Lemon Basil Cashew Cream Pasta

Behold the power of the cashew.  When soaked and pureed, it morphs into a cream that is vegan's blank canvas to work from.  In this dish you really wouldn't know there wasn't any actual cream.  Refreshing lemony, basil sauce smothered all over pasta and topped with pine nuts.  Yes, pine nuts are expensive but they are well worth it here as they complement the other flavors very nicely. 

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Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

Olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped garlic
1/3 cup cashews soaked overnight
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 - 1/3 cup vegetable broth, water from cashews or plain water
1 handful of basil leaves (or more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Toasted pine nuts for garnish
Cooked pasta, cooking water reserved

Method

Heat olive oil in skillet and saute onion and garlic with a pinch of salt over medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Add to blender with cashews, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of broth and basil.  Blend until pureed, adding additional broth as needed.

Heat skillet over low-medium heat and add enough pasta water to just cover the bottom.  Add in sauce and pasta and stir for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.  Add a tablespoon of pasta water at a time if needed to thin out. Add salt and pepper to tasted and drizzle with olive oil if desired.  Serve topped with pine nuts.

 

Easiest Vegetarian Tacos

Nope, that's not meat.  It's my secret weapon to the perfect vegetarian imitation of the traditional beef tacos I grew up eating.  You know, the old school ground beef with the Old El Paso taco kit, seasoning, taco shells, and sauce. Who kid didn't love taco night!? To mimic that, I take a southwest style veggie burger, crumble it up and use as the "meat".  My favorite to use is the Sunshine Burger Black Bean South West Burger.  It's completely all-natural with whole ingredients, meaning everything in it is something you could purchase to make yourself (see image below).  Other options that are good but not all whole ingredients, are the Morningstar Spicy Black Bean Burger (not vegan) and the Gardenburger Black Bean Chipotle Burger.

Ingredients

1 south west style black bean burger, crumbled

Taco Sauce or seasoning/spices (optional)

Diced onion

Olives

Pico de gallo or regular salsa

Chopped cilantro

Guacomole or diced avocado

Cheese, regular or vegan (optional)

Shredded lettuce

2 Taco shells or tortillas

Method

Simply heat your burger, crumble up, toss in some taco sauce or seasoning if desired. Spoon into taco shells, add your toppings and dig in.

My favorite burger

 

Whole, natural ingredients you can pronounce and buy at the grocery store!

The Naked Elvis Banana Bowl

 All the elements of an Elvis sandwich sans bread and of course no bacon. I suppose you could crumble some tempeh bacon on it, but I don't think it needs it.  This it great just as is or incorporate into other breakfasts and serve over plain oatmeal, whole grain pancakes or a frozen waffle, sprinkle with more chopped peanuts for crunch.  Make it a dessert and add some cocoa powder to the sauce or serve topped with chocolate chips.

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Ingredients
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
2-3 Tbsp Almond Milk or other non-dairy milk 
Honey to taste
1 medium banana, sliced

Method
Add peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of almond milk to small bowl.  Microwave about 10 seconds, then stir until peanut butter is completely dissolved.  Add more almond milk if desired for a thinner consistency.  For the honey you can either stir some into the sauce or drizzle the dish with it at the end, or do both.

Spoon sauce over sliced banana and top with chopped peanuts if desired.


 

Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad

A Greek inspired vegetarian alternative to chicken salad made with a simple tahini dressing.  Bonus: no oil!  Love lemon?  Substitute the vinegar with fresh lemon juice. 

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Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp sesame tahini

1-2 Tbsp water
1 tsp red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)

1 garlic clove, minced or grated on a microplane

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp finely diced red onion
1/4 cup diced cucumber (seeds removed)  

For serving:

Tortilla or lettuce leaves

Toppings: diced tomato, olives, roasted red pepper, avocado, chopped parsley or cilantro

Method

In a small bowl, whisk tahini, water, and vinegar until blended.  Stir in garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add garbanzo beans to a bowl and coarsely mash. Add in onion, cucumber, dressing and stir to thoroughly combine everything.  Serve in tortillas, lettuce leaves, on salad, or as dip with pita chips.

 

Spicy, Saucy Kale Chips

Kick off that 2013 diet with a new healthy snack, amazing kale chips!  I went through a time where I was obsessed to Brad's Raw kale chips which turned out to be quite a pricey addiction at $8/package.  When I made these I just couldn't believe how much they tasted like them!

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Ingredients

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in salted water overnight (or at least 4 hours), water reserved

2 Tbsp chopped pimentos (or roasted red pepper)
1 tsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 bunch kale, thick stems removed, torn into pieces

Method

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.  Place all the ingredients except kale in a blender or food processor and puree.  It should be a thick sauce (see pic below).  If needed, add some of of the reserved water from the cashews. How much liquid you need will depend on how long the cashews were soaked.  It will need more liquid if you only soaked them for a few hours. 

Add kale to a large bowl, pour sauce over and toss to thoroughly coat the kale.  Spread kale in one single layer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Or you can used aluminum foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray. 

Bake 30-40 minutes until crisp.