Mexican Comfort Casserole & Cashew Queso
Posted: April 3, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Main Dishes, Mexican Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegan | Tags: baseball, beans, cashew cheese, cashew queso, chipotles, chipotles in adobo sauce, coach's wife, mexican casserole, nutritional yeast, recipes, vegan, vegan mexican casserole, vegan queso, veggies 13 CommentsSaturday was a big game for my husband’s high school baseball team. I told him as I kissed him goodbye “We”ll be there, look for us in the stands.” Of course, Jackson’s afternoon nap fell at exactly the start of the game. I’ve been trying to keep him on a good sleep schedule during the day as it seems to translate to better sleep at night, so I waited until he woke up. Finally, after sleeping an hour and a half, I quickly loaded him in the car to try and make it to the game before it ended. I tuned into the local radio station airing the game and crossed my fingers that the innings would slow down (the ONLY time I’ve ever wished for baseball to slow down!) We rushed into the stadium as the seventh inning began, our team down three runs.
I sat in the stands next to another coaches’ wife. We both cheered loud when our husbands’ team tied up the game, sending us into extra innings. It was a nail biter of a game!
Sadly, the other team scored the winning run knocking our boys out of their first place spot in district.
“I don’t think I’m going to wait around for them to finish talking to the boys.” I told the other coach’s wife. “I think I’ll head to the store for a few things instead. There’s nothing like Mexican food to cheer Jared up.”
“Yep, I have a pint of Blue Bell in the freezer for occasions just like this,” she nodded.
So I whipped up a mexican casserole, cashew cheese dip, rice, salsa, and gaucamole. Then popped open a couple of Coronas with a twist of lime. Boy was my kitchen a mess, but my husband was feeling like a winner again!
My mom got that little avocado green dip dish for me. It’s an antique from 1960. I think it’s so cute!
Due to that whole baby sleep schedule mentioned above, it was dark by the time we actually sat down to eat, so pics of the Mexican Fiesta were quite meh. Yeah, meh is a word. So I made a plate of leftovers on Sunday for lunch to get better pictures. Leftovers = equally delicious.
Rachel’s
Mexican Comfort Casserole with Cashew Queso
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 1/2 c. chopped onions
2 c. chopped peppers (any color or kind — I used green bell and poblano)
3 cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
2 zucchini, sliced
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
4 c. (or 2 16 oz cans) of refried or mashed pinto beans
~12 corn tortillas
Cashew Queso (see below)
Optional garnish: lettuce, tomato, avocado
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Saute onions on medium to med-high heat with a little oil and salt for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peppers and continue sauteing for 10 more minutes. In the last couple of minutes add the garlic.
In a separate pan, saute zucchini and squash on med-high heat with a little oil and salt & pepper until they just start to brown but are still firm.
Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender combine the fire roasted tomatoes and chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. Pour mixture into a bowl large enough to dip a corn tortilla in.
Now begin layering in a casserole dish (I used two round ones, but you could use one 8 x10 or whatever you have on hand). This recipe is super flexible. If you end up with extra ingredients, just add another layer.
Layer 1: 1/2 of the onion, pepper, and garlic mixture
Layer 2: tortillas dipped in chipotle tomato sauce and topped with a thin layer of more sauce (tear tortillas in half to border edges if needed)
Layer 3: 2 cups of beans
Layer 4: tortillas dipped in chipotle tomato sauce and topped with a thin layer of more sauce
Layer 5: zucchini and squash
Layer 6: tortillas dipped in chipotle tomato sauce and topped with a thin layer of more sauce
Layer 7: 2 cups of beans
Layer 8: 1/2 of the onion, pepper, and garlic mixture
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Top with cashew queso, lettuce tomato, and avocado.
Cashew Queso
Note: this is not my recipe. I got it from a friend and I’m unsure of the source.
Ingredients
1 c. raw cashews
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 orange roasted bell pepper* (red or yellow will work too, but orange gives the most cheese-like color)
2 c. water
1 tsp lemon juice
Directions
In a food processor, blend cashews, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, salt,and onion powder into a fine dust. Add about 1/2 a cup of the water and the roasted bell pepper and blend again. Add the rest of the water and lemon juice. Transfer mixture to a pot and heat on medium heat, stirring pretty often until it has thickened to the consistency you like. If it gets too thick, just add a little more water.
*Making your own roasted peppers is easy. Just placing them directly on on a gas burner flame rotating it a few times (like this) or on a pan under the broiler until charred. Then put it in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap for a about five minutes. Rub off most of the skin with a damp paper towel. Voila, roasted peppers!
Refreshing Clementine Martini & Mojito
Posted: April 2, 2012 Filed under: Cocktails, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tags: clementine cocktail, clementine cocktails, clementine martini, clementines, cocktails, elderberry, elderberry cocktails, elderberry martini, mint, rum, St. Germain cocktails, St. Germains, vodka 6 Comments
Clementine Mojito
Oh my Darlin’ Clementines, how we’ve come to love you. Call them clementines, baby tangerines or Cuties, these sweet small oranges have won our hearts.
My firstborn grandson Nate, at age 3, once ate almost a whole bowl full of Clementines on a family beach vacation to San Clemente. We sat in awe, watching as he peeled and ate one after another, “all by himself,” and ate them with glee as we sat on the porch and watched the sea waves roll in.
I tuck Clementines into my purse on all my airplane trips now because they not only have Vitamin C, but a nice serving of fiber.
So, I figured, nutritious as they are, if one should add clementine juice to a martini, it would practically be a health drink…right?
In fact, the juice of 3 or 4 clementines and a shot or two of vodka, shaken with ice, yields a simple, lovely martini that needs no other sweetener. It is perfectly balanced as is.
But recently I tried a cocktail with St. Germains liqueur added, which is made from delicate elderberry flowers, but smells and tastes faintly of grapefruit. It was divine. Add this liqueur to the clementine and vodka, and you’ve got yourself an exotic, refreshing martini of citrus heaven.
The martini worked out so well, I took a glance at the mint already burgeoning in my herb garden this day in early April, and thought, “Hmm…. clementine mojitos! How could those not be good?”
Then my husband got our tax bill from the accountant and suddenly volunteered to taste any and all martinis and mojitos I made tonight, sacrificing for the good of this blog. Bless his heart.
Needless to say, we are now both happy campers. The martinis? Excellent. The mojitos? Amazing.
Just in time for tax season, I bequeath you both recipes.
Becky's Clementine Martini with Elderberry
Becky’s Clementine Martini
Serves One
Ingredients:
1/4 to 1/3 c. clementine juice (3 to 4 small clementines)
3 T. vodka
1 -2 T. St. Germain’s Elderberry Liqueur (depending on how strong you want it)
2 T. organic raw sugar mixed with 1/2 t. clementine zest (for rimming glass)
Put martini glass into freezer to chill. Put clementine juice, vodka and St. Germain’s into a shaker of ice. Shake-shake-shake. In a shallow bowl mix sugar and clementine zest. Take chilled glass out of freezer, run a slice of clementine around the rim to moisten the edge, then dip in sugar & clementine zest mixture.
Zest and organic raw sugar mixture to rim the glass
Strain martini and pour into cold sugar-zest rimmed martini glass.
Becky’s Clementine Mojito
Serves One
Ingredients
1 T. organic raw sugar
1/2 t. clementine zest
5 to 7 mint leaves
Juice of 3 clementines
1 T fresh lime juice
3 T. rum or vodka
club soda or sparkling water to top off glass
Directions:
Into a tall glass put mint leaves, sugar and clementine zest. Muddle with stick end of a wooden spoon to bruise the mint leaves and help the sugar to dissolve and melt. To this mixture add clementine and lime juice, rum or vodka. Stir. Add ice and top off drink with club soda or sparkling water. Stir once more and garnish, if you like, with slices of lime, clementine and a small sprig of mint.
Non-alcoholic Variation: These mojitos are perfect for your non-alcoholic guests or children if you leave out the liquor and just add a wee bit more sugar (or agave) and club soda or sparkling water. Nice alternative to lemonade for summertime sipping.
Sesame-Pecan Salmon with “Avocado Goddess” Salad
Posted: March 30, 2012 Filed under: Fish, Gluten Free, Main Dishes, Salads, Uncategorized, Vegan Options | Tags: avocado, fish, salads, salmon, salmon salad, vegan, vegetarian 5 Comments
If I were to find out this morning that I had to host a dozen execs for lunch today, this is the recipe to which I’d turn. It makes a beautiful and amazing-tasting one-bowl dish. Served with some warm crusty bread, it is all you need to impress your guests.
I invented this recipe when I married my husband eight years ago. Greg is from the great Northwest and adores salmon. I grew up in Texas cattle country with a mother who thought all fish tasted like cat food. Needless to say, I never developed a fondness for food with fins. If I were served fish sticks as a kid at school, I’d peel the breading off, eat that, leaving the meat for the disposal. Sad, I know.
It was for the love of Greg, and Greg only, that I determined to figure out how to cook, eat, and hopefully, love fish. This is the recipe that started my love affair with salmon. I served it to my pastor, Hugh Halter, and he scraped his plate cleaning, calling it “praline fish.” The coating isn’t quite like candy, but it is just as hard to resist. Truly this recipe was my gateway drug to the pleasures of fish, and as I continue to blog my favorite recipes, you’ll discover this landlubber has come to embrace the fruit of the sea with gusto.
The salad is easy, too, with a dressing that just adds 3 ingredients (avocado, fresh lime juice, pepper) to your favorite Ranch salad dressing.
Becky's Sesame-Pecan Salad with "Avocado Goddess" Dressing
Becky’s Sesame-Pecan Salmon
Serves 2
2 pieces fresh salmon, skin removed
1/2 c. thick teriyaki sauce (teriyaki sauce often has soy sauce in it that is made from wheat. Gluten free folks may want to make their own. Here’s one gluten free recipe.)
2 T. sweet Thai chili sauce
1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds (these are cheaper and come in larger containers on the Asian aisles of most grocery stores)
1/4 c. pecans, chopped to about the consistency of Grapenuts in food processor or blender
1 T. olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In one shallow wide bowl mix teriyaki and Thai chili sauce. In other similar bowl, mix sesame seeds and ground pecans. Coat both pieces of fish with sauce on all sides, then do the same with the seed-nut mixture. Carefully lay in a square glass baking pan that has been generously coated with olive oil. Pour any left over sauce and nut-seeds over all.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is done. (I prefer mine slightly opaque and moist in the middle.) I also like to broil the fish (watching carefully) for just few seconds to give the topping additional thickness and crunch.
Avocado Goddess Salad
Ingredients:
1 bunch Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and cut into thirds
1/2 c. Ranch dressing, any kind you like
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 t. pepper
Directions:
Put about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of chopped Romaine into each of two large salad bowls. (I use big wide pasta bowls.)
Take 2/3 of avocado and cut into slices, arranging evenly on top of the two salads.
Mash the other 1/3 avocado in a small bowl. Add Ranch dressing, lime juice and pepper to this and stir.
Avocado Goddess Dressing
Using a wide spatula, carefully lay one piece of the cooked salmon on top of each salad. Drizzle “Avocado Goddess” dressing over all.
Vegan Options: You could easily make sesame-pecan tofu with slices of pressed tofu marinated in the teriyaki Thai Chili sauce mixture instead of fish and simply substitute vegan ranch dressing to make the Avocado Goddess dressing. This is a great dish for serving both vegans and non-vegans since it wouldn’t take much extra work at all to make both versions.
Chicken Option: You can use this same technique with chicken tenders if you prefer.
Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Curry — Easy Enough for Curry Cowards Like Me
Posted: March 29, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: cauliflower, coconut, curry, kale, lentils, main dish, roasted garlic, vegan, vegetarian, veggies 2 Comments
I’m a curry coward. It’s exotic. It’s bright yellow. It has a long ingredient list.
So last night I decided to come up with a simple curry that even a curry coward like me can manage to make. I took the easy route and bought a can of curry powder instead of buying ten different spices and making my own. The first batch I made had lots of veggies and chickpeas, but I decided that three ingredients really stood out from the crowd — cauliflower, kale, and roasted garlic. So I made it again for breakfast this morning while the baby was napping. The life of a food blogging mama! This time I just used those two veggies and a whole bulb of roasted garlic. Much easier. Much better.
I don’t know if brown sugar is a classic addition, but I found it really balanced the strong curry flavors nicely. Curry powders can vary from brand to brand, so you may want to taste the seasoning as you go to see if it needs adjustments. Here’s the kind I used.
Roland Pure Indian Hot Madras Curry Powder (I didn't think it was spicy at all)
Are you intimidated about making your own curry too or was I the only curry coward?
What other dishes would you love to make but haven’t because they seem to complicated or overwhelming?
I watched Michael Symon on The Chew sharing tips on plating food and I thought I'd give it a try. Professional, eh?!
Rachel’s
Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Curry
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 bunch of Kale, ribs removed, washed & dried well
1 head of Cauliflower, chopped into “trees”
1 bulb of Garlic
3 tbs Olive Oil, divided
~ 4 tbs Curry Powder, divided
4 tsp Brown Sugar, divided
1 tsp Salt, divided
1 can of Coconut Milk
16 oz Lentils, prepared per package instructions
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the top of the garlic to reveal the top of each clove. Put the bulb on a piece of foil, drizzle olive oil on top, and wrap the clove tight with the foil. Put in the oven (directly on the rack is fine until you get the cauliflower in).
In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower “trees” with about 1 tbs olive oil. Tossing as you go, gradually add 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt until evenly coated. Place on a large baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray and put in the oven. (Move the garlic onto the baking sheet at this time.) Set the timer for 20 minutes.
In the same large bowl, toss the kale with 1 tbs olive oil, using your hands to massage it into the leaves. Tossing as you go, gradually add 2 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Put the kale on a large baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. It will be crowded, but that’s okay, we aren’t looking for crisp kale chips so it can be a little crowded. Add the kale to the oven, leaving the garlic and cauliflower in too. Cook everything for 20 more minutes. You might want to give the cauliflower and kale a shake every now and then.
In a small sauce pan, heat 1 tbs olive oil on medium heat and add 3 tbs of curry powder. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Add 2 tbs brown sugar and 1 can of coconut milk. Stir.
When the timer goes off, turn the oven off and remove the garlic. You can leave the kale and cauliflower in the oven to stay warm while you finish up the sauce. Carefully (it will be really hot) take the garlic out of the foil and squeeze it into the curry sauce. You can just stir it in if the garlic is really oozy or put it into the blender for a few seconds to evenly incorporate it.
Serve veggies on a bed of lentils and top with curry sauce.
And just like that I’m over my fear of curry and you can be too!
Killer Chipotle & Roasted Pepper Salsa (with a Side of Relational Advice)
Posted: March 28, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Uncategorized | Tags: chipolte, dips, hatch peppers, Mexican Food, picante sauce, roasted peppers, salsa, tortilla chips, vegan, vegetarian 2 Comments
Sometimes life is funny, and sometimes, not so much. “Mama said there’d be days like this,” and for days like this you need three things: a good friend, some good clear-the-air advice, and some comfort food. Then, before too long, life can be funny again.
A single girlfriend and I were talking this morning about toxic relationships. Particularly we were pondering the differences between normal friends who are in a temporary season of pain who deserve and need our empathy, patience and compassion; versus toxic friends whose problems are unending and sap all the energy and joy out of every minute we spend with them, like an Emotional Hoover.
We came up with the 3 B’s that signal it might be time to Back Away from a Relationship. Red flags, we decided, are:
1. Belittling — when a person makes you feel small, talks down to you, uses superior tones
2. Blaming — when the person’s default mode is always to blame someone else and never takes any responsibility for their part in bad situations. If someone is constantly blaming others or the universe or God for their problems, it won’t be long before they are blaming and attacking you.
3. Black-Hole — normal people have seasons of neediness and self-focus following tragedy or during illness or stress; but toxic people are walking black holes of ever-growing, never-ceasing, and always-changing need
Having discussed relationship sticky-wickets to our mutual satisfaction, we turned the conversation to comfort food. In fact, we discussed the perfect food for washin’ a crazy-making friend or a bad day right out of our mind. In her book, Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert quoted someone’s grandmother as saying, “There’s no trouble in this world so serious that it can’t be cured with a hot bath, a glass of whiskey, and the Book of Common Prayer.” I agree with the hot bath and Book of Common Prayer, but my preferred comfort beverage would be a frosty margarita alongside a big bowl of spicy, chunky, smoky, colorful homemade salsa and chips.
And it just so happens that I make the best chunky smoky salsa in the universe. (Ditto on the margs… but that is for another post, another time.) When my daughter Rachel had her baby this past summer, I made salsa day after day because her husband Jared loves salsa and chips like only a Texas boy can. This gave me a chance to perfect my recipe, and this is the best of the best!
So come to Mama for the recipe, then whip up a quart of this brain-cleansing salsa, grab some chips and your fave margarita, find a spot in the sun, chill out and let the stress fall away.
Life is hard enough, your salsa should be easy. This version is oh so forgiving, allowing lots of variations to the basic recipe.
Everyone I serve this to asks for the recipe, so be prepared to share! (Also usually makes enough to send some home with your grateful guests.)
Becky’s Killer Chipotle & Roasted Pepper Salsa
Ingredients:
Makes about a Quart of Salsa
Into a food processor or blender put:
*I put three small peppers on my gas flame (set to high) and roast them while I’m tossing the rest of the ingredients into the blender, turning as they blacken. Simply scrape off most of the blackened skin (I use a damp paper towel for this job), seed them and pop in the blender. You can also halve them and broil them if you don’t have a gas burner.
Roasting small tri-colored peppers on a gas burner
** Here’s what a can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce looks like. These babies are strong, and I often only use one or two, so I pop the rest (along with the sauce) in a small freezer bag and store them in the freezer. When I need one I just cut off what I need.
Marinated Portobello Burger
Posted: March 27, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: dairy-free, meatless, mushroom burger, mushrooms, onions, portobello burger, portobellos, sauteed veggies, spinach, vegan, vegetarian, veggie burger, veggies 3 Comments
Marinated Portobello Burgers
When I was about 12, I went on a ski trip with my family. While hanging out at the base, some older teens hollered out to me and my brothers “Hey, you want some shrooms?”
I giggled and naively said, “Those guys must be on drugs or something. Why would they think we want some mushrooms while we are skiing?”
My big brothers busted out laughing.
I didn’t know how right I had been until they finally stopped laughing to explain to me what the “shrooms” those dudes spoke of were.
Lucky for me, I didn’t like mushrooms and would have turned down the offer even if my big brothers hadn’t been there to fill me in.
Nowadays, I might be in trouble if someone hollers out and offers me some shrooms, though.
It turns out after more than 25 years of hating mushrooms, I’ve discovered I actually love a good shroom!
The first time I ordered a Portobello Burger was shortly after going vegan. It was the only thing on the menu I could eat, so I figured I’d give it a try. It was thick, chewy, flavorless and spongy. I stayed away from portobellos after that and eased my way into the land of shrooms with baby bellas sauteed in evoo and garlic.
Recently we were at the new plant-based cafe in Dallas, VSPot, and I decided to try their marinated portobello burger. Some people at the neighboring table were raving about it, so I thought I’d give the portobello one more go. It was so succulent it almost melted in my mouth. The mushroom was cooked down really thin so you would never have guessed you were biting into a thick spongy portobello cap.
Tonight I made my own portobello burger and I have to say, it was awesome. The flavors are quite different than the one we had at the VSpot and I didn’t manage to get it quite as thin, but it will definitely hold me over until our next visit!
Wanna shroom?
Rachel’s
Marinated Portobello Burger
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 Portobello Mushrooms, stems removed and gently wiped clean with a damp sponge
4 Buns (I used Whole Grain Ciabatta Sandwich Rolls from our store’s bakery)
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup of Braggs Aminos (or soy sauce)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Topping suggestions: sauteed spinach, caramelized red onions, roasted red peppers
Mix the marinade in a bowl. Pour into a gallon sized zip top bag and add the portobello caps. Shake it up to cover the mushrooms and place in the refrigerator. I let mine marinate for about 5 hours, but I think you could go as little as an hour if you’re short on time or as long as 8-10 if you want to marinate them while you’re at work.
Heat a skillet on medium heat with evoo covering the bottom. Put the mushroom caps in 1-2 at a time bottoms down and with a spatula or the bottom of a sauce pan, gently hold the mushrooms down. Don’t apply too much pressure at first or you’ll tear the edges. Turn the mushrooms over and continue applying gentle pressure. Repeat turning back and forth every few minutes for about 10 minutes until the mushroom cap is only a few centimeters thick.
I ate mine on ciabatta rolls that I smeared with Vegenaise (vegan mayo) mixed with minced garlic and toasted on a lightly oiled saute pan (this gives the bread a nice crunch), topped with sauteed spinach and garlic and caramelized red onions. I thought I was going to need a protein like some beans to add to this, but I was plenty full after one mushroom burger and a side of sauteed yellow squash and zucchini.
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Pistachio and Caramelized Onion Pizza
Posted: March 26, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Breads, Main Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: almond cheese, caramelized onions, flat bread, Naan bread, pistachios, pizza, vegan, vegetarian Leave a comment
I have been working out fairly consistently since last August, thanks to the encouragement of my good friend Ingrid. I get up by 7:00 am (a great feat for this non-morning person) and meet Ingrid at a local gym at 8:00 where we exercise while solving the world’s problems and…often talk about great food. (Perhaps this is why the pounds aren’t just dropping off of us?)
Here’s our conversation from last week, both of us huffing and puffing on ellipticals, side by side.
“Becky!” says Ingrid. “I was visiting my friend in California who is a vegan, like your daughter. And I came up with the best recipe for a pizza.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Well, you start with a pizza crust and then sprinkle it with almond cheese.”
“Does almond cheese tastes good? Because I think soy cheese tastes like shredded rubber bands, and I’ve been looking for a good vegan cheese to use when I cook for Rachel.”
“It does! And it melts. Then you cook some garlic and onions in a pan with a little olive oil until they just start to brown and caramelize. Put these on top of the almond cheese, top with a few unsalted pistachios and — hey, Becky, why did you stop walking on your machine?”
I looked down and sure enough, I was so caught up in Ingrid’s description, that I’d completely frozen, thinking of nothing but how those flavors might taste together, my head in a pistachio-caramelized onion pizza cloud.
“Sorry,” I said, resuming my exercise. “What can I say? I brake for food. Even descriptions of it.”
After our gym session, I didn’t even change out of my gym clothes before heading to Whole Foods and gathering the ingredients. I chose garlic Naan bread instead of pizza dough because I was in a hurry to try this feast.
Let me just say, this new pizza recipe may cost me a few extra miles of exercise.
And it will be totally worth it. You have to try this!
Ingrid’s Pistachio and Caramelized Onion Pizza
Ingredients:
Serves Two
2 pieces Naan Bread (I love Whole Food’s Garlic Naan Bread. But it is not vegan, so if you want to be pure vegan here, you may want to use Whole Food’s pizza dough.)
1-2 T. olive oil, divided
1. c grated almond cheese (or Mozzerella cheese, but if you are a vegan and haven’t tried almond cheese, it is the best tasting vegan cheese I’ve tried thus far)
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. roasted, unsalted pistachio nuts
Directions:
Using a grill pan and a little olive oil, grill the Naan bread on both sides until it is crispy and has light golden grill marks. Set aside on a heavy duty cookie sheet or clay pizza pan.
In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic in a tablespoon or so of olive oil until onions have started to caramelize but still have a little bite/crunch to them.
Put 1/3 cup grated cheese on each piece of Naan. Top each with half of the onion-garlic mixture. Sprinkle each pizza with 2 T. roasted, unsalted pistachios.
Bake at 375 until cheese melts. (The almond cheese takes a longer to melt than does “real cheese,” and I actually ended up nuking the pizza in the microwave a few seconds to get it to “melty” consistency. It is much better than soy cheese, very good –but not as yummy as the Real Mozerella McCoy.) Cut in wedges and serve alongside fresh fruits for a light supper or beautiful appetizer to go with your next wine party!
*Besides being handy behind a stove top, Ingrid is also a social media whiz, and serves as a social media consultant for my husband’s literary agency. (Click on her name to read her most recent article on blogging tips.)
Strawberries Romanoff
Posted: March 23, 2012 Filed under: Desserts, Fruit Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: fruit desserts, fruit salads, strawberries, strawberries Romanoff, strawberry dessert, vegan option, vegetarian, whipped cream, yogurt Leave a comment
When my daughter Rachel was about three or four, I jotted down some of the adorable phrases and words that I loved to hear her say. “Tears” were called “cwy dwips” (cry drips), and a “suitcase” was a “cuse box.” Her word for “strawberries” was “STA-biddies” which I still remember her saying, her whispy blond hair blowing around her as she bit into the ripe fruit, grinning while sweet red juices rolled down her chin.
Well, “sta-biddies” are in abundance now, and on sale today!
When I saw them overflowing the grocery display, my mind drifted to Strawberries Romanoff, a delectable concoction of strawberries served under a creamy fluff of brown-sugar cream, spiked with brandy, rum or bourbon. I first tasted this summer dream treat at La Madeleines, a wonderful French cafe, popular in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Whenever I visit Rachel in Texas, we do our best to go to lunch at La Madeleines and I always order Strawberries Romanoff for dessert.
Last summer, when my mom was visiting Denver, I tweaked and combined a few recipes I found online and produced this version of Romanoff cream which we like even better than the dish from La Madeleines! Mom and I sat around the kitchen counter and licked the bowl completely clean!
It only takes about five minutes to make the sauce, making this an easy, refreshing and beautiful dessert for these long Spring and Summer evenings. It looks oh so elegant, too.
Becky’s Strawberries Romanoff
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 c. whipping cream
6 T. powdered sugar
1 c. Greek Yogurt, plain (may also use sour cream)
6 T. brown sugar (Plus a T. more for garnish)
2 T. bourbon (or scotch, rum, brandy or your favorite liquor; or 1 T. vanilla or rum extract if you prefer non-alcoholic)
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and rinsed (You may keep them whole, or slice them, your preference. If they are tart, you may want to sprinkle a bit of sugar on them as well to sweeten them up some.)
Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, whip cream into soft peaks, slowly adding powdered sugar to the whipped mixture.
In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together Greek Yogurt, 1/3 c. brown sugar and bourbon.
Add yogurt mixture to whipped cream and fold in until well combined.
To serve, spoon strawberries into martini glasses, about 2/3 full, place generous dollop (about 1/3 c.) of Romanoff sauce over top of each. Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar over the sauce for garnish.
Variations: You can also layer the strawberries and sauce in parfait like fashion. Big wine glasses, or pretty bowls can also work in place of martini glasses. The powdered sugar helps the cream hold its shape so that it will keep for a couple of days in a sealed container. One of the reasons I always used powdered sugar instead of granulated when I make whipped cream.
Veganize This: Try coconut milk “whipped cream” and any of the many varieties of plain non-dairy yogurt.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Stawberries Romanoff
The URL:https://welaughwecrywecook.com/2012/03/23/strawberries-romanoff/
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Baked Macaroni and Cashew Cheese
Posted: March 22, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tags: cashew cheese, cashews, casserole, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, non-dairy cheese, vegan, vegan casserole, vegetarian 7 CommentsYesterday was our Vegan Anniversary! We celebrated by making this baked macaroni with cashew cheese, a version of one of our favorite go-to vegan dishes.
Baked Macaroni & Cashew Cheese
Two years ago Jared and I were on a Spring Break vacation at our favorite little island in Florida. Want to see how we celebrated back then? Jared is going to kill me for posting this.
Oh yes, that’s how we rolled! I believe that is a plate of barbeque pork nachos bigger than Jared’s head, a grouper sandwich hanging from his mouth, some grilled shrimp, a side of onion rings, and I don’t think that green St. Patty’s Day beverage is a tall glass of wheatgrass. Though we don’t have a photo to prove it (thank goodness!), I too helped devour this heart attack waiting to happen. Little did we know, this was one of our last meaty meals. We certainly went out with a bang didn’t we!?
On our drive back from Florida to Texas, we listened to some books on CD that I had randomly grabbed from our local library’s limited selection. One of them shared some pretty compelling information from The China Study that had us thinking twice about the dairy and meat in those nachos we’d devoured the week before. As we finished up the book, Jared proposed a challenge.
“Let’s try it. Let’s go vegan for a month and see how we feel,” he said.
A challenge I’d wanted to make myself, but would never have dreamed of proposing to my meat, cheese, and potatoes eating manly man of a man.
“Let’s do it,” I agreed!
And 24 months later, here we are with no plans of turning back.
Jared has even become quite the little vegan chef. He found the original recipe for the macaroni and cashew cheese and made it for us the first time. It was so good I asked him to make it again for both of our family’s Christmas dinners. To our surprise, even his teenage brother, the guy who has to have Kraft shells & cheese at every family gathering, liked it. We made it for my mom and Greg when they visited a few weeks ago and Greg announced “This is better than real mac and cheese.” I like the original a lot, but decided to make some tweaks to it to shake things up a bit.
Who knew you didn't need cheese to make a creamy and delicious macaroni casserole!?
Rachel’s
Baked Macaroni and Cashew Cheese
Inspired by Epicurean Vegan
Serves: 6-8 people
Ingredients
16oz small whole wheat pasta, cooked al dente (shells, rotini, elbow macaroni, or penne are all great)
1-1/4 C raw cashews
1/2 C nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small white onion, chopped
2 Tbs EVOO
4 C unsweetened nondairy milk (I used almond)
3 Tbs cornstarch
1/2 C canola oil
3 Tbs Earth Balance (vegan butter)
1/8 C barley miso (any miso would probably work fine, the original recipe called for light miso)
1 cup dairy free sour cream
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp Tabasco (optional)
Panko break crumbs
Smoked Paprika (optional)
Italian Seasoning (optional)
Directions
Start by boiling your pasta water and preheating the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large saucepan saute garlic & onions in olive oil with a sprinkle of salt over medium heat for five minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large food processor bowl finely grind the cashews, but don’t let them turn to a paste (or you’ll end up with cashew butter–not a bad result, but not what you’re looking for here.) Add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper. Pulse a few more times until it looks like a fine powder.
Process until it is a fine powder, but before it turns into cashew butter
Add the onions and garlic to the food processor bowl and pulse a few times.
If the pasta water is boiling, go ahead and drop the pasta and set your timer for 2-3 minutes less than the package recommends. You want to pull out your pasta when it is al dente because it will continue cooking in the oven.
In the same large saucepan as you used for the onions and garlic combine one cup of milk and the cornstarch on high heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until the cornstarch dissolves. Gradually add the rest of the milk, stirring as you go. Finally add canola oil and Earth Balance. Bring the mixture to a simmer then decrease heat to low-medium, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Turn off the burner, add miso and sour cream and stir until incorporated.
With the food processor running, gradually add the wet ingredients to the work bowl. Blend for about 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Next blend in the lemon juice and tabasco (optional).
In a large casserole dish, pour the cashew sauce over the pasta. You want to have a lot of liquid because it will reduce as it bakes.
To avoid dry casseroles, always make sure they have have plenty of liquid before they go in the oven to bake. For best results, add a smiling bouncing baby in the background as you cook. 🙂
Cover the top of the dish with a thin layer of panko bread crumbs. I like to add a sprinkle of smoked paprika and Italian seasoning, but it would be just fine without it if you don’t have it. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until the bread crumbs are golden. Serve immediately.
Baked Macaroni and Cashew "Cheese"
Notes: If you have leftover cheese sauce, save it and use it on the leftovers since the sauce tends to thicken over time. Add a pat of Earth Balance and a drizzle of nondairy milk to your leftovers before reheating to keep it nice and creamy. I’ve also added chickpeas and veggies to this dish before baking to up the nutritional profile and it was really tasty. It’s a very versatile casserole and hard to mess up. Though I’ve never used dairy milk, butter, and sour cream, I imagine it would work great in this too if that’s what you have on hand.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Baked Macaroni and Cashew Cheese
The URL: https://welaughwecrywecook.com/2012/03/22/baked-macaroni-and-cashew-cheese
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Jalapeno Jelly & Gorgonzola Burgers
Posted: March 21, 2012 Filed under: Beef, Main Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: beef, Blue Cheese, Blue Cheese Burgers, burgers, Gorgonzola, Gorgonzola Burgers, Gorgonzola Cheese, hamburgers, jalapeno burgers, jalapeno jelly, main dish, Mexican Burgers, Mexican Food, mustard, Spicy burgers, Worcestershire Sauce 2 Comments
Jalapeno Jelly Gorgonzola Burgers
I am married to a man who appreciates a good meal like you wouldn’t believe. He enjoys the gourmet fare I occasionally serve, but one of his favorite suppers is a simple hamburger patty, a side of corn and a tossed salad. I served this meal to him not long ago, on a day when he must have been really hungry because as I handed Greg his plate, he looked up gratefully and said, “You saved my life!”
“Really?” I asked. “Just by cooking a hamburger patty?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
Wow, I had no idea I welded that much power with a quarter pound of ground round.
Tonight I decided to jazz up his patty a bit, by mixing the meat with mustard, Worcestershire and jalapeno jelly, then stuffing it with Gorgonzola cheese and topping it with a bit more jelly and chopped jalapenos.
He loved it. I loved it. Lots of happy flavors did a salsa in my mouth.
I now share it with you, as my small part in helping to save lives.
Jalapeno Jelly Gorgonzola Burgers
Becky’s Jalapeno Jelly Gorgonzola Burgers
Ingredients
Makes 4 juicy patties, serves 2 – 4 people, depending on how hungry they are!
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
* 1/4 c. jalapeno jelly, divided (you’ll use some for topping)
1 T. mustard (I prefer stone ground, but use what ever kind you like)
1 large clove garlic, grated
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
4 one inch cubes of Gorgonzola or blue cheese (you can use any cheese you prefer)
4 t. chopped pickled jalapenos (you may also use fresh jalapenos, too, just expect an extra kick of heat)
* Alternate substitute for Jalapeno Jelly: Mix 3 T. of your favorite jelly with 1 T. oickled jalapeno juice, Tabasco or buffalo sauce
Directions:
In a large bowl, use clean hands to mix hamburger meat with 2 T. of the jalapeno jelly (or substitute), and the next 4 ingredients. Divide into 8 equal size hamburger patties, making them a bit on the thin side. Crumble each 1 inch cube of cheese in the middle of 4 hamburger patties as shown in the picture below.
Top the cheese covered patties with the remaining 4 patties and press to seal the edges.
Place four patties in a hot skillet (may use a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking) and brown until nice caramelization takes place on one side. Flip and turn stove temp down to medium, cook about a minute to let the other side get good and brown as well. Then lower temp to low, cover and cook until burgers are cooked all the way through, to your liking.
Remove from skillet to plate lined with paper towel to let excess fat drain off. Spread a teaspoon of jalapeno jelly over each burger before serving, then garnish each patty with about a teaspoon of chopped jalapeno.
Wonderful with corn and a green salad made with tomatoes and avocados. Or make into gourmet hamburgers with a dollop of guacamole between the burgers and buns.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Jalapeno Jelly Gorgonzola Burgers
The URL: https://welaughwecrywecook.com/2012/03/21/jalapeno-jelly-gorgonzola-burgers
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Becky Johnson
Rachel Randolph
We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook 