Easy Vegan Gravy

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Minimalist Baker Easy Vegan GravyWe’re inching closer to Thanksgiving and I couldn’t leave you all hanging without a good gravy recipe.
For a while now, I’ve been dreaming up this version, which utilizes dried mushrooms for a richer, more intense flavor and color, and it seriously paid off. Let me show you how easy it is!
This 9-ingredient, 15-minute recipe starts by rehydrating dried mushrooms in vegetable broth. We went for porcini because their flavor is more woodsy and intense.
Easy Vegan Gravy from Minimalist Baker →
Cookie and Kate Perfect Roasted Carrots (Three Ways!)
Move over, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts! I have a new favorite vegetable side dish, roasted carrots.
Like those other vegetables, carrots develop deep, concentrated flavor and golden, caramelized edges as they roast in the oven. Carrots are also affordable and easy to keep on hand.

If you’ve ever been underwhelmed by steamed carrots (been there), I promise that they’re far more interesting in roasted form. Roasted carrots are an easy and healthy weeknight side dish, and would also add a welcome jolt of color to your Thanksgiving table.
Today, I’m sharing my recipe for perfect roasted carrots. I love variety and I know you do, too, so I developed two fun variations as well. One is a little spicy and the other is a little more indulgent, featuring a light honey-butter sauce. Who knew carrots could be so tempting?
Continue to the recipe...
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Ambitious Kitchen The Best Cornbread Stuffing Ever (gluten free!)BEST STUFFING EVER! This cornbread stuffing is a healthier, gluten free take on a Thanksgiving classic stuffing! With bites of sweetness from dried cranberries, crunchy walnuts and incredible flavors from thyme and sage. You’re going to LOVE this simple delicious recipe! Who else remembers this yummy cornbread stuffing recipe from last year? ME! It was [...]
The post The Best Cornbread Stuffing Ever (gluten free!) appeared first on Ambitious Kitchen.
A Couple Cooks 15 Easy Healthy Vegetable Recipes for FallThese easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall are cozy and comforting, everything savory pot pies to cozy vegetable bakes.

Fall brings cravings for cozy, and there’s no better time of year to hunker down and cook. Alex, Larson and I love to spend gray fall afternoons in the kitchen. Here are our top 15 easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. We’ve curated our favorites into this list, but of course we have hundreds more fall recipes. All of these recipes are vegetarian and a good portion of them are vegan and gluten free too! The vegetable recipes below are main dishes and side dishes. And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, here’s our list of Fall and Winter Dessert Recipes.
Related: Gifts for Vegetarians | 10 Filling Plant Based Dinner Recipes
Vegan Pot Pie with Sage Crust
This vegan pot pie is one of our most beloved recipes! Earthy potatoes and peppers are slathered in a creamy sauce, along with fried shallots and white beans. And on top, a flaky sage vegan pie crust that you’d never believe has no butter (our secret: coconut oil). It’s truly a masterpiece. (Vegetarian, Vegan)
Tomato Coconut Cauliflower Curry
This tomato coconut cauliflower curry is delicious, nutrient packed, and ready in just over 30 minutes! It’s a crowd pleasing plant-based dinner recipe. It’s easy to put together and full of healthy veggies like sweet potato, spinach, chickpeas, cauliflower and tomatoes.  And this one’s another fan favorite in our easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
Red Lentil Soup
This creamy, dreamy red lentil soup is an easy vegetarian dinner recipe that’s ready in under an hour. Cumin, paprika and cayenne bring a flavorful flair. It’s brightened up with lemon and served with fresh herbs and almonds. Serve with a side salad or fresh bread for a full meal! (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice
This vegetarian red beans and rice recipe is budget-friendly meal with ingredients that are easy to find in most grocery stores. This take on Red Beans and Rice can be made on a budget, for about $4 per person. But even better, it’s very delicious and nutrient-dense: full of veggies, legumes, and Cajun spices that pack a large amount of flavor into some humble ingredients. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate
This pomegranate shaved Brussels sprout salad will leave you glowing from the inside out. It’s a study in texture contrasts: the feathery shaved Brussels, the pop of the Pomegranate seeds, and the bright crunch of the apple. It’s vibrant and colorful, covered in a lightly sweet vinaigrette. And the flavor: it’s like eating a bowl of confetti, but the healthy kind! Truly a showstopper in this list of easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
Instant Pot Acorn Squash with Pecan Stuffing
This Instant Pot acorn squash is quick to make using an Instant Pot (pressure cooker)! This vegetarian stuffed acorn squash features a rice stuffing with toasted pecans. This rice and pecan stuffing truly makes your kitchen smell like Thanksgiving while you make it! The onion, celery, garlic, and herbs combine to make something that smells just about like heaven. Add to that the crunch and rich flavor of buttery pecans, and you’ll find yourself just eating the stuffing alone. Here’s the Instant Pot we use. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
This sweet potato dinner recipe is easy and delicious: stuffed sweet potatoes with black lentils, fresh herbs and tangy goat cheese. The goat cheese is not only crumbled over the top with black lentils, fresh thyme, and crunchy celery leaves, but it’s mixed into the inside of the potato for a creamy, savory filling. So good. (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
Quinoa Black Bean Vegan Chili
This hearty and delicious quinoa vegan chili is packed with protein and vegetables. Some secret ingredients: adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chili peppers in adobo, and a white wine vinegar for a tangy finish. It’s so, so tasty: definitely at the top of our easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Do you want to make sweet potato fries in the oven? These crispy sweet potato fries require very little oil to brown in the oven. Our secret? We use a little cornstarch to get a perfectly crunchy fry. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
Harvest Vegetable Bake
This harvest vegetable bake is savory and refined: it tastes almost meaty! Perfect for Meatless Mondays or a cozy brunch. It’s a combination of vegetables and baked tofu, topped with cheese and baked until bubbly. (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
Penne with Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
This pumpkin pasta sauce recipe is delicious and creamy, made with Parmesan cheese and savory spices! Serve it over penne for an easy meatless dinner. Pumpkin puree actually makes for a great pumpkin pasta sauce! It’s got a creamy texture that melds seamlessly with Parmesan cheese. It’s comfy, easy (like 30 minutes easy), and lovely for fall.  (Vegetarian)
Stuffed Delicata Squash Wild Rice and Sage
Delicata squash is a yellow oblong squash that tastes sweet and tender! This stuffing features wild rice with brown butter and sage, along with some vegetables and sharp cheddar cheese. Talk about flavor! (Vegetarian, gluten free)
Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
These broccoli cheese stuffed sweet potatoes are an easy, healthy weeknight dinner your whole family will love. The cheese sauce features a surprise ingredient to make it even creamier: white beans! This tops our list of easy healthy vegetable recipes for fall. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
Baked Butternut Squash Chips
Ready in 30 minutes, these baked butternut squash chips are delightfully crunchy. The sweet squash pairs nicely with salty Parmesan and is a great snack! (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
Lemon Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
The twist on this rosemary roasted potatoes recipe is the lemon; instead of squeezing on the juice prior to roasting, the lemon is thinly sliced and roasted along with the potatoes. This brings out a much more intense lemon flavor. You can even eat the roasted lemon, if you’re brave! (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)
A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living
A Sweet Pea Chef Creamy Parmesan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Make this recipe for cauliflower mashed potatoes instead of regular mashed potatoes for a low-carb alternative. Easy to alter for paleo and vegan diets.

For the LONGEST time, I had seen different bloggers share their mashed cauliflower recipes and talk how they tasted just like real mashed potatoes.  
Honestly, I never really believed them. 
I mean — we’re talking about MASHED POTATOES here.  Smooth, heavy, delightfully creamy mashed potatoes.
And with mashed cauliflower, instead?  No way.
But I kept seeing more and more people rave about them.
Could it actually be true?

Well, much to my surprise, it was true!  Mashed cauliflower really does nicely replace mashed potatoes.
Are they exactly the same?  No, they’re not identical.  But they are definitely good enough as a stand-in.  And they are tasty.
If, like me, you have been weary about trying mashed cauliflower potatoes, I hope I can help convince you to finally go for it.  

How To Make Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes HealthyMashed potatoes aren’t typically high on the “healthy foods” lists for a number of reasons.  That’s what makes these healthy cauliflower mashed potatoes such a great option.  In order to make them healthier, I did the following in this recipe:
replaced butter with almond milkreplaced potatoes with cauliflower (which provides more fiber and protein for less calories)reduced the amount of salt in the reciperemoved any cream, sour cream, or cream cheesereduced the amount of parmesan cheeseThese changes all help to make this mashed potato alternative healthier without sacrificing the flavor or texture.

Want Creamy Mashed Cauliflower?Okay, okay…we all know and love creamy mashed potatoes, but can you make mashed cauliflower creamy, too?  Yes, you most certainly can!  Here are some tips for how to make mashed cauliflower creamy.
One way is to add 1-2 tablespoons of plain full fat greek yogurt. This will help to make them creamier and also a little heavier, if that’s how you prefer your mashed cauliflower.
Another way to make your cauliflower mashed potatoes as creamy as possible is to let the cauliflower cool down a bit after it’s done steaming.  By doing so, the cauliflower will dry out a bit as it cools, which makes it much easier to get a good texture on the mash.
To make creamy cauliflower mashed potatoes thinner, you can just add a little more unsweetened almond milk and then process again to mix it through.
How To Make Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes VeganThis mashed potato alternative calls for parmesan cheese, which is not vegan.  To make these cauliflower mashed potatoes vegan, all you would need to do is replace the parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast or just omit entirely.  You’ll likely need to add a touch more sea salt if you choose to remove it altogether, since the parmesan adds some saltiness.

What Goes with Mashed Cauliflower?While mashed potatoes are a thing of beauty, they are best when enjoyed with other foods.  Here are my favorite recipes to serve with cauliflower mashed potatoes:
Roasted Pork TenderloinPan-Roasted SteakMarinated ChickenRoast BeefBraised Short RibsRoasted ChickenJust use this recipe in place of your regular mashed potatoes for an easy, healthy, and very flavorful alternative!  Never wonder what goes with your cauliflower mashed potatoes again!
Creamy Parmesan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Make this recipe for cauliflower mashed potatoes instead of regular mashed potatoes for a low-carb alternative. Easy to alter for paleo and vegan diets.
1 medium head of cauliflower, (broken into florets) 3 cloves garlic, (peeled) 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, (grated) 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper Heat a large stock pot (with steamer attachment) over high heat until boiling. Add the cauliflower and garlic cloves to a steaming basket and place over boiling water. Cover and steam until cauliflower is soft when poked with a fork, about 6-8 minutes. (Tip: If you let the cauliflower cool down a bit after it’s done steaming, it’ll dry out a bit, which makes it much easier to get a good texture on the mash. It also lets you add other flavorful liquids to balance out the moisture content.) Add the steamed cauliflower and garlic to a food processor (or, if you’d prefer, mix in a large bowl with an immersion blender or a potato masher). Add the parmesan, salt, and pepper. Pulse the food processor until all contents are mostly smooth. You want some texture here, but not a lot. You may need to scrape the sides of the blender or to move around the cauliflower to make sure it all gets mashed. Use the almond milk, tbsp. by tbsp., as needed to bring the mixture together. Try not to use too much as this will cause the mixture to get soupy. You want to keep it as thick as possible (like mashed potatoes). Serve hot. Garnish with fresh chives or whatever you like on your mashed potatoes.
Tip: If you let the cauliflower cool down a bit after it’s done steaming, it’ll dry out a bit, which makes it much easier to get a good texture on the mash. It also lets you add other flavorful liquids to balance out the moisture content.
 
To make creamy cauliflower mashed potatoes thinner, you can just add a little more unsweetened almond milk and then process again to mix it through.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
The post Creamy Parmesan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.

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