Archive | August, 2015

Yuba Ribs

31 Aug Yuba Ribs

I saw this recipe for vegan ribs and knew I was going to have to try it. We’ve had it twice since, because I purchased a massive package of yuba sheets from my local International store. Miyoko calls for dried bean curd sticks in her recipe, but yuba sheets are an easy substitute and you can control the size of your ribs.
Yuba Ribs

I subbed a barbecue sauce a client of mine gave me. She finally got back to me with the recipe, so I’m able to share it here! There’s a bit of spice and Asian flavor which make this recipe awesome with a good IPA. However, if you’re lazy, use your favorite bottled sauce.

Yuba Ribs

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Vegan Blue Moon Ice Cream

30 Aug

Unless you’re from the Midwest like me, you probably have never heard of Blue Moon as ice cream before. This actually has nothing to do with the beer, although I have to imagine they would both taste quite nice together.

No one really knows the true flavor of blue moon, but it always tasted quite fruity to me. I imagine someone just thought “hey, let’s try to mix ALL the flavors together” and just went with it. Which is exactly what I went with here, and the flavor is spot on.

A few tips: stir the ice cream a few times in the freezer. I didn’t do this and it ended up a bit icy. The meringue will flop when you add it to the coconut milk but that’s ok, it will still add texture and size to your ice cream. I like Wilton sky blue coloring but you can use any blue coloring that works for you.
Vegan Blue Moon Ice Cream

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Vegan Rivel Soup

27 Aug

Yesterday was my grandma’s birthday and I happened upon a picture of her in my camera from Christmas, the last time I saw her. Fortunately it was a happy event with tons of pictures and I’m glad I can call that my last memory of her.

This recipe always reminds me of her and home. I grew up eating what we called “rabels” after Easter and other holidays, as it was a good way to use up leftovers. Upon further investigation on the Internet I found the proper term is rivel soup, but I will still always call it rabels. It’s funny how things get lost in translation and the words stick that way.

This is a great fall weather recipe, or even when you’re feeling under the weather. It’s thick and hearty with cheap ingredients. One word of warning; it tends to thicken further after the first day, so you may need to thin it down quite a bit.

Vegan Rivel Soup

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Mozzarella Aquafaba Cheese

24 Aug

If you don’t know, I’m pretty excited about this. Every vegan I’ve ever met in real life has said the hardest thing to give up was cheese and every non vegan has told me that they would never be able to give up cheese. Fortunately, due to amazing chefs like Miyoko Schinner, Jay Astafa, Somer McGowan, and Skye Michael Conroy, we are able to enjoy cheese-like products, without the cruelty. I’ve made several forays into the world of vegan cheese and learned a lot of different techniques from many different recipes. The particular recipe that I drew inspiration from for this is the cashew mozzarella developed by Jay Astafa. You can watch the YouTube video here. I noticed he uses soy lecithin as an emulsifier, which aquafaba has been shown to do in recipes like Nina’s butter and Peanut Butter and Vegan’s mayo. This inspired me to make this cashew mozzarella using aquafaba as the emulsifier. It also makes this recipe soy free, conveniently, for those who are intolerant.

Vegan cheese doesn’t create casein protein strands like dairy cheeses do, which is why we use tapioca starch to create that stretchy texture. Some places may have it labeled at tapioca flour, but they should be interchangeable. I find mine at an international market for a cheaper price. You can also add a bit of xantham gum to increase the stretchiness. If you don’t have any, feel free to omit it, the cheese will still be delicious! I use vegan lactic acid powder to create that dairy-like tang in this recipe. It’s definitely worth the purchase, but if you cannot buy it, substitute a tablespoon of lemon juice instead. Nutritional yeast also adds to this cheesy flavor. Refined coconut oil helps with firmness upon refrigeration and improves the mouthfeel and melt. Please use coconut oil that is solid at room temperature. Cashews can possibly be subbed for raw sunflower seeds for those with allergies.

Most vegan cheeses use either agar or kappa carrageenan as a binder to be sliceable and shreddable. I choose to use kappa carrageenan, as I prefer the melt and mouthfeel it imparts. I am well aware that many people choose not to consume it and I completely respect that; this recipe may be possible with agar powder, but I have not tested it. If you do test it, please contact me with your results!

Edited to add: Several people have tried with equal amounts of agar and have had a hard time getting it to set. I would suggest doubling the amount of agar powder (use 1 tablespoon and 1 tsp). Xanthan gum will not replace the carrageenan, it’s not a firm binder like carrageenan is, just a thickener.

Mozzarella Aquafaba Cheese | Avocados and Ales

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If you like this recipe, be sure to check out these other vegan cheese recipes:

Meltable Soy-based Mozzarella

Soy/Cashew Buffalo Mozzarella

Smoked Coconut Gouda

Almond Milk Pepperjack

Vegan Mozzarella

Moxarella

The Vegan Meringue group on Facebook is a great place for more aquafaba recipes as well.

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Mozzarella Aquafaba Cheese

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Breakfast Pizza

24 Aug

In my post about peanut butter and jelly macarons I talked about “breakfast pizza” that was often served in my high school cafeteria. It still holds a special place in my stomach and I always enjoy the challenge of veganizing an old favorite.

You can definitely use your own favorite scrambled tofu recipe or homemade sausage in this. My favorite cheese on this is the mozzarella from the Non Dairy Evolution.

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Birthday Dacquoise

19 Aug

I thought my last dacquoise was going to be the final one, but I couldn’t resist making one more, especially with my parents visiting for my birthday today. Since it is my birthday, I wanted to fill it with a few of my favorite things-caramel, chocolate, frosting, and Nutella. This is not something I would recommend eating everyday. In fact, I would highly recommend only having two pieces then letting someone else finish it, because it’s pretty indulgent.

Yet again, I planned this several days ahead of time. I made the caramel one day, the buttercream the next day, and the dacquoise the night before making it. It helps to spread out the process so you’re not trying to finish it all in one day. If you want to attempt making it in one day, be sure you don’t have a nagging toddler around your ankles and eat a full meal ahead of time, otherwise you’ll be snacking on all of the ingredients…

Birthday Dacquoise

Birthday Dacquoise

Birthday Dacquoise
Birthday Dacquoise
Birthday Dacquoise

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Cinnamon and Sugar Macarons

16 Aug cinnamon and sugar macarons

Do you remember the brown sugar and cinnamon Poptarts?? (Not sure if that needs a copyright symbol.) These were a middle of the night “I need to remake my cinnamon roll macarons” idea. Despite aiming for cinnamon roll flavor, eating these reminded me of my favorite Poptarts.

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If this is your first time here, be sure to check out Charis’s recipes at Floral Frosting, as she is the creator of this recipe. She’s got some beautiful recipes there, her buttercream is one of our favorites! You also should take a look at the Vegan Meringue Facebook group for more amazing recipes. If you have trouble with the directions, try reading my troubleshooting guide for a little more in depth description.

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Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

14 Aug

Last year we planted a cherry tomato plant…if only I knew then what I know now. It was a prolific plant that produced more tomatoes than we knew what to do with. In fact, quite a few were lost to the ground in the months while it was growing. Little did we know, those lost tomatoes would sprout with a vengeance this year.

We have a two car garage and the entire area behind the garage is full of tomato plants. I can barely keep up with them – these were picked 3 days after I had picked a similar amount. My husband has been taking them in his lunches and I’ve been snacking on them, but we still had four cups that had gone untouched.

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I made this recipe multiple times last year with our abundance of tomatoes. If you want it really red, add tomato paste or red wine, otherwise the sauce will have an orange tinge to it.

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Vegan Turkey Leg

12 Aug

While on a walk last night, my husband and I were discussing our plans to visit a Renaissance Faire over the weekend. I jokingly lamented the lack of a vegan turkey leg for us to eat there. “I could probably make one,” I said, and my husband replied “Yea, but it would have to be crunchy, like it had a skin.”

Later that night I was laying in bed thinking of how to make this happen. It has been years since either of us has had meat, but the idea of a crunchy, chewy protein on a stick still has its appeal. I’d made the turkey loaf recipe a few times and it had the same texture i wanted for my “turkey” leg. Using the basic technique for the loaf recipe, I played with different measurements and seasonings to better replicate the turkey flavor and create a denser structure. I then made fresh yuba to wrap around the turkey cutlets and give that satisfying crunch. Miyoko Schinner was the inspiration for the yuba as skin in her Unturkey recipe, available here.

Vegan Turkey Leg

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Mapo Tofu-Revisited

11 Aug

Mapo tofu is still one of our favorite meals here – it’s one of my go to dishes when I’m low on time, because it doesn’t require a huge prep time. I’ve improved on my original recipe a lot, specifically by adding the broad bean paste and szechuan pepper. The szechuan pepper adds an almost – citrus flavor that’s perfect for this spicy dish.

Mapo Tofu-Revisited

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