasoning 

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. lemon juice 

1/4 cup plant milk 

Beefless sauce:

1 (13 oz ) Gardein beefless crumbles *

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/2 tsp onion powder 

1 tsp cumin 

Olive oil 

32 oz. Pasta sauce 

1 (16oz ) ziti pasta

Cheddar and mozzarella style vegan cheese 

**Method**

Preheat oven to 400°.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta. Boil about 8 minutes. (Pasta should be slightly under cooked). Drain well. 

Cook beefless crumbles, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin with a little olive oil over medium high heat until browned. 

Reduce heat to low.

Stir sauce into the beefless crumbles. 

Cover your sauce and simmer while you make your "ricotta".

Combine all ingredients for tofu ricotta in in a mixibg bowl. Smash and mix together well, until smooth. 

Pour beefless sauce and ricotta over pasta. Mix well. 

Pour into a greased 11x13 casserole dish. Top with vegan cheeses. Bake 25 minutes. 

Makes 6 servings