Stuffed Crust Pumpkin Pizza

I have made this pizza a number of times but never with stuffed crust, actually I have never done stuffed crust on any pizza I have made. I just thought it would be a fun and easy way to mix up pizza night. Pizza is one of those quick and easy weekday dinners that everyone loves and this one in particular has become a family favorite. If you have never had pumpkin and arugula together you are missing out! It is my go to green for any dish I make with pumpkin. They complement each other so well. You will see what I am talking about when you bite into it!

You Will Need:

Pizza dough homemade or store bought, I usually pickup pre-made frozen dough (check to make sure it is vegan first)

1/2 can unsweetened pumpkin puree.

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tbs agave nectar

1/2 a package vegan daiya mozzarella cheese

10 red grapes cut in half

1 shallot thinly sliced.

A handful of fresh arugula 

TVP crumbles

2 tsp Fennel seed

a little olive oil

1 tbs. nutritional yeast

1 tsp. oregano

Preheat oven to 425.  Hydrate your TVP with boiling water. Then cook in a little oil with the fennel until browned.  Roll out your dough so that it larger than your pizza pan. In a bowl mix together the pumpkin, pie spice and agave nectar. Spread some of the cheese around the edge of the dough then fold the dough over the cheese and press the dough together. Brush the crust with olive oil. Then sprinkle with the nutritional yeast and oregano.  Spread the pumpkin mixture over the dough. (I use about half and save the rest for our next pizza night) Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese, your grapes, shallots and prepared TVP. Leave off the arugula for now. Bake for about 20 mins. Remove from oven and toss the arugula on, allow to cool. Slice and serve.

Edamame Pesto and "Chickn" Stuffed Shells

This is a fun and different way to do vegan stuffed shells. I recently got Isa new cookbook Appetite for Reduction. I decided to use her recipe for Edamame pesto, I was trying to think of different uses for it since it was so delicious and that is how I came up with this little number. I hope you enjoy and if you haven't picked up a copy of her new cookbook yet, please do so. She is my inspiration in kitchen.

You will need:


Jumbo pasta shells
1 package vegan daiya mozzarella cheese
1 tofutti vegan cream cheese
1 package vegan 'chickn' strips
Marinara sauce

1 Recipe Edamame Pesto: 2 cloves garlic, 1 cup packed basil leaves, 14 oz. shelled edamame, 1/2 cup veg broth, 2 tbs. lemon juice, 1 tsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 2 tbs. nutritional yeast. (blend all ingredients in a food processor.)


Preheat oven to 350.
Boil your pasta shells until tender, strain and let cool.
In a mixing bowl mix together all other ingredients (except the marinara and only half the bag of cheese.)
Stuff your shells and place in a glass baking dish, when you run out of filling top the shells with the rest of the cheese.
Bake for until cheese on top starts to brown.
Serve with marinara sauce.

Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole

It's that time of year again...the time where you don't mind standing in front of a warm oven with some cider and a creamy concoction heating up for dinner. Yep It's casserole season! Here is a great recipe that you will be sure to be making time and time again....you will find yourself waiting for fall just to whip this up again. I promise you!

Vegan Cream of "Something" Soup
 (*works great for any recipe that calls for cream of "something" soup)




1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 tbs vegan veg broth powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tsp basil
1tsp thyme
salt and pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
2-3 tbs corn starch

     In a sauce pan heat the milk. Once it comes to a simmer whisk in all other ingredients until it starts to thicken...should take about 5 mins or so....if it doesn't thicken add a bit more corn starch or flour. Also you can add chopped mushroom or celery to make a cream of mushroom or celery. (P.s. If you do, and you don't want it to be chunky...just toss it in a food processor)



1/2 cup vegenaise
1tsp nutmeg
1tbs agave nectar
1/2 cup daiya Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup TVP "Bacon" crumbles. (If you don't have these available in your area try bacos they are vegan.) 
extra soymilk to thin out if needed

    In a bowl mix together all the ingredients, including the soup you made. If it seems to thick use the extra soy milk.

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 cups broccoli 

1/2 onion diced

1 large portabella mushroom cap chopped

     In a pan sautee the broccoli, onion and mushroom until tender...then mix together with the quinoa and the sauce.  Put into an 8x8 casserole pan.  Top with extra cheese and or breadcrumbs. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

 ENJOY!

Chicken-less and Lime Rice Enchiladas in Salsa Verde Ranch Sauce

I found a delicious looking burrito recipe that inspired this recipe. Minus the meat and diary of course, So I took it, Veganized it and put my own spin on it naturally! I hope you enjoy this one....our family certainly did. Oh and you can easily make this gluten free just by swapping out the flour tortillas for corn.


Sorry about my picture quality the lighting in my kitchen sucks right now!

Lime Rice

1 cup rice, either long grain or basmati

2 cups Veg broth

1/4 tbsp salt

1 tbs garlic powder

juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 tsp cumin

1/3 cup cilantro

1 can black beans or 3/4 cup dried black beans pre-cooked. (I always use dried beans because they are better.)

Melt butter in a pot & add all seasonings. Add rice & cook over medium heat for 2 minutes stirring constantly then add stock & lime juice return to simmer, turn the heat to low. cover & cook about 30 minutes. Once done add the cilantro and black beans. Stir and set aside.

Salsa Verde Ranch Sauce

1 cup salsa verde

1/2 cup vegan Ranch (the one I used is also gluten free).

1/3 cup cilantro

1/3 cup vegan sour cream

1/3 cup veganaise

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp coarse salt

1 tbls fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

In 2 tbsp of oil saute your choice of chicken-less strips. I used Trader Joe's "Chickenless chickn strips"

8 whole wheat tortillas (use corn to make this gluten free)

shredded Mozzarella Daiya vegan (and gluten free) cheese

2 avocados mashed with 1/4 cup nutritional yeast.

Assemble 

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large casserole dish spread half of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. In each tortilla spread a spoonful of the avocado, then two spoonfuls of the Lime rice and beans. Top with a few "chickn" strips and then roll up and place seam side down into the pan. continue until the pan is full. Cover with the remaining half of the sauce and sprinkle with the daiya cheese. Cover in foil and bake for 40 minutes.

Sorry about my presentation.....It's so hard finding time these days! But Hey I finally got up a new recipe.

Pretzel and Peanut Crusted Tofu in a Mango Gravy with Stuffed Potatoes

I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious. I am Scottish so I was raised on meat and potatoes...Being vegan and have come to enjoy a much much broader range of food, However this really took me home last night. I hope you enjoy this recipe. (P.S. I am sorry for the picture quality...my computer is not working at the moment and the laptop I am using does not have photoshop.)

Pretzel and Peanut Crusted Tofu

1 cup pretzels
1/2 cup peanuts
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs flax meal
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup soy/almond milk
1 block tofu pressed and sliced into 12 pieces


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor mix the pretzels and peanuts until they resemble a bread crumb texture. Place in a bowl and mix in additional seasonings.  In a separate bowl add the milk. Dip each piece of tofu in the milk and then coat in the crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes turning once in the middle of cooking.

For the Mango Gravy


2 tbs vegan butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cup vegan beef flavored broth
1/4 cup mango chutney
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan on medium melt down the butter. Add the flour and mix until a paste forms stir continuously, until golden and fragrant. Add the onions and cook for a few more minutes. Then whisk in the broth. Let in thicken and add the chutney, salt and pepper. Adjust to taste. Remove from heat to let thicken more.

Stuffed Potatoes

2 large red potatoes, baked
2 tbs butter
2 tbs soy/almond milk
salt
TVP bacon flavored bits
Parsley, cilantro, or chive 
chopped onion or garlic
Pepper Jack Daiya cheese 


I baked my potatoes wrapped in tin foil at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. Once cooked all the way remove from oven, cut in half and allow to cool. Once cooled carefully scoop out the middle and place in a bowl. Mash the potatoes with the butter and milk. Then mix in salt, TVP, onion, and herbs. Scoop the filling back into the potatoes and top with cheese. Put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes. 

Jenni's Mac'n'Cheese Bake.

I have had quite a few different versions of a vegan Mac'n'Cheese Bake. So many in fact, I have never taken the time to make my own version. I have pulled inspiration for this recipe from a couple lovely ladies. The first being little miss thing Isa Moskowits. The second being my friend Felecia who made an amazing bake not too long ago for one of our little neighborhood vegan feasts. It was so yummy it left me wanting more so I decided it was time to make some mac bake myself.  I don't know about you but Mac'n'Cheese has always held a special place in my heart and well..... vegan mac is just not the same. However This recipe may not taste the same....but, I think it does taste better. Now that is quite a break though in my book. Obviously you shouldn't take my work for it. Try it out for yourself. This is one of those recipes that really comes down to personal preference. However I promise you it won't be too dry or taste bland by any means. I did get a two thumbs up from a meat eater when I gave her a bite of my left overs, which I brought to school with me for lunch today. (Note: Sorry for the lack of pictures...My life has been a little busy lately.)

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta. Shells or macaroni. (I used medium shells)
3-4 slices of bread, buttered (Earth Balance)

For the Sauce:

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
2 cups vegan chicken flavored broth.
4 tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/3 cup flour
2 cups almond milk (you can use soy)
1 package daiya cheddar
1 tsp tumeric
salt and pepper to taste
4 tbs nutritional yeast
2 tbs lemon juice

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your pasta. In a food processor add your cashews and the broth. Blend until there are no cashew chunks left. In a cast iron skillet saute the garlic and onion in a tablespoon of oil until translucent. Set aside. wipe out your skillet and add the remaining olive oil. Heat on medium and add the flour. Mix well to form a paste. Add more oil if necessary. You want to stir this constantly for about 10- 15 minutes. It is ready when it is a medium brown toasted color and it smells fragrant. Whisk in the almond milk and then the cheese. Whisk constantly so the sauce does not form clumps. Add the broth and cashew mixture. Then whisk in all your spices and lemon juice. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes. When done pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well. Pour into a 9x13 glass bake. Tear up the pieces of bread and place on top of the pasta evenly. This prevents it from drying out in the oven. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more. If you want the bread on top to be more toasted turn on your broiler for a minute or two.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Teriyaki Tempeh and Sweet potato Sushi

Here are a few more awesome Ideas for sushi fillings. The first I used Teriyaki Tempeh with wasabi Avocado and chive and the second is spiced mashed sweet potato with shiitake mushrooms and chive. In order to save time I am going to provide a few links to some past recipes I have done....I have been pretty short on time since starting school, hence the lack of posts lately.

For the Teriyaki Tempeh

1 package Tempeh cut into small cubes
1 recipe Teriyaki Sauce

In a non stick skillet cook the tempeh until lightly browned and then pour over the sauce...let simmer until the sauce is absorbed. Set aside and let cool.

Wasabi Avocado

1 ripe avocado mashed
2 tbs wasabi powder
2 tsp hot chili sauce
Nutritional Yeast (optional)

In a bowl mash your avocado and mix in all ingredients. Adjust flavoring to taste.

Spice Sweet Potato Filling

1 Sweet Potato baked and mashed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
2 tbs pure maple syrup

Combine all ingredients. For this roll you can add some shiitake mushrooms.

Follow my first sushi recipe for instructions on how to prepare the Sushi. Here