But this time, we’re leaning on the flavors from summer’s best sandwich: the BLT.

Now, we’ve done the BLT thing here before. And it’s great. I make that recipe all the time, and it’s perfect as-is.

But…

You can only fit so much summer veg between two slices of bread. And when you eat dinner on the couch (as I often do), eating a sandwich is risky and downright messy.

So I threw everything in a bowl, and now we’re here.

I kid you not, I have made this recipe almost every day for a week. I’ve swapped ingredients in and out, I honed in on a smoky-sweet dressing, and I have loved every single dining experience that has involved this here salad.

It. Is. Delightful. And just a really great way to celebrate allllll the in-season summer produce.

The core ingredients for this salad are, of course, the same as in your traditional BLT:

• Bread, toasted. Preferably a nice sourdough.
• Tomatoes, marinated. Any kind you want.
• Lettuce, shredded iceberg. No fancy lettuces here.
• Bacon, vegan. Of the coconut variety.

If you’ve never had coconut bacon before, it’s just unsweetened marinated coconut, pan-fried until crisp. It sounds weird, it is a little weird, but it is so, so good. Just trust me.

It’s best if you can find that thick flaked coconut (it is just so wonderfully crisp and chewy this way!), but shredded coconut (like I used in the pictures here) works too.

Then to make the most of our bowl and all that summery goodness, we’ll just load up the salad with anything that tickles our fancy. I went with corn, cucumber, green onion, and avocado, but you do you.

I really think you’ll love this salad just as much as I do. It has become a full-blown obsession in my house at this point, and I cannot wait for you to try it, too.

Three cheers for summer veg!

BLT Panzanella

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A smoky-sweet BLT-inspired panzanella salad made vegan! Load it up with your favorite summer veg and dive on in.

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 minutes
• Total Time: 13 minutes
• Yield: 2-3 servings
• Category: Salad
• Method: Mix
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

COCONUT BACON:

• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (like grapeseed)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 and 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut chips/flakes*

DRESSING:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch salt
• fresh-cracked black pepper

BREAD:

• 1 large slice of good sourdough bread, torn into bite-sized chunks
• 1/2 tablespoon oil
• pinch salt
• freshly-cracked black pepper

SALAD**:

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1–2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1/4 cup corn kernels (I used thawed frozen)
• 1/4 english cucumber, sliced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed

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Instructions

1. MIX UP THE COCONUT BACON: In a medium bowl, combine your soy sauce, oil, maple syrup, tomato paste, and smoked paprika. Whisk to combine.
2. Add your coconut chips and toss to coat completely. Allow to marinade for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, line a large plate or cookie sheet with paper towels.
3. MAKE THE DRESSING: Whisk your dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add your diced tomatoes into it to quickly marinate. Set aside.
4. COOK THE COCONUT BACON: Heat a large pan over medium-low heat. Working in two batches, scoop out some of the coconut bacon and add it to your pan, leaving any additional liquid in the bowl to discard.
5. Cook your bacon, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until golden. If certain pieces start to get darker than others, you can use tongs to remove them and place them on your paper towel-lined plate. Try to keep the pieces of coconut separated as they cook. They’ll crisp further as they cool. Set aside.
6. TOAST YOUR BREAD: Toss your bread, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toast in a toaster oven or air fryer until golden. I used a toaster oven at 335 degrees F for about 5 minutes. Add to your dressing/tomato mixture and toss.
7. ASSEMBLE: Add your other salad ingredients to the bowl with your tomatoes and bread, and toss again. Top with a nice handful or two of your coconut bacon (leftovers store well in an air-tight container in the fridge). Dive in, and enjoy!

Notes

*I used shredded coconut because I couldn’t find the big flaked coconut anywhere (I went to multiple stores!). Shredded worked, but the big flaked coconut is better.

**These are the ingredients I used the day I shot this recipe, but feel free to swap in your favorite summer veg!

The post Vegan BLT Panzanella appeared first on Fooduzzi.

Why?

1. It’s based off of my all-time favorite cookie.
2. It reminds me of High School Alexa’s favorite treat from Starbucks, Lemon Loaf.

I’m choosing a chocolate dessert 99.9% of the time, but…I love citrusy things this time of year. Pittsburgh is impossibly grey most of the late winter/early spring, and nothing puts a pep in my step like a lil lemony baked good.

So naturally, I was craving a lemon cookie.

But I wanted something quick. And easy. I didn’t want to use a million ingredients, chill the dough, do a little dance, or wait 24-48 hours until I enjoyed my treat.

I wanted it ASAP, so I looked to the easiest cookie I know for inspiration: my Nana’s To Tos.

They are, quite possibly, the easiest cookie you’ll ever make. Mix the ingredients, roll ’em up, bake, glaze, done.

So easy, and it’s a shock I don’t make them every week because I love them so very much. They’re a cakey cookie, not chewy, and they have a lovely crisp exterior. And a vanilla glaze!

But after the 9753rd cold day this year, I needed something a little brighter. A little lighter.

Enter: Lemon Loaf Cookies.

Your regular cookie cast of characters can be found in the ingredient list:

• Butter (vegan)
• Sugar (cane)
• Lemon (zest)
• Vanilla (bean paste or extract)
• Flour (all-purpose)
• Powder (baking)
• Powder (soda)
• Salt (kosher)
• Milk (almond)
• Oil (neutral)

Cream your butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix your flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add your dry ingredients and almond milk to the creamed butter mixture and you have a dough.

Then comes the slightly unconventional part: rolling your cookies into balls with oiled hands.

YES. Oiled hands.

As I said in the original recipe, I think we do this to ensure a nice crisp exterior on our cookies. But then again, I’m not 100% certain. But if Nana did it, I’m doing it too.

Then you bake, glaze with a simple powdered sugar, almond milk, vanilla, lemon zest glaze, and you’re done! Eat ’em up!

I really love these cookies, and it’s kinda crazy how much they remind me of Starbuck’s Lemon Loaf. I actually had one with coffee the other day, and it made those vibes so much stronger.

And my dad, fellow lover of To Tos and all-things lemon, also was a fan. He said (and I quote) “They are excellent! I wouldn’t change anything.”

Can’t get much better than that.

Lemon Loaf Cookies

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An easy, no-chill cookie recipe that’s zippy, lemony, and cakey. A lemon and vanilla bean glaze takes them over the edge!

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 13 cookies
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

DOUGH:

• 1/4 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup raw cane sugar (or your fave granulated sugar)
• zest of two small lemons
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• 240 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• pinch kosher salt
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, at room temperature
• neutral oil (like avocado) for rolling

GLAZE:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• zest of one small lemon

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine vegan butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla bean paste in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer and a large bowl). Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.
3. Meanwhile, combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
4. Reduce your stand mixer speed to low and slowly add 1/3 of your dry ingredients, followed by half of your milk, 1/3 of your dry ingredients, the remaining milk, then the remaining 1/3 of your dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and mix until just combined.
5. Take chunks of your dough (I like making mine slightly bigger than a golf ball, about 2 tablespoons), oiling your hands in between each, and roll them into a ball. Stick them on your baking sheet with a bit of room between each (they don’t spread too much). Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until you can see the bottoms slightly browning.
6. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet, then move them to a cooling rack for glazing.
7. Whisk the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Dunk the tops of the cookies in the glaze, swirling so the entire top is covered. Place the cookies back on the cooling rack so that the glaze can drip down. Allow to set up at room temperature.

The post Lemon Loaf Cookies appeared first on Fooduzzi.

It’s Fooduzzi’s 10th birthday!

Wowowow.

Yep, today’s the day we switch from spelling out Fooduzzi’s age to just using a number.

I’ve spent 10 full years over here in this corner of the internet. 10 years of incredible opportunities, amazing friendships, and tasty plant-based recipes.

10 years is a pretty long time to be doing something. Like if Fooduzzi was a person, it would be in 4th of 5th grade. That’s a long time!

There have been seasons where things have been more active around here, and other seasons when they’ve been more quiet. But we’re still here, still kickin’, and still making some really fun and delicious recipes.

Speaking of…

These Calico Sugar Cookies are our chocolate-peanut butter recipe this year! Because we always celebrate Fooduzzi’s birthday with a chocolate-peanut butter recipe:

• 1st birthday: Peanut Butter Cup Muffins
• 2nd birthday: Snickerdoodle Buckeyes
• 3rd birthday: Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls
• 4th birthday: Vegan Buckeye Cake
• 5th birthday: Swirled Chocolate Peanut Butter Slice and Bake Cookies
• 6th birthday: Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites
• 7th birthday: Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
• 8th birthday: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache Frosting
• 9th birthday: Vegan Soft Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
• 10th birthday: Calico Sugar Cookies ← today’s recipe!!

I saw a picture of cookies that looked like calico cats on Pinterest like eight years ago, and I haven’t stopped thinking about them since. So I finally got it together to make my own version based on a vegan sugar cookie recipe I found from Nora Cooks!

As you probably know, I have a cat, a silly, opinionated, sassy, perfect calico named Maya. Her orange, black, and white coat is what we’re trying to recreate with these cookies.

We’ll start out with a relatively standard sugar cookie dough and then divide it in thirds:

1. The first third stays a sugar cookie and gets a bit more flour.
2. The second third gets a bit of powdered peanut butter.
3. The third third gets a bit of cocoa powder

We’re adding only dry ingredients so the textures of the three doughs stay more or less the same. I realize peanut butter powder is a bit of a weird ingredient. But it gives the dough a peanut buttery flavor and (importantly) the right color for our tricolor cookies.

Once your doughs are mixed, you’ll break off pieces and smoosh them together like the picture above. Feel free use smaller chunks of each dough if you want, but I was impatient and went with big chunks, and the cookies still turned out super cute.

Then you’ll roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thick, and then you’ll cover it with parchment paper and chill in the fridge overnight. The dough will spread just a bit, but chilling the dough will help the dough relax and prevent overspreading.

The next day, you’ll cut your cookies (the exact cutter I used is out of stock, but any cat cookie cutter will work!) and stick them in the freezer to chill again while your oven is preheating.

Then…bake! Again, the cookies will spread a bit, but a chunky cat is still a perfect cat. More to love!

Since sugar cookies typically get some sort of icing/sugar coating for extra flavor and texture, I decided to spread melted chocolate on the backs of these cookies. I didn’t want to cover up the cute design, and the thin chocolate coating just gives the baked cookies a bit of a flavor boost.

And like…more chocolate is never a bad thing, IMO.

I just love how cookies turned out. LOVE!! Most people I know IRL knew about them weeks ago because I couldn’t stop texting people pictures of them. They’re the cutest things I’ve ever made by far.

So happy birthday, Fooduzzi! Starting this blog still is one of the very best things I’ve ever done for myself. I’m still saying it 10 years later!

And thank you for being here! Whether this is your first time or you’ve been here from the beginning, I’m honored you’re here. Thank you thank you thank you.

Calico Sugar Cookies

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The CUTEST calico cat cookies…made vegan! Peanut butter and chocolate give these sugar cookies their look and flavor.

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 12ish cookies (depending on your cutter size)
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

BASE:

• 3/4 cup vegan butter, slightly softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt

FOR THREE COLORS:

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter powder
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

FOR FINISHING:

• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips, melted
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• pinch salt (optional, but good!)

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Instructions

1. Add your vegan butter to a large bowl and beat with a handheld mixer on medium until smooth and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer!
2. Add your sugar, and beat on medium until light and fluffy, another 2-3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
3. Add the milk, cornstarch, and vanilla, and beat on medium until combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Add 1 cup of flour, your baking powder, and salt, and mix again until combined.
5. Add the second cup of flour and mix only until just combined. You really don’t want to overmix here, as we have more mixing to do!
6. Separate your dough into thirds, each third going in its own bowl. 
7. In one third, add your final tablespoon of flour. Mix well to combine, but avoid overmixing.
8. In the final third, add your peanut butter powder. Mix well to combine, but avoid overmixing.
9. In another third, add your cocoa powder. Mix well to combine, but avoid overmixing.
10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the three different colored doughs and form them into small, irregular patches (see photos). Gently press the patches together on the parchment paper to create a calico pattern.
11. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of your dough, and roll the dough out evenly until it forms a flat, cohesive sheet, ensuring the patches stay connected but maintain their distinct colors. The dough should be about 1/4-inch in height.
12. Keep dough covered and place in the fridge to rest overnight.
13. The next day, cut out your cookies using your favorite cat cookie cutters. You can re-roll the dough to get more cookies out of your batch, but the look will be more tortoise-like than calico! Still v cute.
14. Place your cut cookies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet and put in the freezer while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle of your oven.
15. Once your oven is preheated, place 6 cookies on another parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a good 2 inches between the cookies as they will spread. 
16. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies start to brown at the edges. 
17. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Continue baking the rest of your cookies.
18. Meanwhile, melt your chocolate, peanut butter, and pinch of salt together in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, or in a method of your choosing.
19. When the cookies are completely cool, flip and spoon a thin layer of the melted chocolate on top. Allow to set in the fridge.*

Notes

*If you want your chocolate to be more stable (and less melty) at room temperature, you’ll need to temper it. If you want to temper, skip the peanut butter in the chocolate mixture. I’ve used this method in the past, and it works great. Add the sprinkle of salt to the chocolate once it’s spread on the cookies. Otherwise, keep the chocolate-coated cookies in the fridge until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from Nora Cooks and inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest years ago!

The post Vegan Calico Sugar Cookies 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.

But yeah. Combining two of my favorite sweet treats into one mega-treat?

Genius behavior.

I’ve had a bit of a love affair with almond croissants as of late. Perfectly crispy, not too sweet, loaded with almonds, and almost juicy in a way words can’t quite explain.

La Gourmandine here in Pittsburgh is a great place to get them. They always hit the spot, and the almondy filling (known as frangipane) always gets extra crispy on the edges and it is just so gobbleable. I love them. And I saw Viridis (100% vegan and recently re-opened in a new location!!) has vegan almond croissants available some days.

So when I saw Trader Joe’s started selling almond paste, I got an idea.

A wonderful, crazy idea.

What if I stuck a little nugget of almond paste in the middle of a sugar cookie? And then topped it with sliced almonds, granulated sugar, and a little powdered sugar?

Would it sorta give me almond croissant vibes without needing to make a yeasted dough, laminate said dough, and spend a few hours shaping and baking a batch of finicky (yet delicious) croissants from scratch?

Spoiler alert:

The cookie base is my go-to sugar cookie recipe (the same one from this lemon blueberry variety!), requires no chilling time, and comes together all in one bowl. No weird ingredients, all easily purchaseable from your local mega mart.

Then you’ll need some almond paste, typically found in the baking aisle at the store. Like I mentioned, Trader Joe’s has started selling it, so yay. Easy.

It’s sweet, chewy, soft, and very almond-forward in flavor, and it becomes an almond cookie dough-like center for our cookies.

And the topper? Granulated sugar and sliced almonds. You’ll want to flatten the cookies with the topping on top (with the bottom of a measuring cup, bowl, or similar) so that everything sticks. It gets a little messy, but it’s worth it.

To really drive home the whole almond croissant visual and feel, I topped my cookies with powdered sugar right before serving. Totally optional, but I think it looks cute. You don’t need a lot; just a light little dusting will do.

These are so good and fun, and I think they’d be perfect for the holidays.

TGFFB.

(Thank God For Fall Baking)

Almond Croissant Cookies

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Soft, chewy, sugar cookies with a surprise almond paste center! The almond topping is nice and crispy, and this recipe is 100% vegan as written!

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 13 minutes
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 9-10 cookies
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: Holiday
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

DOUGH:

• 1/2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1 and 1/4 tablespoons water
• 112 grams (1/2 cup) vegan butter, softened
• 105 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar (plus more for rolling)
• splash vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 160 grams (about 1 and 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• If needed: 1 tablespoon plant milk (like almond)

FILLING:

• 9–10 teaspoons almond paste*

TOPPING:

• 1/4 cup raw sliced almonds
• granulated sugar
• powdered sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine your ground flax and water. Mix to combine and set aside.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat your butter and sugar together well until light and fluffy, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add vanilla and salt, and beat again until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
5. Add your flax mixture, and beat again until combined.
6. Add your flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and beat again until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl if necessary. If the dough is dry (mine was), add a tablespoon of plant milk and mix well. Try not to overmix.
7. Roll dough into 9-10 golf ball-sized balls.
8. Put a finger into the middle of the dough, and place a 1 teaspoon chunk of almond paste in the divot. Enclose the almond paste with the dough, and flatten slightly. Place cookies on your prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly because they will spread a bit.
9. Top each cookie with your sliced almonds and a sprinkle of granulated sugar. Keep in mind that almonds/sugar not on the cookie may burn on the parchment paper, so do this part with a little care. Press the topping into each cookie with the bottom of a measuring cup or bowl so that the almonds stick. See photos for what they should look like pre-oven!
10. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges of each cookie.
11. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
12. Top with a light dusting of powdered sugar if desired right before serving.

Notes

*Almond paste is not marzipan. You can typically find almond paste in the baking section of your local mega mart. It comes in a tube, and it’s typically in a box. I got mine from Trader Joe’s, and that particular one is vegan. Be sure to find a vegan (eggless!) one if that’s important to you.

The post Almond Croissant Cookies appeared first on Fooduzzi.

Veggies are grand.

But both are better when bread is at hand.

I love bread. I was actually talking to a friend the other day and said, “You know, I’ve never been sad eating good bread.”

And it’s true. Eating good bread is one of the very best eating experiences I could think of.

And I love bread in all forms––as pizza, as the base to sandwiches, and yes, even as the star of a salad.

Panzanella, aka bread salad, is one of those dishes that’s so quick, incredibly simple, and effortlessly satisfying.

I’m not lying: the amount of pure, unadulterated enjoyment panzanella gives me far outweighs the effort it takes to actually make it myself.

And I never, ever make it.

But…I went out to dinner with a friend a few nights ago, and we split a panzanella. It was very similar to the one you see here––filled to the brim with fresh summer veggies and packed with big, chunky bread cubes.

I immediately deemed that bowl of slightly-soggy (in the best way) bread, veggies, and dressing my happy place, so I knew I needed to make my own version asap.

So I went to the market, grabbed some beautiful tomatoes and fresh bread, and went to work.

Panzanella is definitely one of those “choose your own adventure” kind of dishes; it can be as simple or complex as you want. But I went relatively simple with mine, allowing the flavors of the season to really shine:

• Big chunks of fresh tomato, because nothing is better in the summer.
• Thinly-sliced cucumber for some crunch.
• Corn kernels for a beautiful pop of sweetness.
• Wafer-thin slices of shallot, for some bite.
• Mixed, chopped olives for a lil briney moment.
• Crisp, cubed chunks of good, stale, and/or toasted bread.
• Fresh basil, because summer.
• And a quick and easy vinaigrette to finish everything out.

And while all of these ingredients are great on their own, they really shine together. The stale/toasted bread soaks up all of the juices from the tomato and dressing like the perfect carb sponge that it is. It becomes nice and chewy, and all of the veg gives you a different experience each and every bite.

It’s extremely simple, but I swear: the joy this dish gave me far outweighs most other dishes I’ve eaten in recent memory. It’s just all about celebrating those special flavors, textures, and aromas of summer.

And as a self-proclaimed summer-hater, this panzanella has me second-guessing my distain for all-things hot, humid, and hazy.

Since I’m cooking for one, I kind of assumed I’d have leftovers, but no, the recipe, as written, is the exact right amount for a single serving.

That said, it’s easily scalable, so feel free to impress all of your friends, families, and loved ones with your panzanelling. It really is the best way to use up that end-of-summer produce!

Easy Summer Panzanella

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5 from 3 reviews

A quick, easy way to use up that summer produce: panzanella! Add some white beans to make it more of a meal, or keep it as light summer salad.

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 large serving
• Category: Salad
• Method: Mix
• Cuisine: Italian
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

SALAD:

• 2 thick slices good bread, cut into bite-sized cubes*
• 1/4 cup corn kernels (I used thawed frozen, but fresh steamed or canned works too)
• 1 large tomato, cut into large chunks
• 1/4 English cucumber, cut into thin slices
• 1/2 small shallot, cut into thin slices
• small handful pitted kalamata and/or green olives, chopped
• a few leaves of basil, torn into chunks

DRESSING:

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil**
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
• pinch salt and pepper
• small squeeze of agave or honey
• pinch of granulated garlic
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional, for some heat)

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Instructions

1. If your bread is dry and stale, great! It’s ready for panzanella. I ended up toasting mine by cutting it into cubes and toasting it in my toaster oven (dry, with no oil) at 375 degrees F for 2-4 minutes. It got a little color (see photos), and it was dried most of the way through.
2. Combine all of your other salad ingredients (including your stale/toasted bread) in a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl or jar, combine your dressing ingredients. Shake/stir well to combine.
4. Pour your dressing over your salad ingredients, and mix well to coat all of the ingredients. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary (I always love a few extra cranks of black pepper).
5. Eat immediately!

Notes

*Use your favorite kind of good bread. A sourdough would be great. My market didn’t have a good sourdough, so I ended up with an “Everything Bagel-style loaf.” It was good! If you like the bread, it’s a good bread for panzanella.

**I used the olive oil my olives were marinading in for a little extra flavor! Regular extra-virgin olive oil works great, too.

The post Easy Summer Panzanella appeared first on Fooduzzi.

If you’re unaware, Taste Test Tuesday is a series I post semi-regularly over on Instagram Stories.

As the name implies, I taste (vegan) things on Tuesdays and rate them 1-10. The tastable items include store-bought vegan snacks, treats, and meals, and you can find a lot of the past Taste Test Tuesday videos as highlights on my Instagram profile (@fooduzzi).

This Taste Test Tuesday is a little different. Instead, I found a cake mix at Trader Joe’s that was vegan*, but the other ingredients required to turn the mix into a cake weren’t vegan.

So it got me thinking: could I turn this $4.99 cake mix into a very easy and delicious totally vegan treat? And if so, should I document how to do it on the blog?

So I tested it! I captured all of my tweaks, trials, and tribulations in some videos and photos and ended up with some pretty tasty (and seriously cute) vegan cupcakes.

It was pretty simple swapping the non-vegan called-for ingredients with some vegan counterparts.

Let’s take a look at our cake instructions to start:

You’ll see that eggs and milk are our two called-for, non-vegan ingredients. Luckily, those ingredients are very easy to replace with vegan options in 2024.

• For the eggs, I used Bob’s Red Mill’s Vegan Egg Replacer (not sponsored, but I’ve worked with them in the past and very much love them).
• For the milk, I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

The batter came together incredibly easily (as you’re expect from a box mix!) after allowing the egg replacer to “set” for a few minutes with a bit of water. I simply used the equivalent of two eggs of the egg replacer (2 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons of water), and I think it was the perfect binder.

Even though I definitely overfilled my cupcake tin (and overbaked everything slightly because of that lol), the crumb was super tender, light, and delicate and the flavor was incredibly nostalgic and fun. Just very vanilla-forward, and that’s about it. But I wasn’t mad at it because it tasted so much like the yellow birthday cakes I used to have at parties as a kid.

I ended up baking these cupcakes the for 23 minutes (due to overfilling). If you fill your cupcake tin to 2/3 of the way full (as instructed on the box), you should be fine to bake for 20-22 minutes.

I would also highly recommend you use cupcake liners––I ran out after lining most of the cupcake tin, and even though I greased the tin where I put the rest of the batter, those cupcakes stuck pretty terribly. Trust me: cupcake liners are the way to go here.

The frosting required me to mix the packet ingredients (the sugar mixture and the sprinkles) with butter as well, and I used vegan butter instead (the Trader Joe’s stick version). I also needed a tablespoon or two of milk to get the frosting to the spreadable consistency I was looking for, as it was pretty stiff without.

In short, this frosting ruled. It tasted like a sugar cookie in the very best way. It was sweet though, so I ended up adding a big pinch of salt to try and balance the flavors.

I also wouldn’t mix all of the sprinkles into the frosting at once––it would have been fun to reserve some for topping the cupcakes with before serving for *aesthetic.* That said, the lack of sprinkles on top didn’t stop me or my taste testers.

So can you turn Trader Joe’s Celebration Cake & Baking Mix into vegan cupcakes? You sure can.

Yes, the cake may be a bit more delicate than one made with real eggs, but man. I really loved these cupcakes.

In fact, I give this baking mix a 9/10 for ease, taste, and overall flexibility. You get instructions to make regular cakes, cupcakes, and even cake pops on the box, so you can really use this mix for pretty much anything.

I loved the sweet, “confetti” cake flavor, and the fact that I had completely edible cupcakes in a little under 45 minutes and a relatively clean kitchen makes this mix a win in my book!

What say you? Have you ever tried to turn a boxed cake mix into a vegan treat? What swaps did you use? How’d it turn out? I’d love to hear about your successes (and lack thereof 😉).

*I’m unsure if the sugar in the mix is indeed vegan. Keep that in mind if vegan sugar is of importance to you.

The post Taste Test Tuesday: Trader Joe’s Celebration Cake & Baking Mix (Made Vegan) 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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No reviews

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.

I actually crave these when it gets close to dinnertime. And I made these for my parents a few weeks ago, and they both were like, “These are really good mushrooms.”

So yeah, I think they’ve earned the right of being called “the best.”

The technique for this recipe comes from none other than Dan Souza from America’s Test Kitchen. Have you watched the What’s Eating Dan? series on YouTube? It’s so good.

He kind of reminds me of Alton Brown in the way he approaches cooking. It’s a great series, but his mushroom video in particular is fascinating.

Mushrooms are such a weird, cool, versatile, and delicious ingredient to cook with, and in his video, he talks about why it’s impossible to overcook them (it has to do with the substance in mushroom cell walls called chitin, which is very heat-stable).

That said, I think it’s easy to cook them in the wrong way.

They can be slimy or overly oily and just… not very pleasant to eat.

But! When you know how to cook them right, it’s magic. These sautéed mushrooms are so chewy and meaty and actually kind of sweet thanks to this brilliant cooking method..

I guarantee you this cooking method will change the way you approach sautéing mushrooms from now on. And luckily, it’s very simple:

Step 1: Clean and slice your mushrooms. Add them to a skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of water.

Yes, water!

If you’ve ever sautéd mushrooms and cooked them in oil, you’ll know that they really love to suck up that oil. You’ve probably added more and more oil to the pan as the mushrooms cooked because the pan looked dry and your mushrooms start to stick.

Well by starting the cooking process with water, we allow the mushrooms to cook and release their water (which they have a lot of!) before adding a little oil to get them nice and caramelized.

Also, cleaning mushrooms is one of my least-favorite kitchen tasks, but this method has worked well for me:

I stick them in my salad spinner whole, fill it with water, and just spin the mushrooms in the water so that the dirt is gently removed. Then I take the strainer basket out, pour out the water, and spot-clean the shrooms as necessary. Then slice!

Step 2: Let the mushrooms to cook, stirring frequently, until all of the water has evaporated.

You’ll sauté the mushrooms until there’s no more visible liquid at the bottom of your pan and the sizzling sounds “dry.” Your mushroom slices will also shrink through this process since they release a lot of their own water while cooking.

If it looks like the mushrooms have stopped shrinking and there’s still a lot of water in the bottom of the pan, you can carefully tip some of the water out and discard. I ended up doing that with this batch.

Once the sizzling sounds dry, you can go ahead and add your oil and toss the mushrooms to coat. You’ll add salt and pepper to season here as well.

Step 3: Spread your mushrooms in an even layer in your pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes.

Adding the oil at this stage (and not before) helps the mushrooms caramelize and become beautifully chewy –– almost meaty! You’ll notice that the mushrooms brown quickly, so after you wait for a minute or two, toss again, spread into another even layer, and continue this process until the mushrooms are almost browned to your liking.

Step 4: Optionally, add more flavor!

I feel like sautéd mushrooms scream for some minced garlic, so that’s what I added here. I like adding the garlic 2-3 minutes before the mushrooms are done to make sure it doesn’t burn.

I also added some fresh parsley once I took the mushrooms off of the heat, but fresh thyme is excellent here as well.

And that’s that! It definitely takes a bit of time, but it is so worth it. I really love using these mushrooms on pizza or pasta, and there may just be a new creamy vegan pasta recipe using these on the horizon here on Fooduzzi very very soon. 😉

The Best Sautéed Mushrooms

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4 from 2 reviews

My very favorite way to cook mushrooms! I love these sautéed mushrooms on pizzas and in pasta dishes, but they’re great as a stand-alone side!

• Author: Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 2-3 servings
• Category: Side
• Method: Sauté
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 16 ounces mushrooms*, cleaned and sliced
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons high-heat oil (like avocado)
• pinch salt
• 3–4 cranks of freshly-cracked black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh parsley

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Instructions

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add your mushrooms and water, and cook, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated and the mushrooms have released their water and shrunk in size. The sizzling will start to sound dry, and you’ll no longer see any bubbling. This can take 6-10 minutes. If you find that your mushrooms have stopped shrinking but there’s still a lot of water in the pan, feel free to carefully tip some of the extra water out and discard.
2. Once no more (or very little) water remains in the pan, add your oil, salt, and pepper. Toss your mushrooms to coat.
3. Spread your mushrooms in an even layer in your pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes.
4. You’ll notice that the mushrooms brown quickly at this stage. Toss again, spread into another even layer, and continue this process until the mushrooms are almost browned to your liking. For me, this took 8-10 minutes.
5. 2-3 minutes before your mushrooms are done, add your minced garlic. Continue cooking and tossing until your mushrooms are caramelized and browned to your liking. You can’t really overcook these, so do what feels best! I love a deep golden color.
6. Add your herbs off the heat, toss and serve. Feel free to adjust any seasoning at this stage as well. I like mine with extra black pepper.

Notes

*I used plain ol’ white button mushrooms here, but baby bellas work great too. And as you can see in Dan’s video, any kind of mushroom is really a-okay!

The post The Best Sautéed Mushrooms 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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5 from 1 review

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.