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!

Chiftele (Romanian Meatballs)

Chiftele are the Romanian version of a meatball and can be flat or round. They’re normally made with ground pork, which is high in fat, but this recipe is made with lean ground turkey. After the patties are formed you roll them in flour and fry them up! Oh yes, they’re fried, so you know they’ll be delicious! Parsley gives them a traditional Romanian taste but you can also substitute in dill and still get a wonderful flavor. These are best eaten with a Dijon style mustard as an appetizer or as the star of your meal. Normal side dishes include mashed potatoes or rice and cabbage salad has always been a favorite in my family.

Yield about 30

Ingredients

• 1 – 20 oz package lean ground turkey
• 1 shredded potato
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Pepper
• Flour
• Vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix your ground turkey, shredded potato, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add your egg and continue to mix. The best way to do this is to get a little dirty and use your hands! Once everything is mixed well you can start to form little balls.
2. Heat up about 1/2 inch oil at the bottom of a large pan on medium heat.
3. Once your balls are formed, roll them in flour and flatten them out but keep them round. Place in heated oil. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until they are browned.
4. Your pan won’t be big enough to cook all of them at once, so continue the same procedure until you are finished.
5. Serve warm with Dijon mustard or with mashed potatoes and a salad!

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.

Cream Cheese, Alaskan Smoked Salmon and Chives

This is the easiest sandwich to put together so I feel bad even calling it a recipe. Cream cheese and chives compliment smoked salmon so beautifully! I purchased my salmon from Sprouts Farmers Market and they never disappoint.

Ingredients:

• Toasted bread (I used Shepherd’s Bread)
• Whipped cream cheese
• Alaskan smoked salmon
• Chives
• Lemon

Quick and Easy Noodle Soup

You know how we all want someone to take care of us and bring us noodle soup when we’re sick? Well this recipe is so basic and easy that you won’t need to have anyone bring you soup, you’ll just make it for yourself!

Ingredients

• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 3-4 teaspoons Vegeta seasoning (more or less for your taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Lawyr’s Seasoned Salt
• 5 oz Barilla Fideo Noodles (I love a lot of noodles)

Directions

1. Set a medium pot of water on medium heat.
2. Chop carrots and celery. Add to water. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let carrots and celery cook for about 10 minutes. Add noodles and continue to boil according to package instructions. During the last few minutes add your Vegeta and seasoned salt. Voila!

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.

Easy Bread Machine French Loaf

I love bread. Period. White, wheat, sourdough, French, Italian, baguette, roll, loaf. I could go on and on but you get the picture. This recipe is a basic bread machine recipe and it yields the most amazing bread and leaves the entire house smelling like a boulangerie!

Ingredients for Dough

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp rapid rise yeast

Ingredients for Glaze

• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Place ingredients in machine according to instructions and select the dough program.
2. Once complete, remove the dough and place in a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
3. Punch the dough down. Cut into two even pieces and form into loaves. Place them on a greased baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let dough sit for an additional 45 minutes to rise.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
5. In a small bowl combine the water and salt for the glaze.
6. Cut four slits into each loaf. Brush each loaf with the glaze.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until a golden brown color.
8. Remove from oven and place on a rack.

*Tip: If you want to save a loaf for later wait until it is cool and wrap in plastic wrap and freeze! When you are ready to enjoy, let the loaf come to room temperature. The dough holds up so well this way and is delicious!

Spinach Pesto Pasta with a Twist

Pasta is always on the menu at home and there’s absolutely no way I’ll ever get tired of it! I was craving some this afternoon and I wanted to experiment with the ingredients I had on hand, so I came up with this simple and easy recipe. Most likely you have these basic ingredients in your kitchen, so give it a try!

Ingredients

• 1 package pasta of choice
• 1 lb spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1-3 garlic cloves (I like a lot of garlic)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 egg beaten (optional)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan boil water. Once water is boiling, add a teaspoon salt and all the pasta. Boil according to package instructions.
2. While the pasta is boiling, place all the other ingredients (except for the egg) into a food processor and mix until spinach is chopped fine and everything is mixed together.
3. Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to saucepan on low heat. Add egg and mix into pasta until slightly cooked. Add spinach mixture and stir.
4. Serve warm.

 

 

Ground Turkey Puff Pastry Pies

I have to give credit to my amazing mom for this recipe. She’s made this and variations of this recipe all throughout my childhood. It’s filled with delicious flavor and not to mention the puff pastry just melts in your mouth. It’s a perfect snack in the middle of the day and it’ll WOW your guests at a dinner party! I highly recommend trying this for yourself, you won’t be sorry!

Ingredients

• 1 package of ground turkey (about 1 lb)
• Olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 package of puff pastry (about 1/2 lb)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Salt, pepper, and dill to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
2. Preheat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Next, add the onion and pinch of salt and saute until onion turns a translucent color. Add ground turkey and cook thoroughly. Remove skillet from heat and let the turkey cool down to room temperature.
3. Once the mixture is cool, add 1 egg, sour cream, flour, parsley and spices to taste and mix all together.
4. Cut the puff pastry into 4 equal rectangular pieces. Spoon mixture onto on side of rectangle and flip the other side over. Use a fork to press down on the edges, pinching the puff pastry together. Repeat for the other three rectangles.
5. Whisk the other egg in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Brush egg wash over the puff pastries.
6. Bake for about 40 minutes or until browned.