Amy's Happy Tummy

These vegan stuffed shells are a family favorite at our house! The filling works in these shells or in lasagna or in any ricotta recipe. It's easy and it's so tasty! Ingredients: 16 oz firm water-packed tofu 12.3 oz firm silken tofu (in the box) 1/4 C nutritional yeast flakes 2 tsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp garlic powder 1 Tbsp onion powder 1 C Vegenaise or other vegan substitute 2 T cornstarch 2 Tbsp chicken style seasoning 1 box of large shells Spaghetti Sauce (without citric acid*) Instructions: Cook large pasta shells al dente according to the box directions and set aside. Mash tofu together in a large mixing bowl. Add all seasoning and Vegenaise and thoroughly mix.  *If you cannot find spaghetti sauce without citric acid, you can make your own by adding seasonings to tomato sauce. Or you can search the internet for a simple recipe. Assembly: Put a thin layer of spaghetti sauce down in a 9x13 baking dish. Stuff each cooked shell with about a Tbsp of tofu filling. You should g...

 These scalloped potatoes are so yummy! You will love them! They are creamy. They are tasty. They are super easy to make! Ingredients: 5 C potatoes, sliced 1 large onion, diced 1/2 C cashews 3 C water 2 tsp salt 1 tsp onion powder 2 Tbsp flour (for GF option use 2 Tbsp cornstarch) basil Instructions: Cover potatoes with water in a pot and par boil for 5-7 minutes. Drain the water when done. Meanwhile, steam onion slightly in a small pan with a small amount of water. Blend cashews in 1 cup of water until smooth. Add remaining 2 cups of water salt, onion powder, and flour. In a 9x13 casserole dish layer potatoes and onion and sprinkle with basil. Pour cashew milk mixture over all. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and tender.

 Pan -fried tofu in a yummy Korean sauce! This dish is bursting with flavor and simple to make! Ingredients: TOFU extra virgin olive oil 1 16oz package of firm or extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices salt, to taste SAUCE: 4 Tbsp maple syrup 4 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos 2 Tbsp ketchup 4 cloves, minced garlic (or 1 tsp powder) 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (or 1/2 tsp powder) GARNISH: (optional) green onions or chives sesame seeds Instructions: Put a small amount of oil in the fry pan and place the sliced tofu onto the hot pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Fry the tofu strips on medium high heat until golden. Flip the tofu and fry until golden, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to 8x8 baking dish. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by whisking together the maple syrup, Bragg's, ketchup, garlic, and ginger in a bowl.  When the tofu is ready, pour the sauce over it, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and almost caramelized in pan. Garnish wi...

This isn't your typical quiche because it lacks the egg product! But what it lacks in egg, it makes up for in taste. It is super yummy and is good for breakfast or for lunch. The bonus is that it doesn't get much easier than blending, pouring, and baking.   Ingredients: 1 C water 1 lb firm water packed tofu 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp oregano 1 1/4 tsp basil 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp dill weed 1 1/2 tsp chicken seasoning (I use McKay's in the recipe) 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained* 1 C olive slices* 1 small can mushroom pieces* Instructions: Place al but the last three ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Place blended mixture in a large bowl and stir in the vegetables. Pour into two pie crusts and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *You can substitute other vegetables, but theses are our favorites! :)

I've never been one to roll out a pie crust so anything that I can press and squeeze and shape is great for me! :) I love this crust that I use for quiche because you mix it up and press it in the pan. Ingredients: 1 C whole wheat or unbleached all-purpose flour 1 C almond meal 1/2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp mild olive oil or canola oil 2-3 Tbsp water 1 Tbsp flaxmeal, optional Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor, add the dry ingredients and pulse to combine.  With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in oil.  Add the water as well, but just one tablespoon at a time until the dough sticks together when you press it between your fingers. Crumble the dough into the pan and press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Press firmly and evenly. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust, and then bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Once you pull it out of the oven, it's ready for you to pour a filling in and bake. 

This is a wonderful loaf! It's so simple to throw together, and it tastes so good! You can even make it ahead of time and put in the fridge until you want to bake it. Ingredients: 2 - 16oz firm water packed tofu 1 - 6oz bag puffed rice cereal 1 chopped onion 1/3 C melted earth balance 1/3 C braggs liquid amigos 1 Tbsp beef like seasoning Optional - add 1/3 C chopped walnuts Instructions: Crumble tofu into very small, almost mashed, pieces. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Press firmly into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake on 350, covered, for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes. E njoy!!

This tasty potato corn soup is creamy and delicious without the added fat of regular milk or cream.  It's thickened with cashews and that adds just the right amount of creamy goodness. Ingredients: 1 medium onion, diced 8 medium potatoes 6-8 cups water (this effects the thickness at the end) 3 Tbsp dried parsley 2 Tbsp onion powder  3/4 teaspoon garlic powder 3 T dried basil 1 1/2 cup raw cashews 1 3/4 cup water 4 teaspoons salt  Instructions: Wash and peel potatoes. Dice into bite-size pieces and place in soup pan along with 6 cups of water. In a large soup pot, combine potatoes, onion, and water.  Turn heat to high. Add seasonings, cover, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, but not mushy (about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the potato dices). Meanwhile, place cashews, 1 3/4 cup of water, and salt in a blender and blend until very smooth. When potatoes are tender, turn the stove down to low (add corn if desired), a...

About 19 years ago when we were first married and lived out in Sacramento, California, we were introduced to pesto pizza when we ate at Steve's Place Pizza.  From the first time we tasted it, pesto pizza became a favorite!  It is probably my most favorite meal!   It's amazing!  And that's why this post deserves so many pictures! Ingredients: 1 premade pizza crust 1 recipe pesto spinach onion tomato bell pepper olives mushrooms other toppings of your choice Instructions: Spread pesto in thin layer on the entire pizza crust (already baked). Top with your favorite toppings!  The more....the merrier....or tastier!!  :)  Bake at 325 for 10-15 mins or until the vegetables are cooked through.  Enjoy your scrumptious master piece!!  

Rice. Veggies. Peanut Sauce. It really is amazing when you put it all together.  And it can fit anyone's taste because everyone gets to top it as they like.   Ingredients: Steam or cook the following separately -- Rice (cook according to package directions) Potatoes, sliced or diced Tofu, lightly fried with a touch of chicken style seasoning Green beans Carrots, sliced Cabbage Tomato, optional Cucumber, optional Peanuts, roasted and/or salted Peanut Sauce 1/4 C creamy natural peanut butter 2 T lime juice 3 T neutral flavored oil 1 T low-sodium soy sauce 2 T honey 2 1/2 T cane sugar 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 1 tsp salt 2 T fresh cilantro leaves 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional Instructions : For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a food processor and process until completely smooth.  Add the cilantro and process for a few seconds until the cilantro is fi...

Vegan.  Tasty.  Easy.  Inexpensive. That about sums it up!  You are in for a treat! Ingredients: 2 C dry TVP (beef flavor)  1 medium onion, diced small  1 C quick oats  2-3 T braggs  1 C vegenaise or other vegan mayo  ¾ - 1 C whole wheat flour  Instructions: Put TVP in a bowl and cover with water.  Rehydrate for 5-10 minutes.  After it is fully rehydrated, drain and squeeze all water out and put TVP in another mixing bowl.  Add all the other ingredients and mix together well, adding the vegenaise and flour last.  Shape into patties (with wet hands) and fry in a small amount of oil on the stove.  Makes approximately 10 medium size burgers.

This is not your traditional Spanish rice recipe.  This makes into more of a casserole than loose rice.  It's wonderful served with peas or beans and a side of chips.  It's warm and filling with a wonderful taste! Ingredients: 4 Tbsp earth balance margarine 1 medium onion, chopped  4-5 C cooked rice (I've used brown, white, and a mix of both) 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes 2 C vegan cheese sauce (see below) 2 tsp o nion powder 1 tsp cumin Vegan cheese sauce Instructions: Melt margarine in a pan and sauté onion.  When the onion is sauteed, add rice, tomatoes, cheese sauce, and seasonings (maybe 3/4 tsp onion and 1/2 of cumin??…I don’t measure).  Bake in 8x8 baking dish covered for 30 minutes at 350. Put all ingredients in the blender and blend thoroughly until smooth.  Makes about 2 cups.    Fantastic served with black beans or peas along with tortilla chips! ...

This recipe is so versatile and so easy to whip up on the spur of the moment.  This is a favorite on pasta and as the sauce on pizza! Ingredients: 1 (16oz ) package of water-packed firm tofu 1 1/2 C plain or unsweetened soymilk 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 3 Tbsp vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast flakes 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/3 C vegan cream cheese or sour cream 1 tsp basil Instructions: Blend all ingredients, except basil in a blender until smooth and creamy.  Add the basil and turn on blender slowly just to mix through.  You can heat it up on the stove or just let it blend long enough to warm up.  Serve over pasta with your favorite roasted vegetables.

We LOVE this stuffed shells recipe!  And I must give tribute and thanks to Camp Au Sable for sharing the recipe with me.  I can't even remember who the Chef was when I acquired this recipe, but I still have it handwritten on a worker's meeting bulletin.  That is what sits in my recipe binder. Sauce - It's important that the sauce you use does NOT have citric acid in it.  I tested it once and the taste is odd.  I'm not sure why, but it's true.  For so long I have been buying Meijer brand tomato and basil flavored spaghetti sauce to use with this recipe because it did not have citric acid.  They have redone their sauce and it has citric acid now.  And one day I looked through our small-town grocery store and only found one sauce that didn't have citric acid.  So here is what camp did for their sauce. Ingredients: 2 lg cans Hunts Tomato Sauce (they didn't say how large!) 3 tsp Italian seasoning and some garlic powder OR Allegra ...

Here's your chance for a little kitchen creativity. Cook according to your taste buds! This is the basic recipe.  You can add and subtract what you want, and you might need a little more seasoning.   Ingredients: 1 ½ C long-grain brown/white rice or jasmine rice, rinsed 1 ½ T olive oil 1 med onion, quartered and sliced 2 C small broccoli florets 2 medium carrots, sliced 1 medium red pepper, diced 1 can chunk pineapple, drained 1 C coconut milk 2 T soy sauce 1 tsp curry powder 2 tsp minced ginger Chopped cashews, optional (I added a small amount of cubed fried tofu)   Instructions: Combine the rice with 3 C water in a saucepan.  Bring to a rapid simmer, then cover and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, 30-35 minutes. Shortly before the rice is done, heat the oil in a stir-fry pan.  Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden.  Add the broccoli, carrots, and bell pepper.  Turn the heat to ...

These were yummy and crispy!  And everyone got to dress theirs with the seasonings they like.  Everyone wins! Ingredients: Potatoes Vegan butter Seasonings Instructions: Preheat the oven to 425. We washed the potatoes and then put them between pencils on a cutting board.  I read on the internet that you can use chopsticks.  Those would probably be better since they are not round.  But we used what we had and it worked like a charm.  Thinly slice the potatoes, accordion-style, cutting down until you reach the pencils.  You should not have cut all the way through the potato.  It will be intact when you bake it.   In a small bowl, combine melted butter or oil and any seasonings you like. Drizzle this over the potatoes and then use a pastry brush to spread the butter and oil mixture evenly and in between the slices of each potato. Sprinkle with salt.   Give them an extra-long roast in the oven so that the ins...

Everyone needs to know about this meal.  It is one of our favorite family meals!  Recently this is the meal that we have when we invite people over as well and most people just really enjoy it.  One of the nice things about it is that it is gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, and most other allergens free.  :)  It's pretty safe no matter who you serve....except someone who can't tolerate lentils.  Oh well...can't win 'em all!  It is so yummy!  All five of us think so! Ingredients & Instructions: Layer the following: Brown rice Lentils           1 C lentils           5 C water           1 chopped onion            2 bay leaves            1/2 tsp oregano            1 chopped carrot            ...

This is so so easy!  It pretty much boils down to "open and dump!" All you need to do is keep these few items on hand and you can easily put together a batch in about 30 minutes! Ingredients: 2 or 3 cans mild chili beans 1 quart diced tomatoes 1 15 oz can of corn 1 onion, diced 1/2 C dehydrated chicken flavored TVP (or you can substitute any burger substitute) 1 package Taco Seasoning Instructions: First, cover the TVP with water and let sit for 15-20 minutes.  In the meantime, dice the onion and saute it in a Tablespoon of oil until translucent.  Add in burger and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Add all other ingredients and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Heat thoroughly before serving. Don't forget the chips when you serve this!

One of my favorites.  You'd never know it was dairy-free!   And that's the way vegan cooking should be... Ingredients: 7 Flour Tortillas (white or wheat) Chopped olives 1 1/2 - 2 15oz cans Refried Beans Layer the beans and olives in equal amounts among the 7 tortillas.  Roll like a burrito.  In a 9x13 casserole dish, place the burritos side by side and then make the sauce: 1/4 cup Earth Balance Margarine 4 Tbsp Flour 2 Cups Water 2 tsp Chicken-like Seasoning 1 tsp Lawry's Seasoning 1 Cup Vegan Sour Cream 4 oz Mild Green Chilis Instructions: Combine Earth Balance and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. When it's hot and bubbling add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a whisk until thickened.  Pour the sauce over the burritos in the 9x13 pan and cook at 350 degrees till hot and bubbly - usually about 30 minutes.

It's creamy.  It's "cheesy."  It's yummy.  It's vegan.   It's still comfort food. This is one of the best vegan macaroni and cheese recipes we've tried.  Our family loves it! Ingredients: 1 C cashews 2 T nutritional yeast flakes 1 ½ T lemon juice 2 tsp salt 4 oz jar pimentos 2 ½ C water 1 tsp onion powder ½ tsp garlic powder 2 T cornstarch 3 C dry macaroni (or preferred) noodles Instructions: Cook noodles according to package directions.  Rinse and put aside in a 9x13 pan.  Blend all remaining ingredients until smooth and pour over cooked macaroni noodles.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Creamy and good!

This is a tummy-filling, body warming chili!  It's full of fiber and wholesome ingredients, plus it doesn't cost a lot to make.  Give it a try and you'll be amazed at how good it tastes! Ingredients: 1 T olive oil 2 C chopped onion 1 C chopped bell pepper, any color 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 ½ T chili powder 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp salt 1 quart (32 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained 1 pint (16 oz) black beans, undrained* 1 pint (16 oz) kidney beans, undrained* 1 quart (32 oz) pinto beans, undrained* ½ package Morningstar Farms or Boca Crumbles 1 4 oz container green chilis Instructions: Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender.  Add remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. *If using store-bought canned beans, rinse and drain first.