Vegan Recipes from Cassie Howard

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

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).

 

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]

 

Vegan Cauliflower Parmesan

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Vegan-Cauliflower-Parmesan

Cauliflower is a miraculous food, isn’t it? On it’s own, it’s bland as hell, but that’s what makes it so awesome – because you can use it as a base for so many different dishes, such as:

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Cauliflower “Chicken” Wings

And now, this cauliflower parmesan.

Cauliflower-Parmesan-Vegan

I am in love with this dish. It is so yummy! I first saw it on Cara’s site awhile ago, and had it on my “to-make” list for weeks. This week, I finally made it, with a few small changes, and it came out even better than I’d hoped.

It does take a bit of time to prepare, but I promise you that it’s worth it!

Vegan Cauliflower Parmesan
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4
If you’re looking for an incredibly satisfying meal, you’ve found it! This dish is one of my favourites because not only is it satisfying, but it is delicious and, of course, vegan. The breaded cauliflower is just mouth-watering. So good!
Ingredients
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water)
  • Pasta of choice
  • 1/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp ground flax seeds
  • 1 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 small head cauliflower, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • Marinara pasta sauce of choice (homemade or store-bought)
  • Non-dairy cheese (optional, but strongly encouraged – I used a mix of Daiya chedder and mozzarella shreds)
  • 1 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Combine flax egg ingredients (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsp water) together and allow to stand until thickened, 5-10 minutes.
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside, keeping warm.
  3. Once your flax egg is ready, add it, as well as flour, water and another tsp ground flax seeds to a shallow bowl. Whisk together. Set aside.
  4. In another shallow bowl, add bread crumbs, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Mix together.
  5. Dip each cauliflower piece into the flax mixture, then the bread crumbs, and place on a large plate. Continue until all cauliflower pieces have been coated.
  6. Pre-heat oven to 450F and also warm up a large skillet (the biggest one you’ve got!) over medium heat.
  7. Lightly oil your skillet, and cook the cauliflower in the skillet until both sides are lightly browned (5-10 minutes each side).
  8. Spread a thin later of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, then add in the cooked, breaded cauliflower. Top with a bit of non-dairy cheese, if desired, and bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Serve over cooked pasta and sprinkle on some vegan parmesan cheese.
Notes
[i]Recipe adapted from [url href=”http://www.forkandbeans.com/2013/05/24/cauliflower-parmesan/” target=”_blank”]Fork & Beans[/url].[/i][br]*Use gluten-free pasta, flour and bread crumbs to make this a gluten-free dish.

 

Spicy Vegan Mac & Cheese

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Vegan-Spicy-Mac-and-Cheese

Growing up, Kraft Dinner was a staple in our house. Up until I was in my early twenties, I ate that neon-orange pasta on a regular basis. I loved it. Big time. Despite it being filled with so many awful ingredients like artificial food dyes (yikes!).

Since I’ve adopted a much healthier way of eating, this blue box has left my home for good, and it’s not coming back. But I still eat mac and cheese. I just make my own in a much healthier way.

Spicy-Vegan-Mac-and-Cheese

The best part of this dish is that there are not only zero artificial food dyes, but also no milk, butter or flour to be found – and it still tastes delicious!

This pasta is creamy, and hearty, with a bit of a spicy kick from the paprika and cayenne pepper. Yum.

If you have a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix or Blendtec, you should be able to get very smooth cheese sauce, but even if you don’t have one of those, you can still make the cheese sauce in a food processor and though it probably won’t be as smooth, it will be just as tasty!

Spicy-Mac-and-Cheese

I only had a small half-empty box of elbow macaroni, so I made that, and then made a large batch of penne pasta to make this dish large enough to feed my entire family. Everyone gobbled it up (and some went back for seconds!).

Spicy Vegan Mac and Cheese
Recipe Type: Pasta
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2 cups elbow macaroni*
  • 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • paprika for garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. While your pasta is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients (raw cashews, garlic, lemon juice, water, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, paprika, turmeric, dijon mustard and a pinch of cayenne pepper) to your blender or food processor. Blend/process until smooth. It should be thick when it’s ready.
  3. Once your pasta has finished cooking, drain, reserving 1/3 cup or so of the cooking water, then add back to the pot, with the cooking water. Mix in the cheese sauce until all of the sauce is evenly distributed.
  4. Serve, with some fresh parsley and more paprika sprinkled on top, if desired.
Notes
*I prefer elbow macaroni, but you can use whatever noodles you have on hand.[br]*Use gluten-free pasta to make this dish gluten-free.

 

 

 

 

The Big Vegan Breakfast (Scrambled Tofu, Roasted Potatoes & Fruit)

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Big-Vegan-Breakfast-Plate

Yep. I love this breakfast.

I’ve always loved savory dishes way more than sweet, especially for breakfast, and this is just another example of how I eat in the morning.

It does take awhile to prepare this dish, but it’s worth it. Pinky swear.

Vegan-Breakfast-Plate

Just look at the colour of that tofu! So bright and cheery, don’t ya think? How can you not feel happy when you’re eating something like that?

Vegan-Scramble-and-Potatoes

I always use the Bob’s Nutritional Yeast in my tofu (and other cooking) because it includes the B12 vitamin that we all need (especially vegans). Not only that, but it’s inexpensive, and I can find it pretty much anywhere.

This is an incredible vegan breakfast, loaded with goodness!

Big Vegan Breakfast
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
If you haven’t tried scrambled tofu yet, you need to make this recipe. It’s amazing! Not only does the tofu taste good, but the baby roasted potatoes will make your mouth water, too. Yum!
Ingredients
  • Baby Roasted Potatoes
  • 2 small potatoes, chopped small (I used organic red potatoes)
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated black pepper
  • Scrambled Tofu
  • 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 20 minutes
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped small (I used orange)
  • 1/4 cup tomato, chopped small
  • 2 green onions, chopped small
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • Fruit
  • Fruit of your choice
Instructions
Baby Roasted Potatoes
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 375F and get out a large baking sheet.
  2. Add the chopped potatoes, oil, salt and pepper to a large bowl and mix well, making sure that each potato is covered completely.
  3. Dump the potato mixture on your baking sheet, and bake in heated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Scrambled Tofu
  1. Crumble the pressed tofu in a medium bowl. Add in the turmeric, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat.
  3. Once warmed, add the chopped pepper and pepper to the pan. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, turning down the heat if they start to get dark too quick. You want them to soften a bit, so they need to cook for a few minutes.
  4. Add the chopped green onion and minced garlic and cook for another minute or so, or until the garlic has browned lightly.
  5. Add in the tofu mixture and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring often.
Fruit
  1. Add fruit to a small bowl or put directly onto your large plate.
Putting it all together
  1. Add a serving of scrambled tofu, baby roasted potatoes and fruit to each plate. Eat, and enjoy!
Notes
*Since the potatoes are small, make sure you check them often to ensure they don’t burn.[br]*Start the potatoes first, and while those are cooking you can work on the scrambled tofu.

 

Almond “Tuna” Salad

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Tuna-Almond-Salad-Bowl

One thing I really missed when I went vegan was tuna salads & sandwiches. I loved the taste of them, but hated eating fish. So, when I stumbled upon this awesome salad recipe on Angela’s site, I knew I had to give it a try.

Although it sounded too good to be true, I’m pleased to say that it wasn’t. It tasted just as good as what I remember tuna salad tastes like. In fact, I think I actually like it better.

The slight crunch from the flaked almonds takes this dish to a whole new level!

Almond-Tuna-Salad-Bowl

I often make this salad into a sandwich because with a bit of fruit or veggies on the side, I can actually call it a meal.

Although, I have been known to just eat this stuff straight from the bowl, too. It’s crazy good!

Tuna-Almond-Sandwich

Almond “Tuna” Salad
Recipe Type: Lunch
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
The deliciousness of tuna salad without the tuna? Yes, it’s possible – and it’s delicious! This recipe is simple, tasty and best of all – vegan! [i]Recipe from [url href=”http://ohsheglows.com/2013/08/15/my-favourite-lunch-of-the-moment-easy-flaked-almond-tuna-salad/” target=”_blank”]Oh She Glows[/url].[/i]
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw almonds, soaked at least 3 hours
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, grated with a zester
  • 3 tbsp vegan mayo (I use Vegenaise)
  • 1 tsp mustard (or Dijon mustard)
  • 3/4 tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Drain and rinse your soaked almonds, then add to a food processor or high-speed blender and process until finely chopped.
  2. Add chopped almonds to a large bowl, and to them add the celery, green onion, mayo, mustard and lemon juice. Mix well.
  3. Season with salt and pepper, then serve in a sandwich, with crackers, or just eat it right from the bowl!

 

Crazy Good Avocado Toast

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Avocado-Toast

Oh avocado toast, how I love you so!

I love making avocado toast not only because it’s delicious, but because it’s so dang easy to make. Smash up an avocado, spread on toast. The end. Well, I do a bit more than that, but if you wanted to, you could just smash an avocado on toast and it would still taste fantastic.

Personally, I love to spread a layer of vegan mayo on my toast first, and mix in some salt & freshly ground pepper with my avocado, but that’s about it! Sometimes I mix chickpeas into the avocado and top the toast with some sliced tomatoes.

But most of the time, I eat it just like this. Simple and yummy.

Vegan-Avocado-Toast

 

Crazy Good Avocado Toast
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
This is one of the simplest breakfasts you will ever make, but as simple as it is, you won’t believe just how good it tastes!
Ingredients
  • 2 slices of your favourite bread, toasted
  • vegan mayonnaise, optional (I used Vegenaise)
  • 1 small ripe avocado, mashed
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chickpeas, optional
  • tomato slices, optional
Instructions
  1. Spread some vegan mayo on your toast, if desired.
  2. Mix the salt, pepper, and chickpeas (if using) in with the mashed avocado, and then spread the mixture on your 2 slices of toast.
  3. Top with tomato slices (if using) and serve.
Notes
Use soy-free vegan mayo to make this recipe soy-free. Use gluten-free bread to make this recipe gluten-free.

 

Deconstructed Falafel Bowl

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Falafel-Bowl-Deconstructed

As much as I love falafel, I really hate making them. They’re tedious and I’m lazy, so it’s rare that I make them. I have to really, really want falafel.

Of course, I’m a perfectionist and my falafel balls must all be identical in size and shape, so perhaps that’s why they take me so long to prepare, but who knows. All I know is that I love falafel and wanted to find a way to make this dish quicker.

As luck would have it, I stumbled across this post on Vegan Yack Attack (recipe from Megan at The Vegan Cookbook Aficionado) for deconstructed falafel bowls.

Falafel-Bowl

All of the deliciousness of falafel, without the hard work involved. Now that’s my kind of recipe!

I adapted it slightly, removing some ingredients and lessening others to suit my personal tastes, so feel free to check out the recipe on Vegan Yack Attack for Megan’s take on these bowls.

Deconstructed-Falafel-Bowls

Deconstructed Falafel Bowl
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
All the goodness of falafels with only a fraction of the work! This bowl is full of good stuff, and takes no time at all to put together! [i]Adapted from [url href=”http://veganyackattack.com/2014/01/18/deconstructed-falafel-bowl/” target=”_blank”]Vegan Yack Attack[/url] & [url href=”http://www.cookbookaficionado.com/” target=”_blank”]The Vegan Cookbook Aficionado[/url].[/i]
Ingredients
  • Roasted Chickpeas
  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Tahini Dressing
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 large clove garlic, grated with microplane
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
  • Putting everything together
  • Roasted chickpeas
  • Cooked quinoa
  • Lettuce, shredded
  • Cucumber, sliced
  • Tomatoes, sliced
  • Hummus
  • Tahini dressing
  • Hot sauce
Instructions
Roasted Chickpeas
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
  2. Add chickpeas to a large bowl (if you’re using canned chickpeas, rinse them first). Add olive oil, lemon juice, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper, and mix well, until the chickpeas are all coated completely.
  3. Add chickpeas to baking sheet and cook for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking.
  4. Toss with the fresh parsley and set aside.
Tahini Dressing
  1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until everything comes together nicely. Add more water, if necessary, 1 tbsp at a time.
Putting it all together
  1. In bowls, add some of the cooked quinoa, a bunch of roasted chickpeas, some tomatoes, some cucumber, a handful of lettuce, and a big dollop of hummus. Drizzle on some of the tahini dressing and a squirt (or more) of hot sauce. Serve and enjoy!