Category / Vegetarian Recipes

Grab all and try all these vegetarian recipes. Most of these have been taste tested by myself and my family members

by Chantel Chansa

Vegan/Plant-based Alfredo Spaghetti

This recipe here is absolutely delicious, period. Even if you are not vegan, I believe you would enjoy it. It is a must to make and you can determine its worth. A few days ago, my mom was scrummaging through recipes and reading out loud ones that she thought she and my dad would like. She did read quite a few that sounded delicious, but this one stood out. Probably because I love mushrooms, and we had some in the fridge that needed to be used. There are steps to do, but nothing hard to achieve. You will need a blender or food processor. You will also need to soak the cashews for at least a couple hours prior to use. Unless you blanche them or soak overnight. Other than that, it is pretty easy.

The sauce is made from cashews. I have had a cashew alfredo sauce before, but this one was far tastier than the one I had previously. This one was smooth, almost like a buttery taste, with a hint of nuttiness. I am pretty picky when it comes to alfredo and spaghetti sauces. I’d much rather make my own. Before I went dairy free, I made my own alfredo with heavy cream and/or cream cheese. Now, with the tomato spaghetti sauce I now make the homemade-marinara-stash.

As I mentioned in my first paragraph about how even non-vegans would enjoy this recipe, I want to briefly explain where the protein comes in. Whether you add an animal protein or not is up to you. In this recipe you get your protein mainly from the cashews and mushrooms. Spinach has 5.3g for four cups in this recipe and the mushrooms have 4.4g . The cashews have 24g for one cup which is what this recipe calls for. So, as you can see, all this protein adds up to a total of 33.7g. That’s a good amount of protein coming just from three plant sources. I speak about the protein part of this recipe because most people who are not vegan are not aware of the other alternatives of protein sources. I had posted this recipe on my personal Facebook page and had a couple people comment that there was not any protein in this recipe because it lacked animal meat.

Vegan Alfredo Spaghetti Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cashews (soaking at least 2 hrs or quick soak 30 minutes in hot water)
  • 6-8 garlic cloves, roasted
  • 12 oz any pasta (we used angel hair)
  • 2 Tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
  • 4 cups of reserved pasta water
  • 2 cups thick cut mushrooms
  • 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup any plant milk (we used Chobani extra creamy)
  • 1/3 cup tapioca starch (or cornstarch/flour)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • fresh basil for garnish (opt)

Cooking Instructions

  1. Soak cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight, or quick soak 30 minutes in hot water.
  2. In a small pan, roast garlic cloves with the shells on, over med-high heat until browned and soft. Spray pan with Pam or oil as needed. Remove the shells and set aside.
  3. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and reserve 4 cups of the pasta water.
  4. In a large pan, heat EVOO over medium heat: add the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture and begin to brown. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. In a blender, combine cashews, 4 cups reserved pasta water, roasted garlic, lemon juice, plant milk, and tapioca starch. Blend on high until completely smooth.
  6. Pour mixture into a large saucepan and cook over med-high heat, whisking constantly until sauce begins to thicken.
  7. Add the mushroom mixture and the cooked spaghetti to the sauce. Use tongs to ensure the noodles are evenly coated. Season with S&P.

This recipe makes a lot!! I would guess this would feed about 8 people. If you noticed in the ingredients that you are not using the entire package of spaghetti, but it still makes a generous amount. It was great having leftovers to eat from because it’s that good to eat on for a few days or just freeze the remainder and enjoy another time without all the hassle of making another batch. To reheat leftovers, just add a splash of whatever milk you used to make the consistency looser.

I’d like to recommend a very tasty vegan cheese to add to this meal. It is a 3-ingredient mock parmesan cheese. You can find this quick and easy recipe here dairy-free-parmesan-cheese-crumbles/.

*This recipe is not the original, it has been altered to fit my family’s taste. The site where it was discovered is unknown. If the site is ever recovered, I will certainly add it here to give credit to that person.

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by Chantel Chansa

Walnut crumbles (meat alternative)

There are so many beans, legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds and veggies that can be used as a meat alternative. It also never occurred to me how much protein, fiber, vitamins, and more are in these alternatives. I’d say they are far more beneficial than meat itself. This recipe my mom stumbled upon and so we decided to try it. Prior to finding this recipe we were using frozen ground meat as an alternative. When we first tried it, we used it as taco meat. I tried it and fell in love with it. It is so easy to make and you can double the recipe and make them plain, just minus the seasoning when making the recipe. I freeze the plain crumbles. When ready to use just add your favorite seasoning. What I do is just add about 1 tsp of water to about 1/2 cup plain crumbles and dry seasoning (single person serving). Add more water if it does not completely moisten them. Then just spread the crumbles on a small toaster oven sheet and give it some heat to dry them, maybe about 5 minutes in the little oven. I sure hope you enjoy this meat alternative as much as I do.

If you would like to download this recipe, the PDF is below. Look for the black “download” button.

walnut-crumblesDownload

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by Chantel Chansa

Best Black Bean Burger

Vegetarian ,vegan, plant based friendly

This black bean burger recipe is, so far, the best I have ever tasted. It is better than the famous box brands. This recipe uses fresh ingredients for the most part, but, all can be fresh if you cook your own black beans in place of using the canned. The one tip that I can give about this recipe is to be sure the beans drain at least 20 minutes to avoid having “too moist” burgers. I have only cooked these on the stove in a skillet, but I’m most certain that these will taste just as good on the grill or oven. This recipe can also be used by anyone who just wants a break from meat, but also wants a delicious alternative to meat. This recipe is a five star in my household.

Black Bean Burger Recipe

Ingredients Makes 6- 3 1/2″ wide patties

  • 2- 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained (reserve 6 TBSP of the liquid)
  • 2 TBSP All-Purpose flour
  • 4 scallions, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp hot sauce (opt)
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp salt & pepper-each
  • 1- ounce tortilla chips, crushed (roughly 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (any high heat oil or spray)
  • 6 burger buns

Directions to make patties

Be sure beans are rinsed and well drained and allow them to sit in the colander for 30 minutes.

Whisk reserved bean liquid and flour in a large bowl until well combined and smooth. Stir in scallions, salt, and pepper until combined. Process tortilla chips in food processor until finely ground. Add beans and pulse until beans are coarsely ground (about 5 pulses). Transfer bean mixture to bowl with flour mixture and mix well.

Divide mixture into six portions having 6 firmly packed patties. Heat 1 TBSP oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lay 3 patties in skillet and cook for 5 minutes, or until browned. Flip and repeat the process (including the oil) prior to cooking the other side.

To keep patties warm while cooking the remaining patties, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 200 degrees. Place cooked patties on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven to keep warm.

**Cooked patties should not be mushy or fall apart**

Note: The recipe above is how I make mine, the PDF is from the original source, “Vegan for Everybody” recipe book by America’s Test Kitchen. Here is the link if you are interested in purchasing.

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Vegan-Everybody/Americas-Test-Kitchen/9781940352862?id=8866666383342

The PDF is below if you choose to download or want to print it for your recipe book of favorite recipes. To download recipe, touch the black “download now” button.

black-bean-burger-pdfDownload Now

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by Chantel Chansa

My Seafood Special

vegetarian, flexitarian, pescatarian friendly

I will be sharing many recipes throughout my blog site but you will find recipes in specific categories of your eating choice. I wanted to share this recipe because it is one of my creations that I just made up and gobbled up. I have always loved imitation crab and still eat it often, though I eat mostly vegan. However, I am very picky with how the imitation crab taste, I guess it’s because of how it’s packaged and what they use to preserve it. I finally found a brand that I am in love with and has less ingredients used for its freshness. It’s from Trans Ocean and from the Simply Surimi line of their products. I use the flake style because it’s easy to shred for the salad. This recipe is vegetarian friendly.

Preview(opens in a new tab)

Anyways, I have had this salad with club crackers, sourdough bread, fresh white bread and butter croissant. The large croissants are my absolute favorite is the large butter croissant. I lightly toast it and add the salad to my bread and then garnish it with Alfalfa and/or cilantro. This recipe creation has been a winner with my family. I sure hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I have made this recipe to be downloadable or you can print it.

Here’s the recipe for you to view and the PDF is below that if you decide to download it.

Ingredients and directions are below.

Ingredients:

  • 1-pkg Surimi Flake Style Imitation crab meat (Trans Ocean is the distributor)
  • 1/2 tsp fresh or dried dill
  • 1-2 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 celery stalk, thinly sliced
  • 1/2tsp garlic and onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp oregano (opt)
  • 1 1/2 TBSP your favorite mayo (add more for a creamier texture)
  • 1-2 tsp any tarter sauce spread (I use dill pickle tarter spread)
  • 3-4 Large sandwich croissants

Directions

Stir all ingredients together in a medium glass bowl.

Once you achieve the taste to your liking then cut your croissants in half and lightly toast.

Garnish how you wish. My favorite garnish is Alfalfa sprouts and a non-dairy cheese crumble.