Vegan Lasagna Nests: Fun Spring Dinner!

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food." -George Bernard Shaw

The inspiration for today's recipe, comes from something that my mother recently made. She made lasagna "cupcakes" using wontons and lasagna ingredients. The idea to even make this today, was when I was perusing the cupboard and refrigerator for dinner ideas to come to me. I had about half of a box of lasagna noodles, 5 noodles to be exact. What on earth do you do with that? I dislike wasting anything, especially food, so I decided to make something like my mother's lasagna cupcakes, except these will be called Lasagna Nests and be made with the noodles. Last year (big and waddly, and about to have a baby), I made Candy Bird's Nests, that were very make-with-your-kiddos friendly. So this spring, here are some edible nests that are cute, fun, and guaranteed to be a hit with your family.

Vegan Lasagna Nests

What you will need:

• 5 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente according to box and cut in half
• 1/2 cup pasta sauce
• 8 oz frozen spinach
• 1 16 oz container Tofutti Ricotta "Cheese"
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp Litehouse Garlic
• 2 tsp Litehouse Italian
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 slices Tofutti Mozzarella, crumbled
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• GoVeggie vegan Parmesan "cheese", to taste
• Muffin Tin
• Coconut Oil to grease tin with

This is what mine looked like before baking them!

What to do:

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease 5 spots on a muffin pan with coconut oil. In each cup of the pan, place lasagna noodle half, crisscrossed. Spoon about a tablespoon of pasta sauce in each cup. In a large bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, oregano, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, Mozzarella, and flaxseed, then scoop it into each cup on top of the pasta sauce that you spooned. Drizzle remaining pasta sauce on top of each cup and sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5- 10 minutes. Let sit in pan for about 10 minutes before removing from pan and serving. The longer you let them sit to set, the easier they are to remove from pan and the prettier they look. These would be great to serve with salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

The finished product! Yummmm!

NEW Soy Curls and Yummy "Chicken" Pot Pie Recipe!

Imagine this. Imagine a vegan protein that needed no refrigeration. No need to keep it cold and it has a very generous shelf life, unlike tofu and other vegan refrigerated or frozen products. Now imagine, you can take this vegan protein anywhere. It is compact. It can travel with you and it is even great for camping. You can make elaborate meals with it or just cook up a quick snack or "chicken" salad. You can stock your pantry with it and it is easy. I bet you wish that this product existed. Now imagine that it does exist. Imagine that I tell you it exists, it is here, and it is available to us vegan folk.

I kid you not! I recently got my paws on some Soy Curls and Chik-Style Seasoning from Butler Foods and let me tell you, this is HUGE for us plant-based eaters. Now let's talk about this crazy-awesome new product, shall we?

Soy Curls are a textured vegan protein made from non-GMO whole soy bean. There are no additives and no other ingredients, just one simple and pure ingredient. Each serving has 10 whopping grams of protein and 15% of your daily value of iron. Each package re-hydrates to 1.5 lbs! Yes, that is 1.5 lbs of vegan protein for your recipe. These can easily be transformed to anything you'd like, but closely resemble vegan "chicken". Butler Foods also offers that nifty Chik-Style Seasoning that is pictured above and adds a "chicken" flavor to your curls, making for a lot of interesting vegan dishes. The picture above is a closeup of the Soy Curls in the package before anything has been done to them. In a moment, I am about to soak these protein-packed morsels for 10 minutes in warm water, drain, and transform them in a recipe that I created. Let's get to it...

Look at those chunks of Soy Curls!

What I made here is a lovely "chicken" pot pie using Soy Curls and Chik-Style Seasoning. Before I share this delectable recipe with you, I would like to say that this is the first in my recipe series using Butler Foods. I plan on trying some of their own signature recipes, which include BBQ Soy Curls, Curried Rice (I cannot wait to try this one!), Chik-Style Salad and Spread, and others. You can find these Butler recipes on their website and I will also be sharing them here as I make them. I will also be creating more recipes using these Soy Curls. I actually cannot believe that we lived without these for so long! We are also camping this year and Soy Curls will be in our camping bag for sure! I cannot believe how truly easy these would be to prepare while camping. All you have to do is warm a little water in a small pot on the fire or camping stove, soak the curls for 10 minutes, drain the water out of the pot, and your vegan protein is ready to use in whichever way that you choose.

Warm Up with My 'Soy Curls Chik-Style Pot Pie' Recipe

What you will need:

4 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp fine sea salt
1 & 2/3 cups canola oil
6 tbsp cold water
3 tbsp vegan butter (and some extra for greasing)
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can green beans, drained and rinsed
1 & 1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup unsweetened and unflavored vegan milk
1/2 package Butler Soy Curls, soaked for 10 min in warm water and drained
2 tbsp Butler Chik-Style Seasoning
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

What you will need to do:

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking or casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt then add canola oil and mix. Add as little or as much of the cold water until you achieve dough consistency. Take half of the dough and to use for the bottom crust, and set the other half aside. Evenly distribute dough on bottom of baking dish and push it up the sides. Bake crust in oven for 20 minutes. In a sauce pan, melt vegan butter and cook corn, green beans, and peas for about 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently. Stir in flour and stir constantly for 1 minute. Stir in broth and vegan milk and cook on medium heat until bubbly, stirring frequently. Add in your soaked and drained Soy Curls, Chik Seasoning, salt, and pepper, stir and remove from heat. Add mixture to your baking dish and top with remaining half of dough. Bake for 35- 45 minutes. Let pot pie sit for a few moments to set and enjoy!

The Soy Curls transformed into a plump "chicken"-like strip. The curls were so tasty and the Chik-Style Seasoning gave the pot pie such a delicious and authentic flavor. The 2 tbsp of seasoning went a long way as well. What a delicious find! I am so glad that I found out about Butler Foods! 

YUM!

Cheezy Potatoes, Yum!

Last night we were looking for sides to make with our Field Roast dinner. I winged the roasted veggies to cook along with the roast, which was simply chunks of portobello mushrooms, onions, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, flax seed oil, Bragg's liquid aminos, and spices that I sauteed and added to the roast pan. However, we still needed one more nice side to go along with this roast. I noticed some potatoes that we had and that is when I came up with this cheezy creation. I can eat these potatoes all day, every day - they are so tasty! Here is the recipe...

Cheezy Vegan Potatoes Delmonico

What you will need:

• 8 medium potatoes, cleaned and cubed
• 1/2 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
• 1/2 cup flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour)
• 1 cup plain vegan milk (I used Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original flavor)
• 1 cup vegan cream (I used Silk Creamer in Original flavor)
• 1/2 cup Daiya Jack Style Wedge cheese, cut into small chunks
• 1/2 cup Daiya Mozarella style shreds
• 1/2 - 1 cup breadcrumbs (depending on how breaded you like it. I made my own fresh breadcrumbs by taking 2 slices of Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread and putting them in my Vitamix, which made about 1 cup)

What you will need to do:

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Boil potatoes for about 10 minutes. While the potatoes are boiling, make your cheese sauce. In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, melt vegan butter. Whisk flour into butter and cook for a moment or two. Whisk in the vegan milk and cream until nice and smooth, then melt in the vegan cheeses and whisk until well combined. Simmer sauce on low for a few moments whisking often, then remove from heat. Drain potatoes and place evenly in a greased casserole dish. Evenly pour cheese sauce over potatoes in the casserole dish then top with breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for 25- 30 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are browned. Enjoy!

And by the way, Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! Hubby and I will be celebrating and I am told that I have a few surprises in store. I will fill you in on the details via Twitter. And let me know what romantic plans you have. How about the yummy sweet treats?

Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie

Do you know someone who is considered a "Meat and Potatoes" person? Perhaps you know someone who could NEVER even consider a vegan meal. If you would like to change that person's mind, this just might be the recipe for you. So filling, rich and savory, but also super quick and easy of a meal to prepare and make. Give it a try!

Fool Em' With This 'Naughty Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie' Recipe

2 large sweet potatoes, cubed and boiled until tender (about 10- 15 minutes)

4 tbsp vegan butter, divided (I used Earth Balance Soy Free)

1/8 cup vegan milk (I used Original Unsweetened almond milk)

sea salt & pepper to taste

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

12 oz mixed vegetables

12 oz vegan ground "beef" (I used Lightlife Smart Ground Original)

Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce) to taste

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Once your sweet potatoes are boiled to perfection, drain water and mash them with a potato masher or fork. Mix 2 tbsp vegan butter, 1/8 vegan milk, salt and pepper, into the mashed potatoes. Set aside. In a casserole dish, combine onion, garlic, mixed vegetables, vegan grounds, and sprinkle some Aminos or soy sauce. When that is thoroughly mixed, spread that out evenly. *Time Saver Tip: I did this part during the potato boiling, then made the mashed potato mixture afterwards, to save time* Spread mashed sweet potatoes evenly on top in casserole dish. Bake covered for 30- 40 minutes, with the last few minutes uncovered so that the top can brown some. Let settle for a few moments before cutting into squares or scooping into bowls. Enjoy!

I can't decide what my favorite part is, the sweet potato mash on top, or the delicious "meaty" mixture on bottom. Such a yummy meal!

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Food Tastes Better With Vegan Cheese In It

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients" -Julia Child

Cheezy & Crispy Vegetable Casserole

10 button mushrooms, quartered

1 small yellow squash, chopped

1 small green zucchini, chopped

 10 kalamata olives, sliced
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb wheat pasta, cooked al dente
1 cup vegan mozarella shreds (I used Daiya)
4 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/4 cup vegan cream (I used Silk Original)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup french fried onions


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add first nine ingredients into a large casserole dish. Drizzle olive oil then top with french fried onions. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until casserole is melted, bubbly, and topping is crisp. Enjoy!

Rich, creamy, cheezy - is there anything more divine?

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Vegan Frittata For Everyone!

A simple frittata recipe that just tastes complicated! And without the use of vegan cheese (making our own creaminess with tofu), this is a dish that anyone can make using ingredients from any grocery store. Easy recipe with spectacular flavor, now that's Naughty!

Veggie Tofu Frittata


2 cups fresh spinach
1 tbsp garlic, minced 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow zucchini, chopped
1 green zucchini, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 container tofu, grilled & cubed
1 container tofu, drained
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
sea salt & pepper to taste


Preheat oven 350 degrees. Place first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. In a food processor, blend one container of tofu with about half of the vegetable broth, reserve the rest of broth. Add blended tofu to the large bowl. Mix everything well then add in the rest of the broth, oil, and the seasonings. Mix again until everything is well combined, then transfer to a greased casserole dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes, uncovered for an additional 25 minutes, or longer (until firm). Let frittata settle. Use a spatula to cut/ scoop out to serve. Enjoy!

Yum! This tastes amazing as-is...but I eat mine with ketchup because that's what Dirty Vegans do!

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Family Pleasing Creamy & Cheezy Bake

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." -James Beard

Don't we all just love easy and cheezy? Bakes are super simple, come together nicely, and can be popped right into the oven until they are ready to serve. They also provide great leftovers for the next day's lunch! Another thing about casseroles is that you can easily make them a balanced meal. This recipe has protein in your tofu and beans, lycopene in your tomatoes and paste, healthy carbohydrates in your rice (I used brown rice to be extra healthy), and lots of other healthful ingredients. You can add more or different veggies depending on what you have on hand. At any rate, this is a great meal that tastes absolutely sinful!

Savor My Family Friendly 'Cheezy Rice & Beans Bake' Recipe

1 cup cooked rice

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

8oz tofu, drained & cubed

15oz can pinto beans, drained & rinsed

1 package (2 cups) Daiya Pepper Jack Shreds "cheese"

1 6oz can tomato paste

1/4 cup Veganaise

2 tbsp Silk Original Creamer

1/ 2tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Add all ingredients to a casserole dish. Combine very well and level with a spoon. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then an additional 15 minutes uncovered. You may want to serve this with a dollop of your favorite complimentary condiments, like guacamole, Tofutti Sour Cream, or pico di gallo. Enjoy!

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Flaky Biscuit Topped Lasagna Casserole

"Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle." -George Burns

Give Your Taste Buds the Gift of Happiness With My 'Badass Lasagna Casserole' Recipe

1 14oz block tofu, drained

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp black pepper

10 oz vegan “meat” (I used Boca - see my tip at the bottom)

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1.5 cup frozen broccoli cuts, thawed

1 lb and 1 cup pasta sauce

8 oz oven-ready uncooked lasagna, broken up into pieces

Olive Oil Biscuit dough

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend first 6 ingredients in blender or food processor until creamy. Set aside, this is your rosemary and thyme tofu ricotta. Then heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and sweat onion and garlic until aromas are released. Saute veggie “meat” until browned. Then dump everything (broken bits of uncooked lasagna, tomato sauce, broccoli, tofu ricotta, veggie “meat”) into a casserole dish/ pan (I used a 3 qt). Mix it all up until everything is evenly coated and thoroughly incorporated. Make Olive Oil Biscuits (this takes just minutes - what a quick and easy biscuit!) dough. Stretch and form dough on top of casserole in your desired pattern. Bake for 30- 35 minutes. Let settle before cutting into it. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips:

-Be sure to coat the uncooked pasta pieces nicely with the casserole to ensure they cook well.

-If you are mixing and notice you haven’t broken the lasagna pieces small enough or to your liking, no worries.  Just press down on them gently with your wooden spoon when mixing everything together in the baking dish. 

-This is a great dish to prepare earlier in the day or in advance using a baking dish with container lid. Just follow all the directions except the baking part and store in refrigerator until ready to bake.


-If you don't have any veggie "meat" on hand but have vegan burgers, you are in luck! I often (and in this case) use Boca Burgers in place of ground veggie "meat". For this recipe I microwaved 4 burgers just enough to defrost, then mash and crumble before sauteeing. Its sometimes even cheaper to do this since veggie burgers are so moderately priced.

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Vegan Mexican "Chicken" Bake

I really liked the idea of Vegan Vintage Cat's Black Bean Casserole recipe that she shared with me the other day on Twitter, so I was inspired to create a DV bake. I liked that VVC used a beans and Daiya cheese combo, so I wanted to make something that incorporated those two ingredients. I also wanted to make this high protein (if you have busy days like I usually do, you will want your dinner to be fulfilling and nutritious) so I made it a "chicken" dish. I don't prefer extra spicy, so I used mild salsa, but feel free to use spicy in yours if you want the kick. I hope you all like this Mexican bake that is packed with protein, lycopene, and other nutritional goodness. It definitely has the yum factor while using minimal ingredients that most vegans have on hand.

Served this with brown rice - will try soft tortillas next time!

Enjoy a Margarita With My 'Dirty Vegan Chick'n Mexi-Bake' Recipe

1 15.5oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
12 Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in halves
1 cup salsa
1 cup Daiya cheddar shreds


Preheat oven 350 degrees. Layer a casserole pan with black beans. Place 12 Gardein tenders in two rows of 6. Then layer grape tomatoes and salsa on top of that. Finally, top casserole with the Daiya shreds. Bake covered for 1 hour. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes to allow the top to completely melt and slightly brown. Serve by itself, over/ in tortillas or taco shells, over rice, with tortilla chips, or even over pasta if you like! You can also add a dallop of Tofutti Sour Cream or guacamole if you want to add extra oomph. Enjoy!

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Food That Tastes Like Home

"There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves." -Tom Wolfe

Home Sweet 'Meatless Loaf with Sweet Tangy Glaze' Recipe

Loaf:

2 14 oz packages of ground veggie meat (I used Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage)
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
2 slices wheat bread, crumbled
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon Ener-G egg replacer
salt and pepper to taste
buttery spread to grease pan with

Glaze:

2 heaping tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat oven 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all loaf ingredients with clean hands. Grease a baking loaf or meatloaf pan with buttery spread. Form the loaf mixture into greased pan. In separate bowl, combine ingredients for glaze. Pour all over the top of the meatless loaf. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 30 minutes.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve with side of roasted asparagus, Olive Oil Biscuits (I posted biscuit recipe on 10/23/10), corn, mashed potatoes, or any of your favorite comfort food sides.

Recipe Tips:

-For chopped onion, I finely chopped them in a food processor. That made it easier to mix into the loaf, as the onion was almost like a chunky pureed consistency.
-You can use any veggie meat you like. Gimme Lean grounds work best because of the consistency that tends to hold everything together very well. If you don't have Ener-G egg replacer, and use Gimme Lean, you can get away with eliminating the "egg" ingredient all together.

You Only Live Once...So Be Naughty About It!

"All animals except man know that the ultimate point of life is to enjoy it." -Samuel Butler

Drool Over My 'Creamy Veggie Macaroni Bake' Recipe



Ingredients you will need:

1 box of pasta (about 13.25 oz)

1 jar of tomato sauce (1 lb)

1 bag frozen steam in bag vegetables (I used broccoli, cauliflower, carrots mix)

1/4 cup vegan cream cheese (like Tofutti)

2 cups vegan shredded mozzarella (like Daiya)

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp buttery spread (like Earth Balance), melted

JUST MAKING SURE YOU'RE STILL PAYING ATTENTION....

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Boil water and cook pasta until al dente. While that's happening, follow frozen steamer vegetables instructions and get that started in the microwave. When pasta is al dente, drain and place pasta back in sauce pan. Add the cream cheese, mix, and melt that in the warm pasta with a wooden spoon. Mix in vegetables, tomato sauce and vegan mozzarella. When thoroughly combined, transfer mixture into a casserole or baking dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Pour melted buttery spread on top to finish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Let settle and cool off a bit. Enjoy!

This recipe reminds me of something that my late Aunt used to make when we were kids. My bake tastes similar to her dish. I absolutely loved it, and eating this reminded me of her. I hope you love this Dirty Vegan recipe as much as I do and I hope it brings a smile to your face as well.

Yummy Comfort Food on a Cool Autumn Evening

"Comfort is the only thing our civilization can give us." -Oscar Wilde

'Comforting and Cheezy Zucchini Shiitake Bake' Recipe

4 slices of bread, cubed
1/4 cup melted buttery spread (such as Earth Balance)
2 cups zucchini, cubed
1 cub shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt
7 oz. firm tofu
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Cube bread slices, place in large mixing bowl. Melt butter, poor over bread and mix. Cube zucchini, add to bow and mix. Do the same with mushrooms, onion, vegan cheese, and garlic salt.

Take tofu, Italian seasoning, and sea salt and blend in blender until smooth and creamy. Add that to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Once mixed thoroughly, spread mixture into a baking pan or dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Then bake uncovered for another 30 minutes. Let settle, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Tips:

-For the vegan cheese, I used 1 cup shredded Daiya and 1 cup cubed Vegan Rella. I like the way the shredded Daiya melts throughout, and the Vegan Rella melts chunky in pieces.
-I used a high fiber bread to make it even healthier.

This is a superb, warm comfort food for a cool, autumn day. This dish packs in a lot of veggies, fiber, and protein while at the same time tasting very naughty! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Please comment with your experience and/or tell me if you would like to make this dish!

Breakfast for Dinner? Why That's absurd!

"I must have a drink of breakfast." -W.C. Fields

Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Ingredients you will need:

1 small potato (shredded)
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 package Fak'n (vegetarian "bacon")
1 8oz package tofu (I like cubed for this recipe), drained and crumbled some
1 cup canned crushed tomato
1 cup vegan cheddar cheese
1 can reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 1/2 tbsp. Earth Balance (or other vegan buttery spread)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. ground sea salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
Dried parsley for garnish

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Chop fak'n strips and saute in fry pan with 1/2 tbsp. buttery spread then set aside.

Saute chopped onions in a fry pan on medium high heat with 2 tbsp. buttery spread until soft. Then add shredded potatoes and cook until slightly brown. Drain your cubed tofu then pat dry with paper towel. Place the tofu in a bowl and crumble with a fork.

Next add tofu into the fry pan and cook until the potatoes and mixture is a nice brown and potatoes are cooked. Your oven should be preheated by now. While the potato tofu mixture is cooking, take half the can of crescent rolls (four triangles of the perforated dough) and stretch and spread the best you can on the bottom of your casserole or baking dish.

Let the dough bake for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the fakn'n to the tofu mixture and mix in. Also mix in the crushed tomatoes, the cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix it all up then spread over the baked crescent crust in the casserole dish. Then take the other half of the crescent rolls and stretch them on top. Bake casserole for 20 minutes or until bubbly and top crust is golden brown. Let settle for a few moments then serve! Sprinkle a pinch of parsley for garnish/ presentation. Enjoy!