Vegan Recipes from Cassie Howard

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

The Big Vegan Salad Plate with Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing

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Vegan-Salad-Plate

Who is ready for some healthy summer salads? Even though it’s still spring (and even though it was snowing 3 days ago!), I am pretending it’s summer. This winter has gone on long enough.

After a week of eating way too much junk food and way too much comfort food, it was time to get back on the healthy bandwagon.

Enter – this awesome salad. I made it for lunch the other day.

The-Big-Vegan-Salad-Plate

I looked in my fridge and grabbed pretty much any vegetable I could find, added some nuts, seeds, hummus and avocado, then drizzled on a delicious creamy dressing.

Salad-Plate

Ah-mazing! I felt so good after eating this plate of nutrients, and was so incredibly stuffed that I didn’t eat again until dinner at 5pm. Coming from someone that usually needs to eat something every 2-3 hours, that says a lot!

The Big Vegan Salad Plate with Tahini-Dill Dressing
Recipe Type: Salad
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 3 tbsp flax or hemp oil
  • 1/2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp dried dill weed (or 1 tbsp fresh)
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Salad Plate
  • 2 cups mixed salad greens
  • 1 small tomato, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp hemp seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbsp slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup carrots, shredded
  • 1/4 cup beets, shredded
  • 1/2 small avocado, sliced
  • 1/4 cup hummus (homemade or store-bought)
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • Poppy seeds (or black sesame seeds)
Instructions
Creamy Tahini-Dill Dressing
  1. Add all ingredients into a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth. If the dressing is not getting smooth enough, you may need to add a bit more water.
Salad Plate
  1. Add a bed of salad greens to your plate, making sure to cover the plate completely.
  2. Add the other ingredients, layering them nicely around the plate. Make it pretty! Pretty food is fun to eat.
  3. Drizzle on a bit of the creamy tahini-dill dressing, sprinkle on some green onions and poppy seeds (or black sesame seeds) and enjoy!

 

Classic Green Monster Smoothie

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Green-Monster

If the 15 year old me could only see me now.. drinking spinach. I would have had my jaw on the floor, that’s for sure.

This smoothie, though – it’s amazing. Chock full of nutritious and delicious ingredients, it’s a surefire way to drink yourself happy!

This recipe is totally customizable, too. Use what you have on hand, but I always suggest a green (kale works well) and a banana (for creaminess), at least. If I really feel like something sweet, I will add in 2-3 dates as well. Or some agave. Or maybe syrup. You get the idea.

Have you had your green monster smoothie today?

Green-Monster-Smoothie

Classic Green Monster Smoothie
Recipe Type: Smoothie
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 cup almond or soy milk
  • 1 ripe banana, peeled
  • 2 large handfuls of spinach
  • 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp ground flax seed
  • 1 tbsp nut butter (optional)
  • 3 or 4 ice cubes
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients (in the order listed) into your blender and blend until smooth.
Notes
*You can also add in 1 tbsp protein powder for an added protein boost! I often add hemp protein to my smoothies.

 

 

Thin Crust Pesto Pizza

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Pesto-Pizza-Vegan

I used to be all about the frozen pizzas. Delissio here, Dr. Oetker there. And then I switched to a vegan diet and BAM. Those pizzas were a no-no for me. Which is a good thing anyway, considering how high they are in salt, sugar and other crap your body doesn’t need.

So, I started making my own pizzas at home. Okay, so, my husband is usually the one that makes them, but I always assist with toppings, so that counts.

I love that I can experiment with different flours, different sauces and different toppings, and still come out with a tasty, healthy pizza (usually). This is one of them!

Vegan-Pesto-PizzaEven though everyone on the planet seems to be able to, I can’t make a circular pizza to save my life, so I made them rectangular. The pizza still tastes the same, so who cares, right?

Thin Crust Pesto Pizza
Recipe Type: Pizza
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • For the crust
  • 3/4 cup warm water (not hot, not cold)
  • 1 3/4 cup flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat, 3/4 cup kamut)
  • 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • For the sauce
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts (I’ve also used cashews or almonds)
  • 4 cups fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • For the toppings
  • Whatever your heart desires! (I used zucchini, yellow pepper, kalamata olives and tomatoes)
Instructions
For the crust
  1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in water and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 500F.
  3. Add flour and salt to the yeast and sugar. Mix until combined.
  4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes.
  5. Press dough into a large circle and place it on a lightly greased pizza pan (or sprinkle some cornmeal on a [url href=”http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B002RC4X0C/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=390961&creativeASIN=B002RC4X0C&linkCode=as2&tag=mrsjan0b-20″ target=”_blank”]wooden pizza wheel[/url] (to later slide onto a pizza stone in the oven).
For the sauce
  1. Add all sauce ingredients to a food processor or high-powered blender and process/blend until smooth.
Putting it all together
  1. Spread the sauce on the pizza crust, add your toppings, and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the edges have lightly browned and the middle of the pizza is cooked all the way through.

 

Zucchini Fritters with Vegan Sour Cream

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Zucchini-Cakes

The other day I was trying to come up with a way to use a large zucchini that had been in my fridge for a few days and was not going to last much longer. It was lunch time, and I was aching for food.

I didn’t feel like making a sweet treat with it, I didn’t feel like a vegetable soup or stir fry or pizza. I wanted the zucchini to be the star of the show.

So, I made zucchini fritters for lunch! And they were awesome.

Vegan-Zucchini-Cakes

I topped the zucchini fritters with some of my vegan sour cream that I’d made the day before, and it was delicious!

Zucchini Fritters with Vegan Sour Cream
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
These zucchini fritters make the perfect appetizer, and also work great for lunch or dinner (especially when paired with a salad!).
Ingredients
  • 1 large zucchini, grated
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup kamut flour (or all-purpose)
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle some salt over your grated zucchini, allow to sit for about an hour to remove some water.
  2. Put the zucchini in a large, clean dish towel, and squeeze out any excess water. Put zucchini in a large bowl.
  3. Add in the minced garlic, flour, coriander, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix well.
  4. Form into balls and press gently to flatten.
  5. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook until golden (about 5 minutes), then flip and cook for another few minutes, or until that side has also browned lightly.
  6. Serve, with a dollop of vegan sour cream on top (or on the side).
Notes
[b]To make sour cream:[/b] To your blender, add the following ingredients and blend until smooth: 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours and drained), 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/3-1/2 cup of water (as needed).

 

World’s Best Vegan Pancakes

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Vegan-Pancakes

Growing up, we always had pancakes made from a mix in a box. “Just add water!”, it said. How hard could it be? Not hard, apparently.. but also, not delicious. And certainly not vegan.

Vegan pancakes can be tough. Instead of egg, many recipes call for banana as the binding agent, but personally, I don’t want my pancakes to taste like banana.. unless I want banana pancakes!

After a bit of experimentation, I’ve finally put together what I believe is the best vegan pancake recipe – no banana required!

Pancakes-Vegan

World’s Best Vegan Pancakes
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8 pancakes
Light, fluffy and incredibly delicious. These really are the world’s best vegan pancakes!
Ingredients
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water)
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup kamut flour (or all-purpose)
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil, not melted
Instructions
  1. Make your flax egg and set aside to allow it to thicken up.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in the non-dairy milk, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil and flax egg. Mix everything well, but do not over-mix.
  3. Warm your pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Spray with olive oil and scoop 1/4 cup of the pancake mix (per pancake) onto the hot pan. Cook for about 2 minutes or until bubbles start to form, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until cooked through.
  4. Repeat until all batter is gone. Serve with fruit, maple syrup, coconut whipped cream, or whatever else your heart desires!
Notes
*Use something other than almond milk to make these pancakes nut-free (soy, rice, etc.).

 

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Sticks with Vegan Sprinkles

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Chocolate-Pretzel-Sticks

Mmm, pretzels and chocolate. What could be better?

I made these for my 2 year old’s birthday party and they were a huge hit with the kids and the adults! They’re super simple to make, and you can change up the toppings, too, if you want. Chopped nuts, shredded coconut.. even just the chocolate and no sprinkles would taste yummy!

Chocolate-Covered-Pretzel-Sticks

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Sticks with Vegan Sprinkles
Recipe Type: Dessert, Snacks
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 20 pretzel sticks
Put these out at a party and I can almost guarantee there won’t be any left when the party is over! Easy and delicious – my favourite.
Ingredients
  • About 20 large pretzel sticks/rods
  • 1 cup vegan chocolate chips or chunks (I use the Enjoy Life brand)
  • Vegan sprinkles
Instructions
  1. Put a sheet of parchment paper on a large platter or cutting board and set aside.
  2. Using a double broiler on the stove, melt your chocolate. You could also stick your chocolate in a bowl and melt it in the microwave. Just be sure to mix often, and keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.
  3. Dip about 1/2 of each pretzel in the melted chocolate, and immediately roll in sprinkles.
  4. Place on your parchment paper.
  5. Continue until all pretzels are covered, then stick them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened.
  6. Serve at room temperature (serve them too cold and they will be very hard to bite into).

 

 

Our Menu Plan This Week

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Big Vegan Salad Plate Photo
Big Vegan Salad Plate

Every Monday, 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 Monday (usually) to make things easier on myself. And it works. I promise.

Here is the menu plan for my family this week:

Breakfast:

Stove-top Oatmeal with Nuts, Nut Butter & Maple Syrup
Green Smoothie, Bagel with Vegan Butter x2
Hash Browns with Veggies x2
Overnight Oats with Berries x2

Lunch:

Leftovers x2
Picnic Lunch
Pasta with Meaty-But-Meatless Sauce & Nacho Cheeze
Almond Tuna Salad Sandwich, Fruit
Cauliflower & Israeli Couscous Salad
Vegan Poutine, Green Smoothie

Dinner:

Best Ever Vegan Fried Rice
Salad with Chickpea Patties & Tahini Dressing
Thin Crust Pizza with Lentils & Nacho Cheeze Sauce
Vegetable Minestrone Soup
Homemade Vegan Gnocchi
Baked Eggplant Fries, Loaded Salad with Baked Sweet Potato
Quinoa Bowl with Roasted Veggies

Snacks/Dessert:

Fruit Smoothies
Trail Mix Cookies
Fresh Fruit
Raw Nuts
Salt & Vinegar Chickpeas
Homemade Crackers & Hummus

What’s on your menu this week?

Mini Garlic Bread Cheeze Toasts

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Vegan Garlic Cheeze Toasts


We recently hosted a birthday party at our house and some of our family & friends came out. It was our first time serving only vegan food, so we were worried that our carnivore friends & family were not going to enjoy anything.

Except vegan food is delicious, duh. We had to stop doubting ourselves, and our food. Our food is awesome.

I came up with a list of foods that most people love, such as garlic bread with cheese, and made the recipe vegan, like these garlic bread cheese toasts.

Cashew-Cheeze-Toasts

Would you believe that every single one of these cheese toasts (I think I made about 20) were gone in a matter of minutes? And we only had about 10 people over at the time. Everyone raved about how good these were, and we surprised them when we said that there wasn’t a lick of dairy in the recipe!

Mini Garlic Bread Cheeze Toasts
Recipe Type: Appetizer
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 15-20 slices
Easy, delicious, and vegan. What more could you ask for?
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 small-medium garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 12-inch baguette, sliced
  • fresh parsley for garnish, if desired
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients (except baguette) into a food processor or high-powered blender and process/blend until smooth.
  2. Transfer mixture to an air-tight container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. Pre-heat your broiler.
  4. Spread cashew cheese onto your baguette slices and broil for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of your bread are lightly browned. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn!
  5. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
[i]Adapted from [url href=”http://whollyvegan.blogspot.ca/2013/03/cashew-cheese-toasts-with-lentils.html?showComment=1364571787695#c7612044937722489851″ target=”_blank”]Wholly Vegan[/url].[/i]