Vegan Recipes from Cassie Howard

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

Vegan Cheesy Dill Popcorn

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I used to visit this popcorn store near our house all the time before I switched to a plant-based diet. Kernels. That was their name – and they sold all different kinds of… you guessed it – popcorn. They often had buy one, get one free deals doing on too, which made my decision to stuff my face full of popcorn even easier.

Since all of their popcorn is coated in butter, I can no longer visit them and buy copious amounts of popcorn. Sad face.

vegan-cheesy-dill-popcorn

My favourite flavour was cheesy dill. It was finger-lickin’ good, and I don’t say that lightly. That stuff was addictive. I couldn’t get enough! Once I quit cheese and butter, this delicious treat was off the menu for me.

And for months, I just sulked and whined about it. I want my cheesy diiiiiiiiiiiiiiill. I NEED it. I can’t survive without it! I’m going to dieeeeeeeeee…

Ahem.

cheesy-dill-popcorn-vegan

Thankfully, I [kind of] know my way around the kitchen, so I thought I’d try out my own homemade cheesy dill popcorn – a vegan version that I was actually able to eat.

And I did it!

It is:
Cheesy
Dill-y
Satisfying
Healthy (ish)
Delicious
Mouth-watering
Crunchy
Full of flavour

dill-and-cheese-popcorn

Now I can stuff my face whenever I want! SCORE.

Seriously, if you’re a popcorn love and cheese and dill are your thang, give this popcorn a try. I dare you not to stuff your face, too.

cheesy-dill-popcorn

Vegan Cheesy Dill Popcorn
Recipe Type: Snack
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
  • 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Pop your popcorn and place into a large, brown paper bag.
  2. Drizzle half of the melyed butter, close the bag, and shake and about 15 seconds. Repeat with remaining butter. Do the same with the apple cider vinegar.
  3. Sprinkle the fresh dill, nutrotional yeast and sale over the popcorn. Close the bag and shake again – for 15-30 seconds, or until all popcorn is coated well.
  4. Dump popcorn into serving bowl(s) and serve immediately.

 

cheese-dill-popcorn

 

Raw Vegan Dessert Pizza

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dessert-pizza

Summer makes me crave cold food, so when my husband suggested pizza for dinner the other night, I offered up a much cooler suggestion – dessert pizza!

That’s right. Dessert for dinner. Why not?

dessert-pizza-vegan

This ain’t your usual dessert pizza, though. Those are often made with a sugar cookie crust, and I just wasn’t in the mood for a big cookie for dinner (although I did consider it).

So, I thought I’d try for a raw crust, and since Medjool dates are always plentiful in our kitchen, I used those as my inspiration. I opted for a chocolate crust, because… well, IT’S CHOCOLATE. And you can’t complain about chocolate. Ever. Chocolate is always delicious.

homemade-dessert-pizza-vegan

I wasn’t really sure what would work best for the pizza “sauce”, so I tried cashew cream, but thickened it slightly, by adding less water than I normally do. It was perfect. Next time I may add some cocoa powder for an even bigger chocolate kick.

After freezing the crust and “sauce” until firm, I topped the pizza with fresh fruit, a drizzle of chocolate, and called it a day. A damn good day, if I do say so myself.

And I must add – my husband loved the pizza. OF COURSE.

vegan-homemade-dessert-pizza

Vegan Dessert Pizza
Recipe Type: Vegan Dessert Pizza
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • Pizza Crust
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)
  • Cashew Cream
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp agave
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Chocolate Drizzle
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1 1/2 tsp agave
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • Fruit Topping
  • 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 1/2 cup kiwi, peeled & sliced
Instructions
Pizza Crust
  1. Rub a bit of coconut oil on your pie plate, lightly covering the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Set aside.
  2. Add the dates, almonds, oats, cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla and salt to a food processor and process until a chocolate “dough ball” emerges, about 2 minutes. Make sure there are no large chunks left in the mixture. Add the chocolate chips and pulse for just a few seconds. You don’t want to chop them up, just incorporate them into the “dough”.
  3. Transfer mixture to your pie plate press the crust into it, making sure to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. You also want to go up the sides of the pan a bit. Set aside.
Cashew Cream
  1. Add cashews, water, lemon juice, agave, and salt to your food processor or high powdered blender. Blend/process until smooth.
  2. Pour sauce over the pizza crust and spread around, without going all the way to the end of the crust (leave about an inch or so that has no cashew cream on it). Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4 hours, or until the cashew cream is firm.
Chocolate Drizzle
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, agave and cocoa powder, until smooth. Set aside.
Putting it all together
  1. Remove the pie plate from the freezer about 30 minutes before you plan to add your toppings. This will make the pizza crust come out of the pan much easier. Remove and place on a large plate, cutting board or serving platter. Layer strawberries, raspberries and kiwis on your pizza, overlapping just a bit.
  2. Drizzle with chocolate, cut into pizza slices and serve.

dessert-pizza-recipe

Vegan Breadsticks with Herb Topping

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vegan-breadsticks

I’ve been searching for the perfect breadstick recipe for years.

I’ve tried countless of them, and they all fell flat. Either they took 500 hours to rise (not really, but still – FOREVER), they didn’t rise at all, they were chewy, or they just plain didn’t taste good.

Then – I found Marly’s recipe and life has never been the same.

vegan-bread-sticks

They’re light, fluffy, they rise in less than an hour, and they taste ridiculously good for being so simple.

I’m in love. My breadstick kick is back, and I am now enjoying these sticks on a regular basis.

Instead of all-purpose, I use kamut flour. I just love the flavour of it (and I really hate using all-purpose). I also switched up the herbed topping ingredients for a bit more flavour. The next time I make these I’m going to try “pizza” flavour. Yum.

These would also be yummy with melted vegan butter, cinnamon and brown sugar instead of herbs. Mmmm hmmm. Just don’t serve those with pasta. That would be weird.

bread-sticks-vegan

Vegan Breadsticks with Herb Topping
Recipe Type: Bread
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 20
Ingredients
  • Breadsticks
  • 1 1/2 cups very warm water (not too hot, not too cold – think bath water)
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3-4 cups of kamut flour (all-purpose would also work, so would light spelt)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
  • Herb Topping
  • 3 tbsp vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp basil
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Breadsticks
  1. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray (or use a non-stick mat or some parchment paper).
  2. In a medium bowl, add water, sugar and active dry yeast. Stir and set aside until a proofed (about 10 minutes).
  3. In a large bowl, add the flour and salt. Stir to combine. Add the yeast mixture and melted butter mix well, until a dough ball forms.
  4. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, until smooth.
  5. From the dough ball, pull golf ball sized pieces and roll them into balls, then into long pieces. Add to your baking sheet.
  6. Preheat your oven to 150F. Once it reaches that temperature, turn it back off, and place the breadsticks in the oven. Now they have a warm place to rise. Allow them to sit in there for about 35 minutes.
  7. Remove breadsticks from the oven and heat to 375F.
Herb Topping
  1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. Spread half of the mixture onto the breadsticks (after they have doubled in size, and before you bake them).
  2. Bake the breadsticks in the oven for about 15 minutes, then remove and spread the rest of the herb topping onto them.
  3. Serve warm!
Notes
[i]Adapted from [url href=”http://www.namelymarly.com/2014/06/homemade-garlic-breadsticks/” target=”_blank”]Namely Marly[/url].[/i]

 

Rich Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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Rich-Zucchini-Muffins

I’m always looking for ways to sneak veggies into my kids’ diets. They flat out refuse vegetables most of time, so I have to hide them in foods they’ll eat – like chocolate. That’s where these muffins come in.

Vegan-Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins

Zucchini and black beans are my favourite to use in chocolate muffins/brownies/cakes/anything with chocolate, but I had no black beans and one medium sized zucchini in my fridge – so zucchini and chocolate it was. I made muffins, since my kids love them.

The verdict? 2 thumbs up – from both kids!

Of course, with chocolate, it’s hard to go wrong, right?

Rich-Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins

You can’t taste a single hint of zucchini in this recipe, just chocolate, which is why my kids kept begging for more and more muffins, until eventually they were gone (in just 2 days)… okay fine, I may have eaten one three myself, too!

Rich Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Recipe Type: Snack, Dessert
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed, 3 tbsp water)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup coconut or brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free milk (I used soy)
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup grated zucchini
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup water
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax seed and water for your flax egg. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder , cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, vanilla and flax egg, until combined.
  5. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and mix well, until all the flour is incorporated.
  6. Stir in the zucchini, 1/2 cup chocolate chips and water.
  7. Fill muffin liners (almost to the top), sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins-Vegan

20 Minute Garlic & Tomato Pasta

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Tomato-Garlic-Pasta

My love for pasta cannot be put into words – it’s that strong. If I could eat breakfast for every meal of the day, I’d be one happy girl (I’ve been known to cook up a pot of pasta for breakfast on really cold mornings! I’m weird, I know.).

Alas, this is not possible, so I indulge whenever I can. And when I do make pasta, I try not to complicate things. Simple is often best. Like this pasta here, for example.

Pastas

There is very little added to it (just tomatoes, garlic, basil, parsley, lemon juice and some herbs), and it tastes amazing. Also, because there are so few ingredients, it takes no time at all to prepare!

I love simple pastas!

Vegan-Tomato-Garlic-Pasta

Isn’t it pretty?

Use any kind of pasta you want for this – it will work with almost all kinds, but I love linguine. Spaghetti and spiral noodles work well, too. This was just an organic white pasta, but I usually use spelt, whole wheat or brown rice pastas – and they all work well in this recipe!

Garlic-Tomato-Pasta

Garlic & Tomato Pasta
Recipe Type: Pasta
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. pasta (or 1/2-1 cup per person)
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Boil pasta according to package directions.
  2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once warm, add garlic and cook until lightly browned, then add in the tomatoes and cook for another few minutes (3 or 4).
  3. Drain your cooked pasta and add it to the pan. Mix everything together, and then add in your basil, parsley, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Mix again.
  4. Serve immediately.

 

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.

 

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.