Anti-Vampire Soup

This served two VERY LARGE portions for me.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 can, drained)
garlic powder (optional)
1 head garlic
2 cups (16-oz) veg broth
½ diced small onion
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 diced potato
¾ cup (6-oz) soy or almond milk
crackers {60 calories per serving}

Directions:
To Roast Chickpeas:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Spread chickpeas in an even layer and sprinkle with garlic powder. 
4. Bake until crispy and golden, about 10-15 minutes.

To Roast Garlic:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. Peel away all loose, papery, outer layers, leaving the head intact and cloves connected. 
3. Trim ¼-inch off the top of the head to expose cloves. 
4. Wrap entire bulb in foil and bake 20-35 mins, or until center clove is completely soft. 
5. Let cool.

To Prepare Soup:

1. Peel and mince roasted garlic. Set aside. 
2. Sauté onions until translucent. 
3. Add broth, cauliflower, and potatoes. 
4. Cover and bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 15-20 minutes. 
6. Transfer half of the soup to a blender with roasted garlic and puree until creamy OR use an immersion blender. 
7. Add milk as necessary to thin out. 
8. Season with salt and pepper. 
9. Spoon into bowls and top with garlic roasted chickpeas.
10. Serve warm with crackers.

Maple Peanut Butter Pancakes

By now it is probably obvious our love of pancakes. When Veg News covered these, I had to make them. These pack a super flavorful punch. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup gluten-free 1:1 flour blend
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk
1/3 cup maple syrup 
1/4 cup peanut butter, just smashed peanuts
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Whisk the flours, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together he milk, syrup, peanut butter, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined.
4. Heat pan or griddle over medium heat.
5. Spray with cooking spray.
6. Scoop the batter in your preferred amounts (1/3 cup or less) onto the pan and cook until bottom is golden and stable.
7. Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown and center is cooked.
8. Repeat with the remaining batter, taking care to re-spray the pan between pancakes.

Notes:

• You can sub all-purpose flour for the gluten free flour blend at a 1:1 ratio.

Mediterranean Hummus Pasta

This is a nice, light spring dish. This got an approval from the family omnivores. You may not think the flavors will go together, but it's amazing.

Ingredients:
12-oz linguine
1 zucchini, half-moons
10-oz cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced
1 cup plain hummus
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
dash dried oregano
¾ cup olives

Directions:

1. Cook noodles via package instructions, adding zucchini, tomatoes, and bell pepper to soften and cook a few minutes before noodles are done cooking. 
2. Drain, reserving ½-cup cooking water. 
3. Return noodles and vegetables to pot. Set aside. 
4. In a small bowl, whisk hummus, basil, and oregano with hot cooking water. 
5. Pour sauce over noodles and vegetables. 
6. Stir to coat.
7. Serve with a side of 1/4 cup olives.

Notes:
Serves 4

St. Patrick's Pasta

I'm not sure how this is St. Patrick's Pasta, except that there's green in it. But, it sure is tasty! I got this recipe through Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
4-oz dry noodles, ie rotini, macaroni, smaller pastas are better 
¼ cup (2-oz) vegetable broth 
oil
½ small onion, diced 
1 garlic clove, minced 
15-oz can white beans
salt
pepper 
garlic powder 
onion powder 
3 cups fresh spinach 
vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast (optional) 
smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta via package instructions. 
2. Drain, reserving ¼-cup cooking water. 
3. Rinse pasta under cool water, set aside. 
4. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until translucent. 
5. Add beans (with their liquid), stirring to combine.  
6. Turn off heat and mash the beans partially with a fork, or leave whole. 
7. Season with salt and pepper, plus onion and garlic powder as desired. 
8. Stir in pasta water to thin as needed, then toss with cooked pasta. 
9. Turn heat to low and add fresh spinach.
10. Cook, using tongs to stir around and incorporate, until spinach is soft and combined. 
11. Top with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast and a dash of smoked paprika.

Notes:

• Serves 2.
• Per serving: 401 calories, 2.9g fat, 75g carbs, 17.8g fiber, .9g sugars, 22.9g protein
• Add pine nuts to the pasta. Omnivores  might enjoy some chicken added in.

Irish Soda Bread in a Mug

For St. Patrick's Day, serve yourself a treat: Irish Soda Bread for breakfast. This bread doesn't get crusty in the microwave, although maybe you could bake it to make it so. I also removed the raisins, which is probably a definitive component of Irish Soda Bread. But, raisins ruin everything. I got this recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
¼ cup (2-oz) almond milk 
1 tbsp white vinegar 
1 cup oat flour 
2 tbsp raw sugar 
1 tsp baking powder 
½ tsp baking soda
pinch salt 
1 cup applesauce 
12-oz yogurt 
¼ cup jam, flavor of your choice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk milk with vinegar so it curdles. Set aside. 
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk oat flour, raw sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and a tiny pinch of salt. 
3. Stir in milk mixture and applesauce.  
4. Spoon batter into 4 microwave-safe mugs and microwave each separately for 90 seconds, or until firm. 
5. Top with a dollop of yogurt and jam. 
6. Eat remaining yogurt on the side.

Notes:
Serves 4
Per serving: 274 calories, 2.7g fat, 54.4g carbs, 3.4g fiber, 33.4g sugars, 8.0g protein

If you want the raisins, you can add 1/4 cup raisins after the applesauce step.

Pasta Alfredo

This is a great winter to not-quite-spring all-in-one meal. There's a little prep, but it's worth it. You can use any pasta shape you like. Bow-ties (farfalle) is a fun and pretty choice.

Ingredients:
Alfredo Sauce 
1 head cauliflower florets 
2 garlic cloves 
1 cup (8-oz) almond milk 
1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
1 tsp Italian seasoning 

Main Dish
16-oz asparagus 
10-oz dry pasta 
10-oz cherry or grape tomatoes 
1 cup green peas (frozen works well)


Directions:
Alfredo Sauce:

1. In a pot, cover cauliflower with water. 
2. Boil until very tender, about 15 minutes. 
3. Drain off water (reserving ½-cup). 
4. Meanwhile, mince garlic in a blender.
5. Scrape sides and add cooked florets, working in batches if necessary. 
6. Add milk, nutritional yeast, and Italian seasoning, plus salt and pepper. 

Blend until very smooth, adding reserved cooking water as needed for consistency.

Pasta:

1. Cut the bottom ⅓ off the asparagus and discard. Chop remaining pieces. 
2. Cook pasta via package instructions 
3. Add asparagus, cherry tomatoes and peas a few minutes before pasta is done to soften and cook. 
4. Drain and return everything to the pot. 
5. Add Alfredo Sauce and stir to coat.

Notes:

• Per serving: 399 calories, 3.9g fat, 76.2g carbs, 16.4g fiber, 12.2g sugars, 19.8g protein
• Serves 4

Lentil-roni

Easy and Yummy!

Ingredients:
8-oz dry macaroni 
32-oz (4 cups) vegetable broth 
1 diced onion 
3 minced garlic cloves 
¼ cup tomato paste 
1 cup dry red lentils
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni via package instructions. 
2. Drain, rinse under cool water. Set aside. 
3. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent. 
4. Add tomato paste, broth, and lentils.
5. Cover and bring to a boil. 
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. 
7. Combine mixture with cooked macaroni. 
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

• Per serving: 434 calories, 2.8g fat, 78.7g carbs, 20.7g fiber, 4.9g sugar, 26.6g protein
• serves 4 

Vegan and Gluten-free

The Roehrich Recipe Codex has labels to help you find what you want to find. You may be here to eat any sort of specialty item. All recipes that are labeled or gluten-free are. They either call specifically for vegan or gluten-free products or a vegan or gluten-free item (ex. milk, graham crackers) is assumed. 

Sweet Potato Breakfast Mash

This is one of my new favorite breakfasts. I've been eating it regularly for about 8 months now, but it seems like a great holiday season breakfast to share. The photo doesn't do it justice. You can prepare it to order, or ahead of time, and serve warm or cold. Often, I make it ahead of time, so it all coalesces in flavor, and then microwave it to serve warm. I got this from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor Big Breakfast Book. 

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, cooked 
¼ cup applesauce 
ground cinnamon 
4 tsp brown sugar 
1 tbsp chopped pecans 

Directions:

1. If you haven't cooked the sweet potato yet, do so.
2. Mash potato in a bowl and mix with applesauce. 
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar then garnish with pecans.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 282 calories, 4.8g fat, 58.6g carbs, 6.2g fiber, 36.3g sugars, 5.3g protein
• You can add raisins.
• You can sub peanuts for pecans.

Chana Aloo over Rice

This is another omnivore approved meal. My photo is a little lacking, but it will be made again, so hopefully I can update the image.

Ingredients:
2 cups (16-oz) vegetable broth 
oil
1 onion, diced 
2 garlic cloves,  minced 
1 tsp ground cumin 
2 carrots, dice 
2 potatoes, diced 
¼ cup raisins 
1 tsp garam masala
dash ground coriander 
15-oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed 
4 cups fresh spinach 
3 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. Sauté onion and garlic for 1 minute. 
2. Stir in cumin to coat, then add carrots and potatoes. 
3. Sauté 5 minutes, or until just tender. 
4. Add raisins and broth. 
5. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables reach desired tenderness. 
6. Stir in 1 tsp garam masala plus a few dashes of ground coriander. 
7. Turn off heat and rest 5 minutes. 
8. Stir in chickpeas and spinach until spinach softens and folds in. 
9. Add more broth or water to thin, if desired. 
10. Heat over low until thoroughly warm. 
11. Serve over cooked brown rice. 

Notes:

Serves 4

Pumpkin Lentil Curry

This one looked and sounded so good that a friend of mine asked me for the recipe. It was a little thicker than I'd prefer. My friend agreed, it needed to be more soup-y. It probably just needs more vegetable broth added towards the end, but I didn't test it yet so I didn't put a suggested amount in the recipe, other than a (+).

Ingredients:

3+ cups vegetable broth 

oil

1 onion, diced 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

2 tsp curry powder 

ground cinnamon or coriander 

turmeric 

15-oz canned pumpkin 

¼ cup applesauce 

1 cup dry lentils 

3 cups cooked brown rice 

Directions: 

1. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
2. Add curry powder, a dash of cinnamon or coriander (whichever one you choose) and turmeric (added for color).
3.  Stir and cook briefly, then mix in pumpkin and applesauce. 
4. Add 2 cups of broth and lentils. Stir. 
5. Cover, bring to boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 15-45 minutes, until lentils are tender. 
6. Add broth as desired to thin out curry. 
7. Taste, adjusting seasonings as desired. 
8. Serve over cooked brown rice. 

Notes:

• Serves 4

Butternut Home Fries

This is a single serving as posted. I don't see why you couldn't scale this up, but it's already a lot of chopping. 

Ingredients:
2 cups butternut squash, cubed 
1 potato, cubed 
½ onion, sliced 
½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. 
3. Rinse butternut & potato cubes under cool water and shake off excess. 
4. Toss cubes with onion, Old Bay, plus salt & pepper until well coated. 
5. Arrange in a single layer and roast until cooked through, stirring and flipping a few times (about 20-25 minutes).

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Approximately 280 calories

Thai Pumpkin Bisque

While not a shellfish base as traditional bisques are, this creamy pumpkin based soup definitely qualifies. I absolutely loved this dish. You can have it with bread or crackers. It's a lovely fall dish as the weather cools down.

Ingredients:
15-oz canned pumpkin  
10-oz lite coconut milk 
1 tbsp red curry paste 
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
½ tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan.
2. Heat over medium for about 10-15 minutes, until flavors are well-combined and the soup is warm.

Notes:

• Serves 1 (although it served me two servings.)

Sweet Potato Sundae

It was strawberry season when I made this, so I used sliced strawberries. You can really use any sliced fruit that strikes your fancy: bananas, strawberries, other whole berries, even sliced pears, peaches, and apples. I like it as a fall dish, just because I think of sweet potatoes as a fall item. I suggest trying it when the fruit is in season since you can get sweet potatoes any time of the year. This recipe has been modified from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
1 baked sweet potato 
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
1¼ tbsp pure maple syrup 
3 oz vegan yogurt (plain or vanilla) 
½ cup sliced fruit

Directions:

1. Smash potato in a bowl or cut in half. 
2. Sprinkle with generously with cinnamon and drizzle with maple. 
3. Top with yogurt and fruit.

Slow Cooker Corn Tortilla Soup

It's that time of year, to get out our slow cookers and enjoy some soup as the weather cools. The original recipe came from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor program. 

Ingredients:
8 corn tortillas  
1 onion, diced 
4 cloves garlic, minced 
1 tsp chili powder 
1 tsp dried oregano 
2 tsp ground cumin 
2 cups (16-oz) vegetable broth 
14-oz diced tomatoes 
2-oz diced green chiles, drained 
¼ cup tomato paste 
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 
1.5 cups prepared black beans (1-15 oz can, drained and rinsed) 
1 avocado 
hot sauce, cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine onion, garlic, spices, broth, tomatoes (with juices), chiles, tomato paste and soy sauce in a slow cooker. 
2. Tear or chop 4 corn tortillas and stir into slow cooker to combine. 
3. Cook on low 6-8 hours (high 3-5 hours). 
4. Optional: Once done, transfer half to a blender and whiz until smooth OR use an immersion blender to partially blend. 
5. Add beans, stirring to combine.
6. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350F. 
7. Place 4 corn tortillas directly on the wrack and until crispy, about 5 minutes.
8. Crumble cooked tortillas into separate bowl.
9. Spoon soup into serving bowls and top with crumbled crisped tortillas and avocado. 
10. Garnish with hot sauce and cilantro. (optional)

Notes:

• Serves 4.
• Per serving: 394 calories, 13.2g fat, 57.1g carbs, 13.7g fiber, 9.8g sugars, 14.7g protein
• You could add corn to the soup as well.

KTTA aka BLTA

This is a great compliment to an ear of corn on the cob. Recipe is based off a meal from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
water
liquid smoke
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pure maple syrup
3-4 oz extra-firm tofu, sliced into 3
2 slices bread
1 cup kale, chop
1 tomato, sliced
2-oz guacamole

Directions:

1. Toast bread (optional.)
2. Spread guacamole on bread slices.
3. Add 1/4 cup water, a tad of liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, and maple syrup to a skillet. Whisk together.
4. Ad tofu and cook over medium heat, turning regularly, until it starts to caramelize. This is now the "bacon" part of a BLTA.
5. Make sandwich with kale, tomato slices, and tofu "bacon".

Notes:

• Serves 1.
• Original recipe called for one portabello mushroom stemmed and sliced instead of tofu.
• Original recipe per serving: 384 calories, 12.5g fat, 58.1g carbs, 12.9g fiber, 15.6g sugar, and 12.7g protein.
• You can use a gluten-free tortilla instead of bread and make a wrap.
• You can use hummus instead of guacamole.

Sloppy Lentil Joes

I'll admit that my family was a little skeptical of these. The kids turned them down outright because of the green bell pepper. However, they were super easy and quick to make and will be a go-to for me. I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
oil
1 onion, diced 
4 garlic cloves, minced 
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced 
2 tsp chili powder 
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning 
2 cups cooked lentils 
1 cup salsa 
1 cup marinara sauce 
4 buns or tortillas

Directions:

1. Sauté onion, garlic, and bell pepper until onion is translucent and bell peppers have softened. 
2. Stir in spices to coat well. 
3. Add cooked lentils, salsa and marinara sauce, stirring to combine. 
4. Continue to cook over low, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly warm and reduced slightly. 
5. Spoon onto buns and serve. 

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 410 calories, 4.6g fat, 70.9g carbs, 23g fiber, 14.2g sugars, 22.7g protein
• For a serving for two (pictured one of two servings) use: ½ small onion, diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 tsp chili powder; ½ tsp dried oregano; 1 cup cooked lentils; ½ cup salsa; ½ cup marinara sauce; 4 slices bread
• Omnivores could throw in a ground meat of their choice as well.

Tomato Basil Rigatoni

I made this for the family and it was a pretty big hit. The main issue was that I overdid the amount of the sauces, and I didn't reduce quite enough, so the sauce was a little more runny than is ideal. My suggestion is to stick with the amounts in the recipe and/or be sure to reduce sufficiently.

Ingredients:
14-oz dry pasta (i.e. rigatoni) 
oil
2 cups (16-oz) vegetable broth 
1 onion, diced 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1-2 tbsp Italian seasoning 
2 tbsp tomato paste 
28-oz tomato sauce 
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
½ cup dry red wine (optional, if using reduce broth by ½ cup) 
fresh basil (optional) 

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot. 
2. Saute onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning in oil until onions are translucent.
3. Add tomato paste, stirring to coat. 
4. Cook 1-2 minutes, adding a splash of broth as necessary to prevent sticking. 
5. Stir in tomato sauce, vinegar, wine and remaining broth until well combined.
6. Cover and bring to a boil.
7. (This is a good time to cook the pasta according to package directions in a separate pot.)
8. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until it reduces slightly and everything is thoroughly warm. 
9. Stir in fresh basil, if using. 
10. Serve over pasta or toss together.

Notes:
Serves 4.
Per serving: 423 calories, 4.1g fat, 79.4g carbs, 15.8g fiber, 12.7g sugar, 20.8g protein

Indonesian Stir-Fry Noodles

What's funny about this dinner is that when I said it was what was for dinner, everybody balked. Then I made it, with an add-on of chicken for the omnivores in the family. One child, who is super-duper picky, didn't even try it. But it got whole-hearted yums from the other two people. So much that my son asked how much would be leftovers. And asked if I could make it again ... soon. 

The bowl above serves 4. That's right, 4. When I took my helping, everybody's eyes got wide and said, you get that much? Since I'm trying to watch my caloric intake. I said, I get a quarter of the bowl. Then they said, that isn't even a quarter of that bowl. By the way, I was quite full after eating the portion I served myself.

I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivores Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
12-oz dry noodles (i.e. spaghetti) 
6 tbsp teriyaki sauce 
2 tbsp soy sauce 
dash Sriracha (i.e., to taste) 
1/4 cup vegetable broth
oil
1 onion, thinly sliced 
4 garlic cloves, minced 
12-oz broccoli florets 
10-oz cole-slaw mix 
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
water, as needed

Directions:

1. Cook noodles via package instructions. 
2. Drain, rinse under cold water. Set aside. 
3. While cooking noodles, n a small bowl, whisk teriyaki, soy sauce, Sriracha, and broth together. Set aside. 
4. Sauté onions and garlic in oil until translucent. 
5. Add broccoli and cook until bright green. 
6. Add cole-slaw mix, cooking and stirring so the veggies starts to soften.  
7. Add kale, stirring to incorporate. 
8. Continue to cook to desired tenderness, adding water as needed. 
9. Stir in sauce and cooked noodles. 
10. Taste, adding more Sriracha or teriyaki sauce, if desired.  

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 428 calories, 2.7g fat, 87.6g carbs, 14.8g fiber, 12g sugars, 18.5g protein
• You can use water instead of vegetable broth. You can use thinly sliced cabbage instead of cole-slaw mix. You can add-on more veggies.
• If you want to add some meat, chicken thinly sliced and fried in the same sauce (make more) worked well for us. I think pork may also go well in this dish.

Chocolate Strawberry Oatmeal

Yes, there is oatmeal under those strawberries and chocolate chips. This was so easy and yummy that when I had to travel unexpectedly, I made sure I had some chocolate, strawberries, and oatmeal and just made that for breakfasts. The original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor called for banana, which I cannot have. Probably, any fruit that you enjoy will go well in this breakfast. 

Ingredients:
½ cup dry rolled oats 
1½ tbsp dark chocolate chips 
fruit of your choice, sliced (strawberries, banana suggested)

Directions:

1. Cook oats in ¾ cup water (or more). 
2. Top with chocolate chips and fruit.