Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

I did something the other day that I rarely do: I followed a recipe exactly. This is a difficult thing for me to do, not because I believe I am some amazing chef who understands flavors and textures and the science of cooking, but because I have anxiety and sometimes when something seems wrong, I get worried, and make my own choices. In this Bon Appetit recipe, I got nervous a few times (You want me to boil the pasta in kale water? And now you want me to dump this kale water into a pan? What is even happening?), but stuck it out and honestly, made one of the best dishes I've made in awhile. The below recipe makes enough for 3-4 large servings.

Buddha Bowls

Buddha bowls are by far my favorite meals. You may not have heard the term "Buddha bowl," but I'm sure you know the concept: it's an entire meal in a rice-based bowl. I have a ton of different ways to make these bowls, but the basic ingredients are the same: brown rice, roasted veggies, roasted protein (I usually use tofu, but chickpeas, tempeh, or beans would work as well), and a well-crafted sauce (my favorite is a homemade spicy peanut butter sauce, but I also like goddess dressing - this is my favorite brand - or a teriyaki-based sauce). Let's jump into the recipe to make your own Buddha bowl.

Seitan Stir-Fry

My favorite vegan restaurant, Blackbird Pizzeria in Philly, makes their own take-home seitan now! I was so excited to get a package of the rosemary garlic one, and I made an easy and delicious stir fry with it. You can put it on a roll, eat it over rice, or just eat it by itself. This recipe is about two servings.

"Bacon" Fried Rice

My partner's all-time favorite meal is a childhood memory of bacon fried rice, and since I like a challenge - or am a masochist, who can really tell? - I decided to make a vegetarian version of it. It was definitely an involved meal, but it also yielded a large amount (4-5 heaping servings) and was delicious. I used recipes from SimpleVeganBlog and Pinch of Yum to guide me.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I was so proud of myself that this recipe turned out as delicious as it did. I am - ashamedly - usually a boxed risotto kind of person, but this time, I wanted to go full homemade, and I did! This is a delicious recipe, and is based off of a Williams-Sonoma recipe. I used the full amounts of this recipe and later realized that it served six, so for this post, I'll cut it in half to serve three (although the leftovers were delish!). Enjoy!

Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

The key to a good Thanksgiving dish is to take a healthy food and cover it in cheese/butter/gravy (I am only half-kidding). This year, I took steamed cauliflower and doused it in cheese. This recipe makes one large casserole dish (which is enough for your entire party to get an initial and a second serving), and has been adapted from Real Housemoms.

Veggie Migas

Apparently, migas is one of my new favorite things. I haven't really been exposed to them too much growing up (which, I'm sure to some of you out there is completely blasphemous). They are fairly easy to make and super-filling and delicious. You can add any veggies to it that you want, but I kept it fairly simple for this recipe. I used a recipe from Cookie & Kate (lovelovelove that blog) as a guide and this recipe makes enough for two large servings.

Chilled Peanut Butter Noodle Salad - "The Mental Salad"

Golden West Cafe in Baltimore has one of my all-time favorite dishes: the vegan Mental Salad. It is essentially a romaine salad topped with cold peanut butter sauce-covered noodles, carrots, scallions & sesame seeds. It is so delicious and I just had to replicate it! I needed a starting place, so I used a Table For Two recipe as a guide. My recipe was enough to feed two people dinner, plus a few days of leftovers (these noodles are perfect for leftovers, since they have to be chilled anyway). Enjoy!

Layered Eggplant Parmesan

This dish brings out the best in eggplant parmesan and the best in lasagna. Meaning, it's delicious. Seriously delicious. I used Lick My Spoon's recipe as a jumping off point (the photos of her recipe made me want to lick my computer screen). This recipe makes about six servings.

Spicy Peanut Butter Tofu Stir Fry

This recipe was a first for me. Preparing tofu is always something I get nervous about every time I make it because it is such a finicky food (it can go anywhere from tasting like an amazing and filling meal to tasting like a sponge). This recipe is based off of a peanut butter tofu recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen and turned out really well. It wasn't as smooth as the original recipe made it look, but it was every bit as delicious as I wanted it to be. Pro tip: the meal tasted even better as leftovers, so try to save a little if you can handle it. This recipe makes about 4-5 servings.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

It was a dark & stormy night and I was craving comfort food. I found a great shepherd's pie recipe from Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen and went to work. This recipe makes about three ramekins worth of this hearty and filling dish. The original recipe called for mushrooms - which I was totally out of - so I omitted them, but I do think they'd be an amazing addition. Whatever you do with it, I'm sure it'll be delicious.

One-Pot Chili Mac

This comfort food is especially comforting when you're just tossing things together from your pantry. I have a few different chili recipes up on this blog already, so feel free to make this with one of them or with your own special chili recipe. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos

I went to the beach with a group of 15 friends this weekend and I offered to cook dinner for everyone. The main conundrum was that I wanted a meal that could feed everyone (meat-eaters and vegetarians alike) and that wouldn't require me to sit inside and cook all day while everyone else was lounging in the sun. Enter: the slow-cooker. Tacos also allow for everyone to customize their meal. I made a ton of lentils for this (I had to use a 6-qt slow cooker), but half (or even quarter) the below recipe for a smaller yield. This recipe is based off of the great one over at Kitchen Belle.

Baked Spaghetti Squash

I've made a couple spaghetti squash recipes before and, when I was given a fresh garden squash from a good friend this week, I almost made one of the ol' faithful recipes. I'm glad I decided to go rogue and try something new. This recipe was delicious, portioned, and easy to make. Oh, and spaghetti squash is much healthier to eat than spaghetti noodles! I got the idea for this recipe from a food blog called Cooking with my Kid; the only differences are that my recipe is meatless and I cooked it on my own (no kids here!). My recipe makes two servings.