Creamy Vegan Pasta-- It does exist!!

I have been trying to make the perfect creamy vegan pasta sauce for years (literally). And I finally did it! Thanks to my new Vitamix professional blender and a newly discovered love of raw cashews, I have been experimenting with some recipes that are seriously blowing my mind. So creamy. So rich. I'm obsessed. (If you don't have a Vitamix... you could try using a food processor, but I do think a professional blender is pretty important in this recipe). I really love that this recipe can be made soy-free and gluten-free-- bonus!

A few friends asked me for this recipe after I posted this photo on Instagram (@kennydn), so here are some links to help you create this wonderful dish. 

I know, right? Looks soooo good. 

I didn't really follow one specific recipe for this one, but I was inspired by two different recipes that I've been playing around with recently. 

VegNews Vegan Macaroni and Cheese - OMG the best vegan mac n cheese EVER!!!  You boil some veggies like potatoes, carrots, onion, and shallots, then blend with cashews and spices to make an amazing cheezy sauce. I fed this to some non-vegans and they were blown away. Life changing. 

Oh She Glows Quick and Easy Vegan Alfredo - This is a really easy sauce to make, and I roughly followed this recipe for the pasta in the above photo. I modified it a bit by adding sauteed onion, garlic and shallot to the cashew mix, skipped the nutritional yeast, and made it spicy with some cayenne. I also used more almond milk than called for, which made it extra creamy. Oh and I put in a few chunks of Daiya vegan cheddar, because why not! Then we sauteed some red peppers, mushrooms, capers, and Gardein vegan chicken.  So freaking good, you guys!! 

Oh, and thanks to my friends on Instagram for inspiring me to post to this blog, which I've been neglecting for almost 2 years. Gracias, amigas! 

Veggie variety plates

I love to cook up lots of different veggies and grains.  To me, nothing is better than a well-rounded veggie filled dinner.  We usually include a Gardein vegan chicken patty too, because they're easy and delicious.  (Thank you, makers of Gardein, you rock).

Here are some recent examples:

Israeli couscous, raw kale and pickled red cabbage salad, Gardein patty

potatoes, kale, carrots, broccoli, brown rice, Gardein cutlet

Carrots, kale, green beans, mushrooms, mashed potatoes and Gardein cutlet

Vegan Holidays

My favorite thing about the holidays?  Planning amazing vegan feasts with my family.  Here's what we did for thanksgiving 2011.

Note about vegan turkey options: While Tofurkey brand can be a life-saver if your family isn't vegan-friendly, I love trying our different recipes for homemade vegan turkey.  Do it yourself!  In the past, I have made my own tofu-turkey but this year was all about seitan. I used this recipe for a vegan seitan turkey to make this Thanksgiving's main dish. 

Lots of stuffing with seitan beneath, ready to be covered in dough

I liked how the outer layer of dough kept it all moist while it was baking, but at the same time it was just too much "bread".  (I prefer this version of a seitan loaf that we made on Christmas... more on that later)
 

LOVE brussel sprouts

Hanging out in the kitch

looks like a real turkey omg! heh

Dinner table

pumpkin pie baked by my mom

Thanksgiving dinner consisted of vegan turkey, stuffing, chipotle sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, kale, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and pumpkin pie for dessert.  It was incredible.

Raw Blueberry Cobbler

Usually when I see samples at the market, I pass them by assuming that it's probably not vegan.  Not so at Sevananda Natural Foods Market!  Chef Joi was sampling her raw, vegan blueberry cobbler recipe and it was absolutely delicious.  Another reason why I enjoy shopping at my co-op.  

I decided to bring it to a potluck and it was a huge hit, and even better when paired with some vegan ice cream.  Chef Joi, you are a genious!  Oh, and it only takes like 15 minutes tops. 

Crust topping ingredients:
3 cups dry pecans
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup pitted dates

Place pecans and salt in the food processor and process until flour-like.  Then add the rest of the ingredients and process until dough-like.  (It can still be crumbly).  Place half in the bottom of your dish, then place the rest in a bowl for later.

Syrup Ingredients:
3/4 cup of pitted dates
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh of frozen-- I used a combo)
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup water (or less)

No need to clean out the food processor, just add these syrup ingredients and process until smooth.  Should still be thick.

Filling:
1 1/2 Cups blueberries

Put the berries in a large mixing bowl and toss with the syrup, making sure to cover completely.  Then pour on top of crust, and cover with the rest of the crust.  No baking involved-- just enjoy!

Twice Baked Potato

Here's all you need to make a killer vegan twice-baked potato:  Earth Balance butter, Tofutti sour cream (I actually had some leftover french onion dip from a potluck last night..), Daiya cheddar shreds, unsweet almond milk, and some salt and pepper.   Gets me excited for holiday food!

QUESOOOOO

I just about passed out in the chip isle of WFM when I saw this vegan queso made by Food for Lovers!  yummmmmmm I'm in heaven.  Healthy, delicious and vegan!  It's like being reunited with an old friend :)

Vegan Sausage, part I

I am on a quest for the perfect vegan sausage.  I just started working at a (non-veg) restaurant that specializes in hot dogs and sausages, so it's only fitting that I develop my own tasty sausage recipe. In my very first attempt at home-made sausage, I modified a recipe that I saw on two of my favorite vegan food blogs, Vegan Dad and Post Punk Kitchen. The awesome thing about this recipe is that you can make tons of texture variations and flavor combos. So here's my first attempt:  

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 Cup cold vegetable broth
1 Tbl spoon olive oil
1 Tbl spoon soy sauce
1 Tbl spoon vegan worcestershire sauce
2 Cloves garlic grated with a microplane
1 Cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 Cup soy flour
Spices: nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, ground pepper, salt

First, prepare the steamer and get water boiling.  Also prepare 6 sheets of tin foil before getting started with the dough.

Mash the pinto beans in a large bowl until no whole beans are left.  Then add each ingredient as it's listed above and mix with a fork.  When everything is mixed, separate the dough into six equal parts.  Shape it onto the foil, and then just roll it up like a tootsie roll. Then twist both ends.  It's really easy!  Place foil dogs in the steamer and steam for 40 minutes.

When they are done, you can eat immediately, grill them, saute them, refrigerate, or freeze for later.  I am very pleased at the results!  Now I'm still on a mission to try all the variations I can and perfect my recipe.  Next time I might use a different type of bean and change up the spices.  I'm also brainstorming on the best toppings and bun.  To be continued....

Vegan Noodle Casserole

I found some eggless dumpling noodles at the Candler Park Market (If you live in Atlanta they have awesome vegan sandwiches!  mmmmm their dill seitan mock-chicken salad on ciabatta with vegenaise spinach and tomato is my fave..)  Anyway we decided to use the noodles to make a "can't believe it's vegan" style casserole. 

Ingredients:
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Vegan sausage (we used Light Life brand Smoked Style)
Extra firm tofu
Daiya cheddar style vegan cheese
Bread Crumbs
Almond Milk
Flour
Vegan butter
Nutritional yeast
Beer
Seasonings

First, cook the dumpling noodles according to package directions.  In a saute pan, head some oil and add the onions, garlic, then the sausage (wait to add the mushrooms until the end).  Then you're going to make a cheezey sauce.  Start a roux with some butter and flour, then add almond milk, vegan cheese, and nutritional yeast.  Next I crumbled some tofu in there, and even poured in some beer (feelin crazy!) and seasoned it. When the sauce had the consistency I wanted, I added the sausage and mixed it all together.  Sorry I didn't include measurements, but with a little trial and error you'll get it! 

Before:

 After:

 Lightly grease a casserole dish, and add the noodles.  Pour the sauce over top, sprinkle more Daiya, and put a layer of bread crumbs over it all.  Cover in aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes on 350.  Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes to get the bread crumbs nice and brown on top.