By Frederico Maciel de Mello

I’m not a super cook so I like easy recipes. Here is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons of vegan butter or olive oil (with vegan butter it is much tastier)
• 4 tablespoons of wheat flour
• 500 ml of cashew nut milk (you can use unsweetened milk, but cashew nut milk is great because it has a neutral flavor)
• Salt, black pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Directions:

•  In a heated pan put the butter and let it melt. Add the flour and stir for about 2 minutes with the help of a spoon or spatula
• Add the milk all at once and, with the help of a wire whisk, mix well until it boils
• Put the fire down and let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time
• Finally, season generously with nutmeg, salt and black pepper
• Yields approximately 400 grams of sauce
• Add to your favorite pasta and enjoy!

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By Toni Okamoto

Avocado Sunflower Seed Pesto is inexpensive to make and really quick to throw together for dinner. It’s incredibly creamy and the combination of fresh basil, garlic, and lemon is the perfect flavor explosion!

It’s also easy to make gluten-free simply by choosing a GF-friendly pasta.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb package of Spaghetti
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

• Cook the spaghetti using package directions.
• In a blender or food processor, add avocados, basil, sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and nutritional yeast and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.
• Mix the pasta and the pesto evenly.
• Serve with cherry tomatoes to garnish.

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Raising Vegan Kids—Got Beans?

My kids sure love pasta! There are so many different shapes, textures, and whole-grain flours to choose from these days. And now there’s even pasta made from beans and lentils!

My kids also love smooth and creamy pasta sauce, like the recipe I’ve shared below. No one would ever guess it’s packed with beans and sweet potatoes! Beans are loaded with fiber, protein, complex carbs, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals—and best of all, they are easy to sneak into kids’ favorite dishes!

You can replace some or all of the beans with an equal amount of cashews to make an even richer, creamier sauce. It’s also fun to steam and finely chop kale or broccoli and mix it in with the pasta.

Bean Pasta Sauce

Serves about 4-6.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to instructions.
2. Chop a small sweet potato (any variety) into similar-sized chunks. Place in a steamer basket and steam until a fork easily pierces the potatoes.
3. Blend sweet potatoes, beans, and pasta sauce until smooth. Add a little water if needed to allow blender to blend smoothly. Start with a few tablespoons and slowly increase.
4. Mix in with pasta and top with oil (flax, hemp, olive, coconut, etc.), nutritional yeast, or vegan cheese.

In case you missed it, here’s our super yummy bean-packed Cookie Dough Pudding.

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We’ve been sharing the details of Vegan Outreach’s nation-wide Vegan Mac Down competitions the past few weeks, but now it’s time to dish out the really good details—the winning recipes of each competition!

First up is Vegan Mac Down L.A. winner, Joni Marie Newman. Joni pleased the judges’ with her Buffalo Mac-n-Cheese creation—and I think it’s going to win over your taste buds, too!

Be sure to follow us in the coming weeks as we share the other winning mac and cheese recipes! And in case you’ve missed the Vegan Mac Down excitement, check out these recent editions of our weekly E-news—August 30 and October 4.

Buffalo Mac-n-Cheese

Yields 4-5 servings.

   Pasta

Directions

1. Prepare macaroni according to package instructions. Set aside.
2. Add potatoes to a large pot of water and boil until very tender. Drain and return to the pot.
3. Add remaining cheese sauce ingredients to the pot. Using an immersion blender, puree until silky smooth. Add additional milk a tablespoon at a time to get to your desired consistency. It should be smooth and creamy, not gritty or clumpy.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F.
5. Add cooked macaroni and cauliflower to the pot of cheese sauce. Stir to combine.
6. Spread mixture into a casserole dish.
7. Add crackers, parmesan, and butter to a dry food processor and pulse into crumbs.
8. Sprinkle topping in an even layer all over the top of the mac and cheese. Finish off by topping with crushed potato chips.
9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven.
10. Drizzle with Blue Cheese and serve with celery sticks, if desired.

Joni Marie Newman is a vegan chef and ten-time published cookbook author. Her work has been featured in VegNews Magazine, Mother Jones, The Oregonian, and many other publications. She is the founder and contributor to JustTheFood.com and can be reached on all of her social media accounts—Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—@JoniMarieNewman.

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If this Pizza Pasta Bake doesn’t scream comfort food, then I don’t know what does. Don’t wait to give this meal a try if you’re looking to whip up a little TLC in your kitchen.

As an avid blog follower of Gena Hamshaw’s The Full Helping, it’s always a pleasure to share her unique food creations with our readers.

Easy Vegan Pizza Pasta Bake

Yields 6-8 servings.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, until it’s al dente.
2. While the pasta cooks, mix the marinara sauce, cashew cream, tomato paste, oregano, and thyme. When the pasta is ready, drain it and return it to the pot. Add the marinara mixture, the frozen vegetables, and the tofu feta (tip: don’t forget to include the tofu feta marinade, which is super flavorful!). Taste and add black pepper to taste, as well as salt (or some nutritional yeast, if you like).
3. Transfer everything to your casserole dish and top with the parmesan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pasta is bubbly and the top is just a little crispy. Serve.

Recipe Tips/Variations

• In place of tofu feta, you can substitute 1 ½ cups of your favorite vegan cheese. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (to taste) to the recipe.

The post Easy Vegan Pizza Pasta Bake appeared first on Vegan Outreach.

This great recipe for Vegan Goulash comes from Vegan Outreach friend Bob German. You know a vegan lifestyle is spreading when The Salina Journal in Kansas is publishing vegan recipes!

I made it this past weekend and it was so tasty, I ate an entire pot in one day! I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:

• 12-ounce package of Lightlife “Smart Ground” meatless original crumbles 
• 1/4  cup chopped onion
• salt
• 1 to 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 1 can petite cut tomatoes
• 1 small can V8 juice
• Chili powder for garnish

Directions:

Cook macaroni in separate pan with water until almost tender. Brown crumbles and onion in skillet. Add cooked macaroni, tomatoes and V8 juice. Let simmer until juices are almost gone. Garnish with chili powder.

Variations: add small can tomato paste when adding tomatoes and V8 juice; add can of drained mushrooms when adding tomatoes and V8 juice.

Above is a photo of the vegan ground crumbles I used. If your local grocery store doesn’t have this brand, I also recommend Yves Meatless Ground Round Original!

Since they don’t sell V8 at Sprouts grocery store, I picked up this R.W. Knudsen Very Veggie juice instead. I followed the recipe directions and everything tasted delicious! I also added a handful of Daiya cheddar shreds when I was cooking the tomatoes, and it was a yummy extra touch.

The post Goulash with Lightlife Meatless Crumbles appeared first on Vegan Outreach.

Growing up, my large, hungry family frequently indulged in the classic heavy and meat-laden dishes of our Italian-American heritage—chicken parmesan, fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs, and, my favorite, lasagna. Lasagna is action packed with a horde of different flavors and textures, especially when you add fresh veggies! It’s the embodiment of comfort food.

Those considering going vegan often stress over the idea that they’ll no longer get to eat their favorite dishes from childhood. I assure you, that’s not the case! And I intend to prove it with this veganized version of my grandma’s lasagna—even my carnivorous family loves it!

Irresistible Lasagna

Yields 6-8 servings.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Soak and cover the cashews for a few hours in the fridge (if in a hurry, you can soak them in boiling water for a few minutes).
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Boil the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions. Make sure to only boil the noodles until al dente—they’ll continue to cook in the oven. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
4. While the noodles cook, slice the eggplant lengthwise into thin, ⅛” slices. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt to draw out excess liquids and place them in a colander for about 10 minutes. Then lightly rinse, pat dry, and set aside. Slice the zucchini the same way and set aside.
5. Drain and rinse the cashews. Blend them with the remaining cashew ricotta ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor.
6. Drain and thoroughly pat dry your tofu. In a bowl, mash the tofu into the cashew cheese. Add dried parsley and salt to taste.
7. Cover the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with a layer of tomato sauce. Layer on the sliced zucchini, cashew ricotta, and the noodles.
8. Repeat this layering process, but alternate the eggplant and zucchini slices. When you’re done layering, finish off with a layer of tomato sauce and as much vegan mozzarella and parmesan as you want.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven to cool and add a garnish of dried parsley.

Recipes Tips/Variations

• I used 9 long lasagna noodles. However, you’ll want to cook more than you are using just in case some of the noodles break while cooking. I suggest making about 13 noodles or ¾ of the package.
• You can make your own vegan parmesan by processing ¼ cup walnuts, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, and about a teaspoon of sea salt in a food processor.
• This lasagna can be made in a smaller, deeper dish. Use extra layers for a more stacked lasagna.

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By Jack Norris

While in Cincinnati visiting my family, my mom made a delicious vegan lasagna that had even the non-vegans at the table going for second helpings. Here’s how she made it:

• 1 lb lasagna noodles
• 1 lb meatless crumbles (any brand)
• 2 x 24 oz bottles tomato basil or marinara sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
•  5 oz fresh spinach
• 16 oz fresh button mushrooms – sliced
• 2 x 10 oz Teese mozzarella – sliced and cut in small pieces
• Large pan – we used 17″ x 12″ x 3″

Directions:

Boil noodles as per box. Mix crumbles and sauce in a bowl. Divide noodles, crumbles and sauce, spinach, and mushrooms, and Teese into thirds. In a large pan put down one layer in this order:

• One-third noodles (if any left over after covering pan bottom, place vertically along sides)
• One-third crumbles and sauce
• Sprinkle salt and pepper
• One-third spinach and mushrooms
• One-third Teese

Repeat two more times.

Serves about 8-10.

The post Lasagna appeared first on Vegan Outreach.

By Toni Okamoto

Here is a quick and easy recipe for the “sopa” my grandma used to make for me. It’s a Mexican pasta dish spiced with cumin and it’s very, very delicious! It also happens to be extremely inexpensive, this recipe was only $1 to make!

Thanks to my Mom for donating this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 package Mexican fideo
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 roma tomato, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 3 cups veggie broth (I used one bouillon cube dissolved in three cups water)

Directions:

• In a medium pan, saute the onions and fideo noodles over medium-low heat until the noodles become a very light brown (1-2 minutes). Make sure to monitor closely to avoid burning.
• Add broth, cumin, tomatoes, and tomato sauce and stir well.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes, or until noodles have softened and there’s a thicker consistency. Enjoy!

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By Toni Okamoto

The time for summer bar-b-ques and potlucks is rapidly approaching, so I wanted to get you well equipped with tasty and easy-to-make recipes! This is one of my favorites! It’s a light pasta salad that’s bursting with flavor and high in protein. Your friends and family are guaranteed to love it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz bag of pasta
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 small red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 15 oz can chickpeas
• 6 oz jar artichoke quarters
• Juice of one lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large pan add olive oil, diced onions, minced
garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. Add chickpeas (drained), artichoke quarters, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and let simmer over medium heat for five minutes. Add drained pasta and mix well. Garnish with cherry tomatoes.

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