Scraps and Snippets - Vegan Mac and Cheese

I've tried the cauliflower as a creamy Alfredo sauce replacement. I also found the recipe using potatoes and carrots to pull off a canned nacho cheese substitute. Buzzfeed had a vegan mac and cheese sauce made out of potatoes and carrots that I just had to try.

You know when those potatoes in the pantry start getting not so delicious looking and they need to be used pronto? I had some of those. I also had grandkids coming over for dinner. Who better to try out a mac and cheese on than kids? If they don't like it, they is going to let you know, if you are picking up what I'm laying down. 

Watch the video for the recipe. The recipe is basically boiled potatoes, carrot and onion until soft, blended with cooking water, cashews and seasoning.

Here's where I veered. I followed the recipe to a T but decided to add more cheesy flavor. Because the cheese sauce has no cheese. So I added an additional 1/2 cup cooking water, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and 1/2 tsp salt. Next time I think I'll add 3/4 cup nutritional yeast. 

The two oldest kids gobbled it up. (I even used brown rice/quinoa pasta from Trader Joe's). The youngest didn't eat much more than two bites. However, the next day when I decided to eat the leftovers she was like a bird. "Feed me!" Mouth wide open. So I think it's a winner. 

Here's what I love. This was completely whole food based. It was easy.  They liked it. 

I think, in the scheme of things, I might like the cauliflower based sauces slightly better, sometimes you just have to use up potatoes before they go bad and so this one will stick around in my go to recipes. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Pirate Scotcheroos

Argh. I love me some salty with me sweet. These salty bars will knock the parrot right off your shoulder, matey. 

You know the classic Scotcheroo recipe? There are several out there. Here's a new vegan (check your ingredient labels to be sure) sweet and salty version for you. 

Let's just say these are tasty. 

3 Cups krispie or flaky cereal of choice 

2 1/2 Cups chopped/crushed pretzels

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup light corn syrup (I'm thinking brown rice syrup would work as well)

1 1/2 Cup peanut butter

2 Cups chocolate chips (or if you want to spring for dairy free butterscotch you can go 1/2 and 1/2)

1/4 to 1/3 Cup peanut butter

Grease a 9 x 13.

Place sugar and corn syrup in a large sauce pan. Stir until the sugar begins to melt and mixture begins to boil. Add peanut butter, remove from heat and stir well until mixed. Pour in cereal and crushed pretzels and stir until cereal is coated. Pour and press mixture into pan. 

Using a double boiler (or a smaller pan sitting on top of another with water set over a medium flame) place peanut butter in the upper pan and add chips. Stir frequently until melted. Pour and spread over bars. Let sit at least a half hour then cut into squares. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Leftover Fun

 I had a cup of leftover vegan cheese some leftover enchilada sauce and half a package of Gardein meatless crumbles and a potluck I needed to make food for.  I didn't have enough of any of those to make enchiladas like I did the week before when our church service and potluck got cancelled, so I decided I'd combine em and smear the mixture on tortillas. For the record, the enchiladas were tasty, too. 

Granted, these aren't the prettiest roll-ups in the world. I think if I had smeared more on the tortilla they'd have been plumper and more zaftig. These were EASY and tasty used up some leftovers. 

This vegan cheese is freaky good. Check out the recipe. I'm not sure I'd change it up much, maybe a little garlic powder. It's made from potatoes, carrots, nutritional yeast, oil and lemon juice. The texture is very much like canned nacho cheese. It would be amazing with salsa and/or meatless crumble in one of those little crockpots and served with tortilla chips. 

This is Gladys' opinion, typed by her little paws --- "saq1"--- I think it's positive in nature since she did gladly lick bowls.

Regardless of what the dogs think and the maybe not so beautiful rolling job, these were tasty and disappeared from the table. I love easy tricks. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Banana Bread (Best Ever Said My Co-Worker) Vegan/Dairy Free

 

Best Ever Banana Bread (Seriously, my co-worker, Iowa farm girl born and bred said this. So it must be true. Iowa farm girls know their banana bread. ) 

1/2 Cup coconut oil

1 Cup sugar

1 TBSP Ener-G egg replacer (instructions for homemade here)

2 TBSPs non-dairy milk

2 ripe bananas

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 Cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry) 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bread pan, mini muffin pan or small loaf pans.

Melt the coconut oil and defrost* bananas (if using frozen ones) in preheating oven in medium glass or stainless steel bowl. Prepare the milk and egg replacer in small bowl. When the coconut oil is melted and bananas squishable remove from oven and add the sugar mixing well. Then add the cinnamon, salt and baking powder and mix until combined. Finally add the egg and vanilla and stir. 

If you want mix-ins add them now (chocolate chips, chopped nuts, dried fruit.) 

This will make one full loaf, 4 minis or about 60 mini muffins or little squares. You will bake the minis for about 40-45 minutes, the mini muffins for about 13-15 and the full sized about 50-60. 

Crumb topping: 

3/4 Cup flour

1/2 Cup sugar

3 TBSP coconut oil (solid)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

pulverized nuts (1/4 Cup or so) (optional)

Mix flour, sugar (and cinnamon and/or nuts) well, cut in the coconut oil with a fork, two knives a pastry blender. Sprinkle this over the top of the unbaked bread, muffins etc. 

* in case you don't do this. When bananas get too ripe, peel them and place them in a designated zipper bag or container in the freezer. Then use them for such a time as this. Peeling is important unless you want to dig banana membrane off a frozen banana later. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Spanish Quinoa

Super Easy Meal

1 Cup  uncooked quinoa (Rinsed if you don't have a pre rinsed one. )

1 1/2 Cup vegetable broth

2 - 14ish oz cans of  diced tomatoes

1 - 4 ounce can of diced jalapenos

1 Cup of hamburger substitute

Put all in a pan. Stir.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer and simmer about 20 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir as needed. Serve in tortilla shells, as a nacho topping with chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, avocado, sour cream etc. 

 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Garlic Rosemary Pumpkin Biscuits

Garlic Rosemary Pumpkin Biscuits

2 Cups flour (with additional for rolling dough - I used whole wheat pastry flour)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder (if you use garlic salt skip the salt)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon chopped dried rosemary (or try sage)

⅓ Cup butter, margarine or shortening

¾ Cup pumpkin (don’t get pumpkin pie filling because that has sweet seasonings)

¼ Cup water or milk

Preheat oven to 450.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, garlic and rosemary together. With a fork cut in the fat until the mixture resembles coarse uniform meal. Mix pumpkin with milk/water in a small bowl. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until mixed and the dough pulls away from the bowl. (This doesn’t take long, basically once the dry disappears it’s ready) Pat the dough into a circle about a ½ inch thick on a flour dusted surface. Use a glass rim or biscuit cutter dipped in flour to cut out circles. Scoop up the remaining dough and flatten and repeat. You’ll get approx 10 biscuits. Bake at 450 for 12 minutes.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Classic Burger Sloppy Joes

Classic Burger Sloppy Joes (Serves 8 ish)

2 Cups hamburger replacement (Gardein or Beyond Meat or homemade)

⅓ Cup ketchup

3 TBSP yellow mustard

2-3 TBSP dill pickle relish (or a mix of dill and sweet, or if you like your sloppies sweeter, go with all sweet) (I used 3 TBSP but I love pickles so use your taste buds as a guide.)

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1-2 TBSP finely diced onion (again, to taste)

Mix all the ingredients together and heat until warmed through. Or put it in a crock pot on low for 2-3 hours. Serve with buns. Add vegan bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onion or vegan cheese slices, pickles and ketchup and mustard.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Salty Caramel Apple Drizzled Apple Blondies

Apple Blondies With Salty Caramel Apple Drizzle

Blondies are brownies without cocoa so they are chewy, a touch caramelly due to the brown sugar content and delicious.

1 Cup brown sugar

½ Cup coconut oil or Earth Balance

3 TBSP applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 Cups flour

2 apples diced

Toast a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts and toss those in if desired for an extra yum factor.

Mix sugar, Earth Balance, vanilla and applesauce well. Add the baking powder and salt and stir very well. Add the flour and incorporate. Finally add the apples (and nuts if using). Grease a 9 x 13 and press the dough into the pan. Bake at 350 for 33 - 36 minutes. A knife should come out clean.

Salty Caramel Apple Drizzle

1/2 Cup packed brown sugar

1/4 Cup applesauce

1 1/2 TBSP Earth Balance or coconut oil

2 pinches of salt

1/2 TBSP vanilla
1/2 apple diced

Put sugar, applesauce and Earth Balance in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and drop temperature and low boil for 8-10 minutes until it comes together and thickens. Add vanilla and stir until completely incorporated, remove from heat then add salt and stir well. Add the diced apple and stir.

Pour the caramel sauce over the blondes and refrigerate an hour before serving. Or slice the blondies still warm from the oven, top with a blob of vegan ice cream and drizzle the caramel over that.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Flexi-Veggie Salad

Fresh Veggie Toss Salad

⅓ Cup red wine vinegar

1 TBSP lemon juice

2 ½ TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP Italian seasoning

½ to 1 tsp of garlic powder (to taste)

½ tsp salt

6 Cups of veggies (grape tomatoes, chopped broccoli, chopped cauliflower, black olives, diced cucumbers, small dice onions, carrot medallions etc.)

1 Can (or 1 ½ Cups home cooked) drained, rinsed chickpeas

Toss everything together and enjoy. Let it sit overnight for best flavor.

To mix this up make it Greek style or Mexican style by making a few changes:

Greek - switch out the Italian seasoning for 1 TBSP each of chopped fresh mint and chopped parsley. Sub the juice of a full lemon for vinegar and toss in feta if you’d like.

Mexican - sub black beans for chickpeas. Sub juice of one lime for vinegar. Sub 2 TBSP of chopped fresh cilantro for the Italian seasoning.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Cheeseburger Enchiladas

Cheeseburger Enchiladas

9 x 13 pan

1 and ½ Cups of crumbled hamburger substitute.

2 TBSP ketchup

1 TBSP classic yellow mustard

2 ½ TBSP finely minced onion (Set ½ TBSP aside and mix with ½ TBSP of dill pickles for the top of the casserole)

2 ½ TBSP finely minced dill pickle (Set ½ TBSP aside and mix with ½ TBSP of onions for the top of the casserole)

2 teaspoons of pickle juice

4 TBSP of chili cheese sauce

Mix all (but the reserved pickles/onions) together in a bowl

Grease the 9 x 13 pan.

Divide the meat mixture between approximately 10 flour tortilla shells and fit them into the pan. Don’t overstuff these. If you are someone who really loves a stuffed pan of enchiladas you might want to double the filling and sauce and add extra baking time.

Chili Cheese Sauce

3 TBSP Flour

3 TBSP Earth Balance

3 Cups unflavored/unsweetened non-dairy milk

1 Cup enchilada sauce or tomato sauce

1/2 TBSP chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup of shredded cheese (Daiya)

1/4 Cup nutritional yeast

Melt Earth Balance in pan, add flour and make a paste. When completely incorporated begin adding milk slowly and stir. Heat until mixture bubbles and thickens, stirring constantly.

When mixture thickens add chili powder, garlic powder and cheese. Stir until cheese is incorporated and melted. Add the tomato sauce and mix well. Pour this over the enchiladas. (Don’t forget to use the 4 TBSP of this for the enchilada stuffing mix.) Sprinkle sesame seeds over top of casserole. Squirt on ketchup and mustard swirls. Add the minced onion and pickles. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Check and if the mixture is bubbling and heated through it’s good to go. Serve with a side of french fries.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread. Yes. Seriously. OVER THE TOP

Uh. This is pretty easy. And stinking decadent. I mean. It rocks in the worst way, as in it is a sugar slap upside the head and the little cinnamon crunch balls slide down oh so easy. 

Good Morning Sunshine Super Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread (realistically serves 6-10) (If it’s all you are making plan on 6.)

2 Cans of vegan friendly (TJ's) cinnamon rolls (12+ ounces). (You could try homemade rolls with similar results I'm guessing.)

½ Cup melted earth balance or coconut oil

1 Cup sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix sugar and cinnamon together in one bowl. In another melt the Earth Balance or coconut oil.

Prepare a bundt pan with a good greasing. Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the cinnamon rolls. Set the frosting packets aside. Place the cinnamon roll sections on a cutting board. Slice each roll into four segments. Basically cut in half and then in half the other way. Don’t worry. They will start to fall apart a bit. Take each fourth and dip in melted "butter" then sugar and cinnamon mixture and drop into bundt pan. If the sections fall apart that’s okay. When it bakes they will all come together. Keep going until the rolls are all coated and stuck in the pan. If there is butter sub or sugar/cinnamon left just pour over the rolls. Place in oven and bake for 30-33 minutes. If you want, pull out a small piece from the middle after 28 or so minutes. You don’t want overdone but doughy is nasty. You should see bubbling caramelly deliciousness and smell cinnamon sugar. When baked remove from oven and allow to sit 10 minutes. Place plate over pan and flip so the bundt cake slides out onto the plate.

Cool another 5 min then drizzle (cut the tip off or puncture and squeeze) one frosting packet over the top of the monkey bread. Cut the tip off or puncture the second frosting packet and set aside for those who want more frosting.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Red, White and Blue Vegan Sundae...

 We didn't get a garden in this year. Part of me is super bummed because I LOVE fresh, organic produce. But we were lazy, we were tardy, we got puppies. 

HOWEVER!!! Got to love gathering the fruit of previous labor. We have harvested a couple gallons (blessedly slow) black and red raspberries. After dinner last night we wanted something sweet. 

Trader Joe's soy vanilla (delicious BTW)

Fresh picked raspberries

1/4 Cup dark chocolate chips 

1-2 teaspoons coconut oil

Rinse and dry the berries.

Melt coconut oil and chocolate chips. 

Scoop ice cream into bowls. Pour the chocolate over the ice cream (turns into magic shell) and toss on the berries. 

Yum. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Potato Breakfast Casserole

Vegan Potato Breakfast Casserole

The night before prep cashews for the cream sauce 
1 1/2 Cups cashews
2 Cups water
3/4 Cup non-sweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk (you could probably get away with more water instead) 

NOTE: You will not discard the water. 


In the morning place the nut mixture into a food processor and whir until creamy and add the following:
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Siracha)
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 TBSP lemon juice
4 TBSP nutritional yeast
Mix well.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 pan.


2 Bags (16 ounces each or 1 large) shredded or diced frozen potatoes
1 Onion fine dice 
1 Pepper fine dice 
6-8 mushrooms fine dice 
Faux sausage bits (I used Upton's)

Place one bag potatoes in the pan and press down. 

Saute the onions, peppers and mushrooms until tender.
Place the veggies over the potatoes. Top with the sausage and the rest of the potatoes. 

Pour the cheesy sauce over the potato layer. 

Bake for 45 minutes. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Spicy Curry Garlic Cereal Mix

Spicy Curry Garlic Cereal Mix

3 Cups cereal (a mix of Chex flavors if wanted, puffed rice or Cheerios)

1 and ½ Cups or additional add-ins. Nuts, seeds, pretzels, crackers

2 TBSP melted Earth Balance (or oil of choice)

1 TBSP garlic flavored oil (or more butter)

1/2 TBSP worcestershire sauce (find a vegan one, last time I checked Whole Foods 365 brand was. Traditional worcestershire contains anchovies)

½ TBSP soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Melt the butter, add the spices. Mix well. Dump the cereal in a bowl, add nuts, pretzels or crackers of choice. Pour the buttery spice mixture over it and mix very well. Bake at 250 for 1 hour and stir every 15 minutes. Dump onto paper towels and let cool. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Scraps and Snippets ~ German Chocolate Puppy Chow or Poopies (Vegan)

If you like coconut and chocolate and delicious crunch...you might want to make this ASAP... Leave out the pecans if you want and use more coconut for pure chocolate/coconut magic. This is amazing and doesn't feel or taste weird or vegan or healthy. It is decadent. Make sure your ingredients are vegan (i.e. powdered sugar and semi-sweet chocolate chips if this is important to you.) (If your cereal choice is gluten free, these will be, too.)

German Chocolate Poopies (German Chocolate Puppy Chow)  

Serves 4 - 8

3/4 Cup toasted coconut

3/4 Cup toasted pecan pieces

3 1/2 Cups cereal (rice or corn chez or mix of cereals)

¼ Cup coconut oil

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (This can be decreased. I only had about 3/4 of a cup the last time I made it and so I added an additional 3/4 cup of toasted coconut the bag with the powdered sugar...they weren't as well coated, but still tasted amazing.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Dump the coconut and chopped pecans on a baking sheet (lightly oil if the coconut is sweetened) Place in oven and toast approximately 10 minutes. Check at 7 to make sure the coconut is not browning too much. You will be able to smell the nuts. You want the coconut golden.
2. In double boiler or microwave melt coconut oil and chocolate chips. Add toasted nuts, coconut and cereal and stir until all coated in chocolate.
3. Pour powdered sugar into large plastic bag, the chocolate mixture to the bag and shake until all is coated. Place in fridge for an hour or so to harden the chocolate. If there is any left you will want to store it in an airtight container.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Muddy Buddies/Puppy Chow Cereal Treats

 Sometimes I forget how easy it is to veganize some things. Puppy Chow aka chocolate peanut butter sugar dusted pillows of deliciousness were an easy go to recipe back in the day. Nostalgia reared it's head last week when I was working on some vegan chex mix savory mixes. I still had cereal, and a little voice requested puppy chow (so she's 27 and it was clearly a grown female voice, but that's beside the point). 

Here's what I did. And the result? Ahhh. sugar dusted chocolate peanut butter pillows of deliciousness! 

4 Cups of cereal of choice, like Chex. I used half rice/half corn. 

1/4 Cup peanut butter (I used natural chunky, just peanuts and salt)

1/2 Cup vegan chocolate chips

1 TBSP oil (I used coconut oil but Earth Balance margarine or equivalent should work)

2/3 Cup vegan powdered sugar. (You can make your own if you have the patience and a high speed blender...)

Melt peanut butter, chocolate chips and oil. Mix well. Dump in cereal and stir until coated. 

In a large zipper bag dump the powdered sugar. Then dump the cereal mixture over the sugar and close bag and begin shaking until all the cereal is coated. Serve. Enjoy the nostalgia. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Lemon Pasta Carbonara

You've seen the one pan pasta dish, right? The one all over Pinterest? Where you dump all the ingredients for a pasta meal into a pan and cook away? I've been experimenting. This was pretty tasty. I'm going to try adding olives and more lemon juice (replacing equal amounts of water) next time.  

Lemon Pasta Carbonara

8 oz pasta (I used rice spaghetti and broke it in half)

1/2-3/4 cups onion (diced)

1 pepper diced (I used half of a green and half of an orange pepper)

6 slices of vegan bacon (I used Upton's strips)

1 Cup vegetable broth

2 Cups water

1/2 Cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) 

2 teaspoons of lemon/garlic pepper blend (or 1 tsp of dried or fried garlic, 1/2 tsp of pepper, 1/2 tsp of lemon peel)

2 tsp oil (I used garlic infused grape seed oil)

Chop bacon into small pieces, toss in frying pan. Add onion and peppers and fry until bacon is cooked and veggies are browning and translucent. Add the additional ingredients. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, stir frequently until pasta is cooked and the liquid has turned into a sauce. About 9 minutes. Serve. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Berry Coconut Cupcakes and Frosting ~ So Delicious

 I'm entering this recipe into the So Delicious Spring Fling Recipe Contest. 

Berry Coconut Cup Cakes (makes 18)

1 egg substitute (1 TBSP ground chia or egg replacer)

1/2 TBSP baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 Cup So Delicious coconut milk (at room temperature)

1/4 Cup jam (I used organic strawberry all fruit)

1/2 Cup of coconut oil (melted)

1 1/4 Cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 Cup flour

Put milk and egg replacer powder together in a bowl and set aside. Cream coconut oil and sugar together. Add salt and baking powder, mix until incorporated. Pour half the milk and the extracts in and mix. Pour in half the flour and mix well, add the rest of the milk, stir then the additional flour and mix for two more minutes.

Fill cupcake liners 1/2-2/3 full. 

Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes or until knife comes out clean. If you want vanilla, use 1 Cup of So Delicious and no jam.

Berry Frosting

3 TBSP berry jam

3 TBSP Earth Balance or coconut oil

1/2 tsp of vanilla

2 Cups powdered sugar

If too thick add just a splash of coconut milk, if still too wet add a little more powdered sugar.

When the cupcakes are cool frost each cupcake.