Baked Macaroni and Cheese (vegan) By Chef Chloe Coscarelli

Ingredients

• 1 pound elbow macaroni or piccolini
• ¼ cup vegan margarine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour)
• 3 cups soy, almond, or rice milk
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon agave
• 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, make a roux or paste by whisking the margarine and flour over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add nondairy milk, yeast, tomato paste, salt, and garlic powder to the saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste (I added a little black pepper) and stir in lemon juice and agave. Toss the noodles with the sauce and transfer to the prepared pan.

Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of the pasta and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and crisp. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe by Chef Chloe Coscarelli, and can be found in the cookbook Chloe's Kitchen available from amazon. Find the cookbook and many more in my amazon widget in the upper right hand corner of this blog. Photos by Laura Spear 

Avocado Feta Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (vegan or dairy)

Directions

1. In a bowl, gently stir together tomatoes, avocados, onion, and garlic. Mix in parsley and oregano. Gently stir in olive oil and vinegar. Then stir in feta. Cover, and chill for 2 to 6 hours. 

Recipe from allrecipes.com, photos by Laura Spear 

Spicy Three Pepper Hummus

I love hummus! I could eat it each and everyday if i had it available. It is expensive to buy at the store, once in a while I'll treat myself to a container at our local sams club but most of the time we make it ourselves. Recently I was in the mood to treat myself so i was browsing the hummus section at sams... gasp*  a new flavor!!! The excitement overwhelmed me when I read the title "The Seasons Finest Hummus" a seasonal flavor! I was so excited I knew since it was a seasonal item that it wouldn't be around forever so i snatched it up and headed to the checkout. Once home i opened one of my favorite chips to dip in the hummus, I always go with blue corn tortilla chips or pita chips. I took my fist bite, a big one fully loaded, I wanted all the flavors.......It was the worst tasting thing I have ever tried..... it didn't even taste like hummus!!!! It had all the herbs and spices one would put on a turkey at thanksgiving, olive oil, rosemary, sea salt and this God awful turkey taste!!! Obviously there was not turkey in it but the taste was there. Now don't get me wrong these flavors are spectacular on a turkey but i do not want them in my hummus on a chip!!! So I took my disgruntled vegan self to the pantry determined to save the $5 hummus. I added black pepper, cayenne pepper, and about a 1/4 cup of franks red hot and stirred. This made the hummus tolerable but never again will I go for the holiday seasonal flavor. 

Now this brings me to my recipe which is for Spicy three pepper hummus. I liked the cayenne and black pepper mixed with the hot sauce so I figured i'd browse the internet and search for a peppery hummus. i came across this recipe on allrecipes.com so we decided to give it a go. My wonderful husband actually whipped this up for me in a matter of minutes and it was SO good!!! It definitely lived up to its 4 1/2 star review. 

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 slices jarred jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon liquid from the jar of jalapeno peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, jalapeno, and juice from the jalapeno jar. Season with black pepper, cayenne, cumin and oregano.
2. Mix using the whisk attachment on low speed until the ingredients start to blend, then turn the speed to medium, and blend to your desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Make sure your container is sealed well, or your fridge will smell like garlic!

Recipe from allrecipes.com submitted by FLCRACKER Photo By Laura Spear 

PEAR AND TOASTED WALNUT SALAD WITH CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE

We enjoyed this wonderful fall salad at our first vegan Thanksgiving feast and let me tell you that it was amazing!! The pears were definitely the highlight of this salad while the walnuts and cranberries gave the salad that fall holiday feel. I doubled the recipe for my family of 5 so that we would for sure have enough and it was more than enough. We had two big salad bowls one of which we saved for the next day. If you are going to save some for the next day be sure to reserve the dressing in a container, because nobody likes soggy salad.

Serves: 4 to 6

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 teaspoon guar gum (or substitute 2 teaspoons olive oil)
• 3 tablespoons walnut halves or pieces, toasted
• 2 large ripe pears, each cut into 8 to 12 slices
• 4 to 6 cups greens, including bitter ones like arugula or cress
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine the water, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard and 2 tablespoons of the cranberries in a food processor. Process. Add the guar gum and process. Set aside.

Put washed and dried greens in a large bowl. Pour half the dressing over the greens and toss. Arrange pears over greens and sprinkle walnuts and cranberries over pears.

Add remaining dressing if you like. Top with freshly ground pepper. Serve right away.

Recipe by The Veggie Queen, Photos by Laura Spear 

Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe By Gluten free Goddess

The Best Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe

Don't mourn for Kraft-y macaroni goodness, Babycakes. I've got something tastier (and healthier!). This homemade cheesy uncheese sauce is creamy and delicious. 

For the casserole:

10 to 12 oz. dry penne or macaroni pasta, partially pre-cooked* - see below

For the sauce:

4 tablespoons light olive oil

4 tablespoons sweet rice flour

2 1/2 cups plain hemp, rice or nut milk

1 rounded tablespoon sesame tahini or almond butter

2 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1-2 teaspoons golden balsamic or rice vinegar, or lemon juice, to taste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

A dash or two of Simply Organic Garlic Powder

A dash or two of Simply Organic Minced Onion

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons white wine- Frey Organic wine is vegan and egg-free

Optional: 1/2 teaspoon turmeric for yellow, or paprika for orange color

For the topping:

1 cup Crunchy Gluten-Free "Bread" Crumbs (these crumbs have herbs and olive oil)

10-12 grape tomatoes, halved (optional)

A sprinkle of dried basil and parsley

*To pre-cook the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and pre-cook the penne just until it is slightly tender but firm to the bite. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse it quickly under cold water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and stir in the sweet rice flour (I like to use a whisk to do this). Cook and stir the flour for about 10 seconds, then slowly add in the hemp milk, whisking to blend the flour paste (called a roux) and hemp milk.

Bring the mixture to a bubble (it will thicken as it heats) then reduce the heat to low.

Add the toasted sesame tahini, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, golden balsamic vinegar, sea salt, a dash or two of Simply Organic Garlic Powder and Simply Organic Minced Onion, nutmeg and white wine. Add turmeric or paprika for color, if desired. Mix well with a whisk.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the cooked penne into a 6-cup baking dish. Pour the cheesy uncheese sauce over the penne and gently combine. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the gluten-free bread crumbs and halved grape tomatoes. Sprinkle with dried basil. (For the sensory sensitive, omit the tomatoes, crumbs and basil.)

For individual gratin dishes, combine the pasta with the cheese sauce first; then spoon it into the gratin dishes. Top with crumbs and tomatoes and sprinkle with dried basil.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, until heated through and bubbling.

Recipe by Gluten free goddess, photos by Laura Spear

The Best Vegan Fried Pickles

You will need:
Crinkle cut pickles (I buy the big jar at Sams Club)
1 cup Flour
1 cup soy milk
Deep fryer with oil
Seasonings to top the pickles with, all optional:
I used 1 T Cajun seasoning, 1 T Old bay seasoning, and 1 T cayenne pepper.

Directions:
Preheat the deep fryer to 375 degrees. Meanwhile put the milk in one bowl and the flour in another bowl. In a third bowl mix the 3 seasonings together and set aside.

Grab a handful of pickles out of the jar, shake off excess juice and place them in the bowl of milk. Make sure they are all evenly coated.

Place the pickles in the bowl of flour 1 at a time making sure they are well coated on both sides.

When all your pickles are coated add them one at a time into the fryer so that they don't clump up and stick to one another.

Fry for 3 minutes and then raise the basket and let the excess grease drip off. Once its stopped dripping place the pickles on a plate lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle with seasonings to taste.

For a spicy dipping sauce I use Vegenaise mixed with franks red hot sauce, or sirachi chili sauce until its nice and hot. 

Recipe and photo by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Vegan Ham (for using as diced ham)

Wrapped for cooking

Unwrapped after cooking

1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl mix together all the HAM ingredients until a nice goopy mixture forms.
Spread a large sheet of aluminum foil on the counter. Place the mixture into the middle of the foil. Roll the foil over the mixture, and twist the ends tight, so that a nice log is formed. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and bake for about 50 minutes or until firm.
Remove from the oven and let cool.

Now you have prepared vegan ham to chop and put into burgers, hash browns, on a salad, in soups and more!

Recipe from the book "The best veggie burgers on the planet" you can find this book in my Amazon widget to the right hand side of the blog, click it and check it out.   Photos by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Vegan Italian Pasta

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups shell, bow-tie or corkscrew pasta (I used wacky mac noodles)
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup cauliflower, chopped
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 6 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup Italian salad dressing
• 3/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. In a large salad bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and onion.
Toss with the dressing, then cover and chill for 4 hours.

Before serving, toss the salad with the olives, tomato and avocado.

Recipe from about.com vegetarian food, Photo by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,