Brussel Sprouts and Pasta Bake [dairy-free, oil-free, vegan] - Made with Noochy Licious!

I did not grow up eating brussel sprouts, so I am always looking for ways to get them into my diet without having to coat them with oil. This casserole is husband-approved and a great way to get more cruciferous veggies into your diet!

Featured in this dish is the fabulous Noochy Licious brand of nutritional yeast from the company, Gloriously Vegan. A couple of years back, I did a product review, so make sure to check that out. It's extremely clean and unfortified "nooch" for those of you who don't want any "extra" ingredients. Recently, the company sent me another bag to work my magic.

Check out their product >> Noochy Licious nutritional yeast
Also, follow them on Instagram at @gloriouslyvegan

NOW FOR THE RECIPE...

1 1/2 lbs brussel sprouts
8 oz whole wheat rotini pasta*

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds 
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 
2 T dry white wine (This makes it fabulous, but if you absolutely don't want to use this small amount of wine, you can replace it with veggie broth)
1/2 T brown rice miso or white miso paste
1/2 cup UNSWEETENED soy milk (or other unsweetened plant-based milk like almond or cashew)
1 T Noochy Licious nutritional yeast
1/2 t salt (more or less to taste)
1/8 t black pepper
2 garlic cloves

Seasoned Bread Crumbs Ingredients:
4 slices whole wheat bread, torn into pieces (DO NOT use bread that contains seeds or has a sweet flavor)
1/2 t onion granules
1 t  Noochy Licious nutritional yeast
1/8 t salt
1/8 t ground black pepper

1) Soak the slivered blanched almonds in 1 cup of the vegetable broth for at least 30 minutes (or even all day in a tightly closed container left in the refrigerator). 

2) In a food processor, pulse the seasoned bread crumbs ingredients until they are the size are panko bread crumbs. Place in a sealed container, and set aside until you are ready to put the casserole together. 

3) Steam the brussel sprouts until fork tender. The time depends on size, but do NOT overcook them or they will be too mushy in the casserole. At the same time, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta well and set aside. Cool the sprouts for a few minutes, slice off a small amount of the stalk end of each sprout, and cut them into halves (for smaller sprouts) or quarters (for larger ones). 

4) While the sprouts and pasta are cooking, you can make the sauce. Add the soaked almonds and broth along with all of the rest of the sauce ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend for at least 2 minutes until very smooth. It will not be a thick sauce.

5) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a casserole dish (13x9 glass or a taller 7x10), place the drained pasta and sliced brussel sprouts. Add the sauce mixture and gently stir to coat everything. Liberally add breadcrumbs to the entire top of the casserole (you may have more than you need). Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with additional homemade parmesan cheese, desired. 

* I have not tried this with brown rice pasta yet, but I'm sure it would be delicious as well.

This recipe is brought to you by Mrs. Plant with products sent to her from Gloriously Vegan.

Spinach Mushroom Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche [oil-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan]

NOTE: This quiche can be made a day or two ahead and warmed up in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.

Crust:
1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water, mixed together
1 cup almond flour
1 cup oat flour (gluten-free if desired)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 t salt
1-2 T water

Filling:
1 block (14-oz) firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 medium onion, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped and soaked in water for 30 minutes
3 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
2 T nutritional yeast
1 t dried oregano
3/4-1 t salt (or less if desired)
a few shakes of black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

For the crust: Mix together flax and water mixture in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, oat flour, oregano, and salt. Add in the flaxseed mixture and 2 T of water. Stir well. The dough will be somewhat crumbly, but it should stick together when you press it between your fingers.

Crumble the dough evenly over the base of a 9" pie dish. Press the mixture evenly into the pan, working your way outward and up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust at 350F for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm to touch. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you finish preparing the filling. Increase oven temperature to 375F.

For the filling: Break apart the tofu block into 4 pieces and add into food processor. Process the tofu until smooth and creamy. If it doesn't get creamy, add a tiny splash of unsweetened non-dairy milk to help it along. Set aside.

In a large skillet, steamfry onion over medium-high heat with a little water until tender and translucent. Stir in the garlic, mushrooms, season with a few dashes of salt, and cook on medium-high heat until most of the water cooks off the mushrooms, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the herbs, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, oregano, salt, and pepper until combined. Cook until the spinach is wilted. 

Finally, remove from heat and stir in the processed tofu until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning to taste if desired. Spoon mixture into baked crust and smooth out with a spoon until even.

Bake quiche, uncovered, at 375F for 35 minutes, or until the quiche is firm to the touch. For best results, cool the quiche for 15-20 minutes on a cooling rack before attempting to slice. 

Chickenless Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Biscuits

This recipe can be made ahead and warmed up for a meal. I recommend, though, it's best to make the Sweet Potato Biscuits fresh, right before your meal!

Chickenless Pot Pie
2 cups of soy curls (use the smaller, bite-sized pieces)
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 t poultry seasoning
1 t Trader Joe's Vegan Chickenless seasoning (optional)

1/2 cup of low-sodium vegetable broth (plus more if needed)
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
2 carrots, peeled and chopped in small cubes
2 stalks of celery, chopped small
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium to large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced small

1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried rubbed sage
3/4-1 t salt 
scant 1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t Trader Joe's Vegan Chickenless seasoning (optional - use less salt if you include this)

2 T white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
2-2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup frozen peas

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 1 cup of veggie broth, soy sauce, poultry seasoning, and Trader Joe's Vegan Chickenless seasoning, then add the soy curls. Stir to combine well. Stir about 3 or 4 more times while you are working on the rest of the recipe, letting the curls soak up all (or most of) the liquid.

Add 1/2 cup of veggie broth and the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to a large pot. Cook for several minutes on medium-high heat until tender. Add the garlic and potatoes and cook covered over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Add more veggie broth if it starts to get dry in the pot. Stir occasionally, then re-cover. When the potatoes are just fork tender, reduce to a simmer; add in the spices and the soy curls. Stir together well.

Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir in well while slowly adding in the 2 (or more cups) of broth as you stir. Add in the frozen peas and stir to combine. Continue to cook on a simmer until the sauce thickens. Taste to see if you need more salt. If not, remove from heat and serve with SWEET POTATO DROP BISCUITS.

Recipe Inspired by Brand New Vegan and Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Chickballs [oil-free, gluten-free, vegan]

A neighbor of mine shared a WFPB meatless "meatball" recipe she found online and said it was excellent. It didn't specify the amounts of the spices (or even specifically which you should use). So, I tweaked the recipe just slightly, and they came out fantastic! The original recipe is by Yumna @feelgoodfoodie / FeelGoodFoodie.net. I wasn't able to find this recipe on her website (which, warning, isn't vegan), but you can watch her video on TikTok or just follow my version below.

1 cup walnuts
½ yellow onion
15 oz of chickpeas
½ cup rolled oats
¾ cup breadcrumbs (whole grain is best)
5 T water (a little more if needed to form the batter)
2 T ground flaxseed
2 T tomato paste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t basil
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Put walnuts in the food processor first and process until chopped finely, then add the onion and process until chopped finely, and finally, add the rest of the ingredients in and process until everything comes together like a dough/batter. Add 1-2 T of water if needed. The dough/batter should be moist, but it should not stick to fingers. Fill a 3T-cookie scoop with the batter, form into a ball, place on parchment paper-lined baking pan. Do the same with the rest of the dough/batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the "meatballs" are just firm to the touch (but not hard). Serve with oil-free marinara over pasta or as a meatball sandwich!

Baked Zucchini Fritters [oil-free, gluten-free, vegan]

NOTE: It is best to make the quinoa in advance. You will need a total of 3 cooked and chilled cups for this recipe. One cup of quinoa plus 2 cups of water will yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa. Simply place quinoa and water into a saucepan, bring to a bowl, cover, turn heat down to low, and set a timer for 15 minutes. DO NOT open the top until the 15 minutes is up. Use a fork to fluff the quinoa. Chill before making this recipe.

4 large zucchini
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 cups (previously) cooked and cooled quinoa
1/3 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour + 1/4 cup water
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1/2 t dried dill
1/2-3/4 t salt
A few shakes of black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (375 convection or airfryer setting).
Shred zucchini in a food processor or on a box grater.
Place shredded zucchini and crushed garlic in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Cook about 10-12 minutes (uncovered) until the zucchini reduces and moisture is released and
evaporated.
Mix the chickpea flour with the water and set aside.
In the meantime, combine the 3 cups of cooked and cooled quinoa, the brown rice
flour, spices, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Add the cooked zucchini/garlic and the chickpea flour mixture into the bowl and
combine well.
On parchment-lined trays, scoop about 2-3 T of the mixture on the tray and spread
into 1/4" high circles with a small silicone spatula.
Place in the oven to bake. The baking time may vary depending on the moisture content of the batter. Try flipping after about 20 minutes. Then bake another 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and mostly dry throughout.
Serve with vegan Buffalo ranch dressing or other favorite dipping sauce.

Vegan Taco Pasta - Healthified! [oil-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan]

This delicious original recipe came from This Savory Vegan, recommended to us by our kids. We decided to make a few changes to align more with the way we cook, and it came out amazing!

Here is the modified version:

8 oz dry pasta - I used Tinkyada Organic Brown Rice Elbows
1/2 red or yellow onion, chopped FINELY
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped FINELY
1 red bell pepper, chopped FINELY
1 jalapeño, chopped FINELY
1 packet taco seasoning - I used Simply Organic Mild Taco Seasoning
6 oz soyrizo - can find this at Sprouts and Trader Joe's
1/2 cup salsa - I used Sprouts brand of organic mild salsa
1 cup water
1 t Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base (optional, not needed)
3 handfuls of organic baby spinach
1/4 cup raw cashews + 1/4 cup water - Blend in a high-speed cup blender until very smooth and creamy

Cook pasta according to package directions. When finished, drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, steamfry the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeño in a  few tablespoons of water in a large skillet over medium-high heat, adding more water if needed until the veggies are cooked tender. This will take about 10 minutes. Add the taco seasoning and a little more water to the skillet.

Push the veggies to one side of the skillet and add the soyrizo. Crumble with a wooden spoon and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Combine the veggies and soyrizo.

Add salsa, 1 cup of water, bouillon (if using), and the cashew cream to the pan and stir to combine. If you did not use the Better Than Bouillon, you might want to add salt to taste. Since taco seasoning usually has salt in it, you may not need to add additional salt.
Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss until coated evenly.
Serve warm!
Store leftover in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serves 4.

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Baked Zucchini Hash Browns - [oil-free, gluten-free, vegan]

NOTE: You will need to place the bag of frozen hash browns in the refrigerator the night before you plan to bake this. You want them to be totally defrosted. 

Served 2 as a meal.

16-oz bag of frozen oil-free hash brown potatoes (only ingredient potatoes), defrosted overnight and excess moisture squeezed out
2 large freshly spiralized zucchini, roughly chopped 
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1-1 1/2 T Frontier Coop Pizza Seasoning (salt-free)
salt to taste
diced avocado (optional)
Cholula sauce (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Line a baking pan (with sides) with unbleached parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together well.
Spread gently and evenly over the parchment paper-lined pan.
Bake for around 30 minutes, until the tops and edges are brown and crispy.
Serve immediately topped with avocado and Cholula sauce.

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

All-in-One Meal - Angel Hair Pasta with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce [vegan, oil-free, dairy-free]

Serves 2

8 oz. Cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water for 30 minutes until soft, then chopped roughly (NOTE: Trader Joe's is my favorite brand for sun-dried tomatoes)
5 fresh basil leaves, chopped into ribbons
4 oz. whole wheat angel hair (Capellini) pasta
1 head of roasted garlic*
1/4 cup raw cashews (if you do not have a high-speed blender, soak in water for 4 hours, then drain)
1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1 T dry white wine
1/4 t salt (more if desired after tasting)
red pepper flakes (optional)
vegan Parmesan cheese to top


* NOTE: The roasted garlic can be made previously and stored in the refrigerator or freezer to use in this sauce. Simply cut the top of a head of garlic off, revealing each clove. Place in a square of foil, adding a few sprinkles of water on top. Wrap loosely in the foil, and roast at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Squeeze cloves out  to use in sauce. Yes, we will be using an entire head of roasted garlic for this recipe! 😉

In a skillet with a couple of tablespoons of water, steamfry the mushrooms for about 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, just until the spinach wilts and begins taking on a darker green shade. Turn off the heat.

Blend the roasted cloves of garlic (yes, ALL of them!), with the cashews, aquafaba, wine, and salt in a high-speed blender (if possible) until smooth and creamy. If the sauce does not seem pourable, add a tiny bit of water and blend again.

Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions, but DO NOT add salt to the water if it calls for it. Drain well and add to the skillets with the roasted garlic cream sauce. Stir to combine and serve with a few red pepper flakes and vegan Parmesan on top.

Vegan Momo [Napalese Street Dumplings]

Momo Dipping Sauce - Can be made a day in advance

2 cups of water
4 ripe organic vine tomatoes
1-4 dried Kashmiri chilli peppers (depending on your spiciness desire)*
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger, peeled
3 T blanched almonds (white, no peel)
1 T tahini
1 t sugar
1 t white vinegar
¼ t salt
1 t soy sauce

* NOTE: This dipping sauce can be made with no chilis or as many as you like. We prefer ours not spicy, but it is traditionally made as a spicy sauce. You can sub Kashmiri chilli powder or cayenne. Not as authentic, but you do what you gotta do!

In a saucepan, add water, tomatoes (whole), chilis (if using) garlic, ginger, and almonds. Boil for about 5 minutes until the peel in the tomatoes cracks. Drain off all of the water. Let tomatoes cool enough to remove peels. Toss everything into high speed blender with tahini, sugar, salt, vinegar, and soy sauce, and blend until very smooth. Do NOT add any additional liquid. Store in fridge. Can be served cold or room temp. Serve as a dipping sauce for Momo.

Inspired by recipe from Hebbar's Kitchen
https://hebbarskitchen.com/momos-chutney-recipe-momo-sauce/

Momo (Like Potstickers or Dumplings)

NOTE: 45 minutes before you are ready to make up the momos, take the gyoza wrappers out of the freezer and let them sit in the closed package at room temperature. They should be ready to work with after that amount of time. You can also make these from scratch, but I'm too lazy!

1 package of frozen wheat gyoza wrappers (from Asian store)
1 bag of shredded green cabbage (plain-- not with carrots or red cabbage)
1 cup carrots
2 green onions, white part only)
4 cloves of garlic
1 T fresh ginger
1/4 cup cilantro
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 oz firm tofu crumbed into tiny pieces
1 T low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 t liquid smoke

In a food processor, process carrots, cabbage, green onions (white part), garlic and ginger into tiny pieces. Place mixture into a skillet over medium heat. Cook until moisture is released and evaporated, leaving a dry-ish veggie mixture.

While veggies are cooking, mix crumbled tofu with soy sauce and liquid smoke. Spread out on parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring inches halfway. Add tofu to the veggie mixture. Cover (leaving it open just slightly) and refrigerate until ready to make up the momos.

Ready to make the momos! Work with only ONE Momo at a time.

Have a very small bowl of water ready. Hold the wrapper in the palm of your hand. Brush water all the way around the edge of the wrapper with your finger so it will seal well.  Place a small amount of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Pinch the dough around in a circle until you have completely closed the wrapper. Press the Momo gently down on a wooden board to flatten the bottom a little. Make up all of the Momo before steaming them. You can set them on a piece of parchment paper until you are ready to steam them.

Add 1 cup of water into your instant pot. Place the metal stand in the bottom. Place a steamer basket (I love our Instant Pot silicone one. It worked great for this!!!) On the stand. Cut a piece of parchment paper, into the shape of your steamer basket bottom and create 5 to 6 holes around the perimeter, about 1/2 inch in and 1 hole near the center. This is so that the steam can come up through. Place that parchment paper down at the bottom of your steamer basket. Set momos on the parchment paper but not over the he's and not touching watching other. You should be able to steam 6 to 7 at a time. Close the lid. Press your Instant Pot STEAM button and set for 2 minutes (valve on SEALING). When the 2 minutes is up, let the lid stay in for 5 more minutes, then release the steam. For each batch add 2-3 T of water into the pot to replenish what steamed out. SERVE IMMEDIATELY.

Cheezy Broccoli Stuffed Potato Skins

6 medium-large Yukon gold potatoes
1 cup your favorite plant-based cheese sauce
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy plain milk

Wash, prick, and bake potatoes in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for about an hour, or until done. While the potatoes are cooking, steam your broccoli florets a little longer than usual, so they are pretty soft when finished. Set aside until the potatoes are finished baking and cooling. When potatoes are done, let them cool for about 15 minutes, slice each one in half, and scoop out MOST of the potato inside into a large bowl, setting the skins aside for the moment. Add the broccoli florets into the bowl with the potato filling. Add the plant-based cheese sauce and plant-based milk and mix together well. Salt and pepper to taste. Scoop filling back into the reserved potato skins. Place on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. If they are cold when you reheat them, it will take about 30 minutes to warm them. Top with vegan bacon bits and/or chopped green onions or chives.

Mushroom Farro and Brown Rice

If you don't have farro, just double the brown rice. It's better with the mixed grains, but still delicious with only rice.

1 cup brown rice, rinsed well
1 cup farro (this is a delightful whole grain!)
3 cups vegetable broth
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 t salt
2 shallots, chopped finely
18-24 oz Cremini mushrooms
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
green onions, chopped (optional)

Add brown rice, farro, vegetable broth, garlic, and salt to pressure cooker. Cook for 22 minutes on high pressure with natural release.
While grains are cooking, place shallots in a large skillet or wok and steamfry with a little water until translucent. Add chopped mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat until the moisture is release and mostly evaporated. Add in the baby spinach, cover, and cook about 4-5 more minutes, stirring every minute or so. Turn heat off. Open pressure cooker, fluff the grains, and add them to the skillet/wok. Stir to combine well. Serve warm with green onions for garnish.

Tropical Plantain Buddha Bowl [gluten-free, vegan]

Waiting on plantains to ripen is kind of a downer, but when you finish and they taste amazing, it's worth the wait! This recipe makes two large portions or three slightly smaller.

Ingredients you will need for this recipe:
1 cup brown rice
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
2 plantains
1 package organic firm tofu
3 T lime juice (split between the peanut sauce and pepper-mango salsa)
1/3 cup Naked PB peanut powder
2 small cloves of garlic
2 T low-sodium gluten-free tamari or soy sauce (if not GF)
1 T date syrup (or maple syrup)
1 t crushed sesame seeds (or 1 t dark sesame oil for flavor)
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
2 ripe mangoes
3-4 cups of broccoli florets, steamed
2 cups slaw mix (green cabbage with some purple cabbage and carrots)
1 cup shredded purple cabbage
Green onions, to garnish if desired
Chopped peanuts, to garnish if desired

To make the cilantro rice in the Instant Pot:
1 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 handful of cilantro, chopped finely
1/4 t salt

Place all ingredients in your Instant Pot. Set the HIGH PRESSURE for 22 minutes, then click cancel and wait until the lid can be opened. Keep the lid on until plating up.

To make the baked tofu and plantains:
2 plantains, ripened to half yellow, half black, then peeled and sliced into angled 1/4" slices
1 block of tofu, pressed, drained, chopped into cubes, and marinated in teriyaki sauce (my recipe or store-bought) for 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tofu and plantain slices on a parchment paper-lined pan. Bake for about 30 minutes.

To make the pepper-mango salsa: (This can be made ahead!)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, remove seed pod, and dice finely (do not touch your eyes!)
2 sweet mangoes, peeled and diced
handful of cilantro, chopped finely
1/4 t salt
1 T fresh lime juice

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover, and chill in fridge.

To make the peanut-lime sauce:
1/3 cup Naked PB peanut powder
2 small cloves of garlic
2 T low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1-2 T date syrup (or maple syrup)
2 T fresh lime juice
1 t crushed sesame seeds (or 1 t dark sesame oil for flavor)

Laying the bowls in this order (from the bottom up):
Brown Cilantro Rice
Slaw Mix
Purple cabbage
Steamed Broccoli
Tofu
Plantains
Pepper-Mango Salsa
Peanut-Lime Sauce

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Veggie Coconut Curry

I prefer to make this veggie curry on the stove top and not in the pressure cooker to avoid getting that "burn" message. 😕 At first, it will seem like there is not enough liquid, but as the veggies cook, it comes out perfectly!

1 onion, chopped into small pieces
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 t cumin powder
a few dashes of cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
1 carrot, sliced thinly
about 10-12 broccoli florets
2 small zucchini, chopped (but not too small or they will get mushy)
1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
1 15-oz can of baby corn, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can of lite coconut milk
1 15-oz can of organic diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups (or 1 can) cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)*
1-1 1/2 T yellow curry powder
1/2 t coriander powder
1 T coconut sugar (brown sugar if you don't have it)
salt to taste
Cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice

* I think chickpeas cooked from dry have a MUCH better texture. If you can, cook them in your pressure cooked first, let them cool, then add them to this soup. Otherwise, just use a can from the store.

Cook the onions in a large pot with a little water over medium-high heat until translucent and tender. Add crushed garlic and spices. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for another minute or so. Add all of the rest of the ingredients except the salt and coconut sugar and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes--until veggies are fork-tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and add the coconut sugar and salt. You may want to start with 3/4-1 t of salt, and keep adding more a little at a time until your desired saltiness. Serve warm over cooked rice.

Chickenless Soy Curls Tetrazzini

This original recipe is by Jill McKeever, Simple Daily recipes. I made some modifications to reduce caloric density and alter the flavor just a bit. You don't HAVE to add the soy curls to this recipe, but we love it with them and they add extra whole foods protein to the dish. this serves 6 (big servings!). Great to make on  weekend for the coming week!

Bread Crumbs:
4 sliced whole wheat bread (not toasted!)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 t dried parsley
1 t. onion granules
2 t. nutritional yeast
Process into crumbs. Set aside.

Soy Curls: https://amzn.to/2G4NpXU
Place 2 handfuls soy curls into warm water for 10 minutes
Drain water off.
Blend in VM for 5 seconds on lowest setting.

Cauliflower Sauce:
1 bag of frozen cauliflower OR 1 head of cooked cauliflower florets
2 t. Better-than-Bouillon No-Chicken base
1/3 cup walnuts
3-5 shakes of liquid smoke
salt and black pepper to taste
Place all sauce ingredients (except salt and pepper) into a saucepan and cover with 2 cups of water.
Simmer on medium-high heat for 8 minutes.
Blend in Vitamix blender until smooth.
Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Other Veggies:
1 cup frozen green peas OR frozen veggie mix (green beans, peas, carrots, and corn) to boiling water
8-16 oz. sliced mushrooms

In a non-stick skillet, cook the mushrooms until moisture is released and cooked out. Add the frozen veggies and cook another 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

Pasta:
12 oz. of whole wheat spaghetti, broken in half
Boil until pasta is cooked, according to package directions.
Drain pasta well.

Put it all together!
Pour sauce into 9x13 glass baking dish
Add cooked veggies and shredded soy curls.
Add drained pasta.
Slowly mix everything until well combined.Top with bread crumbs.
Bake for 10 minutes on 400 degrees.

Recipe originally from Jill McKeever, Simple Daily Recipes; modified by Mrs. Plant

 Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Cooking OIL-FREE in a Waffle Iron

The worst thing you can do when you buy a waffle maker with nonstick plates is to use oil on it or in the batter. Rather than being nonstick, they eventually become "gummy" and it will become impossible to remove the waffle. The key to oil-free cooking in a waffle maker is HOW you cook them.

Tonight, we made my typical Veggie Hash Browns, but this time in our relatively new waffle maker (which we absolutely LOVE, by the way!) I am including the ingredients I used below, but you will have to decide how many you want to make and how much of the ingredients of each. You almost can't mess this up. Anyway, the KEY to making this recipe is to PRE-HEAT the waffle maker, setting it between MEDIUM and HIGH HEAT. Then, fill waffle iron bottom plate right to the edges with the Veggie Hash Browns ingredients, close the top, and CAREFULLY press the top down with an oven mitt. Reduce the heat a bit on the waffle maker to just a little higher than medium, and set a timer for 25 minutes.
DO NOT OPEN THE TOP!
If after 25 minutes, your waffle won't come up pretty easily with a silicone spatula, close the top, and go another 5-10 minutes until the waffle can be lifted off with ease.
NEVER USE A METAL UTENSIL IN A NON-STICK APPLIANCE!

This is what I put in my Veggie Hash Browns:
Cooked and cooled whole Yukon Gold potatoes, shredded with a flat metal grater into a bowl
I gently mixed in:
Spinach, finely chopped
Carrots, finely chopped
Onion, finely chopped
Red/yellow/orange bell peppers, finely chopped
Paprika to taste
Garlic Powder to taste
Salt to taste

Here are the delicious oil-free waffles we made by Shane and Simple last week in our new waffle maker!

Check out the things I like to use in my cooking and kitchen in my AMAZON SHOP!



Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Soy Curls Chickenless Nuggets

UPDATED ON 1-23-2021

I wanted to come up with a chickenless nugget for my grandson to have for lunch when he gets old enough to eat solid foods. Instead of chicken nuggets (made from who knows what!), I wanted them to be made of healthy, whole plant foods. These are NOT just kid-friendly!

NOTE: These need to be in the oven almost an hour, so plan to be around to keep your eye on them.

3 handfuls of soy curls (the very small pieces work fine for this), soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, drained and squeezed out well
1T Better-Than-Bouillion No Chicken Base or Trader Joe's Chickenless Seasoning (add 1T of water if you use the dry seasoning)
1/2 t paprika
1/8 t black pepper
1/2 t garlic powder

3 shakes of liquid smoke
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
1/4 each of red, orange, and yellow bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 T nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs + 1/8 t salt

After soaking, draining, and squeezing the soy curls pieces. Then, mix them in a bowl with the Better-Than-Bouillion No Chicken Base, liquid smoke, paprika, black pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a food processor, add the carrot chunks and bell peppers. Process into tiny pieces. Add the seasoned soy curls. Process until the soy curl pieces are small like the carrots and peppers. Add the oats and nutritional yeast flakes. Process until all is combined well. Add some water 1 T at a time, to create a slightly sticky "dough" that will allow you to form the nuggets. Taste the batter and decide if additional salt is needed. Add a small amount if needed. In a small bowl or on a plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/8 t salt. Form the nuggets (about 2 T of batter for each), and coat with bread crumbs. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.
Bake for 25 minutes, reduce oven to 350 degrees, flip the nuggets over and bake another 35-40 or so minutes until the nuggets are pretty firm to the touch. Eat alone or serve with your favorite dipping sauce!

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Vegan Baked Teriyaki Tofu Sushi Bowls

Making vegan sushi may seem daunting, so to take the stress out of it, you can simply make a sushi BOWL! We make these at least once a month because we just LOVE them!

NOTE: If you don't want to make homemade oil-free teriyaki marinade or sauce, I recommend Trader Joe's Island Soyaki Sauce for the baked tofu marinade and Sky Valley Teriyaki Sauce for drizzling on top of the bowl.

Ingredients you will need:
1 block of firm organic tofu
teriyaki marinade
Shredded carrots
1 medium to large cucumber
1 mango (optional)
2 green onions
1 jalapeno
1-2 avocados
2 cups dry white Jasmine rice (or previously cooked white or brown rice if you have it frozen)
sheets of organic nori
teriyaki sauce (thickened version)
Sriracha sauce

I generally chop the veggies in the morning for the evening we will be having the sushi bowls. I shred 3 large peeled carrots, but you can buy pre-shredded from the store. I peel and dice a cucumber. I chop a couple of green onions and a jalapeno (after removing the seed pod). If I can find a nice, ripe mango, I will chop one of those, too. I just keep these chilled in containers in the fridge.

About  the moisture out of a block of firm, organic tofu. I like Trader Joe's brand best. I use this awesome tofu press that allows me to press out a block of tofu in about 10 minutes. It is essential to press the tofu to release extra moisture so the marinade is not diluted. Then, I  cut the block into 1/2" cubes and marinate them in my Oil-Free Teriyaki Marinade. After marinating for at least 30 minutes (tor for as long as all day), I bake the cubes in my Breville Smart Oven Air using the airfry feature on 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. You can also bake them in the oven at the same temperature. You just want to make sure they are just barely firm on the outside and not jiggly on the inside.

While I am baking the tofu, I make Jasmine rice in my Instant Pot. I just add 2 cups of rinsed and drained Jasmine rice and 3 cups of water. I set the Instant Pot for 4 minutes with NATURAL RELEASE. Then, I click cancel and just let the rice sit until we are ready to assemble the bowls. NOTE: You can always warm up some previously cooked and frozen or stored rice instead of making it fresh. I've done it both ways!

JUST BEFORE we assemble the bowls, I chop up some ripe avocados and rip some organic nori sheets into squares. We like to mix up everything in our bowls and place some of the mixture into a nori square, then pop them into our mouth! You can also just crush up a half piece of nori and sprinkle it over the bowl instead.

The last step is to assemble everything in a bowl. Big pasta or salad bowls work best.
I like to add:
1 cup cooked Jasmine rice
About 10-12 cubes of the Teriyaki Baked Tofu
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/2-3/4 cup cucumber cubes
1/4 cup chopped mango
1/2 small cubed avocado
some chopped green onions and jalapeno
and top with a drizzle of the Teriyaki and Sriracha Sauces

LITERALLY SCRUMPTIOUS!

 Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Layered Mexican Casserole

Working on dinner for the next 3 nights because I've got a BUSY schedule this week! I make this Layered Mexican Casserole just a bit different every time. You can layer it with anything you like! This time, I used previously frozen Smoky Pinto Beans I made a couple of weeks ago, roasted potatoes seasoned with PlantPure Nation cookbook Mexican seasoning (plus a little salt), fresh baby spinach, frozen corn also seasoned with the same seasoning (plus a little salt), Trader Joe's corn tortillas, my recipe for The BEST Veggie Cheeze, and Frontera Red Chili Enchilada Sauce. Again, you could layer with anything you like! It's such an easy recipe! I bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, refrigerate it, and heat sections up for dinner each night in the microwave.

When layering, you want to put a cup of the enchilada sauce at the very bottom to prevent sticking. Add a layer of tortillas, slightly overlapping them. I rip mine up so I am not overlapping too much. Here is the order that I layered this casserole (from the bottom up):

enchilada sauce
layer of tortillas
1/2 of the Smoky Pinto Beans
seasoned corn
spinach
layer of tortillas
other 1/2 of Smoky Pinto Beans
enchilada sauce
roasted potatoes
The Best Veggie Cheeze
layer of tortillas
remaining enchilada sauce
remaining The Best Veggie Cheeze

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Make sure all layers are nice and hot before serving.


 Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.

Altering Recipes for Health

My son and daughter-in-law sent me a fabulous-looking recipe that I really wanted to try. After looking it over, I knew that due to having diabetes-in-remission, I wasn't going to be able to make the recipe exactly as is. However, I  didn't want to dismiss the recipe because it had great merit! So, don't be afraid to alter a recipe to meet your health needs.

The original recipe came from an incredible vegan website called "Rabbits and Wolves." The title of the recipe is "Creamy Tuscan Vegan 'Chicken' Milanese," and it can be found here. After reviewing the ingredients and instructions, I decided to make the following changes.

1) I used reduced-sodium soy sauce rather than regular to cut the sodium a bit.

2) I used whole wheat bread crumbs instead of Panko since I haven't been able to find whole grain Panko in the store and didn't have the energy to make my own.

3) Instead of dredging the patties in all-purpose flour and pan-frying them in oil, I skipped the flour and oil completely and baked the patties at 425 degrees on a parchment-lined baking pan for 10 minutes on one side and 14 minutes on the other. Worked like a charm!

4) I used 1/2 the cashews (total of 1/2 cup) in the sauce. This cut the nuts down to 2 T a person because there was enough sauce for 4 servings. However, I decided to use the same amount of veggie broth and nutritional yeast in the sauce as it called for. You could reduce the nutritional yeast to 1 T, but we love it, so I kept it as is. The sauce was plenty rich with half the cashews.

5) I sauteed 8 oz of sliced mushrooms in a little veggie broth before cooking the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. I just thought adding mushrooms to this sauce sounded amazing, and I was right!

6) After making the sauce and "chicken" patties and serving it for dinner, I realized I forgot to make the pasta! It was so good even without it!

Those were the changes I made, which allowed me to have a fabulous meal with quite a bit less fat, less sodium, whole grain, and more veggies. Yet, we didn't sacrifice any taste or texture!

Turkey-Less (Soy Curls) and Gravy Over Savory Cornbread

RECIPE UPDATED 12-23-2020

Savory Cornbread Recipe:
NOTE: You can make this ahead of time and freeze in squares for future use. Just make sure to wrap each piece well with plastic wrap. Just re-warm in oven or toaster oven for about 5 minutes on 325 degrees.

1 1/2 cups FINE yellow corn meal
1 cup spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 T coconut sugar
1 teaspoon salt (or less, if desired)
1/4 t. of each of the following spices: sage, rosemary, thyme
1/4 cup RAW cashew butter, almond butter, or tahini
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
3 T ground flaxseed
1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix together the corn meal, flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, salt, and spices.
In another bowl, whisk together the nut/seed butter, applesauce, non-dairy milk, and ground flaxseeds. Fold in the corn. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do NOT overmix!
Pour mixture into a 9x12 glass baking dish.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until just firm to the touch. Serve.

Prepare the Soy Curls:
Soak 4 cups of soy curls in warm water for 10 minutes.
Drain and squeeze out WELL.
In 2-3 batches, place in blender and blend on the LOWEST speed for 10 seconds, just until minimally shredded OR just chop finely by hand. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Prepare the Gravy:
(Modified based on gravy recipe by Brand New Vegan)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 t dried rosemary (optional)
1/2 t dried thyme (optional)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet (to create the rich brown color)

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, place all of the dry ingredients. Gently stir until you smell the aroma of all of the ingredients (about 2 minutes). Increase the heat to medium, and slowly add in the vegetable broth, whisking constantly. When all of the flour and veggie broth are incorporated, add in the soy sauce, mustard, and Kitchen Bouquet. Continue whisking, while raising the heat slightly. Once the sauce is at a low boil, keep the temperature stable while you whisk. The gravy should thicken in just a minute or two. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add in your drained and shredded soy curls. Serve over the warmed Savory Cornbread with any green vegetable on the side.

Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.