Treeline Cheesemakers French Cashew Cheese (Herb Garlic)
Everything Bagel Seasoning
Jalapeño
Grape Tomatoes
Place a light spread of cheese on the cracker. Add bagel seasoning to the cheese. Slice a sliver of jalapeno without seeds or veins and place as pictured. One grape tomato cut in half and top.
These Thai lettuce wraps are fabulous! They are great appetizers, but you will want more than one, and they make a fantastic meal. The recipe below is how I prepare them. However, one can adapt the wraps and their ingredients to your taste.
Ingredients
Live butter lettuce (usually sold in a plastic container with roots still connected)
Rice noodles (the thinnest you can find)
1 or 2 cups of canola oil
2 Beyond Burgers (thawed out in Refrigerator)
1 red, yellow, or white onion of your choice chopped into tiny pieces
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
1 can of water chestnuts drained and chopped
1 bunch of green onions cut the green part only
Sauce Ingredients
Put these all together in a measuring cup and mix (makes about 1 cup of sauce)
¼ cup of toasted sesame oil
¼ cup of rice vinegar
¼ cup of Thai Sweet Red Chili
2 Tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar
Cut the root from the lettuce and discard, then rinse the lettuce until clean. Dry thoroughly, and place two to three leaves on a platter to cradle your noodles and meatless mixture. Set aside.
Heat one to two cups of canola oil on medium-high heat, depending on the size of the pot. Break your rice noodles into about three-inch pieces, and fry for ten to thirty seconds. They come to life quickly, and you will see the difference immediately. Place on a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Rice After Frying
Rice Noodles Before Frying
Add two tablespoons of sesame oil to a clean pan and set on medium heat. Then add chopped onions, cook onions for a couple of minutes, and add garlic.
Place beyond burgers in a baggie and flatten, then place the squished burgers in the pan with the onions and garlic. Use the end of the spoon to break the burger into pieces and cook for five minutes. After five minutes, add about half of the sauce and mix thoroughly, and add the chopped water chestnuts. Then add another quarter of a cup of the sauce to taste. Cook for another five minutes while stirring. Add green onion, and stir into beyond meat content. Turn off stove top.
Thai Beyond Burger Mixture
Add a hand full of fried rice noodles on top of the cradled lettuce leaves, and then about three to four tablespoons of meatless mixture on top of the noodles. Repeat the process to all of the lettuce wraps, and enjoy.
The butter lettuce is soft and flexible and perfect for these wraps. These wraps taste AMAZING!
A Moo Alert is an important message from me to you.
Try Trader Joe’s new product that is fun and the perfect refreshment for the summer heat.
Try the new BOBA KIT ($5.49) at Trader Joe’s in the store’s frozen section. A package serves four and comes with paper straws. Gluten-Free and Vegan! A win-win!
I added a cold shot of espresso. Let me know what you add to your BOBA.
The first time I had vegan Birria Tacos, they were oh-so-bland and over cheesy, and I almost resolved not to make them. However, I decided to put my stamp on these and make them my way. They are time-consuming but worth the work. They turned out fabulous, and you will love these tacos.
Ingredients
4 cans of Jack Fruit
tip: Trader Joe’s has canned Jack Fruit for about half the price.
1/2 of onion
1 small head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
4 types of Chile Pods (Guajillo, Pasilla-Ancho, Puya, Arbol), If you like mild sauce, double up on the first two, and leave out the Puya, and Arbol.
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 Tablespoons of Maggi Jugo (purchase at your local Mexican Food Store)
2 cubes of Not-Chick’N Bouillon Cubes
2 cups of vegetable broth
3 bay leaves
Red Onion
Chopped Cilantro
Violife Colby Jack Shreds
Organic Corn Tortillas
Directions
Empty, rinse, and drain the four cans of Jack Fruit. Add your Jack Fruit with water in a large pan, and boil for an hour. Then, drain. Repeat with fresh water for another hour. Rinse and let the Jack Fruit cool. Then, shred with your fingers, and squeeze the water out. Store the Jack Fruit in your fridge overnight. I added some onion, jalapeño, and a couple of garlic cloves to infuse the Jack Fruit. Take them out before cooking.
In a small saucepan with four cups of water, add two cubes of the Not-Chick’n Bouillon. Heat and stir until dissolved. Then set aside.
Set your oven to 400 degrees, and roast half an onion with garlic. Add some extra virgin olive oil, and wrap in foil to bake for an hour. As the onion and garlic are roasting, prepare the peppers.
Remove the stems and seeds from the chile pods. Use all of the chile pods in the 2 oz. packets of Guajillo and Pasilla-Ancho. Then stem and seed four puma pods that are similar in taste to the Guajillo but a little spicer. Next, Stem and seed six Arbol chile pods. These are spicy, and add the zing to your pepper sauce.
Place the peppers in a large pot, set the stove to high heat, and cook for about 30 minutes until the pods are soft.
In a blender, add your roasted onion and squeezed garlic. Add 1 cup of the chile pod water to the blender. Then add your soft pepper chile pods with oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper, and blend until the sauce is as close to liquid.
In a large pan set on medium with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add the shredded Jack Fruit. Cook for five minutes, and then add the four cups of Not-Chick’n Bouillon sauce that you set aside.
Next, strain your pepper mixture from the blender into your Jackfruit. Turn the heat up, and it should be a soft boil, Add Bay leaves, plus three tablespoons of Jugo by Maggi sauce, and two cups of vegetable broth. Add salt to taste. Reduce heat to simmer and cover for forty-five minutes.
Prepare your grill with some extra virgin olive oil. Warm up your tortillas for about a minute on each side, dip them in Birria Taco sauce (which gives them a red color), and place them back on the grill. Turn over and add cheese, then press some of the Jack Fruit meat in the middle. Cook on each side until the cheese has melted.
Add the red onion and cilantro to your tacos, and use a bowl with the consmme’ of Jack Fruit for dipping.
A different way to eat your beyond burgers that is OH-SO-GOOD. First, I cook my Beyond Burger as instructed on the package and then cut it in half. Next, lightly grill your preferred vegan flour tortilla. Grill each side for a couple of minutes. Then, add a tablespoon of Follow Your Heart, 1000 Island Dressing, and spread around tortillas. Add six thinly sliced fresh jalapeños, chopped onion, and lettuce. Finally, add Follow Your Heart, Bleu Cheese Crumbles, and half the burger. Yummy!
I hesitated about combining the vegan blue cheese and jalapeños, but they go great together. The chips are vegan Popcorners Sweet & Salty, and are absolutely out of this world delicious. Below is a list of ingredients, but you can choose how much to add. Enjoy your Burger Taco!
Wow! The food products available to vegans has evolved from when I started my journey as a vegan. The food options were few, and the vegan lifestyle depended on a raw vegetable diet. Plus, you had to get highly creative with your cooking technique at home. However, today there are many options for vegans at the grocery stores. I get more excited daily with the new vegan food choices. Here are some fun options that I would like to share with you from a quick Trader Joe’s run.
Trader Joe’s
The first product should come with a warning label. It is so addictive. I highly recommend Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Carmel Coated Popcorn.
Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Carmel Coated Popcorn
Next, Trader Joe’s does not carry Miyoko’s butter anymore, but they have their brand. I’m not sure how it will taste, but I’ll let you know if I like it. I also picked up their vegan sour cream and cream cheese because I’m testing new items.
Trader Joe’s vegan butter, cream cheese, and sour cream
A big thank you to Shandra, who was so helpful at Trader Joe’s. She recommended their vegan banana nut bread. I cannot wait to taste this one, and she said it was not dry like many baked vegan products.
Plus, the Dill Pickle Mustard will go great with the Dill Pickle Falafels.
Trader Joe’s Dill Pickle Falafel and Dill Pickle Mustard
Just a reminder as we approach July 4th. The sounds of firecrackers are dangerous and scary for our four-legged pets. Please be mindful of your behavior around animals as you celebrate July 4th.
A dish that will fill you up and keep you warm on a cold evening. *The tortellini is even better on the second day.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, Separated
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 teaspoon of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon of flour
4 cups of baby spinach
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 cans (5.4 ounces each) of coconut cream
1/2 cup of vegan parmesan, grated
2 – (9 ounce) packages of Kite Hill tortellini made with almond milk (ricotta alternative)
1 package of Field Roast (plant based) Italian, garlic, and fennel sausages
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop sausages into bite-size portions and place them in a plastic bag with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Seal bag, and shake to coat all sausage portions.
Place on pan, and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, place sausages in a food processor and pulse the sausages a couple of times. (Note: Sausage should not be too fine). Set aside.
In a large pot, place extra virgin olive oil and onions. Cook for three minutes on medium. Then add garlic for another minute. Stir in sausage and flour and cook for a minute. Cook the flour thoroughly.
Sausage, Onion, and Garlic
Then add vegetable broth and coconut cream and stir. Add both packages of tortellini and cover—Cook for five minutes at medium temperature. Add fresh baby spinach and vegan parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese has melted.
Serve with extra cheese and a sprig of parsley. Enjoy!
Fall is the season for apples, oats, and innofoods Coconut Clusters with Super Seeds. My favorite apple is the Jazz because it reminds me of my favorite childhood candy. Feel free to substitute your favorite apple.
Ingredients
1 cup of Old Fashion Quaker Oats
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of innofoods Coconut Clusters with Super Seeds
3/4 cup of unsweetened/unflavored coconut milk
1 peeled and shredded Jazz apple
Topping Ingredients
4 Tablespoons of innofoods Coconut Clusters with Super Seeds
6 Tablespoons of non-dairy coconut yogurt
1 Jazz apple cut in half and sliced
In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients thoroughly. Cover the oat mixture and chill for twelve hours in the refrigerator or overnight.
Stir the oat mixture again before dividing it into equal portions in a glass.
Top with the following:
Divide equally the innofoods Coconut Clusters with Super Seeds, non-dairy coconut yogurt, and apple slices. Jazzy vegan breakfast makes two large or four small portions.
Veggie Rotini Ragu is an easy pasta dish that is a quick dish when your time is limited. I think you will find this meal satisfying for the whole family. Veggie Rotini by Barrilla is pasta made with real spinach and zucchini and panders to the veggie lover.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Package of Plant-Based Frozen Meatballs
1 onion finely diced
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 – 5.4 ounce can of Coconut Cream
1/4 Cup of Double Concentrate Tomato Paste
12 ounces of Veggie Rotini Pasta by Barrilla
1/4 Cup or more to taste of shredded vegan parmesan (Plus extra for topping)
Fresh Basil leaves
1 1/2 cups of tap water
1 cup of reserved pasta water
Optional: Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook the meatballs per the package directions, about 16 minutes.
In a food processor, chop the meatballs to resemble course ground meat. Set aside the meatless grounds for now.
Bring pasta water to a boil, and cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, and then drain pasta in a colander.
In a large skillet on medium heat, add extra virgin olive oil and onions. Cook for three minutes and stir occasionally. Then add garlic and cook another two minutes.
Add tomato paste and the red pepper flakes into the skillet. Stir often for about three minutes until tomato paste begins to darken.
Then add your ground plant-based meat substitute, coconut cream, and tap water to the skillet and combine. Bring to a simmer and let cook, occasionally stirring for twenty minutes. The liquids should reduce during this time.
Next, add the pasta to the skillet and shredded parmesan, with one-half a cup of the pasta water. Combine all, then add more water if too dry. I ended up using three-fourths of the pasta water in total.
To serve top with shredded parmesan and fresh basil leaves. Note: I did not add salt and pepper. These ingredients are optional.
Enjoy a little bit of Italy in July. I’ve reworked this soup several times to find you the tastiest dish near the mediterranean sea. Once you taste Toscana Soup, you will say Ammazza!
Soup Ingredients
1 Package of 12.95 ounce Field Roast Italian Plant-Based Sausage. Remove the casing from sausage and chop into bite-size pieces.
4 Tablespoons of Miyoko’s Butter
4 Tablespoons of Miyoko’s Butter
1 small onion finely chopped
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
6 Cups of low sodium Vegetable Broth
24 ounces of yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch squares
4 Cups of chopped Kale with the big stems removed
2 – 13.5 oz. cans of Coconut Milk (Refrigerate coconut milk cans overnight, or freeze cans for an hour. Only use the white coconut milk at the top and DO NOT use the water portion at the bottom of the can.)
Vegetable Rue
1/4 Cup of Miyoko’s Butter
1/4 Cup of Flour
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of low sodium vegetable broth
Instructions for Vegetable Rue
Melt Miyoko’s butter on low, and add flour. Turn up the heat to medium and constantly whisk for three minutes. Then add vegetable broth slowly while whisking, and the rue should thicken in about another three minutes. Add salt, pepper and set the vegetable rue aside.
Instructions for Tuscany Soup
Make the vegetable rue as instructed above and set aside.
Cut up sausage in ground meat like texture. In a large soup pot with the stove on medium, sauté plant-based sausage with four tablespoons of Miyoko’s butter while frequently stirring for six minutes, or cook the sausage chopped in oven, while preparing other vegetables.(Your choice).Take the sausage out of the pot and set it aside.
In the same pot, add four more tablespoons of Miyoko’s butter, and add onions. Sauté onions for three minutes and then add garlic for another minute.
Turn up the heat to high, add six cups of vegetable broth, potatoes, and cook on high for eighteen minutes. Stir occasionally and add the vegetable rue, kale, and coconut milk topping. Then add the sausage. Once everything is combined, turn off the heat and allow the soup to sit for ten minutes.
Optional: Top with Follow Your Heart shredded Parmesan cheese.
A Cowtown Vegan 