Category: Recipes

I think I am one of a handful of people that enjoy tuna casserole so when I bought vegan tuna (yes it really is a thing) I knew what I would be having. I couldn’t wait to make this dish and looked forward to having what I consider a comfort food, some would disagree perhaps and think this dish more on the lines of torture food. Regardless of how you feel about this recipe I hope you try it even by the looks of it from this picture it is a pass. Just remember looks can be deceiving.

You will want to buy either this brand or a vegan tuna of your choice for this recipe. I enjoy this brand for grilled tuna and cheese sandwiches, and it defiantly works well for this casserole because I went for more of the classic basic recipe, so the nutritional value is not very high, but it was tasty.

Vegetarian Tuna Casserole:

1 3.3 ounce package of vegan tuna

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Plant based milk (the amount of a can of mushroom soup)

1-2 cups of shredded white and orange cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of breadcrumbs

2 1/2 cups of cooked penne pasta noodles or egg noodles

1 cup of frozen peas or even corn like I used works

1 tablespoon of butter

Salt and pepper per taste

In a large saucepan over medium high heat melt the butter then add the cream of mushroom soup. with the empty cream of mushroom soup fill it all the way with the plant-based milk then pour that into the pan add salt and pepper blending it together. This can be done while the noodles are cooking per the package instructions. When the noodles are done drain and rinse them then and add to the milk mixture. Pour mixture into a 11×9 casserole dish top with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs. Cook uncovered at 375 for about 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly. (I cover mine for half the time then remove lid for the last 15 minutes.)

Cook at 375 for about 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly. (I cover mine for half the time then remove lid for the last 15 minutes.)

Remove casserole from oven, serve and enjoy even if it does not look Pinterest worthy.

I really enjoy tofu, it is so versatile, and I don’t mind the texture, but I know many who just can’t get over it.

I have made tofu tacos since my children were so little now, they are grown adults one still enjoys this recipe, and yes, the one whom still enjoys this recipe is my meat-eating son who says he likes these better than meat tacos!

I don’t freeze my tofu for this recipe but those of you that have a hard time with the texture may like to do that step. I just pat dry all the moisture out of my tofu that I can with a towel and some wights then cut it into small bite sized pieces or for today’s recipe I decided to shred the tofu.

To Freeze tofu:

This will take about 15-20 minutes to prep but you may find it worth doing because you may keep it in the freezer up to five months.

Drain all water out of tofu.

I recommend using cheese cloth but if you only have towels, they work too. Place cheesecloth or towel on a flat surface such as a cutting board. Put drained tofu on the cheesecloth/ towel then cover with cheesecloth/ towel, finally place a heavy object on top for about 15 minutes. This will remove all remaining moisture.

After the 15 minutes place cut or shredded tofu in a freezer bag, make sure all air is out of the bag.

Don’t get alarmed when you see the frozen tofu’s color it will change to some form of yellow depending on the brand you use. Remember to always thaw tofu before cooking.

Tofu Tacos:

Extra Firm Tofu cut into small pieces, or you may wish to shred the tofu (the amount depends on the size and appetites of those eating but one block serves 2-3 people)

4-5 cloves of garlic diced.

1 small onion chopped.

1-2 green chilies chopped.

1 Tablespoon cumin or per taste

1 Tablespoon red chili powder or per taste

1Teaspoon onion powder

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

1 Teaspoon veggie bouillon

1 8oz can tomato sauce.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Black and white pepper, and Tabasco per taste.

Place olive oil in frying pan then add tofu, garlic, onion green chilies sauté let tofu get nice and crispy brown. add seasoning, veggie bouillon, tomato sauce and tabasco. Let simmer then serve on hard or soft taco shells top with the ideas below.

Taco toppings:

Grated Cheese

Lettuce, Tomatoes, Avocados and Cilantro chopped.

The other night I wanted something different to eat and since I wasn’t that hungry, I decided to make more of a lunch as a dinner and seeing how I was cooking just for me, why not. Do you ever do that? When it’s just you sometimes you think why not a bowl of cereal or a sandwich? Sometimes I find these meals are more enjoyable, maybe because it’s not the norm or because it’s something different but regardless of why this lunch/dinner was tasty so I thought I would share.

This also seems like it would be good for you but it’s only a little good for you because I use a premade sauce that is loaded with sugar and preservatives but if you eat 80 percent good for you and 20 percent bad then I guess this recipe is okay after all but if you would like to make your own sauce then that would make this recipe better for you.

The star of this recipe is the buffalo wing sauce. It comes in a wide variety of flavors plus you can usually buy it at any store, it is with all the other sauces and it’s not too pricey so this meal can be done on a budget. As you can see, I used the buffalo wing sauce that is parmesan garlic, so you may want to try any flavor of this sauce you prefer.

Spicy Parmesan Garlic Chickpeas:

Serves 3-4 total time 30-40 minutes.

1 15 ounce can of drained and rinsed chickpeas

Buffalo wing sauce (any flavor but I used Parmesan garlic)

1 of each color of orange, red, green bell peppers

4-5 cloves of garlic diced.

1 small white onion sliced.

Lettuce of your choice washed shredded or pulled apart.

1 pack of pita bread

This recipe is a great one to mix and match any kind of veggies or sauce that works for you.

After the chickpeas are washed make sure you dry them very well before you toss them in a bowl in the sauce of your choice. On a backing sheet place parchment paper down then pour the chickpeas onto the sheet. Bake the chickpeas in a 425 preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, just until they are slightly brown and have shrunk slightly.

While your chickpeas are in the oven slice your veggies and sauté them then transfer to a dish so you can make up your pita sandwiches.

After the chickpeas are cooked let them cool just slightly before putting them in a dish.

Assemble your pita sandwiches and enjoy.

Goulash is a dish that I have always enjoyed but few in my household growing up and even now with my adult children understand why I like this dish so much. I find it a great combination of simplicity meets hardy and there you have goulash. Hungarian goulash is found as far back as the end of the 18th century, as a peasant dish made in the open air by shepherds using kettles. Maybe knowing this you may open you heart just a little to try it again but without the meat.

I may have those early shepherds rolling over in their graves with this recipe or have a few say this is not a true goulash because I took out the meat but whatever the case, I couldn’t help but enjoy this dish and thought it would be great to share, with the health benefits of lentils like the fact that lentils are packed with B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and potassium. Plus, they are made up of 25% of protein! This dish packs a punch with some really great nutritional value as well as a fast meal if you are in a time crunch and on a budget, which let’s face it most of us are looking for ways to cut that grocery bill.

Lentil Goulash:

1 Cup dried lentils (I used red, they cook a little faster so times will be different using brown/green)

2 – 3 cups of veggie broth or 2-3 cups water and 8 tsp of powdered veggie bouillon (the amount of liquid will depend on the type of lentils so look at the package for the correct amount)

2 – 2 1/2 cups of macaroni noodles cooked to almost done per packaged directions, you will want to leave them a little al dente.

1 14.5 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, not chopped you need the crushed for this dish, so you have a little sauce.

1 small white onion

3-4 cloves of diced garlic

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 bay leaf, Italian dried herb seasonings, sea salt, black and white pepper per your taste

If so desired top with shredded parmesan

Cook the macaroni noodles according to the package directions, drain then rinse noodles. This can be done while the lentils are simmering.

In a large skillet over medium high heat add olive oil, garlic and onion. Sauté until the onions are translucent add crushed tomatoes and seasonings sauteing a few more minutes then add lentils, veggie broth (or water and bouillon) let simmer for about 20 minutes, but the cooking times will vary depending on the type of lentils you use so look at the package and adjust accordingly. When the lentils are almost done add the noodles simmer for about 5-10 minutes, remove the bay leaf then serve and top with parmesan if so desired.

(Daniel Plan Cookbook)

Maybe it’s the thought of spring not too far away but I thought I would share this great recipe that came from a cookbook called “Dainiel Plan.” I have made variations of this recipe so you can take it and have fun with it, plus its a great start to try out a meatless option for when Summer and all those BBQ dinners are here.

Quinoa-Lentil Veggie Burgers:

6 ounces brown or white mushrooms

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 Cup of chopped onion

3 large garlic cloves, minced.

1 Tablespoon wheat-free tamari or soy sauce

1/4 Cup chopped fresh parsley.

2 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano.

1/4 Teaspoon black pepper

1 (15 ounce) can cooked lentils, rinsed and drained

1 large egg beaten.

1/2 Cup (or more) breadcrumbs

4 Tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

4 Teaspoon coarse or whole grain Dijon mustard

For the Toppings/garnish

5 slices mozzarella or jack cheese

5 whole grain or gluten-free buns

Lettuce leaves

5 large slices tomato

These are such a great alternative to hamburgers. You can cook them in the house or in no time BBQ season will be here, making this recipe a great option for all those fun times.

1. In a food processor pulse mushrooms or chop by hand.
2.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a sauté’ in frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion until soft. Add garlic and tamari. Cook 1 more minute.
3. Add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms release their moisture and are almost dry. Add parsley, oregano, and black pepper. Add lentils and stir well.
4. Put lentil mixture into food processor, and pulse mixture to grind. and 7 times.
5. In large bowl, combine mushroom-lentil mixture with beaten egg, quinoa breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and mustard. Moisture level of mixture may vary with the type of breadcrumbs used. It should be very moist, but not be wet. If it feels wet, add bread
6. crumbs 1 tablespoon at a time.
7. Divide into 5 portions, about a generous 1/2 cup each. Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten to form a patty. Place on patties on flat plate cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
8. Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan. Add patties cook 5-6 minutes per side.

Now that your patties are done, add patty to your whole grain bun. Add your toppings and enjoy!

I enjoy all sorts of food but for me there is nothing like Mexican food to bring me back to growing up in Phoenix and enjoying some of the best I have tasted in America. It is with that thought which brought me to making green chili enchiladas. I have tried all sorts of substituents for the meat and really enjoy most of them but in this recipe I used Quorn meatless fillets and found they are in the top three to use for enchiladas.

If you haven’t heard of this brand I have blogged about them before. They come from the UK, 85% of this protein is made of mycoprotein, Myco is a Greek word for fungus,( so I guess I am still stuck on sharing recipes with fungi) This fungus protein has been available for food consumption since 1985 and made from Fusarium venenatum which is a naturally accruing fungus. The process is pretty interesting if you like to Geek out read/watch how they make things.

This protein is high in fiber but low in sodium, sugar and bad fats. I prefer this texture over other prepackage meat substitutes, maybe its my love for fungus, who knows. It has a lower carbon foot print compared to chicken or other meat so that is a big bonus.

Yes, eating fresh non-processed food is the best but I found when combining fresh with this kind of packed food sometimes can be ok and much safer than other alternatives.

The rest of the recipe only has a few more ingredients they are prepackaged but it makes for an easy to prepare meal.

Veggie Chicken Green Chili Enchiladas:

Serving size 3-4 Total time 1 hour and 15 minutes

8 White Corn Tortillas

2 1/2 cups of Cheese of your choice

1 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt

1-2 cups of Salsa Verde

1/4 cup of Veggie broth

1 Package of Quorn Meatless Fillets cooked and cut up in bite sized pieces

To cook the Quorn fillets I found placing them in a small pan with just enough water to cover then adding salt and pepper to the water, place a lid on the pan, cook on med/low for 20 minutes or less but if you are short on time I am sure a microwave will be fine. You know the fillets are done when you can put a fork in them. Take off heat remove the fillets letting them cool on counter. Save the water adding veggie bouillon to the water, if you have less than 1/4 cup of water left just add more to the pan. Shred or cut up the fillets in bite sized pieces.

With pan on the stove on a med/low heat add the pieces of fillets to the veggie broth then add half of the cheese. While stirring the mixture add half the Greek yogurt and half the salsa verde. You want a creamy mixture but not runny. When the cheese is melted and all ingredients are mixed well take of stove.

Warm up tortillas (I find wrapping them in a damp cloth and microwaving them works great but warm them how ever suits you)

While tortillas are warming up in a separate bowl pour remaining salsa verde and yogurt together mixing well.

Place one warm tortilla on counter spoon just enough of the fillet mixture on the tortilla to fill but not over flow. Roll filled tortilla, then place with seam side down in a 7×11 pan that has a small amount of salsa mixture on the bottom continue filling tortillas and placing them in the pan letting them touch. When all the enchiladas are in the pan pour the remaining salsa/yogurt mixture on top add cheese then baking uncovered at 375 for about 45 minutes or until the cheese is melted and it is bubbling.

Do you ever get hungry for sloppy joes? I do for some reason; I don’t know if it’s because of my childhood or what but they are almost a comfort food for me and being vegetarian, I have gotten very creative and sometimes those recipes are best not repeating but this time I think I came up with a winner and wanted to share it. I am trying to not use as much soy or processed foods since my cancer diagnoses and yes tempeh is cooked fermented soybeans, but I found out that in small amounts it is safe for me to still have some soybeans. Infact the benefits outweigh the risk, or so I was told.

Some of those benefits are stabilizing blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, helps with bone health, improves digestion and one I am really happy about is it has been shown to help with menopause and all those fun symptoms! So, for me it’s a great food to substitute meat with. Tempeh comes in a thin block so you can slice it for strips to be used in place of steak, bacon, lunch meat. Sometimes cutting it into bite size pieces for a nice stir-fry or it’s great to crumble like I did for today’s recipe. I even decided for the sloppy joes I would do a copycat from Manwich for the sauce.

Tempeh Sloppy Joes:

Serving size 4 Total cooking time 30 minutes

1 8-ounce package of plain Tempeh

1 small green bell pepper diced.

1 small white Onion diced.

3-4 cloves of garlic diced.

1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce

1/2 Cup of no sugar Ketchup

1 1-2 Teaspoon of Mustard

1 Teaspoon of Redwine vinegar

1 Tablespoon of brown sugar

1 Teaspoon of vegetarian Boullioun

Chili powder, Onion & Garlic powder, Black pepper, Paprika per taste or about 1 teaspoon each

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Remove tempeh from package then cut into cubes, this will make it easier to crumble it into the skillet.

In a skillet over medium/high heat add olive oil, tempeh, onion, garlic, bell pepper. Sauté until bell pepper is tender and onions are translucent. Turn heat to low then add remaining ingredients, stir and let simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Serve with homemade sweet potato fries and enjoy.

Sweet Potato fries:

1-2 sweet potatoes

olive oil

Sea salt or Pink Himalayan Salt

Wash, peel (if desired) sweet potatoes then slice them to the desired size. Place sliced sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Lightly brush sweet potato slices with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and back at 450 for about 20 minutes but cooking time varies per size of slices.

With my love of all types of soup I am always looking or coming up with some kind of soup during these colder months.

Every place you look you can find a veggie curry soup but last week I made this soup adding my own twist. I am not sure if anything I did would make this a true curry soup, but it worked so I thought I would share it today plus it is such a fast soup to make that it’s great when in a hurry and the health benefits are great!

Bok Choy has significant amounts of A and C so with just those two benefits alone this soup can really help you during these cold months when our immune system is taxed. There are so many more benefits to this veggie, but I won’t list them at this time instead did you know that eating this plant raw could interfere with your thyroid function? True you would need to eat a good amount of it raw, but I find this so amazing. The reason this plant that offers so many great benefits for our heart, immune system and even fighting cancer when cooked can cause problems with our thyroid when raw is because some plants like Bok Choy and other cruciferous plants produce several enzymes that help protect them from herbivores.

So, when making this soup as tempting as it may be to graze as you cut up your veggies maybe hold back a little with the Bok Choy, besides you’ll have more for your soup that way too.

Vegetable Curry Soup:

2 1/2 cups of Veggie Stock

1 can (unsweetened) Coconut Milk

Small punch of Bok Choy cut up in bite size pieces even the tops but divided up.

2 Small Carrots cut in bite size pieces

1 Cup of Kale cut up in small pieces

Small Purple Onion (diced but save for a garnish)

4-5 Gloves of Garlic (diced)

Fresh Ginger Root (peeled and diced)

Turmeric, Coriander and Curry Powder to taste

Olive Oil (about 1 Tablespoon)

1 pack Japanese Style Soba Noodles

In a pot pour olive oil in then add diced garlic and ginger sautéing together for a few minutes. Next add your dry seasonings continue to sauté a minute or two longer, add cut up carrots, white part of the Bok Choy You will want to sauté for a few minutes before adding your veggie stock and coconut milk. After adding the liquid simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until your veggies are almost done then add chopped kale and Bok Choy tops for a few more minutes they will cook fast, so it won’t take long.

While you have your soup cooking, cooked Soba noodles per package directions then add them to the soup the last minute or two. Serve and enjoy!

To say I enjoy a nice bowel of chili is an understatement. I believe I could live off of chili or soup. I am always trying new ways to make both or as I look for new recipes on Pinterest it can lead to hours of scrolling and drooling as I find so many great recipes out there.

Today my picture falls flat on a Pinterest level but looks are deceiving because this chili is actually very good.

I came home from shopping hungry and a little cold so of course I turned to a chili or soup. I only had one can of red beans, half of a package of soy chorizo, half a can of corn with little time to boot but the chili turned out great so I thought I’d share.

Short on time but want to enjoy something tasty? This turns out to be a very cheep meal and who isn’t trying to watch their spending nowadays.

Quick Vegan Chili :

3-4 Servings, Time 20-25 minutes

1 16 ounce can of Red Beans

8 ounce of Soy Chorizo

1/2 can of Corn (about 8 ounces)

1 15 ounce can diced Tomatoes

1 8 ounce Tomato Sauce

1/4 of a onion diced

6 cloves of garlic diced

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

In a large pot on medium/high heat add olive oil, garlic and onion sautéing until the onion is almost translucent then add the soy chorizo cooking a few more minutes. Turn burner down to a low heat adding the remaining ingredients. Let simmer for about 15 minutes then serve.

I used vegan shredded cheese to top my chili and of course crackers but a nice side of corn bread would also be so very good, Enjoy!