Easy Vegan Nachos

These nachos are super easy and damn tasty. Paired with beans & and salad they could be a complete meal or served as an app on Cinco de Mayo!

What you will need:
Tortilla chips
Vegan cheese shreds
Diced tomatoes
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Cumin
Vegetable oil spray

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Line a cookie sheet with foil and lightly spray with vegetable oil.

2. Layer chips evenly across the sheet. Sprinkle with cheese, tomatoes & spices.

3. Heat in the oven for 5-6 minutes (the chips can burn quickly so keep your eye on them!) until cheese is hot & bubbly.

I served mine with organic refried black beans. Sadly all my avocados had gone bad or else I would have sliced some of those up to go with it as well.

Vegan Taco Cups

I saw a recipe for these great little taco cups on Pinterest and thought they could easily be veganized! These would be awesome for a party or to bring to a pot luck!

What you will need:
1 pkg wonton wrappers
1 pkg meatless crumbles, taco flavor
Muffin pan & non stick spray
Your favorite taco toppings: vegan cheese, chopped onions, salsa, avocado, cilantro, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat muffin pan with non-stick spray. Press 1 wonton wrapper into each spot forming little cups

2. Heat crumbles in pan (or microwave) until warm and scoop a couple spoonfuls into each cup and sprinkle with vegan cheese.

3. Bake for 8 minutes or until cups start to brown on the edges. Remove from oven, let cool for a minute and then top with whatever toppings you fancy.

Spicy Garlic Spaghetti

This is a super easy but very flavorful pasta dish that you can whip up on those nights when you don't want to put a lot of effort into dinner. The red pepper adds the perfect little kick and if you can, use a really good olive oil, it makes a world of difference.

What you will need:

7 ounces of spaghetti
2-3 lrg garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp of chili pepper flakes
1/4 - 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

1. Cook spaghetti until it is al dente. Drain & rinse and then return to pot over low heat.

2. Add minced garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and stir continuously until all the ingredients are combined evenly.

Vegan Pumpkin Latte: Regular & Chocolate

Nothing says Fall to me like a pumpkin spice latte. Even though it's still in the 90s here in L.A., I am determined to wear sweaters and boots and drink as many pumpkiny coffee drinks as possible. The Starbucks version of this drink is not vegan (BOOO to you Sbux!), but Whole Foods and Peet's both make a pretty decent version. These options are great when you're out and about or in a hurry but I wanted to figure out how to make my own version at home for those lazy Saturday mornings when I'd rather stay in my pajamas.

I looked through recipes online and decided to go with this one from Averie Cooks. It looked good and simple enough for me to tackle. I tweeked her process a bit, and I made one regular cup and one chocolate cup.

Ingredients:
Coffee - brewed strong, about 2 cups
1 c almond milk
1/4 heaping cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp organic sugar
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste
1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder (for the chocolate version)
Vegan whipped cream, cinnamon & chocolate chips for garnish

1. Brew your coffee. We don't own a regular coffee maker, so I use a French Press. I think it tastes better that way anyway.

2. While your coffee is brewing, combine all other ingredients in a sauce pan. Over low heat, whisk until mixture is smooth. Spices will not disolve completely, so you just have to live with that :)

3. Take out two large mugs and add the cocoa powder to one (or both if you don't want a regular latte). Fill each cup 1/2 - 3/4 with coffee and then top off each with the pumpkin/milk mixture. Stir, stir, stir! *This is the kind of latte that you'll have to stir often, even while drinking, just the way it is!

4. Top with whipped cream. I sprinkled cinnamon on the regular cup and chocolate chips on the chocolate cup.

I really liked how this turned out, even though you do have to keep stirring it otherwise the pumpkin mixture tends to float to the bottom. I look forward to making these more often on the weekends if the weather ever actually cools down!

Avocado Bruschetta

I found this recipe from The Curvy Carrot on Pinterest a few weeks ago and knew I had to try it given that it combines two of my favorite foods: avocado and bread :)

It was fairly easy to make and turned out pretty delicious, but I think next time I will make two major adjustments:
1. Cut the vinegar in half, it was a bit too much for my liking.
2. Add fresh chopped tomatoes to the mixture.

I sliced up some ciabatta and drizzled it with olive oil and stuck the slices under the broiler for a couple minutes to get the bread nice and toasty before spooning on the avo mixture. I served this with a heaping portion of quinoa cooked with onions, tomatoes and cumin. Yum!

Potato & Vegan Kielbasa

My dad use to make this dish when we were kids and I LOVED it. I haven't had it in years, but was craving it the other day so I decided to make a vegan version.

What you will need:
1 package Tofurky kielbasa, sliced
8 small yellow potatoes (or 2-3 large potatoes)
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper and hot sauce to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Slice potatoes into thin discs. Place in a large bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil and garlic. Toss until potatoes are well coated.

2. Add sliced kielbasa, salt & pepper and continue to toss.

3. Thinly coat the bottom of a glass dish with olive oil and spread potato & kielbasa into it. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

4. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes to add a bit of crispiness to the dish.

5. If you like spice, add some hot sauce to the top (I have to do this separately since the husband doesn't like spice). Serve with green, steamed broccoli or a nice salad.

Vegan Grilled Cheese w/Tomato & Avocado

I love grilled cheese sandwiches. Before going vegan, grilled cheese with tomato soup was my husband and I's staple meal throughout the winter. I would crave them from In N Out Burger (it's been almost 20 years since I've consumed red meat, so it's all I would order there). I always told myself that cheese would be the biggest factor for me not to be vegan. Luckily, I got over that and discovered the wonderful world of vegan cheese. I really don't miss the nasty, casein filled crap I used to consume on a regular basis.

I whipped up these delicious sandwiches the other night and they were awesome. The bread is crispy and the avocado is warm and creamy - heaven. These would go great with a big bowl of tomato soup in the winter or homemade gazpacho in the summer.

What you will need:
Bread of choice, I went with sourdough
Vegan butter (Earth Balance is my favorite)
Daiya Mozzarella cheese shreds (or your favorite brand)
1 ripe tomato, diced
1/2 avocado, sliced thin or diced
Garlic salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat a large skillet (use one that has a lid) over medium high heat.

2. Butter 1 side of two pieces of bread. On the non-buttered layer the Daiya, tomatoes and avocado then sprinkle with spices. Place the second piece of bread butter side up on top and place in hot skillet.

3. Keep your eye on it, and flip over when you have your desired doneness of the bread.

4. Put the top on the skillet while the second side cooks. This helps the Daiya get all melty and wonderful. Again, watch for your desired doneness.

5. Remove from skillet, slice and dig in.

 

 

Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos

I made these for dinner and HOLY CRAP they were yummy! I was excited about it for hours after dinner was over. I used the recipe from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, but I tweaked it slightly by using yellow squash instead of zucchini, leaving out the jalapeno (the husband isn't a huge fan of spice) and coriander (just didn't have it) and adding more garlic.

What you will need:

Olive Oil

4 small yellow squash

1/4 tsp salt

4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives

1/2 tsp ground cumin

6 oz. salsa verde

16 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Corn tortillas

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Chop squash and olives into bite sized pieces and mince garlic.

2. Saute squash with salt for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, olives and cumin and saute for another couple minutes.

3. Add beans and salsa verde and continue to cook until salsa verde cooks down a bit.

4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add a little bit of olive oil. Heat tortillas until soft, fill with squash/bean mixture and sprinkle with scallions. *I added some Cholula to mine too because I LOVE spicy :)

 

 

Vegan Chili

This chili is tasty, hearty and great for a detox meal. I make a huge pot and it lasts a couple days for an easy reheat-able lunch.

What you will need:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 small zucchini or squash, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 bell peppers, diced

2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 (14 oz.) can tomatoes (or 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh)
1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
water to cover
sea salt & pepper to taste
green onions & cilantro for garnish

1. Slice and dice all your veggies.

2. Sauté vegetables in olive oil with spices in a large stock pot until tender.

3. Add tomatoes, paste, beans. lemon juice and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

5. Garnish with green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!

 

Vegan Enchiladas

I have been craving Mexican food something fierce lately I haven't found a vegan place that satisfies my need in L.A. yet so I figured I would make my own. I figured a fairly easy place to start was enchiladas.

As I was checking out at the grocery store with my tortillas, enchilada sauce and veggies the clerk asked me if I was making enchiladas, when I replied yes he immediately asked "where's the meat??" Haha, that gave me a good opportunity to educate our youth on yummy vegan food, maybe I should have brought him some :)

Anyhoo, here is what you will need:

Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic (at least) minced or crushed
1/2 - 1 cup diced yellow onion
3 zucchini
8 oz mushrooms
1-2 cup fresh spinach
1 can black beans, drained
Mexican Spice blend (cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc)
1 lrg can enchilada sauce
Vegan cheese shreds
10-12 Corn tortillas
Bell peppers (about 1/2 cup diced) for garnish
Avocado

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat 1/2 TBS olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté diced onions and garlic until tender.

2. While onions are cooking, chop mushrooms and zucchini into bite sized pieces. Add to pan with a little more olive oil and Mexican spice blend (I used about 4 TBS). Stir frequently.

3. Add beans and continue to cook.

4. Coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with the enchilada sauce, just enough to cover the bottom. In a smaller skillet, heat a dash of olive oil.

5. Place tortilla in small skillet until it is soft, remove and place on a paper towel. Quickly add fresh spinach leaves and a couple spoonfuls of the vegetable mixture to tortilla, roll it up and place it in the pan. Repeat until all the tortillas are filled and in the pan. *You may need to add more oil to the skillet as you go along.

6. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with vegan cheese and diced bell peppers.

7. Bake 25-30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling hot. Serve with fresh sliced avocado.