The Collegiate Vegan

Now that it’s finally getting warmer out, I want to “cook” less and less. The good news is, I’ve got a ton of really great raw/mostly raw recipes up my sleeves. This is one of my favorites.

• 3C shredded carrots2
• 2C shelled edamame
• 1/4C sliced almonds
• 2T olive oil
• 2T soy sauce
• 2T rice vinegar (or other vinegar)
• 1T toasted sesame oil
• salt & pepper

Mix together liquid ingredients in a small bowl. Toss carrots and edamame in a large bowl, slowly pouring in the sauce. Top with salt and pepper, let chill at least one hour. Enjoy!

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1T olive oil
• 1/4C and 1T buffalo sauce, separated

1) Toss the chickpeas in olive oil and either roast in the over at 425 for 15 minutes, or heat in a skillet for 15 minutes stirring constantly. We want them to get a little crispy.
2) Stir the chickpeas in a hot skillet with 2T of the buffalo sauce. Once it’s been absorbed, stir in the other two and heat for 5 more minutes.
3) Divide into two servings and drizzle remaining buffalo sauce over the chickpeas.

Enjoy!

Mashed potatoes are easy and delicious, and obviously a thanksgiving staple.

• 4 large gold yukon potatoes
• almond milk
• earth balance
• curly parsley 

Chop your potatoes into chunks (peel if you like, but it’s a lot faster and healthier if you don’t) and boil in a pot with a little salt them until they’re mashable. You can test this by taking one out of the pot and mashing it with a fork to check the tenderness. Drain and return to the pot, adding a small amount of almond milk and earth balance at a time. Keeping mashing and adding almond milk and earth balance until ideal creaminess is achieved! Top with fresh parsley. It’s impossible to mess up, I promise. 

For any vegan wondering about Thanksgiving recipes, DEFINITELY make this one! I made this for my family tonight, and even my carnivorous father loved it! Another successful recipe from Oh She Glows. I used pumpkin seeds instead of pecans, and added lots of extra apricots and craisins.

Your favorite salad dressing just got a little better, use it flavor quinoa! (Or rice too, if you’re so inclined.)

• 1C cooked quinoa
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 1/2C sugar snap peas, chopped
• 1/4C almonds, chopped
• 2-4T balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (I used Trader Joes)

Saute peppers, snap peas and almonds. Add cooked quinoa to the skillet and heat together. Pour balsamic dressing over the mixture, and serve warm.

NOTE: Of course, you can swap the peppers and peas for any kind of veggies you have in your fridge. Balsamic dressing is the key here.

• Chopped romaine
• Roasted sweet red peppers
• Broccoli
• Shredded Carrots
• Quinoa
• Mandarin Oranges

Mini taco salads for two! Easily adjustable.

• 4 corn tortillas
• 1/2C cooked quinoa
• 1/2C black beans
• 1 avocado
• salsa
• romaine lettuce

1) Bake corn tortillas on a muffin pan at 350 for 15 minutes until crisp to form the taco bowls- like this!
2) Tear lettuce and line the bottom of the taco bowls.
3) Add a spoonful of quinoa, then black beans, then salsa and avocado! 

Inspired by The Happy Herbivore’s quiche recipe. It seems like a lot of ingredients, but really it’s just spices, tofu and the veggies. Makes a great low cal, protein filled dish.

• 1lb tofu
• 1t garlic powder
• 1t onion powder
• 1/2t turmeric
• 1/2 red pepper flakes
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4C nutritional yeast
• 1/4C cornstarch
• 2T dijon mustard
• 1T lemon juice
• 2C spinach
• 1C artichoke hearts

1) Combine everything but spinach and artichokes in a food processor and blend til smooth.
2) Add spinach and artichokes and pulse a few times to mix.
3) Pour into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes, until golden brown.