Around the World in 80 Plates: Ireland

My in-laws just got back recently from a bus tour of Ireland. They had an amazing time and took about a million pictures of all the green. I asked them what they ate while they were there since I'm all about the food and they said a lot of the time they had a cream of (fill in the blank vegetable) soup with Irish Soda Bread and LOTS of potatoes as one would entirely expect. So when I was thinking of what to make for my first stop in Ireland I decided on a nice warm and hearty Cream of Cauliflower Soup with a side of Irish Soda Bread and roasted potatoes.

It has been getting colder here, definitely soup weather so this was a welcome addition to the supper table. We all really enjoyed it and Mac even tried it. This was only his second soup experience since he always said it was too tricky to eat. I think the potatoes and the soda bread convinced him to give it a try. I also threw some quickly steamed green beans on the plate since I thought it needed something green like the Emerald Isle...not really I just like green vegetables but it sounds better like I put some great thought into that doesn't it?!

The soup was my own creation, the potatoes I just simply roasted in the oven with a little olive oil, a few garlic cloves and salt and pepper. The Irish Soda Bread is from The 30 Minute Vegan Taste of Europe by Mark Reinfeld, that I recently picked up not even knowing how handy it would come in so soon. The soda bread was super quick to get together and bakes quickly too. It was delicious and we all enjoyed it with a bit of vegan margarine slathered on it and dunked in the soup. It also toasted nicely the next day to enjoy with the leftover soup for lunch. It will all definitely get made again.

A few notes for the recipe...you will notice there isn't actually any cream in the soup but it didn't need it at all with the smooth velvety texture I got from the cauliflower. Also you don't have to be too careful with how you chop the vegetables since you are going to puree the soup later, you just want them to cook in roughly the same amount of time.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Serves 6-8

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large leek, halved then sliced thinly into little half moons

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into a small dice

2 medium stalks of celery, cut into a small dice

1/2 of a giant head of cauliflower (very scientific I know), cut into small florets

8 cups of water

6 tbsp + 2 tsp vegetable broth powder (or replace the water and broth powder with vegetable broth)

pinch of dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over med-high heat then add the leek, carrots and celery and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stirring occasionally, saute the vegetables until they are softened and just starting to caramelize.  Add the cauliflower and stir it to fully mix it with the other vegetables. Again cook for a few minutes and let it start to soften.

2. Add the water and broth powder and pinch of thyme and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and cover. You want it to simmer so adjust the heat if you have to. Simmer until the cauliflower is tender and cooked through. Once it has cooked, using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is creamy and no longer has small chunks of vegetables. You could also use a blender here if you don't have an immersion blender, just be careful blending hot liquids.

3. Once it has been blended, taste it and add more salt and pepper to your preference. It can either be served right away or you can let it sit over low heat until you are ready to serve it.

Just for reference...this was the giant head of cauliflower that inspired this soup

Food Network Monthly Cookalong: Stroganoff Sandwiches

So when Jeff Mauro first explained his POV on The Next Food Network Star, I was all excited! I love sandwiches (as I'm sure you know by now) and loved the concept of making any meal a sandwich and any sandwich a meal. I loved how he took what he loved and put it between two slices of bread being the carb lover I am. I decided for this sandwich I would do the same, I would take a meal I loved and turn it into a sandwich. So I took something I love (Stroganoff) and put it between two slices of bread (a sub bun in this case) and the result is the Stroganoff Sandwich! It is like a mix between a Philly Steak Sandwich and a French Dip and I will definitely be making it again.

I have made vegan Strongaff before and decided in place of the beef to just use more mushrooms but this time I did it a little different. I used some of my soy curl stash, rehydrated in beefy broth and then tossed with some tamari and ketchup and browned in the pan as the beefy bottom layer then topped it off with a bunch of sauteed onions and mushrooms in a creamy Stroganoff sauce. All this piled into a toasted sub bun is just pure heaven!

Stroganoff Sandwich

Makes 4 sandwiches

3-4 medium onions, sliced thin

2 pkgs mushrooms, sliced thin (I used one white button and one cremini)

3 cups dry soy curls

3 cups beefy broth, divided (I use McCormicks All-Vegetable Beef Bouillon cubes)

3 tbsp low sodium tamari

1 tbsp ketchup

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried thyme

capful of Kitchen Bouquet (optional)

fresh pepper to taste (I use lots)

Olive Oil for browning the onions, mushrooms and soy curls

3/4 cup silken tofu (I use the fresh kind in the refrigerated section not the box)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp ume plum vinegar

1 tsp yellow miso

1 tbsp cornstarch

capful of Kitchen Bouquet (again optional, I've found it just adds to the color not really so much flavour)

1. Place your dry soy curls in a bowl that will be okay with boiling water in it. Prepare 3 cups of beefy broth but make it a little stronger than the directions indicate. I used three cubes in three cups of water which is double what they suggest. While it is still hot but not necessarily boiling, pour just enough beefy broth over the soy curls to cover them and let sit until they are plumped up and rehyrated. Drain some of the (still hot trust me) broth back into the leftover broth you had. Then you want to squeeze out the excess broth from the curls. To speed up the process, I like to pour cool water over the curls first and drain and then squeeze them out by hand. You want to get as much of the broth/water out as possible. As you squeeze them out, place them into a new clean bowl. In a separate small bowl combine tamari, ketchup, garlic powder, thyme, Kitchen Bouquet if using and pepper then pour over the soy curls and toss with a spoon (or your hands like I really do) to make sure they are all coated evenly.

2. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over med-high heat and once it is warmed, add the soy curls and cook until they are evenly browned but not dried. You can add a bit more pepper and salt while they cook, taste and see if you think they need it. Set aside in a bowl and cover to keep warm.

3. Using the same pan, add a scant tablespoon of oil and fry the mushrooms until golden brown and caramelized. You might want to do it in batches and they will seriously shrink, so you know. Once they are golden brown remove from the pan and set aside for now. Again using the same pan, add a scant tablespoon of olive oil and then add the onions. Cook them down until they are softened, starting to caramelize. Instead of adding more oil while they are cooking, I added small amounts of the reserved beefy broth and it really helped add flavour. Once they are nicely caramelized, add the mushrooms back to the pan and mix them so they are combined. Add enough of the beefy broth to cover the onions and mushrooms and reduce down by half.

4. While it is reducing, combine the silken tofu, Dijon, umeboshi vinegar, yellow miso, cornstarch and Kitchen Bouquet (if using) in the blender on high speed. Once the beefy broth has reduced down by half, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the silken tofu mixture from the blender while stirring since you are adding cornstarch. You want it to just come to a boil to get the cornstarch to thicken up the sauce so you turn the heat up a bit if it is taking a long time to thicken. You want it to be almost like gravy as thickness goes. (Once it has, you could add in the beefy soy curls and toss to coat them as well. Here in my house, my mom won't eat a soy curl so we kept it separate.)

5. To assemble the sandwich, toast up a sub bun and then pile up some soy curls and cover/smother in the Stroganoff sauce. Enjoy with extra fresh ground pepper on top!

Food Network Monthly Cookalong: I can't say it's a Beaver Tail

Here in Ottawa, there aren't many food trucks. Most of the trucks around here are chip wagons. They sell fries, the infamous poutine, pogos, etc. There are a few exceptions to this of course and one of those exceptions are Beaver Tails. I know it doesn't sound appetizing and definitely not vegan but I promise you they are delicious and worth the effort to make your own at home when you feel like something delicious. Most people in Ottawa will have memories of skating along the Canal and grabbing a Beaver Tail along the way. President Obama also made quite a stir when he stopped by their Market location to try one. They are basically a whole wheat fried pastry shaped like a beaver's tail that is topped with butter and then various toppings. It is like a distant cousin of a donut. It is slightly crisp on the outside but tender on the inside. My favourite flavour was always the Killaloe Sunrise which had the Beaver Tail sprinkled generously with sugar and then served with a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the top. I actually remember when I was a teenager that I would be craving a Beaver Tail in the middle of the summer (in my day you had to wait for the Canal to open for skating, now they have a year round location) and I would make a piece of toast and add sugar and lemon juice. Ryan's go-to was the more simple Cinnamon Sugar. They have gotten much more adventurous with their toppings now but for our treat we kept it simple and went with these two that we had always enjoyed.

Here's my take on a Beaver Tail, top it as you wish!

I Can't Say It's A Beaver Tail

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegan margarine, melted (I used Vegan Becel)

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp instant yeast

Oil for frying (I used sunflower)

For Serving

Vegan margarine to spread on cooked pastries

Cinnamon Sugar

Granulated Sugar and Lemon Wedges

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl or plastic bucket (that's what I used). Add a bit more flour or water if needed. I kneaded the dough just for a minute or two. It will be slightly tacky but not sticky.

2. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and let sit in a warm place for 2 hours. Once risen you can shape and fry immediately or place in the fridge to use later. (I put mine in the fridge overnight and shaped it while cold from the fridge and it still worked perfectly)

3. When you are ready to fry, you will have to find the widest yet still deep pot you have. I couldn't make them as long as they do so you can always just make them smaller and use a smaller pot. Heat the oil until it shimmers (and if you put a small piece of dough in the oil it bubbles around the edges and floats immediately to the top). Quickly cut off a 2" ball of dough and stretch into a long oblong shape. You want the middle to be thin like you are almost about to rip it but don't and it should be a bit thicker around the edges. Gently slide into the hot oil. Turn after about a minute to cook the other side as well. Once it is lightly golden brown on both sides remove and drain on a cooling rack lined with paper towel.

4. Butter one side with vegan margarine and either sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or just plain sugar and then squeeze with a wedge of lemon. Enjoy them while they are warm!

  

Food Network Monthly: If I had an ice cream truck part two

So I can honestly say that the Drumstick Sugar Cone Ice Cream was a serious hit around here! My in-laws happily finished off what we had restrained ourselves from eating and my father-in-law said it was the best one ever!

Coming up with that flavour got me thinking about what other flavours of ice cream I would have if I had an ice cream truck. I thought about interesting flavour combinations I have had over the years and the first one that popped up was a memory of a truffle from Vosges chocolatier that I absolutely adored pre-vegan. I even had them as the favour at our wedding! The truffle is called Naga and it is a combination of deep milk chocolate, coconut and sweet curry powder. I have made truffles before with semi-sweet and dark chocolate and they are a little too deep for this flavour combo but I know from making chocolate ice cream that the flavour becomes much milkier by adding non-dairy milk and silken tofu so I knew that was the way to recreate the flavours I had enjoyed before. The next stumbling block was that I had no idea what sweet curry powder meant. I googled and came up with a few companies that in fact sell a sweet curry blend but I wanted to eat that ice cream now and didn't have the patience to wait for something to arrive in the mail! I decided that I would make my own sweet curry blend. I thought through what spices would be tasty in this recipe and settled on a nice mix of cumin, coriander, ginger, garam masala, fenugreek, amchur powder (dried green mango) and anise. I also added in some candied coconut flakes spiked with the sweet curry powder for good measure. I have become quite addicted to the candied coconut so in the recipe I made lots and you can thank me later. If you eat a bit of it at a time it tastes almost like the coconut wheels in the liquorice allsorts which were always my favourites. I should also say the base of all my recipes is always inspired by Carla Kelly's vanilla ice cream recipe. She found the magic formula and I just keep running with it.

Sweet Curry Choco-Coconut Ice Cream

Ice Cream Base

1 1/2 cups So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk

6 oz silken tofu (not the boxed stuff, the refrigerated one in water)

3/4 cup icing sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp sweet curry powder (recipe follows)

Candied Coconut Flakes

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tsp sweet curry powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes (the big shards of it)

Sweet Curry Powder

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp anise seeds

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds 

1/2 tsp amchur powder

1. Start by making the sweet curry powder since you will need it to make the other two. Place all the spices in a spice grinder to grind the two seeds as well as mix the spices all together. Set aside and you will have extra leftover after making the ice cream.

2. Make the ice cream base: Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and pour the vegetable oil on top. Microwave on high for one minute (checking after 30 seconds since it might be done, microwaves vary) until the oil is warm and the chips are melting. Stir this until it is well mixed. Combine all the ice cream base ingredients in a blender and blend until it is well emulsified and is thick almost like pudding. Chill and process in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

3. While the ice cream is churning, prepare the candied coconut. First preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a large rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper and set aside. Place the sugar, water, sweet curry powder and vanilla in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon or heat safe rubber spatula until the sugar has fully dissolved.  After about a minute or two the sugar will have dissolved and started to caramelize just slightly. Add in the coconut flakes and stir to coat them. Continue to cook while stirring for one more minute. Pour the coconut out (and any liquid left in the pot) onto the prepared sheet pan. Place in the oven for 5 minutes then stir/flip it and place back for 5 more minutes. You want it to be slightly browned. Once browned remove from the oven and let cool. It will crystallize and harden a bit as it cools and then you can break it up with your hands into smaller pieces. 

4. To finish the ice cream: Once your ice cream is finished churning, place in a freezer safe container and as you do sprinkle in pieces of the candied coconut. How much you add is up to you but you want to add enough that you will get a bit in each scoop (around 1/4-1/2 cup). Place in the freezer to let it really freeze and serve on a sugar cone once it has!

Food Network Monthly Cookalong: My Tribute to Seabirds Food Truck

Just this past Saturday, the Seabirds Truck posted a picture of some delicious looking Jackfruit Taquitos on their Facebook page. I swooned and wished I was a California Girl so that I could be enjoying the sun and the taquitos. Then I got to thinking...I could make a tribute to the Seabird's taquitos for this month's Food Network Cookalong seeing that the theme fit perfectly! I made a quick trip to the local Asian market, picked up two cans of jackfruit and got to thinking. There wasn't much description of what they tasted like so I had to go with what I thought it would taste like and I think I nailed it! They were crispy and crunchy on the outside and stuffed full of carnita flavoured jackfruit on the the inside. I served mine with a drizzle of Chipotle Avocado Cream from Dreena Burton's newest cookbook Let Them Eat Vegan (with added cumin and extra lime juice) with salsa and guacamole on the side. They would be great with a little vegan sour cream or crema too (Terry Hope Romero's in Viva Vegan is awesome!). I also used the same Chipotle Avocado Cream as a dressing on some thinly sliced red cabbage and carrot and it made an excellent crunchy side dish!

Here's what the finished product looked like...

And here's how to make them!

Jackfruit Carnita Taquitos

2 cans of jackfruit (young green in brine), rinsed

4 cups water

1 large white onion, halved and sliced into half moons

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tbsp veggie broth powder

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ancho chile powder

Package of corn tortillas

Oil for frying

1. Combine the rinsed jackfruit, water, onion, juices and seasonings in a large stock pot. I use a heavy enameled cast iron one. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to keep it at a simmer with the lid on. Simmer for 2-3 hours then remove from the heat, leave the lid on and let sit for another 2-3 hours. You could even let it cool, refrigerate and leave the rest til the next day at this point.

2. Reserving the cooking liquid, remove the jackfruit and onion slices and roughly chop them. Put the pot with the reserved cooking liquid over high heat and simmer until it has reduced down to 1/4 of the original volume. While this is reducing, heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil (I used grapeseed) and pan fry the jackfruit/onion mixture until it is caramelized and brown on the outside. I had to do this in two batches, you might have to too and if you do, add another bit of oil when you put the second batch in to brown. Once all the jackfruit has been browned, place it all back in the frying pan over high heat. Pour the reduced cooking liquid over the jackfruit. It will bubble up and continue to reduce as it coats the jackfruit. Turn off the heat and let cool. If you don't have the time, you can fill them while it's hot, just watch your hands.

3. Start by heating about an 1 1/2 inches of oil (again I used grapeseed) in a cast iron frying pan (mine's 10"). Again I have no clue what temperature unfortunately. I put it over med-high heat until it shimmers and bubbles when you add something to it. While that is heating you will need to warm the tortillas so they don't just crack when you try to roll them. I used the microwave to do this by wrapping them in paper towel (and separating each one with another piece) and microwaving in 30 second intervals until they feel warm and pliable. You can keep them warm in a tortilla warmer if you have one. Take one tortilla in your hand and place a few heaping spoonfuls of the jackfruit on it near the edge. Roll it completely around the jackfruit and place seam side down in the hot oil. Keep an eye on them and turn after a minute or two, checking to see how it is browning underneath, frying on the other side until golden brown all over.

4. Remove and place on a paper towel lined cooling rack to remove some of the excess oil and serve with your favourite salsa, guacamole and crema!

Crustless Kale and Smoky Curl Quiche

So I'm a big fan of soy curls...like order three pounds of them from Viva Vegan online store kinda love! I have enjoyed them lots of ways but the way I most enjoy them is from Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson. Her recipe for Smoky Curls (think bacon) is the most delicious thing! I have adapted the recipe slightly just for personal tastes but it is essentially the same. One difference is that I use maple syrup instead of agave but that is mostly because maple syrup is seriously abundant around here. After making batch after batch of Smoky Curls, it dawns on me that I should try them in a quiche and it was a very smart idea. I chopped them up small and crisped them up nicely and added them into my quiche and they made for the best bites. Take that ham!

Here's what the final product came out like....

I went crustless mostly because I didn't want to bother making pastry but you totally could if you wanted to. I found it didn't really need it and baked nicely in a glass pie plate. I managed to scribble down the recipe as I was furiously throwing things in the food processor. Let me know if you try it out! You are going to have to buy a copy of Julie's book in order to get the secrets of the Smoky Curls, but you won't regret it! The book is full of delicious recipes and it's always a good thing to support vegan authors! While you are there, you should pre-order a copy of Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes! It's just $9.89 right now which is a super deal and I know personally that all the sandwiches are amazing!

Crustless Kale and Smoky Curl Quiche

1 block of extra firm or firm tofu (not silken, 1lb), crumbled

3-4 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 cup yellow miso

2-3 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 cloves of garlic

100g of cashews (around 3/4 cup)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk, maybe less, maybe more (yeah, it's that kind of recipe)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 big ol' leeks, sliced thin

1/2 of a big bunch of curly kale, chiffonaded (is that a word?)

1/2 cup Smoky Curls, small pieces, really crisped

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375F and spray a glass pie plate with cooking spray. Set aside.

In the bowl of your food processor, combine crumbled tofu, nooch, miso, mustard, garlic and cashews. Pulse until it is thoroughly combined. Slowly add the unsweetened almond milk while running until it is smooth and thick. I went for a thick hummus consistency. Set aside.

In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and then add in the thinly sliced leek and sauté until starting to brown and get all caramelized. Once this happens, add the kale. Toss it around in there and let it cook until the kale is softened and wilted a bit. Remove from heat and add to the food processor, along with the Smoky Curls and pulse just to combine but you don't want to purée it in there. Scrape it all into the greased pie plate and smooth out the top. Put it in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, until it is browned on the top and is set even in the middle. Let cool for a minute or two, then slice and enjoy!

Food Network Friday: Reuben Meatball Sliders

This Food Network Friday I got to pick! I simultaneously love and stress out about picking. I want to pick something I think is tasty, that I think everyone else will enjoy, something that is a little tricky but not impossibly hard. Then I came along a recipe by Jeff Mauro the self-proclaimed Sandwich King for Reuben Meatball Sliders and knew it was "the one"! I had never had a Reuben pre-vegan but during sandwich testing with Tami and Celine, I tested a few and loved them! I know Tami and Liz both love a Reuben so I knew this one would be a hit.

In preparation for this Food Network Friday I watched a few episodes of the Sandwich King which just recently started airing up here in Canada and I gotta say...I'm not a big fan. My husband can't understand why I keep watching it since all I do is talk smack while it's on. I wasn't a fan while he was competing on The Next Food Network Star but I do like his show idea of making any sandwich into a meal and any meal into a sandwich. That's something I can get behind because I seriously love me some sandwich action! Now if he can just stop leaning on the counter talking to me as if it were completely natural and describing everything like he just got a new copy of the Oxford English Thesaurus that would be great marvellous spectacular wonderful perfect!

And on to the recipe itself...We loved this one for sure! It wasn't insanely hard, came together pretty quickly, and most importantly tasted amazing. Tami was originally worried that we would all go with seitan for the meatball base so I made sure to mix it up. I decided to try (for the first time) a tempeh meatball. I love tempeh (as you might have noticed having read previous blog posts) and most of the Reubens I have loved so far have been tempeh based so I thought I would give it a go not really knowing what to expect. I started out by grating the tempeh with a box grater. I did half on the larger holes and half on the smaller side and I think that was a good idea. I liked the larger pieces for texture but the smaller side I think helped them hold together better. In the original recipe there is shredded Swiss cheese in the meatball which I decided to replace with a homemade Swiss-ish spread (recipe below!) that also helped pull it all together while adding a little zing. For breadcrumbs that were supposed to be rye bread I went with Glutino gluten free pretzels. I really love these pretzels despite their high price tag and they make an excellent stand in for breadcrumbs in just about anything. I fried the outside of one little meatball to check the seasoning and it fell a bit flat. I added some minced onion, upped the caraway and cheese spread and tried again and they were much tastier. I also reduced down some "beef" style veggie broth while I was making the meatballs and threw a splash or two of it in the pan once they were evenly browned to try to add a little "beefy" flavour to them. It worked to add the flavour but did soften the outside of the meatballs if only just slightly.

I took a peek at Liz's summary this morning and saw that we both used Tami's Reuben sauce from American Vegan Kitchen. I guess we both know who to look for Reuben advice. I had originally planned on baking up a batch of slider size rolls for this but then remembered the hundreds of other things I had to do this week so I went with some store bought hamburger rolls and cut them to size with a biscuit cutter. They did look really cute! Ryan decided he wanted more meatball per sandwich so he went with a full sized bun with a few meatballs all smooshed into one sandwich, more like a Reuben burger than slider but still delicious he said.

I definitely will be experimenting more with tempeh meatballs because they really did hold their shape well and the texture was perfect. I did write down what I did this time to share with you so let me know if you do try them!

Looking forward to next Food Network Friday!! Don't forget to check out what everyone else did with this one on Tami's blog and maybe next time you can cook-a-long with us!

Finished product!! 

Tempeh Reuben Meatball Sliders

Swiss Style Cheese Spread
1/2 box of Mori-Nu Extra Firm Silken Tofu
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp yellow miso
1 tbsp lemon juice (I used bottled)
100g whole blanched almonds
1/4 tsp salt

250g pkg of tempeh, grated
1 tsp ground caraway seeds
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1/4 cup finely ground gluten free pretzels
1 small onion finely minced
1/2 cup swiss style cheese spread
splash of Kitchen Bouquet
2-4 tbsp olive oil, as needed to fry the meatballs

2 cups sauerkraut, drained
1 cup of your favourite 1000 Island type dressing (my I recommend the recipe in American Vegan Kitchen if I haven't already!)
Dill Pickles on the side (absolutely necessary)
12 slider buns, toasted

1. Make the swiss style spread first by combining all ingredients in a high speed blender and blending at highest speed until smooth. (You can soak the almonds ahead of time to make this easier/faster but I tend to just throw them in and hope for the best. It also helps to add half of them at a time.) Set aside.

2. Combine grated tempeh, caraway, salt and pepper, ground pretzels, onion, swiss spread and splash of Kitchen Bouquet in a large bowl. Mix together with your hands until everything is uniformly mixed and it sticks together nicely when shaped into a meatball. You should be able to get 12 slider sized meatballs from this. Lay on a sheet pan lined with waxed or parchment paper until you are ready to cook.

3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the meatballs. You may have to do these in batches depending on the size of your skillet, adding more oil if needed. Make sure to flip them around so all sides are evenly browned.

Optional step: Once they are browned, drain the oil in the pan and return to heat adding a few splashes of reduced "beef" style veggie broth to the pan and let it reduce down even further while flipping the meatballs so all sides get a bit of the flavour.

4. While your meatballs are browning, add the drained sauerkraut to a small saucepan and gently heat. Turn the heat to low and add the 1000 Island dressing, stirring to coat.

5. Once everything is warmed, assemble your sliders! Place one meatball on each slider bun bottom, top with dressed sauerkruat and finish by adding the top bun. Skewer with a toothpick to hold together until you are ready to eat! Enjoy!

Food Network Friday: Turkey Pot Pie By Paula Deen

Hey Y'all! It's time for another Food Network Friday Cookalong and this time 'round, we're gonna make the most incredible Turkey Pot Pie but with a little twist. Now Paula Deen has a bit of a reputation for her less than healthy cooking with a little extra butter y'all but this Pot Pie is completely vegan so it has to be healthier even without running the nutritional info! The original recipe is a little crazy and tries to use up leftovers from Thanksgiving but this one you can make anytime. If you clicked to see the recipe you would have seen two cans of condensed Cheddar cheese soup in that list and I gotta tell y'all, I never heard of that before in my life! I used to be a serious cheese eater but I never hit the can for a fix that's for sure. In place of all that cream condensed soup I decided to make a herbed cheezy gravy for my pot pie using good ol' nooch and miso paste to add a little zing y'all (who's tired of y'all by now??). I also went right ahead and skipped the turkey or any sorta vegan substitute and just went straight vegetable on this pie (I was thinking soy curls but I wanted my mom to eat so I skipped them). But then came the top of it y'all and I didn't know what to do. Now I know there are a few supermarket brands of puff pastry that are vegan y'all but they also come with that "may contain milk ingredients" warning which doesn't fly in our house since we have allergies to think about as well. I didn't know what I was going to do so I thought real hard and wondered, "What would Paula Deen do?" and it came to me! A tater tot crust was the answer to all my questions (well at least that one) since Paula always loves a little fried something in her food. I have to say this version is super creamy and rich and I wasn't missin' anything y'all! Next time you have a craving for a little taste of Pot Pie, maybe you'll give this Tater Topped Veggie Pie a try!


Don't forget to check in with Tami to see what everyone else did with this recipe!

That corner bite was the one Ryan and I almost fought for...
Good thing the pan has four corners!

 


Tater Topped Veggie Pot Pie
Inspired by Paula Deen's Turkey Pot Pie

4 cups soy milk
2 tbps nutritional yeast
2 tbsp yellow miso paste
1 tsp ume plum vinegar
2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp poulty seasoning
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2-1 tsp salt, depending on your taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder


1/2 cup vegan margarine
1 1/2 onions, finely diced
3/4 cup all purpose flour


2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 small head of cauliflower, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 bag of tater tots (I used McCain's Tasty Taters), you might not need a whole bag but you wanna make sure you have enough

1. Start by prepping all your veggies and set them aside so they are ready when you need them. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Next, mix soy milk, nutritional yeast, miso paste, ume plum vinegar, vegetable bouillon powder and the rest of the seasonings/spices in a blender until well combined. Set aside.

3. In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and cook stirring occasionally until they are softened, about 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pot and stir with a wooden spoon. The flour will absorb all of the margarine and it will look like a paste. Stir this around in the pot until it is light golden brown. Switch to a whisk and slowly add the soy milk mixture from the blender into the pot while constantly whisking. I made a mess so you've been warned if you are messy like me it might fly out of the pot! Once all the soy milk mixture is added, just keep whisking until it just nearly comes to a boil and thickens. It is thick enough when it coats the back of a spoon and when you slide your finger down the back of the spoon it leaves a distinct line.

4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the diced carrots, onion, cauliflower and the frozen peas. Stir to combine and put the lid on the pot. Let it cook like that for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You don't want it to boil, just gently warming the veggies.

5. After 10 minutes, pour the contents of your pot into a 11x13 glass baking dish. Cover the top with rows of tater tots. Carefully place the pan in the preheated oven and you might want to put a baking sheet on the rack below in case of drips (speaking from experience!). Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the tater tots are golden brown on the top and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool/set for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy y'all!

My First Homemade Vegan Chocolate Bar

It took me awhile but I have finally made my first vegan chocolate bar! I have been thinking about doing it for awhile and this firsts theme for Vegan MoFo has finally pushed me to give it a go. I couldn't find a deep chocolate bar mould (like a Go Max Go kinda bar size) anywhere but I did find a silicone mould at C.A. Paradis here in Ottawa that would do the trick. As for the filling, my mom has been bugging me for ages to recreate a chocolate bar that she remembers from when she was little. She said it had caramel, peanuts and marshmallow all layered inside a chocolate coating. This gave me the perfect way to make something with Dandies for their MoFo contest! Here's what the final result looked like...

And here's how I did it...

Dandies Bars

1 package of Dandies

2 tbsp vegan margarine

400g of vegan dark chocolate, chopped up if not chocolate chips

3 tbsp coconut oil

1/3 cup of dry roasted peanuts (no salt or seasoning on them)

1/4 cup of crisp rice cereal

1 recipe of your favourite thick caramel sauce 

(I used Dulce de Coco from Vegan Desserts by Hannah Kaminsky)

You'll need a deep chocolate bar mould as well. This is the one I used http://www.bakedeco.com/a/flexible-bakeware-c-13924.htm.

1. Combine the chocolate and coconut oil in a medium sized glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute, stopping and stirring every 15 seconds or so until it is mostly melted. Stir until completely smooth and let sit for a few minutes before using to coat the mould.

2. Meanwhile, melt the Dandies and the margarine in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring and continue to heat them until they melt and come together. It will happen all of a sudden. When they are melted pour onto a greased half sheet pan and spread it out over half since you want it to be a bit thick. Using a hand held kitchen torch, brûlée the top of the Dandies, like seen below. Set aside.

3. Place your mould on a half sheet pan to help keep it stable while moving it around. Using a small spoon or pastry brush, coat the walls of the mould with the melted chocolate. Place in the freezer for a few minutes to get it to set up. Take out and coat again with chocolate. This time it will set quickly because it's so cold so you have to move quickly. Place in the freezer again for a few minutes to let set. 

4.While your mould is in the freezer get the rest of the filling ingredients ready. Spray a pizza cutter or knife with spray oil and use to cut the brûléed Dandies into slices that will fit inside of the mould. Remove the mould from the freezer. Spoon in about a tablespoon of caramel sauce, top with a sprinkle of peanuts (5-6 halves), place a slice of Dandies in followed by a sprinkle of crisp rice cereal and then another slice of marshmallow. Repeat with the rest of the cavities. Pour melted chocolate over the top of each completed bar, smoothing it out on the top. You might have to add a bit more once it settles and fills in all the space. Place in the freezer again for a few minutes to set the chocolate. Remove from the freezer and then release each bar from the mould, trying not to touch the smooth tops or sides because you will leave fingerprints. Really no one will mind if you do leave fingerprints...they will forget all about that once they have a taste of these!

My First Veganized Recipe (From Everyday with Rachel Ray)

For some reason I am super hooked on Food Network Magazine and Everyday with Rachel Ray. They are filled with food I won't eat (and don't particularly like to look at) but I like the way they think. I guess it's mostly comfort food which is what I love to eat and most of the time when I read through them I just think about how I could veganize it.

I picked up the October 2011 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray at Costco a few weeks ago. I was reading through it and then I saw it...I stood up and ran over to Ryan to show him because I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. Right there in a recipe was "vegan mayonnaise"! The rest of the sandwich was far from vegan but just seeing it written there in this magazine was crazy to me. I have only been vegan for about a year and a half and I have even noticed in that time that veganism has become a little more widely accepted. I was still extremely shocked to see it in the pages of Rachael Ray's magazine. I decided right then and there that I had to make the sandwich but make the whole thing vegan. It wouldn't be so hard anyways and that's kind of my point I guess, it's not usually hard to change up a recipe to make it vegan.

The sandwich was sort of like a Thanksgiving supper on a bun with turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce and strangely cheese. During my sandwich testing with Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes, I had tested a recipe for Gobbler Slices which was a homemade "turkey" cold cut which were incredibly good! I knew these would be the perfect "turkey" for my sandwich and lucky for you Tami has posted the recipe for them on her blog so you can make them too! I also made another one the next day for lunch and used some "chicken-y" seitan sliced thin and it was also really great so you could go either way and get great results.

The recipe for the cornbread stuffing in the magazine relied on some store bought cornbread muffins but I decided to make my own. The recipe is below if you don't have access to vegan store bought cornbread and want to make them too. I went mini but only so they would bake more quickly. I made some cranberry sauce myself as well since I had some frozen cranberries up the freezer that weren't getting much love and never have cranberry sauce in the can. It was so easy to put it together and took three ingredients. Recipe for it is below as well. They mix the mayo with the cranberry sauce which I also did but on the second attempt I just went with the mayo and enjoyed it more. I guess it depends of course on whether or not you like cranberry sauce and I've always been on the fence on that. I definitely enjoyed the sandwich, it's especially good with the pickles added which I totally forgot the first day I made this but they really do make the sandwich. I used thinly sliced dill pickles in place of the cornichons in the recipe but only because I always have a jar of dill pickles in the fridge and have never had a cornichon in my life. I also really loved the stuffing part of this sandwich too. I always thought it was strange to have fruit in stuffing but the apples were really tasty in this and provided a nice bit of crunch too. I'm definitely converted to this kind of stuffing! Here's the recipe if anyone wants to give this one a go...I recommend you do!

Pilgrim Sandwiches (Veganized from Everyday with Rachael Ray)

Makes 4 sandwiches

1 recipe of mini cornbread muffins (recipe below)

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp vegan butter/margarine

1 apple, diced (suggested are gala, mcintosh or honey crisp)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely chopped (or if you are like me and never have celery, 1 tsp celery seed)

Salt and Pepper

2 tsp poultry seasoning

Fresh thyme, a few sprigs, just the leaves removed from the stem

1 cup vegetable stock or vegan "chicken" flavoured stock

1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (recipe below)

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I used Organic Vegenaise)

4 sandwich rolls, split

1 1/2 lbs. sliced Gobbler Slices or any "chicken-y" seitan sliced thin

Vegan cheese, optional

Thinly sliced red onion and sliced dill pickle (or cornichons), for topping

1. Preheat broiler. Take mini muffins and crumble or cut into bite sized chunks. Place on a sheet pan and broil on middle rack of your oven until slightly browned. This should take about 5 minutes, making sure you mix them up half way so all the pieces get equally crisped. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil and vegan butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet until the butter has melted. Add the apple, onion, celery and salt and pepper. If you are using the celery seed, add it when you add the poultry seasoning. Cook the apple/onion mixture until it is starting to soften but still crisp. Add in the cornbread muffin pieces, poultry seasoning, thyme leaves and celery seed if using. Stir to combine then add the vegetable stock to moisten to your liking. (I added about half a cup and found it to be enough). Continue to cook until the broth has been absorbed and the stuffing is browned a bit. Turn off the heat and set aside.

3. Mix the cranberry sauce and mayonnaise together in a small bowl (or don't like I said above). Spread the cran-mayo on the tops of the rolls. Assemble the sandwiches on the bottoms of the rolls, starting with cornbread stuffing, Gobbler slices and vegan cheese if using. Broil to melt the cheese (or if you aren't using the cheese, still broil it briefly to heat up the gobbler slices and rewarm the stuffing. Remove from the oven, top with onion and pickles and roll tops. Enjoy!

Mini Cornbread Muffins

Makes 16 mini muffins

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp soy milk

1/4 cup non-dairy plain unsweetened yogurt

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Spray a mini muffin pan with spray oil.

2. Mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk or fork to evenly distribute everything. Add the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

3. Using a mini scoop or small spoon, scoop batter into the mini muffin pan. Bake for 8-10 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then move to a rack to cool completely.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup frozen cranberries

1 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and reduce the heat to low for 5 minutes until the cranberries start to split and soften.

2. Remove the cover and turn heat back up to medium-high and bring to a low boil/simmer for 5 more minutes or until it is thickened. It will thicken more once you let it cool. Remove from heat and let cool. Place in fridge, covered once cooled to let chill.

My First Made Up Baked Good

I'm definitely one of those people that cooks with a little bit of this and a dash of that, never measuring and usually making it up as I go along. I can usually recreate the dish again and again because I usually have the same instincts each time. Of course, I never bake like this since baking is an exact science. That is until today when I decided I was going to make up a baked good to use up some of my homemade pumpkin butter. I wasn't even sure what I was going for until I was done and I'm still not even sure what to call them. They are kind of like a mix of a light cake and a whoopie pie except they are so big that you couldn't eat two of them sandwiched together. I decided to keep them separated and poured a simple icing over the top to solve that problem. I'm taking suggestions for names but for now I'll call them Pumpkin Butter Mini Cakes and here's the recipe!

Pumpkin Butter Mini Cakes

Makes a bakers dozen

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups pumpkin butter (or apple butter would work I'm sure)

1/2 cup soy milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil of your choice (I used safflower)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tbsp molasses

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. I usually mix it with a whisk or a fork instead of sifting.

In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin butter, soy milk, oil, brown sugar and molasses. Use a whisk to really mix it together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined trying not to overmix. The batter will be on the stiffer side. Use a muffin scoop (1/4 cup) and scrape up the side of the bowl as you go to make sure they are level scoops. Place on the baking sheet with about an inch or two of space between them. Bake for 14 minutes, or when a tooth pick comes out clean.

Let cool on a cooling rack at least 15-20 minutes before putting on the icing.

Simple Pumpkin Butter Icing

1 cup icing sugar

1 1/2 tbsp pumpkin butter

(or you can use 1 tbsp of apple cider)

Just mix the two together in a small bowl until you have a pourable icing. Pour a spoonful over each little cake once they have cooled a bit making sure to put the parchment you used on the cookie sheet under the cooling rack to catch the dripping icing. Enjoy!

My First Vegan Banana Split

It has honestly been years since I have had a banana split, vegan or not. I remember when I was little seeing it at Dairy Queen and thinking how gigantic they were. Back a couple years ago I got pretty hooked on Banana Split Blizzards from DQ but those went out the window with dairy obviously.

Mac has recently been on a Backyardigans kick where it is literally the only thing he will watch on TV and in one episode they have banana splits and he's been wondering what all the fuss is about since. I should also add that thanks to The Backyardigans, the other day for lunch Mac asked for a vegetable quesadilla, so it's not all bad! Anyways, I decided to try and recreate the classic dessert but all vegan and a slight modification for my little chocolate hater.

Mac's banana split, he told me, would include strawberry, vanilla and blueberry ice cream so I had to figure that one out! I have been testing some ice creams for Carla Kelly lately for a new project of hers and the vanilla was just right for this. I then thought I could probably alter the vanilla to be the other two flavours and I was right...and it was so easy! I just made her basic vanilla and added fresh strawberries with a little lemon juice to one batch and some frozen blueberries and lemon juice to another. Perfection, Carla is a genius! For the rest of us I went with the classic strawberry, vanilla and chocolate. For the whip cream I used Healthy Top from Mimic Cream. That stuff is wonderful, only takes a little bit of planning and so easy to use. I always have at least one container on the shelf at all times, you know, in case of emergency whipped cream needs (those happen, right?). I made the fruit sauces myself and will put my "recipe" (I use the term very loosely) below.

Mac was pretty impressed with the whole thing and even though it was three tiny scoops of ice cream and half a small banana it seemed like an all you can eat ice cream buffet to him! He decided that he didn't need sauce or whipped cream or cherries, he just wanted the ice cream and banana. He even walked away before it was all finished saying "it's just too much". I know he's mine but things like that make me question it.  Good for him I say, to know when enough is enough. It seems like something he just came with. For the grown-ups, we went for a scaled down but all out banana split experience. Vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream with pineapple, strawberry and chocolate sauce, topped with a little dollop of Healthy Top and a cherry of course!

It might not look that glamorous to us but I swear to Mac it was like Candy Land in a bowl! He freaked right out for this!

I will say that it was a fair bit of friggin' around to make all the ice creams and toppings but it was totally worth it since they were all so friggin' delicious! It is definitely a special occasion treat that requires a little planning but that's probably best. I don't agree with Michael Pollan all the time but that rule he came up with where you can eat whatever you want as long as you make it all from scratch and you then won't eat it everyday really does make a lot of sense and applies to this for sure! I earned this one!

Strawberry Sauce

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (local if you can get them)

3/4 cup organic sugar (or not organic, it's up to you!)

1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with a splash of cool water to get it liquid and no lumps

Put berries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium sized pot over medium heat. The sugar will start to dissolve and the juices will release from the berries after a minute or so, just keep stirring. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have softened a bit and it looks like a runny jam. Blend with an immersion blender (carefully since it is really hot and might splash) but leave some little chunks of strawberries in there. Add the cornstarch that has been mixed with water to the strawberry sauce to thicken if you want it a little more jam like, making sure to keep stirring while you add it in. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool before storing in the fridge.

Pineapple Sauce

1-14oz can of organic pineapple chunks

3/4 cup organic sugar

1 tbsp lime juice (fresh or bottled)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with a splash of cool water to get it liquid with no lumps

Cut the pineapple chunks into smaller pieces so they will cook down a bit faster, especially the harder core pieces. Place the pineapple and all the juice from the can in a medium size sauce pan over medium low heat with the sugar, lime juice and vanilla extract. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pineapple is softened. Blend with an immersion blender (careful of it spitting, it's hot!) but not smooth, you want to have some texture in there. Add the cornstarch slurry while stirring so you don't get lumps and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool before storing in the fridge.

My First Tempeh Tacos

So by now, maybe you've figured out I'm in love with tempeh! (And maybe tacos too!) I want to use it everywhere now and definitely have been going back through all the ideas/recipes I had seen before where people used it and I turned up my nose. One way I had heard over and over for tempeh to be used was tempeh tacos so now I had to try it!

Once a week my husband's parents come over for supper and when we asked them if they were up for trying tempeh, my mother-in-law said she was definitely in just based on how much I was raving about it on this blog! Too sweet and supportive! I knew they were in but I knew my mom would not want to try them so I decided I would make two kinds of tacos for supper, one batch of tempeh tacos and one batch of bean taco filling.

I started each with the same base of sauteed onions, then added some diced cremini mushrooms to both (more in the beans since the tempeh already has so much flavour on it's own) and browned those as well. I added the tempeh to one pan as well as some tomato paste and homemade taco seasoning and let the tempeh brown slightly to really get that delicious brown, toasty flavour and once it browned added some water and let it simmer and really absorb the flavours of the now sauce. For the beans, I added a mix of navy beans and black beans to the other pan, with the tomato paste and seasoning but immediately added water to the beans since they don't need to brown at all. I let them both simmer until the liquid had reduced down and thickened up and added just a tiny bit of tamari to boost the flavours a bit. I served them in hard shells with toppings (lettuce, diced tomato, homemade tomatillo salsa, homemade guacamole, diced onions, julienned radish, taco sauce and Tofutti sour cream).

My in-laws both went with one of each kind and liked both! My mom of course went with the beans and really enjoyed them as well! Ryan went with two tempeh ones, then a taco salad made with a mix of both so I think he liked them too...haha! I had the tempeh tacos and again...I love tempeh! It makes such a great taco since it has a bit of crunch/texture, nutty flavour and really absorbs the flavour of the seasoning. We had leftovers which I am so looking forward to today! I think this may be my new go-to taco!

I would love to share the tastes of this one with you so here's the recipe for the seasoning I used and the salsa I made which was really simple!

Taco Seasoning

2 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp oregano

1/2 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 tsp - 1 tbsp salt (it's totally up to you how much you add)

Mix all the seasonings together in a small bowl, stirring until well combined. Add to your beans or tempeh by generous pinch and keep tasting until you find the right level of seasoning for you.

Tomatillo Salsa

10-12 medium sized tomatillos (I got super lucky at the local market last weekend)

1 medium sized white onion

3 large cloves garlic, peeled

1 jalapeno pepper, washed and left whole

1-2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1 cup vegetable broth

Preheat the oven to 425F. Quarter the tomatillos and the onion and place on a large sheet pan. Add the garlic and jalapeno to the pan and drizzle the olive oil over all of it. Spread the oil onto all the ingredients with your hands, it's the best way! Place in the hot oven for about 45-60 minutes, until the skins of the tomatillos and the onions are browning a bit. Once this happens, remove it from the oven then add the tomatillos, onions and garlic to the jar of your blender. Since jalapenos are never consistently hot, I only added about half of the pepper at first without seeds. Blend on high until mostly smooth but make sure you leave a vent for that steam to get out or you might have a mess on your hands! Taste it...this is the most important part of cooking I think. I add some of the vegetable broth at this point to thin it out a bit without watering it down flavour wise. Blend again to combine and refrigerate it covered if you are making it ahead of time.

My First Original Recipe

I've been so excited for this to all start! I have planned out my posts, prewritten a bit on the advice of more experienced bloggers and now it's here! I'm so excited about sharing the next month of posts with you as I blog about some of my Firsts!

Up first....My First Original Recipe that I would like to share with the world. This is a recipe that I veganized for my mom. She really used to love the Chicken Amatriciana at East Side Marios. Like honestly every time we went there that's what she would order. I never really tried it since it really didn't sound like my kind of thing but she described it to me as a rose sauce with sauteed bell peppers, mushrooms and unfortunately chicken and bacon. When I went to veganize it I decided the chicken and bacon weren't something I was going to add. My mom isn't a huge fan of tofu and refuses seitan so that would make it tricky. I decided instead to go for a bold, creamy sauce with lots of veggies and hope it would hit the spot and it did...she really loves this one! And so does everyone else who's tried it. I have never written a recipe before so hopefully it's all clear and here it is! I will say I would have trouble saying how many servings this makes since my husband eats gigantic portions of pasta but I would guess it would be 6 servings since we usually feed us grown ups for supper and get two lunches out of it too (and it's always tastier the second day since all the flavours meld together overnight).

Pasta Amatriciana

Roasted Tomato Sauce

18 plum tomatoes, halved

2 small white cooking onions, quartered

5 large cloves of garlic, peeled

Salt and Pepper

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Cream Sauce

3/4 cup raw cashews (soak them if you are using a food processor or regular blender)

1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used soy)

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 tbsp light miso (white or yellow)

1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

8oz cremini mushrooms (or white button, your preference), cut into 1/4' dice

2 shallots, cut into 1/4" dice

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4" dice

Preheat the oven to 400F. On a large sheet pan, place all the tomato halves, onion and garlic and add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Use your hands to make sure all the pieces are well coated with the oil. Let roast for 45-60 minutes until the veggies are browned a bit since this is where all the yummy flavour is.

While they are roasting, combine cream sauce ingredients from cashews through to, and including pepper in a blender or food processor. Combine on the highest speed until it is smooth and creamy. If you have a Vitamix there is no need to soak the cashews ahead of time but you will find it helpful otherwise, even if it's just an hour. Once it's smooth, set aside in a medium bowl and rinse the blender jar/food processor bowl. You should get 1 3/4 cups of the cream sauce.

Once the tomatoes, onions and garlic are browned and ready to go, add them without the oil/liquid in the pan to your blender jar/food processor and blend on high. I leave some texture to it but it's up to your personal preference. Pour the roasted tomato sauce into a medium sized sauce pan and add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir to combine and put over med-low heat so it just simmers.

In a non-stick frying pan over high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil then the diced mushrooms and shallots. Stir and saute until they are evenly browned. Add these to the simmering tomato sauce and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the bell pepper and saute until softened and starting to brown and then add those to the tomato sauce as well.

Now add the reserved cream sauce to the tomato sauce in 1/2 cup increments until you find the perfect cream balance. I usually end up adding 1 - 1 1/2 cups of the cream sauce but it can vary based on the tomatoes and your taste. Serve on top of your favourite pasta, we usually do whole wheat spaghetti but this sauce would be great on anything, even filled pastas like ravioli. Also it goes great with greens so add some cooked peas or broccoli on top as well!

Roasted Tomatoes, Onions and Garlic when it's done!