Below, you’ll find wholesome vegan meals made with affordable and protein-rich whole grains, beans, and nuts.
You’ll also see plenty of fresh, colorful produce, and occasionally some tofu. No funny meat substitutes here.
At Cuisine Bon Vivant, vegan dishes are among our favourite cuisines.
Here are 5 of our favourite vegan dinners.
1. Amazing Vegan Mac & Cheese
This vegan mac and cheese recipe is incredibly creamy and remarkably cheese-like!
You won’t believe how delicious dairy-free mac and cheese can be. Recipe yields 2 large or 4 modest servings.
This is the Best Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese with Broccoli Recipe! It’s a delicious macaroni pasta bake with dairy-free easy vegan cheese sauce and healthy veggies that can easily be made nut-free & gluten-free!
Ingredients
Broccoli Pasta
255 grams macaroni elbows or (gluten-free) pasta of your choice
1 head of broccoli cut into 2 cups small florets
Vegan Cheese Sauce
1 medium russet potato 113 grams, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot peeled and halved
⅔ cup raw cashews
1 cup water or more as needed
1 tbsp olive oil or canola oil
1 onion chopped, or sub 2 tsp onion powder
3 cloves garlic minced, or sub 1 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp mustard or 2 tsp white miso paste
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar
To Serve (optional)
½ cup dairy-free cheese shredded
vegan parmesan cheese
fresh herbs
Instructions
Cook Pasta & Broccoli
In a large pot of salted water cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente, adding the broccoli florets to the pot in the last 2-3 minutes.
Preheat oven to180°C.
Vegan Cheese Sauce
Add the potatoes, carrots, cashews and 1 cups of water in a pot. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft enough to blend.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Once the potatoes are done, carefully pour the whole mixture (+ carrots, cashews and cooking water) into a blender along with the sautéed onion, garlic, nutritional yeast, mustard, salt, and lemon juice. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides. (Add more water to desired consistency as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings.)
Pasta Bake
Once the pasta is al dente, drain the cooking water. Add cooked pasta and broccoli to the pan (which you used to cook the onion so you don't need to rinse it). Pour the vegan cheese sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Sprinkle with dairy-free cheese or crumb topping as desired and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. (If you skip the cheese or crumb topping, bake covered to prevent the pasta from drying out).
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with vegan parmesan and fresh herbs. Serve immediately!
2. Favourite Veggie Burgers
Have you met our favorite veggie burgers? If not, it’s about time! At Cuisine Bon Vivant, we have high standards for veggie burgers, and our recipe puts all the rest to shame. We have a feeling they’ll become your favourite veggie burgers, too.
These veggie burgers are hearty and satisfying and feature an irresistible combination of flavors. They start with a base of quinoa, black beans and oats. Then we amp up the volume with sweet potatoes, fresh herbs, and some carefully chosen seasonings.
They’re a little sweet and a little spicy, in the best of ways.
These sweet and spicy veggie burgers are both vegan and gluten-free. You can bake them, grill them, or cook them on the stovetop! For best results when choosing the grill or stovetop method, prepare the burger mixture in advance and let it chill in the refrigerator (you can let it chill overnight or longer if you’d like). Recipe yields 8 patties.
Ingredients
680 grams sweet potatoes (2 medium or 3 small)
½ cup quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
1 cup water
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
½ cup chopped red onion (about ½ small red onion)
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups quick-cooking oats (use certified gluten-free oats if necessary)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing (or avocado oil, if using stovetop method)
8 whole-wheat hamburger buns (optional)
Your favorite burger fixings: Avocado or guacamole, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, cheese, sprouts, ketchup, hot sauce, mustard, fried eggs…
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
Roast the sweet potatoes: Slice the sweet potatoes down the center lengthwise. Place the sweet potatoes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast until they yield to a gentle squeeze, 30 to 40 minutes or longer. Set aside for now. (If you’ll be baking the burgers, reserve the parchment-lined pan and leave the oven on.)
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until all of the water is absorbed, 11 to 14 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 10 minutes.
Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin (it should pull off easily) and roughly chop the insides. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer, combine the cooled sweet potatoes and quinoa, black beans, onion, cilantro, garlic, adobo sauce, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Use a potato masher, pastry cutter, large spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer to mix really well. It’s ok if the black beans get smashed in the process.
Sprinkle the oats over the mixture and mix well with a large spoon until the mixture holds together when you shape a portion into a patty. If you won’t be making the burgers immediately, cover the mixture and refrigerate for later.
When you’re ready to cook, shape the burgers: Use a measuring cup to measure out ½ cup of the mixture. Gently shape it into a patty about 10 cm in diameter. Use your hands to gently flatten the burgers and smooth out any jagged edges. Repeat the process for each patty; you should end up with 8.
If you’re baking the burgers (see recipe notes for alternate options), brush both sides of each patty generously with olive oil and place them on the lined baking sheet, leaving a few inches of space around each one. Bake at 200 degrees celsius until the patties are deeply golden on the outside, about 35 minutes, flipping halfway.
Serve burgers as desired. Leftover burgers keep well, refrigerated, for 4 days. Or, freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months (thaw in the microwave for about 1 minute or in a 200 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until warmed all the way through).
3. Vegetable Paella
Paella is a beautiful rice dish hailing from the east coast of Spain, near the port city of Valencia.
Paella often includes seafood or meat, but we made this paella vegetarian by mixing chickpeas into the rice and adding extra vegetables.
If you were to order this in a Spanish restaurant, it would be called paella de verduras (vegetables). Cuisine Bon Vivant's version is fresh, colorful, and hearty, thanks to brown rice and chickpeas.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 can diced tomatoes (preferably the fire-roasted variety), drained
2 cups short-grain brown rice
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
3 cups vegetable broth
⅓ cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
½ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled (optional)
1 can quartered artichokes or 1 jar marinated artichoke, drained
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into long, ½”-wide strips
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus about 1 tablespoon more for garnish
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus additional lemon wedges for garnish
½ cup frozen peas
Instructions
Arrange your oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, making sure that you have ample space between the two racks for your oven.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in your Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until the mixture begins to darken and thicken slightly, about 2 minutes Stir in the rice and cook until the grains are well coated with tomato mixture, about 1 minute. Stir in the chickpeas, broth, wine, saffron (if using) and 1 teaspoon salt.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot and transfer it to the lower rack in the oven. Bake, undisturbed, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 50 to 55 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. On the baking sheet, combine the artichoke, peppers, chopped olives, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to combine, then spread the contents evenly across the pan.
Roast the vegetables on the upper rack until the artichokes and peppers are tender and browned around the edges, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the vegetables cool for a few minutes. Add ¼ cup parsley to the pan and the lemon juice, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
For optional socarrat (crispy bottom—beware that you might have to scrub burnt bits from your pot later if you do this): Uncover the pot of baked rice, transfer it to the stovetop and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, rotating the pot as needed, until the bottom layer of rice is well browned and crisp.
Socarrat or not, sprinkle the peas and roasted vegetables over the baked rice, cover, and let the paella sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley (about 1 tablespoon) and serve in individual bowls, with lemon wedges on the side.
4. Burrito-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
These burrito-stuffed sweet potatoes are everything that you might imagine on first glance—fresh, hearty and delicious.
This is a fun, hearty dinner recipe that happens to be vegan and gluten-free.
Recipe yields 4 stuffed sweet potatoes, enough for 2 to 4 servings.
This is definitely a Cuisine Bon Vivant favourite!
INGREDIENTS
4 small sweet potatoes
½ cup uncooked brown basmati rice, rinsed
1 cup cooked black beans
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Pinch of salt
Rustic salsa
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion, chopped (mine came to about ¾ cup chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Guacamole
1 ripe, medium avocado
½ clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Generous pinch of salt
For serving
Shredded cabbage or romaine lettuce
Hot sauce (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
Place the sweet potatoes in the baking dish, and prick each one a couple of times with a fork. Slide the sweet potatoes into the oven and bake until very tender, about 45 minutes
In a medium saucepan, combine the basmati rice, black beans, cumin, garlic, olive oil, tomato paste and salt. Pour 1 ¼ cups water into the pot. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Cover and set aside to keep the rice warm.
Make the rustic salsa: In a medium bowl, combine the bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onions, lime juice, cilantro and olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Set aside.
Make the guacamole: Peel the avocado and extract the pit. Place the avocado flesh in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Once you’ve broken it up a bit, add the garlic, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Mash the avocado until the seasoning is evenly distributed and you have a chunky paste. Set aside.
Place each baked sweet potato in a shallow bowl. Cut along the top of the sweet potato and pull back the skin. Spilt the sweet potatoes a little bit to make room for the fillings.
Divide the rice and bean mixture among the sweet potatoes (spillover is fine!). Top each bowl with ¼th of the rustic salsa. Finish each plate with a dollop of guacamole and some shredded cabbage on top. Serve with hot sauce on the side if you wish.
Vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
This spaghetti alla puttanesca recipe pops out to us because it’s a lighter pasta dish that calls for mostly basic pantry ingredients.
We can all use a few more of those recipes, right? I hadn’t heard of pasta alla puttanesca before. Rumor has it, “ladies of the night” created this recipe as a quick meal to eat on busy nights, if you get my drift. Wikipedia has a few more naming theories.
This dish relies on some very briny ingredients for flavor, so if you aren’t a fan of olives and capers, this one is probably not for you.
Ingredients
Puttanesca sauce
1 large can of chunky tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
⅓ cup chopped Kalamata olives
⅓ cup capers
1 tablespoon Kalamata olive brine (from your jar of olives)
1 tablespoon caper brine (from your jar of capers)
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt, if necessary
Everything else
230 grams of whole grain spaghetti, or an equivalent combination of spaghetti and zucchini noodles
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, olives, capers, olive bring, caper brine, garlic and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes.
Remove the sauce from heat, and stir in the olive oil and almost all of the chopped parsley, reserving some to sprinkle on the finished bowls. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt, if necessary.
While the sauce cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook your spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and return it to the pot.
If you’re adding zucchini noodles, spiralize the zucchini with a spiralizer, or turn the zucchini into noodles with a julienne peeler, or grate the zucchini the long way on a large box grater.
Once all of your components are ready, pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to combine. Stir in the zucchini noodles, if using (if you plan on having leftovers, store extra zucchini noodles separately, as they leech water once they come into contact with salty ingredients). Divide into individual bowls and top each bowl with a light sprinkle of parsley. Serve immediately.
At Cuisine Bon Vivant we pride ourselves in the expert catering of vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free cuisine. We offer vegan, vegetarian, and dairy-free menus and platters.
Cuisine Bon Vivant would love to prepare vegan cuisine for you and your guests at your special event. Contact us today.
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