It's got to start somewhere so why not here?
Yes. A new blog. Another blog. Another food blog. Lord help.
But I am really jazzed about some of the new things I am making, and how I've been navigating this world of healthy veg forward eating. What's that mean?
Well..... I eat a predominately vegan diet. The ratio varies depending on what's going on, but this way of eating has become something that works for me. (Let's just say that youthful disordered eating issues can sometimes overwhelm stringent food rules.) And looking at the balanced approach let's me go vegan and gluten-free, but it also gives me flexibility when those things aren't options.
So it's been just over a year of trying to find the balance and feeing an urgent need to commit, to belong to a group, and realizing that while there may not be a focused group of "veg forward" bumper-snickered, t-shirted tribespeople, it is what works for me.
Now that that's out there. Let's please just stop and look at this mac n cheese with bacon that I made today.
Um. Yeah.
It was great. I used the PC (President's Choice) brand gluten-free macaroni, which is amazing. I truly cannot tell a difference between it and regular pasta. So while I do eat gluten occasionally, where I can avoid it easily, I do!
But first, I made a tofu bacon.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I took this recipe from www.kitchentreaty.com and made some very minor tweaks. It's the second time I've made it, and I have to say that it's truly the very best. Better than turkey bacon, better than any facon I've tried. The best.
Then I made the very easy cheeze sauce.
I apparently didn't take a photo of the cheese, but here it is mixed in with the cooked pasta.
Added in the chopped bacon, and et voila. Amazing.
It was rich, cheezey, and so satisfying. In fact, I was doing some vegan blog browsing while eating this and thought to myself, "oops, reading vegan blogs while eating mac!" because I forgot it was vegan!!! That's a testimonial in and of itself.
So the recipes?
See below:
Tofu Bacony Deliciousness
Ingredients:
1 half block of extra-firm tofu (drained, but no need to press)
1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp maple syrup
You will also need a decent knife and a non-stick pan that cleans easily bc otherwise you won't ever want to make it again.
What to do:
Slice the tofu super thin. I made a few different sizes of thin and found that over the course of a couple of days, I used the different sizes for different things. Slightly thicker made a great BLT, thinner crispier was great in all kinds of pasta, etc.
Mix the tamari, paprika, and maple syrup together.
Fry the tofu in a bit of oil (your choice, I use avocado). Once it's dried out and toasty, turn the heat down very slightly and pour in the wet ingredients. Cook until it's where you want it. Take it out of the pan or it will shellac itself to the bottom!!!
ENJOY!
Mac and Cheese for Beginners
Ingredients:
about 1 cup of raw cashews (softened - soak forever or boil for 15 minutes)
1/3 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice
1/3 cup of water
sprinkle of garlic power (or use fresh - I didn't have any on hand!)
1 tbsp of nutritional yeast (I will do a whole post about this ingredient - It's SUPER love hate)
a TON of black pepper and salt (or to taste)
1 tsp regular yellow mustard
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp of chili powder
Splash of oil of choice
Pasta (I use gluten-free macaroni)
3-4 strips of Bacon Tofu
What to do:
Cook the pasta while you make the sauce.
In a high powered blender, mix the softened cashews and all other ingredients until it's really smooth. If it's too thick, add more water or milk to taste. Adjust seasonings. This is important. This is YOUR mac, not mine, so if you like more nutritional yeast, add it.
Once the pasta is ready, drain and mix with the sauce. You may have more sauce than you need, so add slowly and keep stirring and adjusting. (My leftover sauce was saved and used in nachos the next day, and another mac n cheese a couple of days later.)
Slice up the bacon, mix in. Add whatever else you have on hand that sounds good... chopped tomato, green onion, etc. Pour into a big bowl and sit and eat. But most importantly...
ENJOY!
So there they are. Two recipes that aren't EXACTLY like the real thing, but are close enough for horseshoes.
I hope you join me on this blog adventure.
But I am really jazzed about some of the new things I am making, and how I've been navigating this world of healthy veg forward eating. What's that mean?
Well..... I eat a predominately vegan diet. The ratio varies depending on what's going on, but this way of eating has become something that works for me. (Let's just say that youthful disordered eating issues can sometimes overwhelm stringent food rules.) And looking at the balanced approach let's me go vegan and gluten-free, but it also gives me flexibility when those things aren't options.
So it's been just over a year of trying to find the balance and feeing an urgent need to commit, to belong to a group, and realizing that while there may not be a focused group of "veg forward" bumper-snickered, t-shirted tribespeople, it is what works for me.
Now that that's out there. Let's please just stop and look at this mac n cheese with bacon that I made today.
It was great. I used the PC (President's Choice) brand gluten-free macaroni, which is amazing. I truly cannot tell a difference between it and regular pasta. So while I do eat gluten occasionally, where I can avoid it easily, I do!
But first, I made a tofu bacon.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I took this recipe from www.kitchentreaty.com and made some very minor tweaks. It's the second time I've made it, and I have to say that it's truly the very best. Better than turkey bacon, better than any facon I've tried. The best.
Then I made the very easy cheeze sauce.
I apparently didn't take a photo of the cheese, but here it is mixed in with the cooked pasta.
Added in the chopped bacon, and et voila. Amazing.
So the recipes?
See below:
Tofu Bacony Deliciousness
Ingredients:
1 half block of extra-firm tofu (drained, but no need to press)
1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp maple syrup
You will also need a decent knife and a non-stick pan that cleans easily bc otherwise you won't ever want to make it again.
What to do:
Slice the tofu super thin. I made a few different sizes of thin and found that over the course of a couple of days, I used the different sizes for different things. Slightly thicker made a great BLT, thinner crispier was great in all kinds of pasta, etc.
Mix the tamari, paprika, and maple syrup together.
Fry the tofu in a bit of oil (your choice, I use avocado). Once it's dried out and toasty, turn the heat down very slightly and pour in the wet ingredients. Cook until it's where you want it. Take it out of the pan or it will shellac itself to the bottom!!!
ENJOY!
Mac and Cheese for Beginners
Ingredients:
about 1 cup of raw cashews (softened - soak forever or boil for 15 minutes)
1/3 cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice
1/3 cup of water
sprinkle of garlic power (or use fresh - I didn't have any on hand!)
1 tbsp of nutritional yeast (I will do a whole post about this ingredient - It's SUPER love hate)
a TON of black pepper and salt (or to taste)
1 tsp regular yellow mustard
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp of chili powder
Splash of oil of choice
Pasta (I use gluten-free macaroni)
3-4 strips of Bacon Tofu
What to do:
Cook the pasta while you make the sauce.
In a high powered blender, mix the softened cashews and all other ingredients until it's really smooth. If it's too thick, add more water or milk to taste. Adjust seasonings. This is important. This is YOUR mac, not mine, so if you like more nutritional yeast, add it.
Once the pasta is ready, drain and mix with the sauce. You may have more sauce than you need, so add slowly and keep stirring and adjusting. (My leftover sauce was saved and used in nachos the next day, and another mac n cheese a couple of days later.)
Slice up the bacon, mix in. Add whatever else you have on hand that sounds good... chopped tomato, green onion, etc. Pour into a big bowl and sit and eat. But most importantly...
ENJOY!
So there they are. Two recipes that aren't EXACTLY like the real thing, but are close enough for horseshoes.
I hope you join me on this blog adventure.
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