I think everyone needs at least 500 vegan mac and cheese recipes. This is possibly a conservative estimate, but you have to start somewhere! If you’ve been visiting my site for awhile, you’ve probably noticed that I make a lot of spicy food and have a particular love for chipotle, and so it’s probably unsurprising to hear that we’ve been making vegan chipotle mac and cheese for years. The smokey flavor of chipotles fits perfectly into the creamy mac sauce, which is made from a homemade cashew milk and thickened with a traditional roux. The mac and cheese itself is quick to make, ready in just about 15 minutes. The spicy tempeh crumbles take a bit longer, but that’s mostly hands off time in the oven where they bake into chewy flavorful bites. The smokey, spicy chipotle flavor of this dish pairs perfectly with scallion greens for this perfect vegan meal….
gluten free option
Vegan Chipotle Seitan and Cheese Tamale Skillet Pie
If you love tamales like 100000000% but also don’t love the effort of making them even 10%, this recipe is for you. You guys know I love a good cooking project, I mean I’ll sit around for an afternoon shaping ganache and tempering chocolate for homemade truffles (and I highly recommend you do the same, even if you dip in regular melted chocolate) and I love making bread, but sometimes you want to enjoy a food regularly and just don’t have the patience to form a bunch of tamales then steam them for an hour–and did I mention in batches because your steamer basket is only so big? I mean, they’re worth it, but it’s certainly a labor of love. Now, this tamale skillet pie has everything a person could want. Rich and tender masa on the outside, spicy, flavorful chipotle seitan and melty gooey cheese on the inside. And it’s all ready to serve within a couple of (mostly hands off) hours….
Seared Seitan and Mushroom Pozole Rojo
Have you ever had pozole? If not, ask yourself a few questions: Do you like Mexican food? Do you like chili flavor? Do you like hominy (dried corn kernels that have been treated with alkali and end up like little chewy dumplings)? Do you like broadening your horizons and trying new things? Do you like soup? Are you human? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you should really make this soup. I didn’t try pozole until my early 20s, because, while it’s a common enough dish at Mexican restaurants, it’s not vegetarian friendly. Even if you’re lucky enough to find a version with beans instead of meat, you have to watch out for that sneaky chicken broth. But upon your first sips of a plant based version of the soup, you may find yourself exclaiming, damn, where have you been all my life?! To be honest, many bowls of pozole later, I still say that. …
Vegan Spaghetti ai Funghi (Spaghetti and Mushrooms in Vegan Cream Sauce)
After stuffing ourselves full of cookies last week, I really started craving rich savory flavors, and strongly. Luckily I had eaten enough wishing cookies that all my wishes are bound to come true, including the ones for steaming piles of creamy pasta. The small matter that I’m the one controlling what I cook and eat clearly has nothing to do with anything. This recipe for creamy spaghetti ai funghi was exactly what I needed. The nut-free cream sauce is light and delicate, and rich in umami flavors. The mushrooms are caramelized before being tossed with pasta and sauce for a wonderfully chewy texture and concentrated mushroom flavor. The dish is finished with flavorful fried sage, and you have the perfect wintery pasta. Oh, and did I mention the whole thing is ready in under 30 minutes?…
Tahini Pasta Skillet with Sweet Potato and Kale
This tahini pasta skillet is my kind of fall meal. It’s stuffed full of kale and sweet potato, it’s wholesome and super quick to throw together. This one-pot (pan?) meal has it all: protein, carbs, veggies, and healthy fats. It’s a nice break from the popular cashew-based sauce and is also conveniently nut free for those with allergies!
…
Gochujang Tempeh Wings
I’ve been making way too many recipes with chipotle peppers lately (not that this is actually a problem), and I reallly needed to do something about that. So I decided to take a little culinary trip across the ocean to Korea and have a little affair with gochujang. It’s super trendy in the US right now, so there’s a good chance it’s crossed your path, but in case it hasn’t, gochujang is a red chile paste made of fermented soy beans, glutinous rice, sugar, and of course, red chili powder–specifically gochugaru, Korean red chili powder. Due to the fermented nature of the ingredients, it has a lot more depth of flavor than your average chili sauce. Because of this, it’s used differently than most chili sauces, and is combined with other ingredients to thin it out and sometimes dilute. Gochujang has a delicious lingering heat that builds slowly in your mouth, but despite that it’s actually a rather mild spice. Though, it can also vary a lot in heat level by brand, so check your labels and taste before using. My gochujang is pretty mild, so I use a lot. If yours is spicy you may need to use less (dependent on your spice tolerance). …
Vegan Fried Bacon Mac and Cheese
Fried bacon mac and cheese (vegan, obviously), is the food of my dreams. Creamy, cheesy macaroni is pan fried with your favorite meat-free bacon. See, it’s the food of your dreams too! If you haven’t already been lusting after having some fried bacon mac and cheese in your life it’s probably because you’ve never heard of Upton’s Breakroom in Chicago. It’s owned and run by the same people who own Upton’s Naturals, and has tasty tacos, sandwiches, soft serve, and, of course, fried bacon mac. We didn’t go there often when we lived in Chicago, because it was on the other end of town and more of a lunch spot, but when in the area I’d go out of the way to get some of their vegan bacon mac….
Penne with Buffalo Cauliflower Cream Sauce
I have an unofficial countdown running in my head, as I wait for mid-August to arrive. What happens in mid-August? Well, my best friend from college is moving to DC! She’s going to be right across the street from us! I’m so excited I can’t wait for us to eat all the vegan pizza-I mean all the food-together (did I mention she’s vegan too?)!
She came to visit last month to scope out the area, and while she was here we went out to eat at DC’s newer vegan diner Fare Well. It’s run by the same people of Sticky Fingers and opened last fall. To be honest, I’ve had mixed experiences at the restaurant, while I think the food has been steadily improving, the service has been super hit or miss for us. Nevertheless, while my friend was in town we went there for dinner and ordered an INSANE amount of food for three people. We ordered my favorite appetizer, a house-made vegan burrata that comes with a delicious caper and pesto salad and grilled buttery bread. But we couldn’t help ourselves and ordered a second appetizer that I had been eyeing for months (I just couldn’t bring myself to ever order it over the burrata, ya know?): a whipped cauliflower and cashew buffalo dip. And guys. OMG. The dip was SO GOOD. It was served in this mini-cast iron dish and insanely smokey and deliciously buffalo-y. Like, I’m definitely going to have to take turns with my appetizer ordering in the future….