Vegan Pimento Cheese (oil free; dairy free; gluten free)

Servings:10 servings Yield: makes about 1¾ cups
Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

My sweet grandmother, MeMe, used to make homemade pimento cheese using an old crank grinder.  I took countless pimento cheese sandwiches to school in my lunchbox.  Here’s a delicious vegan version that surprised me with how much it tasted like the “real thing.”  This also makes a nice dip for crackers or veggies.  Toast up some whole grain sourdough bread and spread this on it and then top it with some sprouts or lettuces and a homegrown tomato for a great lunch!

Ingredients
1 cup cooked rice - such as jasmine, basmati, arborio or brown (I used basmati.)
1 cup raw cashews or 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds (I used cashews.)
½ cup water
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon hot sauce 
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch cayenne, optional
¼ cup chopped pimentos, drained and lightly squeezed 

Optional smoky version: (I’ve not tested the smoky version, but it sounds fantastic.)
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Instructions
Combine the cashews, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, rice vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, salt, and cayenne in a blender (this is everything except the rice and pimentos). Gradually increase to high speed, and blend for about 30 seconds or until mostly smooth. Add half of the pimentos, and blend until velvety smooth.
Pour the cheese mixture into a bowl. Use a spoon or silicone spatula to remove as much of the cheese as possible from the blender. Stir in the rice and remaining pimentos. Lightly press a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper onto the surface of the cheese to protect it from air. For the best flavor, refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving. This allows the rice to absorb the cheese sauce and for all of the flavors to mingle. It tastes even better the next day. The vegan pimento cheese will firm up in the refrigerator. Serve cool.

Notes
• Don't have a high-speed blender? Place raw cashews in a bowl, and cover with hot water. Let soak for about two hours (or soak seeds for 30 minutes). Then, drain very well, and proceed with steps below using a food processor or a standard blender.
• It’s recommended one of the white rice options for the best results, but if brown rice is what you have on hand, or you just prefer to eat whole-grains, definitely go for it! The pimento cheese flavor and texture are still great.
• Storage: Lightly press a piece of plastic wrap onto the pimento cheese to protect from air. Cover fully, and refrigerate.
• Best consumed within 3 to 4 days.

Nutrition
Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 490mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Vitamin C: 11.7mg | Calcium: 12.5mg | Iron: 2mg

Buffalo Soy Curl Wraps (Vegan)

Recipe from Dianne's Vegan Kitchen

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes 4 Servings

We are a bit new to soy curls, but what we've experienced has been super. I buy soy curls from Amazon because I can't seem to find them anywhere locally. You can also purchase them directly from the Butler website. Soy curls must be stored in the fridge or freezer to prevent them from going rancid. The soy curls are very easy to prepare. Because they're dehydrated, they must have a soak in hot water for about 10 minutes before using.  After that, just drain and then squeeze out as much water as possible and then use in your favorite recipe. This delicious dinner using soy curls took all of 30 minutes to make.  Once you've made the Buffalo Soy Curls, you can serve them up the way you like.  We thought these wraps were delish!  The Vegan Ranch Dressing is also excellent.  It can be thinned out a bit to use as a salad dressing, if you wish.  Mine turned green because I used fresh herbs that I had on hand and blended them up with the rest of the dressing ingredients.  I think that these wraps would make party fare.  My husband doesn't like things too spicy, but these had just the perfect amount of kick to make us both happy.

For the Buffalo Soy Curls

4 ounces Butler Soy Curls** (half a package) 

2 cups hot water

1 teaspoon neutral-flavored oil (I omitted the oil and used a good non-stick skillet.)

¼ cup hot sauce such as Frank’s or Cholula

2 tablespoons vegetable stock

For the Wraps

½ cup Vegan Ranch Dressing (Recipe below)

4 10-inch whole grain or gluten-free tortillas or flatbread

2 cups shredded lettuce

2 Scallions (optional)

2 Small Tomatoes (optional)

Cucumber, cut into matchsticks (optional)

Quick Pickled Onions (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Re-constitute the soy curls by placing them in a bowl and pouring the hot water over them. Let them sit for about 15 minutes. Once they’ve softened, drain them, pressing out as much excess water as possible.

Heat a large pan over medium high heat, and add the oil and the soy curls. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown. This will take about 10 minutes or so.

Whisk together the hot sauce and the stock and add the mixture to the pan. Continue cooking the soy curls until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes

To make assemble the wraps, place the tortilla on a flat surface and spread on about 2 tablespoons of the Cashew Ranch.

Place a quarter of the cooked soy curls on each wrap, about an inch from the bottom edge and two inches from the sides. Top with ¼ cup of the shredded lettuce. Starting at the bottom, carefully roll the wrap, tucking in the sides as you go.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Nutritional Information: 

Calories: 277

Vegan Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup raw cashews soaked for at least 2 hours, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup non-dairy milk (more if needed)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh chives or dill

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh parsley

 

Place all of the ingredients except the fresh herbs in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a little more non-dairy milk or a bit of water one teaspoon at a time. Pulse in the herbs.

Nutritional Information: 

2 Tablespoons = 54 Calories

**More Information About Butler Soy Curls

Soy Curl Ingredients:

Soy Curls™ are made from select, non-GMO, whole soybeans (Soy), grown without chemical pesticides.

Soy Curls™ are:

100% Natural

Contain the whole soybean

High in protein

Good source of fiber

Gluten-free

Vegan

Non-GMO - no chemical pesticides

Grown & made in the USA

0 trans fats

No sodium

No cholesterol

CHIP approved

Buffalo Cauliflower & Chickpea “Dump & Bake” Casserole (Vegan)

Recipe from http://frommybowl.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 4-6

If spicy is your thing then you will love this dish as we most certainly did.  Of course, the other great features of this dish besides the flavors are that it is super simple to make and it’s filled with good-for-you ingredients. 

2 cups vegetable broth

½ cup buffalo hot sauce

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon onion powder

1-2 ribs celery, finely sliced

2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ medium head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized florets (about 2 cups)

1 cup uncooked brown rice (I use brown basmati rice.), rinsed and drained

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Scallions, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Mix the vegetable broth, hot sauce, nutritional yeast, and onion powder together in a medium pot.  Bring it to a boil over high heat.

While the liquid is heating up, put the chickpeas, the cauliflower, celery, brown rice, and garlic in a 9” X 13” baking dish.  Pour the boiling liquid over the vegetable/rice mixture.  Stir together really well to distribute all the ingredients evenly and so that everything is coated in the liquid.

Cover the casserole with a piece of parchment paper and foil.  (If your dish has a glass lid, you can cover the casserole with the parchment paper and then the lid.)

Bake in the middle of the oven for 60 minutes.  Remove from the one and top with the scallions, if using.  Refrigerate the leftovers in a sealed container for up to one week or in the freezer for up to one month.

Serve this casserole with steamed greens or with a green salad and a piece of whole fruit for a complete meal.

Buffalo Cauliflower Mac & “Cheese” (Vegan)

Recipe from Choosingchia.com

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

6-8 servings

I am learning that I can have my favorite comfort food, mac and cheese, without cheese.  What?!  This dish featuring cauliflower, zucchini (or summer squash), whole-grain macaroni is just scrumptious.  What makes it cheesy?  The answer to that question is a sauce made with soaked cashews, nutritional yeast and water.  To spice it up a bit, there some hot sauce in the mix as well.  The original recipe called for only macaroni, but I added some summer squash for half of the pasta.  This dish is good enough for company.  I’m pretty sure that you can make the cauliflower and the sauce in advance and store them in the fridge until it’s time to put it all together.

1 head cauliflower, separated into bite-sized florets

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in water (or pour boiling water over the cashews and allow to soak for 1 hour or so)

1½ cups water (not soaking water)

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 Tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

½ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

¾ cup whole-grain or whole wheat macaroni

¾ cup spiralized or shredded zucchini or summer squash

(OR 1½ cups whole-grain or whole wheat macaroni)

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

½ Tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup or so whole-wheat or whole-grain breadcrumbs for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss the cauliflower in olive oil, salt, and paprika.  Spread out the cauliflower on the baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the oven, toss the cauliflower with ¼ cup hot sauce.  Return the pan to the oven and bake another 5-10 minutes.  Set aside.  Drain and rinse the cashews.  Place the cashews, 1 ½ cups water, 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast, 2 Tablespoons hot sauce and salt into a high speed blender.  Blend on high until smooth.  (The sauce will be a bit thin at this point.  Don’t worry, it will thicken up later.) Cook the macaroni according to the package directions so that it is al dente.  Drain.  Set aside.  Heat ½ Tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch oven-proof skillet.  Add the garlic and stir about 1 minute.  Add the cauliflower, the zucchini (if using), the macaroni and the “cheese” sauce to the skillet and toss to mix.  Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes.  The sauce should thicken up as it cooks.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. You can serve it at this point.  If using the breadcrumbs, remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle on a thin layer of breadcrumbs.  Place the skillet under the broiler for about 1 minute or until the breadcrumbs are toasty brown.  Serve.

Nutritional Information: (1 of 6 servings)

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	176
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.3g	11%
Saturated Fat 1.5g	8%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 276mg	12%
Total Carbohydrate 21.9g	8%
Dietary Fiber 3.5g	12%
Total Sugars 2.3g
Protein 6.4g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 37mg	3%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 325mg	7%

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

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Here's a summer picnic ready to go.  Blue Cheese Vinaigrette;
Roasted Turkey Breast;
Pistachios; Local Tomatoes;
Raw Local Sweet Corn; Blanched Local Green Beans;
Local Pepper; Cucumbers; Scallions. 
Pack up the cooler along with some lettuces and you're good to go!

Makes about 1¼ cups

Recipe from October 1997 Bon Appétit

Served at the Peacock Dining Room at the Hassayampa Inn, Prescott AZ 

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

I'm a big fan of blue cheese so this recipe gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from me (and also the reviewers at Epicurious.com) This is not a thick, gloppy blue cheese dressing. This is a true vinaigrette, thin enough for drizzling, but rich with blue cheese flavor that will tickle your taste buds with a bit of tang. Now that fresh basil is in season, be sure to give this a try and serve it over your favorite salad, drizzle it over a platter of fresh tomatoes or try it drizzled over Summer's Best Salad In the winter, when fresh isn't in season, you could substitute 1 heaping teaspoon of dried basil or if you're lucky enough to have some pesto in your freezer, try a bit of that in the dressing instead! Then drizzle this over your favorite crisp salad or even on steamed broccoli or asparagus.

7 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 2½ oz.)

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon water

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons minced garlic and sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Transfer garlic mixture to blender or small food processor. Add blue cheese, white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, sugar, hot pepper sauce, salt, pepper and remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil; blend well. Transfer vinaigrette to bowl. Mix in chopped basil. (Vinaigrette can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) 

Nutritional Info:   1 Tablespoon = 62 calories