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Vegan Cheeseburger Mac

My mom use to make us turkey cheeseburger mac all the time as kids. It was definitely one of my favorites. It is one of those comfort foods that makes you smile just thinking about it. I’m so happy to share my vegan version of it with y’all.

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I’m also extremely obsessed with this cheese sauce. It’s so good and is perfect for stand alone Mac and cheese!

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Ingredients

Mac and Cheese

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons paprika

4 tablespoons coconut oil or vegan butter

3/4 cup nondairy milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1.5 cups nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 teaspoons tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb macaroni noodles

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (can sub butternut squash)

1 cup dried TVP

2 cups of vegetable broth ( I used 2 cups water and 2 teaspoons Better Than Bullion Paste)

2 teaspoons oil

Makes about 5 servings.

1. In a large sauce pan cook your macaroni noodles according to package directions. Rinse, drain and set aside.

2. In that same pot bring the vegetable broth and 2 teaspoons of oil to a boil. Once boiling add in the TVP and stir. Turn the heat off and cover. Let sit while you make the cheese sauce.

3. In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup of nondairy milk and the cornstarch until no lumps remain.

4. In a small sauce pan over medium heat melt the coconut oil. Whisk in the remainder of the nondairy milk, the nutritional yeast, mustard, onion and garlic powder, paprika, tomato paste and apple cider vinegar. Once combined add in the cornstarch milk mixture and stir until thick. Then remove the sauce pan from the heat.

5. Into a blender, add the sauce and the sweet potato. Be careful, blending warm ingredients! Blend until smooth. Add more nutritional yeast as well as salt and pepper to taste.

6. Place your large sauce pan with the TVP back onto the stove at low heat. Add in the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce. Mix together well until everything is thoroughly coated.

7. Serve warm with extra nutritional yeast or red pepper flakes.

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

Garlic Knots

Yes. Garlic Knots. These are amazing. Another great side dish to come out of quarantine. I made this dish as a side to our quarantine Easter dinner. The crispy golden tops and the buttery garlic and soft insides make it the perfect addition to any meal. I served it along side some southern style collard greens (recipe to come!), vegan mac and cheese and vegan ham. Think about serving with spaghetti or One Pot Lasagna Soup.

Making these knots from scratch is not as difficult as it sounds. Patience is key and it definitely pays off. I usually make mine using a stand mixer but its just as easy by hand (I’ve done both!)

Dough

2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp vegan butter

Topping

1/4 cup vegan butter plus more for topping
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp parsley

In a large mixing bowl (or the mixing bowl of your stand mixer), mix 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
In a small microwavable bowl (or small saucepan over medium low heat), microwave the water, nondairy milk and butter until just warm. It should slightly warmer than body temperature any warmer and it may kill the yeast!
Add wet to the dry ingredients and mix or beat for 2 minutes, scraping sides as necessary.
Add 1/4 cup more flour and mix for another 1-2 minutes. Then, add the remaining flower to make a soft dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Return to the mixing bowl and let rest 10 minutes.
While dough is resting, mix together all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Take each piece, roll or press it out into a 7 inch strip and use a spoon to add a small portion of the butter topping to the entire length of the strip. Tie the strip into a double knot and place in a greased 8×8 pan or 8 inch round pan.
Once each of the knots are buttered and tied, cover the pan and let rise in a warm place about 30-40 minutes until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush the tops with additional butter topping (or just extra vegan butter). Bake for 18-20 minutes until light golden brown.
Serve warm. You can store them covered at room temperature.

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

Easy Vegan Brownies!

This was the first (of many) recipes I made during quarantine. I purchased items to make my a double chocolate chip version of 15-minute Vegan Cookies. But after being home for a few weeks and making lots of other cookie recipes (stay tuned!), I wanted to try some brownies. This recipe is easy, delicious and oh so chocolaty. I’m only kinda ashamed of how many of these I ate!

Ingredients

1, 15 oz chocolate cake mix box
⅓ cup nondairy milk
¼ cup oil
1 flax egg (1 tbs ground flaxseed and 2.5 tbs water)
1.5 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil an 8×8 inch pan. Prepare flax egg and wait 2-3 minutes until it becomes gelatinous.
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and 1 cup of chocolate chips.
To the mix add the nondairy milk, oil, and flax egg. Combine until just mixed.
Spread the brownie batter in the prepared pan.
Add the remaining chocolate chips to the top.
Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Let cool before cutting and serving.

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

Southern Style Vegan Cheese Grits

There’s an ongoing debate with those of us who eat grits. Some of us feel that grits are supposed to be served savory and others feel as though grits are served sweet. I grew up eating grits with a bit of sugar but as an adult I love eating them both ways. For those of you who don’t know what grits are, they are a porridge made from cornmeal.

I use to eat cheese grits all the time as a child. These vegan cheese grits are creamy, a bit savory and are my favorite weekend breakfast. This recipe also comes together very quickly. It can be served as a breakfast main or as a side to a tofu scramble and toast!

1-2 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup of grits

1 cup of water

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1-2 tsp vegan butter

1-2 tsp nondairy milk

salt and pepper to taste

Optional Add-ins

1 tbs hemp seeds – adds some extra protein

1/4 cup spinach or kale

If you like your grits sweeter, add a bit of sugar!

Bring a small saucepan of the water to a boil on medium high. Add a pinch of salt and grits. Stir well, cover and turn down to low. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes. (if adding in kale or spinach, add it when you add grits)
Once grits are done, stir in the seasonings, butter and milk. Adjust flavor to your taste. Enjoy warm.

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

Vegan Tuna Noodle Casserole

Before I went vegan, Tuna noodle casserole use to be one of my favorite dishes. My mom always made it for me when I came home from college. I’ve finally found the perfect way to make this dish vegan. I’m excited to share this with you!

Ingredients:

Sauce

1 can white beans drained and rinsed
1/2 nori sheet
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2-1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tbs old bay
8 oz of sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste

1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 lb pasta of choice (my favorite is bowtie!)
1 cup of frozen peas

Some versions of this classic dish are topped with bread crumbs, or crackers. Feel free to add those things if you’d like. Ive also added half a cup of frozen corn to this recipe

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook al dente because the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
Add your mushrooms to a medium pan on medium high heat. Allow to cook down until mushrooms have released all of their water and have browned a bit.
While your mushrooms and/or pasta are cooking, add all of the sauce ingredients, and starting with 1/2 cup of nondairy milk, to a blender and blend until smooth. Sauce should be the consistency of pancake batter thin as necessary with additional nondairy milk. Sauce should also be relatively salty because it will flavor the entire dish.
In a small bowl using a fork or a potato masher, mash chickpeas until mostly broken and flaky.
In a casserole dish, combine the cooked pasta, mushrooms, frozen peas, chickpeas and sauce. Mix well and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake 20 minutes covered and 5-10 minutes uncovered until golden brown.

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

Vegan Curried Cabbage Soup

Tis the season for soup and curry! Why not have the best of both worlds with a curry soup? Of course this is not my first time showcasing curry on the blog nor is it my first soup so if you’re interested check out:

Add what ya got Thai Curry Soup

Baked Vegan Jollof Rice

Creamy Vegan Gnocchi Soup

One Pot Lasagna Soup

Vegan Slow Cooker Tikka Masala

On to my newest obsession curried cabbage soup!

Ingredients

half a head of cabbage chopped*

1 cup of chopped carrots

3 medium potatoes cubed

1 small serrano pepper, seeds removed, minced- Jalapeño works (Or 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes)

1 Tbsp ginger, minced ( Or ginger powder)

1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained. Chickpeas or navy beans are great!

2-3 cloves garlic, minced (Or 1 tbsp garlic powder)

1/4 cup diced onions (Or 1 tbsp onion powder)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

3 Cups veggie broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce (adjust with the saltiness of your broth)

1 tablespoon curry powder

*Don’t let your other half of cabbage go to waste! Chop and freeze. Cabbage keeps so well in the freezer and still has a crunch once defrosted. For other suggestions on how to save money in the kitchen, check out these Top Tips.

This makes about 5-6 servings, so perfect for meal prep.

1. Pre-heat a large pot over medium heat. Add coconut oil and onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Continuously stir until onion is golden.

2. Add garlic, ginger, and serrano pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Then add carrots, potatoes and cabbage. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Add curry powder and soy sauce and continue to stir until veggies start to release more water about 5 minutes.

4. Add in veggie broth. Bring to a boil, add beans and stir. Cover and turn down to a simmer. Let simmer for 10-15 until potatoes and carrots are tender but not too soft.

5. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more soy sauce for salt and/or depth of flavor or more curry powder.

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

This recipe is featured on Buzzfeed’s Tasty!

Vegan Churro Cupcakes

These cupcakes are perfectly sweet and have an amazing cinnamon sugar flavor. They are an amazing replica of the Mexican street food. Try this recipe out for an awesome summertime treat!

I made these delicious little cupcakes for a Cinco de Mayo celebration and they were a huge hit! I will definitely be making them all summer long.

Prep Time 10 Minutes

Bake time 18-20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Dry Ingredients:

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Frosting:

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup vegan butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 – 4 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.

2. In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Whisk together until well combined.

3. In a medium bowl combine the wet ingredients. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula mix everything together until just combined. No need to worry about lumps so don’t over mix!

4. Divide batter evenly between the liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the center cupcakes are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Refrigerate cupcakes until completely cool. Make sure they are cool before removing from the pans!

5. While cooling make the frosting! Combine the powdered sugar, vegan butter, vegetable shortening and vanilla extract using a stand or hand mixer. Add in non-dairy milk one tablespoon at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.

6. In a small bowl mix together sugar and cinnamon.

7. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost, and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on the cupcakes.

Keep cake refrigerated as the buttercream frosting will melt otherwise!

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

This recipe is featured on Buzzfeed’s Tasty!

Savory Baked Oatmeal Cups

This idea came from the extremely popular High Protein Baked Oatmeal Cups that you guys have loved! The best part of them is that they are customizable and are perfect for meal prep. Well I am a lover of savory breakfasts. After making my Vegan Breakfast Bowl, I knew I needed to meal prep some savory breakfasts! Most oat recipes that you find are sweet but savory oats are actually really delicious! Don’t knock it til you try it!

This recipe still remains insanely easy and I’m sure you have most of the ingredients in your kitchen.

I hope this recipe inspires you to get creative and a bit savory with your breakfast!

This makes about 15 oatmeal cups and I pack about 3 per day for meal prep.

Ingredients:

1 can pureed or mashed beans (I’ve used pinto, black and kidney) . Mash with a fork or puree in a blender you may need to add a few tablespoons of water to blend)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 chia or flax egg (see below)

3.5 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 cups vegetable broth (or water)

2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup sunflower or hemp seeds

1/3 cup frozen corn, defrosted

1/3 cup frozen peas, defrosted

2 tablespoons vegan friendly bacon bits (Like McCormick Bac’n Pieces), optional

Pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Make your chia or flax egg. Mix 1 tbsp of chia seeds or ground flax with 2.5 tbsp of water. Let sit.

3. Combine all of your dry ingredients into a large bowl. This includes the oats, nutritional yeast spices, salt, seeds and baking powder. Mix well.

4. Add in the bean puree, chia or flax egg. Mix together making sure the egg substitute and beans are thoroughly incorporated.

5. Add in the vegetable broth slowly while mixing. Once all of the broth is added stir to make sure everything is well combined. This is where you can add the veggies. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes.

6. Scoop mixture into nonstick cupcake/muffin tins. I add about 1/3 cup of the batter to each.

7. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven. Let cool for 10-15 then remove from pan.

Enjoy right away or meal prep for the week! I pack 3 for breakfast everyday.

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

Add-What-Ya-Got Thai Curry Soup

This delicious spicy soup is perfectly customizable and is great when you’re on a budget (like me). It also comes together in about 30 minutes and you can make it all in one pot. I make this soup all of the time because its good, hearty and I can use whatever vegetables I have on hand to make it.

Budget options in bold, don’t worry the budget option soup its still really good!

1/4 cup water (or use 1-2 tablespoons of oil)
1/4 cup onions, diced (Or 1 tbsp onion powder)
3 cloves garlic, minced (Or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
1 Tbsp ginger, minced ( Or ginger powder)
1 small serrano pepper, seeds removed, minced- Ive also used poblano and jalapeño before (Or 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes)
2 cups sliced carrots (or try sweet/white potatoes, butternut squash or another hearty veggie)
3 cups vegetable broth
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 cup uncooked lentils ( Cooking time below is for red lentils, if you use green or brown lentils, adjust cooking time)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Thai curry paste (I prefer red but green works well too!)
1-2 cups total of any other veggies you want to add (Think frozen corn, peas, broccoli, spinach, kale*)
Salt and pepper to taste

*If using kale or a heartier veggie add in after adding curry paste

This makes about 4-5 servings, so I love making this for meal prep.

Pre-heat a large pot over medium heat. Add water (or oil) and diced onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Continuously stir until onion is golden.
Add garlic, ginger, and serrano pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Then add carrots and a bit of salt and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add vegetable broth and coconut milk and increase heat to medium high to bring to a low boil. Add lentils and stir. Once the mixture comes back to a low boil, reduce heat to low.
Add soy sauce and Thai curry paste and stir. Simmer the soup uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 12-16 minutes or until the carrots and lentils are tender (Adjust time if using other types of lentils!) If the mixture becomes too thick, you can add more vegetable broth as needed to thin.
Turn off the heat. At this point you can add whatever other vegetables you have on hand! Toss in the vegetables, stir and cover the pot to let the residual heat cook them.
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt or soy sauce for salt and/or depth of flavor or more Thai curry paste.

Let me know what you think and if you give this recipe a try!

Vegan Breakfast Bowl

This vegan breakfast bowl was a delicious and happy accident that mostly was created out of hunger. The roasted potatoes, sauteed kale, fried seitan bacon and chickpea omlette made for a perfectly balanced and filling start to my day.

I started my Sunday super early working and running around so by the time 9 am came I was famished. I needed food right away. But I still had a million things to do. I remembered I had a potato in my fridge so I chopped it up preheated the oven and threw it in while I continued to work around the house. I started the morning in my garden and I harvested some kale so I thought maybe I’ll eat that too. In between jobs I chopped it up and added it to a frying pan. I also remembered that I had and almost always have a seitan loaf in the freezer. While marinating the sliced seitan, I found a small bag of chickpea flour that I needed to use.

I hope this recipe inspires you to get creative with your breakfast and use what you have in your kitchen!

Roasted Potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit

2. Cube any type of potato (try sweet potato!) and add it to a silicone mat lined baking sheet. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and paprika.

3. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Bake time depends on the type of potato used and the size of your cubes. Set aside.

Sauteed Kale

1. Preheat a medium sized pan on medium high heat.

2. Toss in 1-2 handfuls of rinsed and chopped kale (or spinach) It may look like a lot but remember how much fresh greens cook down!

3. Add a bit of water as needed to help it cook and not stick. Season with onion powder, garlic powder salt and pepper to taste.

4. Cook until tender set aside.

Seitan Bacon

1. Make a seitan loaf! I recommend doing this before hand as it takes at least an hour. Remember the loafs freeze well. Slice 5-8 thin pieces about 1/8 inch in thickness.

2. In a small bowl add 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and a tablespoon of water. Mix well.

3. Marinate seitan slices in the mixture for a 5-10 minutes or in the fridge overnight.

4. Add a bit of oil to your medium low heat preheated pan (use your kale pan, less washing up!) Fry seitan bacon for 45 seconds to a minute on each side until golden brown. Set aside.

Chickpea Omlette

Add 1/2 cup of chickpea flour to a small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon black salt, fresh pepper to taste, 1 teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. Mix well. (Feel free to treat this like an omlette and add mushrooms, spinach or bell peppers!)
1 tablespoon at a time add water to the bowl mixing well until a pancake batter consistency is reached.
Preheat your pan to medium heat. Add a bit of oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Pour the mixture into the middle of the frying pan.
Its not like a regular pancake. It wont bubble when it is ready to flip look for the edges to pull away from the pan and turn golden brown. Flip it and let it cook for about 1 minute. Set aside.

Assemble your bowl

Add everything to a bowl. Season to taste with extra salt and pepper and green onions.

You can’t have a bowl without a Sauce. I made a sriracha maple syrup with 2 parts maple syrup and 1 part sriracha for a spicy and sweet kick to the bowl. You can also go for just sriracha or maple syrup. Or ketchup if that’s your thing. Get creative!

Let me know if you give this bowl or any part of it a try! Don’t be afraid to adjust and customize it to your preferences or what you have in your kitchen.