Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

This super simple sweet potato hash makes for a hearty, healthy breakfast.

Sweet potatoes are not only a great source of fiber and vitamins, like vitamin A, but they are packed with antioxidants, making them a great addition to any meal. I love having them at breakfast time, or as an evening snack with some peanut butter.

Sweet Potato Hash

For this breakfast hash, start with a baked sweet potato. I did this by piercing the potato in multiple places and putting it in the microwave for 2 minutes, flipping it to the other side, and cooking for another 2 minutes. Times may vary depending on your microwave and potato size. Once the potato is cooled some, you can get to work. Depending on the size of your potato, this could make 1 or 2 portions.

INGREDIENTS

1 baked sweet potato

handful of diced tomatoes

handful of diced onions

handful of chopped kale (fresh or frozen)

1/3 block of pressed tofu

LET'S COOK

1. Cube 1 baked sweet potato. Leave the skin on to reap the nutritious benefits.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a bit of preferred cooking oil to the pan, then add the sweet potato cubes, tossing them to coat.

3. Let them cook for a few minutes, stirring them around occasionally.

4. Add chopped onions, tomatoes, and kale. I used frozen but you can also use fresh.

5. Lower the heat and put a lid on the pan. Let cook for a few more minutes.

6. Once the potatoes start to brown, remove from heat.

7. Prepare your tofu scramble. Heat another pan over medium heat.

8. Add cooking oil of choice and then crumble up the tofu into the pan.

9. Use a spatula to move the tofu around. As it starts to cook, add spices and a spoonful of nutritional yeast if desired. You can also use black salt which will add an egg-y flavor.

10. Once the tofu starts to get some color, remove from heat.

11. Add to the sweet potato hash, mix, and serve!

You can add a sauce to the hash if you'd like, but I found that this has enough flavor all on its own!

-Kat

Easy Vegan Sushi

Fun and easy vegan sushi rolls, one with cucumber and avocado, the other with tofu, carrot, green onion, and a spicy sriracha mayo sauce.

Most sushi restaurants will offer these very rolls, and depending on the restaurant, they may be the only options for vegans. Now, I have been to some vegan restaurants that served sushi rolls that absolutely blew my mind, making veggies into works of art bursting with flavor. But I think I need to master the basics before I get too crazy. And these two rolls are a great place to start!

What you'll need:

• bamboo sushi rolling mat

• nori

• plastic wrap (it's not necessary but recommended - I really don't buy plastic wrap anymore but had some left to use for this)

• sushi rice

• rice vinegar

• sugar

• salt

• fillings of choice - for my rolls I made an avocado cucumber roll and a tofu, carrot, green onion roll

• sauces of choice - I used soy sauce and made a vegan sriracha mayo

The above items that you may not have on hand like a sushi rolling mat, nori, or rice vinegar, can easily be found online or at Asian markets, or even at your local grocery store. Sushi rice, or sticky rice, is short grain white rice which you should be able to find at the grocery store as well.

INGREDIENTS

serving size: 2 rolls

• 2 nori sheets

• 1 1/2 cups sushi rice

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp sugar

• pinch of salt

Roll 1: Cucumber Avocado Roll:

• thinly sliced cucumber

• half of an avocado

Roll 2: Tofu, Carrot, Onion Roll (does this have a name? Someone tell me if so.)

• 1/4 a block firm tofu

• thinly sliced carrots

• green onion

Dipping Sauces

• soy sauce

• sriracha or any chili sauce

• vegan mayo

LET'S ROLL

1. Cook your rice according to the package instructions. (I am guestimating 1 1/2 cups because I made 1 cup and could've used just a bit more)

2. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. The sugar will balance out the rice vinegar some. Use less sugar if you want a less sweet flavor.

3. When the rice is done, remove from heat, add the rice vinegar mix, stir, and let cool.

4. Prepare the tofu by pressing it first. I only used about 1/4 of a block for one roll. Cut the tofu in stick-like strips and pan fry them in some light oil over medium heat until browned on each side.

5. Thinly slice some carrots. You can buy pre-shredded carrots or slice your own. I only had baby carrots so I steamed them just enough to make them easier to cut but still have a bit of a crunch.

6. Cut the green onion as needed to fit the length of the nori sheet, or cut into shorter strips to layer, whichever you prefer.

7. Slice your cucumbers into thin sticks.

8. Right before your ready to roll, slice your avocado pieces long ways (I only used half of the avocado).

9. Wrap your sushi mat all around in plastic wrap. This will make cleanup easier.

10. Lay a sheet of nori on the mat with the textured side facing up.

11. Wet your hands and grab a handful of rice. Begin spreading the rice on the sheet from edge to edge, leaving about a 1" space at the top. Wet your hands as needed to keep the rice from sticking to you. You don't want the rice to be stacked too thick but a decent enough layer should do.

12. At the bottom edge of your nori (not the blank space) you can start layering up the ingredients. Again, not too thick that it doesn't roll, but just enough.

13. Use the mat to start rolling the bottom of the nori towards the top, using your fingers to tuck the ingredients in tightly as you roll, and peeling the mat so that it doesn't roll in with it.

14. When you get to the top, wet your finger and glide it along that 1" space we left blank. This will help to seal the roll. Finish rolling.

15. Use a wet knife to cut the roll into 6-8 pieces.

16. For the sriracha mayo, I did equal parts vegan mayo and sriracha, which probably came to about 1 tablespoon of each. Adjust to your taste or skip and use a different sauce entirely!

Optional: I saw a vegan sushi chef wrap the finished roll in plastic wrap and twist the ends to make it really tight before unwrapping and cutting. I did this and it seemed to work really well!

And there you have it - 2 very easy vegan sushi rolls to make at home!

First timer here! If you're experienced in sushi and have any tips or tricks to share, please leave a comment - I'd love to learn ways to improve!

-Kat

Vegan Lasagna With Tofu Kale Ricotta

This super easy vegan lasagna uses tofu ricotta and is baked with a nutritional yeast cheese sauce on top.

This was my first time ever making a lasagna and I was impressed with how great it turned out! This lasagna has layers of whole wheat noodles, tomatoes and basil, and tofu ricotta with garlic and kale. I made a smaller, personal pan of it, so you can adjust quantities if you are making a larger pan. I generally don't measure when I'm cooking so I apologize in advance, but this should be fairly easy to eye and adjust as needed!

INGREDIENTS:

• vegan lasagna noodles (I used Whole Foods 365 brand)

• firm tofu (pressed) - I used half a block, use a full block for a bigger pan

• pasta sauce

• diced tomatoes (fresh or canned) - I used a full can

• chopped basil

• chopped garlic (I used 2 cloves)

• steamed chopped kale (I used about a cup)

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 2 tbsp flour

• 2 tbsp vegan butter

• non-dairy milk

LET'S COOK:

Tofu Ricotta

1. Press your tofu to remove as much water as possible. I use a tofu press, but you can also layer paper towels or a cloth in a deep pan, lay the tofu on, add more paper towels, and then place something heavy on top if you do not have a press.

2. Crumble up the tofu in a bowl until it looks like the photo.

3. Add chopped garlic and chopped, steamed kale to the tofu and stir.

4. Add spices if desired. I added some onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and an Italian spice blend.

Lasagna

1. Prepare the noodles by boiling them until they are barely soft - do not cook all the way,

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Scoop some pasta sauce into your pan and spread it around the bottom and sides to coat.

4. Add your first layer of noodles.

5. Spread a layer of chopped tomatoes, basil, and more sauce.

6. Add another layer of noodles. Then add a layer of the tofu kale ricotta.

7. Keep repeating in whatever order you'd like until you reach near the top of the pan or desired height, leaving off with one last layer of noodles.

8. Add a generous amount of sauce to the top. This will help prevent the noodles from drying out when baking. Now prepare your cheese sauce.

Cheese Sauce

1. In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, add the vegan butter.

2. Once it starts to melt, slowly add in the flour, being sure to stir into the butter.

3. Keep stirring for about a minute. Then slowly start adding non-dairy milk, being sure to keep stirring. I added about a cup in total but it depends on how thick you want the sauce to be. It will thicken as it cooks so keep adding milk in small amounts if it gets too thick.

4. Add in nutritional yeast and any spices.

5. Once it is at a thicker consistency, you can pour it over the lasagna.

6. Cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven, checking occasionally until the cheese sauce on top starts to turn a little golden and the noodles are soft. This took about 35-40 minutes for my personal pan.

7. Remove foil and let bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, then remove from oven. Let it set for about 10 minutes, and then cut and serve!

Enjoy!

-Kat