#vivacious eats

As May arrives and we are on the very CUSP of summer I find myself absolutely longing for those delicious carefree summer foods but realistically am still over a month away from putting anything in the garden and still mainly relying on root veggies and winter squash from last fall. After making (what seems like) a million batches of lentil & winter squash soup I realized I’ve made sweet potato burgers in the past and substituting in winter squash should be easy enough to do! 🍔 .. All the sudden I have a delicious summery recipe to use up the remaining winter squash until it’s time again for fresh garden salads and the like! While I wait for fresh tomatoes to garnish burgers with, I add a pop of freshness with green pea pesto made from frozen peas and broccoli sprouts made in my kitchen cupboard 🌱 .. Recipe for Winter Squash Veggie Burgers on my website now! ⭐

I make a mean big-batch mac & cheese, but sometimes I just need a quick lunch in a smaller portion! Many dairy-free “instant mac & cheese” recipes still involve thickening a sauce separately before adding your cooked noodles but if I’m in a hurry, I’m in a HURRY. I needed a recipe that acted exactly like Kraft mac & cheese- cooked noodles, powder, just enough milk to make it all stick, done. Through several trials I’ve figured out the perfect ratio to mimic that quick boxed mac & cheese experience but cheaper and healthier to boot! 🧀💸 .. I’ve also been asked if I opened a box of mac & cheese and threw out the cheese packet to get these perfect Kraft-copycat noodles but I have a lovely secret: @creamette_pasta brand noodles in the shape “Ready Cut Spaghetti”! They don’t break apart during the mixing process like rotini or more delicate noodle shapes and take me way back to my Kraft mac & cheese days .. Vegan Instant Mac & Cheese Powder recipe on my website!⭐

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a super cozy comfort meal like chickpea pot pie but don't want to take the time to make a whole batch of biscuits, enter one of my favorite elementary school lunches: chicken ala king, but veganized! .. To make this chickpea ala king I took my Chickpea Pot Pie recipe (made with @edwardandsons not chick'n bouillon cubes) but instead of baking it in the oven topped with biscuits I simply spooned it over a bowl of brown rice! Simple and perfect for a cold rainy early spring day 🌧 .. Chickpea Pot Pie recipe on my website! ⭐

I currently have a few recipes in the works and one I'm really excited about is homemade yellow rice! I love making paella but don't love that most yellow rice brands on the market are loaded with sodium and chicken flavoring (so unnecessary). This recipe is coming down the pipe soon! 🤗 .. For the inaugural batch of yellow rice I decided to give it a Caribbean spin. I added in some black beans and paired it with some "jerk chicken" made from @countrylifefoods soy curls coated in potato starch, baked, and tossed in jerk sauce. The dried red and green bell pepper pieces that give this yellow rice just the right colorful touch are also from CLNF! 🙌

Of the many wonderful ways to use soy curls, I think my favorite is coating them in starch, baking them in the oven to create a crispy coating, and then stirring them all together with veggies and any kind of simmer sauce to make a meal that's truly indistinguishable from your favorite Chinese takeout! 😋 .. Vegan "pepper chicken" stir fry with soy curls from @countrylifefoods, green beans from last years garden, a bit of frozen broccoli, onions, and fresh garlic in a sweet, sticky, & peppery homemade sauce over enriched white rice splashed with some rice vinegar! 🥡 Oh and topped with sesame seeds that I also order from CLNF ☺️

Root vegetables are king this time of year, and I have a whole lot in the cellar from this fall. One way to take carrots from boring school lunch side to decadent dinner dish is roasting! .. My new favorite way to roast carrots (this is also great for ALL the winter squashes) is to throw some sliced cloves of garlic in with the carrots and toss in equal parts maple syrup and soy sauce until well coated, sprinkle with a little ground ginger and then roast at 400 degrees until carrots are tender and the maple-soy mixture has given them a delicious caramelized flavor 😋 🥕

I've always hated the sweet, ketchupy lunchroom/Campbell's tomato soup so I was skeptical about trying a tomato bisque but boy is it turning me into a tomato soup fan! .. I took the Chef John tomato bisque recipe which uses rice to create creamy texture and simply replaced the 1/2 cup of heavy cream with plain soy milk! Garnished with plain almond yogurt and fresh broccoli sprouts I started this week it's the perfect late winter meal 🍅🌱

I'm not a huge fan of girly colors but when February 1st rolls around I must, MUST, eat all the pink desserts! ☺️ .. I adore the lemon curd recipe from @lovingitvegan for these "pink lemonade" tartlets! 🍋 I used red food coloring but I'd also love to try some raspberries in the curd for flavor and color. .. I used my Oil-Free Walnut Crust for these tartlets, recipe on my website now!⭐