Tag Archives: dairy free

Stuffing Stuffed Pumpkin

Recipes, Sides, Thanksgiving, , , , , , , , , ,

For a fun way to serve stuffing, stuff it into a pumpkin! Feel free to use another stuffing recipe of your choice. Serve with gravy.

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Stuffing Stuffed Pumpkin

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Fall, holidays, pumpkin, Stuffing, Thanksgiving, vegan, vegetarian
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 medium kabocha squash 3-4 pounds
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 ounces seasoned stuffing mix
  • 1/4 cup vegan butter or use regular butter if you prefer
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced about 1 cup
  • 2 stalks celery, finely diced about 1 cup
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Wash the outside of the pumpkin. Cut a round opening in the top of the pumpkin by using a sharp knife to make incisions that eventually connect to create an opening. If necessary, use a butter knife to gently pry the top loose. Scoop the seeds and stringy parts of the pumpkin out. Sprinkle salt on the inside.

  3. Place the pumpkin and the lid on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Reserve the baking sheet.

  4. In a Dutch oven or stock pot, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally.

  5. Add the stuffing mix to the pot and stir.

  6. In a medium bowl, mix the broth and cornstarch well. Slowly drizzle over the stuffing mixture and toss. Continue adding more broth slowly until the bread is just barely soaked through.

  7. With the pumpkin on the reserved baking sheet, fill it with stuffing, pressing down gently to fill the space. Place the pumpkin lid on the baking sheet. Grease a loaf pan with olive oil (or butter) and fill with any remaining stuffing. Cover loaf pan with foil.

  8. Bake the stuffed pumpkin, lid, and extra stuffing for 30 minutes. Remove foil and pumpkin lid, setting aside, then continue baking for 10 minutes or until top of stuffing is lightly crisp.

  9. Move pumpkin to serving plate and put lid on top. Serve extra stuffing on the side or surround the pumpkin with it on the serving plate. Place the pumpkin lid on top.

  10. Serve by cutting pumpkin into slices and serve with an extra scoop or two of stuffing. Serving suggestion: top with gravy once sliced.

Recipe Notes

  • Serve with gravy. 
  • Substitute another stuffing recipe if you’d like. 
  • You can fully cook the pumpkin and the stuffing separately if you prefer to have more control and make it a little easier to tell when the pumpkin is fully cooked. Spoon the stuffing into the pumpkin once cooked, gently pressing down to fill any gaps.

Pumpkin Nut Crunch

Dessert, Recipes, Thanksgiving, , , , ,

This dessert is a delicious alternative to pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving or other fall/winter celebrations. The simple topping is easier to make than pie crust. It can be made dairy-free if you use vegan butter and evaporated coconut milk.

This recipe could likely be doubled and baked in a 13×9 inch casserole dish. It may need a few extra minutes to bake. Jiggle the pan to make sure the pumpkin mixture is set and cook until light golden brown on top.

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Pumpkin Nut Crunch

A simple alternative to pumpkin pie with a delightfully easy and crunchy topping.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword dairy-free, holidays, pumpkin, vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • coconut oil or butter for greasing pan

Pumpkin Mixture

  • 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk (evaporated coconut milk for dairy-free)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/3 cup melted butter (vegan if necessary)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease an 8×8 inch square baking dish or 8 inch round cake pan.

  2. Beat together pumpkin, sugar, evaporated milk, egg, pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until combined. Pour into prepared baking dish.

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle evenly over the pumpkin mixture.

  4. Sprinkle pecans evenly over flour mixture. Carefully pour melted butter evenly over the pecans.

  5. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F. Bake another 30-40 minutes or until pumpkin is set and topping is golden brown. Cool before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, combine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
  • To make this recipe dairy-free, use evaporated coconut milk instead of evaporated milk and use vegan butter instead of regular butter. 

Hot Pepper Giardiniera

Recipes, Sides, , , , , , , , , , , ,

This hot pepper mixture is a delicious topping for sandwiches, wraps, salads, eggs, and more! It is basically a Chicago-Style giardiniera, which is condiment typically higher in oil, lower in vinegar, and made with smaller pieces of vegetables. Italian style giardiniera tends to be lower in oil (if any at all) and larger chunks, so it is more of a pickled vegetable appetizer or side.

You can adjust the spice level of this recipe. To make it milder, remove some or all of the hot pepper seeds and/or replace some of the hot peppers (especially the serranos) with bell pepper or other veggies like celery.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe on fundiego.com, which intends to replicate the hot pepper mix from a sandwich chain called Potbelly.

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Hot Pepper Mix

Course Condiment
Keyword condiment, easy, gluten-free, plant-based, spicy, topping, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Brining and marinating time 2 days 12 hours
Total Time 2 days 12 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound jalapenos quartered and sliced, seeds removed if desired
  • 1/2 pound serrano peppers quartered and sliced, seeds removed if desired
  • 1 cup cauliflower cut into tiny florets
  • 2 carrots peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 cup canola oil or other neutral flavored oil
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Instructions

  1. Combine jalapenos, serrano peppers, cauliflower, and carrots in a medium bowl or container. Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables, then add enough water to cover everything. Stir to disperse the salt. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours.

  2. Drain and rinse the vegetables.

  3. In a medium non-reactive bowl (such as glass, stainless steel, or ceramic) combine the remaining ingredients. Add the vegetables and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 days to allow the flavors to combine.

  4. Optional: transfer the hot pepper mixture to smaller jars, or keep it in the container it marinated in. The pepper mixture should last about 4 weeks in the refrigerator.

  5. Stir the peppers and allow the excess oil to drain back into the jar when serving. Add the hot pepper mixture to sandwiches, wraps, salads, pizza, eggs, pasta, or whatever else you'd like!

Recipe Notes

To make this recipe less spicy, remove some or all of the seeds from the jalapenos and serrano peppers. You can also substitute bell pepper for and equivalent amount of jalapenos or serrano peppers. 

You can add other ingredients such as sliced green olives or chopped celery.

Arugula Pesto

Recipes, Sides, , , , , , , , , ,

Arugula pesto is an easy, affordable, and peppery spin on traditional pesto, which is typically made with basil. Walnuts are used instead of pine nuts, which are more affordable but still provide a nice texture and flavor, but you can use pine nuts if you’d like. You can also replace some of the arugula with fresh basil. Use this pesto on pasta, sandwiches, wraps, eggs, and more.

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Arugula Pesto

Course Side Dish
Keyword easy, gluten-free, plant-based, sauce, spring, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups arugula
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts
  • zest and juice of 1/2 lemon about 1 tablespoon juice or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. You can add more olive oil, salt or lemon juice to reach desired consistency and flavor.

Skillet Lasagna

Entree, Recipes, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you love the flavors of lasagna but don’t have the time or patience to assemble it, try skillet lasagna! The whole recipe is made in one pan in about 40 minutes. The tofu ricotta recipe is from Minimalist Baker. If you do not need this recipe to be vegan or dairy-free, you can replace the tofu ricotta (and steps to make it) with regular ricotta cheese. If you do need the recipe to be vegan, be sure to use pasta without egg (or other dairy products) rather than egg noodles. Fusilli is the closest shape to egg noodles. Substitute or add other veggies if you’d like, such as kale, roasted eggplant, or tomatoes.

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Skillet Lasagna

Easy, nutritious, filling, and the flavors of lasagna but made in one pan! Vegetarian and can easily be made vegan.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword dairy-free, dinner, easy, entree, mushrooms, one pan, pasta, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 12 ounce container extra firm tofu drained
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups mushrooms, sliced
  • 6 ounces egg noodles (or fusilli to make vegan) 3 cups dry
  • 1 jar marinara sauce (about 28 ounces)
  • 2 zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks about 2 cups
  • 1 cup baby spinach

Instructions

  1. To make tofu ricotta: In a food processor, puree tofu, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, nutritional yeast, oregano, salt and pepper. Pulse basil until it is distributed but not completely pureed. Set aside.

  2. In a large skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to cook down, about 3 minutes.

  3. Add marinara sauce, pasta, zucchini, spinach, and 1cup water. Stir together, then top with dollops of tofu ricotta. Cover, reducing heat to a simmer, until noodles are cooked, about 10 minutes. For whole wheat noodles, add an extra ½ cup water and 4-5minutes cooking time, or until noodles are al dente or cooked to your liking.

With spiralized zucchini and dairy-free mozzarella shreds
With dairy-free mozzarella shreds

Furikake Snack Mix

Recipes, Snacks, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
furikake snack mix

There are many variations of this snack mix, and this version is made with whole grains and healthy fats! It’s more savory than some of the sweeter versions. It can also be made dairy-free and/or vegan. Please note that furikake often contains fish, so look for a vegetarian version if necessary. You can also make your own furikake, which is a mix of dried seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, salt, and sometimes other ingredients (like fish, which you could leave out).

Make up a batch or two for homemade holiday gifts! Save glass jars and remove the labels to package it.

You can swap ingredients as you’d like. For example:
-Omit almonds and replace with 1 cup of cereal
-Replace 1-2 cups of cereal with 1-2 cups of other ingredients like pretzels, crackers, or another type of cereal
-Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar to the syrup mixture if you prefer a sweeter mix

furikake snack mix
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Furikake Snack Mix

Course Snack
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup agave syrup
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup vegan butter
  • 2 teaspoons reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 5 cups whole grain squares cereal about 1 box
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • ½ cup furikake use a vegan/fish-free version if necessary
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250°F.

  2. Bring syrup, oil, butter, and tamari or soy sauce to a boil in a saucepan.

  3. Put cereal and almonds on a baking sheet, pour sugar mixture over, sprinkle with furikake and sesame seeds, and stir to combine.

  4. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. It will look wet when you first remove it from the oven, but it will dry as it cools.

Stewed White Beans & Greens

Entree, Recipes, Sides, , , , , , , , , , ,

This is one of my favorite quick and easy dinner recipes to make. It’s so hearty and flavorful, especially considering the simple plant-based ingredients. It’s also very nutritious – full of fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In fact, the vitamin C from the tomatoes and greens helps your body absorb the non-heme (plant) iron from the beans and greens. You’ll get some bonus iron if you cook it in a cast iron skillet. If you haven’t tried collard greens lately, I highly encourage you to try them in this recipe. They are milder in flavor than oh-so-trendy kale, and actually higher in calcium and iron!

5 from 1 vote
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Stewed Beans and Greens

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Keyword Beans, dairy-free, dinner, easy, entree, plant-based, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch greens, such as collard greens or kale chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained or 1 3/4 cup cooked white beans
  • 1 tomato, chopped 1 cup
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon miso
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they start to brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add greens, tomatoes, and miso and cook for 2 minutes, or until greens start to wilt.

  2. Add broth and beans and stir. Gently mash some of the beans, which will help thicken the liquid. Cook until greens are tender, tomatoes have broken down, and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. If the sauce is pretty watery and clear, mash more of the beans to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Made with collard greens

Gardener’s Pie

Entree, Recipes, , , , , , , , , , ,

This hearty, rich and savory meal is made solely of plants! It is basically a vegan version of shepherd’s pie and cottage pie. Complex flavor is developed with delicious ingredients such as garlic, onion, thyme, tamari, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine (vinegar). 

The Mashed Cauli-tatoes recipe can be found here.

5 from 1 vote
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Gardener's Pie

Plant-based version of shepherd's pie or cottage pie

Course Main Course
Keyword dairy-free, dinner, entree, gluten-free, healthy, plant-based, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil such as canola
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced about 5-6 cups
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or substitute red wine or grape juice, up to 1/4 cup
  • 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
  • 10 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
  • 1/2 cup red lentils
  • 2 tablespoons reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch or 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 batch mashed cauli-tatoes https://guesswhoscooking.com/2019/11/18/mashed-cauli-tatoes/

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. 

  2. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until they start to become translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. 

  3. Add vinegar/juice to deglaze the pan, then add stock, mushrooms, mixed vegetables, lentils, tamari, thyme, and worcestershire sauce. Cook until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.

  4. Preheat broiler on high.

  5. Mix corn starch with ¼ cup water to make a slurry. Add to pot and stir until liquid is thickened. Add 1-2 more tablespoons corn starch if necessary, or more stock or water if it's too thick. The sauce should be thicker than gravy. Add salt to taste.

  6. If prepared in a stock pot, transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish. If using a Dutch oven, keep it in there. Place about ½ cup mashed cauli-tatoes at a time on top of the mixture with remaining cauli-tatoes. Use a spoon or spatula to smooth out the mash, covering the mixture below, and sealing off the edges.

  7. Broil for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Recipe Notes

  • Mashed Cauli-tatoes Recipe
  • Red Wine: If using red wine instead of red wine vinegar, use 1/4 cup and decrease vegetable broth by 2 tablespoons.
  • Flour: If using flour instead of corn starch, there is no need to make a slurry. Add the flour directly to the pan and stir. Use twice as much flour as corn starch.
  • Simpler Version: Simply top the mashed cauli-tatoes with the vegetable mixture, sort of like mashed potatoes and gravy. This saves about 15 minutes or so. 
  • Ingredients like Worcestershire sauce and tamari can be left out if you don't have them, but they help build a more complex flavor.
  • Vegan: make sure to use vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • Gluten-free: Use tamari (usually gluten-free but check the label) or gluten-free soy sauce. Use corn starch, not flour, to thicken.









Curried Chickpea Salad

Entree, Recipes, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Curried Chickpea Salad - Guess Who's Cooking

This plant-based salad is very easy and full of flavor – great for a quick make-ahead lunch. It’s cool, creamy, crunchy, chewy, sweet, savory, and rich. It’s easy to keep the ingredients on hand and throw this recipe together anytime. You can easily double the recipe and use it throughout the week, switching up how you serve it – on a romaine boat as pictured above (our favorite because it’s crisp and refreshing), on a salad, in a pita or wrap, or on a sandwich. It’s a great lunch to bring to work or school because it doesn’t need to be reheated, making the (delicious) smell much milder.

Curried Chickpea Salad - Guess Who's Cooking
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Curried Chickpea Salad

This plant-based salad is very easy and full of flavor - great for a quick make-ahead lunch. It's cool, creamy, crunchy, chewy, sweet, savory, and rich.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Indian
Keyword Beans, Chickpeas, Curry, Lunch, pita, plant-based, Salad, sandwich, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained or 1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup toasted cashews
  • 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise could use regular mayo if it doesn't need to be vegan or egg-free
  • 1-2 carrots, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup raisins ideally organic
  • 2 tablespoons mango chutney
  • 1 stalk green onion, sliced about 2 tablespoons
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Optional: To achieve a softer texture and a mixture that sticks together more, mash about half of the chickpeas with a fork, picking out the loose skins afterwards. Alternatively, put the chickpeas in a towel and rub with the towel to loosen the skins first, then discard the skins and mash. 

    You can also skip this step and leave the chickpeas whole.


  2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. 

  3. Serve on top of a salad, in a romaine lettuce boat, or in a sandwich or pita. 

Curried Chickpea Salad - Guess Who's Cooking
In a whole wheat pita with green leaf lettuce

Curried Chickpea Salad - Guess Who's Cooking
On a whole grain bread sandwich with spring mix

On a spring mix salad

Curried Chickpea Salad - Guess Who's Cooking
On a sandwich, stored in a reusable silicone bag









Carrot Dogs

Entree, Recipes, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Carrot dogs are a plant-based alternative to hot dogs, but thanks to a spice-full marinade, just as flavorful! They may sound a little weird, but if you think about what a hot dog is, is a carrot really weirder? Like hot dogs, these carrot dogs can be grilled or cooked on the stove. This recipe can be gluten-free if you use gluten-free tamari and hold the bun or use a gluten-free bun.

They can be prepared ahead of time for camping – steam the carrots, put them in an airtight container in the marinade, and bring them to your campsite in a cooler with plenty of ice. Grill them ideally within 24 hours of putting them in the marinade, otherwise they may start to break down or get mushy. You can leave out the liquid smoke if you are going to be grilling them or cooking them over a fire.

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Carrot Dogs

A flavorful marinade helps make carrots take on that classic hot dog taste without the meat. Make this recipe at home on the stove or grill, or bring them on your next camping trip and roast them over a camp fire!

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword grill, hot dog, plant-based, vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 6 large carrots
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown or yellow mustard
  • 4 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke optional
  • 6 hot dog buns, ideally whole grain

Instructions

  1. Cut ends off of carrots to be about the same length as hot dog bun. Peel carrots. Optional: round off ends with peeler to resemble hot dog.

  2. Steam carrots until slightly tender, or when a sharp knife can pierce them, 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness.

  3. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients except buns to make the marinade.

  4. Place carrots into marinade and refrigerate overnight, up to one day (8-24 hours).

  5. Heat grill or skillet with 1 tablespoon oil to medium high heat, remove from marinade, and cook until slightly charred, turning twice, about 5-8 minutes. Serve on a hot dog bun with any desired toppings, such as mustard or chili. 

Image of carrots before grilling
Marinated carrots going into the pan

Image of carrots after cooking
Carrot dogs, finished cooking

Image of several carrot dogs on buns