Many-Veggie Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Sep05

If you went to the farmers market last weekend and brought home some zucchini, pattypan squash, tomatoes, carrots, onions, and lots of herbs – this recipe is for you! If you didn’t bring home those exact vegetables, this recipe is still for you! It’s super flexible, and a way to use up pretty much any late summer vegetable that you might have on hand. Eggplant, corn, peppers, and/or broccoli would all work in here as well.

I love making this one for two reasons:

The most important reason is that once all the vegetables are roasting, the kitchen smells amazing… the earthy carrots, the sweet tomatoes, and the savory onion aromas float around in the air in a way that makes me feel so happy to be cooking!

The second reason? You can get away with not measuring anything (fewer dishes!) as long as you’re willing to taste and adjust your final dish. Too bland? Add more salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, herbs and/or cheese. Not punchy or bright enough? Add more squeezes of lemon and/or drizzles of vinegar. Too dry? Drizzle your olive oil a little more generously 🙂

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Aug31

vegan / breakfast / snack

This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk.

If you were to ask me which food most defines my childhood, I’d answer – without hesitation – chocolate chip muffins. During my entire childhood, not only did my mom make chocolate chip muffins at least once or twice a week for breakfast, but my grandmother would bring giant containers full of them whenever she visited. Even when I went off to college, my mom actually mailed the muffins to me. That means until I moved in with Jack, pretty much every day was muffin day!

That’s why I’m honestly shocked that 6 years into this blog, I’ve yet to share a chocolate chip muffin recipe! I guess I got too distracted by zucchini breads and pumpkin breads over the years.

So today I’m here to remedy the situation! This banana-based version is not the family recipe, but I love it anyway 🙂 Here’s what’s in them:

These muffins are vegan(!) using my go-to non-dairy Almond Breeze almondmilk. To change things up this time, I used their Almond Coconut Unsweetened Vanilla Blend. These muffins don’t have an overly coconutty taste, but the coconut blend adds nice, subtle sweetness. I like to get the shelf-stable variety and keep it on hand in my pantry until a muffin craving hits.

Of course, if you aren’t a fan of chocolate in your muffins, just leave it out and you’ll have delicious banana bread muffins. I think they’d also be great with blueberries in place of the chocolate, but don’t tell my younger self I said that.

Vegetarian Labor Day Recipes

Aug30

summer / favorite-recipes

It’s just about Labor Day weekend, and my thoughts are: oh noooooo(!!), how did we get here already! Warm nights grilling out on our back deck… sunny farmers market strolls… available fresh produce… I’m not quite ready for this season to end but I will try my best to embrace fall as it comes. Until then, here’s a wrap-up of ALL of my favorite recipes that I made this summer. I’m hoping they provide a little inspiration for your weekend festivities!

You can click directly on the images to go to each recipe.

To drink:

Spicy Watermelon Margaritas!

These are easy to make and naturally sweetened by the watermelon, which makes them borderline healthy :). The jalapeño gives them a fun, spicy kick.

To start:

Chipotle Cauliflower Nachos with Pineapple Salsa

I think this was the biggest fan favorite recipe of the summer – I’ve been tagged on SO many photos of these cauliflower nachos since I posted them. The “cheese” sauce, with cauliflower blended in, is completely vegan. Loaded with black beans, tomatoes, and pineapple salsa, these nachos are a meal by themselves.

Main Dishes:

Mini Stuffed Peppers with Pineapple Salsa

If you have extra pineapple salsa from the nachos above, use it to make these cute little stuffed peppers! They’re stuffed with herb-y cilantro lime rice and served with adobo-spiced pinto beans. Just add margaritas (also above).

BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches

These are a great party option because you can prep everything in advance. Jackfruit is simmered in an easy homemade chipotle BBQ sauce, then the saucy sandwiches are piled high with a tangy slaw. Pass the napkins.

Spicy Mango Black Bean Avocado Tacos

I’d make these not only for Labor Day, but for pretty much any day. These fresh tacos are so fast and easy to put together. I love how the mango adds a pop of sweetness.

On the side:

Sunny Creamy Tahini Pasta Salad

Every cookout needs a pasta salad, and I love this one because it’s loaded with fresh vegetables. The sauce is tangy, made with tahini sauce instead of a typical mayo base.

Spicy Ginger Miso Slaw with Peaches

Make this one before peach season is over!

Roasted Cherry Tomato Herbed Couscous Salad

Another fan favorite! I’ve seen so many insta-tomato salads since I posted this one. This recipe has great texture – half of the tomatoes are slow roasted until shriveled and jammy and half are left fresh and juicy. They’re combined with cucumbers, couscous, crispy chickpeas, and a bunch of fresh herbs. Make this one while tomatoes are still at their peak!

Spicy Tomato Watermelon Salad

My personal favorite. I love the balance of sweet/savory/spicy flavors. You can’t quite see the dressing, but it’s a light tamari-lime dressing that goes perfectly with the sweet watermelon, spicy peppers, and creamy avocado.

Grilled Potato Salad with Grilled Scallion Vinaigrette

Not your ordinary potato salad – this grilled scallion vinaigrette is SO flavorful over the grilled potatoes. If you’re grilling this weekend, give this one a go!

Something Sweet:

Strawberry Coconut Cream Tart

I love this simple dessert from the Sweet Laurel Cookbook. It’s made with an easy gluten-free almond flour crust, a lemon coconut cream filling, and it’s topped with fresh berries. Delish.

Soft Baked Vegan Sugar Cookies with Cashew Icing

These lemony cookies are lightly sweet and have a wonderful nutty flavor from the almond flour. They’re fun to make and fun to decorate with the cashew icing and these cute, naturally colored Supernatural sprinkles 🙂

Happy long weekend!

Chickpea Shawarma Wraps

Aug27

vegetarian / main dish

I’m obsessed with these wraps! I loved them so much that after we took these photos, I thought about them all day, I dreamt about them that night, and when I woke up, I ate the last leftover wrap for breakfast. I would not consider these “breakfast” wraps – I just didn’t have the willpower to wait for lunch. I mean, the warmly spiced chickpeas, the creamy hummus, the spicy zhoug chile paste, and the juicy/crispy veggies… this is what dreams are made of… at least if you’re me.

I mean, how pretty are they?! They’re so fresh and delicious!

Once again, we’re partnering with ALDI on this post which means that all of these ingredients are extremely affordable and are SO quick to shop for, since their stores are so efficiently laid out. This recipe is easy to make, but it does have a few components. To make these quick-ish, I use a few ready-made items like the new L’Oven Whole Wheat Pita Bread and yummy organic hummus from the expanded product line at ALDI. Everything else is made with a combination of veggies from their newly-expanded fresh produce section and my go-to pantry staples (their garbanzo beans are my favorite!).

The main filling for these wraps are the shawarma-spiced chickpeas. The chickpeas get drizzled in olive oil and are sprinkled with the flavorful spice mix below before and after they’re baked. Pro tip: get your organic spices at ALDI because they only cost just over one dollar each, and they taste amazing.

Don’t be afraid to go a little heavy handed on the spices, this shawarma mix has some bold flavors, but it’s not super spicy.

Speaking of super spicy, this zhoug chili paste is spicy(!) in the best way possible. The cilantro gives it a pesto-like texture but it has a bold flavor from the jalapeños, garlic, and cumin. A few dabs will go a long way in your wrap. Serve the rest on the side and spice to your level!

I finished my wraps with a lemony yogurt drizzle. It’s optional, but definitely recommended if you like your wraps saucy like I do 🙂

These are best eaten on warm pita as you assemble them, but like I said above, I ate mine out of the fridge on day 2 and still really enjoyed it. Wrap each individual wrap in foil for storage or for easy travel if you’re packing these for lunch or a trip.

ALDI has a ton of great new products that recently launched, you should go check them out! I used their new pita bread and organic hummus in this recipe, but I’m also loving their quinoa pasta and their award-winning gluten free breads. And don’t get me started on how delicious their wines are…that’s for another post. Let me know if you have any favorite ALDI products!

Fennel & Peach Salad with Mint & Pesto

Aug24

summer / salad / gluten free

I think fennel is way too underrated. It’s one of my absolute favorite vegetables and I’m just waiting for the day that it becomes “the new” kale so that everyone will love fennel salads as much as I do. The wisps of raw fennel soak up the olive oil and lemon juice just enough that they slightly wilt, but still keep a tender bite. I usually pair fennel salads with something juicy (peaches!), something creamy (feta and/or pesto), and something crunchy (pistachios).

Here’s what’s in this super simple salad:

Of course, I tossed on a handful of mint and basil for good measure.

This is a great side dish, or add some roasted chickpeas to make it more of a meal. It keeps well in the fridge for about 2 days, so I like to have it with dinner on the first night and for lunch the next day.

Happy fennel-ing!

Love and Lemons

Healthy, Seasonal, Whole Food Recipes Blog

Many-Veggie Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Vegetarian Labor Day Recipes

Chickpea Shawarma Wraps

Fennel & Peach Salad with Mint & Pesto