Vegan Eggplant Mushroom Bolognese with Casarecce, a healthy, hearty and bold with flavor pasta dish. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.

Bolognese sauce over spaghetti was once one of my favorite meals and it was always better the second day. When I stopped eating meat I had to find other ways to bulk up my pasta sauce.

Adding chunky veggies is a great way to add bulk, however, I'm not a big fan of chunky veggies in my sauce. I prefer to add hearty veggies in smaller pieces, and as the sauce simmers everything marries together into a bold and delicious sauce that pairs well with most medium to large pasta. The combo of eggplant, mushrooms, and carrots add bulk and nutritious goodness to this vegan bolognese.

I don't use eggplant as often as I should, but I'm starting to include it where and when I can, it's loaded with benefits.

Some health benefits of eggplant

• Rich in vitamins and minerals
• High in antioxidants
• May help lower cholesterol
• Because of its fiber can help lower blood sugar
• low in calories

Quick Tip: For the carrots, I started with shredded carrots to make the chopping easier.

Mushrooms are a natural for adding bulk, along with the added carrots, eggplant, and simmering this sauce thickens to perfection.

Bolognese is the most commonly paired with spaghetti noodles, and it's great, but sometimes I like using casarecce pasta noodles. Casarecce pasta is shaped into a narrow, twisted and rolled tube. This means there is more surface area for the sauce to adhere to and it holds up very well with chunky, hearty sauces.

Vegan Eggplant Mushroom Bolognese with Casarecce

Vegan Eggplant Mushroom Bolognese with Casarecce, a healthy, hearty and bold with flavor pasta dish. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.

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Keyword: Vegan Eggplant Mushroom Bolognese with Casarecce

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Author: Celeste

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Ingredients

• 1 lb. bag casarecce pasta
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot cut in half and sliced
• ½ cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 medium eggplant cut into ¼ dice
• 1 lb. cremini mushrooms sliced
• ½ teaspoon finely ground Himalayan sea salt
• ½ teaspoon finely ground peppercorn blend
• 3 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 28 oz. can of crushed or diced tomatoes in sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons Herb de Provence
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
• ¼ or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

• In a pot of salted boiling water cook casarecce until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Place pasta back into the pot, toss with a drizzle of oil, cover and set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, add the shallots and carrots and sauté over medium heat until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Add eggplant to skillet and continue to sauté until eggplant starts to soften.
• Stir in the sliced mushrooms and remaining oil if needed. And season with salt and pepper, continue to cook stirring occasionally for another 6 to 7 minutes, mushrooms should be softened.
• Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, herb de Provence, and sugar, stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. If the sauce is too dry add some of the reserved pasta water.
• Add cooked pasta,1 tablespoon of the parsley and red pepper flakes to the sauce, stir to combine. Taste add salt and pepper if needed. Plate sprinkle with more parsley and serve.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge.

Notes

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1⅓ cup | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 369mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g

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If you like this you may like this Fire Roasted 20-Minute Pasta Sauce.

Spicy Vegan Sweet Potato Pitas with Cucumber Slaw - Spicy sweet potatoes, smooth creamy avocados, and crisp cucumber slaw, these pitas are filled with a medley of wonderful flavors.

Growing up whenever we had sweet potatoes, I thought it was pretty special. They were always baked and served with a dollop of butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar.

Looking back at it I think sweet potatoes were used more for making desserts like pies and soufflés. When it came to preparing everyday meals it was the forgotten potato.

Well, all of that has changed, sweet potatoes are no longer the forgotten potato, I enjoy incorporating sweet potatoes into my savory recipes.

Sweet Potato Benefits

If you're avoiding sweet potatoes, maybe it's time to look at some of the health benefits of Sweet Potatoes.

Some of the benefits are:

• High in fiber
• High in antioxidants
• Stabilizes blood sugar
• Helps in boosting immunity
• Promotes vision health
• Aids in weight loss because they're nutrient-dense

Another plus for sweet potatoes is that they're easy to prepare and there's an abundance of ways to incorporate them into recipes.

For this recipe,

you peel

you slice

you roast

you eat

While the potatoes are roasting you make the cucumber slaw and sauce.

I've come a long way from the days of eating sweet potatoes only as a dessert.

Spicy Vegan Sweet Potato Pitas with Cucumber Slaw Recipe

Spicy Vegan Sweet Potato Pitas with Cucumber Slaw

Spicy Sweet Potato Pitas with Cucumber Slaw - Spicy sweet potatoes, smooth creamy avocados, and crisp cucumber slaw, these pitas are filled with a medley of wonderful flavors.

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Vegan

Keyword: vegan sweet potato pitas slaw

Prep Time: 12 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Pita Pocket Sandwiches

Author: Celeste

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Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 to 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons harissa paste
• salt and pepper
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 quarter of cabbage
• 1 oz. white wine vinegar about 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 whole wheat pitas
• ¼ cup vegan mayo
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons or more to your taste harissa paste
• 1 avocado

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Peel and slice potatoes into ¼ inch rounds.
• Place potatoes in a medium bowl, drizzle with 2 to 3 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, add 2 teaspoons of harissa paste and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt, toss to coat.
• Transfer potatoes to a shallow baking pan. arrange in a single layer. Roast until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Flip halfway through roasting.
• While potatoes are roasting prepare cucumber slaw. Using a mandoline or knife, slice cucumber lengthwise, then in halves, transfer cucumber to a large bowl. Thinly slice the cabbage and add to bowl with cucumbers. Add vinegar, dill, oil, and pinch of salt and pepper. Toss, taste and adjust seasoning as needed to your taste. Cover and set aside.
• Cut pitas in half, place on shallow baking pan and place in oven. Toast until warmed.
• While pitas are toasting, make the sauce, in a small bowl mix together the vegan mayo, garlic, harissa paste, and lemon juice, stir until well combined. Cut, pit and slice avocado, drizzle with some of the lemon juice to prevent browning.
• When ready to serve, spread some of the sauce inside pita pockets, stuff pitas with slaw, sweet potatoes, and avocado slices.

If you don't have fresh dill you can use dried.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

If you don't have fresh dill you can use dried.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Pita Pocket Sandwich | Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.9g | Protein: 7.9g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.6g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 654mg | Fiber: 7.9g | Sugar: 6.4g

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This Moroccan Inspired Chickpea Tartine with Spinach and Chard is a simple easy and delicious meal. Crisp garlic toast topped with sautéed greens and chickpeas seasoned with a Moroccan inspired spice blend.

If you were to look through my pantry you are sure to find several cans of chickpeas or dried chickpeas. They come in handy when I’m in need of a quick meal or snack. When I’m in the mood for a slow cooked meal, I prepare dried chickpeas in my instant pot to use in soups or stews. It’s amazing how many ways chickpeas can be used to create delicious and relatively healthy meals.

Some facts about chickpeas

• Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans.
• They're a good source of protein and fiber.
• Chickpeas are gluten-free
• Chickpeas are high in potassium
• There are 269 calories, 4.25 grams fat, 44.97 carbs, and 14.53 grams of protein in 1 cup of cooked chickpeas

Lately, we’ve been roasting chickpeas to have on hand for a quick snack or to throw on a salad for some added protein.  This recipe uses chickpeas as a tartine topper.

What is a Tartine?

French in origin and pronounced tärˈtēn.

A slice of bread with sweet or savory spreadable toppings, such as jams, honey, creams and sauces. Basically a fancy name for open-faced sandwich.

This recipe is a variation of a true Tartine because the toppings aren’t super spreadable. However, if you want you can blend the chickpea topping into a spread. I kept it unblended for a heartier taste.

This recipe comes together fast! The greens are sauteed and set aside and kept warm. The same pan is used to prepare the chickpeas, makes for an easy clean-up.

Moroccan Inspired Chickpea Tartine with Spinach and Chard Recip

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Spicy Teriyaki Ramen with Sriracha - Sautéed veggies, tender buckwheat ramen noodles tossed together in teriyaki sauce and a touch of heat from sriracha makes a quick and easy gluten-free meal.

I find ramen to be a very quick and easy meal to put together, and that's a good thing after a long day at work. Contrary to the name, buckwheat is not a grain, it's a gluten-free seed loaded with protein and fiber. It's also known for its benefits for heart health, diabetes and it may help lower inflammation.

For vegans and vegetarians who don't eat meat, buckwheat provides some of the essential amino acids that our bodies need and can't make on its own, animal protein is the major source for these amino acids.

Eating buckwheat helps provide meat-free eaters the full range of essential proteins our bodies need. The wonderful thing about buckwheat noodles is it takes very little time to cook, making this a quick and easy meal. 

TIP: To make this meal quicker, pre-cut the veggies.

 

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Author: Celeste

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Ingredients

• 4 oz. ounces mushrooms about 5 to 6
• 6 oz. broccoli florets
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 oz. Buckwheat ramen noodles
• 4 oz. teriyaki sauce
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• sriracha sauce
• 1 Scallion green top sliced for garnish
• Multicolor sesame seeds

Instructions

• Stem mushrooms and cut into strips, about ¼ inch. Discard the stems.
• Slice and cut carrots into julienne strips. I like to use a handy-dandy julienne veggie peeler.
• Stem, seed, and slice red bell pepper into ¼ inch strips. Halve the strips.
• Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
• Bring water to a boil in a stock pot and prepare noodles while sautéing veggies. Toss with a bit of oil, set aside and keep warm in a large bowl.
• In a large skillet, (I used non-stick), over medium heat add olive oil, mushrooms, and broccoli, sauté until veggies start to become tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer veggies to a large bowl.
• Return skillet to burner, add more oil if needed, sauté red bell peppers 1 to 2 minutes, add carrots to pan and continue to sauté another minute or so. Add peppers and carrots to bowl with mushrooms and broccoli.
• Add teriyaki sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and 3 tablespoons of water to skillet, stir to combine. When sauce starts to bubble, add all of the veggies back to skillet. Stir to coat.
• Transfer veggies to bowl with pasta and toss together. Season to taste with sriracha.
• Serve garnished with sliced scallions sesame seeds.

 

Notes

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1½ cup | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 1442mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g

Did you make this recipe?Let us know! Please rate and share your comments, recipe adaptions, suggestions and any questions!

If you make this recipe or a version of it, take a picture and share with me, I'd love to see or hear about your version of Spicy Teriyaki Ramen with Sriracha.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Tacos - Roasted sweet potatoes paired with farro, served with your favorite toppings and sauce, wrapped up in a corn tortilla. Perfect for Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, or any gathering of family and friends.

Tacos, one of the easiest meals to put together.

Taco meals don’t have to be elaborate or take loads of time, these Farro Stuffed Tacos can no on your table in 30 minutes or less.

What’s so wonderful about Tacos?, They can be customized to what you have on hand.

If you are looking to have a Meatless Taco Tuesday there are a wide variety of main ingredients you can use as your filling to create amazing flavor and texture. Ingredients like lentils, tofu, beans, nuts, fruits, veggies and any grain. These tacos feature two of my favorites, farro and sweet potatoes. Multi-tasking in the kitchen can put this meal on the table in under 30 minutes. While roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven, prepare the farro on the stovetop.

Now let’s talk sauce and toppings, for me tacos aren’t complete without a sauce and great toppings. Sky’s the limit when it co taco toppings. Use your favorites or be adventurous and try something new. In these Roasted Sweet Potato and Farro Tacos, I used sliced jalapeños, avocados, some amazing  Spicy Cilantro Sauce and Fire-Roasted Corn Pico Style Salsa. Both super easy to make.

Throw a Taco Tuesday or any other day if the week Taco Party and have your friends bring their favorite fillings and topping. Be creative and have some fun.

Roasted Sweet Potato & Farro Tacos

 

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Author: Celeste

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Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato diced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 ½ cups cooked farro about ½ cup uncooked
• 1 ½ tablespoons DIY Taco Seasoning or per-packaged taco seasoning
• corn tortillas
• TOPPINGS
• sliced jalapeños
• avocado slices
• sliced red onions
• SAUCES
• Fire-Roasted Corn Pico Style Salsa
• Spicy Cilantro Sauce
• GARNISH
• cilantro leaves
• lime wedges

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees,
• Place sweet potatoes on a shallow baking pan, drizzle with 2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil, sprinkle cubes with ½ tablespoon of the taco seasoning, toss to coat.
• Arrange the cubes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
• While sweet potatoes are in the oven, sauté farro in a skillet over medium heat with the remainder of taco seasoning and 1 tablespoon of water, add more as needed to prevent from sticking. Sauté until well coated with seasoning and heated throughout. (about 2 to 3 minutes).
• Heat each corn tortilla in a small skillet over medium heat for 20-30 seconds on each side.

Assemble Tacos

• Fill tortillas with farro and 3 to 4 cubes of sweet potatoes.
• Top with desired toppings, salsa and sauce.
• Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve tacos with a wedge of lime.

 

Notes

 

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 172mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g

Did you make this recipe?Let us know! Please rate and share your comments, recipe adaptions, suggestions and any questions!

If you make this recipe or a version of it, take a picture and share with me on Instagram, tag it #thewholeserving or leave a comment below. I'd love to see or hear about your version of these Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Farro Tacos.

What’s your favorite Taco filling and topping?

Let me know leave a comment below.

These Cauliflower-Chickpea Tacos with Spicy Cilantro Sauce is loaded with bold flavor and they're perfect when you need a quick and easy meal.

I'm finally back with a new recipe of my own.
It's been awhile since I've posted a new recipe of my own. The past couple of months have been hard because I've been dealing with the illness and death of a loved one, who was fighting lung cancer. Even when you know the end is near, it's hard when it happens.

Even when you know the end is near, it's hard when it happens.

Needless to say, I haven't felt much like cooking or being creative in the kitchen, but we still have to eat. So meals lately have been super quick, easy and versatile. In fact, this recipe is a cook once, eat three times maybe more deal.

I absolutely love this Spicy Cilantro Sauce on just about everything. I use it on sandwiches, wraps, veggies, salads, pizza, chips and if course on these easy and delicious chickpea-cauliflower tacos. It has become one of my go-to-meals when I want to eat fast.

Tacos are so easy to make because just about anything can be wrapped in a tortilla for a fun and tasty meal.

Cauliflower-Chickpea Tacos with Spicy Cilantro Sauce

 

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Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Author: Celeste|The Whole Serving

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Ingredients

• Sauce
• 2 jalapeño peppers rough chopped
• 2 bundles of fresh cilantro washed and dried
• juice of 1 medium lime
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt to taste
• Cauliflower-Chickpea Filling
• 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
• 1 15 oz. can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons of Spicy Cilantro Sauce
• Shell and Toppings
• your choice of flour or corn tortillas
• shredded red cabbage and greens or topping of your choice
• lime wedges optional
• vegan sour cream optional

Instructions

• 1.Place peppers, cilantro and lime juice into a bowl of food processor or high-speed blender and process. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream.
• 2.Season with salt to taste, set aside.
• 3.Place cauliflower and chickpeas in a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons of spicy cilantro sauce and toss to coat. Transfer to a shallow baking pan and spread evenly.
• 4.Place in pre-heated oven and bake until cauliflower is fork tender, about 25 to 20 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking.
• 5.While cauliflower-chickpea mixture is cooking, wrap tortillas in foil and warm in the oven.
• 6.To assemble, layer cauliflower-chickpea mixture on your tortillas, follow with cilantro sauce, and toppings of your choice. Serve with a wedge of lime and a bit of The Best Vegan Sour Cream.

 

Notes

 

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 152mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g

Did you make this recipe?Let us know! Please rate and share your comments, recipe adaptions, suggestions and any questions!