That Was Vegan?

Recipes so delicious you'll never think twice!

Grilled Zucchini Boats and My New Favorite Store!

Vegan Grilled Zucchini Boats

Grilled Zucchini Boats

If this summer had an official food, it probably would’ve been these zucchini boats. While admittedly not the most exciting dish, they’re delicious, healthy, quick n’ easy to make and each boat has only ~85 calories!

Winner Winner Zucchini Dinner!

By grilling each side of the zucchini you get a wonderful texture- cooked yet still really firm.  We already know tomatoes and basil complement each other perfectly and Daiya… well, you know how much I love that vegan cheese! But you don’t need a lot- we’re not trying to make a pizza here, people.

Grilled Zucchini Boats

I made these A LOT this summer. Usually as a side dish, but sometimes I’d eat 2 boats and call it dinner. I even brought them to work, nuked them for about 45 seconds and called them breakfast!

Oh! Speaking of things I can’t get enough of, I went here yesterday:

If it was possible to date a store, Nooch would be my new boyfriend. This place is awesome- and they’re only on their ‘soft opening’ right now, which means it’ll be even MORE awesome once all their shelves are stocked! Can you imagine anything better than an ALL VEGAN store? I know other cities have these already, but here in Colorado we’re a little bit behind the (vegan) curve. But we’re catching up!

Reia and I got there yesterday at 2:00 when they opened (soft opening = unusual hours), and I was like a kid in a candy store! I grabbed a basket and immediately got to work. My haul included:

  • Soy curls
  • Biscoff
  • V-egg
  • Sea-salted caramels
  • Peanut butter cups
  • A Jokerz candy bar that is basically a vegan snickers, and
  • Teese mozzarella (mozzarella sticks, here I come!)

There was so much more I wanted to get, but I thought I should pace myself- especially since they’re adding more product over the next couple of weeks, so you know I’ll be back frequently. The best part was seeing all these vegan products that I’ve read about but never tried- like soy curls and Biscoff. BTW… Biscoff? Holy Monkey that stuff is good!

They also had products I didn’t even know existed- Tofurky and Field Roast HOT DOGS? Vegenaise in tons of different flavors, including pesto, chipotle, and tarter sauce, and there were 2 or 3 different kinds of boxed mac n’ cheese too! They also have a big cookbook section, some t-shirts and tons of vitamins.  All vegan! Yay! And everything was reasonably priced too- no more expensive than buying the same items at a regular grocery store or online from Amazon- and in some cases the prices at Nooch seemed lower.

Ok, I’m done gushing. Reia posted a full review, and she’s much better at those than I am. My forte is mostly just eating :)

Finally, just a heads up- we’re rushing to finish the house over the next few weeks so we can get it on the market by September, which means not much time for cooking or writing. I’ll still post, just not as much. Please don’t give up on me or think I’ve gone away for good because I haven’t. I love you guys too much for that!


Grilled Zucchini Boats (Makes 2 side servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium/large zucchini, washed
  • ~1 Tablespoon of olive oil
  • S&P
  • 1 tomato
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves
  • Daiya mozzarella shreds, about a handful

Directions:

  1. Heat grill to medium.
  2. Trim ends off zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to gently scrape out the seeds from the center. Brush with just a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with S&P.
  3. Place cut side down on the grill, leave for 6-8 minutes. You should have some grill marks.
  4. Slice the tomato, then cut the slices in half to make little half-moons (these fit perfectly on the zucchini). Place 2-3 on each zucchini, depending on size.
  5. Chiffonade the basil and layer on top of the tomatoes, then top with the Daiya. Sprinkle with S&P
  6. Turn grill heat to medium-low, and put zucchini back on. At this point I like to lay them in between the grates, rather than across, to help them stay upright. Close the cover and leave on for about 5 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt.

Enjoy!

Hot Weather Recipes: Grilled Caprese Quesadillas

Vegan Caprese Quesadillas

Grilled Caprese Quesadillas

I haven’t felt much like cooking lately… or writing. Or even reading other blogs. I just feel kind of blah. Maybe I need a vacation? Anyway, in keeping with my lazy theme, I have a simple, grilled quesadilla for you today. I was craving something gooey and cheesy, and these seemed like the perfect way to use some of the basil and tomatoes that are all growing so well now that it’s no longer a billion degrees outside! (It’s still warm enough, though, that I’d prefer not to use my oven if I don’t absolutely have to!)

As with all grilled quesadillas, fresh tortillas work best! Once they’re a little stale they tend to get a bit too crispy/hard when you grill them.


Grilled Caprese Quesadillas (Makes 2 quesadillas)

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium tortillas
  • Daiya mozzarella cheese
  • 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
  • 15-20 fresh basil leaves

Directions:

  1. Heat your grill to medium.
  2. Sprinkle some daiya onto two of the tortillas, then layer tomatoes, basil, and some more cheese. Top with other tortilla and place on the grill. Slide it around a bit so it doesn’t stick, then cover and leave on for about 4-5 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

Vegan Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

Creamy(?) Tomato Basil Pasta

Hope this Wednesday finds you all happy and healthy! I’m working from home today which means I have dogs at my feet, and that’s about the best thing I can even imagine :)   This was meant to be my take on VeganYumYum’s Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta, but as you can see from the picture mine didn’t end up quite so creamy. Hmmm.

Anyway, it was still delicious and a GREAT way to use up the basil and tomatoes that I’m certain are crowding your garden right now!

Spicy Pasta Salad

Vegan Spicy Pasta Salad

Spicy Pasta Salad

This was another one of the dishes I prepared for the BBQ-turned-dinner-party last weekend. A (seemingly) pretty basic pasta salad recipe with vegenaise, tomatoes and sweet basil, the “secret” ingredient here is Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce! That spicy, smoky flavor added by the peppers and the sauce takes this dish from “just another side” to “THE side”.

The original (non-vegan) recipe called for just the sauce, but I wanted to make mine a little hotter so I added 2 big peppers, chopped up, to the bowl. You can see one hanging out in the bowl, right by his friend the tomato:

Vegan Spicy Pasta Salad

As you can see, I left mine a bit chunky, which adds to the heat level. You can mince yours more finely, or just stick to the sauce itself if you don’t want too much heat.

I’ll be making this again this summer, mark my words!


Spicy Pasta Salad (Makes 8 servings)

Adapted from a non-vegan recipe

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz pasta (I used one of those “trio” mixes, but any salad-type pasta would work)
  • 3/4 cup Vegenaise
  • 1/8 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
  • 4 T apple cider vinegar
  • 2 t Adobo sauce from can, PLUS 2-3 chopped peppers (if you like heat)
  • 1 t sea salt
  • black pepper (if desired)
  • 10 oz grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 15-20 sweet basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions, then rinse with cold water.
  2. Mix Vegenaise, coconut milk, vinegar, salt, pepper and adobo together, and taste. Add more heat, salt, etc.
  3. In a large bowl mix everything together, including the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Vegan Spicy Pasta Salad

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