Tag: Entree

Main

Lemony Lasagna Soup

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Nora: For something as heavy-sounding as lasagna, this soup was surprisingly light. The bright citrus notes in the broth kept it refreshing (can a hot soup be refreshing?) while the cashew cream and sausage gave the soup staying power. Pretty quick and easy, too!

Josh: This soup is just lovely! It is zesty by way of lemon and savory by way of the creamy cashew goodness. I expected this soup to be really comforting and satisfying, what I didn’t expect was how light it would be. The vegan sausage adds good flavor and saltiness that work really well with the rest of the soup, and on top of that it brings a strong protein content to this dish, making this soup into a Main dish rather than a side. But wait, there’s more good news! The soup is quick to make, with only some basic prep (chop some onions and garlic, slice up the sausage, blend the cashew cream) and a short cook time. We through it together on a work night and it was ready in no time!

Lemony Lasagna Soup
Adapted from: Rabbit and Wolves
Time: 10 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook
Serves: two for dinner and then two for lunch
Ingredients:
For the cashew cream:
-1c (4.5 oz) raw cashews (soaked overnight or simmered 10 minutes if you do not have a high-speed blender)
-1c veggie broth (we use Better than Boullion)
-1/2 tsp salt, several grinds of black pepper

For the soup:
-1 tbsp oil
-1 onion, chopped
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-4 links (approx. 14 oz) vegan Italian sausage, cut into half-moons (we like Tofurky)
-6 cups veggie broth
-juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp if you’re using bottled)
-2 tsp Italian seasoning
-1/4c (4 tbsp) nutritional yeast
-8 lasagna sheets (about half a box– sorry)

Optional:
-8oz mushrooms, sliced
-small bunch of spinach
Directions:
1. If you are going to quick-soak the cashews, put them in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit for at least ten minutes. Drain before using. This will help the cashew cream blend more easily. If you have a powerful blender then you can choose to just run the blender a little longer (we do).
2. Prepare the cashew cream by putting all the ingredients in the blender and running on high 1-2 minutes or until very smooth and not gritty at all.
3. Heat the oil in a soup pot and add the onion and garlic, saute on medium for a few minutes until tender, translucent, and starting to brown.
4. Add sausage and mushrooms (if using). Cook another 2 minutes.
5. Pour in the veggie broth (or the water and then add the correct amount of Better than Boullion goop) and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add in the lemon juice, seasoning, nutritional yeast and cashew cream. Bring to a simmer.
6. Break the lasagna noodles into 1-2 inch bits. This will send shrapnel all over your kitchen (sorry). Add them to the soup and simmer 12 minutes (or according to package directions) until the noodles are al dente. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Remove from heat and stir in spinach (if using).
Even Easley lines up for a bowl of this soup!
Closing Arguments
Nora: A delicious soup that’s a breeze to make and would fit in any season.
Josh: This aint your grandma’s lasagna!

Main

Gnocchi Primavera

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Nora: I love this recipe because it is so easy and it only uses one pot and the blender… oh and it’s delicious! The leftovers are also excellent for several days after. Feel free to try any blend of quick-cooking veggies. I bet zucchini or asparagus would be great in this dish! Just add them in while cooking the mushrooms.

Josh: This is the ultimate weeknight dinner. The ingredient list is modest, the prep work is easy, and the whole thing comes together quickly! Then when you think about how rich and creamy it is, comfort for your tum, and how absolutely delicious it is… well, there are just so many reasons why this is an ideal dinner. It’s the kind of meal that tastes like you slaved over it for hours even though it took you mere minutes. Most importantly: gnocchi. Mmmm.

Gnocchi Primavera
Makes: dinner for 4, or dinner and lunch for 2
Cook Time: 20 min
Omnivore Index: Creamy and indulgent, nobody is going to assume it is dairy free.
Ingredients

-1 package gnocchi
-2 roma tomatoes, diced
-bunch of spinach (4 handfuls work well)
-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
-15 oz can great northern beans, drained
-oil, for caramelizing mushrooms

Sauce:
-1 cup nondairy milk
-1/2 cup (2.25-2.5 oz) raw cashews
-2-3 cloves garlic
-2 tsp miso
-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
-1 tsp tapioca starch/flour
-1 tsp salt
-cracked black pepper, to taste

-green onions for garnish

Instructions
1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
2. While gnocchi is cooking, throw sauce ingredients into a high-speed blender and run for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. (If you do not have a high-speed blender, quick-soak your cashews by putting them in a small pot of water, bring to boil for five minutes, let sit covered 30 minutes or as long as your patience will allow before draining. Or soak overnight in the fridge.)
3. Put spinach in your colander and drain the gnocchi on top of it. Return pot to the stove with a bit of oil over medium heat.
4. Saute mushrooms until they release juices and those juices evaporate. Add everything into the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens.

Closing Arguments
Nora: gnocchi = dumplings = good
Josh: Did we mention this is a great excuse to eat gnocchi?
Main

Dijon Brussel Sprouts Bowl

His Bite, Her Bite1 Comment

This looks like exactly the kind of meal we avoid, which is to say “bowls.” Have you noticed how almost all vegan recipes these days seem to be “bowls?” It is wild, and we are wildly unimpressed by bowl recipes. This one gets a pass because it is actually, surprisingly delicious. Brussel sprouts, vegan sausage, and best of all mashed potatoes.

The flavors in this go together just so damn well, but the magic is in that homemade dijon dressing. It really does the trick. Great meal, easy to prepare, and the leftovers hold up extremely well. Pro tip, you will need more dijon dressing, we made a batch for dinner and another for the leftovers. By the way I also ate some of the leftovers for breakfast and it was a good decision.

Dijon Brussel Sprouts Bowl
Makes: 4-5 servings
Inspired by: Budgetbytes
Omnivore Index: Everyone will know this is weird food, maybe even vegan food, but nobody will argue against how incredible it tastes
Ingredients

Mashed Potatoes
-2.5 lb russet potatoes
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tbsp vegan butter
-1/2 cup nondairy milk

Dijon dressing
-6 tbsp oil
-6 tbsp (84g) vegan mayo
-6 tbsp (90g) dijon mustard
-6 tbsp red wine vinegar
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp sugar
-1/4 tsp garlic powder
-freshly cracked black pepper

Brussel sprouts and sausage
-1 lb fresh brussel sprouts
-12-14 oz vegan sausage
-2 tbsp oil
Recipe

Brussel Sprouts and Sausage
-Clean brussel sprouts and slice in half
-Slice sausage into medallions
-Toss brussels and sausage with oil, put in baking dish, and bake at 425 F for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through

Mashed Potatoes
-Clean and cube the potatoes
-Boil on high with some salt 7-10 minutes
-Drain the potatoes
-Mash together with butter and milk
-I usually add a little garlic and onion powder as well

Dijon Dressing
-Combine all dressing ingredients by whisking together in a bowl

Layering
-Put mashed potatoes at the bottom of your bowls
-Scoop brussel sprouts and sausage mixture on top
-Drizzle dijon dressing over the bowl
-Smash

Notes

We use Earth Balance for butter
We use Silk Protein for milk
We use Just Mayo for mayonnaise
We use Torfuky Italian Sausage (if you’re avoiding processed foods you could use chickpeas instead, only because the critical point of this recipe is the dressing and not the filling. However we recommend using vegan sausage because the flavor is a major part of the whole)

Even the cats are all about this dinner.

Closing Arguments
N: But for real, the dijon dressing.
Main

Loaded Breakfast Fries

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Nora: I’ve always loved breakfast food, but I’ve never been much of a fan of eggs. Growing up, the only way I’d eat them would be “dippy eggs” (aka over-easy). I would make my parents crazy because after dipping toast in the yolks, I’d never eat the whites. These fries are topped with a delicious “eggy sauce” that reminds me of rich silky egg yolk… without the egg!

Josh: Everything we eat eventually ends up on a pizza or as loaded fries. One day we were thinking loving thoughts about brunch and decided in a burst of inspiration that we could have breakfast for dinner. All plant-based and shamelessly indulgent. We swapped hashbrowns for waffle fries and viola!

Breakfast sausage, bacon, and pepperjack cheese baked up onto crispy waffle fries, topped with an eggy, pseudo hollandaise sauce that just seals the deal. This dinn is one of those meals that we usually find ourselves in the “clean plate club” afterward.

Foil boats
Loaded Breakfast Fries
Source: His Bite Her Bite
Serves: 2, heartily
Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
For fries:
1 bag frozen waffle fries or tots
8 oz breakfast sausage
4 strips bacon (or some bac’n bits)
1/2 c pepperjack shredded cheese
green onions, for topping

Eggy Sauce:
1c water
4 tsp corn starch
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
Directions:
1. Bake fries according to package directions.
2. While fries are baking, cook sausage according to package directions (we use the microwave). Crumble or roughly chop into small bits.
3. In a small pot, whisk together water and corn starch, then whisk in everything else.
4. Cook over med-high heat, whisking as it cooks. Simmer 3-5 minutes until sauce coats the back of a spoon.
5. During the last 5 minutes of baking the fries, slide a few fries over and add the bacon, cook until crisp.
6. Make two tin foil boats, place on the baking sheets used for the fries. Add cooked fries, crumbled sausage, top with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted. Remove from oven.
7. Move foil boats to individual plates. Using a small, sharp knife, slit the underside of the boats in an x-shape. Pull foil apart, leaving the fry pile on the plate.
8. Top the fries-sausage-cheese with eggy sauce, crumbled bacon and green onion.
For the dinner pictured here, we used the following:

Lightlife bacon
Lightlife breakfast sausage
Daiya pepperjack
Kroger brand frozen waffle fries
Closing Arguments
Nora: Normally I don’t finish a full plate of loaded fries, but with these I’m in the Clean Plate Club every time!
Josh: You bet your ass I’m munching these fries.
Main

Kale and Gnocchi Soup

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Nora: Dumplings (gnocchi are dumplings, I say), cooked carrots, broth… plus it cooks in 30 minutes. I love a simple soup where you don’t have to pull out the whole spice rack to end up with a delicious meal at the end.

Josh: We had this soup for the first time when my sister and her partner were having us over for dinner. They did it without meat on account of us and served it with bread. It was delicious. We were practically starving at the time though, so we wondered if it would be as good under normal circumstances. I won’t keep you in suspense: it is.

We made a few minor changes before adding it to our repertoire and are very pleased with it. Every time we make it, we verbally remind each other, “Mm, this is good soup.” Good for cold weather, having company over, or just for the love of soup. Cheap to shop for, easy to assemble, and quick to cook. Great, pain-free dinner for when you don’t have much time to cook or don’t want to spend much time to cook.

Kale and Gnocchi Soup
Makes: Dinner for two, lunch leftovers for two (or dinner for four)
Adapted from: budgetbytes
Time: 5 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook
Omnivore Index: People will see this soup doesn’t contain meat but when they try it they won’t miss it.
Ingredients

1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced (or about 10 baby carrots)
A bunch of kale, de-stemmed (we added about two soup bowls’ worth this time)
5 cups chicken-ish broth
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp basil
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
20 cranks cracked black pepper
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 lb gnocchi
1/2 cup milk
Directions

-Saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add carrots and cook another 3-5 minutes.
-While those cook, pull kale leaves off the thick stems and slice or shred into smaller leaves. Wash.
-Add kale to pot and cook another 3-5 minutes.
-Add broth, spices, pepper, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil.
-Add gnocchi and cook for 3-5 minutes.
-Remove from heat and add milk.
Notes:

-For nondairy milk, we use Silk Protein Nut Milk (plain flavor).
-For broth, we use Better than Bouillon No Chicken base.
-Chickpeas are one of our all-time favorite protein sources when we cook. Way cheaper than buying faux meats, easy to add to a recipe that is lacking for protein, and hearty enough not to mush when you cook them.
-If you really hate kale you could try usimg spinach, just add it in after you finish cooking the gnocchi.
Closing Arguments
Nora: Super good for cold nights but light enough that you don’t have to give it up in the summer.
Josh: If you’re like me, you’ll use every opportunity to eat gnocchi. Mmmm.