Elanore’s French Onion Dip (Vegan)

For the Super Bowl, I recreated the classic cold french onion dip usually eaten with potato chips, but vegan, gluten, and oil-free. I used this recipe (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021261-vegan-onion-dip) and then added a bunch of different spices and flavors to make it taste more like the classic dip I know and love.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup raw cashews (about 4 ounces)

3cups finely chopped yellow onion (from 2 medium onions)

• ¼cup olive oil (I did NOT use oil but did add about a tablespoon of tahini, thinned slightly with water, towards the end of the caramelization process)
• 1(15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained (about 1 cup)
• 4teaspoons lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 4teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• ½teaspoon onion powder
• ½teaspoon sweet paprika (I added much more than that)
• Potato chips or crudités, for serving
• I added: 
• dried minced onion
• poultry seasoning
• a dash of Tamari (GF soy sauce)
• onion salt
• garlic salt and garlic powder (wanted more garlic flavor but didn't want to make it too salty)
• garlic and herb seasoning
• (I have no idea how much of each... I measured with my heart and kept tasting as I went until I had something that tasted like french onion dip)
• INSTRUCTIONS:
• In a bowl, cover the cashews with water and let them soak at room temperature for 2 hours.
• About 45 minutes before the cashews are finished soaking, combine the chopped onions, olive oil and a pinch of salt in a medium skillet over medium-low heat (NOTE: I did not use oil but did add about a tablespoon of tahini towards the end of the caramelization process). Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are deep golden brown and caramelized, about 30 minutes. To prevent the onions from burning and sticking to the bottom of the skillet, you can add a splash of water, but don't add too much, you're not trying to make a sauce or anything.
• Drain the cashews and add them to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender with the beans and ½ cup water. Blend the mixture until smooth, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer and scraping down the bowl occasionally. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and seasonings, and blend again until smooth. I added the onions into the mixture in the food processor and pulsed just a couple times to mix and chop the onions a little smaller, but if you're using a blender I would suggest just stirring the onions in so your dip doesn't end up totally smooth.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving with ruffle potato chips (or veggies).

Evie’s Potato Soup (Vegan)

Soak 3/4 cup raw cashews for at least a few hours

Sauté 2 onions in instant pot

Layer in 3-4 carrots, chopped potatoes, and leave just enough room for two bags of frozen cauliflower and/or broccoli (should be mostly potatoes)

Fill with broth or water to the top of potatoes

Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, nooch, and miso paste

Set to 10 minutes pressure cook

Once done, spoon out some broth and blend with 4-6 cloves garlic and cashews until smooth.

Add blended cashews back into soup. Then either use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash everything up smooth (I took the big chunks and about half the soup into the blender for a few seconds and mashed up the rest. For more texture use just the potato masher)

I mixed in some frozen corn at this stage but you can add anything you’d like. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Olivia's Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan)

This recipe originally appeared on Instagram from earths.feast. They are yummy!! I copied this directly from the recipe shared in the comments accompanying the instagram video. Thank you, earths.feast!

ingredients

dough:
550 g bread flour
50 g sugar
10 g salt
150 g water
150 g oat milk
115 g melted vegan butter (or coconut oil works, too)
75 g sourdough starter* (see NOTE below)

filling:
85 g softened vegan butter (coconut oil works)
100 g brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I don’t)
1/8 tsp ground cloves (I don’t)
1 tsp vanilla
zest of one orange (I don’t)

simple syrup:
50 g sugar
25 g water

* NOTE: This recipe (as copied and pasted, below) begins with the assumption that you have a bubbly sourdough starter, which will need to have been fed several hours earlier. Feed the starter in the morning, then make the dough when the starter is active and bubbly, doubled in size.

method

combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. in a separate bowl combine warm milk, warm water, melted butter, and starter. pour wet into dry and mix with spatula or hands until everything is incorporated and you have a shaggy ball. cover and let rest 45 min. perform 4 sets of s&f (see NOTE below) every 45 min. after your last fold let the dough sit for 3 hours.

roll to 18x12 on a lightly floured surface. spread filling over entire dough. roll long ways and cut into 2” pieces to get 9 rolls. place in greased 8x8 tin, cover and move to fridge overnight. (NOTE: We make 12, in a 9x13 pan, as pictured at right.)

in the morning take out of fridge and let the dough sit at room temp for 3-4 hours. in the last hour of proofing preheat oven to 400f. bake at 400f for the first 10 min then lower heat to 350f and bake for another 30 min. in the last 5 min of baking, combine your ingredients for the simple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. heat the syrup just until all of the sugar has dissolved. when the buns come out of the oven, brush or pour the syrup over all of them. let cool 5-10 min before eating, enjoy!

* NOTE on "four sets of s&f":

olivia_sdavis

Can you explain what sets of s&f means? Can’t wait to make these ☺️



• 
  earths.feast
  @olivia_sdavis hey sorry! it stands for stretch and folds! so basically you lift up one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it into the center. if you look up how to do stretch and folds on youtube you should find tons of video that show how to do it!! i’m sure they’ll be more helpful than my explanation😅 but basically do that on four sides and that counts as one set!
  
  
  
  

Christine's Honey-Roasted Pears (Can Be Vegan)

These are so delicious it's hard to believe they're free of any processed sugars! It's more of a "procedure" than a recipe, but this is modified a bit from what I was able to get from my friend Christine, who first served these to us. Her take? "They're better the longer they sit." As in days. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Ripe pears*

Cinnamon

Ginger

Walnuts and/or pecans, hand crumbled

Honey (and/or date syrup, pure maple syrup)

Vanilla

Rum (opt.)

Instructions:

1) Halve the pears lengthwise and slightly hollow out a small "bowl" in each, where the seeds are. Leave a good bit of the flesh inside the skin of the pear, but make room for a generous serving of nuts in each. (Reserve the stuff you scoop out for your morning smoothie!)

2) Sprinkle each pear half with cinnamon and ginger. ill each pear "bowl" with crumbled nuts.

3) Thin honey slightly with a little water, maple syrup, vanilla, and/or a splash of rum. You are going for a pourable but still kinda thick consistency. (Maybe 1/4 C. warm water total, and 1 Tbsp. honey per pear half or so. It's really going by feel here.)

4) Drizzle over the pears, keeping it mostly in the "bowls" with the nuts—and on the fruit itself—but not spilling out into the casserole dish. Be generous with this honey mix. Don't skimp!

5) Add a little bit of water in the bottom of the casserole dish to keep things moist and to increase the yummy syrupy sauce that will be created as the pears bake.

6) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until pears are soft, which depends on their ripeness—maybe 20–30 minutes or so.

7) Let them sit for a good long time before serving. The "sauce" will thicken up the longer it sits. (I've been known to thicken it up with arrowroot powder in a saucepan if I'm desperate for it quickly, or if I've inadvertently added too much water during the cooking stage.)

*NOTE: The pears don't have to be super-soft ripe or anything, but if you would presume that firm, unripe pears might soften up with cooking like apples do, you would be mistaken. Ask me how I know...

Homemade Oat Milk (Vegan)

I figured out homemade oat milk that is perfect and not slimy! You must follow everything precisely. Every second counts. Hot or cold counts. 

Ingredients:

4 cups water, ice cold (important!)

1 cup organic rolled oats

1 date, blended into water first (opt)

Note: Store-bought oat milk has sugar in it, so you’re probably used to a little sweetness in there without realizing it. If you want it slightly sweet, add the date—or a splash of maple syrup and vanilla. It's good without it, though, so try it both ways.  (Don’t let your water get warm blending the date, though!)

Procedure:

1) Blend oats and ice cold water in Vitamix for exactly 20 seconds. 

2) Strain gently through milk bag without squeezing. 

Perfect! And with no yucky additives and preservatives—and not slimy!! All of my past attempts at homemade oat milk, using recipes on the internet, have been slimy after the first day. This way isn't. Enjoy! 

And if you think maybe it isn't worth the trouble, go look at the list of preservatives and other additives in our store-bought carton. And calculate out the cost per quart. It's definitely worth it, in my opinion.

Fall Fruit Salad (Vegan)

Fruit Salad:

16 ounces red seedless grapes 

12 ounces blackberries

1 orange, both juice and zest*

1 C. chopped pecans

2 large sweet apples

1 pomegranate (opt.)

1–2 cans mandarin oranges (opt.)

Dressing:

1 orange

2 Tbsp. real maple syrup

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

1) If they're really huge (or you are serving little ones), halve large grapes short-wise (so they're "rounder"). Leave the smaller ones whole.

2) In a large glass or metal bowl—orange zest will “melt” plastic and turn it cloudy and gummy!—add the zest (to taste) and juice of one orange. Add maple syrup and cinnamon, whisking to combine.

3) Cube the apples into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Immediately toss to coat. Add grapes and blackberries and stir until well combined. Add pecans if serving immediately.

4) Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. (Don't forget to add the pecans if you make it ahead!)

*Note: Orange zest  is not the same as the smallest fine grater setting on your grater! Use a zester, and move the zester across the orange, not the other way around. Just scrape until the colorful part of the skin has been zested away. And DO NOT put this directly into a plastic bowl. It will "melt" the bowl, causing pitting, warping, and discoloration.

Our Vegan Turkey

Market Shepherd's Pie (Vegan)

For Potato Layer:

3 large potatoes (like Yukon Gold), peel on, roughly chopped

2 heaping C. cauliflower florets (or 2 additional potatoes to omit)

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 tsp. white miso

1/4 C. unsweetened almond milk (or more, if needed)

1/4 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)

For Filling:

1 large onion, finely diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 medium sweet potato, peel on, chopped into 1/2-in. cubes

2 C. green beans, cut bite-sized (or 1 C. if also using green peas)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried rosemary

1 3/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. ground sage

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)

5 oz. cremini mushrooms (or forest blend), finely diced

2 C. cooked black lentils, drained

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

1 C. frozen green peas (I omit these and double the green beans)

For Filling Sauce:

2 1/4 C. low-sodium veggie broth

4 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini

2 Tbsp. tamari

3 Tbsp. white miso

3 tsp. Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp. arrowroot starch

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

Preparation:

1) Make the potato layer. Add the potatoes and cauliflower to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until potatoes are very tender (10–15 minutes or so). Drain well and return to the pot. Add the nutritional yeast, miso, milk, and salt. Mash and add more milk as needed to get a creamy–but not wet!–consistency. Set aside.

2) Make the veggie filling. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large sauté pan, sauté the onion, carrots, celery, sweet potato, and green beans in about 1/4 C. water until the onion is translucent and veggies begin soften (10 minutes or so). Stir occasionally and add more water as needed, 1–2 Tbsp at a time, to prevent burning.

3) Next, add the garlic, spices, and mushrooms (finely diced!) and cover. Continue to cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes until the mushrooms release their juices and begin to brown. Remove the cover and stir a couple of times throughout. Add water if needed to prevent sticking.

4) Add the cooked lentils and white wine vinegar and cook for another minute. Turn the heat off.

5) Make the filling sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

6) Add the sauce to the pan of veggies and lentils and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered on low to medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens (5 minutes or so). Stir in the frozen green peas (if using) and remove from heat.

7) Transfer the filling to a 13x9-inch (or similar) deep casserole dish. (I use my lasagna pan.) Be sure to get all the sauce out of the pan! Now, vigorously stir the reserved potatoes and then gently spread the potato layer over the filling by dropping spoonfuls along the top and spreading it together with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Sprinkle extra nutritional yeast, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper on the top.

8) Place the casserole dish in the preheated oven and lay a sheet pan underneath the casserole dish (on a different oven rack) in case the filling bubbles over. Bake the shepherd's pie for 30 minutes uncovered. The potato layer should firm up and brown in the corners and you might be able to see the sauce bubbling in the corners as well. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: This recipe is adapted from the original called "Market Shepherd's Pie" in the highly recommended The Plant-Based Cookbook: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Recipes for Lifelong Health by Ashley Madden. (It is by far my favorite whole food, plant-based cookbook, filled with lots of helpful information and delicious recipes.)

Cashew Coconut Cookies (Vegan, GF)

These are very sweet and indulgent—and not particularly healthy—but they are technically vegan and gluten-free, and they are delicious!

2 cups chopped cashews

2 C coconut flakes

1 C vegan dark chocolate chips

1/3 can coconut condensed milk 

1) Combine and spoon onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

2) Bake at 350 degrees till golden brown (usually 10-14 minutes).

Evie’s Raw Vegan Taco Salad

Any diced veggies desired:

tomatoes
cucumbers
green onion
jalapeño
bell pepper
etc.

sauerkraut
raw taco meat (see below)

Serve on a bed of romaine and greens. Top with desired veggies, raw taco meat, and dressing. 

Raw Taco Meat:
Equal parts walnut and carrots*
dash of Bragg’s liquid aminos or coconut aminos
cumin and chili powder to taste

Combine ingredients in food processor and pulse till crumbly.

*NOTE from Evie: I’ve only ever seen it with all walnuts BUT I saw a video on instagram where someone made it with equal parts carrots and it worked great! I’ve also made it with walnuts and mushrooms before but it’s much wetter and changes the flavor. The carrots are surprisingly neutral. 

Dressing:

I’m sure Evie did some sort of delicious veggie blend in the 

Vitamix—she's good at that. But I usually just combine cashew yogurt and salsa and vinegar for a nice Southwestern-flavored dressing.