Have a go at vegan pimento...cheese that is!

PIMENTO CHEESE...

Well, with pimento cheese, you either love it or you hate it.  I ate it all my life made in the vegan way.  It's one of those things that I only want now and then.  I find that it is good for finger sandwiches when having intimate socials.  Actually, at a small social after work, I remember having my first taste of non-vegan pimento cheese.  "Whoa!" I thought.  I remember discreetly spitting it out into my paper napkin and discarding the package. It may have been the catering company's fault (I don't know), but in truth, I never wanted a non-vegan pimento sandwich again.  I like the vegan version much better.  Not that the taste is all that different, but something was amiss..yes, a "miss." Perhaps if done properly, I'm sure, some of you pimento cheese zealots will highly disagree with me.  For me, the vegan version wins this taste test hands down!

So, if you don't know what pimentos are, I should tell you.  Pimentos are small sweet red peppers usually soaked in brine.  I only buy the ones in glass jars and they're fairly inexpensive.  You may usually find these stuffed into green olives ("Oh! That's what they are!").  They have very little nutritional value about 1% of DV of Vitamin C and 2 mg of potassium.  They are often more full of sodium than anything else.  However, folks who love pimentos, love pimentos.

Now, vegan pimento cheese mainly consist of cashews, tahini, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. However, I always add my extra with throwing in some extra-firm tofu.  You may find the basic vegan pimento recipe anywhere on the Internet, under "Cashew Pimento Cheese" or "Cashew Pimento Cheese Sauce."  Lately, folks are making it with the addition of veganaise and Daiya cheese or some other processed vegan cheese, which are fine as well.  You can also find these recipes online.  However, I am more inclined to stick with the recipe my mom used since I was a child.  Without further ado, here's the recipe...

VEGAN PIMENTO CHEESE

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cashews, rinsed (with 1/4 cup divided out)

1/2 cup pimento peppers (with 1/8 cup divided out)

1/2 cup extra-firm tofu

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon tahini

1 heaping teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoon onion powder

1 cup water

Processed cashews, pimento, and tofu.

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions:

In a food processor, pulse 1/4 cup of cashews until crumbly.  Add 1/8 cup of pimentos, and pulse once.  Lastly, add extra-firm tofu and pulse twice.  This should resemble pimento cheese without the color.

Next, in a blender, combine all of the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.  Pour into a small pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until thick (this should be no more than 3-5 minutes) and it will thicken quickly.  Once to desired thickness, let cool and combine with the food processor ingredients.  You may refrigerate before making sandwiches or if you like it at room temperature, make sandwiches. 

Vegan pimento cheese sandwich for lunch!

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It really hits the spot every now and then.  I don't make it often, but when I do make it, I love it!  Let me know how you like it.  Your feedback is always welcomed. 

Stevia is a plant believ-a-ba (believeable)!

STEVIA...

This plant is growing in popularity because of its low-caloric properties.  More folks are flocking to supermarkets to purchase the extract or the dried (sugar-like) stevia.  Folks use it as just another artificial sweetener, but truly there is hardly nothing artificial about it.  In fact, if the processed varieties of stevia make you nervous, simply buy a plant and let the leaves make you a believer.

As a child, my mom was the sugar-Nazi!  She would often say, "No sugar for YOU!"  Heck, we could hardly have all the honey we wanted, but if we were getting anything sweet, it was usually going to be honey or a stevia leaf.  She would simply drop a dried stevia leaf into our hot tea.  It was great!

Now, I must admit that a fresh leaf must be chewed in order for the sweetness to release.  It is said that the  leaf (raw or dried) is 10-15 times sweeter than sugar in its natural state and more like 200-300 times sweeter than sugar in its processed state.  Now, simply just dropping a fresh raw leaf in hot tea will not release the stevia sweetness, you'll have to blend it up with your steeping tea and strain it.  In general, folks pick the leaves from the stevia plant, dry them in the sun, and crush them up for future use.  You can also make an extract.  The following site gives the history of stevia and how to make an extract.  Buying it from stores remain an option, but it's good to know all of the options.  Stevia information site: http://www.stevia.com/Stevia_Article/Frequently_asked_questions_FAQ/2269

Letting the blended stevia and mint, along with
a handful of fresh mint steep in the sun.

On Sunday, I decided that I needed some flavored water.  As important as what we eat is what we drink.  Sometimes, we want a flavor to drink. I had a bunch of mint and peppermint growing in my container garden and I thought that mint flavor water sounded like a great idea!  I'll make flavor water and sweeten it with leaves from a stalk of my stevia plant.  So, after trimming my plants, I bought them inside and blended about a cup of mint with leaves of the stevia stalk together. I stuffed more mint into a 32 ounce jar and filled it up with water.  I then put it back in the sun so that the heat and rays of the sun could release more of the flavors. I actually didn't drain the blended peppermint or stevia from the jar until the next morning.  The taste was just what I was after, a watery mint flavor that had a subtle hint of sweet.  It was truly mint flavor water. I've been drinking it ever since, one 8 oz. glass at a time.

Enjoying a glass of mint flavor water today.

I feel as if I am getting a host of nutritional benefits, not only from the mint, but also from the stevia because stevia reduces blood sugar levels.  It has flavonoid properties, such as Kaempferols, that reduces the risk of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, it taste good and is good for you.  Google the nutritional and health benefits of the natural stevia leaf, or plant, for yourself!

There's a host of information in books and online that relate how you can cook and bake with stevia.  Though I confine my stevia to drinks, that's what I'm used to doing... and unfortunately many of us are creatures of habit.  Maybe one day, I'll bake with the dried leaves.  That will have to be an experiment for sure.

Your feedback is always welcomed.  If you like stevia as much as I do, just let me know.  In the meantime, at least enjoy a dried leaf of stevia in your tea!

Vegan "egg" salad that will make you sing ballads!

VEGAN EGG SALAD...

Well, I must admit, I never really liked the Whole Foods' version of vegan egg salad made from tofu.  Though I have nothing against tofu, I felt that they could do more with it to make it more palatable. In truth, it's not disgusting, but if I'm going to eat vegan egg salad it has to taste more like egg salad!  Eating vegan egg salad at Whole Foods really made me long for something more; so I looked!

A few weeks ago, I started looking for a vegan hard-boiled egg recipe and came across the below version of vegan egg salad for my sandwiches.  Though I did not use this recipe, I think her sandwich looks appetizing and tasty!  I thought I'd share just in case you wanted to try it.  One day, I may try it myself!  Egg Salad recipe: http://mouthwateringvegan.com/2013/04/06/first-best-ever-vegan-egg-mayonnaise-egg-salad-sandwich/

I finally found my hard-boil egg vegan recipe made from coconut milk, which I posted last Thursday (see below vegan egg salad recipe for link).  In short, to make the egg salad, simply make that an'geled' eggs recipe and then combine it with the ingredients I've listed below.  You'll have leftover 'yoke,' which you can use when making egg salad again!  It makes me sing ballads!

Before I go on, I should say a thing about pickle relish.  I cannot find it without the unnecessary food coloring in it.  So, you can make your own and not worry about that poison. I've included a recipe from TastyKitchen.com that makes four pints below.  I think the taste is pretty similar.  You can use honey or agave in the place of sugar, if you like.  It's all about being consciously comfortable with what you are eating.  I don't use relish enough to run out fast, but if you do, just make more.  Recipe: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/canning/dill-pickle-relish-2/

I am thoroughly enjoying this summer sandwich in all its vegan glory.  I have come to love egg salad with sprouts.  However, I didn't have any sprouts on hand, so I went for the romaine lettuce instead.

Diced ingredients layered for egg salad.

VEGAN EGG SALAD (My version)

Pre-Instructions:  Make eggs according to the An'geled' Eggs recipe:  http://experientialvegan.blogspot.com/2013/06/vegan-angeled-eggs-that-will-make-you.html

Simply do not pipe the vegan yoke into the 'egg whites.' Instead, dice up the egg whites and reserve about three tablespoons of the vegan yoke for the vegan egg salad (store the rest for more vegan egg salad or an'geled' eggs), adding the following ingredients ...  


Ingredients:
3 tablespoons an'geled' eggs yoke
1 small celery stalk, diced
2 tablespoons grapeseed veganaise
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/8 cup tomatoes, diced
1/8 cup onions, diced
1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon Monk's pepper, optional
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Relish, about a tablespoon, if desired

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in one bowl.  Add extra relish  if desired (aside from what is already in the an'geled' eggs).  Also add more salt if you like, but I find it's salty enough!

Serve on your favorite homemade bread (I toast my bread first) with lettuce or sprouts.

Vegan egg salad on homemade agave-spelt bread
ready for consumption!

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Yes, this was totally delish!  I hope you like it as much as I do!  Feedback is always welcomed, especially if you have any suggestions on how to make it even more spectacular!