Vegan Recipes from Cassie Howard

Vegan Insanity >> Vegan recipes that are delicious and easy to make. Plus, kitchen, cooking & shopping tips!

Roasted Salt & Pepper Delicata Squash

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Roasted-Delicata-SquashMy absolute favourite squash of all time is the gorgeous delicata squash. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s SO tasty! My favourite way to cook it is by roasting it in the oven with a bit of oil, salt & pepper. I can eat it as a snack on it’s own, that’s how good it is. Usually, though, it’s a side dish.

This recipe is hardly a recipe at all, considering there are only 4 ingredients (and one of them is the squash!). But it’s so delicious, I just had to share.

DelicataSlice your squash in half, and remove the seeds. This is the fun part. No really!

Normally I just throw out the seeds, but this time, I kept them, and roasted them, too, after the squash was done. They were so good!

Delicata-SquashAdd to your baking sheet, toss with a bit of oil, salt & pepper. Then bake!

Vegan-Roasted-Delicata-SquashCome oooooon. Look at those little cuties? Don’t you just want to snatch them up and eat the whole entire bowl-full yourself?

No? Just me?

Roasted-Delicata-Squash-VeganI added the squash to a rice bowl this time, with some sauteed greens and lentils. My belly was happy. Your belly would be happy too, if you made this squash! Do it!

Roasted Salt & Pepper Delicata Squash
Recipe Type: Sides
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4 sides
Ingredients
  • 1 medium delicata squash
  • 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt (add more or less, to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (add more or less, to taste)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Wash the squash, then slice off the stem, and cut the squash in half, length-wise. Do not remove the skin. Remove and discard the seeds (or you can save them and roast them for a snack!). Slice squash into half-moon shapes, about 1/2 inch thick.
  3. Spread your squash out on a large baking sheet. Add the oil, salt & pepper, and mix well, with your hands, until every half-moon is covered.
  4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time, or until the squash has browned and you can easily pierce it with a fork or knife.
  5. Serve hot!

 

Roasted Buttery Spaghetti Squash with Garlic & Basil

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Vegan-Garlic-Spaghetti-Squash

Last year, a friend of mine told me she was eating a gluten-free diet and told me that instead of pasta, she often ate spaghetti squash for meals. So, being a skeptic, I was all “pffft, I bet it tastes nothing like pasta and everything like mushy squash”.

She made me some for lunch a few days later, with a roasted red pepper sauce, and steamed veggies and YOU GUYS. It was AMAAAAAAZING!

Spaghetti-Squash-Dish

I now eat spaghetti squash whenever I can get my hands on it. Which is all the time now that it’s fall and squash is in every grocery store, around every corner, all over the place.

Recently, I’ve been playing with my recipes to be a bit more simple, and most as side dishes, as opposed to the star of the show.

Garlic-Spaghetti-Squash

This dish is my favourite. It is

Creamy
Bright
Soft
Garlic-y
Simple
Healthy
Rich
Absolutely Delicious

I usually serve it with some grilled tofu steaks, mashed taters and steamed veggies. Or I just shovel it in my mouth on it’s own. I won’t judge you if you do the same.

Spaghetti-Squash-Vegan

 

Roasted Buttery Spaghetti Squash with Garlic & Basil
Recipe Type: Sides
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 small spaghetti squash
  • 3 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh minced basil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Pierce the squash a few times to let steam escape while it cooks. Bake for about 1 hour, or until you can easily pierce it wish a sharp knife. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
  2. Cut squash in half, lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Set aside for roasting or just toss them in your compost. Using a fork, scrape the squash. You should be able to easily get long strands that look like spaghetti. Set aside.
  3. Heat a large pan over low-medium heat. Once warmed, add in the vegan butter and minced garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until garlic is very lightly browned. Add in the fresh basil, salt, pepper, and spaghetti squash. Mix well.
  4. Add in the vegan parmesan cheese, mix well, and adjust salt & pepper, if necessary.
  5. Serve. I find it to be a bit too heavy for main dish, but it works great as a side or a small lunch, alongside a crisp, green salad or other roasted veggies.

 

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Bites with Lime & Cilantro

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I’ve got a thing for cauliflower. The possibilities are endless with this stuff, so I use it whenever I can get my hands on it.

Though it’s good as a pizza crust, mashed like potatoes, baked like chicken wings, and stuffed into tacos – it’s also good on it’s own, roasted in the oven, covered in an array of spices.

Spicy-Oven-Roasted-Cauliflower

Mmm mmm good.

I could eat this cauliflower all by myself – the whole thing – and I wouldn’t feel guilty. Because it’s cauliflower! And it’s healthy! And it’s better than most other savory snacks I can think of!

Oh, and did I mention that it’s crazy easy to make, too?

Vegan-Spicy-Roasted-Cauliflower

Chop cauliflower, toss with seasonings, bake, eat. The end.

Serve it up on it’s own as a snack, or alongside pretty much any meal you could possibly be eating. Burgers? Yep. Pasta? Why not? Tacos? Of course!

This cauliflower goes with everything. Eat it up!

Spicy-Roasted-Cauliflower-Vegan

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Bites with Lime & Cilantro
Recipe Type: Side
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 medium-large head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp hot sauce
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, olive oil, cilantro, salt & pepper. Once mixed thoroughly, add the cauliflower pieces and toss, making sure every piece gets coated nicely.
  3. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and has browned.
  4. Add the lime juice and hot sauce to the roasted cauliflower and mix gently. Cover each piece with the lime juice and hot sauce.
  5. Remove to a serving dish, sprinkle with more fresh cilantro (optional), and serve immediately.

 

Spicy Cumin Carrots with Coriander Tahini Sauce

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Cumin-Coriander-Carrots

I received a bunch of gorgeous, organic carrots in my farm share box last week! This was my first time getting carrots with the greens still attached (I had to trim them down quite a bit) – I always bought them in a bag.

And wow – they are so small and adorable and TASTY. My husband and I were both marveling at the fact that these were the best carrots we’ve ever had. I don’t know if I can go back to the bagged variety.

Cumin-Spiced-Carrots

Look at how different they all look, too. I love the one that’s all bent! I snatched it up first, right after I was done taking photos. It was delicious – just like the others.

Instead of just roasting these carrots, I rolled them in some cumin, salt & pepper, then drizzled a tahini & coriander dressing over top. Yum, yum – big time YUM.

Spiced-Cumin-Carrots

 

Spicy Cumin Carrots with Coriander Tahini Sauce
Recipe Type: Side Dish
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Carrots
  • 1 bunch carrots (5 per person), washed and dried
  • 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less, depending on your heat preference)
  • 1/2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)
  • Tahini & Coriander Dressing
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
Instructions
Carrots
  1. Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper.
  2. Place carrots on your baking sheet and drizzle with avocado oil, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Roll the carrots around until they are all completely covered.
  3. Roast for 15 minutes, or until fork-tender.
Coriander Tahini Sauce
  1. In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and coriander. Drizzle over roasted carrots, sprinkle with poppy seeds (if desired) and serve immediately.

 

Oven Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes

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We went to my mother-in-law’s house yesterday, and we brought these delicious roasted sweet potatoes with us. They were so good, that the first thing I’m doing this morning is writing up a post telling you all about them – because – YUMMY.

Oven-Roasted-Sweet-Potatoes

Honestly, I’m not usually big on sweet potatoes because I find them too, well, sweet. Something about a potato that is sweet just weirds me right out.

But – my husband loves them and so does my mother-in-law, so I made them for our visit yesterday. And strangely enough – I actually LOVED these sweet potatoes, too! Hence why I am so eager to share this recipe with you.

Roasted-Sweet-Potatoes

Not only are these sweet potatoes super easy to throw together, but they’re so versatile, that you can serve them with pretty much anything and they will likely go really well (they’re really tasty in a quinoa bowl, that’s how I ate them yesterday, and my husband, mother-in-law, and kids ate them on their own).

Roasted-Sweet-Potatoes-Vegan

You can switch up the seasonings to your own tastes. If you like things really hot, you can add more paprika, or even a dash of cayenne pepper. If you like things sweeter, add a drizzle of maple syrup or agave.

Vegan-Sweet-Potatoes

Oven Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes
Recipe Type: Sides, Snack, Lunch, Dinner
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into medium chunks
  • 1/3 cup vegan butter (I used soy-free Earth Balance)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and put your sweet potato chunks in a large bowl.
  2. Add the paprika, salt & pepper to a small bowl.
  3. Add the vegan butter and minced garlic to another small bowl, and melt in the microwave.
  4. Mix together the butter/garlic and spices, and pour over the sweet potatoes. Mix everything really well, so that every sweet potato chunk is covered.
  5. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until you can easily pierce through the largest chunk with a knife.