Sesame Ginger Peanut Sauce

A few weeks ago a local university emailed out that they were looking for families to host students for dinner. Aaron and I jumped on the chance to meet some new people looking for a home-cooked meal, and the experience did not disappoint. Our guests were a freshman from California and a graduate student from India and we had a wonderful time getting to know them. We did a make-your-own stir fry with separate components of rice, veggies, tofu, chicken, garnishes, and two sauces, one of them being this one. I generally love peanut-based sauces but the best thing about this sauce was that our Indian guest told us it was a lot like a sauce his mom makes. When he said "I'm tasting home right now," I almost melted. So whether or not this sauce tastes like home to you, I hope you find it tasty!

Sesame Ginger Peanut Sauce (makes 1 1/2 cups)

1/3 cup tahini

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 Tbls. fresh grated ginger

1 tsp. sesame oil

2 tsp. rice vinegar

1 Tbls. Bragg's liquid aminos/soy sauce/tamari

2 Tbls. mirin

1/4 cup water

1 Tbls. lime juice

Combine the tahini and peanut butter and microwave for 30 seconds. This will make it easier to combine the rest of the ingredients.

Whisk in the rest of the ingredients and use however you want. Refrigerate if not using using right away.

Maple Cherry Almond Overnight Oats

About a month ago my friend Ilana texted me this recipe for overnight oats. It was my first foray into this new food trend, despite my friend and co-worker Sarah trying to get me on the overnight oat bandwagon for a while, and I was instantly hooked. If you haven't tried them before, overnight oats "cook" by soaking in liquid overnight, and are eaten cold. They have since become my go-to breakfast, especially since mornings have recently become a lot busier in our house! No need to worry about Aaron stealing them as he doesn't like them, and affectionately refers to them as "left behind oats" and "forgotten oats." I also heard him once talking to our child and referring to them as "Mama's weird oats." At any rate, I made this version that's a bit more decadent and am excited to share it!

Maple Cherry Almond Overnight Oats (serves 1)

1/2 cup oats

1/3-1/2 cup non-dairy milk (depending on how juicy you like your oats)

2 Tbls. almond butter

2-3 Tbls. chopped toasted almonds

1-2 Tbls. pure maple syrup

1 cup fresh or frozen cherries, pitted

1 tsp. brown sugar

Heat the cherries and brown sugar over medium heat.

Keep stirring until they are reduced and syrupy, about 10 minutes.

Refrigerate overnight.

Meanwhile, combine the oats, milk, almond butter, and maple syrup.

Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, layer 1/3 of the oat mixture, 1/3 of the cherry mixture, and 1/3 of the almonds. Enjoy!

Warm Winter Salad

Last weekend my friend Lauren and I had lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. If there's one near you I highly recommend it - their food is unbelievable, the ambiance is adorable, and they have plenty of vegan options, all of which are clearly marked on their menu. Win. One of their seasonal specials this winter is the Warm Winter Grain Bowl, which you can see on their menu, here (I subbed avocado for goat cheese). I loved it so much I re-created it for dinner that night, and included some vegan chicken (the menu suggests adding real bird). Despite having many components it's quite easy to whip together and it is SO GOOD. What an awesome and satisfying mix of textures and flavors. We shall be making this again soon.

Warm Winter Salad (serves 4)

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup black rice
2 small-medium sweet potatoes
2 cups broccoli florets
3 leaves kale
1 cup packed arugula
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries*
1 package Beyond Meat grilled chicken strips (optional)
1 Tbls. Bragg's liquid aminos/soy sauce/tamari
1 Tbls. canola oil + more for cooking
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

*The original at LPQ has pomegranate seeds. For me, they are hard to find and expensive but if you've got them, go for it

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash the potatoes and poke holes with a fork to vent. Microwave for 4-6 minutes, until they are soft enough to cut.

While the potatoes are microwaving:

1. Start cooking the quinoa and rice according the package directions. 
2. Toss the pumpkin seeds with the liquid aminos and 1 Tbls. canola oil. Spread on a small baking pan and roast in the oven, or toast if you have a countertop toaster oven. Watch them carefully throughout the rest of the cooking and take them out when they smell nice and toasty. Set aside.

Cut the potatoes into 1 inch chunks and toss in a large baking pan with canola oil. Bake for a few minutes while you chop the broccoli. Add the broccoli to the pan and put back in the oven.

Wash and stem the kale. Tear the leaves into large pieces and add to the pan with the potatoes and broccoli. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and put back in the oven.

While the veggies are on the last leg of cooking, it's time to get the finishing touches ready. If you are using the "chicken," start cooking it according to package directions. While it is cooking, make sure you have your arugula, cranberries, avocado, lemon juice, and olive oil ready.

Check on the veggies. Once the kale is cooked down, you are ready to eat! Assemble the bowls as follows:

1. Scoop a mound of the grains into each bowl
2. Top with veggies
3. 1/4 cup of arugula on top next
4. Then the chicken, if using
5. Top with diced avocado
6. Sprinkle 2 Tbls. each of the pumpkin seeds and cranberries
7. Dress with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper

Amazingness.

Green Goodness Dressing

The food company Annie's has two amazing salad dressings: Goddess, which is vegan, and Green Goddess, which is not. When I was in high school the Green Goddess dressing was all the rage. Salads were made cool again with this ridiculously tasty dressing. While looking for a new salad dressing a couple weeks ago I pointed out the two dressings to Aaron and though he was skeptical, he agreed to try the Goddess one. He did like it but I ended up eating most of it. It's kind of expensive so I thought hey, check out the ingredients list and I'll make my own. And I made it green just for fun. I can't remember if it tastes even remotely like the Green Goddess but whatever, it's good. And super easy. Can you put ingredients in a blender? Great, you can make this dressing.

Green Goodness Dressing (makes 2 cups)

3/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Bragg's liquid aminos/tamari/soy sauce
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 bunch parsley
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 green onions

Blend it all together and pour over your favorite salad.

Butternut Squash and Sage Pasta

Not that this blog has any kind of robust readership whatsoever (sorry, Mom), but I'm back! Family life has gone through some wonderfully crazy changes the past month but since Aaron and our new little one are now snoozing on the couch while watching football, I wanted to take the time to blog about my lunch I'm currently eating. The inspiration for this recipe came eight years ago...I know, that's a long time to think about cooking something. I was traveling internationally and staying with a co-worker whose husband made the most amazing butternut squash sauce over pasta. The thought of this dish's tastiness has clearly not left me because I finally made it the other day. My friend Amy (of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie fame) was over and also loved this sauce. She suggested using it as a ravioli filling so...if anyone knows how to make vegan ravioli from scratch, holler!

Butternut Squash and Sage Pasta (serves 6-8)

1 medium butternut squash*
1 sweet onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled smashed
20-30 leaves fresh sage (I used 30 and it is delightfully sage-y)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbls. vegan butter, cut into small chunks
Salt and pepper
6-8 servings of whatever pasta you want
Vegetable broth (optional)

*If you're using the pre-cut kind, I honestly have no idea how many cups I used. Take a look at the picture and use your best visual estimation skills :)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Using a fork, poke some holes in the squash and microwave it for 4-6 minutes to soften. While it is microwaving, prepare the onion and garlic and place in a large baking dish.

Using a vegetable peeler or a knife, peel the squash. Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds (do something with them if you're fancy), and cut the flesh into large chunks. Add to the onion and garlic along with the sage.

Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt pepper. Mix it all together with your hands and add in the butter chunks on top.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes.

When there are 10-15 minutes left of baking, start boiling the pasta water. Cook the pasta according to package directions, under-cooking by 1-2 minutes.

Add all the veggies and juices to a blender and blend away. The sauce will be pretty thick so if you want it thinner, add veggie broth to your liking. I didn't add any for this one and loved the way it turned out, but do as you please.

Add the sauce to a large pot and add in the pasta, cooking it all together for a few minutes.

EAT! If you don't want to cook all the pasta at once you can save some of the sauce for later enjoyment.

Bean Salad

Aaron's mom makes an incredibly tasty bean salad. Well I think it's tasty, Aaron doesn't like it because he doesn't like beans. Weirdo. His parents are always so conscientious about cooking vegan for me and the first time I visited his mom had every meal planned and prepped, this salad being one of them. I loved it so much that she's made it for me ever since...poor Aaron. Hopefully he's at least happy about the fact that his mom and I like each other ;). The past week at work I brought this salad over spinach accompanied by a hearty muffin and was quite happy with it. I tweaked her recipe a tiny bit but thanks, Barbara, for providing the original!

Bean Salad (serves 8-10)

3 cans any beans you want (I used garbanzo, kidney, and great northern)
2 cups shredded carrots
4-5 green onions, chopped
1 cup corn kernels (optional)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. olive oil
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbls. sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, and sugar to make the dressing.

Drain and rinse the beans.  Toss together with the carrots, onions, and corn (if using) in the dressing. Season to taste.

Berry Cherry White Tea Popsicles

At Whole Foods yesterday I saw white tea berry cherry popsicles...that were crazy expensive. No thank you. I'm making these myself. Aaron and I got popsicle molds a while ago but haven't been too consistent about making them. So this was a good one to try, and I'm a fan!

Berry Cherry White Tea Popsicles (makes 6 1/3 cup popsicles - adjust depending on the size of your molds)

1 cup white tea
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries (I used 1/2 cup each of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cherries
Agave nectar and/or lemon juice, to taste

Blend all ingredients together, adding agave nectar if it's not sweet enough and lemon juice if it's not tart enough.

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Enjoy!

Smoky Cheddar Cheese Spread/Dip

At a work meeting yesterday someone brought cheese and crackers as a snack and I couldn't stop staring. I'm chalking it up to the baby hormones, as lately I've been loving looking at cheese but maintaining my lack of interest in actually eating it. Sometimes I google pictures of cheese. I once put that cubed, cocktail cheese in our grocery cart so I could look at it while we shopped and then made Aaron put it back on the shelf when we were checking out. But I've never wanted to actually eat it. Making sliceable vegan cheddar cheese takes a few days and ain't nobody got time for that. So I looked up a cheddar cheese spread recipe, made it, and...it was not good. So I made my own today. Eating it now. Getting food all over my computer. Don't care.

Smoky Cheddar Cheese Spread/Dip (makes 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup cashews, soaked in water for several hours
2 sun dried tomatoes, soaked in water for several hours (use the large flat dry kind, not the oil-packed kind)
1 Tbls. white vinegar
1 tsp. yellow mustard
2 Tbls. nutritional yeast
1 Tbls. tahini
1/2 Tbls. Bragg's liquid aminos
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika (if you don't want it "smoky," leave this out, or use regular paprika)
1/4 tsp. citric acid
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup water

Drain and rinse the cashews and tomatoes. Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate.

Yummy on a cracker (Bite-Size Everything Crackers from Trader Joe's).

This is what one's kitchen looks like after trying to invent vegan cheese.

Hunky Monkey Ice Cream

When thinking of a new ice cream flavor to make a few days ago, I suggested banana bread to Aaron. He came back with Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey (insert all copyright/trademark info here...I'm not trying to steal your thunder, Vermont!). A lengthy discussion then ensued about how I don't like large chocolate chunks in my ice cream because they get too cold and hard to eat and could we please do a fudge swirl instead but when we've tried fudge before it never comes out right because we're not patient and this time we're going to do it right.

Enough talking. I bring you...the tastiest ice cream ever. Inspired and enjoyed by Aaron, my hunky monkey. (PS Ben and Jerry's is going to start catering to the dairy-free soon)

Hunky Monkey Ice Cream

2 frozen bananas
2 cups non-dairy creamer
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 recipe chocolate fudge sauce
1-1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Before you begin, decide what container you will use to hold your ice cream and make sure there is space in your freezer for it to lay flat.

Blend together the bananas, creamer, coconut milk, and sugar. Batter = done.

Make according to your ice cream maker's directions, adding in the walnuts in the last few minutes of churning. Spread evenly in whatever container you're using and freeze for a few hours, until pretty thick but not rock-solid.

While the ice cream is churning, make the chocolate sauce and refrigerate.

Once the ice cream is good to go, glob the fudge sauce on top.

Using a fork, gently distribute the sauce into the ice cream. You want to swirl it, not fully combine it. Both the ice cream and the fudge sauce need to be as cold as possible while still being able to "move," otherwise they will melt together too much (which if you want it that way, obvs fine, just not how I wanted this one.)

Freeze again until solid. Make sure it is flat in your freezer, otherwise it will get too swirled together (unless you want it that way!)

Scoop and serve.

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

Trader Joe's never ceases to amaze me. It's a shot in the dark if they'll have say, basil, but the selection of "accidentally" vegan novelty grocery items they have is quite fantastic (for the full list, see here). My mom found snickerdoodle cookies that are both vegan and gluten free, and they are so good. I like softer cookies and these are so melt-in-your-mouth chewy and delicious. I was in the mood to do something different with ice cream so I added these to a new kind of ice cream batter* and was quite pleased with the result. I don't have my own vegan snickerdoodle recipe but if Trader Joe's isn't in your future, Google can help you find plenty.

*I mean new for me, I highly doubt I'm the first person to make ice cream this way.

Snickerdoodle Ice Cream

1 cup cashews, soaked in water for several hours or overnight
1 can coconut milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup crushed snickerdoodle cookies (6 if you're using the ones from Trader Joe's)

Drain and rinse the cashews. Blend all ingredients (except the cookies) together until smooth.

Make according to your ice cream maker's directions. Freeze the cookies while the batter is churning and add in during the last few minutes.

Tofu Scramble

I never ate scrambled eggs in my egg-eating days, mainly because I didn't like the texture. Scrambled tofu though I'm fine with, as I think it's much more versatile texture-wise than eggs are. This morning I had to have a blood test where I wasn't allowed to eat sugar beforehand. They advised me to have scrambled eggs for breakfast (um, please look right there in my chart where it says VEGAN) but agreed that scrambled tofu was okay. Not that I normally dump spoonfuls of sugar on my tofu scramble, but sugar lurks in pretty much everything. So I'm crossing my fingers that everything worked out okay! And if it didn't, at least I started my morning off well with this delicious tofu scramble. Aaron enjoyed his sugary cereal for breakfast, but it would be super easy to up the quantity of this dish if you are cooking for more people.

Tofu Scramble (serves 1)

1/4 block tofu, pressed
1 Tbls. canola oil
2 Tbls. diced red onion*
1 leaf kale, chopped*
1/2 Tbls. nutritional yeast
1/2 Tbls. hemp seed
Salt and pepper, to taste**

* Use whatever veggies you want and adjust the cooking time accordingly
** Season however you want

While the tofu is pressing, prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute the onions for a few minutes until they lighten in color.

Crumble in the tofu using your hands and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to color.

I forgot to take a picture with just the tofu so once I added the kale I tried to move it over to the side to capture just the tofu...

Add in the kale and saute a few more minutes.

Once the kale is starting to crisp up in places, lower the heat and add in the nutritional yeast, hemp seed, salt, and pepper. Cook just until the nutritional yeast starts to color. Eat!

Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles

Hoooo boooyy it has been a WHILE since I've posted! Rule #76, no excuses, play like a champion, let's get this blogging show back on the road.

When I was a kid, my parents made popsicles by freezing cranberry juice (I know, super simple, but we thought it was the greatest thing in the world). The coolest part was probably that the handle had a little straw coming out of the side of it so you could sip whatever popsicle juice melted without making a mess. Aaron and I aren't quite as cool so our popsicle molds don't have that feature, but they still work great. These popsicles are quite tasty and perfect for the summer - though be sure to adjust the quantities as needed based on your popsicle molds. As a side note, I could not for the life of me get these photos to rotate...thankfully this recipe isn't too dependent on photos!

Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles (makes 6 1/2 cup popsicles)

2 cups water
3/4 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)
2 Tbls. lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbls. sugar

Blend all ingredients together.

Divide evenly in popsicle molds.

Freeze several hours and enjoy!

Simple Mills Pizza

This post is sponsored by Simple Mills, a gluten-free, allergy-friendly baking mix company. To purchase the pizza dough featured in this recipe, click here to buy online or here to find in a store near you.

My friend Amy (who inspired the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies) recently started working for Simple Mills, a Chicago-based company that makes a variety of baking mixes suitable for people with food sensitivities. Everything is gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free, and their products can also be made with egg substitutes. Amy gave me their Almond Flour Pizza Dough Mix to try and it did not disappoint. I checked the serving size on the box after dinner and it turns out I ate four servings so...I guess I liked it? Plus it was super easy to make. A far cry from the disastrous gluten-free pizza dough I've tried to make before!

Simple Mills Pizza (makes 12 servings, but realistically will serve 4 people)

1 box Simple Mills Almond Flour Pizza Dough Mix
*2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
*2 Tbls. grapeseed or vegetable oil
*6 Tbls. water
1/3 cup pesto
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
4 artichoke hearts
1/4 cup goat cheese spread, without apricots

*These ingredients are used in making the pizza dough

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, and water, then stir in the pizza dough mix.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a pizza stone. Coat your hands lightly with oil and press the dough flat. The box recommends two round pizza doughs but I just made one nebulous blob and it turned out fine. The dough will not rise so press it as thin/thick as you want; mine was about 1/4" thick.

Bake the dough for 5 minutes. While it is baking, slice the artichoke hearts and julienne the tomatoes. Spread on the pesto and then sprinkle on the artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (I did 15). As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, drop marble-sized pieces of "goat cheese" onto the pizza. If you are planning on having leftovers, sprinkle the cheese only on the part you are planning to eat, as I did below.

Slice and serve!

Yuummmaaaayyy! Thanks, Amy and Simple Mills!

Wildflour Smoothie

Last weekend I took a trip out east to visit my dear friend Alex in Rhode Island. We went to a delightful vegan bakery and cafe, Wildflour, which I highly recommend the next time you find yourself near Providence. We shared a raspberry oat crumb bar and a coconut chocolate chip scone and brb while I go to Rhode Island to get some more. I also had a deliciously amazing smoothie there, called the Princess Leia. It wasn't on their website when I checked jut now but the original concoction had orange juice, blueberry, pineapple, and ginger. I tweaked it a bit when I got home and my the result is delish! I don't have anything against pineapple, I actually love it, but it makes my mouth feel very strange and gives me a weird aftertaste. Does anyone else have this problem? Swap out the mango for pineapple if you're so inclined.

Wildflour Smoothie (serves 1)

1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen mango chunks
Small handful of spinach (gotta sneak those greens in there!)
3 chunks crystallized ginger
1 Tbls. hemp seed

Blend everything together and drink away.

French Fries for 1 or More

I haven't been posting a lot lately because I've been too busy making french fries. Just kidding about the not-posting part, totally serious about the copious amounts of french fries. Do you know how hard it is to find vegan french fries in restaurants? Potatoes are vegan. Oil is vegan. Salt is vegan. But when you fry those spuds in the same fryer as your calamari and chicken fingers? Not cool. I've always loved french fries but just haven't had them regularly for this reason. So when I happened upon a bag of potatoes a few weeks ago (I made "real" Mr. Potato Heads with my kids at work - one of the many benefits of working with children - and we had a ton of potatoes leftover) I took to it and made my own fries. I've been perfecting this recipe, not that it's that hard. But these are great because you can make them for just you, or for however many people you want. They are so easy to make, no deep fryer required.

French Fries (serves however many people you want)

1 small-medium russet potato per person you are serving

Coconut oil

Sea salt

Any other seasonings you want

Ketchup or other dip for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash the potato and peel, if desired (I don't). Microwave for 1-2 minutes just to make it easier to cut. Don't over-nuke it though, otherwise it will just mush under the knife. Cut into french fry shapes, as thin or thick as you want. I used a mandolin the first time and they turned out way too thin, but if yours cuts the way you want then that may be easier. 

Place on silpat or parchment paper on a baking tray. Drizzle liberally with coconut oil and sprinkle generously with salt and any other seasonings you want. Toss it all around and arrange the fries so they aren't touching each other.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are slightly golden and crispy, turning once halfway through. The coconut oil will be all foamy and bubbly as they cook, don't worry, this is fine!

Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately with your favorite dip.