Spinach + Artichoke Flatbread (vegan)

Well, Instagram has done it again! This post is brought to you by my IG page, after you all wanted the recipe for dinner I made earlier this month! According to my story, I made this yummy artichoke and spinach flatbread and we enjoyed it on the deck with some homemade lemonade for dinner. It was all great. And the weather was perfect, thanks for asking. Well, you all asked for the recipe, and since you asked, you are now receiving. The power of overwhelming me with the question on social media, hehe! This flatbread is seriously simple for summer, and can easily be grilled too!

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This recipe uses my favorite Alfredo sauce recipe. My mom used to make a very similar one, and I definitely had to keep the tradition of homemade Alfredo alive. It just doesn’t taste the same out of a jar. Plus, this one is vegan, so a much better option that still tastes yummy. I decided to go with a creamier sauce rather than the typical tomato-based one (or plain olive oil) I often see on flatbreads.

I’ve also had this almost obsession with artichokes lately and have been eating them up. I don’t hesitate to pick up a jar while browsing the aisles of the grocery store. Seriously so much yum! It’s not just the taste, it’s the texture too! Just. So. Good.

But I needed something to put them on. A few years ago, we went to this amazing Italian-Indian fusion place and had this delicious naan pizza with Indian inspired toppings. It was so good.

Enter naan.

Seriously, writing up this post is making me hungry, so I’ll get to the point.

You can use any naan or flatbread you want. If you want to do this on a pizza crust, by all means, do so! There probably won’t be anything left over once you serve this up!

And pro tip: eat it outside. It’ll make you feel fancy.

Spinach + Artichoke Flatbread

what you need for the Alfredo:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews

• 1 TBSP all-purpose flour

• 1 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes

• 1/2 cube vegan seasoning (I have used this one from amazon)

• 1 1/4 cup water or vegetable broth

• about 2 tsp dried basil

what to do:

1) Add first five ingredients to a blender and process until everything is well mixed.

2) Add mixture to pot, add basil, and bring to a slow simmer - constantly stirring until thick

what you need for the flatbread:

• Your favorite Naan bread or flatbread

• 1, 6oz. jar of artichoke hearts

• 3 1/2 cups fresh spinach

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 TBSP olive oil

Optional garnishes:

• your favorite shredded vegan cheese (optional)

• roasted red peppers (optional)

• red chili peppers (optional)

• sea salt to taste (optional)

what to do:

1) Preheat the oven to 425ºF (I do so with a pizza stone in there - optional!)

2) Mix the garlic and olive oil. Brush mixture on one side and put the bread oil side down on a prepared pan (or on pizza stone) Bake for about 2 minutes and set aside.

3) Put the remaining garlic and oil mixture into a pan. Add artichokes and spinach and cook until spinach starts to wilt, being sure to not overcook the spinach. Remove from heat.

4) Top naan with Alfredo sauce and artichoke mixture.

5) Sprinkle some vegan cheese on top (optional) and place in oven.

6) Bake for 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted and if you want, broil the top for a minute.

7) Garnish with some red chili, red peppers, and sea salt.

8) Cut and serve fresh! Enjoy!

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Do you enjoy a good smoothie? What is your go-to? Let me know in the comments!

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Spinach & Black Bean Enchiladas (vegan)

After the holidays and travelling for so long, the last thing I wanted to do after I came home was cook. There's nothing worse than coming home after living out of a suitcase for 2 weeks and having to come up with a complete meal when the fridge and pantry are basically empty. It's not motivating in the least.

We ended up running to the grocery store and making some paninis with our panini grill, but I was reminded later that I probably had some freezer meals left over. 

I love freezer meals. Once in a while I'll do a huge cooking haul, and prep meals enough for the month. The freezer is a wonderful thing, especially on days I don't want to cook, or know I will be too busy to do so. It's mostly for the benefit of my husband, who requires good and balanced meals. I suppose I do too, but I'm honestly the eat-cereal-for-dinner kind of gal when I'm too tired to care. 

On those days, it's very handy to have my freezer stocked with some of our favourite meals. It's win-win, since I don't really have to cook, and we still get to enjoy a homemade meal. That being said, we don't eat a meal from the freezer every day - I'm not that lazy! Today I'm going to share with you one of our favourite freezer meals!

I've been experimenting with all sorts of enchilada recipes, but I keep coming back to this basic recipe, since it's quick, simple, and still really yummy! Spinach is probably my favourite thing to add to dishes, so naturally, I love this.

On meal prep days, sometimes I will make double the amount so that our freezer is always full of enchiladas! 

They're quick to make up too, which makes Sunday prep days really painless. I can't complain when something is easy, and still tastes like a lot more effort went into it. 

I'm hoping to share some more freezer friendly meals soon, but for now, try this one out. You will love it.

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

what you need:

For the Enchiladas

• 15 oz. can black beans

• 1 cup frozen corn

• 6 oz. baby spinach

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small red onion

• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

• 2 tsp. cumin

• 2 cups shredded vegan cheese (optional)

• Green onion for garnish

• 10 large tortilla shells

Sauce (or use this recipe)

• 3 cups vegetable broth (try this homemade one!)

• 1/2 C tomato paste

• 1/4 C flour (I use whole wheat white flour)

• 2 TBSP olive oil

• 2 tsp. cumin

• 1/2 tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder

• salt/pepper to taste

what to do:

1) Make the sauce by heating olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour and spices.

2) Whisk for about a minute and add broth, slowly bringing it to a boil.

3) Reduce to simmer and cook until slightly thickened. Add salt/pepper for taste and set aside.

4) Saute red onion and garlic until softened. Add spinach and cook until slightly wilted.

5) In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and add onion, garlic and spinach mixture. 

6) Fill tortillas with mixture and roll tightly

7) Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with some enchilada sauce and line the dish with rolled enchiladas, seam side down.

8) Pour remaining sauce generously over the enchiladas. Sprinkle some cheese on top (optional)

9) Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes

10) Garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions and try it with some homemade vegan sour cream

Freezer Friendly: As mentioned, I love freezing these for a quick meal on a busy weeknight. To freeze, line rolled enchiladas up on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until firm and ready to transfer to a freezer bag. 

Freeze enchilada sauce separately. 

To prepare, heat up sauce slowly in a saucepan and prepare as normal (see above). Bake covered for about 30 minutes and uncovered for another 20, or until done. 

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Do you prepare meals in the freezer? Let me know if you try this or anything else by posting to social media and tagging #MapleAlps!

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Vegan Potato & Spinach Pierogies

Can I just start off by saying that July is almost over? I will just let that sink in for a bit. I do not know where the time has gone! Perhaps it's a getting older thing, but days and weeks, months and years are just flying by lately!

Alright, back to right now. After working on this recipe a few times, I finally deemed it ready to share with all of you. Ready for a really good pierogi? 

One thing I was concerned about giving up once becoming vegan was pierogies. I love a good buttery pierogie. The kind filled with potato and cheese and topped with sour cream. Oh my. Yum! I have seriously alway loved them, and who wouldn't? Seriously?

My fears quickly vanished once I whipped up these puppies though!

To be honest, once I popped one into my mouth, I didn't even realize the cheese was missing - these were so flavourful, and the texture was really great, even though there was no sour cream or butter in the dough. To make it even better, I didn't even feel guilty as I munched on these! Granted, I don't eat much, but still!

Related: Vegan Sour Cream

Sure, they were quite the process, but they didn't take eternally long to make, and it really was worth it. The best part is that these freeze extremely well, so making a lot at one time is possible and saves you time and energy on a rainy day (not to mention, gives added joy). Of course, if your family eats as many as mine does, you may not have any left to offer to the freezing process. They're super good with vegan sour cream - whether you make it (recipe here), or buy it. And don't forget the caramelized onions. Mushroom lovers can add those, but I personally stay as far away from mushrooms as I can.

Vegan Spinach & Potato Filled Pierogies

For the Filling:

• 3 cups Russet Potatoes, diced

• 2 TBSP Nutritional Yeast Flakes

• 1 TBSP Earth Balance (optional)

• 2 TBSP Non Dairy Milk (I used almond)

• Sprig of Rosemary, finely chopped (optional)

• ¼ cup Fresh Spinach, chopped

• ½ tsp Sea Salt

For the Dough:

• 3 C All-Purpose Flour (plus some for dusting)

• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

• 1 Cup Water

• 2 TBSP Olive Oil

what to do:

1) Bring pot of water to boil and put potatoes in to cook for about ten minutes

2) While potatoes are cooking, make the dough by mixing the flour and salt together. Then add water and olive oil and fold until combined

3) Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough becomes slightly sticky (not too sticky) and elastic. Divide the dough in two pieces, wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator. 

4) Once potatoes are tender, drain, and add all ingredients to pot. Mash until smooth. Set aside.

5) On a very lightly floured surface roll out one ball of dough until it is about 1/16” thick. Use a 3 ½" - 4” round cookie cutter and cut out rounds of dough.

6) Place a good amount (a bit less than a TBSP) of filling in the center of cut dough. wet the tip of your finger with water and dab along half of the circle. Fold dough over, gently pressing and sealing the pierogie. 

7) Place on lightly floured cookie sheet. If you wish to freeze them put them between sheets of wax paper to avoid sticking.

8) If cooking right away, place finished pierogie in boiling water. Cook until floating (about 3 minutes) and remove. Do not overcook or else they will fall apart. 

Optional: After boiling, fry pierogies in pan with a little bit of oil or earth balance till brown.  

Serve with vegan sour cream and caramelized onions - whatever your heart desires!

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Are you as much a pierogi fan as I am? How is your favourite way of eating pierogies? Let me know!

Trying these out? I want to know how it turns out! I will always find you when you use #MapleAlps!

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