Plant-based alternatives are just as good if not better if you ask me. This Mac n Cheese with freshly steamed peas and sliced mushrooms is the perfect way to end any day. Baked with a thin layer of breadcrumbs, parsley, and Parmesan cheese till its brown and bubbling- you’ll be scooping till it’s all gone! Being able to have your favorite foods doesn’t have to end when you go vegan, which is why I am excited to share this delicious vegan mac!
Comfort food, to me, feeds the body, mind, and well- belly of course. The light and smooth ricotta cheese with fresh herbs makes for a remarkable flavor combination with my pasta sauce (or gravy) as some may refer to it as. Paired with a tomato sauce, homegrown basil, and baked to perfection, what can be better than that? This recipe is great for an easy weekday dinner or even a quick meal prep for the busy work or school week.
In a food processor, combine all ricotta ingredients until smooth; pulse roughly 1-2 minutes.
Scoop mixture into a container and place into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook the pasta according to the box instructions and allow to cool.
Fill the shells carefully with the ricotta mixture you prepared earlier. Repeat until all shells are filled. Place into a baking dish with pasta sauce on the bottom.
Pour remaining sauce around the shells and cover with a lid.
Bake for 15-20 minutes covered to allow the pasta to soak up some of the sauce.
Serve with salad or side of choice.
Chef’s tip: Add red pepper flakes to the mixture, it gives a great spicy flavor.
Cake: A spongy-flavorful dessert that we get to treat ourselves with during the holidays, gatherings, and of course- Birthdays! We all have our go-to cake or cupcake, and this Almond Cake with a Vanilla Meringue Buttercream is surely mine. To make the imaged cake, you will need to double this recipe and if you are looking to make two 8-inch rounds, this cake is perfect for that too! Even though I baked this cake without the use of diary and eggs, it is still moist, spongy, and does the job. What’s better than an organic cake made by yourself in the comfort of your own home? I hope that this recipe brings you, your family and friends a lot of good memories and birthday cheer!
Yields 45 servings for 6 and 7-inch or 60 servings 6,7, and 8-inch cakes
In a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and oil until light in color. Add the almond extract and buttermilk.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and powder. Add the salt and combine the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, a little bit at a time.
Beat until flour is well combined and cake batter consistency is achieved.
Cut out parchment rounds to fit the bottom of the cake pans. Be sure to grease the parchment also, this will help your cakes not stick.
Using two 8-inch round cake pan, distribute the batter between the two as listed below. If you are using a 6 and 8-inch pan for a 3 tier cake, you will need to triple the recipe and fill the cake pans up as provided below:
6-inch: 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes; 3 cups batter 7-inch: 350 degrees F for 40-42 minutes; 4 cups batter, optional 8-inch: 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes; 5 cups batter
Bake cakes for 40-45 minutes (rotating half way through) or until a toothpick comes out clean and cake edges are slightly browned and pulls away from pan.
Place onto a wire rack to cool until bottom of the pan is cool to touch.
Flip the cakes out of the pan onto the rack and allow to completely cool (roughly 1-1/2 hours).
Using a knife, level the cakes so they are all even. Slice cakes in half, wrap in plastic individually, and place in fridge or freezer until ready to frost or leave out if you are making it that day.
Aquafaba Concentrate:
In sauce pan over medium-high heat, pour in both cans chickpea liquid AKA aquafaba (save chickpeas for my hummus recipe). Reduce liquid until 1 cup remains. Pour liquid into container and cool in refrigerator overnight (this step is very important).
MeringueButtercream:
In your Kitchen-aid standing mixer, whip the concentrated chickpea liquid for 10-15 minutes until a medium peak has formed.
In the meantime, melt the sugar and water in a medium sauce pan on high-heat, 2-3 minutes. Once rolling boil starts, remove from heat and pour into the mixer with chickpea liquid. Make sure to turn the speed down when pouring.
Turn the speed back up to high and whip together for another 8 minutes until meringue -like consistency forms.
Once completely cool, add the butter and shortening slowly a little bit at a time until completely mixed. If for any reason it separates, place more fat into the meringue. If it still doesn’t hold, place in the fridge for a couple minutes and re mix or heat the bowl if it appears “curdled”.
Add the vanilla and give a good mix. Once frosting has thickened and is a good consistency, you are ready to frost the cake.
Assembling:
Smear a small amount of frosting on the bottom your cake boards and place the leveled cake on it.
Place one 8-inch round layer down on the plate and add 2 ice cream scoops of the meringue buttercream in a smooth layer. Place the other 8-inch layer on top and use more meringue buttercream. Coat the outside as well for a crumb coat (light layer of frosting to keep crumbs from showing up in the final frosting layer). Place into the fridge to chill while you do the same process with the 6-inch round cakes.
Remove from fridge and add buttercream to the outside of the cakes for a final coat.
Put three wooden dowels into the bottom layer. Put the 6-inch cake on top and put another wooden dowel in the middle, smearing frosting to cover the hole. Frost the gaps and cracks once you are finished securing the cake.
Top with choice of fruit, frosting design, sprinkles, or any other toppings you’d like.
Chef’s tip: If you would like to make a three tiered cake, you will need to triple the recipe.
Pizza making is one of the greatest things you can do with your time! Making your own dough from scratch, letting it rise, and putting the time and effort into forming the pie makes for a super gratifying end result. For any cheese or pizza lover, this recipe will leave your belly full and super satisfied from all your work. Making an organic pizza is truly delicious and once you see how quick you can make them yourselves, you’ll be a home pizza shop in no time.
In a bowl, combine warm water, oil, sugar, yeast and mix allow to sit for 2 minutes.
In another bowl, add flour and salt. Pour in the starter and knead dough until dough is well together.
Place in a greased bowl and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes. Take the dough out and slice into two pieces. Allow to rest again covered with a dish towel for an additional 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Roll into circular shape on a dusted board with flour and top with sauce, vegetables of choice, and cheese of choice.
Bake for 15-20 minutes on a pizza stone or until edges are golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
Chef’s tip: Be sure to poke holes in the dough before adding sauce or toppings. This will keep your dough from puffing up when it bakes.
This Matcha Ice Cream recipe is both creamy and has a great umami taste. Ice cream usually consists of dairy, sugar, and eggs but this plant-based version uses none. When you think of cold tasty creations, matcha green tea can be a unique alternative! A little background, this tea dates back roughly 900 years when Bhuddist monks brought it to Japan. It is known for its superfood health benefits, having lots of antioxidants, helps regulate the immune system, and detoxify your body. How cool is all of that in your ice cream! Desserts can still be delicious, healthy, and satisfying while living a vegan life.
Place your ice cream bowl into the freezer overnight.
In a Vitamix blender, place all ingredients in and blend until well combined.
Pour into a mason jar and put into the fridge while you wait for your ice cream bowl to freeze overnight.
Once ready, pour your mix into the ice cream maker and set until soft serve ice cream forms. Put into freezer for 1-2 hours to allow to firm up.
Serve with whipped cream or toppings of choice.
Chef’s tip: If you don’t have an ice cream maker, place the mixture into a metal bowl and into the freezer. Give it a stir every 45 minutes or so until you achieve your desired consistency. Can take up to 2 hours this way but works just as well.
If you’ve never been to a chili cook off before then you need to try one! There is something I greatly enjoy about sharing food with friends, family, or even coworkers. This spin of an authentic Texas red chili is made with fresh cayenne chili’s, mushrooms for the mock “meat”, and tons of other seasonings and flavors. You’ll also notice that I chose not use beans! I’ve always been curious to see what an “authentic” chili would be without the beans so I decided to give it a go. Personally, I’m team beans when it comes to my bowl of chili but this is still delicious. What do you think? Are you team beans or team no beans? Comment below and let me know.
Roast the chili’s for 25-30 minutes, just before the outsides begin to blacken.
While wearing gloves, place chili’s into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 3-5 minutes. The steam that is trapped will help the skin loosen up. Remove the skin, de seed, and toss the scraps away.
In a blender, combine the chili’s, chili powder, cumin, pepper, garlic, tomato paste, vegetable stock, water, flour, brown sugar, vinegar, and pulse until well mixed and combined. Set aside
In a large pot, add the olive oil with onions and turn to medium-high heat. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Pour in the chili sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer on low heat, cover and cook for 2.5 to 3 hours, stirring frequently.
Serve plain or with vegan sour cream, green onions, and cheese.
Chef’s tip: You can always add a cup of beans and corn to this recipe, however, this is an authentic chili made without beans.
Cashews are such a universal ingredient that can be used to make countless recipes. This cashew cream cheese is made with fresh spices, probiotics and other nutritional ingredients. At the beginning of each week (typically Sundays), I try to make one of these variations: a veggie, plain, or herb cream cheese. This recipe is a good base to use to create other cream cheese flavors, just be sure to switch up the herbs and other added ingredients.
I don’t know about you guys, but honey mustard has always been one of my favorite dipping sauces. In my recipe, I use tahini as the base ingredient instead of mayonnaise, as well as raw agave to replace the honey. Whether you are dunking your French fries, having a “burger”, or enjoying a salad, this dressing covers it all- Literally! I usually keep a few bottles of dressing in my refrigerator at all times, this being one of those (and my homemade ranch usually being another). Having some go-to sauces is extremely handy and will make you second guess buying store bought versions they aren’t as healthy for you. Not only do they taste better, but they don’t have any preservatives and you get to control the flavor 100% of the way, making it spicier or more mild depending on your taste!
Although this recipe calls for you to soak the black beans over night, you can also use canned (just make sure they’re organic). Either way you choose- you’re going to enjoy this fantastic Black Bean Soup! One of the added benefits of soaking fresh beans is using the liquid to flavor the the broth. The second is to limit the amount of extra ingredients that could be added. If you are looking for a plant-based alternative to your favorite soup, I got you covered. Make sure to give this one a try for your taco Tuesday nights, it will be the life of the fiesta!
In a pot, add the oil and onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the celery, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, and cook for an additional 2-3 minute or until translucent.
Smash half of the black beans in a bowl. Add the whole and smashed beans to the pot, along with the broth, seasonings, and herbs. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes covered.
Remove the bay leaf from the soup and add the lime juice. Give a good stir.
Serve and top with your choice of garnishes (green onions, cheese of choice, sour cream of choice, tortilla chips).
Chef’s tip: If you want to kick things up even further, add some hot sauce to the soup till desired spice level is met.
This is the best Pecan Cookie recipe ever! Everyone needs a good cookie recipe in their life, and this is defiantly mine. Personally, I love a cookie that is both chewy and crispy, and this is both of those. Pecans usually are underrated in my opinion and don’t get used all that much. The crisp buttery cookie baked with the pecan nuts make for a real special treat, which is why I think they are perfect! For a little added bonus, roll the cookies into rounds the night or day before and place them into the freezer. This way you can pop out a coupe at a time without the need to bake them all at once.
You must be logged in to post a comment.