want a super easy & healthy snack?  here is the recipe!

a couple months ago, i went vegan.  i wasn’t sure if it was for a few days, weeks or ? but it is my lifestyle now and i absolutely love it!  i won’t go into the hows and whys (unless you really are curious) but i will start sharing my favorite recipes.  at first i was very nervous for this adjustment in shopping and cooking, but thanks to blogs, cookbooks, pinterest, magazines, etc. switching to vegan has been way more doable than i imagined (and its a bonus when the kids enjoy it too).

happy vegan cooking!

this one comes from my current favorite cookbook by chloe coscarelli.

ingredients:

1 lb penne pasta

1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

3 Tbsp olive oil

⅓ cup flour

3 ½ cups almond milk

¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

pinch of crushed pepper

directions:

in a saucepan whisk the oil and flour over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.  add almond milk, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, salt, garlic powder, basil and red pepper to the pan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently.  reduce heat to low and add ½ cup of sun-dried tomatoes – simmer until the sauce thickens.

while preparing sauce, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  cook noodles according to directions and prior to draining, add remaining ½ cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  drain.

once sauce has thickened, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.  add the sauce to the pasta, toss.  serve with fresh basil and vegan parm.

please note: i am constantly researching and reading vegan recipes to try.  in no way am i creating the recipe itself.  i simply am posting dishes that i have tried + enjoyed and think you will too.

we are experiencing some records lows right now.  so we decided to bring some summer in the house! 

what you need:

2 tangerine slices

4 limes slices

1 ½ oz. bacardi rum

1 tsp sugar

8-10 mint leaves

seltzer

what you do:

put tangerine and 3 limes slices in a glass.  add mint and sugar.  muddle together to extract the mint and fruit juices.  add ice to fill glass.  pour in rum and fill with seltzer.  mix well.  garnish with frut!

stay warm!