Cash-EW! "Bless You, Now Pass the Alfredo!"

I have never been an Alfredo fan, so it certainly wasn't something I was looking to replace in my diet. Still, if I had to make, or eat, one more vegan casserole I think I would have jumped ship.

I had heard tell of using cashews for cream sauces, but since I don't like cashews I figured I would certainly NOT like them on my noodles...how very wrong I was.

I hesitate to call this an Alfredo sauce. But it is white and creamy so I can see why folks refer to it as vegan Alfredo. Regardless of the moniker you choose, it is deeeeee-lish (and super easy)!

Ingredients
1 cup of raw cashews
1-ish cups of water
1 tsp. miso
2 tbs. nutritional yeast
1 tbs. olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 small onion
salt and pepper to taste

How To
Soak the raw cashews in a bowl of water for an hour then rinse well. Put all of the ingredients, except the water, into a blender and whirrr away. I have a Nutrabullet (a newer version of the Magic Bullet which will always sound like, ahem, the name of a vibrator to me.) Um, anyway...once the whole mix is pureed smooth slowly add water until it is the consistency you like. I didn't have the onion so I didn't add it, but it was still wonderful. Once it is the consistency you like, just warm it slowly on the stove, stirring it occasionally.

I can't say it tasted like Alfredo sauce exactly, but it had its own individual goodness, which is good enough for me.

I served this over GF noodles, but this would also be great over steamed broccoli or cauliflower.

Diners' reviews

I don't know what this guy is so happy about, but I want me some.

Grownups: Absolutely two thumbs up.

Kids: Loved it. Even Dane, who isn't a dinner guy, gobbled up his plateful.

What is nutritional yeast?

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, which means that it doesn't make things rise. It has kind of a nutty, cheesy flavor so it is used a lot by vegans when preparing cheese based dishes. I use it to sprinkle on salads and popcorn. I also use it when I make butternut squash macaroni and "cheese." Nutritionally, it is fabulous. In 2 tbs. there are 8 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 45 calories. One serving also provides all the niacin, thiamin, and vitamin Bs that you need for the day. It also provides over half of the RDA of folic acid. What's not to love?

This is what it looks like:

 I buy mine in bulk at Wegman's, but it is ubiquitous at health food stores. I am not sure I used the word "ubiquitous" correctly here, but I have always wanted to use it in a sentence, so there you have it.

Potato and Cheese Torta. What's not to love?

Its only Wednesday and I am staring into my fridge thinking "blech." What the hell can I make that isn't beans, rice, or pasta??? So I flipped through a cookbook called 1,000 Vegan Recipes and was almost to 999 when I happened upon a recipe for a torta. Torta is Italian for cake. Or pie. Or tart. Whatever it means it ISN'T Italian for vegetable! Anyway, I tweaked a few things ended up with a delicious cheese and potato torta that made everyone happy. (Vegan and GF.)

Las papas con queso y vegetables son delicioso!

(I am aware there is no relation between a 

potato wearing a sombrero and an Italian

savory tart.)

 

Potato and Cheese Torta

Ingredients:

6 red potatoes thinly sliced

2 cups steamed cauliflower, chopped

2 cups steamed broccoli, chopped

1 cup steamed carrots, diced

1 1/4 cups of rice cheddar or regular cheddar

1/4 cup olive oil

salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Spray or oil a  large casserole dish to prevent sticking.

Use a mandolin (if you have one) to slice the taters. Don't peel them if you can help it (but use organic if you can.) Red potatoes work best because they hold their shape better when cooked.

Cover the bottom of the dish with the potato slices by overlapping them. Brush on a light coat of olive oil and seasoning to taste. Spread the chopped broccoli evenly on top of the first potato layer and top with about 1/2 cups of cheese. Repeat the overlapping potato layer and brush with olive oil and seasonings. Spread the chopped cauliflower evenly on top of the potatoes and top with the 1/2 cup of cheese. Top with the final layer of potatoes, cover with tinfoil, and bake for about 50 minutes then remove the tinfoil, top with the rest of cheese, and bake for 10 more minutes. Be careful and don't let it burn.

Reviews

Grown ups: We both loved it. I felt guilty feeding it to the kids as a main dish because basically it was potatoes au gratin with veggies. But it was yummy and nutritious and a keeper. It's also a great way to clean out the fridge or finish of half full bags of frozen veggies. I also served a side dish of amaranth, which I will talk about another time.

Kids: They absolutely loved it. Selah ate almost half the dish. Literally. Dane isn't a big dinner fellow, but he gave it two thumbs up anyway.

On Photobucket this is captioned as "fully belly frog." However, he rather looks like he's been shot. Or gigged.

The Big Cheese

If you use dairy cheese in this recipe you have an additional 33 grams of protein. However, you also have 44 grams of fat, 28 grams of which are saturated (which is 139% of your daily recommended allowance!) Also, you have the added benefits of 139 mg. of cholesterol (46% of the daily allowance), and 820 mg. of sodium (34% of your RDA.) Even divided by four people, these are some scary numbers.


 

Mmmmmm...Krispy Kream bacon cheese burgers.

Mochi is nice...mochi is rice.

Chewy Deliciousness!

What is mochi?

Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of sticky brown rice. It comes in a hard flat vacuum sealed brick. I got mine from Whole Foods during a recent trip to the Big City. I think they were about $3.50 a package (they are in the fridge section.) I learned about them from a friend who suggested I try them as a gluten-free waffle alternative.

Mochi waffles (or "moffles") are incredibly simple to make. Here is the process: 

1. Open mochi package.
2. Cut into small squares (about 2" x 2").
3. Place in hot waffle iron for 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove and top with agave, cinnamon sugar, or whatever floats your boat. 

Tip*: The bricks are hard so put them on a firm surface and use a sharp knife to cut them. Also, I split each square (like a bagel) to make the mochi thinner. I liked the texture better this way and it let me feel like I was eating more. 

Here is a link to a step by step tutorial with pictures.

Alas, this isn't what the waffles look like. But aren't they pretty?

The final analysis.

Grown ups: My final analysis is that these are a keeper. I have had them several times for breakfast with sliced banana, a bit of peanut butter, and agave. Darin thought they were "fine" and not in a "Melissa, you are a FINE looking woman" kind of way.

Kids: Dane thought thought they were good but hasn't asked for them since his first taste. Selah, on the other hand, loves them. She has chosen them as a snack several times. Her favorite is the agave with cinnamon.

And just to clarify....

Mochi is apparently a highly popular pet name. Please be aware that these "Mochi" are not intended for the waffle iron (although I am pretty sure I had the second one down in a stew once...).

If at first you don't succeed...make brownies.

Epic Fail.

I am pretty sure that's a hunk of my
gluten-free flatbread Mr. Edison 
is staring at. I recognize
the look.

Contrary to popular belief, Thomas Alvin Edison was never the president. He also didn't invent the light bulb. Those two particular failures aside, he was a fairly accomplished fellow. But, like all of us, he had his round of failures.

To wit, this inspiring quote:

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

As for me, my failures are nowhere near that number....they are much much higher. For example:

I am trying to find a suitable replacement for wheat tortillas and so thought I would try my hand at making a gluten free flatbread. I found a recipe the night before that had great reviews but I couldn't for the life of me find it when I needed it. So.....I decided to wing it.  

Lesson #1 in gluten free baking: You can't wing it.

It was so bad I could barely eat it. The kids were great and simply said "No thank-you, mama." Bless their hearts. And just so you don't ever, EVER try this at home, here is my "Gluten-free Flatbread Recipe (for Disaster)."
  
1.5 cup of brown rice flour
1 cup of oatmeal flour
1 tsp. of yeast
1 tsp. of salt
1 tbs. of sugar
2 tsp. xantham gum
2 tbs. of flax meal mixed with 6 tbs. of warm water

Combine all ingredients. Cover and let rise. Once it doesn't rise, sally forth and divide the "dough" into balls. Taste raw dough and vomit a little in your mouth. Proceed to flatten balls and "fry" in olive oil. Top with hummus and rice cheese then toast. Smile encouragingly at your children as you serve them. Quickly hand them a napkin to spit out the flatbread, then replace said flatbread with jellybeans.
 
So...don't ever, ever, EVER try this particular "recipe" at home.

I will let you know when I make my next attempt. 

Score!

Lesson #2 in gluten free baking: Chocolate makes everything better.

I mean, don't you feel better already? I know I do.

Black Bean Brownies

(wheat, dairy, and egg free) 

 After my epic lunch fail I felt like I had to make it up to the kids. We were also having company, so I wanted to make a special treat for the kids (me.) While Googling vegan and wheat-free cupcakes, I came upon an intriguing recipe for black bean brownies. Here it is:

15 ounce can of black beans (drain, rinse, drain, rinse, drain)
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa (at least!)   
*1/2 cup of quick oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup of honey (or maple syrup or agave)
2 stevia packs (or 2 tbs. sugar)
1/4 coconut or vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbs. instant coffee (or 2 tbs. of coffee leftover from the morning)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or, of course, more!)

Combine ALL except the chocolate chips. This has to be pureed really REALLY smooth. I used an immersion blender which worked wonders, but the beans were super sticky to blend at first. Blend. Blend. Blend. I cannot stress this enough. Fold in chips and pour into a greased 8x8 baking pan then bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.

This recipe is courtesy of the amazing website Chocolate Covered Katie!

*My understanding is that for people with gluten allergies or Celiac disease that oats are not an option.

How it turned out and what I will try differently next time  

I was really dubious about the texture at first. It was really thick and seemed to get everywhere but once it was blended really really well, it felt more like batter. I also ended up cooking it a whole lot longer that 18 minutes--closer to 30. I was also pretty pleased with the end result. 

Kids' opinions: All of the kids loved them and devoured the whole pan.

Adults' opinions: Pretty darned good. Can use some tweeking. 
These are some changes I am going to try next time:  

1.  Use real sugar instead of another sweetener. (I think no meat, dairy, or wheat is sacrifice enough, don't you?)
2. I am going to increase the vanilla to 1 tbs.
3. I am going to process the oats into flour.
4. I am going to increase the oats to 3/4 cup.
5. I am going to increase the cocoa to 3 tbs.

I didn't taste too much bean, but it was still there. I think the sugar, vanilla, and extra cocoa will mask it better. Also, the texture was too moist for me. I think upping the flour might help that a bit. I will let you know!!!  

"We made brownies. I think we're dead!"

P.S. This photo is NOT an indication of any kind of special "healthy" recipe I am planning on cooking up! But it is a damned funny story...

 

YES VE-GAN!

(we are glutens for punishment)

Why are we going vegan-ish and gluten-free-ish?

In short: we stopped eating meat and dairy because we think it is bad for us. We have given up gluten (again, given up-ish) because studies have shown it makes many people fat and leads to metabolic disorders. We don't need anymore help with that, thank you very much. We aren't on a mission or anything, just trying to live a healthier life.

Here is the movie that got us to change our views:

You can watch this on Netflix.

And here is a a link to the synopsis of a recent study published about the impact of gluten on fat:

Its all fun and grains until someone gets diabetes.

So you AREN'T really vegan, are you?

         

There is a plant in the
light bulb because
we are really vegan-lite.
Get it????? I kill me.

Ask any dyed-in-the-wool (with the wool still on the sheep, of course) vegan and they will say hell no. We keep chickens and I will use the eggs in baking when flax meal gel (mmmm--sounds delish) won't cut it. 

We also are fine with honey. And we may choose to eat meat or cheese on occasion. The kids still get plain yogurt (they add their own stuff like honey and raisins). 

And even though we don't have a moral conflict with people eating animals, we do have a moral conflict with how commercial meat and eggs are raised.

Recipes

Now for some of my newly attempted recipes, both the wins and the fails:

He just looks so....thoughtful. 

"Meat" Balls

1 peeled eggplant

1/2 onion

1 carton mushrooms 

garlic

olive oil

oregano

salt and pepper to taste

vegetable bouillon (I like Better than Bouillon brand)

Use a food processor to finely mince the raw eggplant, raw onion, and raw mushrooms together. Don't turn it into mush, just tiny pieces.  Once minced, place it in a cheesecloth or strainer and remove as much liquid as possible.  Saute it with olive oil, garlic, oregano, 1 tsp. bouillon, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. Leave the oven on. Spread it around to try and get it as dry as possible. Remove it from the oven and let it cool enough to handle it. Form it into balls. Pan saute them with olive to give a crisp exterior, then place back in oven while the pasta is cooking. Watch them so they don't brown too much. You can serve them on the side or in the sauce.

Kid review: Selah loved them and had no clue they were vegan. Dane doesn't do meatballs, vegan or otherwise.

Adult review: Pretty good first try. I want to get them drier next time.

The Pasta

The pasta issue concerned Darin the most. We have tried gluten-free pasta in the past and it was gross. I bought Wegman's brand gluten free pasta which is all corn. (Of course this brings up the whole new dilemma of corn (don't get me started) but I must pick my battles.) It was really good--even Darin was happy. It has the same calorie content as regular pasta so keep that in mind.

If you find a better way to handle the "balls" let me know!!!!