Baked Ziti & Eggplant Baked Ziti

Tucson, AZ

Baked ziti is a traditional Italian-American family dish.  Basically it is a casserole of pasta, sauce, and cheese.  Most often it is served on special occasions, probably because it requires some time and some love. It is one of my first food memories,  and it reminds me of family gatherings, my mother, my grandparents,  and the comforts of home.  It was very important to me to recreate this dish keeping those nostalgic flavors intact.  Taking years to perfect, I believe this recipe can fool anyone,  (including your Italian grandmother!) into thinking they are eating the traditional dish.

Baked Ziti
Kid Friendly, Vegan
serves 4-6

1 lb Ziti Pasta (Penne or Rigatoni would make good substitutes)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups Homemade Tomato Sauce (recipe below)
1 cup firm tofu, pressed of most liquid and crumbled by hand or with a fork
1 ½ cups Homemade "Moxarella" (recipe below)
½ Tbsp fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375º.
Cook pasta until just before al dente.  Drain and stir in olive oil immediately to keep pasta from sticking.  Add 2 ½ cups of sauce and the crumbled tofu.  Stir well to combine.
In a glass 9x13"casserole dish, ladle ½ cup of the sauce on the bottom.  Spread to coat the bottom of the dish with sauce.  Add half of the pasta/tofu/sauce mixture and spread out evenly in the casserole dish.  Spread of half of the "Moxarella" evenly across the top of the pasta.  Add the rest of the pasta mixture.  Spread the rest of the "Moxarella" across the top.  Cover the casserole dish with foil.  Bake 35-45 minutes.  Sprinkle parsley on top.  Serve hot.

You can make the cheese and sauce a day or two in advance to save time.

For the Sauce:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup fennel, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
⅓ cup red wine
½ cup water
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp fennel seed
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp garlic powder

In a pot, over med/high heat, heat oil.  Ad onion and fennel.  Sauté for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté another 3 minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally.

For the "Moxarella"
This recipe is not mine, but i've made it multiple times and it is great!  

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¼ cup raw cashews (soaked in water for several hours and then drained IF you don’t have a high powered blender)
1 cup hot water
2  tablespoons + 1 teaspoon tapioca starch
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
1 small garlic clove, minced
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender or food processor until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly over medium high heat. After a couple of minutes the mixture will start to look like it’s curdling or separating. This is totally normal, reduce heat to medium and KEEP stirring so you don’t burn the cheese to the bottom of the pot. Keep cooking and stirring til really thick (about 2–3 more minutes) and the mixture becomes like a cohesive mass of melted dairy cheese that stretches. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Click the link below for the
Original "Moxarella" Recipe

If you just cannot decide whether you want Baked Ziti or Eggplant Parm:

Eggplant Baked Ziti

Eggplant Baked Ziti

I'm not gonna lie, this will take all day to make!  But of course it is so worth it.  Use recipe above, but add 2 layers of breaded eggplant before baking!

For the eggplant:

1 eggplant (w/dark purple skin and as few bruises as possible)

sea salt

½ cup vegan breadcrumbs

½ cup corn starch

½ cup egg replacer ( i use ground flax seed and water)

olive oil

Peel eggplant and cut into thin slices.  Layer slices in a large bowl.  After every couple layers, sprinkle with salt.  When you have it all layered, cover it with a dish or saucer that fits inside the top of the bowl.  Every half hour or so, drain any liquid from the eggplant by pushing down on the saucer &inverting the bowl.  This really makes the eggplant less bitter.  I let it sit and drain it for at least 2 hours.  

While in the draining process, chill the egg replacer in the refrigerator.  In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and cornstarch.  If the breadcrumbs are plain, I add some salt, oregano, and dried parsley to the mix.  

Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Dip each slice in the egg replacer, and then into the breading mix.  

Fry the breaded eggplant until golden brown on each side.  You may have to do this in a few batches, so that they fit in a single layer in the pan.  

Add the fried eggplant in layers to your ziti.  Bake according to the ziti recipe.

Stuffed Peppers with Pepperoni Rice

Sedona, AZ

Ok so, pepperoni rice?  How does that work in the vegan world?  Basically we are talking about all the seasoning and flavor found in pepperoni, cooked and absorbed by rice instead of meat.  The rice is spicy, rich, smokey, and perfectly balanced, stuffed and baked inside a bell pepper.  Are you with me?  The rice is awesome on it's own, by the way.   I make it all the time, and it has been a hit with omnivorous pepperoni lovers, as well as vegetarians.  Not to mention it is much healthier than actual pepperoni without all those nitrates and cholesterol.

Stuffed Peppers with Pepperoni Rice

Stuffed Peppers with Pepperoni Rice
serves 4
gluten free, vegan

4 bell peppers- tops cut and seeds removed
¼ cup vegan mozzarella (optional)
1 cup basmati rice
1 small tomato, diced
1 ¾ cup water
½ tsp fennel seed
½ tsp garlic powder, or 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
½ tsp onion powder, or about ½ a yellow onion, diced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ Tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos
½ tsp liquid smoke

For the rice:
In a small bowl add tomato, water, fennel, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt & pepper, ketchup, olive oil, soy sauce, and liquid smoke.  stir to combine.  Pour mixture into a pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and stir in rice.  Cover and let simmer on low 25 minutes.  Remove from heat.

For the Peppers:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Wrap peppers in foil and bake 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and spoon in pepperoni rice into each pepper until full.  Bake another 20-25 minutes until heated through and pepper is tender.  Top with vegan cheese (optional) and bake a few more minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly.

To make my own veg mozzarella, I use the cheese from this Somer McCowan recipe (below).  It is very easy, very cheesy, very melty, and very delicious!  I like it much better than store bought veg cheese.

Moxarella Cheese Recipe

Eggplant Parm Risotto- Easy Slow Cooker Recipe

Sedona, AZ

Oh sweet sweet comfort food.

Eggplant Parm Risotto - Easy Slow Cooker Recipe
for a 4 qt slow cooker, 4-6 servings
Easy, Gluten free, Kid Friendly, Oil free variation, Vegan

2 medium sized eggplants, peeled & cut to ¼" cubes
4 cups marinara sauce (RVegan Marinara recipe below)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup arborio rice (risotto rice)
1 cup your favorite veg cheese (my simple cashew ricotta recipe below)
2 Tbsp olive oil  (optional)

Drizzle olive oil in the slow cooker.  Add eggplant, marinara, broth, arborio rice, and veg cheese.  Stir well to combine.  Cook in the slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours.  Scoop into serving bowls.  Top with cashew parmesan (recipe below)

Eggplant Parm Risotto

RVegan Marinara
makes 4 cups
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh basil
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp fennel seed (optional)
½ cup dry red wine
sea salt to taste

Combine in a pot and cook on low for 30-40 min. (No need to pre-cook if it's going in the slow cooker)




Personally, I'm not a huge advocate for store bought vegan cheese.  It is highly processed and most don't pass my strict,  label reading scrutiny.  I do, however, make my own cheese from scratch and love it!  The ricotta is rich and creamy.  The cashew parmesan topping is perfect for salads, vegetables dishes, pastas, and pizza.  If nothing else, you must try this!

RVegan Cashew Ricotta (and Parmesan topping)
makes 1 cup ricotta, 2 Tbsp parmesan
1 cup raw cashews
¼ cup firm tofu
¼ tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp olive oil (optional)
1 tsp lemon juice

For the ricotta:
In a processor, process the cashews into a crumble.  Scoop out 2 Tbsp and set aside.  Process remaining cashews into a fine powder.  Add tofu, sea salt,  olive oil, & lemon juice to the processor with the remaining cashew powder.  Pulse to combine.

For the parmesan:
In a med-high heated pan, add the 2 Tbsp cashew crumble with a dash of  sea salt and a dash of garlic powder.  Heat only until fragrant.  Let cool.  Set aside to sprinkle on top of your risotto.


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Pepperoni Pizza Crust with Almond Cheese

Boulder, CO

   I had a conversation with a co-worker yesterday.  She said,  "My science teacher in high school once told me my nails would be healthier and stronger if I eat Jello."  I told her that I thought there was no way Jello could be beneficial to your health, it's not even real food.   We went back and forth like this.  But it got me thinking, where do people come up with this stuff?  Someone reads a study, that study was funded by Jello (for example), and the people who read it are like "Nice! I will eat lots of Jello and I will have great nails!"
  Examples of these misleading studies are everywhere.  Even in produce.  Did you know that a serving of broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange?  The orange industry just picked a positive vitamin, and  used it in their advertising and all of a sudden, an orange is the image America pictures when they hear vitamin C.
  Milk gives you strong bones and a healthy body, right?  Milk drinking countries such as the US,  have more cases of osteoporosis and bone issues than any countries that consume very little or no dairy.  No animals drink the milk of a different animal, except humans.  Maybe we don't need it!
   I've been looking at basic nutrition with a different eye lately.  Fad diets and American's idea of what is healthy for them, often comes from multimillion dollar industries that are spending top dollar to make you think that.  You surely can't believe everything you hear about nutrition.  Common sense is a good start.  Vegetables are good!  All of them.

  Ok so maybe you don't care about all that.  Maybe you just don't want to give up things that you like.  I get that.  Try this!  Pepperoni crust tastes just like pepperoni. Soft, decadent almond cheese will leave your cheese cravings 100% satisfied.  Load that pizza with toppings of choice such as I did with fresh baby spinach & mushrooms, and you will be one happy camper!

Vegan Pepperoni Pizza Crust with Almond Cheese

Pepperoni Crust with Almond Cheese and Mushroom Spinach toppings

For the Almond Cheese:

1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight or 8 hrs in water, then drained
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp fresh basil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil

-process ingredients until smooth

For the Pepperoni Crust:
makes 2 12"pizzas

1 1/3 cup warm water 115º F (temp is very important to activate the yeast)
1tbsp active baking yeast
2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp of the following: red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp liquid aminos
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp cornmeal (for bottom of the pan, don't mix with flour)

In a small bowl, mix ketchup, liquid aminos, and liquid smoke.  Add the warm water and stir.  Stir in yeast and let sit about 5 minutes until yeast gets all foamy.

Meanwhile, in a Lg bowl, mix flours and all spices together.  Once wet mixture is foamy, add wet into dry mix and stir.  Knead dough for 3- 5 min to combine.  Let sit in the bowl, covered by a towel for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500º.  On a small greased (I use olive oil) baking sheet or 12" pizza pan, sprinkle cornmeal over pan.  Divide dough mixture in half and slowly stretch dough with your hands.  Pretend it's a steering wheel and make a looong left turn.   Place stretched dough on the pan, and gently push the edges outward until the dough fits the pan.
Top with almond cheese, and any other toppings you choose.
Bake on top rack 5 minutes, than move to the bottom rack and bake another 5 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve hot.

* Use other half for 2nd pizza, or roll into little balls coated with garlic and fry in a pan for pepperoni garlic balls.  Yum!  Leftover dough can be stored in a plastic bag in fridge for up to 4 days.

If you try this recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

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