Perfect Scalloped Potatoes - The Vegan Way

 

 

Hope everyone has had a happy Sunday!

 I have loved this dish from a young age and always associate it with feelings of home and warmness in my youth. I thought it was only fair to veganise it so I could enjoy it again, especially in the colder months.  This dish is so indulgent that it will knock your socks off. Only not as heavy as fatty and heavy as its non-vegan version.  Please do not add cheese! Or at least try it first without it, because I guarantee that you will not need it with this. Many would probably say that it looks like the kind of thing that would call for some kind of cheese either through it or on top of it, but that is only because they are accustomed to that kind of restricted taste palate. I detest when flavor problems are masked over by slathering cheese over vegetables for example, making them easier to down, instead of seeking out other interesting flavor combinations that serve to pay off much better. If you insist however, at least make it Potato Au Gratin by adding minimal grated cheese over the top and sprinkling on a layer of breadcrumbs. 

Some recipes call for pre boiling the potatoes, or at least pre cooking them in some way, but I like to save time by skipping on this. The potato are sliced thin enough that they do not require a lot of time to cook. Not only is time saved, but by allowing the potatoes to bake in the creamy mixture raw means they come out tastier after having absorbed the flavors. Yum! This is such an awesome one to bring to barbeques or other social gatherings because its a good vegan option and others will want a helping of it too.  I'll eat a serve of it with every main meal over the remaining days until its through, never tiring of it.

 

Ingredients:

- 4 or 5 yellow potatoes, sliced
- 1 large brown onion, sliced
-1/2 cup Nuttelex, or vegan butter of choice
- 1 tbs flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 3 cups soy milk
- 1 tbs Dijon mustard
- 2 tbs nutrional yeast (yeast flakes)
- 1/2 tsp parika
- dash of cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped chives to top

Method:
 

   

 

 Start by preheating your ovens to 180 degrees Celsius! Maybe a little lower if you have a strong fan forced one.  

 

 

 

If you have a mandolin, that would really come in handy here to slice up your potatoes uniformly thin, however if you are like me and you don't, just slice them by hand 5mm thin or less. I like leaving the skins on so they form a crispy deliciousness.

 

 

Grease a dish and lay down some potato like so, ensuring that it is even and has full coverage.  

Next add a sporadic layer of your onion.

Continue alternating between potato and onion layers until the dish is close to full. Ensure that you finish with a potato layer.

Heat a pot over medium heat, and once hot add your butter and melt.

 

Add your flour to the melted butter and stir to fry with the butter, allowing the starch grains to burst.

Add your paprika, cayenne, nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic paste and stir to combine.  

Next add your milk and increase the heat. Now is the time to season with salt and pepper and to taste to ensure the flavor is good and that it is salty enough considering that potatoes can be quite bland.

 

Bring to the boil to make sure everything is nice and fused and seasoned. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and pour the mixture over your layered potato and onion. Top with chopped chives. Note the feeling of anticipation that will overcome you right at this moment ha ha.

 

Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes. Test if its ready by inserting a skewer. If the potatoes are soft and you reach the bottom, along with the top having browned, it is ready.  Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes so that it thickens and develops.

 

 

It stays great for a few days and it works as a side dish to almost anything if you ask an indulgent eater like me haha, but you can see here that I served it with a simple salad. You may want to double up if you want more at hand for stocking up or require bigger servings for entertaining, or what have you.

 

 

 

 

Eat well,

xoxo Cody 

 



Vegan Jalapeno Poppers

Get ready for a tasty treat. Veganising the much loved jalapeno popper is simple when you have some Tofutti cream cheese lying around. They're great for entertaining and you'll notice that they disappear quickly. I like to spice up the flour mix to accentuate the flavor of the jalapenos and just add a little something extra to these already special snacks.

 

 

Biting into these little morsels serves to be quite a tantalizing experience, with the crispness of the crumb, the perfumey taste of the chillis, and the soft cream cheese center. 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

- oil for frying

- Jalapeno chillis, 6 or more

- 1/2 tub Tofutti cream cheese

- 1 cup vegan milk of your choice

- 1 cup plain flour

- 1 cup bread crumbs

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp cumin seeds

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

 

Method:

 

*When it comes to the crumbing/coating of the chillis, if they don't get coated enough the first time or you prefer a thicker coating, you can repeat the process by redipping it the milk and then breadcrumbs.

Add the salt, pepper, and all your spices to the flour, and mix to combine.

Slice the chillis once lengthwise, from stem to tip. Deseed them, removing all of the insides.

 

Stuff the chillis fully with cream cheese, using it also to seal the incisions back together by gently pressing them shut.

 

Dip the chillis in milk and then in flour to coat. Small spoons may help during this process to ensure full coverage. Allow to dry for five minutes.

Re-dip in milk and then into the breadcrumbs. It may help to press the breadcrumbs onto the chillis using your hands. Again, allow to dry for five minutes.

 

Heat your oil in a deep fry pan. Once hot, add several chillis into the pan, ensuring not to overcrowd.

Once fried on all sides, remove from the pan and place onto absorbent paper to remove excess oil.

 

I served mine over some rice with mango and a lime wedge, however they are great on their own too.

Simple, but majorly effective. I hope you and everyone you choose to share these with love them as much as I do!

 

Vegan Parsley and Potato soup with Peppered Thyme and Baby Caper Pate (vegan foie gras)

Soup time! Delicious parsley and potato soup. This isn't your average boring vegetable broth. If you are looking for something both nutritious and refreshingly tasty, something that is going to rekindle your love for soup, this is definitely the one. Apart from its striking aroma, parsley imparts a fresh and vibrant flavor to this soup. I love that making soup in bulk provides lazy ready to go meals for days/weeks to come when refrigerated/frozen.

 

 

I decided to serve it with some veganised pate (foie gras), a great tasty accompaniment for this soup, made from Portobello mushrooms and set with agar agar. Think of it as a delicious mushroom spread. For those who don't know foie gras is a French delicacy made from male duck livers that have been specifically enlarged with fat due to force feeding the poor animals with corn. It's good to know that people are beginning to recognize the injustice in the production of this product, with many restaurants culling it from their menus.  With this alternative, not only do you skip on the cruelty, but it tastes much better and is less smelly and gross than the real thing. 

 

Ingredients:

 

Pate:

- 3 Portobello mushrooms, chopped

- 1 brown onion, diced

- 8 tbs Nuttelex (or vegan butter/margarine of choice)

- 1 cup oat milk

- 1 tbs agar agar powder

optional: - dash of sesame oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- capers, to top

- thyme, to top

- cracked pepper, to top

 

Soup:

- 2 tbs nuttelex

- 1 leek, sliced

- 2 sticks of celery, sliced

- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced

- 4 potatoes, diced

- 3 cups curly parsley, chopped

- 3 cups vegetable stock

- 1 1/2 cup oat milk

- salt and pepper to taste

 

- 1 fresh baguette stick

 

Method:

 

To begin, start by melting your nuttelex in a large pot. Now is the time to add the dash of sesame oil if you chose to use it.

Once liquefied, add your onion and simmer over medium heat until the onion has greatly softened.

Meanwhile, use this time to ensure that your Portobello mushrooms are evenly chopped. Other varieties of mushroom can be used, however I find that the Portobello has the best flavor for this dish.

Add your milk and agar agar powder, and whisk to ensure that the mixture is well combined and there are no clumps.

Add your chopped mushroom and simmer until they have released all their moisture and started to soften and break down.

Using a handheld stick blender, blend the mixture to a smooth and creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a silicon mold or ramekin. Top with cracked pepper, capers, and thyme sprigs. Work quickly as it begins to set quickly.

 

Refrigerate until set. Mine took half an hour. 

 

 

Now onto the soup, half fill a pot with salted water and bring to the boil. In another pot, melt your nuttelex.

Once the pot of water is boiling, add your potato and cook until soft.

 

Add your leek, garlic, and celery to the pot with melted nuttelex and begin flavor basing. Keep it over low heat and stir regularly, until everything has softened. You will notice the delicious aroma.

 

Next add your parsley and fry for about 5 minutes.

Add your stock and bring to the boil.

Add half of the cooked potato to the soup pot, retaining the other half for later.

 

 

Blend the soup smooth using a handheld stick blender. Once done, add your milk and the remaining the potato. I like having chunks of potato in my soup, so that's why I retain half of it to add later, however you can blend it all if you prefer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once hot enough, remove from the heat. 

 

Slice your baguette into inch thick pieces and spread your pate over the slices.

 

Two easy to follow recipes if I must say so myself. I poured a little extra milk over the soup after serving just for something different but its really optional. Those baguette slices work a treat for dipping, with the flavor of the soup and the mushroom paste fusing perfectly. This kind of soup can be enjoyed all year round, instead of just the colder months. Make a batch and see for yourself!

Vegan Molten Chivey Cheese Fondue

Today I'm going to show you a real treat by going back in time to the 70's when fondue parties were a thing.  It's relatively simple, being only a one pan dish and its great for sharing with loved ones. Everyone will be amazed by not only its appearance, but by its moreish qualities as a vegan dish. Even those non-vegans skeptical of 'fake cheese' will be won over by its wholesomeness. Trust me on this, my non-vegan parents were licking the spoon and scrapping the pot in no time. Happy fondue party!

 

I simply prepared the bread and celery sticks for dipping, but the fun doesn't end there. Broccoli, capsicum, cauliflower, mushrooms and many other vegetables would work really well when submerged into this sublime concoction. This dish also holds its heat very well, making it great for entertaining. It is important that the cashews are soaked prior, to aid in breaking them down to a smooth texture.

 

Ingredients:

 

- 1 tbs Nuttelex, for frying

- 1 large crusty cobb loaf

- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

- 1 large brown onion, diced

- 1/4 cup of chives, sliced

- 2 shallots, sliced

- 2 packed cups of cashew nuts, soaked in water for 2+ hours

- Juice of half a lemon

- 2 tbs Hot English mustard

- 3 cups soy milk

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

 

optional: - 2 tbs nutrional yeast

- 1 cup grated Cheezly mozzarella style cheese

- salt, to taste

 

For topping: - celery sticks

- dollop of Tofutti cream cheese

- soy sauce

- tabasco sauce

- shiitake bacon bits ( recipe here )

- sprig of parsley

- chopped chives

 

Method:

 

 

Preheat your oven to 140 degrees Celsius.

 

 

In a large pot, melt your nuttelex over low heat, and then add your onion, garlic, shallots, and chives. Lightly begin to fry this mixture until it all begins to soften and break down.

 

 

Meanwhile, cut the top of your cobb loaf with a bread knife, being careful not to break or shatter the lid. Retain the lid for later presentation and eating.

 

 

Remove the inside bread carefully, without stripping it right to the crust. Divide the insides into bite size pieces. Put your loaf and lid onto an oven tray and your bread pieces spread out over another, and toast both in the oven for 10 minutes, until the bread pieces are browned. Remove from the oven and let stand.

 

 

Now coming back to the pot, add your cashews, soy milk, mustard, and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Considering our food processor died, I instead used a handheld blender to transform our molten cheese into a smooth and creamy consistency. I think it worked equally as well as a food processor, only leaving less mess to clean up.

 

 

Still keeping it over low heat, now is time to add your lemon juice, (and optional nutritional yeast, salt, and mozzarella cheese if you chose to).

 

 

Increase the heat a little so all ingredients are melted and the cheese begins to lightly bubble. Stir to ensure that it is all well combined. Return to low heat and remove from the heat once it reaches a gloppy consistency, if it hadn't already.

 

Next, spoon the hot mixture into the toasted cobb loaf to fill. Stick in some celery sticks and your parsley around the edges. Lightly drizzle with tabasco and soy sauce. Sprinkle with the bacon bits and chives, and add your dollop of cream cheese. I placed my lid off to the side, like so, and added some bread bits to surround.

 

Yum! Now you can enjoy some vegan cheesy goodness without the cruelty or health issues. I know you are going to just love it!

 

xoxo cody