vegan cheese sauce

Cheese, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Potatoes, Salads, Seafood, Vegan

Lemon Broccoli Pasta & Vegan Salmon

Posted on July. 2021July. 2021 by writinstuff

I don’t know about you, my fellow vegans, but when I first went vegan I found it easier to just stick to a whole food, plant based diet. I was worried that eating too many vegan alternatives would make it harder to stick to this new way of life. It helped that 4 years ago there were not as many options as there are in 2021. Back then, there was tofu, vegan sausages and various breaded vegan chicken options and if we’re being honest, they were nothing to write home about.

In short, they were easy to pass on in favor of big fat veggie filled Buddha bowls.

These days? Not so much

Okay well, there are much better options. Beyond Burger, I’m talking to you! But, as a lover of food, I knew that I would have to venture outside of my comfort zone to test out all the vegan food options for loyal readers and foodies like you.

So when I happened upon this vegan salmon by Lord of Tofu, I knew I had to try it. Well, the truth is that I knew my husband would want to try it because he loved the vegan lox we got from the same maker.

Anyhoo…here we are.

Since we’ve been going pretty steadily on our Midnight Tokyo Diner thing, the hubs requested this meal. Lemon broccoli pasta with vegan salmon and that’s what I gave him.

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Cheese, Drinks, International vegan cuisine, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Sides, Vegan

Quatro Vegan Formaggio ~ Vegan Shells & Cheese

Posted on June. 2021June. 2021 by writinstuff

I’ll tell you up front that I was so excited about how well, and by well I mean cheesy this dish came out, that I dug right in and finished it all before I remembered the small matter of taking photos. Oops.

Forgive me?

Since the Hubs and I still do the Midnight Tokyo Diner dinner choices, our meal choices are at the mercy of that on any given night, which means some nights we have more not-so-healthy meals than others.

This is one of those nights.

He requested cheesy mac & cheese and I may have gone a little overboard, but here we are.

The truth is that I like to experiment with different vegan foods when they hit the market and well, my most recent haul included several different types of vegan cheese and since my husband LOVES mac & cheese, I knew this request would come, sooner or later.

So when he made his request, I had my marching orders.

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Cheese, International vegan cuisine, Italian, Plant Based, Potatoes, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Super Cheesy Vegan Meatball & Gnocchi Bake

Posted on May. 2021May. 2021 by writinstuff

I’ve made no secret over the years that one of the things from my old, pre-vegan life that I do not miss is cheese. I mean, cheese is good. It’s fine. It’s just no longer my jam since I’m not addicted to it. I’ve experimented with all types of vegan cheese brands and until the past few months, I’ve been underwhelmed. I’ve even done the alt-cheese thing myself, using white beans, a turmeric & nooch béchamel for pizza, a milk-based cheese-ish sauce, and even a carrot cheese. I have tried it all and made an informed decision that I can take or leave cheese.

And then, I did my semi-regular online order of vegan food from a source in Germany and…wow. This super cheesy vegan gnocchi bake was incredible. Ooey and gooey cheesy deliciousness, minus the need to keep eating and eating.

And eating.

Vegan mac & cheese requires the right vegan cheese, the rest is up to you!

If you know how to make mac & cheese then you know how to make this dish, but there are a few caveats since I got a little fancy with it.

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Cheese, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Easy Vegan Comfort Food ~ Vegan Schnitzel & Cheesy Pasta

Posted on February. 2021February. 2021 by writinstuff

Many of my friends think that eating a vegan diet means always eating healthy, and it doesn’t. Sure, most days I try to eat a whole food, plant based diet with plenty of fresh & colorful vegetables, grains, beans and legumes.

That doesn’t always happen.

As a professional writer and self-published author, there is a lot on my plate and sometimes I just want something hot and yummy and not necessarily totally healthy, and that’s all right because I work out regularly and I am as active as possible when I’m not parked in front of a computer screen.

So when I want to eat a greasy vegan schnitzel with creamy cheesy pasta and broccoli, I do.

This post doesn’t require a full on recipe because you can find your favorite brand of vegan chicken, or make your own vegan fried chicken, and cook in the air fryer or the oven with your desired seasonings. I used garlic, black pepper and smoky paprika and popped it in the oven on 200C so it would be crispy enough not to get soggy on top of the pasta.

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Beans, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Pasta, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Vegan Comfort Food ~ Mac & White Bean Cheese

Posted on November. 2020November. 2020 by writinstuff

Hello. My name is Natasha and I have a serious carb problem. Specifically a pasta/noodle problem.

The problem is, I can’t get enough of it. And the bigger problem is that he can’t get enough of it either.

So we’ve been eating a lot of pasta. Maybe for comfort or familiarity or maybe because is just so damn good that why wouldn’t you find reason after reason to eat it?

Let’s stop with the ridiculous questions and just talk about this incredible vegan mac & cheese that’s made with no cheese.

At tall.

There’s only thing that’s truly different about this vegan mac & cheese recipe and that’s the white bean cheese so I’ll keep this short and sweet.

Ingredients:
Short pasta (elbow mac, shells, whatever you like)
Garlic
Tofu/soy
Onion
Green bell pepper
Nutritional yeast
Tomato paste
Mustard
Navy beans
Lemon juice
Turmeric powder
Almond milk

Cook your pasta according to the instructions. I like to time it so that the pasta is ready just about the time to toss it with the sauce, but it’s an experience thing so…do your best.

As for the vegan cheese, rinse and drain the beans before you pop them into the food processor and give them a quick pulse, 2 or 3 times. Then add the rest of the ingredients: milk, nutritional yeast, turmeric, mustard, tomato paste and garlic, and run until smooth. Set side until you’re ready.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy vegan meal, you can skip the part where you saute the onions, garlic and bell pepper but it’s what makes it full meal with a depth of flavor that’s guaranteed to satisfy. When the veggies have been sauteed until golden, add the vegan bean cheese to warm through.

Note: If you want a gooey cheese, I recommend adding some tapioca starch.

Toss with cooked pasta and cooked tofu/soy and place into a casserole dish, cooking 15-30 minutes or until the vegan cheese sauce is thick and creamy and gooey.

And there you have it, folk, another easy delicious and totally vegan pasta recipe! Experiment with different types of beans and different flavor profiles to see just how many days man/woman can live on pasta alone!

What’s your favorite way to do vegan mac and cheese?

Cheese, Grains, International vegan cuisine, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Mac

Posted on May. 2020May. 2020 by writinstuff

During these endless days when one calendar day turns into the next, sometimes you get the urge to enjoy some comfort food. But you’re also an adult which means you have to eat your greens and your veggies.

So, what do you do?

One of my personal favorites is mac & cheese. Now it’s true that I’m not a huge fan of the vegan cheese options currently available to me but I am a huge fan of vegan béchamel sauce with just a pinch of cheese, and it turns out it was just what my mac & cheese dishes were missing to satisfy that craving.

Just like the mac & cheese you used to eat as a child, this dish is easy and (relatively) quick to make.

This was my third or fourth attempt to perfect my béchamel sauce, alternating between Alpro almond and soya milks in search of a slightly higher fat content to get that thick creaminess I was in search of. The unsweetened soya is better than the almond in terms of fat but not necessarily taste, at least to me.

The ingredient list for this dish is pretty simple:

Pasta (I prefer whole wheat, choose what you like)

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Garlic

Soy milk

Nutritional Yeast

Vegan butter (I used olive oil)

Flour

Water

Make the pasta according to the instructions but if you prefer to bake your pasta before you serve it, cook it a minute or two shy if your preferred doneness. Steam the broccoli and set aside.

For the mushrooms you can saute them on a high heat on top of the stove or season them and bake’em until the moisture is gone. The choice is yours since it’s your time, after all.

The sauce is the most time consuming part and if you want it really thick and flavorful, take your time here. Add fat (vegan butter or oil) and flour. I added a few cloves of minced garlic to the oil and let it cook until fragrant before adding the flour. Once the flour and fat mix starts to brown you can go straight for the liquid (water or milk) or you can do like I did and get fancy with it!

Before adding the liquid, I added a teaspoon (or more) of the following: mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and Sriracha. It’ll get good and sizzle-y and then its time to add the liquid. Note: You can alternate water and milk if you need a bigger batch of sauce without all the calories, but if you take it easy on the vegan cheese you’ll find the soy milk is pretty calorie friendly.

Once the liquid is in, keep a steady stir over a low heat, adding vegan cheese and nutritional yeast in alternating spoonfuls. A little bubbling is good but if it’s too much, turn down the heat. Add turmeric for that yellow American cheese color and smoky paprika for that smoky, grown up cheesy flavor!

If you choose, pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes, then cool and serve.

With a blackberry & mint margarita!

Cheers and pofta buna and please, pretty please…stay safe!!!

Cheese, Grains, Pasta, Plant Based, Sauces & Creams, Vegan

Tasty Vegan Carrot Mac

Posted on August. 2019August. 2019 by writinstuff

When it comes to food, I have no problem experimenting. And failing. And trying again.

Call it a quirk or a superpower, just don’t call me a quitter!

My most recent experiment came about because of my dislike of my vegan cheese that I’ve tried (except VioLife slices, those are super tasty) and my desire for something mac & cheesy. I’ve seen quite a few recipes that have carrots in them but they usually combine potatoes or cashews and we all know that I’m not willing to go there…yet. So I thought, why not use only carrots for the “cheese”?

And that’s how this version of Carrot Mac was born.

This was a fairly simple meal with about 6 carrots of varying sizes which I pan cooked but highly recommend that you bite the bullet and boil them because it will save you time and the frustration of having bits of crunchy carrot in your smooth, creamy sauce.

While the carrots are going, add in a sauteed or grilled onion and a whole head of roasted garlic. This is all going into the food processor to make the carrot cheese, just make sure you blend until smooth, adding that carrot water or plain tap water as needed. Just be sure to add it SLOWLY.

I added some tapioca starch and water just before adding the whole wheat spirals in the hopes of creating a thick, almost stringy sauce. It didn’t come out quite that well, but it was super creamy.

Before you start thinking this is in no way a meal, I roasted a small head of cauliflower until the edges were crispy & crunchy and then I stirred it into the carrot mac for heft and nutrients. Let me tell you, it was just what this dish needed.

That, and Sriracha.

You can add other vegan cheese to this if you want, but I opted to sprinkle a bit of ParVeggio on top in lieu of adding more salt.

This is another quick and easy vegan meal that’s perfect when you want something delicious but you don’t want to spend all day in the hot kitchen, especially while it’s 30 degrees Celsius outside!

And if you REALLY want, you can add an ice cold beer to the mix so it doesn’t feel quite so healthy.