Vegan Recipes from Cassie Howard

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

2 Minute Vegan Parmesan Cheese

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Vegan-Parmesan-Cheese Have you ever stumbled across one of those recipes where, after you read it and make it yourself, you think: “why have I not made this before?!”? I have – and this is that recipe. Vegan-Parmesan You see, before going vegan, parmesan cheese was my bestie. We did everything together. Sometimes I would grate parmesan directly into my mouth, I loved it that much. So imagine how heartbroken I was when it was time to go our separate ways. But than – THEN I found vegan parmesan cheese. A friend shared this recipe with me, and if you can believe it – it’s just as good as the dairy-based stuff. Except it’s free of animal products. And I can make it myself. Because you certainly would never have caught me making cheese out of cow’s milk. No way, no how. Homemade-Vegan-Parmesan This vegan parmesan takes just 2 minutes to make. That’s it. I’m not kidding. 2 minutes. Set a timer if you don’t believe me. All it is, is nuts (I use almonds, but many others would work, such as cashew or walnut), nutritional yeast and salt. Put it in your food processor, process and them BAM. You’re done. Sprinkle it on everything. For a nut-free version of this cheese, combine 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Homemade-Vegan-Parmesan-Cheese

2 Minute Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Recipe Type: Vegan Cheese
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 cup raw almonds, unsalted
  • 1 tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until powdery (I like mine with just a bit of texture and not super smooth of a powder).
  2. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight jar for up to 2 weeks.

 

Loaded Vegan Strawberry Spelt Muffins

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Vegan-Strawberry-Muffins
 The best way to wake up in the morning? With muffins in your face. Duh. Strawberry muffins were on the menu for me last week, since we had just scored a huge lot of strawberries from a local farm for next to nothing. We threw a ton in the freezer for smoothies, and I also whipped up a batch of these delicious vegan strawberry muffins. Strawberry-Muffins-Vegan I used spelt flour for these muffins because I love the mild nutty, sweet flavour that it gives to my baked goods. It’s also much better for you than many other flours on the market! These muffins were just begging for strawberries so I loaded them up, even adding a bunch more on top, right before baking. This ensured that you got a taste of strawberry with every bite you took. Deeeelish! If you’re looking for a yummy breakfast to wake up to, try these strawberry muffins. Make them the night before and store them at room temperature, and when morning comes – dig in! Strawberry-Muffins

Loaded Vegan Strawberry Spelt Muffins
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeds + 6 tbsp water, mixed together)
  • 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups strawberries, diced
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease a muffin pan, or line with paper or silicone cups.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and coconut sugar.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, butter, vanilla and 2 flax eggs.
  4. Add your liquid ingredients to your dry ingredients and stir until everything is combined well. Do not over mix.
  5. Fold in 1 1/2 cups strawberries.
  6. Scoop muffin mix into your muffin pan, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Add more diced strawberries to the top (the 1/2 cup you have remaining).
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing muffins from pan.
Notes
*Use soy-free vegan butter to make this dish soy-free.[br]*Use soy, rice or hemp milk to make this dish nut-free.

Strawberry-Vegan-Muffins

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.

 

The Breakfast Smoothie Bowl

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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…

Smoothie-Bowl

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.

Big-Smoothie-Bowl

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?

Berry-Smoothie-Bowl

 

The Breakfast Smoothie Bowl
Recipe Type: Smoothie
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
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
  1. 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.
  2. If the mixture is too thin, add another 1/2-1 banana or more berries.
  3. Scoop mixture into your bowl and top with your toppings of choice. Eat with a spoon!

 

How to Make Chia Seed Jam

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Chia-Seed-Jam I can’t believe I’ve kept this super easy jam recipe a secret from you, but it seems as though I did. I’ve always loved homemade jams, and would buy them often at farmer’s markets in the summer, but never made them myself because I felt like it would be too much work. A few months back, a friend of mine introduced me to chia seed jam, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Now I make homemade jam all the time. Vegan-Chia-Seed-Jam I love how simple it is to prepare a fresh batch of my very own jam, adding as much, or as little, sweetener as I want. Store-bought jams are almost always way too sweet, aren’t they? I think so. Strawberry-Chia-Seed-Jam
 So far I’ve only made blueberry jam and this strawberry jam, but once I do some raspberry picking this summer, I’ll make a batch of raspberry jam, too. Blackberry would also be nice. And peach. And grape. Ahhh, there are so many options! Toast-with-Chia-Seed-Jam And all thanks to the goodness of chia seeds, which are amazing because they: Balance blood sugar Add healthy omega-3 oil to your diet Make you feel more energized Cut your cravings Combat diseases Provide you with stronger teeth & bones Are a great source of protein Help fight belly fat and so much more! I love these little guys. Chia-Seed-Jam-Vegan

How to Make Chia Seed Jam
Recipe Type: How-to Guide
Cuisine: Chia Seed Jam
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Varies
Ingredients
  • Fruit of choice (I used 1 pound of strawberries)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave (I used maple syrup)
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
  1. Prepare your fruit. For my strawberries, I washed them, hulled them, and cut them into really small pieces. I’ve also made blueberry chia seed jam, and for those, I just washed the blueberries.
  2. Add your fruit and maple syrup or agave to a small pot, and heat on medium for about 10 minutes, or until the fruit starts to liquefy. Once this happens, start to gently smash your fruit. The smoother you want your jam, the more you’ll have to mash up the fruit.
  3. Once the fruit has reached your desired consistency, bring it to a boil, and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.
  4. Add in your chia seeds and stir to combine. Remove from heat and then walk away and come back in 10 minutes – voila, homemade jam!
  5. Allow the jam to cool completely before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

 

Raw Vegan Lime Tart with Cashew Cream

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Raw-Vegan-Lime-Tart

I saw this yummy dessert recipe on Neely’s site a few weeks back, and added it to my to-make file, until this past weekend when I finally made it.

And oh my, was it ever good. I’m ashamed that I waited so long to make it, because it was incredible.

Lime-Tart-Raw-Vegan

I made a few substitutions and added some ingredients to my preference, and in the end, this turned into one of my favourite desserts I’ve ever made! I thought I was a lemon lover, but… limes are certainly growing on me, that’s for sure.

I used my food processor to make the crust and my Blendtec blender to make the cashew cream, and both worked well. I wish I had a tart pan, because that would have made my “tart” look better, but I didn’t, so I just used an 8×8 baking dish (which was a bit too large, so I only spread the crust out using about 3/4 of the pan dimmensions).

It worked, and it tasted delicious, and that’s all that really matters anyway, right?

Vegan-Lime-Tart-Raw

Adapted from Neely Wang.

Raw Vegan Lime Tart with Cashew Cream
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-12
Ingredients
  • Crust
  • 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
  • 1/3 cup walnuts
  • 1/3 cup cashews
  • 1/3 cup almonds
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • Cashew Cream
  • 2 cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours)
  • 1/3 cup lime juice
  • 1 tbsp lime zest
  • 1/4 cup agave
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup water + more as needed
Instructions
Tart
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process for a minute or two, or until everything comes together into a sticky ball.
  2. Press the processed tart ingredients into a baking dish/pan (I used an 8×8 dish, but an actual tart pan would work better!). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Cashew Cream
  1. Add all ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender and process/blend until smooth and creamy, adding more water, as needed.
  2. Pour cashew cream over tart crust and smooth it out. Add a bit of lime zest on top, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes before cutting into bars/squares and serving.

 

Quinoa & Black Bean Burger with Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

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Black-Bean-Quinoa-Burger

Now that the weather is warming up (I hope!), I’ve been dreaming of burgers. Burgers of all kinds.

Last week, I decided to make them. Who cares if we were having a huge rain storm that day? Burgers were on the menu, and I was thrilled.

Especially because I was going to slather my burger in spicy vegan nacho cheese sauce. Mmmm, yummy.

Quinoa-Black-Bean-Burger-Vegan

I highly recommend wrapping your burgers in plastic wrap and sticking them in the fridge for an hour or so before you cook them, too. I found that this helped to keep the burgers together better than when I’ve made them before and not refrigerated them first.

Also, you don’t have to bake these in the oven. You can also throw them (gently!) on the barbecue, or fry them on the stove. Cook them however your heart desires. Any way you cook them, they turn out pretty awesome.

Quinoa-Black-Bean-Burger

I topped my delicious burger with vegan nacho cheese sauce, baby spinach, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts and it was a magical combination. So good. But of course, use whatever you like on a burger!

Quinoa & Black Bean Burger with Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
  • Nacho Cheese Sauce
  • 1 1/4 cups 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
  • Quinoa & Black Bean Burger
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water)
  • 1 1/2 Cup Cooked Black Beans (if using canned beans, rinse & dry them first)
  • 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup bell pepper, minced (I used red)
  • 2 tbsp onion, minced
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • Burger Ingredients
  • 5-6 burger buns
  • Toppings of your choice
Instructions
Nacho Cheese Sauce
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-powered blender and process/blend until smooth,
  2. Pour mixture into a medium pot over medium heat and warm it up for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Quinoa & Black Bean Burger
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400F.
  2. Whisk together the ground flax seed and water for your flax egg. Set aside.
  3. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a small pot, then cover and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked. Set aside.
  4. Mash up the black beans in a bowl, using a fork. Don’t use a food processor because I’ve found this to make the burgers difficult to form into patties. You don’t have to mash every last bean, but do your best.
  5. In the bowl with the black beans, add in the bread crumbs, minced bell pepper, minced onion, minced garlic, cumin, salt, hot sauce, cooked quinoa and your flax egg. Mix together with your hands and them form into patties. You should be able to get 5-6 burgers, depending on how large you make them.
  6. Place your burgers on a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until browned on the bottom, then flip and cook another 10-15 minutes, or until browned on both sides and cooked through.
Putting it All Together
  1. Put your burger on a bun, top with vegan nacho cheese sauce and your choice of toppings (I used alfalfa sprouts, baby spinach and tomatoes).
Notes
*You can store any extra nacho cheese sauce in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply re-heat it on the stove.

 

Homemade Peanut Butter in Minutes

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Homemade nut butters have got to be one of the easiest things to make, ever. With only 1 ingredient, you can have delicious, creamy almond, peanut, cashew… any type of nut butter you desire, in just minutes.

Vegan-Peanut-Butter

Skip the store-bought stuff that is loaded with junk on top of more junk. Homemade nut butter is where it’s at.

Not only is it easy to make, and delicious, but it’s also way, way cheaper than buying it from a grocery store.

Peanut-Butter-Vegan

In our house, we go through a ton of peanut butter every week. Our 2 kids eat it almost daily, we have it in oatmeal, in smoothies, and in a lot of baked goods that I whip up. That means I always need to have peanuts on hand to make delicious homemade peanut butter at least twice each month.

Homemade-Peanut-Butter

I use either my KitchenAid food processor or the Twister Jar for our Blendtec blender to make my nut butters (I used the food processors for the peanut butter in these photos).

Both of them work really great for peanut butter, but I prefer the Twister Jar because it usually gets the peanut butter much smoother. If you like a chunkier peanut butter, you can just use a food processor.

When you make this peanut butter, the peanuts will go through various stages:

  • Crushed peanuts
  • Fine peanut powder
  • Peanut paste
  • Peanut butter dough
  • Chunky peanut butter
  • Smooth peanut butter

Once it’s done, it will be pretty thin because of the warmth from the food processor/blender, but let it sit in the fridge for a few hours and it will thicken up.

Homemade Peanut Butter in Minutes
Recipe Type: Condiments
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
Homemade peanut butter in no time flat! Easy, delicious and inexpensive. What could be better?
Ingredients
  • 2 cups of peanuts (I used raw & unsalted, then roasted them in the oven for about 5 minutes and allowed to cool)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar (optional)
Instructions
  1. All peanuts to your food processor or blender, the process/blend until it reaches the smoothness you like, stopping to scrape the sides of the canister if necessary. For me (I like very smooth peanut butter), it took about 7 minutes in the food processor.
  2. Add in the salt & coconut sugar, if desired, and pulse a few times to incorporate.