Once you’ve made these, you’ll understand why it is completely necessary to call them “supreme.”

You want to hear something kind of crazy? This is the first time I’ve ever had nachos. Ever.

I fully realize what a complete oddball that makes me, but in my defense, even before I went vegan the sight/smell of “nacho” cheese has always been enough to keep me far, far away. It grosses me out on a level I can’t even describe. I will actually get up and move if someone sits down somewhere close to me with a container of nachos, it’s that serious.

However, when I saw this post from Kathy Patalsky last week in advance of Cinco de Mayo, I thought, “now these are nachos I can get DOWN with!” I whipped them up last night – making way too much for a solo meal – and actually had to throw them away to make myself stop eating. It was a little ridiculous.

Anyway, I can’t wait to make these again sometime when my husband is home. Taking a cue from Kathy and using a metal pie plate makes a perfectly sized serving for two. Of course, the beauty of something like this is that you can pretty much do whatever you want, but my ingredients list below can be used as a good starting place. Enjoy!

Vegan Nachos Supreme

Ingredients

Tortilla chips
1 small jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
Daiya Pepperjack cheese, to taste
1-2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 avocado, diced
Red onion, diced small, to taste
Black beans, to taste
1/3 package Tofurky Chorizo Style
1/2 recipe, Lime Cream
Fresh cilantro, chopped, to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Spread a single layer of chips into a metal pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese and jalapenos. Repeat once more
• Bake layered chips, cheese and jalapenos for 10 min.
• Meanwhile, heat beans and prepare meatless ground
• Remove chips from oven and layer beans, meatless ground, tomatoes, avocado, drizzled lime cream, red onions and cilantro to serve

Yield: Serves 2

I very rarely step outside the basic tomato sauce box when it comes to pasta but this recipe’s got me thinking I should try it a little more often. I used Two Buck Chuck Cabernet from Trader Joe’s to make this red wine sauce and it was super tasty and kind of delightfully different.

You can serve this over nearly any kind of pasta or rice. I used brown rice pasta and it was delish!

Vegan Chicken Cacciatore
Recipe courtesy of Health.com

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
4 pieces Gardein Chick’n Scallopini
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 small yellow or green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 cups tomato basil pasta sauce
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat
• Add Chick’n and sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt and pepper over chick’n
• Cook about 2 min. per side, transfer to a plate and set aside
• Combine bell pepper and mushrooms in the skillet
• Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, cook 4 min., stirring occasionally
• Add wine, cook 2 min.
• Stir in tomato sauce, heat through
• Return Chick’n to skillet, reduce heat to simmer, turning once about 4 min.
• Top with parsley and serve

Yield: Serves 4

Yowsa. That’s all.

Vegan Gnocchi Mac n’ Cheese
Recipe inspired by The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

Ingredients

1 lb purchased or homemade gnocchi (Racconto makes a good Whole Wheat version)
2 tbs Earth Balance
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbs all purpose flour
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Daiya mozzarella style shreds
1/4 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds
1/3 cup vegan Parmesan
salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Prepare Gnocchi according to package directions
• Drain and place gnocchi in a single layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with  non-stick spray
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
• Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 sec.
• Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon
• Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 min.
• Combine cheeses and add small handfuls to the milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful
• Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper
• Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle Parmesan over the top
• Bake until gnocchi puffs and cheese is slightly golden and bubbly, about 25 min.
• Let gnocchi rest about 5 min. before serving

Yield: Serves 2-3

I found this a few weeks ago from a blog that’s been burning up Pinterest of late, Skinnytaste. It’s really great when you need something yummy, quick and simple. Beef it up with Gardein Chipotle Lime Crispy Fingers for dinner or have it solo for lunch. Either way, it’s pretty darn good!

Vegan Fiesta Lime Rice
Recipe courtesy of Skinnytaste

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cooked long grain rice (I prefer brown)
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and heated
3/4 cup frozen corn, heated
1 large tomato, diced
1 large scallion, diced fine
2-4 tbs chopped cilantro, to taste
1 tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
salt to taste

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients
• Toss and serve

Yield: Serves 4

Last weekend my husband and I visited good friends of ours that have recently had a baby (a super cute one, at that!). We thought it might be nice to make dinner for the busy new parents and this pie was what I brought for dessert.

When I was trying to decide what to make I had three objectives:

1. Need to be able to make it the night before (which also means it must travel well)
2. Needs to be sort of a universal crowd-pleaser
3. Needs to be delicious

Obviously, that’s sort of a tall order. However, as I was thumbing through Vegan Pie in the Sky, I came across this little slice of heaven and knew it was just what the doctor ordered. If you’ve got an occasion coming up or are just in the mood for something yummy, give this one a try.

Vegan Grasshopper Pie
Recipe courtesy of Vegan Pie in the Sky

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups finely ground vegan chocolate wafer cookies (Newman’s Own makes a good one)
3 tbs sugar
4 tbs Earth Balance
1 tbs plain soy or almond milk

1/2 cup whole unroasted cashews, soaked in water for 2-8 hrs or until very soft
1 (13 oz) can coconut milk at room temp.
1/4 cup creme de menthe
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp agar powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp mint extract
4-6 drops green food coloring

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate w/non-stick cooking spray
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and sugar
• Drizzle in the butter and use a spoon to blend the mixture thoroughly to moisten the crumbs, then drizzle in the milk and stir again to form a crumbly dough
• Pour the crumbs into the pie plate
• Press crumbs into the sides of the plate first, then work down to the bottom
• Bake for 10 min.
• Set aside to cool
• Drain the cashews and place them in a food processor or blender
• Blend with the coconut milk and creme de menthe until totally smooth
• In the meantime, stir together the almond milk and agar powder in a small 2 qt saucepot
• Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring consistently
• Boil for 30 seconds, then lower the heat so that you’re just getting small bubbles and cook for about 5 min., stirring occasionally
• Whisk in the sugar, add the coconut oil and mix until melted
• With the food processor running, stream the hot mixture in until thoroughly blended with the cashew mixture
• Add the vanilla, mint and food coloring and pulse to combine
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared crust and refrigerate until set, about 4-6 hours
• When the pie is almost set, melt the chocolate chips in a bowl and stir in the coconut oil to melt
• Transfer the melted chocolate to a plastic bag
• Snip a tiny corner off the bag and drizzle the chocolate all over the pie
• Return to the fridge to set for at least 20 min. (to bring out the full flavor of the mint and mellow the coconut flavor, chill overnight)
• Serve with vegan whipped cream

Yield: One 9-inch pie

Admittedly, taco salad is one of those things you don’t really need a recipe for. If you want to make it vegan and healthy-ish though, it might just come in handy.

This is my variation on Isa Chandra‘s Big Fat Taco Salad from Appetite for Reduction. As usual, I fattened it up just a hair but I didn’t monkey with what I think was one of the most important parts (and what makes it possible for you to eat this without it being covered in cheese and/or sour cream), her fresh tomato salsa dressing. That stuff is aces.

Tinker as necessary and enjoy!

Vegan Taco Salad
Recipe courtesy of Appetite for Reduction

Salad Ingredients

4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz baked tortilla chips
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 0z vegan Chorizo sausage
1/2 cup diced red onion

1 cup Guacamole (fresh or store bought)

Dressing Ingredients

1 lb tomatoes (~3 average size), diced small
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp cayenne hot sauce
freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp salt

Salad Directions

• Add a small amount of oil to a skillet and cook Chorizo over medium-high heat for about 2 min.
• Layer salad in four big bowls: lettuce, beans, salsa, Chorizo, chips, onion, guac and cilantro

Dressing Directions

• Place diced tomatoes immediately in a mixing bowl so that not much liquid escapes on your cutting board
• Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and use your hands to mash everything up well
• Let sit for 10 minutes or so to let flavors meld (while you prepare and arrange the salad works well)
• Chill remaining dressing in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days

Yield: Serves 4

It couldn’t be a more perfect day for truffles, right?

I made these over the weekend for my sweetheart (and myself, of course) and the way we’re  savoring every last one of them, you’d think they had flecks of gold in them or something. They’re absolutely delicious and come courtesy of Chloe Coscarelli – the phenomenal vegan chef behind some of the most popular recipes on this blog (strawberry shortcake cupcakes, black bean burgers, etc.) While I was pirating this recipe from her site, I also noticed that she’s got a cookbook coming out next month. It will be mine.

Maybe best of all, since these are vegan it’s 100% a-ok to eat the cookie dough raw. No eggs means no risk of salmonella poisoning (and happy chickens!). I promise, you won’t miss them.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Vegan Cookie Dough Truffles
Recipe courtesy of ChefChloe.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup Earth Balance
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 tbs water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate*

*note on the semi-sweet chocolate: most is vegan, but certainly not all. Read the ingredients label to be sure.

Directions

• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
• Using a mixer, beat margarine, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and water until combined
• Add flour and beat until incorporated
• Fold in mini chocolate chips
• Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hr
• Roll chilled dough into 1 in. balls with the palms of your hands
• Place on prepared baking sheets and then freeze for 15 min. or so
• Melt the remaining 12 oz of chocolate and let cool to room temp.
• Remove one tray of cookie dough balls from the freezer and dip each ball into the melted chocolate. Remove using two forks
• Place the coated balls back on the baking sheet and transfer to the fridge to chill about 20 min.
• Repeat with second tray of cookie dough balls
• Store in the refrigerator

Yield: ~45 truffles

If you don’t like peanut butter cups, I don’t get you.

This recipe is courtesy of The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone and she offers them up as a delicious alternative to good old fashioned (non-vegan) Reese’s. They’re definitely yummy but be warned: they will not be kind to your waistline (350+ cals a pop!). If you whip up a batch of these, share the love!

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Recipe courtesy of The Kind Diet

Ingredients

1/2 cup Earth Balance
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (unsweetened/unsalted)
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (~10 graham cracker squares)
1/4 cup maple sugar or other granulated sweetener
1 cup vegan, semi-sweet chocolate chips*
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup chopped peanuts, pecans or almonds

*I think these could use a least another 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and 1/8 cup of milk. Just my 2 cents.

Note: I read somewhere that adding some rice crispies to the peanut butter mixture makes for a yummy variation here. Just an idea.

Directions

• Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners, set aside
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat
• Stir in peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs and maple sugar and mix well
• Remove mixture from heat and evenly divide among the muffin cups (about 2 tbs per cup)*
• Combine the chocolate and milk in another small pan
• Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted
• Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture
• Top with chopped nuts and place in fridge to set at least 2 hrs before serving

*I’ve made these twice now and I firmly believe that it would be best to place these in the fridge for 15-30 min. before melting and applying the chocolate. When the pb mixture is still very warm, it’s really hard to get the chocolate to spread evenly over the top rather than pool down into the center.

Yield: 1 dozen

I’m on a lemon kick this week!

I’m also still on the Pinterest train. Finding yummy looking recipes to veganize has turned out to be kind of a fun little project on that site. Anyway, we had this for dinner last night and it was quite good. Also quick and easy. Two thumbs up on both counts!

Vegan Chick’n & Lemon Orzo
Recipe inspired by Cookinghealthyforme.com

Ingredients

2-3 Gardein Chick’n Scallopini pieces
Olive oil

1 1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one half lemon
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
5-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
2-3 lemon wedges

Directions

• Bring water for orzo to a boil and cook according to package directions
• Meanwhile, in a medium size bowl, mix together sour cream, Parmesan, garlic, olive oil, salt and lemon zest. Set aside
• Cook Gardein Chick’n breasts according to package directions while pasta finishes cooking
• When orzo is finished, drain and put back in the same pot it was cooked in. Add sour cream mixture, tomatoes and basil and mix to combine
• Place each piece of Chick’n over a bed of pasta, squeeze a lemon wedge over the entire dish and serve

Yield: Serves 2-3

This was what we had for dinner last night and it was goooood.

This recipe marks the first time I’ve actually made something I pulled from Pinterest. The original wasn’t vegan, but as you know, Gardein makes that process laughably easy.

Also worth noting: the original recipe calls for ciabatta rolls. I couldn’t find any, so I went with classic French bread, which was very good, but I think this would be even better on ciabatta – especially since the Gardein Chick’n breasts are thinner than a typical chicken breast.

Vegan Bruschetta Chick’n Sandwich
Recipe inspired by Picky Palate

Ingredients

4 pieces Gardein Chick’n Scallopini
Pinch of salt
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of salt
1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Daiya Mozzarella style shreds
4 ciabatta rolls, or other bread of choice

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt and balsamic
• Toss gently to combine. Set aside
• Preheat a grill pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray
• Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl
• Place chick’n on grill, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and brush top sides with balsamic mixture
• Cook 2 min. then flip chick’n, sprinkle each with a pinch of salt and brush with balsamic mixture
• Cook 2 min and remove from heat
• Place cheese on the bottom pieces of ciabatta then layer with chick’n and spoonfuls of  bruschetta
• Top with another layer of cheese and upper pieces of bread
• Spray the same grill (on medium heat) with additional cooking spray and grill both sides of sandwiches until cheese melts and bread toasts

Yield: Serves 4