VEGAN LEMON BLUEBERRY BISCUITS

LEMON BLUEBERRY BISCUITS
(makes 12-18 biscuits depending on size)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 c. soy milk
1 T. ground flax dissolved in 1/4 c. water
1/4 c. vegan butter or butter flavored Crisco, softened
1 t. grated lemon peel
1 c. frozen blueberries

GLAZE
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t. grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Add 1 T. lemon juice to the soy milk and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine the flax, butter or Crisco and lemon peel.  Stir the soy milk mixture into other wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened, Carefully fold in blueberries.

Drop by tablespoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F. for about 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let cool 10 minutes, then glaze.  (I also sprinkled mine with powdered sugar at the end.)

CASHEW CREAM

I've seen all sorts of information for cashew cream as a "staple" of vegan eaters.  I thought maybe I was missing out since I never really ate it and thought I would give it a try.

I've used the cashews in my nacho cheese sauce but hadn't just made cream with them. Well, it turns out it was super simple and super versatile.

As a vegan, we miss out on a lot of those "creamy" foods that are normally made with cow's milk--cheeses and Alfredo sauce and creamy soups. But this cashew cream turned out very creamy, had a great texture, and the flavor can be modified to make whatever you please. 

Today I added Italian seasonings, nutritional yeast and a can of diced tomatoes to make a creamy tomato sauce for some bow tie pasta.

I'm going to test it tonight on my family with some creamy green chili sauce with some Mexican style foods.

As I use it in various recipes I'll post those and link to this.  Give it try. I was very pleasantly surprised!

CASHEW CREAM
In the blender:
1 c. raw cashews, soaked in water in the refrigerator overnight
Just enough cold water to cover them
Blend for about a minute, scrape the sides of the blender and then blend another 2 minutes. My blender made it creamy enough without texture left, but if your blender isn't that powerful you may want to then put the cream through cheesecloth to separate out any nut meal left.
More water will give you thinner cream and less will make it thicker.  

VEGAN FRIED RICE

 
VEGAN FRIED RICE
1 package firm or extra firm tofu, drained and pressed and cubed
2 T. oil or veggie broth
1 t. sesame oil
2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
1 small onion, diced
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
3 c. brown rice, cooked according to directions and cooled
1 c. carrots, diced
1 c. frozen or fresh peas
1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
1 small can bamboo shoots
(Or other vegetables of your choice)

Add the oil, sesame oil and soy sauce to a large fry pan and heat until hot. Add tofu and stir-fry over high heat for a 2 minutes per side.  Add in onion, ginger and garlic and stir-fry 1 minute more. Add in rice and veggies. Cook until heated through. Taste and season with white pepper and more soy sauce if needed. Serve with chili-garlic or other hot sauce of your choice.

Chocolate Almond Butter Smoothie

I bought some almond butter at Trader Joe's over the break and was trying to find some ways to use it. My son suggested a smoothie, so we came up with this one and it is pretty yummy! Feels like eating a milkshake, but not so bad for you.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BUTTER SMOOTHIE
In the blender, combine until smooth:
1 cup almond or soy milk (or your fav plant-based milk)
1 T. almond butter
1 banana
1 t. cocoa powder
1 t. agave nectar (optional--I used it when we used unsweetened soy, but I left it out when we used the vanilla soy)
1-2 c. ice

VEGAN PIZZA ROLLS

I rolled out pizza dough (from a tube) and seasoned it with pizza seasoning.  Then I topped it with chopped olives, pineapple, roasted red pepper, green pepper and onion.  Then I rolled it back to the shape of a loaf of bread and baked it at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes.  Sliced and served with pizza sauce for dipping.  Big hit with the child care kids today! : )  Would make a good appetizer for parties. Use your favorite pizza toppings!

VEGAN ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND RED PEPPER PASTA

Super simple, just a few ingredients and a real FAVORITE at our house!!  Quick and great for guests.  Easy to make in bulk for a large crowd. This dish is good if you have vegetarians/vegans and meat-eaters sharing a meal.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA

8 oz dried large bow-tie pasta, cook according to directions

olive oil for browning sausages

4 links Vegan Italian sausage links
1 large jar roasted red sweet peppers, drained
½ c  veggie broth
¼ t   ground black pepper
¼ c   fresh parsley

Cut sausages into 1 inch pieces. Cut sweet peppers into 1/2 inch pieces.  In a large fry pan, cook sausage and sweet peppers in olive oil over medium-high heat until sausage is brown.  Drain well.  Add the broth and black pepper to the meat and peppers.  Bring to a boil.  Cook 5 minutes (a slight reduction).  Remove from heat and pour over cooked pasta.  Add parsley and toss gently. 

Note: I have made this with fresh red peppers, too, and it is very good. But I prefer the flavor of the roasted peppers.

Shiitake Noodle Bowl

I made miso soup and added in cabbage, shiitake mushrooms and extra spinach and green onions.  Then we served it over noodles.  You can use soba, rice noodles, glass noodles, or fettuccine or even just use rice.  It was very yummy and warm and hit the spot today.  We also made some veggie spring rolls for the side.  I added hot chili garlic sauce to mine for some heat.

Not an official recipe sicne I just added as I went. So these are approximate amounts.

My daughter enjoying her noodle bowl with her new giraffe chopsticks! : )

SHIITAKE MUSHROOM NOODLE BOWL

Shiitake mushrooms (about 2 cups, sliced)
Green onion (about 4, chopped)
Spinach (about 1 cup, chopped)
Cabbage or other cabbage like product (about 1 cup, chopped)
1/2 cube of firm tofu cut into small squares
4 c. veggie broth
2 t. miso dissolved in hot water
2 t. soy sauce
2 t. rice vinegar

Simmer all together and then serve over noodles that have been cooked according to package directions.

This was very mild, so feel free to spice it up a bit with more soy, miso or rice vinegar, or add in fresh ginger, garlic, or whatever you like.  My kids liked it "plain" while I liked it with some heat.