Review: Trader Joe's Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto

As usual, Trader Joe's does not disappoint with their vegan options. This vegan pesto sauce might be new. I love that that it's right next to the non-vegan pesto along with the other sauces, and not in a separate vegan section. It also happens to be next to the Zhoug Sauce that I love. 

Traditional pesto has parmesan cheese, and this has cashew butter instead. It changes the texture a bit and makes it more creamy. It's also not as oily as other pestos. 

Trader Joe's Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto ingredients: 

Kale, olive oil blend (olive oil, extra virgin olive oil), water, basil, cashew butter (dry roasted cashews, safflower oil or sunflower oil), garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper.

I made this with pasta and like how it turned out. It smelled so good when I stirred it into the pasta. 

You could also use it as a dip or as a spread on sandwiches or pizza. 

I thought it was not quite as good as traditional pesto, but that could be because of the kale. It's good enough that I would eat it again, but not my new favorite.  I'd like to try another vegan pesto with more basil (or try making my own).

Review: Trader Joe's Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto

First impressions: Looks creamier than I expected. Lighter in color and less oily than other pestos. 

Taste: A slightly blander version of traditional pesto. 

Texture: Thick and creamy. 

Can you tell it's vegan? Maybe

Worth buying again? Yes, but I want to try other kinds of vegan pesto too. 

Overall: 4/5

Review: Rising Moon Vegan Ravioli

I love ravioli (all pasta, really). But usually ravioli contains eggs and cheese. I was pleasantly surprised to find not just one but TWO vegan raviolis from Rising Moon at Sprouts: butternut squash and roasted garlic & veggie.

I liked both, but the roasted veggie was my favorite. The butternut squash was a little sweet for me. The roasted veggie had a hint of sweetness but it wasn't overpowering. 

I didn't miss having cheese. The filling was creamy and not dry. It also held together fine without using egg wash to hold the sides together. I actually had less of these fall apart than some vegetarian versions I've had before. 

I like having some ravioli on hand in the freezer for nights when I don't feel like cooking. Now that I've found this vegan ravioli, I won't need to get the vegetarian ravioli with cheese that I used to eat. 

I'm all about finding vegan replacements for my favorite foods that are just as satisfying and delicious. I can check another food off my list with this one!

Rising Moon Vegan Garlic & Roasted Veggie Ravioli ingredients:

Pasta: Organic wheat flour, water, organic turmeric oil. Filling: Organic soy milk (filtered water, organic whole soybeans, calcium carbonate, organic fair trade vanilla flavor, salt, vitamin a palmitate, gellan gum, riboflavin [b2], vitamin d2, vitamin b12), organic butternut squash, organic spinach, organic garlic, organic carrots, organic potato flakes, water, sea salt, organic onion powder, organic tomato, organic black pepper. 

Rising Moon Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli ingredients:

Pasta: Organic wheat flour, water, organic turmeric oil. Filling: Organic butternut squash puree, organic potato flakes, organic evaporated cane juice, sea salt, organic garlic, organic onion powder, organic black pepper, organic nutmeg powder. 

Review Rising Moon Vegan Ravioli:

First impressions: Oooh this is good.

Taste: Good balance of flavors, savory with a hint of sweetness

Texture: No difference from non-vegan ravioli, smooth filling but not mushy

Can you tell it's vegan? No

Worth buying again? Yes, I'll probably always have some in my freezer

Overall: 5/5

Review: Annie's Organic Vegan Mac - Pumpkin and Sweet Potato

I was skeptical about the pumpkin and sweet potato, but had heard good things about Annie's Vegan Mac. Note that it doesn't say "mac and cheese." So it's not necessarily trying to imitate cheese, just providing a vegan comfort food alternative.

This is one of the first vegan products I've tried where the texture was spot on but the flavor was not for me. Usually texture is the more difficult part so this was surprising.

The taste was not bad, but would take some getting used to. If you're vegan and craving mac and cheese, this would do the trick. And it was better than some restaurant vegan macs I've tried. But for people who still eat cheese, this will probably not be good enough to replace your favorite cheesy mac.

I also liked that the ingredient list is pretty simple and recognizable, especially considering it's a processed food that comes in a box.

Annie's Vegan Mac Pumpkin and Sweet Potato ingredients: Organic Pasta (Organic Wheat Flower), Organic Pumpkin Powder (Organic Pumpkin, [Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sunflower Lecithin]), Organic Sweet Potato Powder (Organic Sweet Potato, [Organic Maltodextrin, Organic Corn Starch, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sunflower Lecithin]), Organic Corn Starch, Organic Tapioca Starch, Sea Salt, Natural Flavor, Organic Paprika, Organic Onion Powder, Organic Garlic Powder.

Review: Annie's Vegan Mac - Pumpkin and Sweet Potato
First impressions: When I was making it, it seemed identical to non-vegan boxed mac and cheese. Kids would have fun making this. 
Taste: Not too sweet or pumpkin-y. It had a surprisingly cheesy flavor, especially given that there's no nutritional yeast. But after eating several bites, it felt like something was missing and wasn't quite as satisfying as cheese. 
Texture: Creamy and very similar to traditional boxed mac and cheese. 
Can you tell it's vegan? Yes
Better than other vegan versions? Yes, better than some vegan macs I've tried at restaurants. 
Worth buying again? I probably won't buy this again but some people might like to eat it regularly. 
Overall: 3/5

Making Pasta Sauce in Bulk

I love making pasta sauce from scratch, but it can be so time consuming! There is an easy solution - making large amounts of sauce in advance and canning them. I do this with my spaghetti sauce and red pepper sauce. This makes for an incredibly easy meal down the road, all you have to do is cook the pasta and add sauce. 

For this batch, I added more vegetables to the spaghetti sauce to add more nutrients and natural sweetness (a red pepper has more vitamin C than an orange!) 

I do not have a canner so I froze my jars. There are guides on how to can without a canner, but just to be safe I froze mine. To defrost, I move one jar to the fridge at least a day before I want to make pasta. 

I used the giant cans of crushed tomatoes from Costco. I used one 106 oz can for each recipe, and each recipe made 5 batches of about 24 ounces each. 

Vegetable Marinara

Ingredients

• 4 onions (I bought a 3 pound bag of yellow onions and used half in each recipe)
• 2 red peppers
• 4 carrots (or half of a 1 pound bag)
• A whole head of garlic (ok to skip some of the smaller cloves)
• About 1 cup of red wine, I used 1/3 of a bottle of Cabernet (optional)
• 106 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• About 1 tablespoon each, or enough to sprinkle over the entire top of the sauce
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• oregano

Directions

1. Chop the onions, red pepper, and carrots. 
2. Add oil to a very large sauce pot, enough to coat the bottom.
3. Add the vegetables and salt. Saute until the onions are clear and the peppers are soft ~15 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and simmer for ~5 minutes.
5. Add the wine, simmer for ~5 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and other seasonings and stir to combine.
7. If you are blending do that here.
8. Simmer for at least 45 minutes, I did for about an hour and a half. 
9. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
10. Let cool until no longer steaming before you start canning to avoid hurting yourself (speaking from experience).

Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 onions (I bought a 3 pound bag of yellow onions and used half in each recipe)
• 4 red peppers
• 2 jars of roasted red peppers
• A whole head of garlic (ok to skip some of the smaller cloves)
• About 1 cup of red wine, I used 1/3 of a bottle of Cabernet (optional)
• 106 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• About 1 tablespoon each, or enough to sprinkle over the entire top of the sauce
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• oregano
• cayenne pepper (I used 1 tablespoon for 5 batches of sauce, the overall spiciness was about a 3 on a scale of 1-10)
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Chop the onions and raw red peppers. If you will be blending the sauce like me, you can use a rustic approach when chopping. They do not need to be the same size. If you will not be blending, I think thin, julienne strips would look best. 
2. Add oil to a very large sauce pot, enough to coat the bottom.
3. Add the onions, red peppers, and salt. Saute until the onions are clear and the peppers are soft ~15 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and roasted red peppers, simmer for ~5 minutes.
5. Add the wine, simmer for another 5 or so minutes
6. Add the tomatoes and other seasonings and stir to combine.
7. If you are blending do that here.
8. Simmer for at least 45 minutes, I did for an hour and a half. 
9. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Easy Linguini with Cherry Tomatoes

This is a quick pasta dish you can throw together when you have minimal ingredients on hand. I made this when I had just bought fresh cherry tomatoes from the farmers market, but hadn't gone grocery shopping yet.

When cherry tomatoes cook the flavor becomes more complex. As they heat up, the juice inside expands and they explode. This turns the tomatoes into a light sauce. I use the same method with my tomato and asparagus pasta.

Easy Linguini with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound linguini
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook the pasta separately and set aside.
2. Saute the cherry tomatoes until some of them pop open from the heat. Gently "pop" the rest with the back of your spoon or spatula. 
3. Add the garlic to the sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes. 
4. Add the cooked linguini and stir with tongs. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Easy Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti is a classic comfort food, it's always been one of my favorite meals. It was the first dinner I ever made when I first started cooking in middle school. For a while, I used pre-made sauce. My old roommate and unofficial big sister, Maria encouraged me to try making my own. This is her recipe, and it's been a stand by in my repertoire ever since. 

Before I made my own sauce, I wasn't sure if it was worth the time. Let me tell you, it definitely is. Like most food made from scratch, making your own sauce tastes better than store bought. Plus, you have control over what goes in it. 

It takes at least an hour to make, but you can make it ahead of time and freeze or can it. Sometimes I buy the giant can of tomatoes at Costco to make a big batch. Then I freeze it and have sauce for months! 

This is a versatile recipe, feel free to adjust the spices or add different vegetables. If you're a mushroom fan, those would work well here. I use this recipe as a base for other sauces like my red pepper sauce. You can also use it to hide vegetables from picky eaters. Carrots are a great addition, especially if you are blending the sauce. 

Ingredients

• medium yellow or sweet onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• salt, pepper, italian seasoning (or fresh herbs like basil if you have them)
• 1 tbsp sugar to taste (optional)
• 1 pound of spaghetti

Directions

1. Saute the onions and garlic with salt in olive oil until the onions are clear, about 10 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and seasoning. If you are blending for a smoother sauce, this is a good time to do that.
3. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, stir occasionally. Be careful because the sauce will splatter.
4. Taste test and add more seasoning or sugar if necessary. When adding sugar use 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stir thoroughly, and taste again before adding more. 
5. Serve over spaghetti or your favorite pasta. 
6. Great leftover!

Red Pepper Sauce

I got this recipe from my roommate a few years ago, before I even thought about vegan cooking. I tried it with chicken or other add-ins and discovered it really doesn't need anything, it's delicious and filling on its own. This is my go-to example of a full meal that doesn't need meat.

This is one of my favorite foods because it combines two ingredients I absolutely love: pasta and red bell peppers. It's a variation of classic marinara sauce. The intense red pepper flavor comes from using two types of peppers. Fresh red peppers add texture and canned roasted red peppers add depth to the flavor.

My boyfriend likes a smooth sauce, so I use an immersion blender. Because I'm blending the sauce, I chop the vegetables in large, uneven pieces. If you are not blending, you can chop them for your desired texture. I recommend thin, julienne slices. Saute until the peppers are soft and the onions start to caramelize. It's ok if there is excess liquid.

Next, add the tomatoes and roasted red peppers. If you are not blending, chop the roasted red peppers as finely as possible. At this point I blend the sauce because I don't like the idea of putting my immersion blender in boiling liquid.

Simmer for at least a half hour, I usually do around 45 minutes. The longer the better, because the flavors develop and get sweeter the longer they are cooked. This is especially important if you are using cheap canned tomatoes like me. Stir occasionally, and be careful because it will be very splattery.

You can use whatever spices or herbs you like for Italian food. I used garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper because I put that on almost everything. I don't know where that came from, but it works for me as an all purpose seasoning mix. I also used red pepper flakes here because I like this dish spicy.

The sauce will be very thick, if you want to thin it out you can add some water from the pasta.

Serve with your favorite pasta shape. Shapes with lines are best because they will hold onto more of the  thick sauce. I used to use Barilla Cellentani, but then this happened so I don't want to buy Barilla anymore. I haven't found a replacement yet, so I used penne.

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 yellow or sweet onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (whole tomatoes would also work if blending)
• 1/2 jar roasted red peppers
• salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning (I used oregano, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Your favorite Italian seasoning or fresh herbs would also work)
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Add chopped peppers, onions, and garlic to pot with enough oil to cover the bottom. Add salt. Saute until the onions being to caramelize, about 10 minutes. 
2. Add tomatoes and roasted red peppers. If you want a smooth sauce, you can blend it now. 
3. Add seasonings and simmer for at least 30 minutes, the longer the better. Stir occassionally.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. Serve over pasta.