Ranch Dressing Mix

Dry Herb Mix Ingredients (makes enough for 4 batches of Ranch Dressing):
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
6 tablespoons dried dill
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground pepper
3 teaspoons salt

Directions:
Mix all of this in a jar. Can also use a spice grinder if you want it to be a finer powder. Store and use as needed, being sure to shake or mix before using.

Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dry herb mix
1 cup vegan mayo (I prefer Follow Your Heart)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Add a tablespoon of water at time to thin out, if desired.

Salsa

Ingredients
2 pounds of fresh tomatoes, stems removed
2-4 jalapeno peppers
2 serrano peppers
1 whole white onion, quartered
1 lime, juiced
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon salt

Directions
Heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat. Place the tomatoes and peppers in the skillet. Rotate the vegetables occasionally as you see each side blister. This can take 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat, cool, then remove the stems from the peppers. Remove the seeds if you would like, we keep them in because we like our salsa with a lot of heat.

Place the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and lime in a food processor and pulse quickly just until it is the texture you like. Add the garlic, cilantro and salt. Pulse again until the mixture is blended and chunky.

Enjoy with chips or any other way you would like. My husband loves this on top of hash browns or tater tots.

Pasta sauce with garlic, oil, and pepper flakes

Dry Herb Mix
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons Penzeys minced garlic
14 tablespoons Penzeys crushed medium red pepper flakes
1/2 cup tablespoons dried parsley
1/2 cup tablespoons dried oregano

Directions:
Mix together and store in a jar until ready to use. Be sure to shake or mix before measuring out.

Pasta sauce
Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
10 tablespoons of dry herb mix
2 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes or 4 cups of fresh crushed tomatoes
salt

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the spices to the pan and cook over medium until they start to release their flavor, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the crushed tomatoes and cook at low heat for at least 30 minutes. The sauce will reduce a bit. Add the salt a little as you go, tasting each time. Start with a few teaspoons.

Serve over your favorite pasta!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients
4 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons chopped scallion
4 teaspoons white sesame seeds
4 teaspoons Sichuan red chili powder
2/3 cups sunflower seed oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons light soy sauce
8 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or use 6 teaspoons balsamic vinegar + 2 teaspoons rice vinegar)

Directions
Place the garlic, scallion, sesame seeds and chili powder in a bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over high heat and test the temperature by dropping a piece of scallion into it. You want to see it sizzle and bubble. Once you see this, pour the hot oil into the bowl with the other ingredients—this will cook them. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir.

Serve over rice noodles or rice.

Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 medium shallot or you can substitute 1 tablespoon dehydrated red onions
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or another type that you like)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Fresh black pepper
6-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs—I like to use a combination or basil and oregano

Directions:

Finely dice the shallot and place in a bowl with the vinegar and salt. Stir to combine and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Add the dijon mustard and stir to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Add the fresh chopped herbs and stir.

Notes:

We place all of our salad fixings in a large bowl and pour the dressing on top. Use tongs to mix the dressing in and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes so that the ingredients soften a bit. Top with Vegan Air Fryer Chick’n Tofu.

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients:

3-4 large ripe tomatoes, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (you can also use jarred pickled jalapeno peppers)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper (or more to taste)
Juice of one lime

Directions:

Mix in a bowl and allow to sit for an hour before serving with corn chips or on top of cooked beans.

Chimichurri Sauce

I eat a pretty simple diet and many nights prefer to have some pan fried tofu with rice. I compliment it with a chimichurri sauce, putting a nice dollop on the rice and drizzling the sauce over the tofu. Here are a few tried and true recipes that are delicious!

Ingredients:

Variation 1 – scallions and fresh herbs

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
3 scallions, sliced—including the green part
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped mint

Variation 2 – roasted peppers and fresh herbs

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted then ground
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup roasted red pepper, cut in small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch finely chopped parsley

Variation 3 - lime and fresh herbs

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime - juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch chopped parsley
1/2 bunch chopped basil (1/2 ounce / 3/4 cup)
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Variation 4 - citrus and fresh herbs

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lime zest
1 lime - juiced
1 lemon - juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cloves of garlic - minced
3/4 cup chopped mint
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped chives

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a container and shake to combine.

Vegan Gravy

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or corn starch
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the celery and carrot are soft. Add the herbs. If you are using dry herbs, be sure to rub them between your fingers as you are adding them so that the flavor is released. Add the flour or cornstarch and stir until well mixed. Next, add the wine to deglaze the pan and then stir in the vegetable broth, bringing the liquid to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes until the liquid thickens slightly. Use an immersion blender or transfer the gravy to a blender and puree until it is a texture that you desire. I prefer a chunky gravy and so do not puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes:

I typically make a double batch of this so that there are leftovers. We only have one meat eater in our household and all of the sides that we serve on Thanksgiving are vegan. Regular gravy is not missed in the least when this is served.

Spirulina Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (unfiltered is best)
3/4 cup olive oil (California Olive Ranch - YUM!)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon spirulina

Directions:

Mix together or shake in a jar and enjoy

Vegan Ranch Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup of vegan mayonnaise
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dill (dry or fresh)
2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate.

Notes:

I never could find the perfect vegan ranch dressing. Dill is what makes this so authentic.

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

3 pounds of plum tomatoes (about a dozen)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (of course, I love California Olive Ranch)
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 cloves garlic crushed
fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Blanch the tomatoes:

Boil a large pot of water. Score the tomatoes with an X on the end of the tomato (not the end with the core). Drop the tomatoes in the boiling water for 60 seconds. Remove and place in ice water. The skin should peel off nicely. Discard the skin.

Make the sauce:

Slice the tomatoes in quarters. Warm the oil in a pan and stir in the onion and garlic over low-medium heat until the onion is softened but not brown, about 10 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and then add one teaspoon salt. Coat the tomatoes in the oil. Raise the heat to medium and bring the tomatoes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low-medium and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Cook until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens. If you like a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to blend the sauce smooth. Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the basil.

Notes:

I was very surprised at how orange the sauce is when it is done. Rest assured it is amazingly tasty. I could eat it with a spoon!