Friday, February 22, 2013

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Hi Everyone! I am sorry for the long break in writing! I have been super busy with this little gem!



This is Ellie! She is my niece born on valentines day! I just love her to death and can't seem to get enough of her!
Even though I have been in a baby trance, I have still had some time to try several new things. I am excited to share several great vegan dishes, tricks and treats that I have tested out lately! I am going to start with a simple exchange for parmesan cheese. This recipe is great when ever you need a subtle little flavor enhancement.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese
from silly little vegan

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until there are no whole pieces of cashews and it has a crumbly texture.
Do not over blend! You do not want cashew butter!

Use immediately. Store any unused parmesan in a glass container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Artichokes

I have a fairly new love for artichokes. I tried them once as a kid and hated it. I finally got up the nerve to try them again last summer and LOVED it!

It is a very versatile veggie. You can stuff it, dip it, blend it, mix it, or steam it!

Today I was super hungry for lunch and did not feel like putting much work into what I was going to have so imagine my delight when I opened the fridge to find a lovely artichoke inside. WAHOOOOOOO!

If you have never prepared an artichoke it can seem overwhelming, but don't worry, if you know the tricks it is super easy and not to mention delicious!

The first thing to note is that artichokes brown quickly so you must work fairly quickly.

Take a sauce pan and fill it with about an inch of water. Put on stove to boil on high.
Add:
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp bay leaves (or 1 whole one)
1/4 tsp minced garlic

1. Cut a lemon in half and have ready to use
2. Cut the top 1/3 of the artichoke off
3. Trim top 1/3 off of all the remaining leaves
4. Rub the cut lemon all over the cut edges of the artichoke to help them not brown too quickly (it also gives great flavor)
4. Cut the stem off right up at the base of the artichoke
5. Rub the base with the lemon
6. Reach your fingers inside the center of the artichoke and pull out the middle inch diameter of leaves
7. Use a spoon and scrape all of the fuzz out of the center.

Once the artichoke is prepared place it in the boiling water standing upright. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer until you can easily pull an outside leaf off. 20-30 minutes depending on the size etc.

To eat them you pull a leaf off of the artichoke and where it connected to the artichoke is the meat. use your teeth and slide the leaf through until you scrape the meat into your mouth. You can also eat the center after all of the leaves have been removed! This is my favorite!

I love artichokes!
Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Holiday Weekend

For Christmas I gave my sister and brother in-law tickets to see Phantom of the Opera put on a BYU. I also offered to watch the boys so they could have a restful weekend before the new baby comes.

I had so much fun playing in the snow, playing hide and seek, doing science experiments and going to Wreck it Ralph. What a treat it was to have them stay with me!

I just love my sweet boys! I mean look at them! So fun!





Citrus, Spinach, and Avocado Salad with a Tangerine Shallot Dressing



Since citrus is on right now, and I am obsessed with it, I had to try this salad from The Joy of Cooking, All About Salads and Dressings book. I am not in love with the book and honestly this is the first salad I really liked from it. Don't let that deter you though. This is a refreshing and delicious salad!

Citrus, Spinach and Avocado Salad with a Tangerine Shallot Dressing
by: Joy of Cooking Adapted by: Krista Prusak

Serving 1

Salad
1 T toasted sesame seeds
1 large handful of spinach
1 pinch of salt
1/3 of a grapefruit peeled and chunked
1/3 of an orange peeled and chunked
1/4 of avocado sliced
pepper to taste

Dressing
1 clove of garlic minced
2-3 pinches of salt
1/4 cup of clementine or tangerine juice
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 green onions sliced to desired size (or minced if you don't want to see the pieces)
2/3 c vegetable oil

Mix until well combined. Serve about 1-2 T immediately on the salad or refrigerate until ready to use.

Enjoy!