Almond Feta with Herb Oil

Makes 10-oz. round…Build in some time to soak the almonds and let the mixture drain…see instructions. Mild…doesn't have the zing of feta but very flavorful and great as a spread and good in the one pasta dish I have tried it in.

Blanched almonds give this creamy-crumbly cheese a rich texture. Unbaked, it will be smooth and spreadable. Baking will make it a bit more crumbly, like traditional feta cheese.

• 1 cup whole blanched almonds
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 3 Tbs. plus ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves

Place almonds in medium bowl, and cover with 3 inches cold water. Let soak 24 hours. Drain soaking liquid, rinse almonds under cold running water, and drain again.

Purée almonds, lemon juice, 3 Tbs. oil, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup cold water in food processor 6 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy.

Place large strainer over bowl, and line with triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon almond mixture into cheesecloth. Bring corners and sides of cloth together, and twist around cheese, forming into orange-size ball and squeezing to help extract moisture. Secure with rubber band or kitchen twine. Chill 12 hours, or overnight. Discard excess liquid.

Preheat oven to 200°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap cheese (it will be soft), and transfer from cheesecloth to prepared baking sheet. Flatten to form 6-inch round about 3/4-inch thick. Bake 40 minutes, or until top is slightly firm. Cool, then chill. (Cheese can be made up to this point 2 days ahead; keep refrigerated.)

Combine remaining 1/4 cup oil, thyme, and rosemary in small saucepan. Warm oil over medium-low heat 2 minutes, or until very hot but not simmering. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle herb oil over cheese just before serving.

From Vegetarian Times magazine.

Pasta Salad with Edemame

Amounts are up to you. I cooked half a box of pasta and used a rounded tablespoon of Just Mayo and about a tablespoon of rice vinegar.

• Medium shell pasta or other pasta of your choice
• Chopped onion
• Grated carrot
• Black sliced olives
• Edemame (I used frozen Trader Joe's Edemame and zapped it in the microwave for about three minutes with a little water (covered) and let it cool)
• Any other veggies you might like to add such as chopped celery and green onion
• Trader Joe's 21 season salute (or any combo of spices or Mrs. Dash)
• Parmesan Cheeze (combo of nutritional yeast, cashews and hemp hearts ground. See recipe.)
• Rice or other vinegar
• Just Mayo (vegan…refrigerator case Whole Foods)
• Salt and Pepper as desired

My own recipe.

Teriyaki Tempeh

• 1 pack of tempeh, about 8 oz
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c soy sauce (original recipe suggests gluten free)
• 1/4 c rice vinegar
• 1 chopped up hot chili, or 1/2 t chili flakes (I used hot pepper flakes)
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4" piece of ginger, skinned and grated (I used 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
• 
  
• 
  
• Cut up the tempeh into thin strips, then cut in half. Heat up the oil in a large pan, and toss in the tempeh. Cook about ten minutes, flipping each slice after a few minutes when the first side is browned. Stir together the sauce ingredients, and pour over the tempeh. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Serve over brown rice. 

From gluten free site: Hey, That Tastes Good!

Cranberry-Orange Bread

This is the best cranberry bread ever! A little sweet. 

• 3/4 C orange juice
• 1/4 C canola oil
• 1 C sugar (I use turbinado sugar, great flavor and slightly brown color but white will work)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1 Tbsp grated orange zest (if you squeeze fresh juice... I used bottled)
• 1 1/2 C fresh cranberries
• 1/2 C pecans or other nut if desired

Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the orange juice, canola oil, sugar, and vanilla.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and allspice. Mix until smooth – batter will be quite thick.

Fold in orange zest, cranberries and nuts, and pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Every stove is different. Start checking at 50 mins. Mine took 1 hour and 10 minutes... check center before taking out of oven. Let bread cool in loaf pan for about 15 minutes. Release onto cooling rack, turn right side up, let cool a bit more, then slice and eat.

From: earthchicknits.com... she adapted it from Veganomicon's recipe.. may originally be from Fanny Farmer.

Granola

You can swap out any of the ingredients for your own favorites.


Mix together:

• 5 cups old fashioned oatmeal
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup walnuts (very nutritious)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup hemp hearts (optional..loaded with protein)
• 1/4 cup flax seeds (optional)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses..loaded with minerals esp iron (or 1/2 cup brown sugar)
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Bake on two cookie sheets for 5 to 8 minutes at 350 degrees then flip with spatula and bake 5 to 8 minutes more. Watch carefully… every oven is different. If you use molasses it can overcook faster. 

Remove from oven and return to mixing bowl. Do not let it stay on cookie sheets for long.. it hardens!

Add and mix:

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (preferably unsweetened such as Bob's Mill)

Makes 8 and a half cups. I usually eat a cup in the morning with a cup of almond milk on it…yummy! Store in covered container in cabinet.

Note: The molasses has a slight bitterness.. especially if you overcook it but it also makes the granola smell like molasses cookies!

My own recipe adapted from several I've seen.

Parmesan Cheeze

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (Whole Foods bulk and baking aisles… sometimes in baking or health aisles regular grocery stores, but rare.. baking or brewers yeast are not the same)
• 1/2 cup hemp hearts.. very high in protein  (order from Amazon..I have not checked out retail stores for these yet)
• 1/2 cup cashews (optional.. or other nuts of your choice)

Put in blender, be careful not to overblend, you want them crumbly not pasty.. maybe start with chop, stir, then grind. Keep in airtight container in refrigerator. Use like regular Parmesan.

My own recipe adapted from several I've seen.

Veggie Soup with Beans and Rice

Cook for 25 minutes

• Large thinly sliced onion
• 3 or 4 peeled and thinly sliced carrots
• 1/2 diced pepper
• cup of cooked canelli or northern beans
• 1 potato diced, leave skin on
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 or 4 sliced scallions
• 8 cups veggie bouillon (I use Knorr veggie bouillon cubes)
• 1/2 small can tomato paste or other tomatoes on hand
• any other veggies you want
• Tbsp rice vinegar
• Tbsp soy sauce
• Tsp hot sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or other oil
• Basil and Oregano or other herbs to your taste

Then Add

• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 or 3 stalks of kale or collards cut in narrow strips, just the leafy parts

Cook five more minutes

4 to 6 servings

My own recipe.