Creamy Avocado Potato Salad

Serves 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 15 minutes

Potato salad with a silky, creamy guac instead of mayo? Seriously. This is a favorite from Vegan Brunch, and I wanted to put it up for you just in case you’re looking for something a little different for your BBQ this Memorial Day. It’s ridiculously simple to make and beyond delicious.

The secret to the creaminess is a food processor. Prepare this as close to serving time as possible. It can sit for a couple of hours, but anything more than that and the avocado will brown.

2 lbs fingerling potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
2 avocados
2 tablespoons lime juice, from a lime or two
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 small red onion, diced small
1 smallish cucumber, diced very small

Scallions for garnish (optional)

Put potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Cover pot, bring water to a boil. Lower the heat to a rolling boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside to cool.

Once potatoes have cooled, prepare the dressing. Split the avocado in half, remove the seed and scoop the yumminess into the food processor. Add the lime juice and salt and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Once smooth and creamy, add the tomato and onion. Pulse until they are incorporated but not completely blended. You should still be able to see the tomato and onion.

Put the potatoes and cucumbers in a large mixing bowl and mix them up. Add the dressing and mix well. Taste for salt and spice. Wrap tightly and chill until ready to use. Top with scallions, if you like.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

Makes one 9 inch pie

Whoever first thought that these two complete opposites would make a great pair should be given the biggest blue ribbon there is, or maybe just a Nobel Peace Prize. Tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries, who can argue with that? A cinnamony crumb topping seals the deal (literally.)

The season is almost upon us and I’m growing my own pie patch here in the clumpy Omaha soil. Fresh is best, but truth be told, even if you have to use frozen fruit, this pie will still hit all the right notes. The key to using frozen strawberries is to slice them when they’re still frozen. You can use your favorite single pastry crust, store-bought or homemade (there’s a great one in Veganomicon and another in Vegan Brunch.) If you’d like to veganize a non-vegan favorite, just swap out the butter for half Earth Balance shortening and half Earth Balance margarine.

My pie patch. Yes, I need to weed.

Every pie is made better with vanilla ice cream, but this one is especially so. The recipe is from our upcoming book, Vegan Pie In The Sky.

Unbaked single pastry crust, fit into a 9 inch pie plate, edges crimped

Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, melted (or canola oil)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Combine all of the filling ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients for the topping. Drizzle in the margarine and use your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form. Some of the topping is still going to be sandy and that’s fine, just so long as you have mostly nice big crumbs.

Add filling to the prepared pie shell and top with the crumb topping. Cover loosely with tin foil and poke a few holes in the foil to let steam escape.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 425 F. Lower heat to 350 F, and remove the tin foil. Bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, filling should be bubbling and the crumb topping should be golden. Place on a cooling rack and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

Fresh Corn Johnnycakes

Makes 15 two-inch Johnnycakes (serves 4)
Time: 30 minutes

Somewhere between cornbread and pancake lies Johnnycake! To be honest, my knowledge of Johnnycakes is limited to Little House and the Prairie and The Sopranos, but the two always made me crave these rugged crunchy corn cakes and so after years of yearning, I felt qualified to come up with a recipe.

These pancakes were supposed to have been eaten on the American frontier, when supplies were limited. But I’m not going for a perfect historical representation — I added some fresh corn and brought everything together in the blender. The resulting cakes are at once tender and crunchy and have a rich, salty corn flavor that’s so satisfying drenched in some maple syrup. Oh, and because they’re 100% cornmeal, they contain no gluten!

You absolutely need a really well seasoned cast iron pan or something non-stick because corn likes to stick! If using cast iron, also lightly spray a metal spatula for flipping.

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen)
1 cup plain almond milk
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Spray oil

In a blender, pulse the corn and almond milk around 5 times, just to get the corn a bit chopped up. Add all remaining ingredients and blend for about 5 seconds, or until combined. There should still be chunky pieces of corn left.

Let the batter rest for around 10 minutes, and in the meantime, preheat a well-seasoned cast iron pan over medium heat. If using non-stick, you only need to preheat 3 minutes or so.

Spray the pan with oil and use ¼ cup measuring cup (or ice cream scoop) to ladle out three johnnycakes. Cook for about 3 minutes, the underside should be crisp and browned, the top still wet. Flip the cakes (spraying the pan as you lift each cake) and cook until crisp and flecked with brown.

Keep finished Johnnycakes on a plate covered with tinfoil as you prepare the rest. Serve with pure maple syrup and a few blueberries if you have them.

Four Courses For Causes Omaha: A Benefit Dinner For the Kitties, Sun. June 5th, 6PM

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT, THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLDOUT!!!!

Join us for a four course dinner to benefit Feline Friendz, an awesome kitty cat rescue that serves the community through education, fostering, adoption, low-cost veterinary assistance and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR.)

Our menu is focusing on all of the local, seasonal produce that Nebraska has to offer. Think lots of fresh, green flavors and creamy textures with with some crunch. And we haven’t forgotten the strawberries.

The evening takes place at David Radler Studio in Downtown Omaha. Once a glamorous ballroom turned high-end photography studio, we’ll be returning it to its glory with an intimate candlelit dinner that you’ll never forgot.

Gluten free options are available for all courses. Contact me with any questions: postpunkkitchen@gmail.com. Thank you!

M E N U

Smoked Seitan Skewers with Raspberry Barbeque Sauce
Salad of local greens in a lemon cashew dressing, caramelized cippolini onions

Curried Carrot Bisque
Coconut cream drizzle, green onion and toasted pumpkin seeds

Creamy Pesto Risotto
Grilled summer squash and asparagus, toasted hazelnuts and roasted edamame

Strawberry Shortcakes
Saucy strawberries, fresh baked biscuit, homemade vegan whipped cream, topped with a chocolate dipped strawberry

Ticket Prices
Since seating is limited, tickets will only be sold in advance. Tickets are priced from 60 to 100 dollars. Diners who pay 80 dollars receive a giftbag filled with homebaked cookies and a signed copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. Diners who pay 100 dollars or more receive all of that plus gift certificates from local businesses including Slowdown, Greenstreet Cycles, Bird, Caffeine Dreams, Lotus House of Yoga and more! (We will contact you with options for your specific giftbag.) 100% of the proceeds goes to Feline Friendz.

To Purchase Tickets
To purchase tickets, Paypal 60 to 100 dollars to postpunkkitchen@gmail.com. Print out your thank you email, this will be your ticket when you arrive at the dinner.

Seating Arrangements
If you are buying tickets for more than yourself, please put their names in the paypal comments and a table will be arranged for you. If you would like to sit with people in addition to the ones you are purchasing tickets for, please put their names in the comments as well, and let me know that you want to sit with them. If you are flying solo, you may end up sitting with strangers. But we promise that they will be fascinating strangers.

Allergies And Substitutions
If you require a gluten free dinner, your appetizer will come with tofu instead of seitan and your shortcakes will be a lemon corn cupcake. If you have any other allergies please email me at postpunkkitchen@gmail.com and we’ll see what we can do. You must put your dietary concerns in the paypal comments or email us in order to be accommodated.

Alcohol And Drinks
Natural sodas are included in the ticket price. Please bring your own beer and wine.

Time, Date, Location
Sunday, June 5th, 6pm
2553 Leavenworth Street, Omaha NE 68105 The studio is above the Ethiopian Restaurant.

Parking
You may park in the lot adjacent to David Radler Studio.

Any other questions? Just email me! postpunkkitchen@gmail.com. Thank you so much!

Ancho Lentil Tacos

Serves 4
Active time: 20 minutes || Total time: 20 minutes

It’s no secret that I love to use lentils in place of ground meat. Sloppy Joes, shepherd’s pie, burgers…nothing is safe. Especially tacos!

But before I delve into the particulars of this recipe, lets talk a little more generally. This method for “ground meat” can be used in a variety of ways with a little spice switcheroo. Swap out the taco flavors and go Italian (thyme, basil, fresh black pepper) for a meat that would be great in a Bolognese. Add some Sauerkraut to make a great filling for pierogis or Runzas. So really, anywhere that ground meat would be appropriate, you can sneak these lentils in. Got a favorite Hamburger Helper™  type recipe? Lentils to the rescue instead!

Now on to the taco filling. Ancho chile is dried poblano, and I love to use it straight up (as opposed to a mixed chili powder) for its deep, fruity, naturally smoky flavor. You can use regular old chili powder here, but pick up ground Ancho chili sometime and see if you don’t love it.

The filling is not too spicy, but it does have a little kick from the hot sauce (Cholula is my choice for Mexican inspired foods.) A few squirts of tomato paste provides moisture and binding and really helps to lend a convincing meaty texture. The idea here is to mash the lentils until they hold together, adding splashes of water along the way to keep it juicy.

I like to serve it with cooling ingredients; cilantro for bright freshness, lime for tanginess, avocado (or guacamole) for creaminess and of course some fresh salsa. I’m not really a soy sour cream or cheese person, and here I really don’t find it necessary, but as always, I can’t stop you! For total perfection, grill the tortillas to serve.

Brown lentils have the best color in this recipe but green lentils would work just fine, too. I always whip up a batch of lentils to have on hand, and you should, too. One cup of cooked lentils make about 2 1/2 cups. Just rinse them then bring to a boil in a small covered pot with a big pinch of salt in plenty of water. Lower heat and simmer until tender, then drain. Lentils are so very easy!

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups cooked lentils (from about 1 cup dried)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Cholula)

Spice mix:
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt

First combine all of the ingredients for the spice mix and set aside. Also, keep a cup of water within reach, you’ll need to add splashes as you cook.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee the onion and garlic in the oil with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Add spices and toss them for 30 seconds or so to toast.

Lower heat to medium, add lentils, a few splashes of water, tomato paste and hot sauce; use a spatula to mash them a bit as they cook, until they hold together. If your spatula isn’t strong enough to accomplish this, just use a fork. Do this for about 5 minutes, adding splashes of water as necessary if it appears dry. Taste for salt and seasoning; you may want to add more spices or hot sauce. And that’s it, time to serve!

Pesto Soup with Gnocchi, Beans & Greens

Serves 4
Total time: 35 minutes || Active time: 20 minutes

I’m always going on and on about vegan creaminess, so here I go again. Usually creamy texture is brought to us in the form of delicious fatty vehicles like cashews, tahini and avocado. Instead, here is an almost fat-free method that might not pack the decadent punch of a cashew based cream but gets you there all the same.

Cauliflower is pureed with a few other veggies and lots of basil until silky smooth. It’s actually a wonderful soup on its own, but bulked up with a pillowy gnocchi, white beans and wilted greens it becomes a meal unto itself.

I used Rising Moon Gnocchi (it’s not on their site for some reason) but there are lots of vegan gnocchis out there and if you’ve got Vegan With A Vengeance you can even make your own. I mean, you can use whatever cookbook you’d like to make your own, I’m just saying.

And keep this a secret, but the soup base on its own makes a great pasta sauce the next day,  even without the basil. So if you don’t have all of these ingredients on hand right this second, definitely keep the cauliflower base in the back of your mind for the next time you’ve got a few florets impatiently starting back at you.

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small head cauliflower (about a pound), leaves removed, cut into florettes
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
Big pinch dried thyme
Lots of fresh black pepper
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, plus a little extra for garnish

Optional: I didn’t add them here, but toasted pine nuts would make a great garnish.

Preheat a 4 quart stock pot over medium heat. Saute garlic in olive oil for about a minute, being careful not to let it burn. Add cauliflower, 3 cups of broth (alert! only 3 of the cups! you’ll be adding the last cup in a bit), salt, thyme and several dashes fresh black pepper. Cover pot and bring to a boil, stirring every now and again for about 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender.

Vigorously mix together the final cup of broth and the arrowroot until dissolved. Lower heat a bit so that the soup is at a slow boil. Mix in the broth/arrowroot and cook uncovered for another 5 minutes until slightly thickened. stirring often. Add the basil leaves, and remove from heat. Use a submersion blender to puree until smooth*. Taste for salt and seasoning.

Return to the stove over medium heat and add the gnocchi, cover and let cook for 3 minutes or so. Add the greens and beans and cook until greens are completely wilted and beans are heated through, about 5 more minutes. Be careful as you stir not to crush the gnocchi or beans. Serve garnished with extra basil and pine nuts, if you like.

*If you don’t have a submersion blender (GET ONE!) then use a blender or food processor to puree in batches, being careful to lift the lid once in awhile so that the steam doesn’t build up and explode.

Lemon Garlic Fava Beans & Mushrooms

Serves 4
Total time: 30 minutes || Active time: 30 minutes

No matter what the stress of the day is, or what the stress of the world is, as long as I have a pot of beans simmering away on the stovetop, I have no worries.

This week I’ve got a pot of fava. The career of my beans tend to follow a similar trajectory; the first day they’re the star of the show, left whole and prominent. Tomorrow they’ll take a supporting role in maybe a hummus or a croquette. And then finally I’ll throw whatever is left over into a soup, stew or pasta as a minor player.

Fava is a bean’s bean – big, meaty, and toothsome. They’re epic, really. And so I like to use strong bold flavors when I cook with them. This dish is savory and saucy with lots of garlic, thyme and lemon. I left the mushrooms nice and big, too, so that they can go toe to toe with the fava beans. A sprinkle of breadcrumbs adds a nice toasty flavor and thickens the sauce for maximum delish-ness.

To play up the earthiness, I love to serve this with a wild rice blend (again, something I cook a big pot of and use throughout the week) and grilled tempeh. The tempeh is marinated in basically the same ingredients: lemon, olive oil, garlic and thyme (you can use this recipe as a guide if you like) and then grilled. A roasted veggie like cauliflower or broccoli is perfect here, too.

If you’re not quite a bean-soaker yet, you should know that it’s really easy! Soak overnight, rinse and add fresh new water, then simply simmer away until they are cooked through (1 to 3 hours depending on the beans.) So even though they may take some time, it takes minimal effort and you hardly have to pay them any mind. I flavor mine with a stick of kombu, but a bay leaf and a little salt works, too.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into thin half moons
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced in half
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (plain or seasoned)
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
Lots of fresh black pepper
3 cups cooked fava beans (or two 15 oz cans, rinsed and drained)

Optional: Slivered green onions for garnish

Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute onion in oil with a pinch of salt for 5 to 7 minutes, until slightly browned. Add garlic and thyme, and saute one minute. Add mushrooms and cook to release moisture, about 5 minutes.

Add bread crumbs, toss to coat everything and toast crumbs for 3 to 5 minutes. Add veg broth, black pepper, salt, lemon zest and juice and fava beans. Bring to a boil. Let reduce and thicken, 7 minutes or so. Taste for salt and seasoning and serve, topped with green onions.

Rad Whip

Makes 4 cups

Omigod, Vegan Cool Whip! Yeah, there are a couple of good store-bought options these days but this is really fun, makes a ton and tastes incredibly fresh and creamy. It’s better than cool, it’s rad! Perfect for topping pies, puddings, ice cream sundaes, your finger, a spoon, and any place else whipped cream might be appropriate.

A few recipe notes: you blend this three times, once in the food processor or regular blender and then again with a hand mixer. Then it sets for a good long time and gets its final hand mixer whip. After it first sets in the freezer it looks a little rubbery and weird. Follow the directions and don’t be alarmed! It will magically and completely fluff up and smooth out when you blend it again, I promise. I’m telling you, this is faerie unicorn tear magick here.

The recipe also calls for agar powder. You can often find it in an Asian super market for really really cheap, but you can order it online as well. It’s really worth ordering, since it’s an interesting and easy ingredient to use – you can make mousses, gelatins and all sorts of fun stuff. Our pie book will be using it in quite a few recipes, so why not stock up now?

The only word of caution I can give you is not to over freeze during the first setting process. It should just be very cold, not frozen.

OK, go forth and whip!

Update: I changed the directions a bit to try and help with some of the problems people might have. The biggest changes are that there are now 3 whipping stages and longer setting periods.

1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least two hours and up to overnight
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 cup plain unsweetened almond milk, divided

3/4 teaspoon agar agar powder
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place a large metal bowl in the freezer to chill, you’ll be using it to blend up the Rad Whip so make sure it’s big enough.

Drain cashews and blend in a food processor or strong blender with coconut milk and 1/2 cup almond milk, until completely smooth. Rub it between your fingers to make sure there is no graininess left, this could take up to 5 minutes depending on your machine.

In a small sauce pan, heat the other 1/2 cup almond milk, agar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, and let simmer another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut oil and stir to melt. It’s important to make sure this doesn’t set while on the stovetop, so be sure to have the blender mixture ready.

Stream the warm mixture into blender or food processor with the machine turned on. Blend for about a minute on high to incorporate lots of bubbles, then add the vanilla and pulse to mix.

Transfer to the chilled metal bowl. Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes just to get it very very cold, but not frozen. When you remove it, it should be cold all the way through, and feel firm and even a bit rubbery. Don’t worry! You did everything right…watch in amazement as it transforms.

Now take a hand mixer and beat like mad. It should start to soften and peaks should start to form, but it might take a minute or so. Once it’s smooth and fluffy, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place back in fridge to set again for at least 3 hours*. Now use a hand blender one last time to get it even more fluffy.

*The longer you let it set, the fluffier it will get, so if you let it set at least 8 hours or up to overnight that is optimal.

Keep stored in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Raspberry Jam Swirl Crumbcake

Serves 8

You say crumbcake, I say coffee cake, but for the sake of search engines I settled on crumbcake here. This is a soft, yellow cake with a messy crumb topping and jam swirled right in. You can do whatever flavor you like, of course, but I love raspberry! I’ll be demonstrating this on Omaha Morning Blend tomorrow, as I talk about the Omaha Vegan Bakesale For Japan. If you’re throwing a bakesale this season, crumbcakes like this are always a hit. But don’t forget the napkins. (This recipe originally appeared in Vegan Brunch.)

For the cake:
3/4 cup soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the topping:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease an 8×8 round springform pan or regular square pan. Measure out the soy milk for the cake and add the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar; set aside to curdle. Then begin preparing the topping.

Make the topping:
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drizzle in the canola oil by the tablespoonful (you can eyeball it, no reason to whip out a tablespoon.) Use your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form. Alternate swishing and adding canola oil until all oil is used and large crumbs have formed. Some of the topping is still going to be sandy and that’s fine, just so long as you have mostly nice big crumbs. You can add another tablespoon of oil if needed.

Make the cake:
In a large mixing bowl, mix together curdled milk, sugar, canola oil and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until smooth.

Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Add spoonfuls of jam randomly on top of the batter and use a knife to swirl it in. Evenly sprinkle on the topping and pat it down just a bit. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.

Spaghetti-Nos With Mini Lentil Meatballs

Serves 8 to 10

Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 1 hour (Maybe longer the first time you make it)

My palate has a great memory. If it’s something like my mom’s birthday or paying rent I’m guaranteed to forget, but a slice of pizza I had during the Clinton administration will linger forever. And so it is with Spaghetti-os and our sordid history. Children, cover your eyes, this recipe will reveal quite a few things:

I don’t mind a couple of short cut ingredients when they get the job done.
I’m not above ordering food on the internet.
I was a juvenile delinquent.
I should have a job at the national vegan council for naming things.

As a 14 year old goth in the age before cellphones, my friends and I would do that thing of staying up all night being idiots, hanging out on the beach or at the park or whatever (I swear it was mostly innocent.) Since we told our moms we were sleeping at each other’s houses, we couldn’t really go home until it was light out.  So we’d go the corner store and pop a couple of Spaghetti-O cans for breakfast, thanks to that easy pull-off lid. We’d pretty much sit on the street, black eyeliner streaming down our faces, ripped fishnets ripping even more, getting Spaghetti-o sauce all over our Salvation Army velvet dresses while we waited for the sun to rise. And, seriously, for shame, those Spaghetti-Os were good.

Sort of mushy rings of pasta swimming in a sweet, cheesy sauce tomato sauce. And don’t forget the meatballs! Chewy orbs that made you want to keep biting into them, even though you didn’t exactly know why – it could have been voodoo or MSG. I had two basic strategies for extending their little meatball lives – slicing them in half or saving them for the end. You totally won if your last bite was a meatball.

Well, sometimes my palate hits me with a strange craving, and I don’t know if Sisters Of Mercy popped up on VH1 classics or what, but I had a nagging for vegan Spaghetti-os. The first order of business was to see if the O-shaped pasta could be found, which brought me to the Wikipedia list of pastas and eventually to Amazon where I purchased three bags of Anellini.

I thought that the meatballs would work well with either tempeh or lentils (of course I had to ask Twitter first), but since I was out of tempeh, that answered that. And because I wanted mushy, but not TOO mushy, I added a little bit of vital wheat gluten. To make them addictive, some seasoned breadcrumbs and, since it’s like catnip for vegans, a touch of nutritional yeast.

The sauce was made velvety and cheesy with some cashews and nutritional yeast, but not too much. Instead of high fructose corn syrup, a bit of brown sugar caramelized with the onions gives the sauce a satisfying sweetness and cuts the bitterness of canned tomatoes. I also used crushed tomatoes with basil, for another dimension of sweetness.

The end result hit all the right notes for me. The lentils ended up being the perfect choice for the chewy texture I wanted and their naturally meaty made for excellent meatballs. I really think kids of all ages will dig this. What kid won’t want to eat something called Spaghetti-Nos? And not to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m pretty sure they taste better than their inspiration. Maybe I didn’t run outside and sit on the sidewalk to eat them, but I did wear a lot of black eyeshadow that evening. Coincidence?

Recipe notes:

~If you can’t find seasoned store bought breadcrumbs for the meatballs, add a pinch each of basil, oregano and thyme. Homemade bread crumbs won’t work as well (too soft), but cracker crumbs might fare a bit better if you must.

~If you can’t find crushed tomatoes with basil, just use a pinch or two of dried basil.

~If you don’t have a food processor, you can still get the job done (although you’ll need some sort of blender for the sauce.) Just get the onion grated and mash the lentils into a puree. If you warm them up a bit first they’ll mush up a lot easier.

~To soak cashews, just submerge them in water for at least an hour and up to overnight. This softens them up and enables them to get really creamy.

~The recipe makes a lot! Feel free to halve it. And if you’re short on time, just make the pasta or make the meatballs with regular sauce on regular pasta. It’s fun to do the whole shebang, but all of the elements would be good solo players as well.

~Lastly, while it isn’t difficult, this recipe does use quite a few pots and pans, so consider yourself warned! For time management purposes, start the sauce first and once it’s simmering, begin the meatballs. That should get everything done within an hour.

For the Cheesy Tomato Sauce:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 24 oz. cans crushed tomato with basil
1/4 cup cashews, soaked (see note)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

For the Mini Meatballs:
1 clove garlic
1 small onion, peeled (tangerine sized or equivalent)
1 1/2 cups cooked green or brown lentils, rinsed, drained (a 15 oz can is fine)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup seasoned store-bought breadcrumbs

For everything else:
1 lb anellini pasta (or small pasta of your choice)
Olive oil for pan frying

To make the sauce:
Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Sautee onions in olive oil with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic about a minute more, then mix in the black pepper, oregano, salt and brown sugar. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is melted. Add the tomato sauce, cashews and nutritional yeast, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

Now puree the sauce until smooth. It’s easiest to use an immersion blender. You can also use a blender or food processor, blending in batches. Once it’s smooth, keep warm in the pot until ready to use.

To make the mini meatballs:
We’re going to use the food processor fit with a metal S blade for most of the work here, so it should come together pretty quickly. First toss in the garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Now add the onion and pulse until minced. You don’t want any big pieces or they will ruin the texture of the meatball.

With a plastic spatula, transfer the onion/garlic mixture to a mixing bowl and set aside. It’s okay if some remnants are left, just try to get most of it.

Now in the food processor, pulse the lentils, nutritional yeast, wheat gluten, soy sauce, tomato paste, olive oil and water. Once everything gets mixed well, puree them until totally smooth, scraping down the sides to make sure you get everything.

Combine this mixture with the onion mixture and add in the breadcrumbs. Mix really well with your hands for about 2 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Roll the meatballs into cherry sized balls, I got 32 meatballs out of this. This goes very fast if you keep your hands clean and dry (I was averaging one meat ball every 10 seconds.) Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and pour in a thin layer of olive oil. You don’t want to crowd the pan, so pan fry in two batches. You should be able to tilt the pan and have all the meatballs roll around and get coated in oil, cooking until browned (no more than 5 minutes.)

Transfer first batch to a baking pan, cook the second batch, and transfer all meatballs to the baking pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan every once in awhile to toss the balls so that they cook evenly.

To assemble:
Boil the pasta while the meatballs are cooking. Drain pasta, and add to the sauce. When meatballs are ready, add them to the sauce as well. Toss carefully with a wooden spoon, being careful not to break the meatballs. Serve!

Wheatberry ‘Paella’ With Chickpeas & Leeks

Serves 4 to 6
Total time: 1 1/2 hours || Active time: 40 mins

The origin of this recipe is pretty much a culinary steam of consciousness. It starts last fall, when I visited Europe for the first time. Terry and I were lucky enough to spend a week in Paris at the Gentle Gourmet for Paris Vegan Day, and afterwards we took a train to Barcelona. The train ride was about 8 hours, and most of it was spent playing this flavor game we made up. We wrote down every flavor we could think of, closed our eyes and ran a pencil across the paper, picking four items at random. Then with our four choices, we imagined a dessert out of them. So while you may never want to try our lavender cream pie with candied mint, poppyseed shortbread and blood orange caramel, it was a really fun way to to spend a scenic train ride. Well, that and sips of thick espresso from the snack car.

And the game does have some practical benefits. It’s really how lots of us cook – by inspecting our pantries and fridges for what might work and then throwing it together and hoping for the best. So when I was wondering what to do with some wheatberries that had been taking up residence in the pantry, I rolled the dice in my spice rack to see what would happen. I keep everything on a couple of lazy susans in a cabinet, so I just kind of twirl them around hoping for some inspiration. This reminded me of our train ride and picking out flavors, which instantly reminded me of Spain, and well, duh, of course I should make paella, or really “paella,” since it’s inspired by that dish, but not prepared the same way at all.

Memories of Barcelona had whet my appetite for all sorts of flavors that I put together here. Saffron of course, but also roasted red peppers, leeks and lots of garlicky goodness. We didn’t eat anything exactly like this, but elements are roughly inspired by a restaurant we visited a handful of times called Organic.

The end result is a homey dish, with lots of great texture. The wheatberries have a satisfying chewy bite that works wonderfully with the creamy chickpeas and everything is coated with a tangy, sultry broth, punctuated with a few briny capers.

The actual hands-on work here isn’t at all tedious, you just need to do a little preparing ahead of time – mainly cooking the chickpeas and soaking the saffron, which take very little effort. If you’re not used to working with wheatberries, definitely give the recipe a read because who knows? You might be missing out on your favorite new grain!

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup wheatberries
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 leeks, white and green parts only, sliced into ¼ inch half moons and washed well
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup dry white wine (Chardonnay is great)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 roasted red peppers, jarred or homemade, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
4 teaspoons capers
Lots of fresh black pepper
2 cups drained, cooked chickpeas (one 15 oz can should work)
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Prepare the wheatberries:
This is my favorite cooking method for perfectly cooked, plump wheatberries with great texture. Just place them in a 2 quart pot and submerge in water that covers them by 2 extra inches. Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 2 minutes then turn the heat off completely. Keep covered and let steam for another hour. They should be firm and chewy, but if you think they are a tad too firm that’s okay because we’re going to cook them the rest of the way in the paella. Drain and set aside.

Prepare the saffron threads:
In order to get the most flavor from saffron, they need to be steeped. It’s very easy, just pour 1/2 cup of boiling hot water over the saffron in a coffee mug, cover and let sit for about an hour. Once ready to use, press against the saffron with the back of a spoon to crush it a little. It’s now ready to use.

Prepare the paella:
First you’re going to saute the leeks and set them aside. I love the delicate oniony-ness of leeks and it will get lost if they’re overcooked, so this method works wonders – we’ll add them back to the pan at the end. So… in a large pan over medium heat, saute leeks in 1 tablespoon olive oil with a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

In the same pan over medium low heat, saute garlic in 2 teaspoons olive oil for about a minute. Add the oregano and thyme and saute for about 30 more seconds. Add white wine, salt and saffron threads in water and turn the heat up high. Bring to a boil and let boil and reduce for about 3 minutes.

Lower heat back to medium, add the cooked wheatberries, vegetable broth, tomato paste, roasted red peppers, bay leaves, capers and fresh black pepper. Let cook for about 15 minutes adding the chickpeas about halfway through. The wheatberries should absorb a lot of the liquid, but it should still be somewhat saucy.  Remove bay leaves and taste for salt.

Mix in the chopped parsley or cilantro and lemon juice. Turn off heat and let sit for about 10 minutes to let the flavors marry. It’s one of those things that will taste even better in an hour or so, so if you’ve got that kind of time then go for it, just gently reheat before serving.

Potato Pierogi With Caramelized Onions

Makes around 30 pierogi

This is originally from Vegan Brunch. For some reason I love to make pierogi during Easter. I can’t be alone in that, so I’m publishing this recipe now to give you plenty of planning time.

This is everyone’s favorite Polish dumpling. Toothsome, warm, soft and smothered in caramelized onions – yep, that’s the stuff! In NYC, pierogis are a brunch staple. Polish diners are a disappearing breed, but you can live the life in your own kitchen.

This is one of those time-consuming recipes that will change your life. If you make them once and know what to expect, the next time you make them won’t be such a big deal. Because the ingredients are so simple and unadulterated, choose good quality, organic potatoes whose flavor packs the most punch.

Make filling and dough a night in advance, then all you have to do in the morning is boil pierogis and make the caramelized onions.

For the Caramelized Onions:
1/4 cup canola oil
2 lbs sweet onions (Vidalia or Walla Walla), diced medium

For the Dough:
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour (plus a little extra for sprinkling)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1/4 cup canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoons salt

To serve:
Applesauce

To make the caramelized onions:
This is kind of an art, so don’t rush it! Since they onions can be left alone for intervals, start them before starting the dough, then take breaks from kneading the dough to stir the onions. The basic idea here is to sweat the onions, which means you’ll be gently cooking them, covered over low heat, and a lot of the cooking will be done from the steam as the moisture is released. You’re coaxing the sweetness out of them and locking it in. It looks like a lot of onion, and it is, but everything will cook down to manageable proportions, I promise. If you’ve never tasted caramelized onions, you might be surprised that an onion is even capable of this deep, sweet complexity, and with only two ingredients flavor.

Preheat a heavy bottomed skillet, preferably cast iron, skillet over low heat. Add the oil and the onions and toss the onions to coat. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, leaving a little gap for steam to escape. Stir occasionally, every 5 minutes or so. Onions should turn a nice mellow amber, but not burn, although a couple of darker spots are fine.

Remove the cover and turn the heat up just a bit, to a medium setting. Stir often for 10 more minutes. Onions should become a darker amber, and some of the moisture should evaporate.

Make the filling:
In a medium sized pot, cover potatoes in water. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to simmer and cook for about 15 more minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large pan, sautée the onions in oil over medium heat for about 7 minutes. Turn the heat off but stir occasionally even when the heat is turned off because they could still burn from the hot pan. When the potatoes are done boiling, drain them well and add them to the pan with the onions. Just mashed them right in there with a potato masher, that way you are sure to get all the flavor. Add the salt and pepper. Make sure potatoes are mashed well and fluffy. Set aside to cool a bit.

To make the dough:
If you’re like me, you have limited counter space and so rolling out dough can be a hassle. I make the dough last because the mess becomes much more manageable when you don’t have to prep on the counter afterwards. It also gives your filling some time to cool. So make sure you clean up after your filling making and get someone to do the dishes for you. I find that a serene counter makes all the difference in dough making.

Pour the water and oil into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of flour and the salt, keeping one cup aside. Use a fork to stir the flour in, and as it starts to come together, use your hands to knead until a loose dough forms (about 3 minutes.)

Sprinkle your counter with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and knead. Add the reserved cup of flour a little bit at a time, working it into the dough, until it is very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If it’s too sticky, you can add a little bit more flour and knead it in, sometimes up to 1/4 cup extra. Conversely, if you get a good- feeling, smooth, elastic dough that isn’t tacky with less less than the extra cup of flour, then that’s okay, too.

Now we roll the dough out, and also bring a salted pot of water to boil—, the largest pot you’ve got—, for boiling the pierogis.

Divide the dough in half and make sure your counter is clean and sprinkled with a dusting of flour to prevent sticking. Roll half the dough out to about 1/16 of an inch thick, which is to say, very thin but not see through. I rolled it into an 18- by- 10 inch rectangle, but as long as you have the thinness going, the shape doesn’t matter so much. Sprinkle the top with a light dusting of flour.

Now we’re going to make circles. I use the top of a glass that is 3 1/2 inches, but somewhere between 3 1/2 and 4 inches is perfect. Use a glass or a cookie cutter. Have ready a lightly floured plate to place the finished circles on, and go ahead and firmly press your glass or cookie cutter into the dough, as close together as you can. Pull the excess dough up and set aside. Place circles on the floured plate and transfer to the fridge while you repeat with the other half of the dough. Combine the excess doughs and see if you can get a few more wrappers out of the deal.

Pulling up excess dough and having fun

NOTE: If it’s very hot in your kitchen there’s a chance that the circles will stick together. Sprinkle them with flour and make sure they don’t get wet to prevent sticking. If they do stick, you can roll them out and try again.

Now we’re ready to boil some pierogi! Make sure your water is rapidly boiling. The filling should be room temp or colder. Have a small bowl of water for wetting the edges of the wrappers. Place about a tablespoon of filling into the center of a circle and dab water around the circumference of the circle. Fold the edges of the wrapper over filling and pinch in the middle to hold together. Pinch down the sides so that you have a sealed half moon. Don’t be shy with the pinching, and don’t try to make it look like perfect pinches. The most important thing is that you are getting them sealed, so use pressure and really seal them up. I think it looks really cool when the pinches aren’t perfectly spaced, it gives them a beautiful homemade rustic look and let’s you know that it came from a person, not a robot.

Pinching pierogi

If some of the filling is sneaking its way out, then use a little less filling with the next one. Once you get the amount of dough down, you can do a few at a time in assembly line style. I usually do six, lay out the circles, add the filling, pinch them closed. This works out perfectly if you time it with the boiling.

To boil, gently lower pierogis in to the water with a slotted spoon. Boil about six at a time. When they float they are ready. If for some reason they aren’t floating, it takes about 4 minutes for them to cook. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate as you prepare the rest. Cover finished ones lightly with tin foil to keep warm. Proceed until all pierogi are boiled.

If you’d like to fry instead: Preheat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat, add a thin layer of canola oil, and fry pierogi on each side until golden brown (probably 3 minutes on one side and a minute on the next.) I personally prefer them boiled.

I really like to serve the pierogi in an oversized bowl, sprinkle amply with salt and smother in lots and lots of caramelized onions.

Cast Iron Stir-Fry With Avocado, Basil & Peanuts

Serves 4
Total time: 30 mins || Active time: 30 mins

I don’t really like to be a culinary prescriptivist. I think it’s important to know what “authentic” food is, but I definitely don’t stick to it. Especially as a vegan chef, we’re constantly playing with tradition and concepts, creating vegan translations of classics and breathing new life into old favorites.

But the bottom line is that no matter what, my food will always be a reflection of the world as seen by a Jewish American woman from Brooklyn. As obsessed as I am with how things are really done, I will never be able to do them that way. I can watch the making of phyllo all day long and I can read books on the history of scalloped potatoes, but will I ever be able to make a stir-fry like a Cantonse chef? Hell no!

So I’ve all but given up on cooking with a wok. My kitchen has a budget on space and plus, I just wasn’t getting it right. Too many stir-fries end up as something else. The ingredients crowd the pan and the food ends up steaming instead. The heat is never quite high enough, the tofu doesn’t brown, the broccoli is mushy, chaos ensues. When I think stir-fry I think crisp, seared veggies and tofu with a nice skin, chewy and charred.

The only way for me to get it the way I like is to cook things separately, in a cast iron pan, at a very high heat, and very quickly. It doesn’t have to be the pain in the ass it sounds like – as each ingredient cooks you can prep the next, so everything should be ready in 30 minutes or so. I keep the sauce simple, salty but delicate, bringing the flavors out instead of obscuring them.

I live in a mixed couple home. We’re both vegan, but one of us is fat and one is skinny. I’m trying not to put more weight on and he’s always trying to keep his weight on or even gain a little, so instead of adding a lot of fat to the actual dish while cooking, I rely on the garnishes to even things out. He gets more avocado and peanuts, and I top mine with a little less. I used to only use Thai basil in stir fries, but I love the California tastes here. Peanut, avocado and fresh basil are the bestest besties in the world, and perfect for cooling off the stir-fry, adding creaminess, crunch and a burst of freshness.

If you don’t have a well seasoned cast iron skillet, you can still make this recipe in a regular pan, but cast iron really makes everything cook better and taste better! I use peanut oil in a spray bottle because of the high smoke point, but you can use a thin layer of peanut oil if you don’t want to spray it. I didn’t list how much, since I just spray it as needed, using as little as possible. If your cast iron is well seasoned, it doesn’t need much oil. Soon I’m going to do a little post on seasoning cast iron, so look out for that!

I love to serve this over quinoa, but brown jasmine rice is great, too. Oh, and keep the Sriracha close at hand if you love spice. Again, I really love it but since my boyfriend doesn’t I keep it relatively tame with some crushed red pepper flakes.

Sauce ingredients:

2 tablespoons hoison sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce (or gluten free tamari)
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoons water

For the stir-fry:

Peanut oil (in a spray bottle if you’ve got it)
14 oz tofu, cubed (press it if you have the time, otherwise just blot with a paper towel to remove moisture)
Salt
Fresh black pepper
1 lb broccoli, cut into florettes, stems sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 small red onion, sliced into half moons
1 bell pepper (red, yellow or orange), sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (use half that if you’re a spice wimp)

To garnish:
Avocado, diced
Roasted salted peanuts
2 big handfuls fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (or thinly sliced)

Preheat the cast iron over high heat. On my stove, I bring it up to about 8, but stovetops vary. In the meantime, mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Have at the ready a baking pan or mixing bowl to place the ingredients as they finish cooking. I like to use a 9×13 pan so that there’s plenty of room and things aren’t sitting on top of each other and steaming.

Once pan is good and hot, apply a thin layer of olive oil. Add the cubed tofu and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper. The ingredients should immediately sizzle when they hot the pan, otherwise, turn the heat up. Cook for about 7 minutes, tossing often and spraying with oil as necessary, until it’s nicely browned, like so:

All sides don’t have to be evenly browned, just as long as a few of them are, you’re good to go.

Transfer tofu to the baking pan or bowl, and proceed with the broccoli. Apply a thin layer of oil, toss in broccoli, add a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper. Cook until broccoli is charred and bright green, about 5 minutes. Cover the pan between tosses, so that it cooks faster. Transfer to the pan with the tofu.

Now proceed with the onion and peppers. Apply a thin layer of oil, and toss in the onions and peppers. Spinkle with a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, it should be charred but still crisp. Transfer to the pan with the tofu. Now we’ll finish it off with the sauce.

Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to the cast iron pan and drizzle with a little oil and saute until fragrant (about a minute) being careful not to burn. Add the sauce and mix together until heated through and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Now, add back all the veggies and the tofu and toss to coat. Taste for salt and seasoning.

Serve over quinoa or brown rice, top with avocado, peanut and basil and serve hot!

Cozy Collards & Tempeh

Serves 6
Time: 40 minutes || Active time: 20 minutes

I love to travel, but sometimes even more than that, I love coming home. Yeah, the Caribbean is nice, but I miss my kitchen.

My kitchen is hardly perfect. It needs better lighting and storage, and it could be laid out more efficiently. The fridge, well first of all it’s white, but beyond the cosmetics it also leaks and vibrates in a disturbing way. And the counters…they aren’t quite gray and aren’t quite Formica but they definitely aspire to be.

So it’s not ideal, and I’m hoping someday it will be. I’d love reclaimed wood counters and a stainless steel fridge. Open shelving and, I don’t know, a backsplash made with vintage tiles or some such crapola. But it isn’t the stuff that makes a kitchen. Sure, a nice coat of paint helps and I’ve rigged up some temporary shelving to keep things organized. But really, it’s the life you breath into it. The way your favorite spices are never really put away, the lists that accumulate, the pages of recipes torn from magazines and clinging for dear life to the fridge with an “I Love NY” magnet that can’t quite handle it. And of course, there’s the cooking!

After being gone for 3 weeks I needed to bring the kitchen back to life in a big way. Music helps. And I threw together some of my favorite aromas — as tempeh cooks it smells like freshly baked bread. I was craving some sausagey flavors and homey greens, and of course nothing says home like scents of garlic and shallots. Roasted red peppers are like a big hug from 20 fluffy kittens and to finish it off, some cilantro and lemon to brighten up the flavors.

This was totally satisfying as is, but would also be faboo with some mashed sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes and cauliflower (my beloved Caulipots.) Home is definitely where the tempeh is, leaky fridges be dammed.

1 1/2 pounds collards (one big bunch)

1 lb tempeh (two 8 oz packages)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari if you’re gluten-free)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup water

1 tablepoon olive oil
1/2 cup sliced shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
A few dashes fresh black pepper
2 roasted red peppers (storebought or homemade), cut into bite sized pieces
Salt to taste
Lemon wedges to serve

First, rip the leaves off the stems of the collards, rip them into smaller pieces and wash them. I like to fill my sink with cold water and let them soak in there, then drain when I’m ready to use.

Place the drained collards in a large pot (at least 5 quart) and submerge with water and a big pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, crumble the tempeh into bite-sized pieces and place in a large skillet. Add water, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 10 minutes, or until all of the liquid has absorbed or evaporated. This makes the tempeh plumped up and succulent and gives them flavor.

Lower the heat and push all the tempeh over to one side. Drizzle the oil into the other side of the pan and saute the shallots and garlic, along with a pinch of salt, for about 3 minutes. Then just flip them into the tempeh and mix together. Saute for about 5 more minutes, until tempeh is browned. Add a little extra oil if needed.

Mix in cilantro, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, black pepper and roasted red pepper. Lastly, mix in the collards and let everything cook together for about 10 more minutes. Add a little water or veggie broth it it begins to get dry. Taste for salt and pepper and serve with wedges of lemon and hot sauce.

Mac & Shews

Serves 8
Time: 1 hour || Active time: 30 minutes

I don’t think vegans ever get sick of Mac & Cheese, or, “Cheeze” or whatever. One of the first recipes I ever tried was from one of my all time favorites, the New Farm Cookbook. It was great for me back then because I always had a ton of people over, and you could make it for a crowd at the drop of a hat. So if you were all sitting around watching Evil Dead 2 on repeat, it was only a matter of time before a magical pot of Mac & Cheese would appear and swallow your soul.

That recipe is still the prototype for many a vegan Mac & Cheese recipe: lots of nooch, garlic, onions and, wait, what’s that? Half a cup of margarine?! This was the 80s and so it wasn’t even non-hydrogenated margarine. It was the real deal – a bright yellow log of pure processed fat. Today we have less ungodly ingredients to work with, but still, I can’t shake the feeling that when I eat those types of Mac & Cheese, I’m eating melted margarine.

So I’ve been toying with different ingredients for the past few years and I’ll probably continue to mess around with it. It’s all about developing flavor and creaminess with ingredients that are still really accessible and really delicious, but also way less processed, and, well really real.

To keep things from being one note, I wanted to build flavor with a few simple methods and ingredients. Like all great Mac & Cheese recipes, this one begins with a roux. Flour is cooked in olive oil, lending a toasty flavor and giving the finished sauce extra body and creaminess. If you’ve never made a roux before then this will be a great skill to add to your repertoire! And speaking of creaminess, cashews are given their standard vegan treatment: a long soak in water and then a horrifying (for them) trip in the food processor, to be pureed until they’re silky smooth.

So I’ve been playing with various ratios and ingredients, and it always comes out good and creamy, but I wanted something different, tangier, more interesting. Cheese is aged, giving it flavor and nuance. There’s always mustard (an ingredient even in the New Farm recipe), miso, lemon…but I hit upon an ingredient that really gave me the depth I was looking for…sauerkraut! Since the average home cook (myself included) isn’t really set up for aging stuff, I wanted something that’s already fermented, and sauerkraut really works.

This mac is my favorite yet! (But that still doesn’t stop me from adding some Frank’s Red Hot.) And of course I don’t totally break with tradition, I used a little turmeric and a touch of nutritional yeast for that telltale yellow that tells you you’re eating “cheeze” not “cheese.”

Recipe notes:
~You really need to blend the beejeezus out of the cashews and sauerkraut. Although it won’t be completely creamy until after it’s cooked, it should still be relatively smooth, with absolutely no chunks, when it comes out of the food processor. I think a Vitamix type thing would work here, too, but I don’t have one myself.

~Make sure that the roux is cooked and toasty before streaming in the veggie broth. It really makes a difference in the final flavor, so get your roux a really beautiful gravy color.

~You can use any smallish pasta. I love to use chiocciole because it can hold plenty of sauce, and I just find the shape pleasing. Small shells or traditional macaroni are both great choices, too.

~To soak cashews, just place them in a bowl and submerge with water. Soak for at least an hour, preferably two, or up to overnight.

~And lastly, the type of veggie broth you use makes a huge difference. If I use my own homemade broth, I make sure it’s super assertive. If you use the type of broth that comes from a powder or concentrate, that is totally cool, just make it a bit stronger than you usually do.

1 lb small pasta like shells, macaroni or chiocciole

1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked (see recipe note)
4 cups broth, divided
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 cups sauerkraut

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon tumeric
Several dashes fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

First boil salted water for the pasta. Cook pasta and drain. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the recipe.

Place the soaked cashews and 2 cups of the vegetable broth in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula occasionally to make sure you get everything. This could take 5 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat a large pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic and a pinch of salt in a tablespoon of the oil, until onions are softened.

Drain the sauerkraut in a sieve, pushing it into the sieve to remove as much moisture as possible. Add to the pan just to heat through, a minute or two.

Transfer sauerkraut mixture to the food processor with the cashew mixture. Once again, puree until relatively smooth. There will be some texture, just make sure it’s not chunky.

Wipe out the pan that you sauteed the onions in and preheat it over medium heat once again. Add 3 tablespoons of oil, along with the flour. It should become a gooey clump. You’re now making a roux! Add a little bit more olive oil if necessary. Toast the roux for about 15 minutes, until it smells toasty and turns a medium brown. Stir practically the whole time so that it cooks evenly.

Now stream in remaining 2 cups of broth, whisking constantly so that it doesn’t clump. Whisk until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes.

Stream in the cashew sauerkraut mixture, and whisk until well incorporated. Add the tumeric, black pepper, nutritional yeast if using, salt and fresh lemon juice. Heat through and stir occasionally, allowing the mixture to thicken.

Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease an 11 x 13 casserole with olive oil.

Add the cooked pasta back to the pasta pot and pour in the sauce. Taste for salt and pepper. Mix to coat, then transfer to the casserole dish. Cover casserole with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot!