Zucchini & Sun-Dried Tomatoes Pasta *Semi-Raw Lunch Idea*

I had a couple of zucchini & overripe tomatoes that I needed to use. I wanted something a little different from my usual salad, so I played around a bit in the kitchen.

I came up with a semi-raw pasta dish....semi-raw because I used zucchini instead of cooked spaghetti noodles. The result is a delicious and simple lunch idea. 

I didn't think the kids would be interested in trying it, so I served them something else and made the pasta for my lunch. They all came over with a fork and gave this dish 2 thumbs up after trying it.  Since plain zucchini doesn't taste like much (like traditional plain pasta) they assumed the zucchini was linguine.  I'm not in the business of correcting them. *wink wink*

This recipe serves one but is apparently a great snack for 4. lol

Print and try this dish below.

Zucchini & Sun-Dried Tomatoes Pasta

by Brown Vegan

Keywords: saute entree vegan

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• 2 large zucchini, peeled
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (or if you're using regular sun-dried tomatoes soak in water until soft)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Saute the onion and garlic in vegetable onion on medium heat until soft. Add in all of the removing ingredients (except the zucchini), stir and cover until most of the vegetable broth has evaporated and the roma tomatoes are soft. Remove the thyme stem.

Using a vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini into strips. You can also use a box grater or vegetable spiral slicer.

Pour tomato sauce over zucchini "noodles" and enjoy!

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What's for Dinner? #1 Mashed Potatoes, Vegetable Roast, Asparagus

I used to struggle with what to feed my non-vegan family.  Since I refuse to make more than one meal each night (been there, done that as a vegetarian), I had to do a lot of experimenting to see which meals are popular; which meals need to be altered; and which need to never be made again.

I just started a What's for Dinner? series on my Youtube channel to help new vegans and families interested in eating more plant-based meals. Woohoo!

The first episode features garlic mashed potatoes, a Field Roast vegan roast, and sauteed asparagus.

Field Roast offers amazing meat-alternatives made from ingredients such as squash, wheat, apples, mushrooms and various spices.  Check and see if their products are available in your area, then run out and get some. It's perfect for those family members who need to feel like there's "meat" on their plate. My husband said the texture is similar to traditional hamburger and that the patties are flavorful.

This meal is delicious and my family really enjoys it. If you make it, please update me. :-)

Watch me make the whole meal in the video below.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

by Brown Vegan

Keywords: entree vegan

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 6 large potatoes, skin removed and cubed (I used butter potatoes in the video but yukon & russet work just as well)
• ½ cup vegan margarine
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (coconut, almond, soy)
• ½ cup vegetable broth (if you don't have vegetable broth-use more non-dairy milk)
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose salt/all-seasons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Boil or steam potatoes until tender. In a small saucepan, combine vegan margarine, garlic and non-dairy milk on medium heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Once the potatoes are done, drain the water and return to the same pot. Season the potatoes with all-season salt & black pepper. Add in the milk mixture and mash it all together until creamy.

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Song playing while cooking...

Corinne Bailey Rae- 'Til It Happens to You

Vegan Crab Cakes

Since my parents love seafood so much, my sisters and I grew up eating a lot of it.  In fact, the last "animal with a face" I stopped eating is crab cakes. So I guess you can say I enjoy a crab cake just as much as the next person.  Taking a few ingredients from my dad's homemade recipe, I took my time with this dish to capture some of that childhood essence. Mission accomplished. 

Even though these crab cakes will never taste exactly like the original, they do an excellent job of having the same texture, flavor, and goodness of a traditional crab cake.

Since oyster mushrooms live up to their name by having a natural oyster flavor, I knew they would be a perfect main ingredient.  Be sure to grind them up in a food processor (or blender) for a few seconds, so the crab cakes patties don't fall apart while frying.

I experimented with kelp powder  and there wasn't much of a difference in flavor to me.  If you have some on hand when making this recipe and decide to use it, please update me on whether or not it worked for you. :-)

I used this curry slaw from Vegan Cooking with Love to go with the crab cakes.  

Check out the full crab cake recipe below and watch me make it on YouTube.

Vegan Crab Cakes

by Brown Vegan

Keywords: fry vegan vegetarian

Ingredients (6-7 Crab cakes)

Crab Cakes

• About 4 ½ cups of oyster mushrooms, cleaned, broken in pieces with stems trimmed off
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 4 tbsp warm water
• ½ cup white onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup vegan mayo
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Vegan Crab Cake Sauce

• ½ cup vegan mayo
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp capers

Instructions

For the Crab cakes

Put the mushrooms in a food processor (or blender) and chop for about 5 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Don't skip this step because the crab cakes will fall a part while frying if they're not finely chopped.

In a small dish mix together the flaxseed and water until it has a runny consistency like an egg, Mix the "egg "in with the mushrooms.

In a skillet, saute garlic and onion on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients of breadcrumbs, garlic powder, Old Bay, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Mix that in with mushrooms. Next, add in cooked garlic and onion, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and vegan mayo.

Mix together well.

Form crab cakes into patties and fry on medium heat in a large skillet using vegetable oil. You can also coat with additional breadcrumbs, if you prefer a firmer crab cake.

Allow to drain on a napkin or towel.

For the sauce

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and generously add on top of crab cakes.

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What's for Dinner? Quinoa!

I love this recipe. The combination of spinach, tofu, vegan pesto and sun-dried tomatoes is perfection.

It's filling and simply delicious.

I even made it a couple of weeks ago for my dad to celebrate his birthday.  It was his first quinoa experience (along with my mom) and they both enjoyed the meal.  My mom said the sun-dried tomatoes took this dish to the next level, so don't leave it out if you make this recipe. :-)

Save a little time by pressing your tofu and making your pesto sauce the night before. Also, you can omit the tofu if you prefer not to eat soy.

Let me know if you try this recipe. :-)

This dish is heavily inspired by Heather's Quinoa recipe.

The Sweetest Vegan's Pesto Recipe

Watch me make the quinoa dinner in the video below and be sure to subscribe to receive more cooking videos and vlogs from me.

Quinoa Dinner-Tofu, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Spinach

by Brown Vegan

Keywords: saute entree vegan

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 2 cups tri-color quinoa (if you use white quinoa instead, use about a cup less water to cook it in)
• 4 cups of water
• 1 block of firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups of fresh spinach
• The Sweetest Vegan's pesto recipe (link below)
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse the quinoa with a mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Combine with 4 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Afterwards, cover with a lid and reduce heat to med-lo and cook for about 20 minutes.

On medium heat, fry the tofu in a pan for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a bowl, add in garlic powder and mix together until coated.

Saute the onion and garlic on medium heat until translucent. Add in spinach and cook for 3 more minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat.

Then mix in quinoa, tofu and sun-dried tomatoes and pesto.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Inspired by Heather's Quinoa Recipe

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/heathers-quinoa-recipe.html

The Sweetest Vegan's Pesto Recipe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crVOKVzRK5w

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What's for Dinner? Sweet Potato & Tempeh Skillet

With a medley of vegetables (including tempeh-which is a fabulous source of protein), this dinner idea is both filling and flavorful.

I did add in some cashews but that ingredient is completely optional.  In fact, I have no idea why I did that. lol The original recipe calls for it, and I guess I went along because I had cashews in the pantry. :-)

Watch me make it below and be sure to update me if you try the recipe. :-)

Sweet Potato & Tempeh Skillet

by Brown Vegan

Ingredients (Serves 5)

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (not yams), cooked and cubed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• (1) 8-ounce package tempeh, any variety,
cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 cup kale, stems removed
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• (1) 15 oz diced tomatoes, in the can
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 scallions, minced
• ¼ cup water
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cashew pieces (optional)

Instructions

Boil or steam the tempeh for about 8 minutes to minimize the aftertaste. Drain the tempeh.

In a small skillet, add in 1 tbsp olive oil and soy sauce. Sauté the tempeh for about 7 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

On medium heat, using your largest skillet, sauté garlic and 1 tbsp of oil for about 1 minute or until golden brown.

Add in water, tomatoes and curry powder and allow to warm for 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Then add in kale & spinach, cover skillet with a lid and cook for 6 minutes.

Afterwards, add in sweet potatoes, tempeh, scallions, and optional cashew pieces.

Garnish with additional scallions and sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe inspired by Veg Kitchen http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/tofu-tempeh-and-seitan/tempeh/tempeh-kale-and-sweet-potato-skillet/#siGQmZ1rczZu8TiQ.99

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Recipe inspired by Veg Kitchen

Song playing while I cooked...

John Mayer-Gravity