Tangy Cucumber Salad over Golden Potatoes

I spent over a decade living up in Ohio’s Amish Country and one of the dishes I learned to love while I was there is this plate full of chaos. Tangy Cucumber Salad served over Golden Potatoes. Something about the warm and soft potatoes with the cool cucumber salad...I'm telling you, seems weird, tastes amazing! I’ve yet to find anyone else, other than the Amish that eat this dish…but If you do, I’m dying to know!

The original recipe, as it was served to me, calls for peeled and boiled potatoes but I like to leave the skind on and oven roast mine for some added crunch and flavor PLUS, it’s way easier! Obviously, Amish cucumber salad, isn't vegan but I make mine with mayo from JUST Egg and sour cream from Tofutti. Even you don’t want to go totally dairy free, this is a great veggie option on a busy weekday night!

What you are going to need to buy:

Potatoes - (We could go on and on about the kind of spuds to use, but honestly, we say, use what you like! For this recipe we like to use smaller, golden baby potatoes!)

Olive Oil

Cucumber(s)

Radishes

Yellow or White Onion

Mayo

Sour Cream

White Sugar

Vinegar

Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Onion and Garlic Powder (or whatever you like to season your spuds with!)

Fresh Herbs, dill works great, but so would parsley or thyme.

What you are going to need to do:

The Spuds:

It’s hard to even really justify calling this a recipe because it’s just so easy and super flexible but since a lot of people I know have never tired it, I wanted to share it on the blog!

Preheat your oven to 375 Start by roasting your potatoes. Another reason why I like the little golden baby potatoes is because they are so easy to prepare and roast up really quick! (Think like 15 minutes or so.

I simply chop my little spuds in half, drizzle with a little olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Roast for about 15 minutes, (or until fork tender and beginning to brown) turning once, halfway through to go get good color on both sides.

A note about measurements: How many potatoes? How many cucumbers? How much sugar? What is a splash of vinegar? Listen, friends…one of the reasons that this recipe is so great is because it’s scalable. I made it last night for just one little read head but I have served it as a side dish at garden parties for 6-10. It just depends on how many people you are serving and if it’s going to be a side or more of a main dish! Really…Don’t stress out about it too much. It’d hard to mess up!

The Salad:

Using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, carefully slice your cucumber into thin medallions. I like mine pretty thin, but feel free to make yours how you like!

Follow suite with the Radishes and Onion.

In a bowl, mix equal parts mayo and sour cream, a splash of vinegar, lemon juice, and a pinch of sugar. The idea is a dressing that will coat the veggies. It should be a little thicker…think ranch dressing consistency because the cucumbers have a lot of water in them and will thin out the mixture when tossed together.

This is, honestly, a bit of trial and error, depending on how tangy or sweet you prefer. Add you salt, black pepper, and a handful of herbs at the end. Taste, taste, taste. There is no wrong way to do this but be conservative in the beginning because you can always add more lemon juice and sugar, but you can’t take it away!

Toss the veggies with the dressing and let salad sit in the fridge to get good and cold while the potatoes finish roasting.

Assembly:

Serve the salad, over the warm potatoes and garnish with additional black pepper and herbs.

When I am making this for a crowd, I like to keep the roasted potatoes heaped on a platter and the salad in a separate bowl and allow people to plate the dish themselves so that the salad stays cool and crisp and the potatoes stay warm, right up until its time to eat!

Mexican Street Corn Inspired Salad

Tired of the same old macaroni salad side dishes for your weekend get togethers? This cold corn salad takes it’s inspiration from one of my favorite dishes, Mexican Street Corn but since you don’t need to try and keep it warm it’s a great option for a potluck! This dish is naturally a vegetarian dish but can easily be made vegan with just a few easy substitutions.

Late summer and early fall is the best time to indulge in corn based dishes because you can get the fresh sweet corn at your local store for so incredibly cheap! I picked up 5 ears for just $3 last week at my local grocer, making this the perfect dish if you need something economical to feed a large crowd on a small budget!

What you are going to need to buy:

Ears of Sweet Corn - I would budget 1 ear per 1-2 people that you need to serve. The 5 ears that I bought would easily serve 4-6!

Red Onion

2 ripe and ready to cut, Avocados

Queso Fresco (or your favorite crumbly Vegan Cheese like this one from Daiya Foods)

2 Limes

Mayo (Vegan version from Hellmanns is great!

Dair-Free Sour Cream - (in our opinion Tofutti is the OG…and also the best!)

Minced Garlic - (our favorite is from Spice World!)  

White Sugar

White Vinegar

Cayenne Pepper

Hot Sauce

Smoked Paprika (or whatever paprika you have on hand)

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Fresh Cilantro (or Parsley if you are in the Cilantro tastes like soap camp)

What you are going to need to do:

This recipe is so simple I almost feel guilty calling it a recipe, but here goes…
Begin by cutting the corn off the cobs! Do yourself a favor and just use the fresh sweet corn! The sweet and crunchy texture of fresh corn off the cob isn’t something that you are ever going to be able to replicate from out of a can.

Dice your red onion into small pieces, roughly the same size as the corn kernels.

PRO TIP: When it comes to salads it’s nice when the ingredients are all similar sizes!

Open your avocados and cut into small cubes.

For the dressing: In a separate little bowl mix together 1/4 cup of mayo with 2 tablespoons of sour cream, a tablespoon of minced garlic, a splash of vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar (or use some agave) a few dashes of hot sauce, depending on your pallet, and the cayenne, paprika, and salt & pepper, to taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently.

Give your fresh herbs a rough chop. Regardless of the herbs that you use you will want a good handful, at least 1/2 a cup or so.

Fold in your herbs and crumble in your cheese.

Lastly, squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the top and gently give one final stir. (I tend to like mine very lime-y so I used two limes, but if you’re not a lime-lover like me make sure to taste yours first before you do…

For presentation, garnish with lime wedges and another sprinkling of paprika

Enjoy!

Fresh Green Bean Salad with Garlic and Basil infused Balsamic Dressing

Looking for ways to transform typical, boring, picnic or potluck style side salads? This Fresh Green Bean Salad with Sweet Basil infused Balsamic Dressing is the perfect salad for your shin-dig this weekend! Easy to make, and even easier to serve, this twist on the traditional creamy, cold, green bean salad is a great way to cut the dairy without cutting the flavor!

When most of us think green beans we typically think one thing: casserole. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good green bean casserole just as much as the next gal but I’m always looking for ways to use them in other recipes, especially this time of year when they are so fresh and inexpensive. One of the things that I love most about this recipe is that the dressing isn’t a dairy-base, which means its the perfect option for your BBQ, picnic, or potluck because their is no worry about it sitting out too long and going bad!

What you are going to need to buy:

Lettuce - (I know this seems vague, but seriously, use what you like…or what you have on hand! You don’t need too much! I like the contrast of the purple and red lettuces BUT remember this is a green bean salad, after all…not a lettuce salad with green beans in it. I would suggest your beans to lettuce ratio be at like a 3 : 1 - so don’t over think the lettuce.

Fresh Green Beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces (4 cups)

Grape Tomatoes, halved or quartered - (For an even prettier salad try using the tri-colored blend)

Fresh Basil

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Minced Garlic - (from the jar is just fine…)

Maple Syrup - (The good stuff, not pancake syrup. You could also use agave or honey.)

Smoked Gouda, Crumbled - (I used the Daiya Smoked Gouda Block and that’s what I would recommend.

Pine Nuts - (or Almonds would also be quite good in this dish)

Small Lime

Balsamic Vinegar - (I get mine locally here in Orlando from The Ancient Olive)

What you are going to need to do:

This recipe can scale up or down pretty easily depending on the size of salad you want to make. I have literally made this salad as a single serving before by just cooking up 3/4 cups of green beans and washing a handful of lettuce. For a nice pot-luck or family sized salad I would suggest 4 cups of green beans. This is a green bean salad, after all…not a lettuce salad with green beans in it. I would suggest your beans to lettuce ratio be at like a 3 : 1

To begin we need to blanche our green beans. In a medium pot, filled with boiling, salted water, cook beans for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove beans from boiling water and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking and retain the bright green color. Drain beans and pat dry with a paper towel.

Now, for assembly time!
You really can’t screw this up too terribly. The only tip that I have for this salad, and all salads in general, if you are making it for a crowd, is to layer your ingredients so that when you dig into the bowl to serve it, everything is already well incorporated.

You do have a couple options for the cheese. It comes In block form and you can absolutely just chop it into small pieces (think pea sized), or you can use the tines of a fork to kind of grate the cheese over top of the salad so that it’s a bit more “crumbly.”

For the dressing, mince 3-4 large basil leaves into very fine pieces. (Note: please use fresh basil…this is not the place for the dried stuff. It just will not taste the same!) Combine 1/2 cup of Olive Oil, 1/2 cup of Balsamic Vinegar, 2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, minced basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

This salad is best served very cold! If possible, assemble all ingredients (minus the dressing) and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, up to one hour, before serving to make sure the green beans are not still lukewarm from cooking. Drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving. Finish with a fresh squeeze of lime, and garnish with a few more small basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup

This Tomato Soup is so easy and delicious you will wonder how you ever tolerated the canned stuff! The trick to really amazing tomato soup is super-ripe, almost mushy, tomatoes! The more ripe they are the sweeter and more complex their flavor, and the more tomato-y your soup will turn out.

The summer will soon be fading fast into fall but if you’re like me you probably still have a bunch of tomatoes hanging around. If you’re looking for an easy and quick recipe to help you transition in to soup season this dish does the trick! So flavorful and creamy even your non-veggie family and friends will ask for seconds! Bonus: canning this soup is super easy and because it’s tomato based doesn’t require any extra processing to safely preserve!

What you are going to need to buy:

Tomatoes - 8 small to medium vine ripened tomatoes will make abut 2 servings of soup. I recommend roasting 4 small - medium (think between the the size of a medium plum) for each serving

Sweet Onion

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Sugar or Maple Syrup

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)  

Veggie Stock - 1 cup, per desired serving

Your favorite Vegan Cream Cheese - (We used this one from Kite Hill Foods)

Cayenne Pepper, to taste

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Paprika, to taste

Basil, Chives, Oregano (optional)

What you are going to need to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Start my chopping an onion (1/2 for 2 servings or a whole onion for 4 servings)
Lightly oil a large skillet, (one with deep sides works the best)
Cut tomatoes in half. and arrange in skillet cut side down along with onions and 2-3 tablespoons of garlic.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar and a pinch of Cayenne Pepper.

Saute’ on medium/high heat until the onions are translucent and the mixture is bubbling.
Transfer your skillet to the oven and roast the mixture for 15-20 minutes checking occationally. If it’s looking too dry you can add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet to make sure that the mixture does not burn.

After 20 minutes remove the onions and tomatoes from the oven and add to the pot your veggie stock.

Simmer on the stove-top for another 10 minutes. You can also add any herbs you’d like at this time.

Using a stick blender, blend soup until smooth! No need to worry about small seeds and skins, they all get blended together. Optionally, if you don’t have a stick blender, carefully transfer the soup to a stand blender and blend until smooth.

Stir in the cream cheese 1/4 to1/2 cup depending on number of servings.

Add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. You can also add a touch more cayenne at this time, if desired. If you like a sweeter tomato soup add another tablespoon of sugar or maple syrup at this time.

This soup is great garnished with toasted pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes!

Enjoy!

Summer Squash and Sweet Corn Chowder

While everyone else is itching for pumpkins I’m trying to hold onto every last flavor of the Summer season that I can! With only a month or so until we fall into Autumn, I’m also trying to take advantage of the bountiful and inexpensive Summer produce while it lasts and this Summer Squash and Sweet Corn Chowder does just that.

If there is anything that you have left at the end of the Summer season it’s probably sweet corn and squash! This chowder, while isn’t necessarily a 30-minute meal, is still a great weeknight option because most of the cook-time is just simmering, making it a great multi-tasking dinner option. All in, you’re looking at maybe 45 minutes, because we are going tome our own stock, but trust me, it’s totally worth it.

What you are going to need to buy:

Fresh Sweet Corn (4 ears) - (I repeat, fresh…as in, on the cob, as in, not in a can!)

Yellow Squash - (I like the look of the yellow squash mixed with the yellow corn in this recipe….but if you’ve got zucchini to get rid of you can absolutely use that.

Mushrooms - 1.5 to 2 cups (We like either shiitake or cremini mushrooms. If you live in the South East and can find the “gourmet blend” at your local Publix, even better!)

Carrots

Medium Shallot, diced

Minced Garlic - (from the jar is fine…here is a great option from Spice World!)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Fresh Thyme

Dry White Wine - (Remember, if you wouldn’t drink it…don’t cook with it)

All Purpose Flour

Your favorite plant based milk - (I used the Forager Project Brand Half & Half)

Scallions, for garnish

What you are going to need to do:

Step one is to prep your corn. Remove the husks and as much silk as you can. Rinse and pat dry.
Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from the cob, cutting as close to the cob as you can. Watch your fingers. Place corn in a large bowl and set aside.

In a large pot bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil, with 3 tablespoons of salt and 2-3 stems of fresh time. Once water is simmering, add your corn cobs to the pot (If your corn cobs are too large just cut in half) and allow to simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occationallly, while you prepare the rest of the vegetables. Stock should reduce by about half.

Chop shallots, squash and carrots into small pieces (about 1/2” thick) Mushrooms can remain slightly larger, as they will drastically shrink down when cooked.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook sweet corn and carrots with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper, until bright yellow and slightly softened. (3-5 minutes) Reserve 1/2 cup of corn/carrots for garnish when serving and set the rest aside in a large bowl.

In the same skillet, over medium heat sauté, in olive oil, garlic, squash, shallots, and mushrooms, being careful not to let. the vegetables take on too much color, or stick to the bottom of the pan. (about 5 minutes) After shallots have turned translucent, and mushrooms have reduced in size, add the corn and carrot mixture back into the skillet and sprinkle over 2-3 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Stir veggies to incorporate the flour. Cook for one-two minutes until the flour smells slightly nutty.

Deglaze the skillet with 1/4 cup of dry, white, wine and stir, somewhat vigorously, to thicken. Slowly add 1 cup of strained corn cob stock to the skillet. Reduce heat and set skillet aside.

Strain out all solids from the corn cob stock and gently add all of the vegetables into the stock pot. Mix until well incorporated, making sure there are no lumps. Increase heat to medium and add 2 cups of your favorite plant based milk. Bring to a light boil, reduce heat and let simmer for another 5-7 minutes before serving. Taste for seasoning. At this point, it almost always needs back pepper!

Serve sprinkled with a tablespoon on the reserved corn/carrot mixture from earlier and the diced scallions.

Additional, top with your favorite brand of vegan cheddar spreads - (We love the Cheddar Shreds from Follow Your Heart)

Serve and enjoy!

Crispy Vegan Potato Salad

It’s officially summer and that means cookouts! I’m always on the hunt for a dish that I can take to a neighborhood or family gathering that even the non-veg community will love AND one that I don’t need to worry about spoiling if it sits on a picnik table for a few hours and this Crispy Vegan Potato Salad checks all the boxes!

This Crispy Vegan Potato Salad recipe is the perfect plant-based dish to take to your July 4th Holiday BBQ or cookout this weekend because potato salad in general is 99% plant based anyway! I love using opportunities like this to introduce things like, plant based mayo to people who would normally never, ever try it! Let them gobble up a helping of this…and then spill the beans!

What you are going to need to buy:

3 lbs of Potatoes - (We could go on and on about the kind of spuds to use, but honestly, we say, use what you like! For this recipe we like to used the tiny, golden, baby potatoes and just cut them in half one time!)

Vegan Butter

Yellow or White Onion

Celery

Vegan Mayo

Sour Cream - (On this page we are big fans of Tofutti Sour Cream!)

Vinegar

Lemon Juice

Mustard

Dill Pickles or Dill Relish

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Onion and Garlic Powder (or whatever you like to season your spuds with!)

Paprika

Fresh Herbs, dill works great, but so would parsley or even thyme.

What you are going to need to do:

The Spuds:

This recipe is so super flexible but there is one trick to it all and that’s how you prepare the spuds!

I like to leave the skins on my potatoes but that’s a person preference, so if you would rather reel them, be my guest. Cut into 1/2” cubes, or in this case with the tiny, golden potatoes, I just cut them in half and they end up as the perfect sized bite!

In salted water, boil your potatoes until they are just fork tender…not too soft because they are going to continue to cook in the oven.

Gently drain potatoes and let sit for 1-2 minutes to make sure they are good and dry! You will see the steam continue to escape and that’s what you want. The more dry they are, the easier they will crisp up in the oven and that’s what we want!

Toss with 1-2 tablespoon of melted vegan butter and salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven OR on a low broil setting until the potatoes become crispy. Check often and stir/flip so that they pick up color on all sides.

Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet. Do not assemble the potato salad until the spuds are 100% cool.

The Dressing:

Into a large mixing bowl combine the following:

(Note: If you like a sweet potato salad feel free to add some sugar to this dressing)

• 1 cup of vegan Mayo - (like THIS ONE from Hellmann’s)

• 1/4 cup of Tofutti vegan sour cream

• 1/4 cup of diced dill pickles, cut fine or your favorite dill pickle relish

• 2 Celery Stalks, diced small

• 1 small onion, diced small

• 2 teaspoons of vinegar

• a splash of lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard

• Salt, pepper, and paprika, to taste.

• Handful of fresh herbs, chopped fine

To Serve:

The trick to this recipe is that the potatoes are nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. To maintain that texture you don’t want to mix up this salad too far ahead. In fact, if you can, I recommend making sure that both the potatoes and the dressing is nice and cold, but waiting to toss until just before service.

Gently toss the crispy potatoes with the dressing and mix well. Garnish with more fresh herbs and a dash of paprika.

Homemade Minestrone Soup

I feel like homemade soup sometimes can get a bad wrap…“it takes too long, I don’t know what to put in it, it’s bland, etc…” but this homemade Minestrone Soup is so easy and so flavorful I promise you’ll never want to eat canned soup again!

The weekends see a lot of soup-making at my house! Not only is it easy but it’s the perfect way to use up al of the odds and ends veg that is hanging around the fridge and countertops left over from the rest of the week…and this homemade minestrone soup is no exception! The best part? You can put the leftovers in a glass jar and it will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks, or freeze, for months!

What you are going to need to buy:

Tomatoes (3-4), small, diced - This is honestly the perfect way to get rid of tomatoes that have gone a little squishy in the fridge. As long as they are not moldy, they are going to be just fine for soup.

White or Yellow Onion (1), medium - (Cut into chunks. No need to be too pretty, it’s all going to cook down anyway.

Minced Garlic - (We like the jarred kind from Spice World)

Tomato Paste, 1 tablespoon

Olive Oil

Veggie Broth (2-3 cups) or your favorite veggie bouillon cubes - (we like THESE from Edward & Sons)

White Mushrooms, sliced

Non-Dairy Butter - (We used Earth Balance)

Veggie Stock or Bouillon Cubes - (We used THESE from Edward and Sons)

Roasted veggies of choice, about 3 cups, total (We used baby potatoes, carrots, broccoli, baby corn, and snap peas, but again, use what you’ve got on hand!)

Dry Pasta - 1.5 -2 servings (We like orecchiette for this but any small shell or noodle should do)

Fresh Herbs - (Use what you like, use what you have. We used some rosemary and lots of curly parsley!)

Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Parmesan Cheese for topping - (Our favorite is THIS DAIRY FREE OPTION from Follow Your Heart)

What you are going to need to do:

Start by cutting your tomatoes and onions into 1” pieces - No need to be too pretty, it’s all going to cook down anyway.

In a skillet, over medium heat, stew the tomatoes, onions, and 1-2 tablespoons of garlic until the veg is soft and mushy. (This should take 5-10 minutes)

Once a lot of the liquid has cooked out of the tomatoes and has evaporated, add the tomato paste to the skillet and stir to incorporate. Continue to stir so that the tomato paste cooks, but does not burn for about 90 seconds, to 2 minutes. Mixture will be thick.

Remove from heat and into a soup pot add the stewed mixture, the veggie broth and rosemary (or preferred herbs). Stir and return to stove-top, allowing stock to simmer, but not boil. Cover with a loose lid so that you don’t loose too much to evaporation.

Now, Roast those Veggies!

Cut all your veg into bite size (1/2 to 1 inch) cubes. Making sure everything is roughly the same size allows all the veg to roast at about the same speed. Oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

No leftover veggies and no time to cut and chop? THESE PACKS from Birdseye works just great. Simply dump the frozen veggies on a tray with oil, salt, and pepper, and roast like you would fresh!

Roast at 375 for 20 minutes, checking half-way through to make sure nothing is browning too quickly.

For the last 3-5 minutes of the roast you can turn the oven to a low broil to really make sure you get some nice color on the veggies. Watch this closely! All ovens broil at different rates…and you don’t want them to burn.

Assembly:

At this point, I like to use a stick blender in the stock liquid to bust up any remains of tomato skins, herbs, or large chunks of onions. We are not looking for it all to be super smooth, just not too chunky, so pulsing the stick blender in short bursts works better. You could also transfer and do this in a traditional blender, if you like.

After blended, into the simmering stock, add the pasta, and increase the heat to achieve a low boil. Allow pasta to cook for 8-9 minutes. Add more water, if necessary.

Add in all of the roasted veggies to the pot and like to add a bit more curly parsley at this point.

Simmer another 3-4 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with more fresh herbs and grated parmesan cheese.

Quick and Easy Creamy Zucchini and Mushroom Carbonara

Okay, people…cards on the table! Pasta is kind of my weakness. Well, truth be told, carbs in general, and salty things, and creamy things…so this Creamy Zucchini and Mushroom Carbonara basically checks all of my boxes! It goes from skillet to table in under 30 minutes, is loaded with veggies and is so rich and luxurious that even your non-vegan friends are sure to love it!

The internet is rife with authentic carbonara recipes. This is not that kind of recipe. There is also really no shortage of vegetarian carbonara recipes that replace the meat in the original dish with mushrooms while still retaining the eggs and dairy. Again, this is not that kind of recipe. As with a lot of the dishes that I share…if you do eat eggs and dairy, by all means, use the ingredients that you like…BUT, if you are willing to be slightly adventurous, I would say, maybe challenge your expectations of what you think vegan food tastes like…and with the addition of my secret ingredient, I guarantee that this dish will surprise you!

What you are going to need to buy:

Small Yellow Onion

Small Zucchini

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)  

Fresh Mushrooms (Use what you like…but remember that this is replacing the meat in the original dish so a meatier, more hearty, mushroom is going to be your best bet.

Olive Oil

Liquid Smoke: Surprise…Secret Ingredient!

Thick Cut Pasta

Salt and Pepper

Cashew Milk - (We used Forager Brand Half and Half because it’s nice and creamy)

Vegan Cream Cheese - (We used Kite Hill Brand)

Vegan Parmesan - (We used Follow Your Heart Shredded Parmesan)

Fresh Herbs - (Use what you’ve got but we recommend parsley or thyme)

What you are going to need to do:

In a skillet on medium heat sauté 1/2 of a small chopped onion, one zucchini, cut into 1/2” cubes, with olive oil and minced garlic for 1-2 minutes.

In a pot, bring salted water to a boil to cook pasta. This recipe should make 4 small servings or 2, rather large, appetizer sizes servings. Boil pasta accordingly. Once the onions have started to become translucent, add 2 cups of sliced mushrooms to the pan with a pinch of salt and 1.5 tablespoons of my secret ingredient, liquid smoke. This really helps to mimic that meaty and salty, smoked texture of meat that traditional carbonara has. Cook on medium/low heat until all veggies are soft.

A note about mushrooms: They shrink. Don’t slice them too thin or they will shrivel up to almost nothing. 1/2” slices are not too large!

Once the veggies are almost soft, drop pasta into boiling water and cook via packaged instructions. Do not overcook the pasta because it will finish cooking back in the skillet with the sauce.

To the cooked veggies add 1/4 cup of vegan cream cheese and 1/4 cup of your half and half. Melt, on low heat until well incorporated. If the sauce seems too thick you can add a little more half and half.

Drain pasta leaving just a little pasta water on the noodles and add them to the sauce in the skillet. The starch in the residual pasta water will help to make the sauce extra thick and creamy. Gently fold in the pasta and add 1/3 cup of vegan parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and fully incorporated.

Add salt and black pepper, to taste.

Plate and garnish with fresh herbs!

Rustic Roasted Carrot Galette with Feta Spread and Herbs

When you’re a vegetarian you always seem to get sent home with the leftovers…all of the veggie leftovers, that is. Such was the case, with me, this weekend after a BBQ that my good friend James hosted…I found myself with an entire container of roasted (well, grilled, actually) carrots. So, in the spirit of tasty leftovers, good friends, and slight hangovers…some kind of brunch recipe seemed like a good reincarnation to tackle this morning.

If you’re not familiar with a galette…don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s basically the culinary hybrid of a pie and a flatbread. Savory or sweet, you can top them with just about anything you like and make them in any size. The great thing about a galette is that you can really make it as simple, or as fancy as you like or have time for? Want to make your own pie crust from scratch? Great…want to buy the frozen stuff in your local grocer’s freezer isle? That totally works, too. For this recipe I did end up making my own vegan pie crust BUT since I was working with leftovers, I had the luxury of not having to marinate or cook the carrots. This recipe is nothing if not an exercise in improvisation…Oh yeah, and did I mention brunch?

What you are going to need to buy:

Pie Crust - (Or the ingredients to make your own: flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, vegan butter, olive oil, and ice water)

Feta Cheese - (We love the Just Like Feta block from VioLife Foods)

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)  

White Wine Vinegar

Salt and Black Pepper

Fresh Thyme

Carrots (leftover, or otherwise)

What you are going to need to do:

To start, if you didn’t buy your pie crust you are going to want to make that dough because it really is best if you can let it rest in the fridge for 15 minutes before rolling out and baking.

Now, pie crust can be kind of a polarizing thing in the culinary world…so fair warning, this is how I made mine but if you have a tried and true family recipe you love, or if you love Pillsbury, no judgement here.

On a solid surface countertop or cutting board measure out 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. With a cold fork, cut in 6 tablespoons of ice-cold butter to the flour mixture until the butter pieces have become small, like the size of a grain of rice and are fully incorporated into the flour. slowly drizzle in 1/4 of cold olive oil and gently, but quickly combine until a shaggy dough forms. Supplement with 1-2 tablespoons of ice-cold water if the dough is too dry. Do not overwork. Mix dough until just incorporated. shape into a square or disk (depends on what you want the final shape of your galette to be, wrap in plastic and let dough rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

While the pie crust a resting, let’s make our herby feta spread. In a food processor (or using a stick blender) combine 1/3 cup of olive, 3 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of salt and black pepper, 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, (Optionally you can use lemon juice), fresh Thyme (de-stemmed) with 3 ounces of feta cheese and mix until smooth and creamy.

Preheat your oven to 400.

On a lightly oiled and floured baking sheet, roll out your chilled pie crust to desired shape, until it is about 1/4 inch thick. I didn’t worry too much about the edges of my dough because well, it’s a rustic recipe, after all, but depending on your level of perfectionism, you can always trim away the scrappy edges.

Spread the feta mixture, which should be about the consistency of sour cream, to the pie crust leaving a 1 inch border all the way around. At this point it will probably seem like too much of the spread, but don’t worry. A lot of that moisture is going to be absorbed my the pie crust when cooking.

On top of the feta spread, arrange your carrots and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Gently fold over the perimeter of the crust so it just slightly rolls over and covers the edges of the carrots. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of your crust and your particular oven.

Garnish with a little more crumbled feta and a pinch of herbs.

A note about the carrots:

Like I said in the into, I used leftovers for this dish and didn’t need to roast my carrots because they had been marinated and grilled the day before. I absolutely recommend going the leftovers route when making galette because you can, quite literally, use almost anything: sauteed squash and artichokes, cubed crispy potatoes and caramelized onions, diced tomato, mushrooms and spinach…the list goes on and on.

BUT, in case you do want to try and replicate this dish more accurately, here is what you need to do to make the carrots. 6-7 large carrots, peeled. Blanche the carrots in hot water for 2 minutes to tenderize and then marinate in a combination of sesame oil, worcestershire sauce, vinegar, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a pinch of brown sugar for 30 minutes. Grill or roast carrots until fork tender.