Tag: vegan sauce and spread recipes

Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese

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Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese
Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese

Before I went vegan, I was one of those people that would say I couldn’t live without cheese. Nachos was one of my all time favorite foods—I could not imagine a life without nachos. Even when I made the connection and became vegan, I accepted that I would never enjoy nachos the way I used to. Well.. lo and behold.. I now have a vegan, nut-free nacho cheese trick up my sleeve and I’m happy to say it hits on every single sensation I loved and remembered about nachos.

Pro-tip: if you want a super easy (but not nut-free) option, Siete Foods makes an amazing Mild Nacho Cashew Queso that works fantastically on nachos as well. Sprinkle on a little vegan shredded mozz (I like Good Planet, 365, and Daiya Cutting Board Collection brands) and you’ve got a very solid, quick and easy vegan nacho recipe!

 

Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese Recipe

Ingredients (2–3 Servings)

  • 1 cup potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • .5 cup carrots, peeled and cubed
  • .25 cup vegetable oil
  • .25 cup plant-based milk, I used Silk soy milk
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • .5 tsp salt
  • +Any combination of cayenne powder, chipotle powder (or use a small amount of real chipotle peppers in adobo sauce), chili powder, smoked paprika

Method

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots in pot of water for approximately 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain them from the boiling water and add to a blender.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and combine until smooth—taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. I usually go pretty light with all the red seasonings but then continue to add and build up flavor. I also usually end up adding more salt, more lemon juice.

3. Serve immediately over nachos. You could also use as a dip but it won’t be gooey like other vegan cheese dip recipes out there—I like to keep this recipe super simple. For nachos, I like any combination of tortilla chips, black beans, corn, cilantro, scallion, tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, etc. Add a slice of lime on the side for an extra punch of flavor. Enjoy!

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Vegan Stuffed Shells with Pesto Fauxcotta

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Vegan Stuffed Shells with Pesto Fauxcotta
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Vegan Stuffed Shells with Pesto Fauxcotta
Vegan Stuffed Shells with Pesto Fauxcotta
Vegan Stuffed Shells with Pesto Fauxcotta
Vegan Stuffed Shells with Pesto Fauxcotta
Vegan Stuffed Shells with Pesto Fauxcotta

Stuffed shells?! You might be thinking this seems hard to veganize, but with products like vegan cream cheese, artichokes, hearts of palm, or even white beans (not used this time around but a great substitution for any of the fauxcotta ingredients), this recipe is a super customizable, pantry-friendly comfort food. The filling is delicious in these stuffed shells, but also tastes great in vegan bruschetta and probably in any other ricotta-dependent recipe.

I used both hearts of palm and artichokes because I had them laying around, but this recipe would be delicious in a number of ways: cream cheese + artichokes (no hearts of palm), cream cheese + hearts of palm (no artichokes), white beans + artichokes (no cream cheese), white beans + hearts of palm… so on and so forth 😊 Play around with whatever you have on hand and see what you come up with!

 

Vegan Stuffed Shells with Pesto Fauxcotta Recipe

Ingredients (2–3 Servings)

  • Jumbo shells, I used 18 shells to fill a 9×9″ square baking dish
  • Vegan mozzarella, I used Good Planet brand (optional)
  • Salt & pepper

Fauxcotta:

  • A quarter or a third (2+ oz) of an 8 oz package of vegan cream cheese, I used Kite Hill brand
  • 1 heaping cup canned or jarred artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
  • ~1–2 canned or jarred whole hearts of palm, equivalent to ~2.8–5.6 oz canned or jarred hearts of palm in pieces, rinsed and drained (optional)
  • Generous handful of fresh basil, I used a 1.25 oz package
  • Lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & pepper

Tomato Sauce:

  • 1 14 oz can whole steam peeled tomatoes (don’t drain!)
  • A quarter of an onion, finely diced
  • Half of a small carrot, finely diced (optional)
  • Half of a stalk of celery, trimmed and finely diced (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Dried (or fresh) basil
  • Dried oregano
  • Olive oil
  • Yondu vegetable umami seasoning (optional)
  • Salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375º.

2. Start the homemade tomato sauce by adding the oil and mirepoix (onion, celery, and carrot) to a small pot. Cook for ~5–10 min on medium heat or until everything is soft and cooked through.

3. Add the garlic, and tomato paste and mix well, cooking for a minute.

4. Roughly purée the canned tomatoes in a food processor and add to the pot, along with all of the seasonings (bay leaf, basil, oregano, Yondu, salt & pepper). Mix well and reduce heat to med-low. Cover and let simmer for 15–20 minutes. Cover & set aside.

5. Add all fauxcotta ingredients to a food processor and adjust lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil, and cream cheese quantities to taste.

6. Cook jumbo pasta shells according to package instructions, but stopping them when they are al dente and still holding their shape. Rinse with cold water.

7. Use a piping bag, sandwich bag with a corner cut off, or a spoon to scoop fauxcotta into each shell.

8. Spread half of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish, then add all of the shells, seam-side up. Drizzle the remainder of the sauce over the shells and top with a sprinkling of vegan mozzarella (optional).

9. Place into hot oven and bake for 20–30 minutes, or until the shells seem fully cooked and tender, and the sauce is bubbling.

10. Serve with some fresh basil and vegan parmesan (optional), I like the Go Veggie brand’s. Enjoy!

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Vegan Avocado Toast with Homemade Hummus

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Vegan Avocado Toast with Homemade Hummus
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Vegan Avocado Toast with Homemade Hummus

Let’s be real, you hardly need instructions on how to make avocado toast. This recipe is really all about our foundation—the homemade hummus—and the little touches, like seasonings and fried bread, that make this toast extra special. To make into a more robust meal, also try adding lettuce, microgreens, sprouts, fresh tomato, banana peppers, beets, etc.

 

Vegan Avocado Toast with Homemade Hummus Recipe

Ingredients (3 Toasts)

  • 3 slices of bread, I used sourdough
  • Vegan butter, I used Earth Balance
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • Salt & pepper
  • Cumin
  • Sriracha (optional)

Homemade Hummus:

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ~1+ tbsp tahini
  • Garlic powder (I recommend powder over fresh as raw garlic can be very overpowering, and this recipe makes enough for storing in the fridge, where raw garlic would become even more strong in flavor)
  • Salt & pepper
  • Olive oil
  • ~1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Filtered water
  • 1 tbsp za’atar or sumac (optional)
  • Smoked paprika (optional)

Method

1. Make the hummus by combining chickpeas, garlic powder, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, za’atar/sumac, and water in a food processor. Season to taste. Start with about a tablespoon of each wet ingredient and add more to properly emulsify. Set aside.

2. Heat up a nonstick pan on med-high heat. Spread butter on one side of the bread, and when the pan is hot, place them butter-side down in the pan. Once the butter has browned nicely, flip them over to heat the other side of the bread for just a minute or two. Remove from pan.

3. Start to assemble the toasts. Spoon a generous spoonful or two of the hummus over the buttered toasts and sprinkle over some smoked paprika.

4. Carefully halve the avocado by rotating a large knife around the center of the avocado. Protecting one of your hands with a kitchen towel, use some force to de-pit the avocado by stabbing the pit with the knife and using the edge of a cutting board to safely get the pit off of your knife. With one of your hands still under a kitchen towel, use a paring knife to slice each avocado half into even slices while still in the avocado skin. Use a spoon to carefully carve out all of the slices and lay flat on your cutting board. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin (optional).

5. Layer the avocado slices onto your toasts, and drizzle with sriracha (optional). Enjoy!

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Vegan Cold Peanut Noodles

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Vegan Cold Peanut Noodles

Now that it’s warming up outside and starting to feel like spring, I’ve been craving dishes that require less cooking. This Vegan Cold Peanut Noodle recipe is perfect for days like these because it’s quick, easy, and the only thing you need heat for is cooking the noodles. This dish includes raw red bell pepper, carrots, and cucumbers, but is highly adaptable to other items you might have on hand, much as green beans or snap peas, edamame, or tofu.

 

Vegan Cold Peanut Noodles Recipe

Ingredients (2 Servings)

  • 4 oz noodles (any long, thin type will do, I recommend Soba)
  • ~.33 cup bell pepper, chopped in thin strips then halved
  • ~.33 cup cucumber (any kind), chopped in sticks or disks
  • ~.33 cup carrot, peeled, chopped finely into sticks, grated, or sliced with a peeler
  • Chives or scallion, chopped finely
  • Handful of fresh cilantro (optional)

Peanut Sauce:

  • Heaping .25 cup crunchy peanut butter
  • 1.5–2 tbsp sriracha, depending on how spicy you want it
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • Generous pinch of garlic powder (recommend powder over fresh garlic as raw garlic can be very overpowering, and this recipe makes more sauce than needed so the garlic taste will continue to get stronger in the fridge)
  • ~1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp hot water

Method

1. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t cook past al dente. Drain, rinse, then set aside or put into fridge or freezer as you prepare the rest of the recipe.

2. Prep all of the veggies.

3. Mix sauce ingredients, tasting as you go. Add more sugar if it is overpoweringly acidic. Add more water if it is too thick. Add more peanut butter and/or sugar if it is too spicy.

4. Combine the noodles and veggies, and spoon in the sauce as you stir, making sure it is evenly distributed, using tongs. There will likely be sauce leftover. Optionally, top with additional cilantro, chives, scallion, roughly chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, etc. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by “Cold Peanut Noodle Salad” from Julia of Savory Tooth. Thank you for sharing!

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Vegan Tempeh Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

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Vegan Tempeh Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce
Vegan Tempeh Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

I received another delivery from Misfits Market and got some beautiful string beans, carrots, baby broccoli, red onion, and lime, so I figured it’d be a perfect opportunity to make a stir fry! I’m not sure about other vegans, but tempeh is not a staple in my kitchen—something about its texture and often nutty taste just makes me reach more readily for tofu instead… But fear not, this recipe utilizes a separate stir fry sauce that gives the tempeh amazing flavor—I loved it! I might have to start buying it more often.

 

Vegan Tempeh Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Ingredients (2 Servings)

Peanut Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar*
  • 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp Sriracha
  • 1 tsp soy sauce

Stir Fry Sauce:

  • 2 tsps brown sugar*
  • 5 tsps soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Sriracha
  • 1–3 cloves of garlic, diced finely or grated

Other Ingredients:

  • ~3 tbsps Sesame oil
  • .5 package tempeh, sliced thickly into strips
  • ~.33–.5 carrot, sliced into matchsticks
  • ~.33–.5 cup bell pepper, sliced
  • ~.33–.5 cup green beans, ends trimmed and cut into halves or thirds
  • ~.33–.5 cup onion, diced
  • ~.33–.5 cup baby broccoli, stems and florets roughly chopped
  • .25 cup water
  • 1 tsp ginger, diced finely or grated (optional)
  • Handful of fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
  • Sesame seeds (optional)
  • Lime wedges (optional)
  • ~.5 cup rice (follow package instructions for 2 servings of rice, optional)

*Please be aware it is nearly impossible to discern if brown sugar is vegan—unfortunately, many North American sugar companies do still use animal bone char in the production of sugars, including brown sugar. As a somewhat recent vegan, I already had this in my pantry so I didn’t want it to go to waste. You could simply omit this from the recipe to keep it 100% vegan, and the recipe will still taste great.

Method

1. If using raw rice, start it now. If frozen, wait until nearly ready to serve.

2. Make the peanut sauce by whisking all of the peanut sauce ingredients together. Set aside.

3. Make the stir fry sauce by whisking all of the stir fry ingredients together. Set aside.

4. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat and add 1 tbsp sesame oil to the pan, swirling to coat the pan well. Add the tempeh and half of the stir fry sauce, briefly tossing the tempeh in the sauce before allowing it to start browning. Cook for a few minutes per side, until it becomes goldeny brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

5. Add additional 2 tbsps sesame oil to the pan and add in all of the veggies and ginger. Stir fry these for a few minutes, then add .25 cup water, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the beans are tender.

6. Remove the lid and increase the heat. If it seems too liquidy, carefully drain out some of the excess water. A little excess is okay as it will cook off. Add the remaining stir fry sauce, add back in the tempeh, mix well, and keep on the heat for a couple of minutes.

7. If using frozen rice, prepare it now.

8. To serve: first add the rice, then the stir fry, then garnish with fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, and lime wedges. Serve with peanut sauce and Sriracha on the side. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by “Tempeh and Green Bean Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce” from Jeanne Kelley of Cooking Light. Thank you for sharing!

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Vegan Dill & Scallion Cream Cheese

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Vegan dill and scallion cream cheese on everything bagels
 

Vegan Dill & Scallion Cream Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 package (4oz) vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti brand)
  • Finely chopped fresh dill
  • Finely chopped scallion
  • Dash of garlic powder
  • Dash of salt
  • Splash of lemon juice

Method

1. Make sure the cream cheese is soft and spreadable—may need to microwave for about 15 seconds.

2. Combine everything well, and enjoy on a bagel, sandwich, etc.!

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