Let’s be honest with ourselves: although we might be good cooks or know our way around the kitchen, sometimes we just can’t master something we really, really want.
For me, it was good rice.
Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Who can’t make a pot of good rice? Every time I made it, it would be too mushy (though I don’t mind it that way), or too dry (and I had to add more liquid), or too something. But never as good as I would eat a restaurant. Continue reading
Making a vegan cheeseball might seem like a lot of work, but it’s actually just a quick whizz in the food process. No dairy analogs used here, the flavor comes from nuts, nutritional yeast, and a few seasonings and spices.
1 cup almonds
1/2 package extra firm tofu, pressed of excess moisture
1/2 cup (24 g) nutritional yeast flakes
2 1/2 teaspoons (12 g) garlic powder
1 teaspoon (5 g) crushed thyme
1 teaspoon (5 g) dried oregano
Juice from half a lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 cup (143 g) pecans, chopped into pieces
Place almonds in the food processor and whizz until finely ground. Add all remaining ingredients, except for pecans, and blend until smooth. Test for seasonings.
Spread chopped pecans onto a plate. Using your hands, form the almond/ tofu mixture into a ball, then roll in the pecans until coated. Wrap and place in refrigerator until ready to serve. (Overnight is best; you can do all of the steps without the pecans, then do that about an hour before serving).
Serve with vegetable sticks and crackers.
Mmm… pecan pie in a breakfast cereal. Simple and delicious, this also works well with buckwheat, quinoa, rice, and your other favourite grains. Just change the proportion of water and cooking time, if needed.
3 1/2 cups water
1 cup teff grain
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
1/2 cup raisins
3 to 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup (to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon, to taste
Nondairy milk, for serving
Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, add the teff. Whisk to mix, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer, about 20 to 30 minutes, until teff has absorbed the moisture.
Once cooked, remove from heat. Add the pecans, raisins, syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Taste for seasonings. Serve family style with nondairy milk on the side, or divide mixture into 4 bowls, and top with nondairy milk. Serve immediately.
Laurie Sadowski 