When it comes to Italian dishes, I’ve never been a huge fan of marinara sauce. I usually gravitate towards the creamy sauces or herb-based sauces. But on my last trip to Italy, I had the most amazing Penne Arrabiata, otherwise known as a spicy marinara sauce. In fact, it was so good that we found…
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Garlic Pepper Tofu (vegan, gluten-free)
My husband had garlic pepper tofu at a Thai restaurant once and loved the dish. Not having tasted it myself, I tried to search for a recipe online to recreate it at home, but failed to find one which had all the ingredients I wanted to add. Therefore, I decided to try and create the…
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (gluten-free, vegan option)
This variation to the traditional pesto recipe contains sun-dried tomatoes. The tomato taste combined with basil and Parmesan cheese makes for a great combination. You can use this pesto for just about anything. My favorite is to toss it with penne pasta, crumbled goat cheese, roasted red bell peppers, olive oil, salt and pepper. For…
Cilantro Parsley Pesto (gluten-free, contains dairy)
Who says you need basil to make a delicious pesto? The combination of cilantro and parsley tastes great and is a nice variation to the traditional pesto recipe if you don’t have basil around or want a change in flavor. You can use this pesto as a spread, dip, or in pasta. I personally used…
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan, contains gluten)
These oatmeal cookies are very tasty and delightful! They are soft on the inside and textured on the outside. I’ve made these cookies with and without chocolate chips and the taste great both ways depending on what you’re in the mood for! My dad is not a huge fan of chocolate, so I always make…
Eggless French Toast (vegan, contains gluten)
For my first Mother’s Day celebration, my newborn son decided to make me breakfast =) Of course, he had to ask his daddy for help and together, the two of them made me some eggless french toast and it was delicious! I originally tried a few other ingredients to substitute for the liquid coat, but…
Carrot Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting (contains dairy, contains gluten)
This delicious Carrot Cake was one of the first egg-less recipes I came across awhile back. My aunt, who was visiting us from Texas, made this cake during Christmas for everyone. I am a sucker for carrot cake, and this was hands down one of the best I had ever had. The combination of carrots,…
Tofu Scramble – Mexican Style (vegan, gluten-free)
I’ve heard of people making tofu scrambles for breakfast or as a side and never realized how simple the dish was to make until I tried it myself. I used a tip from a friend who told me to freeze the entire block of tofu prior to making the scramble. Freezing tofu changes its consistency…
Simply Breakfast Potatoes (vegan, gluten-free)
Being vegetarian and not eating eggs makes for a difficult time when going out for brunch or breakfast with friends at most restaurants. Very rarely do you come across a place that serves eggless pancakes or waffles unless the restaurant is vegan itself. However, the one dish my husband and I enjoy eating is breakfast…
Cheese Scalloped Potatoes (gluten-free option, contains diary)
I love this dish because of the use of Bechamel sauce, otherwise known as a white sauce predominantly used in the French and Italian cuisine. It can be used in a variety of different dishes and is the base for many sauces. It is traditionally made by gradually whisking milk into a white flour-butter mixture,…
Raspberry Coconut Layer Bars (contains dairy, contains gluten)
This year when looking for desserts to make for our Christmas party, I made these raspberry layer bars. They are the perfect holiday treats. The tart flavor of the raspberry preserves, sweet taste of coconut/milk layer, and chocolate drizzle combine to form a delicious bar that tastes and looks great. It was perfect for the…
Double Tomato Bruschetta (vegan, gluten-free)
In coming up with this years holiday party menu, I wanted to include some type of Brushetta. Having never made fresh Brushetta before, I wanted to stick to something traditional, but with a slight twist in flavor. A friend had passed along this recipe from the All Recipes site, and it seemed perfect: fresh tomatoes,…
Christmas Holiday Party Desserts
Here are some of my favorite dessert recipes I made for this years Christmas party! They turned out delicious. The Raspberry Bars (recipe) and Christmas Sugar Cookies (recipe) were a hit, and of course I had to make the pumpkin cookies (recipe) and banana bread (recipe) again because people seem to enjoy them no matter…
Quinoa w/Black Beans & Tomatoes (vegan, gluten-free)
Quinoa is a great source of protein which I’ve recently added to my diet. Technically, quinoa is not a grain, but the seed of a leafy plant. Surprisingly, it’s been a staple food for thousands of years in the Andes region of South America. This recipe was my first attempt at making a dish with…
Pumpkin Cookies (vegan-option, gluten-free option)
What better than Pumpkin Cookies to make for Halloween! My sister-in-law passed along this a written recipe from a co-worker, and I modified it to be eggless. After a few trials, I came up with the perfect eggless pumpkin cookies. They are soft, delicious, and almost taste like cake in the form of cookies! My…
Carrot Soup w/Ginger & Lemon (vegan, gluten-free)
The cafeteria at my work always seems to have delicious vegetarian soups, but I always find myself shying away from them because they usually contain heavy cream as a base. Since I had a bunch of carrots in the fridge, I decided to make my own healthy version of carrot soup. I started off with…
Fresh Wrap w/ Chipotle Pepper Hummus (vegan option, gluten-free option)
Fresh wraps are great to make for lunch or take to the beach/picnic over the summer. For me, a great wrap contains some type of spread. My favorite spread is hummus, and this recipe for Chipotle Hummus was my version of a great spicy home-made hummus. A chipotle is a smoke-dried jalapeno chilli used primarily…
Stuffed Shells w/Feta & Herbs (contains dairy, gluten-free option)
Growing up in my house, stuffed shells used to be a regular Italian dish that my mom prepared for us all the time. I wanted to try making a version of my moms recipe with a slight twist. The resulting dish was absolutely delicious and everyone loves them! This recipe is adapted from Epicurious. Initially, I wasn’t…
Red Thai Curry (vegan, gluten-free)
Thai curry is one of my favorite dishes to order at restaurants because of it’s aromatic fresh taste. I’ve made Thai red curry before, but I always used a ready-made paste from the grocery store and found that it never tasted quite the same as the curries made from fresh ingredients. I came back from…
Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling, Glaze, & Frosting (vegan cupcakes, frosting contains dairy)
Cupcakes are great to make for any occasion – whether for a wedding, birthday, or just for fun! Although they’re simple to make, the enjoyable part about baking cupcakes is that you can get as creative as you want with the flavor, filling, frosting, and decorations! After much delay, I finally decided to try making…
Seared Tempeh Wraps w/Thai Peanut Sauce (vegan, gluten-free option)
Tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans which bind into a cake form. I first discovered tempeh at Veggie Grill, a casual place in Irvine which serves great sandwiches, burgers, and salads. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend going and getting their special wrap with tempeh and avocado. Tempeh alone is similar…
Chocolate Mousse Pie (vegan option, contains gluten)
Sometimes you just want piece of chocolate pie. This is a simple chocolate mousse pie recipe really hit the spot for my husband and I last week. This recipe uses a simple technique I’ve used previously when experimenting with creamy pie textures. The technique involves melting the chocolate and folding it into some freshly made…
Herb & Breadcrumb Pasta (contains dairy, contains gluten)
I typically prefer creamy Italian pasta dishes, but this recipe is one of my families favorites. The sauce is very simple and contains a few basic ingredients. Garlic, parsley, and olive oil add great flavor to the noodles while the breadcrumbs add a texture and crunch. Top it off with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese…
Fresh Spring Rolls (vegan, gluten-free)
This recipe is just one version of fresh spring rolls. Traditionally in the past I’ve made them with rice noodles, basil or mint, shredded cucumber, shredded carrots, and raw tofu. This particular recipe is from my mom. She made a simple cooked filling consisting of carrots, tofu, and cilantro wrapped in rice paper with lettuce….