I know we’ve all been there. A certain is in aroma in the air, and all of a sudden, in comes the grand idea to make a hearty Mexican meal. After a few minutes of mental conversation,  you decide you really want enchiladas, but you just don’t have the patience. Well, I’ve got the recipe for you!

Enchilada lasagna has all of the flavor and goodness of regular enchiladas but only 10% the hassle. I absolutely love this recipe because it’s simple. You sauté a few ingredients, you create layers, and you pop it in the oven. Simple! So simple in fact, it’s become one of my go to meals when I’m having company over. I’ve cooked this vegan meal for so many omnivores who are down right shocked that it is completely satisfying without any animal products.

Still not convinced? It tastes just as amazing, if not even better, as leftovers! Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Cheers & happy eating!

Jocelyn

Vegan Enchilada Lasagna

***Please feel free to share widely, just give me some credit or a link back

Prep Time: ~15 minutes; Cook Time: ~30 minutes; Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients/ shopping list:

• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 jalepeno, minced (You can also use another pepper of choice! Sometimes I like to use serranos or poblanos instead.)
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can corn
• salt, to taste (fresh ground is best)
• pepper, to taste (fresh ground is best)
• 1+ cans enchilada sauce (Depending on how ‘saucy’ you like it. The tortillas will soak up some of the liquid.)
• ~12 six inch corn tortillas
• 1 bag daiya cheese (Use whatever flavor you like. I go for Chedder.)
• 1½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• Optional: Additional veggies like summer squash!
• Optional garnish: Cilantro.

Directions:

2. Chop your red and green peppers and onion. Drizzle some olive oil in a pan and sauté the veggies until they turn bright but still have a little crunch. Add in the minced jalapeño and garlic. Season with a little salt and pepper. Sauté another few minutes. (The veggies should be almost cooked, but not completely).

3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, transfer to a large mixing bowl and combine with the can of black beans and corn. Toss all ingredients with the cumin, chili powder, and cayenne.

4. Get a 9×12 glass baking dish and your enchilada sauce. Spread the bottom and sides of the dish with sauce. Add a layer of tortillas completely covering the bottom of the pan. Top with half the veggie/bean filling and a third of the cheese. Add another layer of tortillas and completely cover with enchilada sauce. Repeat this process.

5. End with a final layer of tortillas smothered in the remaining cheese and sauce. Cover with tented aluminum foil (so the cheese doesn’t stick!)

6. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tented foil and bake ~5-10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the enchilada lasagna is nice and bubbly.

7. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes so it ‘settles.’

Enjoy!

The post Vegan Enchilada Lasagna Redux appeared first on Vegan Hostess.

I’m Italian, and I love pasta. However, I try to limit the amount of carbs I eat throughout the week so I tend to save some of my favorite Italian meals for special treats and holiday dinners. I usually make a hearty vegan lasagna for Christmas dinner, but this year I have been planning to make vegan stuffed shells. 

Today was my lucky day. The item I had be searching for high and low for weeks was finally in stock at my local Whole foods. So what is this item? It’s vegan ricotta cheese made by kitehill, and it was worth the search. Their almond milk ricotta is worlds above any tofu ricotta I’ve made in the past. The first time I made this dish I fooled omnivores and vegetarians alike with my vegan take on stuffed shells.

The recipe results in a true Italian dish full of fresh herbs with rich flavors and spicy marinara sauce all topping the perfect faux ricotta mix which includes kitehill ricotta, mozzarella Daiya, fresh basil, shallots and green peppers.

I hope you enjoy it! Cheers!

Jocelyn

Vegan Stuffed Shells

Time: 50-55 minutes, cook time – 25-30 minutes; prep time – 25 minutes

Yields: 30 shells or six servings

Ingredients

• Two jars pasta sauce (alternatively you can make you own sauce; I tend to buy a pre-made sauce and add extra flavors)
• Jumbo shells (30 shells, varies depending on company)
• Vegan Ricotta:
  • 2-3 packages of Kitehill vegan ricotta
  • 1 package, Mozzarella Daiya
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 1 large bell pepper dived
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Fresh basil leaves, sliced
  • Fresh oregano, minced (1 tbsp)
  • Fresh thyme, minced (½ tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp, sea salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ tsp, cayenne

Directions

• Grease a very large casserole dish or a few smaller casserole dishes, and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• Boil a large pot of water, lightly salted. (I also add a splash of olive oil so the shells don’t stick).
  • Once the water is boiling, add the shells. (Note, you will need to cook more than 30 since some will break during cooking.)
  • Boil for about 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.
  • Drain the shells, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, drain again, and set aside to cool.
• Sauté the minced shallots and garlic in a well oiled sauté pan. (About 5 minutes.) Set aside.
• Sauté your sweet onion and green bell pepper and set aside. (About 7 minutes.)
  • While you are sautéing your veggies, mince and shred your fresh herbs.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, empty the contents of the Kitehill vegan ricotta packages.
  • Add 1 package Daiya mozzerella and mix well.
  • Next add the fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, cayenne, sea salt, black pepper, and the minced garlic and shallots. Mix until well combined.
• Cover the bottom and sides of the baking pans with marinara sauce.
• Spoon the ricotta mixture into your stuffed shells and place in a single layer in the baking dishes.
• Cover with the remaining pasta sauce (be heavy handed) and sprinkle any remaining nominal amounts of the fresh herbs.
• Loosely cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

The post A Vegan Holiday: Recipe Stuffed Shells appeared first on Vegan Hostess.

So this week I decided to adapt another recipe from Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck. (Read my review of the Chick Pea and Dumpling Soup here). I’m Italian so of course I’ve had my fair share of wedding soup. However, I don’t think I had tasted it since I stopped eating meat years and years ago. After enjoying this recipe, I can say that I missed that flavor! It’s warm, a little salty, and completely satisfying on chilly evenings.

The soup is basically a mix of cannelloni bean ‘balls,’ orzo, kale, celery, carrots, onion, spices, and vegetable broth. Simple as that! Below you’ll find my adapted version of the recipe, as well as, as my commentary on making this dish. Enjoy! 

Cheers!

Jocelyn

PS – Check out Thug Kitchen’s newest cookbook, “Thug Kitchen Party Grub: For Social Motherf*ckers.”

Ingredients:

• 3 cups white beans
• 1 chopped onion
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs (I used Trader Joe’s pumpkin corn bread crumbs…it’s what I had handy!)
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 c. nutritional yeast (I like Bragg’s)
• 3 tbl. olive oil
• 1 tbl. tamari
• 1 tsp. each of thyme, basil, oregano, and no-salt, and lemon zest
• 1 tbl. lemon juice
• 2-3 chopped carrots
• 2-3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 c. orzo pasta
• 9 c. low sodium vegetable broth
• 5c. chopped kale
• 1/4c. chopped basil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Now, first things first, you have to make the white bean balls. This is something I had never done before, but it was actually really fun! In a large mixing bowl, mash 3 cups (two cans) white beans until they form a paste-like texture. You really have to get in there and use your elbow grease. Slowly mix in ¼ c. chopped onion, 1/2 c. bread crumbs (I used Trader Joe’s pumpkin corn bread crumbs…it’s what I had handy!), 3 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 c. nutritional yeast (I like Bragg’s), 2 tbl. olive oil, 1 tbl. tamari, 1 tsp. each of thyme, basil, oregano, and no-salt, and lemon zest.

Once it’s all mixed together, roll table spoon size balls using your hands. So I have to admit that this is the point where I made a mistake. I mixed all of the ingredients except the bread crumbs and rolled all twenty balls. Then I realized what I had done so I had the pleasure of remixing the ingredients with the bread crumbs and re-rolling twenty bean balls. Sheesh! Anyway, once the balls are rolled, bake for 15 minutes, turn the balls over, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown. While the balls are cooking, it’s time to work on the soup.

The soup base is pretty standard. Heat 1 tbl. olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the rest of the chopped onion (3/4 c.), 2-3 chopped carrots, and 2-3 ribs of celery. Cook and stir for 5-7 minutes, or until the veggies start to brown and soften. Add in 3 cloves minced garlic and 1 c. orzo pasta and cook for another minute. Then begin to gently pour in 9 c. low sodium vegetable broth while stirring. Let all of the ingredients all simmer together for about 10-15 minutes, until the pasta and veggies are cooked. Then turn off the heat, add 5c. chopped kale, 1/4c. chopped basil, and a splash of the lemon juice.

Once your soup and your bean balls are both done cooking, it’s time to assemble your hearty soup dish! Simply place a few bean balls in the bottom of a soup bowl and ladle the soup over the bean balls. Garnish with your choice of non-dairy cheese (I used mozzarella Daiya). Mangia Mangia!

The post Recipe Review: Vegan Wedding Soup appeared first on Vegan Hostess.

I hope everyone is keeping warm & cozy. Is it sad that I was excited when the low for the day was 0 degrees? Because you know that’s not a negative number!

Anyway, the cold got me in the mood for some hot tea, and I decided to break out my Red Rose Tea Simply Indulgent collection. My favorite flavor is “Lemon Chiffon.” For some reason it tastes strikingly similar to a Girl Scout cookie I used to enjoy in the ’90s – the “Lemon Pastry Cremes.” Seriously, try it for yourself!

By the way, have you heard the news? Both Girl Scouts bakeries are now making their Thin Mints vegan. No more searching for the right bakery or ordering cookies on ebay! Hooray for small, vegan dessert victories!

So how do you warm up on these cold winter nights? Let me know in the comments!

Jocelyn

The post Simply Indulgent Red Rose Tea & Girl Scout Cookies appeared first on Vegan Hostess.