Showing posts with label vegan soy free cheese. Show all posts

Day 40: New England Ratatouille

The first year my husband had Christmas with my family was a bit different for him. At his house they would all run down and open presents early in the morning. My family has a rule of one present an hour so that Christmas would last throughout the day. Matthew's family acts out the nativity on Christmas eve; we watch how the Grinch stole Christmas. Matthew has hamburgers, chips and salsa; we have New England clam chowder.

My grandmother's New England clam chowder is legendary! And after Matthew's first Christmas with my family it was legendary for more than one reason. My mom made a huge batch. She started early in the morning so it could all meld together. By the evening, when it was time for dinner, there was a thick layer of foam on top of the soup. Mom insisted it was just the cream separating and stirred it all in. (Does this explain why I make alcoholic cheese?) Everyone had a bowl, overlooking the slight carbonation. The next day we were all sick. Puking on Christmas is no fun! We traced it to what we believe was a bad batch of clams. Thank goodness there are no clams in this recipe (another great plus of going vegan).

Now, there are two kinds of clam chowder: New England and Manhattan. New England clam chowder is a cream based and is what most people think of when they think clam chowder. Manhattan clam chowder is a tomato based soup. Leave it to those Manhattians...always have to be different.

The ratatouille that I've already posted is of the Manhattan variety so to speak, even though it originated in France....am I confusing you? This ratatouille has a creamy base, thus the New England part. This recipe has nothing to do with clams so we should be safe.

New England Ratatouille

Basic ratatouille recipe
(don't you just love leftovers!)

Dilute the cheese sauce with a little water then add to the Ratatouille. Let simmer and serve. I like a baguette cut on the angel and toasted with this. This is such comfort food its a shame its healthy.
new england ratatouille ratatouille vegan soy free cheese
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Day 27: Mushroom & Spinach Crepes

We had crepes a lot as kids, filled will all sorts of goodies. I remember making them at a booth for "french day" at our school. I looked so cool up there with my baray on, flipping these scrumptious delicacies. I'm sure the rest of the 8th graders thought I was cool too.

When I think of crepes, I think of thanksgiving. Every year we made crepes and stuffed them with leftovers from Thanksgiving and ate crepes till just before Christmas (the recipe will follow). This seems fitting since I am so thankful for them! But, back in those days we made the full fat crepes: cream, eggs, everything. Boy were they good.....but boy were they bad!


After searching the web I have found MANY variations, all of which had ingredients that I can't get on my little rock. Finally I discovered this one.....it even uses coconut milk.....now that I have! Like regular crepes, the technique takes a little getting used to. For these I found it best not to flip with the spatula but to loosen the crepe from the pan and show off your mad cooking skills by flipping it in the pan with a flip of the wrist. You can do it! It takes a little practice but you'll look like a pro!


As for taste I give this recipe pretty high marks. They're as good as I remember them!


Vegan Crepes
1 c flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c "milk"
3/4 c water
3 tb coconut milk
3 tb sugar


Filling
1 pkg mushrooms
1/2 onion chopped
vegan cheese
fresh spinach
vegetable broth

Blend everything for the batter in a food processor or whisk in a bowl. Let sit for about 30 minutes! This is key! Pour and swirl in the pan to coat the bottom several times to fill in all the bubble holes. Let cook till the edges are browning. Loosen the edges and bottom with a rubber spatula. Now flip it....flip it good.


In a pan, saute the onion and shrooms. Fill your crepe with the shrooms and a handfull of fresh spinach. In a sauce pan melt the cheese and make it creamy with the vegetable broth. Pour over the crepe and serve.
coconut milk mushroom spinach vegan crepes mushrooms
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Day 25: Swedish Meatballs

My husband and I always joke about how when people go vegan, the first thing they do is rush to find a way to "make meat" or cheese, all the things they want to give up. Kind of like how people spend thousands of dollars on the finest woods and stone in their homes to mimic the outdoors. If ya like it that much then go outside. But when it comes to being vegan, we realize the health benefits out weigh our cravings. But for us, this substitute was a must.

My husband spent two years in Sweden serving an LDS mission. While there he had Swedish meatballs....a lot! He likes them so much we had them at our wedding reception. So, it was obvious his beloved meatballs were not something he was willing to give up. Thus, I had to come up with this recipe, pronto.


Swedish "Meat"balls
vegan "meat"
oil
vegan cheese
vegetable broth
2-3 red potatoes per person
lingonberry sauce or cranberry sauce


Roll your "meat" into meatballs and saute in oil in a pan till they are golden brown. Boil the red potatoes. Thin down your cheese with vegetable broth till it's a gravy consistence. Serve the sauce over the meatballs and potatos with a side of cranberry sauce. This dish must be eaten continental style. It just tastes better that way. Like how Chinese food MUST be eaten with chopsticks!. Try a bite of the meatball, potato, and cranberry sauce all at once....that's what I'm talkin bout!
cranberry sauce lingonberry sauce vegan soy free cheese
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Day 19: Spicy Mac & Cheese

I have four adorable nieces! They are the cutest quartet of little girls - hands down. They all have such distinct personalities and they come up with funny stuff on a daily basis. My brother, who spent two years in South Korea on a LDS mission insisted that one of their first solid foods was Kimchee. When I first heard this I thought it was child abuse. Giving a little kid something that spicy; but, I find that I have to eat my words. All of them have loved it and they are some of the best eaters I've ever seen. They aren't picky at all and even enjoy other spicy foods.

Momma's "Little" Helper

When my brother came home from Korea he introduced us to "power lunch." Apparently this was a staple in his diet. His recipe consisted of boxed mac & cheese (or what we refer to as yellow death), mayo, hot dogs, and Korean red pepper paste...a real authentic Korean dish. Honestly, the taste wasn't too bad but I could feel my arteries clogging with every bite.

This recipe replaces all the fat and oils with protien and grains. Korean red pepper paste is really quite good for you. It's great for your heart and blood flow. So, here is a healthy alternative to hot dogs and yellow death.


Spicy Mac & Cheese

1 box pasta (I like shell noodles but to each his own)
vegan cheese
veganaise
Korean Red Pepper Paste

Cook and drain your pasta. Stir in your vegan cheese, a spoonful of veganaise and a little red pepper paste. Add the red pepper paste gradually, you wont need very much, this stuff packs a punch! For a gourmet flair, sprinkle with bread crumbs and put under the broiler till the breadcrumbs are toasted.
korean red pepper paste spicy vegan mac and cheese vegan soy free cheese
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Special: Vegan Soy Free Cheese Updated

Alright carnivore, stop right there - move along - there is nothing to see here. Just go back to your happy little life with your cheese and your sour cream and pretend that everything is okay...keep moving. This post is for vegans ONLY! Ya, it's a private club. Now beat it.

If you're vegan you understand. Vegan cheese is an "acquired" taste. If you're not committed, don't even try. I've heard that there are some great new vegan cheeses that have come on the market back in the states but being out here in never never land with the lost boys I haven't had the pleasure of experimenting for myself. As for now, I am stuck with what the local corner market can supply; but, after much research I've developed something that seems to work. In my research I have come across two types of cheese -
1. tofu/soy
2. non tofu/soy (usually made with nutritional yeast and cornstarch)
I try to avoid soy whenever possible.....hormonal reasons, don't ask........I said don't ask alright? sheesh....Anyway, since soy is not an option we had to try something else.

Well, I tried the cornstarch variety and while it tasted ok my brain couldn't quite swallow it. So, mine is more of a rice cheese.

Now, this is not my first attempt at cheese making. When Matthew and I were first married we were gifted some Kefir grains. We Loved Kefir....that is until I neglected the poor dears and we got a sour batch. Well, not wanting it to go to waste, I came up with the brilliant idea of making cheese out of it. I researched it online and found I was well on my way to a perfectly delight cheesy substance. I watched it like a hawk for days, if only I had given it this kind of attention when the grains were still good. Finally, I summoned Matthew into the kitchen to try my first of what I hoped to be many batches of Kefir cheese. I sliced off a delicate morsel of a ball that was the consistency of soft cream cheese. We both took a bite and realized.....I had made alcoholic cheese. It fizzled like rootbeer and smelled like a drunk on new years eve. Okay, so not my best.

So Kefir didn't work, that's alright. I then got into sprouting and heard that you could make cheese out of rejuvilac left over from soaking wheat. Now what could go wrong with wheat? It's not alive...so to speak, no way to kill it. This one was sure to work. After several days of anticipation I called Matthew into the kitchen again to taste my new cheese. I guess the memory of the last experience was still a little too fresh in his mind, or maybe it was the mold that was growing on the outside of the cheese; whatever, it was, I was able to convince him that mold was part of the cheese making process....like blue cheese, this was just a sign of my success. Unfortunately, he wouldn't agree to be the guinea pig this time so we agreed to try it together. We then concluded that no, this was not the right kind of mold.

As I'm re-reading this I realize this is not the best intro to get you to try my vegan cheese but look at it this way, with all this experience behind me I now know what NOT to do. That's got to count for something. So, try it if you dare. I tried it on the vegan pizza for an upcoming post and it is heavenly! So, if nothing else, try it on the pizza.


Vegan Cheese
1/4 c cashews
2 potatoes
4-5 carrots
1 onion
1-2 c celery
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C nurtitional yeast
1 c water


In a pressure cooker cook potatoes, carrots, celery, water, and onion  for 10 minutes. When finished add all the ingredients to a blender to make it creamy. Use while its hot. You can also use it cold as a cheese spread.

Add ins: for nacho cheese add bottled salsa and a hit of Tabasco
or, add broccoli and vegetable stock and serve over potatoes
brown rice cashews cheese sauce
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