This is a recipe I bummed off my fabulous friend, Teri. Her son has an extreme allergy to dairy and eggs, so she and I talk vegan tips and tricks on the regular. I’ve actually been jonesing for some cinnamon rolls for quite a while, but haven’t had the time or energy to make any of the recipes I’ve found (the dough for one of them actually required something like six hours in prep time before it was even ready to bake – not happenin’). She mentioned these out of the blue a few weeks ago and I finally got around to making them this past weekend. Consider the spot hit, my friend.

The best part about these is how super quick and easy they are to whip up. I’m talking 15 minutes from start to finish. More than enough time for a weekday morning before school or work.

Quick Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe courtesy of my friend, Teri

Ingredients

1 roll, original Pillsbury Crescents
Earth Balance spread
cinnamon/sugar mix
1/2 cup powdered sugar
water

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Unroll crescents onto an ungreased, non-stick baking sheet (keep dough intact, one big sheet)
• Spread Earth Balance on dough and top with cinnamon/sugar mix (all to taste)
• Roll dough back up and slice into 1 – 1/2 in. pieces
• Space rolls evenly on baking sheet and bake for ~10 min. Remove as soon as they begin to brown
• Meanwhile add very small amount of water to the powdered sugar and stir to combine. Continue adding water in small amounts until desired consistency is achieved
• Let rolls sit for a few minutes before applying icing

Yield: ~10 mini cinnamon rolls

Well clearly, I didn’t take this picture.

I made these for dinner last night, and though they were yummy, they weren’t very pretty (plus, I used regular taco-sized tortillas because I couldn’t find big ones). So, I borrowed this pic from Real Simple. They will likely not appreciate it, but it’s also likely they’ll never know. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Anyway, these were ready in a jif and there is enough protein in one serving to last you a good two days. Great after a tough workout on a weeknight.

Vegan Chicken & Quinoa Burritos
Recipe inspired by Real Simple

Ingredients

4 burrito-size whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
1 lb Match® vegan chicken
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup black beans, warmed
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup shredded Follow Your Heart Monterey Jack
1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup pico de gallo/salsa

Directions

• In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat
• Add block of Match chicken; cook until well browned, about 4 min. per side
• Transfer to a cutting board and cut into quarters, then slice each fourth into strips
• Dividing equally, top the warmed tortillas with the chicken, beans, quinoa, cheese, cilantro and avocado and salsa, roll into burritos and serve

Yield: Serves 4

Another bad picture. All I can say is, I was hungry.

This is a super simple sandwich that tastes like there was a ton of effort put into it, minus the effort. I think this would be good with some sauteed onions as well, but hubs isn’t a huge fan of them, so I left them off the menu this time. Really, you could add in all kinds of additional veggies, if you prefer (green peppers, spinach, etc.). Get creative!

Vegan Meatball Sandwich

Ingredients

8-10 Nate’s Zesty Italian Meatless Meatballs
1 jar pasta sauce of choice
Daiya mozzarella style shreds
3 large portobello mushrooms
Garlic Gold (or vegan garlic butter)
1/2 tbs Earth Balance
2 Italian sandwich rolls or Hoagie buns

Ingredients

• Warm 1/2 – 2/3 jar of sauce in small saucepan
• Add frozen meatballs to sauce, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 min
• Meanwhile, slice mushrooms and melt butter in small pan
• Add mushrooms to butter and saute 5-6 min or until mushrooms are softened
• Coat each side of buns in garlic gold and place on small tray or baking sheet
• Add meatballs to each bottom bun. Spoon a line of sauce down the center of top buns. Add mushrooms and top with cheese
• Toast in a toaster oven or bake until cheese is melted

Yield: Serves 2

Hello friend, I’ve missed you. <—My exact thoughts upon taking the first bite of this.

Obviously, I’m not the first vegan on the planet who has used Daiya cheddar in an attempt to recreate an old pre-vegan fave, the mighty grilled cheese sandwich. I’ve seen this particular combo mentioned I don’t know how many times on vegan blogs, twitter feeds, etc. Even though I’m a huge fan of Daiya, for some reason, I had serious doubts about how good this would really be. I’m happy to say, I was dead wrong.

This. is. good. SO good!

This also marks the first time I’ve had a grilled cheese with anything other than cheese on it, and I’ve totally been missing out. I’m tellin’ you, tomatoes on grilled cheese is like the way tomatoes are meant to taste and never do.

Clearly, I thoroughly enjoyed this meal, as did my very skeptical non-vegan husband. There will be more of these in my house over the course of the next several months. Fo sho.

Vegan Grilled Cheese
Recipe courtesy of VegNews

Ingredients

1 tsp + 2 tbs Earth Balance, softened and divided
4-6 thick slices tomato
2 slices red onion (optional)
4 slices multi-grain sandwich bread
1 cup Daiya cheddar cheese

Directions

• Over medium-high heat, heat a cast iron or non-stick griddle
• Add 1 tsp butter and lay tomato and onion on the surface to cook
• Spread remaining butter evenly on outer sides of the bread
• Lay the slices of bread side-by-side on the griddle buttered side down and top each slice with 1/4 cup cheese
• Lay the tomato and onion slices on the open face of one piece of bread. Once cheese begins to melt, combine two sides and cook until both sides are lightly browned
• Cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately

Yield: Serves 2

Maybe frozen pizza isn’t typically anyone’s first choice, but we all know that now and again, that’s about as good as it’s going to get. For those days (which are usually days I’m flying solo), I turn to my favorite vegan frozen pizza: Non-Dairy Rice Crust Cheeze Pizza from Amy’s.

There aren’t that terribly many options for frozen vegan pizza, but of all I’ve tried, this one is my hands-down favorite. Now, I know it looks a little sparse, but this pizza packs more punch than you might think taste-wise. For example, I am not on a gluten-free diet, however, I think the gluten-free crust works particularly well here to combat the “soggy” issue that can be such a problem with frozen pizzas. It’s also just super tasty. The best way I can describe it is sort of “crouton-like” if that makes any sense? It’s uber crispy, but delicate at the same time and sort of crumbles as you chew. MMM.

I’m also fairly certain that this cheese is Follow Your Heart Mozzarella, which I’m a confessed fan of. It wouldn’t hurt for there to be a little more of it, but you can always add more before you bake. Same goes for toppings.

Obviously, this particular pizza only works if you’re flying solo, but Amy’s does make a few other full-size vegan pizzas, as do several other brands. If you need something big enough to share, sample around and see what you like!

Ok, I could have done a better job with this picture. Don’t let that discourage you though, because this is my favorite way to do pizza at home!

The only real difference between this and the previous at-home pizza I posted is the crust, but it’s a biggie. This is a pre-made, multigrain stone-baked crust I pick up at Whole Foods. When I use this crust, Andy and I each get our own separate pizza because it isn’t quite big enough to split between the two of us. He usually has no leftovers, but that leaves just about the perfect amount for me to have for lunch the day after. As an added bonus, there’s no chance of dairy cheese cross contamination when we each have our own pie. It’s a win-win.

Unfortunately, you won’t save a lot of money going this route, as these babies run about five bucks a piece. I think they’re tasty enough to warrant the cost though, so I’m down with that. Consequently, if you’re running solo, these are sort of perfect for gourmet, DIY pizza for one!

No real need to post an ingredients list and directions – crust, sauce, cheese, toppings…you get the gist – but if you’re looking for a few more details, check out my previous Pizza Wednesday at home post. Bonus points if you can actually bake this one on a pizza stone, but if you don’t have one, a cookie sheet or pizza pan will do just fine.

Now, is it time for dinner yet?

Now I realize it doesn’t actually take a lot of effort to make something like pancakes from scratch, but at the same time, if you’re trying to do a hot breakfast on a weekday morning, have impatient children (or spouses) or wake up so starved for food that every second between you and breakfast seems like a century, then you can appreciate a good pancake mix.

Since I fall into the third category there, I’ve done quite a bit of searching for a good vegan pancake mix and this one is by far the best I’ve found.

Cherrybrook Kitchen is a sweet little company that makes a variety of baking mixes for the nut, dairy, egg and gluten-free crowd (not all products are gluten-free, but there’s a good selection). The company was founded by a woman who developed severe, adult-onset food allergies and quickly found that there was a void in the market for vegan baking mixes. So far I’ve only tried the pancakes, but if they’re any indication of what I might expect from the rest of their products, the outlook is good.

In addition to being the yummiest pancake mix I’ve found, this one is also the easiest! All you have to do is add non-dairy milk and a few teaspoons of oil. Voila! Of course, you’re free to add fruit before or after pancakes are cooked and any other add-ins you might prefer to fancy things up a tad, but these are good as-is too.

Cherrybrook Kitchen Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup Cherrybrook Kitchen Original Pancake Mix
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 tsp vegetable oil
Add-ins of choice (optional)*

*great vegan options here include blueberries directly in the batter, sliced fruit/berries as toppings and/or, my personal favorite, a tsp or two of cinnamon stirred in. MMMmmm.

Directions

• Stir milk, oil and mix in a bowl just until combined. Mix should be lumpy. Do not over mix
• Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Coat the surface with cooking spray
• Pour batter onto the skillet and cook until undersides are golden brown, about 2 min.
• Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook 2 more minutes or until heated through. Repeat as needed

Yield: Makes 6-8 pancakes

TGIW!

See, that’s the beauty of Pizza Wednesday: the whole day is just a little bit better because I know there’s cheesy goodness waiting for me at the end (That’s right..I can find motivation in pizza. Don’t judge.)!

So here is a classic example of what goes into DIY pizza at our house. We start with organic whole wheat crust from Whole Foods’ store brand, slather on a ‘lil olive oil and sauce and then each side is covered with the appropriate cheese (Daiya for me, cow for Andy) and toppings of choice. Done.

On this particular evening we had a half and half on each of our halves thing going on. My side is on the right and as you can see, I try to leave a small cheese-free line down the middle to separate our two sides. I’ll post the ingredient list below for reference, but obviously there’s not too terribly much involved here. Cooking up your very own DIY vegan pizza is literally, easy as pie!

(Busy) Vegan Pizza

Ingredients

Whole Foods Market Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Olive oil
Pizza Sauce (We like Trader Joe’s and Muir Glen‘s pizza sauces best)
Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds
Toppings of Choice*

*Of course, any chopped veggies are yummy vegan choices but there are also plenty of tasty meat substitutes that are great if you just don’t think pizza is pizza without meat. I like Smart Deli Pepperoni and Crumbled Match Ground Beef or Sausage.

Directions

• Chop veggies and/or prepare meat substitutes according to package directions
• Preheat oven to 400°
• Place crust on pizza stone or baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil
• Brush on sauce, to taste, sprinkle cheese over the crust and add toppings
• Bake for 12-15 min. or until cheese begins to brown at the edges

I am fully aware that this is not the prettiest thing I’ve ever posted. However, I urge you to get past this dish’s somewhat disheveled appearance because it will make your taste buds very happy!

This is a recipe that my husband and I sort of pulled out of thin air one day as we were scooting around Trader Joe’s looking for meal ideas. It starts (as so many good things do) with vegan chorizo and ends with adobo seasoned fire roasted tomatoes, cuban style black beans and, of course, polenta!

Because all of these ingredients are canned or ready-made, this dish easily qualifies as a Busy Vegan entree. It can be on the table in 15 minutes or less. We serve this with chips, but we also take plenty of bites from our forks. Both work!

Mexican Polenta Scramble

Ingredients

2 tbs canola oil
1 tube Polenta
1 can Trader Joe’s Cuban Style Black Beans
1 can Adobo Seasoned Fire Roasted Tomatoes*
1/2 tube Trader Joe’s Vegan Chorizo
Daiya Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Tortilla Chips (optional)

*This isn’t listed on their site yet, but it exists, I swear! (Any kind of tomatoes will do though, of course)

Directions

• Cut polenta into 1/4 in. slices
• Heat 1tbs canola oil in a small skillet on medium high heat, add chorizo and cook (stirring often) for a few minutes
• Heat another tbs of canola in a large saute pan or skillet on medium high heat, add polenta slices and cook for a few minutes on each side
• Add beans, tomatoes and chorizo to large skillet and cook for about 5 min. (stirring often) to heat everything through and reduce some of the moisture from the tomatoes
• Reduce heat to low and sprinkle cheese over the top of the mixture, if using. Cover with lid for 3-4 minutes to melt
• Place 2-3 slices of polenta on each plate and cover with mixture. Add more cheese on top, if desired and serve with chips

Yield: Serves 2-4

It’s been a while since I’ve featured a “Busy Vegan” post – and considering how busy I’ve been that seems odd!

This is the recipe I picked up from Kathy Freston’s appearance on the Ellen show a while back when she and Tal Ronnen whipped these up for a newly veg (maybe?) family. I made a few changes from her original recipe and the next time I make these I think I’ll make a few more, but they were good nonetheless.

Now I gotta run. I’m busy!

Gardein Beef(less) Tacos
Recipe courtesy of kathyfreston.com

Ingredients

1 bag of Gardein beefless tips
6 small whole-wheat tortillas
1 cup cooked corn
1 head shredded romaine lettuce
Prepared Guacamole

Marinade Ingredients

1/3 cup prepared green salsa*
1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp minced garlic
pinch sea salt
pinch black pepper

*I don’t care for green salsa, so I blended up some pico and used that instead. I don’t know how much that might have changed the flavor.

Directions

• Marinate thawed beefless tips for 20 min.
• Heat stainless steel saute pan (or whatever you have), add oil and sear beefless tips for 3 min on each side
• Meanwhile, warm tortillas
• Put tips in middle of tortilla with guacamole, romaine lettuce and corn (we also added some additional pico) and fold
• Garnish with green onions, chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges

Yield: Serves 2-3