Creamy Vegan Mushroom & Garlic Alfredo

For this Vegan recipe I was going for the texture of Alfredo pasta which is made with cheese and butter, so I decided to use a creamy tofu paste as a substitute. The olive oil and mushrooms already add a lot of texture to the dish, so the tofu just gave it that extra special touch. You have to get creative when you’re Veganizing recipes and most of the time tofu and almond milk do the trick!

Ingredients

• 8 oz spaghetti
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• Handful of mushrooms chopped
• Olive oil
• 85 g tofu (I used organic extra firm)
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

1. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain.
2. In the mean time, using a blender or food processor, make a paste by adding about 1/3 cup of water, salt, and pepper to your tofu. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add your mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Once your mushrooms have cooked for a few minutes, turn heat to low and add in chopped garlic and season with more salt and pepper.  Adding the garlic at the end will prevent it from burning. After about a minute you can start to add your tofu paste. I did not want the dish to have a strong tofu taste so I added little by little and tasted it as I went along. I probably used 3/4 of the paste. Also taste for salt and pepper along the way.
4. Add pasta to mushroom mixture and toss, making sure everything is coated.
5. Plate and serve!

Caramelized Banana & Belgian Pearl Sugar Pancakes

During my middle school years I attended the American International School of Bucharest and there was a little Belgian waffle shop down the street that I used to walk to with my friends after school. They had the most delicious Belgian Pearl Sugar Waffles I’ve ever tasted! The waffles were slightly crunchy on the outside and super soft and chewy on the inside. And when you were lucky to have a bite with the caramelized pearl sugar, it just melted in your mouth. Every time I think of those waffles my mouth waters so I wanted to create something with similar flavors but quick! Belgian waffles are yeast based so they take some patience. Pearl sugar can be found at specialty stores, I got mine from Sur La Table. If you don’t find pearl sugar, these pancakes will still turn out just as fantastic because of the caramelized bananas on top! I actually didn’t have any milk on hand so I used soda water instead and I’m happy I did because it cut some calories and added a light and airy texture to the pancakes.

If you want a dessert style pancake for breakfast I definitely recommend these! Perfect for a weekend splurge!

If you’d like to make these Vegan, simply take out the egg and add 1/4 cup of applesauce and instead of using butter for the caramelized bananas, use coconut oil!

Yields 12 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup soda water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg (separated) or 1/4 cup applesauce for Vegan recipe
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil (melted and cooled)
• 2 overripe bananas mashed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• Pearl sugar

For the Caramelized Bananas

• 1 sliced banana
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter (or coconut oil for Vegan recipe)

Directions

1. Heat griddle to 350 degrees F.
2. To make your caramelized banana topping melt 1 tablespoon of butter (coconut oil for Vegan recipe), add your sliced bananas and coat them with the brown sugar. Cook until bananas are a golden brown color and have caramelized. Flip each piece gently during cooking so you don’t get a big mush.
3. In a small bowl whip your egg white until stiff peaks form (skip this step for Vegan recipe).
4. In a large bowl sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
5. In another bowl mix your egg yolk, oil, soda water, vanilla extract, almond extract, and banana. For Vegan recipe, substitute the egg yolk with applesauce.
6. Add your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporate. Fold in your whipped egg white (skip this step for Vegan recipe).
7. Add about 5 pieces of pearl sugar in one spot on griddle. Let heat up for about 15 seconds. Add 1/4 of batter on top of the pearl sugar. Add 5 or so more pieces of pearl sugar on top of batter so that when you flip you’ll have pearl sugar on both sides. Flip once bubbles start to form. Cook another minute.
8. Plate and serve with caramelized bananas and maple syrup on top.

Orzo with Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Cherry Tomatoes

I’ve always wanted to cook with orzo and finally picked some up while I was at Sprouts the other day. Basically, orzo is pasta in the shape of rice. I love rice and I love pasta so I knew this wouldn’t disappoint, and sure enough, it didn’t. The first time I cooked it I noticed that if you cook it for too long it will stick together really really bad! In other words, it becomes one big mush after you drain it. So make sure that if you do decide to cook orzo, do not over cook it! Al dente is the way to go, just slightly under-cooked. I wanted this recipe to be light and have a fresh taste while also having a creaminess to it so I made asparagus and mushrooms the stars and garnished with a medley of sweet cherry tomatoes and chives. And for added flavor I used some cipollini onions, they were just to cute to pass up at the grocery store! Yields 4 servings Ingredients

• 8 oz orzo
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 10-15 mushrooms
• 2 cipollini onions
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chives

Directions

1. Cook your orzo according to package directions. (Remember not to overcook).
2. In the mean time, chop your onion, asparagus and mushrooms into small pieces. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a medium sized pan. Once oil is heated, add your onion and sprinkle with salt. Turn your heat down to low so you don’t burn the onion. Once onion is translucent, add your asparagus and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and bump the heat up to medium for about 10 minutes. Stir vegetables every couple of minutes. Test to see if the texture of the asparagus is to your liking. If you prefer a softer vegetable, cook longer. Taste for salt and pepper as well.
3. Drain the orzo, place back in saucepan and add about a tablespoon of olive oil, this will help with the sticking. Spoon orzo into the vegetable saucepan and stir.
4. Plate and garnish with cherry tomatoes and chives.

Jasmine Rice with Red Pepper and Zucchini

For the last six months I’ve cut meat out of my diet almost completely, so that really forced me to get creative with my meals. Rice has always been a favorite of mine and over the years I’ve experimented with new kinds such as Basmati and Jasmine. In this recipe I used Jasmine rice. It’s so fragrant and flavorful, you can even it plain and it won’t disappoint. I sauteed red bell peppers with zucchini in olive oil and jazzed them up with Hungarian Paprika! This dish is so simple. You’ll have it ready in under 30 minutes. I love to add shrimp or tofu for protein.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup Jasmine rice
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 zucchini
• Olive oil
• Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chives for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Chop bell pepper into thin strips and zucchini into half moon shaped pieces. Add olive oil to a medium skillet (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and let it heat up. Once oil is heated, add vegetables and sprinkle paprika, salt, and pepper. I normally use a lot of paprika because I love the flavor. I recommend tasting the vegetables as they are cooking and deciding whether you need more.
3. Cook the vegetables on low to medium heat with the cover on for about 20 minutes. If you like your vegetables crunchier cook less time. I like mine fairly tender.
4. Plate your rice and spoon vegetables on top. Garnish with chives.

Kapple Juice

For this juice recipe I used 4 ingredients that I pretty much always have on hand. Before I started juicing I never bought kale, but now I’m proud to say that it’s a staple in my house. This juice is definitely on the sour side so if you prefer sweeter drinks I would add some oranges to the mix or even cut the lemon in half. I like to juice my fruits and veggies with the peel intact so I almost always buy organic, unless they don’t have any in stock.

I was very close to making this into a cocktail this evening, hence the moody photography. Maybe next time…

Ingredients

1. 1 bunch kale leaves
2. 1 green apple
3. 1 celery stick
4. 1 lemon

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Winter is the perfect time for oatmeal. It warms you up first thing in the morning and fills you up until lunch time. I for one love being full until lunch, less snacking, especially after all the holiday eating! Lets be honest, plain oats are not the best tasting (actually they’re ewwww), so I decided to use an apple and some basic ingredients I had on hand to make this a rich and decadent oatmeal. I added cinnamon, brown sugar, and my secret ingredient that’s not so secret anymore, almond extract. I used a combination of milk and almond milk in this recipe but you can use one or the other or just use water. Using almond milk or water would make this Vegan! Of course water doesn’t add the creaminess that milk and almond milk do.

Yields 1 serving

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup oats
• 3/4 cup milk (substitute with water or almond milk to make Vegan)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 apple
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• Chopped walnuts or almonds for topping (optional)

Directions

1. Cut up half an apple into small cubes, about 1/2 inch. Place them in a small skillet over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cook until apples are soft.
2. In a small saucepan pour 1/2 milk, 1/4 cup almond milk, oats, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat and cook until oats are soft. Add your last 1/4 cup of milk in the last few minutes of cooking.
3. Scoop oats into a bowl, add apples on top and garnish with chopped walnuts or almonds if desired.

Creamy Vegan Avocado Pasta

I love that I can eat avocados and not feel guilty because they provide a healthy fat in my diet. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with this one. It’s so creamy and decadent yet completely Vegan, healthy, and light. I’ve never used the words decadent and light in the same sentence, until now! Normally pesto is made with pine nuts, but I was rather hesitant to pay $3.99 for a 1/4 cup of pine nuts, so I substituted walnuts and I’m so glad I did. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6 oz spaghetti
• 1 avocado
• Handful fresh basil leaves
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/6 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic salt to taste
• Cherry tomatoes for garnish

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in pot.
2. While pasta is cooking add avocado, garlic, basil, walnuts, juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic salt to food processor. Mix on high until blended and creamy. Switch to low speed and stream in olive oil. Add more lemon juice, salt and pepper to your liking.
3. Spoon mixture over pasta and gently toss.
4. Serve warm and garnish with cherry tomato halves.

Vegan Pancakes with Fresh Blueberry Sauce

For the past two months I’ve cut back on my meat and dairy consumption. I mean, I’m not going to lie, I still eat ice cream and indulge in desserts that I make, but for the most part that’s it. As for meat, that’s been pretty easy to cut out of my diet. Now this leads me to these delicious Vegan Pancakes. I love pancakes so I decided to swap some ingredients and make these oh so Vegan! So glad I did because they’re amazing. The blueberry sauce tops this off…literally! It’s soooo good!

Vegan Pancakes with Fresh Blueberry Sauce (8 pancakes)

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 3 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 & 1/4 cup Vanilla Almond Breeze
• 1 banana mashed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray

For the Blueberry Sauce

1. Place blueberries,1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover and mix every couple of minutes. Once the blueberries soften and liquid starts to release from them, add the 1 teaspoon of flour and mix together. Cover again and reduce to low heat. The sauce will be done once blueberries are softened and you have a slightly thick sauce. Remove cinnamon stick before spooning onto pancakes.

For the Vegan Pancakes

1. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add almond milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and mashed banana. Stir. Don’t worry if there are clumps in your batter, that’s normal!
2. Spray some cooking spray on a preheated griddle or frying pan. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, measure batter and pour onto griddle. Cook until bubbles start to form and flip pancake. Cook another minute or two until brown on both sides.
3. Serve warm with syrup and blueberry sauce!