Alicia's Cheesecake

Baked vegan cheesecake

Today felt like it needed cheesecake. I have been wanting to bake a cheesecake forever. I think it is perfect that my very first cheesecake should be vegan. I used the cheesecake recipe in The Kind Diet. I love this book. I've yet to have a bad recipe, and this was no exception.

Mixing the Cheesecake filling in the blender

It was super easy to make and totally yummy. I put all the filling ingredients into my blender and simply poured it into the crust. I would have to warn that it is much more like a custard in texture than a cheesecake. If I was offering it to my non-vegan friends that is what I would call it. I also cheated. My local health food store had a vegan pre-made graham cracker crust, so I used that instead.

Right after I poured the filling into the graham crust

After realizing just how important and blender and food processor was I went and picked out the Ninja Master Prep Blender and Food Processor. I just love it. It's super easy to use and very quick clean-up. I will probably get a larger food processor bowl eventually, but for now this is perfect. Plus, it was really affordable.

Not So Fantastic Falafel

Ok, so when my husband and I were shopping last weekend we purchased two products form Fantastic. We had the Nature Burgers earlier this week and loved them. I felt like something fast and easy so we tried the l tonight. I didn't like it nearly as much. It dissolved in the oil, was way too dry and didn't taste that great. There were a lot leftover, which is never a good sign. The falafel I made a week ago were much better. Pics are here. I'm not sure if I did it wrong, so someone else might have better luck. However, making them from scratch was just as easy, and very tasty.

Dinner?

Today I made Fantastic Foods Nature's Burger for lunch alongside leftover Udon noodles from the day before. I've never made any of these mixes before, but I really loved the burgers, so did my family. They were simple to make, add hot water and let sit for 10 min, form patties and saute in pan until browned on both sides, even my hubby can do this. They were flavorful and would be wonderful on a salad or served with mashed potatoes, veggies and gravy for a comfort food meal. We had them on whole wheat buns with a variety of condiments. I liked vegenaise, fresh tomatoes, red onion & lettuce. Hubby liked mustard, pickles & BBQ sauce. My kids are simple, bring on the ketchup. I wouldn't have them all the time, but they are a great backup meal. I think I'll keep some in my pantry from now on. Just a note, the packages says it makes 6 patties. I was able to make 8 that fit our buns perfectly.

But temperatures are on the rise here and no one seems to want dinner. My husband opted to make a smoothie, my daughter and I finally caved and ate leftover cold noodles and my son had a leftover Nature Burger.

I had planned the menu for the whole week, but we are eating far less than we used to. We have all agreed that dinner should be snacks or leftovers, no one can work up an appetite in the heat. I don't even think summer has actually started yet!

Taco Night!

I was inspired by idreamoftahini to tryout my families regular taco recipe with tempeh. I had already ordered the 5 grain one from Turtle Island. No one in my family had ever had tempeh before, including me.

First I browned the tempeh with onion and garlic. It browned nicely. Then I added canned green chilies, 1/2 cup canned, chopped tomatoes with lime and cilantro, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chipolte chile powder and salt to taste. Measurements are approximate. I season until it tastes good.Then I let it simmer on low until thickened. I was impressed how much faster this took then when I make the same thing with meat. It was also delicious! My family loved it and agreed we had no need of the beef tacos we used to have.Ironically, we didn't have tacos. I opted for a burrito with tempeh, rice, beans, lettuce and tomato. My family had tostadas & burritos.

Vegan Pizza

Rolled, Herbed, Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Friday nights are pizza night at our house. We like to mix it up with flavors, but tonight I was feeling a little more traditional. I added dried Italian herbs to the crust, delish. Here's the recipe.

3 C whole wheat flour ( use white whole wheat for softer crust - available from King Athur)

1 T yeast

1 t sea salt

1 T dried Italian herbs (optional)

1 T olive oil

approx. 1 C warm water

I use a quick method. I put the flour in the mixer first, then the yeast and salt and mix it with a dough hook on a low speed. I then add the liquids while the mixture is running. First the olive oil, then the water. Add only enough water until the dough is forming a ball and there is no remaining loose flour. Sometimes you'll need more (or less) than a cup. I let it rest and rise for 30 min or so and roll it out into crusts. It makes 4 personal size pizzas.

Crust w/tomato sauce & Tofutti Garlic & Herb Better Than Cream Cheese

I used a plain tomato sauce this time, but I prefer crushed tomatoes. I have to drive an hour to get vegan cheese, so I used what I had, which was Tofutti Herb & Garlic Better Than Cream Cheese. I've done this before, it's wonderful. I topped it with spinach ( I won't be using this again after reading Alicia's Book), tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, sweet onions, crushed pineapple, crushed red peppers & dried Italian herbs.

Veggie Pizza Ready for the Grill!

It's starting to get hot here in the Southwest, so I moved my loved pizza stone to the grill outside. I heat the grill to "medium" and put the pizzas directly on the stone, close the lid and cook for 10 to 15 min. These are fun to make and my family each creates their own, so it is a great family meal.

Pizza is Ready!

Grilled Vegan Pizza

Tonight I felt like pizza. I used a simple vegan pizza crust recipe. The sauce was crushed tomatoes sprinkled with crushed red pepper and italian seasoning. I topped the pizza with green peppers, mushrooms, pimentos, spinach, tomatoes, sweet onions, kalamata olives, crushed pineapple and small dollups of Tofutti Garlic and Herb Better Than Cream Cheese.

It was amazing. My husband had cheese on his pizza and far fewer veggies. After trying mine, he's coming around. Yay!