Recipe - Vibrant Vegan Lasagna and Holiday Round-up

Well, hello there! Did everyone enjoy the holidays? Johnny and I actually stayed in New York for Christmas and it was our first Christmas away from family. We certainly missed our loved ones, but we ended up having a great time! We took our annual pilgrimage to the Rockefeller Center tree, we saw a few movies, had brunch and a few drinks out on Christmas Eve, and had lots of cuddly nights at home. On Christmas day, we started with some "Fronch Toast" with an apple cinnamon topping I whipped up that was to die for. Then our lovely friends had us over to their place in Brooklyn for Christmas dinner. It was a Polish feast! Stuffed cabbage, pierogies, homemade sauerkraut... all so delicious. I was in a food coma for about a week!

We also bought our first Christmas tree and put up some fun decorations. Ornaments can be so expensive, so we decided to make our own. I got the idea from Cold and Sleepy's blog to make a simple flour/salt dough, then we used cookie cutters to make shapes and baked them. After they cooled, we decorated them with marker and it worked out beautifully! Here are a few of our creations:

Bells and Trees

Snow People - Pimp, Hula Lady, and Standard Snowman

Miss Piggy and Kermit, Charlie Brown and his gimpy tree, and Gingerbread Man

Now that the excitement of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's has died down, I'm striving to get back to basics. For me that means cutting way down on sugar and processed foods, increasing my fruit and veggie intake, and getting back to walking and exercising. All those holiday foods taste so good, but it's amazing how much they affect me on every level! I get moody, tired, anxious, my blood sugar fluctuates like crazy and random aches and pains increase. It's fun to indulge, but it's also really nice to get back to cleaner eating.

To that end, I made a really great lasagna last night that was just about as healthy as a lasagna can be without being boring. It was a bit labor intensive, but we've been eating out so much that I didn't mind spending a little extra time in the kitchen. I wanted to steer clear of any fake, processed "meat" and "cheese" products and use ingredients that were there for a health purpose, not just for flavor. I call it "Vibrant Vegan Lasagna" because the colors in it really are pretty and because it will make you feel truly vibrant - not weighed down like most lasagnas.

I knew I wanted to use a "cashew cheese" for the protein, healthy fat, and B12 courtesy of nutritional yeast. I based it on a recipe from Oh She Glows! but had to make some modifications as fresh basil is not in season. The sauce was inspired by Olivia Wilde's "Bomb-Diggity Bolognese" (she's so cute) which I've cooked many times over the past year. We just watched her in "Cowboys and Aliens" this weekend - I thought it was really good BTW - so that be why I had her on the brain. She uses tempeh and mushrooms as a meat-like base and chops them up in the food processor to get that Bolognese-like consistency. This sauce is so flexible - you can add just about any veggie to it you have on hand and it will come out tasting great. The tempeh adds even more protein and it is a fermented food, which is great for digestion. I then added some chopped collards (really working on boosting my daily intake of greens!) as they are high in vitamin C and soluble fiber. You can substitute spinach or kale and I'm sure the result would be just as good.

So how did it turn out? Let's just say that I devoured my first piece and was back for seconds before Johnny had even finished pouring himself a drink in the kitchen! I was a bit worried that the unconventional ingredients would not suit Johnny's tastebuds, but he really loved this lasagna and even had seconds himself. And now we have some leftovers for lunches and a bunch more to freeze! I love when new creations turn out so well!

Vibrant Vegan Lasagna

(Makes 12 servings)

For the tomato sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 small yellow or white onion

1 block of tempeh (I used Lightlife Organic 3-Grain tempeh)

1 pint baby portabella mushrooms, rinsed

1/4 cup dry red wine

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 28 oz jar pasta sauce (I used Newman's Own Tomato and Basil sauce)

1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes

For the cashew cheese:

1 clove garlic

1 1/4 cups raw, unsalted cashews (soaked for at least 30 minutes or overnight)

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp Dijon mustard (I know it sounds weird, but trust me!)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup water or vegetable broth

For the crumb topping:

2 cups breadcrumbs (I made my own from a stale baguette which I pulsed in the food processor)

2 tbsp Earth Balance or olive oil

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

9 lasagna noodles

1 bag frozen, chopped collard greens, thawed (be sure to squeeze out the liquid so they are as dry as possible)

First, put a large pot of water on to boil. Then make your tomato sauce so it can simmer while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Chop the peeled garlic cloves in the food processor and add to the skillet. Pulse the peeled onion in the food processor and add to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the tempeh to the food processor and pulse until it breaks into small crumbs. Transfer to the skillet. Pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until chopped into small pieces. Transfer to the skillet. Add the wine and spices and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms will begin to give off their liquid and cook down, and the tempeh will brown a bit. Stir in the jar of pasta sauce and the chopped tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer while you prepare the rest of the lasagna, stirring every now and then.

Your water should be boiling at this point, so add your lasagna noodles. Be careful not to overcook them, 9 minutes should be plenty. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Next, wipe out your food processor so you can make the cashew cheese. Drain and rinse the cashews. Chop the peeled garlic clove in the processor, then add the cashews, lemon juice, mustard, nutritional yeast, and salt and begin to process. Drizzle in the water as the processor is running until you achieve a smooth consistency. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. You made need to add more or less than 1/4 cup water, but you want it to form a paste.

Drain the lasagna noodles and immediately rinse with cold water. In a 9"x12" glass pan, put some of the tomato sauce in the bottom so your noodles won't stick. Lay down three of the noodles, then spread 1/3 of the cashew cheese mixture over them. Sprinkle 1/2 of the collard greens on top, then spread 1/3 of the tomato sauce on top of that. Layer on three more noodles, then 1/3 cheese, the remaining collard greens, and 1/3 tomato sauce. Add another layer of noodles, then the rest of the cheese and the tomato sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Before the 30 minutes is up, prepare your breadcrumb topping. In a medium skillet, melt the Earth Balance or heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and spices and cook for 3 minutes, or until everything is well incorporated. Once the lasagna has been cooking for 30 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top. Cook uncovered for another 7-10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are browned.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Recipe - Gnocchi in Pesto Cream Sauce

Dude. Life is stressful! We are on the hunt for a new apartment and it is backbreaking, soul-crushing work. I've spent more time on the subway the past few weeks than is prudent and our dinners have been suffering as a result. (Hello, Seamless Web!) However, I made up this lovely little dinner last week, back when life was still normal, and I wanted to share it with all my friends who I know are busy, too.

Johnny has been a bit obsessed with gnocchi these days (and I'm always obsessed with gnocchi) so I wanted to create the perfect sauce to go with those tiny little dumplings of joy. As a vegan, I really miss creamy sauces at times, and this fulfilled all my creamy fantasies (man does that sound wrong). I started by preparing my own pesto, intentionally making more than I would need in this recipe. Extra pesto kicks butt on sandwiches, roasted veggies, or on pizza. I also used packaged gnocchi to speed things up, but if you'd like to try your hand at making it from scratch there's a recipe for it here on Vegan Yum Yum.

One note: please use unsweetened non-dairy milk! I used plain Silk soy milk and my sauce was a touch sweet. I thought Johnny wouldn't like it, but he didn't seem to notice and happily cleared his plate. Just when I think I have him figured out...

I think fresh corn is the perfect side dish to any meal. Corn with a side of corn anyone?

Gnocchi in Pesto Cream Sauce

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small red onion, diced

1 package mushrooms (cremini or button work best), sliced

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

3 tbsp vegan pesto (recipe follows)

1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy milk is preferable)

1 package prepared gnocchi

Get your gnocchi water heating in a large pot over high heat. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat, then add the onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are softened but not browned, add the mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. Cook until the mushrooms start to give off their liquid, about 8-10 minutes. Add the pesto and soy milk and stir until well combined. Allow to simmer and reduce for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the sauce is about done, add your gnocchi to the pot of boiling water. They cook very quickly (2-3 minutes) and are done when they rise to the top of the water. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to the skillet with the pesto sauce and toss together. Serve with some basil and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.

Vegan Pesto

Makes about 1 cup

1 clove garlic

1 large bunch of basil, stems removed

1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp salt

Dash of black pepper

1/4 olive oil

In a food processor, chop the garlic into tiny pieces. Add the basil, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and put the lid back on. Pulse until everything is combined, then drizzle in the olive oil as you continually process everything together. This makes a pretty thick pesto, you can thin it out with a few more tbsps of olive oil, a bit of veggie broth, or even water. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Birthday Round-up AND Recipe for Johnny's Vegan Bolognese!!

Hi y'all! It was my birthday last Friday - yes I share a birthday with Canada Day (jerk always overshadows me) - which means that I got a whole three day weekend to celebrate. SCORE!

Wrapped gifts

On Friday, I got outta work early and Johnny and I went to see the new Woody Allen movie, "Midnight in Paris". It totally exceeded my expectations. Who knew it involved time-travel? Not this chick! It was very cute and trés romantic. Then we came home and it was time to open prezzies!! I had been receiving packages in the mail all week from my family and friends back in Arizona and it was REALLY hard to not tear into each of them as soon as they arrived. But I restrained myself until my actual birthday and it was sweet relief to finally be able to tear into those suckers! Here's what I got: "Crazy, Sexy Diet" by Kris Carr, "The Liars' Club" by Mary Karr and a salad spinner from my parents; some ridiculously delicious smelling Fig Coco lotion by Sabon from my sissy; a great book that holds Playbills from Broadways shows from my parents-in-law; a gorgeous sweater from my Auntie Debbie; and some beautiful flowers from my BFF Jen and her husband Dave! Johnny got me a record player and albums by Nina Simone and Billie Holiday! Let me just tell you, we've been enjoying listening to them SO much. There's just something so amazing about the sound of an album... I dig it. And now we get to hunt for and collect records! Sweet! Thanks to everybody for the lovely gifts, you made my day so special! xoxox

The gifts have been freed!

After the present opening massacre Johnny made me a spectacular dinner of salad, vegan bolognese and bread. SO GOOD and his extra-special recipe is at the end of the post! You're welcome.  

He even made a cute pattern with the tomatoes and avocado... he's adorable!

Saturday we spent the day in Williamsburg. Williamsburg is a slightly hipstery area of Brooklyn (if you're not wearing a sweatband or have washed your hair recently, you'll probably feel low on the cool scale), but I love it nonetheless and it is an easy ride on the train from Manhattan. Our first stop was one of my favorite spots ever, Crif Dogs! We discovered this place the first time we went to Williamsburg and now we have to stop there every time we're in the 'hood. They have delicious veggie dogs with all kinds of toppings and also make the BEST waffle fries. There are skate videos playing on two TVs, lots of action figures on display, and a few sit-down arcade games. I feel like I'm reclaiming my youth every time I step foot in there and I like it!

Pondering life and hot dogs...

Hot dog on the left, veggie dog on the right and WAFFLE FRIES!

Next up, we walked over to Barcade. You can probably discern what it is from the name, but just in case you can't: IT'S A BAR AND AN ARCADE. Oh mama, this place is awesome!!! They have all the classic games from childhood including Centipede, Paperboy, Tetris, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Marble Madness, etc. and they all only cost a quarter a play! They serve some tasty craft beers for $6.00 a pint (Happy Hour is 5-8 everyday and beer is only $5 - hey, for New York that's pretty good). This place totally reminds me of Tucson, it would be right at home on 4th Avenue. Definitely check it out if you're in the area.

Our final destination was the famed 4 Course Vegan. For those of you not familiar, 4 Course Vegan is an awesome dinner club hosted by Chef Matteo at his loft every Saturday night. For $40/person you get four amazing, creative little dishes prepared by Matteo and the chance to mingle with some friendly people. We sat with the sweet Erica of Un Petit Oiseau, an amazing blog that features vegan and gluten-free baked goods. Here's a breakdown of the dishes we were served: an amuse bouche of jicama ravioli stuffed with cashew cheese and topped with pesto; chilled corn chowder with pumpkin seeds and cilantro créme fraiche; new potato terrine with fresh favas, micro máche and sour cherry marmala; black bean quinoa croquettes with stewed tomatoes and mustard seed aioli; and strawberry 'shortcake' with thyme biscuit, cocoa butter cream and lemon nectar. All I can say is WOW. As soon as the amuse bouche hit my bouche I knew we were in for a delightful evening. Johnny loved the ravioli and the corn chowder best. I was also a slave to the soup and also adored the croquettes. I thought the strawberry shortcake was divine - the perfect mixture of savory and sweet - but Johnny thought it was a bit too far on the sweet side. I did note that he cleaned his plate, however.

Corn chowder

New potato terrine

Black bean quinoa croquette

Strawberry shortcake

The quality of food is what you would find at the most expensive vegan restaurants in NYC and for $40 the meal is quite a bargain. You can bring your own wine or beer to enjoy which also keeps costs down. And Matteo sells his own line of homemade goodies - I got take home home a complimentary package of raw coconut and chocolate macaroons as a birthday gift. YUM! We will definitely be back to 4CV in the near future!

Israeli couscous tabbouli, tofu lettuce wraps and salad with avocado dressing. YUM!

On Monday we ventured to Park Slope to hang out with our rad friends John, Katie and Annie. They cooked up a gigantic birthday/ July 4th feast! We had crudités with avocado dip, mixed greens straight from their CSA, tofu lettuce wraps with fresh mango salsa, and Israeli couscous tabbouli. They even had stuff to make micheladas 'cause they know those are my favorite! So cute! It was the perfect light meal for such a hot, hot day. We then migrated to the roof to watch the fireworks take place all over New York and New Jersey. The main show on the Hudson was a bit obstructed, but we got to see quite a good display from the Chinatown area and from the crazy neighbors who were lighting bootleg fireworks all night. 

Sweet pic of the New Jersey skyline

Our new camera has a "Fireworks" mode. How crazy is that?!

Then it was back inside for the most AMAZING VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD made by Annie! Seriously impressive stuff! Johnny ate about 12 pieces before I pried the fork out of his hand and make him sit in the corner. I'm getting breathless just thinking about how good that cake was...

I was careful not to spit on the cake.

Honey badger would freak out over this cake

Pretty awesome birthday, huh? Are you jealous? Thanks to everyone who sent me a gift or birthday wishes or spent time and effort cooking me something... I'm so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life!

And now for Johnny's delicious recipe!...

He made a heart out of the sauce! I think he's better at this stuff than me you guys...

Johnny's Vegan Bolognese Sauce
Serves a small army
 2 red peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 yellow or orange pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 container mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
3 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 package Boca crumbles
1 jar marinara sauce (we used Newman's Own and it was superfantastique!)


Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Warm the olive oil for a minute or two then add the peppers, onions and mushrooms. Sautee on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Push the veggies to one side of the pan, and add the Boca crumbles to the other side. Cook for another 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and sauce and stir everything together allowing to simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh tomatoes and cook for a few minutes more. 

Serve over your favorite pasta - we used bowtie. Mangia!