Vegan Au Gratin Potatoes

Potatoes smothered with cheese and onions....who wouldn't love this?  Well, problem is the cholesterol and fat in the cheese might kill you :(  So to make this a much healthier and vegan treat, use  my Vegan Cheese-y Sauce.    This meal is so rich, creamy and filling, that this small little dish made 6 meals!  Enjoy!!


Vegan Au Gratin Potatoes
2 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil
1 medium Onion - chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Himalayan Salt
1/2 cup Almond Milk
6 small Potatoes - sliced thinly (about 5 cups)
Paprika
1 1/2 cups Vegan Cheese-y Sauce (1 recipe's worth) - Recipe is below:

• 3/4 cup Cashews
• 12 tablespoons Almond Milk
• 2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
• 1 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder
• 1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Granulated Onion
• 1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix
• 1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Unrefined Salt (I use Himalayan or Sonoma)

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Add grapeseed oil to a medium sauce pan.  Over medium heat, Add onion and saute until soft.  Add 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Salt.  Add Almond Milk and stir constantly until it begins to simmer.  Turn off heat and add the Vegan Cheesy Sauce.  Stir until sauce is thick, but manageable.  Add sliced potatoes to the pot and gently toss until all the potatoes are covered.  Pour into a casserole pan (I used one from IKEA that is 7x8).  Sprinkle with Paprika and bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour (until potatoes are fully cooked).  ENJOY......

Potatoes tossed with the cheesy mixture

In the pan and ready for paprika

Dusted with Paprika and ready for the oven

Fresh out of the oven

Served with fresh steamed broccoli and a larger Amazing Vegan Dinner Roll

Beautiful color

Vegan Cheese-y Sauce

I don't know if it's just me, but I really miss cheese.  Perhaps this is due to my heritage - I am 1/2 Swiss after all. Not eating cheese as a Swiss....oh man, hopefully they don't revoke my citizenship!  lol.  Anyway, this is my classic cheesey mixture.  I use this when ever a recipe calls for cheese that needs to be melted.  Casseroles, potatoes, on top of tacos, really anything.  If you let it sit in the fridge over night, it gets very thick, almost like the consistency of brie.  It's delicious!  


Vegan Cheese-y Sauce
3/4 cup Cashews
12 tablespoons Almond Milk
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Granulated Onion
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Turmeric Powder
1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Unrefined Salt (I use Himalayan or Sonoma)


Add all the ingredients to your Vita Mix or blender.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  The mixture will thicken to the consistency of warmed velveeta.  Enjoy!

Vegan Chili

The other day I went over to my Mom's house and she was making her husband a turkey chili that actually looked and smelled really yummy - I assumed it was because it was my Mom's food.  I think Mom's will always be the best cooks!  But then for the next 2 days all I could think about was chili!  How are you supposed to make a vegan chili meal? Well.....when the time came to make chili, it was after a very busy day and I was super hungry.  I needed food NOW!!  So we went to Basha's, luckily they have a giant natural foods section in Payson....yay!  I try not to used canned foods very often, but tonight was going to have to be simple. I picked up some canned organic diced tomatoes and organic black beans and we went home.  This meal was unbelievably filling and my non-vegan friends and family LOVED it!  I will definitely be making this again and without the cans....I'll post that recipe when it's done :)

Vegan Chili
3 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil
1 medium onion - chopped
1 clove of Garlic - pushed through a garlic press
1 cup Quinoa
2 - 3 cups water
1 Orange Bell Pepper - diced
2 cans Diced Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Herb Stop Southwest Mix
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Salt
1 can Black Beans - drained and very well rinsed

In a medium to large sauce pan, heat grapeseed oil over medium high heat.  When the oil is warm, add the onion and garlic.  Sautee until limp.  Add quinoa and sautee until all the oil has been absorbed - about 3 minutes - make sure you stir constantly.  Add 2 cups water, bell pepper, tomatoes and spices.  Reduce heat to medium and allow to cook until the quinoa germ is visible and the water is almost fully absorbed.  During this process make sure to stir occasionally and check the water level.  You may need to add more water depending on evaporation. (I used 2 1/2 cups this time).   Add beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Serve nice and hot.  YUMMY!  The more you reheat this meal, the better it gets!!!

Colorful Vegetable Linguine

Sometimes I look into my fridge and I say to my husband, "babe, there's nothing to eat".  He's such a good sport, he just laughs with me.  The fridge can be full of things, but in my head none of it is coming together for a meal.  This was one of those cases.  I started pulling vegetable and pasta out, put I didn't want a traditional marinara sauce. This actually turned out really neat, the tomatoes let out their juices and made a light sauce, the veggies were awesome.....definitely worth a try!

Colorful Vegetable Linguine
1/2 package Quinoa Harvest Linguine
1 medium-large Tomato
1/2 cup Sweet Corn Kernels
1 medium Zucchini - sliced into thick rounds, then quartered
1 Scallion - sliced into medium rounds
1 slice Red Cabbage - chopped into smaller 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon Herb Stop Roasted Garlic Granules
1 teaspoon Herb Stop Sprinkle and Rub
1/2 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
Grapeseed Oil

Cook pasta according to directions.  While pasta is cooking prepare the vegetables.  In a large frying pan, add enough grapeseed oil to sautee the vegetables - about 1/2 tablespoon.  Add Garlic, Sprinkle & Rub, Parsley.  Over medium high heat, heat the oil.  Once the oil is warm add scallion and sautee until the scent comes out.  Add the corn, zucchini and cabbage and sautee until well coated in the herbs.  Reduce heat to medium low and add tomatoes. Cover.  Stirring frequently, allow to cook for about 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes have release their juices and zucchini is cooked, but not mushy.

Toss cooked linguine in olive oil.  Add noodles to the vegetable mixture.  Toss until well coated and serve nice and hot.

As a side dish I made some wedge fries and had some organic ketchup.  How yummy!

beautiful array of colors

ready to eat!

Nutty Brussel Sprout Quinoa

For some reason I've been craving brussel sprouts, so I thought why not satisfy that craving!  Brussel sprouts are always served alone, nothing special, so I thought I'd be bold and pair it with cashews, quinoa and a little lime juice.  It was super yummy!  Now....my mom always says "when you eat something cooked, you have to eat something raw".  So I made a little side dish of tomatoes, onion, olive oil and some vinegar.  DELISH!

Nutty Brussel Sprout Quinoa
1 cup Quinoa
2 handfuls Brussel Sprouts
1/2 cup Cashew halves
2-3 cups water
Lime Juice
Himalayan Salt

In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, add quinoa, 2 cups of water, brussel sprouts and cashews.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and allow to heavily simmer until all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa germ is visable.  During this process you may need to add more water depending on how much has evaporated.

Once ready to serve, squirt a little lime juice over the top and season with salt as desired.

If you were interested in the side dish, here it is.......

Tomato Side Dish
1 medium Tomato, diced into medium pieces
1 slice of Red Onion, diced into small pieces
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

Mix all ingredients together and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Cranberry Sauce with Lime

I've never made cranberry sauce before.  Since I've become vegan, my palate has changed.  I never liked cranberries but now I do!  I found some organic fresh cranberries at Sunflower Market the week before Thanksgiving, which was exciting......but what do I do to make sauce???   Everything called for orange juice and I didn't have any.  So the wheels were turning and this came out unbelievable!  My mom said she wanted it for jam the next day, so she was the lucky winner of these left overs!

Cranberry Sauce with Lime
2 cups Fresh Cranberries - washed & de-stemmed
1/3 cup Herb Stop Lemon Sugar
2/3 cup Herb Stop Cane Juice Sugar
1 cup Water
Zest From One Medium Lime

Place water into a medium sauce pan, add sugars. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Add in cranberries.  Stir well.  Heat back to boiling and boil until cranberries are done popping (I didn't know this about cranberries, but the cranberries release natural pectin when they pop and thats how it gels up - pretty neat!), about 5 minutes. Turn of heat and add lime zest.  Stir very well.  Cover and store in the refrigerator over night.

fresh cranberry sauce

Vegan Pecan Pie

Because the store has been so busy lately (I'm very grateful for that!), I haven't had a chance to post anything.  So I'm going to have to do a little back tracking.  I realized I only posted the Nut Turkey and nothing else from Thanksgiving!!!  Oopsy!  As I searched for ideas of a pecan pie, I thought this task was hopeless and then I found a recipe in one of my books that used agar.  I didn't really like the entire recipe, so I changed it up and it was delicious!  This recipe is not super sweet, which was a nice change.  ENJOY!

Vegan Pecan Pie

1 1/2 cups Water

2 teaspoons Herb Stop Agar Agar Powder

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop Himalayan Salt

1 cup Maple Syrup

1 tablespoon Herb Stop Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon Herb Stop Vietnamese Cinnamon Powder

3 cups Whole Pecans

1 Chocolate Cashew Pie Crust - see below for recipe

Toast Pecans in the oven ahead of time.  Set aside.  In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a boil and whisk in the agar agar powder.  While just below boil (a really heavy simmer), continue to stir often for 10-15 minutes - until the agar agar has dissolved.  Reduce heat to medium and whisk in the salt, maple syrup, vanilla extract and cinnamon.  Continue cooking and whisking until the cinnamon is fully incorporated - about 5 minutes. Let mixture cool for 5-7 minutes - until manageable and add in the pecans.  Stir well until the pecans are well coated.  Pour into a preprepared pie crust.  Place in the refrigerator over night.  The pecans should be held together by what looks like jello.  YUMMY!!!

whisking away.....

A yummy pie in the making :)

A beautiful slice

Chocolate Cashew Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups Cashew Pieces

1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop Himalayan Salt

1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop Baking Soda

2 tablespoons Grapeseed Oil

2 1/2 tablespoons Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips

Grind cashew pieces into a flour.  Be careful not to grind too long or you'll end up with cashew butter.  Set aside.  Melt chocolate chips over very low heat until smooth.  Preheat oven to 350.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add wet ingredients and mix well.  Press into a pie place with fingers.  Bake for 10 minutes and let cool completely.  

ready for the oven

Vegan Turkey for Thanksgiving

  

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I am vegan and my mom is vegetarian.  What exactly are we supposed to do?  We decided to have a barbecue for the husbands, but what about us ladies?  If my mom makes  food, unfortunately I cannot eat it (she loves her cheese and sour cream) but if I make food, we both can eat. Soooooo.....I decided to look into a vegan turkey.  Well nothing really exists except tofu, and I don't eat soy.  I remember once someone gave me a recipe for a Henrietta Ham (Vegan) but I never ate ham and really wanted to make something more turkey like.  I read the recipe and it turned on some light bulbs in my head.  I snuck a taste of this guy already, and it's delicious!  I only cooked the "turkey" for 3 hours last night so that way on Thanksgiving we can heat him up for another couple hours.  I think this should feed about 4-6 people (since it's all nuts).  If you have a large family, I don't know what will happen if you make a giant one, perhaps try several small ones?  Happy Thanksgiving!  Save the turkeys!!!!!!

Vegan Turkey

1 cup Almonds

1 cup Pecans

3/4 cup Cashew Halves

1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds

2 small White Onion (or 1 medium)

3 cloves Garlic

1 Celery Stalk

2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Cumin Powder

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Rosemary Powder

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Italian Seasoning Powder

1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Poultry Rub

3 Tablespoons Herb Stop's Brown Flax Seeds (grind into a powder right before making this dish)

1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Himalayan Salt

1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Turmeric Powder

1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

2 Tablespoon Pineapple Juice

a few tablespoons pineapple pieces

Soak almonds, pecans, cashews and sunflower seeds for 3 hours.  

Preheat oven to 250.  Drain and add to food processor (I used a Vita Mix but this took lots of work) with onion and garlic.  Mix until creamy and pureed.  This should not be chunky, it should be fairly smooth.  Add celery, lemon juice, cumin, rosemary, Italian seasoning, poultry rub, ground flax seeds, salt and turmeric to the nut mixture.  Mix by hand until very well mixed.  Using about 2/3 of this mixture create the body of the turkey.  Divide the other 1/3 into 4 pieces.  Shape the drumsticks and wings.  The drumstick will be oval, but most of the mixture will be towards the bottom.  For the wings, I rolled them in my hands into a log and folded part of the top over and pinched the top.  When putting these parts on the body make sure you pinch it all together.  One of my drumsticks fell off while it was cooking, but it was pretty easy to put right back on.  Place turkey onto a slipmat (silicone baking sheet) and into a jelly roll-ish pan. 

Sprinkle some pineapple pieces on top and around the bottom of the turkey.  Mix maple syrup and pineapple juice together.  Baste the turkey with this combination.  It makes the turkey a little sweet and adds some brown color.  Bake at 250 for 3 hours if making ahead of time.  When you take this out of the oven, trim away the bottom of pineapple pieces and dried out syrup.  On the final day, bake for 2-4 hours or until fairly dehydrated, but still moist.

Since I haven't put the turkey back in the oven for a second time, I'm not really sure what the time is yet.  Once it's done tomorrow, I'll amend this post :)

Soaking nuts

ready to blend

molded turkey

molded turkey

molded turkey with pineapple

cooking away

all cooked

ready to eat!

another view

yummy yummy!

"Cheesy" Potato Casserole

Today I realized that I'm stuck in a rut.  I make food with peppers, beans, quinoa and the same ingredients.  So I went to some magazines for inspiration.  In PETA's Animal Times there was a recipe for a neat dish, but it was full of soy, mushrooms and other things I'm not really a fan of.  So I decided to try something out that I've been thinking about - cashews as a tofu replacement.  I knew this was going to take a lot of experimenting but at the end it was so incredibly delicious!  ENJOY.....

"Cheesy" Potato Casserole
1 tablespoon Grapeseed Oil
1 small Yellow Onion - sliced thinly
3/4 cup chopped frozen spinach - thawed
3 small (or one large) Russet Potatoes - sliced thinly
Herb Stop's Smoked Alderwood Salt
3/4 cup Cashews
12 tablespoons Almond Milk
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoons Arrowroot Powder
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Granulated Onion
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Pesto Mix
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Turmeric Powder
1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375.  Oil a pie plate (glass works best) or a casserole dish.

Add grapeseed oil to a large pan.  On medium heat, add onions to pan and cover.  Cook for 10 minutes.Add spinach and cook for 5 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and season with Alderwood Salt to taste.

In a vita mix (or blender if you don't have one) combine, cashews, almond milk, nutritional yeast, arrowroot, onion powder, pesto mix and turmeric.  If you enjoy salty food, add 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Start on low and gradually increase speed and blend for a few minutes until nice and creamy.

Toss the cashew mix and potato mix until evenly coated.  Spread evenly into baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes - until the top is brown.  Let the dish rest for 5 minutes.

the potatoes, onion and spinach mix

ready for the oven

up close and yummy!

Super Caesar Salad

So I know this blog is called Vegan Is Not Just Salad, but man....I really love salad!!  I love creamy dressings, crunchy veggies...yummmmyyyyy!!!  This salad dressing is incredibly potent, but very reminiscent of my very favorite salad...Caesar.  Traditionally, Caesar Salad is served with only lettuce, croutons and some added cheese -- really none of the things on the dietary "ok" list.  I actually added some non-traditional items - tomatoes, cabbage, scallions, cauliflower and zucchini .  This comes about as close as can be....or so I think :)

Vegan Caesar Dressing/Dip
1 Small Onion - cut into quarters (or 1/2 medium onion)
1 Clove Garlic
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 - 2 Tablespoons Cashew Butter
1 teaspoon Brown Mustard
The juice from 1/2 lime
Himalayan Salt - optional

Add all ingredients to your Vita-Mix, food processor, blender, etc.  Turn on low for 15 seconds and raise speed slowly.  Blend all ingredients until into a nice creamy dressing.   If making a dressing, use 1 tablespoon of the cashew butter.  If making a dip, use 2 tablespoons.  Since I use my Himalayan Salt Slab to dice the veggies for the salad, I do not add salt.

Super Caesar Salad
1 Romaine Heart - torn into pieces
6 Grape Tomatoes - diced
1 Scallion - diced
1/2 cup Cauliflower - diced
1/4 - 1/2 cup Cabbage - shredded
1 medium Zucchini - sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Rosemary Powder
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Sweet Onion Sugar
Grapeseed oil

Heat grapeseed oil on medium high.  Add rosemary and sugar.  Allow to heat until very hot.  Add the zucchini rounds and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until well done (brown and bubbly).  Careful not to cook the zucchini too long or it will become soggy - the idea here is nice and crunchy.  Set aside.

Cut remaining ingredients on a Himalayan Salt Slab (if you have one, if not remember to add some salt to the Caesar dressing).  Add to a bowl and toss with Caesar dressing.  Arrange on a plate and top with the zucchini.   ENJOY!!!!

Diced scallions on top of a Himalayan Salt Slab.  These are not only beautiful, but salt your food with delicious flavor, but also 84 trace elements.  Don't forget to pat your veggies dry before placing them on the slab.

Beautiful little zucchini rounds

another view

Colorful Stir-Fry

Since I cant stand on my foot for long periods of time (until it heals), I haven't been able to really create too many dishes.  Last night tho, I started chopping away for my Vegan Tacos and then I decided to make a little stir fry side dish.  This was so colorful and very yummy!!!

Colorful Stir-Fry
1/2 cup Red Onion - diced into large pieces
1/2 cup Yellow Bell Pepper - diced into large pieces
1/2 cup Orange Bell Pepper - diced into large pieces
1 Scallion - sliced
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Sweet Onion Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Southwest Mix
Grapeseed oil for frying

Place grapeseed oil in a frying pan and heat on medium high.  Add Southwest Mix and Sweet Onion Sugar. Stir well.  Add onions and sautee for 1 minute.  Add bell peppers and sautee until cooked, but still crunchy.  Turn the stove off and lightly toss in the scallion.  Serve as a side dish.  I garnished this with some diced tomato and chives.

Up close

As a side to my vegan tacos

Veggie Polenta Rounds

As my husband and I strolled down the isles of Fresh & Easy after a very long day of reorganizing the garage, I was pondering dinner on a very empty stomach.  Everything sounded good.  Then I looked up and found the organic polenta.  When I was very sick my diet was limited to polenta in broth and plain potatoes.  The idea of eating polenta a year ago would have made my stomach turn, but now that I'm not forced to eat it, I found myself desiring it!  So, since putting it into soup was not a mouth-watering option, I decided to make these delicious polenta rounds with fresh veggies.  They were very filling and delicious!

Veggie Polenta Rounds
Pre-made Polenta - sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 - 3/4 cup Vegan Marinara Sauce
1 cup Cauliflower florettes - slice very high up to get very small pieces
1 cup Broccoli florettes - slice very high up to get very small pieces
2 slices of red onion -1/8 inch thick- separate the outside pieces from the inside pieces
3 scallions - diced
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Sprinkle and Rub
Grapeseed Oil for frying

Dice the red onion outer pieces.  Heat grapeseed oil in a frying pan on medium high heat and add diced red onion. Allow to cook until the oil has absorbed the flavor of the onion (about 2 minutes).  Add polenta rounds and cook until slightly crispy on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).

Cooking the polenta

While the polenta is cooking, heat the marinara sauce in a sauce pan.  In a separate pot with a steamer, add the cauliflower and broccoli.  Steam until cooked but not mushy.  Add the onion centers about 2 minutes before finished so that the onion becomes soft.

When the polenta is finished place on top of a paper towel to absorb some of the excess oil.  In the same frying pan add the veggie mix, Sprinkle and Rub and 2 of the diced scallion.  Sautee on high heat until well coated.

The veggies

Remove the polenta from the paper towel.  Arrange on a plate.  Top with marinara sauce, then cauliflower and broccoli and top with a an onion center.  Sprinkle the remaining scallion on top.  YUMMY!!

The final meal

Saffron Burgers with Roasted Pepper Potatoes

I was craving french fries tonight....uggghhhh.  Because I don't eat deep fried food any more I needed some kind of fun potatoes!!  Then I thought what do I eat with them?  The only thing I had in the fridge that sounded like it would blend was my left over Saffron Quinoa - but what do I do with it?  AH HA!!  Make a burger......but how? I just started mixing and these little burgers were a-mazing!!!  I added a side of steamed corn and placed the saffron burger on a bed of lettuce and onion, topped with brown mustard and tomatoes.  Very Yummy!!!!

Saffron Burgers
1/2 cup Saffron Quinoa
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Herb Stop's Taste Without Salt
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Onion Granules
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Garlic Granules
1 tablespoon Almond Flour
1 tablespoon Tapioca Starch
1 tablespoon Potato Starch
Grapeseed Oil for cooking

Mix all ingredients (except the grapeseed oil) together very well.  Heat grapeseed oil in a pan on medium high.  Form thin patties and cook well on both sides - about 5 minutes each.

Quiona, spices and "flours" well blended

Fully cooked on one side - nice and golden

Roasted Pepper Potatoes
3 small to medium Russet Potatoes - diced
2 Red Sweet Peppers - sliced
1/4 Orange Bell Pepper - diced
2 thick slices Red Onion - diced
1/4 teaspoon Herb Stop's Hungarian Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Herb Stop's Smoked Alderwood Salt
1 teaspoon Herb Stop's Southwest Mix
2 teaspoons Herb Stop's Sweet Onion Sugar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well with your hands.  Massage gently for 30-45 seconds.  Add to a jelly roll pan in a single layer.  Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes - until well cooked.

All the veggies

Right out of the oven