Vegan Baked Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups elbow macaroni
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • pinch of salt (to taste)
  • pinch of black pepper (to taste)
  • 1 3/4 cups boiling water
  • 3/4 cup vegan Japanese panko bread crumbs
Directions: 

Cook the elbow macaroni according to its directions. Drain and rinse well. set aside.
Make a roux by whisking together the flour and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a sauce pan over low-medium heat. When the roux is thick, add the 1 3/4 cups boiling water, spices, tamari, and nutritional yeast. Whisk well, and when the mixture is thoroughly mixed, add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil (or to desired consistency). Give it a taste, and add salt or pepper accordingly.

Vegan Lasagna with Veggies Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 1 box lasagna noodles
  • 2 jars of lasagna/spaghetti sauce
  • 2 pouches (or 1 box) of vegan “ground beef” crumbles
  • 2 cups lightly cooked veggies of choice (any combination of spinach, zucchini, black olives, mushrooms)
  • 8-10 oz. vegan soy cheese
  • 1 16 oz. tub of firm tofu (not silken)
  • 1 8 oz. tub of vegan “cream” cheese (optional, but makes a nice consistency)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional, but good)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon of basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions: 

Boil water and cook lasagna noodles. Drain when cooked and let cool. Meanwhile, cook the veggies if raw. Microwave the veggie burger crumbles according to box directions. Shred the vegan soy cheese.
Put the last nine ingredients, starting with tofu, (except Tofutti cream vegan cheese) into a food processor. Use the pulse function to keep the coarse texture of the tofu. If adding Tofutti, microwave for 30 seconds to soften. Use a wooden spoon to mix lightly into the blended ricotta mixture.
Layer the ingredients in two or three layers, starting with noodles, then sauce, then tofu ricotta, then veggies. Repeat. Top it with a layer of sauce and vegan soy cheese. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool slightly, eat and enjoy. Contains 6-8 servings.

Yummy Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 1 package rotelle (wagon wheel shaped pasta)
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced -or- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1/2 cup Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
Directions: 

Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and rinse, place in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

Orrechiette With Broccoli Rabe Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 2-3 Portobello mushrooms or 7-8 Crimini mushrooms
  • garlic
  • broccoli rabe
  • Veggie broth
  • cannelini (white) beans
  • orrechiette pasta (or any other is fine)
  • vegan red wine
  • red pepper
Directions: 

Ingredient amounts may vary; use whatever amount you desire. Saute cut mushrooms in veggie broth and vegan wine – approx 10 min. Add fresh garlic (to taste, I used 2 cloves). When mushrooms are cooked add more broth and broccoli rabe – cover and steam till wilted. Add white beans and red pepper to taste.
Add pasta and serve!

Another variation and a way to add more flavor:

I’ve been experimenting with using non-fat yogurt as a base for sauces. I used a hand mixer and whipped up the yogurt, a clove of garlic, mustard and red pepper. The consistency was great and I added it to the sauce to thicken. But…it can also be used for a salad dressing (add pureed roasted pepper) or as a pasta sauce on its own – just experiment with other flavors ( I may try miso and ging

Broccoli and Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:
  • organic broccoli
  • garden rotini (the screw shaped pasta, that includes spinach, carrot, beet, and plain)
  • a shot or two of Pace mild salsa
  • 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 slices of red onion, chopped fine
Directions: 

Pan broil the broccoli (chopped in florettes and peel the stem and chop) so that it turns a dark green and stays crisp. Cook the rotini until it is al dente. Mix in the broccoli, the salsa, chopped cilantro and the chopped red onion. The idea is to enhance the flavors in the commercial salsa by adding more of them from fresher sources. It tastes go

Farfalle Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:
  • garlic (as much as you like) crushed or minced
  • vegetable broth (I used the whole can)
  • portobello mushrooms (or any other wild mushrooms)
  • greens (arugula, swiss chard, spinach, etc..) chopped, only leaves
  • red peppers (3)
  • Farfalle pasta (bowties) others would work just as well
  • vegan red wine
Directions: 
  1. Roasting peppers:
  • This can be done on a barbecue or the oven. A barbecue adds a nice charcoal taste but if one isn’t available, the oven works fine. Roast peppers until charred on the outside. When this is done, store them in a paper bag for about 15 minutes. The steam allows the skin to be peeled more easily. Remove the outer layer of skin. This can be done while running under cold water. Cut off the top, slice in half and scrape the seeds. The peppers can now be sliced however you like. Store until use 
  • Pour about 1/3 cup broth into pan and bring to a boil. “Saute” garlic until softens. Add vegan red wine, cook down (about 5 mi). Add mushrooms, saute, add more broth and vegan wine, enough to keep pan covered. When the mushrooms have cooked down sufficiently, add rest of broth. Add chooped greens and red peppers. Cook until greens are wilted. The broth can be cooked down to increase thickness. Add cooked pasta.