Vegan Mac and Cheese

8-10 Oz Whole Wheat Rotini
2 Cups Steamed Broccoli Florets
2 Pieces of Bread, toasted and ground to breadcrumbs

1 Cup Peeled, Finely Chopped Potatoes
1/4 Cup Peeled, Finely Chopped Carrots
1 Cup Water

1/3 Cup Raw Cashews
1 Tbs Miso (any kind, I like red)
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Lemon Juice (sub: 2 tsp White Wine Vinegar)
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/3 Cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/3 Cup Nutritional Yeast
1 to 1 1/2 tsp Salt
Black Pepper to taste
Paprika for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350º

Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, steam broccoli and set aside. I use my rice cooker. Simply put the florets in the cooker with 2-3 Tbs of hot water and turn the cooker on. Broccoli will be bright green and tender-crisp when done. Don’t forget about it in there–it’ll finish cooking before the rice cooker clicks off, so if you forget about it, you’ll overcook your broccoli. Mine takes less than 10 minutes to cook.

Make sure the carrots and potatoes are chopped very small; this will reduce the cooking time greatly. Place the chopped potatoes and carrots in small sauce pan that has a lid. Add the 1 cup of water. Boil covered until tender, 10-15 minutes.

While the potatoes and carrots are cooking, add the remaining ingredients to the blender (cashew, miso, lemon juice, mustard, earth balance, nut. yeast, salt and pepper). Once potatoes and carrots are done cooking, add them and their cooking water to the blender as well. Blend until VERY smooth. If needed, add soymilk or water 1 Tbs at a time to thin. Taste for seasoning.

Toast the bread and process into crumbs.

Toss the cooked pasta and broccoli with the sauce. Place in a casserole dish and top with breadcrumbs, black pepper, and paprika.

Bake for 25 minute at 350º F until browned and bubbly.

Spaghetti with Vegan Tomato Cream Sauce

1 Large, ripe tomato (2 cups roughly chopped, 1 1/2 cups blended)
1/2 Cup Raw Cashews
1 Tbs Tomato Paste
1/4 Cup Water

2 Tbs Olive Oil
2-4 Cloves Garlic, minced, optional
6 Ounces (ish) Whole Wheat Spaghetti
1 tsp Salt (edit: upped from 3/4!)
2-3 Tbs Wine or Water, optional
1-2 tsp Freshly Cracked, Coarse Black Pepper
1 Large Handful Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Core the tomato, then roughly chop it. Add it to your blender, seeds, skin and all. Add cashews, tomato paste, and water. Blend until very smooth.

Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Once water is boiling, add pasta. Pour sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If desired add wine/water to thin out the sauce. Taste and season more if necessary. Let simmer until pasta is finished cooking. Once pasta is cooked, drain. Add pasta to the saute pan with black pepper and freshly chopped basil leaves. Toss to coat. Serve immediately, garnishing with more pepper and basil.

Raw Chocolate Pudding

2 avocados (ripe)
1/2-3/4 cup agave nectar (blue)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
2 tbsps coconut cream (concentrate)
1 tbsp alcohol (free vanilla)
1 dash sea salt
1 dash cinnamon (optional)
1 tbsp Chia Seeds (optional)
slice banana (strawberry slices to garnish)

1 Place everything in a high-power blender or food processor and blend on high until very smooth. You may need your temper /spoon to move the contents a little so the motor doesn't bog down on you.

2 Keep stored in an air-tight container in the fridge if not eating right now.

Fudgy Vegan Brownies

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry (flour plain flour works fine)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 mashed banana (riper)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soymilk (plain, cow's milk works fine)
1 tbsp flax seed meal (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Preheat oven to 350°F Coat 9-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray.

2 Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.

3 Melt chocolate chips with canola oil in double boiler, stirring until smooth. (Or heat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.).

4 Remove from heat, and whisk in banana and sugar.

5 Combine soymilk, flaxseed meal, and vanilla in measuring cup, then fold into chocolate mixture.

6 Stir chocolate mixture into flour mixture until just combined, then spread in prepared baking pan.

7 (If topping with M&Ms, sprinkle them on now.).

8 Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out dry, but middle is still soft.

9 Cool in pan on wire rack, then cut into 16 squares.

Pumpkin Lentil Curry

1/2 cups (290 g) red lentils

3 cups plus 2 tbsp water, for sauteeing, divided

2 medium size yellow onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp minced ginger

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (15 oz) light coconut milk

798 mL can pumpkin puree

1 tbsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

Heat 2 tablespoons of water in a large saucepan. Add onions, ginger, and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.

Add lentils, remaining 3 cups water, coconut milk, pumpkin, curry powder, cayenne, and optional coconut, and cook over low-medium heat until lentils are mushy but still retain body and texture, 35 to 40 minutes.

Stir occasionally, and keep an eye on how quickly the liquid is evaporating. If it evaporates too quickly, you may need to add more water or milk before the lentils are cooked. Add salt. Serve over rice.

Potato Rolls

Ingredients:

1 medium potato, peeled and diced
2 cups water
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Place potatoes in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Set cooking liquid aside to cool to 110 degrees F-115 degrees F.

Mash potato (don't add milk or butter); set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm cooking liquid. Add the honey, oil, salt, egg, 4 cups flour and mashed potato. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 7-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 36 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Bran Flax Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
3/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
2 apples, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup nuts, chopped
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts.
Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla.
Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Yields 15 medium muffins.

Momma Valentini's Famous Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix together well:

1 stick margarine, softened
1 stick butter, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup regular sugar

Mix in:

1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add:

1 cup flour
1 package vanilla instant pudding mix (full fat, not the fat free)

Add:

3 cups Old fashion Quaker Oats
1 bag chocolate chips or 1 ½ cups raisins
¼ cup coconut

Roll into balls and bake at 350 degrees until light golden brown, usually 11-12 minutes.
You can freeze the dough before baking and bake off as needed.

Blueberry Rubarb Coconut Pie

Ingrediants:
2 9-inch pie crust
3 TB cornstarch
3 TB rum
2 TB fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 - 3 cups fresh blueberries (depending how thick you want your pie)
1 & 1/2 cup fresh rubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces
about 1 cup +/- of sweetened coconut
some heavy cream as a pie wash for the top then sprinkle on about 1 1/2 TB coarse sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl stir together the cornstarch, the rum, the lemon juice, the sugar, and the cinnamon. Add the blueberries, and combine the mixture well. Pour the filling into a 6- to 7-cup deep gratin dish or other shallow baking dish with 1 sheet rolled pie crust. (I used a deep dish/gratin).

Roll out the dough slightly larger than the dish. Roll out the dough slightly larger than the dish on a floured surface and drape it over the filling. Fold the overhang under, pressing the dough to the edge of the dish, and crimp the edge decoratively. Make slits and holes in the crust for air vents, brush the crust with the heavy cream, and sprinkle it with the coarse sugar.

Bake the pie on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 375 degree F oven for 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden.

If you want a toasted coconut topping, during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking remove pie from over, gently brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and then sprinkle on the sweetened coconut. (using an egg wash not heavy cream, this time around helps the coconut adhere). Make the coconut topping as thin or as thick as you like.

When done baking, transfer the pie to a rack and let it cool.

Indian Vegetable Makhani

Ingrediants:

1 package of firm tofu (cut into cubes)
1 large onion,chopped coarsely
3 tbsp butter
1/2 – 3/4 cups tomato puree
2-3 green chillies, as per taste
3-4 cloves garlic
2 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1 tsp Tandoori masala
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup cashew paste and 8-9 raisins ( optional. Use them if making Shahi Paneer – soak few cashew pieces in boiling water and grind)
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream (as needed for consistency)
salt to taste
Mint and cilantro to garnish

Directions:

In a skillet in 1/2 tsp oil, add the onion, chillies, garlic and ginger with a little salt. Saute until soft.

Transfer this mixture to the blender and blend it into a paste.

In the same skillet, add 3 tbsp of butter and then add the onion paste. Cook until butter/oil separates. If using cashew Paste add it along with this mixture now. or you can soak the cashew pieces in hot water and grind it along with the onion mixture.

Add the tomato puree and all the spices. Stir well and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the raw smell of the puree disappears. Add sugar and cook for another 5 minutes. You can at this point taste and see if you require additional salt

Drop in the tofu gently and give it a toss. Cook for another 2-3 minutes for the paneer to absorb the flavors.

Lower the heat to a simmer. Then add the heavy cream. Mix well.

Serve with rice