Grilled Vegetable Italian Pasta Salad

Why do I love these types of meals so much?? Because they are inexpensive to make, filling, great for a crowd or picnic, awesome eaten hot or cold, great for packing lunches for work and kids, and are good for the body too! I am always throwing together new variations of these types of meals. For this one, I was definitely in the mood for some Italian flavors, eggplant, artichoke hearts, olives, zucchini, and a fresh dressing. It was really delicious the first day, and just got more delicious by day two! Oh, and did I mention it is totally kid approved by my very own little taste testers? So pack some of this up for little ones lunches the next day.

Grilled Vegetable Italian Pasta Salad

serves 6
printable recipe

What You Need:

16 ounces of whole wheat Penne pasta

1 medium purple eggplant

2 medium zucchini

olive oil, salt and pepper

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts (in water)

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1 16-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed well
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup (big handful) fresh chopped Italian parsley

Dressing:
zest and juice of two lemons
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. Veganaise (vegan mayo)
1/3 cup olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Whisk everything really well.

To Make Salad:
Heat a large pot of salted water. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, and place into a large salad bowl.
Heat an outdoor grill or a indoor grill pan to medium high heat. Slice the eggplant and zucchini into 1/2 inch thick slices (lengthwise). Brush them with live oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook for several minutes on each side until grill marks from and the vegetables are getting slightly tender. Remove from grill, let cool a few minutes, and cut into bite sized pieces and add to the salad bowl.
Dice the rest of the vegetables, and add to the salad bowl, along with he beans and parsley. Pour dressing over the whole thing and toss well to coat. Taste and add any additional salt and pepper to taste.

Morgan's Gooey Orange Spiked Cinnamon Rolls with fresh orange icing

What can I say, these really are heavenly. If your newly (or long time) vegan ways have put a little bit of a damper  on the whole cinnamon roll situation, well, I have created the solution for you !  I'm not going to call these "health food" by any means, but they are definitley soooo much better for you than a regular cinnamon roll. No shortening, white flour, eggs, milk, or cruelty involved! With the hint of fresh orange zest going through them, it makes them even more delicious. Make these up for your families on a weekend and see if anyone even notices that they are 100% whole grain, and completely vegan also!! Isn't vegan life amazing!!

Morgan's Gooey Orange Spiked Cinnamon Rolls with fresh orange icing

makes 12 rolls

*whole process of making these will take roughly 2 hours*
printable recipe

What You Need:

3 tsp dry active yeast

1 Tbsp evaporated can juice sugar

1/2 cup warm water

Whisk well in a bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. While this mixture is sitting warm in a small saucepan...

1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk

3 Tbsp. Earth Balance butter

1 tsp salt

zest of 1 orange

2 Tbsp evaporated can juice sugar

Next, using a standing Kitchenaid mixer if you have on (this will make it so easy!) or you can do it all by hand, mix...

4 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

Whisk well, and then slowly add in the yeast mixture and the milk mixture. Let you mixer knead this for about 8-10 minutes, or knead by hand. Lightly butter a bowl, place the ball of dough in, and cover with a towel. let this rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size. While the dough is rising, make the filling...

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp evaporated cane juice sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Roll the dough into a large rectangle about the size of a cookie sheet pan. Melt a few tsp of Earth balance butter and brush the dough with the butter. Then sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture all over the top

Gently start rolling up like a snake starting at one of the long ends, not short ends. Roil up completely until you have something that looks like this...

Next, using a piece of floss, gently place the floss under  the cinnamon roll, then pull both strings up over the top, criss cross, and pull firmly to slice the dough perfectly! (this is the best trick ever!) Make the slices about 2 inches thick.  In a very lightly buttered large glass Pyrex dish, place the cut cinnamon rolls. You should have something like this...

Cover the cinnamon rolls one more time and let rise for about 45 minutes. While they are rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  After they are done rising, bake for about 15 minutes. Prepare the icing while the rolls bake...

Orange icing
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together with a hand mixer or standing mixer. 

Allow the rolls to cool for 10 minutes before icing them. Then spread all of the icing evenly over the top.
ENJOY, and when eating the leftovers, reheat for 15 seconds to make them warm and delicious all over again!!

"Chick'n" and Mushroom Piccata with Creamy Garlic and Herbed Mashed Potatoes

Oh my goodness. If you are struggling with what to make your meat eating frineds/family that are skeptical about your vegan ways,  you need to make them this dish! Seriously! It turned out so good! It was flavorful and filling! I am already craving it again. What inspired me to create this dish was a recent trip I took to NYC. My husband took me to eat at Candle79 for our anniversary (which, I have to say was one of the best vegan meals I have had at a restaurant!), and I ordered the Seitan Piccata. it was so good! Living in Southern California, I obviously wont be able to get this meal whenever I get the urge. So, one of the first things I did when I got home was create my own version. Make this for your friends (or for a date night!), this is a meal that will totally impress them both visually and in flavor! The garlic and herbed mashed potatoes were heavenly. So creamy and the perfect compliment to the rest of the dish.

"Chick'n" and Mushroom Piccata with Creamy Garlic and Herbed Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4-6
printable recipe

Garlic and Herbed Mashed Potatoes:

1.5 pounds yukon gold or other small white potatoe, quartered

1 clove minced garlic

3 Tbsp. Earth Balance vegan butter

1/4 - 1/2 cup vegan milk (soy, almond, rice, etc.)

1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, and add the potatoes. Boil for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender.  Drain water. Add the rest of the ingredients to the potatoes. Add the milk slowly to achieve the right consistency , and then taste them and add additional salt and pepper to taste.

For the "Chick'n":

1 1/2 to 2 pckg. Gardein Chick'n Scallopinni (depending on how many you are serving)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. Earth Balance vegan butter

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

salt, pepper, and garlic powder to season

Lay out your Gardein Vegan chicken on a cutting board and season each one with a pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the olive oil and butter Gently dredge each of the Chick'n into the whole wheat flour, and cook in the pan on each side until lightly crisped and browned. Remove from the pan.

For the Mushroom Picccata Sauce:

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil,

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped onion

8 ounces of sliced shitake mushrooms

2/3 cup vegetable broth

juice of 2 lemons

2 Tbsp of capers, rinsed well, and chopped up a little

pinch of salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. Earth Balance vegan butter

Fresh parsley for garnish

In a bowl, combine the vegetable broth, lemon juice, and capers and set aside. In the same pan that you cooked the Chick;n in, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, and add in your garlic, onion and mushrooms, and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are softened. Then add in your lemon/vegetable broth mixture. Deglaze the pan a little Cook  over low for a few minutes to let the flavors combine, then add in 1 Tbsp. of earth balance to the sauce and slowly melt it in. Add your Chick;n pieces back into the pan to reheat.  Taste the sauce and add any additional salt and pepper if needed. Be careful not to over salt though, capers will add a natural saltiness to the dish.

To Assemble the dish:

Place about 1/2 cup of the potatoes on a plate. Then add 1-2 chick;n pieces per person and add top with the Mushrom Piccata sauce and some fresh chopped parsley.

Glazed tempeh tacos with Jicama, mango and avocado salsa and lime spiked sour cream

Happy Wednesday all! OK, if you are looking for a meal that has substance, is really fresh, and just screams summer with all of the flavors it has going on , well, your looking at it! These tacos turned out awesome. They had delicious and really unique flavor. The jicama salsa is soooooo good! If you haven't experimented with jicama at all, I have now given you a reason to. I can actually just cut them up and eat them plain. They are so clean and crisp tasting, and then when you add the sweet mango, and creamy avocado, its the perfect combination! The tempeh is glazed with a ginger, garlic and soy sauce that pairs so well with the fresh and sweet salsa, and then I topped it all off with a cumin and lime spiked  vegan sour cream and fresh cilantro. It was so so yummy! This was another one of my recipes I came up with while on my recent vacation to visit my Mom! The two of us had way to much fun cooking in the kitchen!!! I miss her already!

Glazed tempeh tacos with Jicama, mango, and avocado salsa and lime spiked sour cream
Printable Recipe

Serves 4-6

Glazed Tempeh:

2 pckg. of Litelife organic three grain tempeh

1/4 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup water

1 clove minced  garlic

tsp grated fresh ginger

Cut each block of tempeh into 4 pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 2tbsp olive oil to pan, and saute the tempeh until browned on both sides. Mix the soy sauce, water, garlic, and ginger in a bowl and whisk. Pour this mixture into the pan and cook until the tempeh is glazed and the mixture has been completely soaked up and cooked out. (not more glaze left in the pan.) Set aside to cool a little. Then shop into smaller bite sized pieces.

Jicama, Mango, and Avocado Salsa:

1 avocado, diced
1 small jicama, peeled, small dice

1 mango, peeled, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

juice of 1 lime

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp agave nectar

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

pinch of salt and pepper

Toss the mixture to incorporate all of the flavors.

Cumin and Lime spiked sour cream:

1/4 cup vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti non-hydrogenated)

juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 tsp cumin

Stir all ingredients to incorporate.

To make the Tacos:

Gently warm a corn tortilla (look for tortillas with clean ingredients, Trader Joes has great ones!). Add some of the glazed tempeh, Jicama salsa, and a small dollop of sour cream tot he taco. Top it off with a few extra sprigs of cilantro and a fresh squeeze of lime.

A new Veg kid's book!

OK, if you have kids, this post is for you! I was so lucky to receive a coy of a brand new children's book out from the author called

Garlic-onion-beet-spinach-mango-carrot-grapefruit juice.

After reading through the book once, my kid's (especially my 6 year old) weres just begging to read it again and again. In fact, we actually read it four times in a row! That's how much my children loved it. The author,

Nathalie VanBalen

 writes the book in such a clever way. My kids thought the story was really really funny!

It's about a character named Thora, who is a thinker. She has some friends (vikings!) who love to make Garlic-onion-beet-spinach-mango-carrot-grapefruit juice. They get totally pumped off of their fresh juice. When her viking friends find out that there is a special kind of snail shell that can be ground down into a powder and added to their juice to make them extra extra Strong and have lots of vitamins and minerals They are off to find the shells. Thora doesn't think its such a good idea. She thinks that the snail shells should stick with their snail owner. In the end all friends pass on eating  the snails shells. The story teaches children in a gentle way that they should think about what they are doing/eating etc. and how it will affect others. I think the author and her writing style are great! If you have kids you have to check this one out!! You can get more information about the book, author, where to purchase etc. here at

Thora Thinks

and you can purchase the book here

 So cute! I highly recommend this one for your little kiddos! And my daughter is now officially obsessed with Thora!  Thank you Nathalie! We love it!! Keep up the awesome work you are doing!

Raw Southwest Salad

I'm baaaack! OK, well almost back. Technically I wont be home to my beautiful and sunny Southern California until tomorrow. I have been on vacation for the past few weeks, and enjoying some much needed R&R, Visiting New York City and wandering the streets of Manhattan, and spending some quality time with family.

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary while we were in NYC and had a romantic and soooooo delicious dinner at Candle79. It was one of the best meals I have had at a vegan restaurant. To die for! If you are in the area and have a chance to go, I highly recommend it!

I have also been hanging out at my parents place for a few days before I have to head back home. My Mom and I have had such a blast cooking! I made this salad for us this week, and we loved it so much we actually made it twice! It's amazing and so fresh, full of tons of nutrition, and entirely raw aside from 1 Tbsp. of Veganaise in the dressing. So you can feel really great about eating this! Its the perfect summer snack or lunch. You could also throw the filling into a sprouted grain wrap for dinner. I was going to wait until I got home to post this for you all, but I just couldn't wait to share. It's so yummy! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!
For more of our cooking fun, check out what my Mom whipped up for us here.

RAW SOUTHWEST SALAD

4-6 Servings

What you need:

1 tomato, diced

1 avocado, diced

juice of 1 lime

1 cucumber, seeded and diced

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/4 cup finely chopped broccoli

3 ears raw fresh corn cut off the cob

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 cups spinach, chopped into smaller pieces

Creamy Cumin Dressing:

juice of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp. Veganaise

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

pinch of black pepper

Wisk all dressing ingredients together and set aside.

To Assemble Salad:

Put all chopped veggies in a large bowl or serving platter. Pour all of the dressing over and toss well to coat. Taste and season if needed with any additional salt and pepper.

Coconut Key Lime Pie

This was unbelievable. Delicious, luscious and smooth, tart yet sweet with a hint of coconut and a huge burst of lime, sitting on a wonderful raw almond and date crust. And I just devoured a plate of it for breakfast. Does that still count as eating my greens?? :)

My inspiration for this dish actually came to me while I was whipping up some of my Chocolate Nutty Brownies with Coconut Whip. While licking the whip off of the spatula, I was thinking how amazing it would taste with fresh lime. I think coconut and lime are a perfect little marriage! The nutty rich, sweet flavors of the coconut balance the tart sour and acidic flavors of the lime.

And ummmm...I do have a confession to make. I hid some powerhouse nutrition in there for you.
Yes, there is actually avocado in the filling. They lend a texture to the pie that makes it even more delicious and creamy! You have to trust me on this one!

Amazing!!! Enjoy everyone!!!!

Coconut Key Lime Pie

makes one 9 inch pie

What you Need:

9 inch springform pan (this is not a must, you can do it in a regular 9 inch pie pan if you don't have a springform pan. It just makes it really easy.)

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)
zest of 1 lime
2 ripe avocados, mashed
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
pinch sea salt
2 cans of regular full fat coconut milk, chilled well in the fridge
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 recipe for nutty almond crust (recipe below)

Nutty Almond Crust:
2 cups raw, unsalted almonds
1/8 tsp sea salt
zest of 1 lime
5 Medjool dates
2 Tbsp. agave nectar


To make the pie:
Start by making your crust. Pulse all crust ingredients in a food processor, and mix until mixture sticks together well when pressed between your fingers. Place the Almond crust into the spirngform pan or pie pan, and press firmly to make an even layer on the bottom and on the sides. Set this aside.

With a standing mixer, blender, or hand mixer, blend the smashed avocados, lime juice, lime zest agave nectar, and sea salt. Mix until whipped and blended very well without chunks. Set aside

Next make the Coconut whip. Using only the cream at the top of the coconut cans that have been chilled. Place the coconut cream, vanilla and powdered sugar in standing mixer or using a hand mixer, whip for 1 or 2 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula or large spoon, gently fold the coconut whip into the lime avocado mixture until well incorporated.

Chill the pie in the freezer until firmed up. Always keep it in the freezer. It will not stay firm enough in the fridge (aat least I dont think it will). Let chill overnight in the freezer, or for about 5 or 6 hours. Cut a slice and let it thaw just a little for best results, about 5 or 10 minutes on the countertop. Garnish with a slice of lime.

ENJOY!!

Tostadas with Morgans amazing refried beans and oven baked tostada shells

I looooooove this recipe. For starters its so budget friendly! It takes just minutes to throw in the crock pot, and then you get to leave it all day, and come home to a house just filled with an amazing aroma, and a pot of the most delicious and flavorful beans waiting for you! They are so healthy, and they make the most perfect leftovers for creating a whole new dish the next day. Start with tostadas, then make burritos with the beans and fresh veggies for lunch the next day, or make quesadillas with beans and vegan cheese for your kids. Or how about a vegan style seven layer dip for movie night using these refried beans, fresh avocados, olives, salsa, and vegan sour cream and cheese? Or throw on top of a big veggie salad for a punch of flavor. Oh man, I could keep going. I created this recipe with no bean soaking involved. I know, I know, you should soak your beans overnight. But sometimes, a girl just doesn't have the pre soaked beans ready, and needs to get the meal cooking. So for this, you can just rinse the beans well, and throw them right into the crock pot. Easy as that. So here you go my friends, my super healthy version of an old favorite! Add in my oven baked and spiced corn tortillas for a healthier tostada shell. Enjoy!

Tostadas with Morgan's amazing refried beans

and oven baked tostada shells

Serves 4-6 plus some leftovers

What You Need:

2 cups dried pinto beans

5 cups of water

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 coves garlic. minced

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 tsp dried coriander

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp garlic salt

pinch of pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

To Make:

Add all ingredients in a crock pot. Make sure that you have enough water that your beans are covered by a few inches. Cook on low about 10 hours (you can just let it cook all day), or on high for about 5-6 hours. Once fully cooked and the beans are very tender, mash the mixture well with a potato masher to the consistency you like. Taste and add any additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with oven baked tostada shells.

Oven Baked Tostada shells:

Good quality vegan corn tortilla shells (try to find the stone ground kind if you can)

olive oil

cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush both sides of your corn tortilla with a little olive oil. Add a small pinch of each spice to each shell. lay on a heavy baking sheet and bake until slightly crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they don't overcook or burn.

For Tostadas:

On a regular crispy tostada shell, or on my oven baked shells, add some of the refried beans. Top with your favorites, lettuce, salsa, fresh cilantro, olives or vegan our cream if you want.

SO GOOD!