One-Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta

I saw this non-vegan dish and it sounded so good and seemed fairly simple. So, I made it vegan by using Impossible meat, that was thawed, veggie broth instead of chicken broth, vegan cheese and left out the oil. It was delicious!!! It's not WFPBNO, but you could use crumbled soy curls or crumbled tofu and make your own cheese sauce and it would be WFPBNO. It is definitely a make again and next time I'll try making it whole food. It think either the soy curls or the super firm tofu crumbled would work fine.  Try this for Taco Tuesday this week.

• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 12-ounce package Impossible Beef Lite, thawed
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 heaping teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 15-ounce can, black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups of your favorite salsa
• 8 ounces dry elbow macaroni
• 2 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels (not in pic, sorry)
• 2 cups Colby Jack shreds
• Garnish: diced avocado, sour cream, pickled jalapeno slices

Heat a couple of tablespoons water in a Dutch oven. Add onion and cook until it is translucent. Stirring occasionally.

                                        

Add the Impossible beef, taco seasoning and garlic. Cook, breaking up the beef into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink remains.

Add the beans, salsa and macaroni. Stir well to combine. Add the broth and cover, bringing the pot to a boil. Uncover, cook, stirring occasionally, the pasta will try to stick to the bottom of the pan. Be sure to scrape the bottom often. Cook until pasta is done, about 12-15 minutes. Again, be sure to stir.

Add the corn and 1-1/2 cups cheese. Stir well.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top and add the lid. Turn the heat off. Leave for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melty.

Add your garnishes, you could also use chopped cilantro, more salsa, hot sauce, crushed tortilla chips.

Enjoy!!!

Bolognese Sauce (WFPBNO)

I have a ground beef crumble that uses this same concept of cauliflower, walnuts and mushrooms. Pulse in a food processor, add taco seasoning for tacos or use in a casserole, etc. Using this same idea and a marinara sauce recipe I made this for dinner last night. It turned out really good and you can't taste the mushrooms as there are only a few and there is so many other flavors going on. I served this over brown rice spaghetti. It is better to let the sauce simmer for a while and thicken up so you will want to start your sauce early in the day. I started everything early and let the crumbles sit while the sauce simmered.

For the crumbles:

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 4 ounces mushrooms, large chopped (I used baby bellas)
• 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375F. Pulse all the above ingredients in your food processor, don't over do it you want something resembling ground beef. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture into an even layer.  Bake for 15 minutes, then gently toss, add back to oven for another 15 minutes.

Marinara Sauce:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic (I buy pre minced)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine (or veggie broth) I used Pinot Noir
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• several grinds of black pepper
  
  
• 1 16-ounce package spaghetti noodles, or your favorite pasta.

Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat and saute the celery, onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes in a few tablespoons of water.

Add the tomato paste and a little more water and stir well. 

Add the red wine and stir, allow to cook about 5 minutes.

Add the remainder of the sauce ingredients. Stir well and let cook about 5-6 minutes. 

Reduce heat and let the marinara sauce simmer at least 20 minutes. But longer results in a thicker sauce.

While that simmer check on the cooling crumbles. Start your water for your pasta.

Once the sauce is the thickness you like add the crumbles. 

Stir well and leave on low while you cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Serve it up with a salad, or some bread. 

Enjoy!!!

Eggroll in a Bowl (WFPBNO)

I had an extra bag of coleslaw mix in the frig. I didn't want it to go bad so I looked for a few recipes online and got the idea for this dish. I really enjoyed it with the slight spice from the chili garlic sauce and the hint of sweet from the maple syrup. You could add some tofu to this to boost the protein and make it go a little farther. Next time I make it I will do that extra step. This was pretty quick, be sure you have all of your ingredients out and prepped before you begin cooking. I think this took about 15 minutes, maybe 20 to make. 

The first step is to get your small pot of water on to boil to cook your ramen noodles. I forgot to take a picture of that. But use  your favorite block of ramen and cook according to the package directions. I used Lotus Foods organic brown rice and millet. Cook, drain, rinse and set them aside.

Let's get going...

• 1 ramen cake
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, divided
• 1 bag (16 ounce) coleslaw mix (just cabbage and carrots)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• Garnish: sliced scallions, chopped peanuts, sriracha

Be sure you have your ramen going. Add a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and ground ginger. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook until onion is translucent. Add a tablespoon of water if needed to keep it from sticking.

Add the coleslaw, soy sauce, maple syrup, chili garlic sauce and the remaining tablespoon rice vinegar. Toss all the ingredients together. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the ramen noodles and stir well to combine.

Remove from heat and add green onions and chopped peanuts.

Plate it up, or bowl it up.

Add a squirt of sriracha and devour.

Enjoy!!!

Instant Pot Taco Pasta (WFPBNO)

I saw this recipe online and it sounded delicious. So, I decided to make it WFPBNO.  Use Brand New Vegan or whoever has your favorite WFPBNO cheese sauce. I didn't have the time to make it and cheated and used Daiya shreds. They are no WFPBNO. I used black beans for my protein and used Dr. McDougall's enchilada sauce. They are all online for free. I'm trying to find more instant pot recipes during these hot days of August. This was super simple; you probably have everything in your pantry or freezer to make it. Dinner in less than 30 minutes!!! Flavors were spot on!

• 1 cup diced sweet onion
• 1 tablespoon cheater garlic (the stuff in a jar in the produce isle)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups enchilada sauce
• 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3 cups medium pasta shells
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup canned black beans
• a couple of handfuls of cheese shreds or a WFPBNO cheese sauce
• Garnishes: avocado, salsa, jalapenos, lime juice, cilantro

Set the Instant Pot to sauce and add a couple of tablespoons of water. Once the water is bubbling add the diced onions. Saute until tender.

Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so. Turn off.

Add the water, pasta, enchilada sauce, rotel, chili powder and cumin. I also added a few dashes of hot sauce. Stir well. 

Lock the lid and be sure the valve is set to sealed. Set Instant Pot to 3 minutes. Once it beeps, release the pressure by turning the valve to release to let the steam out. Stir well.

Add the corn and black beans and mix well.

Add the cheese or cheese sauce. 

Return the lid to the pot and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. You want the corn and black beans to warm up and the cheese to melt or get warm. 

Plate up with your garnishes and enjoy!!!!

Curry Noodles with Veggies (WFPBNO)

This homemade curry sauce is delicious! You can speed things up by using a frozen package of stir-fry vegetables.  Or, do what I did and use up some of that fresh produce you have in the kitchen. Be sure to make your Thai Red Curry Sauce before you start cooking. Also, if you are using fresh vegetables be sure to get them all prepped and ready to drop into your pan.

Thai Red Curry Sauce:

• 1 cup jarred roasted red bell peppers
• 1/4 of a medium sweet onion, cut into large pieces
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced (I use cheater garlic - bought it minced)
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 5 dried chiles de arbol, seeds removed (if you aren't into heat just use 1)
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 drop lemongrass essential oil or 1/2 teaspoon ground lemongrass
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Add all of the ingredients except peanut butter, to a small blender. Add 1 cup water.

Process until blended well.

Transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in peanut butter and cook another minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

For noodles and veggies:

• 1 8-ounce package noodles, I used stir-fry noodles
• 1 pound of veggies I used
• sliced mushrooms
• sliced red bell pepper
• slivered sweet onion
• snow peas
• bamboo shoots
• 1 8-ounce package seasoned tofu, cubed
• 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts for garnish

Cook noodles according to package directions. Add veggies to a nonstick skillet with a tablespoon or two of water to stir-fry without using oil.

Once noodles are done, drain and add them to the stir-fry. Add tofu and the curry sauce and mix, so that everything is coated in the sauce.

Serve garnished with the peanuts. You could also use sesame seeds, lime wedges or cilantro.

Enjoy!!!!!