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vegan dinner

Peachy Rainbow Soba Summer Rolls + Zesty Orange Sesame Sauce

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Hot summer days call for fresh, crisp, rainbow soba summer rolls… on a patio… with a side of white wine spritzer…and a super fresh seasonal corn on the cob.

This has got to be the best way to get in as many raw veggies as possible.

Soba noodles give you that tasty filler, smoked tofu provides the surprising twist of flavour, and any raw veggies you have kickin’ around the kitchen make these rolls so satisfyingly crunchy & fresh.

This recipe gives you A LOT of sauce. Which is definitely on purpose.


Making extra is key because the party this zesty orange sesame sauce is having doesn’t stop at these rolls. Don’t be afraid to use it on anything, everything and all the in betweens. Here’s what I’m thinkin’:

  • douse your veggie BBQ skewers 
  • smother your soba noodle salad in it
  • drizzle it on roasted veggies
  • spread it on a sanny
  • squirt it in a wrap
  • dunk your raw veggies in it
  • water it down and use it as a salad dressing!

Sauce is what makes the world go ’round.

Kids will love getting in the kitchen to help fill the rice papers, and having them create the rainbow, gets them excited to actually eat the rainbow 😉

I would have to say, since I love dipping and crunchy freshness, this is up there as one of my most favourite recipes. Ever.

We just made this on Hornby Island, at my parent’s place which is totally outdoor livin’. An airstream trailer, a deck attached, a teepee guest bedroom and a beautiful long picnic table to dine on while we watch the sunset. Simple. Perfect. Summer.

We threw in a side salad, packed with beets, green onion, heirloom tomatoes and butter lettuce, but you’ll be getting more than enough veggies without adding that in. Maybe put some of the lettuce in the wraps and call it a day of delish nutrish.


Peachy Rainbow Soba Summer Rolls + Zesty Orange Sesame Dipping Sauce
 
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A fun recipe that packs the nutrition into the most delicious handful you could ask for. Crunchy, fresh and perfect for a summery eve.
Author:
Recipe type: dinner, lunch, summer,
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients

  • Wraps:
  • Rice paper wraps (we made 15)
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cup purple cabbage
  • 1 peach
  • 1 cube smoked tofu
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 2 carrots
  • 1-2 bell peppers
  • 2 cups sprouts of choice (sunflower seed sprouts are crunchy and delish)
  • 1 package soba noodles (this will make more than you need, but they're great leftover with the sauce)

  • Zesty Orange Sesame Sauce:
  • 1-2 tsp zest of orange
  • Juice of 1 orange (medium navel)
  • ½ cup almond butter
  • ½ cup tahini
  • 3 tbsp braggs liquid aminos OR tamari
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cm fresh ginger
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ cup water
Instructions
  1. Cook soba noodles according to directions, then strain, let cool for 10 minutes
  2. Slice all veggies and the tofu thinly & vertically
  3. Make your sauce by blending all sauce ingredients in a food processor until smooth
  4. Set up your rolling station: fill a wide plate with water (for rice paper), have your bowl of noodles, have your veggies/tofu laid out on a plate, have a cutting board to roll on, have an empty platter ready for your finished rolls
  5. Make your rolls: soak a rice paper in water for 2 seconds, then place on the cutting board. Fill the paper with all the fixin's, then roll the rice paper like a burrito (fold two sides towards each other to cover the ends of the veggies, then roll the opposite ends until the paper is closed)
  6. Serve them up on a platter with individual dipping bowls and a plate!
Notes
If the rice paper is breaking, double them up and use 2 per roll!

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This week was all about the Good Food Institute and the future of clean meat and plant-based proteins.

Caramelized Onion Sage Cream BBQ Pasta

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Lucky for you, you’ve found yourself on a page with the secret to my new favourite sauce…all mixed up with the pasta that tells me ‘summer is on, baby’! This creamy vegan pasta could easily become a staple for those summery patio days.

Serve it up family style. Picture this… an outdoor picnic with a big bowl o’ pasta, a salad bowl packed with greens drizzled with this flavourful oil-free dressing, and a bowl of smokey vegan parm…now all that’s missing is funky tunes and fruity popsicles.

Caramelized onions give anything a deeper, sultry taste. Double or triple the caramelized onions I call for in this recipe, just so your fridge can be a good friend by having it on hand for your next savoury meal.

The BBQ’d veggies give this pasta a smokey flavour, and keep the house a little cooler than the oven would on a hot summery day.

And fresh sage… the ingredient that makes any dish seem more professional that it really is. Take a simple meal, sage it up, and voila: Top Chef material. Sage is so easy to grow outside or on a window sill (unlike basil, which somehow likes to wither away anytime I try to give it a good life…)

Benefits:

  • Zucchini has a good dose of antioxidants to help prevent disease, vitamin C to boost your immunity and potassium to help balance electrolytes and blood pressure.
  • Sage is commonly used for digestive issues, like bloating, gas, diarrhea and stomach pain. Plus, it’s fantastic for depression, memory loss and the prevention of Alzheimers
  • Onions contain sulfur, which is needed for the synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione, plus it helps strengthen hair and nails.


Caramelized Onion Sage Cream BBQ Pasta
 
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A simple dinner packed with nutrients. A go-to weeknight scramble recipe. Make lots of it, because the leftovers taste better by the day!
Author:
Recipe type: pasta, dinner, bbq
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • 1 package of brown rice pasta (or any other pasta with just 2 ingredients...like quinoa + water)
  • 3-4 sweet onions, de-skinned, halved, then sliced in ⅛ inch pieces
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 zucchinis, halved lengthwise
  • 2 red peppers, de-stemmed, halved lengthwise
  • 3 portobello mushrooms (crimini or white work, too)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • Salt + Pepper
  • Vegan sausage of choice (I used Gusta)

  • Sage Cream Sauce:
  • ½ cup cashews, pre-soaked overnight or for 10 minutes in hot water
  • ½ cup fresh sage
  • 2 tbsp miso paste
  • ¾ cup caramelized onions, with a few tablespoons of the liquid
Instructions
  1. Caramelize onions: heat large pot to medium, then add onions. Let brown a few minutes, then add ¼ cup water. Turn down the heat, add the garlic and let simmer for 30 minutes, lid on. Stir every 10 minutes or so to make sure they're not burning. If they're sticking just add a bit more water.
  2. Heat the BBQ to 400°F.
  3. Prep the veggies by adding the coconut oil to your hands and massaging the oil all over each piece of veg and place on the grill. Twist some salt and pepper on them, and let cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a dash of salt and pour in the pasta. Cook according to time on the package.
  5. Flip the BBQ'd veggies, and salt + pepper the other side. Let cook another 10 minutes.
  6. Throw the sausages on the BBQ. Cook for 8 minutes, rotating every couple of minutes.
  7. Strain the pasta and pour the pasta back into the pot.
  8. Make the sauce: add all sauce ingredients to your blender, and blend until smooth.

 

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This week was all about manipulating your genetics with diet!

Hooked On Plants Interview: Cheap Lazy Vegan + Crispy Korean Tofu

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Extreme. Expensive. Difficult. Time consuming. Bland….Not when it comes to Cheap Lazy Vegan food! 

Do those words pop into your mind when someone says ‘vegan’?

Well, you obviously haven’t heard of the Cheap Lazy Vegan.

Rose is the Cheap Lazy Vegan. With over 450,000 youtube subscribers, she’s doing an amazing job at spreading the word that vegan doesn’t have to mean complicated or expensive.

She makes vegan easy and attainable. If you’re still skepticle… watch one of Rose’s youtube videos showing the ease of delicious 10 minutes meals, and you’ll be blown away at the simplicity of it all.

Along with being a youtube star, she now has an all vegan café (SaVeg Café) in Calgary, AB.

To celebrate National Vegetarian Week, it’s the perfect time to get to know Rose and bring some inspiration to you guys for cheap and easy vegan meals!


I was lucky enough to stop by the new café with my glorious Grandma to meet this beautiful soul! We also met her Mama who cooked up an amazing Tofu Sweet Potato Korean dish and a super spicy soup that we easily polished off (so dang good).

Let’s get to know Rose.

Hooked On Plants: Cheap Lazy Vegan resonates with hundreds of thousands of people now!  What was your first youtube video about?

Cheap Lazy Vegan: The first video I did was a simple introduction of my channel where I explain that you can be cheap AND lazy on a vegan diet… along with a “What I Ate in a Day” where I showed viewers some easy, simple meals that I ate in a day.

HOP: Did you come up with the awesome name, Cheap Lazy Vegan? Is there a story behind that?

CLV: I did… I had just moved to London, UK at the time and I was making very little money but spending a lot simply because I was living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. I found myself buying affordable groceries and making very inexpensive meals. I realized that I was super lazy when it came to cooking. At the same time, I’ve always been a foodie so I always have enjoyed taking photos of food. So I just came up with an Instagram page with the handle @cheaplazyvegan which is how it all started… 🙂

 

HOP: How long have you been vegan, and what was the main reason? Animals? Environment? or Health?

CLV: I’ve been mostly plant-based for about 7 years total (I became a pescatarian at first, staying away from meat, dairy and eggs, but still had a hard time staying away from fish) and now I’ve been VEGAN for almost 4 years. I went vegan purely for ethical & animal rights reasons and the other stuff (like health and environmental benefits) were just little bonuses for me. I read some books and watched some movies, which really opened up my eyes to the realities of what happens to the animals that I claimed to “love”. 

HOP: Did you take your time to take animal products out of your diet, or did you go completely vegan overnight?

CLV: It took time. I think it takes time to get used to the dietary aspect but also to mentally get your head around the whole idea. I first gave up meat, then about a month later stopped eating dairy and eggs, then lastly I quit fish, years later.

 

HOP: It is SO exciting that you’ve opened a 100% vegan café in ‘CowTown’! With Calgary being known for it’s Alberta Beef, it’s so it’s so inspiring that you’ve taken the initiative to get more vegan food into people’s mouths! Plus, you’re working with your Mom! How did you come up with the name SaVeg?

CLV: Haha, I really wish I could take credit for the name, but it was actually my friend’s sister that had the idea. I liked the trendiness of the name and the smart play-on-words.

HOP: What was the catalyst for opening SaVeg Café?

CLV: My mom already owned the cafe but it wasn’t a vegan one. I helped out there for just a few hours each day and I felt that my own time and the cafe space could be used in a better way. I wanted to be more involved and help out more, but I knew I couldn’t invest my own time/money/energy in a business that sold animal products. So, I approached my mom about the idea of fully changing the menu and concept of the cafe into a vegan one (and of course, me taking half ownership!). Calgary also is lacking in vegan establishments (in my opinion), so it made sense from a business perspective as well.

HOP: What are you excited about this year? Do you have any other cool projects you’re working on?

CLV: At the moment, I’m trying to juggle doing my social media and running the cafe! I’m focusing on getting the cafe established and learning to manage my time before moving onto other projects. I definitely would like to get involved in some new projects in the future!

Here’s a playlist of Rose’s quick meal ideas: Cheap Lazy Vegan quick meals

I had to share this recipe of hers. These spicy korean tofu bits were the special at her café when we came to visit. They were deeeeeelicious.


Spicy Korean Fried Chicken-Style Tofu
 
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Rose AKA Cheap Lazy Vegan's crispy, comfort food style tofu that's good in any dinner bowl or wrap!
Author:
Recipe type: vegan meat, lunch, dinner, tofu recipe
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 block extra firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • ¼ cup almond flour OR bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

  • Sauce
  • 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean red hot pepper paste)
  • ½ tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder (or you can use 1 clove of fresh minced garlic)
Instructions
  1. Press your tofu to take out some of the liquid for about 10-20 minutes… I’ll be honest, I rarely do this because I don’t have the patience.
  2. Cut up your tofu into small bite sized pieces.
  3. Add your tofu pieces into a mixing bowl and add in soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Mix until well combined.
  4. Toss your tofu pieces with almond flour or bread crumbs until each piece is nicely coated.
  5. Add into your air fryer at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes – moving them around at around the halfway point to make sure they cook evenly.
  6. While your tofu is in the air fryer, you can prepare the sauce by adding all the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and mixing very well.
  7. When your tofu is finished, mix in the sauce and sesame seeds (optional) so that the tofu is nicely coated in the delicious red sauce.
  8. Now you can enjoy….!!! Warning: these are ridiculously addictive!

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15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

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The magic of Avo is at it again. Avocado pasta is the answer to your dinner woes.

Whether you’re vegan or not, this pasta is a super easy weekday dinner to fall back on and it’s packed with a ton of nutrients and flavour…all in under 10 minutes. Serve it up with a salad and you’ve got yourself a super satisfying, delicious dinner staple.

If you’re making the switch, it’s all about figuring out your new staples as a new vegan.

Think about it. How many different types of dinners do you make in a month? I’m guessing it’s probably just a handful of go-to recipes you have in your repertoire that you cycle through (nothin’ wrong with that!). Turning veg just means veganizing these go-to’s, or finding a handful of vegan dinner options you love, then creating a new recipe cycle. The longevity of this lifestyle relies on simplicity (and tastiness, of course), and that’s where recipes like this avocado pasta shine.

Not only is the past simple, but it’s such a crowd pleaser. It’s creaminess without the heaviness of your typical creamy pasta.

Kids will gobble this stuff up too, so if your tasters are little munchkins, then definitely give this one a try!

I get overly excited every time I use the spirilizer, like a kid in a candy shop. You get so much ‘spaghetti’ out of just one yam (or any other veggie you choose to spirilize, like yicama, carrot, beet, or zucchini).

Benefits:

  • Yams are packed with vitamin C to boost your immunity and aid in healing your wounds.
  • Avocados are packed with monounsaturated fats, minimizing joint pain and arthritis, hydrating your skin and strengthening your hair.
  • Garlic is an antibiotic and anti-fungal. The sulfur compounds will help keep your blood pressure in tact. Adding lemon to the crushed garlic enhances the sulfur compound allicin, so this sauce is a perfecto comination-o!

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10-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta
 
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This is a go-to staple dinner recipe! It takes 10 minutes and curbs that creamy, comfort-food craving.
Author:
Recipe type: pasta, easy dinner, 15 minute dinner, lunch idea
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • 1-2 yams, spiralized or 1 package spaghetti of choice (I like brown rice pasta)
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • Lemon zest from 2 lemons (do this before you juice the lemons)
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • ½ cup black beans, rinsed
Instructions
  1. If using pasta instead of yams, boil water in a large pot and cook pasta according to directions
  2. Meanwhile make the sauce: add avocado, lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast to food processor and blend until smooth.
  3. Strain pasta and pour it back into the large pot. Add the sauce and mix into pasta thouroughly
  4. Top it off with beans, red pepper, lemon zest and this vegan parm!
Notes
-Use half spaghetti, half spiralized yam
-Use any other vegetable you like to spiralize

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Mind-Blowing Multi-Purpose Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut-Free)

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This nut-free vegan cheese sauce may be the answer to all of your cheezy needs.

If nutty vegan cheese is too heavy for you to digest but you still want to curb that cheezy craving for all the things, you’ve come to the right place.

That cheezy pasta, or that cheezy dip for your chips, or that cheezy sauce all over your broccoli…

There’s not a thing in this world that I wouldn’t put this stuff on…well ok, maybe that’s a bit extreme.

While I may not douse my oatmeal or chocolate cake in this goodness…this stuff is still magic.

While surfin’ the waves of the inter web, you’ll come across vegan cheese sauce recipes based on cashews, sunflower seeds, or beans. This one, however, puts the veggie kingdom on the pedestal.

That’s right. Carrots and cauliflower can magically turn into cheese sauce. It’s possible, and it’s delicious.

What I love about this is sauce that you can devour a ton of it with zero guilt. It’s packed with nutrients + fibre, yet low in calories and fat. Sometimes the sauces made from nuts (as delicious as they are), can be a little heavy, ya know?

Vegan Cheese Sauce

To create a simple + yum pasta, just cook up your fave noodles, pan sear, then chop up some vegan sausages (the Gusta or Field Roast brands are yum), steam some broccoli florets, then mix everything together with this sauce. Top it all off with green onion and vegan parmesano (make this easy parm recipe, or find yourself some amazing Violife cheese to grate)!

Benefits:

  • Cauliflower is super nutritious, so don’t let the lack of colour fool ya’. This white magic is packed with folate, vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin B6. Plus, it’s a cruciferous vegetable, aka a cancer-fighting super veg with a good dose of antioxidants.
  • Carrots are known for their mega-dose of beta-carotene (an antioxidant that our body converts into vitamin A). What this means for you, is healthy skin and mucus membranes, a stronger immune system, and better eye health and vision.
  • Miso paste is an awesome addition, not only for the flava, but also because it’s fermented. Fermented foods do wonders for your gut aka microbiome aka microflora. This is where most of our bacteria lives! Since around 1/10 of our cells are human and 9/10 of our cells are bacteria, we’ve got to keep these bacterial cells happy by feeding them fermented foods. Eat that miso up.

Mind Blowing Vegan Cheese Sauce (without nuts)

Mind-Blowing Vegan Cheese Sauce (No Nuts)
 
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This nut-free, vegan sauce is a light option for that cheezy comfort food feel. It's perfect for pasta or a dip with veggies and chips!
Author:
Recipe type: Comfort Food, dinner, lunch, appetizer
Serves: 5 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • 6 carrots, chopped
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ large sweet onion, diced (or 1 tbsp onion powder)
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ⅛ tsp smoked paprika (optional, but gives it a nice smokey flavour)
  • 1 cup plain almond milk (or any other plain plant-based milk)
Instructions
  1. Steam the cauliflower and carrots until soft (about 10 minutes)
  2. Meanwhile, (unless you're using onion and garlic powder), oil-free sauté the onion and garlic for about 7 minutes. Heat the element to medium, then add the chopped onions and garlic. Let the bottom of the pan brown, then add 1-2 tbsp of water to de-glaze the pan. As the onions cook, continue adding bits of water to prevent sticking if needed
  3. Add the onion, steamed cauliflower, and carrots to the blender with the the rest of the ingredients
  4. Blend until smooth!
  5. If using as a dip, put in and oven safe dish and broil on high for 3 minutes.
  6. Or, mix in with pasta, pour over roasted veggies, or just eat it by the spoonful 😉

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