Sweet Potato Vegan Mac n Cheese

Inactivation of psbA genes in Paulinella plastids.

Yeah, it's over my head, too. This is why I'm an MA student, not an MS. I'm sure it's fascinating, but I'll spend this lecture I'm sitting through writing about what I made for dinner last night. Professional, I know. What I really want to do is get up and watch the electrical storm that's over Stony Brook right now. It sounds intense from this dark, windowless room, and I love storms!

I wish I could say that I grew that sweet potato, but I didn't.
Next year!

Another awesome gift from Mama Jo..
the Cuisinart Mini Prep Plus Processor chopped onions and garlic fabulously!

I came across a recipe similar to this months ago. There's really nothing like a warm bowl of cheesy mac n cheese. I make a vegan version made with butternut squash that's a crowd favorite, but it's a lot of work! This recipe, while a heck of a lot easier and less time consuming, was good, but not as close to traditional mac n cheese as the butternut version. Still, it was delicious and unique, so it's worth blogging about. It has a bit of a spicy kick. Not like you just bit into a jalapeño, but a very mild spice. Don't let that scare you from this recipe if you don't like spicy, even my 22 month old was able to handle it!

Sweet Potato Vegan Mac n Cheese

Serves 6 to 8

• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 2 tsp. ground mustard
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1. Boil the potatoes and sage in the 2 cups of water until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
2. Drain the potatoes, reserving the water, and add them to a blender.
3. Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil just until the onions begin to brown.
4. Add the onions and garlic to the potatoes in the blender.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined.
6. Add the reserved potato water to thin the sauce to the desired consistency.
7. Serve over pasta.

Holy Hot! Sauce

Andrew's mom grew these really hot peppers this summer.. too hot to eat on their own, even without the seeds. I may have mentioned this once before, but I put hot sauce on everything. I blame my friend Nikki, who always had a bottle in her dorm room, and put it on everything from pizza to popcorn. So when I saw these peppers going uneaten, I had to step in and make them into something that I could handle.

I made this hot sauce late one night while on a cooking kick. It made the kitchen HOT. I don't mean take off the apron (not that I wear one) and turn on the fan hot, I mean all my senses were burning. My eyes were watering, nose was running, and my throat was burning. But oh was it worth it. Move over Franks Red Hot, there's a new hot tamale in the pot!

Holy Hot! Sauce

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

• 13 cow horn peppers
• 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp. salt

1. Cut the stems off the peppers and scrape out the seeds.
2. Put them in a small sauce pan along with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Bring to a boil, them simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
4. Blend the mixture in a blender until everything is mixed and finely chopped.
5. Filter out the solids by pouring the sauce through a cheesecloth.
6. Store in a closed jar in the fridge.
7. Eat on everything!

Simmering

Filtering out the solids.

I used leftover garlic packaging to filter, but a cheesecloth
or any fine mesh will do.

You're going to have to scoop the solids  out of the
top occasionally to keep things flowing through the mesh.

It should look like this when done.

Creamy Coconut Basil Sauce

I. Have. So. Much. Basil.

Andrew is a big pesto fan, so besides winter squash, his only garden request was lots of basil. I planted it everywhere, in containers, pallet rows, and right in the ground. I lost track of how many seeds I actually planted, and now it's cropping up everywhere. It's not going to waste though! I've been making vegan pesto, dehydrating it, and freezing it.

Basil in the dehydrator.

Once the basil has dried (after a long run in the dehydrator),
I chop it up in the baby bullet so that I have dried basil through the year.

Taking a suggestion from my parents friend on a recent camping trip,
I froze basil in zip locks full of water. The leaves stay bright green and fresh
looking this way. Freeze two cups in each bag, so when you're ready to use them,
just defrost the bag, drain, and use the leaves in your recipe.

I found an on-line recipe for a creamy basil sauce. I've talked before about the value of coconut milk in vegan cooking, and it worked great for this recipe, too. Served over whole wheat pasta and roasted squash, this sauce was delicious.!

Creamy Coconut Basil Sauce

Serves 6-8

• 2 packed cups of basil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast   
• 2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
• 2 cans of coconut milk

1. Blend basil and garlic together in a blender or food processor.
2. Add olive oil, and blend for a minute or so until everything is fully combined. 
3. Add nutritional yeast and arrowroot powder, and blend again.
4. Add the mixture to a sauce pan and pour in the coconut milk.
5. Simmer over a low flame for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened. You could skip this last step to keep it raw, but it won't be very "creamy".

Squash from the garden, tossed in oil and roasted at 400º for 20 minutes.

Squash: 20 minutes 400

Garlic Dill Pickles

These are for you, Nikki.

I had no idea how to make pickles. Now that I know how easy it is, I regret not planting cucumbers this year. Organic cucumbers in grocery stores are so expensive! I bought 4 anyways, and with some dill from my pallet garden and a few other things from the pantry I got to work. I used a glass jar that I already had (I never dispose of glass jars, I always use them for something!), and Mason Jars. If you plan on canning them, use sanitized Mason jars. I just left these in the fridge, since I know they wouldn't last long in our house.

For $2 a cucumber, these pickles better be good.

I grew dill precisely for pickles.

To make the most of the cucumbers, I cut them down to size to fit inside the jars before slicing them into spears. I took the extra pieces and sliced them into rounds, and filled a jar with these slices. I hope you can visualize this, as I suck at taking pictures of all the steps along the way.

Two tips: first, cut about 1/4 inch off the end of the cucumber. It keeps them crisper. Second, if you run out of vinegar/water solution, you can add more to cover the cucumbers, but keep the 3:1 ratio.

Slice off the ends.

Garlic Dill Pickles

Makes 3 jars

• 4 cucumbers
• 1 large bunch of dill
• 3 garlic cloves
• Tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 cups distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water

1. Slice the cucumbers into spears and/or chips.
2. Stuff them into glass jars, along with whole garlic cloves, dill, salt and peppercorns. This is all to taste. I divided the amounts listed in the ingredients between the 3 jars.
3. Add the vinegar and water together and pour into the jars until they cover the cucumbers.
4. Refrigerate for at least a week before eating. The longer they sit, the less "bite" they have to them.

Vegan Penne A La Vodka

He's obsessed with wearing glasses.

Penne a la vodka is one of my absolute favorite meals, and is one of my go to comfort foods. It was also one of the first meals I learned to make. It was the beginning of my kitchen adventures, transitioning me from someone who hated cooking, to someone who realized how fun and satisfying it could be.

I've often shelved my craving for the pasta dish because I didn't want to make a separate meal for my son with the dairy allergy. While strolling down the beach recently, thinking about food (shocking), I had a stroke of culinary genius. I've used coconut milk in place of heavy cream before, like in chocolate mousse and whipped cream, so why not use it in penne a la vodka? The dish came out wonderful. I served it to Logan, Andrew, and my brother who was here for dinner. They said they could barely tell the heavy cream was missing, and they all loved it. I also added nutritional yeast and arrowroot powder to thicken the sauce and make a creamy texture.

I never realized how essential coconut milk is in vegan cooking. Using it has allowed me to make things that I thought would have to be given up in a dairy free diet. My favorite brand is the Thai Kitchen, but it's not available at my local supermarket, so Goya is the next best. But seriously, go stock up on cans of this stuff. They'll come in handy. I promise.

Vegan Penne A La Vodka

Serves 6

• One 24oz. jar of marinara sauce or canned tomatoes.
• One 13.5oz. can of full fat coconut milk.
• 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast.
• 3 Tbsp. arrowroot powder.
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced.
• 1 garlic clove, minced.
• 1 Tbsp. each of dried or fresh basil, oregano and parsley.

1. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.
2. Simmer over a low flame for about 30 minutes, or until onions are soft and the sauce is warmed.
3. Serve immediately over whole wheat pasta.

I also roasted squash from my garden to serve with the penne. It made for a quick and delicious side dish. Just cut in half, rub with oil, salt and pepper, and roast in 400º oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.

Eggplant Bruschetta

I make a killer eggplant parm. Other than that I haven't had any luck with eggplant. My attempts at baba ganoush, eggplant "meat"balls and eggplant fritters have all ended in mush. Still, I have about 5 or 6 eggplant seedlings growing in the garden, so I've had plans to come up with new eggplant dishes. This "bruschetta", if you want to call it that, is one of those dishes. It's a combination of two recipes that I found online, using ingredients that I already had in the garden and kitchen. I usually don't "drain" the eggplant, which may be why I kept ending up with mush, but it seemed to make all the difference in this dish. This can be served as an entree for a light meal, or as an appetizer to a feast. Either way, it's delicious!

Eggplant Bruschetta

Makes about 2 dozen

• I eggplant, sliced
• Salt
• 4 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 loose handful of basil, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Lay the eggplant slices on a paper towel, covered with a sprinkling of salt, to drain for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. One the eggplant has drained, brush off the salt and excess water with a paper towel.
4. Lay the eggplant slices in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. While the eggplant is roasting, combine the onion, basil, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
6. When the eggplant is done roasting, flip the slices over.
7. Top each slice with a tomato, followed by a scoop of the onion mixture.
8. Return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. 
9. Serve immediately.

Basil Pesto

Basil pesto is one of my favorite summer meals. It's a breeze to make, and it's something that Andrew and I can always agree to. It's traditionally made with Parmesan cheese, but in this house that ingredient is out. I was lucky enough to stumble across a vegan recipe, and was even luckier that I had ingredients in the cabinet to make a similar version.

After realizing how delicious and easy this recipe was, I planted even more basil in addition to the dozen or so I already have growing in the garden. I anticipate the need for lots of basil this summer!

Top with toasted pine nuts- 10 minutes at 400º.

Basil Pesto

Serves between 6 and 8

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 packed cups of basil leaves
• 2 15 oz. cans of chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 4 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• Juice from one lemon
• 1 Tbsp. safflower oil
• Dash of salt

1. Chop the garlic cloves in a blender or food processor.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. Serve over whole wheat pasta, use as a spread on sandwiches, as a dip for pita bread.. anything you can think of!

This recipe took so little time an effort that I actually had time and energy to make dessert.. all on a workday, too! I made my vegan banana bread, adding chocolate chips and frozen raspberries. Yum!

Quinoa Pizza Casserole

I'm getting desperate for quick, easy weekday meals. I absolutely love my job (how could you not with views like these?),

but it's exhausting! Fresh air and being physically active has never killed anyone, but it sure takes a lot out of you. At the end of the day I'm so tired all I want to do is crash, but I REFUSE to be lured by take out and fast food (not every night at least). If anyone has any ideas for simple, healthy, vegan meals, send them my way. In the meantime, here's one for you that I adapted from an online recipe. It can even be made ahead of time and baked before dinner.

Quinoa Pizza Casserole

Serves 4 generously

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 6 oz. can of tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 1/2 tsp. each of oregano, basil and parsley
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Combine the quinoa and water in a saucepan.
2. Cook over a medium flame until it begins to boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and allow to cook for 10 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
4. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large casserole dish.
5. When the quinoa is cooked, add it to the casserole dish, and mix thoroughly with the other ingredients.
6. Bake covered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ahh Pinterest, you've inspired me again. I was so set on making this, that I went to three different stores to find spaghetti squash. Even at the third store the only ones I found were pretty tiny, so I used two small ones. I hope this doesn't mean that it's done for the season! Winter squash may be one of the only good things about the cold weather. I deviated from the original recipe by eliminating cheese and using what I had on hand, so the ingredients are pretty flexible. 

Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Serves 2 as an entree, or 4 as a side

The cooked squash.

• 2 small spaghetti squash (or 1 large one, but only if you're making an entree for two people)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloved, minced
• Loose handful of fresh spinach
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup of cilantro.
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400º.
2. Roast the squash: Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Cook until easily pierced with a fork, 30 minutes for small squash and up to an hour for large squash.
3. In a skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil.
4. Throw in the spinach, and saute until the leaves begin to wilt. 
5. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro and cook until everything is warm, about 15 minutes.
6. Add the cilantro and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. When the spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, scrape out about half the flesh with a fork to create "spaghetti". 
8. Add the scraped spaghetti to the skillet, and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
9. Spoon the contents of the skillet into the cavities in the squash.
10. Serve immediately. 

Vegan Tian

Yellow, green, potato, tomato. Yellow, green, potato, tomato. Yellow, green, potato, tomato.

That's what I was saying over and over in my head as I assembled this dish. The inspiration for this recipe came from pinterest. I swapped russet potatoes for sweet potatoes, omitted some animal ingredients, and ended up with a delicious vegan tian.

Thank goodness for the slice-o-matic. It cut perfectly even slices in seconds. Prep time was no more than 20 minutes. I can't wait until squash and tomatoes are in season this summer. I'm sure this will taste even better when I use veggies grown in my own backyard!

Vegan Tian

Serves 4 

• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 small sweet potatoes, sliced
• 1 yellow squash, sliced
• 1 green squash, sliced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
• Fresh or dried thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Sauté the opinions and garlic in the oil until the onions become soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Spread the sautéed onions and garlic in the bottom of a pie dish.
4. Working in a spiral pattern, layer the veggies on top of the onions.
5. Sprinkle and garnish with thyme.
6. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
7. Serve warm.

Saute the onions until they are soft
 and just beginning to brown.

Start layering.

Roasted Garlic Soup

I clipped this recipe from a newspaper a few months ago. Garden of Eve, an organic farm on the north fork of Long Island, holds a garlic festival every September. The festival was coming up, and I was keeping my eye out for garlic themed recipes. I'm so glad I found this one! I love everything about garlic; its taste, smell, health benefits. Roasting the garlic, like you do in this soup, really enhances the flavor (and makes the house smell great!).

For weeks now I've been meaning to make a batch to keep in the freezer. This soup is perfect for colds, especially since garlic has antiviral and antibacterial properties. I don't know how effective garlic is once it's been roasted and once you're already sick, but the soup is at least comforting. I made a few substitutions, like oil for butter, to make it vegan. The original recipe called for heavy cream, but it's still rich and creamy (and much more healthy) without it.

When I made this yesterday morning, it took a lot of willpower not to eat a bowl right away. As much as I love garlic, I know not everyone does. I was going to a spin class and as a courtesy to the other spinners, I didn't want to be sweating garlic. What I'm getting at is, after eating this soup, you're probably going to stink. I didn't notice it last night after dinner since we all ate it, but when Logan had a bowl for lunch today he really reeked!

*The key to this recipe is roasting the garlic. To make it easier to extract the actual clove once it's roasted, cut off the top of two whole heads, exposing the cloves. Place the cut heads on a piece of tinfoil with a couple bay leaves. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and wrap it up. Roast in the oven at 350º for 45 minutes.

When the 45 minutes is up, remove the foil packet from the oven and let it cool slightly. Over a bowl, squeeze the heads so that the cloves are released from the husk. 

The roasted garlic cloves in the bowl, and the husks on the foil.

Roasted Garlic Soup

Makes about 6 servings

• 2 heads of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 1 large potato, diced
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Roast the garlic. See above for directions*
2. In a large pot, saute the onions in 2 Tbsp of oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the roasted garlic, and mix well. 
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Lower heat and simmer covered until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.
6. Transfer batches to a blender using a slotted spoon, and blend until smooth.