pumpkin cashew and coconut curry | roasted artichokes and fingerlings | black pepper tofu | sweet potato chili | black beans and corn | polenta fries | crispy roasted cauliflower | carrot fries

winner winner tofu dinner! this is one of my favorite seasons to cook in. this week was full of fresh seasonal veggies like pumpkin, cauliflower and carrots which always cook up especially savory meals. my favorite this week? probably the pumpkin cashew coconut curry. what was yours?

monday: pumpkin cashew and coconut curry served with lentils (yummmmm!)
tuesday: black beans and corn served over polenta with crispy roasted cauliflower.
wednesday: leftovers served with roasted artichokes and fingerlings.
thursday: sweet potato chili served with polenta fries.
friday: big hearty salad topped with roasted crispy chickpeas and tofu, served with carrot fries.

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!

wrap up: {dinner ideas} {february} {gluten free} {meals} {plan} {recipes} {seasonal} {vegan} {vegetarian}

roasted fall veggies with lentils | butternut squash and apple soup | polenta pizza | shepherd’s pie | vegan lasagna recipe

i found myself craving comfort food this week, so our meals were full of hearty-feel-good-foods. potatoes, soup and yummy polenta did the job! and don’t forget, if it wasn’t delicious and totally hubby approved, it doesn’t make the list!

monday: this new vegan lasagna recipe that is to.die.for.
tuesday: shepherd’s pie made from local fresh veggies.
wednesday: polenta pizza served with sauteed kale (yum-o!).
thursday: butternut squash and apple soup, a winter favorite!
friday: roasted fall veggies with lentils.

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!

wrap up: {dinner} {gluten free} {heart} {ideas} {seasonal} {vegan} {vegetarian} {winter}

roasted cauliflower | lemon cream with blackberries | polenta pizza | white bean and vegetable stew | tofu bay cakes | roasted cabbage

this week’s dinners were full of local flavors and hearty warm dishes. they are few ‘oldy favorites’ that you might recognize, but several newbies as well. and don’t forget, if it wasn’t delicious and totally hubby approved, it doesn’t make the list!

monday: potato quesadillas with roasted cauliflower
tuesday: white bean and vegetable stew
wednesday: tofu bay cakes (image via vegan dad) served with seasonal veggies and lemon cream with blackberries
thursday: potato cakes with roasted cabbage served with my new favorite carrot salad
friday: polenta pizza served with a seasonal salad

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!

wrap up: {dairy free} {dinner ideas} {gluten free} {hearty} {seasonal} {vegan} {winter}

white bean and vegetable stew | thai green curry | sweetpotato cannelloni | tomato and fennel soup

happy friday friends! now that the holidays are over and we’re back on a normal routine, i’m so excited to start back the dinner ideas posts! wholesome, seasonal and always vegan (though you’d never know it!), here are this weeks meals:

monday: tomato and fennel soup served with grilled polenta
tuesday: sweet potato cannelloni* served with a seasonal salad
wednesday: polenta served with roasted veggies and sauteed kale (a comfort food favorite!)
thursday: simple thai green curry served with this amazing carrot salad
friday: white bean and vegetable stew

*update! forgot to let you know how i made the sweet potato cannelloni vegan- it was a cinch! instead of the cottage cheese i used silken tofu, and instead of topping it with parmesan, i used cashew cream suace and sprinkled it with nutritional yeast. yum yum!

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

wrap up: {dinner ideas} {january} {recipes} {seasonal} {soup} {vegan}

dinners this week were a mixture of some old favorites combined with a few new recipes as well. for some reason, i found myself craving peas and sweet potatoes all.week.long, so you’ll find those intermixed within these recipes!

i’m also trying to learn more about food photography. it (sadly) gets dark here around 5:00 now, and pictures without natural sunlight are jut not-my-thang. i found this post on food photography for bloggers (also from one of my favorite recipe sites!) and hope that it will help. do you have any good tips on food photography, especially after dark?

monday: hearty sweet potato chili with sliced avocado and homemade bread
tuesday: mini veggie pot pies served with a garden salad
wednesday: vegan fettuccine alfredo with shiitake mushrooms, kale, and sun-dried tomatoes (yum!)
thursday: vegan sausage and cabbage saute* w/ potato cakes & broiled black pepper tofu
friday: tofu bay cakes (image via vegan dad) and a side of steamed veggies (we love these bay cakes!!)

vegan sausage and cabbage saute

directions

1) heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add onion and sausage, stir until lightly browned- about 5-7 minutes.

2) add the white wine and can of beans and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. cover and cook for about ten minutes.

3) add the veggie stock, cabbage and bay leaves. cover and let cook until liquid has evaporated and cabbage is soft- about 20-25 minutes.

wrap up: {dinner} {ideas} {recipes} {sausage and cabbage saute} {savory} {seasonal} {simple} {vegan}

 
 
this is an absolute winter favorite at our house. the addition of sweet potatoes makes this dish not only extra hearty, but healthy too! the flavors of fall just seem to warm you up from the inside out. enjoy! *v= vegan | g= gluten free

sweet potato chili

ingredients:

- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 red bell peppers, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 cans of crushed tomatoes
- 4 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1/4″ pieces
- 1 can black beans
- 5-6 cups water
- 1 tbs cumin
- 2 tbs chili powder
- dash of ground cloves
- 1 tsp cardamom
- salt and pepper to taste
optional: top with avocado and sour cream

directions:

1) heat oil in a large stock pot and saute onions, peppers and garlic until onion is translucent (about 5-7 minutes).

2) add all of the spices and cook for about another 3 minutes.

3) add the water, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and black beans and bring to boil. reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. serve with sliced avocado and sour cream, and enjoy!

wrap up: {chili} {gluten free} {healthy} {hearty} {seasonal} {sweet potato} {vegan} {vegetarian}

oh, the flavors of fall how i love you so much!

monday: butternut squash and apple soup served with stuffed figs and seasonal salad
tuesday: (leftover!) butternut squash and apple soup, savory carrot fries, spiced apple cider and homemade bread
wednesday: roasted purple potatoes and spaghetti squash saute*
thursday: spaghetti squash saute*, steamed broccoli and broiled black pepper tofu
friday: tofu bay cakes (image via vegan dad) with savory roasted potatoes and steamed kale
 

spaghetti squash saute

 
this week, we had one very big spaghetti squash arrive in our csa box. yum! it ended up lasting us two meals, because half was all we needed. feel free to sub other veggies into this recipe, or whatever you have on hand.

ingredients:

- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tbs fennel seed
- salt and pepper to taste

directions:

1) roast the spaghetti squash: slice lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and place face down on a lightly greased baking sheet. roast at 450°f until easily poked with a fork- about 30 minutes. take out and let cool for about ten minutes. using a fork, ‘fluff’ the spaghetti out with your fork (this part is fun!).

2) meanwhile add the olive oil, bell peppers, onion, garlic and fennel seed to medium pot and saute until onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. add spinach, salt and pepper to taste and spaghetti squash. toss to combine and serve.

what are a few of your favorite recipes from this week?

wrap up: {dinner} {fall} {ideas} {recipes} {savory} {seasonal} {simple}

oh my you guys, i have a new favorite recipe!! our neighbor has three beautiful fig trees and so many figs that they ask us to come over and pick them any time we like (thank you!!). i knew we liked figs, but i really haven’t ever cooked with them very much.. until this year, that is! i’ve eaten them plain, made fig pizza, added them to a squash roast and more, but now i have finally found the fig recipe that will stick with me forever. these rosemary stuffed figs (adapted from a recipe in color me vegan) make for the perfect appetizer and are deliciously balanced with sweet and salty. (*hint! you can make this feeling a few days ahead of time, which makes getting this dish in the oven a cinch).

ingredients

- 12 figs
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- ¼ cup raw walnuts
- 1 tbs nutritional yeast
- 1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- rosemary sprigs, for garnish

directions:

1) soak the cashews in water overnight (or for at least 6 hours). drain and rinse.

2) preheat oven to 450°F. sauté the chopped onion in the olive oil over medium heat until translucent (5-7 minutes).

3) place the soaked cashews, sautéed onion, miso, lemon juice, and 1 tbs of water in a blender and process until smooth. add the walnuts, nutritional yeast, and rosemary into the cashew mixture and blend until very smooth. season with salt and pepper.

4) take each fig and barely slice the bottom as to help them sit up straight in a pan. then, make a small cut crosswise across the top of each fig, making sure not to cut them all the way in half- you just want to ‘open’ them up enough to pipe filling in the middle.

5) spoon cashew mixture into a ziplock back and seal. snip the end of one corner to make yourself a piping bag. fill the cavity of each fig and place on a lightly greased baking pan.

6) brush or lightly spray the figs with a little oil, and roast for about 12 minutes or until the figs are soft. garnish with rosemary and serve!

wrap up: {appetizer} {cashew} {figs} {recipes} {rosemary} {seasonal} {stuffed}