CREAMY BAKED PASTA

My end goal in life will always be getting as many veggies as I can into my family, haha. I know to some this is not a huge goal, but let's be honest, this is one of those goals that just makes you such a super magical force. When you make THESE AMAZING COOKIES for your family and tell them I'm glad you like because it's made from beans, or this SAUSAGE is made from oats, or this Creamy Baked Pasta is made from CAULIFLOWER, and your 10 year old son looks up at you with huge eyes like you've just solved the Pythagorean Theorem, that my friends is a goal I will forever be reaching for and hope to continue to meet each time I make a dish with hidden veggies! Ok, If you can't tell this was a hit and I'm not sure why I'm surprised because Cauliflower is an amazing versatile ingredient. I've made this a couple different times with a different flare like Mexican (added chili powder and cumin for a taco Mac flavor) and Cajun (I used Tony's cajun seasoning and it was sooo good and a little spicy). I make sure to have a few bags in the freezer for quick and healthy dishes when I just don't have time to think about it.

My oldest daughter asked if I could make a "creamy" pasta. I thought about using a cashew base (too high in fat me to down a huge plate full) or a fat free vegan béchamel (which doesn't offer any nutrients), neither of these really had everything I wanted in a creamy sauce. So I scan the kitchen and decide to change up my Southern Gravy recipe to make it more pasta friendly. This is what I ended up with and the whole family loved it. Let get to it.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and get 1 lb. of pasta pasta of choice started. I used 1 lb. of this Brown Rice Pasta.
Bring a pot of water to boil ADD the following:

• 16 oz. frozen or fresh Cauliflower
• 1 small Onion
• 3-5 large cloves of garlic (we like a lot of garlic I use 5 and it's not overpowering, but I LOVE garlic)
• 2-4 Tablespoons Sunflower seeds optional (You can use any nut or seed you like. It adds a nice mouth feel, but is totally optional!)

Boil until the cauliflower is tender enough to mash easily. Drain the pot but keep about a cup of the cooking liquid incase you need a little to help blend it. You can watch the video below to see how I pulled it together.

To a blender ADD

• Drained Cauliflower mixture
• Tablespoon or 2 at a time of the cooking liquid (don't make it too thin)
• 1/2 cup Nutritional yeast
• 1-2 teaspoons Dried Oregano 
• 1-2 teaspoons Dried Parsley
• 1-2 teaspoons Garlic powder (yeah, more garlic... optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons Onion powder
• 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoons Mushroom Seasoning (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste (if you are using the mushroom seasoning remember, it's salty)
• Now's the time to add whatever flavors your going for. This is great as is but really tasty with additional spices like Chili Mac flavors or  Tony's cajun to spice it up!

Blend until smooth and creamy. Add this to your cooked and drained pasta. Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning again if needed. Pour Creamy Pasta into a baking dish and top with Seasoned Bread Crumbs recipe below. Pop into a 375 degree oven until the top is golden brown about 15 mins.

Seasoned Bread Crumbs

• Panko bread crumbs (I used these). USE GLUTEN FREE IF NEEDED. Options below*
• 1-2 Tablespoons Nutritional yeast 
• 1-2 teaspoons each Garlic and Onion powder 
• 1-2 teaspoons Dried Parsley 
• Salt and pepper to taste

I hope you make this and enjoy it as much as we do. Don't forget to make this into your own dish and season it up how you and your family enjoy! Then snap a picture and tag me on Instagram tell me what you did different so I can try it too!! MUCH LOVE ~ Des!

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*VEGAN GLUTEN FREE BREAD CRUMBS: Potato bread crumbs I had no idea potato bread crumbs were an actual thing I'm DEFINITELY trying these) or I haven't tries these either these are on my list too, Chickpea bread crumbs. Let me know your favorite Gluten free bread crumbs so I can try them!!!???

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VEGAN CORNBREAD DRESSING

Wow this year has really flown by. I can't believe it's nearly Thanksgiving. I say that every year and the years keep flying by even faster as I get older. This is our 3rd Vegan Thanksgiving. I can't tell you how surreal that sounds. As a "foodie" I didn't really worry about eating on holiday's. To me the main dish was not my favorite part of the meal anyway. I love the sides. My favorite has ALWAYS been Cornbread dressing. There is ABSOLUTELY no reason it can't be made vegan and on top of that, it can be oil free!

Here's what I do:
Preheat oven to 350F
Ingredients:
Make a batch of this Easy Cornbread
Cut 5 slices of bread season with garlic powder and onion powder  (I used this bread it's our favorite store bought bread) pop it into a 350F oven to get crunchy and dry out about 15 minutes, until dry and crunchy. Time saver: If you want to leave the bread out over night to dry out, you can.
1 Onion chopped
3 Celery stalks chopped
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1-2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1-2 teaspoon Onion powder

 2 -3 cups No chicken broth (the amount depends on how moist you like your dressing)
4 teaspoons Poultry seasonings (this is really to taste some people do not like a lot)
1 teaspoon Rubbed Sage (this is optional some do not like Sage)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
In a non-stick skillet add sautéed onion and celery. I add a little water/veg broth as needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic after the onions a celery have become slightly soft. Add a teaspoon of garlic and onion powder just to bump up the flavor. Cook it all until soft and fragrant. In a large mixing bowl crumble cooled cornbread, add cubed bread, sautéed veggies, the dried herbs (NOTE: add what you think you will like. These herbs can be overpowering for some people and I'd hate to ruin Thanksgiving!), then add about 2 cups of stock (you may need more depending on how wet/dry you like your dressing). Mix WELL you don't want a big pocket of sage. Since no eggs are in this recipe you can taste and adjust as needed. Once you have the seasonings right, add to your baking dish. I always use parchment paper for things like this just to be safe! Bake for about 40-50 minutes. This is a soft dressing not crunchy or chewy. I love a big helping of This Gravy on it. This is what MAKES Thanksgiving dinner for me!

Snap a picture of your delicious meal and tag me on social media!! 

Please follow us on social media! I LOVE connecting with you all so much! Here's where you can find us, we are The Plant Eaters on all of them, or you can click the links and you'll find us! Don’t forget to snap a picture and tag us on social media! 

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Facebook page

Instagram

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*Links are to my Amazon Affiliate link. If you click or buy anything I will receive a commission at NO additional cost to you. It does help our family and we appreciate you support in this way!