The Collegiate Vegan

Alright, happy June y’all! I ate in Boston’s North End this weekend, and it’s set me off on an Italian cooking bender. It’s also ridiculously hot in Boston this week, and the heat has made me lazy. The combination of those two things resulted in this super easy, single-serving, 15 minute pesto pasta- still from scratch!

• One serving pasta
• 1/3C loosely packed basil
• 1-2T olive oil
• 2t garlic powder
• salt
• 2-3T water
• 5-8 cherry tomatoes
• A few artichoke hearts

1) Boil water and cook your pasta
2) While the pasta is cooking, combine basil, olive oil, salt and garlic. Add only one tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture blends easily. Note: This will vary depending on what kind of blender you’re using.
3) When the pasta has 3-5 minutes left, toss in your tomatoes and artichoke hearts with it so that they cook.
4) Drain pasta, tomatoes, and artichokes. Pour into a bowl, and combine with pesto sauce. Enjoy!

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!

My roommates and I decided to make this spontaneously this weekend, and the whole process took us 15 minutes from start to delicious.

• 2C rolled oats
• 1-2T agave syrup
• 1-2T olive oil
• 1.5T cinnamon
• 2t nutmeg
• handful of almonds, chopped (or any nuts)
• 5 dates, chopped (or any dried fruit)

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until crispy. Shake pan every five minutes to make sure granola doesn’t burn. Allow a few minutes to cool, and enjoy!

Mexican doesn’t get much easier than this-

• 6 corn tortillas
• 1 can refried beans (I like the kind with chiles)
• salsa
• guacamole

Spoon refried beans on the tortilla, and roll up using the beans as glue to keep them shut. Lay taquitos in a casserole dish and bake at 350, flipping every 5 minutes until crispy. Usually takes 15-20 minutes. Top with salsa and guac, and enjoy!

(Makes 6)

• 3 large, green bell peppers
• 1C brown rice
• 1C chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 block tofu, chopped into small cubes
• 1C Trader Joe’s Thai Green Curry Sauce (or other type of curry sauce)

1) Cook the rice, then stir in sauce, spinach and tofu cubes.
2) Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds, then stuff with the rice mixture.
3) Bake at 350 for one hour, enjoy! I garnished mine with avocado.

• 1 medium/large butternut squash
• 1C almond milk
• 1T curry powder 

1) Peel and chop your butternut squash, then roast on a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper at 400 for 45 minutes.
2) Blend the roasted squash with almond milk and curry powder.
3) That’s it, enjoy! 

This is my favorite recipe from Oh She Glows! I made it for a potluck dinner and it was devoured by omnivores and herbivores alike.

This is the easiest chili I’ve made, and the pumpkin adds a nice sweetness!

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1C vegetable broth
• 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 15oz cans black beans
• 1T chili powder
• 1 1/2t paprika
• 1 1/2t dried oregano
• 1/4t cayenne

1) Saute the onions in a layer of water for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, saute two more minutes.
2) Add spices and stir to coat, add veggie broth and simmer 2 minutes.
3) Add everything else, bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes. Enjoy! 

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.