Vegan Spicy Sweet Potato Nacho Sauce

I'm really excited about this recipe.  It's the perfect blend of sweet and spicy and offers an alternative to nacho cheese.  You can use it as a dip, on tacos, on nachos, or anyway that suits you.  I hope you enjoy!

Vegan Spicy Sweet Potato Nacho Sauce

Inspired by blissfulbasil.com

Yields: about 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 medium / large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

2 tsp coconut oil

1 jalapeño, minced (you can play with amounts here depending on your spice preference. I used the whole jalapeño with seeds and I found it mild with a nice spicy finish)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp honey

A pinch of sea salt

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 cup water

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt

Cayenne, to taste

Sliced green onions, for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook the sweet potatoes in boiling water (takes about 10-15 minutes)

2. Melt the coconut oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Add jalapeños, honey, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of sea salt.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes until softened.

3. Strain the sweet potatoes and add to a blender with the minced garlic, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, sea salt, and about half of the cooked jalapeños. Blend until smooth.  Adjust for taste, adding cayenne for a bit more spice if desired.

4. Stir in the remaining jalapeños.

5.  Serve garnished with green onions.

I used it as a sauce on my black bean tacos. It was so yummy!

Vegan Mac & Cheese… yeah, you heard me.

I've been looking for a good dairy-free Mac & Cheese recipe for a long time.  The problem with most of them is that they're usually made with nuts, which is okay for me every once and awhile, but can be a little heavy and hard on my digestive system.  Recently, I had an eggplant I needed to use, so I browsed Pinterest and was stoked when I found a yummy sounding Mac & Cheese recipe.  It turned out great! Here's my adaptation of that recipe:

Vegan Mac & Cheese

Adapted from minimalistbaker.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

Olive Oil

1 1/2 yellow onions, sliced thin

2 cups gluten-free pasta

1/4 cup nutritional yeast, use more if needed

1 3/4 cups unsweetened plain almond milk

1 tsp garlic powder

Sea salt, to taste

Cayenne, to taste

Chopped tomato, for garnish

Sliced green onion, for garnish

Directions:

• Peel and cube the eggplant and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in a colander and let moisture drain for 20 minutes to draw out bitterness.
• In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and stir occasionally until caramelized, 10-12 minutes.  Set aside for later.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse eggplant and dry thoroughly.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast until tender and slightly browned 25-30 minutes.
• Boil water for pasta and add pasta and boil until cooked through.  Drain and return to pot with the lid on to keep warm.
• Remove roasted eggplant and add to a blender with almond milk, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Blend until smooth and add sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste.  Add more nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder to reach desired taste.
• Add sauce to the pasta and coat thoroughly.  Add caramelized onions.
• Top with tomatoes and green onions and serve.

Chickpea Mulligatawny (Yellow Split Pea Soup)

This is a recipe I discovered a few years ago while I was working as a chef at a yoga retreat. The thing I like about this soup is that it's simple, but also delicious.  It features turmeric, which has powerful healing properties and I love a chance to add it to my diet.  Plus, I love lemon and this has a nice lemony finish.  I hope you enjoy!

Chickpea Mulligatawny 

Adapted from Wholeliving.com

Serves 4

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup yellow split peas

1 quart (32 ounces) vegetable broth

2 cups water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I use more, but it depends on your taste preference)

Sea salt

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup sliced green onions, for garnish

Cooked brown rice, for serving

Directions:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne.  Stir and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add split peas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30-40 minutes until peas are cooked.
• Once cooked add the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.  Return soup to the pot and add 2 cups of water.  Cook until warmed through, add lemon juice, and season with salt, to taste.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and slightly crisp, 7 to 8 minutes.  Serve soup topped with chickpeas and green onions with rice on the side.

Thanksgiving Recipes

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to share some good eats with you guys.  Holidays are important to me, they always have been.  My family holidays were saturated in tradition and great memories.  As I've gotten older lots of things have changed, but my love for food and cooking make any holiday an excuse to do what I love and share it with those I love. It's a beautiful time to gather with friends and family and enjoy each other over an amazing meal.  This Thanksgiving is extra special since it's the first Thanksgiving I've spent with my family in years. When it comes to holidays I'm pretty flexible with myself about what I eat and drink.  I want to enjoy myself and partake in holiday traditions.  That being said, I do enjoy creating a healthy spin on holiday classics so that I can enjoy the day without feeling too weighed down by what I'm consuming.  Here are some of my holiday favorites:

My absolute favorite dish on Thanksgiving has always been green bean casserole, so when I started changing my eating habits it was one of the first recipes I tackled and created a healthy option for. Here's what I came up with:

Green Bean Casserole

Yields 8-10 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans, chopped into 1-inch pieces and cooked in boiling water until tender

Mushroom filling:

1 tbsp butter (I use a dairy-free option, but that's up to you)

1/2 pound crimini or wild mushrooms, sliced

1/2 medium onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce:

2 tbsp butter (again feel free to use a dairy-free option)

2 tbsp brown rice flour

3/4 c. veggie or chicken stock

2 tbsp nutrition yeast

1 tbsp tamari

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Onion topping:

1 tbsp butter

1/2 - 1 whole medium onion, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mushroom filling: In a large sauté pan melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and onions, sautéing until the onions are clear.  Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two.
3. In a medium baking dish combine cooked green beans with the mushroom, onion, and garlic mixture and set aside.
4. Sauce: Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat.  Once melted, slowly whisk in the flour until slightly browned.  Whisk in the stock, nutritional yeast, tamari, and thyme, stirring continuously until the sauce is thick and bubbly.  You may need to add more flour or nutritional yeast if it's not thickening.
5. Combine the sauce with the green bean mixture and set aside.
6. Onion topping: Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat.  Once melted, add the onions and sauté until caramelized (10-20 minutes).  You may need to lower the heat to prevent burning.
7. While the onions are caramelizing, bake your casserole until heated through (10-15 minutes).
8. Top the casserole with the caramelized onions and serve.

In the last couple years I have developed an obsession with brussels sprouts.  I've discovered a way to cook them that leaves them nice and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.  Here's that recipe:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound brussels sprouts, halved

1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast (I love nutritional yeast, so I use 2)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Toss ingredients together on a baking sheet
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning.  Watch them carefully as they're baking at a high heat and there's a very fine line between well roasted and burnt.
4. You may need to finish with a pinch of salt, depending on your taste preference. Serve and enjoy!

My other holiday favorites I've already blogged, but here they are again:

Fall Inspired Kale Salad and Pumpkin Risotto

Vegan GF Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving.  Take some time to remember what this holiday means to you and focus on what's important: the people in your lives, the love you share, and what you're grateful for.