Jalapeno & Mushroom Quesadilla Recipe-Veganize It

Even after three years, I still get nervous sometimes when I offer the boys a new recipe.

Kids can be picky when it comes to food, so when I saw jalapeno & mushrooms in this recipe, I wasn't sure they would like it.

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's blog.

Even though there aren't any vegan recipes on her blog, it wasn't hard to make a few changes to make this one vegan-friendly.

I used Daiya vegan cheese....a little vegan cheese goes a long way. Also, instead of conventional butter I used Earth Balance vegan margarine.

I removed the seeds from the jalapenos for the kids so it wouldn't be spicy

I skipped the salt & pepper and seasoned my mushrooms with cumin instead.

Dinner was served without any complaints! 

Make this recipe vegan today! Use vegan cheese, vegan margarine (or oil) instead of conventional butter and cheese.

Let me know if you try this recipe. :-) 

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What's for Dinner? Creamy Vegan Sausage & Kale Pasta

It's been way too long since I've made a cooking video on my YouTube channel.  I finally got motivated to film yesterday and plan to get back into the full swing in the coming weeks.

I pulled together an awesome skillet meal heavily inspired by this creamy pasta recipe from Divas Can Cook.  Instead of using heavy cream and cheese I opted for canned coconut to give the pasta a delicious and creamy texture. You don't have to worry about an overwhelming coconut flavor in this recipe. I also used vegan sausage to make this meal completely plant-based, simple and delicious.

Why eat Hamburger Helper when you can put together a healthier skillet meal in less time?

My family approved of this meal and I know yours will too. Send me a picture on Twitter or Instagram when you make this dish. :-) 

Vegan Sausage & Kale Pasta

by Brown Vegan

Ingredients (Serves 6)

• 3 cups mini bow-tie pasta, uncooked
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for sautéing)
• ½ cup red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 vegan sausage links (I use Field Roast), chopped
• 1 large tomato, diced
• ½ cup canned coconut milk (add more, if necessary)
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 2 cups raw kale, steams removed & ripped into bite-sized pieces
• salt & pepper to taste (I add mine at the end)

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, add in pasta and cook until al dente.

In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic on medium heat until the onion is soft. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes. Next add in vegan sausage and tomato and warm together for about 3 minutes. Then stir in coconut milk and parsley and cook for 2 minutes. Mix in pasta and kale and finish cooking for 3-4 minutes medium heat.

Optional: Add in more coconut milk to make a creamier sauce

Season with salt and pepper if necessary

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Veganize It! Chef John's Crispy Potatoes with Spicy Garlic & Chili Aioli

A lot of my inspiration for meal planning and recipe videos come from non-vegan sources.  I spend hours skimming through cookbooks soaking in recipes from around the world and really enjoy learning about food preparation and spices. Did I mention I have a slight desire to attend culinary school? I just couldn't imagine handling eggs, cheese, and meat all day, though. *sigh*

Last week, I watched Chef John (a non-vegan chef) put together a fried potato dish using herbs and simple spices.

I made it today and it was so delish! Crispy on the outside and soft (like old school McDonald's fries) on the inside.

I only had to make one ingredient change to make this recipe vegan. I used Vegenaise in place of conventional mayo, and also decided to add chili paste to the topping to give it an extra kick.

This batch didn't come out as crispy as the first picture.

When I make this dish again (probably this weekend), I will use more potatoes (these kids are greedy lol) and allow them to fry longer to ensure each potato is even more crispy. I was a little nervous that I would burn them, so I only fried each batch for about 6 minutes (8-9 is probably a better number).

Visit Food Wishes to watch the video and get the measurements. 

Thanks for reading. :-)

Microwave Popcorn-Vegan Style

This is a very simple way to enjoy microwave popcorn without worrying about the ingredients.

Watch me make it in the video below.

Vegan Microwave Popcorn

by Brown Vegan

Cook Time: approx 2 mins

Keywords: snack vegan

Ingredients (5-6 cups)

• 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
• 1 standard paper lunch bag

Instructions

Put kernels in the bag and fold over twice. Try not to make the folds too big to allow room for the kernels to pop.

Set your microwave for 2 minutes (don't use the popcorn button on your microwave) and place the bag flat on the fold side.

Pop the kernels until the popping slows down to avoid burning.

It usually takes about 1min20sec for my popcorn to finish.

Top with melted vegan margarine, hot sauce, salt, garlic powder or any other topping of choice.

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What's your favorite popcorn topping?

Veganize it! Peanut Butter Cups

Unfortunately, most of the popular brands of chocolate candy in the grocery store aren't vegan. Many contain milk and other non-vegan ingredients.

Since Halloween is fast approaching, I've decided to veganize some of those popular candies. Even if you don't partake in the Halloween festivities, you can still have fun making your own sweet treats right at home.

You only need 4 ingredients to make this chocolate & peanut butter deliciousness - Coconut oil, cocoa powder, agave nectar, and peanut butter.

Very important: You must use unrefined or "raw" coconut oil in this recipe. If you don't, your peanut butter cups will be an oily mess. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I couldn't get this simple recipe together, then realized it was all because of the coconut oil. *shaking my head*

Also, be sure to store in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat because the candy will melt at room temperature. 

All three kids agreed this candy is a winner and even asked me to make it again.  I guess all the candy they ate while I experimented wasn't good enough. lol I love my little guinea pigs. :-)

If you try this recipe, please update me and let me know what you think. 

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

by Brown Vegan

Ingredients (7-8 cups)

• 3/4 cup UNREFINED coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup cocoa or cacao powder
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I use an organic peanut butter with sugar already added)

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together coconut oil, cocoa powder and agave nectar.

Put cupcake liners into a freezer safe dish. Spoon 2 tbsp of the chocolate mixture into each liner.

Freeze uncovered for 10 minutes.

Afterwards, spread the peanut butter on top of each chocolate piece.

Then spoon 2 tbsp of chocolate sauce on top of each cupcake liner and freeze for 10 additional minutes.

Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

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On Wednesday I'm veganizing Snickers, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel below. 

Song playing while I uncooked.....