Spicy Quinoa Salad

• 2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (red quinoa cooked in vegetable stock)
• 2 cups shelled edamame
• 3 cups pre-mixed broccoli slaw (shredded carrots, cabbage, and broccoli)
• 1 can water chestnuts 
• 1/4 cup diced green onions
• 1/4 cup diced cilantro
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds 

Dressing:

• Juice of 2 large limes
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced 
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp agave or brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp red chili flake 
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder 
• Freshly ground pepper 

Vegan In N Out Copy Cat Recipe

• Vegan Boca patties (or any other vegan patty substitute)
• Vegan Thousand Island dressing. (I used Kraft lite)
• Iceberg lettuce
• Sliced tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• Vegan hamburger buns

Step 1: 

Dice onion into small pieces.  Saute onions in pan over low heat with 2 tbsp of oil or vegan butter and 1 tsp salt. Carmelizing onions is a long process, be patient. This should take about 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Step 2:

Cook Boca (or any vegan patty substitute) according to package directions.

Step 3:

Spread vegan butter substitute (my favorite is smart balance light) onto hamburger buns. In a pan on high heat, toast buns. This step is very important for In N Out style burgers. 

Step 4:

Assemble burgers to you liking with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, grilled onions, thousand island, and ketchup.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 2 large zucchini, sliced
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 1-14.5 ounce can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-28 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 vegetable bullion cubes
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup day-old sourdough bread peices
• 1 cup small pasta noodles (cavatappi is my favorite)
•  2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. In a large pot, saute garlic and onions in olive oil until tender.

2. Toss in carrots, zucchini, and potatoes. Let them cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Add in kale, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bullion cubes, Italian seasoning, and water. Bring mixture to boil.

4 Once boiling, add in bread pieces, noodles and balsamic. Cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are done. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve in bread bowl.

Eggplant "Meatballs"

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp ground flax-seed mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumb
• Olive oil 

Method:

1.  In a large stock pot cook the diced onion in about 3 tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes on medium heat. The onion should become translucent and light golden brown.

2. Add 3 cloves of the garlic and all of the eggplant to the pot. Cook the eggplant down for 10-15 minutes or until the eggplant has browned and softened. It should reduce in size by half. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Remove the mixture from heat. In a food processor blend the eggplant mixture with the remaining uncooked garlic. Pulse until the eggplant has become a smooth paste. Add in the ground flax-seed and water mixture and pulse until combined.

4. In a large bowl stir together eggplant mixture, nutritional yeast (depending on how much you like), and breadcrumbs.

5. Once combined, form the mixture into balls. Roll in Panko breadcrumbs.

6. In a deep skillet heat about 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat. Fry the eggplant balls for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown on all sides.

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 tbsp vegan butter
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 tbsp ground flax-seed mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients and spices.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars. Once combined stir in the vanilla and the ground flax-seed mixture.

3. Once the wet ingredients are combined, slowly add small amounts of the dry mixture. Keep doing this until all the dry ingredients have been absorbed into the mixture.

4. Form the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for a minimum of 1 hour.

5. Once dough has chilled, roll it out onto a floured surface. I like to roll my about 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into shapes and place on cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Bake time will vary depending on the size and shape of your cookie.

Vegan Pot Pie

 

Ingredients:

• 2 large potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 tbsp dried Italian Seasoning 
• 1 tbsp vinegar (apple cider, white, or balsamic)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 vegetable bullion cubes
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 cup Smart Balance Light Butter Substitute
• 1/2 cup flour
• Salt & Pepper
• Vegan Pie Crusts, either homemade or Marie Callender's makes a good one.

Method:

Step 1- In a large stock pot saute onion and garlic in about 2-3 tbsp olive oil. I use a homemade rosemary infused olive oil for extra richness, especially during the winter.  Add carrots, celery, and potatoes and saute for about 5 minutes. Once onions have become translucent, stir in white wine. Add bullion cubes and the 5 cups of water. Stir in vinegar, italian seasoning, and salt & pepper (to taste-about 1 tsp each).

Step 2- In a seperate pan, melt the butter and flour together to make a roux. Cook the flour and butter mixture for about 3 minutes. Slowly add a ladle full of the broth from your vegetable mixture.

Step 3- Slowly stir the roux mixture into the large pot of vegetables. Stir in frozen peas. Let boil and thicken for about 10-15 minutes.  In the meantime preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Step 4- Spoon mixture into your pie crusts and bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Apple Cinnamon Turnovers

Ingredients:

• 3 Red Apples, peeled and cubed
• 3 Green Apples, peeled and cubed
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance vegan butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 package of vegan puff pastry, I used Pepperidge Farm
• 2 tbsp almond milk, any flavor
• Cinnamon & Sugar mixture, for dusting

Method:

In a large skillet saute apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Once the apples have cooked down and a liquid has formed, add the cornstarch and cook until thickened about 5 minutes.

Defrost your puff pastry sheets according to package instructions. Cut each of the two sheets into 9 squares. Lay on cookies sheet. Fill each square with about 1 tablespoon of the apple filling. Fold one corner over to make a triangle. Line the edge with almond milk, this will act like a glue when you crimp the edges with a fork. Brush each turnover with almond milk and sprinkle with the cinnamon & sugar mixture. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

You can also make these in any size or shape that you desire.