Mushroom Stroganoff

• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 16 oz mushrooms (baby Bellas or white or a mix of both), sliced
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp Worcestershire 
• 3/8th cup flour
• 3 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup almond milk
• 16 oz rotini pasta, cooked according to package instructions

In a large pan over medium heat, sauce onions in a tablespoon of the olive oil until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until juices have evaporated and mushrooms are done (about 15 minutes). Add remaining olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire and stir until incorporated. Add flour and stir until fully combined, then add broth and milk. Increase heat to medium-high, cover, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove lid and allow to continue to cook for a few minutes to thicken.

Add cooked and drained pasta then serve! 

Vegan Mac & Cheese

• 16 oz macaroni noodles (or noodle shape of your choice)

"Cheese" Sauce

• 2 cups yellow potatoes (weighing a total of 325 grams before peeling), peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup carrots (40-50 grams), peeled and sliced
• 2/3 cup yellow onion (100 grams), chopped
• 1 cup (128 grams) raw cashews
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable cooking water
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• sprinkling of paprika (topping)

Boil vegetables and cashews in some water until tender (or cook in an Instant Pot for 6 minutes).

While veggies are cooking, boil noodles until al dente (6-8 minutes). Drain, rinse, then return to the pot.

Once veggies are done, strain while reserving 1 1/2 cups of the water. Transfer veggies/cashews to a blender and add all remaining sauce ingredients including reserved vegetable cooking water. Blend until smooth.

Pour sauce over cooked noodles, stir, and serve with a pinch of paprika sprinkled on top. You can also place the mac & cheese into an oven-safe dish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Variation: Add steamed broccoli to make Mac & Trees! If using the instant pot, simply do the pot-in-pot method float a stainless steel or glass bowl of fresh or frozen broccoli florets on top of the veggies and cashews in the instant pot, seal the lid, then pressure cook as normal.

Vegetable Lo Mein

Serves 4

• 8 ounces packaged spaghetti
• 3 tbsp (45 grams) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp (30 grams) teriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp (42 grams) honey
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups snap peas (fresh or frozen)

Boil spaghetti until slightly before al dente (approximately 8-9 minutes). Drain and rinse spaghetti with cold water.

Whisk soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey, and ginger together in a small bowl. Add noodles, stir, and set aside

Saute veggies in oil until done (about 7 minutes). Add noodles and sauce. Continue to cook, tossing to mix, until noodles and sauce are hot (about 5 minutes).

Vegan Basil Walnut Pesto

• 1 cup olive oil
• 60 grams vegan parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 120 grams fresh basil leaves
• 30 grams walnut
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pesto can be kept in the fridge or freezer.

Pictured below is pesto that has been froze in Fresh Baby food trays. Two to three cubes will coat a large pizza or enough pasta to feed a family of 4.

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta Sauce

Entire batch contains 805 calories, 9 fiber, 16 protein

• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, combine tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, basil, and garlic. Cook and stir until sauce comes to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, milk, cream, and parmesan. Add this mixture to the tomato mixture on the stove and continue heating and stiring until mixture has thickened (about 5 minutes). 

Add to sauce your choice of pasta noodles (4 servings worth), tortellini (16 oz package), or 1 package homemade gnocchi, all cooked according to package directions. Stir to coat then serve.

Gnocchi

Each 16 ounce package contains 1179 calories, 36 grams protein, and 10 grams fiber

• 1000 grams peeled potatoes
• 500 grams flour
• 4 eggs (replace with 1/4 cup olive oil for vegan gnocchi)
• 2 tsp salt
• 200 grams additional flour for kneading

Boil peeled potatoes until tender. Strain, transfer to a large bowl, and mash with a fork. Allow to cool then mix in flour and eggs. 

On a floured surface, knead until ball forms. Roll dough into 1/2" to 3/4" thick ropes then cut ropes into pieces 1/2" wide. Gently toss/roll the pieces around in the flour before moving them onto a 9x13" pan lined in plastic wrap. 

Continue rolling, cutting, and flouring the pieces until a single layer of gnocchi covers the bottom of the pan. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top and continue placing the gnocchi in the pan to create a second layer. Repeat until all the dough has been made into gnocchi and placed in the pan with plastic wrap between each layer. Top the pan with a final piece of plastic wrap and transfer it to the freezer for 24 hours. 

The next day, divide the frozen gnocchi into 4 zip lock bags, each containing approximately 16 ounces of gnocchi. Squeeze out as much air as possible then return the bags to the freezer until ready for use.

Cook frozen gnocchi in a large stock pot of boiling water for 13-15 minutes.  Drain and rinse gnocchi then stir it into a pan of sauce of your choice such as creamy tomato and spinach sauce.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara

• 1/2 lb spaghetti
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 slices vegetarian bacon (Smart brand bacon works perfectly), diced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain well then toss with olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp. Transfer bacon to a bowl while reserving the bacon fat in the pan. Add chopped onion to the pan and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more. Return cooked bacon to pan. Add cooked spaghetti noodles and toss until coated and heated through. Add in beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or a large fork until eggs are barely set (2-3 minutes). Add parmesan cheese, wine and pepper and toss again. Serve immediately with additional parmesan sprinkled on top.