Tag Archives: noodle

Vegan Spaghetti and “Beyond Meat (R)” Sauce

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When I was a kid one of my favorite things was watching my mom make meat sauce. I couldn’t see in the pot but I did get to taste test with pieces of white bread. I think I would eat about a half of a loaf of white Wonder bread by the time my mom was done cooking down the sauce. I would wash it all down with some good ol’ vitamin D “red” milk and a big orangey smile. Now that I am a grown up and a vegan… well… this isn’t on my list of things I can do. But I can try to recreate that taste. The only change to my moms sauce is really the meat. The rest was already vegan. So with that, I began my attempt with the use of the new Beyond Meat Crumbles. The only reason I attempted this recipe is because of these crumbles. They have the right flavor and texture and cook the same as regular hamburger would. This was always a problem with other crumbles; they either dried out or got mushy. Not Beyond Meat! So I was so confident making it I made it for dinner without even testing. Just to let you know… they didn’t let me down it, came out perfecto! I love Beyond Meat so so much. You should too. Also, this recipe is super duper simple and low ingredient. It is virtually error proof! Eat up!

 

2014-05-22 19.24.29

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Spaghetti with “Beyond Meat” Sauce

 

  • 1 Extra large can of Crushed Tomatoes
  • 1 Extra Large Can of Tomato Puree
  • 2 mini cans of Tomato Paste
  • 1 package of Beyond Meat Crumbles
  • Olive Oil
  • Kosher Salt
  • Seasoned Salt
  • Dried or Fresh Basil
  • Granulated Garlic

 

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Cooking the Meat!

  1. Add a small amount of olive oil to an extra large sauce pot and when warm toss in Beyond Meat crumbles and a few pinches of kosher salt.
  2. Cook until heated and ready to eat.

 

Making the Sauce!

  1. Add all canned tomato products to meat.
  2. Sprinkle in Granulated Garlic, Basil, and Seasoned salt to taste.
  3. Add a little olive oil if you want now.
  4. Cook down stirring frequently over medium heat until slightly dense. Takes about 30-45 minutes.
  5. Keep the top on to avoid splatter!
  6. Serve over pasta of your choice. I prefer ziti with lines or angel hair. Enjoy!

 

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Food is Love. The Hippie Gypsy.

 

Vegan Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I really really love Mac and Cheese. I love Amy’s new vegan rice mac and Daiya cheeze. I love my own vegan bacon mac and cheese. I love that whole foods squash casserole mac and cheese that I make with the stuffing topping. I mean I love anything even Mac and Cheese related. It is such a wonderful comfort food that I think anyone can relate. When I was detoxing off omnivore food after my surgery I remember crying in a CVS full of exiting hormones telling my husband I needed the instant mac and cheese in the cup and I was probably going to have a melt down if I didn’t get some. Yea it was dramatic. And no he didn’t leave me, he just ushered me out. I remember thinking I am acting like a pregnant woman with these hormones. Well thankfully I am no longer going through the detox period of becoming vegan and I also can make mac and cheese (vegan) anytime I want. This recipe is how I feel I would best be able to mimic the baked macaroni and cheese I made back when I was not vegan. This is not your 1980’s blue box macaroni and cheese. This is the real stuff. I think this is the best way to think of “homestyle” or “comfort” food recipes. These are not meant to be the most healthy but are generally far healthier than their omnivore predecessors. I hope you love the ooey, gooey yumminess as much as I did.

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Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients for Sauce:

  • (1) block Daiya Cheddar   IMG_2528
  • (1) cup Soy Creamer   IMG_2531
  • (1) stick Earth Balance Buttery Sticks   IMG_2532   IMG_2533
  • 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (”nooch”)   IMG_2529
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder   IMG_2539
  • 1/2 teaspoon Yellow Mustard   IMG_2537
  • 1 tablespoon Thyme   IMG_2534
  • 4 tablespoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic   IMG_2535
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Ingredients for Bake:

  • 2lbs of elbow macaroni (I use whole wheat)   IMG_2536
  • 1 bag Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds   IMG_2548
  • 1 cup or more of Panko Flakes (breadcrumbs)   IMG_2549

Prepare Sauce and Macaroni:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot bring salted water to a boil. Add elbows and cook until al dente. Drain and Set aside.   IMG_2540

In a sauce pan place all sauce ingredients except flour in a pot and stir until well combined and a little thick. It will be salty but this is good because you will need that to season the pasta.   IMG_2538      IMG_2541

Add flour last. The sauce should be pretty thick but pourable at this point.  IMG_2543   IMG_2545

Baking:

Spray a casserole pot with oil and then add macaroni.

Pour sauce over macaroni and mix until well infused.

Add Daiya Shred and mix in until well incorporated. They will melt during baking.   IMG_2547   IMG_2546

Next top with panko and a few pinches of salt if you want (I even give a few quick sprays of oil to ensure browning).   IMG_2557   IMG_2556

Cook for 10-15 minutes. If you want it more brown cook 30 minutes but double the sauce recipe in order for the recipe not to dry out.  IMG_2555

Let Cool 5-10 minutes. Serve hot and Enjoy!   IMG_2550       IMG_2560   IMG_2562 IMG_2563

Serves 10-12.

Side Note: When reheating this dish from leftovers always place some water in the bottom of the bowl. This will ensure the pasta does not dry out in the microwave and the cheese can remelt. You can also add more cheese with the water. I do the Daiya Havarti to add some spice!

WW Points: 11pts for 15 servings. 14 for 12 servings.
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Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy.

Vegan Cheesy Tomato, Pasta, and Lentil Bake

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I learned how to cook lentils last year from a girl who was born and raised in Ethiopia, Africa. She made the most delicious garlicy tomato infused lentils I had ever eaten with this flatbread made of Teff. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  It was at a vegan cooking demonstration on a Friday night in the hall of a church in the Fenway area of Boston that we all call “The Fens”. I had somehow persuaded my otherwise unwilling husband to attend. I knew he would probably want to skip the whole thing but luckily he was loving me enough that night to suck it up and attend. He ended up leaving happy because he liked most of the food and met another omnivore there dragged by his wife as well. After that I decided I must learn to cook lentils and incorporate them in my diet. They have so many good qualities and I am a sucker for a bean of any sort. So In my steamer I dumped water, salt, garlic, and tomato paste and started cooking my lentils. They take a while and I have learned to pick through them for stones and soak them in water to soften them. But my new favorite thing to do is take them and layer them in pasta or lasagna or any sort of casserole. It adds protein and heartiness without any strange new flavors or weird textures. Even the kids like them and the youngest is pretty much against all bean varieties except canned green beans. So this was the biggest hit of the summer in terms of my use of lentils: Vegan Cheesy, Tomato, Pasta, and Lentil Bake. I think even the mixture over rice would go well but I will try that at Christmas break 🙂

Enjoy!

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Cheesy Tomato, Pasta, and Lentil Bake

Lentil Mixture

  • 1 Bag of Lentils (Green French Lentils or Plain Lentils Work Well)
  • 1-2 cans of Tomato Paste
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Granulated Garlic Powder

Pasta:

  • (2) lbs of Rotini Pasta (I use the vegetable kind)

Cheesy Tomato Sauce Layers:

  • 4 cans diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup of Daiya Mozzarella
  • 1/8 cup of Galaxy Foods Parmesan
  • 1/2 block Daiya Havarti
  • Salt
  • Ground Pepper
  • Granulated Garlic Powder

Preparation:

  1. Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Boil Salted Water for Pasta. Add pasta at rapid boil. Cook until Al dente, Drain and set aside.
  3. Open all Tomato cans.
  4. Fill Steamer with lentils after rinsed and picked through. You can presoak them for 30minutes to aid in the cooking process.
  5. Add water, a healthy amount of salt, and several shakes of garlic to the mixture. Place on Brown Rice setting and begin steaming. You may need to add additional time so check on the lentils for softness and mix 2-3 times during steaming. It may start to get thick so add extra water if needed.

Layering the Pasta Bake!

  1. Once your lentils are prepared and pasta is cooked. Spray a casserole pan with Pam or Olive Oil Spray.
  2. Sprinkle bottom with salt and layer with pasta, 2 cans of diced tomatoes*, sprinkle on a layer of parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic, then lentils.
  3. Picture 005
  4. Top with Havarti broken into small crumbled pieces like a feta cheese would be.
  5. Then repeat but top with mozarella.
  6. Picture 006

Bake!

  1. Bake at 425 degrees for at least 30 minutes but no more than 45 minutes. The top should brown slightly.
  2. The layers will have meted together and form a yummy cheesy sauce.
  3. Serve hot! Feeds 8-12.

*Optional: Add chopped zucchini or Beyond Meat Chicken Strips to the layers before or after the tomatoes.

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Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy

Butternut Squash Pasta Casserole with a Stuffing Topping

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The leaves have fallen here in Boston and Thanksgiving is seemingly right around the corner. In a month or so we vegans will be all gorging ourselves on root veggies and Tofurky. I love Thanksgiving. It is one of those days that you can remember just by smell. It has its own foods and own seasonings. I relate Sage and Thyme to Thanksgiving. As soon as I smell them I am like “mmmmmm”. It brings my 10-year-old self back to sneaking stuffing and scoops of mashed potatoes before the Turkey cooled. In my family I am in charge of Thanksgiving. Which I love. I love cooking everything (except the Turkey because the husband does that although I do try to help prep it). I make my own stuffing from scratch and then some bagged for extra and to stuff the turkey which I don’t eat obviously. However who doesn’t have leftovers? I only know one family. My aunt and uncle because they have 11 kids over the age of 16 and many have their own kids. So I was informed there are no leftovers and 20lbs of potatoes involved. It gave me flashes of a catering company trying to work out of my own kitchen. Insanity!

So back to leftovers. We usually have stuffing, roasted veggies, and potatoes. Why not make these leftovers into something you can eat later in the week. It doesn’t have to be thanksgiving everyday for the next month. You may (or may not) get sick of it but transforming it is something that will make it that much better. Or heck just make this casserole as a side dish or a meal anytime in teh fall or winter as it is definitely a hearty and yummy one that my husband gladly eats out of a mixing bowl. Here is my adaptation to a Whole Foods Recipe I noted last thanksgiving that I love for a Butternut Squash Macaroni Casserole.

Picture 575

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Butternut Squash Pasta Casserole with a Stuffing Topping

Ingredients:

  • (1) package of dry bagged herb stuffing
  • Water or Veggie Broth
  • Sage
  • Thyme
  • Salt
  • Fresh Ground Pepper
  • (1) Can Coconut Milk
  • 2lbs of Butternut Squash Diced into Small Cubes (I buy it already cubed, frozen cubes, or use leftover roasted squash)
  • 2tbsp Olive Oil
  • (1) White or Yellow Onion Diced
  • 3/4-1lb of Pasta (do not use noodles like spaghetti or angel hair)
  • 1cup toasted Walnuts or Pecans
  • Pam or Olive Oil Spray

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Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray a muffin tin with oil and place nuts in it. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, sage, and thyme. Bake for 10-15minutes to toast them.   Picture 541
  3. Spray a large casserole dish and place to the side for the casserole.
  4. In a mixing bowl add broth or water to the dry stuffing and salt, pepper, thyme, and sage and a little bit of melted butter or olive oil helps. When welll combined and wet place to the side. This will be your topping.
  5. Use a large sauce pan to boil salted water for the pasta. Cover and place on high.
  6. In a smaller sauce pan place 2tbsp olive oil, salt, and peper over medium until warm adding diced onion into it until soft and golden.   Picture 526
  7. Take onions and puree them with a mixer or blender and dump back in sauce pan.   Picture 533

Cooking:

  1. Add coconut milk (I use Goya or 365) and squash to onion pan mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cook down.  Picture 527    Picture 535   Picture 544   Picture 546   Picture 548
  2. When water comes to a boil add pasta and cook until al dente.
  3. Drain pasta. Spray bottom of pasta sauce pan with olive oil so the pasta does not stick.    Picture 543
  4. Return pasta to pot.
  5. When the squash is soft and the mixture has thickened add to the pasta and stir until well combined.   Picture 553   Picture 554
  6. Then add toasted nuts and 1-2 tablespoons of chopped sage.  Picture 557   Picture 539

Baking:

  1. Place mixture in oiled casserole dish and press flat. Sprinkle with salt.   Picture 559
  2. Top with stuffing mixture.   Picture 562
  3. Bake for at least 30 minutes.     Picture 566   Picture 565
  4. Serve immediately. Serves 8.   Picture 568      Picture 581     Picture 577

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Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy

Vegan Lasagna

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Let me just start by saying that when I was NOT vegan, I hated lasagna. More specifically I hated Ricotta Cheese. I am not sure if it was the flavor or the weird goopiness of it all (and yes that is now a word because I said so), but it was definitely not my cup of tea. Fast forward to me as a vegan. The first vegan dish I ever made for my stepdaughters was lasagna. They were fresh off the plane visiting my husband who was just my boyfriend at the time in our 3rd floor walk up in East Boston. It was a humble apartment with high ceilings and a city view and mice and fleas and a heart shaped burn on the family room floor that made me find it charming and oh-so-urban.  We ate in our small dining room with built in china cabinet just off our oversized kitchen complete with a broken dumb waiter. I loved that place. I loved that meal because the kids gobbled it up. Since then I have made some minor changes depending on what I have in the house so I will explain those modifications as “options” but give you the base recipe. It’s yummy and not runny and delicious and healthy and all kids of good things. Eat up!

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Vegan Lasagna

Vegan Ricotta Ingredients:

  • 1 package of very firm tofu
  • 1/8 cup Garlic Powder
  • 1/8 cup Nutritional Yeast (“Nooch”)
  • Kosher Salt
  • Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • 2tbsp+ of Olive Oil
  • Basil
  • 1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed

Marinara Sauce Ingredients (or just use Rao’s Marinara):

  • 1 small can of tomato pastePicture 077
  • 1/2cup of olive oil
  • 4 regular sized cans of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes (get the kind with chiles for a kick!)Picture 004
  • !/2 cup of dehydrated onion or 1 onion cooked down and pureed
  • Kosher Salt
  • Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • Basil
  • Pasta Sprinkle (I use a shake or two of this from Penzey’s)

Pasta: I use (1) package of Lasagna Noodles that are no precook and egg free which are super easy to find in any grocery market.

Cheese: Use Daiya Mozzarella and Daiya Havarti to layer and top the lasagna

Options: Sometimes instead of my vegan Ricotta I use just veggies and Daiya Havarti for the layers and mozzarella on top. Recently I layered in diced zucchini and eggplant with the havarti and it was a huge hit and lower calorie/fat. I have also just added chopped veggies as a layer on top of the sauce adn that is always a winner to. Again I stick with zucchini and eggplant. But feel free to add peppers or whatever you like!

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Prepare:

  1. Mash all ingredients of the Ricotta in a mixing bowl with a potato masher until the crumbled texture of ricotta. I use at least 2 tablespoon of olive oil and a good amount of garlic powder, salt, “nooch” (nutritional yeast), and pepper. Basil is very important to this mash. Add it last.
  2. Place all marinara ingredients in a large sauce pan and mix until boiling. Simmer and allow to set for at least 45 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 425degrees.

Begin layering:

  1. Spray a large lasagna pan with Olive oil/Canola oil/Pam and start with a layer of sauce then noodles then cheese/vegetables and continue. Top wth mozzarella, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder, and drizzle some olive oil over it before placing in oven. I like to use seasoned olive oil from time to time and that is the same as teh pizza oil I use in my pizza recipe.

Bake:

  1. Bake for at least 30-45 minutes. Or until you can see the cheese melting and browning on top.

Cool:

  1. Allow to cool and set about 5 minutes so that the cheese is not liquid lava on your tongue. Serve hot and Enjoy!

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*Note: I will post more pictures soon. I have to download them!

XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Veganized Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti Dish with an Alfredo Sauce

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When I was a kid my family would go to Applebee’s on a regular basis and then to the movie theatre next door. We loved these trips. My brother would always order the Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti dish with a side of garlic bread. I began to order this dish as well. It was always a hit. It was only my second favorite to the chicken fingers because of their honey mustard sauce which even today I am sure has some sort of addictive drug in it and is made out of magic, but I digress.

*Please note: They have nothing vegan at Applebee’s anymore even their salads and side item veggies have meat or dairy in them 😦

My brother and his wife gave birth to a son this past month. So in honor of his new son (Nolan) and what will surely be his new son’s eating habits, I will post my recipe for a veganized Chicken, Broccoli, and Ziti. I must also make note that my step children and husband beg for this meal and state it is their favorite dinner and they are all omnivores.

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Nolan’s Chicken, Broccoli, and Ziti

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Alfredo Sauce

1/4 block of Daiya Havarti

1-2cups of Silk Soy Creamer

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

1 dash of thyme

1 dash of nutmeg

1 tbsp granulated garlic

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

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“Chicken”

1 boxed container of Beyond Meat (R) Lightly Salted Chicken Strips

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

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Broccoli

2 heads of broccoli

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

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Ziti

2lbs of boxed ziti

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PREPARATION

  • Boil a large pot of salted water.
  • Add 2lbs of boxed ziti. Cook until al dente drain.
  • Wait to place in serving bowl until other items are done.
  • Dice Chicken Strips into cubes place in frying pan on medium with olive oil salt and pepper and sautee until hot. Place to the side.
  • Preheat oven to 450degrees.
  • Take the stems of the broccoli heads. Then cut into small 1-2 inch florets and slice each floret down the center so it has one flat side.
  • On a cookie sheet toss broccoli with an ample amount of olive oil until well covered and the cookie sheet is as well. Toss with a good amount to salt and a few grinds of pepper.
  • Place broccoli in oven for 25-28minutes. Or until crispy and roasted with carmelized edges. Small pieces may appear burnt.

roasted broccoli

  • In a sauce pan place oil, salt, and pepper until warm then add cream and cheese. If it appears to thin as it cooks down feel free to add a cornstarch/arrowroot slurry or some Galaxy brand parmesan cheese or even nutritional yeast (“nooch”).
  • When sauce is complete add chicken to it until well combined and then toss with pasta.
  • Last add roasted broccoli and toss lightly into mixture.
  • Serve hot. Crusty bread is always a great side choice as well!

Enjoy!

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XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Top 25 Must Have Vegan Grocery and Pantry Items

Posted by LD in Shopping Vegan, Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Inspired by a recent post I read on “The Kind Life” blog regarding Alicia’s top 20 ingredients (http://thekindlife.com/blog/post/alicia-silverstone-20-vegan-essential-kitchen-ingredients) I decided to place my top 25 grocery/pantry needs:

  1. Earth Balance Products: Buttery Sticks or Tub Butters/Margarines and their new cheese puffs!
  2. Organic Soy Milk or Almond: Chocolate, Vanilla, or Plain (I rarely use unsweetened)
  3. Cashews (Raw)
  4. Daiya: The havarti blocks are a god send but all of them are great.
  5. Galaxy Foods Vegan Parmesan (It is the best parm substitute, Parma brand doesn’t taste anything like actual cheese)
  6. Tofutti Products: I love their sour cream, sliced american cheese, and cream cheese. They are a great go to brand even for ice creams.
  7. American Flatbread Company: Vegan Harvest Pizza
  8. Tofurky: Their sliced deli Meats, crumbles like chorizo for tacos, and their grill friendly brats are amazing! You will forget they are fake. The deli meats have a weird odor in the package but on a sandwich it goes away. The chorizo will stain so handle carefully but it tastes just like taco meat.
  9. Miso Mayo: Dill flavor.
  10. Veganaise: It tastes like a cross between mayo and deviled eggs.
  11. Canola and Olive Oils
  12. 365 Brand Vegan Chocolate Chips: Just like Tollhouses but no milk!
  13. Flaxseeds: I buy them in a bulk bag and place them in the freezer.
  14. Nutritional Yeast: You will learn this helps cheesify anything.
  15. Canned Coconut Milk
  16. Whole Foods Vegan Sugar
  17. Beans: black, lentil, navy, garbanzo, and canneloni
  18. Canned Pumpkin or Squash
  19. Whole Wheat Pasta
  20. Farro, Quinoa, or Couscous
  21. Rao’s Tomato Basil Sauce
  22. Herbs/Spices: Kosher Salt, Basil, Thyme, Garlic, and Sage Fresh
  23. Potatoes: All kinds from sweet to purple to russet.
  24. Kale or Greens
  25. Canned and Fresh Tomatoes

 

I shop at my local grocery store for most items but the hard to find things like Daiya and Nutritional Yeast I go to two places: Whole Foods or VeganEssentials.com. Vegan Essentials delivers but requires you to cold ship perishables so check their shipping schedule (right now it is Tuesdays) and the extra cost for the cold packs!

Happy Shopping and Happier Munching!

Vegan Bacon Mac and Cheese

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So the other night I needed to get rid of the block of Daiya Cheddar Cheese I had in the fridge before it went bad. Not that I knew what the expiration date was but I knew it had been in there too long at this point. So I decided to make a cheese sauce. Then I went into the freezer for veggies and saw that the Maple Smoked Marinated Tempeh Bacon was long past overdue for getting into my stomach and decided it would be a junk food dinner night! Bacon mac and cheese had sounded like a good idea for a while but I was terrified that my execution of such a dish would come up wanting. So I made the sauce and then dipped a piece of the bacon I cooked up into it as a test. That test was the most delicious test I have ever taken. It came out well. The next question was will the tempeh get soggy or mushy and gross in the sauce? A day later still perfecto! There was only a little bit of oil separation in the container that I place in the fridge after 3 days. So those leftovers became my lunch and let me tell you, best lunch ever! The moral of this story: you can be vegan and still have bacon mac and cheese and enjoy like my husband the omnivore did. Just don’t steal my extra bacon slice I forgot to crumble and make yourself a sandwich before I am done cooking, like my husband did.

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BACON MAC AND CHEESE!

1 Box of Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh by Tofurky (Turtle Island Foods http://tofurky.com/tempehproducts/marinated_strips.html)

Spray Oil

Macaroni or Fettucini

Olive Oil

1 8oz container of Vegan Cream Cheese

1/4 cup Vegan Sour Cream

1/4 cup Vegan Parmesan (I use galaxy foods)

1/2capful of lemon juice

1 Block of Daiya Cheddar Cheese (they sell them next to the shredded version at Whole Foods now)

Garlic Powder

Kosher Salt

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TIME TO COOK!

Place olive oil in the bottom of a deep frying pan (3 inches or more should do). Just enough to coat the whole bottom. Added a thin layer of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt spread evenly.

Place all cheese products into the pan (cube the Daiya and cream cheese for faster melting). Place on low medium heat until melted. Add a splash of lemon juice and soymilk (original) if needed.

In a separate skillet. Spray oil on the bottom and cook tempeh until slightly dehydrated and very brown on both sides. The packaging says 2 minutes each side but I find longer is better as it does better the dryer it is. I had it on heat (low-low medium) for about 15mins.

Once bacon is cooked crumble it by chopping with the side of the metal spatula you used for flipping.

Make pasta of your choice (Macaroni or Fettucini seemed to be good options). Don’t forget to salt the water before boiling!

Drain once al dente.

Toss Pasta with Sauce. Add crumbled bacon after pasta is completely mixed in sauce. Mix bacon in well so it is coated. ( I held out one ladle of sauce and poured it over crumbles so it mixed easier).

Let sit a few minutes to thicken and Serve!

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PS This is great served as leftovers and keeps well if it lasts which in my house it did not. My omnivore husband gobbled up a mixing bowl size portion of it and then made a bacon sandwich with some bacon I hadn’t crumbled yet. The more bacon the better, the flavor comes out well. Next time I may add another 50% more bacon to the mix as it was THAT important. I do not have any pictures yet because I wasn’t sure how well it would go but take my word for it, its yellow, creamy, cheesy goodness!

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Adaptations: place all in a casserole dish and top with panko breadcrumbs, Earth Balance butter, and Wayfare Foods Pig Out Whole Grain Bacony Bits for a more homestyle feel and a bit of crunch! I am semi-obsessed with the bacony bits btw! http://www.wayfarefoods.com/content/products

Quick Lunch: Oriental Ramen with Veggies

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

When I go to work I always keep a few standby items in my drawer. One is everyone’s favorite college favorite: Ramen noodles. I get the “Oriental” flavor of Ramen and leave the dehydrated bricks in my drawer for a fast lunch. However, I am ever so aware of the sodium content and lack of veggies so I usually grab leftover veggies from my fridge and bring them into work so I can make myself a quick ramen lunch. My favorite veggies with the ramen are broccoli and edamame. I will be honest about the fact I do not LOVE edamame but when you can grab it from the freezer and toss it in a microwave so easily and it is filled with protein, I am in. So here is what I had for lunch yesterday. I encourage you to add any veggies you want and maybe even spice it up with some sesame seeds or peanuts or bean sprouts or shredded carrots and make a proper ramen soup (but on the go)!

Ingredients:

Ramen Noodle Soup (Oriental Flavor)
1-2cups leftover veggies or 1/2-1 cup of frozen veggies
water

Break up ramen noodles and place in bowl with water.
Place frozen veggies with some water or leftover veggies with no water into a bowl.
Place both bowls in microwave for 3-4 minutes.
Dump veggies into ramen noodle soup and enjoy!

Optional additionals: lemongrass, peanuts, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, cabbage, bokchoy, or whatever else you can find in the fridge!