Spinach, Basil Pesto, & Ricotta Lasagna

For ricotta, I usually use a tofu mixture. I saw Tofutti made a vegan ricotta which I'd never heard of store bought vegan ricotta before. I thought I'd make a lasagna out of it! Maybe next time I'll make a pasta. Overall, the Tofutti ricotta turned out lovely in this lasagna. I think I may prefer it over a tofu mashed ricotta mixture. It gave it a more authentic feel.

Spinach, Basil Pesto, & Ricotta Lasagna

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 hour
* Ingredients:

• 1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1/2 container (5 oz.) fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil pesto*
• 1 tub (16 oz.) vegan ricotta cheese*
• 1/3 cup vegan Parmesan* 
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
• 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
• black pepper, to taste 
• 1 jar Italian herb tomato sauce
• 1/2 - 1 cup vegan mozzarella shreds*

* Recipe:

1. Preheat 350 degrees.
2. In a big pot of boiling water, add a pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil and cook 4 sheets of lasagna noodles at a time.
3. Combine the spinach, pesto, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, oregano, thyme, salt, nutmeg, and pepper in a bowl.
4. Spread a layer of tomato sauce in a baking dish. Add a layer of noodles, tomato sauce, and ricotta mixture. Repeat layering this way and finish the top with just a layer of noodles and tomato sauce. Bake for 35 minutes uncovered.
5. Add the mozzarella shreds to the top of lasagna and bake for another 10 minutes.

* Note: I made the pesto fresh from scratch, but you can opt use store bought. The ricotta cheese is from Tofutti. The vegan Parmesan I use is Galaxy brand. Lastly, the vegan mozzarella shreds I used was Daiya. 

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Quicky salad recipe!

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can cooked chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tbsp basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• salt and pepper, to taste
• balsamic vinegar, to taste
• olive oil, to taste

* Recipe:

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix well. 

Truffle Mac 'n Cheese Stuffed Heirloom Tomato

When I see fancy adult mac 'n cheese on menus, it's always some kind of truffle mac 'n cheese. So, I thought, why not make that vegan. To be honest, this cheese sauce was pretty good compared to my other disastrous vegan cheese sauces I have made in the past. I was starting to think I'd never get a good mac 'n cheese sauce down. This was a very tasty dinner!

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

Truffle Mac 'n Cheese Stuffed Heirloom Tomato

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 40 minutes
* Ingredients (for mac 'n cheese):

• 1 (13.25 oz) box whole wheat elbow noodles
• 5 tbsp vegan butter*
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp sweet rice flour*
• 2 cup non-dairy milk*
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated*
• 3 tbsp dry white wine*
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/2-1 tsp white truffle oil*
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Ingredients (for breadcrumb topping):

• 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs*
• 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to taste
• 5 heirloom tomatoes (or more)*

* Recipe:

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

1. In a pot, cook the elbow noodles in salted water until al dente. Strain, run cool water over then, set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a deep skillet, add 1 tbsp of the vegan butter and cook the onions until translucent over medium heat. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another few minutes until garlic browns. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 4 tbsp of vegan butter to the skillet and the sweet rice flour. Whisk the butter and flour mixture with a whisk (easier than using a fork or spoon).
5. When combined, slowly add the 2 cups of non-dairy milk a little at a time, stirring with whisk continuously.
6. Add the remaining ingredients and continue whisking. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce to low heat (continue whisking so not to get clumps). The sauce should be thick and similar to regular mac 'n cheese sauce at this point. 
7. In a bowl, add the cooked noodles. Laddle the cheese sauce a bit at a time to the noodles and mix until well combined. Add as much of the cheese sauce as desired, but not too much as to make it soupy. Add the onions and garlic and mix.
8. In a smaller bowl, combine the topping ingredients (exclude the tomatoes). Add enough olive oil just to make the crumbs stick.  
9. Cut the top of each tomato and take out the core. Add the mac 'n cheese to the tomatoes then top with the breadcrumb mixture.
10. Place tomatoes on a small baking dish. Also place the tomato tops in the dish, but not on top of the stuffed tomatoes yet. Drizzle everything with a bit of olive oil.
11. Put in oven and let bake for about 5-10 minutes until you notice the breadcrumbs starting to brown. Remove from oven and using a fork, add the tomato tops back to the tomatoes covering the breadcrumbs. Return to the oven and let bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes seem soft and baked. If it seems like it is taking a while, put the oven on a high broil and broil for 2 minutes or until the tomatoes look done.
12. Top the baked tomatoes with vegan Parmesan, sea salt, and fresh chopped basil.

* Note: For vegan butter, I used Earth Balance olive oil version. Sweet rice flour can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. You could try using regular all-purpose flour in this, I would imagine, but the sweet rice flour is good because it has a gelatinous effect that will make the sauce more "cheesy". For non-dairy milk, I used almond milk as that is what I prefer. You could use ground nutmeg, I just happened to have it fresh. Make sure your white wine is vegan! White truffle oil is something that a little goes a long way. Be sparing. Some Italian breadcrumbs contain dairy in them so be sure to check the label. I used Whole Foods brand. Originally, I was going to make this with panko breadcrumbs, but I was out. I still think it would have been better with panko! You may need more tomatoes than what I suggest here. I only made 2 at the time and then two mini bowls baked (using only half of the cooked noodles and a lot of cheese sauce left over). You could make a casserole if you just don't want to keep putting it in tomatoes. 

Tabbouleh Stuffed Heirloom Tomato

Tabbouleh is a really great naturally vegan Mediterranean dish. I ended up baking the tabbouleh in a seasonal heirloom tomato which was a major yum! The side dish in the picture is Viana vegan gyro meat over a lettuce with Vegan Miss' tzatziki sauce.

Tabbouleh Stuffed Heirloom Tomato

 

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

* Prep Time: several hours 
* Cook Time: 20 minutes 
* Ingredients:

• 1 cup bulgur wheat*
• 2/3 cup tomatoes, diced*
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium cucumber, diced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/4-1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• several heirloom tomatoes depending on size (4-6)

* Recipe:

1. Place the bulgar wheat in a bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out water from the bulgur wheat.
2. In the bowl the bulgur was soaking in, combine the remaining ingredients and soaked bulgur wheat except the heirloom tomatoes. Add more olive oil and lemon juice as you mix the ingredients to taste.
3. Place tabbouleh in the fridge covered for several hours. The longer the salad soaks and marinates, the better. Toss before stuffing in tomatoes.
4. When ready to make the stuffed tomatoes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Slice the top off the tomato. Hollow and core out the middle and place several tablespoons of the tabbouleh into the tomato. 
6. Place on baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Place the tops next to the stuffed tomatoes, drizzling the tray then laying the tops on top of the olive oil (to prevent sticking). 
7. Cook for about 10 minutes or so, then remove from the oven and place the tops back on the tomatoes. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes look squishy and cooked through. If still not cooked through, broil for a few minutes.

Note: Bulgur wheat is found with grains at the grocery or in the Middle Eastern section. For diced tomatoes, roma or plum would work best.

Grilled Mushroom, Onion, & Spinach Truffle Oil Flatbread Pizza and Cherry Tomato Salad

It has been a while since I have posted a recipe! There has been a lot of things happening in your blog doll's life over the last two months that have prevented her from cooking in a kitchen. Sorry for the long delay and there will be more recipes on the way!

Grilled Mushroom, Onion, & Spinach Truffle Oil Flatbread Pizza

* Prep Time: 1 hour
* Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
* Ingredients (for flatbread dough):

• 1 tsp sugar*
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• flour, for dusting

* Ingredients (for pizza topping):

• 8 (or more) cippolini onions, sliced
• 2 cups mushroom assortment (shiitake, button, cremini), sliced
• 2 cup fresh spinach
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, for sauteing
• salt and pepper, to taste
• truffle oil, to top, drizzled

* Recipe (for flatbread dough):

1. Follow package instructions to activate yeast. You will use the sugar and part of the warm water in this step (1/4 cup water). Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. While yeast is activating, combine the flours and salt in a mixer or bowl. Mix well.
3. Add the olive oil, warm water, and yeast. Combine until dough climbs the bread hook.
4. Leave in bowl covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour to let dough rise. Once risen, punch it so it collapses.

* Recipe (for pizza topping):

1. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions. Once onions start to become translucent, add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper.
2. As the mushrooms begin to cook, add the spinach and basil (if using).
3. Once the leaves have wilted, turn off pan and set aside.
4. Heat a grill frying pan over medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Dust a counter and your hands with flour. Roll out the dough on the counter and cut into four pieces. 
6. Roll out one piece of dough until a long flatbread shape is made.
7. Place on grill pan and cook until grill marks begin to appear. Flip and cook the other side. 
8. Top flatbread with pizza topping and drizzle sparingly with truffle oil (a little goes a long way).  
9. Repeat steps 6-8 with another piece of dough. 

* Note: Make sure your sugar is vegan!

This recipe will give you about half the dough leftover. I drizzled some olive oil in a freezer ziplock bag, dusted the dough, rolled the dough in the olive oil within the bag, and froze the leftover. If you want 4 pizzas, just double the topping recipe or you could cut the dough recipe in half as well.

Cherry Tomato Salad with Buttermilk Basil Dressing

* Prep Time: 20 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredients: 

• 3 cups cherry tomato assortment, halved
• 1/3 cup non-dairy milk*
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegan sour cream*
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. Combine the milk and vinegar in a bowl and place in fridge for 10 minutes. This will let the milk curdle.
2. While the milk mixture is in the fridge, let the uncut red onion soak in an ice water bath. This will give the onion less of an abrasive taste when in the salad.
3. Combine the tomatoes, basil, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. 
4. Add the sour cream to the milk mixture and beat until all lumps are out. Combine with the tomato salad.

* Note: I used flax seed milk for non-dairy milk. Feel free to use whatever you prefer. The vegan sour cream I used was Tofutti.   

Baked Tomato with Tofu Spinach Basil Ricotta & Panko Topping

Before I begin, Vegan Miss is now on Instagram! Follow "veganmiss".

I had 3 organic tomatoes sitting in my fruit bowl and had been pondering what to make with them. Too much tomato in a salad isn't my taste and there were not enough to make a good sauce for pasta or lasagna. Then I thought, hey, why not core them and bake like a pepper? I used a ricotta filling that could be used in a vegan lasagna and topped with panko for a nice crunchy finish.

Baked Tomato with Tofu Spinach Basil Ricotta & Panko Topping

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
* Ingredients (for filling):

• 1/2 block firm tofu (12 oz.), mashed
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp spinach, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp non-dairy milk*
• 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp vegan Parmesan*
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Ingredients (for topping):

• 1/3 cup panko crumbs
• 1 tsp fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to taste

* Ingredients (remaining):

• 3 or 4 medium tomatoes
• olive oil, to top
• vegan Parmesan, to top
• salt, to top

 * Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mash the tofu and add the rest of the filling ingredients. Mix well.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Add enough olive oil just to make the crumbs stick. 
4. Cut the top of each tomato and take out the core. Add the filling to the tomatoes then top with the panko mixture.
5. Place tomatoes on a small baking dish. Also place the tomato tops in the dish, but not on top of the stuffed tomatoes yet. Drizzle everything with a bit of olive oil.
6. Put in oven and let bake for about 5-10 minutes until you notice the panko starting to brown. Remove from oven and using a fork, add the tomato tops back to the tomatoes covering the panko. Return to the oven and let bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes seem soft and baked.
7. Top the baked tomatoes with vegan Parmesan and salt. 

Instagram photo

* Note: For non-dairy milk I used almond milk. Feel free to use whatever you like. The vegan Parmesan is optional but I enjoy it which is why it is in this recipe. I used Galaxy topping.

Paella

So, I got the idea of making a vegan paella one day and just sort of ran with it. This is what I came up with. I used short-grain brown rice instead of white rice for a more healthy option.

Paella

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small Spanish onion, sliced 
• 1 box (7 oz.) of chick'n strips*
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red pepper, sliced
• 1 package (12 oz.) vegan chorizo*
• 1 package (12 oz.) vegan shrimp*
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/4 cup dried lobster mushrooms, rehydrated, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried oyster mushrooms, rehydrated, chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 small lemon, zested
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning*
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. In a medium pot, combine vegetable stock, rice, bay leaf, saffron. Cook until rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
2. While the rice is cooking, in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. 
3. Once onions are cooked, add the chick'n strips, garlic, red pepper, chorizo, shrimps, peas, and mushrooms. Cook for another 10 minutes or so until everything looks nicely browned or tender.
4. In a blender, combine the remaining ingredients. Add to the pot and stir well. Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. When rice is done, remove bay leaf and add to the pot with paella mixture. Stir well to combine. Serve with lemon wedge if desired.

* Note: For chick'n strips, I used Gardein brand. One could also use Morningstar Farms. For vegan chorizo, I used Frieda's brand Soyrizo. The vegan shrimp I used was VegeUSA brand. Lastly, Old Bay Seasoning is a seafood seasoning that is often use. You can find it at any grocery store in the spice section. It is great for faux crab cakes. Don't worry - it's vegan! 

As a side note, you could also opt to add celery into this dish or use regular white short-grain rice. The lobster and oysters mushrooms were added to give a more seafood-y taste (plus, I love fungi). You could opt to leave them out if you like or use a fresh variety of both.