(Almost) Vegan Tuna Noodle Casserole

This whole odyssey started when I found a package of veggie tuna at Campbell's -- which, sadly, contains whey and egg products, so it's the only part of this recipe that isn't vegan. (I'm sure a good substitute could be made with a steamed chicken-style seitan plus fishy flavoring. I'll experiment more with this in the future.)

Both the boy and I miss tuna noodle casserole from our omnivorous days, so I decided to try veganizing it. I replaced the cream of mushroom soup with vegan alfredo + mushrooms and used Daiya pepper jack shreds for the cheesy top. The result was an unqualified success: creamy, salty, baked noodly deliciousness.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.

1 lb. noodles of choice (I used Kalona tomato noodles)

4 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

Boil the salted water. Drop the noodles in and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and add to casserole dish.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped (I used oyster mushrooms from the farmers' market)

1/4 tsp smoked salt (sea salt will do just fine)

1 package veggie tuna, chopped finely

Heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to get translucent. Add the chopped veggie tuna and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish, mixing with the noodles.

Vegan Alfredo

1/3 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for an hour or so (if not, just blend longer)

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp white miso

2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine

2 tsp stone ground mustard

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp hummus

4 cloves roasted garlic (optional)

1 tsp nori or dulse (seaweed) flakes

Combine in a blender and blend for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth.

Pour the alfredo over the noodle mixture and mix well. Top with Daiya shreds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melty. Consume!

Ingredient Notes: I got the veggie tuna and nori flakes at Campbell's. The noodles and Daiya shreds came from Gateway Market. The mushrooms and mustard came from the downtown farmers' market. I get my miso, nutritional yeast and Earth Balance at New City Market. The smoked salt came from Trader Joe's.

Tempeh Hot Wing/Mac & Cheese Casserole

I've made this totally vegan, and I've cheated and used a box of Annie's Mac. Either way, it's delicious. Inspired by Vegan MoFo #16: Amy Supreme.

1. Make a batch of mac and cheese. (My favorite vegan recipe follows).

2. Cut a block of tempeh into chunks. Boil/steam the chunks with a little soy sauce and water for 10 minutes.

3. Mix 4 Tbsp melted margarine, 2-1/2 Tbsp hot sauce, 2 Tbsp agave nectar and 4 Tbsp ketchup. Stir until smooth. Toss with the cooked tempeh in the bottom of a casserole dish.

4. Spread the mac and cheese on top of the tempeh. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

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Vegan Creamy Shells

8 oz. small pasta shells, cooked in salted water until tender

1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup water
1/2 veg. bouillon cube
1/2 Tbsp. miso
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
salt to taste
1 Tbsp margarine
1/2 tsp mustard
2-3 dashes Tobasco

Mix the flour, yeast, water and bouillon in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Mix in miso, garlic powder, paprika and salt. Cook for 5 minutes or so. Stir in the margarine and mustard and Tobasco. Remove from heat, add pasta and stir to coat.

Spicy Chickpea Tomato Pasta

A quick and very tasty pasta dish.

1/2 box thin spaghetti
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1 can chickpeas
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp sundried tomato pesto

Boil salted water for the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with a little olive oil.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, chipotle and pesto and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until heated through. Toss with the pasta and serve.

Butternut Squash, Kale & Mushroom Pasta Bake w/ Coconut Bechamel

This post by A Hungry Bear Won't Dance was the inspiration for the dish. It sounded delicious, and she even said you could veganize it by leaving out the bechamel and cheese, but I thought a coconut bechamel might be just as delicious and decadent. This recipe takes a little bit to put together, but it's so, so worth it.

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

Arrange the cubes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the cubes can be easily pierced with a fork.

1 lb. medium shells
a lot of water
1/4 tsp salt

Bring the salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the pasta.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 smallish yellow onion, diced
1 bunch kale, leaves de-stemmed and chopped
2-3 cups sliced crimini or shiitake mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cannellini or navy beans, drained
a splash of white wine (optional)
a dash of salt

Heat the olive oil. Add the onion, kale and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the kale is dark green and wilty. Add the tomatoes, beans, white wine and salt and cook on low until heated through.

1 can light coconut milk
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 Tbsp white miso
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Blend the coconut milk, cashews, miso, nutritional yeast and nutmeg for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth.

Combine the squash, sauteed vegetables and drained pasta in a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour the coconut bechamel over everything. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired (I used a little of Milton Creamery's amazing Prairie Breeze), then cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. (If not using the cheese, you can just combine everything in a large pot and heat through. Gets it on the table faster. :)

Hurry-Up Vegan Alfredo Broccoli Pasta

I needed something that was quick and easy, and this fit the bill. Damn simple. Adapted from VeganYumYum.

1 cup plain soy milk
1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp white miso + 1 Tbsp caper brine + 1 tsp salt (the original called for 3 Tbsp soy sauce, but I didn't have any)
2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
1 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp stone-ground mustard
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 pinch nutmeg
4 cloves roasted garlic (optional)
a handful of basil leaves (optional)

1 head broccoli, chopped

Cook whatever pasta you desire (I used a mixture of small shells and fettucine) in salted water. Steam or microwave the broccoli until tender, and then chop into small bits. Blend all the sauce ingredients in a blender for 2-3 minutes, or until very smooth. Return the drained pasta to the pot with the broccoli and sauce and stir until heated through. Top with black pepper and serve immediately.

Italian Chickpea Pasta

6 cups water
pinch of salt
3 cups pasta of your choice

Bring the water to a boil. Drop in the salt and pasta. Stir once or twice to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to itself. Boil under tender.

1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large handful sundried tomatoes (the slightly soft kind that come in zip-top bags)
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup artichoke hearts, mooshed
1 cup frozen choped kale
2 Tbsp capers
2 healthy splashes white/red wine
1 splash Tobasco sauce

Heat the oil in a largish skillet. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or so, or until fragrant. Add everything else and simmer until most of the wine has evaporated.

Drain the pasta. Return to the pot with a drizzle each of olive oil and lemon juice. Add the topping mixture and stir. Serve immediately!

Green Bean Pesto Pasta

This is also really good with broccoli, if you have any. The little furled leaves soak up all that pesto-y goodness.

4-5 handfuls green beans, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 Tbsp pesto (I used 4 pesto cubes)
2 heirloom tomatoes, peeled and diced
8 oz pasta
olive oil
water

Cut the green beans into bite sized pieces and steam until no longer crunchy. Drain.

Bring a whole lotta water to a boil. When it's boiling, add 1 tsp olive oil and the pasta. Stir to keep from sticking. Cook until pasta is no longer crunchy.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and stir until golden. Add the green beans and pesto and stir until heated. Turn the heat off and stir in the tomatoes.

When pasta is done, drain and mix with 1 tsp more olive oil. Top with green bean mixture and serve!

Ingredient Notes: I used homemade pesto that I'd frozen in an ice cube tray, but you could just as easily use store-bought pesto. For the pasta, I gave this gluten-free lentil-flour pasta I found at New City Market a whirl. It has a slightly bitter aftertaste, but the texture is excellent, and there's 13 grams of protein for every 2 ounces (which is fan-freaking-phenomenal).

Homemade Cheese-Free Pesto

It's time for our basil plants to meet their Maker, so we whipped up a large batch of this over the weekend. You kind of have to eyeball the proportions here and taste it until it feels right. I know that's maddening, but I'm not sure there's any other way to make this recipe. Trust your inner pesto sense!

basil leaves, washed (2-3 bunches)
garlic cloves (3-4)
salt (a moderate sprinkling)
pine nuts (a large handful)
nutritional yeast (a tablespoon or two)
white miso (a few heaping spoonfuls)

Chop up the basil leaves as finely as you can. Set aside. Put the garlic, pine nuts and salt in a mortar and pestle and bash until it forms a thick gritty paste. Add the basil leaves and bash some more. Add the nutritional yeast and miso and stir. If you like, you can use a hand blender to even out the texture and make it less clumpy. You may also add olive oil to taste, but I usually think it's perfect as is.

Use immediately or spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze into little cute pesto cubes, then seal in a Ziploc bag until needed.

Pesto Orecchiette w/ Green Beans & Broccoli

1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups orecchiette pasta (or other small pasta)
6 cups water

1/3 cup pesto
2 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
salt to taste

Put the water on to boil. Once it's boiling, add a little salt and the pasta. Cook for 10+ minutes, or until the pasta is no longer crunchy but still has a 'bite'.

If using the pine nuts, heat a dry pot over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, stirring constantly, until they start to brown. Remove them immediately to a small bowl. Rinse out the pot and return it to heat. Once it's dry, add the olive oil and garlic. Stir until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Add the green beans, broccoli and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until the veggies are dark green. Add 1 Tbsp pesto, 1/4 cup water and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Cover until pasta is done.

Once the pasta's ready, drain it in a colander. Immediately add it to the broccoli-green bean mixture, along with the pine nuts, pesto and mustard. Stir until well coated. Taste, and adjust salt to your liking. Serve at once!

Ingredient Notes: We got our orecchiette at the IngerDahl's. The mustard we use is the Iowa Country Dill Mustard from the downtown farmer's market. Pine nuts are fairly cheap at CostCo.

Chickpea-Spinach-Tomato Pasta/Soup

The leftovers of this pasta topping makes for a tasty, hearty soup the next day.

For the pasta:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cans tomatoes, drained
1 tsp dried dill
pepper to taste
a few shakes Tobasco
6-8 oz. baby spinach, rinsed
4 oz (half a box) of linguine
splash lemon juice

Put on water to boil. When boiling, add the linguine and cook until no longer crunchy. Drain, then toss with a little olive oil and lemon juice and cover until ready to eat.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and dill and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Serve over pasta.

Makes two servings of pasta, plus a lot of topping leftovers.

For the soup:
1 can kidney beans, drained and rised
1/3 cup dry quinoa
2 cups veggie broth (or 2 cups water + one bouillon cube)

Add beans, quinoa and veggie broth to the pasta topping leftovers. Turn the heat up and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the quinoa has become translucent.

Basic Mediterranean Pasta

Tonight our planned broccoli-chickpea dish was derailed by the unwelcome presence of a worm in our broccoli. Thus, we needed something to throw together in no time at all. This took roughly 5 minutes and definitely hit the spot.

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 14-oz can whole black olives
2 large spoonfuls artichoke hearts
1 tsp capers
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
a few fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Saute the garlic in some of the oil from the artichokes. When browned, add the tomatoes, artichokes, olives and capers. Add the nutritional yeast and heat until bubbly and hot. Serve over pasta!

Grilled Plantains w/ Black Bean-Corn Relish & Gingered Mangoes & Strawberries

Grilled Plantains
1 semi-ripe plantain, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tsp sucanat or sugar or maple syrup
1/4 tsp lime juice
dash salt

Rub the slices with lime juice and sprinkle with sucanat and salt. Generously oil the grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Black Bean-Corn Relish
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
kernels from 2 ears of corn
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
a few shakes chipotle hot sauce

Combine the corn kernels and a little water in a small saucepan. Cook the corn for 3 minutes, or until no longer raw. Drain the corn and add to the black beans. Add lime juice, cumin, garlic powder and hot sauce and mix well.

Gingered Mangoes & Strawberries
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
5-6 strawberries, quartered
2 pieces crystallized ginger, chopped or 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

Combine the mangoes, strawberries and ginger in a bowl and mix well. Let set for a few minutes, then serve!

Creamy Penne w/ Seitan & Tomatoes

This is total comfort food -- completely irresistible and makes for great left-overs.

1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup water
1/2 veg. bouillon cube
1/2 Tbsp. miso
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
salt to taste
1 Tbsp margarine
1/2 tsp mustard
2-3 Tobasco

Mix the flour, yeast, water and bouillon in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Mix in miso, garlic powder, paprika and salt. Cook for 5 minutes or so. Stir in the margarine and mustard and Tobasco.

1 can braised wheat gluten, well rinsed and shredded
8 oz. small pasta, cooked
1 can finely diced tomatoes, undrained

Put the water for the pasta on to boil. When boiling, drop in the pasta and cook until done. Meanwhile, add the wheat gluten and tomatoes (with their juice) to the sauce and simmer until bubbling, hot and thickened. Drain the pasta over them. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well to coat. Serve immediately.

Pesto Gnocchi

If store-bought pesto didn't have cheese, this would be the ultimate in simplicity: gnocchi + pesto = love. But sadly, it's rare to find premade pesto without parmesan or asiago. I'd make pesto at home, but I rarely have enough fresh basil on hand to make a decent batch. Enter my local grocery store, which has packets of Simply Organic pesto sauce on hand, which (happily) are naturally cheese-free.

1 packet simply organic pesto sauce
1/3 cup pine nuts
1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 package potato gnocchi

Put on 4-6 cups salted water to boil. In a dry saucepan, toast the pine nuts for 5 minutes, or until they turn golden. Add the pesto sauce packet, 1/2 cup water, oil and yeast and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.

Once the water is boiling, drop the gnocchi in and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Drain, return to pot and toss with a little pesto sauce.

Serve immediately with a large salad and extra pesto sauce to top each serving with.

Peanut Soba w/ Tofu & Peas

Super-quick, super tasty. You might want to make your peanut sauce on the sharp/savory side, since the peas are sweet and the tofu and noodles are mild. I'd use raw garlic to give it some extra bite.

4 cups water
4 oz. soba
1/2 cup peanut sauce, or to taste
2 cups sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
2 oz firm tofu, cut into tiny pieces

Boil the water while you're trimming the ends off the peas and chopping up the tofu. Drop the soba in and cook for 5 minutes, or until al dente. Put the peas in the bottom of a colander and drain the soba over them. Return peas and soba to the pot with the tofu and peanut sauce and toss well to combine.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

1/2 cup dry sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1 cup water
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tbsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Boil the water in a kettle and pour it over the tomatoes, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. Drain and set aside. Put the pine nuts in a dry saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, or until just golden.

Crush the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt & pepper in a mortar and pestle until they form a thick paste. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the olive oil and tomatoes, and pulverize with the pestle. Finish the mixture off with a hand blender until smooth.

Toss with pasta or gnocchi and consume!

"Neat"-balls and Spaghetti

I adapted this from the PETA Celebrity Cookbook.

1 cup TVP granules
1 cup boiling water + 1/2 veg bouillon cube
2 dashes liquid smoke
3-4 dashes Tobasco

Dissolve the bouillon cube in the boiling water. Combine the TVP, bouillon, Tobasco & liquid smoke. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Combine the yeast, flour and bread crumbs in a small bowl. Add to the TVP mixture.

1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp sage
1/4 tsp salt
ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Grind the spices in a mortar and pestle. Add the spices to the TVP mixture. Form the mixture into small balls, coat with baking spray and set in a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

2/3 jar marinara sauce
1/2 tsp pureed chipotle pepper in adobo
2 handfuls fettucine or linguine
6 cups water

Boil the water. Drop the pasta in and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with a little olive oil. Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce. A minute or two before serving, remove from heat and stir in the "neat"-balls. Dish up the noodles, top with sauce.

Broccoli-Chickpea Bow Ties

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 squirt Tobasco
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus additional olive oil, for drizzling
1 head broccoli, chopped into bite-size bits
1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper to taste
1 (15 ounces) can or 2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups penne pasta
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Put on water to boil. When boiling, drop in pasta and cook until al dente. Steam broccoli bits for 5 minutes, or until no longer crunchy.

Cook garlic, dill, salt and pepper in olive oil in a heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes.

Add broccoli, chickpeas, nutritional yeast and lemon juice and cook until heated through. Mix pasta and a few more drizzles of olive oil in with broccoli mixture.

Creole Okra, Tomatoes & Corn

A co-worker of mine brought this to our Mardi Gras potluck, and it was surprisingly delicious. Okra is a vegetable I've always been skeptical of (something about the combination of hairy and slimy that turns me off), but this is genuinely delicious. We served this with Red Beans and Rice Deluxe for a killer combination.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced mild green chiles, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, juice reserved
1-1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 dash each salt and pepper
1 16-oz. package frozen okra pieces
1 cup frozen corn

Drain the tomatoes and the chiles over a large bowl to catch the juices. Saute the onion powder and garlic in the olive oil until they start to brown, then add the chiles, tomatoes and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then add okra, corn and reserved tomato juice. Cover and cook until heated through and the okra is no longer crunchy.

Savory Pasta w/ Peas and Mushrooms

Tonight we had a version of Eat Air's Old Standby. It only took about 20 minutes to prepare, and the boy and I scarfed it up. While it doesn't taste like mac and cheese, it's absolutely delicious in its own right.

My changes: I used a box of Annie's Shells and Cheese for the pasta, I left out most of the teaspoon of salt (since my bouillon was pretty salty), and I added a little lemon juice and Tobasco to the finished sauce.

Portobello-Pine Nut-Garlic Linguine

Tonight I was starving when I got home from work, and this meal satisfied all my salivating cravings in a jiffy. I had this with some leftover white bean sauce from the Florentine Noodle Casserole, which bumped up this pasta's already hefty protein ratio.

4 oz. dried linguine
water to cover
1 portobello mushroom cap, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 handfuls pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
1 handful sundried tomatoes, diced
2 splashes balsamic vinegar

Boil a pot of water for the linguine. Meanwhile, saute the garlic and pine nuts in the olive oil until golden. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook just until heated through. Drain the linguine, toss with a little olive oil and lemon juice, and serve w/ the mushroom mixture.