We Can't Say It's Cheese...Helper

We Can't Say It's Cheese... Helper

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 to 4 garlic bulbs (to taste), diced
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp (or more, to taste) chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 package Boca brand, or other, vegan soy crumbles thawed if frozen 
• 1 to 2 cups fresh or frozen peas (optional)
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 container of Wayfare "We Can't Say It's Cheese" Cheddar Spread
• 1 box of pasta, (elbow or bowtie work well as gooey cheese receptacles)

Put pasta pot full of water on to boil. Cook pasta per instructions on packaging. Drain and add to large serving bowl.

Dice onion and desired amount of garlic bulbs. Heat frying pan on medium high and add a small amount of oil or vegetable stock. When pan is hot, add onions and garlic and saute until onions are browned. Add spices and stir until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Reduce heat, add soy crumbles, vegetable stock, and peas (if frozen, microwave peas until tender, then add to mixture) stirring occasionally until warmed through.

Microwave "cheese" spread, stirring, until nice and goey.

Combine ALL ingredients in large serving bowl and mix well until incorporated. Serve immediately while hot!

NOTES: 
If at any time you need more liquid  to get that ooey-gooey cheesey sauce, add vegetable stock, plain soy milk or pasta cooking water. I added approx 1 cup of hot pasta water to cut the thickness of the cheese (HA!). Add in small amount so you don't end up with a running mess! 


If you don't have all of the spices, just wing it with what you have. There's already a lot of flavor from the cheese so you can get away with less or none. You can also add more to taste - I always add more garlic to every recipe per my fear of vampires.

I microwaved the mock cheese twice at 30 seconds each, stirring between heating times.

Try adding a small amount of each group - pasta, crumbles and cheese; combining fully and then adding more. I mixed my batch in thirds for complete cheesy goo coating. 


SJM and I were both big fans of the Wayfare Cheddar Spread used in this recipe. It was good, olde tyme comfort food. While not particularly healthy - it is a good "sometimes treat" which I plan to make this Fall and Winter.

Product Review #1: Bac'Un Bits, Parmela Cheese Sub, Kool Ranch Kale Chips

Frontier Natural Products Co-op Bac'Uns Vegetarian Bits (Vegan, Kosher)

As my friend Alison and I would say in delight: "Peegs in sheet! Peegs in sheet!"(Apparently 99% of all New Yorkers think everyone who grew up in Iowa had a pig as a pet. But I digress...)These little crunchy crumblers are delicious - SJM and I have been mad pouring them on our "too hot to cook" salads like pork starved olde tyme miner 49-ers. The great thing about these pork-less bacons is you don't have to worry you are eating human flesh by proxy (Yes, I take "Deadwood VERY seriously), or eating some poor, little Iowa farm girl's one and only piggie friend. I will be keeping my fridge stocked with these babies!

http://www.frontiercoop.com/

Parmela - Grated Parmesan Cheese Replacer


If it smells like Parmesan, and it tastes like Parmesan - it must be...raw nuts, fermented soybeans, nutritional yeast, soy sauce and lactic acid! Okay, it doesn't look like dairy Parmesan - however, it is by far the best cheese replacer I have ever tried. Excellent in pesto or atop pasta - especially good to serve omnis who are terrified of "fake" cheese.

http://parmelafoods.com/Home.html

Rhythm SuperFoods - Kale Chips - Kool Ranch

My journalistic integrity (I don't have any) may have been compromised with this product. I sort of turn into a twine-ball- making-Depression-era grandma in regards to Kale chips. "Why would you buy them when you can make them fresh yourself?"  However, since they were on sale I bought a bag to try. I hated them and may have likened them to looking and tasting like ear wax. To be fair, I called in SJM for a second opinion. He thought they were "okay". He then looked at the package and said: "You don't like ranch.". Oh, yeah. I hate ranch flavor, although I do not think these tasted particularly like ranch flavor. SJM and I both agreed that these chips leave a slightly unpleasant coating in your mouth best described by SJM as: "How your mouth feels after eating French's onion pieces". I described it as "a lardy after-taste". SJM also said he wished they weren't such teeny-tiny crumbs. (The package may have gotten smashed in my bag.)  Like your granny, I still think my homemade are better (SJM agrees).

http://rhythmsuperfoods.elsstore.com/

What to Bring to the Cookout: Vegan Diner: Garlic-Dill Potato Salad

This recipe can be found in the ultimate vegan comfort food  cookbook Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson. Steve Legato contributed photos that make you want to try and make every recipe immediately.

Garlic-Dill Potato Salad

(makes 4 servings)

• 2 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 cup Garlic Mayo (recipe follows)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 2 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, add potatoes and cook until just tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and let sit until cool enough to handle. Dice into large chunks.
   In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, fresh dill, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the diced potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat with the mayonnaise mixture. Give the potato salad a few good stirs, as it helps the salad become thick and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   Serve the potato salad right away, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Homemade Garlic Mayo
(Makes about 2 cups)

• 1 (12.3-ounce) package extra-firm silken tofu, preferably the Mori-Nu brand
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

In a food processor or blender, combine the tofu, olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Puree tofu mixture until ultra smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl or blender as necessary. Make sure that there aren't any little bits of unblended tofu.
   Taste the mayonnaise, and adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for an hour, if possible, to let the flavors meld before using.

I made this recipe for a small, intimate weenie roast and it seemed to please both the omnis and the vegans. We also had...

 Broccoli slaw topped with crunchy chow mein noodles made by Big D (back left), baked beans, Kettle Chips - lightly salt and salt and pepper flavors, and garlicky chip dip.

Fixin's for Chicago style hot dogs! Mustard, onion, relish, tomato, pickle spear, celery salt, and pepperocinis. The blasphemous natural ketchup is mine. I know, I know, it's a sin to put ketchup on a hot dog. I'm a sinner!

I asked Chickie Jay to write down the meal stuffed into a bun known as the Chicago style dog. Who can remember all that? I kept referring to this list as reference material like a chump.

 
In addition to vegan hot dogs we also served Field Roast Sausages - Smoked Apple Sage. HO-LEE K-RAP these are good eatin'! If you are very careful you can slide them up a roasting stick (the long way) and warm them over a cracklin' campfire.
http://www.fieldroast.com/products/food-service/field-roast-sausages/

Recipe Review: BIG VEGAN: Three-Nut "Cheese" Quesadillas with Fresh Mango Salsa

Recipe from the BIG VEGAN cookbook by Robin Asbell - more than 350 recipes No Meat/No Dairy ALL DELICIOUS.

Three-Nut "Cheese" Quesadillas with Fresh Mango Salsa

Nut "Cheese"

• 1/3 cup/40 g macadamia nuts
• 1/3 cup/40 g raw cashews
• 1/3 cup/40 g slivered/flaked almonds
• 1 acidophilus capsule (make sure it is dairy free)
• 1 tbsp cold-press corn oil
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Salsa 

• 1 large mango, diced
• 1 large jalapeno, chopped
• 3 tbsp chopped red onion
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint or cilantro/fresh coriander
•  1/4 tsp salt

• 2 scallions/spring onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup/7 g cilantro/fresh coriander
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• Eight 6-in/15-cm whole wheat/wholemeal tortillas 

1. To Make the Nut "Cheese": Put the nuts in a bowl, cover them with cold water, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the nuts, then puree them with 1/2 cup/120 ml fresh water in a blender or food processor. It make take some scraping down and repeating to get it smooth. Add the contents of the acidophilus capsule and puree to mix. Transfer the mixture to a glass or ceramic bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap/cling film, and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. It should form some bubbles and smell cheese-like.

2. The next day, stir in the oil, lemon juice, and salt, then refrigerate.


3. To Make The Salsa: Put the mango in a medium bowl and add the jalapeno, onion, lime juice, mint, and salt. Toss to mix and refrigerate until needed.

4. When the nut "cheese" is cold, mix in the scallions/spring onions, cilantro/fresh coriander, and chili powder. Divide the mixture among four of the tortillas and top them with the remaining tortillas.

5. To cook, preheat a large cast-iron frying pan on high heat. When it is hot, put one quesadilla in the pan, and cook it for about 2 minutes per side, until it is dappled with brown spots and the "cheese" is heated through. Transfer it to a cutting board and slice the quesadilla into six wedges. Repeat with the other quesadillas. Serve hot with the mango salsa.

Notes: YUMMY! I really enjoyed making my own cheese for this dish. Making food from scratch and knowing exactly what is going into my food is becoming increasingly important to me. Having complete quality control makes me feel good about what I make and serve. This was a fun and tasty meal - the mango salsa was a really fresh taste explosion! The quesadillas were good ole fashioned, messy fun-to-eat. Having yeasty nuts brewing made me feel especially fancy and pro-style! Also, saying nut-cheese is just juvenile giggle time!