My Favorite Mac and Cheese {By Request}

Mac and Cheese is considered ultimate comfort food...right along with pizza and chicken noodle soup. It's hard to find a really GOOD vegan Mac and Cheese. The sauces are either too cashewy, too lemony, too pimiento-y, or too yeasty (in my opinion) ;-) I asked a friend of mine if she had a good one to share. When I tried it, I loved it. My husband loved it...and my children really didn't. But they like it now! 

I must admit, this isn't an original recipe. I wish it was, but it's been circulating for years. Jim and Neva Brackett developed this recipe and published it in their cookbook, 7 Secrets {a great resource, by the way!}.

We enjoy this dish two ways: just as pictured, or dressed up a little bit with a nice "buttered" breadcrumb top.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned coconut milk

1/2 cup cashews

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup pimientos

1 T lemon juice

Scant 1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp dried or granulated onion

2 1/4 cups water

1 lb. desired pasta (shells, tubes, or elbows work well)

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Remove from heat and drain.  Meanwhile, begin cheese sauce. 

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until very, very smooth. If you have a blender other than a VitaMix or BlendTech (sp), you may want to blend the ingredients with only half of the water, adding the rest as it becomes more smooth. With conventional blenders, you will need to blend the mixture for about 5 minutes or so until the cashew pieces are completely pulverized! 

Pour cheese sauce into a large sauce pan and, stirring frequently, bring to a low boil until it begins to thicken. Pour sauce over noodles and stir to combine. Serve immediately, or cover with seasoned bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees until bread crumbs turn a lovely brown. 

We enjoy this dish with steamed fresh broccoli and a protein such as veggie hot dogs or burgers.

Freezing Flavor

There was a 5-page spread in my most recent Vegetarian Times (July/August 2012) on tips and technique for using ice cube trays to preserve summer's flavors for use in the winter months. This is not a new idea for many of you, I'm sure, but I find it fascinating. There are so many things that you could freeze for later: soup/broth cubes, herbs, vegetable purees, juices, etc.  I have a long planter box filled with basil on my patio, and I've been concerned that I wouldn't be able to use all of it before it goes to seed. Now, with this tutorial, I can make pesto and freeze it; I can chop fresh basil and freeze it in water for that extra flavor kick that fresh basil gives to sauces and soups. It's a great concept. 

In three easy steps, they outline how to preserve your liquid contents:

1. Fill the trays or molds so that the liquid comes just under the lip of the tray, as freezing liquids expand and you'll want to avoid spillage. 

2. Cover trays with plastic wrap and freeze until solid. 

3. Transfer frozen cubes to freezer bags and label for long term storage. Frozen flavor cubes are best served within 6 months. 

Besides regular ice cube trays, the magazine recommends using silicone trays, muffin pans, or clean yogurt cups. I used baby food ice cube trays to freeze leftover smoothie from last night's dinner. When I made breakfast today, I popped a few cubes in my kids bowls of oatmeal. Instant coolant with flavor additive! Plus it was an easy way to get their serving of fruit this morning. 

Just a tip I thought I'd pass on if you hadn't already considered it. :0)

Omega III

"If you don't eat fish, how do you get enough omega-3 in your diet?" "Do you get enough protein?" Two questions I've heard often repeated when people find out I'm vegetarian. The answer to both is: There are plenty of plant-based means for including good fatty acids (known as omega-3s) and protein in your diet. Walnuts, avocado, flax, hemp, olive oil, green leafy veggies, soybeans, and pumpkin seeds are some of the most common sources. You can take vegetarian supplements, but I have a really hard time swallowing those gigantic pills.

So why the big fuss over omega-3? WebMD offers an explanation...

"The benefits of omega-3s include reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke while helping to reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), joint pain and other rheumatoid problems, as well as certain skin ailments. Some research has even shown that omega-3s can boost the immune system and help protect us from an array of illnesses including Alzheimer's disease. Just how do omega-3s perform so many health "miracles" in people? One way, experts say, is by encouraging the production of body chemicals that help control inflammation -- in the joints, the bloodstream, and the tissues." Read the whole article here. 

Pretty important stuff, right?

In our house we like to include a sprinkling of flax seed or ground flax in just about everything from smoothies to cookies. (Flax is an excellent replacer for eggs in baking!) I recently found an easier way of ingesting our daily dosage of omega-3....Smooth, creamy, and delicious! 

Kinda spendy, but totally worth it! One tablespoon has 93% of your daily allowance for omega-3 (1,490 mg). And, it tastes awesome...We chose the pomegranate/blueberry variety of Barleans brand flax oil.  They also have cinnamon, lemonade, banana/strawberry flavors and of course, plain ol' plain. 

Hey now, there's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy improving your health! :0) So, whether it's munching on a handful of walnuts, grinding flax seed between your teeth, savoring luciously smooth flax oil, or eating a hearty green salad, make a mental note to daily add more omega-3 to your diet!

Truly Vegan Cheese?

I visited our local Whole Foods Market yesterday for two items...Came home with more than I bargained for. I wasn't even hungry while I was shopping! It's just that I saw this great deal on Kidz Clif Bars for Gracie's lunches, and I simply HAD to get some more rye and barley flakes for our hot cereal in the morning...There was the vegetarian beef and chicken flavored broth mix, and finally in the cheese department, this: Monterey Jack Vegan Gourmet Cheese by Follow Your Heart. Usually if a cheese claims to be vegan, it still has casein or whey protein in it. I perused the ingredients ~ WHOA! Completely vegan cheese alternative. Into the cart it went...

So, my impression? While not tasting like traditional cheese (I've yet to find a cheese alternative that actually does), it'll do in a pinch. It has a unique texture due to its tofu base, very moist. It shreds well as you can see from the photo, but I found that it didn't melt when I combined it with vegetables for the Mini Spinach/Broccoli Tarts I made for lunch today. It did add a nice saltiness though, without being overpowering.

Nutritionally, it's lo-cal with 70 calories per 1 oz. serving. There are 7 g. of fat, 0 cholesterol, 150 mg of sodium, 2 g. carbs, and 1 g. protein. That's in comparison with normal Monterey Jack cheese...105 calories per 1 oz., 8.5 g. fat, 240 mg sodium, and 6.5 g. protein. Don't mean to confuse you with a host of numbers and data, but I had to be fair, right? That's the important stuff.

So, here is how I made the tarts ~

12 small wonton wrappers

two medium broccoli florets, chopped (Just two pieces of the broccoli stalk)

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 large handfuls of fresh spinach

1 oz. Shredded Vegan Gourmet Monterey Jack cheese

4 fresh basil leaves, julienned (rolled and cut in ribbons)

dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

granulated garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 6-tin muffin pan with food spray. Place two wonton wrappers in each cup, gently pressing down into the base and overlapping the edge of the tin to give a nice tart shape. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lovely golden brown on the edges.

For the filling:

Saute diced onion in a small amount of olive oil. When slightly clarified, add chopped broccoli. Cook until broccoli is crisp tender (maybe 1 1/2 minutes); add handfuls of spinach. Gently toss to combine until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and add a few sprinkles of dried oregano, a sprinkle of granulated garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Mix in basil and shredded cheese.

Fill your tartlets with about 2 Tb. of vegetable mixture and put back into oven to heat ingredients all the way through, maybe 5 minutes or so. Remove and allow to cool slightly before enjoying. You'll notice that the bottom of the wonton skin does not stay very crunchy, due to the vegetable juices escaping. But, you could bake them a little longer before filling if you'd like a little more crunch.

Serving size? Probably three....But I ate all six. They were that good! And small, too....Just sayin'.

Vege Resource

After the holiday season and all the traveling accompanied with it, I am finally updating my blog! I've been experimenting with new recipes lately and you can be expecting some new additions to be posted soon, but for now, I'll share one of my favorite resources for vegetarian/vegan cooking with you.

My dear aunt Carol recently got me a gift subscription to Vegetarian Times, a great publication for anyone who needs inspiration for tasty vegetarian, vegan or even gluten free recipes. As soon as I receive my monthly issue, I sit down and devour it.

One of the recipes featured this month sounded really good, and I am definitely going to try it: Mushroom and Wild Rice Hotdish.

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice and brown rice blend

1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 med. onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 large stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 cup creamy portobello mushroom soup, such as Imagine

2 Tb. lemon juice

6 oz. Quorn Chik'n Tenders

1/3 cup vegan sour cream (Tofutti)

2 Tb. panko breadcrumbs

Instructions:

Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in rice, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30-40 minutes or until rice is tender. (You could eliminate this step if you have a rice cooker - just cook as normal in a rice cooker). Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until onion is soft. Add mushrooms and lemon zest. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and beginning to brown. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Stir in mushroom soup and lemon juice. Remove from heat and stir in Chik'n Tenders, rice and sour cream. Spoon into 8-in. square baking dish and top with breadcrumbs. Preheat oven to 375. Place casserole on baking sheet. Bake 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown on top and bubbly in the center.

Serves 6