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Vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

My homemade Vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie recipe is simple, sweet, and soo delicious. Made with simple ingredients, and infused with unsalted pecans and chocolate chips, this pecan pie will be a huge hit during holiday dinners!

I don’t know about you, but I think pecan pie is a must-have Thanksgiving dessert! This pecan pie is made with chocolate chips (technically optional but highly recommended) and it’s vegan-friendly, so everyone – no matter their allergies – can enjoy it. It’s also the slightly healthier version since it’s made with ingredients like coconut sugar and coconut milk, instead of corn syrup and eggs.

Main Ingredients Needed to Make This Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

  • Prepared pie crust – I used gluten-free

  • Pecans (chopped)- I used raw & unsalted pecans

  • Chocolate chips – Up to you, but dark or semi-sweet would probably taste best

  • Butter – dairy-free (Earth Balance is a good option)

  • Coconut milk (full-fat)

  • Coconut sugar – you can sub for brown sugar if you’d like

  • Cornstarch

  • Vanilla Extract

  • Salt

Tips to Consider When Making This Vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Recipe

  • I personally love the pecan-chocolate chip combination, but if you want to make more of a traditional pecan pie, you can use 1 cup whole and 1 cup chopped pecans instead, and omit the chocolate chips.

  • Since this recipe is vegan, that means no eggs! Cornstarch is going to help bind this pie together. Just make sure to let it cool completely before slicing so it has time to firm up.

  • Want to up the sweetness even more? Serve it with your favorite dairy free vanilla ice cream!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie
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Vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 
Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

My homemade Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe is simple, sweet, and soo delicious. Made with simple ingredients, and infused with unsalted pecans and chocolate chips, this pecan pie will be a huge hit during holiday dinners!

Ingredients

  • 1 (9-inch) Whole Prepared Pie Crust (gluten-free)

  • 3 Tablespoons Dairy-Free Butter

  • 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar

  • 1 Cup Unsweetened Full-Fat Coconut Milk

  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

  • 3 Tablespoons Corn Starch

  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt

  • 1 Cup Raw Unsalted Pecans

  • 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit and par-bake the pie crust for 25 minutes.
  • Add all pie filling ingredients except pecans and chocolate chips to a bowl and whisk together.
  • Once smooth, add in chopped pecans and chocolate chips.
  • Transfer filling to par-baked pie crust, then bake for 1 hour.
  • Cover pie with aluminum foil about halfway through to prevent crust from burning.
  • Remove pie from oven, let cool completely before slicing.

Recipe Video

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Dairy-Free

Vegan Tofu Tikka Masala (Gluten-Free)

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Tofu Tikka Masala

Skip the delivery and try this vegan and gluten-free version of the classic Indian dish known as tikka masala that uses tofu in place of meat! Serve over freshly steamed basmati rice and garlic naan for a complete Indian spiced dish.

Tofu Tikka Masala

Tikka masala is surprisingly easy to make vegan! Instead of meat, I used tofu, which works perfectly in this dish since it soaks up all the delicious spices and flavors in this recipe. The sauce is creamy, tangy and spicy, but not hot or overbearing.

And what’s an Indian meal without spice?! You’ll notice my list of ingredients have a handful of them. So, if you enjoy spicy foods, your taste buds are definitely going to enjoy the turmeric, garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper and paprika found in this dish.

Tikka Masala Overview

Just in case you’ve never come across Tikka Masala before, I wanted to give a quick overview of what it means.

Tikka masala is an Indian dish consisting of roasted marinated chicken chunks in spiced curry sauce.

  • The “tikka” refers to the protein. The most common ingredient used is chicken, but it varies. Some people like to use lamb instead. For my recipe, we skip the meat altogether and replace it with tofu.

  • The “masala” translates as “spice mix” and refers to the sauce. Most include a tomato base, garam masala and a creamy element like yogurt or, in this case, coconut milk.

MAIN INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE Vegan Tofu Tikka Masala

  • Tofu – Make sure to buy the extra firm kind.

  • Olive Oil

  • Ginger

  • Garam Masala, Cumin, Tumeric & Cayenne Pepper – Mix these with a few other spices in the recipe to create a spicy and tangy flavor.

  • Tomato Sauce – A common pantry item, this is going to be the base for the sauce.

  • Coconut Milk – I use full-fat coconut milk for the sauce, which makes this dish super rich and creamy without needing to rely on any dairy.

ADJUST THIS RECIPE TO YOUR DIET

  • Need a little less spice? You can adjust the amount of spices to suit your heat preference, or leave it out all together for a non-spicy tikka masala dish.

  • Dairy: You can try using yogurt, a heavy creamer or regular milk in place of the coconut milk.

TIPS FOR MAKING THIS Tofu Tikka Masala Recipe

  • Serve with basmati rice and naan (a popular Indian flatbread) for a complete meal.
Vegan Tofu Tikka Masala (Gluten-Free)
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Vegan Tofu Tikka Masala (Gluten-Free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DinnerCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

25

minutes
Calories

300

kcal
Total time

40

minutes

Skip the delivery and try this vegan and gluten-free version of Tikka Masala that uses tofu in place of meat with flavorful spices that is bound to give your taste buds something to look forward to!

Ingredients

  • For the tofu:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 (16-ounce) blocks extra firm tofu, pressed dry with a dish towel then cut into cubes

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • For the sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 onion, finely chopped

  • 4 garlic cloves, grated

  • 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated

  • 2 teaspoons garam masala

  • 1 ½ teaspoon cumin

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

  • 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce

  • 1 (13.5-ounce) can full fat coconut milk

Directions

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add in the tofu in an even layer and sprinkle evenly with salt.
  • Cook tofu 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Remove tofu from skillet and set aside.
  • Heat olive oil for sauce in the same skillet and cook onions for about 3 minutes or until slightly soft.
  • Add in the garlic and ginger, cook for one minute before adding in the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, salt, and cayenne pepper.
  • Cook spices for about 30 seconds before pouring in the tomato sauce and coconut milk. Reducing heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Add tofu back into the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Storage: Place leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • Reheat: Gently rewarm leftovers in an oven over medium-low heat. You can also reheat leftovers in the microwave until hot.

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Desserts

Vegan No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream (refined sugar-free)

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three cones of vegan chocolate ice cream lying on a table

No ice cream machine necessary for this easy three ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream! This non-dairy frozen dessert is perfectly chocolatey and sweet. With minimal time and effort, you’ll have an irresistible vegan summertime (or anytime!) treat.

three cones of vegan chocolate ice cream lying on a table

The Story Behind This Recipe

What most people don’t know about me is that my first job ever was actually at an ice cream shop. I worked there almost all through high school (before my dairy-free days) and ate ice cream literally every. single. day. Ohhhh what I wouldn’t do to have my high school metabolism again! So as you can imagine, once I went dairy-free in college I deeply, and I mean DEEPLY, missed ice cream. Back then, vegan/dairy-free ice cream wasn’t much of a thing. My options were typically limited to sorbet, which is already made without dairy. And while sorbet definitely helped cool me down and curb my sweet tooth, I longed for a big ole’ cone of classic chocolate ice cream.

These days, vegan ice cream isn’t nearly as hard to find, but what is hard to find is one that checks off all my boxes. I don’t want any funky ingredients such as fake sweeteners, gums, etc. Those cause just as much of a digestive nightmare for me as eating regular ole’ ice cream does. And most importantly, I don’t want to have to sell a kidney to afford it! The better the ingredient list, the more expensive it almost always is. Therefore, I came up with this vegan chocolate ice cream to both suit my needs and save me some money (because it’s either my bi-weekly manicure or $10 pints of ice cream, and I’d choose the former any day!).

The no-churn part of this recipe simply derived from the fact that I don’t own an ice cream maker. I’m looking into purchasing one now, but until I find one that doesn’t take up half of my freezer I will continue to make this no-ice-cream-machine-necessary recipe!

What You Need to Make Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

Full Fat Coconut Milk – None of that low-fat or lite coconut milk here! We need all that luscious healthy fat to achieve a thick and smooth texture. You could even use two cans of coconut cream if you’d like, only adding to the creaminess of this vegan chocolate ice cream.

Coconut Sugar – Coconut sugar keeps this three ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream completely refined sugar-free. This natural sweetener is more nutritious than regular sugar and contains 25% less sucrose than white sugar. Though if you don’t have coconut sugar, you can easily swap this out for cane sugar or white sugar if you’d like!

Cocoa Powder – This ingredient seems pretty self-explanatory. However, I will say that if you’d like you can substitute cacao powder for the cocoa powder in this recipe. Cacao has more nutrients and antioxidants than cocoa powder and would make this three ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream that much healthier.

Vegan No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream (refined sugar-free)
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Vegan No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream (refined sugar-free)

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Freezing time

8

hours

No ice cream machine necessary for this easy three ingredient vegan chocolate ice cream! This non-dairy frozen dessert is perfectly chocolatey and sweet. With minimal time and effort, you’ll have an irresistible vegan summertime (or anytime!) treat.

Ingredients

  • 2 (14 ounce) cans full fat coconut milk or coconut cream, see Notes

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar

  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Directions

  • Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Transfer to a parchment-lined container and freeze for 8 hours or until firm.
  • Remove ice cream from freezer 10-15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Coconut Milk: I used Let’s Do Organic heavy coconut cream for this recipe, but any full-fat coconut milk or cream will work!

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30 Minutes or Less

One-Pot Lemon Pasta (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

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Close up image of lemon pasta with parsley on top.

This one-pot lemon pasta is the easiest recipe you’ll make all week! Plenty of fresh lemon, creamy coconut milk, and a splash (maybe more, hehe) of white wine create the most delicious sauce for this pasta dish. The best part? You’ll need just ONE pot to make the entire thing! That’s right, throw everything in a pot, cook, and dinner will be ready in under 20 minutes.

Lemon pasta on a plate sprinkled with parsley and a side fo white wine.

I created this recipe for the lazy girl in me. She comes out every so often, especially on weekday nights when all I wanna do is melt into my couch with a bowl of chips and call it a day. Though because I know a bowl of chips isn’t enough to keep me full through the night – trust me, I’ve tried – I needed something filling, yet super easy to make.

I’ve had my sights set on a lemon pasta recipe for a while now. With the weather (finally!) getting warmer, I’ve been craving fresh, bright, citrusy foods. I’m at a point where I buy a bag of both lemons and limes every week at the grocery store and squeeze them over all my food and into my water. So the idea of combining my most current-favorite thing, lemon, and my always-favorite thing, pasta, was a no-brainer. I knew I wanted to keep my lemon pasta simple, and above all else EASY, so I settled on a one-pot dinner with just eight ingredients (one being salt). This one-pot lemon pasta has truly changed my lazy little life, and I’m sure it will yours too!

What You Need To Make One-Pot Lemon Pasta

Gluten-Free Pasta – Use whatever gluten-free pasta you’d like in this recipe. Any shape or brand will do! I used the Jovial Brown Rice Farfalle (aka Bow Tie) Pasta and highly recommend it. If you’re not gluten-free, feel free to use regular pasta instead.

Coconut Milk – Makes for an incredibly light and creamy sauce, but doesn’t taste like coconut. You could use any non-dairy milk you’d like in this recipe, but I love coconut milk for how nice and thick it is. If you’re not vegan/dairy-free, you can use heavy cream instead.

Vegetable Broth – Using broth instead of water in this recipe adds that much more flavor. It doesn’t have to be vegetable broth, though. If you’re not vegan, chicken broth works too.

Dry White Wine – I love the brightness a nice dry white wine adds to recipes. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio work best in this recipe, or anything with “crisp” in the description. And if cooking with wine isn’t your thing, use one more cup of broth instead.

Lemon – Duh! Use plenty of lemon in this recipe. I know the recipe says 3 tablespoons, but I almost always add more. To get the juiciest lemon possible, push down with your palm and roll it across your countertop a few times. Then slice it open, squeeze the juice into a glass, and remove any seeds before using it in this recipe.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

  • Add Dairy: Use heavy cream instead of coconut milk and add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese at the end!
  • Add Protein: Grilled chicken or sautéed shrimp would taste great over this one-pot lemon pasta.
One-Pot Lemon Pasta (V/GF)
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One-Pot Lemon Pasta (V/GF)

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

15

minutes

This one-pot lemon pasta is the easiest recipe you’ll make all week! Plenty of fresh lemon, creamy coconut milk, and a splash (maybe more hehe) of white wine create the most delicious sauce for this pasta recipe. The best part? You’ll need just ONE pot to make the entire thing! That’s right, throw everything in a pot, cook, and dinner will be ready in under 20 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, see Notes

  • 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

  • 12 Ounces Gluten-Free Pasta

  • 2 Teaspoons Salt

  • 1 Cup Coconut Milk, see Notes

  • 2 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth, see Notes

  • 1 Cup Dry White Wine, see Notes

  • 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

  • 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest

Directions

  • Add the olive oil and garlic to a large pot over medium heat, cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add in the pasta, salt, coconut milk, vegetable broth, and white wine. Bring to a boil and cook for 12 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
  • Turn off the heat, add in the lemon juice and zest, then stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Olive Oil: You can use butter instead of olive oil.
  • Coconut Milk: If not vegan/dairy-free, use heavy cream instead.
  • Vegetable Broth: Chicken broth also works in this recipe!
  • White Wine: If you’d like to make this recipe without wine, use an extra one cup of broth instead.

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Dinner

Paleo Chicken Pot Pies (GF/DF)

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Overhead shot of three mini paleo chicken pot pies with a scoop taken out.

These paleo chicken pot pies are equal parts delicious and adorable! Extremely cozy, rich, and satisfying – this recipe will quickly become one of your favorites. These individual paleo chicken pot pies contain all of the flavor of traditional chicken pot pie, but are much lighter and healthier.

Overhead shot of three mini paleo chicken pot pies with a scoop taken out.

I was super worried about this recipe. It seemed like a bit of a stretch and I just wasn’t too confident that it would work. You guys, not only did it work, but it turned out INCREDIBLE! These paleo chicken pot pies quickly moved to my #1 favorite recipes I’ve ever made, knocking my healthy hot chocolate out of its spot. The crust on these pies is incredibly buttery, without actually containing any butter. The filling is super rich and creamy, without actually containing any cream. I honestly just can’t believe the sorcery of these paleo chicken pot pies! I had heard that miracles exist, but didn’t truly believe it until now.

What You Need To Make Paleo Chicken Pot Pies

Almond Flour – Almond flour creates the base of this paleo chicken pot pie crust. If you don’t already have almond flour and plan on doing more paleo baking, I definitely recommend you buy some. Though be sure to use almond flour, and not almond meal.

Palm Oil Shortening – This is the paleo equivalent to vegetable shortening. Therefore, if you’re not paleo you can use vegetable shortening instead. In my experience, shortening makes the BEST pie crusts – better than butter. Though if you’d like, you can use cold butter instead of shortening.

Arrowroot Starch – This is the paleo equivalent of corn starch! Since we don’t use heavy cream in this recipe, we rely on a thickener, such as arrowroot starch, to thicken up the filling. If you’re not paleo, you can use corn starch instead.

Coconut Milk – I promise your pot pies won’t taste like coconut! This is another ingredient that will help thicken the filling. Coconut milk also makes these paleo chicken pot pies taste super rich and comforting.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

  • Add Dairy: Use 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter instead of palm shortening and 1/2 cup of whole milk instead of coconut milk.
  • Make it Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and about 8 ounces of white button mushrooms in place of the chicken in this recipe. If using mushrooms, chop and then add them in with the vegetables in step 5.
Paleo Chicken Pot Pies
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Paleo Chicken Pot Pies

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

40

minutes

These paleo chicken pot pies are equal parts delicious and adorable! Extremely cozy, rich, and satisfying – this recipe will quickly become one of your favorites. These individual paleo chicken pot pies contain all of the flavor of traditional chicken pot pie, but are much lighter and healthier.

Ingredients

  • For the pie crust:

  • 1 Cup Almond Flour

  • 1/2 Cup Tapioca Starch

  • 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder

  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

  • 1/3 Cup Palm Shortening, see Notes

  • 1 Egg

  • Cold Water, as needed

  • For the filling:

  • 1 Tablespoon Olive oil

  • 1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped

  • 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

  • 1/2 Cup Carrots, chopped

  • 1/2 Cup Celery, chopped

  • 1 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme, see Notes

  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

  • 2 Tablespoons Arrowroot Starch, see Notes

  • 1 Cup Chicken Broth

  • 1/2 Cup Full-Fat Coconut Milk, unsweetened

  • 2 Cups Cooked Chicken, cubed

  • 1/2 Cup Peas (fresh or frozen)

  • For the egg wash:

  • 1 Egg, whisked

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
  • Mix together the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-01
  • Add palm shortening and gently break apart with a fork until mixture is crumbly.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-02
  • Fold in the egg and gently mix until a dough forms. If mixture is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until it forms into a ball. Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-03
  • Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4-inch thick, then place in the freezer.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-04
  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are just barely tender.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-05
  • Add in arrowroot starch and cook for 1 minute before adding in the chicken broth and coconut milk. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-06
  • Add in the cooked chicken and frozen peas, mix to combine. Transfer filling to 4 ramekins.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-08
  • Remove pie crust from freezer and remove one side of parchment paper. Carefully cut into circles large enough to cover each ramekin. Gently transfer each circle to each ramekin, patching the dough as needed.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-09
  • Brush each pot pie with egg wash and cut a 2-inch slit in the center of the crust.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-10
  • Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-11

Notes

  • Palm Shortening: You can use vegetable shortening or cold unsalted butter in place of the palm shortening in this recipe.
  • Fresh Thyme: If you can’t get your hands on any fresh thyme, use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead.
  • Arrowroot Starch: You can use corn starch instead or arrowroot starch in this recipe.

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