Vegan MoFo! Day Four: Coconut Kale Alfredo Sauce

So let's be honest here... there's nothing quite like a good helping of pasta. And as vegans, we typically get pretty lucky when it comes to pasta dishes.

When you get stuck at a non veg-friendly Italian joint with omnivorous friends or family members it's pretty much guaranteed that you are going to end up munching on bread and a bowl of pasta with some sort of red sauce and veggies. (Hopefully veggies!)

It's wonderful that most marinara sauces, whether they be jarred, restaurant, or homemade are typically vegan. But, not to knock red sauce here, it would be nice from time to time to have a little variety. Like alfredo sauce for instance.

When's the last time you had a nice creamy garlic -egg and diary free- alfredo sauce to go with that pasta from the farmer's market you like so much? We know, it had been ages for us too! So we had to do something about it!

Now, we have posted about this recipe before. It's a little creation we came up with in the early days of the Two Vegan Ladies blog and we have since perfected!  You can read the original post here but we'll admit it has a few extra steps than are necessary.

This has really become one of our most requested dishes and after making it several dozen times at various potlucks and social gatherings we have changed our method a bit. What used to take almost an hour and a half to make can now be whipped up in 20 minutes!

So let's get started on this revamped recipe- shall we?

*Note: This is A LOT of sauce. If you are making this for a small family dinner you may want to cut recipe in half.

You will need:
4 tablespoons of Earth Balance (we like soy-free)
4-6 chopped cloves of garlic or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 chopped shallots
1 bunch of kale
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (leave some finely chopped pieces for garnish as well!)
3 cans of coconut milk
3 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 teaspoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
4 tablespoons sundried tomato paste (totally optional)
4 tablespoons corn starch
and 1 mighty whisk

What to do:
First, get out a large pot. We used to make this in a sauce pan but have found it easier to mix everything together in something with higher sides.

Put on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance, and in this order, add: garlic, shallots, kale, and mushrooms. Let cook, stirring well, for a few minutes.

Next shake coconut milk cans and add to pot. Stir well and add chopped basil along with 2 more tablespoons of Earth Balance. Let cook for a few minutes.

Add 3 heaping tablespoons of nutritional yeast along with a few pinches of salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar, and oregano (if desired) and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Now, you may have noticed the picture above has a more redish-orange tint to it than our usual off-white alfredo sauce creation. This is because we decided to go for a sun dried tomato flavor in our alfredo sauce this time around.

If you would like to alter the flavor to some sun dried tomato goodness it's easy enough. You can certainly use actual sun dried tomatoes, or go the lazy way like we did. Most grocery stores carry a sun dried tomato paste or spread like this one. Just pop open the jar and stir about 4 tablespoons of the spread into your sauce pot.

This stuff is also great on sandwiches with hummus and fresh veggies!

So now remove your sauce from the heat and get ready, because it is time for... THE MIGHTY WHISK....

Grab your corn starch and your mighty whisk of choice because we're about to turn this concoction into a thick and creamy sauce.

Add the corn starch 1 tablespoon at a time into the pot and whisk, whisk, whisk those clumps away! You may need more than 4 tablespoons, you may need less... just keep whisking till you feel like it's working.

Also, keep in mind that the sauce will thicken as it cools so take it easy there vegan tiger as you add tablespoon after tablespoon of starchiness. You don't want to end up with a solid block of alfredo sauce.

You can use this sauce as a dip with bread or, of course, put in on top of your favorite noodles. In version 1.0 of this recipe we layered the sauce with our noodles and mixed it together. This seems to be the preferred method for potluck style dining because the sauce and kale are more evenly spread amongst the noodles. 

For social gatherings this is probably enough sauce to cover 2-3 boxes of pasta- depending on how saucy your guests like to be. ;-)

Top with freshly chopped basil and enjoy!

This has certainly become one of our signature dishes and we would love to see everyone's results and variations. If you would like, please post a picture on our facebook page here when you prepare it.

With peace, love, and compassion,

The Two Vegan Ladies

"I Can't Believe it's Vegan" Lasagna

The other night we made our own veganized version of a tradition lasagna. The best part about serving this dish to friends, whether veggie or omni, is the compliments we receive.

Our favorite: "I can't believe this is vegan!"

Now, this is not to say that vegan food is typically unappetizing or that eating something delicious and vegan is a rare and divine miracle.

The reason this lasagna is so impressive is that it really and truly looks and tastes like any traditional lasagna. We dare say you could bring this to an omni potluck and no one would be the wiser. If you're looking for a dish to share with people who are skeptical of you compassionate diet choices or believe that all animal product free food is tasteless and odd... or if you have a friend that says "I could just never give up my cheese!" this is the recipe to make for them.

So let's begin.

You will need:
1 package of lasagna noodles
2 jars of your favorite red sauce
2 packages firm tofu
1/2 can chilled coconut milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package Boca Crumbles
1 package Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese
1 small package mushrooms
1 zucchini
3 green onions
1 yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic
4 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
dried basil

What to do:

Firstly, put your can of coconut milk in the fridge the day before if possible. If not set it in now so it has some time to chill.

*Note: Before using canned coconut milk always make sure to give the can a good shake.



Next, cut open your tofu and using either a TofuXpress or your bare hands, squeeze the water out from the tofu. Then, using a food processor, combine 1 package of tofu with 2 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1/4 chilled coconut milk, a sprinkle of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and basil then blend until smooth and creamy. Empty in a bowl and repeat the same process with your second block of tofu. Set to side.

Now, in a large skillet heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Crush four cloves of garlic and add to oil followed by 1 chopped yellow onion, 1 small package sliced mushrooms, 1 green onion, and Boca crumbles. Stir well, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and other dried seasonings then let sit for a few minutes before adding 2 jars of sauce. Let simmer on low heat,  stirring occasionally.

Next, boil lasagna noodles. Try not to overcook. Noodles will continue to soften once layered and put into oven.

Check on veggies/sauce. If not seasoned to your liking you may want to add more dried spices or a pinch of organic cane sugar if too salty/acidic.

Now, wash and chop 1 zucchini into medium-thin circles. Set to side.

Drain noodles and let cool for a minute before attempting to separate. Turn off heat on sauce/veggies.

Grab your Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese and a grater with a fine setting and get ready to go to town!

But first, preheat oven to 350ºF.

Then...
In a large casserole dish begin layering as follows:

small amount of sauce/veggie/crumble mixture
noodles
1/2 tofu ricotta
1/2 zucchini slices
1/4 block finely grated vegan cheese
sauce/veggie/crumble mixture
noodles
1/2 tofu ricotta
1/2 zucchini slices
1/4 finely grated block vegan cheese
sauce/veggie/crumble mixture
noodles
sauce/veggie/crumble mixture
1/2 finely grated block vegan cheese
1 chopped green onion (for garnish)

Bake at 350ºF for 30-45 minutes (when cheese seems good and melted) and then remove and let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. You want the casserole to set so that it does not fall apart when sliced into.

Besides, everyone knows lasagna is better the next day anyway!

Makes 12 servings and is about 235 calories per piece depending on type of sauce used. Zero cholesterol and packed with protein and other nutrients, of course! Serve with salad and garlic bread and wait for the compliments to roll in!

P.S. Shout-out to all our Instagram followers for all their awesome comments about this dish. We hope you enjoy it once you make it yourself! Please post pictures, and let us know @twoveganladies, we would love to see them!

With peace, love, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies

 

The Notorious P-H-O

Move over tomato soup! We've recently found that when it comes to comfort food nothing beats Vietnamese Phở soup. We started eating Phở somewhat recently and are very fortunate to have a wonderful all-vegan Vietnamese restaurant near us where we can get it any time. But as we sat and sipped our uniquely flavored and addictive new favorite food we wondered- how can we make it easy for other vegans to get ahold of this delicacy? 


So we set out on a course to make a batch ourselves and see if we could capture some of this Asian soup magic. 


This recipe may seem intense but we assure you the product will be well worth the effort. It can be quite the process, but don't fret, we've included lots of pictures for this recipe to help you out!


It makes 4-6 servings so either invite some friends over, bring some to someone who needs a good meal, or save it (broth and noodles separately) for another rainy day.


First we are going to make the broth. This broth is difficult to compare to any other traditional american-style soup. The flavor is rich and unique. It's pretty amazing stuff.


You will need:
2 unpeeled shallots, halved

1 small unpeeled onion, quartered
a 2-inch piece of ginger, coarsely sliced
2 pods of star anise
3 two-three inch cinnamon sticks
8 garlic cloves, halved
4 cloves
8 cups clear vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
salt


Now, we know what you're thinking. Unpeeled onions and shallots? And what the heck is star anise?


Firstly, yes leave the peel on your onions and shallots because they will add to the flavor of the broth but won't actually end up in your soup.


<--- Secondly, this is star anise. 


It's sort of smells like licorice and adds a really unique accent to the pho. You don't need much of it, but the flavor is quite impressive. 


To make the broth:


1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. 


2. Add the onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves and dry-roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to char. 

3. Add the stock and soy sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. 


4. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes. 

5. Strain into a clean pot and discard the solids for compost. 

6. Taste the broth and add salt if necessary. 


7. Keep warm over low heat.




Now, for the soup ingredients you will need:

4 scallions, thinly sliced (both green and white parts) 

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 ounces or more prepared seitan, chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 ounces or more of baked tofu, sliced into bite-sized strips
14-16 ounces of rice noodles

First add carrots and scallions to broth and let simmer for a few minutes alone before adding in your seitan and tofu. Continue to let simmer. 


While the broth is simmering, prepare the rice noodles according to the package. Some will need to be boiled, some will need boiling water poured over them while dry. It will depend on which type you buy. We like this brand.

When your noodles are ready do not add them to the broth. Let them sit to the side. You want these two items to come together only when they are about to be eaten or else the noodles will get too soft. Also, don't drain them too soon or they will stick together.

When the carrots in your broth seem semi-soft you're ready to assemble the soup. Divide broth and rice noodles evenly among 4 to 6 large bowls.

One of the nice things about pho soup is sharing it with friends and giving them the freedom to season their soup as they wish.

For the sides:

about 2 cups bean sprouts
a good amount of basil
1 lime, cut into wedges
sriracha chili paste

Some people like it spicy with the sriracha chili paste and others just like the balance that the lime and basil offer. We both like to throw a lot of bean sprouts in ours for a nice fresh crunch.


You could also serve this dish with hoison sauce or fresh cilantro depending on your taste preference. 

We guarantee you will love this soup and it will instantly become your new favorite go-to comfort food.

Have a non-veg friend who's feeling a little sick or down? Bring them a bowl of this delicious homemade stuff instead of chicken noodle soup! Just an idea!

And don't forget your chopsticks! 

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies

Holy Guacamole! Mexican Alfredo Pasta!

So what do you do when you have a veggie basket full of avocados left over from Cinco de Mayo? Well first you pick out the survivors and then you make Mexican alfredo pasta!


Guacamole is delicious but sometimes you want that wonderful avocado flavor with a new twist.


This creamy dish is a good source of fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid.

 What you'll need:

1 medium-large avocado

1/2 can coconut milk

1/2 package tofu

Juice from 3 limes

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 can black beans

2 cloves of garlic

1 small red onion

1 small vadalia (or yellow) onion

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

1 package noodles (we like the Garden Delight variety) 

Fresh salsa for topping

First, cut your avocado and remove the seed. 


If you're feeling ambitious poke some toothpicks into the seed and set it in a jar of water so it can sprout. Once sprouted, move it to a pot of soil and then eventually to the ground so it can grow into a beautiful avocado tree! We have three growing at our house right now!  


*It should also be noted that sometimes these seeds take a while. Some of ours have taken their sweet time of almost two months! Just fill the water as it evaporates and change it out if it gets icky. They will eventually root and sprout little green friends! Promise! Sometimes removing the outer dark colored shell helps expedite this process. 




Next, combine avocado, coconut milk, tofu, lime juice, cilantro, basil, and green onions into a food processor or blender with 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Now, in a skillet sauté garlic with red and yellow onions and black beans. Season to taste.

Boil your noodles then combine avocado sauce with beans/onions and noodles. Mix well or layer.

Add fresh salsa or chopped green onions for garnish.

This creamy and delicious pasta dish will easily serve 4 people.

Gotta love avocados! 

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies

Quick and Easy "Impressive Bread"

Have you ever had impromptu company show-up and suddenly you're in a position where you need to make some dinner that is going to be quick as well as impressive? This easy bread recipe can help!

This bread is great for random dinner guests because it's something you can always keep on hand in the back of fridge and just pull it out then you need it.

The Two Vegan Ladies "Impressive Bread"

Time to cook: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy!

Calories Per Serving: 100

Serves: 8

You will need:
1 package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

We know this seems strange, but they really are vegan. "So fake it's vegan!" we've heard people say. We didn't say it was good for you- just animal product free.





1 tsp Olive oil or Earth Balance
Fresh or dried basil
Fresh or dried rosemary
Garlic powder
Salt and Pepper

First. Preheat your oven according to the crescent roll directions. If you're using fresh herbs separate and chop them up into pieces.

Then. Take your herbs and mix them together with a teaspoon of olive oil/earth balance and a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Next. (This is the worst part.) Pop open your crescent rolls. Why do these things always cause so much anxiety? Now, do nothing to your crescent rolls. Do not, we repeat DO NOT SEPARATE THE CRESCENT ROLLS.

Then. Spread your herb mixture out on a flat surface and roll your whole crescent roll dough cylinder in the herb mixture until every part (including the ends) are coasted in some sort of herbs and spices.

Next. Place it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. You will probably need to bake it a little longer than the directions instruct to make sure it cooks throughly. Really you just want to wait for it to get golden brown.

Lastly. Place on serving dish and serve with a side of fancy herb Earth Balance. This is a great side dish or appetizer!

With love, peace, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies

Vegan Garlic Mushroom Alfredo Recipe

When we were vegetarian we often talked about going vegan. We knew it would eventually happen but we prolonged it because we didn't want to let go of certain foods. We both assumed that with committing to an entirely plant based diet came the fact that there were food items and certain meals we were committing to never eating again. What we have found however, since going vegan six months ago, is that those fluffy textures and savory flavors we thought we were going to miss out on- cheese, cream, egg- are all available to us in different non-animal derived forms. We just needed to figure out how to put them together.

Last night we had a little thrift store expedition with a few friends followed by a small dinner party. Don't get the wrong idea here. This was nothing too fancy. We didn't break out the fine dishes and dress in ball gowns. In reality, our dining room table remains covered in craft supplies, as usual, and we sat in the living room with our food watching reruns of Rupauls' Drag Race together. Yeah, we're that kind of glamorous. Looking back we probably should have worn ball gowns.


We've made this meal before for just ourselves and made a lighter version with slightly different ingredients, but tonight since we were making it for 5 people we changed it up a bit and made a full flavor version. Let me tell you we got some great reviews! This is the sort of meal you serve your non-veg friends so you can see their carnivorous eyes light up and watch them speak the words "THIS is VEGAN?"

 So without further ado we present to you another original recipe.

 The Two Vegan Ladies:

Vegan Garlic Mushroom Alfredo

Time to cook: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate (it only looks hard, we promise)

Calories Per Serving: About 200 (excluding noodles) less than 100 if you're doing the lite version

Serves: 6-8

You will need:

4 tablespoons Earth Balace (we use soy-free, it seems to have the most natural "butteryish" flavor)

6 cloves of fresh garlic

3/4 cup of fresh basil

2 shallots

1 large package of white or baby bella mushrooms
1 cup fresh kale (optional)

2 cans of coconut milk (lite coconut milk if you're going for the lite version of this recipe- you may want to up your corn starch and nutritional yeast if you are using the lite coconut milk or else your sauce will come out on the thin side. *Note: If you sampled this dish at the potluck we made the full-flavor version with the regular coconut milk.)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast 

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 packages of noodles (we went with Barilla Penne noodles for this meal)

The way to make this sauce come out thick and smooth is to add everything together slowly and give the flavors time to meld. It will be a process but it will be worth it!

1. Heat a large sauce pan/skillet to medium heat. 

2. Add 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance to pan.

3. Chop all your garlic and shallots then add to pan. 

4. Chop half of your basil into medium pieces and add to pan.

5. Stir everything and let simmer for 2 minutes.

6. Then chop all mushrooms and add to pan.

7. If you are adding in kale (not shown in pictures but highly suggested for flavor!) chop and add in now. You want them to be bite sized when they cook.

8. When the mushrooms and kale are coated in the Earth Balance, shake the coconut milk cans. Especially on the full flavor coconut milk it can get very thick and chunky. It may even need to be stirred once opened. Add both cans into the pan. This is going to seem very runny. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

9. Now add the another 1/4 of chopped basil along with your nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and garlic powder. You can go a little liberal with the spices here. I like mine a little more peppery so I probably end up adding a lot more. Just do it to you personal taste.

10. Add the remainder of your Earth Balance and let melt in while stirring. 

11. Time to start thickening your sauce! Grab a whisk and add in the corn starch. (Add more if you're using the lite coconut milk and you feel like it needs to be thicker.) With this ingredient you really need to make sure to mix it well or you could end up with little chunks of raw corn starch in the final product... and no one wants that.

12. You should have half of your basil left now. Add 1/4 of it in and leave the rest chopped to the side.

*Super secret ingredient tip: taste your sauce. If at this point you feel that the mix needs a little something to even out the zip of the garlic add a pinch or two of raw cane sugar. That will do it!

At this point your alfredo sauce should look something like this:

Yeah, it's sort of a gray. Don't worry that's natural coloring from the mushrooms. (Note: If you added in the kale it will a lot more green and leafy!)

13. Turn heat down to low and let simmer while you boil the water for your noodles. Keep stirring the sauce every so often for a few minutes then remove from heat. It's ready to use!

14. Once cooked, drain your noodles then set to the side. 

15. In a large bowl layer your sauce and noodles so that every bit is well coated. 

16. Mix pasta and sauce well then garnish with your remaining fresh chopped basil.

As Rupaul would say:


"It's an eleganza extravaganza!"


But really it's more of a basil alfredo garlic and mushroom (and kale!) extravaganza.






Serve with a big scoopy spoon or tongs and don't be surprised when your friends go for seconds.

With love, peace, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies