This summer was just so damn hot — so unbelievably disgusting and hot and sticky outside, and the only thing that could cool me down was copious amounts of ice cream.

Plus, going to get ice cream is just a really great friend date.

In fact, the best ice cream I’ve had out this year was on a friend date! It was this peanut butter soft serve situation that I absolutely, positively inhaled. Soft serve is my absolute favorite kind of ice cream, and as you probably know from spending approximately .2 seconds on this blog…peanut butter is my favorite food.

So this combination? Kinda unforgettable.

But as we all know, the only thing that can make peanut butter even better is chocolate. So I decided to borrow my parents’ ice cream maker and make it happen! And thus, this truly outrageous dairy-free ice cream was born!

Now look, this is a very easy recipe (provided you have an ice cream maker, which is, unfortunately, necessary) but it also takes some time. It’s mostly just chilling time though, so it’s nearly all hands-off.

Also: there’s an entire cup of peanut butter in here. I KNOW. We’re crazy like that. It makes this ice cream so unbelievably rich, and it helps mask any lingering coconut flavor from the coconut milk and cream.

I also opted to add just a splash of vodka to prevent the ice cream from freezing rock-hard (aka what happened the first time I made this recipe without it). Because it’s homemade, it’ll still freeze harder than store-bought ice cream, but the vodka + allowing it to thaw on the counter a few minutes before eating will bring it back to a delightfully scoopable texture!

Finally, the “stracciatella” part comes from streaming in melted chocolate right before the ice cream is done churning. It freezes as soon as it hits the cold ice cream, so it creates this satisfying, shattery, ribbony texture that drives me a little crazy in the best way. Each and every spoonful has a few (or more) speckles of chocolate!

I went absolutely bananas over this ice cream. The balance of salty, sweetness, and richness is truly one of the best things to come out of my kitchen in a while.

Mom, I’m going to need to keep your ice cream maker for a bit longer — I’m going to be making this recipe on repeat.

Vegan Peanut Butter Stracciatella Ice Cream

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A churned vegan ice cream recipe inspired by stracciatella gelato…but with a peanut butter base! It’s creamy, rich, and speckled with chocolate bits!

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1.5 pints
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Churn
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Ice cream base:

• 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut cream
• 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup natural, salted, creamy peanut butter*
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vodka**

Chocolate:

• 3/4 dairy-free, semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons refined coconut oil

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Instructions

1. Add all of your ice cream base ingredients into the base of a high-powered blend and blend until completely smooth.
2. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a large, shallow container and fit with a lid. Chill in the fridge until cool, 4+ hours.
3. Once cool, churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions while you melt your chocolate chips and coconut oil and mix well. You want it to be thick but streamable when you drizzle it from a spoon.
4. Once your ice cream is two-ish minutes from being done, stream your melted chocolate into the ice cream maker. The chocolate will freeze as soon as it hits the ice cream, forming flat streaks of chocolate chips throughout. 
5. Enjoy immediately for a “soft serve” texture, or freeze until solid for a more scoopable situation. Yay!

Notes

* The only ingredients should be peanuts and salt!

** Vodka prevents the ice cream from freezing rock-hard. Because it’s homemade, it’ll still freeze harder than store-bought ice cream. But allowing it to thaw on the counter a few minutes before scooping will help!

Adapted from Nora Cooks!

The post Vegan Peanut Butter Stracciatella Ice Cream appeared first on Fooduzzi.

This is that something warm and cozy.

My last name ends in a vowel, and thus…I love pasta. And I love how easy it is to make a truly excellent bowl of pasta at home.

You really just need good ingredients, time, and the dedication to do it right. You don’t need any special equipment or techniques to still make something that tastes like it was made with them.

That was the exact vibe I got from this vegetarian “meat” sauce my dad made for me last year. We had lasagna for Thanksgiving or Christmas last year, and he made me my own personal lasagna with this sauce.

Of course, my “personal” lasagna was huge and fed me for a good week, but the leftover sauce was my favorite part.

It was so rich, perfectly chewy, and weirdly very meaty? Even though it was made with only vegetables? It was incredible.

My dad is a great cook, so I really shouldn’t have been surprised. But he really hit it out of the park with this one.

My mind was blown, so I asked him to write down the recipe, and I’m finally publishing the recipe for you all so that your minds are blown too.

The idea of a “Sunday Sauce” comes from the fact that it’s cooked low and slow on the stove over a few hours. So just know that going in; you won’t be eating this sauce in 20 minutes. Instead, it’s a great weekend (Sunday) meal! And it freezes beautifully, so make it once and have it for meals whenever.

To make the recipe, you’ll start where all cozy stuff starts: a soffritto––a mixture of carrot, onion, and celery.

Well…sorta.

I don’t do celery. Never have, never will. The smell, flavor, texture, and pure essence of the thing just totally freaks me out, so I’ll never ever buy it (and therefore never cook with it). So my soffritto is just onion and carrot.

That said, if you don’t think celery is evil, feel free to add some and cut down on the other two. I won’t judge (too much).

The “meatiness” in this sauce comes from mushrooms…but in a few ways! We’ll rehydrate some dried mushrooms, chop them up nice and fine, and add them (along with some of their soaking liquid!) to the sauce. It gives a wonderful umami kick to the final sauce that you just can’t get from fresh ‘shrooms. They also lend a delightful chewiness that isn’t unlike the chew you experience when eating a traditional bolognese.

That said, you’ll also need some fresh mushrooms, as they make up the bulk of the sauce. Baby bella and/or white buttons work great (I used both!).

Your usual cast of characters are the final ingredients needed to make this an actual sauce: whole, peeled, canned tomatoes (spring for the San Marzanos!), tomato sauce/passata, white wine, garlic, and time.

Cooking this sauce over the course of an hour or two really helps the flavors develop and the texture to become more meaty. You’ll also immersion blend the sauce a bit to make it a bit more bolognese-y versus chunks of vegetables in tomato sauce-y.

I love recipes like this because it’s very much a low-effort, high-reward sort of recipe. A few key ingredients + time really do result in a sauce that’s rich, has a nice bite, and is perfect with your pasta of choice and a big ol’ slice of crusty bread and/or focaccia.

Grab yourself a glass of something fun and dive on in.

Dad’s Vegetarian Sunday Sauce (Mushroom Bolognese)

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Look no further! This is an excellently meaty vegetarian/vegan pasta sauce! It cooks low and slow for a few hours, so it’s a great weekend recipe.

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 120 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: ~5-6 cups
• Category: Pasta
• Method: Saute
• Cuisine: Italian
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 ounce dried mixed mushrooms (I used porcini and oyster), retain 1 cup of the soaking liquid
• 16–18 ounces baby bella and/or white button mushrooms, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sweet onion, diced
• 3/4 cup carrot (I used baby!), diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (and a glass for you, if ya fancy)
• 28 ounce can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 14 ounces (or more, if you want it extra saucy!) tomato sauce/passata
• To serve: 1 pound pasta (cooked), focaccia, vegan parmesan, fresh parsley, and another glass of wine

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Instructions

1. Quickly rinse your dried mushrooms, then place in a heat-safe bowl and pour 1 and 1/2 cups of boiling water on top. The mushrooms should be completely covered by the water. Let them rehydrate in the hot water for 10 – 15 minutes, then carefully remove and mince. Save 1 cup of soaking liquid. Set mushrooms and liquid aside.
2. In a dry pot over medium heat, cook the fresh mushrooms until the water evaporates and light searing starts. Carefully remove the mushrooms and set aside. 
3. Add olive oil and sauté the carrot, onion, and garlic with a pinch of kosher salt until soft, but not browning. 
4. Add the cooked, fresh mushroom to the pot and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few cranks of black pepper. Mix to combine.
5. Add the wine, mix, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to incorporate any browned bits.
6. Add the minced rehydrated mushrooms and 1 cup of their soaking liquid. 
7. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the San Marzanos and their liquid, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. 
8. Cook uncovered until the tomatoes are broken down and the sauce is more sauce-y, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Cover and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 1-2 hours. 
10. Add tomato sauce and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
11. Use an immersion blender to make the sauce as chunky / smooth as desired. 
12. Serve with your favorite cooked pasta and other toppings/sides like vegan parmesan and fresh parsley.

Notes

This recipe freezes well! When cooled to room temperature, transfer sauce into air-tight containers and place in the freezer. Then place it in the fridge overnight to thaw and heat before serving. Yum!

The post Dad’s Vegetarian Sunday Sauce (Mushroom Bolognese) appeared first on Fooduzzi.

And let me tell you why:

1. It is SO quick. It can be as quick as it takes to cook your pasta.
2. It requires minimal ingredients.
3. It can be packed with plant-based protein, which keeps ya full for longer.
4. It’s really so good and comforting. Who doesn’t love a creamy pasta dish?!

My love affair is going strong with this one, my friend. Excited for you to try it!

I use hummus in… everything. It’s a great, creamy, protein-packed, and convenient base to a lot of different things like:

• Toast
• Slaw
• Flatbreads
• Dressing
• Wraps

And… pasta sauce. I’ve used hummus as a pasta sauce a few times here on the blog, but this combination is my fave. Roasted red pepper hummus, some red pepper flakes, a bit of lemon zest if you’re feelin’ it, and your favorite assortment of veggies. Easy, delicious, and just extremely quick for when you’re in a pinch at dinnertime.

Now, when I make pasta for myself, I’m eating some sort of bean pasta (aka one made with chickpeas or lentils) 95% of the time.

While no bean pasta can hold a candle to traditional, bronze dye cut wheat pasta, I love using it because of the extra protein it can bring to the final dish. I used Banza’s Cavatappi in this recipe, but I also love the bean pasta from Aldi and Trader Joe’s. Lots of stores have options these days!

With the addition of hummus as our sauce, we’re really maximizing the amount of plant-based protein in this recipe!

You can choose your favorite vegetables to add to this dish –– I love the best sautéed mushrooms (of course), but zucchini is another fave of mine.

To speed this recipe up even more, you can use a frozen vegetable like broccoli, peas, or corn! Or a combination. The world is your (vegan) oyster. I always recommend throwing a little garlic in there too because what is pasta if not a vehicle for copious amounts of garlic?

Quick, simple, tasty, and filling –– what more could you want out of a weeknight-friendly meal?!

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

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A creamy, easy, and weeknight-friendly pasta dish packed with plant-based protein! I truly make this every single week.

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 3-4 servings
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Sauté
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• sautéed mushrooms
• 8 ounces pasta (I use chickpea pasta)
• 10 ounces roasted red pepper hummus*
• up to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes**
• zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)
• ~1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• salt + pepper
• Vegan Parmesan and fresh parsley, for topping

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Instructions

1. Start cooking your sautéed mushrooms in a large enough skillet to fit your pasta into once it is cooked. You’ll build the sauce and dish in this skillet!
2. A few minutes after starting your mushrooms, start cooking your pasta in a separate pot according to package instructions. Be sure to reserve at least 1/2 cup of pasta water to thin out the sauce.
3. When the mushrooms are cooked to your liking, add the hummus, red pepper flakes, and optional lemon zest to the skillet over low heat.
4. Slowly add your reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce, then toss your cooked pasta into the sauce. 
5. Carefully taste, and season with salt or pepper if needed –– I really like an extra crank of black pepper with creamy pasta sauces like this!
6. Top with vegan parmesan and parsley and enjoy!

Notes

* It should go without saying, but be sure to use a hummus you like the flavor of. For example, I don’t love the flavor of Sabra, so I don’t use it here. I actually really enjoy Aldi’s Park Street Deli Roasted Red Pepper Hummus in this dish!

** This amount makes this dish spicy. If you’re sensitive to heat or nervous about the amount, start with 1/4 teaspoon and increase if desired.

The post Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta appeared first on Fooduzzi.

Tbh, I’ve been having a weird couple of days. Just kinda feeling off. So I decided to fall back on the thing that can and always does make me very very happy: baking.

I wasn’t looking for some sort of complicated baking project; I just wanted to work with my hands, measure ingredients, and have a really delicious baked-good in front of me in just a few minutes.

Enter: these muffins!

They’re based off of this muffin recipe, which is a recipe based off these Zucchini Muffins from Pinch of Yum.

They’re made (almost) entirely in the blender/food processor. I really love recipes like that –– it almost seems impossible that a batter made in a blender can be so springy and toothsome in texture. But man, it couldn’t be easier. Which is especially helpful when you’re in a bit of a funk!

I also love these muffins because they’re loaded with ingredients that just make me feel good. I don’t know the scientific reasoning behind why dates, chia seeds, oats, applesauce, and cinnamon make me feel good, but they do. And because they’re so delicious, I don’t question it.

These muffins are actually very similar to the breakfast I have nearly every morning, just baked. And while I took the base from my Apple Spice Muffin recipe, I really loved adding some toasted walnut chunks and frozen wild blueberries (the teeny tiny ones!).

I also really like that there’s no refined sugar in these muffins –– the sweetness comes entirely from the applesauce, dates, maple syrup, and blueberries!

These muffins are a texture-lover’s dream. The batter won’t be totally smooth, and that’s okay. It’s fun to bite into a muffin and get some crisp walnut, some oats, and a bit of gooey date, all in the same bite.

I don’t find them too sweet, so I really love a couple of these topped with peanut butter for breakfast or as a snack at any point in the day. Of course, you could always save them for dessert if you fancy.

This recipe comes together in a snap, and I really think you’ll love the textures and flavors these mighty muffins have to offer. Enjoy!

Wholesome Vegan Blueberry Walnut Muffins

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A mighty wholesome muffin made with ingredients like oats, chia seeds, dates, applesauce, and blueberries! Love these as a breakfast or snack!

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 22 minutes
• Total Time: 37 minutes
• Yield: 7 muffins
• Category: Snack
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if desired!)
• 4 medjool dates, pitted*
• 1/4 cup neutral oil, like avocado
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup chopped raw** or toasted unsalted walnuts
• 1/3 cup frozen wild blueberries (the tiny ones!)

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Position the rack in the middle of your oven.
2. Mix your chia seeds and water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken for five minutes.
3. Add your oats, dates, oil, maple syrup, applesauce, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and your thickened chia mixture to your food processor or blender, and blend until relatively smooth. It’ll be a bit chunky, and that’s okay!
4. Grease seven cups of a muffin pan with a bit of oil***.
5. Pour your muffin batter to a medium mixing bowl. Add your walnuts, and stir well to combine.
6. Add your frozen blueberries and gently mix. If you mix too much, the colors from the blueberries will bleed.
7. Add batter to prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 of the way full. Using a damp finger, flatten the top of each muffin to ensure even browning.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when softly poked.
9. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before carefully removing them and allowing them to cool completely on a cooling rack. I even like popping them in an air-tight container once they’ve cooled to room temperature and then sticking them in the fridge overnight!

Notes

*Dates: If your dates are hard or cold, cover them with hot water for a few minutes to soften them. Then drain them completely, squeezing out any extra water.

**Walnuts: If using raw walnuts, I highly recommend toasting them for extra flavor. Either bake them in your preheated oven for a few minutes or toast them in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly. Stop when they become fragrant and brown (be careful not to burn!).

***Oil: I prefer coating each muffin cup with oil over using muffin liners. The oil helps the sides set and gives the muffins a nice “crust.”

The post Wholesome Vegan Blueberry Walnut Muffins appeared first on Fooduzzi.

If you’re a sweet potato fan, you must put this recipe on your to-make list this season.

I always have a couple of sweet potatoes in my pantry. Always. They’re one of my favorite starchy meal add-ins, and I especially love them when they’re roasted.

They have such an incredible natural sweetness that’s accentuated when roasted slow in the oven.

And now that the temperatures are dipping (finally!), it’s time for my oven to do some heavy-lifting in the meal department.

While this recipe offers the coziest of vibes, it’s extremely simple and straightforward.

You’ll tossed some cubed sweet potatoes with maple syrup, oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. The potatoes never get too sweet, even with the addition of maple syrup, because the small amount of apple cider vinegar is there to tame the flavors a bit. Then you’ll simply roast the potatoes, covered, at 400 degrees F.

I like popping the top off for the last five minutes of roasting to develop some extra caramelization and flavor, but it should take about 30 minutes for your potato cubes to become soft and tender.

And since they’re nice and soft after roasting, I like to top them with something crunchy. Enter: granola!

I’ve been having a true moment with granola, and I love the crisp, nutty bite it gives this final dish! I used a maple-flavored version, but a cinnamon one would be great as well. Anything with seeds and/or nuts is a plus because they bring even more texture to the party.

And that’s that! A very simple, highly delicious side dish for your this-time-of-year needs.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Vegan Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Granola

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An easy Thanksgiving side dish that’s totally vegan and only requires 7 ingredients! Full of texture, not too sweet, and a big crowd-pleaser.

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Roast
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into ~1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• salt + pepper, to taste
• a few handfuls of granola (maple-flavored or otherwise!)

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine your sweet potatoes, maple syrup, oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix to coat, then dump all of the contents onto your prepared baking sheet, spreading into an even layer.
3. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, then bake for 15 minutes.
4. Carefully remove the potatoes from the oven, uncover, and toss with a spatula.
5. Return to an even layer, cover, and bake again for an additional 15 minutes.
6. Carefully remove the cover and bake for another 5 minutes, or until done to your liking. At this point, your potatoes should be soft and slightly caramelized. The maple syrup burns quickly when the potatoes are uncovered, be vigilant!
7. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, and scoop your potatoes (and any liquid) into your serving plate/platter/bowl. Top with lots of granola, and serve with additional granola on the side!

Notes

Adapted from Eating Well.

The post Vegan Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Granola appeared first on Fooduzzi.

Does it need a full-blown article on the internet? Questionable.

Does it deserve a full-blown article on the internet? Absolutely.

I’m a big big fan of pumpkin, cinnamon, and all-things fall. This truly is my favorite time of year (followed closely by winter), and I feel like a whole new person when wearing my turtlenecks, boots, and jackets.

So I want to incorporate the very best things about this time of year into my every day. And if I can add a little fall flare to my snack time, it’s a huge win.

This parfait situation is so good, full of good fall flavors, and just really fun. Anything with the name “swirl” in the name is automatically fun, right? And it really couldn’t be more simple.

You’ll take some plain plant-based yogurt (use your fave, but I’ve been loving the unsweetened cashew stuff from Trader Joe’s), and swirl in some vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste if you have it for those cute little vanilla specks!). Then set it aside.

In another bowl, mix some pure pumpkin puree with cinnamon, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom). In the US, you can find pumpkin pie spice already mixed in the spice aisle, but feel free to skip it and use more cinnamon. Similar vibe and way easier for a simple snack like this!

Of course, you could totally just mix all of this (aka the yogurt and the pumpkin mixture) together and save a bowl, but then you wouldn’t have the swirl, and as previously established, swirled food is more fun. That said, you do you!

Then layer it in a cute little glass with granola. I used a store-bought maple granola for the fall vibes, but feel free to use your fave.

A perfect little fall treat in a jar! It’s simple, cute, super fun, and really very delicious. Enjoy, my friend!

Vegan Pumpkin Swirl Yogurt Parfait

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A simple, fall-flavored snack! Using dairy-free yogurt makes this recipe totally vegan, and you can use gluten-free granola if desired.

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 parfait
• Category: Snack
• Method: Mix
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsweetened dairy-free yogurt
• vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (what I used), if desired
• 1/3 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1–2 handfuls granola (maple or your favorite flavor)

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Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix your yogurt and vanilla. Set aside.
2. In another small bowl, mix your pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and maple syrup.
3. Swirl your pumpkin mixture into your yogurt mixture.
4. If desired, grab a jar and add half of your pumpkin/yogurt mixture followed by a layer of granola. Repeat, topping with additional granola.* Enjoy!

Notes

*Of course, you could just mix all of this together in one bowl of maximum ease. But the swirling and layering is fun if you have a bit of extra time!

The post Vegan Pumpkin Swirl Yogurt Parfait appeared first on Fooduzzi.

My answer: no. It is the quintessential cozy food for me, and I will praise its perfection all year long.

But… there’s something about pasta just hitting different in the fall and winter months. It is extra cozy, extra soothing, extra satisfying.

That’s why, when September started, I woke up craving pasta. And not just any pasta: vodka sauce.

Now, it might have been because I watched this video and read this article and kind of went down the vodka sauce rabbit hole. But still. A craving’s a craving, and it had to be dealt with.

And dealt with it was!

When I read up on vodka sauce, I learned a few things:

1. It’s actually a very simple recipe –– just some aromatics, tomatoes, cream, and (of course) vodka.
2. The origin is debated –– it originated either from an Italian chef or an Italian-American in New York.
3. It got super popular in the 80s and 90s (which must be why I have such a soft spot for it!).
4. It’s really easy to turn it vegan.

So that’s exactly what I did!

Most of the base recipe (mine is based off of this one) is actually vegan. You’ll just sweat down an entire onion in a little olive oil. Then add garlic and red pepper flakes, and once they’re cooked slightly, you’ll want to add your tomato paste.

It’s a lot of tomato paste –– 6 whole ounces! –– but it adds such a lovely and rich depth of flavor to our final sauce. Especially if you cook it a bit before the pan gets all liquidy. By cooking out the tomato paste, you’re concentrating the punchy tomato-ness even more by caramelizing the sugars.

Then you’ll add your whole, peeled canned tomatoes, a sprig of basil, some water, and our “cream” ingredients.

Now, cauliflower and cashews may not seem like creamy ingredients, but once cooked and blended? It helps give our final sauce a velvety, rich texture and flavor. It’s a hack I borrowed from my favorite vegan mac & cheese recipe!

Once you give the sauce a few minutes to cook on the stove, you’ll carefully transfer it to a blender with a knob of vegan butter, and blend until creamy.

Final step is putting the sauce back in your pan, adding the vodka, allowing it to cook for a minute or two, and then adding the pasta. And you’re done!

Surprisingly simple, ridiculously satisfying, and perfectly comforting for this time of year. Enjoy!

Vegan Vodka Sauce

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A divinely creamy vegan vodka sauce! This recipe is easy, comforting, and super satisfying and made creamy from two secret ingredients!

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Boil
• Cuisine: Italian
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 6 medium-large cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• pinch salt
• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon (or more) red pepper flakes
• pepper
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 14.5-ounce whole, peeled canned tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 sprig basil (plus more for topping)
• 1 pound short pasta
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 2 cups pasta water*
• vegan parmesan, for topping

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Instructions

1. Place your cauliflower florets and cashews in a food processor and blitz until it resembles small pebbles. It should yield ~1 cup (a little more is okay). Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat your olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add your onion and a pinch or two of salt, and cook until the onion is translucent, 6-8 minutes. Add a splash of water if things are browning.
4. Add your garlic, red pepper flakes, and a few cranks of black pepper, and cook for another minute.
5. Add your tomato paste with a splash of water, and cook for another minute. You’re caramelizing the sugars and developing more flavors in this step. Look at you!
6. Add your canned tomatoes, water, and your cauliflower/cashew mixture and stir to combine. Add a pinch of salt.
7. Allow the sauce to simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. 
8. Meanwhile, cook your pasta 1 minute less than package instructions (we’ll finish it in the sauce). Reserve two cups pasta water. 
9. Remove and discard your basil, and then carefully transfer your sauce mixture to a high-powered blender with a tablespoon of vegan butter, and blend until rich and creamy.
10. Transfer your sauce back to your pan (wipe it out first to ensure a super smooth sauce!), and return to a simmer over medium heat. 
11. Stir in your vodka and cook for 1 minute, then add your cooked pasta. 
12. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the pasta is cooked to your liking. You can add your pasta water here to thin out the sauce if needed.
13. Carefully taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional fresh basil and / or vegan parmesan!

Notes

* You probably won’t add all of this, but it’s better to have more than run out!

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats

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In fact, if I needed to give up every piece of technology but one, air conditioning would be the one I could not live without.

Goodbye, internet. So long, computer and cell phone. I shall be comfortably cool at a perpetual 72 degrees forever, thank you very much.

That is the reason why I am so hesitant to turn on my oven during the summer. It heats up my house for hours, which makes my air conditioning run for hours. Not fun.

So! I try to avoid my oven in the summer. It’s just not my jam.

And luckily, there are many creative ways to make the foods you’re craving without the use of an oven.

Enter: this stovetop blueberry crumble!

This is a quick recipe, provided that you buy store-bought granola (which is what I did and recommend). This will act as your quick and easy crumble topping. Clever, eh?

There are loads of different granola options available at pretty much any grocery store, so get one that you think would pair well with blueberries. Granola with coconut, almonds, vanilla, and/or cinnamon would all be great, and if you can get your hands on a lemon granola, all the better.

P.S. If you’re less averse to turning on your oven in the summer, you can also make your own lemon granola (it’s my favorite granola recipe ever).

The blueberry mixture comes together in a snap –– you’ll just need some fresh blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Dump it all into a sauce pan, and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the blueberries are to your desired crumble texture.

I like mine plenty jammy but still a bit chunky. You can see the texture in the pictures!

Once your blueberry mixture is to your liking, you have a decision to make: do you portion the mixture out into individual servings? Or do you pour it into a pie plate to feed a crowd? As you can see from the pictures, I did both: one for everyone, and one for me to sample ahead of time. A lil treat for the chef, if you will.

You’ll want to add the granola right before you’re ready to serve, so allow it to cool slightly before assembling to avoid sogginess. I really like this crumble warm or at room temperature, but to be fair, I have eaten it straight from the fridge as well. You really can’t go wrong here.

This is such a fun and easy recipe that perfectly celebrates one of summer’s best fruits! Enjoy, my friend!

The post Quick & Easy Stovetop Blueberry Crumble (No Oven!) appeared first on Fooduzzi.

Leave. Lettuce. Alone.

• If you’ve ever had a bag of slimy, brown lettuce in your fridge, this recipe is for you.
• If you’re sick and tired of throwing away unused lettuce week after week, this recipe is for you.
• If you’ve ever ate a salad and thought, “Wow, the lettuce is adding nothing to this dish, and if it wasn’t here, I probably wouldn’t miss it,” this recipe is for you.

Essentially, we’re taking everything good about a salad and leaving out the not-so-good (aka the lettuce).

Why? Because of all of those reasons up there. ☝️ And also because it’s probably my least-favorite part of any salad.

I’m never like “OH YES ROMAINE TONIGHT!” Or like “Mixed greens?! Yes please!” Or even like “Kale? HECK YES.”

I just… don’t love lettuce.

But I do love veggies. And that’s how the “Just the Toppings Salad” was born.

Is it weird to eat a salad that is just toppings? Perhaps.

Should that stop you? No. Especially if you’ve fallen victim to the high hopes of working your way through a bag of lettuce in a week only to find it in a very different color in a deep, dark corner of your refrigerator the following week.

I definitely don’t know what that’s like. Definitely not.

Groceries are just too dang expensive right now to allow for that. At least in my opinion.

That’s why I’ve been making a version of this salad every day for lunch for about a month. It’s everything I love about a salad, and find that I’m eating more veggies this way because I’m not at the mercy of the lowly bag of lettuce anymore.

I am FREE. And you can be free too, my friend.

I realize this has been a chaotic and silly little post about a lettuceless salad, but it really is very good.

And of course, the beauty of this salad lies in whatever ingredients you have on-hand. I always have a mix of veggies like cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, carrots, and olives, but anything you love in a regular salad will work.

I also am just so incredibly into roasted, salted sunflower seeds on my salads right now, so those are not optional. Unless you don’t like them. In that case, you do you.

Add some chickpeas for protein and toast up some bread on the side, and what do ya know! A tasty, veg-filled salad with nary a lettuce leaf in sight.

Out with the food waste, in with yummy, lettuceless salads. Yes, please.

“Just the Toppings” Salad

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Yep, you’re looking at a salad without lettuce. And if you’ve thrown away your last bag of slimy, brown lettuce, this recipe is for you!

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 salad
• Category: Lunch
• Method: Chop
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

YOUR FAVORITE SALAD INGREDIENTS LIKE:

• 5 baby carrots, sliced thin into circles
• 1/4 an english cucumber, sliced thin into circles
• 6–8 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup chickpeas from a can
• a handful of marinated olives
• 2–4 tablespoons roasted, salted sunflower seeds
• salt + pepper
• Everyday Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette (or your favorite dressing!)

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Instructions

1. Cut up all of your ingredients and place them in a bowl.
2. Toss with your dressing and enjoy!

Notes

I think a nice Mediterranean spin on this recipe would be fab by using marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers, and maybe even some vegan feta… YUM.

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I am very pro-taco, and these tacos were born from my slight disappointment over some vegan tacos I’ve had out at restaurants recently.

When I get vegan tacos at a restaurant, they seem to be soft and soggy a lot of the time. No texture whatsoever. Just a bunch of mushy ingredients (albeit delicious mushy ingredients) in a soft tortilla.

Most recently, I had some potato tacos and some nopales (cactus) tacos, both of which were filled with ingredients like cooked onions, pickled jalapeños, and stewed tomatoes. Although they both tasted just fine, I felt like the texture was lacking that all-important crunch.

So! I decided to play around in the kitchen. And many overstuffed tacos later, we have the taco situation that makes my heart sing.

And I know: at first glance, it doesn’t really look like there’s anything all that crunchy on this taco.

But my friend, that’s where that vegan creamy slaw comes in!

We’re using it as an ingredient versus just as a topping. And it goes into the tortilla first to give us something fresh, crisp, and zingy to bite into in the middle of the tortilla.

It’s such a simple thing, but it makes all the difference! Instead of having just a little slaw moment with all of your other toppings, it’s the star of the show, the belle of the ball, bringing you a fresh, crisp-chewiness that is just so delectable.

For the slaw, you’ll need vinegar, oil, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and hummus (which makes it creamy!). Then top that slaw-filled tortilla with some savory stewed black beans, salsa, hot sauce, onion, jalapeño, tomato, peppers, cilantro, or whatever you fancy.

You could say I was slightly hungry when I was shopping for ingredients for these tacos, so I grabbed pretty much every topping I could think of. That said, it’s a very customizable recipe, so use what you have/like!

Don’t knock the whole slaw-first-in-a-taco situation until you try it! In a blind side-by-side taste test, my taste tester (me) preferred the slaw-first method 100% of the time.

And I just don’t know how you can argue with that logic.

Black Bean Tacos with Vegan Creamy Slaw

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My go-to taco recipe these days! This recipe is super simple to make, but it really packs a punch thanks to the crunchy slaw and spiced, stewed black beans!

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 5-6 tacos
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Saute
• Cuisine: Mexican-American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

VEGAN CREAMY SLAW:

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons hummus
• 1/2 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
• pinch sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 oz finely shredded cabbage

EASY STEWED BLACK BEANS:

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15-oz can black beans (with the liquid from the can)*
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

FOR THE TACOS:

• tortillas (corn, flour, or your fave)
• salsa
• hot sauce
• onion (green or white)
• cilantro
• thinly-sliced peppers
• chopped tomatoes
• jalapeños
• lime
• or your favorite taco toppers!

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Instructions

1. SLAW: In a medium bowl, whisk your hummus, oil, apple cider vinegar, granulated garlic, sugar, and salt/pepper. Once combined, add your cabbage and toss to coat. Set in the fridge until ready to use.
2. BEANS: In a large skillet over medium heat, add your oil and onion. Season with a small pinch of salt and cook until mostly translucent, stirring frequently (2-3 minutes).
3. Add your garlic, and cook for another minute or so, or until the garlic is fragrant but not browned.
4. Add your beans (liquid and all!), and stir to combine. Add your chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, and smoked paprika, and continue to cook over medium heat until most of the liquid has absorbed but the beans still look saucy, 5-8 minutes. If you run a spoon through the beans, it should leave a trail that closes in about 2 seconds –– see the photo in the post for a visual!
5. Add your cilantro and carefully taste, adding salt and pepper if needed. Because our slaw is so zippy and punchy, I didn’t add any acid to these beans, but feel free to add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to brighten this mixture up!
6. ASSEMBLE: Warm/char your tortillas as desired (I charred mine over my gas burner). Add a large scoop of the creamy slaw into the center of your tortilla. Then add some black beans and your desired toppings!

Notes

*All cans of black beans are seasoned differently, so the salt level of the beans will be fully dependent on that! Use a reduced sodium can of beans if you’re worried about it. I used the blue can from Trader Joe’s.

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