L here for a family favorite, transformed into a new vegan favorite!

It may sound bizarre coming from a vegetarian, but one of my favorite meals growing up was meatloaf. I know meatloaf gets a bad rep, but my dad made a killer meatloaf, and I have missed it since going vegetarian almost 5 years ago. 

Behold: my vegan version! The "meatloaf" is moist but flavorful with veggies and a sugar free BBQ sauce, and the mashed potatoes are elevated with sautéed kale and garlic. 

Vegan "Meatloaf"
Ingredients:

• ​1 package of Impossible ground "beef"
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs (I used a kind that had Italian seasonings included)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. your favorite BBQ sauce ( I used G. Hughes Sugar Free BBQ sauce in Original)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In large bowl, combine the "beef," onions, bread crumbs, bell pepper, salt and pepper, and mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. Feel free to dig in with hands!
3. Lightly oil a loaf pan, and then press meatloaf mixture into the pan. 
4. Brush BBQ sauce on top of the meatloaf, and then stick in the oven for 50 minutes. 
5. When done, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes for it to finish setting up, and then slice!

Kale Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 4 yukon gold potatoes, large dice
• 1 bunch curly kale, chopped finely
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Avocado oil
• 3 tbsp plant-based butter
• 3/4 c. plant-based milk (I used Chobani's Plain Oatmilk and it was perfect!)
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water and a pinch of salt. Boil until tender.
2. While potatoes are cooking, sauté garlic in avocado oil in medium pan for 1-2 minutes, and then add chopped kale. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until dark green and soft. 
3. Drain potatoes once fully cooked, then add kale/garlic mixture, butter, milk, and another pinch of salt, plus some black pepper. Mix to combine. ​​

During the pandemic, our farmers' market converted to a pre-order drive-through system. It was really fast and efficient, and we're glad that we're still able to support the market and the vendors. We decided to take advantage of the fresh pasta and veggies that were available.

​This recipe uses fresh goat cheese ravioli with black pepper rolled into the dough (s/o to Ohio City Pasta!) and pistachio pesto, but you could use any kind of pasta filling or pesto ingredients. We like the pistachio for the bit of nutty sweetness it adds to the dish.

So, full disclosure, this is not a sponsored post for Trader Joe's, we just really thought these items would go great together- and they did! During our second week of coronavirus stay at home order, we are working on continuing to eat healthy foods, but keeping the food exciting! We had these two items from our recent grocery trip and thought they would go together! Add some tofu, and you have a whole meal- enough for about four dinner portions.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of Trader Joe's Frozen Vegetable Fried Rice
• 1 bag of Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch
• 1 block of extra firm tofu, pressed and diced
• 2 tsp. sesame oil + 1 tsp. sesame oil, separated
• 1 tbsp. avocado oil + 1 tbsp. avocado oil, separated
• 1 tbsp. coconut aminos

​
​​Instructions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp. avocado oil in large frying pan. Saute the fried rice and cruciferous crunch for about 7-8 minutes. 
2. While that is sauteing, heat 2 tsp. sesame oil and 1 tbsp. avocado oil in another large frying pan. Pan fry tofu for 4 minutes, flip and fry for 3 minutes on the other side. Sit on paper towel to drain.
3. Mix 1 tsp. sesame oil and 1 tbsp. coconut aminos into the rice mixture, then toss the tofu into the rice. Serve!

Enjoy, stay safe and stay healthy.

So. No other way to say it. Coronavirus is impacting our daily lives. Due to closures set in place by our governor, J and I find ourselves working from home, J as much as possible. We are thinking about ways to keep ourselves busy, but sane, and still continue to eat good food. 

Number 1: Continue to support your local restaurants. For we Columbus folk, as of March 19, we were able to support our friends at Seventh Son Brewing, Woodhouse Vegan, and Luxe & Lemons. 

Number 2: Cooking at home. We obviously love cooking at home, but now is the time to get the whole family involved in the process (healthy members, of course). We made this great dish on Monday night, and have been eating the leftovers for a few days. Literally, one of the best vegan meatballs I have ever made or tasted. Recipe is originally from Nora Cook's. 

We used my favorite, Banza Spaghetti, and tried a new sauce (which we LOVED), a Dairy-Free Vodka Sauce from Primal Kitchen. 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (2 boxes) Banza spaghetti- of course you can use any spaghetti, gluten or gluten-free as needed or preferred.
• Your favorite jar of sauce- we reeeealllly liked this sauce from Primal Kitchen
• "Meatballs"
  • 2 cans chickpeas (Save the aquafaba! We are planning on using it to bake some banana bread!)
  • 3 tbsp. ground flax meal
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (we had leftover fresh garlic breadcrumbs- delicious!)
  • 1/4 c. Nutritional Yeast
    
  • 2 tsp. onion powder....or my favorite, Onion Onion 
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. dried parsley

​
​​Instructions:

1. ​Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. ​In the food processor, add all ingredients for the "meatballs" and process until it comes together in a thick paste/almost dough like combination. 
3. Use a cookie scoop (mine were 2 tbsp.), and scoop the dough onto the sheet. You could also roll them into balls, but I found having the flat side helped because you do flip them over. 
4. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Flip, and then bake for additional 15 minutes. 
5. While baking, cook pasta per instructions on package.
6. Heat sauce in a big saute pan on low. Once the "meatballs" are done, let them rest for about 5 minutes to solidify. 
7. Before draining the pasta, take two ladlefuls of pasta water and mix into the heating sauce. Then add the rested "meatballs," followed by the cooked pasta. Toss to combine. 

SO delicious. Have fun cooking. Be safe and stay healthy. - J&L

There is something about this sauce that is SO addicting. When thinking about how to transform one of our former favorite recipes from the fabulous Damn Delicious, we instantly thought of seitan! While we chose the standard egg and panko breading technique, we believe you could make this vegan with either a flax egg or a lightly whipped aquafaba.

Did we make my own cauliflower rice? No. Why? Because somedays we have time to make all the ingredients, and somedays we have time heat cauliflower rice from Aldi on the stovetop. 

Ingredients:

• One batch of "chicken" seitan (We used this awesome recipe from Connoisseurus Veg), cut into 1 in. cubes
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups panko (we needed the latter amount)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. agave
• 1 tsp. sambal oelek
• 1 tsp. Cholula hot sauce (or your favorite)
• 2 tsp. liquid aminos
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
• 1/3 c. water
• 3-4 scallions, chopped
• Cauliflower rice for serving

​
​​Instructions:

1. ​Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
2. ​Create a breading station, with beaten eggs in one bowl and panko in another. Dredge the seitan in the egg, and then the panko before placing in the 9x13 pan.
3. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the panko is golden brown.
4. While baking, make the sauce: Combine water and cornstarch into a slurry. Add agave, sambal oelek, Cholula, liquid aminos, garlic and slurry into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until it is thick and translucent. 
5. Toss the seitan into the agave garlic sauce and serve over cauliflower rice. Sprinkle with chopped scallions. 

Hi there, L here! So, as a recent vegan convert, I have been talking with J about how I am sick of people assuming vegans only eat raw vegetables, salads and fries...although I do love all of these things. In response to my wonderings about how to change the perception of what vegans eat, I decided to challenge myself to make a non-vegan recipe into a vegan recipe each week. So, here is week 1:

Pizza pasta bake! As a midwesterner, the casserole is a delightful Sunday dinner item that can feed a family of 6, or the two of us for several meals through the week. However, many casseroles are full of meats and cheeses. 

Behold:

Ingredients:

• Vegan pepperoni (We love this great recipe from Minimalist Baker!)
• Splash of avocado oil
• 1 lb. vegan italian sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used roasted red pepper- it was DELICIOUS)
• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 8 oz. gluten free ziti (We love Banza!)
• 2 cups dairy-free mozzarella (We love Daiya!)

​
​​Instructions:

1. ​Preheat the oven to 350. In a dutch oven or oven-safe skillet, drizzle and heat avocado oil at medium heat. Crumble and brown sausage with onion and garlic, about 5 minutes.
2. ​Add tomatoes and spaghetti sauce to the pan. You also need to add 1 cup of water- I swish the 1 cup of water in the spaghetti sauce jar to get all of the delicious sauce! Finally, add ziti and mix well. Cover the pan and lower the heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through. Make sure to stir often to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom.
3. Place half of the pepperoni on top of the casserole. Then, cover the top with the cheese. Finally, arrange the rest of the pepperoni on top. 
4. Bake for 15 minutes uncovered. Let cool for about 5 minutes to let it set. 

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Now that we're starting to see the seasons change, and it's getting a little cooler, here's a sweet, spicy wrap that can warm you right up. Remember to add and check the seasoning at every step- preferences will vary (they certainly do in our house), and tasting along the way helps you get just the right level of spiciness.

We found it helpful to dice the potatoes a bit smaller than you think you need- it helps the filling stay inside the wraps better. Giving the spinach a rough chop before wilting it also helped keep it bite-sized.

This is a great make-ahead meal, and makes about 6 wraps. We kept the chutney in small containers separate from the filling, and took them along in our lunches at work during the week.

Quick cooking time, vegan

Hi there, L here!

Long time, no post! We are back this week in an attempt to blog more frequently with a vegan transformation of one of my favorite pre-vegetarian days meals, Damn Delicious's Enchilada Pasta. 

Vegan, you say? Why yes, vegan. And honestly, it tastes just as good as the original. ​

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. extra wide egg noodles
• 1 1/4 c.. enchilada sauce (homemade!)
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups Daiya pepperjack shreds, divided
• 5.3 oz. KiteHill Almond Milk Greek Yogurt- Plain and Unsweetened
• 1 4oz.can diced green chilies
• Drizzle of avocado oil
• 1 lb. Light Life plant-based ground 
• 1/2 c. Tofutti sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 9x13 baking dish with olive oil spray. 
2. Cook egg noodles per package instructions. 
3. In a large bowl, combine enchilada sauce, corn, beans, 1 cup of pepperjack shreds, greek yogurt, and green chilies.​

     4. Heat avocado oil in saucepan over medium high heat. Add plant-based ground and cook 5-6                minutes, crumbling as it cooks. It won't brown exactly like ground beef, but you will want to see a          slight crisp on the plant-based ground. 
     5. Stir in sour cream, chili powder, and cumin into the plant-based ground, and then add to                          enchilada sauce mixture. Drain and add noodles to bowl, and mix well. 
     6. Put pasta mixture into 9x13 pan, cover with remaining Daiya shreds, and bake about 8 minutes.  

Hi! L here for my first solo post. We only got one picture because we ate them up so fast!

One of my favorite foods in the whole world are tacos. While we have made some delicious vegetarian tacos in the past, I have struggled with making them dairy-free since discovering my lactose intolerance this fall. This Skinnytaste recipe was a favorite of mine from my pre-vegetarian days, so I adapted it to be not only vegetarian, but vegan.

We had a marvelous autumn evening grilling these flavorful skewers. Not gonna lie- we ate them right off the grill with some chopsticks and dipped them into the marinade. This recipe was surprisingly easy, and the marination time can take either an hour or as many minutes as it takes until you're too hungry to wait!

Mise-en-place (the practice of preparing and arranging all ingredients before cooking) is a big help to this recipe. There aren't a ton of ingredients, but the whole process is easier if everything you need is quickly within reach. Make sure your grill is well-oiled (seriously, use a little more than you think you need)- tofu can stick to pans and grill plates very easily during cooking.