Vegan Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese

My CSA box came with a butternut squash, and I had no desire to make soup...which it seems is the most popular recipe for butternut squash.  It's fine, it's just not my thing.  I started looking around for recipes online when I realized I could just substitute out the squash for the veggies in my go-to vegan mac n cheese recipe.  For the record, I hate when people don't give you specific amounts and say a small/medium/large whatever.  In this case, I have no choice because 1. I didn't measure it 2.  It's not that serious, just wing it, it'll be fine.

Ingredients 

1 pound of cooked elbow macaroni
1 cup of reserved pasta water
1 cup-ish of frozen peas

1 butternut squash
1/2 a medium onion (again, not that serious) roughly chopped
2 cloved garlic, whole
1-2 TBS of olive oil

1/2 cup of cashews
3-4 tsp of salt (I use kosher, but use what you like)
5 TBS of vegan butter
1/2 tsp dijon mustard (whatever you have will be fine)
2 TBS lemon juice (fresh or from a bottle)
black pepper to taste (I crank my pepper grinder 10-20 times)
1/2 tsp paprika

 Directions: 

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and cube a butternut squash.  Put squash, onions and garlic on a baking tray with a silpat or parchment liner.  Coat lightly with olive oil (or whatever oil you like).  Put the tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for approximately a half hour.  Flip everything around half way through.

While that's baking, put pasta in a pot of salted water.  Yes, put it in before it boils.  Pasta in cold water is pasta that doesn't stick together.  Don't waste time waiting for it to boil

Now that you're waiting on things to bake and boil, put everything from the last set of ingredients (cashews down to the paprika) into blender.  And...wait.

Okay, you're pasta should be boiling...don't forget to flip around the veggies in the oven.  They should be more or less cooked through and starting to brown a little.  Carefully take a cup of pasta water  (I dip my pyrex measuring cup in, do what you want, just don't burn yourself.)  Pour that hot water into the blender.  (Since I don't pre-soak the cashews, I feel like this helps to soften everything up.)

Carefully blend everything.  Drain your pasta (assuming it's done) and put it back in the pot.  Pour in the peas and mix it up.  Take your veggies out of the oven (also assuming it's done) and dump everything into the blender.  Blend again until everything is creamy and super smooth.  Now pour this mix in with the pasta and give it a stir.

Voila!

How to Make Vegan Mayo

My daughter made me my first YouTube video. Check it out, then go to YouTube to subscribe!



 

How to Make Vegan Pierogies

Let's get the wrapper discussion out of the way.  No one's Polish grandmothers would roll over in their graves for using Asian dumpling wrappers, so please stop saying that.  Pierogi wrappers are made with flour and water, so are Asian dumpling wrappers.  Yes....I get it...maybe you're family recipe includes egg.  People add the egg so it's easier to handle the dough because it makes it tougher, but pierogi dough is supposed to be soft, not tough.  Also, some people add sour cream or milk to their dough to make it a softer dough.  That I get, but I really haven't noticed any discernible difference between the Asian wrappers and the pierogi wrapper recipes that have dairy in them.  If you really want, make your own dough.  I'm happy for this acceptable short cut if it means fresh peirogies on a weeknight.  I buy these (pic from their site because I forgot to take my own) at Hmart. They are super cheap and vegan.  A lot of their wrappers include egg, so read the ingredients.

Now we we can move on to the filling.  You don't want your filling to be hot, so if I know I'm making these, I make a different meal with mash potatoes and save some for pierogies later in the week.  If I remember, I separate the cooked potatoes after I mix in a small amount of non-dairy milk.  You don't want it to be too creamy or loose.  They do firm up in the fridge, so on the times I've forgotten, it was still fine.  Sometimes I add sauteed onions or sauerkraut, or if I have leftover cheese sauce, I'll add that too.  But really, just plain mash potatoes are fine.  I use a cookie scoop of filling, put water on the edges and seal them shut.  No fancy folded closure needed, you're making pierogies not dim sum.

I tried cooking them the same way you'd cook dumplings...pan sear then steam with a little water.  They were okay.  They were much better boiled and then fried.  I usually start making the dumplings while the water comes a to a boil.  I put eight in the water till they float, then move them over to a hot pan with coconut oil to fry.  As they boil, I continue to make dumplings, and just keep going from station to station...fill, fold, boil and fry.  It moves along very quickly once you get the hang of it.

And voila!  Pierogies.  I serve them with either Tofutti sour cream or I'll make a quick cashew sour cream.  (Once the water comes to a boil, pour a cup or so over 1 cup of cashews.  Not necessary, but I do it if I remember.  Dump the drained cashews in a blender with 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 tsp salt and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Refrigerate. Yes, it's really that easy.)

Photo credits to my kid who is really becoming an amazing photographer!

Easy Homemade Vegan Butter

This recipe is based off of Miyoko Schinner's vegan butter recipe from her amazing book, The Homemade Vegan Pantry.  If you don't own it, you should.

Yes, you can buy vegan butter.  Every grocery store I've been to carries at least one vegan butter.  Apparently, not true in Kuwait, as per my ex-military friend Mike, who is still there now.  So this recipe is for him.  The whole process takes me less than five minutes from start to finish.

I don't have a mini blender, so I use mason jars with my old Osterizer blender.  

Use a pint-sized one with the ounce markings on the side.

Add 3/4 cup of coconut oil.

Add 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk.

Add 1/8 of a cup of a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed.

Add 1 teaspoon of liquid soy lecithin.  

(I bought this huge bottle at the Vitamin Shoppe for $10. If you don't have one near you, you can order it on Amazon.  It's not just an emulsifier, it's also good for you. As per WedMD, "lecithin is used for treating memory disorders such as dementia...It is also used for treating gallbladder disease, liver disease, certain types of depression, high cholesterol, anxiety...[and] eczema.")

Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  

(I would use more if you want it to taste more like commercially made butter, but if you're going to use it for baking, then keep it to 1/2 teaspoon or less.)

If you want it to taste more like movie theater butter, add McCormick Butter Flavor.  It is vegan.  I don't normally add it, but if I am popping popcorn, I'll add it for that extra buttery kick.

Once everything is in the jar, blend away.

Once the lecithin is mixed in, it will look less orange, and more like a soft yellow.

I set my blender to "whip" and let it run for 60 seconds.

If you want it more yellow in color, add a pinch of turmeric.  I don't, but you can.

And voila!  Vegan butter.  

If I'm making mash potatoes or anything that involves melted butter, 

I'll just whip up a batch and use it right away.

Otherwise, I make tablespoon squares of butter using a silicone mold.  I think I picked up this mold at Bed, Bath & Beyond, but they're also on Amazon.  Sometimes this recipe fills it perfectly, sometimes it's a little less, sometimes it's a little more.  It all depends on how aerated it gets in the blender.  

Leave it in the refrigerator until they solidify then pop them out and store them in a container.

Why vegan butter?  Because dairy is bad for you.  Dairy is bad for cows and their babies.  And for anyone who thinks they're lactose intolerant, you're not.  You're just not a baby cow.  Stop buying into the bs of the dairy industry.  Most of the information about dairy being good for you comes from studies put out by the dairy industry!  Read real studies.  Do your own research.  The evidence is overwhelming.  Ditch dairy.  Lecture over.  Sorry, I can't help myself.

Vegan Mac n' Cheese

I have a friend, Pam.  I've known her for what feels like five million years.  She writes an amazing blog called The Mental Confessional and posts equally amazing photos on Instagram.

If you know Pam, you'd know she has these amazing sparkling eyes and the most contagious laugh.  You'd never know that Pam suffers from bipolar disorder and postpartum depression.  I know from her blog posts, that there are times that feel really dark to her.  But I also know, that through her writing she has become a beacon of light amidst the darkness for others with her honest and heartfelt writing.  I am proud of her every day for working hard at advocating for others, for trying to manage her illness and for always being the best mom to her boys.

So what does vegan mac n' cheese have to do with mental illness?  Well, dairy has been linked to depression, bipolar disorder, cancer, and even dementia.  Pam has taken steps to cut out some meat from her diet (see, I can be a good influence!) but I would love for her to stop with the dairy, especially if there's a chance it's a part of what's making her feel crappy.  So in honor of my dear inspirational friend Pam, I'd like to offer her my favorite vegan mac n' cheese recipe.  This cheese sauce is amazing.  We use it on chips, over baked potatoes, and it will be the sauce I use to make the Hubby's favorite broccoli cheese casserole with Ritz cracker topping for Thanksgiving.

I hope you try it and like it as much as we do.

All you need is pasta (obviously) potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, cashews, water, butter, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper.  Now, don't go calling shenanigans already.  I promise you, this will all come together into a cheese sauce thanks to some vegan magic!

After you boil the veggies and nuts, dump it all in the blender with the rest of the ingredients.  Don't strain the veggies and nuts, add that water too.

You wind up with this amazingly, warm, lucious, thick, creamy cheese sauce.

Pour it onto your cooked pasta.

mmm...

Ta da!  Vegan Mac n' Cheese!

I did not come up with this recipe all by myself.  I took my inspiration from VegNews Vegan Macaroni & Cheese.  When I found this recipe, it was life changing!  I made a few changes in the ingredients and cooking directions, but I'd still recommend checking their version out.  I'd also consider subscribing to their magazine.  I do and I love it!  We use this cheese sauce for all sorts of things.  Once refrigerated, it becomes spreadable.

Ingredients

1 pound of cooked elbow macaroni

2 cups of water
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup carrots, peeled and diced
2/3 cup onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of cashews

3-4 tsp of salt (I use kosher, but use what you like)
5 TBS of vegan butter (I use homemade, but use what you like)
1/2 tsp mustard (whatever you have will be fine)
2 TBS lemon juice (fresh or from a bottle)
black pepper to taste (I crank my pepper grinder 10-20 times)
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:

1. Take a medium sized pot (if it's too big, the water won't cover the vegetables) and put in the water, potatoes, carrots, onions, and cashews.
2. Bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Put into your blender, the salt, butter, mustard, lemon juice, pepper and paprika.  Add the cooked vegetables along with the cooking water to the blender.
4. Blend until smooth.  I have a high-speed blender, but I can't imagine this would be hard to do in a regular blender.  Just try it.
5. Dump in onto your macaroni and stir.  I add peas for color, but since your sauce is all vegetables, you don't really have to feel bad for eating a big bowl of pasta.

•       NOTE:  The measurements of the potatoes, carrots and onions are not exact.  I often add more or less depending on how many I peeled.  So if you have 2 1/2 cups of potatoes or 3/4 cups of carrots, don't freak out.  It's not a big deal.  But do try to dice the potatoes and carrots the same-ish size so they cook at the same rate.  Also, I buy roasted cashews because they're cheaper, and have noticed no difference in taste.

•       DISCLAIMER: This does not taste like Kraft Mac n' Cheese.  Because nostalgia makes that crap taste good, not your actual taste buds.  This tastes more like real mac n' cheese.  The kind where you make a roux and then add milk and freshly grated cheddar.  I say freshly grated, because no one should buy pregrated as it has wood pulp.  Yuck.  Just saying...