Category Archives: Vegan

Vegan Vegetable Pot Pie is my new favorite dish!  It’s a great comfort meal that’s packed with vegetables and a wonderfully flaky crust.  Very cozy and delicious 🙂 The recipe can be found here. Start by making the Vegan Pie Crust.  The recipe can be found here. Add the dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times to mix together.  Then add the butter and shortening to the food processor and mix together for about 10 seconds.  The dough will be pretty flaky at this point. Slowly pour in the cold water while the food processor is running.  The dough should start to clump together.  Remove the dough to a flowered surface and use your hands to form the dough into a ball.  Use a rolling pin to roll out a piece of pie crust large enough for a 12-inch pan. Place the crust in a pie … Continue reading

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Cabbage rolls are a delicious dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves that are wrapped around a variety of filling.  They do require quite a bit of work to make so I thought why not make the same delicious dish in casserole form.  No rolling, no stuffing, just mix and bake… This leaves you with Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls. I also wanted to make the dish vegetarian or vegan.  In the case of this recipe, it is vegan, not just vegetarian.  However, you can add ground meat to the recipe if you aren’t looking for vegan or vegetarian. The recipe can be found here. The first step is to cook the rice according to package instructions. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with olive oil spray. Cut the cabbage into quarters.  Remove the core and slice into strips.  Also chop the onion and bell pepper. Drain and … Continue reading

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We recently committed to a vegan diet for about 2 weeks and have to admit, it was delicious!  We had done this once before, but enough time had passed that we wanted to try some different foods and see how we could handle meals without any meat, once again.  We both lost weight, our bodies felt great, and we enjoyed creating recipes. It might be surprising, but some types of food you already eat are vegan, like pasta, if you skip the cheese and use a red sauce.  If you’re up for the challenge, I recommend starting with a week of vegan eating.  If it works out well, try for another week.  Baby step your way into it!  We don’t plan on going vegan by any means.  We love food too much and would miss some of our favorite meals!  BUT… we do plan on incorporating more vegan meals into … Continue reading

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Lentil Sloppy Joe’s are a plant-based twist on a classic sandwich.  They are packed with flavor and protein and loved by vegans and meat eaters alike!  If you are a meat eater, don’t be hesitant to try this recipe!  The word “vegan” can be daunting but these are delicious, and you won’t know you aren’t eating meat.  The lentils are hearty, and the sauce has a very similar taste to traditional Sloppy Joe’s. Lentil Sloppy Joe’s are an easy, filling, and inexpensive meal.  Plus, they taste pretty good as leftover the next day…. if you have any leftover 🙂 The recipe can be found here. In a small saucepan, add 2 cups of water along with the rinsed lentils.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until the lentils are tender.  Drain and set aside. While the lentils are … Continue reading

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Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing is a wonderful salad that works as a main dish or side dish.  I do think this is a great salad for colder weather because I like to serve it warm, but it is light enough that you can enjoy it during warmer months. The veggies Melt. In. Your. Mouth.  They are THAT good.  The spiced chickpeas have a good amount of heat and flavor, so they complement the mild tasting cauliflower nicely.  The chickpeas also have a crispy outside, so they add a bit of crunch to the salad.  When you drizzle the Lemon Tahini Dressing over the top and take your first bite you will be in heaven. The Lemon Tahini Dressing adds the perfect amount of citrus and tang to the warm and smoky salad.  I could eat this dressing on any vegetable – it’s that good!  It’s also oil-free, … Continue reading

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Stuffed Peppers are a favorite at my house.  There are so many possibilities for stuffed peppers so you can really cater the filling to meet any dietary need.  Our recent craving has been for Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers.  They are quick to make, fairly simple to assemble, vegetarian / vegan, healthy, and tasty 🙂 You can make this dish more colorful by using a combination of green, orange, red, or yellow bell peppers.  I’m partial to red bell peppers for no particular reason so that is what I choose to use.  I typically serve these as a main dish, but they could easily be a side dish if served with other items. Look for medium to large bell peppers because they are easier to stuff and hold more ingredients. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Cut each bell pepper in half, length … Continue reading

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Lemon Orzo with Roasted Vegetables is not your typical pasta salad.  It’s packed with texture and flavor yet is very light and refreshing.  It works well as a side dish or as a standalone meal.  I think it’s best served warm but room temp or chilled is also fine, it’s all about your preference. The vegetables are delicious when roasted because they are slightly caramelized.  I like to use bell pepper, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and red onion but you can substitute any veggies you like – eggplant, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, etc.  You can really make this your own by using the veggies you crave. You can also top this salad with pine nuts for a little crunch or some crumbled feta cheese.  If you choose to skip the cheese, this is a great vegan based dish. Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees and lining a baking sheet (or … Continue reading

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Black Bean Brownies are moist, rich, and fudge-y.  I bet you never thought you would hear “black beans’ and “brownies” in the same sentence 🙂  Most people look at me like I’m crazy and ask if they heard right.  Yes – Black Bean Brownies are a thing and they are delicious!  They are also healthy and easy to make. The recipe can be found here. One thing I want to mention is this recipe can be Vegan, if Vegan chocolate chips are used, and it can also be Gluten Free, if the oats used are Gluten Free. Start by preheating the oven and prepping an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor, except for the chocolate chips, and process until smooth.  You might need to turn off the food processor and scrape the sides a few times. Once processed, I like … Continue reading

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Have you ever heard of Jackfruit?  If not, let me fill you in.  It is a meatless alternative (it’s actually fruit) that closely resembles pulled pork.  It’s great for vegans, vegetarians, or anyone looking for a little variety.  I was skeptical at first but it’s quite good.  I like to buy canned jackfruit because it’s pre-sliced and easy to work with – all you have to do is cook it and shred it! I want to share my recipe for BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches.  It’s real deal shredded BBQ, loaded with BBQ flavor, but is a plant-based recipe.  It’s a little sweet and savory but looks and tastes like pulled pork. The recipe can be found here. Start by draining and rinsing the jackfruit.  Use forks or your hands to pull the jackfruit apart to resemble pulled pork.  I think a fork works well for finer shreds of meat and … Continue reading

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