Cashew Ricotta.

I saw this cashew ricotta on my friend Crysta's blog... and totally wanted to try it - for 2 reasons. It looked good and was another new technique to making something animal based into plant based. I'm loving these little challenges. Plus, it's a Tal Ronnen recipe... so I knew it'd be good. And if it worked, it could open up the door to sooo many, now vegan, meals.

It worked. I had to wait to find the perfect recipe to try it on... and then I had to get some probiotic powder (which, I'm still needed to look for other uses for). And someday I'll work up the nerve to try the beet ravioli she used it in... the balsamic maple syrup vinaigrette looked so good.

Tal Ronnen's Cashew Ricotta Cheese
2 cups raw cashews
1 teaspoon probiotic powder (from 6 capsules - I use the All-Flora brand) dissolved in 1 cup of warm water.
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper

Put cashews in a bowl, add cold water to cover them, and refrigerate 12-14 hours. Drain and rinse them under warm water.

Place nuts in a blender with the probiotic powder and water mixture, and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a clean, glass bowl, and let sit at warm room temperature (I leave the oven light on in the closed oven) for 14-16 hours to culture.

Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in remaining ingredients. Cheese will keep for a week under refrigeration.

Now, I'm on the search for some good ricotta recipes...

Cheezy Sauce.

Love this for nachos, pastas, to dip broccoli or steak fries in. Yum.

2 cups vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of dried thyme (crumbled in your fingers)
1/4 teaspoon salt
several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

Combine the broth and flour in a measuring cup and whisk with a fork until dissolved.

Preheat a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Place the oil and garlic in the pan and gently cook for about 2 minutes (or just steam-fry), stirring often and being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the broth, turmeric, and nutritional yeast, and raise the heat to medium. Use a whisk to stir constantly. The mixture should start bubbling and thickening in about 3 minutes; if it doesn't, turn the heat a bit higher.

Once the mixture is bubbling and thickening, stir and cook for about 2 more minutes. Add the lemon juice and mustard. The mixture should resemble a thick, melty cheese. Taste for salt (you may need more depending on how salty your vegetable broth is), turn off the heat, and cover the pan to keep it warm until ready to use. The top might thicken a bit while it sits, but you can just stir it and it will be fine. Serve warm.

Veganomicon, page 214-215

Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Calzones.

My Mom and I have been meaning to test out a vegan "cheese" sauce. We even bought a case of the nutritional yeast and were ready to go. We just had to find the right one. 

Enter a conversation with Mandy telling me about this recipe on our friends blog that had a vegan cheese sauce. I was super excited to check it out and give it a try. It did not disappoint! I hijacked her recipe and made a few of my adjustments below. Thank you Brooke!! What's awesome about it is it's endless possibilities!!

Calzones

pizza dough recipe (below)

tomato sauce
basil
mozzarella "cheese" sauce (below)
toppings: chopped onions, diced cremini mushrooms, chopped baby spinach, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, etc.

Make pizza dough. While it is rising prepare the filling. For the filling saute the veggies for a couple minutes. Make sure they're still tender-crisp. You definitely don't want soggy veggies! After the dough has risen, roll it out onto an oiled jelly roll pan. Spread your sauce lengthwise on half of the dough, sprinkle with basil. Layer with veggies. Top with mozzarella "cheese" sauce. Flip over the empty half of the crust and press down around the edges to seal in filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Slice and serve!

Whole Wheat Breadstick Dough

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons shy agave nectar
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups whole wheat flour

Mix water, yeast and agave. Let sit for about 3-4 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and salt to mixture. Mix until smooth and elastic. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour. Knead for 3-5 minutes. Place on lightly oiled jelly roll pan to rise for 10 minutes (can skip this step if in a hurry).

Mozzarella Cheese Sauce-Vegan

I cannot wait to use this for other things. Brooke says to make it smoky add 1/8 teaspoon of liquid hickory smoke. Yum!!

1 cup water
2 small cloves of roasted garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons tahini (the larger amount makes it "cheesier")
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons rolled oats
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. Pour into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick.

Belly Biters: TOTAL hit!! And better yet, it didn't have that I want to be like cheese, but I'm not, taste. Yum!