Day 3 of vegan! I made an acai bowl for breakfast, which was super good, and only took 5-10 minutes. I have tried to make acai bowls before, but they have always turned out too liquidy and smoothie-like. But, today I was determined. I put much less almond milk in, and it turned out perfect! I honestly used no measurements for this recipe, but I will try and put them down below. Now, the fun part! Toppings! I put blueberries, slivered almonds, strawberries, cacao nibs, and a drizzle of agave nectar. I will definitely have this again, and highly suggest it, to anyone! It’s super customizable, and I usually use about ½ cup of frozen fruit.
Berry Acai Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 packet Trader Joe’s Acai Puree
- 1 banana
- ¾ cup frozen berry mixture
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 handful of ice
Suggestions for Toppings
- strawberries, chopped
- blueberries, chopped
- slivered almonds
- cacao nibs
- agave nectar
Directions
- Blend all ingredients together and adjust based on opinion
- Put your toppings on
- Enjoy!
Ok, now for dinner. I decided to make vegan garlic pasta. I have to admit, this was not my favorite dish. The sauce had almond milk in it, and the taste was odd. I adjusted the recipe as well and didn’t add tomatoes, and instead added 7-8 sweet peppers. I also halved the recipe, as I only needed 1 serving. The recipe was from minimalistbaker.com. The dish was definitely easy, but did not taste very good. I put the recipe down below if you would like to try it, and wish me luck for day 4!
Creamy Vegan Garlic Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 3 cups (450 g) grape tomatoes, halved
- 10 ounces (283 g) whole wheat pasta (such as penne, linguini, or fettuccine | Use less if you want a higher sauce:pasta ratio | Use gluten-free pasta for GF eaters)
- Olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, diced (~1/4 cup or 40 g)
- 8 large cloves garlic, minced/grated (1/4 cup or 24 g)
- Pinch each sea salt and black pepper
- 3-4 Tbsp (25-33 g) unbleached all-purpose flour (or another thickener of choice)*
- 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) almond milk (sub up to 1 cup with veggie stock, if preferred)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and toss tomatoes in a bit of olive oil and sea salt. Place cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dish. Then set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. When done, drain, cover and set aside.
- In the meantime, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil and the garlic and shallot. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper and stir frequently, cooking for 3-4 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Stir in 3-4 Tbsp flour (or other thickener of choice – see notes) and mix with a whisk. Once combined, slowly whisk in the almond milk a little at a time so clumps don’t form. Add another healthy pinch of salt and black pepper, bring to a simmer and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. (Optional: You can also add a few shakes of vegan parmesan for extra flavor at this time if you wish.)
- If you want an ultra creamy sauce, transfer sauce to a blender (or use an immersion blender) to blend the sauce until creamy and smooth. Place back in pan and reduce heat to a low simmer until desired thickness is reached.
- Once the sauce is to your desired thickness, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Then add pasta and roasted tomatoes and stir.
- Serve immediately and garnish with extra black pepper, fresh basil, and/or vegan parmesan cheese