- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Place your raw almonds into the boiling water. Let boil for 2 minutes.
- Drain the almonds immediately in a colander or strainer and rinse them with cold water to cool them. Blot the almonds dry with a paper towel.
- Use your fingers to gently squeeze the almonds and loosen the skin from them. Set skinless almonds in a bowl and set aside.
- Remove tofu from package and wrap in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze for 20 seconds to allow for excess water to strain.
- In a food processor or high speed blender combine tofu, blanched almonds, nutritional yeast, unsweetened almond milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper. Blend for 1-2 minutes or until there is no chunks. Mixture will look lumpy and that is okay! Add more almond milk if needed.
- In a small pan, cook chopped spinach with 1 tbsp on water for 1 minute or until spinach is wilted down.
- Once ricotta mixture is made and spinach is ready, combine the two in a medium size bowl and mix well. Taste mixture and add any extra salt or seasonings if needed.
- Rinse the artichoke hearts and then roughly chop. In the same pan you cooked the spinach in sauté the artichoke for 4 minutes with 2 tbsp on water and lightly season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat then seat aside until ready to assemble.
- Spread vegan butter on one side of each of the bread pieces. Heat a griddle pan to medium high heat. Place 2 pieces of bread on the griddle, buttered side down. On each piece, spread a generous amount of almond ricotta , place artichokes on top of the ricotta, and the other piece of bread. When the bottom bread is browned, flip the sandwich and cook until the bread is toasted! ENJOY!
- Small pot
- Blender or food processor
- Small pan
- Medium bowl
4 Sandwiches
- 8 slices of sourdough bread or bread of choice
- 1 (14 ounce can) artichoke hearts, in water
- 2 tbsp vegan butter ( I use earth balance)
For the almond ricotta
- 1 (14 ounce) package of firm tofu
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 cups chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
This Vegan Artichoke Grilled Cheese is the gourmet grilled cheese you didn't know you needed! It's so delicious. You could definitely craft a killer classic grilled cheese with just two slices of bread, some earth balance vegan butter and a couple of slices of vegan (We like chao, by fueled roast) cheese. But I thought why not amplify it a bit and make a gourmet grilled cheese that will have all of us drooling.
This recipe came to life because of left over almond ricotta I had sitting in the fridge. Chancy was coming home from work soon and I didn’t have an exact plan of what I was making for dinner. It was the end of the week and I have a few slices of sourdough bread and a random can of artichokes in my pantry…I threw it all together and that is how this came alive!
Vegan Artichoke Grilled Cheese
- Combine coconut milk, coconut cream, maple syrup, Aiya matcha and salt. Blend until completely smooth. Pour blended mixture into ice-cube trays (I used three ice cube trays) and freeze until solid.
- Once frozen, pop out the ice cubes into your high speed blender (works best if using a vitamix). Blend on high, using the tamper, until completely smooth like a soft-serve texture. (You could enjoy the soft serve right away…SO GOOD! or continue with the popsicle recipe.)
- Using popsicle molds, scoop the soft serve into the molds, place in the freezer for 3 hours or until completely frozen.
- 35 minutes before you’re ready to take the popsicles out of the freezer melt your chocolate.
- Put the chocolate chips and coconut oil into a wide, shallow microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate on medium power for 1 minute, then give it a stir.
- Continue heating the chocolate at 15-second intervals, stirring between each one, until it is completely melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is barely lukewarm, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the ice cream bars from the freezer. Working quickly, use the Popsicle stick to lift up. Dip it into the chocolate until the ice cream is completely covered. Let any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Return the dipped bar to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue dipping the remaining bars.
- Return the dipped bars, uncovered, to the freezer until the ice cream and coating have both hardened, at least 20 minutes. *If you leave them in the freezer for longer than 2 hours, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap after they have hardened.
- Blender or food processor
- Ice cube trays
- Popsicle molds
Makes 9 popsicles
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut cream
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (add an extra 3 tbsp if you like more sweetness)
- 2 tbsp Aiya Cooking Grade Matcha.
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 ounces of vegan chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (refined)
These Vegan Matcha Chocolate Ice Cream Bars are so fun to make and taste so delicious. A beautiful sweet treat for matcha lovers!
I LOVE matcha ice cream, but I have yet to see a vegan matcha ice cream in grocery stores. So I set out to create an easy (ice cream machine free) homemade ice cream. After thinking about how much I love matcha ice cream, I got a little extra creative and created chocolate covered ice cream bars… because hey why not? As a kid I LOVED chocolate covered ice cream bars. The thick chocolate layer and a creamy center is TO DIE FOR. I have to say… the matcha ice cream it self is INCREDIBLE so if you want, you can totally make the chocolate shell, throw a generous drizzle on top and call it a day!
What is the deal with matcha?
Matcha is ground into a fine powder, which means you are consuming the entire leaf when consuming Matcha. Matcha consumers receive 100% of the benefits of the whole tea leaf, enjoying its antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It is important to purchase a QUALITY matcha. I use Aiya Cooking Grade Matcha.
Vegan Matcha Chocolate Ice Cream Bars
- Preheat oven to 350F and and line a 9×5″ bread pan with parchment paper or lightly coat it with oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the oat flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg and salt.
- Add grated carrots, walnuts, coconut shreds and golden raisins to the dried ingredients mix well. Then add the wet ingredients, vinegar, vanilla, almond milk, maple syrup and apple sauce, mix well. Pour in baking dish.
- Bake for 55 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean, remove when ready. Enjoy!
- Bread pan
- Large bowl
- 3 cups oat flour (or rolled oats *blended until flour consistency*)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp all spice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup carrots, grated
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shreds
- 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 5 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
The Vegan Carrot Cake Bread recipe is packed with great texture from the nuts and flavor from the spices! Not only is it vegan, but it's also gluten free and oil free!
This recipe is easy, delicious and HEALTHY! I made an incredible vegan carrot cake for my moms birthday a few months back! I knew I wanted to re-create it again but this time make it gluten free and oil free that way I could eat it for breakfast without any guilt! The recipe is quite simple and packed with great texture from the nuts and flavor from the spices! I can’t wait for you guys to try!
Vegan Carrot Cake Bread | GF & Oil free
- If using refrigerated store-bought dough, allow the dough to come to room temperature on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Mean while open the can of jackfruit and rinse under fresh water. Grab each jackfruit pod and remove the tough core and seed. Shred the jackfruit with your hands or using a fork.
- Add the shredded jackfruit to a large pan over medium heat along with 1/2 cup bbq sauce. Mix and sauté for 10 minutes.
- Cut a piece of parchment to fit your cookie sheet or pizza stone onto your counter, sprinkle with flour and place the dough on it. Use your fingers to gently press and stretch the dough into a large circle…(you could also use a rolling pin).
- Spread the remaining barbecue sauce, then scatter the bbq jackfruit mixture, sprinkle the vegan mozzarella cheese shreds, then top with the thinly sliced red onion.
- Carefully transfer the parchment with pizza onto the pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until crust is slightly browned. Sprinkle the cilantro on top and a drizzle of vegan ranch before serving.
- Large pan
- Baking sheet or pizza stone
8 Slices
- 1 pound refrigerated pizza dough (I get mine from trader joes, gluten free optional)
- 4 ounce can jackfruit (in brine or water)
- 3/4 cup barbecue sauce, divided
- 3/4 cup shredded vegan cheese (I used follow your heart mozzarella shreds)
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Vegan ranch
This Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Pizza is mouthwateringly delicious! The jackfruit is the perfect substitute for chicken, with almost identical texture and takes on the flavor of the bbq sauce perfectly.
This recipe needs very little introduction! This is a vegan version of the classic bbq chicken pizza! I was inspired by the endless boxes of frozen pizzas my mom would by on the weekends when I was little! The jackfruit is the perfect substitute for chicken! It shreds the same and takes on the flavor of bbq sauce perfectly. I can’t wait for you guys to try this recipe! It is ESPECIALLY easy if you buy store bought pizza dough!
Vegan BBQ Jackfruit Pizza
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Chop onions and saute with a small pinch of salt & 2 tbsp water until onions become translucent.
- Finely chop celery, carrots and cabbage and add to the onions and cook for an additional 3-5 (or until tender) minutes adding 1 tbsp of water every minute if needed! (This will help prevent the veggies from sticking to the pan.)
- Meanwhile combine tamari, coconut aminos, avocado oil, crushed (or minced garlic) and whisk together.
- Once the veggies are tender, pour the sauce on veggies then toss in the noodles making sure the noodles are fully coated in the sauce. Cook over medium heat constantly tossing for 2 minutes then serve hot with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, chili flakes and a squeeze of lime!
- Large pot
- Large pan
Serves 2-4
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 6 ounces chow mein noodles (gluten free optional)
- 1 cup carrots, chopped or shredded
- 1 cup celery, chopped
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
This Vegan Chow Mein is my healthy version of your favorite take out! A delicious meal that will make your taste buds happy and your bodies feeling good!
This recipe is SO Easy! I grew up eating Chinese take out on nearly a weekly basis…(thanks mom and dad!) I have to say, I have had my fair share of asian cuisine…Whats not to love about noodles and rice?! When Chancy and I started dating he knew I had a love for Chinese take out… so you could say we had our fair share of Chinese restaurants and fast food chains ! While it was so undeniably delicious we always noticed how lethargic and quite terrible we would feel post chow mien and orange chicken (peep orange cauliflower recipe here!). So here is my healthy version of chow mien that will make your taste buds happy and your bodies feeling good!
Oh! Did I mention how EASY this recipe is? Only a few ingredients and 15 minutes to make! You could keep it simple with using the veggies above or get more creative and add bell peppers, mushrooms or any other veggies for an extra vegetable boost!
Vegan Chow Mein
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vegan butter, brown sugar, and vanilla, beating until well combined.
- Add in the almond milk and applesauce and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, using a wooden spoon, stir until ingredients are combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
- Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and set in the fridge while you make the caramel.
- In a high speed blender or food processor combine dates (remove the pit) , warm water and creamy almond butter. Blend until creamy.
- Remove cookie dough from fridge and scoop the “caramel” sauce into the dough but reserve 1/4 cup of “caramel”.
- Lightly mix the caramel into the dough (you want to be able to see swirls of the caramel so do NOT over mix). Roll cookie dough into golf sized balls. Place the cookies on a prepared cookie sheet and gently press the cookies down with a spoon. Leave a few inches between each cookies for spreading. Add a little “blobs” of caramel sauce on each cookie and a couple of chopped pecans.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges golden and the centers have set. Sprinkle with sea salt! Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Large baking sheet
- Large bowl
- Blender or food processor
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, soft but not melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (be sure not to pack your flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips , divided
- sea salt (for topping)
- 1 cup chopped pecans (+1/4 cup extra for topping)
For the vegan “caramel”
- 8 medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup almond butter, creamy
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp warm water
These Vegan Turtle Cookies have a secret ingredient that make them so delicious.. Vegan Caramel! Made with just two simple ingredients, dates and almond butter!
These are inspired by toll house cookies! I grew up eating store bought toll house cookies! I warn you this stuff is SO addictive! But try to save it for the cookies!
These have to be my favorite cookies I have made… HANDS DOWN! I made two batches in one day and they were gone by then end of the day. My friends and family LOVED THEM!
Vegan Turtle Cookies
- In a large bowl, stir together the yeast, melted vegan butter, warm almond milk and warm water and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine salt and flour. Mix to combine. Gradually add one cup of flour to the liquid until a soft dough is formed and knead for 3-4 minutes. A soft dough should be formed but be slightly stiff. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Portion the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece of dough into a round ball. Lay out the rolls on a lightly floured counter. Make sure the dough balls won’t stick! Let them rest for 15-20 minutes. While the dough rests, bring a large pot of water and baking soda to a boil.
- Place 2 pretzel buns in the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. With a spatula, remove the pretzel buns from the boiling water and let the excess water drip off into the pan. Place the boiled pretzel buns onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a bread knife or the tip of a sharp knife score a cross on the top of each roll.
- Lightly sprinkle each pretzel bun with coarse sea salt. Lightly brush each pretzel bun with melted vegan butter. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pretzels are deep golden brown. Enjoy as is with a little mustard or dipping sauce of choice! You can also use for burgers, stuff them with jackfruit or use them in any sand which of your choice!
- 2 large bowls
- Large pot
- Baking sheet
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 cup warm unsweetened almond milk
- 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp coarse sea salt for sprinkling
For the water bath
- 3 quarts water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
These Vegan Pretzel Buns have a crisp salty outside with a soft and fluffy inside. Chancy and I always choose pretzel buns over regular buns ANY day, they're so good!
Making your own bread may seem challenging and tedious but I promise it is easier then it may seem. I actually find it quite therapeutic playing with dough. It only takes a few minutes of labor and it is totally worth it! I can’t wait for you guys to try these. Chancy and I made bbq jackfruit sliders with the buns (photo at then end of the recipe!) TO DIE FOR!
Vegan Pretzel Buns
- If you do not have oat flour and only have rolled oats, place the rolled oats in a high speed blender and pulse until a flour is created. Pour the oat flour into a bowl.
- Add the cinnamon and maca powder to the oat flour. This is optional! Although if you happen to have maca powder on hand I recommend adding it. It adds a malty, cookie flavor that is great! As for the cinnamon, I just really enjoy cinnamon and love to add it but it is not necessary! Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
- In a high-speed blender combine 1 lb pitted medjool dates, 1 cup warm water and 1 cup of peanut butter. Blend until smooth! If the mixture is not combining well you can add 1/4 of extra warm water. (PS…This stuff is addicting, it tastes like sweet caramel goodness!)
- Scoop the mixture out of the blender into the bowl of oat flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a cookie dough mixture is formed. Add in 1 cup of chocolate chips and mix again. You could use your hands to better combine the ingredients to make the dough!
- Put the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to let chill.
- Once dough has chilled, begin to form the truffles. Scoop a tbsp amount of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
- Put 15 ounces of chocolate chips into a wide, shallow microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave the chocolate for 1 minute, then give it a stir.
- Continue heating the chocolate at 10 to 15-second intervals, stirring between each one, until it is melted.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment pepper and set aside.
- Place a truffle into the melted chocolate and using two forks, lift the truffle out of the melted chocolate letting all the excess chocolate drip. Carefully place it onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat this step until each truffle is covered in chocolate. (You could also keep some bare & without the chocolate or do a light drizzle of chocolate!)
- For an optional step, sprinkle a tiny amount of sea salt on each truffle. Next place the truffles in the freezer for 1 hour. When ready to serve/eat take out of the freezer and let sit for 10-15 minutes before eating!
- Large bowl
- Blender or food processor
- Shallow microwave safe bowl
- Baking sheet
Makes 35-40 Truffles
- 1 lb medjool dates, pitted
- 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter (or any nut butter of your choice)
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 cups oat flour (or 3 cups rolled oats, blended)
- 20 ounces vegan chocolate chips (divided)
Optional
- 1 1/2 tbsp maca powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1-2 tbsp sea salt
These Vegan Cookie Dough Truffles only require four ingredients to make! They are yummy little bites of deliciousness!
These are made with whole food ingredients (with the exception of the chocolate chips) and are simple to make. A perfect sweet treat! I have been making these for years now and my friends and family absolutely love them! I am happy to finally be sharing the recipe with you all!
The recipe can actually end after you blend the dates and peanut butter because this stuff IS SO GOOD! (just kidding, haha) . Although the combination of the two seriously tastes like SWEET CARAMEL! So delicious… it will be hard for you to not eat this by the spoon.
Vegan Cookie Dough Truffles
- Slice 1/2 an onion and two bell peppers thinly. To a large pan over medium heat sauté half the sliced onion & 2 cloves of minced or crushed garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes or until translucent.
- Add sliced green bell pepper, season with salt and pepper and sauté for 7 minutes.
- Add frozen or fresh corn and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Put the cooked veggies and onions into a bowl and set aside.
- Open the two cans of jackfruit and rinse under fresh water.
- Grab each jackfruit pod and remove the tough core and seed. (See video above for a better visual, time 5:15). Shred the jackfruit with your hands or using a fork.
- Next, thinly slice the other half of the onion and add to a large pan over medium heat. Sauté for 3 minutes then add shredded jackfruit. Sauté for 5 minutes and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add 1/2 the jar of molé, 1/2 the can of tomato sauce and 1 cup vegetable broth to the jackfruit and onion mixture. Mix and cook on medium to low heat for 5 minutes or until jackfruit is tender.
- In a separate pot make the molé sauce add the remainder of the molé, the remainder or the tomato sauce and two cups of vegetable broth. Whisk together and heat over medium heat for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and assemble your lasagna.
- To assemble pour 1/2 cup of molé sauce on the bottom of your lasagna dish and spread evenly.
- Then place a layer of oven ready lasagna noodles, then evenly spread the bell pepper / corn mixture followed by 1/2 cup of molé sauce.
- Next add another layer of oven ready lasagna noodles, followed by the molé jackfruit. Evenly spread the jackfruit then add another layer of lasagna noodles.
- Pour the rest of the molé sauce, spreading it evenly followed by the shredded vegan cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.
- In a high-speed blender place all your mustard Mexican crema ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into a pipping bag or a zip lock bag until ready to use.
- Once your lasagna is out of the oven, let cool for 15 minutes. Drizzle a generous amount of the mustard cashew cream over top of the lasagna and finish it off with a garnish of cilantro and a sprinkle of corn.
- Large pan
-
- 10 ounces oven-ready lasagna noodles (gluten free optional)
- 1 (8 ounce) jar molé
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 (4 ounce) cans jackfruit
- 3 cups vegetable broth (divided)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 cup frozen corn (or fresh)
- 1 onion (divided)
- 1 cup shredded vegan cheese (we used follow your heart mozzarella)
For the mustard Mexican crema
- 1 cup raw soaked cashews (soak cashews for 2 hours in filtered water)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Optional toppings
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/4 bunch cilantro
This Vegan Jackfruit Molé Lasagna is a combination of traditional molé, a Mexican sweet and spicy sauce, and lasagna, an American pasta dish.
Sometimes, the most unique foods are the best ones. Molé is easily one of my favorite foods. Molé is a Mexican sweet and spicy chocolate sauce that is used in several dishes in Mexican culture. Typically it is paired with chicken or pork. Growing up my mother made an incredible lasagna with layers of molé chicken, peppers and corn, cheese & “Crema Mexicana”. Sounds interesting to combine a Italian dish with a Mexican one…but it seriously is genius!
This is a recipe I have been wanting to share for SO LONG now. Chancy and I have recently made our first youtube video in several months. We collaborated with our friends Jasmine and Chris from Sweet Simple Vegan to do a VEGAN CHOPPED CHALLENGE. One of our mystery ingredients was molé so we thought we HAD to finally veganize my mothers molé lasagna. For step by step recipe directions watch the video above!
Vegan Jackfruit Molé Lasagna
- Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. (I used red lentil penne pasta but feel free to use any kind you prefer!)
- In a medium pan, add in diced onions and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in whole tomatoes and vodka. Return to heat and simmer until alcohol cooks off, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer sauce to a blender adding 1 cup filtered water & 1 cup raw soaked cashews and puree until smooth. Pour back into saucepan.
- Heat until warmed through, about 7-10 minutes on low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the pasta is cooked and your sauce is heated through, pour your pasta into the the sauce, mix and top it off with vegan parmesan.
- Medium pan
- Blender or food processor
- 12 ounces pasta of your choice (gluten free optional)
For the vodka sauce
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 1 cup raw cashews + 1 cup filtered water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
This Vegan Penne Alla Vodka is simple, healthy and delicious. I am so excited for you to try it out, and no you cannot get drunk off of vodka sauce because the alcohol is cooked off!
Yes friends, vodka is in fact vegan. Funny enough, I used to really love vodka sauce growing up. Essentially vodka sauce is a creamy tomato sauce with a tad of cooked down vodka. No you cannot get drunk off of vodka sauce because the alcohol is cooked off! The recipe is quite simple, healthy and delicious and I am so excited for you guys to try it out!
Vegan Penne Alla Vodka
- In a large bowl place the almond milk and 2 Tbsp vegan butter, place in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds or until warm and vegan butter melted, Remove from heat and let cool to be warm (not hot!).Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on yeast but do not stir. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes. Then add 1 Tbsp sugar and the salt and stir.
- Next add in flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring as you go. You can then use your hands as it will get difficult to stir because it will become thick! Transfer the dough to a floured surface and kneed for 30 seconds to a minute. Add your dough ball back into your mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size!
- Roughly chop pistachios into small pieces or place the pistachios into a food processor and quickly pulse.
- In a small bowl combine the pistachio pieces (leave 2 tbsp of pistachios to later top off the cinnamon rolls for garnish) 2 tbsp cane sugar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tbsp cinnamon and mix until well combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Brush with 2 Tbsp melted vegan butter. Then sprinkle over your sugar and pistachio mixture.
- tarting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and situate seam side down. Then with a serrated knife cut the dough into 1.5 – 2 inch sections and position in a well-buttered 8×8-inch square or comparable sized round pan (you should have about 8 rolls). Brush with remaining 2 Tbsp vegan butter (melted) and cover with plastic wrap. Set on top of the oven to let rise again while you preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once the oven is hot, bake rolls for 25 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Meanwhile make your “honey” glaze by combining the bee free honee (or sweetener of choice), powdered sugar and almond milk, whisking together and setting aside until ready to us. If glaze is too thick add 1/2-1 tbsp almond milk & if too thin add a little more powdered sugar.
- Once baklava cinnamon rolls are baked, Let cool for 5 minutes, drizzle over glaze and then serve immediately. ENJOY!
Serves 8
For the rolls
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 packet instant (or rapid-rise) yeast
- 4 tbsp vegan butter (I use earth balance) *divided*
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cane sugar *divided*
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp cup raw (or roasted pistachios) *divided*
For the vegan “honey” glaze
- 1/4 cup Bee Free Honee (or… maple syrup, agave…etc)
- 1 cups organic powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
Lets make baklava cinnamon rolls a THING!? Some of you may know that aside from blogging I also am the co founder and host of Blissful Gatherings. Blissful Gatherings is a pop up dinner party that occurs on a monthly basis located in San Diego, CA. We serve a 5 course vegan meal, bottomless kombucha + pressed juice & most importantly bring individuals of our community together to share a meal & connect! I create the menu each month and develop recipes until I am completely satisfied with each one. So yes, you can probably imagine the several batches of cinnamon rolls I went through! My boyfriend Chancy was one happy man (“fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast each day?!”).
Typically for Blissful Gatherings we choose a cuisine for the menu and run with it. This past time we put together a Mediterranean inspired menu. I was not particularly familiar with a variety of Mediterranean dishes although one dish the stood out to me was baklava. Baklava is a traditional dessert consisting of flaky dough, pistachios (or other nuts) & honey. I wanted to do a big twist on the classic baklava and combine It with a cinnamon roll because WHO DOESN’T love a warm, cinnamon, sweet & soft cinnamon roll.
Vegan Baklava Cinnamon Rolls
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and set aside.
- Mean while bring a small pot of water to a boil. Place your raw almonds into the boiling water. Let boil for 2 minutes.
- Drain the almonds immediately in a colander or strainer and rinse them with cold water to cool them. Blot the almonds dry with a paper towel.
- Use your fingers to gently squeeze the almonds and loosen the skin from them. Set skinless almonds in a bowl and set aside.
- Remove tofu from package and wrap in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze for 20 seconds to allow for excess water to strain.
- In a food processor or high speed blender combine tofu, blanched almonds, nutritional yeast, unsweetened almond milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper. Blend for 1-2 minutes or until there is no chunks. Mixture will look lumpy and that is okay! Add more almond milk if needed.
- In a small pan cook chopped spinach with 1 tbsp on water for 1 minute or until spinach is wilted down.
- Once ricotta mixture is made and spinach is ready, combine the two in a medium size bowl and mix well. Taste mixture and add any extra salt or seasonings if needed.
- Grab baking dish and pour 2 cups of marinara sauce on the bottom, spreading sauce evenly.
- Grab a spoonful of ricotta spinach mixture and spoon it into the cooked pasta shells. Be generous with the filling and then place the stuffed shells in the baking dish.
- Once all shells are stuffed place into the oven & bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve shells right our of the oven an pour extra marinara sauce on top of each shell. Finish off with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, chili flakes and enjoy!
Serves 5-6
- 25 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
- 1 (14 ounce) package of firm tofu
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 cups chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 (9 ounce) jar store bought marinara sauce
OMG. THIS HAPPENED. Seriously I just have to toot my own horn on this one. Vegan “ricotta” & spinach stuffed shells are a thing now guys. Lets make it a thing ok? I’ve said it a billion times now, but I will say It again… ANYTHING could be veganized. These are cheesy, decadent, and SO DELICIOUS. I understand that these little guys look fancy and maybe time consuming but really they’re quite simple and hey, you can totally impress anyone with these and tell them it took you all day! When I say this is truly so easy, IT REALLY IS. Along the way you will have to blanch your raw almonds for the ricotta sauce. Even the “blanching method” is so simple! It only takes 3 minutes tops!
psssst, Totally used some store bought marinara sauce. You can make your own or go my route! If I go the store bought route, I always buy organic.
Vegan Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Shells
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