Vegan Pizza with Homemade Cheese Sauce and Garlicky Spinach

My homemade cheese sauce was the bees knees so I had some Caulipower plain crusts so my brain was like, hmmm, let's make a vegan white pizza! And it was amazing!

serving size: one pizza

What you need:

• Crust (any kind will do, I used cauliflower crust)
• Vegan cheese sauce (recipe posted a couple back)
• 2 cups spinach
• 1.5 teaspoons avocado/olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion
• 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
• little bit of olive oil to spread on the crust
• Optional toppings* hunks of vegan cheese, basil, parsley, oregano..

What you need to do:

1. Make that vegan cheese sauce if you haven't already!
2. Preheat oven based on crust choice
3. Spread some olive oil across your crust
4. Heat your oil and dehydrated onions in a small pan
5. Once you hear them crackling, add in your spinach
6. Dump your minced garlic on now and cook spinach til wilted, about 1-2 minutes
7. Remove spinach from heat
8. Add your cheese sauce to the crust
9. Top with spinach mixture
10. I added some fresh parsley and basil from my garden before serving!
11. YUM, YOUUU DONE

Quick, Spicy Chicken Ramen over Buckwheat Noodles and Zoodles

I had every intention to follow a recipe similar to this that I found in the new Cooking Light magazine..but that didn't happen at all as per the usssssssual. So, here I give you my take on an insanely easy, spicy ramen bowl. Like, really easy guys. Protein can be swapped out for literally any other..the recipe called for ground pork so experiment!

What you need:

• 8 ounces of noodles (I used Buckwheat noodles, also threw some leftover zoodles in my bowl)
• 1/2 tablespoon cocout oil
• 1/2 a white onion
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 package mushrooms
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 4 cups stock (I used chicken)
• 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
• 2 tablespoons liquid aminos
• 4 tablespoons white miso
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2-3 scallions, chopped
• *optional: sesame seeds, sriracha, green onions...

What you need to do:

1. Cook your ground chicken, onions and mushrooms in the coconut oil, about 10 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
2. Meanwhole, boil water and cook noodles according to package directions.
3. Drain and divide into bowls
4. Next, add in your stock, chili garlic, liquid aminos, miso, garlic and carrots.
5. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and cook for another 5 minutes
6. Pour over noodles and top with your toppings!
7. Eat!!!!

Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Sweet Potato Noodles

This was so random but came together so well, I was pretty imprssed with myself. You get the creaminess from the soaked cashews and nutritional yeast paired with the spices and the peppers! Yum!

serving size: 2 bowls of noodles! (using one large sweet potato)

What you need:

• 1 large sweet potato, spiralized
• 1/2 cup of cashews, either soaked overnight or boiled for 10 minutes
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dehydrated onion or half of a medium fresh onion, diced
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
• 1/2 cup of water or stock
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• optional* I threw in some garlicky sauteed spinach and peas, any roasted veggies you have will work

What you need to do:

1. Heat your oil, garlic and onion in a pan
2. Saute your sweet potato noodles for 7 minutes
3. Meanwhile, make your sauce, add all the spices, cashews, water, nutritional yeast and peppers to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy
4. Add sauce to your noodles and stir til combined
5. Enjoy!

Hummustir Spicy Hummus Pasta

So amazingly healthy and delicious and easy as fuck, guys! Make this every night cause it was so good. I even gave some to my best friend and she loved it! This can go so many different directions too..roasted red peppers, garlic, jalapeno..the possibilities are seriously endless.

Serving size: depends on how much pasta you make..around 8 ounces I'd say! Or about 4-6 bowls

What you need:

• Whole wheat pasta
• 1 cup of hummus 
• 1 tablespoon of sundried tomato oil 
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes 
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dehydrated onion
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 big handfuls of spinach or kale

What you need to do: 

1. Cook pasta
2. Saute oil, garlic and sundried tomatoes for 3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant 
3. And in cooked pasta and hummus 
4. Add in chicken stock until thickened then throw in spinach and cook an additional minute or until spinach/kale is wilted
5. Enjoy!

Paleo Zucchini Chocolatte Muffins

Sneaking veggies into all my desserts is my thing! Healthy is also my thing and these are great alternatives to crazy sugar packed muffins! Chocolate, healthy, decadent dessert (or breakfast!) what more could you want?

What you need:

• 1 medium sized zucchini, shredded
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or sweetener of choice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1.5 cups almond flour
• 3/4 cup cassava flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup roasted carob powder, can also use cacao or unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin spice seasoning
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup dairy, gf chocolate chips

What you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a muffin tin with liners or grease with cooking spray
3. Shred your zucchini, then squeeze out all excess liquids. Set aside
4. Add everything else in a bowl, minus chocolate chips and stir together. 
5. Fold in zucchini
6. Fold in chocolate chips
7. Bake in oven for 25-28 minutes
8. Let cool for 15 minutes
9. Eaaaat them suckers cause they're good

Mediterranean Chickpea and Tuna Salad

This is one of the tastiest, easiest, quickest dinners to make on a weeknight when you don't have much time AND it's great as leftovers for the remainder of the week.

serving size: this bowl

What you need:

• 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans of tuna, drained
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup cole slaw mix
• 1/2 cup cilantro or parsley, fresh
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• optional add in's capers, bell peppers, olives, nuts..anything really!

What you need to do:

1. Toss all the veggies and tuna in a bowl and mix well
2. Add in olive oil lemon juice and spices
3. Serve over salad, on a sandwich, or stuffed inside a pita

Baked Beet Falafels

Okay, I like beets now..it's a thing. I also love falafel's so why not mix the two? You get an incredible color from these and they're delicious. This was my lunch today, I just broke the falafel up on a Flatout wrap, added some kale, crunchy cole slaw mix, bell peppers, cucumber and topped with a little bit of Drew's Organics peppercorn ranch dressing. So good! I wish I would have gotten a better picture of the whole falafel! Oh wellll.....let's make 'em!

serving size: 12 falafels

What you need:

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 2 medium sized cooked beets, diced
• 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
• little bit of avocado oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• handful of parsley

What you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Honestly, I threw all of the ingredients in my food processor and processed! That easy
4. Form into 12 balls and smoosh them down on the parchment paper
5. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake 15 more minutes
6. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Pizza

I finally got to try the Caulipower pizza crust! It was so good! A lot better than my homemade cauliflower crust, haha. I had to make half of this a normal pizza for Sean (his half is not vegan, it has cheese). I was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed the crust too!

serving size: one pizza, we got 6 slices out of this

What you need:

• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• half of a shallot, diced
• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 cups spinach
• 1 can of artichokes, chopped
• 2 ounce Kite Hill chive cream cheese
• 1/4 cup Just Mayo
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• pepper flakes to top

What you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 425 
2. Brush crust with olive oil
3. In a pan, saute avocado oil, shallot and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute
4. Add in spinach, artichokes, garlic powder, salt and pepper
5. Cook until spinach is wilted, then add vegan mayo and cream cheese
6. Cook until combined
7. Top crust with spinach mixture and bake on the top rack (or pizza stone) for 16 minutes or whatever the package says, I forget!
8. Let cool a couple minutes then enjoy!

Mini Grocery Haul

I got to go to the new Kimberton Whole Foods and it was great! I needed nothing so had a little (expensive) fun. Then I stopped at the Farmer's market for fruits and veggies!

Secret Ingredient Fudgy Brownies

Welp, there's a weird thing in these and when I was concocting this in my kitchen it was kinda freaking me out but! these are so good! I'm bringing them to Easter dinner and not telling anyone what's in them til after they eat them! muhahahah

serving size: 9 brownies

What you need:

• 1 can of black beans (no salt added, drained and rinsed very well)
• 2-3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1/3 cup of honey (use agave or maple syrup and these would be vegan!)
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips (I love Enjoy Life's)

What you need to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease whatever kinda dish you're using
3. Rinse your beans very well
4. Add all ingredients except the chocolate chips to a blender, processor or mixer
5. Fold in chocolate chips after processing
6. Add your mixture to your greased dish, pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes
7. Take out and let sit 10-15 minutes before cutting
8. Eat!!!!

Vegan Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers with Avocado Basil Pesto

Definitely making these a million times in the summer. I didn't even mash the black beans so this was literally the easiest homemade burger recipe I've ever made. And it was crunchy on the outside and softer on the inside and just great! You also have to make this pesto to go on top. GAME CHANGER!

serving size: 4 normal sized burgers, or can make smaller to have sliders. (I definitely had 5 uneven burgers from this batch...haha)

What you need:

For the burgers:

• 1 can of black beans
• 1 medium sized sweet potato, cooked either in the microwave or roasted in the oven
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 whole wheat flour
• 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the pesto:

• 1/2 an avocado
• 2 cups packed basil and spinach
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (sub nutritional yeast to keep vegan)
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

What you need to do:

Burgers:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan
2. Saute onions, sun dried tomatoes and garlic for 3 minutes
3. Scoop out the inside of your sweet potato and combine with black beans in a large bowl
4. Heat 1 more tablespoon in the same pan
5. Next, add in your onion mixture from the pan
6. Add breadcrumbs, flour, basil, salt and pepper
7. You can mash your mixture at this point but I chose not to
8. Form into patties
9. Add patties to heated pan and cook about 5 minutes on each side on medium heat
10. Top burgers with whatever you desire and a dollop of the pesto and you have a delicious veggie burger!

Avocado Pesto:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process til desired consistency
2. Eat on everything!

Grocery Hauls

Just sharing my latest grocery haul with the blog! I try and keep my fridge stocked with fresh fruits and veggies every week and grab the essentials when I'm running low.

Vegan Beet Sauce with Quinoa Pasta and Spinach

I was inspired to make this after seeing someone I follow on instagram do a beet pasta sauce. I am definitely just starting to like beets, like..I despised them a month ago but here we are! And I mean, the pasta is freaking pink! How could you not love it? Anyways, I've been giving beets a shot ever since Valentine's day dinner. I had a beet salad with my meal and it was so so so good. So, here's me, tryin' to like beets with this awesome pasta dish! Enjoy

serving size: I was only working with 8 ounces of dry pasta so my serving size was 4

What you need:

• 2 cooked beets (I used Love Beets already cooked beets cause I'm lazy)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup veggie broth (chicken works here to, just won't be vegan)
• 1/2 cup boiled cashews
• 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• one yellow onion, chopped
• frozen spinach
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 box of pasta (I used Andean Dream's quinoa shells)

What you need to do:

1. Boil your water for your pasta
2. Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a separate pan and heat over medium high heat
3. Add your beets, veggie broth, drizzle of olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder, cashews and nutritional yeast to a blender (not food processor!!!)
4. Blend until creamy
5. Once your pan with the olive oil is heated through, cook onions for about 6 minutes then add in your spinach and garlic and cook til warm/not frozen
6. Drain your pasta and add to your spinach/onion mixture
7. Throw your sauce on top of the pasta and cook for about 3 minutes, until warmed and flavors are blended together
8. Viola, you're done!
9. Top with vegan cheese, green onions or whatever your heart desires
10. Eat, eat, eat