Vegan artichoke spinach dip

This dip is amazing and super easy. I have artichokes growing in my garden so I roasted two, chopped them up and used both hearts. You can also get artichoke hearts at the grocery store.

Ingredients
3/4 cup chopped artichoke hearts
1 cup spinach
1 tub tofutti cream cheese
1/3 cup veganaise
1/3 cup shredded daiya cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried chopped parsley

Directions

Chop the spinach and artichoke hearts and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl combine cream cheese and veganaise and stir until combined.
Stir in spices and daiya cheese.
Then fold in spinach and artichoke hearts.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for later use.

How to cook spaghetti squash

I love pasta but I love vegetables even more. Spaghetti squash noodles are one of my favorites.

I have tried cooking spaghetti squash many different ways. The problem I have run into, squash already has a lot of moisture in it so adding more water to cook it just made a mushy mess.

I was very pleased with this method, I was able to shred the squash without having any excess water to blot away.

Take one spaghetti squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Make sure to scoop out only the seeds leaving as much squash as possible. Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasonings or whatever your taste buds like, directly onto the squash. Wrap each half in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Cook at 375 for 1 hour 15 minutes.

When done, remove from oven, let foil cool for a few moments then unwrap. The squash will have a small pool of water in it. Tip the squash on its side to drain out the water. Let the squash cool for about ten minutes. Once you can easily handle it, use a fork to scrape out the strands of squash. Then top with pasta sause and enjoy.

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients

8 ounces Fettucine noodles, cooked
12 ounces silken tofu
1 cup plant-based milk
¼ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp garlic powder
⅛ tsp onion powder
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Blend tofu with non-dairy milk, nutmeg, garlic, onion powder and cornstarch until smooth and creamy. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and whisk in nutritional yeast. Cook over medium heat and allow to thicken. Taste, adding salt and black pepper to taste. Toss with cooked fettucine pasta. Top with vegan bacon bits. Serve immediately.

Mocha Maple Brownies

In a mood for chocolate? Then you need to make these brownies. They are simple to make and very delicious.

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup water or non-dairy milk
Handful of walnuts

Directions Mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and coffee granules in a large bowl.
Gently stir in maple syrup and water.
Grease a 9×9 baking dish and pour in the brownie mixture. Smooth the top with spatula and top with walnuts.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes then enjoy.

Salsa Chickpea Wraps

This is a super easy, refreshing midday snack or lunch.

This recipe has only four ingredients

1 can of organic chickpeas
1 12oz jar of your favorite salsa
1 green bell pepper
1 head of lettuce

Chop the bell pepper and place it, the chickpeas (drained) and salsa in a saute pan.
Cook on medium heat for approximately 8 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked off. Remove from heat and transfer to a rubbermade or Tupperware container and refrigerate over night.
Then tear off large pieces of lettuce leaves and place a spoonful or two of the chickpea mixture on the leaf. Wrap and enjoy.

Rajma Masala

If you like curry you will love this dish. This is considered a bean curry.
Typically it is served over rice but since I have abundance of squash and zucchini, I steamed some and used it in place of rice.

Ingredients

1 medium onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon ginger
8 oz of tomato sause
15 oz cooked kidney beans
1 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
Salt to taste

Chop onion and saute with a small amount of water. Once most of the water has cooked off, add in chili powder, cumin and ginger. Stir until onion is coated with the spices. Then add in tomato sause and kidney beans (you can pre-cook the beans or use canned. If you use canned, drain and rinse well). Cook until heated throughout.
Once warm, remove from heat and add in Garam Masala and salt. Stir well and let sit for five minutes so the flavors will blend.
Once done, place on top of cooked rice or veggies and enjoy.

Zucchini Tofu Scramble

Thanks to my garden I have an overload of veggies and I have been trying to add fresh veggies to every meal. Thus, zucchini tofu scramble.
It is super delicious and a breakfast full of protein and veggies is a perfect way to start the day. And all for around 250 calories.

Ingredients

1 lb extra firm tofu
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 large zucchini, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste.
Handful of cherry tomatoes

Open and drain tofu, place in a large saute pan and break up with a spoon. Cook on medium heat until tofu releases its water and most of the water has cooked off.
Add in nutritional yeast, dijon, garlic, onion and salt and pepper and stir until everything is mixed well. It will resemble scrambled eggs at this point.
Then add in zucchini and continue to cook until zucchini is warm. Divide into two portions and top with tomatoes.

Coconut Curry Sause

I am in love with this sause. You can put it on anything you want. I made some brown rice, sauteed some summer squash and white mushrooms and topped the dish off with the sause.

Coconut Curry Sauce
(makes about 2/3 cup)

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon safflower oil

1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

5 drops hot sause

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Whisk all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for about 2-3 minutes until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It thickens quickly so keep an eye on it. Use immediately to coat vegetables, rice, or tofu.