Vegan Mac n' Cheese

 When I took my kids off dairy in January, I was a little nervous about what meals they would eat. I had a few that had worked out, but it took a lot of trying different dishes to find more. There were many PB&J nights and I scratched quite a few recipes off my list. One day my sister Katie emailed me this recipe from Plant Infusions and I knew I had to try it. I did a few days later and WOW! I knew I now had an easy, quick, vegan, and delicious meal up my sleeve that my kids LOVED.

 It smelled yummy while it cooked but I was hesitant about the coconut milk. Would it taste like coconut? Would it taste like CHEESE?!

 I took a bite and was in luscious, creamy heaven. I exclaimed, "MMMMM!!" and quickly served up helpings for my kids. 

 They each took a hesitant bite and within seconds finished off the plate full. They were so excited.

The recipe calls for 1 can of coconut milk but I just use half. Everything else is exactly how Ashlee wrote it out. Oh, and I don't mix in peas (obvi). Edamame was the protein for this meal, which the kids like to squeeze into their mouths by pinching them out of their skin. It is a great source of entertainment, and I love it because they are getting some protein.

Plant Infused Macaroni and Cheese
By Ashlee Crozier

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

4 cups dry, high quality pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 and 1/2 pounds frozen, high quality petite peas (about 3-5 cups cooked) or your favorite steamed vegetable

Basic Cheese Sauce:

1 can coconut milk (not light!)
2 cups water
1/4 heaping cup nutritional yeast
3 teaspoons celtic sea salt
3/4 heaping cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon lemon juice (carefully measured)
1/4 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 12 ounce package pre-cut butternut squash cubes, about 1 and 1/4 - 1/2 cups, cooked in water on stovetop until tender, or according to package directions. (I used my pressure cooker and cooked it for 3-4 minutes.)

Directions:

1.) Cook macaroni, or whatever pasta type you have chosen, according to package directions.

2.) Meanwhile, steam your pre-cut butternut squash in a separate pot until tender or according to package directions. Drain, and place in your blender.

3.) Steam your chosen, chopped vegetable that you will add to finished Macaroni and Cheese until tender. Drain, and set aside.

4.) Add remaining basic cheese sauce ingredients to your blender, and blend until very smooth, about 1 or 2 minutes. You don't want any chunks, but a very smooth cream sauce.

3.) Drain cooked pasta and return to stockpot. Pour desired amount of blended mixture into hot, drained macaroni and cook together until thick, stirring gently and constantly. Extra cheese sauce can be stored in glass jars and used for grilled cheese sandwiches or for cheese-y recipes later.

4.) When the sauce has thickened, add your cooked, chosen vegetable and fold in gently.

5.) Serve warm, or put in an oiled casserole dish, cover with basic or seasoned bread crumbs, and bake under broiler (500 degrees) for 5 to 10 minutes, watching carefully not to burn.

Tip: If made ahead and heated the next day, or if you have leftovers, stir in some water before re-heating; it tends to be dry if it sits. 

Notes from Alisa: We have used regular, whole wheat, and gluten-free pasta with this sauce. The whole wheat was a little heavy (like Ashlee notes) and I wouldn't recommend it. But the kids still ate it. The GF pasta is delicious as well. Makes me feel a little less guilty about eating a ton if I know the pasta has protein in it (quinoa pasta)! The sauce usually lasts us 3-4 days of dinner, lunch, dinner, and lunch. Lol. They REALLY love it. hubs finally got a taste (we had been polishing it all off before he would get home) and he proclaimed it "AMAZING!"

We have made it in to vegan grilled cheese sandwiches and it is quite tasty. In fact, the first time my 3yo took a bite of said sandwich, she jumped up and did a happy dance while she chewed it. I have never seen her do that before or since, but I will always remember the joy on that little face of eating something yummy after so many weird meals Mom cooked!

Pink Princess Soup

I made this up once when I had some beets on hand and it was a huge hit. The girls gobble it down and so do I. I tell you, the vibrant pink color is hard to resist.

 It looks sorta red in this picture, but it is a bright, shocking pink.  We like to smear it on our lips and pretend we're wearing lipstick.  Next time I'll get a picture of that. Mwah.

I happened to whip up a batch of bread that day so we served that as well. My oldest likes to dip her bread in the soup and have pink bread.

The recipe is approximate since I made it up and just toss things in, so feel free to adjust to your liking.

1/2 to one medium beet, steamed, peeled, and diced. (I usually cook the beet earlier in the day to save on dinner prep time)
4-5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
veggie broth to cook potatoes in 
almond or other non dairy milk for thinning.

I used my pressure cooker so I'll give directions for that. It would work just as well to use a pot on the stove, but you may have to use a bit more water.

Place the potatoes in the pressure cooker with enough broth to cover them by about one inch. Add seasonings and cook on high for 2 minutes with quick release.  Test potatoes with a fork, it should be able to break the potato apart easily. Add the beet and blend with an immersion blender. Let kids watch because as the beet gets blended in, it turns to such a pretty color. It's my favorite part (besides eating it). Add milk if needed.

The blending of the potatoes does turn it sorta gummy after it cools, but we don't have a problem with that. You could always use a masher if you prefer, but it would be a chunkier soup.

Ridiculously Easy Skillet Potatoes

Today was one of those days where the kids were whining and fighting, the baby was throwing tantrum after tantrum (she's teething), the house stays messy even though you feel like you've been cleaning all day and suddenly it's dinner time and you have to throw something together. I considered waffles or cereal but wanted to get some protein in those little tummies. They like eating  plain beans so I opened a can, rinsed them and tossed them into a bowl. Success! They gobbled them by the handful, tossed them into each others' mouths, and stole them off of each others' plates.

So the potatoes were needing to be used and I know my kids love potatoes so I diced them and sauteed them in a skillet with water. As it was heating up I chopped carrots and tossed them in, then when they were pretty soft I added zucchini. I seasoned only a little because my kids like things bland. I sprinkled red pepper flakes on mine for a little kick and it was so good! You can adjust seasonings however your family likes it or even do your own at the plate.

A lot of people ask me what kind of meals meals my kids like. While there are some that are more complicated recipes that I try and find successful, most of the stuff my kids devour are meals like this. Veggies combined with a protein flavored simply are a favorite. If I'm feeling ambitious I'll toss in some bread as well.

Here's the recipe, as close as I can remember.

Ridiculously Easy Skillet Potatoes

3 medium potatoes (whatever kind you have on hand, I used Russet), peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, sliced thin
1 zucchini, sliced
water for sauteeing
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
red pepper flakes to taste
Lowry's seasoned salt to taste

Serve with plain beans or other plant based protein.

Cauliflower Bechamel

I found the recipe here over at Ashlee's blog Plant Infusions. This dish is surprisingly creamy and flavorful. You could serve this dish to guests and I bet they wouldn't be able to tell that the sauce is dairy-free. And this is coming from a gal that doesn't like cauliflower.

My only problem was not being able to find a vegan chicken bouillon. Next time I am at Sprouts I will be sure to ask an employee for help. You can use vegetable broth instead, but be prepared to customize the seasonings by adding more salt, red pepper flakes, etc to taste.

Cauliflower Bechamel

Modified by Ashlee from "Forks Over Knives, The Cookbook," by Chef Del Sroufe

Serves 4 to 6
I served this tossed with penne pasta, but keep in mind that it will probably taste great tossed with cooked quinoa or millet. After trying this recipe once, you may decide to add other vegetables that you like, or change the seasonings around a bit to give some variety. It is a great base as a cream sauce for any of your creamy recipes.
Ingredients:
For The sauce:

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets

3-4 tbsp coconut milk or almond milk, (you may need more or less)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast, optional, but recommended

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, or more to taste

1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base, or other concentrated no chicken base

Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

For the vegetable saute base:

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on how much heat you want to add

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 teaspoons minced thyme leaves

1/4 cup finely chopped basil

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, not packed in oil

4 cups spinach, chopped and cooked until wilted

1 pound penne, or whole grain, cooked according to package directions, drained, and kept warm

Directions:

1.) Add the cauliflower to a large pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the cauliflower is very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the excess water from the pan and puree the cauliflower using an immersion blender or in a blender with a tight fitting lid, covered with a towel, in batches if necessary. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, to achieve a cream consistency. Add the nutritional yeast, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and 1 tsp no chicken base. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Set the puree aside

2.) Place the onion in a large saucepan and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep onions from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, sun dried tomatoes, thyme, and basil and cook for another minute. Add the spinach and cooked pasta and toss, cooking for an additional 5 minutes to let the flavors meld a bit.

3.) To serve, either toss the sauce with the pasta or grain (my preferred method for pasta) until combined. Or, divide the pasta or grain between four plates and top with the cauliflower puree (my preferred method for grains).

Babycakes Vanilla Cupcakes

So I checked out the Babycakes cookbook at the library last year when I started eating this way. I read through the recipes and was intrigued but there were too many ingredients that I would have to go out and buy specifically for vegan, gluten-free baking. I am not GF, but since the cookbook is and I wanted to follow the recipes exactly, that's what I was for this recipe.

Anyway, too many special ingredients it was overwhelming to me so I returned it without making anything. Fast forward to one year later, and most of the the ingredients are all normal stuff to me now.  If you are just starting out on your plant-food journey, I wouldn't recommend attempting these yet. But I wanted to post this so you know you don't have to give up things like cupcakes! Of course you shouldn't be eating them every day or anything, but hey, one's sweet tooth must still be satisfied, right? I didn't make the frosting because I didn't have all the ingredients but they were delish on their own.

My kids ate what they used to eat of SAD (standard American diet) cupcakes--about half the cupcake. Had I made the frosting, they would have probably licked it all off, nibbled at the cupcake, and left the table. We ate a few and froze the rest for a future party or get-together for which I can thaw and make the frosting and experience the whole effect.

Oh just so you know, this bakery's cupcakes won New York Magazine's Best Cupcake award. And that's including ALL NYC cupcakes, not just vegan and GF. Cool huh?

I did a quick google search and couldn't find this exact recipe to be able to post here, but I did find the Chocolate cupcakes. The vanilla is very similar. I used my wheat grinder to grind garbanzo beans for the flour.

The finished cupcake was moist and springy, with a lovely vanilla-lemon flavor. My husband didn't know there was lemon zest in it and was surprised at the flavor, expecting more of a vanilla flavor. I thought the lemon lent a more sophisticated flavor. The recipe made more batter than what fit into my 24 muffin tins, so I made 3 or 4 extra.

Try this one out when you feel ready to take on some not so traditional non-SAD ingredients. You can totally do it!

Healthy Tacos on a Plate

 This is a quick, throw together meal that doesn't need an exact recipe. It is filling, extremely tasty, and everyone can customize it according to their tastes.

 We had black beans (cuban style, found at Walmart) drained but not rinsed, mangos, corn, avocado, and quinoa. My kiddos ate lots of corn and avocados and mangos. I also had vegetarian refried beans available which my oldest ate on a tortilla with everything else. The kids thought the beans were spicy and didn't eat them. Lesson learned: next time provide plain black beans as well.

My baby chowing down on the leftover quinoa.

Other toppings could include:
salsa
red or green onions
vegan/tofu sour cream
vegan fat free ranch dressing (Waldon Farms brand is tasty)
lettuce
tomatoes
red wine vinegar
anything else you want!

It was sooooo delicious and all I had to do was throw everything into bowls and set them on the table.