Vegan Meatballs

A friend heard that we were on a vegan diet, and let us borrow one of his favorite vegan cookbooks called Ecological Cooking. It's one of those hidden gem cookbooks that is not by anyone famous/celebrity or well known cookbook author/chef, and has over 500 meatless, dairy-free recipes! It's only $4 on amazon, so if you want to try some fun vegan recipes, I would highly recommend this one. I quickly bought my own copy after I tried a couple recipes in it.  

Vegan Pasta Sauce

This was such a simple, basic pasta sauce that I had to share it. One of my favorite meals as a kid was Spaghetti Bolognese. I loved "slurping" the long spaghetti but now as a mother I can see how that can get quite messy with my kiddos, especially with the noodles covered in tomato sauce. Good thing they are old enough to clean up after themselves. :) 

Vegan Veggie Loaf

We've had a busy last couple of days! My daughter decided she wanted to try out for her school's talent show. Lot's of practicing involved, making sure her costume fits just right and more practicing! Plus, our family car wouldn't start yesterday and my son has a bad cold. Thankfully, my husband was home from work yesterday, so we were able to use his car to get to the talent show, have the family car towed to a mechanic to get fixed the same day and my son was able to stay home the whole time with daddy and rest...so it all worked out! Counting my blessings for sure! 

Vegan Tortilla Soup

One of our favorite soups of all time is tortilla soup. The kids love it because they get to chop up all the toppings that go in it (tomatoes, avocado, etc), then they pick out what items they want in their soup. I love it because I am teaching my kids how to properly use a knife (and stay safe while using it) and they are getting an intro on how to chop veggies.   

Vegan Mac and Cheese

I was very intrigued by this recipe. We are big fans of Mac and cheese and I wanted to find something where the "cheese-sauce" was thick and hearty but didn't skimp out on flavor. This was one of the only recipes I found that didn't have tofu as the first ingredient. Now just to be clear, I'm not against tofu. I have been enjoying it lately in a lot of different meals, but to be honest, we are eating a LOT of of soy products lately (soy milk, tofu, temph, etc) and I wanted to find something different. 

Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

My favorite way of cooking vegetables is roasting them in an oven. Drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper, place them on a baking sheet into the oven...DONE! They cook in the oven, while I have time to prepare the rest of my meal. 

Berry Oatmeal Muffins

Happy Monday! I just did my meal plan last night, and am very excited about this week's meals. It's been almost a week since our family has gone vegan, and overall it's been a good transition. Switching to almond milk vs cow's milk has been the easiest transition for us. I'm still trying to find a good substitute for cheese, and don't know if I will ever find one. Looking back, we probably had some kind of cheese in our diet every single day, so that has been the hardest food item to stay away from. 

Pumpkin-Quinoa Chili

I went overboard this past Fall and bought 6 different gourds at the pumpkin patch. My reasoning at the time? I wanted to sample each of the different pumpkin puree's to see which one would make the best pumpkin pie. A couple of our favorites were the white pumpkin, kobocha squash, and sugar pie. What turned out to be the best puree was when we mixed a bunch of them together. 

Portobello Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa

These tacos were absolutely amazing, especially the Tomatillo Salsa! I don't have a lot of experiencing cooking with tomatillos, but making this salsa encouraged me to try more recipes that have this fresh but slightly tart ingredient in it. 

Mexican Rice

This has been a favorite side dish that I've been making for our family for several years now, and it's a great complimentary meal to burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and anything else you can think of.

Butternut Squash and Sundried Tomato Soup

First day of Vegan eating was a success!  My main goal the next 60 (now 59!) days is to make this process as simple for my family as possible, and to do that I have to be an organized meal planner and make sure all my food is prepped and chopped ahead of time. 

Vegetable Broth

One of the main staples in Vegetarian/Vegan cooking is a good broth recipe. Making your own broth for soups, stir-fry's and many other meals is essential if you want to get the best flavor, less sodium, save you money and eliminate any icky preservatives in whatever you are cooking. 

Roasted Nutmeg Cauliflower

First ingredient...Cauliflower. One of my favorite vegetables. I love how versatile it is! It is easy to puree or blend into other foods, like mashed potatoes. Or it can be the main attraction like Cauliflower soup. 

Roasted Fruit and Nut Bars

Having meals together as a family is really important to us, and one of the things we like to do is go around the table and each person comes up with a question they want to ask everybody...kind of round robin style. One of the questions my daughter asked the other night was "What is everybody's favorite snack?"  I had to really think about this one, because there are SO many options; rice cakes with sunflower seed butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, dark chocolate trail mix, oatmeal and apple muffins, yogurt with granola, sliced veggies with hummus...just to name a few. :-) 

Black Bean Veggie-Sushi Wraps

  Short on time? This meal takes 15 minutes from start to finish with NO cooking whatsoever. I don't know about you, but my summer got really busy all of a sudden and I have no clue how it happened. At the beginning of the summer, I thought I would have all this free time, but that hasn't happened yet! :)   


If you are experiencing really HOT weather (100*F and above) like we are right now, you will really appreciate this quick recipe. Plus you don't have to turn on your oven or stove, and heat up your house even more. YEY! 

The black bean spread that goes on these wraps is outstanding! I like to double the recipe and have the rest as a dip the next day. These would also be good for lunch, especially since they are not very messy and you don't need any utensils. Happy Summer!
  
The recipe is adapted from a cookbook called The New Vegan Cookbook by Lorna Sass . If you are interested in purchasing the book, check out the amazon link here.

Wrap Recipe 

Serves: 4 Prep: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 0 minutes

1 15oz can (2 cups) of black beans
1 TB toasted sesame oil
1 TB soy sauce
1-2 TB grated fresh ginger
1-2 tsp chili-garlic sauce (optional)
4 sheets of Nori
4 whole-wheat tortillas (8-9 " diameter)
1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1-2 carrots, cut into sticks
1/2 cucumber, cut into 8 sticks

1. Add black beans through chili-garlic sauce into a food processor, and combine till smooth.

2. To assemble your wraps, stack 1 sheet of nori on a tortilla and with a pair of kitchen scissors trim the sheets into circles about 1/2" smaller than the tortilla.
3. Spread 2 TB black bean mixture on to tortilla.

 4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cabbage over bean spread.

 5. Carefully press a nori circle on top.

 6. Spread another 2 TB of black bean mixture on top of nori.

7. Add veggie strips (2 red bell pepper, 2 carrot, and 2 cucumber) on top of black bean mixture.

 8. Wrap the tortilla over the vegetables tightly to make a roll. With the seam side down, carefully cut the roll in half, or cut into 5-6 pieces on the diagonal.

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Plan and Prep Ahead 

Here are some helpful techniques to make life a little easier once dinner time hits. These tips will especially help those that work full-time and don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner. 

~make black bean spread ahead of time and keep in fridge until ready to use.
~Cut up veggies and have on hand in the fridge until ready to use.


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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

~Try a black soybean or white bean instead of black beans.
~Chop up some pickled ginger instead of fresh.
~Use chopped spinach, cilantro, parsley, chopped kale or sprouts instead of cabbage.
~Substitute sliced tomato, crisp green beans, sliced avocado or sliced red onion for the vegetables listed.
~Skip the nori all together if you don't care for the taste.

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Bow-Ties with Hazelnut-Broccoli Pesto

  This recipe caught my eye, because of one word in the title. Pesto! I LOOOVE pesto dishes. They are so simple to make, just throw a bunch of ingredients in the food processor, boil some pasta and you have a very satisfying meal. This meal was enough for 2 adults, 2 kids and my husband got to take the leftovers for lunch the next day.  
This is definitely not your usual basil pesto recipe, and has some fun ingredients like hazelnuts, lemons, mint and broccoli instead. Check the Change it Up section at the end for some fun ways to alter the recipe. Enjoy!

The recipe is adapted from Vegetarian Times. You can check out the original recipe here.

Pesto Recipe 

Serves: 5-6 Prep: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes

6 TB hazelnuts, toasted
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups parsley leaves, lightly packed
1/4 cup plus 2 TB olive oil

1/2 cup mint leaves
1 lemon, zested and juiced

4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
12 oz (.75 lbs) bow-tie pasta

Parmesan Cheese, grated (optional)

1.Toast hazelnuts 3-5 minutes. Set aside

 2. Boil broccoli 2-3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon.
3. Add bow-tie pasta to the same water and boil for 6-7 minutes until tender. Reserve cooking water for pesto.

4. Add hazelnuts, broccoli, parsley, olive oil, mint leaves, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic cloves to a food processor. Blend till smooth. Slowly add reserved cooking water 1/4 cup at a time, till the pesto becomes smooth and sauce like. Add to cooked bow-tie pasta and mix well together. Add parmesan cheese to individual servings.

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Plan and Prep Ahead 

Here are some helpful techniques to make life a little easier once dinner time hits. These tips will especially help those that work full-time and don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner. 

~Toast hazelnuts ahead of time.
~Cook broccoli ahead of time and leave in fridge until ready to make pesto. Heat up in microwave to warm up. 


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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

 ~Add chopped/shredded chicken to the dish to add a little protein.
~Top with crumbled bacon for a yummy finishing touch.
~Instead of broccoli try cauliflower. 
~Use walnuts or pecans instead of hazelnuts.

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Spinach-Zucchini Soup

  What's one way to get a ton of vegetables into your diet? Blend them together in a soup!

Raw Apple Sauce

  One of my favorite snacks as a kid was applesauce. We had a couple apple trees in our backyard and my mom would make a boat load of applesauce every fall from that yummy fruit. Then she would can it which would take 2-3 days, but we would have fresh, organic applesauce all year around! 

With this technique, all you have to do is put all the ingredients in the blender. You don't have to go to all the trouble of caning and you can still have fresh applesauce without having to buy it at the store.  This recipe is very versatile as well. Check out the berry apple sauce you can make in the Change it Up section. Yummy!

*I adapted this recipe from Spark People Recipes . You can check out the original recipe from their recipe.

 Apple Sauce Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 0 hour

  
1/4 cup raisins
5 apples, cored and quartered (I use a couple Fuji and a couple granny smith) 
1 lemon, juiced

1/2-1 tsp cinnamon

2-3 TB agave syrup (optional)

 1 Soak raisins in enough water to cover them for about 15-20 minutes.

2. Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. If your apple sauce seems too thick or your apples are having a hard time blending, add 2-4 TB of the raisin liquid. Add optional sweetener if the apple sauce seems too tart.

 

**Makes four 1 cup servings***
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Plan and Prep Ahead 

Here are some helpful techniques to make life a little easier once dinner time hits. These tips will especially help those that work full-time and don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner. 

~Cut apples ahead of time and brush some lemon juice on them to prevent the browning.


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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

 ~Add some fresh berries to the apples like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries to make it a "berry-apple sauce".
~Juice half an orange instead of lemon juice.
~Try dried cranberries or dried cherries instead of raisins.

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Alicia's Cornbread

 I've been trying to find a really good cornbread recipe for a while and I think I've finally found it. Where, you might ask? Of all places, on the side of a soy milk container. No kidding! Even though I haven't checked out her new book "The Kind Diet," the recipe looked good. And it was! Super tasty, moist cornbread. It would compliment a hearty chili or squash soup very well. YUM! My mouth is watering just writing about it.

*this recipe came from a Earth Balance soymilk container . You can check out the original recipe from Alicia Silverstone's cookbook here.

Cornbread Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep: 30 minutes Cooking Time:  45 minutes

1 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cup soy milk 
1/4 cup safflower oil (I used canola)
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can use all-purpose or whole wheat as well)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 400*F. Oil a 9x9 baking dish (or similar size) or a 12-cup muffin tin. Combine syrup, milk and oil in a medium bowl. Mix well. In a different bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to wet mixture and mix just until combined.
2. Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. The top should be golden brown. That's it! Wasn't that easy?

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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

~Chop up some dried fruit and/or chopped nuts to give it a little crunch.

~Instead of maple syrup try honey, agave syrup or brown rice syrup. Since honey is quite a bit sweeter, I would only do 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup.
~Add 1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or cloves to the batter.

South American Squash and Vegetable Ragout

  This was a super fun dish to make because of all the beautiful Autumn colors in the ingredients like sweet potato, tomatoes, bell pepper, kidney beans and corn. My kids loved scooping their soup out of baked acorn squash bowls. They thought it was "So cool!" This Fall meal would be perfect to serve to guests, especially on a chilly day. The soup can be made up to two days ahead of time and then all you have to do is bake the acorn squash shells with the soup ladled in it when you are ready to serve dinner.  Voila!

*this recipe came from a Vegeterian Times magazine . Check out the original recipe here.

Soup Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep: 30 minutes Cooking Time:  45 minutes

6 dried pitted apricots
4 dried pitted prunes(see Change it Up below for other ideas)
4 small acorn or butternut squash
1 TB olive oil, plus more for coating the squash
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
3 cloves of garlic, minced (1 TB)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
1 14.5 oz can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped, juice reserved
1 small yukon gold potato, peeled and diced (1 cup) 
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced (1 cup)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1. Place Apricots and prunes in a bowl. Cover with 1 cup boiling water and let soak for 2 hrs or overnight. Drain and coarsely chop, reserving liquid.
2. Preheat oven to 350 *F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut circular opening in squash tops, and reserve tops. Cut small slices off bottoms of squash so they stand up straight (if you cut too much off, there will be a hole, and the soup will leak through. If you accidentally to that, just patch it up with the piece you cut off by placing it in the inside of the squash). Scoop out and discard seeds and fiber from squash. Rub outsides of squash shells with oil and place on prepared baking sheet.
3. Heat 1 TB oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and oregano;saute 2-3 minutes. Add bell pepper and tomatoes with juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes, and reserved apricot-prune liquid. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are almost soft. Add corn and apricot-prune mixture. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes more. Add beans and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Ladle 1 cup stew into each hollowed squash; place lid on top. Bake 60-90 minutes, or until fork can easily pierce through squash.

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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

~Instead of apricots and prunes, try dried cherries or dried cranberries.

~Use peas instead of corn.
~Add black beans or white beans instead of kidney.