Vegan Recipes from Cassie Howard

30 Tasty Vegan Lunch Ideas

June 10, 2014 8 Comments

Vegan lunch ideas have always been a challenge for me. Lunch in general has always been a challenge, actually.

Breakfast is easy. There’s cereal, coconut yogurt with granola & berries, vegan pancakes, hash browns with veggies, french toast, etc. Dinner is not necessarily easier in terms of ideas, but at that point in the day, I am more eager to make something interesting.

Lunch, on the other hand, is right in the middle of my day, which disrupts my work routine, and just frustrates me. So – I usually have either breakfast for lunch, or leftovers from dinner the night before.

Not anymore, though!

I forced myself to put together a lost of vegan lunch ideas that would help me any time I got into a lunch rut (which seems to be often these days!). These ideas are all great for lunch, not hard to make, and many of them can be prepared the evening before, so all I have to do is heat them up (or eat them cold) for lunch the next day.

If you’ve ever had problems deciding on meal ideas for lunch, take a look at this list. Hopefully it will help us both!

30 Tasty Vegan Lunch Ideas

1. Sweet Potato Salad with Creamy Cashew Dressing

2. Asian Slaw Salad with Peanut Dressing

3. Homemade Vegan Calzones with Sun-Dried Tomato & Pesto Spread

4. Vegan Broccoli Mac & Cheese

5. Quinoa & Chickpea Tabbouleh

6. Chickpea Avocado Mash with Lemon

7. Super Cheesy Vegan Pesto Pasta

8. Tofu Salad Sandwich or Egg Salad

9. The Big Vegan Salad Plate with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing

10. Tomato & Chickpea Salad

11. Easy Cheesy Vegan Quesadillas

12. Best Ever Vegan Fried Rice with Scrambled Tofu

13. Southwestern Quinoa Pasta Salad

14. Inner Goddess Detox Salad

15. Spicy Sesame Noodles with Peanuts

16. Almond “Tuna” Salad

17. Herb Falafel & Tzatziki

18. Vegan Grilled Cheese with Hummus

19. Roasted Sweet Potato & Cilantro Cashew Cream Sandwich

20. Kale & Quinoa Salad with Black Beans

21. Millet, Lentils & Veggies with Creamy Pesto Sauce

22. Asparagus & Avocado Spring Rolls with Citrus Dipping Sauce

23. Deconstructed Falafel Bowl

24. Potato, White Bean & Kale Vegan Soup

25. Super Simple Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Veggies & Cashew Dressing

26. Crunchy Thai Kale Salad

27. Cauli-power Fettuccini “Alfredo”

28. Lentil & Cauliflower Rice Tacos

29. Spicy Blackened Chickpea Scramble Sandwich

30. Mini Vegan Tortilla Pizzas

What is your favourite vegan lunch to make?

Our Menu Plan This Week

June 9, 2014 1 Comment

So excited I signed up for farm share this year. Look at all that yummy produce!

Every week, I create a menu plan for the week ahead. I’ve always found menu planning to be helpful, but especially when eating a vegan diet. Sometimes I forget to make one, and those weeks are just awful. I stare into the fridge and whine that there’s “nothing to eat”, even though the fridge is packed full of deliciousness. It’s bad.

So – I menu plan every week (usually) to make things easier on myself. And it works. I promise.

Here is the menu plan for my family this week:

Breakfast:

Loaded Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy
Refrigerator Oatmeal x2
French Toast with Fruit
Toast with Peanut Butter, Smoothie x2
Stove-Top Oatmeal

Lunch:

Vegetable Stir-Fry
Leftovers x2
Vegan Tomato Grilled Cheese
Vegan Mac & Cheese with Peas
Lunch Out
Picnic Lunch: PB&J Sandwiches, Fruit, Veggies & Hummus, Fruit Smoothie

Dinner:

Take Out (Vegan Pizza)
Roasted Asparagus & Bok Choy, Veggie Pasta with Vegan Parmesan
Veggie Pad Thai with Chickpea & Sweet Potato Muffins
Quinoa & Mixed Bean Tabbouleh on Shredded Kale with Toasted Mixed Nuts, Parsley, Sprouts, Grilled Sweet Potato & Crispy Tofu Cubes + Cornbread + Broccoli & Cheese Soup
Crispy Orange Cauliflower, Rice
Vegan Gnocchi
Quinoa Bowl with Marinated Tofu, Coconut Curry Sauce, Chickpea & Vegetable Stew, Cucumber, Tomato, Sprouts & Tahini Sauce

Snacks/Dessert:

Fruit
Raw Nuts
Salt & Vinegar Chickpeas
Banana Ice Cream
Hummus & Veggie Sticks + Crackers
Popcorn
Kale Chips
Blueberry Muffins

What’s on your menu this week?

Vegan Cauliflower Bolognese

June 6, 2014 2 Comments

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!

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.

Vegan Cauliflower Bolognese

Recipe Type: Pasta Sauce

Author: Vegan Insanity

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

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

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.
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.
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).
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

June 5, 2014 8 Comments

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!

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!).

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.

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!

Loaded Skillet Potato Nachos

Recipe Type: Appetizer, Snack

Author: Vegan Insanity

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 55 mins

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

Preheat your oven to 425F and spray your cast iron skillet with non-stick cooking spray.
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.
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.
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.
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

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

Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-powdered blender and process/blend until smooth.
Pout mixture into a medium pot over medium heat and warm it up for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Cashew Cream

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

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth or a bit chunky (whatever you prefer).

How to Sprout Lentils

June 4, 2014 2 Comments

Sprouts are one of the easiest things you can make at home. I used to buy sprouted lentils all the time, because they are awesome in salad, but now I make my own because the simplicity is hard to beat. Not to mention, it’s much more inexpensive to sprout lentils at home than to buy sprouted lentils at the store!

So, why do you want to eat sprouted lentils anyway? Why are they better than regular lentils?

While cooked lentils are a powerhouse of nutrition, sprouted lentils are even better. They’re easier to digest, leave you with less gas & bloating, and sprouting increases the amount of vitamins in the lentils.

You only need 4 things to make your own sprouted lentils: a mason jar & ring, very thin cloth (I used cheesecloth), water, and dried lentils.

The first thing you want to do is put some lentils in a jar (I used about 1/4 cup lentils and 3/4 cup water).

The lentils are going to expand quite a bit, so don’t put too many of them in there. Just a little bit will yield quite a few lentils once they’ve sprouted.

Put the lid on your jar, with the piece of thin cloth underneath. Make sure it’s on there tight.

Then stare at your jar of lentils. This is going to be so exciting! Homemade sprouted lentils for salads, in regular-lentil dishes and even as a tasty snack on their own!

Put your jar in a dark corner of your kitchen and leave them alone for 24 hours.

I put mine in the back corner of my kitchen, away from direct sunlight.

After 24 hours, drain the water, rinse the lentils and put them back in the jar. Add a new piece of thin cloth to the jar, do NOT add any more water, put the lid on the jar and let it sit in a dark corner again, for about 12 hours – only this time, lay it on it’s side.

Rinse the lentils, drain them, and add a new piece of cloth, Leave them out of direct sunlight, repeat this process every 12 hours, until your lentils have sprouted and the sprouts are at least 1/4 inch in length. This took about 3 days for me.

Spread the lentils out on a towel and let air dry before storing in the refrigerator (in an air-tight dish). They will last for 5-7 days.

Look how cute they are!

What? Lentils can be cute, can’t they?

Mini Vegan Tortilla Pizzas

June 3, 2014 5 Comments

This past weekend was awesome for 2 reasons:

Sunshine. Lots of sunshine.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

Mini Vegan Tortilla Pizzas

Recipe Type: Snack, Lunch, Appetizer

Cuisine: Pizza

Author: Vegan Insanity

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

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

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray 2 muffins tins with non-stick cooking spray (or use refined coconut oil) and set aside.
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.
Place your tortilla pizzas inside your muffin tins, pressing down gently.
Add a bit of sauce, then cheese, then toppings, to each tortilla pizza.
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.
Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. If you handle them too early, they may not pop out of the tins easily.
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.

Our Menu Plan This Week

June 2, 2014 Leave a Comment

I love banana ice cream! This one had raspberries & frozen bananas – that’s it. So yum!

So – I menu plan every week (usually) to make things easier on myself. And it works. I promise.

Here is the menu plan for my family this week:

Breakfast:

Smoothie Bowl x2
Stove-Top Oatmeal
World’s Best Vegan Pancakes
Refrigerator Oatmeal x2
French Toast with Fruit

Lunch:

Vegan Lunch Bowl (Sriracha & Soy Sauce Tofu, Quinoa, Tomatoes, Hummus, Shredded Carrots & Zucchini)
Cauliflower Bolognese on Zucchini Noodles
White Bean Burritos
Vegan Poutine (with nacho cheese), Fruit Smoothie
Veggie Pasta with Sauted Vegetables
Vegan Grilled Cheese, Homemade Juice
Leftovers

Dinner:

Vegan Pad Thai
Spiced Cauliflower Couscous Bowl
Crispy Orange Cauliflower with Quinoa
Quinoa Bowl with Spicy Tofu, Broccoli, Cauliflower & Chickpeas
Potato Nachos, Dinosaur Kale Salad
Veggie Stir-Fry
Couscous & Split Peas Bowl with Roasted Broccoli & Chickpeas

Snacks/Dessert:

Fruit
Raw Nuts
Salt & Vinegar Chickpeas
Homemade Nacho Cheese Doritos
Banana Ice Cream
Hummus & Veggie Sticks
Popcorn
Chocolate Macaroons
Blueberry Muffins

What’s on your menu this week?

The Breakfast Smoothie Bowl

May 30, 2014 3 Comments

I must have been living under a rock for awhile, because I hadn’t heard of smoothie bowls until last month.

Now, they seem to be popping up everywhere I look! Not that I’m complaining or anything…

What is a smoothie bowl, you ask? Simple: a smoothie – in a bowl (made a bit thicker). Yes, I’m serious. Yes, it’s way more fun than it sounds. Yes, it’s just as tasty in a bowl as it would be in a glass.

This was my first every smoothie bowl that I made last week. It’s just frozen blueberries, a large banana, some ground flax seed and a bit of almond milk, topped with homemade granola, coconut and fresh raspberries.

It did not disappoint. I love that I can add all kinds of toppings, which you can’t really do with a “regular” smoothie (drinking shredded coconut and granola would probably not work very well)!

Now, what can I make next? If you’ve made smoothie bowls before, what do you like putting in yours?

The Breakfast Smoothie Bowl

Recipe Type: Smoothie

Author: Vegan Insanity

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1 large ripe banana
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
Topping of choice (I used granola, coconut and fresh raspberries)

Instructions

Add all ingredients (except toppings) to your blender, and blend until smooth & creamy. You want it to be a bit thicker than a traditional smoothie that you would drink.
If the mixture is too thin, add another 1/2-1 banana or more berries.
Scoop mixture into your bowl and top with your toppings of choice. Eat with a spoon!