February 2, 2020July 30, 2024 by betsy

Best Ever Cheese Sauce (Plant-based Perfection and Low-Calorie to Boot)

This rich, thick and creamy cheese sauce–which contains no added fat and is ridiculously low in calorie–owes a debt of gratitude to Susan Voisin. I consulted her recipe, but then tweaked the flavor to suit my taste. It instantly became a staple in my home and is non-vegan aporoved.

Feel free to spice it up any way you choose. Even add plant-based proteins. It would be delicious as an enchilada filling with Mexican-inspired ingredients. But, today, it is going to a Super Bowl party with me. Game on!

4 cups cauliflower florets

4 cups lightly salted water

Juice of 1/2 medium-large lemon

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons yellow miso paste

1 teaspoon stone ground mustard

1 teaspoon Liquid Aminos

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

In a large bowl, combine cauliflower and water. Microwave for about 10 to 15 minutes or until very tender. (Alternatively, you may simmer, partially covered, in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.) Transfer cauliflower and about a half cup of the water into the bowl of food processor. Save remaining water. Process until cauliflower forms a thick paste. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl of the processor and process until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Transfer to a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat until desired consistency is reached, adding remaining water a half cup or so at a time. Serve immediately as you would any cheese sauce.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #vegancheesesauce #plantbasedcheesesauce

November 18, 2018November 18, 2018 by betsy

Luscious Vegan Low-Fat/Low-Calorie
Cauliflower Cheese Sauce

Angela Phillips, my friend and the owner of the yoga studio where I can be found every Saturday and Sunday morning, came over for happy hour on Wednesday evening, bringing with her some lovely baby Romaine. So, instead of serving the sauce with a spoon as I’d threatened, I served it with Romaine leaves and waffle-cut carrot slices. So pretty and delicious. And Angela, who is not a vegan, loved it, reporting this morning when I saw her at the studio, that the leftovers with which I sent her home were delicious with plain broccoli last night.

Our happy hour would have been practically virtuous except that Bob decided to make some of our famous French fries. Angela and I allowed ourselves a very few and, boy, were they good dipped in this cheese sauce! I’m quite sure there is not much that wouldn’t be improved with some of this addicting sauce, perfect in taste and texture. And so easy to boot.

4 cups cauliflower florets

4 cups lightly salted water

Juice of 1/2 medium-large lemon

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons yellow miso paste

1 teaspoon stone ground mustard

1 teaspoon Liquid Aminos

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

April 22, 2018April 23, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Bang-Bang Tofu

It doesn’t matter how you serve this dish–taco, appetizer, etc.–you will love it. In fact, you might want to just eat spoonfuls of the delectable sauce by itself.

Note: We own a Waring Pro fryer, which is surprisingly affordable (cheap!), and I highly recommend.

Bang-Bang Tofu

Bang-Bang Sauce (recipe follows)

Crispy Fried Tofu (recipe follows)

Optional garnishes: cilantro sprigs, lightly salted cashew halves, snipped chives or green onions; or small flour or corn tortillad and shredded cabbage if serving as tacos

To serve, either toss the cubes of fried tofu with some of the sauce and sprinkle with the garnishes of your choice; do the same, but serve in a soft taco shell with some shredded cabbage; or serve as an appetizer with a toothpick in each tofu square, a little sauce on the side, and the garnishes of your choice. Be sure to prepare just before serving so that the sauce does not make the crispy tofu soggy.

Bang-Bang Sauce

2 cups vegan mayonnaise

1 cup Asian sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon demerrera sugar

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion garlic powder

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce or to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

Crispy Tofu

1 pound extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup unsweetened soymilk curdled with 2 teaspoons rice vinegar + 1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cornstarch

Heat 2 to 3 inches vegetable oil to 375 degrees in deep heavy-bottomed pot. Place both the curdled soymilk and the cornstarch in separate shallow bowls. Working with 1/4 of the tofu at a time, dip the pieces first in the curdled soymilk and then coat with the cornstarch. Fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on oaper towels. Keep warm in a preheated 170 degree oven (or lowest temperature).

February 4, 2018February 4, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Ro*tel “Velveeta” Dip or Sauce
The BEST Hot Vegan Cheese Dip or Sauce
Get Your Super Bowl Game On!

This is the old school recipe my way…

And hopefully I am not posting this too late for your Super Bowl festivities.

Recently, a local vegan bakery advertised their vegan “chick-un” nugget platter with “cheese” sauce for the Super Bowl. I was curious about the sauce because, fairly recently in researching vegan cheese sauces online, there was a baffling array of sauces made with potatoes, eggplant, cashews and more. But I was highly skeptical and wondered to myself at the time, “Why not just melt some vegan cheese?” And I shied away from experimenting. But, Friday, I purchased some of the advertised sauce on the way to school to enjoy with my lunch at my desk. It was a nice texture and lovely color, but it tasted oddly of garlic and mustard, ingredients I have used in vegan cheese spreads, but better camouflaged than that. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t taste convincingly like cheese.

So, I looked up the old recipe from my childhood–10 ounces of Ro*tel tomatoes and 1 pound of Velveeta–and purchased some Ro*tel yesterday on my grocery store run. The cheese I had on hand. Velveeta is so processed that it always reminded me of what would happen if orange vinyl were sold in blocks, so I figured that vegan cheese would be a shoe-in. This morning I melted it in the microwave with the So Delicious vegan shredded cheeses I had on hand–both cheddar and cheddar-jack–and I was right! I needed look no further for my go-to cheese sauce. And, shamefully, I fantasized almost all the way through my yoga class, buying some jalapeno-lime corn chips on the way home and diving in.

Granted, this is not health food folks. It is an occasional splurge. And with the price of vegan cheese, it’s not cheap. But it is super simple, lightening fast, and delicious. It contains no nuts as some cheese sauces do, but it does contain soy. However, soy is not even a whisper of a problem for me and hopefully not for you.

Plus, I can think of a million ways to use it. It is hard to beat, plain, as a hot dip for chips. But why not add corn, black beans, green chilies, vegan sausage, cooked diced potato, or some of all and enjoy it as a chunkier dip, as a sauce for nachos, a filling for enchiladas, or even as a base for a casserole, say potato and Poblano? Or simply kick it up with some cumin, coriander, chili powder, or lime juice?

While your wheels are turning, why not make a batch and munch on it with some crispy chips?

Vegan Ro*tel “Velveeta” Dip

1 10-ounce can Ro*tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, mild or spicy

1 pound shredded vegan cheese (I like So Delicious cheddar and cheddar-jack sold in 8 ounce packages)

Optional garnish: chopped fresh garnish

Place in a microwave safe bowl or a double boiler and heat until melted, stirring frequently, approximately 8 minutes. Whisk for a smoother finished product. Serve warm with chips and a sprinkling of chopped fresh cilantro.

June 20, 2017June 20, 2017 by betsy

Vegan Carrot Fries
with Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce

Yield: 4 servings (8 carrot sticks each)

True confession: Far from vegan, Bob’s diet leaves much to be desired. So, in an attempt to help him make somewhat better choices, I have encouraged fish, even fried fish. (Sorry.) I don’t partake BUT I do make a kick@$$ batter, if I do say so, and it is delicious on, as I discovered for lunch today, carrot sticks to make “Carrot Fries.”

My presentation is cute as can be don’t you think? And the Lemon-Basil dipping sauce so summery and lick-your-fingers delish.

Vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour (I use white whole wheat)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1-12 ounce (vegan) beer, alcholohic or non-alcoholic ( you won’t need quite all of it)

1/2 teaspoon grainy mustard (I use pommery)

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Sriracha)

32 carrot sticks about 3 1/2 inches long (I purchase them already in sticks, but if you prefer, trip and scrape slim carrots, cut them into 3 1/2-inch lengths, and then cut each into quarters lengthwise)

Sea salt

Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches in a large skillet and heat to approximately 350 degrees over medium or medium-high heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Gradually whisk in beer until mixture is the consistency of pancake batter. Whisk in mustard and hot sauce. (You can taste it, but it will likely not taste especially appealing, though it is delicious after frying.) Dip carrot sticks into batter, one at a time, to completely coat and immediately transfer to oil. Fry about 10 to 11 at a time or until golden brown on one side, flip with tongs, and fry on the other side until evenly golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to prepared baking sheet, lightly sprinkle with sea salt, and continue with remaining carrot sticks and batter. Serve in a martini glass with Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce at the bottom.

Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce

1 cup plain vegan yogurt (most of it is too sweet for my palate, so I prefer vegan sour cream)

Zest of 1/2 large lemon (use the whole lemon if you prefer a more pronounced lemon flavor)

1 teaspoon fresh minced basil, or to taste

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, until serving time.