Hippies Love Mac and Cheeze!

Macaroni and cheese is pretty much the epitome of comfort food. But what's a gluten-free vegan to do? We need comfort too!

I've found over the past few years that I'll still be drawn by the siren call of the soft pasta... the gooey unnaturally-orange cheese mixture... but I know that if I give in an chow down on it, I'll regret it right away. Bloat - bleh!

There is pre-packaged vegan mac and cheese out there, too, but they definitely leave something to be desired. I had to find a home-made alternative! When I started making the cashew cream, it occurred to me that I could thicken it with nutritional yeast, which gives a nice cheesy flavor to things. Starting from a base of rice pasta, and adding the cashew cheese, and some additional flavors - I found the perfect blend. I hope you, too, will find a little comfort here.


Hippies love Mac & Cheeze

20 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in 2 cups water
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. Wheat-Free Tamari
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
sea salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Roux:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. rice flour (I actually used sprouted ground quinoa that I had on hand)
1 Tbsp. ground flax
3 Tbsp. olive oil (or more if needed)

To make a roux, brown onion and garlic with 1 Tbsp. oil over medium heat. Add flour and flax, with 2 Tbsp. oil, and sauté until golden, stirring constantly. Take off the heat. If it gets way too thick, feel free to add some boiling water.

In a high-powered blender, blend cashews and sun-dried tomatoes (with soak water) until creamy. Then you can add the rest of the ingredients, including the roux, and blend until it's all smooth and incorporated.

Pour over steaming rice pasta and serve! If you like, you can add some of your favorite veggies: peas, beets, corn, broccoli, etc. Get creative! :)

Almond-Crusted Tofu

Deep-fried tofu has always been a favorite of mine - that firm, crispy outside protecting the soft, delicate inside. Needless to say it has always been something I choose at Asian restaurants, and something I make at home as a treat for myself.

This time, I decided to make a slightly different variant on my usual fried tofu with a basic starch batter. I've been experimenting with almond meal a lot, and had a little (starch tainted) leftover from an experiment earlier in the day, so I whipped out my tofu and heated some oil!

I really love the way this turned out - it's definitely not your average crispy tofu. The almond meal gives it a crumbly-like texture on the outside, but it doesn't crumble off the tofu like you'd expect. I should've made three packs and kept the rest for leftovers. This is definitely my new fried tofu standby.

Almond-Crusted Tofu

1 pound firm tofu, drained and sliced into long cutlets
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup tapioca starch
salt to taste
oil for frying (I used sunflower)


In a deep, non-stick pan or pot, heat oil (about an inch deep) on medium-high heat. You want it just hot enough to make the end of a chopstick bubble if you dip it in.

While the oil is heating, mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Next, you can either dump the tofu in and toss to coat (like I did) or you can bread them individually. I found that the mix made just enough to coat a pound of tofu, but if you need a bit more, you can add a couple more tablespoons of meal and a couple teaspoons of starch.

When the oil is hot, gently lay the breaded cutlets into the pan. Check for browning after about 3 minutes - you want a light golden color on the outside. I prefer to flip the cutlets with chopsticks, as it minimizes splatters.

When the cutlets are browned on both sides, drain on a dish towel. (Or paper towel, but dish towels are washable) Plate and serve with sweet pepper sauce* for dipping.


*I couldn't find the brand that I use online, but it's your basic sweet pepper sauce from the Asian market. It's a tall red-labeled bottle that says "Sweet Pepper Sauce for Chicken"


Enjoy!

Paté Stuffed Mushrooms with Butternut "Cheese" (Raw) - Butternut Showcase #2

My second butternut showcase is a bit less in-your-face.

I wanted to make raw stuffed mushrooms, inspired by Leslie Bega's recipe at GLiving. By raw, I don't mean completely unprocessed, as I used my dehydrator to soften the mushrooms, and make them juicier. The result is warm and soft in the mouth, with flavor bursting in every bite. The paté is creamy, tangy, and spicy. I'm hooked!

I'd made a big bowl of julienned squash with my mandolin for a salad earlier that day, so I decided to marinate some extras to put over the mushrooms. They end up being tender and chewy. Mmmm...

Paté Stuffed Mushrooms with Butternut "Cheese"

4 Tb. Braggs or Nama Shoyu
2 tsp. lemon
1/4 tsp. aji panca hot sauce
12 cremini mushrooms, stems reserved
1/2 cup loosely packed butternut squash, julienned

In a large bowl, whisk liquid ingredients together. Wet the mushrooms one by one, making sure to thoroughly coat the insides. Then toss them around in the bowl, and let them sit while you make the paté.

1 cup walnuts
Stems from the mushrooms
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
1/4 cup bell pepper (I used orange)
2 small green onions, chopped
small handful parsley
2 Tb. marinade
1 small garlic clove
cracked pepper to taste (about 1/4 tsp.)
enough water to paste

In the food processor, pulverize the walnuts and mushrooms until you get a coarse meal. Add the rest of the ingredients (except water) and grind down until you have a thick paste. It may ball up on you. Splash the water in small amounts until you get a nice, smooth paté.

Take the mushrooms out of the marinade, shaking off the excess as you go. Add your julienned butternut squash to the marinade, and toss. Carefully press the stuffing into the mushrooms, making good-sized mounds. Then, take the squash and squeeze the liquid out, and lay the bits across the tops of the mushrooms.

Dehydrate at 110 degrees for about 2 hours, or until the mushrooms have softened a bit, and the paté has got a nice crust on the outside. Enjoy!

Ginger-Lime Tofu with Citrus Marmalade Glaze, March Joust Entry

Here's my entry for the Royal Foodie Joust!

Ginger-Lime Tofu with Citrus Marmalade Glaze, Coconut Quinoa with Pink Peppercorns, Orange Balsamic Chard and Radish Greens

I'm so pleased with this menu, because they compliment each other so well. The delicate flavour of the quinoa counterbalances the citrus kick of the tofu, and the greens had a smooth, almost creamy texture from the radish tops.

The tofu was wonderful in itself, with the texture very akin to pork, and even the color was spot on. I find that red wine and tofu cooked together in most forms makes for a good substitute for heavier meats in recipes. My fiance said that it reminded him very much of a gourmet version of orange beef he used to get at Chinese restaurants, and he gobbled up everything left in the pan, including the leftover glaze!

A wonderfully pink Valentine's meal, indeed. :)

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Ginger-Lime Tofu with Citrus Marmalade Glaze

13 ounces of firm tofu
3 tbs. grated ginger
5 tbs. lime juice
2 tbs. red wine (merlot)
2 green onions, diced (just the dark green tops; reserve the whites for later)

Cut tofu into quarters, then slice each quarter lengthwise into three cutlets. Place tofu into a freezer-safe container, and add in red wine, ginger and lime juice, making sure to coat.
Place in the freezer overnight (this firms up the texture of the tofu, making it more meat-like.) Remove from the freezer and allow the mass to thaw.
Drain and spread tofu cutlets onto a cookie sheet, and place in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, then flip, and return to the oven for 20 more minutes. Both sides should be a nice golden brown.
Arrange the tofu in a baking dish. Pour on the marmalade glaze and top with diced green onion.
Bake at 400 degrees for another 10-15 minutes, or until the glaze has reduced slightly. (It will get very bubbly, the bubbles should start to rise just a bit.) Garnish with diced green onion tops and diced red bell pepper [not pictured - thought that up while we were eating!]

Citrus Marmalade Glaze

1/2 cup marmalade (lemon, grapefruit and orange, with black currant juice)
1/4 cup white wine (chardonnay)
large pinch of ground pink peppercorns
1 tsp. whole pink peppercorns
1 tsp. lime juice
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. wheat-free tamari
pinch cayenne pepper, to taste

Simmer all ingredients in a small saucepan over VERY low heat (watch that it doesn't burn!) to till it reduces by about 1/4.


Coconut Quinoa Pilaf with Pink Peppercorns

2 cups sprouted quinoa
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup coconut water
1 tsp. lime juice
squeeze of lemon
1 tsp. coconut oil
2 tsp. ground pink peppercorns

1/4 onion, thinly sliced and caramelized with 2 tsp coconut oil and splash of coconut water (reserve pan for sautéing the greens)

Heat coconut oil in a pot on med-high heat, and add quinoa, sautéing for about 5 minutes. Add coconut water, lemon, lime, pepper, and salt, and simmer on med-low for about ten minutes, until the liquid evaporates. Once the quinoa cools a bit, toss in the onions. Serve on a bed of watercress.


Orange-Balsamic Chard and Radish Greens

4 chard leaves, roughly chopped (stem sliced thin and reserved)
1 large bunch radish tops, destemmed and large leaves torn in half
Whites from diced green onion
Juice from half a navel orange
Splash balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. coconut oil
pinch salt

Warm 1 tsp. coconut oil in the pan you used to caramelize the onions, and add the green onions. Sauté for 2 minutes, until softened. Add chard, toss to wilt slightly, then add the radish greens, orange juice, salt and balsamic. Once wilted, plate with a sprinkling of ground peppercorns and a few raw chard stem pieces.



Enjoy! If you like this recipe, vote for me at the Joust on March 1st, Thanks!

Onigiri with Mushroom and Red Pepper

So, by now I'm sure you've figured out that when it comes to food, I tend to not play by the rules. This time is really no exception. :)



Traditionally, Onigiri is filled with salmon, or pickled vegetables. I had a hankering for mushrooms and red pepper though, so I filled my fun rice triangles with them instead! I made a pretty large batch for a potluck (cooking 6 cups of sushi rice for about 24 of these puppies) so I'll round down a bit.

First, you'll need to start your sushi rice. I used the About.com recipe, found here. Those amounts should make about 12 onigiri, depending on size.

While the rice is cooking, you'll need to marinate your mushrooms. I used dried shiitakes. You can use fresh, or other mushrooms if you like, but I really enjoy the extra earthiness dried shiitake mushrooms have. I just tossed this all together without measuring, so it's really all about your particular tastes.

2 cups of dried shiitake mushrooms, broken up, in a large bowl
2-3 Tb wheat-free Tamari
1 Tb fresh ground garlic
1 Tb fresh ground ginger
2 Tb sweet red pepper sauce (can be found in any asian market)
Two generous splashes white wine
A splash of red cooking wine (asian market as well, with salt added)
A drizzle of rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4-1/2 cup of water

Mix everything together except the water, making sure to coat the mushrooms as much as possible. Taste the marinade, and if it tastes good to you, add the water. Just enough water to make it a functional marinade. You don't need to cover the mushrooms with water; you'll lose flavour if there's too much water, and they'll float anyway. ;) Once the marinade has set in (about 10-15min), squeeze most of the marinade out of the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and chop the mushrooms into small pieces. (I just did this while the pepper was frying.)

Next, prepare the red pepper.

1 red pepper, diced small
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp coconut oil (optional, but I really love the slightly sweet creamy flavour)
1 Tb black sesame seeds

Heat a small pot to medium high, and melt your coconut oil with the sesame oil. Throw in the pepper, stirring occasionally. After the pepper has softened a bit, add your mushrooms and black sesame seeds. Once it's back up to the proper heat, add the marinade in splashes to keep everything moist. If the liquid evaporates too quickly, turn the heat down a bit. Once most of the liquid is cooked out, turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

Once your filling has cooled enough to touch, you can stuff your onigiri! I used a triangle mold, which my room mate was awesome enough to have in-stock. They're very inexpensive, and can be found here.
I also found a great tutorial on how to make onigiri without a mold!

Instead of covering these beauties in nori sheets, I decided to sprinkle the top with my Hemp Seed Furikake. Also, no Japanese rice dish is complete (IMO) without wasabi and pickled ginger! :)

I love the way they compliment sushi rice.

Needless to say, they were a hit! I love how they have a bit of mystery as to what's inside. Also, the slight sweetness of the marinade blends well with the softness of the rice. It was a very nice blend.


Enjoy!

Mini Polenta Lasagnas with Rosemary Tapenade

I was feeling especially creative the other night, and I wanted polenta rounds, so I thought up this little ditty. I was also looking for a new use for the FYH mozzarella cheeze. I think I found one!


That's one of my cats, Silvanus, by the way. I shot the photos on the bed cuz that's where the best light was. :P

One tube sundried tomato and roasted garlic polenta, thinly sliced
Half a red pepper
1/2 c. Frozen spinach, thawed with a little lemon juice
1/3 c. Favorite marinara sauce (fire roasted crushed tomatoes)
a nice sized chunk FYH mozz. cheeze, thinly sliced

rosemary tapenade:
12 dried black botija olives
12 green botija olives (J says about 4 oz.)
1/4 c grapeseed oil
1/4 c good white wine
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
fresh ground lemon pepper to taste
4 large cloves garlic (to be roasted with polenta)
splash of water if needed
Blended!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put some olive oil on a cookie sheet, and arrange polenta with raw garlic(for tapenade) and bake.
After about 10 minutes, take out the garlic for use in the tapenade, and flip the polenta. Put the polenta back in and bake about 10 more minutes, until lightly browned and crispy.


When the polenta is done, stack ingredients as desired, then bake again at 450 for about five minutes, then broil to melt cheeze.

enjoy!

Makes about a dozen mini lasagnas, depending on how many rounds you snack on as you go along. :)

Amy's gluten-free Pizza!

I don't usually buy pre-packaged food products, but holy crap did I need some pizza! What I was thinking to do was buy some complete protein bread, vegan cheeze, and fry up some mushrooms. All the complete protein breads had gluten *sigh* so Jeremy and I looked at Amy's pizzas, some of which have corn crusts. Problem was, they're mm mm cheesy. But wait: rice crust, dairy-free pizza with spinach? Sold! We bought some extra mozzarella cheeze*, and skipped our way home.

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Here are some extras I added once we got home:
5 large shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and destemmed, chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
2T Grapeseed oil
salt to taste
1 smallish tomato, thinly sliced
about 8 thin slices of mozzarella cheeze

In a pan, heat grapeseed oil on medium high heat. Toss in mushrooms, salt. Sautee until wilted, then add garlic and continue the sautee until garlic is soft.

Arrange all toppings onto pizza, and bake as directed.
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Now, after I was done with all of this, the pizza itself had thawed a little bit, so I put it on a cookie sheet so it wouldn't sag. Because of this small thaw, I think, the crust nearly burned. I didn't get enough broil time to melt the cheezes, but even so, they were both fairly soft. So I took it out, and pizza was had.

I've got to say, that I was disappointed in the nearly burning crust. The crust was pretty browned pre-freezing, but I abided by the cooking time. Aside from that, the pizza was pretty good. The cheezes were nice, I liked the spinach, and it wasn't slathered in tomato sauce. It really needed the mushrooms, but I think everything needs mushrooms. ;)


*Follow Your Heart vegan cheeze is one of the only palatable cheezes I've found so far. When I used to eat dairy, I was a big melty cheese person. I loved mozzarella cheeses, and was always very picky about the true cheese, not the lame, not stringy, shredded cheese. I really like Follow Your Heart, and they're local! Score!


Time for bed now. Goodnight!