Vegan Recipes from Cassie Howard

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

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.

 

Smoky Barbecue Chili with Vegan Sour Cream

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Homemade-Barbecue-Chili-Vegan

Okay FINE. It’s fall. I get it. I’m accepting the cold weather that won’t seem to go away. I’m accepting that soon enough, my kitchen will be bursting at the seems with all things pumpkin (no complaints there!). I’m accepting that OMG CHRISTMAS IS COMING.

I suppose I should get going on my shopping then, huh?

But first – chili. Smoky barbecue chili. To help ease my pain of no more summer.

Homemade-Vegan-Barbecue-Chili

This is such a fun change from the regular chili that I make. I love adding Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, because I find it has a sweet, smoky flavour that is really delicious in chili. I also added smoked paprika because, why not? Smoky goodness up in huuuurrrrr.

Vegan-Barbecue-Chili

You don’t have to feel bad eating this chili either. It’s loaded with veggies, veggies, and more veggies. And with a silky white drizzle of delicious, homemade vegan sour cream added on top?

Hot damn! This is a tasty meal. A tasty, healthy meal that I ate two bowls of last week. In a row. I am not ashamed!

Barbecue-Chili

Smoky Barbecue Chili with Vegan Sour Cream
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • Barbecue Chili
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium-large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 large onion, peeled and diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 6 cups diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 3 tbsp tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup cooked kidney beans
  • 1 1/3 cup cooked black beans
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 2 tbsp barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
  • 1 cup chopped spinach
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Chopped green onions for garnish, if desired
  • Sour Cream
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Barbecue Chili
  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the pepper and onion and cook until onion becomes translucent (about 5 minutes). Add in the garlic and good for another minute or so, or until lightly browned.
  2. Add in the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and mix well.
  3. Add in the beans, frozen corn, and barbecue sauce, and mix again. If it looks too thick, add in some more vegetable broth, just a bit at a time. Remember that it will thicken as it cooks, so you don’t want it to be too thick right off the bat. Cook for about 20-30 minutes.
  4. About 15 minutes before the chili is done cooking, add in your chopped greens, salt and pepper. Adjust s&p as necessary.
  5. Serve, topped with vegan sour cream, chopped green onions, or whatever else you like on your chili!
Sour Cream
  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high powdered blender and process/blend until smooth. Will keep in the fridge up to 5 days.

 

Big Vegan Taco Salad

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Big-Vegan-Taco-Salad

Hello, my name is Cassie, and I’m still holding on to summer with all I’ve got. Will. Not. Let. It. Go.

Considering I’ve switched from shorts and t-shirts to pants and sweaters in less than a week, I think it’s safe to say that summer has abruptly just up and left me, without even saying goodbye.

Which just means YAY, FALL FOODS TIME! But it also means summer is gone, and also, much of my fave summer meals. Boo. So let’s give summer one last hurrah, shall we?

Vegan-Taco-Salad

This is a big, monster vegan taco salad that I whipped up on a whim the other day, hoping it would bring summer back to me (it didn’t), and it ended up being one of my most favourite salads that I made all summer.

It’s loaded with veggies, quinoa, vegan taco meat and a healthy drizzle of oh-so-good green sauce. It makes my tummy happy.

Big-Taco-Salad

I also added crushed up tortilla chips (Neil Brothers are THE BEST!) on top, because duh, that’s just obvious. It added a nice salty, crunchy flair to the dish. It also kinda sorta helped with getting my two picky kids to eat a meal full of VEGETABLES.

Goodbye summer, you will be missed! And please… let fall last awhile before old man winter comes along! Pumpkin EVERYTHING is calling my name…

The-Big-Vegan-Taco-Salad

Big Vegan Taco Salad
Recipe Type: Salad
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients
  • Creamy Green Sauce
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/4 cup parsley (cilantro would work, too)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 medium garlic clove
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Taco Meat
  • 1 cup walnuts, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for at least 2 hours
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Taco Salad
  • 4 cups chopped lettuce (I used mixed greens)
  • 2/3 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup corn
  • 1/4 cup cooked black beans
  • 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • Handful of crushed tortilla chips (optional)
Instructions
Creamy Green Sauce
  1. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender or food processor and blend/process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Taco Meat
  1. Drain walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes.
  2. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until combined, and still a bit chunky. Set aside.
Taco Salad
  1. On one large plate or 2 medium-sized plates, add your lettuce, quinoa, red onion, taco meat, corn, the black beans, cherry tomatoes and salsa.
  2. Drizzle on a heavy amount of dressing, sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips, if desired, and dig in! If you have any left over, the dressing should last in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Notes
*Make this recipe gluten-free by omitting the tortilla chips (or using a gluten-free variety).

 

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

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Vegan-Sweet-Potato-Shepherds-Pie

Fall is in the air. Can you smell it?

Though it’s not technically fall yet, I have already started making fall foods, because fall foods are the BEST EVER EVER.

Like this sweet potato shepherd’s pie. Gluten-free and loaded with good stuff like lentils, peas, carrots and corn. Perfect for fall.

Shepherds-Pie

You can really add any veggies you’d like to this dish, but I’ve always loved corn, peas and carrots. Along with celery, onions and garlic for some flavour, of course. I also swapped the traditional potato topping and used sweet potato instead.

Sweet potato:

Is a good source of magnesium (which helps with relaxation)
Is a source of vitamin D, which is hard to get in a vegan diet
Is naturally sweet-tasting
Contains almost twice as much fiber than other types of potatoes
Is good for your heart

So go ahead – stuff your face with sweet potatoes!

Shepherds-Pie-Vegan

I love the hint of sweetness that the sweet potato brings to this dish. It really balances nicely with the vegetables and seasonings.

I always add a sprinkle of paprika on top of my shepherd’s pie, both for flavour and because it looks pretty. And good looking food just tastes better. It’s a fact. Look it up.

So let’s eat up, my friend! This sweet potato shepherd’s pie is not gonna last long around me – get it while you can!

Sweet-Potato-Shepherds-Pie

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Recipe Type: Dinner
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced onions
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup diced carrots
  • 4 1/2 cups cooked lentils
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • paprika & fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Steam your sweet potatoes and set aside.
  3. While the sweet potatoes are heat a large pan over medium heat. Once warmed, add a tbsp or so of oil, then add in the diced celery, onion, garlic, tomatoes and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
  4. Add the cooked lentils and soy sauce to the veggies, and heat until warmed through.
  5. Once your sweet potatoes are finished steaming, mash with the non-dairy milk some salt & pepper.
  6. Scoop the lentil & veggie mix to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, then spread the mashed sweet potatoes over top and spread in an even layer.
  7. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top has browned lightly. Sprinkle with a bit of paprika and fresh parsley, if desired. Serve warm.

Vegan-Shepherds-Pie

Quinoa, Lentils & Sauteed Greens with a Creamy, Savoury Dressing

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It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of quinoa bowls. They’re easy, they don’t take long to make, you can prepare them in advance, they’re a simple solution to excess food in your fridge that needs to be used up, AND they travel well. If those aren’t good enough reasons for you to go make yourself a quinoa bowl RIGHTTHISSECOND, I don’t know what is.

Vegan-Quinoa-Lentils-Greens

I often make pretty simple quinoa bowls because I can’t be bothered to slave away in the kitchen for hours on end (usually). So recently, I made this bad boy.

And he was YUM. Only 3 things in my quinoa bowl (including the quinoa) and a delicious, savoury dressing smothered on top. Awww yea! It doesn’t look like much, but it was perfect. The dressing really makes this bowl, though, so if you skip it, you will have a very sad, bland, boring quinoa bowl on your hands.

Lentils-Quinoa-Greens

I’m still working on getting my little ones to eat quinoa bowls, but they are stubborn! They’ll eat the quinoa, but only if it’s plain. One of them will eat the lentils, but only if the other one isn’t around telling her how “gross” they are.

Sigh. One of these days my kids will like more than just bread and chocolate – right? Please tell me I’m right!

So – on to this delicious quinoa bowl masterpiece [not]…

Quinoa-Lentils-Greens

First, cook up some quinoa and divide between bowls. Cook up some lentils and do the same. While those two are cooking, sautee some greens with a tiny bit of oil, salt, and black pepper. Then, make the dressing.

Ta-da! No muss, no fuss. Simple, easy, delicious.

Quinoa, Lentils & Sauteed Greens with a Creamy, Savoury Dressing
Recipe Type: Lunch, Dinner
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Lentils
  • 1/2 cup brown or green lentils
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 medium-large garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Quinoa
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 cups water
  • Greens
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup greens of choice (kale, spinach, swiss chard)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • Dressing
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 3 tbsp tamari
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 medium-large clove of garlic, grated
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1.5 tbsp tahini
Instructions
Lentils
  1. Add lentils, water, garlic and bay leaf to a small pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer about 25-40 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are tender. Remove bay leaf and crushed garlic. Set aside.
Quinoa
  1. Add quinoa and water to a small pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium and simmer about 12 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
Greens
  1. Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Once warmed, add the greens and cook until softened. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper, turn off the heat, and set aside.
Dressing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth.
Putting it all together
  1. Divide quinoa between bowls, then add in the lentils and sauteed greens.
  2. Pour a healthy amount of dressing over each bowl. Serve warm!

 

Better Than Bacon – 8 Vegan Bacon Recipes

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What is it about bacon that makes people go crazy? Bacon made from pigs or not – people love the stuff! Myself included (vegan bacon, of course).

Vegan Bacon

One of the most common things people ask when they find out I don’t eat animal products is: “but how can you not eat bacon?!”. They are seriously confused as to how I could give up strips of pig fat (because really, that’s all bacon is).

It’s one of the main reasons a lot of my friends and family won’t go vegan. THE BACON. And THE CHEESE. They’re so addicted to these “foods” that they can’t even fathom giving them up, ever.

So I decided to find a bunch of vegan bacon recipes, to show them that you can be vegan AND eat your dang bacon!

8 Vegan Bacon Recipes

Tofu Bacon Pic

1. Easy Tofu Bacon

Mushroom Bacon Pic

2. Crispy Mushroom Bacon

Coconut Bacon Pic

3. Crazy Good Coconut Bacon

Bacon Almond Slivers Pic

4. Bacon-Flavoured Almond Slivers

Tempeh Bacon Pic

5. Easy Tempeh Bacon

Vegan King Bacon Pic

6. Vegan Bacon from King Oyster Mushrooms

Shitake Bacon Pic

7. Delicious Shitake Bacon

Raw Vegan Bacon Pic

8. Raw Vegan Bacon

Take a look at all of that yummy vegan bacon! Who wouldn’t be satisfied with so many options for bacon? My favourite is coconut bacon & tofu bacon – they are both super easy to make. Mushroom-based bacon is tasty, too!

What is your favourite vegan bacon recipe?

Fruity Wheatberry Salad with Greens & Chickpeas

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Have you ever made a recipe that was SO GOOD that you just couldn’t wait to shout it from the rooftops and tell all of your friends? Well, I have. (Often.) And this is one of those recipes.

fruity-wheatberry-salad

This past weekend, I was struggling with my menu plan. Nothing on it sounded interesting to me. I needed to change it up. So I did what I always do when I can’t think of what to make: I turned to my dear friend Pinterest. She gets me. She solves all of my [food-related] problems.

While I was browsing Pinterest, I came across this older recipe from Angela – Heat Wave Summer Salad. I wouldn’t say we were having a heat wave that day, but we certainly were experiencing a really hot summer’s day, so  I checked out the recipe.

vegan-wheatberry-salad

And…. I’m not gonna lie, I almost went back to searching Pinterest. Wheatberries with peaches and berries? Plus chickpeas and sauteed greens? What? How does that even work?! And the dressing has mustard and CINNAMON.

Everything just sounded so… weird. Like, there’s no way that combination of food would actually work.

wheatberry-salad-vegan

And then I remembered that it was Angela sharing the recipe, not some random person that just started a food blog 2 weeks ago. Angela is a well-respected vegan food blogger, and has been for years – there’s no way she would post a recipe that tasted weird!

So, I decided to give it a go.

vegan-fruity-wheatberry-salad

And all I can say is – YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS RECIPE. Holy wow is it ever good. The ingredients combine so well, and it’s like a flavour explosion in your mouth with every bite. The dressing, as weird as it sounded to me in the beginning, really helps pull everything together and make it a well-rounded, satisfying dish.

This recipe makes a lot, but I don’t suggest cutting it in half, unless you’re just making the recipe for one person. Because, hello – LEFTOVERS!

I had leftovers of this yummy meal for lunch yesterday and it was marvelous. Just as good as when I’d made it the day before.

wheatberry-salad

So don’t be weirded out by the ingredients in this dish. Just trust me (and Angela) when I say that this recipe is AMAZZZZZING.

Fruity Wheatberry Salad with Greens & Chickpeas
Recipe Type: Lunch, Dinner
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • Salad
  • 1 cups wheatberries
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 1 cups chopped peaches, skins removed
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
  • 4 cups chopped raw kale or spinach (I used kale)
  • 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Dressing
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp hemp oil
  • 1 tsp flax oil
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Salad
  1. Cook your wheatberries by combining 1 cup wheatberries and 3 cups water to a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for about 1 hour.
  2. Sautee your kale in a pan of water (just a bit of water is fine), until wilted. Set aside.
  3. Chop your almonds and add to a large bowl with peaches, blueberries, strawberries, chickpeas, sauteed kale and cooked wheatberries. Add in the dressing (all of it), and mix well, being careful not to smash the fresh fruit.
  4. Serve cold or at room temperature (I think it tastes best at room temperature).
Dressing
  1. Add all ingredients to a small mason jar (or small bowl) and shake/whisk until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from [url href=”http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/21/heat-wave-summer-salad/” target=”_blank”]Oh She Glows[/url].[br][br]*For a nut-free dish, omit the almonds. Replace with sunflower seeds.[br]*If you don’t have hemp or flax oil, replace either with extra virgin olive oil.

 

Vegan Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

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I have never met a Caesar salad I didn’t like, but this recipe – this recipe is the best. BEST Caesar salad recipe ever, ever, ever.

That is no lie. It’s the absolute best vegan Caesar salad I have made, and every Caesar lover that has tried it agrees.

Vegan-Caesar-Salad

The dressing is smooth and creamy, perfectly coating every piece of romaine lettuce. With just a hint of liquid smoke, the dressing gets that bacon taste that traditional Caesar salad has – without using bacon. Yippie!

Liquid smoke, where have you been all my life?

Caesar-Dressing

I like to keep my Caesar pretty simple, with dressing and homemade croutons, but you can definitely add other things, such as meat substitutes, sprouts, chickpeas, or lentils.

Vegan-Caesar-Dressing

If you’re a big Caesar salad lover like me – you MUST try this recipe! Then report back and tell me what you thought!

Also, some big news ’round these parts: this is my 100th post on the site! 100 posts since I first started blogging about delicious vegan food in March of this year. YAY!

Thank you so much for reading. I love sharing my passion for vegan food, and I appreciate you for reading these words that I write, scoping out the photos that I take (that are nowhere near as awesome as my favourite food bloggers photos are), and trying out the recipes that I create. I’m honoured that you visit me each week!

Vegan Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
Recipe Type: Salad
Author: Vegan Insanity
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • Dressing
  • 1 3/4 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours, then drained
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • Salad
  • 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 serving Caesar dressing
  • [url href=”http://www.veganinsanity.com/how-to/homemade-croutons/”]Homemade croutons[/url]
Instructions
Dressing
  1. Add all ingredients into a high-powered blender or food processor and blend/process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Salad
  1. Add lettuce to a large bowl and add 1/2 of the vegan Caesar dressing. Mix very well.
  2. Divide salad among bowls and top with croutons. Enjoy!

Caesar-Dressing-Vegan