Cassie DeNisco

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Vegan Au Gratin Potato Recipe!!

I have been waiting to share this recipe with you because it’s perfect for the holidays! This vegan au gratin potato recipe is next level and so good. I miss out on so many favorites being dairy free and this was life changing when I made it.

I seriously love how easy this recipe is for how good it tastes. These cheesy potatoes pair so well with any holiday dinner so I really wanted to share it now in my holiday recipe series!

vegan au gratin potato

Ingredients:

6 thinly sliced potatoes

1 white onion diced finely

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup vegan butter

1/2 cup veggie broth

1 1/2 cup vegan milk

2 cups vegan shredded cheese

1 tablespoon garlic powder

salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Start by boiling your sliced potatoes in water then drain.
  2. Preheat your oven top 425 and then heat a small pot on the stove.
  3. Begin making the roux by heating oil then the diced onions. Add in water & Salt then butter and once melted slowly mix in flour.
  4. Slowly add more veggie broth then the milk and keep stirring. Add cheese and stir until sauce has thickened. Then immediately remove from heat.
  5. In a baking dish, pour a little of the cheese sauce in then begin layering the potatoes. Pour the rest of the sauce on top.
  6. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until cooked thoroughly and brown!
  7. Enjoy 🙂

I am not joking when I tell you this was the best vegan alternative I’ve made yet! This vegan au gratin potato recipe is delicious and seriously like the real thing! If you make this recipe, let me know!!

If you liked this vegan recipe, check out more here or follow me on Pinterest for more video content!

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!!

A Yummy, Healthy Rice Bowl!

I’m super excited to be sharing this healthy rice bowl recipe with you! I was originally introduced to it through Green Chef, but I’ve made it so many times now I have my own take! Rice bowls are seriously such a good dinner idea because they have something for everyone.

I also love to have meatless nights but still get in enough protein. This bowl is so filling and if you wanted to add a meat protein, chicken, beef or turkey would pair well!! Here’s my recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup White Rice

1 cup veggie broth

Tomato

Scallion

Lime

1 can pinto beans

1 can corn

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp mayo

1 tbsp dijon mustard

Pecans

Directions:

  1. Bring veggie broth, rice, and salt to a boil then let simmer covered for about 10 minutes.
  2. Chop up tomato, scallion, lime, and rinse pinto beans
  3. Use half of the tomato, half of the scallion, and half the lime to create a salsa. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
  4. Saute the other half of tomato, scallion, and corn in the pan then add pinto peans and spices. Cook until heated.
  5. Add the cooked rice to this veggie pan and sprinkle with the other half of the lime. Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.
  6. Divide the rice & veggies evenly into bowls. Add salsa on top then pecans and finish off with dijon mustard & mayo mixed together and drizzled on top.

As you can see this bowl is so easy to make but jam packed with flavor. I seriously love to try out green chef recipes because they open your eyes to different ways to put food together! It really gives me the inspiration to create a healthy rice bowl like this!

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My Summer Pasta Salad Recipe

Pasta salads are a summer staple in my house but I don’t always want to eat pasta with it. This recipe is a twist on a pasta salad that uses a different kind of grain but is still delicious. I love this combo of flavors and I think you will too. Make sure you’re following me on Pinterest so you don’t miss any of my recipes. My summer pasta salad recipe is refreshing and perfect for a summer day!

summer pasta salad recipe

Ingredients

Salad:

1 1/2 c Pearl Couscous or Farro

2 tomatoes

1 red onion

1/2 of a cucumber

feta cheese

Dressing:

1/2 c Olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp dried basil

salt

pepper

Directions

  1. First cook the couscous or farro according to the package. Allow plenty of time for it to cool.
  2. Chop the tomatoes, onion, and cucumber into bite size pieces and set aside.
  3. Mix together the dressing and then add to the cooled couscous. Add in the rest of the produce and mix well.
  4. Finish off with adding the feta on top. I like a lot so I would use a whole block or container but add as much or as little as you would like.

This recipe is seriously the best because its a twist on a traditional summer pasta salad recipe. I feel like by the end of summer I am so over real pasta salads that I love switching it up with different grains. I also find this version to be a bit healthier because couscous and farro are so good for you.

Let me know in the comments below your summer pasta salad recipe! You can check out more recipes like this one here.

My Favorite Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe

One of my major New Years’ resolutions was to go dairy free. This hasn’t been too hard but I definitely needed to find ways to make my favorite recipes. Mac and cheese has always been one of my favorite comfort foods and this vegan mac and cheese recipe is so good. With only 5 ingredients, this recipe is fast and vegan!

Ingredients

2 tbsp Vegan Butter

2 tbsp flour

Box of shells (or pasta shape of your choice)

1 cup unsweetened dairy free milk

8oz bag of plant based cheese

Directions

  1. Start by adding the butter to the pan to melt. Once melted add in the flour and continue to stir. It will get clumpy so slowly start adding in the milk to break up the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
  2. Once smooth, add the plant based cheese. This will take a bit to melt completely but don’t give up until it’s smooth and creamy.
  3. Cook the pasta based on the instructions on the box and then drain the water.
  4. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and mix!

I was not kidding when I said this recipe is so easy! I love to top vegan my mac and cheese with bread crumbs and some red pepper flakes for a kick. This recipe would also be good with some buffalo sauce in it.

One thing I’ve learned on my dairy free journey is that you don’t have to give up on your favorite recipes. Get creative and find ways to continue to make them with your own twist.

If you liked this recipe, don’t forget to like this post and check out other recipes from me here!

Plant Base Meat that I Love

I definitely don’t like food labels however I generally live by a plant based diet. With that being said. I enjoy not eating too much dairy or animal products but I like to have plant base meats to supplement that. I have been eating this way for awhile now with my mom so we both have brands and plant base meat products that we love. This guide I hope is interesting and helpful to share with you so let’s dive in!

Morning Star Farms Veggie Hot Dogs
plant base meat

These are so yummy and I love them so much! They definitely taste similar to a hot dog and are a great option to have. Regular hot dogs somewhat gross me out in reading all of the ingredients but these are so good and a much healthier option. I like these with a bun and a little ketchup and you are good to do.

Morning Star Chicken Patties

I love having these patties with a little vegan mayo, vegan cheese, and a hamburger bun. It is like a fast food sandwich but so much healthier. These do not really remind me of breaded chicken but to be honest, they have a better flavor. I know Morning Star also makes veggie chicken nuggets which have a similar texture and are also great!

Gardein Veggie Burgers

So this is one of my newer favorites. I used to love the Morning Start Farms veggie burgers but I realized the patties were just so thin. These patties are thick and seriously give off a beef burger vibe. I love these veggie burgers so much. They remind me of an Impossible burger but to be honest, might even taste better!

Gardein Veggie Meatballs

I can’t say enough about these Meatballs!! They have so much more flavor than a regular meatball could ever have and my boyfriend most of the time can’t even tell the difference. These are great in red sauce with pasta for dinner or even a roll for a sandwich. Highly, highly recommend these meatballs!

Boca Meatless Ground Beef

This is seriously game changing. I had never realized you can get meatless ground beef and now my chili is seriously elevated. It’s awesome way to sneak in even more veggies to your chili because you really can’t tell the difference once everything is seasoned. This is a really great meat alternative product.

If you notice there’s on thing I didn’t add to my list and that is the Impossible brand. I think their burgers are great when I go out to eat but I haven’t been able to cook them successfully for myself at home. Let me know if you have any tips because I definitely want to like them, but they just fall apart when I cook.

I hope this list of my favorite plant base meat products is helpful whether you are plant base or just looking to supplement in some healthier alternatives to meat in your diet. I plan to do some recipes with these products so that you can see how I cook with them so be on the lookout for that.

Be sure to check out my last blog post here and follow me on Instagram!

My Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

vegan chocolate chip cookies

I love to bake and have sweets but I know that when traditionally made, they aren’t always the best for me. I love to make vegan recipes, like my vegan lemon loaf, because they often are at least a little healthier for you. I made the switch to these vegan chocolate chip cookies and I will never go back! Whether you are vegan or not, these cookies are so chewy and delicious they will please whoever you’re making them for!

Ingredients:

2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c canola oil

1/4 c water

2 tsp vanilla

1 c chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and chocolate chips. Set this aside.
  2. In another bowl, break up the brown sugar and then add sugar, oil, water and vanilla. Combine the flour mixture with this mixture and mix until it’s crumbly.
  3. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and make little balls of dough. Freeze for 30 minutes in order to keep the mixture together.
  4. Heat oven to 375 and bake cookies for 12 minutes total but turning them halfway through so they get crisp on each side.

Not only are these vegan chocolate chip cookies so easy to make but they are also so yummy. Most of us have all of these ingredients already in our homes so it makes making these cookies even easier. You wouldn’t even guess they don’t have the normal ingredients because they are so crisp and chewy. I love this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe because these cookies are to die for!

If you try out this recipe tag me on Instagram or let me know in the comments below how you liked these cookies.

Follow me on Pinterest for more recipes @cassiedenisco!

Vegan Starbucks Lemon Loaf

I have two go to sweet treats when I go to Starbucks: birthday cake pop and lemon loaf. Both are so yummy but super sugary and not the best to have. Starbucks is also pretty expensive for just a slice of a loaf cake so I made it my mission to find a recipe similar to Starbucks’ lemon loaf that would be much cheaper and healthier. I finally think I have found the perfect vegan recipe so here it is!

Ingredients:

Loaf

– 2 c Flour

– 3 tsp Baking Powder

– 1/2 tsp Salt

– 3/4 c Sugar

– 1 c Dairy Free, Unsweetened Milk

– 1/2 c Vegetable Oil

– 1/4 c Lemon Juice

– 2 tbs Lemon Zest

– 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Icing

– 1 c Powdered Sugar

– 1/4 c Lemon Juice

– 2 tbs Lemon Zest

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9″ by 5″ loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
  2. Stir all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together all wet ingredients.
  4. Slowly add dry ingredients mix to the wet ingredients mix.
  5. Pour batter in loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes. Remove and place aluminum foil tent over it to prevent the top from browning.
  6. Put it back in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted is clean.
  7. Let cool and prepare glaze by mixing powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together until combined.
  8. Drizzle icing over cooled loaf and place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set!

Although the cook time is kind of long, this loaf turned out so yummy. It is definitely so similar to the Starbucks Lemon Loaf that you probably will want this loaf over their’s any day. It has way less sugar and is a lot healthier of a treat. Let me know if you try this recipe out or if you want me to make more Starbucks recipe dupes in the future!

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