Dining In - BLT Baked Spaghetti

BLT Baked Spaghetti - That Was Vegan?

Pinterest delivers another successful vegan meal! I was scrolling through tons of mouth-watering vegan food pictures on Pinterest and found this comfort food recipe for a satisfying pasta dish posted by VegNews. It incorporates tempeh bacon, kale, tomatoes, vegan mozzarella, tomato sauce, and I opted for gluten-free spaghetti. There's something about a baked pasta dish that makes it so much better! Especially topped with melted cheese (the vegan kind works too!). I really enjoyed this dish. The tempeh fills you up fast and the sauce was so creamy from mixing it together with the cheese prior to baking, almost like a vodka sauce. My non-vegan boyfriend gave this a big thumbs up too! Only problem was we both had about 2-3 servings... oops.

You can find the full recipe here on the "That Was Vegan?" website. 

Ingredients for BLT Baked Spaghetti
 Everything is from Trader Joe's! (except the tempeh bacon and pasta)

12 oz. spaghetti (I used gluten-free brown rice spaghetti from Whole Foods)
1 cup kale, blanched
Pinch of garlic powder
8 slices maple tempeh bacon
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups red spaghetti sauce
1/4 vegan shredded mozzarella (now available at Trader Joe's)
Oregano, for seasoning
Sea salt, for seasoning
Ground black pepper, for seasoning

Tempeh Smoky Maple Bacon

Cook spaghetti according to package in salted water, stop cooking about 1-2 minutes earlier. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare kale, boil water with a pinch of garlic powder in a small saucepan, add kale and cook for about a minute. Remove from heat. Drain. Rinse with cool water and drain again. Set aside.

Spray a small skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add tempeh slices and cook both sides until golden brown. Remove from pan and slice into bite-sized pieces.

Put spaghetti in casserole dish, add in sauce, kale, tomatoes tempeh, mozzarella, salt, pepper, and a dash of dried oregano. Toss together. Top with vegan mozzarella, as much or as little as you desire. 

Cover dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil and continue baking for an additional 6-8 minutes so cheese on top melts. Serve and enjoy!

Dining In - Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting - Chloe's Vegan Desserts

These cupcakes were super light and fluffy! I made them for my boyfriend's family (not for a birthday though, like the name suggests). Everybody loved them. His dad, who has now taste-tested many vegan baked goods, said these were his favorite so far! The next day we got a call from his aunt, who got the leftovers, who said she loved them. I definitely enjoyed them, but I'd say my favorite vegan cupcake recipe is a tie between Fluffy Coconut Cupcakes and Ginger Nutmeg Spice Cupcakes. Give these a try and decide for yourself. They are quick and easy to prepare and you can get as creative as you want with the decorations. I kept the frosting white and used a thin piping tip - the end result reminded me of fluffy clouds. You can find the full recipe in Chloe's Vegan Desserts (buy your copy here). 


Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Frosting
1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-5 tablespoons almond milk
Food coloring (optional - did not use)
Sprinkles (optional - did not use)

To Prepare Cupcakes:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill two 2-dozen cupcake pan with liners for 14-15 cupcakes.
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and sift together.
In a separate medium bowl whisk together almond milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
Pour wet mixture into dry and mix together until all dry clumps are gone, but don't overmix.
Pour batter into cupcake pan, filling about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.


To Prepare Vanilla Frosting:

Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat shortening on medium speed for about two minutes, until it is smooth.
Slowly add in powdered sugar. Alternate by adding in vanilla and one tablespoon at a time of the almond milk.

Dining In - Buffalo Tempeh Mozzarella Panini

Buffalo Tempeh Mozzarella Panini - Vegan Yack Attack

I found this recipe on Pinterest. The cheesy, mouthwatering sandwich looked too good to be true and when I clicked the link to the recipe I was pleasantly surprised that it was fairly simple to make. I'm not a huge fan of hot and spicy foods, but even with Frank's Red Hot sauce this wasn't too spicy. I made this for my boyfriend and I for a quick dinner and it was very well received - by both of us! It would be even better as a filling lunch. I'll be making this again!

Here is the original recipe on Vegan Yack Attack. I (almost) doubled it for two panini sandwiches, and made adjustments for prepping the tempeh:

4-5 oz. tempeh, cut into cubes
1 cup kale, ripped into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons buffalo sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot - check the labels when shopping, many contain milk!)
1/2 cup vegan shredded mozzarella (Trader Joe's now sells vegan shredded cheese, and it's cheaper than Daiya!)
2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
4 slices wheat bread

Start by steaming tempeh cubes for 15 minutes using a steamer basket and a pot of water. This will remove the bitterness.

Spread Vegan Mayonnaise on All Slices

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add kale. After kale softens and starts to wilt add in tempeh cubes and buffalo sauce. Stir to coat cubes and kale with the sauce. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat. 

Spread vegan mayonnaise on all four slices of bread. Spoon half of the tempeh and kale onto 2 slices of bread. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of vegan mozzarella on top. Place other slice of bread on top. 

Heat a panini press and coat with cooking spray. Place sandwich on the press and close. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until you see nice browned grill lines in the sandwiches. Cut on the diagonal and serve!

Dining In - Healthy Chocolate Chip Blondies

Healthy Chocolate Chips Blondies - Chocolate Covered Katie

These aren't your average blondies. These are a much healthier version of the sugar-packed, high-calorie blondie - the secret is chickpeas! You would never guess that chickpeas could work in a dessert but this legume has a mild flavor and when processed has a creamy texture that lends itself well to dessert batter. This is actually my second successful dessert recipe using chickpeas (I will post the other one soon!). The mild flavor is disguised and you end up with a dessert that is more filling from the fiber and protein, and much healthier with a fraction of the fat. Instead of white sugar, it calls for brown sugar. As for a fat source to make them yummier, peanut butter is a tasty alternative to the empty calories of oil or margarine.

This recipe was super quick and easy to make with little mess to clean up! They came out a little mushier than I would have liked, so I highly recommend drying the chickpeas well and possibly adding additional flaxseed or quick oats. You can find the full recipe here, on the Chocolate Covered Katie site.

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (or quick oats)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used the Enjoy Life mini chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8x8 pan.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, except for the chocolate chips. Once all other ingredients are blended together and you have a wet, smooth batter, stir in chocolate chips.

Pour or scoop into the pan and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and cut up into squares before serving.

Wasn't that easy?