Creamy Vegan Pasta

Make the sauce: In a blender, combine the white beans, broth, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and blend until smooth. Set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package, cooking until al dente. Drain and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped broccoli stems and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add the broccoli florets and leaves and a splash of water or vegetable broth. Cover and turn off the heat. Allow the broccoli to steam for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender but still bright green. Add the pasta, then stir in ¾ of the sauce, adding more broth if the sauce is too dry. Season to taste with more salt, pepper and lemon juice, as desired, and portion into bowls. Divide the remaining sauce onto each bowl. Top with the pine nuts and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the butternut squash with a drizzle of olive oil and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Roast until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Make the cashew cream: Blend together the drained raw cashews, fresh water, garlic, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Make the filling: In a medium skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the spinach in increments, along with a pinch of salt, and sauté until all the spinach is incorporated and wilted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Squeeze out any excess liquid and chop. In a medium bowl, combine the the spinach with the crumbled tofu, oregano, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, at least 1/4 teaspoon salt, freshly ground black pepper and 1 cup of cashew cream. Season to taste, adding more salt and pepper as desired. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain. Assemble the shells. Spread ¼ cup of the reserved cashew cream on the bottom of an 11x7-inch baking dish. Fill each cooked shell with some of the filling and a few cubes of butternut squash, and place into the baking dish. Drizzle a little olive oil over the shells, cover with foil, and bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from the oven and serve with the remaining cashew cream.

Creamy Pasta Pomodoro

Make the marinara sauce: Heat the olive oil in a small pot over low heat. Add the shallot, garlic, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes and their juices, balsamic vinegar, cane sugar, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make the creamy sauce: Add the marinara to a blender with the cashews, tomato paste, salt, and ¼ cup of water. Blend until smooth. Set aside until ready to use. Before serving, stir in ¼ cup hot pasta cooking water to loosen it up so that it’ll nicely coat the pasta. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions or until al dente. While the pasta cooks, heat generous drizzles of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, thyme, and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Sautee, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes or until heated through. Add the spinach and gently toss until wilted. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Scoop the pasta into individual bowls, add scoops of the creamy sauce, and toss to coat. Distribute the vegetables among the bowls and top with parsley and or basil. Season to taste and serve.

Best Vegan Pizza

Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, tomatoes, corn, onion, jalapeño, and sun-dried tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Toss to coat and taste. The vegetables should be well-seasoned and well-coated with the olive oil so that the vegetables are flavorful throughout the pizza. Stretch the pizza dough onto a 14-inch pizza pan. Brush the outer edges of the dough lightly with olive oil and spoon a few scoops of cashew cream onto the center of the dough, just enough to spread it into a thin layer. Distribute the vegetables onto the dough. Bake 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden, cooked through, and the broccoli is tender and roasted. Remove from the oven and drizzle generously with the cashew cream (if your cashew cream is too thick to drizzle, stir in a little water). Top with the fresh basil, fresh thyme, and pinches of red pepper flakes.

Fajita Veggies

Heat a grill to medium heat with a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or grill pan) inside. Arrange the peppers on a tray and the mushrooms and onion wedges on a separate rimmed plate. In a small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Drizzle 1 scant tablespoon of the mixture over the peppers and toss to coat. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the mushrooms and onions. Drizzle the mushrooms with a splash of balsamic vinegar and use your hands to coat the mushrooms on both sides. Grill the peppers in the cast-iron pan for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until charred and soft. Be careful not to overfill the pan or the veggies won’t char on the edges - cook them in 2 batches, if necessary. Grill the mushrooms and onion wedges directly on the grill for about 4 minutes about per side. Remove everything from the grill, using a potholder to remove the cast-iron pan. Squeeze the juice of ½ lime over the peppers and season with salt, pepper, and more chili powder, to taste. Slice the mushrooms into strips and place on a serving dish. Transfer the onions and the peppers to a serving skillet or large platter. Serve with the tortillas, guacamole, jalapeños, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, and remaining lime wedges for serving.

BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich

Make the BBQ sauce: In a food processor, blend the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, mustard, paprika, cumin, and a few grinds of pepper until smooth. Set aside. Prepare the jackfruit by pulling shredding the pieces with your hands (see photo), discarding any harder pieces of the core. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil to medium heat. Add the sliced onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes, turning down the heat as necessary. Next, add the shredded jackfruit and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add a splash of water to keep it from sticking to the pan. Stir in the 1/2 cup water and half of the BBQ sauce. Turn the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and stir in half of the remaining BBQ sauce, reserving the rest for serving. Make the slaw: In a medium-large bowl, combine the cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and pinches of salt and pepper. Serve the sliders with the jackfruit, the remaining BBQ sauce, the slaw, and desired fixings.