Grilled Cheese/Tomato Soup/Mac & Cheese

Cheese:

14 oz coconut milk (not reduced fat)
1 tsp coconut vinegar
1 Tbsp tapioca starch
2 tsp agar powder (I used agar flakes, ground in spice grinder)
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Soup:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
A few dashes of liquid smoke
1 cup crushed roma tomatoes (Eden brand)
2 cups vegetable broth

4 pieces of gluten-free sandwich bread
Expeller pressed coconut oil


Cheese:
Combine coconut milk, coconut vinegar, tapioca, agar, and sea salt in a small saucepan. Whisk briskly continuously until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in nutritional yeast, and transfer it to a small pyrex dish. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Soup:
Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned, about seven minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, add garlic, spices, and liquid smoke. Allow to saute for about 3 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Add tomatoes and broth. Return heat to medium until the soup comes to a very small boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for about 15 minutes.

Transfer to Vitamix; blend until smooth.

To make the sandwiches, place coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.  After it melts, quickly place both slices of bread in the pan, coating well with oil.  Spread one of the slices of bread with a thin layer of the cheese, cover with other slice.  Allow the bread to nicely brown on one side before flipping it over with a spatula, about 4 minutes.

Serve immediately with the warmed soup.

Note: 1 Tbsp agar flakes = 1 tsp agar powder

Used leftover cheese to make mac & cheese.  Cook brown rice pasta according to package directions.  Drain and add cheese to pasta, along with nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, and smoked sea salt to taste.  Heat and enjoy.

*****

Adapted from Olives for Dinner

Fried Tofu French Toast Sandwich

Very good, although I think I'd like it better without the sweetness of the maple syrup.  I used Daiya Cheddar, and I'd like to try it with cheese sauce, too.

2 slices of vegan french toast (see recipe below)
4 slices fried tofu (see recipe below)
Melted vegan cheddar or Vegan Cheese Sauce
Baby spinach

Place 2 slices of fried tofu on top of one piece of the french toast. Top with either vegan cheese or cheese sauce.  Add a layer of spinach leaves, followed by another layer of fried tofu slices, cheese, baby spinach and your second piece of vegan french toast. If you need the cheese to melt, place it in the microwave or toaster oven for a few seconds to warm it up. Enjoy!


Vegan French Toast

1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 slices of gluten-free vegan bread
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Combine coconut milk, maple syrup, and corn starch in a plate and stir until well combined. Lay one piece of the bread in the milky mixture and let it set for a few seconds to absorb some of the liquid. Turn the slice over to make sure both sides are saturated. In the meantime warm the coconut oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Place the slice of bread in the skillet. While that’s cooking, place the second piece of bread in the remaining coconut milk mixture, turning to allow both sides to become saturated.

Once it’s ready, go ahead and add it to the skillet as well.

Once once side is browned, flip the french toast slices over to cook both sides evenly. Once you’ve got the toast browned, place them in a toaster oven and toast on low to firm up the toast. No one likes flimsy french toast!

 Fried Tofu

4 – 6 slices of tofu (thinly sliced)
1/2 – 1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon Black Salt (otherwise known as Kala Namak)*
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste


Lay the slices of tofu on a plate and sprinkle half of the seasonings on top. Let that sit for a minute while you melt the coconut oil in a small skillet (or just use the same skillet you used for the French Toast above) over medium heat. Once the oil is melted and spread around the pan, place the tofu (seasoning side down) in the skillet.

While the bottom side is cooking, sprinkle the top side with remaining seasonings. I also add a little sprinkle from my sea salt grinder and another sprinkle from the pepper grinder.

Let the tofu cook over medium heat for a few minutes allowing it to become well-browned. Once that occurs, flip the tofu and let the other side cook.

Spinach and Corn Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs red potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 c Earth Balance, soy-free
1 c nondairy milk, unsweetened
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp coconut oil
3 c whole kernel corn
20-oz fresh baby spinach, stems removed
3 tsp garlic, minced

Fill a large pot with water, add 1/2 tsp sea salt, and bring to a boil.
Add potatoes and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
Drain well and return potatoes to the pot.

Add Earth Balance and milk, and mash potatoes until light and fluffy.  Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
Add coconut oil and corn, and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes.
Stir in spinach and garlic and sauté just until spinach is wilted.
Fold mixture into mashed potatoes.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole

by Susan Voisin on November 22, 2006
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I just had to write a quick post about this recipe because D. and I just had some for lunch and oh my gosh, it is good! Truly, we were scraping the casserole dish clean.
This is adapted and plagiarized from Alanna’s World’s Best Green Bean Casserole, and I have to say, the name fits. I made up a full recipe to bring to Thanksgiving at the in-laws’ tomorrow, but I set aside this small dish to bake today just for us (and to photograph just for you). Though I can’t say that either my husband or I were fans of green bean casserole in general, we’re now fans of this one.
I’ve veganized the recipe and taken out some of the butter/margarine, but there’s still Earth Balance margarine in the topping and some fat in the soy creamer. And oh, those fried onions! (Which I accidentally used a whole can of, instead of the half can the recipe called for.) What can I say? You could try it completely fat-free, but for a special occasion, this isn’t too huge an amount of fat. And the taste is amazing. No one will know it’s vegan!
And, in case this is my last post before the holidays, happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it. Thanks to Alanna for the recipe, and thanks to all of you readers for your support this year. Your comments and input make blogging fun!

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

(printer-friendly version)

Ingredients

Beans
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon table salt (Alanna says it’s essential)
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
Sauce
10 ounces mushrooms (I used a combination of regular button mushrooms and shiitake)
3 cloves garlic, minced
generous pinch cayenne pepper (had to add it for the New Orleanians)
Salt to taste
Fresh pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup vegetable broth (I used Imagine’s No-Chicken)
1 tablespoon dry sherry (Alanna’s brilliant addition)
3/4 cup soy creamer (or try full-fat unsweetened soymilk)
Topping
1 1/2 slices gluten-free bread
1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine (the best tasting margarine in the world and no trans-fat)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3-ounce can of French fried onions

Instructions

1. Beans: Bring the water to boil in a large pot. While it’s heating, cut up the beans. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Drain beans in a colander, and then spray for a minute with cold water to stop the cooking. Let them drain in the colander, shaking every now and then to get off all the water.
2. Sauce: Trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to the mushrooms along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the soy creamer and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.
3. Topping: Put the bread, margarine, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl and add the onions. Stir to combine.
4. To assemble: Put the green beans into an oiled casserole dish and top with the onion mixture. Bake at 425 F for about 15 minutes. If you are not serving this right away, refrigerate the topping separately; bring to room temperature before sprinkling the topping on the casserole and baking for about 20 minutes or until hot throughout.
5. 
   

Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

Serves about 6-8

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Very good.  Used 1 1/2 cups rolled oats and 1 cup ground.  Try adding sliced or diced apples next time (and possibly raisins and/or shredded coconut.)

1 cup pitted and diced medjool dates
3/4 cup water
1 ½ cups rolled oats, ground into flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 15-oz. can cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a 9x9" baking pan with parchment paper.

Place diced dates into a small bowl with the 3/4 cup of water and soak for at least 15 minutes.

Place oat flour and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl.

In Vitamix, blend soaked dates, date soak water, vanilla, and coconut milk until smooth (1-2 minutes). Pour into the bowl of flour/spices, and also add the pumpkin.  Mix with a wooden spoon until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Scrape batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Light browning and some cracks on the top are good indications that it’s done. Let cool at least 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Storing in the refrigerator overnight will firm up these squares, then you can pack them in a lunch or as a snack.

****

Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp rice flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp chili powder
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Enchiladas:
3/4 c black beans, cooked
3/4 c frozen corn, thawed
3 oz fresh baby spinach
3 scallions, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 c shredded Daiya cheddar cheese
4 GF tortillas

Sauce: In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, 1 tsp cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, whisking. Whisk in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer; cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; set aside.

Enchiladas: In a skillet, saute spinach in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted.

In a large bowl, combine beans, 1/2 cup Daiya cheese, spinach, corn, green onions, 1 tsp cumin, and cilantro.

Preheat oven to 375. 

Lightly oil a 9x13" baking dish, and pour a small amount of the sauce to coat the bottom.

Generously fill tortillas with mixture, roll up tightly with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in dish.

Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Daiya cheese on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions.

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/

Vegan Cheese

14 oz coconut milk (not reduced fat)
1 tsp coconut vinegar
1 Tbsp tapioca starch
2 tsp agar powder (I used agar flakes, ground in spice grinder)*
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast 



Combine coconut milk, coconut vinegar, tapioca, agar, and sea salt in a small saucepan. Whisk briskly continuously until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, stir in nutritional yeast, and transfer it to a small Pyrex dish. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

*If using agar flakes instead of powder, 1 Tbsp  flakes = 1 tsp powder