Looking to get all the flavor and satisfaction from your favorite pasta but looking to cut out the calories and starch? Eat all the pasta you want with this raw zucchini pasta! It’s easy, colorful, full of flavor and best of all, mega healthy! Leave the guilt behind and indulge in this yummalicious new way to make an Italian fave!

• 2-3 medium zucchinis – slice into fettuccine noodles with a vegetable peeler or mandolin. If you have a spiral vegetable cutter, it will make beautiful spaghetti noodles!
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup raw pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves raw garlic
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast or grated pumpkin seeds

Blend all ingredients, except for the zucchini, in a food processor until smooth. Scoop zucchini pasta into bowls and top with pesto sauce.

Add in vegetables of choice to add flavor, color and texture such as olives, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke and  colorful peppers.

For those of us who don’t dine on turkey at Thanksgiving, it’s the sides that really get us in a tizzy. Even folks who do look forward to the bird really load up on their favorite holiday side dishes. Who doesn’t love stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy? Well, below I’ve compiled some great traditional as well as non-traditional sides that will keep you happy and stuffed through to Cyber Monday!

Maple Chipotle Sweet Potato Bisque

• 4-5 small/medium sweet potatoes
• 1 cup plain soymilk (keep extra on hand if you want to thin out the soup a bit)
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup vegan sour cream
• 4 tablespoons softened vegan butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and peel sweet potatoes, then cube and boil until fork tender. Add cooked sweet potatoes in a large bowl.

In a food processor or using an immersion blender pulse the soymilk and chipotle together. In a saucepan bring the soymilk and chipotle mixture to a simmer on low. Then add the maple syrup, sour cream, butter and salt and pepper to the milk mixture. Pour the soymilk mixture over the cooked sweet potatoes and again use the  immersion blender or a hand mixer to mix the ingredients together.

Pumpkin Empanadas

Dough

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 (1/2 ounce) packages dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 cups all purpose flour, divided in half
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening

Filling

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 cup firmly-packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
•  1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Grated orange zest, to taste

Garlic Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

• 5 medium baking potatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons vegan butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegan sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1-2 tablespoon soymilk, at room temperature or warmed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon chives, for garnish

In a medium pot, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan.

In a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic and rosemary in the olive oil until slightly brown.  Add this to the potatoes along with the butter and sour cream.

Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or hand mixer until the ingredients are blended. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes are the desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with chives.

Cornbread, Herb & Apple Sausage Stuffing

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 package Field Roast vegan apple sausage, chopped into bite sized chunks
• 4 cups vegan cornbread
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ½ teaspoon of each: dried sage, thyme, and savory, with a pinch of rosemary
• Salt and pepper
• Chinese sesame oil for brushing

Fry onion and celery in oil until translucent but still crunchy.  Add in the sausage.

Remove from heat and add bread crumbs, pour broth and remaining ingredients over, and stir well while heating on low.

Place stuffing in an 8-inch square pan. Lightly brush the top with sesame oil and cover with foil, baking for 350 degrees for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on desired crispiness.

The holidays are near and it’s time to get a bit more fancy schmancy in the kitchen! Whether you want to try something fun and new with your family or your cooking to impress, these little vegan chicken and mushroom puffs, will make you look like a gourmand without needing to spend a day in culinary school! Perfect to make into small, appetizer style puffs or full entree style Wellingtons, cook up a perfect fall/winter meal in no time!

• 1 sheet (half a 17-1/4-ounce package) frozen vegan puff pastry sheet
• 2 Tbsp vegan butter
• 1/2 cup diced sweet onions
• 4 ounces coarse-chopped mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 4 ounces vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp rubbed sage (or 1/4 tsp ground sage)
• 2 cups roughly torn chunks of cooked vegan chicken, chilled
• 1/4 cup melted vegan butter, for brushingLet puff pastry thaw while you make the filling. Preheat oven to 400 F.

  Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add sweet onions, mushrooms, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute until sweet onions are translucent and the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Stir in parsley and set aside to cool to room temperature.

  Mix cream cheese, Dijon mustard, thyme, and sage until combined. Set aside.

  Roll out thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch square. (Rolling between two sheets of plastic wrap makes easy work of this task.) Cut the square into 4 equal 7-inch squares.

  To assemble, divide cream cheese mixture equally amongst the squares, then top with mushroom mixture, and chilled chicken chunks or strips. Brush edges of the puff pastry squares with melted butter. Bring corners of the pastry square to the center, sealing all edges to contain the filling, created little purses. Place seam-side down on an ungreased baking sheet and brush with melted butter.

  Bake bundles for 25 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!

Do you like Italian food? Do you like Mexican food? How about combining lasagna and enchiladas in 1 yummy dish? A quick and delicious way to feed a family or even cook for a party, this south of the border casserole will be a favorite recipe to pull out on any weeknight or weekend. Enjoy!!

Enchilada Sauce

• 2 dried chipotle chiles, stems and seeds removed, diced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 cups vegan chicken broth (from box or made from vegan chicken bullion)
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To Assemble Lasagna

• 1 tablespoon safflower or vegetable oil
• 2 packages vegan chicken breasts (like Gardein chicken picatta), cubed (you may also use 2 packages of pressed and drained extra firm tofu or 4 packages of tempeh) or sub 2 cans of vegan refried beans
• 1 1/2 cups diced onion
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2 heaping cups chopped spinach
• 3 cups vegan shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or PepperJack (or a mix of all 3, such as Daiya cheeses)
• Nonstick cooking spray or vegan butter, for greasing baking dish
• 1/4 cup vegan butter, cold and cubed

For garnish

• Sliced olives
• Vegan sour cream
• Guacamole
• Pico de Gallo
• Chopped cilantro

Combine the chiles, garlic, chili powder, cumin, broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chiles are soft. Set aside until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chicken until cooked through, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a medium bowl. Add the onions to the same pan along with a generous pinch of salt, decrease the heat to medium-low and sweat for 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook until the onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the chicken back to the pan and remove from the heat.

Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray. Place 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the dish. Dip 4 tortillas into the remaining sauce and lay them into the bottom of the dish. Cut 1 of the tortillas in half to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Top this with half of the chicken mixture, 1 cup of spinach and 1 cup of the cheese. Starting with 4 more tortillas, repeat the layers, ending with the last 4 tortillas on top. Pour remaining sauce over the dish and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Top with cubes of cold vegan butter.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 20-30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly. Serve and top with a dollop of sour cream, olives, pico de gallo, guacamole and/or cilantro.

Everyone is getting back to their crazy schedules and dinner time is definitely less relaxed than summer time cooking. Casseroles are a great way to get the family a round the dinner table over healthy food that is easy to make. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure left overs for lunches and quick dinners later in the week to save time and money! Try this Spanish style rice casserole any night of the week!

• 1 heaping pinch saffron threads, about 20
• 2 cups vegan chicken stock (boxed or made from vegan chicken bullion)
• 1 cup water
• 1 package vegan chorizo (soyrizo or Spanish style field roast sausage, tofurky, etc)
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup drained chopped pimientos or diced piquillo peppers
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/3 cup dry sherry or 1/2 cup extra-dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1/2 cup orzo pasta
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Put the saffron in small pot with 1 1/2 cups stock and about 1 cup water. Bring to boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and let steep for a few minutes while you prepare the chorizo and onions.

Heat a skillet with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat.  Slice vegan chorizo about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, on an angle. Add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the hot skillet and add the chorizo. Brown evenly on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Remove the chorizo to a plate and add another drizzle of oil to the skillet along with the onions. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the pimientos and peas and stir to heat through. Deglaze the pan with sherry or wine and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Remove them from the pan to the plate with the chorizo.

Return the pan to medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the pasta and stir until deeply golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the rice and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook for 18 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease a casserole with the remaining 1 tablespoon of softened butter. Fill the casserole with cooked rice and top with the chorizo and onion mixture. Put casserole in preheated oven, loosely covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for about until heated through and barely crispy at edges, about 10 minutes. Top with parsley and serve.

Just because summer is over, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some yummy grillin’! Combine two meal time favorites with burgers and tacos with this delicious and wholesome sandwich!

Black Bean Taco Patty

• 1 carrot, sliced and steamed
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs or finely crushed tortilla chips
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 packet of taco seasoning (or more if desired)

Mash beans and steamed carrot in a large bowl. Mix in green pepper, onion, salsa, bread crumbs/tortillas, and flour. Season with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning, to taste. Add flour to create a firmer mixture, or more salsa if the mixture is too stiff. Form mixture into 8 patties, and place on a greased baking sheet.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with cooking spray. Fry the patties for about 8 minutes on each side, or until browned and firm. Melt cheese onto patty, if desired.

To assemble Taco Burgers:

• Vegan cheddar cheese, sliced or shredded
• Burger buns, split
• Lettuce leaves
• Tomato slices
• Red onion, sliced or diced, optional
• Salsa, optional
• Guacamole, optional
• Vegan Sour cream, optional

Top each patty with a cheese slice (if it hasn’t already been melted). Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, onions, salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream. Enjoy!

Summer is over and it’s back to school! Want a way to help your kids beat their back to school blues? Make their lunch time fun with a lunch box brunch! Try packing some not-so-usual lunches such as the lunch time brunch menu below. Create little foodies by opening their eyes to unique combinations of foods, even if they are abbreviated versions that fit in a lunch box ; )

Fun Fruit Salad Cup

• 1 pint strawberries – cleaned, hulled and sliced
• 1 pound seedless grapes, halved
• 3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 3 bananas, sliced
• 1 1/2 cup vegan vanilla yogurt

In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, grapes, kiwis, and bananas. Gently mix in yogurt. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Quinoa Cakes

• 3 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup vegan sour cream
• 3/4 cups oats
• 1 egg replacer
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 3 tablespoon safflower (or other high-heat safe) oil, divided
• Cooking spray

In a food processor (or a coffee grinder would work, too) grind up your oats until they are a powder.

In a medium bowl, mix quinoa, oat flour until well blended. Add in the egg replacer and stir until well blended. Add in the sour cream. The mix should be moist and hold together well. If it does not, add another tablespoon or so of sour cream and try again. Add in onion powder and salt.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray, and then drizzle 1 tablespoon oil onto the pan. Pick up the pan and tip it from side to side to spread the oil around, if needed.

While your pan heats, make your quinoa batter into patties. Depending on how big you make them, this should make 10-14 patties. They are sticky, so you may want to lay them on foil or waxed paper while you work.

Put 3 onto the skillet at a time. Turn when brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Before you put on the next set, add another tablespoon of oil and spread around the pan. These do not stick, and are very easy to flip and reposition if needed.

Coconut Curry Tofu on a Stick

• 1 lb of extra firm tofu, pressed, drained
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
• 1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves of minced garlic

Bake Tofu in toaster oven or regular oven at 350 or until golden brown on all sides turning once and let cool.

Mix the coconut milk, curry powder, garlic and cilantro in a glass baking dish.  Cut tofu into strips or cubes, add to skewers and immerse in marinade.  For best results, let marinade over night.

Preheat broiler, transfer tofu  to foiled covered broiler pan, reserve excess marinade.  Broil for 10-15 minutes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Topping:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 egg replacer
• 3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons vegan butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
• 3/4 vegan vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup diced rhubarb, in 1/2-inch pieces (from about 6 to 8 ounces of stalks)
• 1 cup sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9 inch round pan (or similar size oblong pan) with baking spray.

Make the topping in a small dish, stir together flours, sugars, spices and salt. Stir in butter until crumbly. Set aside.

To make the cake, whisk egg replacer and sugars together then whisk in butter and yogurt. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and baking soda and stir them into the yogurt mixture, mixing until just combined. Fold in rhubarb, strawberries and 1/3 of the topping mixture.

Transfer batter to prepared baking pan and sprinkle the rest of the topping all over the top of the batter. Gently press the crumbs in so they stick. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before cutting and/or serving.

The grill isn’t just for burgers, hot dogs and kebabs. No siree, you can make delicious, crispity, crunchity pizzas on them too! A fun way to utilize your grill just a little bit more and make backyard dining a little less “barbecue-y”! Make either of the grilled flatbread recipes or after you’ve made the dough, have fun topping and grilling it with your favorite fixins!

Flatbread Dough

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive, plus more for bowl

Mix water and yeast in a large bowl and let stand 5 minutes to proof. Gradually pour in 2 cups of the flour and stir to incorporate. Mix for about 1 minute to form a sponge. Let stand, covered, for at least an hour.

Put sponge in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, add the salt and oil, then add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a dough. Remove from bowl and knead. Place in a clean oiled bowl and let rise, slowly, about 2 1/2 hours. Divide dough into 4 balls, if desired, let rise again for 1/2 hour, and then roll out as desired.

Roasted Garlic Oil

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves roasted garlic

Place oil and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain.

Flatten flatbread dough, gently press into a large rectangle, brush liberally with garlic oil, and throw on grill. Grill on both sides until golden brown.

Gourmet Pizza Bianca Grilled Flatbread

• Vegan ricotta cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 plum tomatoes, very thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Spread 1 side with ricotta, sprinkle with salt and pepper, scatter tomatoes over, drizzle with Roasted Garlic Oil, and garnish with basil and more freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Flatbread Salad

• Grilled Flatbread
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoons sugar or agave
• 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cups salad greens (such as radicchio, endive, and arugula), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

About 10 minutes before grilling flatbread, prepare salad topping: In large bowl, with wire whisk, mix olive oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper until dressing is blended.
Add salad greens, tomatoes, and cucumber to dressing in bowl, toss to coat well. Set salad aside then grill flatbreads.

To serve, top each flatbread with about 2 cups salad. Cut each round into quarters.

Grilled Chicken Alfredo Flatbread

• flatbread
• 1 vegan chicken breast, cooked and sliced
• 1 cup vegan alfredo sauce (below)
• 1/2 to 1 grilled red pepper
• 1/4 cup vegan shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove

Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Peel garlic clove, cut in half, and rub cut garlic clove over the flat bread. Place cooked sliced chicken breast onto flatbread, coat the bread with Alfredo sauce, top with half of the grilled red peppers, and add sprinkle over mozzarella cheese on top of everything. Place onto grill and heat until the mozzarella cheese melts, this should take 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from grill, and top with remaining grilled red peppers and add chopped basil before serving.

Alfredo Sauce

• 2 cups vegan heavy cream
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup shredded vegan mozzarella
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Heat heavy cream over low-medium heat in a deep saute pan. Add butter and whisk gently to melt. Sprinkle in garlic, cheese and nutritional yeast and stir to incorporate well. Season with salt and pepper and when served, garnish with chopped parsley.

One of my favorite meals is gnocchi. But sweet potato gnocchi trumps that every time! Full of antioxidants and flavor, along with a savory or even a sweet buttery sauce, this dish will be a big hit that your family will request time and time again!

• 2 (8 ounce) sweet potatoes
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 egg replacer
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten free flour can be substituted if needed)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake sweet potatoes for 30 minutes, or until soft to the touch. Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to work with, remove the peels, and mash them, or press them through a ricer into a large bowl. Blend in the garlic, salt, nutmeg, and egg replacer. Mix in the flour a little at a time until you have soft dough. Use more or less flour as needed.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. While you waiting for the water, make the gnocchi. On a floured surface, roll the dough out in several long snakes, and cut into 1-inch sections. Drop the pieces into the boiling water, and allow them to cook until they float to the surface. Remove the floating pieces with a slotted spoon, and keep warm in a serving dish.

Buttery Sage Garlic Sauce

• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1  heaping handful sage leaves, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

in a large pan, heat the butter and garlic and sauté. Make sure the garlic doesn’t turn brown. Add the sage, continue too cook for a minute then add the gnocchi. Sauté till the gnocchi is slightly golden.

As a kid, this was one of my mom’s best dishes and one of my favorite meals. So naturally, I had to veganize it so i could enjoy it all over again! Simple and full of flavor, even omnivores will enjoy this Colombian entree!

• 6 “pork” fillets (1/2 inch thick by about 4 to 6 inches long) made from Match Vegan Meats Ground Pork
• 1/4 cup chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons adobo seasoning or 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• Oil for pan frying
• Lemon wedges for serving

In a blender, make the marinade by adding the garlic, green onion, soy milk, white wine, seasoning and salt and pepper. Blend into a smooth puree.

Generously brush each side of the pork fillets with the marinade you just made. Stack each brushed fillet on top of the last in a container with a lid until all have been brushed. Pour any remaining marinade over the stack and cover. Let marinade in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove the fillets from the container and dredge each in the breadcrumbs, making sure they are well coated.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the skillet. Working in batches, add the breaded fillets and cook, turning once, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 3-5 mintues per side.

Serve with rice, plantains, beans and lemon wedges to squeeze onto your chuleta for extra zing!