Category: Recipes

Cold Peanutty Pasta

Leave a comment

Peanutty Pasta (5)

I love getting my little chef into the kitchen for each month’s recipe from High Five magazine, and this month featured a perfect summer pasta, meant to be eaten cold or at room temperature. The recipe was a great chance to hone skills including whisking and chopping with a butter knife. Plus, we got to use neat ingredients like fresh ginger root! Here’s my chef, excited to start.

Peanutty Pasta (1)

Adults, cook 8 ounces spaghetti according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain the remaining pasta water and rinse the spaghetti well with cold water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, have your little chef help you combine the following in a bowl:

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

Peanutty Pasta (2)

Add about 6 tablespoons reserved pasta water to the mixture, and whisk until combined. If the sauce is still thick, add another tablespoon or two of the water.

Travis was so excited to try his hand at a butter knife for the next step. I cut a cucumber into rounds, and let him cut each round into quarters.

Peanutty Pasta (3)

In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped cucumbers, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, and the peanut sauce, tossing well to coat.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Note: To make the recipe nut-free, simply omit the chopped peanuts and use all tahini in place of the chunky peanut butter.

Peanutty Pasta (4)

 

Black Bean Burger Chili

Leave a comment

Bean Chili

Here’s a chili so savory and delicious it will have meat-eaters going back for seconds, thirds… even fourths. Warning – it’s spicy!

Ingredients:

  • 4 frozen black bean veggie burgers (such as Gardein)
  • 3 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, undrained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 teaspoons dried basil
  • 3 teaspoons dried oregno
  • 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
  1. Thaw the veggie burgers and coarsely chop.
  2. Combine the burgers with all of the remaining ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, for flavors to blend.

 

Fluffy White Cupcakes

Leave a comment

Cupcakes (2)

In the past, I’ve outsourced birthday party cakes to vegan bakeries in our area, but this year I decided to be brave and go homemade. I’m happy to report these cupcakes are nearly foolproof, and were a huge hit!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
  • 2 and 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 and 1/8 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
  1. Line 20 muffin cups with paper liners (find a color that fits your party theme!), and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. Pour the cider vinegar into a measuring cup, and add soy milk to equal 1 and 1/2 cups; this will sour the mixture.
  3. Meanwhile combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
  4. Combine the soy milk mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer with the canola oil, vanilla, and coconut extract. Add the flour mixture, beating until combined.
  5. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake).
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

Cupcakes (1)

Ok, I did cheat on the frosting and opted for a jar of Wholesome Sweeteners’ vanilla flavor. Go homemade on the frosting too if you have the time!

Summer Smoothie Bonanza

Leave a comment

smoothies (2)

We’ve been having fun this summer testing lots of fruit-and-veggie combo smoothies. Some have been bigger hits than others, but the following all got the seal of approval from my preschooler.

Banana-Pea Smoothie

  • 2 cups sliced banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower butter
  • 1 and 1/4 cups coconut milk

Strawberry-Spinach Smoothie

  • 2 cups frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach
  • 1 and 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Smoothies (4)

Blueberry-Broccoli Smoothie

  • 2 cups frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 cup broccoli florets
  • 2 to 3 chopped, pitted dates
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

(This was the best one yet, earning a “delicious!”)

Smoothies (5)

Peach-Carrot Smoothie

  • 2 cups frozen peaches
  • 1/2 cup cooked carrots
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

The grown-ups liked this one best!

Smoothies (7)

Cantaloupe-Cauliflower Smoothie

  • 2 cups cubed cantaloupe
  • 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower florets
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 and 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk

Smoothie (8)

Breakfast Banana Split

1 Comment

Banana Split

It’s my boy’s fourth birthday, and that calls for something a little extra special at breakfast. Ice cream sundaes for breakfast? Why not, if it’s summer and you’re turning 4! If you want to make this dish a little more everyday-friendly, replace the ice cream with your favorite non-dairy vanilla yogurt.

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana
  • 2 scoops non-dairy vanilla ice cream
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons granola
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter, warmed
  1. Cut the banana in half lengthwise, and arrange on a plate.
  2. Top the banana with the ice cream, blueberries, and granola. Drizzle with the almond butter.

Now that’s a sweet start to the day!

Cantaloupe Skewers

2 Comments

Cantaloupe Skewers (1)

These skewers feature all the best flavors of summer on a plate, and are great as a side dish, appetizer, or even a non-cook main course if you eat enough for them! For the closest vegan mozzarella to a fresh one like buffalo, you can’t go wrong with Follow Your Heart’s mozzarella block. Cook your bacon slices ahead of time and cut into pieces that are roughly the size of the other ingredients.

Repeat the process below with all the ingredients to make as many skewers as you need to feed your family or a summer party crowd.

Per skewer you’ll need:

2 cantaloupe chunks

2 fresh basil leaves

2 cubes “fresh” vegan mozzarella

2 pieces vegan bacon (homemade or store-bought)

2 cubes French bread baguette.

Thread the ingredients onto long skewers in a pattern.

For every two skewers, drizzle with about 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon agave nectar.

Cantaloupe Skewers (2)

Which little tidbit will you eat first?

Zucchini Pizza Snacks

Leave a comment

Zucchini Pizza (2)

Pizza for snacktime? Kids will be thrilled when you announce that’s what’s on the menu, and hardly disappointed at all when they learn there is no crust involved.

Cut 1 large zucchini into long diagonal slices (about 1/2-inch thick) and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Spoon a little tomato sauce over each slice, and add your favorite vegan cheese on top. Cheese shreds would work great, but we also like the Chao slices from Field Roast.

Zucchini Pizza (3)

Broil for 2 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melty and the zucchini is tender.

 

S’more Brownies

1 Comment

Smore Brownies (4)

Want s’more fun with summer’s favorite trio of chocolate, graham cracker, and marshmallows? In addition to our s’more energy bites (which have all been gobbled up), we made these easy s’more brownies. Hint: the recipe starts with a mix!

Mix together one package of your favorite vegan brownie mix according to package directions. Spread half of the batter into the bottom of a 9×9-inch baking dish.

Smore Brownies (1)

Top evenly with graham cracker pieces, then spread with the remaining batter.

Smore Brownies (2)

Sprinkle the top with Dandies mini marshmallows – the more the gooier! You’ll notice that Travis was too busy licking the batter from the bowl to help sprinkle on the marshmallows.

Smore Brownies (3)

Bake according to package directions.

If brownies aren’t your favorite, try this twist on the s’more trio:

Layer chocolate pudding, broken graham cracker pieces, and mini Dandies marshmallows in a glass. Repeat the layers, and top with a final layer of pudding. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (this will help the graham cracker pieces soften).

S'more Parfait.JPG

 

Summer Garden Zoodles

2 Comments

Summer Zoodles

Zoodles (zucchini noodles) can make ho-hum summer squash seem so much more fun. The addition of beans and almonds makes this version hearty enough to be a full meal – no cooking required! If you have a spiralizer, make your own zoodles from 1 large zucchini.

Ingredients:

For the pesto:

  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

For the zoodles:

  • 1 (12-ounce) package zoodles
  • 1 (15-ounce) drained and rinsed can cannellini beans
  • 1 cup halved yellow cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup chopped roasted almonds
  • 2 ounces crumbled creamy vegan cheese
  1. To prepare the pesto, combine the basil, cashews, and olive oil in a food processor; process until smooth.
  2. Combine the pesto in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients except the cheese, tossing to coat.
  3. Divide evenly among 4 plates. If desired, top each serving with cheese crumbles (we like the creamy cheeses from Treeline for this one).

Mini Pepper Guacamole Dippers

Leave a comment

Yellow Guac (1)

Miniature anything is fun for kids. Dipping anything is fun for kids. Ergo here is the perfect summer snack!

Whip up a batch of your family’s favorite guacamole – anything from mild to spicy. For my picky preschooler, this is sometimes just as simple as squeezing a little lime juice into freshly mashed avocado. Sometimes we get a little fancier.

Big kids can dip mini bell peppers right into the guac. Slice the peppers into strips for smaller kids.

Kids don’t like guacamole? Try stuffing the mini pepper halves with non-dairy cream cheese instead.

Zucchini Pizza (1)

Happy dipping!

Yellow Guac (2)