Vegan

Vegan Pumpkin Alfredo

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This extremely simple pumpkin recipe gives you an unconventional way to use pumpkin. The ingredients may be minimal, but the flavor definitely isn’t lacking.

I love pumpkin. I love to bake with it, cook with it, and I always have one can stashed away in my pantry at all times. However, I rarely actually use it. I think it’s because pumpkin is associated with Fall, and I hate Fall because it means Summer is over. I usually just live in denial that the days are getting shorter and I need a coat every time I leave the house. And that one can of pumpkin in my pantry? I’m afraid to use it. What if I’ve used up my only can of pumpkin but I want to make pumpkin bread before September and the stores haven’t received their pumpkin shipment yet?? Total catastrophe, I tell ya.

Anyway, you all know how much I hate to waste food, so this recipe started with a botched cashew yogurt recipe. I took my cashew base and just added pumpkin and some spices. Feel free to take the heat up a notch by adding more paprika or even some chili powder. I didn’t have any garlic on hand, but I would have thrown in a couple cloves if I had them.

After blending everything in the Vitamix, I had a super creamy, almost whipped sauce. I tasted it a few times and added a little more salt and paprika until I had the flavor I wanted. The recipe below starts with minimal salt and paprika since you can’t exactly subtract spices! Keep adding about ½ teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired sauce.

Boil some pasta or rice, pick a green vegetable, and top with red pepper flakes. I added broccoletti, but I think some purple onion would be a great addition. Peas and zucchini/yellow squash would also pair well.

Enjoy!

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Vegan Pumpkin Alfredo

This extremely simple pumpkin recipe gives you an unconventional way to use pumpkin. The ingredients may be minimal, but the flavor definitely isn’t lacking.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cashews soaked in water the longer the better and overnight if possible
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • Juice of 1 lemon about 2T
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 can pumpkin puree
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1 t paprika
  • 1 t salt and pepper
  • Optional: 2 cloves of garlic
  • Red pepper flakes for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Instructions:

  1. Put everything except for the red pepper flakes in a high-speed blender and give it a whirl.

  2. Taste to determine if you want to add more salt or paprika.
  3. Cook some pasta or rice, pick a green vegetable, and top with red pepper flakes.

 

Mexican Quinoa Casserole

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An easy weeknight or make-ahead meal to use up your leftover quinoa. Be comfortable just dumping ingredients together – there’s no need to measure!

It all started with a truck load of leftover quinoa. For some reason, I totally and completely overestimated how much quinoa I was going to eat during the week, and I was left with about 6 cups of cooked quinoa. Of course, I could have easily just frozen the entire leftover container. But as a master ingredient repurposer, I wanted to turn it into something else.

I started looking around my pantry to see what else I could throw in. I had one sweet potato, cans of various beans, a jar of salsa, nutritional yeast (obvi), and some frozen vegetables. I began with a sweet potato and black beans, but I also wanted something green. Based on limited freezer options, I opted for spinach and edamame. After dumping everything together and adding some spices, I had a fully assembled casserole ready to bake.

I didn’t measure when I made this dish, so the ingredients below are all estimates.  I want you to feel empowered to just throw ingredients in a bowl without being confined to specific measurements. This is another dish that’s basically impossible to mess up, so just go for it! Start with some quinoa and add your beans and vegetables until you have the ratio you want. Then add some salsa, spices, and nutritional yeast, pack it all into a casserole dish, and bake!

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Mexican Quinoa Casserole

An easy weeknight or make-ahead meal to use up your leftover quinoa. Be comfortable just dumping ingredients together – there’s no need to measure!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups quinoa
  • 1 jar of salsa
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 sweet potato peeled and cubed
  • 3/4 cup frozen spinach
  • ¾ cup frozen edamame
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast + more for sprinkling on top
  • 3 T chili powder
  • 1 T cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

  2. Add everything to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
  3. Press into a casserole dish sprinkle with nutritional yeast. Cover with foil.
  4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the sweet potato is fork tender.
  5. Uncover, and bake another 5 minutes, or until the edges start to get crispy.

  6. Serve with more salsa, hot sauce, avocado, or cilantro.

Recipe Notes

This dish is also a great one to make ahead. After pressing everything into the casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it.

Cauliflower Gnocchi – 2 Ways

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When Trader Joe’s came out with their cauliflower gnocchi, this Italian was definitely skeptical. I mean, how could cauliflower have the same dense, doughy texture as their potato ancestors? Trader Joe’s was also on a bit of a cauliflower kick – cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower fried rice, riced cauliflower stuffing, and now cauliflower gnocchi?

However, when TJ’s comes out with something new, it’s almost always on my next grocery list. When I tried these gnocchi the first time, they totally and completely blew me away. These little pillows are chewy, retain their shape, and have just the perfect amount of “squeech” when you bit into them.

These gnocchi are in my regular dinner rotation because the topping options are endless. I have compiled two simple ways to turn these into a quick meal. Just follow the formula of sauce + beans + veggies, and don’t forget the sprinkle of nutritional yeast!

Red Sauce + Cannellini Beans + Spinach

Pesto + Cannellini Beans + Tomatoes + Asparagus + Spinach 

Don’t be afraid to get creative with your veggies. I usually use the veggies I already have in my fridge, but I will also use frozen peas, edamame, or spinach. For other sauce ideas, you could try vegan alfredo, roasted red pepper, or just some olive oil and garlic.

*Make sure you use the sauté method to warm your gnocchi – add a little bit of olive oil to a pan, and sauté until your gnocchi are lightly browned and thawed.

Have you tried TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi? How do you prepare them?

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