Have you ever had satay? It is super fun, and from what I remember, super delicious. There was a little Asian restaurant that my dad used to take us to when I was a kid. They had chicken satay with peanut sauce, and they would bring you a little burner with a tiny grill to cook it yourself. I loved it! I thought it was so much fun. I saw a beef satay on a menu the other day, and thought what a great idea it would be to use black beans to mimic beef would be. My husband and I were discussing how to make this happen, and we figured on there was only like a 20% chance it would work. Well, I worked out completely and amazingly! It is so friggin’ delicious….
vegan entree
Vegan Fig and Chorizo Pizza
Okay guys, hear me out. Does this combination sound a little odd to you? I promise it is not. The sweetness of the figs, and the spicy saltiness of the chorizo actually makes more sense than anything ever has in my life! I am non stop throwing recipe ideas at my husband, however, this time he was a little bit hesitant. The second he walked through the door, I shoved a piece of this Fig and Chorizo Pizza in his face, and he definitely ate crow, not literally, of course. He told me I was right, which I absolutely love hearing….
The Best Vegan Cajun Tofu with Creamy Grits and Greens

I am madly in love with New Orleans, and it is actually not a long drive from where I live! My husband and I took our daughter to New Orleans a few months ago, and we had an amazing time. I had some amazing food, but couldn’t find a lot of Cajun food that was vegan. I was pretty jealous of all the spicy goodness my husband had. So here we are. Cajun tofu and creamy grits with some super garlicky kale! This whole recipe is so quick and easy! The perfect weeknight meal!
…Vegan Beer Battered Mushroom Tacos with Creamy Horseradish Sauce
I don’t think anyone can deny how amazing fried mushrooms are. Well, unless you hate mushrooms. However, I can say pretty confidently that mushrooms are my favorite food. If you throw mushrooms onto almost anything, I will eat it. A local bar makes the most amazing fried mushrooms, and I have not had them in a long time because I am rather certain that they are not vegan. The batter could be I suppose, but I am 100% sure that the sauce they come with is not. These perfect fried bites of ecstasy come with a creamy horseradish sauce. I think the horseradish is the perfect complement to the mushrooms.
I see people put horseradish on their steaks, but in my opinion, a nice mushroom can replace any steak. They are meaty, filling, and can take on any flavor you want pretty easily! So, the other day, while I was craving some fried mushroom bar food, I thought about how I could take that on and make it my own. Well, tacos popped into my head and wouldn’t go away, so here we are.
Tacos are probably my favorite delivery method of getting food into my mouth. Screw forks and spoons, a nice tortilla is where it’s at. The greatest thing is you can start with your base main flavor, either a protein or veggie, and build from there. A sauce, a nice crunchy element(I love pepitas on my tacos), and some fresh veggies on top. Perfection, and always easy. I don’t think I have ever made a taco that took more than 15 minutes. So they are the best week night go to!
I felt compelled to combine these two already amazing things and make them even better. The beer batter was an idea, simply because I wanted to make them more flavorful and something a little different and intriguing. Every component to this dish is super simple. The batter is only 4 ingredients, the sauce is only 5 ingredients, and the slaw is only 6 ingredients, and those numbers are all including salt and pepper. So, let’s talk about the slaw now, I thought this needed a fresh and crisp element to kind of cut through the heaviness of the mushrooms. So, I just made a quick veggie slaw with a light dressing of apple cider vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. It was really the perfect thing!
I promise, you will love this combination, and if you love mushrooms as much as I do, this will make your brain, heart and tummy so happy! Light and crispy battered mushrooms, creamy sauce with a kick and fresh veggies, all rolled into a adorable tasty package! Enjoy!


- 1 C. All purpose flour
- 1 tsp. Baking powder
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 1/4 C. Beer, make sure it is vegan
- 10 oz. Baby bella mushrooms
- Oil for frying
- A little extra flour for dredging
- 1/2 C. Vegan Mayo
- 2 Tbsp. Horseradish
- 2 tsp. Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste(I used about 1 tsp. of each)
- 1 C. Cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 C. Carrots, shredded
- 1/2 C. Brussel sprouts, shredded
- 1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Lemon wedges
- Prepare the slaw by adding all the veggie slaw ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside. You can keep in the fridge while you prepare the rest.
- Make the sauce, by whisking together all sauce ingredients until combined, taste and season. Set aside, you can also place this in the fridge while you make the mushrooms.
- Make the batter, by adding the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl. Pour in the beer, and whisk until combined.
- Cut the mushrooms into thick strips, toss with a little flour.
- Heat about an inch of oil of choice in a large sauce pan or skillet on high.
- While the oil is heating, start battering the mushrooms, by dipping into beer batter and coating thoroughly.
- When the oil has reached about 350 degrees, add a few battered mushrooms at a time, cook for a minute or two on each side. Until nice and golden brown. Cook all the mushrooms.
- Serve immediately by adding mushrooms, sauce and slaw to a tortilla.
- Enjoy!

Vegan Crispy Mongolian Seitan
All right, so you may have noticed I like Asian food, Asian flavors, and anything Asian inspired. I can’t help it, I think garlic and ginger together is probably my favorite flavor, and my favorite scent. Should I make garlic ginger soy candle? Perhaps, but I digress, anyways, this Mongolian Seitan does not disappoint. It is crispy, sticky, sweet and salty, and eyes rolling back into your head delicious.
Am I a genius? Possibly, I’m not sure. What I do know is that this was a brilliant idea. My husband makes the best seitan, and every time he makes a big batch, the gears start turning. I decided to treat this loaf just like flank steak(I think?) and cut it into thin strips. To make it super crispy, I dredged it in cornstarch, fried real quick in a little sesame oil. The sauce is a mixture of all things good in the world, and it smells divine. I reduced the sauce for a few minutes on it’s own, and then when the seitan it ready, you toss it all together and let it thicken up again!
So, you can make your own seitan, or you can use store bought if you don’t feel up to making it, but it is actually way easier than you may think. However, once the seitan is made, or if you buy it, this recipe takes like 15 minutes. You can have a super healthy, protein heavy dinner ready in just a few minutes. I would make add some steamed veggies and rice, and you have the perfect meal. This recipe also provides extra sauce for drizzling on top, so you can top your rice and veggies with it too!
So, friends, go forth and get your garlic and ginger on. You pretty much can’t go wrong with these flavors, and you also really can’t go wrong with this recipe. I don’t believe you can mess this up! You can make this as spicy as you want for the cold weather! It is warming, sticky, crunchy, sweet, salty, and to die for!


- 8-12oz. Seitan, store bought or homemade
- 1/3 C. Cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp. Coconut or sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp. Sesame oil
- 1/2 C. Soy sauce
- 1/2 C. Water
- 3 tsp. Ginger, grated
- 3 Cloves of garlic, grated
- 1/2 C. Coconut sugar
- Green onions
- Red pepper or chili paste
- Sesame seeds
- Make the sauce, add all the sauce ingredients to a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil, whisk until everything is combined and coconut sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until it reduces slightly. Set aside.
- While the sauce is simmering, make the seitan. If you have a loaf of seitan, slice into thin strips, if you have store bought that has already been sliced, just use as is.
- Pour the cornstarch into a bowl, and dredge each piece of seitan into the cornstarch shaking off the excess.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet on medium high, when the pan is hot, add the seitan, just enough to cover the bottom, don't over lap. You may need to do a few rounds. Fry the seitan for a minute or two on each side, until it gets nice and crispy.
- Remove seitan from the pan, clean the oil out of the pan and put all the seitan back into the pan. Sautee on medium high, and add about half of the sauce. Cook down and add a little more sauce at a time until is it as saucy as you would like it. You don't have to use it all,you can save some to pour a little on top
- Cook for a few more minutes until the sauce has reduced and coated the seitan.
- Serve immediately! I suggest, rice and veggies to go with, and adding the garnish on top!
- You can find prepackaged seitan at most grocery stores if you don't want to make your own.
- If you don't want to use seitan, this would also be a perfect method for tofu!
The Best Vegan Crab Rangoon(Takeout Style)
Vegan Chicken and Dumplings
Yes, I am from the South. Florida though, is different from the rest of the South, our food is definitely more seafood and Hispanic food than soul food and down home cooking. That being said, my Grandma grew up in Kentucky and my Dad also spent a significant amount of time there. So, I do know Southern food. One of my favorites was always chicken and dumplings. My Dad made a mean chicken and dumplings when I was a kid! My husband Chris and I talk a lot about our childhoods, the good and the bad, and this ALWAYS leads to conversations about food!
Making my happy memories vegan is a thing of beauty and pride for me. So, this vegan chicken and dumplings came together so perfectly, and warmed me inside and out. This is the PERFECT winter recipe! So steamy, a little spicy and so filling.
Have you ever made chicken and dumplings? It is incredibly easy and totally brilliant. The dumplings act like built in biscuits for sauce dippin’! We worked with the dumplings a few times, the first time they were too dry, then a little too moist, but finally we got them just right! Underneath the fluffy amazing biscuit like dumplings, is a fabulous thick gravy and vegan chicken as well as some nice diced veggies. This dish is all around insanely delicious. You need to make this before winter is over!
Oh man, so steamy! This chicken and dumplings needs to be in your belly on a cold night! This recipe is incredibly easy, ready pretty quickly and will feed your whole family, and then some. This recipe will warm you up and make you so happy, I promise!
Super rustic with a gravy base and drop dumplings, you really can’t go wrong here! Spoon into a nice bowl, serve piping hot with some nice fresh parsley, there is literally nothing better. I hope you enjoy!


- 2 C. All purpose flour
- 2 tsp. Baking powder
- 1 tsp. Baking soda
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 3 Tbsp. Dried chives
- 2 Tbsp. Flax meal
- 3 Tbsp. Water
- 1 C. Almond milk
- 1 tsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 1 Large carrot, diced
- 2 Stalks of celery,diced
- 1/2 an Onion, diced
- 2 Cloves of garlic,diced
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 C. White wine
- 1/4 C. All purpose flour
- 1/4 C. Vegan butter, I used Earth Balance
- 5 C. Vegan chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 C. Vegan chicken, I used Trader Joe's Chickenless strips
- 1 Bay leaf
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper(optional)
- Make the dumplings, whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, make a flax egg by mixing flax and water together and let sit for a minute. Make vegan buttermilk by mixing almond milk and apple cider vinegar together and let sit for a minute.
- Add the flax egg and vegan buttermilk to the dry ingredients, and stir until completely combined. Set aside.
- In a large soup pot , heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat, add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sweat for a few minutes until the onion starts to become translucent.
- Add the white wine, stir and reduce for a few minutes. Pour veggies and remaining wine into a bowl and set aside.
- In the soup pot, add the vegan butter and flour and stir. Cook for a few minutes to make a roux.
- Add the stock and the veggies and wine back in. Stir together. Add the vegan chicken and bay leaf.
- Taste and season.
- Time to add the dumplings, scoop small scoops of dough into the liquid in the pot, until all the dough has been used.
- Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through.
- Serve with parsley!

Vegan Huevos Rancheros Tostadas
I grew up in Miami, there were endless options for Mexican and Cuban food, as well as many other Hispanic restaurants. I was greatly influenced early on by my love of Hispanic food. There was an amazing little Cuban restaurant really close to my house when I was a teenager. My dad used to take us there at least once a week. It was astoundingly cheap and astoundingly delicious. I used to get a Cafe con Leche, and they had the most delicious plantains I had ever had or ever will have. My many hours spent at the cafe inspired a lot of mojo marinades! Huevoes Rancheros was one of my favorite Hispanic inspired dishes as well. I have never liked eggs over easy, but my brother and dad did, so I would make scrambled eggs for mine, and over easy for them. I had really been missing this wonderful dish recently, so of course, I made my own!
These “eggs” are a take on the scrambled eggs I used to make for my huevos rancheros, they are not just a crumbled tofu. I blended them with spices and a few other things to give them the flavor and texture of a real scrambled egg. It is incredibly easy, all you have to do it throw everything in a blender and then pour into a pan and cook like you would a real scrambled egg. Then all you need to do is fry up some corn tortillas and top with your favorite toppings!
Why did I make this vegan version of huevos rancheros into a tostada, you ask? Because it is so freaking good! Why the heck not? It makes it portable, crunchable, and delectable.( I don’t think crunchable is a word, but it should be) This entire combination is amazing. I recommend using all the components I did. I have a mashed black bean layer, then the “eggs” then avocado smashed with lime, salsa, cilantro and green onions. I would also say adding some vegan cheese is a great idea!
This quick breakfast is perfect for any time of day! I do love me some breakfast for dinner, and this kind of already borders on breakfast and dinner! You can totally get creative with this one, and throw what ever you want on these babies, anything you would put on a taco would work on these as well! Vegan huevos rancheros tostadas are so perfect! Have fun everyone!


- 1 15oz. Block of Extra firm tofu
- 4 Tbsp. Coconut cream
- 1/2 C. Almond milk
- 1 Clove of Garlic
- 2 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- 3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
- 1 tsp. Mustard
- 2 tsp. Turmeric
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Black pepper
- 1 tsp. Smoked paprika
- 6-8 Corn tortillas
- Oil of choice for frying
- 1 Can Black beans
- 1 Avocado
- 2 Limes
- 2 Tbsp. Cilantro
- Salsa of choice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- In a blender, add all the "huevos ingredients, and blend on high until creamy and smooth. This will take a few minutes.
- Once the huevos mixture is ready, heat a small non stick pan, sprayed with non stick spray, scoop about 1/3 of a cup of the mixture into the pan, and smooth out evenly. Let cook for a few minutes on one side, and then flip over, and you can break it up a bit to look like scrambled eggs. Move around and cook on each side just like you would with eggs. Once all of it has browned a bit and it looks cooked through, remove from the pan and repeat as many times as you want until you have as many eggs as you need, depending on how many tostadas you plan to make.
- Heat about half an inch of oil in a pan on medium high heat, and once the oil is hot, add your corn tortillas, one or two at a time, cook for a minute or each side. Until brown and crispy. Repeat until you have all your tortillas done.
- Smash the black beans down a bit with some salt and pepper, using a fork, warm them in a sauce pan for a few minutes.
- Put together the tostadas. Lay a crispy tortilla down, then the smashed black beans, then the "huevos" , then avocado mixed with lime juice, salsa, and cilantro. Squeeze a little more lime juice on top and you are ready to go!

Vegan BLT Salad
The thing I hear a nauseating amount, is this, “I would be vegan, but I love bacon too much.” Well, if you have been following along with me, I have probably already informed you of how much I LOVE coconut bacon. If you feel like you will crave that sweet and salty crisp of bacon, I think this will help you make it through. Then one day, you will realize you don’t miss any meat at all. You will realize you feel so much better physically and can feel a lot better about how awesome you are!
I have been brainstorming about what else people put bacon on that I could create a vegan substitute for, and continue to make it so easy for people to live without animal products and salads are something I used to always put bacon bits on. Working off of that, I was thinking BLTs are pretty trendy, right? I don’t know. It seems like I have seen a lot of variations recently, so I thought why not come up with my own. Very often ideas come to me, and kind of actually wake me up, and I decide right then and there in the wee hours of the morning, that I am brilliant, and will work on my ideas upon becoming more lucid. Then once I have coffee, I can kind of determine if I am actually a genius or not.
It turns out, this time, it was a brilliant idea. This was one of the most delicious salads I have ever had. I really like sun dried tomatoes, but some beautiful cherry tomatoes, or really any kind you want would be amazing. I also made some of my cheesey garlic croutons, but if you want this salad to be gluten free, just nix the croutons and maybe add some pecans or something!
I have been toying around with the idea of a vegan creamy garlic dressing using tofu, and I finally felt like I found the correct vessel for said dressing. It was the perfect compliment to this salad. I think a balsamic vinaigrette would work great too, and be a lot less work, if you are not up to making the dressing, but I highly recommend it!
This a quick and easy week night meal, full of flavor and very filling! I hope you all enjoy, and as always, if you have any questions or feedback, I am happy to hear it!


- 1 C. Coconut flakes
- 1/2 Tbsp. Liquid smoke
- 1 Tbsp. Soy sauce or Tamari for Gluten free
- 1 Tbsp. Maple syrup
- 15 oz. Block of extra firm tofu
- 1/2 C. Coconut oil, melted
- 2-3 Cloves of garlic
- 1/4 C. Soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 C. Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2-3/4 C. Water
- 2 tsp. Agave
- 2 tsp. Nutritional yeast
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Lettuce of choice
- Tomatoes, sun dried or cherry
- Croutons(optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the coconut bacon first, stir all the ingredients together in a bowl until the coconut is completely coated in the liquid smoke, maple syrup and soy sauce.
- Pour onto a prepared baking sheet and smooth out to a single layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until it is nice and crispy.
- While the coconut is baking, make the dressing.
- Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, it will take a few minutes. You can add more or less garlic depending on your preference, and I would start with 1/2 Cup of water, and add more depending on how thin you want it.
- Once the coconut bacon is done, and the dressing is ready, toss together the lettuce, bacon, tomatoes and dressing.
- Enjoy!
- I used 3 cloves of garlic because I love garlic, but the choice is up to you.
- I also used about 1/2 cup of water because I like my dressing thick, but add more water if you want it to be easier to pour!

Vegan Red Curry Soup with Crispy Tofu
So here we are, what day is it? The 3rd of January? Okay, I am still at it. Clean eating that is. I decided to work on a soup since it is cold out(sort of) and I have also been craving something super spicy(probably since I have been so sick recently). What is the spiciest and most internally warming thing I could think of? Curry! I thought about green or red, and actually bought both green and red curry paste, but ultimately decided on red, but you can definitely use green curry if you want!
Let’s have a chat for a second, this soup is very spicy, so I put an option in the recipe for either 1 or 2 tablespoons of curry paste depending on how you like it. I added 2 tablespoons, and I loved it, but I could see how others might not like it that spicy, so ya know, just customize it for your tastes. I find with most soups, you have to keep tasting to adjust the seasoning, so just make it how you like it!
Let’s chat about one more thing, when I was perusing my local Asian market for curry pastes, several of them contained shrimp(and a bunch didn’t) so just make sure you are getting one that is vegan. I probably don’t have to tell you to check the label if you are vegan, that is probably something you do regularly, but I just want to make sure we were on the same page, are you picking up what I am throwing down? Great! You are ready to make one of the most delicious soups ever!
This soup is so surprisingly complex while still being quick and easy. I really believe if you can’t cook(or think you can’t), anyone can make soup. This is a great place to start, throwing everything in a pot is my kind of dinner. The crispy tofu also requires no skill. My husband found out a while ago that if you cut tofu thin, press it, and bake it at a high temperature for about 30-40 minutes, it becomes so crispy it is just like you fried it, but so much healthier!
This soup has everything, spice, sweetness, acidity, saltiness, it is so beautiful! I hope you enjoy!


- 1 Block of extra firm tofu
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1 Tbsp. Coconut oil
- 4 Cloves of garlic,chopped
- 1 Tbsp. Fresh ginger,grated
- 1 Shallot,chopped
- 1-2 Tbsp. Red curry paste,vegan
- 4 C. Vegetable broth
- 1 C. Water
- 1 C. Coconut cream
- 3 Tbsp. Soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Agave
- 2 Tbsp. Rice wine vinegar
- Juice of 2 Limes
- 1 pk. Rice noodles
- Cut the tofu into squares about 1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle tofu with salt and press between 2 paper towels. Let sit for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and lay tofu in a single layer on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Bake tofu for 30-40 until it is brown and crispy.
- While the tofu is baking, in a large soup pot, heat coconut oil on medium heat.
- Add the garlic, ginger and shallot. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes until the shallot starts to get translucent.
- Add the curry paste and stir.
- Add the broth, water, coconut cream, soy sauce, agave, and rice wine vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Stir and cook for about 20-30 minutes to develop flavor, stirring every few minutes and tasting to adjust seasoning, you can always add more soy sauce for salt and agave for sweetness.
- Add the lime juice and noodles.
- Finish cooking for as long as the noodles need to cook according to the directions.
- Once the tofu is done, serve the soup with the tofu on top!
- Garnish with cilantro, green onions and more limes!
- Remember while you are tasting during the long cooking process, that if it needs more acid, you will be adding lime juice at the end.