Tamale Pie Recipe with Vegan Cornbread Recipe
I cannot believe that Tamale Pie isn’t as well-known as I’d thought. Seriously!? Think authentic Tex-Mex flavor under a thick layer of delicious cornbread. The traditional recipe is made with ground beef (but due to the hormones, antibiotics, and greenhouse emissions, I choose not to partake) I decided instead to revamp my family’s traditional recipe with TVP, also taking the spicyness up to an “11” with the infusion of a Vegan Jalapeño Cornbread!
Vegan Jalapeno Mac and Cheese Recipe
Before we get to the Jalapeno Mac and Cheese recipe, I want to get one thing straight… I never thought I would live a completely plant-based lifestyle.
That being said, vegetarianism was easy-peasy! I never enjoyed the taste of meat. I simply switched out proteins, dressing the meal up exactly the same. I felt renewed! Digestive woes had begun to subdue, and I lost some excess body fat.
Unfortunately, it was still normal for me to binge eat entire boxes of Cheez-Its (sorry mom!). Each time being reminded of why I never wanted to be a vegan. I grew up smothering cheese on everything!
I’m talking about the giant bags of Costco brand “Mexican Blend” in our fridge 100% of the time!
Turns out, cheese is chock full of naturally occurring chemicals called Casomorphins. These cause a “morphine-like addiction” with symptoms of “sedation, sleep induction, and depression“. This completely explains the feeling of physical addiction. It feels like deprivation at first, but after a few short weeks I was free of the strong desire to smother it on everything.
Going vegan would have been way less intimidating if I had known beforehand!
Long story short…
I still love the taste of cheese, especially if I have the munchies 😉 ! Nothing is worse than a bad Vegan Mac and Cheese recipe makeover. It’s practically an insult to call the that typically bland, goopy mess “Mac N Cheese”!! This is why I am completely ecstatic to share this Vegan Jalapeno Mac and Cheese recipe. The creamy, cheesyness of this recipe has yet to be beat! The nutritional yeast and spices do an excellent job turning the soaked cashews into a thick, creamy “cheese” sauce. Jalapenos complete the recipe by adding the perfect amount of heat!
The recipe is actually my partner’s, and luckily the heat is completely adjustable. His recipe originally included one Jalapeno (seeds included) and I could barely tolerate the heat. He stealthily increased the amount each time. Months later I asked why it seemed to be a tad bit hotter, he informed me that a full six jalapeños were used. Woah!
Vegan Jalapeno Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked 4-6 hours (or overnight)
- 10-12 oz whole wheat macaroni noodles
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth low-sodium
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1-6 fresh jalapeños with seeds (stems removed)
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil for sautéing and greasing
- bread crumbs and cheese substitute for topping optional
Instructions
- Soak cashews for 4-6 hours, or overnight
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Boil macaroni for 5-6 minutes (we don't want it to overcook!)
- Sauté the onion until translucent
- Add the soaked (and drained) cashews, cooked onion, vegetable broth, cornstarch, and spices to a high-speed blender
- Process until smooth and creamy
- Add the half-cooked macaroni to a baking dish lightly greased with olive oil
- Pour the sauce mixture over macaroni, and stir to coat noodles
- Finish with the optional bread crumbs and cheeze
- Bake for 15 minutes, you'll see the mixture bubbling nicely
- Let cool before devouring!
Notes
*Start with one jalapeno, feel free to deseed if necessary!
Also, despite the hesitation, I just celebrated my five-year veganniversary. I have never been so happy in my life 🙂
Quick and Easy Vegan Pesto Recipe
I have a confession.. I’ve never actually made a vegan pesto recipe before. It wasn’t even until I started working at a vegan restaurant that I had a taste! I fell in love immediately. The way lemon sensually pairs with basil is almost too perfect. Known for being notoriously easy to make, I dove right into the recipe-writing and testing!
Fresh ingredients for a simple and delicious vegan pesto recipe.
I wanted to keep things simple, but also felt compelled to experiment (of course!). Nutritionally, hemp seeds and pine nuts are both powerhouses. I went with a blend for the base of the pesto. They get along perfectly, both having a semi-neutral flavor and extremely similar texture. Hemp seeds also happen to be way cheaper per pound! Yay!
(Feel free to substitute the hemp seeds for more pine nuts, as needed. It should turn out similar!)
Whole cloves of garlic, fresh basil, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast combine for a taste surprisingly similar to the non-vegan style! My partner couldn’t believe how much it tasted like parmesan, and was shocked to find out it was nutritional yeast based! (he practically hates nooch!)
A vegan pesto recipe for every occasion!
I purposefully lessened the sometimes overwhelming lemon flavor for a multipurpose pesto sauce. This is perfect on pasta (duh!), but also goes amazingly well on toast, bread, veggies, or even as sauce on pizza! The options are virtually endless! Even better, it takes less than 15 minutes to prepare, so you can throw it together last-minute.
Quick and Easy Vegan Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 cups basil
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds or more pine nuts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil or more
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Pulse garlic in food processor until diced
- Add rest of ingredients (save the nutritional yeast) and pulse a couple more times to pulverize
- While on lowest speed, slowly pour in olive oil and combine until desired consistency. (I prefer a thicker pesto, if you would rather a smoother consistency experiment with adding more oil)
- Stir in nutritional yeast by hand and serve!
Notes
Vegan Cauliflower Wings Recipe (plus a vegan ranch recipe!)
As much as I love the holiday season, I couldn’t be more thankful for it to be over. The stress alone is enough for me to forget what day of the week it is! Knowing I had very little time to photograph or write, I instead chose to focus entirely on spending time with family. That being said, I couldn’t wait to get back to cooking! To help ring in the new year, I chose a new take on a classic.. vegan cauliflower wings. (Also a vegan ranch recipe and a homemade pepper sauce recipe to complete the package!)
The crispiest vegan cauliflower wings ever!
I’ve struggled to produce superb results in the past, creating a doughy, goop mess covered in hot sauce. Not the best combination. A tip from this blog, claimed garbanzo bean flour helped create a crisp, “fried-like” texture. Sounded perfect! Hesitant to use 100% garbanzo flour, I used a whole wheat mixture for a more traditional coating. I was blown away by the results! The coating cooked into the perfect spicy crunch over perfectly baked cauliflower. Absolutely superb.
The perfect hot sauce to accompany perfect vegan cauliflower wings!
I usually use store-bought hot sauce for the wings, which is perfectly fine! Not having any on-hand, I decided to attempt making my own. After scavenging the entire state of Arizona for fresh cayenne pepper, I resorted to a blend of Red Fresno Peppers and a single Habanero.
This sauce definitely packs a punch. I can barely handle the strong heat, but the flavor is so good I can’t stop!
Feel free to de-seed the peppers to reduce heat as needed.
Lastly, no cauliflower wings recipe would be complete without a thick, creamy vegan ranch recipe to go along (and tame the heat!)
Perhaps the easiest recipe in the trio, this creamy, garlicky vegan ranch is easy as hell to prepare! I seriously tossed all of the ingredients into a blender and ran until smooth! Use less milk if you prefer a thicker “dip” texture, more for a runnier “dressing”.
Vegan Cauliflower Wings Recipe (plus a vegan ranch recipe!)
Ingredients
For the cauliflower
- 1 small-medium head of cauliflower
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour or sub for whole wheat or even all-purpose
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 cup + 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
For the pepper sauce
- 1 habanero pepper
- 4 red fresno peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Dash of cayenne
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter melted (added just before coating wings)
For the Ranch
- 1 cup vegan mayo
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- dash of pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill optional
Instructions
If making homemade hot sauce, start with that
- Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth
- Simmer on stovetop for 20-30 minutes
- (Right before you add the sauce to the wings, you'll also be adding 1 tablespoon of vegan butter. It'll be mentioned below, just keep it in mind!)
For the cauliflower
- Preheat oven to 450°
- Chop cauliflower into small, bite-sized pieces and set aside
- Mix all other dry ingredients in medium sized bowl
- Slowly add soy milk until desired consistency is achieved. You want it tacky enough to stick, but runny enough to not glob together
- Now coat each piece of cauliflower in batter, shake off any excess, and put one layer of "wings" greased baking dish
- Bake for 15 minutes, turning halfway though
- Next, pull the wings out of the oven, coat in the pepper sauce and butter mixture, flip again, and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until nice and crispy
- Remove from oven and let cool for several minutes before attempting to eat (a great time to start the ranch!)
For the ranch dressing
- Blend all ingredients (save the dill) until smooth!
- For a thicker dip start with less milk, for a runnier dressing use more.
- Sprinkle on dill as a last-minute garnish