Hidden Veggie Spaghetti

This is a family favorite. I did this before before starting a plant based diet. Mainly just to get my littles to eat more veggies. It's just a basic speghetti recipe, but with added blended veggies.

In food processor (I use a Ninja), very finely chop veggies of your choice. This is an idea of what I usually use:
1 large carrots, peeled
1/4 of a small broccoli crown
1/4 small cauliflower crown
1 Zuchinni
1 onion
*I sometimes add some fresh mushrooms, but I like them better whole not diced. However the kids will pick them out still whole (sigh) so sometimes I chop them up too.
*1/4 C. chopped spinach (frozen or fresh in your processor, I use which ever I have on hand)

Place the veggies in a skillet and saute with a little veggie broth, water, or tomato sauce until soft.

Then you can either go the easy route and add a jar of spaghetti sauce or

1 can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. garlic (real or powder)
salt and pepper to taste
1 T. sugar

That completes your sauce!
If you used too many veggies(like I have) just add another can of tomato sauce, and maybe a little more spices to taste.

The veggies look kind of like meat (at least my kids say so) and they can't tell/taste that they are in there. From day one of doing this, switching over from a meat sauce with no veggies, my kids have NEVER complained and gobbled it right up exactly the same. Score!

Add:
1 pkg cooked spaghetti noodles

Cilantro Lime Rice

I use this rice as a side, or most of the time in burros, on nachos, or mexican salads, etc.

32 oz vegetable broth
3 C. Rice
2 tsp. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

Place in pot, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until done (depending on what kind of rice you use, see package directions)

Then add:
2 T. finely chopped cilantro
4 tsp. sugar
2 T. Lime juice

Mix and enjoy!

Beans

Almost every week I make a big pot of beans.
We use them for Veggies Burros, Nachos or veggie taco salad, or just eat them plain.
I love to mix them with rice, guacamole, and homemade salsa in a bowl for lunch.

I usually just follow the package directions, and then add a jar of Herdez salsa (per 1lb of beans) at the end of cooking them (drain most of the remaining liquid).

So easy, so good.

Minestrone Soup

4-5 cups of veg broth
1 28oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 onion diced

2-3 cloves garlic
 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 half teaspoon sage (optional)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1 can kidney beans drained

1 can great northern beans (any beans work, I sub black beans all the time)
1/2 cup ditalini pasta (shells, or other short noodle)
1 zucchini chopped
1- 1/2 pkg frozen spinach

Sautee onion and garlic. Add veggie broth.
Cook broth carrots, tomatoes, celery, thyme, sage, bay leaves, salt, pepper and beans. When veg are tender add ditalini, zucchini and spinach.

Other Veggies I add:

Potatoes

Yellow squash

Frozen corn

Frozen peas

green beans

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Califlower

usually whatever I have around, the more the better

Grilled Personal Pizzas

This is a great meal for when we have non-Vegan guests for dinner. (or for when my husband gets sick of eating Vegan, he's not as thrilled with it all as I am).
Because you make your own little pizzas, you can have topping for everyone.

Pizza dough: (basic Cuisinart recipe)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup warm water (105 to 115°F.)
1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt

1. In a liquid measuring cup, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl combine flour, olive oil and salt.  pour the liquid mixture into the bowl. Mix, adding a bit more flour until you are able to knead the dough. Dough may be slightly sticky.
3. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and punch down. Roll into desired crust sizes.

Pizza Sauce:

Sautee 1 small onion, diced and a few cloves of garlic in a large skillet

Add 1 can diced tomatoes and

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

Then, Add 1 tsp (or to taste) Italian Seasoning 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Earth Balance soy-free butter

To cook:
Grill one side of the pizza dough. (without any toppings on it yet!)
Add the sauce and toppings to the grilled side of the pizza and then take it back out to the grill to cook the other side. You may also cook it in the oven. (sometimes I like to put it under the broiler for a min or two even after its been grilled) The grill gives the dough a slightly crunchy texture and awesome flavor.

Baked Ziti

This is something I throw together on a night when I don't have much time to cook.
Kids always eat it too, so that's a plus.

1 pkg short noodles, cooked according to pkg directions
Sautee an onion, chopped small and a few cloves of minced garlic in a large skillet.
I also like to add some chopped mushrooms, and a zuchinni (you can puree any veggie you want in a food processor and add it to the sauce, carrots, broccoli, califlower, etc. I hide veggies all the time so my kids will eat them.)
Also, spinach is always good in pasta as well.
add:
If you have a jar of vegan friendly pasta sauce you can use that
or I usually use:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 small tomato paste
Oregano, to taste (about 1 tsp)
Basil, to taste (about 1 tsp)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 tsp brown sugar makes it really tasty:)

Add noodle, stir, then transfer all to a 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 mins.

Quinoa Veggie Stew (chili)

 I got the Chili recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod. Go HERE to view it.
Obviously, omit the cheese, sour cream as toppings.
This is delicious, packed with protien, and we calculated that it's only about 160 calories per CUP!!

I've been meaning to try a few homemade vegan cornbread recipes...but haven't done it.
For now, I have been buying a milk, egg, dairy-free vegan friendly cornbread mix at the store. And then I just add Almond milk(instead of the milk) and make a "flax egg" in place of the eggs.

This salad above is my favorite right now: Spinach, cherry tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and avacado. I usually pair it with a Blush Wine Vinegarette, or Annie's Balsamic Vinegarette. The sweetness of the dressings makes it takes like a dessert to me:)

Mexican Salad

The easiest thing for me to make since going plant based (that the whole family is happy with) seems to be variations of different mexican dishes. You still get all the flavor and I find I don't really miss the meat, cheese, and sour cream as much as I thought I would. Whenever I am struggling with cravings for bad things, if I make a mexican dish, it usually satisfies me and reminds me that I am not missing out on anything eating this way (and after 30 days now, not one headache or my usual stomach issues, it is SO worth it!!)

 

 

Mexican Salad

 

Ingredients:

~Lettuce

~Black beans

~tomatoes, diced

~grilled red, green, yellow pepper with onions

~Rice (I make mine using veggie broth instead of water, and I add a little cilantro, garlic, and lime juice. Sometimes if I am in a hurry I just mix some of my homemade salsa with the rice and it is good that way too)

~Fresh Salsa

~Homemade guacamole (I mix some of my homemade salsa or some Herdez salsa with mashed avacado, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and some lime juice. This is just as good as the lenghty guac recipies I have tried and way less work)

 

-The salsa and guac act as your "dressing". SO YUMMY!!!!

 



Homemade French Fries and BLT's

Homemade Fries:
Cut potatoes into 1/4 in long strips.
Place on a baking sheet covered with either parchment paper or aluminum foil.
You can spray the fries with cooking spray if you want, but it isn't neccessary.
Sprinkle with salt.
Bake @ 400 degrees. 15 mins on one side. Flip the fries and cook about 15 mins more on the other side. Until the fries are golden brown (or too your liking, I like mine a little too done:) )

BLT's:
I can't say that I love using meat substitutes. Honestly, I'd rather just not have "meat" at all.
However, I can say that my family loves "Smart Bacon".
We make our BLT's by toasting some good vegan bread (we use Dave's Killer Bread)
You can use some Veganaise (I do for the kids)
My hubby and I would rather just smear some smashed avacado on as a sub for the "mayo".
The place your "bacon", lettuce, and tomatoes. Sprinkle a little pepper and salt and your good to go.
Easy!!

Roasted Vegatable Enchilades and Mexican Rice

Ingedients:
1 zucchini
1 yellow Squash
bell peppers (1/4 red, 1/4 green, 1/4 yellow)
1 small onion, diced
1 can black beans
1 can died green chilies
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro
8-12 corn tortillas
Vegan Friendly Enchilada Sauce ( google for, there are homemade recipes and store friendly options. I think last time I used a Lawry's packet with organic tomato paste. It was the only option that specifically stated there was no MSG, some of the labels on the other enchilada sauces its hard to tell for sure. I need to try some of the homemade versions)

Place the peppers, onions, zucchini, and squash on a large baking sheet. Lightly spray with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss veggies. Place in oven at 400 degrees for about 20-30 mins until veggies are done. Let cool to room temperature and reduce the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the black beans, cumin, chilli powder, diced green chilies, garlic, and cilantro. Then add the roasted veggies. Mix together.

Spead 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce on bottom of an 8x8 pan. Add a layer of tortillas, covering the bottom of the pan. Top with 1/3 the veggie mixture. Then make another layer of tortillas, and veggie mixture. Make a third and final layer. (sometimes it seems I only use 8 tortillas, with two layer -more veggies in between and fewer calories) Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of it all. You may not use all of the sauce, just eyeball it. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 mins approx. Let cool for a few mins, then cut and serve.

Original recipe came from HERE


MEXICAN RICE

My dear friend from Mexico taught me how to make a simple mexican rice.

Ingredients:
1/2 T. olive oil
2 C. White Rice
1 can Organic Tomato Sauce
1 can Organic Diced tomatoes
water(if needed)
Chili powder
Salt and pepper

Place the oil and the rice in a skillet. Fry the rice for about 5-10 mins, browning it a bit.
Then read the package directions to see how much water the rice needs to cook in.
Place the tomato sauce in a liquid measuring cup, add water to it until it makes the total amount of water the recipe calls for (so you are counting the tomato sauce as some of the water)
Add the water, sauce mixture to the rice, as well as the diced tomatoes, and cook.
The key is low heat, for a long time! Like 30 mins at least.
If it looks too dry, add a little more water. If it's too runny, keep cooking it.
I like to cook it until it is soft and starts to "fry" a  little on the bottom. I flip it over several times to get that "fried" effect on lots of the rice. When i am satisfied with how it looks, we eat it!!

Crockpot Black Bean Soup (chili)

Crock Pot Vegan Black Bean Soup adapted from Food.com ,  Noreen Cooks, and Prevention RD
1 lb dried black beans
1/2 red onion, diced
1 green bell peppers, diced
2 jalapenos, diced (we use diced green chilies, less hot for the kids)
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
6 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can no-salt added diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Directions:
Soak the beans in 1-2 quarts of water overnight at room temperature.
Drain the beans and combine all ingredients in a large crock pot, stir well. Cover and cook on HIGH for 9-12 hours. Stir before serving hot.
Yield: ~10 cups (varies with cooking time)

Nutrition Information (per cup): 123 calories; 02. g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 295 mg. sodium; 26.1 g. carbohydrate; 6.7 g. fiber; 7.2 g. protein

Fried Rice with Tofu

Ingredients:
About 1 C. Veggie broth
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 med onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 large carrots
1/2 of a crown of broccoli, chopped
5 whole white button mushrooms, chopped
1 C. frozen peas

2 teaspoons seasame oil
1 pkg. Extra Firm Tofu

2 C. Rice (cooked)
salt to taste
Vegan Soy Sauce (Tamari) or Teriyaki Sauce (we use Soy Vay Island Teriyaki)

Directions:
Cook the rice according to package directions.
Sautee onion and garlic in a little veggie broth (less fat, same outcome as oil).
Add chopped veggies, and a little more broth (enough so veggies don't stick and burn, but not too much). Let steam until soft. About 10 mins.
While veggies are cooking, chop Tofu into squares and fry in a skillet with the 2 tsp. seasame oil.
This video was helpful when cooking Tofu my first time: How to Fry Tofu

Add the Rice to the veggies, stir. Then add the Tofu.

Last add about 4 T. of  whatever sauce you picked. (can add more later if not enough, I think we ended up with 6 T.)

I found this one in the Asian foods section at Winco. It is by far the best tasting Terriaki sauce we have tried.
SO. GOOD.

Soy Vay, Island Teriyaki

This recipe will feed my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids) for two nights.
I am a huge fan of recipes that last two nights. Less work for me and cheaper.
If you don't like leftovers, you may want to half the recipe!!

Cowboy Caviar

I was calling this the "black-bean-avocado-corn-salsa-stuff", until I learned from a friend a month ago that it actually has an official name. "Cowboy Caviar" is one of my favorite things on planet earth.
I think it is filling enough to actually be called dinner, though it is usually listed in the "side dish" category. I was afraid my hubby would agree with it's side dish status, but he said his 1 cup serving ( a heaping cup) and 15 tortilla chips were plenty:)

I have seen several different variations of this salad. This is what I like to put in mine:

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 C. corn (i use frozen because I have a ton on hand-steamed before adding to salad-but a can of corn would be sufficient)
3-4 tomatoes, diced
3 avocado's, diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced small
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 C. Italian Dressing (See this list- condiment section)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Basically you just put all this together in a bowl, reserving the dressing to be mixed in last.
Refrigerate until cold and flavors have time to marinate. (30 mins to 1 hour)
Serve with tortilla chips.