Cassie DeNisco

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My Vegan Lasagna Recipe!!

As mentioned in my previous post, this November is dedicated to holiday meals! I wanted to share my vegan lasagna recipe because you absolutely still can enjoy lasagna even if you’re dairy free! This is the easiest recipe to make and tastes exactly like the real thing!

One thing I will say is it helps to find the pre made Vegan Ricotta because that seriously makes life easier! I love the Kite Hill brand because they have such a wide variety of vegan products. They’re tricky to find but oh so worth the hunt!

vegan lasagna recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 box of lasagna noodles

3 cups red sauce

2 cups vegan shredded mozzarella

1 cup vegan ricotta

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Cook lasagna noodles according to package. Drain water once cooked and set aside.
  3. In medium baking dish, pour a little sauce on the bottom and coat evenly. Begin layering lasagna noodles, v ricotta, and finish off layer with v mozzarella & sauce.
  4. Repeat the process until you have about 3 layers done. On the top layer, pour a little red sauce then top with mozzarella shreds.
  5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cheese is melted and it looks delicious!!

If you can’t find the vegan ricotta, there are lots of recipes on how to make it yourself with cashews! I was so excited to find it in my local Greens Market so it saved me some time. This was such a nostalgic vegan lasagna recipe that I haven’t had since I’ve gone dairy free.

I’m so excited to be sharing with you these recipes this month! I think with the holidays dairy free and vegan people think they can’t enjoy the same meals but there are ways you absolutely can! If you want to check out more recipes, click here and be sure to follow me on Pinterest here for more video content!!

My Bruschetta Recipe!!

I am kicking off my November cooking series TODAY!! I’ll be sharing some great recipes for your to have on your Thanksgiving table and we’re starting with appetizers today! My Bruschetta recipe is so easy to make and will seriously make people think you spent forever on it!

I made this for the first time over the summer with my fresh garden tomatoes and have been craving it ever since! This seriously tastes delicious and has become one of my favorite appetizers. This is perfect for your Thanksgiving feast!

my bruschetta recipe

Ingredients:

3 Cups diced grape tomatoes

6 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsmic vinegar

1/2 fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons butter

1 French baguette

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 and thinly slice your French Baguette. Melt 3 tablespoons butter and mix with 3 tablespoons minced garlic. Evenly coat both sides of baguette then bake for 20 minutes or until super crisp.
  2. Sauté 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the remaining 3 tablespoons of minced garlic. Cook until fragrant then set aside.
  3. Dice your grape tomatoes and combine balsamic, basil, salt and pepper together. Mix in your oil olive and garlic mixture.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for it to marinate but the longer the better!

This bruschetta recipe is perfect year round! I actually never really liked it in the jars because it always was way too salty! It’s so easy to make so you might as well try it out and flavor it your way! If you loved this recipe you can view more here and be sure to follow me on Pinterest as I’ve been posting lots of video content there!!

Amazon Halloween Costume Ideas!

We are halfway through the month of October which means halfway to Halloween! Last year I prepped months in advance for my Halloween Costume post so that you had great ideas! This year, life was super busy so I thought I’d take a twist on Amazon Halloween costume ideas!

These ideas are all inexpensive and shop-able right through Amazon! This means 2 day shipping for those last minute Amazon Halloween costume ideas! Be sure to read to the bottom to see which costume I’m actually wearing this 31st!

Amazon Halloween Costume 1: Padme from Star Wars

amazon halloween costume

Shirt: Shop Here

Pants: Shop Here

Shoes: Shop Here

Belt: Shop Here

This look is a modern twist on the Star wars classic! I love this look but the actual costume sets just weren’t it! I love how comfy this will be and it’s so cute and wearable after the fact too!

Costume 2: Fairy

amazon halloween costume

Shirt: Shop Here

Skirt:Shop Here

Shoes:Shop Here

Wings:Shop Here

I firmly believe this is the costume of the year! So many people have been trying to style this top and I think everyone is obsessed with it! I wish I had somewhere to wear this look because I totally would wear it for a Halloween party!

Costume 3: Wednesday Addams

Dress: Shop here

Fake Collar: Shop Here

Socks: Shop Here

Shoes: Shop Here

Wednesday is just my favorite Halloween character of all time so I had to include her here! This is like the easiest look and you might even have these pieces in your closet already!

This year my whole family is dressing up as Star Wars characters! I’ll be dressing up as Padme and Sky is going as Yoda! Halloween truly is my favorite holiday so I hope you love these Amazon Halloween costume ideas as much as I do!

I wish I had other places to go because my other two costume ideas are seriously so cute! Be sure to follow me on Pinterest so you don’t miss anything! I am so excited to be rolling out my holiday content next month so stay tuned!

My Fall Harvest Bowl!

I am so excited to be sharing with you my viral fall harvest bowl! This was posted on Pinterest Here and it seriously blew up! I am so glad everyone is enjoying this bowl because I swear it is the perfect transition meal!

Whether you want a warm dinner or a chilled side, this bowl is great for meal prep! You can make it in advance and use it throughout the week for lunches or dinners! I love how filling it is alone and it’s vegan so you’re also doing good for the planet too!

fall harvest bowl

Ingredients:

  • 1 box of orzo
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 red onion
  • handful of grape tomatoes
  • handful of walnuts
  • olive oil
  • maple syrup
  • red wine vinegar
  • basil
  • oregano
  • red pepper flakes
  • salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Start by preheating your oven to 425 and dicing up your sweet potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. Add to an oven safe pan, drizzle with olive oil, and bake until all are soft.
  2. Meanwhile drain chickpeas and add to a baking sheet with walnuts. Bake walnuts for 5 minutes until crisp and remove. Keep chickpeas in until they harden.
  3. Cook orzo according to the package.
  4. Make dressing by combining 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp maple syrup, and dashes of basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
  5. Combine all together and mix well, adding salt & pepper to taste!
  6. Enjoy!!

I hope you enjoyed this Fall Harvest Bowl recipe! I have this recipe on repeat each week because it’s just that good. If you liked this recipe, you can check out more recipes here!

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover Review!

I can hardly believe that I’m sharing October’s book of the month! This month I went back to Colleen Hoover and gave her book Ugly Love a try! Colleen Hoover books are always so good when you feel like you’re in a book rut.

They always help me get back into reading because they’re so good! Her books are usually complex love stories with a twist at the end. I seriously love her writing style and wasn’t surprised when I loved this book!

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover- Shop Here

ugly love

Ugly Love was my last read of the summer and it definitely did not disappoint! I loved the writing between current Tate and flashbacks to Miles’ past. It helped to paint a picture of who these people are and how they got to the places they’re in.

Tate first meets Miles drunk and crying in her brothers apartment. They don’t speak of that night again but it leaves this lingering feeling that Miles isn’t telling the entire truth to Tate. He essentially just wants to be friends with benefits but as we know, feeling started to evolve.

Tate and Miles end up falling for each other and we realize Miles has a traumatic history with being in love. This makes us understand why he is so against being in love with Tate and how important it is that he might actually be ready to move on.

Ugly Love is one of those books that makes you realize just how complex love can be. It does show that it is so worth it to find your person that helps you to work through your issues and create new happiness.

I truly believe you can just never go wrong with a Colleen Hoover book. No matter which one you choose they are all so good and make you want to just keep reading!

You can read last month’s book review here!

My Trader Joe’s Essentials!

I cannot tell you how exponentially better my life is now that I have a Trader Joe’s close to me! My weekly grocery trips and meal planning has leveled up since then. I wanted to dedicate this post to my Trader Joe’s essentials, the things that are alway on my list and in my fridge!

If you like this post, I actually have another Trader Joe’s post here to check out! I made that a few years ago but honestly some of these things are the same. TJ’s is great for everything but I love to stock up my fridge/freezer because their pre-made meals are great for busy days.

Freezer White Jasmine Rice

This product is a true freezer staple for me. I rave about my rice cooker but sometimes you just don’t have the time to use it. These rice packs you just have to pop in the microwave and they come out great every time. They’re so fast and great for quick additions to your lunch or dinner.

Chunky Guacamole

I have tried so many guacamole containers but this one is truly my favorite. I also like that it’s super inexpensive because guac is not cheap these days. This one seems to last me awhile too so I can open it one day and it’s not super gross and brown the next.

Chicken Fried Rice

trader joe's essentials

I cannot explain to you the love I have for this rice. It definitely isn’t a takeout dupe but honestly tastes better in my opinion because I know it’s healthier. This is perfect on its own or I like to grab like egg rolls or pot stickers and make a full dinner out of it.

Chicken Soup Dumplings

trader joe's essentials

I saw this online and immediately knew I needed them. I love dumplings and these are so great for lunch. They come in chicken or pork but I like the chicken version best. Seriously I love these and just having them in my freezer makes me not have to worry about planning a lunch during the work day.

Vegan Cashew Ravioli

trader joe's essentials

You need to try these ravioli even if you aren’t vegan! These are so yummy and honestly you probably can’t tell they aren’t vegan. I haven’t had a ravioli in like a year because I can’t have dairy and finding these was life changing!

These Trader Joe’s Essentials have seriously become staples in my life. I’ve noticed that TJ has become really dairy free friendly and has some great alternative products so let me know if you want me to do a post on my favorite non dairy things!

Follow me on Pinterest for more recipes & exclusive daily content!

My Dairy Free Broccoli Cheddar Quiche!

September has turned into the month of recipes for me! This post is dedicated to my latest favorite breakfast recipe, Dairy Free Broccoli Cheddar Quiche! I was craving a bigger weekend breakfast and I love how easy this is!

Quiches are awesome because they’re so easy to customize and also prep. You can make this as a meal prep for morning breakfast during the week! My recipe is vegan but you can always swap out the ingredients to fit your dietary needs!

dairy free broccoli cheddar quiche

Ingredients

1 Pre-made pie crust

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups vegan shredded cheese (I love follow your heart brand)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 cup broccoli (i like to bake mine ahead of time)

Directions

  1. Pre heat oven to 400F.
  2. Spray pie pan then place pre made pie crust into pie pan and fork some holes into the bottom of it.
  3. In a separate bowl, scramble eggs then mix in milk and shredded cheese. Add broccoli and give it a gentle stir.
  4. Pour egg mixture into crust and bake quiche for about an hour. This might be more time but you just a knife to come out clean when you enter it in the center.
  5. Slice and enjoy!

As you can see, this Dairy free broccoli cheddar quiche recipe is seriously so easy to make! I personally love broccoli and cheese but you can really add any veggie you want to it. As long as you have the milk and eggs, you can really make it your own! Adding meat for extra protein might be great if you eat it too!

This is a great meal prep meal since it stores so well in the fridge for about 4-5 days too! If you liked this recipe, check out more of my recipes here! Follow me on Pinterest for more food videos too!

Makeup Essentials I’m Loving!

This months bonus post is dedicated to the makeup essentials I’m loving! As we transition into the colder months, I still want to be as glowy as possible and these products are seriously going to help! I love a light makeup look but always need a little coverage to hide some blemishes.

These are some great products that will do just that! This was my go to makeup routine this summer and I’m going to stick with it as we head into the fall too! As always these are affiliate links but there’s no pressure to purchase!

Niacinamide Drops by Glow Recipe- Shop Here

makeup products

These glow drops are seriously a must have to prep your skin. I use these after I moisturize and let this get a little tacky. This works as like a primer and locks in my tinted moisturizer but adds so much glow. This seriously is such a great product on its own but is that much more amazing to pair before you put on your foundation.

Rare Beauty Tinted Moisturizer- Shop Here

makeup products

I fell in love with this tinted moisturizer over the summer and this is going to be a re-purchase for me. It’s super light coverage because it’s a tinted moisturizer but buildable. I swear this paired with the glow drops above is seriously the best combo.

Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand- Shop Here

I finally got my hands on this contour wand and I am so glad I did. This is like the easiest contour to use because you can just dot it on. It’s so blend-able that I can just go in with my beauty blender and it seriously does the job. If you see this in stock, don’t hesitate to get it because it’s seriously as good as everyone says it is!

Charlotte Tilbury Blush Wand- Shop Here

This is just as good as the contour. I have the blush coral color and I seriously love it. The formula is just as blend-able as the contour so it looks so natural on the skin. The color also complimented me so well when I had a tan but it’s still as pretty as I get paler.

These makeup essentials have instantly become my go to must haves! I can’t live without them because the combo on my skin that they create is unreal. A light, natural and glowy finish is always my goal and these products seriously do just that!

If you loved this bonus post, you can check out more skin care posts here! In addition, follow me on Pinterest because I’ve been posting a ton there lately, even more than instagram!

Cheesy Pesto Pasta Recipe!

I’m super excited to be sharing with you this super yummy cheesy pesto pasta recipe! I’m making a vegan version for myself but you can always use regular cheese for yourself! Pesto is like my go to pasta for summer but adding cheese helps to transition it to a heartier meal for fall!

I’m going to share with you my 3 ingredient pesto recipe that I use to create this delicious dish! It’s so easy and you can make it to freeze too! I recommend getting a basil plant if you do like pesto because it ends up being cheaper and you have it for so many recipes!

cheesy pesto pasta

Ingredients

Handful of Fresh basil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound of pasta

Myokos Vegan Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup sliced grape tomatoes

Directions

  1. Boil water and cook pasta according to the box. Once finished, drain water and add a little olive oil so it doesn’t stick together.
  2. To make the pesto, add a handful of basil, minced garlic and olive oil to a mini chopper and blend. You can make this thinner or thicker depending on how you like your pesto.
  3. Shred vegan mozzarella and then add pesto and mozzarella back to the pasta pot with the pasta. Mix until the cheese is a little melted.
  4. Plate pasta with sliced grape tomatoes on top and enjoy!

As you can see, my cheesy pesto pasta recipe is seriously that easy! I am so obsessed with how good this dish is. This is a great fresh recipe for this transitional time from summer to fall too! I love that it’s still light from the pesto but the cheese really makes it more decadent!

If you love this recipe, check out more of my recipes here! Also, I’ve been posting a lot of idea pin recipes on Pinterest so follow me there too!

American Royals Series Review!

I’m back again this month with another book review! This month I actually am reviewing a series that I feel in love with! American Royals by Katherine McGee has truly become some of my favorite books and I just love her writing style.

Her third book, American Royals III: Rivals, came out in May of this year and I immediately put it to the top of my list. I figured I couldn’t just review the third book without letting you know about the first two so this is an in depth look at the American Royals Series Review!

American Royals- Shop here

american royals series review

This was a book I actually read on a whim on my Kindle. I read it and instantly loved the take on an American version of royals instead of a President. The characters Katharine created were so interesting and made you want to just continue to read about them. This first book totally got me hooked and I was so excited to continue the series after the cliff hanger it was left on.

American Royals II: Majesty- Shop Here

american royals series review

The second book in the serious was honestly just as good as the first. I loved how we got to see the family deal with the death of their beloved king/father and how the older sister had to ascend to the throne. I love a good girl power moment and this really gave us that. The first two books complemented each other so well and McGee even said she wasn’t planning on another book so I was surprised to see a third.

American Royals III: Rivals- Shop Here

I’ll say it, I didn’t love this third book. It felt like they were just pulling for a story line so they were grabbing what they could. I honestly had trouble even getting through it because it just wasn’t as authentic to me as the first two, which I finished in one sitting. This wasn’t the worst book I’ve read but I just didn’t love how it fit in with the other two.

Overall, I do love this series. It’s a fun fictional take on what could’ve been American history. It was just a really light, quick read for me that will always be one of my favorite series!

If you loved this American Royals Series Review, check out my other book reviews here! Follow me on Pinterest here!