This is my easy and super delicious indo-Chinese Schezwan tofu! Indo-Chinese cuisine is a sub cuisine of Indian cuisine. It is adapted from both Chinese and Indian cuisines and has its own dishes and sauces. Many of the dishes are similar to Chinese dishes but have added spices and flavors and often have a slightly different name- like this schezwan tofu, which is different from Chinese Szechuan tofu. This Indochinese version usually uses Indian paneer cheese. I am using tofu for the recipe. You can use other plant based proteins as well.

To make this simple dish, you crisp up the tofu and stir fry it with store-bought Schezwan sauce and some veggies, thicken with a little bit of cornstarch, and it’s done. 

You can use Schezwan sauce or use the Schezwan chutney that you can find in Indian stores or online or use the Chinese sauce. The indo chinese chutney or sauce is more flavorful and more garlic-y than the conventional store ones.

You can also make your own Schezwan sauce from scratch at home with some garlic and dried chilies( milk chilies like Kashmiri chilies). See recipe notes for a quick version. Serve it over plain or schezwan rice, quinoa or Hakka noodles.

Why You’ll Love Schezwan Tofu

• easy, 30-minute, one-pan meal
• restaurant style that you can make at home!
• lots of crunchy veggies in sticky-sweet-mildly spicy Schezwan sauce
• gluten-free and nut-free with a soy-free option

Continue reading: Schezwan Tofu (Indo-Chinese 1 pan 30 minutes)

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This comforting dish features seasoned tofu topped with juicy fresh tomatoes and a garlic-cheese-breadcrumb topping. It’s the best way to use really good tomatoes, like heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, which are super juicy and delicious. This is a great summer dish, and it works really well for the holidays, too!

Just slice up your tomatoes, then use a cookie cutter to cut the tofu into similar-sized rounds, as well, for a good presentation.

If you don’t want to cut the tofu into rounds, you can just slice it up and arrange the tomatoes on top of the tofu rectangles in the baking pan. Do as you like, and then make this delicious herb-garlic-breadcrumb-cheese mixture that you put on top along with a little bit of olive oil to help crisp everything up.

Then bake it. It’s as simple as that! 

This vegan Caprese salad-inspired casserole bakes into this very delicious dish that you will remember for a long long time. It is a great side dish, or you can make it a meal by serving it with some creamy pasta or some sourdough or bakery bread.

Why You’ll Love Vegan Caprese Casserole

• easy, 1-pan meal with amazing flavors and textures
• great way to use good, juicy tomatoes
• crunchy garlic breadcrumb topping is just so addictive!
• gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free options

More Cheesy Vegan Recipes

• vegan liquid mozzarella
• Vegan Pizza Bowl
• Spinach and Mozzarella Cheese Melts
• Jalapeno Skillet Mac and Cheese
• Melty Cashew Mozzarella Sticks

Continue reading: Baked Vegan Tofu Caprese Stacks

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This vegan cheesesteak uses soy curls as the meat. Soy curls have more of a chicken-like texture, rather than steak, so I can’t really call it a Philly cheesesteak, but it hits such similar flavor notes and textures.

This sandwich is so easy to make! You pan fry seasoned, smoky soy curls and make my easy nacho cheese sauce. If you don’t want to use that sauce, you can also use my liquid mozzarella or Potato carrot cheese sauce instead.

Either way, you serve this sandwich up in buns or on hoagie rolls or however else you like. If you’re craving a vegan cheesesteak, I definitely recommend making this recipe.

What are soy curls?

Soy-curls are a meet alternative made with just 1 ingredient. Whole soybeans. Soy beans are boiled and dehydrated in a certain way to get that chicken like texture. Soycurls can be cooked in many ways. I love rehydrating them in a marinade or broth to make stir fried like my General tso soy curls, use it to make vegan chickin curry by cooking them in the curry, add it to creamy pasta sauces like my florentine, make spicy crispy soycurls snack and many more ways!

Why You’ll Love this Vegan Cheesesteak

• smoky, crispy soy curls cook up in just 1 pan
• satisfying, toothsome texture with creamy cheese sauce on toasted bread
• choose your favorite vegan cheese sauce – so versatile!
• easily made nut-free, soy-free, and gluten-free with simple swaps

Continue reading: Vegan Cheesesteak-Inspired Sandwich (1 pan, 30 minutes, gf, sf, and nf options)

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There is something about the flavor combination lemon-coconut that just takes me to a happy, sunshiney place! These delectable lemon coconut bites are a perfect summer snack! And the best part? They are super easy! While many energy bites require us to grind toasted nuts, or use food processor etc we skip all that by using nut flours that already come ground finely. In our case almond flour and coconut flour. Just add everything to a bowl, mix and shape!

I love how the almond flour gives these an almost marzipan-like texture. Lemon juice and zest are added for that fresh zing while maple syrup lends these the perfect sweetness.

Why this recipe works!

• Just 6 ingredients and 1 bowl
• No food processor or blender needed
• zesty springy amazing flavor
• versatile. Change flavors to preference!
• no refined sugar or refined oil.

More small bites:

• Pumpkin Snack Bites
• Coconut Caramel Energy Balls
• Vegan Pizza Snack Bites
• Mojito Energy Balls
• Blueberry Muffin Energy Bites

Continue reading: Lemon Coconut Energy Bites 1 Bowl Grain-free

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I have a couple of versions of nacho cheese on the blog . They are nut-free, so I decided to make a nut-based version which is creamier and more decadent. This is a super easy vegan cheese recipe. Just add everything to the blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. 

From there, you can adjust the flavors by adding more spices or adjust the tang with lemon juice to make this your own. 

Use this cashew nacho cheese over nachos, burritos, a taco bake, baked potatoes, on blanched broccoli, or however you like. Add some salsa for even more flavor and serve with your fave tortilla chips! For a more neutral cheese sauce recipe see my potato carrot vegan cheese sauce

Why You’ll Love Cashew Nacho Cheese

• rich and creamy vegan cheese sauce with no oil needed
• velvety smooth with light smoky and spicy notes
• versatile! Adjust saltiness and spiciness easily. Serve on nachos, tacos, burritos, and more!
• naturally gluten-free with an easy soy-free option

Continue reading: Cashew Nacho Cheese (gluten-free, oil-free with soy-free option)

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You guys love my baked jackfruit biryani, so I decided to make another baked biryani for you. Biryani is a Rice dish often with added meats. Many regional cuisines of India have their own variations of this rice dish. They can vary significantly, some just a few spice differences while other with the processes and methods as well. Today we are making a royal biryani from Awadhi (Lucknowi) cuisine.

Lucknowi cuisine (north-central Indian cuisine) has influence from Mughal, nawabi, and Punjabi cuisines with its own dishes. Lucknowi Biryani is usually made with meat, like lamb. I’m using tofu here as the protein, I’m using the same spices that make that biryani ultra delicious and special. Come along with me on my mission to explore regional Indian cuisine as well as make vegan versions of meat heavy Indian recipes!

Biryani is a rice dish, which usually has a really flavorful protein added to it. Everything is layered in a pot to get all of the flavors infused into the rice, and it’s served either as-is or with some yogurt dip raita or as a side dish. The traditional cooking requires many pans and multiple steps to get all the flavor in the protein and the rice which is then layered and slow cooked in a covered/sealed container. I simplify that whole process by baking the Biryani so you need just 1 baking dish and a few minutes of active time in the kitchen!

I’m using very specific spices in this recipe for that particular authentic flavor. If you don’t have all of the spices, use whichever spices you have and add in some extra garam masala, or you can use the spices from my jackfruit biryani.

Why You’ll Love Lucknowi Biryani

• Crisp spiced tofu and rice flavored with a mix of whole and ground spices
• same incredible, layered, complex flavors baked in a single pan in the oven
• only 15 minutes of active time and the rest hour is baking in the oven
• naturally gluten-free with easy nut-free, soy-free, and oil-free options

Continue reading: Lucknowi Biryani (North Indian Spiced Tofu Rice Bake)

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Marry me pasta and marry me chicken have been making the rounds on social media, so here’s my vegan version! I make this easy and super delicious pasta with a delicious smoky creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, and top it with spiced tofu that is spiced with with pepper and paprika, that we sear and slice, like you would a chicken breast. You serve the tofu over the creamy pasta and top it with vegan parmesan.  

It’s a simple but flavorful pasta recipe with just a few everyday ingredients, and it’s super versatile, as well. You can use whatever herbs you like. The tofu is simply spiced and then nicely seared on a skillet to add amazing texture and flavor! The sauce isn’t really spicy, and the pepper flakes add a nice flavor, but if you are sensitive to heat, then you can reduce the pepper flakes in the sauce. 

I don’t know if anybody’s going to marry you with this pasta, but it certainly made my husband very happy! Make it for the smiles, yummmms and love.

Why You’ll Love Marry Me Pasta

• easy weeknight pasta with super addictive, smoky, creamy sauce
• crispy, pan-seared paprika tofu
• simple ingredients that are easy to find at the regular grocery store
• nut-free with easy soy-free and gluten-free options

Continue reading: Marry Me Pasta (Vegan Marry Me Chicken Pasta)

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Unstuffed pepper casserole with rice is super easy, two-step casserole where everything bakes up in the casserole dish, so you don’t have to stand around to sautéing ingredients on the stovetop. Most of the active cooking time is just chopping up the ingredients and then quickly mixing them together in the pan. 

Even the rice cooks in the oven rather than on the stovetop!

I use veggie grounds in the dish, but you can also use lentils, chopped soy curls, or other vegan meat substitutes instead, if you prefer.

A crunchy breadcrumb and cheese mixture tops off this unstuffed pepper casserole, but if you want to make it gluten-free, you can omit the breadcrumbs and just use cheese. 

We bake the aromatics and peppers first then add everything else to the pan to bake! It’s a versatile casserole. Change up the herbs and flavors to preference. Add some chickpeas to the mix. Use a mix of rice and quinoa!

Why You’ll Love Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

• all of the flavors of stuffed peppers with less work
• No need to stuff individual peppers, no need to make the filling separately! Just add to 1 Pan
• veggie-packed casserole that cooks all in one baking dish
• crunchy, cheesy topping!
• easily made gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Unstuffed Pepper Casserole (Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers!)

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The other day, I was wondering why some vegetable-based Indian dishes use fewer spices than meat-based ones. There are several reasons for this. Veggie dishes, like saag aloo, are more homestyle recipes meant to celebrate the flavors of the veggies. Others like Chana masala also are often homestyle recipes. But why shouldn’t veggies be packed with flavor?

What is Saag Aloo?

Saag Aloo is spiced Greens with Potato. It can be a wet curry style dish or a simple stir fry kind of dish. Greens can be spinach, mustard, amaranth or other local greens. The homestyle aloo saag is usually dryish. This is a restaurant style saag aloo that uses all of the incredible spices from chicken saag style recipes, but without the meat. To make this into a meal, you can add cooked chickpeas into the saag or serve it along with my Punjabi chole chickpea curry, dal, or tofu curry on the side. You can also substitute half of the potatoes with some crispy tofu to make it into a tofu and potato spinach curry. 

To make a restaurant-style version, we add a lot more spices and some more fat added to the saag for a more flavorful, creamier experience. For a better texture of the spinach, I like to pulse the frozen spinach in a food processor for a fine chop like texture instead of too leafy or all pureed. I prefer that texture in saag aloo. If using fresh spinach, then finely chop and use. You can also use a combination of greens for this saag like mustard greens, chard, amaranth greens and other seasonal greens.

I also bake the potatoes ti so they are crispy and golden and serve them just lightly mixed in. Homestyle palak aloo has the potatoes cooked with the spinach for a softer potato dish. For a homestyle less spiced version try this palak aloo.

Why You’ll Love this Saag Aloo

• crispy, spiced potatoes over a creamy, super flavorful spinach curry
• easy to make into a meal by adding chickpeas or tofu!
• so versatile! Make with leafy greens of choice, like mustard greens, baby kale, amaranth greens, etc.
• restaurant-style meal at home in only 40 minutes
• gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Restaurant-Style Saag Aloo (Indian Potato Spinach curry)

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Don’t you love a burrito bowl? You get amazing textures and flavors of a burrito without having to take the time rolling it up. This one has 1. easy and delicious smoky black beans that are cooked with red lentils to add more texture. 2. These super flavorful chorizo marinade for the tofu! 3. Your fave toppings like chopped onion, jalapeño, vegan cheese or sour cream and hot sauce! Assemble as a bowl or wrap in a burrito!

This is a super comforting bowl, and the spiced bean and lentil mixture is almost stew- or chili-like that cooks up much faster than most chilis or stews. It’s just so hearty and flavorful topped with this delicious, umami-filled, spiced, crisped up tofu. Finish it off with chopped onion or salsa or pickled jalapeño, and any other fillings you’d add to a burrito, and spoon it over rice.

You can serve the tofu burrito bowl without rice and with tortilla chips or sourdough for dipping! Or like a chili with tofu as the topping along with crushed tortilla chips. If you like this tofu burrito bowl, also make sure to check out my delicious black bean burrito bowl!

Why You’ll Love Tofu Burrito Bowls

• toothsome chorizo tofu with flavorful stewed black beans and lentils
• spicy tofu chorizo bakes in the oven while you make the beans on the stovetop
• so versatile! Serve over rice or on its own with chips or flatbread to dip.
• make it your own by choosing your favorite burrito toppings
• nut-free with easy gluten-free and soy-free options

Continue reading: Chorizo Tofu Burrito Bowl with Smoky Red Lentil Black Beans

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