Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. We went on a picnic to the beach and I packed these great sandwiches. They are super easy to make and you can customize them to your preference. Most people like to use celery in these salads, but I'm not a huge fan of celery so I used green onions instead. I had carrots and red pepper on hand so I through them in. You can add whatever crunchy vegetables you like. 

In addition to making great picnics, this sandwich is also great to pack for lunches as school or work. Make sure that you put a layer of greens between the tomatoes and the bread so that your bread doesn't get soggy during the day. 

Let me know how you like it and what your favorite sandwich toppings are! 

Instructions: 

Drain and Rinse chickpeas. Slice green onions up until they start turning dark green. Chop carrots and red peppers to be roughly the same size of the chickpeas and green onions so that they'll all process the same way in the food processor. Add chickpeas, red pepper, green onions, carrot, dill, and sour cream to a food processor and process until it is the consistency of chicken or tuna salad (or the consistency you prefer). 

Cut the baguette in half and then slice open in the middle. Layer the hummus, greens and slices of tomato, cucumber, and avocado on one side of the sandwich. Add the chickpea salad to the other side and fold in half. 

Serve and enjoy!

I recently found this premade whole wheat pizza crust, which is great when you need to whip something up quickly! You can keep them in the freezer and since their already rolled out and thin, they defrost quickly, as opposed to a ball of uncooked dough. 

I've said this before, but I love tacos, pizzas, and sandwiches for their versatility. There's no rule that says that pizza has to always be Italian, tacos Mexican, and so on. They are great blank canvases where you can add whatever flavors you would like! In this pizza I went BBQ style.

 I used BBQ sauce as my base and added veggies that I typically associate with BBQ meals (and had in my freezer) - red onion, corn, broccoli, and edamame. If you have another type of bean on hand, such as pinto, kidney, or black-eyed pea on hand that may be a more authentic BBQ flavor. I did really love the texture of the cooked edamame on the pizza though. Then I topped it off with some guacamole - again not maybe totally BBQ style, but it helped balance out the texture and flavor profile since the BBQ sauce was a thin layer of the pizza. Hope you enjoy it!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. 

Prep pizza crust as needed. 

Spread BBQ Sauce on pizza dough. Thinly slice red onion and spread evenly across pizza. Top with corn and edamame. Chop up broccoli and spread evenly across pizza. 

Once oven is preheated, cook pizza according to instructions for the dough, approximately 5-15 minutes. Be sure not to over cook or else you'll end up with burnt crust. 

While pizza is cooking, prep your avocado. You could either mash it up and add dollops to your pizza like I did or cut into slices and top the pizza with your slices. 

Once the pizza is ready, top with avocado, serve, and enjoy!

I made cauliflower buffalo wing pizza a couple years ago and since then I've wanted to make cauliflower bites again. We had a potluck at work last week so I thought it was a good opportunity to make it again. I found this recipe from Hot for Food that I used as inspiration. ​We were having a Mexican themed event so I added some chipotle and cinnamon for a little something different. 

It make look like there are a lot of steps, but it's a pretty simple recipe to put together. The batter and sauce are easy to mix up and the only other thing you need to do is chop up the cauliflower and dip it in each! Since I was taking this to work I did everything except baking the bites for the last time the night before at home. I put the bites back into a bowl with the sauce and let it sit overnight. At work I baked them for the last time in our toaster oven at work. 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Chop cauliflower into bite size pieces. Add all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Add in the non-dairy milk and water, stir until all the dry ingredients are mixed in. You want to make sure the batter is thick enough to stay on the cauliflower but not so thick that it doesn't stir easily. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip the cauliflower into the batter until it is covered in batter and place on the baking sheet. Make sure you are placing the cauliflower far enough apart so that the batter doesn't blend together or else you will get one big cauliflower bite instead of two separate ones. 

Cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Flip halfway through so that the bites crisp on both ends. 

Once they've cooked, allow them to cool. Blend the sriracha, BBQ sauce, and chipotle peppers together. Put the cauliflower in a bowl and pour the sauce over the bites. Mix well so that they are all covered in the sauce. 

Put back on the baking sheet with the parchment paper and cook for another 25 minutes. 

​Let cool, serve, and enjoy!

I've been on a Thai Curry kick recently. There's something about the combination of the spicy broth and coconut cream that I love. When you take a bite its so spicy and intense, and then the coconut sweetness comes in just enough for your mouth to recover before the next bite.  Plus, with all the veggies I always feel good about ordering it for delivery. 

I wanted to try cooking it for myself, for the challenge of trying something new, but also so that I could have it more frequently and not have to pay for delivery! Surprisingly, it was a lot easier than I thought! I found a lot of great resources on the website, Rachel Cooks Thai, and was able to come up with a great recipe.

One of the main differences I made was using two cans of coconut milk instead of one. Rachel talks about customizing the balance of coconut milk to water based on your own preferences. I made an earlier batch with only one can of milk and more water and I really didn't feel like I could taste the coconut flavor at all. 

Like I mentioned, its a pretty simple recipe to make - heat the coconut milk, add in your curry paste, add more liquid and your chopped veggies, simmer until veggies are soft and the flavors have marinated! 

Let me know what you think! What's your favorite kind of curry? 

Instructions:

Combine the rice and water in a pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 35-40 minutes or until the water is absorbed. 

Chop all of the veggies and tofu into cubes. Press the excess water out of the tofu. Fry the tofu in a skillet or non-stick pan with turmeric until all sides are crispy. 

Open the two cans of coconut milk and scoop out the solid cream part at the top and put into a pan over medium heat. Stir until the cream has liquefied and begins to bubble. Add the curry paste and again stir to combine. 

Pour the remaining coconut milk into the pan. Add your veggies and tofu and one cup of water. You can add more water depending on how thick you like your curry broth. 

Cook until the veggies are soft and ready to eat. 

​Serve the rice and veggies in two separate bowls. As you are eating add the rice into the veggie bowl to soak up the broth and mix with the veggies - enjoy!

The idea of a homemade tomato sauce may conjure up ideas of sauce slow cooking on the stove all day, letting the flavors marinate and blend. That is not was this recipe is all about. This recipe is for when you get home late from work and are looking for something quick and nourishing to heat up for dinner. If you're lucky, you'll have some of that slow simmer sauce canned and on hand to use in this recipe!  

​

The prep work here is fairly minimal, chop up some garlic, onion, and peppers as a base to your sauce. If you have other fresh veggies on hand such as mushrooms or spinach feel free to add those as well! Adding the tempeh adds another element to the texture and some hearty protein.

I had some extra cashew sauce that I had made for the Loaded Baked Potato Pizza, which I added in to my sauce to make it creamy (and add more protein). If you want to keep it as just a basic tomato sauce then you can omit this.  

Instructions:

Dice garlic, onion, and red bell pepper. Add garlic and onion to a non-stick skillet and cook until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent them from burning. Add the red bell pepper. Stir to combine.

Crumble the tempeh into the pan. Continue to break apart with a wooden spoon or spatula until it is the desired size and consistently. I like to break it down pretty far so that it is about the same size as the onions and bell pepper. 

​Once the tempeh has been broken down to the desired level, well mixed in with the other ingredients, and has a bit of crispiness, add in the sauces, stir and combine. 

Serve over your favorite pasta, with a side of whole wheat bread and a nice salad. Enjoy!

Pretty much every time I go to Whole Foods I buy some of their whole wheat pizza dough. It's so good and it there are endless options for what you can make with it. At this point I have a bunch of it in my freezer so I decided to finally make some pizza! 

Instructions:
Put the cashews in water to soak.

Slice potatoes thinly using either a knife or a mandolin. Make sure that they are all the same width so that they cook evenly. Place them in a bowl full of luke warm water and salt for at least an hour. After they are done soaking, lay potatoes out on a towel and cover with another one to soak up all the moisture. This process gets some of the starch and liquid out of the potatoes so that they crisp better. 

While the potatoes are soaking slice the onion and red bell pepper into thin strips.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. 
​
Roll out the pizza dough to your desired shape based on your cooking surface. If you are using a cookie sheet sprinkle some ground corn meal on the tray or use parchment paper to make sure it doesn't stick. If you have a pizza stone, make sure you put enough flour or corn meal on your pizza peel so that the pizza dough will slide off easily when transferring into the oven (admittedly I have yet to perfect this myself as you can see in the post-oven photo). 

To prepare the cashew sauce place all of the ingredients in a food processor or high quality blender (such as a Vitamix or Ninja) and blend until smooth. The amount of water I used is approximate. Add it a little at a time as needed for the ingredients to blend together well. 

Put the rolled out pizza dough on the pizza peel or cookie sheet. Spread a generous layer of the cashew sauce on the pizza dough. Cover the pizza with potatoes, overlapping them slightly. If you have extra cashew cheese you could put another layer of the sauce over the potatoes. I didn't do this but I think it would be a great addition and help keep the peppers and onions on the pizza. Next evenly distribute the peppers and onions over the pizza. Sprinkle the chives over the pizza. 

Put pizza in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. 

Top with red pepper flakes as desired. Cool, slice, and serve. Enjoy!

I love cooking a big breakfast on the weekend because there are so many ways to mix and match ingredients to come up with a different twist and flavor each time. This recipe is so colorful and nutritious, full of veggies, carbs, and protein it's sure to be a satisfying breakfast!

This is a fully satisfying dish if you eat it on its own or makes a great side as part of a larger brunch menu. 

Instructions:
Mince the garlic. Finely chop the white and light green parts of the leeks - once you have sliced the leeks go back over the leek rings with your knife to chop them up even smaller. Rinse the leeks underwater as they can get dirt within the rings of the leeks. Heat the garlic and leeks in a skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. 

Chop the sweet potatoes and green pepper to about the size of the beans, so that everything is a uniform size. Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet and stir them around to let them get a bit of a crisp on the end. Add the green peppers and cook until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. 

Add the beans, turmeric, and paprika. Stir to combine. Once the beans are warm enough to your liking, serve and eat. You can top with your favorite sauce - ketchup, sriracha, vegan ranch dressing - or avocado if you have some.

Enjoy!

A good friend of ours lived in Costa Rica for a couple years after college. Recently we were over at his place and he made us beans and rice for dinner, which he had learned how to make there. It had been on my list of recipes to try that I just never got around to making, but that night inspired me! It was so easy to make, cooking everything in the same pot, and it was delicious! I had worried in the past that the dish was too simple and would leave me unsatisfied, but I was wrong. The rice and beans stick to your ribs, you can add all the veggies you want, and the spices add a ton of flavor. 

It's been a few months since that night, so I was cooking from memory. Onion and peppers are the standard veggies to add, but feel free to include whatever your favorites are. Same goes for the color of pepper, beans, and rice. If you change out the rice, but sure to make sure you have the right amount of water. Check the cooking instructions for your rice. Mine called for 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice, so I decided to split it evenly between water and veggie broth. For some reason I love adding cinnamon into Mexican/Carribbean type dishes. I don't think it's typical in this dish but I love the complexity that it adds (not to mention the health benefits).

Ingredients:
​1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion
2 Red Peppers
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Tablespoon Oregano
2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Cup Brown Rice
1 Can Black Beans
1 Cup Vegetable Broth
1 Cup Water
1 teaspoon Salt 
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper
1-2 Avocados
1 Bunch Green Onion
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes 

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes                                          Cook Time: 40-45 minutes                                                          Servings: 4 

Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Dice onion, peppers, and garlic and add to pot. Add spices - oregano, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. Stir together. Cook for about 10 minutes or until peppers and onions are soft. 

Add rice and stir for about 2 minutes. 

Add beans, vegetable broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover pot and let sit for 20-25 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

While this is cooking, chop the avocado, tomato, and green onions for your garnish.

Turn the heat off. Add the ground red pepper, stir, and let sit for about ten minutes.

​Serve, topped with the avocado, tomato, and rice. 

​Enjoy!

Last Sunday was probably the hottest day of the summer. At 9am it was already close to 90 degrees. As I contemplated what to have for breakfast I knew I needed something cold. So I made some ice cream.

Instructions:
Add about 6 pieces of frozen banana (about a banana and a half) to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add blueberries and peanut butter, blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into a bowl. Add chocolate chips as desired (and any other toppings) fold into the ice cream.

Place in the freezer until it reaches the desired consistency (1-5 minutes).

Serve and enjoy!

We spent the 4th of July weekend with some friends up in Maine. It was a great weekend getting out into nature and hanging out with friends. There were 10 of us and rest of the group was getting eggs and bacon to have for the breakfasts. Since that would take up a lot of space on the stove, I looked for something that didn't need the stove and didn't add too many cooks in the kitchen all at once, plus it had to be delicious and tempting to all the meat eaters. I decided to make a quiche - I could make it ahead of time and just heat it up in the oven, it was self-contained to one dish, and it was delicious and shareable.

I made the dish the night before we left and it was pretty simple. I chopped up all the veggies and sauteed them on the stove to cook the liquid out. Making the filling is as easy as blending together tofu, non-dairy milk, and spices. I used puff pastry as the dough since that was all I could find last minute. I would recommend a couple other crusts I've used before. The puff pastry did the trick but it was super flaky and messy after it was cooked.

The quiche was a big hit with the group. While they had eggs, bacon, and sausage it eat, everyone went back for seconds on my quiche. After breakfast the first morning there was just enough left for me to eat for breakfast the next day - no more sharing! I'm so glad I decided to make this, it's a great recipe to have in my back pocket and you can put whatever veggies you have on hand. I used kale, onions, mushrooms, and sun dried tomatoes, but some other great options would be broccoli, peppers, eggplant, squash, the list goes on.

Instructions:
If using a frozen crust (like my puff pastry was) make sure it is defrosted. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop your veggies and saute them over medium heat. I started with the onions and let them sweat a bit, them added the sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and kale. In total you should be sauteing for about 10-15 minutes.

Combine the tofu, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Vegg in a food processor and blend until smooth. You can adjust the seasonings to taste.

Turn off the heat on the veggies and add in the tofu filling. Mix until well combined.

Add the puff pastry to a nine-inch pie pan. Pour the filling into the pan. Put in the oven and bake for 50 minutes.

Let cool. Serve and enjoy!