Smoky Bacon & Asparagus Mac N "Cheese" (Dairy-free)

Dear Gaerwen,

I turned a comfort food into something amazing tonight and I thought you should know.  It was so creamy and cheesy; Cheesier than this blog!  How did I do this, you ask?  Well...

First I fried up some bacon and crumbled it (I used what I had leftover in the fridge, use your bacon discretion, if it even exists, for the quantity).  I then cleaned out the grease left in the pan (I always reserve this for other dishes that require flavour) and cooked up some garlic and red onion (you be the judge on quantity).   Once partially cooked, I tossed some fresh asparagus I had trimmed of the woody ends and cut into bite size pieces into the pan.  At this point I also cooked the macaroni (I used elbow macaroni for the authentic Mac 'n Cheese look).

Once the asparagus and the macaroni were cooked (drain the pasta, don't forget that step!) I made the cheese sauce.  How?  Well I made a basic white sauce out of vegan butter, flour and unsweetened almond milk (you could use any milk you wish) and chicken broth (I didn't have as much almond milk as I thought, this was a quick thinking moment).  Once thickened, I added some smoked paprika, sea salt, pepper, cayenne for some kick and nutmeg. Then to make it very cheesy I added some Daiya cheddar shreds and Daiya Mozzarella shreds.  I then added the macaroni, asparagus mix and bacon to the sauce (you could do it vice versa, I saved a dish by using the pot I cooked the macaroni in to make the sauce.

VOILA, Unbelievable and amazing comfort food!  You know you want it....


Until the next inspired food moment!

Randi.

The Best Darn Dairy Free Quesadilla!

Dear Gaerwen,

Can you believe I made the best darn cheese-less quesadilla?!  And I didn't even miss the cheese!  And I didn't use cilantro either (which is absurd for me, although good for you, you cilantro hater!)

What did I do to make this amazingly awesome food, you ask?  Well it's easy...  sorta...

First I made hummus.  Being allergic to sesame, I left the tahini out, but I Ninja'd

• a can of chickpeas
• some lemon juice
• roasted garlic* 
• garlic salt and
• sea salt to taste.  

Second, I made taco seasoning (you could use a package , I guess, if you wanted).  Mix together:

• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Third, Brown some ground beef.  Once brown add about 2 tsp of the seasoning per lb of meat.  Add a bit of water and let simmer a bit to incorporate the flavouring in all the meat.  Set aside in different bowl.

Fourth, take a tortilla shell (I used a large whole wheat) and smear half of it with the hummus, top with ground beef.  Add in jalapenos (I used the ones in the jar).  Fry until crispy (the way a quesadilla should be).  Remove from pan, pull apart and add lettuce.  Cut in triangles and eat.  SO GOOD!

Sam is going to love this protein boost after gymnastics tonight!

* To make roasted garlic, toss separated cloves in olive oil (no need to peel) and place in tin foil and roast in oven at 400F for 20 min or so.  I always do multiple heads and then freeze it and take it out as needed for mashed potatoes, pasta, etc.  

Vegan "Cream" Sauce

Dear Gaerwen,

I am always on a mission to find a GREAT non-dairy "cream" sauce and by golly I FINALLY created one!  (And thus far it holds up in the fridge too!)

So what you need to do to indulge in this lovely cream sauce yourself...

Steam one head of cauliflower with garlic salt.  Then...  (oh hold on, go back one step.... remortgage house to buy cauliflower...then proceed)


Purée it with (in your Ninja)... 

• A splash of non dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond)
• 2 tbsp earth balance
• about 1/8 cup nutritional yeast
• 4 cloves roasted garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup white wine (I used cooking wine)
• 1/4 cup silken firm tofu (this made the creamy feel)
• a shake or two of cayenne
• a squeeze of lemon.

It's really good!

Reid Safe, Ellie Safe, Gaerwen Safe.  

Dairy Free, Egg free Ravioli

Dear Gaerwen,

I'm lazy (probably due to the fact I did THIS yesterday) so I am copy/pasting this...

Remember, the carnivore adverse can veganize it by using veggie ground instead of beef.

Filling:

• 3 cloves of minced garlic (cook this and onion with beef)
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb cooked ground beef (ours is lean I think, grass finished for sure)
• 8 oz spinach (I used fresh and cooked it down)
• Cheese mix*
• Fried sage**

Cheese mix:

• Rest of the silken tofu I never used in the sauce last night (helpful, hey? It works out to a container less 1/8 cup or so, I'd just use the whole thing).
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 cup nutritional yeast
• salt & pepper to taste.

Mash together with a fork, done... Add to above ingredients.

Fried sage:

• olive oil
• fresh sage

Fry until crispy. Add to above mixture.

Mix all items together, set aside.

Pasta dough:

• 2 cups of semolina flour (all purpose works too, but not as good)
• 3/4 cups ww flour 
• 3/4 cups warm water (start with this, I needed a lot more).
• Salt to taste

If you are lazy like me, add flour to Kitchen Aid and when mixed (use the dough hook) start adding water. Keep doing this gradually until it holds together. Then let it knead it until smooth. Take out of KA and wrap in Saran Wrap letting it rest for 10 min.

After it rests you can roll out for whatever you are making. Good luck... I have a pasta roller and cutter 😜

Ellie safe, Reid Safe, Gaerwen safe.

Vegan Yeast Donuts.

Dear Gaerwen,

I tagged you on Facebook under this post, but I figured I'd just copy/paste it here for you.

THEY TOTALLY WORKED and taste like regular donuts!  Recipe formulated by moi!

• 1 1/4 envelopes active yeast
• 2 tbsps + 2 tsps water
• 1 cup Lukewarm milk of choice (I used soy)
• 3 1/3 cup White Flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt 
• 1 1/4 tbsp flax + 3 3/4 tbsp water
• 4  3/4 tbsp Earth Balance

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2. Mix the flax and water, let sit.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, flax, earths balance, and 1.5 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
5. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.

Glaze:

2 cups Icing sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tsp water

1 tsp maple extract.  Mix together, glaze donuts.


Makes 12 donuts.


Ellie, Reid and Gaerwen (I think) safe...

Fruity Green Tea and Chamomile Sorbet

Dear Gaerwen,

I made a Fruity Green Tea and Chamomile sorbet today.  I like it, the kids do not.  How did I make it, you ask?

Well...  First and most important I have a Cuisinart Ice Cream, Sorbet and Frozen Yogurt maker.  I also used my Ninja (I know you have one of those too!)

So I made an infusion of green tea and chamomile and I let it steep for about 20 minutes.  I put it in the fridge until it was cold.

Then I took a bag of PC frozen fruit blend (Peaches, Strawberries, Pineapple) and I Ninja'd them (I turned that into a verb, yes) and slowly added about 2.5 cups of the cold infusion.  I then took some unpasteurized honey and sweetened to taste (I was attempting to make a healthful cold food for Logan as he's sick).

Next, I poured this Ninja'd blend into the Ice Cream maker and let it do it's thing for 25 minutes.  The result was an excellent sorbet!  The kids think otherwise (they hate tea, you can really taste the tea, plus they suck).

Anyhow!  So that is that!

See you next time!