I Finally Try Daiya

So I am about a year late to all the foofarah over Daiya cheese, but better late than never, I suppose. On my recent trip to New York I purchased some Daiya and tried it out the other night. If you care, here are my thoughts. First, it is the best vegan cheese I have had. That being said, I am starting to wonder if I really care about vegan cheese anymore. Let's face it, it's not really cheese and even though it does have some stretchiness, it more goopy than stretchy. As you can see from the pic, I totally overdid it with the cheese. I should have just sprinkled it on sparingly rather than drowning the fresh zucchini, cherry tomatoes, onions, and basil from the garden. Still, if I could get it on a regular basis I would probably use it now and then, and I think it would go over well with non-vegan guests. My guess is that it would be pretty good in a lasagna, but that theory remains untested. I also have no delusions (as per the package) that this is some healthy cheese choice. Healthier than dairy cheese, I suppose, but it's still just salty fat. But, sometime I really like salty fat . . . .

Vegan KD 1.0

Ah, KD. The food of my youth. Back in my teen years when grew about a foot every night, I would come home from school, eat an entire box of KD, then eat dinner a few hours later. And I never gained a pound. Man, those were the days. This is my first attempt (hence version 1.0) to recreate that peculiar KD look and taste. Part of this is because of a weird hankering I got for KD the other day, the other part is because I want to create some very kid-friendly meals for my nephew who has recently embraced veg*nism. I got the colour right, but the sauce was still too thick. No matter, the kids bolted it down with gusto with Son #1 eating a record 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 large red pepper roasted, peeled, and seeded
- 3 cups macaroni
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup margarine
- soy milk

METHOD
1. While red pepper is roasting, cook pasta according to directions. Start processing cashews and water in a blender until very smooth (3 to 5 mins).
2. Chop roasted pepper (after peeling and seeding, of course) and add to cashew mixture. Once smooth, pass mixture though a fine sieve (optional--my blender really isn't that great). Return to blender and add yeast, mustard, spices, salt, and flour. Blend until smooth.
3. When pasta is cooked, drain. Add margarine to the now empty hot pot and return to the stove over medium heat. When melted, slowly whisk in cashew mixture, then add pasta and mix well. Add enough soy milk until desired consistency is reached.

Rice Vegan Cheese: A Product Review

I was contacted by the folks at Galaxy Foods to see if I would like to sample some of their new rice cheese. I'm really not one to turn down free food, but I will admit that I am skeptical of vegan cheese. The kids like it, but I would rather just do without for the most part. Despite these caveats, they still sent me the cheese. There are three flavours: Pepper Jack, Cheddar, and American. So, I put the cheese to the test. First up, classic grilled cheese with the cheddar. The flavour was good (for fake cheese), and it melted quickly and easily (which is a big plus).
Next up, potato quesedillas with the pepper jack. I did sample some of the cheese before cooking and, quite frankly, the texture was terrible: grainy, yet pasty. But, when melted in the quesedilla, it was much better.

Lastly, Tofu English Muffin Sandwiches for brunch with the American flavour. This one actually does not taste too bad uncooked and it was a nice addition to the sandwich.

So, in the final analysis the cheese was better than I expected. On the plus side, it melts well, is soy free (if that matters to you), and tastes better than most vegan cheeses. On the downside, it has a lot of packaging since each individual slice is wrapped in plastic inside a plastic package. It would be nice to see this as a block to cut down on the plastic.

Creamy Mac and Cheeze

I know there are a bunch of vegan mac and cheese recipe floating around out there on the internets and in cookbooks. I have tried many of them, but I always keep coming back to this recipe. The inspiration comes from my good friend, Sjanie, in B.C. (my only vegan friend, actually, aside from my blog readers). She was very supportive of my decision to go vegan and she would send recipes as we chatted via MSN Messenger, which I would hurriedly cut and paste, print off, and try out. The original print out is long gone because I started just pitching ingredients into a blender, adjusting as necessary to get the taste and consistency I wanted. I decided to finally measure and write down what went into the blender and share it with you. My kids love this dish slathered with ketchup, Canadian-style.

INGREDIENTS

Makes enough for a family of 5 with leftovers. Cut in half if needed.

- 1/2 cup raw cashews

- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds

- 2 tbsp pine nuts

- 2 cups soy milk

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 1/2 cups firm tofu (does not have to be silken)

- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 1/2 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 2 tbsp miso (something mellow)

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- 3 cups uncooked macaroni

METHOD

1. Cook macaroni, as per directions, until al dente.

2. While macaroni is cooking, place all other ingredients in a blender and blend for 5 minutes, until very smooth. Make sure all nuts and seeds have been blended.

3. Drain macaroni and return to pot over medium heat. Add sauce and bring to bubbling. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and reduces a bit (about 5 mins)

A FEW NOTES

1. I have never done this, but if you like cooked mac and cheese, I think you could add the sauce to the noodles, transfer to a greased casserole, top with bread crumbs, and bake for 30 mins or so (until bubbling).

2. The mac and cheese will be very saucy at first. If you are planning on eating some of the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, remove some mac and cheeze from the pot after it comes to bubbling and store in the fridge. The sauce will absorb into the noodles overnight, but still be creamy when re-heated the next day.

Mattar Tofu Paneer

Did I ever mention that one reason I became vegan was because I hated cheese? No? That's because I loved cheese. I especially loved Indian paneer, and I often made my own. But, that was back when I suckled at the teat of death (as Isa would say, ha ha). Mattar paneer is one of my favourite dishes, and this version uses pressed tofu in place of paneer.

INGREDIENTS

For the paneer

- 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, sliced in half horizontally, and pressed under a fairly heavy weight for at least 30 mins, then cubed

- 3 tbsp soy milk

- 1 tbsp plain soy yogurt

- 1 tbsp water

- 1/2 tsp miso

- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, finely ground

METHOD

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Whisk together wet ingredients in a small bowl, making sure miso dissolves. Add tofu to frying pan and spray lightly with oil. Fry for about 10 mins, turning regularly, until all sides are golden.

2. Add miso mixture to pan and mix well. Allow liquid to absorb/evaporate (will happen fairly quickly), then remove tofu from pan.

INGREDIENTS

For the curry

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 onion, halved and sliced

- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

- 1" piece of ginger, minced

- 1 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp garam masala

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 2 cups frozen peas

- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh tomatoes)

- tofu paneer

- 1/2 cup plain soy milk

- 1 tsp lemon juice

METHOD

1. Heat frying pan over medium heat. Melt butter and fry onions, cilantro, and ginger for 5 mins. Add spices and fry for 2 mins.

2. Add peas and tomatoes (with juices) and cook for 5 mins. Add paneer, soymilk, and lemon juice. Bring to bubbling and let simmer for 10 mins. Remove from heat and serve.

Gooey Grilled Cheez Sandwiches

Home late. Vegan Mom had a 6:00 meeting. Kids running around yelling. Tired. I went to the pantry and picked out some tomato soup and baked beans, and then made these sandwiches from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook with some home made whole wheat bread. I added some frozen mixed veggies and dinner was ready in 20 mins. It was fast, nutritious, and the kids ate it. Mission accomplished.

Cheez-A-Roni

We took a trip to the Science Centre today--way too cold to go outside and we need to escape the clutches of winter cabin fever. That meant we got home at 5:30 and needed a quick supper that could be made in 30 mins. I went for the Cheez-A-Roni in The Ultimate UnCheese Cookbook. The kids loved it, and Vegan Mom and I thought it was pretty good, too.

Mac and Cheese

I am working from home today, prepping for the first full seminar in my "Sex and Violence in Early America" course (mmmmm . . . Foucauldian . . . ). So, I was in charge of lunch. I went with Mac and "Cheese," always a favourite with the kids. I basically use the Mac and Cheez sauce from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. But, I find the sauce a little too thick and not cheesy enough (the miso gives it more a more cheesy bite), so I make a few alterations.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/3 c flour

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp paprika

- pinch of tumeric, nutmeg

- 2 cups plain soy/rice milk

- 1/4 cup canola or olive oil

- 1/2 tsp mustard

- 2 tbsp mellow miso

METHOD:

1. Start cooking 1/3 pkg. of dry macaroni in boiling water.

2. Mix together all dry ingredients in a saucepan.

3. Whisk in soymilk, oil, mustard until smooth.

4. Continually whisk over med-hi heat until bubbling. (I like a thinner sauce--add more flour if you want, or more soymilk if you want the sauce even thinner).

5. Remove from heat and whisk in miso until combined.

6. Drain pasta, and smother with sauce. Serve! (I like it with ketchup on top.)