First Vegan MoFo!

After realizing it has been six months since we posted, we though MoFo would be the perfect time to starts posting again and force ourselves into a routine! Over the month, we plan on posting a bunch of food porn, recipes, and cover the best vegan options in Tacoma, WA. I'll kick it off with my manicotti recipe that I entered in a Daily Candy contest and won me a beautiful Cri de Coeur bag. : ) This recipe is my biggest crowd pleaser thus far. I've served it to people before without saying it was vegan, and no one could tell the ricotta wasn't real.

First, make the ricotta. This is based on a combination of the ricotta recipes in Veganomicon. Blend the following in a food processor or blender. Blend the cashews and oil first, then add the other ingredients.
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1 lb firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup lemon juice (I've used white wine before when I was out of lemons)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

a couple grinds of pepper

Put the ricotta in a bowl and mix any combination of the following ingredients in with it. Or none. The ricotta is super good plain too! I just use whatever I have lying around.
1 diced and browned Field Roast Apple Sage sausage
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup chopped spinach or arugula

1/4 cup chopped oil-packed sun dried tomatoes


Stuff the ricotta mixture into your favorite cooked manicotti shells. If I'm lazy or in a hurry, I split the shells open and just wrap the pasta around the ricotta, using the ricotta to "paste" them back together. It will be covered in sauce anyway. Place the stuffed manicotti in a single layer in a casserole dish and top with your favorite homemade or store bought vegan marinara sauce. If I have spinach sitting around or want to pretend this meal is healthy, I'll cover the uncooked manicotti with a big layer of spinach before pouring the sauce on. Top with dollops of any leftover ricotta or top with Daiya mozzarella vegan cheese. Bake covered in foil at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until heated through. If you topped it with ricotta or Daiya, uncover and cook about 5 more minutes until topping is melty or beginning to brown. It helps to broil the dish for a couple minutes at the end of cooking. Serve on a bed of fresh spinach or arugula. Enjoy! The pictures may not be the prettiest, but I promise this is delicious : )