Lazy Pizza Quesadilla

Level of Difficulty: you cant mess this up
Pots/Pans Used: 1

Ingredients

flour tortillas
Mozzarella Daiya cheese
tomato sauce of your choice
crushed red pepper (optional)
s&p

I know this is an incredibly simple recipe, but I figured I would share. For some reason, I had never thought to attempt this before. Essentially, this is the result of me only having mozzarella Daiya in the house but craving a quesadilla (like most people, I usually use cheddar). Obviously, you can get creative if you want and add veggies, this is just my lazy, "I dont really feel like cooking" version. Pretty much 1/4 of the way through eating this I thought, "This is amazing and I am making a second one right after I finish this!". So there ya go!... A quick snack that will have you thinking about getting seconds before you've even finished eating!



Just put a tortilla in a skillet over medium heat. Spread out tomato sauce, sprinkle cheese, a bit of salt & pepper, and maybe some crushed red pepper for heat. Then top with another quesadilla and flip until crispy and melty. Slice and enjoy!

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A THANKSGIVING FEAST!!!

Being a vegan on holidays isn't always the easiest. Luckily, I have a very accomodating family that makes sure I'm always well taken care of at the dinner table. However, if you're the only vegan at the table, don't settle for just bread and grilled veggies... cook your own dishes and show everyone just how decadent being a vegan can be! These are a couple of recipes I whipped up that are sure to please both vegans and omnivores alike...

Green Bean Casserole PIZZA


Level of Difficulty: time management required!
Pots/Pans Used: 3!

Ingredients

pizza dough
3 pieces chopped Smart Bacon
1 heaping cup chopped fresh green beans
8 0z sliced mushrooms
2 TBL white wine
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBL fresh chopped sage leaves
1 TBL Earth Balance
panko bread crumbs
french fried onions
pinch salt, pepper, & thyme

Sauce:
2 TBL Earth Balance
1 TBL flour
3/4 cup unsweetened almond/soy milk
2 TBL nutritional yeast
pinch s&p

Originally this was going to be a traditional green bean casserole and then I realized... why not put it on a pizza? I couldn't come up with a good enough reason to not try it, so I went for it. And I am sincerely glad i did. Unfortunately, for a lot of vegans, Thanksgiving dinner just means eating a hodgepodge of various sides, but this is a great way to turn a side into something more substantial and filling.



Preheat oven to 450. Roll out your dough and place it on either a pizza crisper (ideal) or a well greased baking sheet. Precook the dough in the oven for about 5-10 minutes or until golden. Then take it out. Meanwhile, start out by melting the Earth Balance in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the smart bacon and shallots. Let them cook a couple minutes and then add the garlic, sage, salt, pepper, thyme, and mushrooms. Once the mushrooms begin to sear and release their liquids, add the white wine and cook another couple minutes. Meanwhile, toss your green beans into a pot of boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Drain them and run a little cold water over them so that they stop cooking. Add the green beans into the skillet with the rest of the vegetables and lower the heat while you make the sauce. Melt 2 TBL Earth Balance in a sauce pan over medium high heat and then whisk in the flour. whisk in the milk a little bit at a time as it thickens up into a nice sauce. Add the nutritional yeast and s&p to taste. Pour over the vegetables and stir well. Spread the mixture onto the precooked pizza crust and then top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, panko, and french fried onions. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

per usual...


Cornbread Stuffing



Level of Difficulty: simple!
Pots/Pans Used: 2ish!

Ingredients

2 cups dry cornbread cubes
2 tbl fresh chopped sage leaves
2 tsp thyme
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBL nutritional yeast
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup warm water + 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
olive oil

As a result of being the only vegan at the thanksgiving table, I usually end up making single servings of sides for myself so this is a relatively small batch of stuffing. It should easily feed three people, but if you're feeding a large vegan group (which is GREAT!), I recommend doubling or even tripling it. Okay, full disclosure... I've never really been a stuffing girl. But after making it, and possibly really trying it for the first time, I don't know what was wrong to me. It's so comforting and homey... I finally understand why it's a classic. I bet this recipe would also be great with some diced apples tossed in.



Preheat oven to 350. You're going to want to make your cornbread a day ahead of time so that it gets a chance to dry out a bit. I went the easy route and used a package of Betty Crocker's Cornbread & Muffin Mix, but it shouldn't be too difficult to make from scratch either. Put your dried cranberries into a cup of warm water and set aside to soak. Dice up the cornbread into bite sized pieces. Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook for five minutes and then add the garlic, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook another few minutes until fragrant. Add the cranberries (with the water), and cornbread. Gradually mix in the veggie broth. Transfer the stuffing into a greased baking dish. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden on top.

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Cheesecake



Level of Difficulty: requires self control
Pots/Pans Used: 1 blender

Ingredients

2 8oz cartons of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/4 almond/soy milk
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBL cornstarch
1 9" precooked pie crust

Cinnamon swirl:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice

I got an email from a VP reader who specially requested a pumpkin cheesecake. So Gincy, I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as Oliver and I did! I think it came out pretty awesome if I do say so myself.



Preheat oven to 350. Combine cream cheese, pumpkin, milk, agave, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and then blend in the cornstarch. Pour batter into the pie crust, leaving about 1/2 cup in the blender. Blend 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp allspice into the remaining batter. Pour into the rest of the batter and quickly swirl it throughout with a spoon. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Once golden brown, take it out to cool completely. Then transfer it to the fridge to sit for at least an hour... or until you just can't stand it anymore :)



Well, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope with these recipes you can show off how tasty cruelty-free food can really be!

Post a comment below about what your menu is going to be this year, or better yet, post a picture of your creations on our facebook page.

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BBQ Chick'n Pizza

Level of Difficulty: Some assembly required!
Pots/Pans Used: one!

Ingredients

pizza dough
BBQ sauce
2 cutlets of Gardein Chick'n Scallopini
1 TBL Bacon Bits
handful of Kale, ripped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 green apple, sliced

White Sauce:
1/4 cup Earth Balance
2 TBL nutritional yeast
3 TBL Flour
1 cup Unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt

I saw a version of this recipe on the Food Network and thought it looked very... "veganizable". At first, I was going to leave the apples out all together. However, I decided to give it a try. This recipe would be good either way... but if you're feeling adventurous, try the apples! They're not nearly as invasive as you would expect. In fact, they add a nice and subtle sweet note.



Preheat oven to 425. Roll out pizza dough and lay out on a pizza crisper (If you don't have a pizza crisper, you can use a greased baking sheet. However, you may need to pre-bake the dough longer in order to get it nice and crisp). Pre-bake dough for about 5 minutes and then take it out. Meanwhile, saute your chik'n cutlets in a saute pan with a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Brush the cutlets with some BBQ sauce. Set cutlets aside. Using the same pan, you can start on the white sauce. Melt Earth Balance in the pan and then whisk the flour in gradually. Continue to whisk as you add the milk. Once it has reached a thick/cheezey/saucy texture, it's done. Add the onion powder, salt, and nutritional yeast.



Now you can start assembling the pizza. Spread about 3 TBL of BBQ sauce on the dough for the base. Then spread out the cheezey white sauce. Top with the BBQ chik'n (cut into bite-sized pieces), apple slices, kale, and bacon bits. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Yet another Oliver-approved recipe!

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White Pizza

Level of Difficulty: reaaaalll simple
Pots/Pans Used: 1!

Ingredients

NUTRITIONAL YEAST***
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup Earth Balance
2 TBL flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
pizza dough
Daiya mozzarella cheese
Gardein seven grain crispy tenders, chopped

***I'm sorry to anyone who already made this, I made this pizza today and realized I forgot to say to add nutritional yeast. Add it after the milk. I would say to start out with a couple tabelspoons at a time until it reaches the desired texture. If it gets too thick, no worries! Just add some more milk!

The fact that I can't even look at the pictures I took of this pizza without letting out little shrieks and groans of longing speaks volumes to how GOOD THIS IS! Before I was vegan, I loved white pizza with white sauce. Until my friend, Tess, made me the pizza the other night it had never even crossed my mind to veganize it. Considering there are like... no vegetables on this pizza you might wanna make a super veggie-heavy side dish because the last thing you wanna feel while eating this is guilty. Seriously, it's just too good to not enjoy to the fullest extent. But by all means, pile the veggies on. It's entirely your call!



Preheat oven to 425. In a saucepan on low-medium heat melt the Earth Balance. Then while whisking, gradually add the flour. The flour will soak up the butter and begin to clump up. Then add the almond milk gradually and then the nutritional yeast until it becomes the consistency of a thick cheesy sauce. Roll out your dough so that it is the desired size and then spread the white sauce on as if it were tomato sauce. Top with mozzarella and the chopped crispy tenders. (I microwaved the tenders for a minute and then chopped them). I baked mine on a pizza crisper and it took about 15 minutes or so. I don't think the time would be affected that much if you're using a baking sheet but just keep an eye on it and REMEMBER to oil the pan first otherwise the pizza will be impossible to get off. I am speaking from experience. And the last thing you want is deliciously smelling ooey gooey pizza that you can't eat because it has conjoined with a large metal rectangle. And if you can believe it, I think it actually tastes even better the second day.

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Recipes that Make My Life Easier

I've been compiling a few of my favorite, quickest recipes after getting a considerable amount of emails from people just getting into the vegan lifestyle that were a little intimidated by cooking. The truth is, cooking vegan food isn't harder than cooking any other type of food. Of course, some vegan cookbooks can be overly complicated and require a lot of specialty ingredients. It's no wonder you feel like you're entering into a whole new world and you don't speak the language. In all honesty, the only specialty ingredients that I think I ever have in my kitchen are nutritional yeast, agave nectar, Earth Balance and Daiya vegan cheese. Not everyone may find that they use those ingredients enough for them to become your constants, but you just have to search around a bit to find the ingredients that become staples for you when embarking into vegan cooking.

Unfortunately, the truth is that unless you live in a major city, eating out as a vegan isn't always convenient. So, it really is beneficial for you to learn to cook for yourself if you haven't already started. I know I really didn't start getting into cooking until about 2 years ago when I went vegan... I didn't even cook this much when I was a vegetarian. But the reality is, not everyone loves cooking or is particularly skilled at it. Here are some recipes that are really simple, can help to segue into vegan cooking, and can easily become staple meals for every week... I know they already are for me!

But wanna know the best news of all? They ALL only require one pot or pan!


Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal


Pots/Pans Used: maybe one

Sad but true, I rarely ever get two minutes for breakfast. Usually I just pop Vans maple infused frozen waffles (vegan AND gluten free!!!) into the toaster and drizzle some agave nectar on top, throw a Luna bar in my bag on the way out the door, or just go without. I know, I need to work on that. Anyways, one morning when I had ten whole minutes for breakfast, I decided to make this jazzed up oatmeal. One of my besties, Lindsey Mills of Soul Food, specializes in what she calls "Fancy Oatmeal". She's mixing up oatmeal on a regular basis. I've had her carrot cake oatmeal and lemme just say, it was delicious. I decided to take a stab at it and came up with this super easy and quick breakfast, Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal.

All you need is oatmeal and.... Dark Chocolate Dreams (peanut butter blended with rich dark chocolate) You can find it in most health food sections at Publix.



Prepare oatmeal according to instructions and then add 1-2 TBL of the chocolate peanut butter spread and mix up. That's all. If you're looking for other ways to use this spread, it's great on a slice of toast or for dipping strawberries in.

Pizza


Pots/Pans Used: maybe one

Pizza is one of the easiest things to make for dinner. Plus, it's fun to make with your significant other on a cozy night in. Or if you have kids, let them pile the toppings on so they feel involved. The nice thing about making pizza is that you can really work with what you've got. All you really need is pizza dough which you can pick up in the bakery section of most grocery stores (Pillsbury brand of pizza dough is vegan too), a jar of tomato sauce and various veggies.

For this pizza, I first rolled out the dough, and pre-baked in a 450 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, you can saute whatever veggies you want to use. In this case, I sauteed some mushrooms with soy sauce and garlic, added some artichokes and topped with kale (which gets crispy as it bakes!). Take the dough out of the oven, spread out tomato sauce, sprinkle some Daiya mozzarella cheese on top (optional!), and pile high with veggies. Bake in the oven until the cheese melts or the crust seems thoroughly cooked. By the way, I HIGHLY recommend getting a pizza crisper. I got one as a Christmas gift and it really gives you a crispy crust that just can't compare with a regular baking sheet. But by all means, if you're just testing the waters, use the baking sheet!

Spanish-Inspired Grits


Pots/Pans Used: one

When I REALLY don't feel like cooking or am short on time, I make grits. Usually I just season with a little butter, nutritional yeast and s&p. Then I serve vegetarian baked beans and sauteed kale on the side. And if I'm really lucky, I have some veggie bacon in my fridge to toss in the mix. But let's get real, I'm never that lucky. The other night, I didn't have baked beans, but I did have black beans... so I decided to make Spanish-Inspired Grits. This certainly isn't the prettiest dish I've ever posted, but that's no indication of how it tastes. I was actually surprised by how yummy it was!

You'll need:
grits
3 TBL veganaise
3 TBL Earth Balance
4 tsp taco seasoning
2 TBL nutritional yeast
1 can black beans, drained
s&p to taste

All you have to do is cook the grits according to their instructions, then add the butter and veganaise and mix well. This will get it nice and creamy. Then mix in the taco seasoning and nutritional yeast. Finally, add the drained black beans and season with salt and pepper. Done and done!

Sushi

Pots/Pans Used: one!

Making sushi is so much easier than you think! It seems like a really intimidating endeavor but seriously... it's actually kind of a no-brainer type recipe. I'm kind of a Japanese food freak and I could easily eat sushi every day of the week. My favorite roll? just a simple avocado roll. Seriously, you can't go wrong. However, the nice thing about sushi is you really can get creative and fill it with your favorite ingredients. All you have to actually cook is the sushi rice and the rest is assembly. I swear it's easy! Here is a previous sushi post that provides an instructional video on how to roll your own sushi.

You'll need:
nori sheets
sushi rice
sesame seeds
bamboo mat
saran wrap
veggie filling


Onion Dog

Pots/Pans Used: one

You'll Need:
Smart Sausages (Italian Style)
bun
onion
mustard
condiments

This is a great, quick lunch if you're craving something filling but want to put forth minimum effort. Dice up some onion and saute it with olive oil over medium heat until they begin to caramelize. Add some Dijon mustard and coat the onions in it (optional if you don't like mustard). While the onions are being taken care of, you can toast the hot dog bun. Set aside the onions and saute the sausages in the same pan. Just top the sausages with the onions and whatever condiments you like!

Quesadillas


Pots/Pans Used: one

This is absolutely the easiest of my recipes and the one I make most often. Sometimes I just crave that melty cheesey goodness that you rarely get on a vegan diet. This is when I turn to my trusty quesadillas. I can't deny it's been my favorite midnight snack on more than one occasion. All you do is place a tortilla in a pan, pile high with Daiya cheddar cheese, shake some hot sauce and garlic powder on top then sandwich with another tortilla. Let it get crispy on both sides and let the cheese melt completely. That's it!

Hope that was helpful! Even if none of these recipes suit your fancy, most of the recipes on this blog are just as easy. Good luck cooking vegan :)

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Thin Mushroom Pizza

Level of Difficulty: 1,2,3, done!
Pots/Pans Used: UNO!

Ingredients

1 pkg mushrooms, sliced (I used 2 portobello caps)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBL olive oil
1 TBL soy sauce
1 tortilla
Tofutti's herb & chive cream cheese
fresh basil

This recipe is based off of a pizza recipe in The Kind Diet (Just an update, I am on day four of my Superhero diet... yay!). I was feeling super lazy and I was starving from not getting a break to eat all day so I needed this pizza done FAST. Therefore, I made some very slight adjustments to make the cooking process easier and quicker. Let me just say, I LOVE the idea of using a crisp tortilla as the dough. I felt completely satisfied but not too weighed down by a heavy crust. Nom nom nom, I seriously can't wait to make this recipe again. Ideally, I would have used a whole wheat tortilla (new diet) but I couldn't find them at my grocery store. So that's the only adjustment I might make for next time. Either way, it was sooooooo good!

Preheat the oven to 350. Pop the tortilla in the oven on a baking sheet and let it crisp up ( I didn't pay attention to how long it took, sorry). In a saute pan over medium heat, add the oil and garlic. Next, add the mushrooms and once they get a nice sear, add the soy sauce. Saute another 3-4 minutes. Spread the cream cheese onto the crisp tortilla and then top with the garlicky mushrooms. Chop up some fresh basil to garnish on top. Cut into slices and feel free to pig out!

FYI, I have also made the Almond Butter Brown Rice Crispy Treats and the Mushroom, Pea and Leek Risotto from The Kind Diet. HUGE SUCCESSES

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Leftover Pizza

Level of Difficulty: EASY
Pots/Pans Used: 2!

Ingredients
1 package of pizza dough
Tomato sauce (whatever kind you usually use)
1/2 pkg of Gimme Lean Sausage (optional)
Soy Mozzarella (I like Follow Your Heart)
your favorite veggie toppings
olive oil
flour

I have been making pizza for a while now, and I'm just finally getting it right. When I first made it, it stuck to the pan, then I could never get the dough completely cooked. Lucky for you, I finally figured it out so that you don't have to go through all the trail and error. Not only is this a lot of fun to make, but it's simple and way cheaper than ordering in. I decided to call this "Leftover Pizza" because I usually end up using odds and ends of vegetables I have leftover from meals I've made throughout the week. With this particular pizza I used yellow pepper, chopped tomato, fresh basil and onion. I also made a pineapple pizza for the first time! For the record, it's delicious on pizza and I recommend trying it if you haven't yet...

You're going to start by preheating your oven to 500 degrees. I've found that having the oven really hot is the best way to get your dough completely cooked (I know some people will pre-cook their dough but that didn't really work for me). When you roll out your dough, throw some flour on it, so that it doesn't stick to your board. Then, you're going to transfer your dough to a baking sheet that has been well coated with olive oil (VERY IMPORTANT! otherwise, you're pizza will be stuck to the pan. believe me, I speak from way too much experience). Meanwhile, you're going to start to saute your sausage in a small pan over med-high heat. Next, spread out a thin layer of tomato sauce on your pizza. Start out in the center and move your way out to the edges. Remember to leave about 2-3 inches so that you have room for your crust. Grate some mozzarella over the pizza and then top with all your veggies and sausage. Once everything is piled high, fold over the remaining crust. Then it's in the oven for about 15 minutes. Let it cool about 10 minutes before slicing up and serving. enjoy!

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