basil

Oil-Free Plant Based Cannellini Bean Basil Pesto (Low Fat Vegan Pesto)

April 28, 2019 by Veronica Grace Leave a Comment

Oil Free Vegan Cannellini White Bean Pesto (Plant-Based)

I’ve added some photos for this recipe now. It’s something I’ve been playing around with for meals and road trips/flights and had to pack quickly in tupperware and take with me. Whether you’re a lover of fresh hot pasta and veggies or cold summer pasta salad this recipe is really versatile and easy to make. It’s also a great way to use up any leftover veggies from the fridge.

I often find people asking what kind of plant based food they can bring in the car or on a plane that isn’t the same old granola bars, sandwiches, fruit, dried nuts etc. One thing I’ve found that really works is cold pasta salad. When this sauce is refrigerated it thickens up even more so it doesn’t look like a liquid at all. I’ve brought cold pesto pasta on several flights without issue and it’s nice to have something different than the same old wrap or sandwich that may potentially go mushy over time. It’s also nice that this doesn’t spoil very fast either so you don’t have to worry about eating it immediately. For the cold salad version I make a giant batch of rotini pasta and cook it al dente and then dice up raw cucumbers, raw peppers, red onion (or not), fresh green peas if you have them and stir them into the sauce and it’s amazing! For a hot pasta dinner I sautéed some of my favourite vegetables I had in the fridge and tossed them with the pasta in the pan to marry the flavours together with the sauce before serving. Please take my word on it that if you love basil, lemon and pasta you will love this recipe. It’s so fresh and tasty and I much prefer it to the standard oily and parmesan laden original pesto. I prefer to eat my food instead of wearing oil on my lips too!

This is also a great McDougall friendly option if you’re following that eating program. 🙂

Oil Free Cannellini Bean Pesto

Ingredients:

1 19 oz/540 ml can Cannellini Beans, low sodium or salt free or 2 cups cooked (any white bean should be fine)
3.5oz/100 grams/2 cups fresh basil, packed (as much basil as you can find really as we’re not using oil it needs a lot to pack flavour)
1/4 cup raw hemp seeds/hearts (or sesame or sunflower seeds)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (or to taste)
4-5 tbsp fresh lemon juice (approx. 1 lemon or more or less to taste)
2 small garlic cloves (or to taste)
1/4 Tsp salt or Herbamare
1/4 Tsp ground pepper

If you can only find 15 oz/425g cans of beans you can use a little extra from another can, adjust the seasonings down a little, or add 3 oz/85 grams cashews or pine nuts as well.

Directions:

Oil Free Vegan Cannellini White Bean Pesto (Plant-Based)

After draining your beans and washing your basil, add all your ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender.

Oil Free Vegan Cannellini White Bean Pesto (Plant-Based)

Blend until smooth.

Oil Free Vegan Cannellini White Bean Pesto (Plant-Based)

Boil 1 lb/454 grams of your favourite pasta like fusilli, rotini or penne until al dente. You can use whatever kind you prefer, white, wheat, brown rice etc. I used La Molisana Fusilli Bucati Corti a cord shaped style of fusilli and cooked it in salted water for about 10 minutes.

Prep your raw or cooked veggies and sauté until just tender.

Oil Free Vegan Cannellini White Bean Pesto (Plant-Based)

Add all your veggies, sauce and pasta to a bowl for raw, or the sauté pan for cooked and stir together.

Variations: For a hot pasta meal sauté and add to the sauce:
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cups of baby spinach
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 zucchini/courgette, sliced
1/2 package of mushrooms, sliced
fresh basil to garnish

For a cold pasta salad stir into the sauce:

1/2 English cucumber, sliced and diced
1 pint/473 grams of cherry tomatoes, whole or sliced
1/2 red bell pepper/capsicum, sliced and diced
1/2 red onion
1 cup fresh shelled green peas/snap peas
1/2 cup small broccoli florets raw or lightly steamed

Additional add ons: For a heartier meal add some cooked brown or green lentils, cubed smoked tofu or seasoned tempeh.

Have you ever made a pasta or salad dressing from white beans before? If so what was it and how did you like it?

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Plant-Based Broccoli Mushroom Rotini Casserole (Vegan Pasta)

September 15, 2013 by Veronica Grace 17 Comments

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I had some leftover broccoli florets and mushrooms in the fridge I needed to use up and thought of baking them into pasta casserole. Then I thought, what if I were to chop these up super super small and HID them in a cheezy sauce? Then I would have a fantastic recipe for those who have a hard time getting their children or spouses to eat their vegetables!

So that’s why this recipe was designed and it’s not quite as indulgent as just pasta in cheezy sauce. It has some delicious veggies hiding in it too!

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I like to use rotini pasta because the spirals hold onto the sauce and really grab it, plus it has a nice texture to it too. I recommend following these directions, but if you don’t have a food processor you can chop the veggies into very very small pieces instead so they don’t overwhelm the pasta. Also make sure not to use too much broccoli or you will end up with a more pungent pasta creation (as broccoli contains sulfur it can be strong smelling).

So give this healthy pasta bake a try and let me know what you think!

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Vegan Broccoli Mushroom Pasta Bake

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cuo/150 grams of broccoli
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
3 large cloves of garlic
16 oz. whole wheat rotini, elbows or spirals
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Paprika to garnish
White pepper to garnish
Herbamare or salt to garnish

Cheezy Sauce:

2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup cashews
1 large clove of garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
5 tsp Genmai brown rice miso paste
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt if desired. Cook rotini or spirals for about 6 minutes just until al dente. (Do not overcook)

2. Pulse, broccoli, mushrooms, onions and garlic separately in a food processor (unless you have a very large one) until broken into tiny pieces. Add to a large wok or sauté pan and cook for 7 minutes until soft. Add a little water or vegetable broth as necessary to cook.

3. Blend cheezy sauce ingredients in a blender and taste test. Adjust seasonings if desired with more salt and pepper or smoked paprika.

4. Drain rotini and add to sauté pan and pour sauce over (or combine in a large pot if you don’t have a lot of room). Toss to coat.

5. Pour into a large casserole pan. Top with panko breadcrumbs and smoked paprika.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Additional Tips:

This recipe is best served fresh, but if you need to reheat it rebake it or else the panko bread crumbs will be mushy.

Have you ever made a plant-based baked pasta casserole before? What do you put in it?

20 Minutes To The Table: Baked Flatbread with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Artichokes and Basil

July 28, 2013 by Veronica Grace 10 Comments

So the other day I was craving something pizza-like, but knew I wanted to put a healthy twist on it. Although you may think I’m apt to put hummus on just about anything (I might! lol) I actually don’t eat hummus all that often. But when I do, I love to make my own from scratch as it’s super simple. In this recipe I wanted to use the creamy hummus to sub for the sauce and cheese of traditional pizza and then top with some delicious veggies. Although you can use store bought hummus, I don’t like that it contains a lot of oil and isn’t as tasty as making your own. In fact there is a world of difference between fresh made roasted red pepper hummus versus the store bought kind.

In this episode of 20 minutes to the Table I’m going to show you how you can make your own roasted red pepper hummus, baked flat bread and a fresh salad with maple dijon dressing all in less than 20 minutes for an easy midweek meal

To subscribe to my Youtube channel please click on the video to open it in a new browser and hit the subscribe button beside LowFatVeganChef just under the video. Likes are always appreciated as well!

Some other toppings for your baked flatbread could be sautéed mushrooms, black olives, pineapple, arugula, tempeh or smoked tofu. Use your imagination! Recipes below:

Oil-Free Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

This is half the recipe from my version in Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World

Ingredients:

15 oz. / 425 g can chickpeas (no-salt), drained (reserve a few tbsp of liquid) *OR 1 3/4 cup fresh cooked chickpeas
1 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed butter)
6 oz. / 170 g (half a jar) roasted red peppers, drained *OR about 1 small fresh roasted red pepper
1/2 large lemon, juiced
2 cloves of garlic
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp. Herbamare or salt, or to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Taste test and adjust seasonings if desired and blend again. Don’t worry if it’s a little thin, when it baked it will become creamy and thick!
3. Enjoy!

BakedFlatBreadPhoto

Recipe photo

Vegan Baked Flatbread with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Artichoke Hearts and Basil

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (recipe above)
1 package of thin burger/sandwich buns or other flatbread
1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts in water (not oil) *OR 400g of frozen artichoke hearts
1 small Vidalia (sweet) onion, sliced
1 handful of fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté onion over medium heat for 5-7 minutes in a little bit of water.
2. Slice artichoke hearts and basil into strips.
3. Assemble flatbread by spreading a thick layer of hummus on each piece of bread and topping with cooked onion, artichoke pieces and basil.
4. Bake for 8-10 until crispy and brown on the bottom. (I baked mine for 10 minutes)

Spinach Arugula Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

Serves 3-4

Salad Ingredients:

1 5 oz package baby spinach & arugula mix
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
1/2 ripe tomato, sliced
1/3 cup chickpeas

Dressing Ingredients:

4 tbsp Dijon mustard
5-6 tbsp maple syrup (or honey if desired)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper

Directions:

1. Assemble salad ingredients into a bowl.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Drizzle over salad and store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge.

Have you ever made a vegan flatbread or pizza? What’s your favorite toppings? Let me know what you think of these recipes by posting below.

Shaved Asparagus and Spring Vegetable Salad With Basil, Mandarins and Pine nuts

June 23, 2013 by Veronica Grace 13 Comments

I have to tell you… I am totally loving my new (but used) camera I just got! As you can see, I have some more delicious photos to share with you. This is a shaved asparagus salad I’ve been wanting to try for a while and I just happened to have asparagus in the fridge this week so I was very excited! I’ve had many many raw dishes using shaved or spiralized zucchini (summer squash) and the asparagus can be shaved with a vegetable peeler in the same way.

This shaved spring vegetable salad is absolutely delicious and will definitely shake up your boring entree or side salad routine. You can even make this salad go even farther by incorporating baby spinach or mixed greens to make it lighter and less “noodley”.

You’ll be surprised how delicious shaved raw asparagus is, it’s quite mild and has a nice flavor to it. There’s no cooking required when you shave vegetables this thin, just like shaved or shredded beets or carrots it’s quite easy to eat.

I also added some fresh basil and red onion to kick up the flavors and am definitely going to add basil to more of my salads. It’s just wonderful! Even better if you pick it fresh from the garden. 🙂

I know you’re going to love this shaved asparagus salad as much as I did, so let’s check out the recipe!

Shaved Asparagus and Spring Vegetable Salad with Basil, Mandarins and Pine nuts

Serves 2 entrees or 4 side salads

Ingredients:

1 lb asparagus
3 small/medium zucchini
1/2 red onion
2 handfuls of fresh basil (60g)
2 mandarins, peeled or sliced and sectioned
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 cups baby spinach/spring mix *optional

Dressing:
1 cup fresh mandarin orange juice (about 5 mandarins)
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/4 cup pine nuts
1-2 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
5 medium fresh basil leaves
pinch of salt
dash fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Optional: toast pine nuts dry in a non stick pan over medium low heat until golden brown and set aside.

1. Hold the stem of each asparagus and lay it down on a cutting board. Shave thin ribbons of asparagus by using a vegetable peeler. (Use a sharp one! Dull ones will make this difficult.) Add tops and ribbons of asparagus to a bowl.

2. Do the same to the zucchini, lay flat on a cutting board and shave into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Rotate zucchini to a new side once you reach the inner seeded section. Peel until all 4 sides are done. Add to bowl.

3. Slice red onion into thin slivers. Add to bowl.

4. De-stem the basil and slice into thin strips. Add to bowl.

5. Peel or slice off skin of mandarins and add mandarin sections and pine nuts to bowl.

6. Prepare dressing: combine orange juice, vinegar, pine nuts and dates in a blender and blend until smooth.

7. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss to combine. Refrigerate before serving if desired.

8. Serve as is, or atop baby spinach or mixed greens in bowls or plates.

Enjoy!

Variations:

If you can’t find champagne vinegar use another fruit vinegar of choice.

If asparagus is out of season, too expensive, or too time consuming to shave you can substitute more zucchini (about 3-4 more). You can use yellow and green zucchini/squash for variety.

If you can’t find pine nuts you can try pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds and toast them if desired.

Have you ever eaten raw asparagus or added fresh basil to a salad? What did you think?

Bun Chay (Vegetarian Vietnamese Vermicelli Herb Noodle Salad)

March 24, 2013 by Veronica Grace 15 Comments

I love how fresh and light vegetarian Vietnamese food is. Vietnamese dishes don’t tend to be very vegan friendly because many items have chicken stock or fish sauce in them, so you may not always be able to find something that is truly vegan at a Vietnamese restaurant. Bun Chay is a vegetarian vermicelli noodle salad seasoned with fresh herbs, bean sprouts and Nuac Chom (a fish based sauce.)

So I wanted to show you how you can make Bun Chay totally vegan at home. This is a really fun and impressive recipe to make for one, or even a dinner party. If you can slice some veggies and toss them together to make a regular salad, trust me you can make this! It’s super easy and fresh and you can customize it with your favorite vegetables or proteins like tofu or tempeh as well.

Bun Chay Vegan Vietnamese Vermicelli Rice Noodle Salad

This salad also keeps well and can be taken to work for a healthy lunch (just make sure to keep the dressing separate). If you’re longing for a recipe to mix up your salad routine, this is it! It’s very low in fat, as well as filling. I hope you like it!

Bun Chay (Vegetarian Vietnamese Vermicelli Herb Salad)

Serves 4

Salad:

250 g/8.8 oz package of rice vermicelli noodles (thin)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded or spiralized
2 Persian/small seedless cucumbers, julienned
1-2 cups fresh mung bean sprouts
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped and/or 1 cup Thai basil leaves, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup peanuts, crushed *optional

Vegan Nuac Cham (Sauce for Bun Chay):

1/4 cup lime juice (1 1/2 large limes)
1/4 cup vegetarian fish sauce (see recipe here)
1/3 cup hot water
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 -4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 – 1 thai chili, finely chopped *optional
2 tbsp shredded carrot *optional

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, turn off the heat and add the noodles and stir to break up.

Bun Chay Vegan Vermicelli Noodle Salad

2. Let noodles sit for 2 minutes.

3. Drain noodles and run in cold water to shock them. Drain in a colander.

4. Prep veggies.

5. Arrange noodles in serving bowls. Garnish with carrots, cucumber, chopped herbs, mung beans and peanuts.

6. Combine ingredients for Nuac Cham sauce in a bowl and whisk until sugar dissolves. (You want it to be strong tasting as the noodles are bland and will soak up the flavor.)

7. Serve Bun Chay with a side of Nuac Cham. Pour sauce over it and toss well to combine.

Additional Tips:

Please note that Thai basil has a very different taste than regular Italian basil, so if you cannot find it, please use mint and cilantro (coriander) instead. Thai basil has green and purple tipped leaves and has a very exotic flavor.

I used a Japanese turning slicer to spiralize my carrots. I find them prettier this way instead of just shredding them. This is what I used.

If you can’t find Persian/Iranian (mini seedless cucumbers) use English cucumbers.

Make sure to put lots of herbs in this salad as it will be very mild tasting, you get most of the flavor from the Nuoc Cham sauce and the herbs. Otherwise it will mostly be rice noodles, carrots and bean sprouts.

If desired you can serve it with some hoison sauce (I tend to avoid as it has msg) or Sriracha hot sauce. You can find these at Asian stores and sometimes regular grocery stores as well.

Have you ever had Vermicelli salad or “Bun” before? What did you think of it?

Fat Free Vegan Spaghetti Marinara With Chickpeas

November 25, 2012 by Veronica Grace 9 Comments

So this is a recipe I made one day when I wasn’t sure what to throw into the spaghetti… I thought why not try a bit of chickpea for something to chew on. The results were not bad, but you definitely need a lot of sauce to add some flavour.

I used whole wheat pasta in this recipe, you can use gluten free or another variety if desired as well. Feel free to add some chopped steamed veggies to your marinara sauce as well if desired.

I just thought this vegan spaghetti recipe was too pretty not to share!

Low Fat Vegan Chef's Fat Free Vegan Spaghetti With Chickpeas

Spaghetti and Chickpeas With Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce:

Yields 50 oz/1.5 L of sauce

1 large onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 cups canned tomatoes, diced whole or crushed (about 3 14 oz/396 g cans)
1 6 oz./170 g can tomato paste
3 tbsp sugar or sweetener (or as desired)
2 tsp dried oregano
3 tsp dried basil

Spaghetti:

1/2 box whole wheat or gluten free spaghetti
1/2 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with cool water and bring to a boil. Add salt if desired and then add pasta and cook until desired tenderness.

2. Meanwhile prepare the pasta sauce. In a large non-stick skillet or saucepan add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute or two. Add the tomatoes and seasonings and cook for 5-8 minutes until the tomatoes break down a little. Add sauce to a Vita-Mix, food processor or blender and then blend until smooth. Return to pan to keep warm.

3. When pasta is cooked, drain and then combine with the pasta sauce. Use whatever pot is bigger and toss the pasta with the sauce.

4. Plate and then garnish with chickpeas and additional basil if desired.

What’s your favorite addition to vegan spaghetti?

Vegan Mushroom, Olive, Pepper, Arugala and Basil Pizza

October 26, 2012 by Veronica Grace 6 Comments

olives, mushrooms, red pepper, arugula, basil, Daiya cheese

Mmm vegan pizza… so many delicious options for veggies and herbs to put on your pizza. My friend and I made some homemade pizza crusts using this dough recipe below.

This dough recipe is from Zojirushi’s bread maker recipe book

Traditional Pizza Dough Recipe (Bread maker)

Makes 2 12″ pizza crusts

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil (I skipped it)
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp active dry yeast

Directions:

Measure all ingredients and sprinkle into baking pan, making sure the yeast doesn’t touch the sugar or water.
Select dough setting on bread maker and press start.
Remove dough and preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
Roll out dough and shape into desired shape.
Cover dough with cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.
Spread pizza sauce over crust.
Top with desired toppings and vegan cheese if desired. (I used Daiya.)
Bake 20-25 minutes until crust is golden brown.

This pizza was topped with olives, red bell pepper, sautéed mushrooms and onions, fresh arugula, fresh basil and Daiya cheese. Not a typical vegetarian pizza, but it was very delicious! If you can’t find Daiya cheese you can substitute another vegan cheese, make your own vegan cashew cheese, or leave it with just sauce and veggies like a flatbread.