Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Vegan Nachos Ⓥ

Vegan Nachos for dinner?! Why the hell not? That's what me and hubby thought the other night anyways. It was super delicious, and of course I instagramed it ;p and was asked for the recipe, so I though to myself what a great idea for this week's sunday recipe post. :) 

So, vegan nachos, in all their cheesy dreamy delicious glory. Make them for supper like we did, or make them to snack on or to share with friends. Either way, you win with this yummy platter! 

Vegan Nachos

1/2 pound Tofu (anything from soft to firm works great)

1 Tbsp Tamari (wheat-free)

1/4 tsp each of these spices: Black Pepper, Cumin, ground Mustard

1/2 tsp Turmeric and Chili Powder

1/2 Tbsp Parsley

touch of oil or water*

1 Green Pepper

Sundried Tomatoes

2 Garlic Cloves

Daiya Cheese (or whatever your favourite vegan cheese may be)

Que Pasa Tortilla Chips

*I don't like cooking with oil if I can avoid it, so I use eco-friendly non-stick pans (never use carcinogenic awful teflon!) and a splash of water to prevent sticking--works great, no oil! 

Crumble your tofu and mince your garlic. Toss into a frying pan, and, on medium-high heat, sauté in tamari and spices until the tofu browns and absorbs all that delicious flavour, stirring fairly frequently to avoid sticking. Usually takes about 5-7 minutes.

Dice up your green pepper and add to your tofu mix for a minute or two. 

Preheat oven to 300℉.

Sprinkle a tray (or oven-safe plates*) with as much tortilla chips as you're hungry for. 

(* If you're making this for to snack on, to share, etc. then use an oven tray or something you can use once they're out of the oven. If you're making this for dinner then I prefer to make individual plates--because it's less messy and you just have your serving and can choose how much of everything you want. Just don't touch the hot plates when they come out of the oven (ouch!).)

Top your tortilla chips with your tofu mixture, sprinkle some sun-dried tomatoes on top along with however much daiya cheese you would like. 

Pop in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and bubble. 

Serve! And remember to be careful with hot plates! ;o

Makes 2 dinner servings or a lovely sharing plate with friends.   

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Stuffed Zucchini Ⓥ

It's Zucchini season and this year our garden is brimming with them for the first time. We actually can't keep up! So, obviously, it's time for some fun zucchini recipes. ;)

This recipe is super easy to make and delicious. It takes a little time but takes very little effort. Perfect! :) 

This makes a perfect summer meal, or a great side dish! 

Stuffed Zucchini

1 large Zucchini (or a few smaller ones)

1 cup Red Lentils

2 cups Water

1 tbsp Miso (veggie stock works too)

2 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp Nurtitional Yeast

1/2 tsp ground Oregano 

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Salt

Daiya cheese (optional/ or other vegan cheese)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Cut the Zucchini lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the centres (seeds and soft centre)--save the scooped out portion. Place the zucchini halves into a large shallow baking dish. 

In a medium saucepan, cook the red lentils in water for about 20 minutes. Chop the scooped out zucchini and add it to the pot along with the miso and spices; cook another 5-10 minutes until the lentils are fully cooked through. 

Spoon the lentil mixture into the hollowed out centres of the zucchini halves. Top with daiya cheese (optional). 

Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes (cooking time will depend on the size of your zucchini--so check it at about the 30 minute mark by poking it with a fork--it should still be firm but not so firm that it's still hard). 

Serve and enjoy! Makes 4 servings. 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Cheezy Pumpkin Casserole Ⓥ

This lovely recipe is rich and creamy and packed full of goodness. With a lovely subtle squash taste and a cheesy flavour, it makes for perfect comfort food while still staying healthy!  

Use gluten-free pasta (like I do) to keep this recipe gluten free. :)

Cheezy Pumpkin Casserole

Sauce:

1 can Pumpkin Puree

1/3 cup Cashews, soaked for at least 10 minutes

1 cup Vegetable Broth

1/2 cup Coconut Milk (beverage kind, or other non-dairy milk)

4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

dash of Black Pepper

1-2 cups water for consistency

1/3 cup Daiya, or other vegan cheese

1 350g pack of penne or other pasta

1 Large Sweet Potato

3-4 small potatoes

1/2 head of Cauliflower

1 can Chickpeas

1/2 cup Daiya (for top)

Chop the potatoes and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. 

In a medium-sized pot, boil the potatoes and sweet potato in water until cooked and you can poke them with a fork.  

Blend the cashews in a food processor or blender, slowly adding the vegetable broth, until smooth. 

In a large pot, add the cashew mix along with the rest of the sauce ingredients (except the water) and cook on medium heat, whisking to get out any clumps and gradually adding the water as necessary. I never measure the exact amount of liquid I use, so you want it to be nice and creamy but not too runny or too thick. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. 

Add in the cauliflower and chickpeas, and cook for another 10 minutes. 

Add the potatoes, at which point you might want to add a bit more liquid. 

While everything else is cooking, boil your pasta to the directions on the package. Once the pasta is cooked, add it into the rest of your large pot with the cheese mixture. Again, you might want to add more liquid at this point. 

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Pour your mixture into a large casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of daiya on top to evenly coat. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, broiling at the end to brown the top. 

Serve up and enjoy! 

Makes about 6 large servings. 

*If you want to make not quite as much then you can use less pasta and less veggies, therefor less water and less food. ;) 

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Ⓥ 10 Minute - Grilled Tofu Tortillas! Ⓥ

Here's a super easy ten minute recipe for you! 

This makes a great lunch, supper, or even snack. Gluten free and vegan as always. :)

Grilled Tofu Tortillas

1/2 pound Tofu (anything from soft to firm works great)

1/2 medium Zucchini 

1 Tbsp (wheat-free) Tamari 

1-2 tsp of spices (I usually grab a dash of everything; Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Cumin, ground Mustard, Chili Powder, Parsley)

touch of oil or water

4 Corn Tortillas

Daiya Cheese (or whatever your favourite vegan cheese may be)

You can also use whatever veggies you have handy really, the fun of this is it's easy to play around with and fast to make! 

In a medium pot or frying pan, sauté the tofu and veggies in the tamari and spices on medium-high heat until lightly browned and veggies are tender. Add a little oil to prevent any sticking--I usually just use a little bit of water, but I cook in eco-non-stick pans). 

Top the 4 corn tortillas with the tofu mixture, sprinkle cheese on top, and grill in the oven until the cheese is melty and the tortillas are a little toasty. 

Voila! Food in ten minutes! 

Makes 2 servings.

Enjoy!  

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Best Poutine Ever! Ⓥ

Okay, so this is honestly not much of a "recipe" per-say but this was so delicious that I decided I had to share. ;) Before going vegan I admittedly loved the Canadian-invented poutine-- for those that don't know what a poutine is, it's french fries smothered in cheese and gravy. Healthy I know. I've had fries and vegan gravy since but not with cheese, even the vegan varieties. However, this idea came to us and I have to say, it's the best poutine I've ever had in my life (and I've been to Montreal and had them there too ;)). 

What you'll need…

Vegan Poutine:

Your choice of favourite french fries

Vegan Gravy (recipe here)

Daiya Mozarella Cheese

Tofu Balls (recipe here)--totally optional. 

I think what made this extra delicious was the perfect combination of ingredients. The fries were from the "Bite" truck in Nelson which are by far the best french fries I've ever had--they're organic and fried with non-hydrogenated vegetable oils too! So find your favourite french fries or make your own! Next we topped them with Daiya mozzarella "cheese" (thank goodness for Daiya!!) and smothered them with home-made vegan gravy (recipe here)--which melted the daiya. I also made tofu balls to go with them and it was, again, simply delish! 

  

You could easily replicate this easy "recipe" and make your own with your personal favourite french fries and take care of the rest as I described above. Seriously good! Again, I'm aware not the healthiest, but as far as unhealthy food goes, this wasn't so bad and totally worth the treat. ;)  

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Tofu Scramble Ⓥ

I've been making tofu scrambles for a long time now, playing with the recipe a lot, and today I feel like I perfected. I took a bite and knew I had to share this recipe! So, here it is. :)

Tofu Scramble

1/4 block Tofu (firm preferable, medium works too though) crumbled.

1/2 Red Pepper, chopped

Handful Spinach, chopped

1 Tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce

1 tsp Garlic powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric 

1 tsp Nutritional Yeast

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 ground Mustard

1/2 tsp dried Parsley

Olive Oil for frying. 

Daiya Cheese

In a medium-sized frying pan on medium-high heat, fry up the Tofu in the soy sauce and spices for a couple minutes. Add the Red Pepper, any other veggies you desire, and nutritional yeast, and fry up in a bit of oil until the whole thing gets nice and brown and toasty. Once it's browning and getting a bit crispy, top with Daiya cheese and cover with a lid so that the cheese melts. When you serve it up, mix in the cheese.
The trick with this recipe is to let the tofu get nice and brown, it adds a lovely "smoky" flavour, especially with the array of spices!
This makes 1 serving, feel free to double it up or make as much as you want. ;)

Super easy and fast to make. And super delicious! Serve with toast, vegan soy sausage or bacon, potatoes, or whatever else you'd like! Enjoy! :)

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Black Bean Dip! Ⓥ

This recipe is a variation of one out of "La Dolce Vegan" Cookbook--which if you don't own already you Should! 

This is super easy to make, takes about 15 minutes, is high in protein and iron and packed-full of fantastic flavour! 

Black Bean Dip

1 19oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed. 

1 cup Vegetable Stock

1 tsp Garlic Powder (or two minced Garlic Cloves) 

1 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder

2 tsp ground Mustard

1 tsp ground Cumin

1/4 tsp Salt 

Add all the ingredients in a small or medium pot and simmer, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Mash with a potato masher. 

There! I said it was easy! If you want it a bit thinner then add a little more water. 

It's great for dipping, in wraps or burritos, or my new favourite; as nachos! 

For the Nachos, I used these Pinto Bean chips, topped them with the black bean mixture, topped with Daiya cheddar cheese and melted it in the over for a few minutes. So delicious!

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Vegan Pesto! Ⓥ

Mmmmm, Pesto! So delicious as a pasta sauce or a spread in a grilled cheese sandwich. I used to love the stuff but haven't had it since going Vegan. Finally, I decided to make some for myself since I didn't really have a good excuse not to and it was simply calling for me to make some. 

This recipe is super quick and easy, although pine nuts are pretty expensive so it's a bit of a treat and I advice only to buy how much you need ;). But this recipe goes a long way so half it if you don't need very much.   

Without further ado... 

Vegan Pesto:

2 ½ cups fresh Basil

½ cup fresh Parsley

½ cup Pine Nuts

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Vegan Cheese (I use Daiya Mozarella)

2 tablespoons Miso

Process all the ingredients in a food processor, adding water slowly to desired paste-like consistency. Makes approx. 1 cup... ish, I didn't measure so I'm kind of guessing ;)

And there you have delicious Pesto! As already said, makes a great base for a pasta sauce and sandwich spread! 

I made a delicious grilled "sandwich" the other day with; toasted gluten-free bread, pesto spread, tofu balls sliced/flattened, and Daiya mozzarella cheese melted over top. Yum!!

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Vegan Gluten-free Cheeseless Falafel Pizza! Ⓥ

This yummy Vegan Pizza alternative is one of my favorites. I like to think of it as the most epic Pizza ever. I have made it many many times with all sorts of variations. 

This is NOT your average Pizza! Do not expect this to be like anything you've ever had before. It has been a favorite for anyone who has tried it and it could be yours too! ;)

It is Gluten-free, sugar-free, and free of any animal products! It is a lovely mixture of soft chewiness and crunchy crispiness! 

And it's great with just about any topping. See below for my favorites...

Prepare Crust...

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust:

1 cup Brown Rice Flour 

1/2 cup Tapioca Flour

2/3 cup Rice Milk (or other "milk")

Egg Replacer equal to 2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon of Garlic

1/2 teaspoon each of Black Pepper, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Mustard.

Pre-heat oven to 350. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix ingredients together until well-mixed and can form a sticky ball (*Tip: prepare egg-replacer mixture separately Before adding to other ingredients). 

Lightly Oil Pizza tray. Spread dough evenly onto tray. Warning: it can be pretty sticky so make sure you have extra flour handy for your hands and on the top of the dough so it's easier to spread.

Bake at 350 for approximately 20 minutes or until the edges start to brown (but don't wait until the middle browns, don't worry it will still cook later and be delicious ~_^). 

Remove Crust from oven and dress it up however you'd like. Here is my favorite combination...

Sauce for the pizza:

1 small can of Tomato Paste 

(super easy and adds a subtle sweetness that contrasts nicely)

Falafel:

See this Recipe.

Make the mixture (from above recipe) but do not fry or cook it. Simply crumble and spread all or half of the mixture onto your Crust. 

Add whatever other toppings you'd like! With or without vegan cheese it's delicious! 

My favorite Toppings for Falafel Pizza:

Daiya Cheese

Spinach

Broccoli 

Black Olives

Stick Falafel Pizza back in the oven and cook at 350 for another 10-15 minutes--just until the cheese has melted and the falafel starts to crisp. You can also broil it at the end for a minute for extra crispiness. :)

And there you have it, yummy Vegan Gluten-free Pizza! Enjoy this yummy, healthy new meal!!

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