Creamy Zucchini Soup (vegan + gluten free)

I had never thought to make soup out of zucchinis. When I lived in Spain in 2014 my host family made me "puree." It was very simple, just boiled zucchinis and onions pureed together with salt and olive oil, topped with some croutons. I loved it! I was amazed something so simple could be so delicious! This is a variation of that recipe. I added in some spices, spinach and corn and added some broth cubes to the water. 

This also makes a great soup to have if you have a dental procedure done... I made it for my boyfriend when he got his wisdom teeth taken out in January. All you need to do is puree the whole thing together rather than leaving some of it chunky.

 

 You can chop the onion and zucchini up into fairly large chunks since they will be blended up later anyway.

 

  

Creamy Zucchini Soup

Makes 6-8 servings

2 lbs zucchini, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 cups low/no sodium vegetable broth

2 cups frozen or fresh corn

4 cups spinach

1/4 c raw cashews

1. Put 1 cup of corn, and all the cashews and the spinach in a blender. Set aside.

2. Put all other ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender. Pour into the blender with the other ingredients and puree until smooth. You will probably have to do this in batches.

3. Pour back into the pot and add the other 1 cup of corn. Bring to a simmer and cook until the corn is heated through. Serve hot with croutons or crackers.

Traditional Naan (vegan)

Naan is delicious. Like a pita with savory garlic and onion flavor to it, it is great to dip and soak up any sauce or eat warm off the pan all on it's own. One of my other favorite ways to eat it is as a personal pizza. Just spread on a little sauce, top with marinaded or fresh veggies, some vegan cheese and bake at 450 for 12-14 minutes.

I found this recipe at vegetarian.com. I made a batch of these as the recipe says, and another with the same recipe but with half whole wheat pastry flour and half all purpose flour, and they still turned out quite well. A bit denser, and the flour taste was more prominent so if you do decide to try it that way I would raise the amount of each spice a bit so the flavors still shine through. They made really good pizzas, but for plain munching I prefer the all purpose flour naan better. 

It helps to have two people when the time comes to fry the naan. That way one person can roll them out while the other person tends to the frying. They cook quite quickly, so it by the time you are done rolling the second one out, the first one will be coming out of the pan. 

 The naan will puff up a bit as it cooks, so don't be afraid to roll them pretty thin. Here is an example of how big a ball of dough I used for each naan was compared to the size of a finished naan.

The dough will make big bubbles while it cooks but you don't need to pop them or push them down. Once the naan is done and out of the pan they will drop down on their own really quickly. 

Traditional Naan (vegan)

Makes 6-8 pieces, depending on how big you want them

Prep time: 90 minutes + 5 min cook time

1 tsp active dry yeast (about 1/2 a package)

1/2 c warm water

1 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp non-dairy milk

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 3/4 - 2 cups all purpose flour

oil spray for cooking

1. In a large bowl mix the yeast with the warm water. Let stand 10 minutes until frothy.

2. Add in the sugar, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough, about 1 3/4 to 2 cups. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough for 6-8 minutes, or until smooth. 

3. Lightly oil a bowl and put the dough in and cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for one hour. 

4. Punch down dough and divide into 6-8 equal pieces (depending on how big you want them, or how many you want). Roll into balls and put onto a baking sheet. Cover with the towel again and allow to rise another 30 minutes. 

5. Preheat a pan to high heat (don't use a nonstick pan with teflon, they release chemicals at high heat!). Roll each ball into a thin circle or oval then add to the pan one at a time after spraying the pan with oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bubbles start to brown then spray the top of the naan lightly with oil and flip and cook the other side another 2-3 minutes. Serve warm.

Garlic Lover's Pasta Salad (vegan + gluten free options)

Oh this pasta....

This has become one of my after-work food cravings that I can whip up in a jiffy whenever I want something creamy.

The Good Earth Food Coop has a vegan garlic lovers pasta that I based this recipe on. I used to buy a little pack of it every time I went there until I finally got it into my head that I could make my own at home for cheaper. The only flaw was that then I have a huge batch of something I'm addicted to just sitting in my fridge, calling to me. So now I try to just make it for get togethers with family and friends to share so that I don't eat the entire thing myself in a day or two. I used organic wheat macaroni noodles this time, but have often used bowtie noodles too and really like that. It can easily become gluten free if you just use gluten free pasta noodles.

If you really like uber creamy pasta salad add a bit more mayo. If you really like the flavor of nutritional yeast toss in some more. This is a simple recipe and the proportions aren't very important, so feel free to adjust it to your taste :)

Garlic Lover's Pasta Salad
Makes about 8 cups

16 oz pasta noodles of your choice
1 1/2 c vegan mayo (I really like Just Mayo)
1 c frozen peas
1/2 c nutritional yeast
8 cloves garlic, diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper, to taste

1. Prepare pasta noodles as directed on package

2. Drain pasta noodles, and allow them to cool. *

3. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir well until combined.

4. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. *

*I tend to just rinse the noodles with cold water to cool them faster if I want to make and eat this right away. If you do, rinsing the noodles removes the starch from them that helps the mayo hold on to them. To combat this, first just add a little of the mayo and nutritional yeast to the noodles as well as the peas and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. The frozen peas help suck the warmth from the noodles and cool it faster. Then add everything else and stir to combine. The texture won't be quite as great, but it'll still taste great!

Super Moist Banana Cinnamon Rolls with Rum Glaze (vegan)

Once again, I happened to find myself with overripe bananas. I always overestimate how many bananas I can eat in a week. So, after some hunting around, I found a tasty recipe from Conscious Eatery. I used her recipe for the rolls, with a few alterations, and my own recipe for the glaze.

While the almond milk and vegan butter cools, and then the yeast is proofing, it is a good time to measure out the other ingredients so they are ready to go into the bowl.

 Once everything is combined it'll look a bit ragged at first...

 ... and then will come together into a smooth dough. It will be a bit sticky still though, look how it still sticks to my finger.

While the dough rests a little, mix together the filling: brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg

 Roll out the dough onto a well floured surface and spread on some melted vegan butter. Pour on the brown sugar mixture and spread it out evenly.

 Look at that pretty sugar!

Roll the dough up and pinch it closed. 

Turn it 90 degrees, so it is easier to cut.

Cut the log into 12 equal pieces. I find a sharp bread knife works best to cut through the dough without squishing it.

Lay the pieces in a 9x13" baking dish and allow to rise before baking. They will plump up and fill in the spaces between them.

After they rise...

Super Moist Banana Cinnamon Rolls with Rum Glaze
Makes 12 rolls

 

Rolls:

• 3 medium over-ripe bananas
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2/3 c dairy-free milk 
• 3 tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan butter, cubed
• 2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or one packet)
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 flax 'egg' (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water)
• 3 1/2 c all-purpose flour 
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Filling: 

• 3/4 c packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan butter, melted 

 1. Puree bananas and lemon juice together until smooth (chunks are usually okay in banana bread, but we want them super smooth in this dough or the texture will be off). Set aside. In a small bowl, combine flax and water and set aside as well.

2. Combine milk and butter and heat until butter is melted, either in a small pot or in the microwave. Add apple sauce, and allow to cool until very warm to the touch, but not so hot you couldn't hold a finger in it. Then add the sugar and yeast, stir, then let proof until frothy, about 5 minutes.

3. Add salt, flax 'egg', banana, puree, and 2 cups flour. Mix until combined. Then add the other 1 1/2 cups flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and baking powder. Mix together until dough forms. Add extra flour 1 tbsp at a time if it isn't making a good dough. It will be a bit sticky, but don't add too much extra flour or it will toughen your rolls, and we want these fluffy! Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl.

5. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and kneed for 3 minutes, adding flour only to keep from sticking. Roll dough out into a 16" by 20" (more or less) rectangle. Spread the melted butter out over the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the rectangle, coming within 1/2 inch of all edges. Starting at a short side, roll the dough up tightly to the other end. Pinch closed.

6. Cut the rolled dough into 12 equal pieces, and arrange in a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Scoop up any brown sugar that fell out and sprinkle it over the arranged rolls. Lightly cover with a cloth, or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of rise time, preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove cover and bake for 22-25 minutes, until golden.

7. While rolls bake, make the glaze. Pour over the warm rolls and let set. Serve warm.

 Rum Glaze:

• 2 tbsp vegan butter 
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp almond milk (or other non dairy milk)
• 1 tbsp white rum
• 3/4 c powdered sugar

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add brown sugar, milk and rum. Stir until sugar dissolves.

3. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Whisk together until smooth, and pour over rolls immediately.

*Note: My oven temp isn't always consistent, so to help make sure the rolls bake all the way through in the correct amount of time I usually put 8 rolls in a 9x13 pan and 4 in an 8x8 pan so they aren't so tight together. You could also just bake them a bit longer, but I separate them instead to avoid the outside of them getting over baked and dry. So if your oven is anything like mine you may want to separate them as well. 

*Other note: If you don't have brown sugar, or you think you do and then find out it is hard as a rock, you can just make your own! Just take the same amount of white sugar and add 1/8-1/4 tsp  molasses and beat together with a mixer. Or for the glaze you can just add both to the pot without premixing them since it's just going to be heated and dissolved anyway.

Thick and Hearty Quinoa Chili (vegan + gluten free)

I normally don't like chili. I'm not a fan of tomatoes, so anything that usually uses quite a bit of tomatoes or tomato sauce I generally don't like. However, Ryan won me over with his recipe for Quinoa Chili last year and now I frequently request it of him. He offered to make it last week and I took full advantage and took lots of pictures while he cooked it up. I also made some tasty dinner rolls to go along with it.

The key to this deliciousness is that he uses fire roasted tomatoes. They don't overpower the chili with the tomato-i-ness I generally don't like, but instead give it a subtle smokey flavor. Super tasty. Plus he adds just about every vegetable you could want to it, along with veggie grounds (vegan beef crumbles) and beans, making it super hearty and filling. 

Ryan LOVES red bell peppers, so those were a must have in his chili. Don't they look delicious?!

We usually use red quinoa, since it is often on sale at our local coop. However, any quinoa will work for the recipe.

We do our best to get low or no sodium products when getting anything in cans. If you use products with more sodium, just don't add any salt to the recipe. 

All the photos here are of a double batch of the chili, so if you make a single batch it will look like less than shown.

Saute the onions, zucchini, and garlic together first. Then add the spices.

Add the poblano peppers, tomato sauce...

...celery...

...red bell peppers...

...veggie grounds, beans, quinoa and water

Before you know it it is all cooked up and delicious!

Thick and Hearty Quinoa Chili

Makes about 3 quarts, 4-6 servings

1 tsp olive oil

1 zucchini, diced

1 medium white or yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 12 oz can or 3 5.5oz cans low sodium tomato juice (12-16oz, to taste)

4 stalks celery, diced

1 red bell peppers, diced

1 poblano pepper, (stem ribs and seeds removed) diced

2 cups water

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 can pinto beans

1/3 cup quinoa, uncooked

6 oz veggie grounds (vegan ground beef - avoid MorningStar, it isn't vegan! Boca is a good choice)

Spices:

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin, ground

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp salt (don't add if you don't use low sodium beans, tomatoes and tomato juice!)

1 tsp pepper (or, to taste)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Heat olive oil in a pot, then add the onions, zucchini and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. 

2. Add spices and stir to combine. Saute another 30 seconds, until spices are fragrant. 

3. Add the water to keep the spices from overcooking. Add remaining ingredients. 

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. If the celery isn't completely soft, don't worry. It will soften as it sits, as well as if you reheat it later.

Soft and Puffy Dinner Rolls (vegan)

Once again, Ryan decided to treat me to dinner for the week. He made his wonderful Quinoa Chili. I, of course, wanted to contribute in some way, so I offered to make either bread or rolls to eat with the chili. Since the last time he made the chili I made bread, we thought it would be nice to switch it up and have rolls with it this time. So, I found these beauties whilst browsing the internet. I made a few switches to the recipe to accommodate a vegan diet, and they turned out wonderfully. I like this method of baking the rolls, all in one pie pan, since they make for a nice pull apart loaf, and it makes it easy to make multiple batches at once (I have a plethora of pie tins) since they fit into an oven together better than a bunch of muffin pans. Plus, it makes more sides of each piece the soft non-crust goodness.


The dough is quite easy, and a pretty quick riser at only half an hour for each rise time. Just mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar, let proof, then add everything else and kneed to a smooth dough (it will be sticky, don't let the urge to add more flour get to you! It will make the rolls tough!).

Once the dough has risen, just divide it into 12 equal (more or less) pieces, roll each into a ball in your hands and place them in the greased pie tin. Let them rise another half hour and they'll puff up like this!

Once they have risen a second time, butter the tops of the rolls, toss into the oven for just 15-18 minutes and you're done!

Soft and Puffy Dinner Rolls
Makes 12 rolls

1 cup Water, very warm (but not so hot you couldn't hold a finger in it)
2 tbsp Sugar
1 package Active Dry Yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
3 tbsp Vegan Butter of choice, separated
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 Ener-G egg (1 1/2 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp water)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add yeast and stir. Let proof for about 10 minutes. It will puff up and get foamy.

2. While the yeast activates, in a small bowl melt 2 tbsp of the butter in the microwave (around 20 seconds) and let it cool a bit. It doesn't need to be completely melted, just mostly melted and soft.

3. Add 1 1/4 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and mix until mostly combined. Add the butter, Ener-G egg, and salt and stir some more. Add the last 1 cup of flour and stir to combine.

4. Cover with a clean towel and put in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. Grease a pan and set it aside.

5. Put the dough on a floured surface and kneed for a minute or two. Divide into 12 equal pieces (cutting the dough with a chef's knife is the easiest way I've found) and roll into balls and place them in the pan. Cover with the towel again and allow to rise for another 30 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of the second rise, set the oven to 400F to preheat. Also, melt the last 1 tbsp of butter.

6. Remove the towel and brush the rolls with the other 1 tbsp of butter. Bake the rolls for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Then flip the rolls out of the pan and allow to cool on a rack, or serve right away. (If you leave them in the hot pan, the heat of the pan will keep cooking the outside of the buns and could burn them a little.)

The Best Mac and Cheese Ever (vegan + gluten free options)

I LOVE cheese. Especially in the form of Mac and Cheese. Cheese is the reason it took me so long to make the leap from vegetarian to vegan. I thought I couldn't live without cheese. Then I finally realized that I could make my own cheese! I hunted and tried dozens of vegan mac and cheese recipes and finally found one I liked. After some experimentation with said recipe, I made it even better and came up with a Mac and Cheese I like even more than any non-vegan mac and cheese I've ever had. Since discovering the potential of vegan cheeses I happily cut dairy out of my diet. 

This stuff is amazing. Really. Not to toot my own horn but....TOOT TOOT!

Even my non-vegan nephew and his friends like it. It is super flavorful, but not greasy like dairy Mac and Cheese. It is super filling, so it usually only takes about a cup per person as a full meal! Or serve it as a side dish along with your other favorite dinners!

The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
 Sauce:
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp bottled yellow mustard (it sounds weird, but trust me)
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed
black pepper, to taste

pasta:
8-10oz pasta of your choice (I like to use organic whole wheat penne, or classic organic macaroni noodles. Feel free to use gluten free noodles! The sauce is already gluten free!)
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and diced

optional: add in some steamed broccoli, mushrooms or any other add ins you like

1. If you don't have a high powered blender, soak the cashews in some water for a couple hours before moving on. This will soften them so they get nice and creamy when you do puree them. Once they have soaked, drain the soaking water and continue with the recipe.

2. Cook pasta according to box instructions. Drain (don't rinse) and set aside. You can make the sauce while the pasta cooks to save time.

3. Combine all sauce ingredients and puree until smooth.

4. Pour sauce over pasta and toss in the chopped jalapenos. Stir to combine, and serve.

* To reheat leftovers, pour on about 1/4 cup of water for every 2 cups of pasta you reheat. Microwave and stir to combine. The water will keep the sauce creamy, rather than having it dried out when reheated.