Vegan Chipotle cheese sauce

Smokey Chipotle Cheese Sauce

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons chickpea flour (or other gluten-free flour)
• 2 cups non-dairy milk of choice (make sure it is unsweetened!)
• 4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped (use only 1 if you don't like really spicy!)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp African Smoke spice mix (from Trader Joes)
• 2 tsp 21 seasoning mix (from Trader Joes)
• 2 tsp regular red label Spike spice mix (found at most grocery stores, Clark's should have it)
• 1 Tbsp 'low sodium' yellow label Spike spice mix (Clark's had it)
• 2 cups Daiya cheddar (one 8-ounce package), OR 5 oz 'Hickory Smoked' cheese spread (found at Clark's Nutrition. I think it was cheaper than Daiya, and I thought it tasted WAY better too!)

Directions:

Melt coconut oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add chickpea flour, whisking until smooth. Cook into a rue by stirring constantly until the mixture begins to just barely brown.* Add non-dairy milk and Nutritional Yeast and whisk continually for 5 minutes (to avoid lumps) until thickened. Remove from heat and add chopped chipotles as well as a couple tablespoons of adobo sauce from the can (to taste), and all the spices; stir to combine. Gradually add Daiya cheddar or cheese spread, whisking as you do so, until smooth consistency is reached (may take a few minutes).

 *Some people say it smells like buttered popcorn when it reaches this point, and that is how you know it is ready! You can find lots of videos online that show you how to make it, so head on over to Youtube and practice a bit before you plan to make the sauce. Rue is the secret to the BEST vegan sauces, and it is SO easy to make once you get it down!

Regular Cheese Sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp Vegan Margarine, such as Earth Balance (found at most stores)
2 1/2 Tbsp flour
2 cups nondairy milk, divided (I use soy. Make sure it is unsweetened!)
4 ounces pimentos
2 1/2 tsp regular red label 'Spike' spice mix
3 Tbsp dehydrated onions
3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper, to taste
5 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon lemon juice, more to taste
arrowroot, as needed to thicken (around 2 tsp. Mix well with a small amount of COLD water before adding in!)

Blend together cashews, pimentos, and a few tablespoons of soymilk (don't be afraid to use too much, you just need some moisture so the cashews will blend into a puree) and set aside. Make a rue with margarine and flour. Add the remaining soymilk to the rue and cook down on medium low heat for a few minutes. Add the cashew puree and all the spices and cook down for around 5 minutes, or until thick. Add cornstarch only if you need it to thicken the sauce more. The lemon juice makes the sauce taste more 'sharp', like sharper cheddar. Try the sauce with the 1 tbsp, and add a bit more, teaspoon at a time, to adjust the flavor to be a bit more bold. Or, leave it out all together to make it more mellow.

You can also use a bit of plain old yellow mustard to give it a nice bold flavor instead of the lemon juice, or use it together with the lemon juice. Experiment! Feel free to add more spices to it for specific uses, like some canned chilies and olives for nachos. You can make a great Alfredo sauce for pasta or a white vegan lasagna (crumble some tofu and fresh spinach between the layers and pour this sauce on top of the layers). To make Alfredo, use only the rue, soy milk, cashews, garlic powder, a bit of salt, bit of pepper, and an Italian seasoning blend!

Champagne Citrus Swai

No, not vegan. But BOY did this turn out good! I only post my AMAZING recipes, so you know it has to be good if it passed that test!

I didn't know what Swai was when I picked it up. It was on sale, cheap, so I figured I would try some. Google told me that it is another inexpensive white fish as an alternative to Tilapia, Cod, and Catfish. I found this fish FAR superior to all of those fish. Zero fishiness, this recipe tastes like a delicate white protein, which I prefer over... fish. Blech. I will try it again with another white fish and see if they turn out as good, but I have a feeling that Swai is just a better, more mild fish overall :) There was almost no fishy smell when preparing it, despite the fact the fish was purchased the date of expiration (you know, on sale...) and stuffed in the freezer for months before I pulled it out to make this. Most stuff gets a bit... fishy... when I do that, but not the Swai!

Champagne Citrus Swai

Swai (about 1/2 lb)
Whole wheat flour, about 1/2 cup
Olive oil
Truffle Oil (optional)
Lemon Pepper
Garlic powder
Orange Muscat Champagne vinegar (I find it regularly and inexpensively at Trader Joes, use regular Champagne Vinegar and a dash of orange juice as a substitute)
Dry Sherry

Pat Swai dry, as dry as you can get it!

Grind some of that lemon pepper and about 1 tsp of garlic powder into the flour, and mix together (add a dash of salt if your lemon pepper is unsalted).

Sprinkle half of the flour on a plate, and set the Swai on top. Sprinkle the rest of flour on top of the fish. Rub the flour into the fish, getting all the sides too! Flip over and repeat.

Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of truffle oil (or another tbsp of olive if you decide not to use it) and place the fish in the pan.

Fry for three minutes on each side, or until fish is golden brown, adding a bit more olive oil if needed.

After the second side is done, deglaze with 1/3 cup of vinegar and a glug of Sherry (couple tablespoons) over the top of the fish. Cook for two more minutes on each side.

There was a good amount of vinegar left when I was done, so I continued cooking it down after I removed the fish to make a glaze. I found the fish was so flavorful, it didn't need it! But it goes GREAT with some rice!

Summer Squash and Harvest Grains Succotash-ish

I just got back from a roadtrip with my best friend. She sent me home with a bag full of fresh veggies from her mom's garden! I didn't really know what to do with the remaining eggplant and crookneck yellow squash, as Mulch isn't much of a fan. Yesterday, while making some vegan Panang Curry for dinner, it occurred to me; Succotash! I have never made Succotash before, and looked up recipes. They all sounded so... plain. And I was looking to make something that was a whole meal. Then, I came across two recipes that provided the answer. One used pasta, the other had veggie broth. We have a freezer full of amazing, flavorful, homemade veggie stock, and I have plenty of harvest grains in the pantry that need to be used! PERFECT!

Now, I didn't really measure this recipe. I just diced the squash I had and threw stuff in as it looked good. So, this recipe turned out HUGE. Plenty of leftovers! This is a rough recipe from memory, adjust proportions as needed for taste.

I HIGHLY suggest making your own veggie stock. We save all the ends of veggies, wilted or limp stuff that that didn't get used in time, stems and ends from herbs, etc. in a gallon bag kept in the freezer. Once we have two of those, they are thrown in a stock pot with a nice fresh bunch of parsley, some carrots, celery, and onion if there isn't much in the bag, some garlic, dried Italian herb variety (sage, basil, oregano, whatever you have on hand!), 8-10 whole peppercorns, and filled to the top with water. Bring to boil, simmer for about an hour, allow to cool, and strain. It is super easy and hassle free if you eat a good variety of veggies and have a nice rounded mix in the bags-- when you do this, all you add is some herbs and spices to the water and you are all set!

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
~2 lbs summer squash (I used two baby eggplants and a couple crookneck yellow squashes. Use your favorites!)
~ 20ozs frozen shelled Edamame (soybeans)
~ 2-3 ears fire roasted corn, cut from cob (Peel the corn and stick on the grill for a few minutes each side. You want is a little black and blistery. I cheated and used frozen fire roasted!)
~ 3-4 bell peppers, variety of colors, sliced in 1cm strips (I used frozen bell peppers we had on hand)
8oz Israeli Cous Cous (Israeli is a larger grain cous cous, and I recommend it over the smaller grain kind)
8oz Quinoa
~3 tbsp sesame seeds (this was a happy mistake as I mistook them for Quinoa at first. It ended up a fantastic addition!)
4 cups veggie stock, unsalted if possible
a good handful of fresh or dried leaf Oregano, minced or crushed. I had some dried homegrown Oregano on hand!
salt and pepper to taste. I also added a bit of Trader Joe's 21 spice salute-- my secret ingredient in everything!

Get a nice big stir fry pan for this recipe. You can also use a large casserole dish that is safe for use on the burners. Add the olive oil and brown the onion on medium high heat for a couple minutes, until it starts to smell all tasty! Add the squash, cook another minute. Now, dump all the remaining ingredients in, stirring well to mix everything. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the grains are soft and cooked and all the liquid is gone. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.



As this was cooking, my mind was filled with thoughts and fears of how bland and boring this would be, and how I could spruce it up with some flavor. It didn't need ANYTHING! I am one of those people who loves to over spice things. I love lots and lots of flavor. The strength of this dish is how wonderfully the subtle flavors of every veggie comes through, and the veggie stock provided the perfect amount of flavor that complemented everything in this dish. Spectacular! What a wonderful light, yet very filling lunch this was! The soybeans are much sweeter than the bitter lima beans in traditional Succotash, and provide tons of protein to make this a complete meal! All the bitterness of the squash is gone, and they became simply creamy and delicious! The harvest grains with a touch of sesame is slightly nutty and very filling.

Try this recipe! Super simple, almost everything can be found at a farmer's market or in your friend's garden :) The rest is all at Trader Joe's!

Fresh Fig and Bellavitano Tart with Caramelized Cherry Merlot Reduction

A.k.a., stinky cheese fig pizza :p (this is how I presented it to the boyfriend)

Anywho, I was in Trader Joe's yesterday and came across fresh figs! $3.50 for a 1 lb box! I knew I must haz nao. But, with no recipe in mind, I searched all night for the right recipe to do them justice. We are on a really tight budget right now, so I also knew that whatever I made I could not buy any other ingredients for. The figs were the splurge, and now I need to use them! The last time I brought them home (probably around this time last year, actually) the boyfriend picked up some goat cheese, and he stuffed the figs with the goat cheese and walnuts and wrapped them with bacon. When I looked up recipes, half of them had prosciutto in them! We are *trying* to eat vegan and vegetarian, and I know that pork can't be the end all magical ingredient with fresh figs!

I found a number of recipes I liked, and it came down to deciding between doing a dinner or desert. I remembered I had my loaf of fail multigrain bread in the fridge, which is now old, stale, and super dense (the fail part). So, bread pudding seems to be in order! I decided between two recipes with that as well, a savory one or a sweet one. When I explained the options to the boyfriend, his eyes glazed over until I got the the part of the can of dolce de leche that has been languishing in the fridge for over a year. He lit up like a puppy being asked if it wants a cookie, and I then knew what the answer was :p

So, to contrast the sweet desert, a savory fig dinner was in order! I pretty much winged the recipe using all sorts of stuff I have taught myself in the past year, as well as inspiration in terms of what kind of stuff to mix with the figs from the common ingredients I found in recipes for fresh figs. Everything in this recipe, except the fresh figs, were random things hanging out in the pantry and fridge. Also, measurements are approximate for a lot of this, especially the cream sauce. I winged it!

Tart crust:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
dash of salt (to taste)
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 tbsp softened butter
2 tbsp turbinado or other large grain sugar
2 tsp fennel seeds
(reserve egg white for brushing later)

Whip butter until creamy. Whip in yolk until creamy. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well, the mixture should be crumbly. Fold in the sugar and fennel seeds. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and allow to chill in fridge at least 1 hour.


Caramelized Cherry Merlot Reduction:
4 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup cherry juice
1/4 cup merlot

Place a small, non stick saucepan over medium low heat. Add the brown sugar, and watch closely. As it begins to melt, stir the sugar around to prevent burning. When it is all melted, allow to caramelize for just a few seconds, then add the cherry juice. Stir until the hardened caramel completely dissolves, allow to cook down for 2-3 minutes until syrupy but NOT burnt. Watch it close! Once it has reduced to half, add the merlot and cook down for around 5 minutes, stirring often. When the bubble begin to get foamy, you know you are close. Stir vigorously and pay close attention to the consistency and smell. If you smell burning, it is usually already too late and you need to start over. You want the reduction to be syrupy, and you should get about 1/3 of a cup of reduction from this recipe.


Shallot Garlic Bellavitano Cream Sauce
2-3 shallots, minced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh basil
1 tbsp minced fresh italian parsley
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 lb Bellavitano Raspberry cheese (or your favorite stinky cheese!)
1 cup whole milk (we dont keep milk on hand, so I used 1/3 cup dry milk mix and 1 cup of water)
salt, to taste (I like to use Spike instead of salt)
fresh black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup white wine

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Saute the shallots and garlic in oil until they just start to get some color (about 1 minute). Add the flour, the mix should be a paste. Stir often, cook for 3 minutes or so, until the flour is golden brown and the mixture takes on a buttery popcorn scent. Be careful not to burn! Add the milk, stir well until the flour paste (it is a rue) is dissolved in the milk. Cook about 3 minutes, or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the cheese, and more water if the sauce if too thick. Cook until cheese is melted and mixture begins to foam again. Add salt, pepper, basil, and parsley, cook another minute. Reduce heat slightly, add the wine. Allow to cook down until a thick, creamy sauce forms. If it is taking a long tome to reduce, add some corn starch or arrowroot to thicken it up. This recipe makes more than needed for the tart, so you'll have extra sauce for pasta or pizza!


Tart fixin's
1/2 lbs fresh figs
2 oz Bellavitano Raspberry cheese, shredded
2 tbsp fresh italian parsley
1 large sweet onion, caramelized (saute slow and low with 3-4 tbsp of butter until brown and soft)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
egg whites for brushing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out your tart dough on a floured surface. Lay into a greased pie dish, ensuring there is enough dough to go up the sides (you will be folding these sides down over the tart in the final step). Brush the dough with egg whites. Add about 1/2 cup of the cream sauce (you want enough to cover the bottom generously, but not so much it will make it soggy). Sprinkle the parsley and cheese on top of the sauce. Sprinkle the almonds next. Layer a generous amount of the onions. Slice the figs in thirds, lengthwise, and arrange on top with the seeded center facing up. Fold the sides of the crust over the tart and brush with egg whites. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tart crust is golden brown. Allow to cool, then drizzle the reduction on top. NOM. NOM I SAY!

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese icing

Modified from the recipe here.

Now, something about lifelong vegans, or those who have been doing it for a while, is they have developed a taste for tofutti products. I can't stand them. The texture is great, but the aftertaste is unbearable and very prominent. Usually, if a recipe calls for tofutti, I either sub it out through extra soy milk and thickener, don't use it at all, or say 'fuck it' to making the dish vegan and use real cream cheese instead. I seriously cannot stand the stuff.

I was determined to make it work in this recipe. Besides, I figured that if I couldn't make it work, I would toss the cream cheese icing and make a plain white one instead!

I am very happy to report that I was able to reduce the nasty aftertaste so significantly, if no one told me it wasn't tofutti, I never would have known (though it still isn't *quite* as good as Philadelphia cream cheese-- it tastes like it might have been made with a cheap store brand, which never tastes quite right either)

Now, here is the trick. Pay attention in case you need to adjust! I didn't measure too well as I messed with it, so the measurements for the icing are very approximate. The three key things that get rid of the aftertaste are the salt, the extracts, and the lemon juice. Be VERY careful with the almond extract, as it is very strong-- stronger than the vanilla-- and a tiny bit goes a long way. Add the amount in the recipe first, then add more at a rate of 2 drops at a time. Go really easy. Add more vanilla at about 1/4 tsp at a time, starting with the amount called for in the recipe. Add more lemon juice at a rate of about 1 tsp at a time, starting with the amount called for. Add the salt just a couple dashes at a time. You will find the icing will take quite a bit without tasting salty, but still be careful! Over-salting anything will ruin the entire batch.

2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Fold in:
2 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer

Sweet Cinna-Nut Swirl
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 cup vegan butter - melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
dash of cayenne (less than 1/4 tsp)

Vegan Cream Cheese Icing

6 ounces tofu cream cheese
1/3 cup vegan butter – softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil or vegan shortening
1/3 cup vegan sour cream
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp soy milk or soy creamer
2 tsp real vanilla extract
1 tsp real almond extract
3 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp dark grade agave syrup
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice (to taste)
pinch of salt (or to taste)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350, grease one 8" or 9" round cake or square cake pan (be sure it is a deep pan, at least 3" deep!).

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together both sugars, soy milk, water, vegetable oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Fold the wet ingredients in with the dry. Fold in the egg replacer. 

Make the cinna-nut swirl by mixing all the ingredients together in a separate bowl.


Pour batter into cake tin. Swirl equal amounts of the cinna-swirl mix into the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes - or until edges start to lightly brown.

Make the icing while the cinnamon rolls bake. Whisk all the ingredients together, adding the powdered sugar last, and very slowly.  Adjust the lemon juice, extracts, and salt as needed to get rid of the tofutti aftertaste. 


Allow cinnamon rolls to cool, slice like a cake, and drizzle the icing on top.


Makes 6 big rolls, or 8 more reasonable sized ones.

100% whole grain multigrain pancakes

1/2 cup multigrain oats (NOT steelcut)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups 10 grain cereal mix from Winco (or any multigrain hot cereal mix with 100% whole grains)
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
8 tbsp powdered buttermilk*

2 cups water (or liquid buttermilk, exclude powdered if using liquid)*
1/2 cup soy milk or your favorite cow's milk
2 whole eggs*
2 egg whites*
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

2-4 ripe bananas
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
or
2 11oz boxes of blueberries
(I made half the batch with blueberries, half with banana and nuts)

Mix dry ingredients, set aside. Whip together wet ingredients until eggs are beaten. Mix the wet and dry together. Fold in fruit. Cook on a 385 degree electric griddle for blueberry, or 340 degrees for banana.



*If you want to make this recipe vegan, substitute the water and powdered buttermilk with two cups of SOY milk (need soy!) and 2 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar. Add this with the wet ingredients. Substitute the eggs with an egg replacer (easily found at all health food stores or online), following instructions on the box for proper proportions. Also add this with the wet ingredients. :)

M Monster's savory vegan tofu pot pie

    Olive oil for sauteeing (about 2 tbsp)
    1 large onion, diced
    1 teaspoon black pepper
    1 cup cubed carrots
    3 cups cubed potatoes
    1 cup thinly sliced celery
    1 tbsp Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute
    1 tsp black pepper
    1 teaspoon thyme
    2 tsp Emeril Essence (sub 1/2 tsp seasoned salt and 1 tsp paprika if you can't handle a little heat!)
    4 cloves fresh garlic, minced     
    1lb firm tofu, diced
    1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
    1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
    4 tablespoon unbleached flour
    1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (or sub reg flour)
    1 tsp yellow or green curry paste
    2 tsp vegetable Better than Bullion, or 2 vegetable bullion cubes    
    1 12 oz bottle of beer, something better than shwag! (I used Blue Moon)
    1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
    1 1/2 cups soy milk    
    1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
    1/2 tsp black pepper
    2 sheets pre rolled puff pastry frozen


Sautee onions for about 2 minutes in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 


Add carrots and cook for an additional 3 minutes, turning occasionally to brown sides.

Add potatoes and cook 3 more minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add celery, 21 seasoning, 1 tsp black pepper, thyme, and Emeril Essence. Give it a good stir!

Add peas, corn, tofu, and garlic and allow to cook while you make the sauce.

In separate bowl, whisk together flour, arrowroot, bullion, soy milk, vinegar, tamari, beer, and pepper. Mix sauce in with veggies.

Cook down until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. If sauce isn't thick enough, add some cornstarch. You want it at the consistency of a brown gravy. 


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out pastry so it is about 2 inches wider and longer than the pan you will use. You can use ceramic corning ware to make individual pies too! I used two loaf pans and a pie pan.

Spray pans generously with nonstick spray, then line the bottom of pan(s) with pastry. Be sure the crust is around 1/4 inch thick on the bottom and all sides, so the good stuff doesn't leak out! Poke holes in bottom crust with fork and spray the top with nonstick spray. Bake bottom crust for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cover with veggie mix.  Lay the other sheet over top and tuck edges. This layer should be a bit thinner than the bottom one. A bit less than a 1/4 inch is a good size. Poke holes in crust and spray the top with nonstick spray. Bake for 30 min or until brown.


Unless you are feeding an army, there WILL be leftovers! Plenty to divvy up into individual containers and freeze for homemade frozen dinners! :) 

LG's Super Duper Zucchini Bread!

(large recipe, cut in half if you dont want extra to freeze!)

6 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
5 tsp baking powder
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cloves
2 tsp salt

2 cups zucchini, unpeeled, grated
2 cups carrot, grated
1 1/2 cup raisins (I recommend golden or a medley)
1 cup multigrain oats
2 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Beat the first 5 ingredients together. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and spices. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, taking care not to overmix. Fold in the veggies, nuts, oats, and raisins. Pour into 3 loaf pans (9"x5"). Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.