Vegan Recipes from Cassie Howard

Vegan Insanity >> Vegan recipes that are delicious and easy to make. Plus, kitchen, cooking & shopping tips!

Spicy Cumin Carrots with Coriander Tahini Sauce

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Cumin-Coriander-Carrots

I received a bunch of gorgeous, organic carrots in my farm share box last week! This was my first time getting carrots with the greens still attached (I had to trim them down quite a bit) – I always bought them in a bag.

And wow – they are so small and adorable and TASTY. My husband and I were both marveling at the fact that these were the best carrots we’ve ever had. I don’t know if I can go back to the bagged variety.

Cumin-Spiced-Carrots

Look at how different they all look, too. I love the one that’s all bent! I snatched it up first, right after I was done taking photos. It was delicious – just like the others.

Instead of just roasting these carrots, I rolled them in some cumin, salt & pepper, then drizzled a tahini & coriander dressing over top. Yum, yum – big time YUM.

Spiced-Cumin-Carrots

 

Spicy Cumin Carrots with Coriander Tahini Sauce
Recipe Type: Side Dish
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Carrots
  • 1 bunch carrots (5 per person), washed and dried
  • 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less, depending on your heat preference)
  • 1/2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)
  • Tahini & Coriander Dressing
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
Instructions
Carrots
  1. Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper.
  2. Place carrots on your baking sheet and drizzle with avocado oil, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Roll the carrots around until they are all completely covered.
  3. Roast for 15 minutes, or until fork-tender.
Coriander Tahini Sauce
  1. In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and coriander. Drizzle over roasted carrots, sprinkle with poppy seeds (if desired) and serve immediately.

 

Raw Vegan Breakfast Parfaits

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Raw-Vegan-Parfait

YOU GUYS. This breakfast? AH-MAZING.

And I don’t say that lightly. This is one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a very, very long time.

The best part? It’s super easy, extremely healthy, and it’s raw (I’ve been trying to get more raw meals/snacks into my diet)!

Vegan-Parfait-Raw
The creaminess of the cashew cream works so well with the crunchy nut/seed mix and the soft fruit.

Just delicious!

I’ve also made these parfaits with strawberry & kiwi, mango & kiwi, and blueberry & raspberry. It never disappoints!

Raw-Vegan-Berry-Parfait

 

Raw Vegan Breakfast Parfaits
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Nuts/Seeds
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • Cashew Cream
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tbsp agave
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Fruit
  • Any fruit you’d like (I used strawberries & blackberries)
Instructions
Nuts/Seeds
  1. Put all seeds and nuts into a food processor and process for a few seconds. Don’t process too much or everything will turn into a flour, which is not what you want. You still want some big chunks.
Cashew Cream
  1. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth (add a bit more water if you want to thin it out some more).
Putting it all together
  1. Add a layer of berries, then nuts/seeds, then cashew cream, then more nuts, then a ton of fruit on top.

 

Super Simple Vegan Pad Thai

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Pad-Thai

I’d never eaten Pad Thai until I started eating a vegan diet. I had never even heard of it – can you believe that?!

After so many different recipes on so many different blogs, I thought I’d give it a try myself.

Pad-Thai-Vegan

That was 6 months ago, and this is the vegan Pad Thai recipe I seem to make the most. It’s just so easy, so delicious and so – SO – filling!

If you like your veggies to be a bit crunchy, don’t let them cook as long. If you don’t like cilantro, add parsley (that’s what I did). If you don’t have red peppers, use orange or yellow. If you don’t… you get the idea. This dish is very versatile! One time I was out of rice noodles, so I just doubled the amount of spiralized zucchini – YUM!

All I know, is that if you love Pad Thai, this simple recipe is definitely a must-try (LOOK MOM! I RHYMED!).

Vegan-Pad-Thai

Vegan Pad Thai
Recipe Type: Entree
Cuisine: Asian
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • Main Dish
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 block super firm tofu, drained and chopped into cubes*
  • 1 cup/8oz. rice noodles
  • 1 medium head of broccoli, very small chopped florets
  • 2 large zucchini, spiralized
  • 1/2 small red pepper, sliced thin
  • 1 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 green onions, chopped small
  • Sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • Toppings
  • 1/2 cup peanuts
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
Instructions
  1. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and cook your tofu until browned on all sides, 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add your rice noodles and cook according to package directions.
  3. While your noodles are cooking, heat another tbsp of olive oil in the same large pan you used for the tofu. Then add in your broccoli, zucchini and red pepper. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until softened. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two more. Drain the rice noodles and add to the pan of veggies. Add the tofu, as well, and toss everything together.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until well combined. Pour all over the noodles, veggies and tofu.
  5. Divide between bowls, and top with peanuts, sesame seeds and chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve warm.
Notes
*Use soy-free tofu to make this dish soy-free.

 

Vegan Rhubarb Crisp

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I’ll admit it – I was a bit skeptical of rhubarb.

For a long time, I balked at people that told me they made yummy desserts with it, because um hello – IT’S A VEGETABLE. Desserts aren’t made with vegetables. That’s just gross!

But I was proven wrong. Yet again. I tried my mother-in-law’s rhubarb crisp the other day (veganized), and fell in love. Then I begged her for the recipe.

Rhubarb-Crisp

The rhubarb has a very sour taste to it, so you just dump a bunch of sugar on it and BOOM. Deliciousness. I hate how sugar makes everything better.

Sigh. Oh well. A treat like this is fine every once in awhile, right? RIGHT.

Rhubarb-Crisp-Vegan

Look at that caramel-y gooey pile of oats and rhubarb and sweetness. It was Amazing with a capital “A”.

This vegan rhubarb crisp is crumbly and tart and sweet and YUM. It’s also perfect for summer.

If you are scared of rhubarb, like I was, try this recipe. You won’t be sorry and you will end up loving rhubarb – because it’s freakin’ good!

Vegan-Rhubarb-Crisp

Vegan Rhubarb Crisp
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-9
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 1/2 cups rhubarb stalks, chopped small (I did 1/2″ pieces)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup kamut flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
  • 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
  2. Lightly grease an 8×8 baking dish with coconut oil or non-stick cooking spray.
  3. In a small pot, mix together the maple syrup, water and cornstarch over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, melted vegan butter and non-dairy milk. Crumble everything together with your fingers.
  5. Press half of the crumb mixture into your baking pan, add the rhubarb, drizzle in the maple syrup mixture, then top with the remaining crumb mixture.
  6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the rhubarb can easily be pierced through with a knife and the top of the crisp is a light golden brown.

 

Pineapple, Banana & Hemp Smoothie

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Pineapple-Banana-Smoothie

This is one of my favourite smoothies for 2 reasons:

1. It has pineapple, which is one of my favourite fruits that I don’t buy year-round because they taste best only when in season.

2. It’s fast. Most smoothies are fast, but this one is EXTRA FAST.

Banana-Pineapple-Smoothie

Pineapple-Banana-Smoothie-Vegan

Pineapple Banana Smoothie
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Smoothie
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
  • 1 large, ripe banana, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 pineapple, cut into chunks
  • 4 ice cubes
  • 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
  • pumpkin seeds, for topping (optional)
  • hemp seeds, for topping (optional)
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Top with more hemp hearts and some pumpkin seeds, if desired.

 

Vegan Cauliflower Bolognese

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Cauliflower-Bolognese

Raise your hand if you love pasta!

Raise your hand if you’re bored of just pasta and red sauce!

Hopefully I wasn’t the only one raising my hand, because that would be embarrassing.

But seriously – as much as I love me some pasta, I get sick of pasta and red sauce really quick. I don’t mind it, but I don’t like to eat it all the time because then it’s repetitive and repetitive is so boring when it comes to food.

Don’t you agree?

So – cauliflower to the rescue!

Vegan-Cauliflower-Bolognese

Really, what can’t cauliflower do? I’d like to know, because everything I’ve ever tried to use it for has worked successfully (pizza crust, “chicken wings”, soup, cheese sauce, and now – pasta sauce).

This sauce is a cinch to put together, too. It goes a little something like this:

Chop
Add to pot
Cook
Pulse/Blend
Serve

Simple, right?

And oh em geeeeeeeeee, this sauce is GOOD. Tastes just like bolognese, but without the meat. I used to love thin, boring pasta sauce when I was a kid – but now, big & chunky is my fave. And this cauliflower bolognese can be as chunky (or smooth!) as you want! Delish.

Cauliflower-Bolognese-Vegan

Vegan Cauliflower Bolognese
Recipe Type: Pasta Sauce
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped small
  • 5 cups cauliflower, chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, chopped small
  • 1/2 cup packed spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tomato, seeded and chopped small
  • 4 cups diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, chopped carrot, cauliflower, and spinach, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the garlic has lightly browned.
  2. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the largest piece of cauliflower can easily be pierced with a knife.
  3. Remove from heat and pour into a blender, or use a stick blender, and blend/pulse until you reach your desired consistency (I made mine a bit chunky).
  4. Serve over pasta and garnish with fresh parsley or basil, if you wish.
Notes
[i]Adapted from [url href=”http://sweetsaltyspicy.net/2013/09/cauliflower-vegan-bolognese.html” target=”_blank”]Sweet Salty Spicy[/url].[/i]

 

Loaded Skillet Potato Nachos

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Skillet-Potato-Nachos-Vegan

Just look at this skillet full of yumminess. Delish, right?

Well, it was, let me tell you that. It was so. damn. good. Just like all nachos. I’ve never met a plate of nachos I didn’t like.

I usually make nachos with tortilla chips – but recently tried them with potatoes, since I was out of chips.

And guess what. Potato nachos? Even better!

Skillet-Potato-Nachos

The velvety smooth nacho cheese sauce really makes these nachos, so don’t skip it. Please don’t skip it. Your nachos just won’t be the same.

The cheese sauce makes a lot, so you will have some leftover that will last at least 5 days in the refrigerator. Simply heat it up and dip some tortilla chips in it (see – that‘s what you can do with the tortilla chips – dipping in nacho cheese!).

Potato-Nachos-Vegan

I wanted some really sexy nachos, so I went a bit crazy with the toppings. Feel free to cut some things out if they don’t suit your fancy or you’re a bit strapped for time (just not the nacho cheese – it’s a must!).

Your toppings can be just about anything you desire, too. I added olives, tomatoes and green onions, but feel free to add whatever you have on hand and enjoy.

Vegan-Potato-Nachos

 

One thing I must mention is that these vegan potato nachos don’t re-heat well. They will be soggy. Eat them as soon as they’re ready (I think  you’ll find it pretty hard to end up with leftovers anyway – they are too good to leave alone!).

Even my almost 5-year old and 2 year-old ate these – and they are some of the pickiest eaters on the planet!

Now who’s ready for a plate full of potato nachos? Come and get ’em!

Vegan-Skillet-Potato-Nachos

Loaded Skillet Potato Nachos
Recipe Type: Appetizer, Snack
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Potatoes
  • 2 medium russet potatoes, sliced thin (I used my mandolin for even slices)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • Taco Meat
  • 1 cup walnuts, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Nacho Cheese Sauce
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • heaping 1/4 tsp paprika
  • heaping 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • heaping 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large roasted red pepper
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • Cashew Cream
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 1/4 cup water (or more depending on how thin you want the cream to be)
  • Guacamole
  • 3 large avocados, peeled & pitted
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 small tomato, sliced & seeded
  • 1 medium garlic clove
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped small
  • 1/4 cup parsley
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Toppings
  • Olives
  • Tomatoes
  • Green Onions
Instructions
Potatoes
  1. Preheat your oven to 425F and spray your cast iron skillet with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Once you’ve sliced your potatoes, dump them into a bowl fulled with ice water. Let them soak for about 5 minutes, then remove to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.
  3. Layer your potatoes around the skillet, filling it up completely. It’s okay to let them overlap a little but, but not too much, otherwise your potatoes won’t crisp up as well.
  4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender and have browned nicely. Remove from the oven.
  5. At this point, you can take the potatoes out to individual plates and then add your toppings, or you can leave them in the skillet, add the toppings, and scoop some out for each person. It’s messy, but it’s fun! Top with nacho cheese, taco meat, your toppings of choice (I used tomatoes, olives and green onions), a drizzle of cashew cream and some guacamole.
Taco Meat
  1. Add drained walnuts, drained sun-dried tomatoes, garlic powder, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper to a food processor and process until combined, but still a bit chunky.
Nacho Cheese Sauce
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-powdered blender and process/blend until smooth.
  2. Pout mixture into a medium pot over medium heat and warm it up for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Cashew Cream
  1. Add drained cashews and a bit of water to a food processor or high-powdered blender and process/blend until smooth. Add more water if you need it, to get it to your desired consistency.
Guacamole
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth or a bit chunky (whatever you prefer).

 

Mini Vegan Tortilla Pizzas

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This past weekend was awesome for 2 reasons:

Sunshine. Lots of sunshine.

These mini vegan tortilla pizzas. Ohhhhhhh yes. They were good.

vegan-mini-pizzas
It’s as easy as cutting up tortillas, popping them in a muffin tin, throwing on some toppings, baking, and stuffing your face.

I’m not even going to tell you how many of these I ate, but believe me when I say it was MORE THAN I SHOULD HAVE.

Worth it, though. Totally worth it.

mini-pizzas

You can put on any kind of toppings you want – that’s what makes pizza so freakin’ amazing. It’s versatile.

My husband doesn’t like Daiya cheese shreds, so for some of his pizzas, I put our homemade vegan nacho cheese, and on some others, I didn’t put cheese at all – just loaded them up with sauce and veggies.

He approved. I approved. The kids approved. Everyone approved.

This was an awesome meal.

baked-mini-pizzas-vegan

I think these would also work as dessert pizzas, by just swapping out sauce, cheese and pizza toppings, and instead baking she shells, then putting melted chocolate and fresh fruit inside, freezing until semi-firm, and topping with coconut whipped cream.

Mmmm, yes, that is a good idea.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.

mini-pizzas-vegan

I made these babies for dinner, alongside a big kale salad, but they would also work well for lunch, as an appetizer (just halve the recipe), and even as a snack.

They would work  pretty much any time of day. Except breakfast. Unless you’re into pizza for breakfast. In which case – you could eat these pizzas any time of day and be happy and full and satisfied. Enjoy!

vegan-baked-mini-pizzas

Mini Vegan Tortilla Pizzas
Recipe Type: Snack, Lunch, Appetizer
Cuisine: Pizza
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 8 small flour tortillas (corn may work too, but I haven’t tried)
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • cheese of choice (I used, vegan parmesan, Daiya shreds, and [url href=”http://www.veganinsanity.com/recipes/quinoa-black-bean-burger-with-nacho-cheese-sauce/”]nacho cheese sauce[/url])
  • toppings of choice (I used green lentils, green pepper, kalamata olives, and zucchini)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 2 muffins tins with non-stick cooking spray (or use refined coconut oil) and set aside.
  2. Using a doughnut cutter or small drinking glass, cut out your mini pizzas from the tortillas. I placed mine over the muffin tin first, to see how big to make my pizzas. You want them to be a bit bigger than the opening of the hole.
  3. Place your tortilla pizzas inside your muffin tins, pressing down gently.
  4. Add a bit of sauce, then cheese, then toppings, to each tortilla pizza.
  5. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tortilla is a nice golden brown color, and the sauce & toppings are warm and the cheese has melted.
  6. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. If you handle them too early, they may not pop out of the tins easily.
  7. Run a butter knife around each pizza, and pop it out – but only if it’s ready. If it doesn’t come out easily, let it cool for a few more minutes.