Vegan Spaghetti Alfredo Bake with Chunky Rustic Tomato Sauce

I dreamed this up today as I was home due to the polar vortex surrounding my region of the U.S. This is comfort food to the core. Creamy sauce paired with tart tomato sauce equals paradise.

Chunky Rustic Tomato Sauce - adapted from joythebaker.com

1 - 28 oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 tbsp Earth Balance spread

Place tomatoes, onion and butter in a pot. Simmer on medium for at least 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking down tomatoes into smaller pieces as they soften. Take out onion before serving.

Spaghetti Alfredo Bake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1 tub vegan cream cheese
2 cups almond milk
pinch nutmeg
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Put ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

1/2 box spaghetti noodles, broken in fourths
1 bag Daiya mozzerella
1 tbsp Earth Balance

Place noodles and 3/4 of mozzarella in blender and stir (don't blend) into above sauce mixture. Pour mixture into deep corningware or pyrex dish. Cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes, take out from oven and stir.
Put Earth Balance on top of noodles (a big blob is fine, it'll melt) and the remaining mozzarella. Cover and put in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Remove from oven when time is up,  and stir. Serve hot and top with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce, and add salt to taste.

Vegan Queso

1 tbsp Earth Balance
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tbsp cornstarch

• Melt Earth Balance in pot. Add garlic and cornstarch and stir.

1 tub vegan cream cheese
2 cups unflavored coconut milk or almond milk
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp ground mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
dash nutmeg
1/2 tbsp adobe chili powder
1/2 tbsp chipotle chili powder

• Place in blender and puree until smooth. Pour mixture in pot, and turn to medium heat.

1 bag Daiya vegan cheddar cheese

• Add to mixture and allow to melt, stirring occasionally.

1 can black beans, drained

4 or 5 roma tomatoes, chopped

2 or 3 jalepenos, chopped

• Add ingredients to queso mixture and stir. Taste and add spices as needed. Serve warm and with tortilla chips or crackers. 

Spicy Quinoa Stir Fry

Serves 2 

P.S. This is really good cold too (i think it's actually better), so you may want to make a double batch to take for lunch the next day!

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

• Cook quinoa according to package directions

1 package firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

• Put oil in skillet and heat on high. As soon as oil is hot, put in cubed tofu and brown on all sides. When finished, put on plate.

2 tbsp chili infused sunflower oil (or oil of choice)
2 cloves of garlic
1 or 2 thai chili peppers, chopped (optional)

• Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and peppers and cook for  about 30 seconds.

1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped yellow pepper
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup bean sprouts

• Add red and yellow peppers, carrots, bean sprouts and any other vegetable you like to the garlic, pepper and oil mixture. 

1 bottle favorite chinese stir fry sauce - (I use Panda Express Mandarin Orange or Kung Pao usually, but I have used a peach chipotle sauce as well) 

1 1/2 tsp Gourmet Burger Seasoning

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sriacha

• Add ingredients to the vegetable mixture and stir. You may not need the entire bottle of sauce, use your judgement. Cover with lid and continue to cook until quinoa is finished or vegetables are cooked. Add tofu when finished and stir. Serve over quinoa. Enjoy!