Entrees
Vegan Caesar Salad with Garlic Parmesan Croutons
All salads are not created equal, and I have to say, this salad falls into a new category of totally amazingly delicious salads. Young Lauren also thought all salads were healthy. I had decided that if you put anything on top of lettuce it automatically made it a health food. I would put cheese and croutons and ranch on top of lettuce and feel super proud of myself for eating a meal that was really good for me. Ha ha. I could fill a room with stuff I did not know about being healthy, and now I think I could fill a stadium with things I do know. One of my favorite, not-so-healthy-salads, was a Caesar salad. I loved the creamy dressing and the crispy croutons and the crisp romaine. When I became a vegetarian was the first time I actually realized the dressing was not only not vegan, but also not vegetarian.
Sadness, I really felt like I was missing out on that Caesar dressing taste I loved. I soon forgot about it though, as I did with many meaty food items I use to partake of. Then, a few years ago, my husband and I were in Gainesville, Florida, and there is an amazing restaurant there called The Top. I love it, they have so many vegetarian and vegan dishes, but also plenty of meat for those who are interested in that (like my husband). They have pecan crusted tofu to die for. I also discovered that their Caesar salad is vegetarian, and this was when I was still vegetarian and not fully vegan. So, I was super pumped and devoured it. Since becoming vegan, I have had the wheels turning, thinking of all the ways I could make a delicious vegan version of my beloved Caesar dressing and how to make some amazing croutons that taste cheesy. Thus this salad was born, and I would wager a guess that it is actually healthy. I added some more veggies, and made the dressing full of protein with a few calories as possible. It it also pretty fool proof, and you can change the seasonings pretty easily for your preferences.
These are literally the most delicious croutons I have ever had, by the way. They smelled so amazing, I ate a “few” right when they came out of the oven. I really hope you enjoy this versatile salad. You can really create whatever you want using the dressing and croutons, add your favorite veggies or protein. The next day I added vegan chicken strips to it and had a vegan chicken caesar salad! Have fun!
Vegan Caesar Salad
- Prep Time: 2h
- Cook Time: 10m
- Total Time: 2h 15m
- Yield: 4 Salads
- Category: Entree
INGREDIENTS
Caesar Dressing
- 1 1/4 c Cashews, raw(soaked for at least 2 hours)
- 1/4 c Almond milk
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 tbsp. Capers
- 2 tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. Mustard
- 3 Cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp. Rice wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp. Agave nectar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Garlic Parmesan Croutons
- 1 Loaf of Ciabatta
- 2 tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp. Garlic powder
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 c Olive oil
Veggies
- Romaine
INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut ciabatta into cubes. Place in a mixing bowl and add the other crouton ingredients. Toss until all of the bread is covered with oil and seasoning.
- Bake at 450 for 5-10 minutes being careful not to burn them, but that they get firm and crispy!
- Add all of the ceasar dressing to a high speed blend. Blend on high until nice and smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning to desired flavor.
- When croutons are finished, let them cool, and chop your romaine lettuce and any other veggies you want. Top with croutons, dressing and more nutritional yeast(if you want)
- Enjoy!
Vegan Fish Tacos with Mango salsa and avocado cream
I love tacos! Any kind, any day. A few years ago, I lived in Tampa Florida, and there is a magical place called The Taco Bus. This particular Taco Bus is not actually a bus, it started as a small taco truck and now has like four or five permanent locations. Why? Because their tacos are the f$#%&ing best! They also have at least five vegan taco options! Win! Not only that, but they are open 24/7. At this magical time, in this magical place, I worked right around the corner from one of the locations. Lunch time? Tacos. Three in the morning? Tacos. It was the greatest. I have really been missing the wizardry at the Taco Bus lately, and we were supposed to head down there this weekend, and the Hurricane Hermine hit north Florida this past weekend. Not only did I not get my amazing various vegan tacos, but we didn’t have power for days. So sad. The second our power came back on, I set out to make the perfect vegan taco. I hate to toot my own horn, but I think I nailed it.
Now obviously I have not had a fish taco possibly ever, but I have always liked the idea. I loved fish when I was a kid, I think it creeped me out a lot less than eating meat, and I like the salty sea like flavor. When I became a vegetarian a million years ago, that was the only thing I really missed. It quickly became no big deal, but I still love the flavor of seaweed! I wanted something that paired really well with a light fishy flavor, and I thought avocados and mangoes were the way to go!
These tacos are everything I have been dreaming of. Taco Bus will always hold a special place in my heart, but until I can get down there, these are insanely satisfying. Crispy “fish”, sweet and spicy mango salsa, velvety avocado cream. All the things you need in life! I hope these tacos bring you as much happiness as they did for my family!
Tools I used:
Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Stack and Snap Food Processor (70725A)
Good Cook Set Of 3 Non-Stick Cookie Sheet
Hölm Limes and Lemon Squeezer – Manual Hand Held Orange Lime and Lemons Citrus Juicer – Lemon Water Maker – Fruit Wedge and Salad Dressing Tool – Orange Slice Presser – Iced Tea Lemonade Press
Vegan Fish Tacos with Mango salsa and avocado cream
- Prep Time: 45m
- Cook Time: 20m
- Total Time: 1h 10m
- Yield: 10 Tacos
- Category:Entree
INGREDIENTS
Fish tofu
- 1 pkg Extra firm tofu
- 2 c Panko bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp. Kelp powder ( I got mine at Whole Foods, but probably available at any health food store)
- 3 tsp. Fresh dill
- 1 tsp. Old Bay
- 2 tsp. Garlic powder
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1 dash Black pepper
- 1/2 c All purpose flour
- 1 c Almond milk
- 1 tsp. Lime juice
Mango salsa
- 1 Mango (Make sure it is ripe)
- 1/2 of a jalapeno
- 2 tbsp. Lime juice
- 1/4 of a red onion
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1/4 c Cilantro
Avocado Cream
- 1 Avocado
- 1/4 c Almond milk
- 3 tbsp. Cilantro
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Drained your tofu, and slice into sticks. Place on paper towels, and cover with more paper towels. Set something heavy on top, and let dry out a bit while you prep everything else.
- Make your mango salsa by cutting up all the ingredients into small pieces and stir together. Taste to see if it needs more seasoning. Make sure to wash your hands after touching the jalapeno!! Set aside.
- Make the bread crumb mixture, by adding the bread crumbs, kelp powder, dill, Old Bay, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a food processor and pulse a few times just to combine. Be careful not to process for too long, you don’t want it to get too fine. Set aside.
- Make the avocado cream. Combine all ingredients in the food processor and puree. You can just wipe out your food processor from the bread crumbs to make it easier on yourself! Set in fridge.
- Now that the tofu has been drying for a while you can bread them. Preheat the oven to 450. Set up a breading station with three bowls. One with the 1 cup of almond milk and the tsp. of lime juice to make a buttermilk, another with the bread crumb mixture, and another with the half cup of flour. Take a tofu stick, dip it in the vegan buttermilk, the flour, back into the buttermilk and then into the bread crumb mixture. Place on a prepared baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. Repeat process with all the tofu sticks! Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes or until crispy and brown, Be careful not to burn, if your oven runs high.
- Warm up tortillas, place a few pieces of “fish” inside and top with mango salsa and avocado cream!
Vegan Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs
Korean food is some of my favorite food! I used to kill some bibimbap when I lived in New York City. These vegan sweet and spicy Korean meatballs remind me of those flavors. There was an amazing fast Korean food restaurant right next to where my Brother-in-law worked at the time. Unfortunately, it is closed now, however they made some killer vegan bibimbap, as well as a bunch of other insanely delicious dishes.
I have been thinking a lot about making a dish like this, to highlight the flavors I love, so I started to research what flavors were absolutely necessary to have in my meatballs. I discovered that black bean paste is used frequently, and decided that black beans and tofu combined would have great flavor and that the actual “meat” part of the balls would be a nod to that tradition. I also am pretty sure these meatballs have a great deal of protein in them with an entire can of black beans and an entire block of tofu. Then I just needed to figure out how much of each spice would work best, and ta da. These are super addictive and so delicious!
I served them with fried rice, I was thinking that there are so many possibilities though. Kimchi, noodles, and I found many other great Korean side dishes! This is a really easy recipe, you just need to throw everything in a food processor and bake. Then the glaze is just whisked together and brush on. Pretty easy! I hope you enjoy these as much as my family did (even the meat eaters).
Ingredients:
Meat ball:
1 Block extra firm tofu
1 Can black beans (drained and rinsed)
3 tsp. Ginger (ground)
4 Green onions
3 Cloves of garlic
1 C. Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black pepper
Glaze:
1 C. Apricot jam
3 Tbsp. Tamari or Soy sauce
4 Tbsp. Red chili paste
4 Tbsp. water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Put all meatball ingredients into a food processor, and process until everything is combined and starts to form a ball and is a pretty fine texture. The tofu and black beans will look a bit mushy. It will take a few minutes depending on your machine.
- Using a small ice cream or cookie scoop, form balls. You can make them more spherical by rolling them in your hand.
- Place in baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- While they are in the oven, make the glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
- When the balls are firm, pull them out and brush pretty heavily with glaze(reserve about half, you will brush again)
- Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
- Pull out and brush again. They are ready to eat!! You can pour some more sauce on top if you want (it is pretty delicious)
- Top with green onion and enjoy!
Tools I used:
Hamilton Beach 70730 Bowl Scraper Food Processor
OXO Good Grips Small Cookie Scoop
Zicome Set of 4 Silicone Pastry Basting Grill Barbecue Brush – Solid Core and Hygienic Solid Coating – 4 Bright Colored Red, Blue, Orange, Green – 8-3/4 Inch Long
Vegan Cheddar and Chive Biscuits
One of my favorite flavor combinations happens to be cheddar and chive. So when I sit down and think about what I miss eating and what I think others would really have a craving for, I think about a cheddar and onion type flavor. A big thing for me is proving that anyone can be vegan, I think if I hone in on all the reasons people come up with for why they CAN’T be vegan, and create alternatives, no one will have an excuse. I hear a lot of, “I need more protein”, “I love cheese too much!”, “What about baked goods and butter?” I have got you covered.
Working with this theory, I also thought a lot about when I was a kid and my dad would take us for a “fancy” dinner at The Red Lobster. I don’t remember what I ate there, except for their biscuits. From what I remember, these biscuits taste very similar! That is the only thing I can think of that I miss about eating at chain seafood restaurants. These biscuits are super flaky and buttery, and they were eaten in my house in a matter of minutes. I can not think of a regular non vegan biscuit I have eaten anywhere that I liked better than these.
I put quite a bit of vegan cheddar and chives into my biscuit mixture, and I think it was the perfect amount. There is a bit of cheese and chives dotted in every part of the biscuit. I ate one warm with a bit of vegan butter, my husband made a breakfast sandwich( that looked insane), so many options. I think a biscuits and gravy situation would be fantastic!
These biscuits are also one of the easiest recipes I have made. I am pretty confident, that even if you have very little cooking or baking experience, you could manage to make them. You are literally throwing everything in a bowl, mixing, kneading a bit, cutting and baking. They are pretty fool proof. I know many people say they can’t cook or bake and that is why they can’t be vegan. Yes, when you are vegan you have to make a lot of your own food, but it’s popularity is on such a rise, that I can find pretty much everything I need at any grocery store! However, for the things that are not mass produced at this point, I’ve got you covered! Please enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 C. Almond milk
1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
1/2 C. Chives(chopped)
1 C. Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
2 C. All purpose flour + more for kneading
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
5 Tbsp. Cold vegan butter ( I use Earth Balance)
Directions:
- Make vegan buttermilk by mixing the milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 450.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir just to combine.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix Daiya cheddar and chives with 1 Tbsp. of flour. Toss to coat.
- Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the vegan butter into the dry mixture. Make sure your vegan butter is very cold. Cut in until the butter is small pea size.
- Add the cheddar and chive mixture into the dough and stir.
- Pour the vegan buttermilk into the flour mixture and stir to combine. It will still be a little sticky.
- Turn dough out onto floured surface, and add a little more flour, kneading and adding until it is no longer sticky.
- Pat dough down in a large circle until it is about an inch thick. Using a large circle cutter or a cup, cut out your biscuits.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes. I topped with a little more vegan butter half way through baking to help them brown.
- Eat them all!
Tools I used:
Winco 5 Blade Pastry Blender, Stainless Steel
ChefLand Mixing Bowls Standard Weight Stainless Steel, Mirror Finish, 3/4, 11/2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 Qt. (Set of 6)
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
Baker’s Secret 1067738 3-Piece Biscuit Cutter Set
Try these Amazing Plant-Based Broccoli and Cheddar Bombs!
My dad is a true connoisseur of soups. When I was a kid, he used to make us some really good ones from scratch when he had the time. One of my absolute favorites was broccoli cheddar soup. It was warm, comforting, and made me feel safe and loved in a way only a big bowl of cozy soup can.
Now it’s my turn!
Now that I have a daughter of my own, I find myself thinking about how to bring those same feelings to her. I was going to make a classic (vegan) version of broccoli cheddar soup, and I probably still will, but this time, I wanted to do something a little more creative. A twist on the comfort food I grew up with, made with the same love but through a new lens.
The secrets in the dough!
So, instead of a soup, I decided to take my super simple basic pizza dough and turn it into something a little more unexpected: stuffed dough balls filled with lightly steamed broccoli and vegan cheddar. This is comfort food that’s anything but ordinary. Warm, cheesy, perfectly doughy little bites that hit all the right notes. Every time I take a bite, I feel all the feels.
You can absolutely use prepared dough if you’re short on time. Just make sure it’s vegan. A store-bought vegan pizza dough or biscuit dough works great! Just press it out, stuff it, and bake. You’re good to go.
That said, if you’ve got a little more time, making the dough from scratch is almost foolproof. My basic pizza dough is exactly that: basic, simple, and super reliable.
Whichever route you choose, I promise you’ll be making these again. They’re just that good.
Ingredients:
16 oz. Pizza dough, vegan
1 1/2 C. Broccoli (chopped and slightly steamed)
1/2 C. Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
4 Tbsp. Vegan butter( I use Earth Balance)
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 C. Vegan Parmesan (optional)
Directions:
- Make pizza dough according to directions, or if you are using a store bought dough, preheat oven to 375.
- Divide dough into 8 equal balls and roll until smooth.
- Flatten out each ball and fill with a Tbsp. of broccoli and sprinkle with Daiya cheese, about a 2 tsps. each.
- Fold dough around filling and pinch together to seal. Place sealed side down in cast iron pan that has been brushed with vegan butter.
- Repeat and place each ball next to the other in a circle, and one in the center.
- Let proof for about 10 minutes.
- Brush with vegan butter and top with garlic powder, salt and vegan parm.
- Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or until brown. I like to brush a little more vegan butter on top during baking to help brown.
- Eat one or two or eight!
Vegan Parmesan
This is a super simple vegan Parmesan recipe I wanted to share really quick. I use this all the time, in recipes and as a topping for pasta, popcorn and a lot of other great things! I will link back to this recipe often, so this will just be easier and more helpful for everyone to follow along. This makes quite a bit, so you can put it in an air proof container and keep it for all your vegan Parmesan needs!
I highly recommend keeping nutritional yeast on hand. It can be used for so many things, not just this vegan Parmesan. It is perfect for all your vegan cheesy needs!
Ingredients:
1/2 C. Raw cashews
3 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast
Directions:
1. Put the cashews and nutritional yeast in a blender or food processor, and pulse until it is a powder. You want it to look like Parmesan, so don’t over process, or it will turn into a paste.
2. Sprinkle on sh#!t.
Vegan Copy Cat Hawaiian Rolls
Much of my childhood was spent sneaking the King’s Hawaiian Rolls my parents would buy for special occasions. I knew when they came home from the store with a package, we were having people over for some reason or another. The package would slowly disappear every time they turned their backs. I may have been slipping a tiny hand into the bag and pulling off a roll or two. The thought of these sweet rolls always makes my heart happy, still. Unfortunately, I realized they were not vegan when I got older and wanted to spread this love to my daughter. My daughter is a vegetarian and eats dairy and eggs, but I wanted something we could have together.
My husband bought some King’s Hawaiian Rolls a while back to make sliders out of, and then I got the idea to just make my own. How hard could it be? I mean really, I have a bit of knowledge about yeast bread making and what generally goes into these rolls, so as I always say, “I can totally make that vegan.” I found a few reference, Girl meets kitchen , and Food.com . These were a great help to get me started.
So here is the veganized version I came up with. They are so delicious, they take me right back to the happier times I had as a child. Food was always involved in my the memories I have that I am actually fond of. The point I am trying to make every day is to make healthier versions of the food that comforted me, and make healthier versions of the memories I had for my daughter, so that we may have a healthier life, physically and mentally. Please enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 C. All purpose flour
1/2 tsp. Ginger
1 1/2 Flax eggs( so that ends up being 3 Tbsp. Flax meal + 4 1/2 Tbsp. Water)
1 C. Pineapple Juice
1/3 C. White sugar
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla
2 1/4 tsp. Dry active yeast
1/4 C. Vegan butter( I use Earth Balance)
Directions:
- Mix together flax eggs, pineapple juice, sugar and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, add half the flour and the ginger, make a well in the center.
- Add warm melted vegan butter to the wet mixture, and pour into the center of the dry mixture.
- Sprinkle the yeast on to the wet center and begin to mix together with a wooden spoon.
- Add the remaining flour and mix until fully combined.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for a few minutes with as much extra flour as you need to make smooth and not sticky.
- Place dough into greased bowl and let rise for an hour in a warm dry place.
- Once doubled in size, turn back onto floured surface, cut in half, and then cut each half into 8 pieces. You should get 16 pieces total. Roll each section into a ball and put up against each other in a greased pan.
- Let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Brush the tops of each roll with vegan butter, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Half way through, I brushed the rolls with more vegan butter.
- Put whateva you want on them, they are amazing!
- P.S I put more Earth Balance on them!
Vegan Calamari
A few weeks ago, my husband Chris asked me if I thought he would be able to make vegan calamari out of King oyster mushrooms, and how he could make them actually look and taste like calamari so no one would know the difference. He decided to cut them in thin slices and punch a circle out of the center, so they looked like the rings every one knows and loves.
We also discussed putting kelp powder into the dry mixture that the mushrooms get coated in. So that they taste of the sea!
They were everything we dreamed of and more! They are easy to make, just a bit time consuming cutting all the mushrooms, but it is well worth it!
Ingredients:
2 lbs. King oyster mushrooms
1/4 C. All purpose flour
1/4 C. Self rising corn meal
1/4 C. Corn starch
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
2 Tbsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Kelp powder( this can be found at Whole Foods)
1 can Coconut cream ( I use Trader Joes)
1 tsp. Apple cider vinegar
Directions:
1. Slice mushrooms 1/4 of an inch thick, then punch out center with small circle cutter, we used a large piping tip.
2. Mix coconut cream and apple cider vinegar and set aside to curdle, this will give you vegan buttermilk.
3. Mix all the other ingredients together to make your dry batter.
4. Dredge mushrooms into dry mixture, into wet mixture and back into dry mixture.
5. Heat vegetable oil to 350 or so, and drop in the oil in small batches. Fry until golden brown.
6. Serve with marinara or whatever dipping sauce you want!