Lentil & Vegetable Crockpot Soup

Fall is officially here, and what better way to celebrate than to break out the crockpot. This is a simple and easy to make soup that is perfect for a chilly evening.

Crockpot Lentil & Vegetable Soup
Vegan, Gluten Free

2 C dry green lentils
4 C water
4 C vegetable broth
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 bunch spinach, stems removed
optional: top with toasted pepitas

Soak the lentils in water for a few minutes and remove any debris. Drain and add to crockpot.
Add the water and broth, chopped vegetables, tomatoes, and seasonings.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the spinach.

Top with toasted pepitas if desired.

This makes a huge batch of soup. I had a ton of leftovers and even froze some for later.
This would be great with a bunch of different veggies in it, so feel free to add in your favorites.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fava, Butternut & Couscous Bowl

What to make when you have most of your kitchen packed up for a move and are craving something quick and easy? This easy bowl of grains and veggies, of course! I got these lovely fresh fava beans from from my produce delivery this week, and decided to pair them with some Israeli couscous and butternut squash for a filling and fast meal.

Fava, Butternut & Couscous Bowl
serves 2
1/2 C Israli couscous, cooked
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 C shelled fava beans
1 C butternut squash cubes (I used frozen)
2 Tbsp pine nuts
Lemon juice
Agave
Salt & Pepper

Cook the couscous and set aside. In a skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and let cook under slightly browned. Add the frozen butternut squash cubes and cook for a few minutes, then add the fava beans. Cook until heated through and slightly browned. Add the pine nuts and toast until just browned. Place the couscous in a bowl and top with the squash and fava beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss with a little lemon juice and agave.

I'm looking forward to completing our house move so I can get my new kitchen set up. I need to get back to cooking and baking. Sorry for the lack of posts around here - I'll be back to normal soon!

Got any tips for setting up a new kitchen or any must-haves? 

Thanks for stopping by!

Basil Pesto & Tomato Pizza

Life has been a little crazy over here! Sorry I haven't posted that much recently. I'm in the middle of several projects, but the biggest one is that we are in the final stages of buying our first house! I would say I'm excited, but as any of you that have gone through this process before know - it's exhausting! I'm just looking forward to the part when we can move in and I can pick a new tile back splash for the kitchen. If anyone has any moving/remodeling/new house advice for me, I'd love to hear it. I could use all the help I can get!

So enough about that - what's up with this tasty looking thin crust pesto pizza, right!? Well, this may be one of the easiest things I've ever made, but it's so delicious. It comes together super fast which is great when you have company over and have to make another one because the first one is already gone! You can add on whatever else you'd like on this too. The other one I made had thin slices of zucchini, and another time I added some caramelized onions. Customize to your heart's content.

Basil Pesto & Tomato Pizza
makes 1 pizza

1 pre-made refrigerated pizza dough (check the ingredients!) I used a thin crust variety.
1 jar prepared basil pesto (again, make sure to check ingredients. Out of 5 brands at my store only one was vegan!)
4-5 roma tomatoes, sliced and de-seeded
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp agave
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

Preheat oven to 450.

Unroll your pizza dough on a greased baking sheet. Spread the basil pesto in a layer across the dough. (As much as you like - I didn't end up using the whole jar.) Top with the sliced tomatoes.

Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes, or following the time on your pizza dough.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, agave, garlic, and garlic salt. 

When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with the chopped basil and oregano, then pour the olive oil mixture evenly over the top of the pizza. Slice and serve.

This pizza is great for quick dinners, or even when you have company over. The olive oil and lemon dressing really gives this a extra pop of flavor - so don't skip that part. You could also add some vegan cheese to this if you like. What are your favorite go-to pizza toppings?

Thanks for stopping by!

Creamy Spinach & Mushroom Spaghetti

Are you on the lookout for a quick and easy weeknight meal that can come together in 20 minutes? Look no further! This pasta dish is simple and fast, and is also creamy and delicious. I used to always avoid creamy dishes because of the dairy, but using vegan cream cheese and sour cream in this dish makes it taste rich without the worry.

Creamy Spinach & Mushroom Spaghetti
serves 4, adapted from mouthwatering vegan

1/2 lb spaghetti
olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 C mushrooms, chopped
3 C fresh spinach leaves, or 1 C frozen spinach
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp vegan cream cheese
1/2 C vegan sour cream
1 tsp oregano
1/8 C almond milk
panko bread crumbs

Boil your spagetti, then drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and cook the garlic until browned. Add the mushrooms and cook through on medium heat.
Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in the nutritional yeast, oregano, vegan cream cheese and vegan sour cream. Stir well and let cook for a few minutes until the cream cheese and sour cream have melted and been combined. Add in the almond milk and stir well until sauce thickens slightly.
Pour the sauce over the spaghetti noodles and toss. Serve topped with panko bread crumbs.

As you can see, my mushrooms are in super small pieces. Feel free to make them whatever size you like - I am trying to like mushrooms after a lifetime of avoiding them. I've realized if they are mixed up in things and I can't really see them, then I don't mind them as much!

Are there any foods you are trying harder to like and eat? Any tips for me?

Thanks for stopping by!

Mango Black Bean Salad

This fresh and delicious salad is a favorite of mine to bring to parties and potlucks. It's great for a side dish, but is also filling enough on it's own. I can never get enough mangoes, and this is a great way to use them! My mom found this recipe in a magazine years ago, and my family has made it a lot since then. The original recipe called for olive oil, but it doesn't need any - just add in some more of the salsa if you need to! We've tried this with wild rice in place of the brown rice, which is fun as well.

Mango Black Bean Salad
serves 4-6 as a side dish

1 large mango, peeled and chopped
1 C green onion - thinly sliced
3 Tbsp cilantro - finely chopped 
4 Tbsp fresh salsa
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 C brown rice, cooked


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Toss gently to mix, refrigerate until serving.

This dish is getting me excited for summer cookouts! What's your favorite potluck dish?

Thanks for stopping by!

Baked Mac 'n Cheese with Spinach

Sometimes when it snows in the middle of April, the only thing that can cheer you up is a big bowl of mac 'n cheese. Sure I threw some spinach in there to make it "healthy", but this is vegan comfort food at it's finest!

Baked Man 'n Cheese with Spinach

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta
1 Tbsp vegan butter
3/4 C unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1/4 tsp garlic powder
6 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 C canned pumpkin puree
salt and pepper to taste
few handfuls baby spinach
panko crumbs
optional: red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Cook your pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
In a separate bowl whisk the milk, arrowroot, and garlic powder and then add this into the pan.
Add the nutritional yeast, dijon, and salt & pepper. Continue to whisk until the sauce has thickened.
Add in the canned pumpkin and whisk until heated.

Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Add in the spinach leaves and mix again. Pour the pasta mixture into a casserole dish and top with panko crumbs. Bake for 20 to 25 min.

I love this pasta because it's so creamy and it really does remind of the mac and cheese of my early years. You can taste the pumpkin in there a little bit, but it's not too overwhelming. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

A big thanks to the lovely Sarah from Fried Dandelions for passing on the Liebster Award to me!
It comes along with a set of questions - so here we go.

1. What is your favorite vegan dessert and why (include a link if you have one!)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2. Pick 2 foods/ingredients that you just couldn’t live without!
Avocados and Hummus 

3. What is the most important thing you’ve learned along the way about blogging?
It's easy to get sucked into the world of blogging because there is always so much more you could be doing for your blog - sharing your posts, networking, editing, redesigning...but you have to just be realistic and do your best with the time you have.

4. How long have you been a vegan (or vegetarian)?
A little over a year.

5. What is your most trusted cookbook?
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

6. What is your #1 tip for bloggers?
Don't compare yourself to other too much - just do you and your blog will be great!

7. What tips do you have for new vegans?
Start slow if you need to. Figure out what meals you already love are actually secretly vegan. Don't worry, you'll totally be able to figure out how to dine out.

8. What is your favorite vegan comfort dish?
Anything with pasta, or black bean chili. 

9. What do you have pinned on your pinterest board that you are dying to make?
Waaay too many things. 

10. What made you want to start blogging?
To keep track of my recipes and hopefully connect with other vegans - it worked!

11. What is your favorite dish to bring to a dinner party?
I usually show up with dessert of some type - cookies or cupcakes.


 Thanks for stopping by!

Roasted Potato & Asparagus Pizza

Something must be in the air, because I have been seeing lots of delicious looking pizza recipes popping up around the blogs lately. I'm not complaining at all, because pizza is awesome! I finally decided to try my hand at making a homemade dough too, and it came out pretty well. I used a recipe from Veggieful, and topped it with a quick pizza sauce and some sliced potatoes and garlic asparagus.

Roasted Potato & Asparagus Pizza

Dough:
I followed Veggieful's pizza dough recipe 

Sauce:

1 can (4 oz) tomato paste
1 C water
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of  salt and pepper
1/2 Tbsp oregano

1/2 Tbsp basil 

1/2 Tbsp rosemary

Mix all ingredients well and let stand to let flavors blend.

Topping:

3-4 medium potatoes

olive oil

salt and pepper

rosemary

1 C asparagus, chopped

1 clove garlic

nutritional yeast

Cut the potatoes paper thin with a mandolin slicer. Toss in a large bowl with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary to taste. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet (I used a silpat non-stick mat) and bake for 10-12 min at 350 F.

Saute the asparagus with a splash of olive oil and 1 clove of garlic until just softened.


Assembly:
Once your pizza dough is ready and has pre-cooked in the oven, spread the sauce and then add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Layer the potato slices and top with the asparagus.
Bake the whole pizza at 400 F for 15-20 min or until edges are slightly browned and the potatoes look crisp.

Next time I will bake mine a little longer - as you can see the edges of my crust didn't quite get browned enough. I also think it might be fun to cut the dough in half and make a thin crispy pizza crust. All that said, making pizza from scratch wasn't as hard as I thought! I enjoyed the flavors of the roasted potatoes and the fresh asparagus. What is your favorite pizza topping combo?

Thanks for stopping by!

Popcorn Tofu Caesar Salad

I'm always looking for new ways to jazz up my salads, and when I saw this recipe for Tofu Popcorn Chick'n from The Vedge, I remembered an old favorite dish of mine with crispy chicken on top of a fresh caesar salad. I decided a vegan version of this meal would taste just as good (better!), and set about making it for an easy weeknight dinner.

Popcorn Tofu Caesar Salad
serves 2-3

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 C broccoli, chopped
1 recipe Tofu Popcorn Chick'n from the Vedge

optional: vegan bacon bits


Caesar Dressing
2 Tbsp cashew butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 C water
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Add all ingredients for dressing to a food processor and mix until well blended.

Chop the broccoli and steam until softened.
Place chopped lettuce, broccoli, and bacon bits into a bowl. Top with the dressing and toss to coat.
Top with the prepared tofu popcorn chick'n pieces and serve.

The flavor of the Popcorn Tofu Chick'n is amazing! They are tasty all on their own, but I really enjoyed them paired with this Caesar salad for a more complete meal. I'll definitely be making this recipe again. It was great as leftovers too.

We were snowed in this past weekend, and I finally had the opportunity to spend some good quality time in the kitchen, which I've been missing lately. Looking forward to sharing some fun recipes with you all soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

I've been feeling quite unmotivated when it comes to dinners lately. I was looking for something that was quick and easy, but also a little different than the standard spaghetti with tomato sauce. I had some artichokes that I was bookmarking for Kristy's yummy looking soup, but we decided we were really in more of a pasta mood and this dish was born!

Basically all I did was make this delicious spinach and artichoke dip from Oh She Glows, and then stir it into some pasta and top it with some bread crumbs - but I was pleasantly surprised with how it came out. Since I'm not the biggest fan of the vegan cheeses out there, I'm glad this recipe doesn't use it but instead has a helping of beans hiding in the sauce.

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

1 recipe of Spinach Artichoke Dip from Oh She Glows
1 lb penne pasta
1/3 C almond milk
1/3 C mushrooms, chopped
panko crumbs

Make the spinach artichoke dip, and bake according to the directions. Meanwhile, boil your pasta and saute your mushrooms. (You could add the mushrooms into the dip before baking too, but I forgot!). Drain your pasta and once your dip is done baking, scoop it onto the pasta. Add in the mushrooms and almond milk, and stir to combine. If you want the pasta creamier you can add more almond milk as needed. Top the pasta with panko crumbs to serve.

This was a great and easy weeknight dinner, which is right up my alley. I hope you enjoy it!
I also wanted to share a photo of the great new stack of cookbooks that I got as birthday gifts - I'm so excited to check out of all these!

Thanks for stopping by!

Spinach Vegetable Lasagna

The other night I was trying to decide what to have for dinner, and I mentioned to my husband that I had everything to make baked spagetti. When he suggested I add in some spinach, I was immediately reminded of the amazing spinach lasagna I used to eat growing up. I realized I had not attempted to make a lasagna since I began eating vegan, and the time had come to change that!

This lasagna came out so much better than I hoped! The cannellini beans hidden in the spinach mixture give it the perfect texture. I did not miss any cheese in this at all. I added in some onion, peppers, and mushrooms because that is what I had on hand, but this would be great with all types of vegetables added in.

Spinach Vegetable Lasagna
makes a 9 by 13 pan
adapted from vegan american princess

12 lasagna noodles
6 C marinara sauce (about 1.5 jars)
2 cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
2 oz basil leaves
1 C raw cashews
3 cloves garlic
1/4 C nutritional yeast
1/4 C lemon juice
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs. frozen spinach (thawed drained and squeezed)
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 C mushrooms (sliced)
panko crumbs

In a food processor add the beans, basil, cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, pepper flakes and olive oil and puree until smooth. Add the spinach and puree again. Add in a small amount of water if the mixture is still too dry. Puree until smooth and set aside.

Boil water and cook the lasagna noodles, drain and set aside.

In a large saute pan, saute the onions and bell pepper in a small amount of oil until softened. Add in the mushrooms and cook until lightly browned.

Pour 2 cups of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 13 dish. I used a sauce from a jar to save some prep time, but feel free to use your favorite kind.
Place 4 lasagna noodles in a layer on top of the sauce.
Next spread a layer of the spinach mixture on top of the noodles.
Top with 1/2 of the onion, pepper and mushroom mixture.
Repeat these layers another time: sauce, noodles, spinach, veggies.
End with the last layer of the noodles and top with marinara sauce.
Sprinkle the top generously with panko crumbs.

Bake for 50-60 minutes at 375, let cool for 10 minutes and then serve.

My husband is a great sport and always tries my cooking creations, and I was so happy when he said this was one of his favorite things I've made yet. If he doesn't miss the meat and cheese in this vegan lasagna, I'm sure that you won't either! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did.

Thanks for stopping by!