Cheese please!

Or should I say "cheeze pleaze"?  Spell it however you want, what I'm talking about here is vegan cheese alternatives.  There's not a huge variety of flavors that can be bought at the store, mostly mozzarella style or cheddar style.  Here's my take on the most popular and readily available brands:

Daiya cheese, mozzarella or cheddar, comes shredded in 8-oz. baggies.  A nice thing about their cheese is that it contains no soy or gluten products.  It melts easily and is amazingly yummy on pizza, pasta bakes, nachos, veggie burgers, etc.  It's not very good cold.  This is the most expensive brand at about $5 a bag.

Follow Your Heart, the awe-inspiring creators of Vegenaise (vegan mayo, so much better than the animal-product-laden version), also make mozzarella, cheddar, Monterrey jack, and nacho cheeses.  These are gluten free but do contain soy.  They come in 10 oz. blocks and range from $3 to $4.  I like this cheese both cold and melted.  It doesn't melt quite as easily as Daiya, so be sure to put the oven on broil if you are using it on pizza.

Honestly, these are the only two brands I recommend.  Our local Hy-Vee also carries Vegan Rella which is mainly made of tapioca starch and rice flour.  It does NOT taste good cold and becomes liquid mush when heated.  Don't do it.

What's your favorite vegan cheese?

Next week: making your own vegan cheese

Simple Veggie Soup

Cold weather is here, and there's no better time to make a warming pot full of hearty vegetable soup.  Here's a quick and easy recipe for the soup I whipped up for lunch today,

Simple Veggie Soup

 Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 2-4 clothes garlic, minced
• 2-3 carrots, shredded
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• 1 large portobello mushroom, chopped
• 2 cans great norther beans, or any kind you prefer
• 4-6 cups water (depending on how brothy you want it)
• 1-2 vegetable boullion cubes
• 1 Tbsp miso paste (optional)
• Soy sauce to taste
• 1 cup of a whole grain, such as rice, millet, or quinoa

Directions:

1. Cook grain in rice cooker or pot, according to package directions.
2. In a large stock pot on medium-high heat, saute' the onions in a bit of olive oil, until translucent.
3. Add the garlic, saute' a few minutes more.
4. As you prepare the veggies, continue to add them to the pot.  Allow to cook down for as long as you desire, probably 10 minutes.
5. Add the water, vegetable boullion, and miso.  Cover with lid.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-20 mins.
6. Add soy sauce to taste.  
7. When serving, place grain in bowl with soup.  Enjoy!

Let's Talk: Tempeh

What is tempeh, you ask?  Only the bestest food ever.  But if you're looking for more objective info, tempeh (pronounced "tem-pay") is a fermented soybean cake.  There are many varieties, with added ingredients such as grains or seasonings.  Some common packaged tempeh you can find includes 3-grain tempeh with soybeans, barley, and brown rice.  Etc.  One serving, or half a package, has approximately 10g fiber and 20g protein!  WOW.  Not to mention that it is low in fat, high in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and others.  All for the economical price of $1.69 (Trader Joe's) to $2.99 (Whole Foods, Hy-Vee) each!  Note: TJ's three grain tempeh is NOT gluten free because one of the grains is barley.  The brand Whole Foods sells IS gluten free.

Try making tempeh sausage, tempeh bacon, chick'n salad, tunafree salad...

It's versatile and delicious!  Like tofu, tempeh has a mild flavor that pairs well with virtually any spices or sauces.  To cook, crumble a package of tempeh into a medium sized pot.  Add water just to cover the tempeh.  Place heat on medium-high and boil off all of the water.  This will take 10-20 minutes.  When the water is gone, add oil and spices of your choice.  Brown the tempeh, and serve.  Or you could add the plain boiled tempeh to a chick'n salad base of vegenaise, mustard, walnuts, carrots, raisins, celery, etc.  Go wild!

What's your favorite way to eat tempeh?

The Date

No, I'm not talking about a romantic outing.  I'm referring to the delicious and nutritious fruit, the date!  I never appreciated these delectable gems before veganism.  Now I realize how completely wonderful and versatile they are.  My favorite variety (there are several)  is the medjool date, known for being large, sweet, and succulent.  Yummy!  They are grown in the USA and the Middle East.  Dates contain lots of sugar, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin A, B6...  The list goes on!

You seriously need to be eating these.  They are too amazing to be strangers in your home.  The sad news is that you can't really get the medjool variety here in Kirksville...unless someone else knows a hidden source.  HyVee carries one or two varieties, but they are harder and less sweet.  We get our medjools from good ole Trader Joe's!  Some things are worth the trip, ya know?

Try Dates in...

• oatmeal
• smoothies
• cookies
• scones (I especially love the Banana Date Scones from Veganomicon)
• muffins
• HOMEMADE LARABARS!!

That's right.  I said homemade Larabars.  For anyone out there who may be in the dark, Larabars are simple and delicious vegan/gluten free/kosher/etc. snack bars.  They have few ingredients, usually two to seven.  Their basic ingredients are dates, some type of nuts, and dried fruit.

I found a nice online recipe here.  I made the cashew cookie dough variety with dates cashews, and chocolate chips.  These are TO DIE FOR!  They're incredibly easy to make and they save you a lot of money over the store bought version.  Try 'em out!

Chocolate.

I'm a chocoholic...openly...
My new quick-fix is making homemade chocolate frosting.  It's meant for cupcakes (obviously), but I've been eating it with fresh berries or by itself.  Yum!  It hits the spot.

Chocoholic Frosting

1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup nondairy milk (soy, almond, rice, hemp, coconut...etc)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Melt chocolate with milk for 15-30 seconds in the microwave, be careful not to overcook.  Mix all ingredients together and voila`!  It is more like a chocolate sauce when it is hot.  It thickens/stands up when refrigerated.

Vegan Dinner Par-tay

Tonight my husband and I were the hosts of a dinner party. Fun! We made a yummy and light summer meal for nonvegan friends. Nothing was missing. I made whole grain fettucine with homemade fresh pesto, rosemary carrots, and an herb salad with creamy garlic aioli dressing. Dessert was a decadent dark chocolate pie with berry sauce and rice dream vanilla ice cream...mmm...

Farmer's Market Pesto
YOU. MUST. MAKE. THIS. PESTO!!!!!!!!!!

1/2 cup sunflower nuts, roasted & unsalted
1 cup basil, fresh
1 cup lemon basil, fresh
1 cup thai basil, fresh
1/2 cup to 1 cup cilantro, fresh (optional, yet delicious)
juice of one fresh squeezed lemon
1/2 cup olive oil, add more if needed
salt to taste (around 2 teaspoons)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions: Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until pasty but not creamy.

---------------------------------

Rosemary Carrots

1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon rosemary

dash of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Put carrots in medium sized pot with broth and bring to a boil. Add other ingredients, cover pot and simmer for 20ish minutes until carrots are cooked through.

-------------------------------

Dark Chocolatey Pie

This is actually the Smlove Pie from Veganomicon.  I only used the basic recipe for the chocolate pie part, I did not add any of their toppings (peanut butter caramel sauce and chocolate sauce).  It is a pie with a silken tofu and baking chocolate base.  It is incredibly rich and decadent and, in my opinion, you cannot even tell there is tofu in it.  It has a graham cracker crust, so you could use any vegan store-bought one or veganize a recipe by using vegan butter and graham crackers.  Also, the pie filling is gluten free and the crust can be made that way by using GF grahams or subbing chopped nuts.

-------------------------------

Berrylicious Sauce

1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

1/4 cup agave nectar (or to taste)

Directions: Place all ingredients in a medium sized pot, setting aside 1/4 of each fruit for end. Simmer fruit w/ agave for about 20 mins. Blend half of the sauce and return to pot. Add the remaining fruit and cook 3-5 more minutes. Chill until use.

Sun-dried Tomato & Mushroom Risotto

Who doesn't love risotto? It's hearty, creamy, and Italian! It might take what seems like a lifetime of stirring, but the end result is worth every drop of sweat (eww, just not in the risotto pot, ok?). Try out this yummy combo...

Sun-dried Tomato & Mushroom Risotto

Makes 4 servings

6 cups vegetable broth (preferably unsalted, but if it is just don't add salt later)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely minced

mushrooms, thinly sliced (use whichever variety and amount you prefer, I used 8 oz baby bellas)

2-4 oz vac pack sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (could sub sun-dried tomatoes in oil)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon rosemary

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups arborio rice (do NOT sub any other type!!)

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan, then set to simmer on a back burner. In another large pot on medium-high heat, saute' the onion until translucent, then add the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, cook until the mushrooms are tender. Add the garlic, herbs & spices, and salt. Saute' for about 3 more mins.

Add the rice and incorporate it into the veggie mixture. Add one ladle of broth and, stirring often, simmer until the broth is absorbed. Continue this ladle by ladle, until you run out of broth. The rice should be tender and creamy and all of the broth should be absorbed. This should take 20-30 mins at medium-high heat.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups!!!!!

Ge the recipe here: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Finally, I can truly understand what all the rage is about, Alicia (Silverstone, that is). These treats from The Kind Diet are the perfect blend of sweet, salty, and bitter. It involves melting peanut butter with vegan butter, graham cracker crumbs, and a bit of sugar. Seperately, you melt nondairy chocolate with some nondairy milk. These are so easy to make! Basically you melt the stuff and then put it in muffin tins and let it set in the fridge for at least 2 hours. I will definitely be making these again. Nums! These could easily be made gluten free with gf cookie or graham crumbs. Too bad we already ate all of them... :(

Simple Salad & Rice Dinner

For a dinner in a hurry (like ours was last night), go for some simple tastes that don't take too long to whip up.

Coco-Veggie Brown Rice

First, I put a cup of brown rice in a pot (there are only two of us) and added 1 cup of low fat coconut milk and 1 1/4 cups of vegetable broth. The result is a semi-rich, flavorful rice that could complement almost any dish. Mmm.

Simple Summer Salad

Then I threw a fresh salad together from our farmer's market greens, adding one sliced avocado, one shredded carrot, some sesame seeds, sesame oil, and tamari. Toss it up and you've got a simple, fresh tasting delicious salad!