Vegan Alfredo & Tomato Pasta w/ Tofu

I decided to craft my own version of a local restaurant's former favorite, Pasta Neapolitan.  This involved combining vegan Alfredo sauce with tomato sauce into a spaghetti style dish.  I also wanted another flavor and texture besides standard veggies, so I added tofu!  I cut thin wide strips of tofu and cooked them in olive oil, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning.  It turned out amazing well.  You can skip the tofu if you like.  It will be good regardless!  Read on for the full recipe. [...]

Update: I added Balsamic Vinegar.  It adds yet another great dimension of flavor!

Savory Garlic Balsamic Mushroom Pasta

Balsamic vinegar is becoming my new favorite find.  I realize that more skilled cooks may be well awake of it's amazing potential, but I had not.  After using Balsamic vinegar in the portebella mushroom panini recipe last week, I had an inkling that this dish would be amazing.  It has a savory, rich aroma and taste that is divine.  The mushrooms and onions end up caramelizing in the vinegar and olive oil as the sauce reduces on simmer for 20 minutes.  This recipe will undoubtably be added to my all time favorites category... wherever that may reside.

This recipe is a very slight variation on the dish from Florida Coastal Cooking, mainly to keep within recommended vegan social norms.  By this I mean honey.  Vegans generally don't respect the use of honey; therefore I replaced it with Agave nectar instead.  While I personally do not have an issue with honey, I keep this site purely vegan at all times, without exceptions.  Besides that, you may want to add some veggies to this dish when the mushrooms are added.  I will be adding broccoli and red pepper the next time that I make this.  However, this version in perfectly delicious, and is a great simple version for matching a specific taste.  Read on for the full recipe [...]

One Ingredient Ice Cream

This recipe, or more of an instructional really, comes from the site The Kitchn.  It's the simplest recipe ever, and in fact I was skeptical when I initially ran across it.  The ingredient is a banana!  The trick is that upon freezing the banana in slices, and then running it through a food processor you come out with a sweet custardy treat.  The site goes on to offer a few additional items to make it your own.  I may try adding coca/coco powder, as the bananas are sweet enough to not need any additional sugar.  They recommend adding peanut butter.  I will definitely be trying both in the future.  This "ice cream" is the healthiest dessert ever! Vegans are some of the most creative food-smiths around.  Read on for the full... instructional. [...]

Grilled Portabella Panini with Artichoke Tapenade

This recipe comes from the site the Type A Housewife, which I came across on Finding Vegan.  The name sums it up perfectly.  If you love the juice buttery tasty of mushrooms, combined with a creamy, rich artichoke and kalamata olive spread on top of thick italian peasant bread... you will flip for this recipe!  Wow, that was an excessively long sentence.  Almost like a thesis.  Anyway, this recipe is super easy to make, and provides the perfect panini fix.  I've been wanting to make a grilled sandwich since I went vegan, and this does not disappoint.  Keep in mind however, that if you are not a big mushroom fan this will prove terribly gross.  In fact it took me a bite or two to push past the idea of a freaking huge mushroom and just enjoy the rich delicious flavors.  You will be very impressed with this recipe, as I was.  Read on for the full recipe [...]

Olive Oil Infused Tomato Soup With Croutons

I decided to give this recipe the title above based on the fact that the water and oil in this dish are infused into each other courtesy of... bread.  Don't let that throw you though, as this recipe is deliciously creamy and uniquely fantastic.  It also makes a large amount of soup!  Easily 4-6 servings.  I also added some homemade croutons out of ciabata bread, which complemented the soup flawlessly.  I'm so glad that I made recipe today, as I've had a huge soup craving over last few weeks.  Something about wintery weather combined with comforting hot soup.  They combine so well... just like this soup(funny I know).  This recipe is a combination of a few that I found online, making for a perfect version that's both sweet and a creamy olive oil taste.  I've already had it for a couple of meals since I made it yesterday.  Continue on for the recipe. [...]