Epicurean Vegan

Healthy eating for discriminating palates

Vegan & Soy-Free Ricotta Cheese February 27, 2012

Filed under: Dinners,Dressings/Condiments — epicureanvegan @ 8:28 am
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I am so excited to share this recipe with all of you! Having to give up soy is a little less traumatic now that I’ve come up with a delicious soy-free ricotta cheese. After I made the switch from no wheat and no soy, The Seventh Grader wanted stuffed shells. Of course. And . . . like the power of suggestion, I wanted stuffed shells in the worst way. So I couldn’t use my go-to riotta cheese, nor use regular jumbo shells. Thankfully, I found these “Grand Shells” from Tinkyada.

The ingredients are simple: brown rice, rice bran, and water. They’re a little smaller than the typical flour-based jumbo shells . . .

. . . but it’s not a big deal. They also don’t fold over like regular shells do either. Again, no biggie. Also, cooking these are a bit different. Bring water to a boil, add the shells and cook 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the shells sit for 20 minutes. The shells definitely aren’t mushy like some brown rice pasta can be. In fact, they’re pretty al dente—almost too much. If you want them a little softer, I’d leave them for 25-30 minutes. Overall, very impressive! I thought they were delicious.

So onto the ricotta. This recipe makes quite a bit—great for a big pan of lasagna. Feel free to half it for a small portion, otherwise, it makes almost 4 cups.

INGREDIENTS:

1 C blanched almonds

1 C cashews

1 C cold water

1/8 C olive oil

3-4 Tbs lemon juice

1/3 C nutritional yeast

1 C fresh basil

1 Tbs fresh rosemary

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/3 C Daiya cheese,  Mozzarella flavored

DIRECTIONS:

I threw the cashews in a bowl of water while I blanched the almonds. Soaking the nuts are not necessary, unless you have the time and want a really smooth ricotta. Add them to the food processor.

Add the water, oil, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. This may take a few minutes to get it real smooth, especially if you opt not to soak the nuts overnight, which I did not. It just depends on your preference. I happen to like the nutty texture.

Next, add the basil, rosemary, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Blend until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese.

I had some jumbo shells as well as tofu-ricotta in the freezer, so for the guys, I made them regular stuffed shells. Since I don’t have celiac disease and not concerned with cross-contamination, I combined both in the pan.

Layer on some sauce and Daiya cheese and you’re good to go. Bake covered for 25 minutes at 375.

Enjoy!

 

Kale & Cabbage Salad with Lemony-Almond Butter Dressing February 24, 2012

Filed under: Lunches,Sides — epicureanvegan @ 11:55 am
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Ok, this is probably my favorite dressing I’ve made so far. Love it! It has just a hint of lemon and with the ginger, goes fabulous with the almond butter. There’s some prep work involved here, but if can, make this the night before and you won’t be able to wait for lunch!

INGREDIENTS:

Salad:

2 large bunches of kale, stems removed and chopped

1/4 of a red/purple cabbage, diced

1 bell pepper (red, orange or yellow), diced

1 C carrot, shredded or finely chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 small red onion, diced small

1/3 C sunflower seeds

Dressing:

1/4 C tahini

1/3 C + 1 Tbs almond butter

1″ piece of ginger, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs miso (light, yellow or red)

1/4 C nutritional yeast

1/8 C water

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients.

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in the blender—except the water—just start with a little and add more as you blend it to reach the consistency you want. You may need more than the 1/8 cup. It also depends on how lemony you want it—you can thin it out with more lemon juice if you’d like. Blend until smooth.

You can pour the dressing over the salad, just a little at time to coat the salad, or serve on the side and mix into individual servings. Yields about 1-1/2 cups. Enjoy!

 

Ciabatta Bread February 16, 2012

Filed under: Breads — epicureanvegan @ 4:30 pm
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It all started with a Pampered Chef party I went to through Fort Vegan, my local vegetarian/vegan group. The hostess and rep prepared all-vegan samples, including this amazing bread—made of course, in their covered baking dish. Yes, I ended up buying it, but not just for the bread! It’s great for vegetable stews, casseroles, and even cake. Yes, cake. (Oh and in the microwave). Sounds bizarre, but really delicious! (and it was a gluten-free cake). Anyway . . . my bread didn’t puff up and fill the entire baker like the one at the party, so I’m going to have to try again and see what happens. The recipe calls for only 1/4 tsp of yeast and I wonder if that was a typo since my version was denser. Dense or not, however, it was incredible! I’m guessing you can make this bread without the covered baker, so if you do, let me know how it turns out. Oh and did I mention the dough has to rise for at least 12 hours? Then another 2? Believe me, it’s worth it.

INGREDIENTS:

3 C flour

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1-1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 C tap water

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Stir in the water until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours. When it’s ready, it will have bubbles on the top. The recipe then has you flour a Pampered Chef Pastry Mat and cover the dough with it for another two hours. This, I didn’t have, so I improvised, using a cutting board and dish towel.

1-1/2 hours into this second round of rising, preheat the oven to 450. Place the empty baker in the oven for 30 minutes to get it good and hot. Sounds crazy, but I did as I was told. Then dump the dough into the baker . . .

. . . cover and bake for 30 minutes. The recipe says to uncover and bake another 8-15 minutes, but my bread came out gorgeous after the 30 minutes.

It may not have been light and fluffy like the original, but it was mighty delicious just the same. If you give it a try, let me know how you made it and if you tweaked anything—I’d love to hear from you! Enjoy!

 

 

 

Three-Nut Cheese January 27, 2012

Filed under: Appetizers,Dressings/Condiments — epicureanvegan @ 8:51 am
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I have been both fascinated and mystified by nut cheese. It wasn’t until I went vegan two years ago that I even learned you could make cheese from nuts. No, it doesn’t necessarily taste much like milk cheese, but it’s still delicious and of course, much healthier for you than the moo-ey version. This recipe is also from Big Vegan, and is actually for quesadillas topped with a mango salsa. I plan on giving that a try, but I think this cheese tastes phenomenal on crackers and apples. I melted some on a tortilla and the flavor really comes out. This recipe is a process, so allow a couple of days for it to magically turn into cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 C macadamia nuts

1/3 C raw cashews

1/3 C almonds, slivered or flaked

1 acidophilus capsule

1 Tbs cold-press corn oil (I didn’t have any, so I used olive oil)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Place the nuts in a bowl and cover with cold water; refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the nuts and puree them in a food processor with 1/2 C water. Add the contents of the acidophilus capsule and puree.

Transfer to a glass bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Leave it at room temperature for 24 hours.

It will then give off a very cottage-cheesy smell. Stir in the lemon juice, oil, and salt. Refrigerate. Enjoy!

 

 
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