Vegan Cashew Parmesan 'Cheese'

There are tons of recipes out there for vegan cashew parm.  If you haven't tried making it yet, it's super easy and delicious. The basic recipe is simply cashews, nutritional yeast, and salt. I like to add garlic granules to mine. You could also add onion granules and dried herbs to suit your taste.

Vegan Cashew Parmesan 'Cheese'

3/4 cup raw cashews

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp garlic granules

1/2 tsp salt

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until crumbly. I like to use this on top of (and inside) casseroles and gratins and on top of zoodles with marinara.

Quinoa Stuffed Delicata Squash

Finally something autumnal! The weather has cooled off at last, and I got lots of squash and some sage in the CSA this week, so I present stuffed squash. I used delicata, but you can use any winter squash like acorn or pumpkin or butternut...


1 delicata squash
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (I cooked mine in broth with sauteed onions and garlic)
2 Tbsp garbanzo beans (I used the rest of the can to make hummus)
2 tsp chopped fresh sage, or to taste
salt and pepper
1-2 Tbsp Cashew Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 350

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and rub with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Combine the cooked quinoa, garbanzo beans, and sage in a small bowl Season as desired with salt and pepper and cashew parmesan. Stuff the squash halves, mounding the stuffing as needed and sprinkle with a little more cashew cheese. Bake until the squash is tender and the top is browned, 20-25 minutes.

Mushroom and Tempeh Goulash

This is my second foray into tempeh land, and it was every bit as successful as the tempe chili that I posted earlier. I used elbow macaroni for this but it would work well with zoodles for sure, or any other pasta-type food that you enjoy. I used a combination of fresh and canned tomatoes for this dinner. You could use all fresh if you have enough, or all canned if that's all you've got. I forgot to weigh the fresh tomatoes, so, as usual, amounts below are approximations.

Mushroom and Tempe Goulash

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

8 oz. tempeh, diced approximately the size of peas, or whatever size you would like to eat

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, juice and all, pureed with a stick blender

3 cups or so sliced mushrooms. I used a combination of crimini and button, use one or both or whatever you have

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup broth if needed

salt and pepper to taste

elbow macaroni or other pasta-type product of choice

Sweat the onions in the oil for about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute, then add the tempeh and a pinch of salt. Cook while you chop the tomatoes and mushrooms. Add the tomatoes and mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 8 minutes to break up the tomatoes. The sauce seemed very dry to me at this point, so added about 1/2 cup of veggie broth. Stir in the herbs and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Meanwhile cook or otherwise prepare your pasta. When ready, stir into the pan with the sauce and serve.

I served this with cashew parmesan and it was delicious!

Roasted Carrot Mac and 'Cheese'

Years ago I developed a recipe for one pot mac and cheese. Tonight I decided to try a vegan version, and it turned out pretty darned good. I have a LOT of carrots to use up, so I used a few of them in the sauce. They are not required to make the dish, but they did make it orange so it looks more like traditional mac and cheese. My original plan was to add kale to this, but when I went to get it out of the fridge I found some green beans that weren't going to last much longer, so I decided to roast them with some cauliflower and add that instead. I am pleased with how this turned out. The only issue was that using such a small amount of cashews they didn't get super smooth in the food processor. This is easily remedied by using pre-made or store-bought cashew butter, or just making more, using only a little for this dish, and saving the rest for another use.

Roasted Carrot Macaroni and 'Cheese'

2 Carrots, about 8 oz., cut into 1/2 inch lengths

small drizzle of olive oil

1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews

Pinch salt

Sprinkle (pinch) of garlic granules

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 cup elbow macaroni

2 cups veggie broth 

1/2 cup or so sliced green beans

1 cup or so cauliflower florets

small drizzle olive oil

Toss the carrots with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast at 35 until soft, 12-15 minutes. Cool slightly and puree in a food processor (or you could probably just add them in with the cashews rather than doing them separate, but I didn't try it that way)

If you plan ahead, you can roast the green beans and cauliflower with the carrots, but they will take only about 8-10 minutes. If you don't plan ahead like me, you can roast them while the pasta cooks.

Process the cashews in a food processor until smooth like peanut butter. It may be easier to achieve the desired texture if you add a Tbsp or so of broth. Add the pinch of salt, garlic granules, nutritional yeast, and carrots, and pulse until combined. Set aside

Put the pasta and broth in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes. There will still be liquid in the pot. Stir in the cashew mixture and simmer until thickened and heated through, just a few minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and green beans and serve.  Makes 2-3 servings.

Veggie Stir Fry

This one is just a basic stir-fry. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand. Traditionally served over rice, this time I had it with spaghetti squash instead.

Veggie Stir-Fry

For the sauce: 

1 Tbsp Brown or White Sugar 

3 Tbsp Water

3 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Dry Sherry

1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

1/2 Tbsp Corn Starch

1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1-2 Cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 tsp Fresh grated ginger

2 tsp or so High Heat Oil
Chopped or sliced veggies of choice, for example:
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1 carrot, sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup sliced green beans
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
a few handfuls mung bean sprouts
4 green onions, sliced lengthwise, then into about 2 inch lengths
3 heads baby bok choy, leaves separated but left whole
1 can sliced water chestnuts

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan or walk over high heat. Add the oil. When the oil is hot add the onions and stir for a minute or two, then add the carrot  and green beans. Cook and stir for about two minutes, then add the mushrooms.  Stir the sauce well, then add it to the wok. Stir for a few minutes until in thickens, then add the sprouts, water chestnuts and bok choy. Cook until the bok choy wilts and serve.

Tempeh Chili

This is my first ever time preparing or eating tempeh, and it was a hit! Both my husband and I really enjoyed this chili, and he packed the leftovers for lunch, which is a clear indication that it is good! I liked the texture a lot, and will be experimenting with other applications soon, like Asian lettuce cups, scramble, and who knows what else!

I have been craving chili for a few weeks, at least, but I never got around to making it for whatever reason. I usually just make vegan chili with veggies and beans, but I bought a pack of tempeh at Whole Foods a few weeks ago on a whim. I have never cooked with it before, and was curious about it. As luck would have it, today I had a bunch of tomatoes on the counter that were getting super-ripe and a bag of padron peppers in the fridge. I know this is not the usual application for padrones, but they worked great!

Since I had never used tempeh before, I was a little unsure how to proceed. I read a few different ways to get 'crumbles'. One was to use the food processor, one was to use a box grater, and one was to simply chop it with a knife. I am a fan of not having a ton of dishes to wash after dinner, so I went with the knife-chop method. I cut the tempeh into strips, then essentially just chopped/diced them until they were about the size I wanted. (Basically resembling crumbled ground meat.)

I used black beans and garbanzos for this, but you can use whatever you like. I also used fresh tomatoes, but a 14 oz. can would be great. Fire-roasted or diced with green chilis would also be appropriate here. I also used Padron peppers because I had them, but you could use bell peppers, anaheims, poblanos, or leave them out altogether. I also meant to use fresh garlic, but I forgot so ended up sprinkling some garlic granules instead.

Tempeh Chili

2 tsp Olive oil

1/2 an onion, diced, 

1/2 cup diced padron peppers, or other peppers of choice

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (or 1/2 tsp or so garlic powder or granules)

3-4 tsp chili powder

1-2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1 8 oz pack of tempeh

~1/2 cup veggie broth

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)

1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 14 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

diced green onions for garnish 

sliced fresh jalapenos for garnish

Cook the onion and peppers in olive oil until nice and soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and Mexican oregano. Stir for about a minute to let the spices bloom, then add the crumbled tempeh. Stir to coat with the spiced, then add the broth. Stir to combine and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans. Add more broth if the chili seems to dry and continue simmering for about another 30 minutes to let the flavors really come together. Check periodically to make sure there is enough liquid to keep the chili from sticking. Serve topped with green onions and jalapenos, if desired.