Pasta Archives - Stacey Homemaker

How to Make Pesto Sauce (Vegan) + 15-Minute Pistachio Pesto Pasta Recipe

May 29, 2018 by Stacey Homemaker Leave a Comment

Learn how to make pesto sauce that’s VEGAN, super creamy, and loaded with flavor! Plus, variations to make it oil-free + a recipe for our favorite 15-minute pistachio pesto pasta!

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The first time I tried pesto pasta was at Maggiano’s when I was 17 (I know, how did I go so long without trying it?!). At first, I was a little hesitant to taste it because it was so…green. However, I did try it and I fell in love with pesto after that first bite! I loved the bright flavor of the basil mixed with the tangy parmesan and the buttery pine nuts combined with hot noodles…ohhh be still my beating heart!

After that, I taught myself how to make pesto sauce at home and I started trying all kinds of substitutes for the pine nuts because they are very expensive. Cashews, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios are all great substitutes for pine nuts in pesto. I’ve also used pumpkin seeds in a pinch and that was yummy too. The only version I didn’t love was pesto made with hemp seeds, it just had a weird flavor that I couldn’t mask with other ingredients.

When Travis and I transitioned to a vegan lifestyle, I thought that I would have to give up pesto because we couldn’t eat dairy anymore. I wondered if pesto would still be as delicious without the parmesan cheese?

Great news, it’s still delicious!

After trying a bunch of vegan pesto ingredient variations, I’ve found that learning how to make pesto that’s vegan is SO simple– and it’s really not that much different than the regular version.

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The Best Healthy and Easy Mac and Cheese Recipe

April 1, 2017 by Stacey Homemaker 40 Comments

This creamy vegetable-based (NO butternut squash!) healthy and easy mac and cheese recipe is the last macaroni recipe you’ll ever need, take it from a mac and cheese connoisseur! Kids will love it too, they won’t be able to tell that the cheese sauce is cheese-free. Vegan + gluten-free + dairy-free.

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Mac and cheese is by far, my all-time favorite food!

My love for it started when I was just a wee little lass. I had no idea it would follow me into adulthood, but here we are. It’s comfort food, pure and simple.

I’ve never tried a mac and cheese that I didn’t like.

Wait, I take that back.

The first time that I tried to make it from scratch on my own was a huge fail! I didn’t know how to make a roux, I didn’t season the water for the noodles…it was a disaster. I ended up hungry and still craving mac and cheese with a sink full of dirty pots and pans. Ugh.

I’ve come a long way since then, mainly because I’m transitioning to being a full-time vegan, so I’ve pretty much cut cheese out of my diet.

I started out slowly by making butternut squash mac which cut the amount of cheese in half and substituted butternut squash for the rest. It was delicious but I needed to get rid of the rest of the cheese. I loved the butternut squash sauce but it just didn’t reheat that well. It would dry out and not stay saucy like mac an cheese should be.

I needed to try again.

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Spicy Thai Sweet Potato Noodles

March 19, 2017 by Stacey Homemaker 19 Comments

Sweet potato noodles tossed in a creamy peanut butter sauce with a spicy kick! Loaded with flavor and veggies, this dish will become your new healthy quick weeknight meal! Vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.

You can never have too many quick and healthy dinner recipes.

I have a whole section in my recipe box dedicated just to these types of recipes. I don’t put just any recipes that I want to make in my recipe box, only my tried and true recipes that I make often make it in.

Surprisingly, I don’t care for cookbooks. Shocking, right? A food blogger who doesn’t want cookbooks in her home. I just feel like they are a waste of space. We don’t have a lot of storage space so I need to take advantage of every little bit we have.

Since the birth of Pinterest, I can look up any type of food that I want to make, so I don’t need to buy a cookbook just for one recipe. I’ve never found a cookbook that I want to make every single recipe so what’s the point?

Once I find a certain recipe that we love or one that I’ve created, I write it down and file it away in my recipe box to keep.

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Vegan Beet Pasta Sauce

March 6, 2017 by Stacey Homemaker 9 Comments

Toss your favorite pasta with spinach and creamy cashew vegan beet pasta sauce that gets its unique pink color from roasted beets. Topped with dollops of sun-dried tomato cashew cheese and green onions. This quick and colorful dinner is perfect for Valentine’s Day, spring or summer! Dairy-free, vegan.

Hello, friends!

I’m baaacckkk and I’m now a Mrs.!

I took a few weeks off from blogging to get ready for our wedding, to celebrate, and to relax after. The husband (I love saying that!) and I aren’t going on our honeymoon for a few months because we wanted to wait for better beach weather but skip the peak times of spring break, so we took a quick jaunt up to Disney World to celebrate being newlyweds.

Make sure you check back next week for our review of this year’s Epcot Flower & Garden Festival!

Wedding Details

I’ll be sharing everything about our wedding in an upcoming post. When I say everything, I mean everything!

The planning process – Why it’s so stressful and tips to save your sanity!
What traditions we did and didn’t follow on our wedding day.
Our vendors – Do you really need a videographer? Which is better, buffet or sit down meals? Is it worth it to upgrade to the fancier chairs? How do you pick the right photographer for you?
My dress, where I got it and how I knew it was the one!
Why I think all couples should 100% do a first look!
The ONE thing we wish we would’ve done differently at our wedding.
Our stunning venue + my honest review of having a wedding at an all inclusive venue.
What you should cut corners on and what you should splurge on.
Should you DIY or buy it new?
Plus much, much, more!

I have the answers to all of your burning wedding questions! I’ll also be sharing our wonderful pictures and wedding video from one of our favorite vendors —> Rad Red Creative.

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