Lemony-Leeky Orzo Soup

This was way better than it has any right to be. Leeks make everything taste so buttery. The squirt of lemon takes it over-the-top.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, prepared via Note below
2-3 celery ribs, sliced 
2 carrots, sliced 
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped 
1 can (15-oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
1-2 lemons, cut in half 
½ cup orzo 
1 quart vegetable broth 
1 bag (5-oz) baby spinach 
crackers 

Directions:

1. Line a large skillet with oil. 
2. Add leek, celery, and carrots, and sauté until vegetables are just tender. 
3. Stir in orzo. 
4. Add broth plus 2 cups water. 
5. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until orzo is fully cooked, 10 minutes.  
6. Stir in chickpeas and dill, plus salt and pepper if desired. 
7. Add spinach just before serving, stirring a few times so it softens in. 
8. Squeeze lemon juice into soup before eating. 
9. Serve with crackers.

Notes:

• Use only the white and light green parts of the leek. Halve lengthwise then slice. 
• Per serving: 284 calories, 3.3g fat, 48.9g carbs, 7.5g fiber, 4.8g sugars, 14.5g protein (Crackers not included in this analysis.)

Sweet Corn Risotto

Such a yummy summer dish!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown rice 
1 small sweet onion, diced 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 cup corn (boiled and cut from cob or thawed if frozen)
1½ cups veg broth 
16-oz cauliflower rice 
1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
1 tbsp miso paste 
2 cups fresh spinach 
2 tbsp soy or almond milk

Directions:

1. Line a large pot with ¼-cup broth. 
2. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
3. Stir in cauliflower rice and cook 5 minutes, adding   splashes of broth to prevent sticking. 
4. Add remaining broth, nutritional yeast, and miso,    stirring to combine. 
5. Stir in cooked rice, cover, and simmer for a few minutes. 
6. Uncover and stir in corn and spinach. 
7. Continue to cook and stir until spinach turns bright   green, folds in, and excess liquid cooks off. (Risotto   should be soft.) 
8. Turn off heat and add milk to cream it up, adding   more as desired. 
9. Let rest a few minutes.

Notes

• Serves 2
• Per serving: 207 calories, 4.4g fat, 40.4g carbs, 6g fiber, 20.1g sugars, 4.3g protein 

Open Faced Sloppy Lentils

These are really great sandwiches. They weren't originally supposed to be open-faced, but I couldn't eat them in a traditional way. The other suggestion I have would be to serve the filling on hoagies.

Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, diced
3/4 cups green or brown lentils
1 diced green bell pepper
1½ cups marinara sauce

8 slices of whole grain bread (or 4 hoagies)

Directions:

1. Add lentils to a saucepan of water. Bring to boil, then reduce to low to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain and rinse when cooked.
2.  Sauté garlic and red pepper flakes, if using, until fragrant. 
3. Add spinach and tomatoes, continuing to cook until spinach turns dark green and tomatoes soften. 
4. Stir in cooked lentils, and marinara sauce until combined. 
5. Spoon onto bread (or hoagies) and serve.

Notes:
Serves 4 sandwiches
Per serving: 403 calories, 8.2g fat, 67.7g carbs, 20.6g fiber, 13g sugars, 18.5g protein

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

Spinach Strawberry Salad

I LOVE Strawberry Salads!! This one is an excellent salad. It's strawberry season, so enjoy! I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. 

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh spinach 
2 cups sliced strawberries 
1 cored and diced apple
1-2 cups cooked white beans, rinsed 
3 tbsp walnuts

Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette 
¼ cup applesauce 
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 
pure maple syrup, to taste

Directions:
Vinaigrette 

1. Whisk together until well combined. 

Salad

1. Toss salad ingredients with Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette until well combined.

Notes:
You can make this as a side salad for dinner, or eat it as dinner, serving 2.
Per serving: 390 calories, 9.5g fat, 62.2g carbs, 18.1g fiber, 20.1g sugars, 18.2g protein

Baked Lasagna Wraps

When I saw this recipe, I was very excited to give it a try. It sounded so good; and it was! I wanted to half the recipe because it makes 4, and I didn't want a ton of leftovers because I have lots of fresh meals to make, but now I'm kind of happy I didn't. I got the recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor, but I altered it to fit my tastebuds.

Ingredients:
10-oz frozen spinach
15-oz extra firm tofu, drained
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt
pepper
2 cups marinara sauce
vegan parmesan
4 flour tortillas (burrito size)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Cook spinach according to package directions, squeezing out excess liquid.
3. In a large mixing bowl, crumble tofu.
4. Mix in lemon, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder until well combined.
5. Fold in spinach and 1 cup marinara.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more Italian seasoning or garlic if desired.
7. Spread mixture onto tortillas and roll up.
8. Place crease side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes.
10. Warm remaining cup of marinara and drizzle over wraps.
11. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

Notes:

• Serves 4.
• Per serving: 424 calories, 13.7g fat, 51.8g carbs, 12.0g fiber, 12.6g sugars, 28.0g protein
• For just cooked wraps, heat the filling (or serve cold), and do not bake. Serve with warmed marinara.

Potato Verde Tacos

This is a meal from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. It is one serving pictured. I make changes to the original recipes to fit my tastebuds.

Ingredients:
olive oil
up to 1 cup vegetable broth 
½ small onion, diced 
1 garlic clove, minced 
½ tsp ground cumin 
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced 
1 cooked potato, diced 
5-oz fresh spinach 
½-1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
¾ cup refried beans (warmed) 
6 corn tortillas 
½ cup salsa 

Directions:

1. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent. 
2. Add cumin, stirring to coat.
3. Add bell peppers and cook until almost tender, adding broth as needed. 
4. Add potato pieces, cover and simmer, cooking until potatoes and peppers are very tender and potatoes have taken on broth coloring. (Add more broth as needed during cooking). 
5. Turn off heat and add spinach, stirring to cook down and incorporate. 
6. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with nutritional yeast. 
7. Mash potatoes partially (optional). 9
8. Stir to combine and set aside.  
9. Spread warm refried beans on tortillas and top with potato mixture. 
10. Spoon salsa on top or on the side.

Notes:

• Serves 2
• Per serving: 412 calories, 4.5g fat, 79.8g carbs, 17.7g fiber, 7.6g sugars, 19g protein
• Add corn or guacamole

Blueberry Salad

I'm pretty sure I have my sister to thank for this recipe, that I first had it at her house. 

Ingredients:
16 oz baby spinach

1 cup pecans 

2 Tbsp sugar

1 pkg. Gorgonzola cheese

2 avocados, cubed

1 cup blueberries

Dressing:

¼ cup minced shallots

¾ cup vegetable or canola oil

¾ cup sugar

½ cup vinegar

¼ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. dry mustard

3 tbsp. Poppy seeds

Directions:

1. Brown the pecans in sugar.
2. Combine dressing in a jar or bottle. Shake until well mixed and the sugar is dissolved.
3. Dress the spinach.
4. Add pecans, cheese, avocados, and blueberries.
5. Toss and serve.

Notes:

• The vegan version has no cheese.

Tofu Scramble

I have learned that I love tofu scrambles. There's very few that I don't like. Given that I keep adding potential scrambles to this page, I should probably break them out into individual ones, but the thing about tofu scrambles is you can do a little of this and a little of that. You never have to follow exactly any given recipe. 

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion or 3 scallions, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, orange, or green), finely diced
One 16-ounce package extra-firm tofu (previously frozen and thawed), drained and rinsed
1 cup loosely packed spinach leaves, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in the saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion and peppers are tender and turning a little brown.
2. Meanwhile, using your hands, crumble the tofu into a bowl to create the consistency of coarse bread crumbs. Add to the saute pan and stir to combine.
3. Add the spinach, brown rice, turmeric, cumin, paprika, and nutritional yeast, and saute for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tofu is a bright yellow color (from the turmeric) and thoroughly heated.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

• Yields 2-4 servings
• Great use for leftover rice
• You can add mushrooms (crimini)
• Adapted from the book the 30 Day Vegan Challenge (book).
• Make Mexican Scramble by adding 1 cup of salsa after the tofu is cooked, and allowing it to heat through. Put into a breakfast burrito by wrapping the scramble in a tortilla and serving with tortilla chips, avocado.
• For an Italian twist, add fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary, and/or parsley.
• Adapted from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor, you can also do a Kale Scramble (shown right): 7.5 oz extra-firm tofu, 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 0.5 tsp garlic powder, 0.5 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, pinch turmeric, handful of kale. Follow directions above starting at step 2, adding everything except kale. Add in kale at the end, and cook down. Serves 1.
• Adapted from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor, you can do another Italian Scramble (shown below): 1-4 garlic cloves minced, 1 diced roma tomato, 15-oz extra firm tofu (drained), 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric. Saute garlic and tomato until mostly dry, add in tofu and all the seasonings, cooking over medium until warm and well combined. Serves 2. 

Side dish or Entree: Spinach Artichoke Pasta

This is like having spinach artichoke dip on pasta - and it's really tasty. I would like to play with the recipe a little more because it was a little strong on the artichoke. Suggestions in the comments are welcome. I got this recipe from That Was Vegan.

Ingredients:
1 bag baby spinach
1.5 tsp dried minced garlic
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced in half
1 Tbsn vegan butter (Nucoa, Earth Balance)
1.5 Tbsn flour
1.5 cups So Delicious coconut milk
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp sea salt (more to taste)
1/2 bag Daiya Mozzarella shreds
6 oz Campanelle pasta, cooked per package instructions
1/4+ cup panko crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Water saute the baby spinach with the garlic and artichoke hearts over medium heat until it’s wilted, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Add vegan butter to pan and allow to melt, then stir in the flour. Stir until it’s combined and very thick (this is your roux). Pour in the milk and stir until mostly smooth and heated through, then add in the cheese, salt, onion and chili powder. If it gets too thick, add water.
3. Fold in the cooked pasta, artichokes, spinach and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring gently. When ready to serve, add the panko

Other Details:

Original Recipe

Entree: Cheesy Spinach Noodle Bake

This is a good, vegan noodle bake that takes a little less effort than putting together a lasagna. I didn't like the original recipe from This Can't Be Vegan as written, so I've modified it.

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni or shells 12 ounces grounds  4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 26-ounce jar marinara sauce (use a flavored one) 2-4 tablespoons spinach, chopped 2 cups vegan shredded mozzarella cheese, divided  1 cup nondairy sour cream  1/4 - 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. 
2. Cook noodles until al dente; drain and set aside. 
3. In a large nonstick skillet, add grounds, garlic, salt, and pepper, stirring frequently until heated through and slightly crisp, about 10 minutes. Add marinara sauce and spinach, stirring until spinach is wilted and everything is well combined. Remove from heat. 
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked noodles, 1 cup shredded cheese, sour cream, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and fresh parsley. Stir until ingredients are evenly distributed and noodles are well coated. 
5. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Top evenly with marinara mixture and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges. Let stand for 15 mins before serving. 

Other Notes:

• Serves 8.
• Nutrition based on 8 servings

Side dish: Panko Crusted Cheese Appetizer

This is one of those recipes that I thought sounded good and I have no idea where I found the recipe. The recipe calls for goat cheese, which I used both times I made it. However, I think any malleable white cheese will do. We did have this appetizer with guests and it was well-received. This appetizer needs to be plated out individually and served, so it's best for a dinner party rather than a larger gathering.

Ingredients:
8 ounces maleable white cheese of your choice (recipe calls for plane goat cheese), cut into 6 disks
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, slightly beaten
¾ cup panko
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cups salad spinach

Directions:

1. Gently pat the cheese into 2” disks and transfer onto a plate. Place flour, egg and panko into 3 separate bowls. Dip each disk into the flour, then the egg and finally the panko.
2. Transfer each to the plate and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes. Heat the oil in a medium non-stick skillet (or cast iron) over medium heat. Place the disks into the hot oil and fry until golden, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate or rack lined with paper towels for draining.
3. Serve warm on a bed of spinach.

Other details:

• Serves 6 
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