Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese

This recipe uses a different variation of "cheese" made from cashews.  It is so delicious and really fills you up!  Once again my kids were loving the "cheese" and eating it by the spoonfuls.  The only thing I did differently was that I left out the miso paste because I didn't have any.  I baked mine in the oven with bread crumbs on top (see note at bottom of recipe) which was delicious.  I found this recipe in The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  Great cookbook and absolutely delicious recipe.

Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese

1 ¼ cups raw cashews

½ cup nutritional yeast

2 tsp. onion powder

1-2 tsp. salt, to taste

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

3 ½ cups nondairy milk (soy, rice, almond, hazelnut, hemp, or oat)

3 Tbsp. thickener such as cornstarch or kudzu root

½ cup canola oil

¼ cup light (yellow or white) miso paste

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

12-16 oz. elbow macaroni noodles, cooked

Place cashews in large bowl of the food processor and finely grind. Don’t, however, allow cashews to turn to paste. Add nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper. Pulse three more times to blend in spices.

In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, thickener, and oil. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease heat to low-medium, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1- minutes, or until thickener dissolves.

With food processor running, gradually add milk/oil mixture to cashew/nutritional yeast mixture. Blend for 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Next, blend in miso and lemon juice.

Combine cashew cheese with macaroni noodles and serve. You also may bake it (see below). If you have extra cheese, make more noodles, pour over broccoli, or serve as fondue dip. Cashew cheese will keep for 4 days, covered and refrigerated.

Yield: 8 servings

*The cashew cheese for this recipe will be creamy, perfect for macaroni and cheese or as a sauce for vegetables. To make a hard block of cheese, substitute thickener for 1 cup (about 2 oz) afar flakes. Transfer creamy mixture to container you want to use for a mold (rectangular, square, round). Once it sets (after a few hours in the refrigerator), unmold, and slice or grate. Serve on crackers.

*To make the baked version: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Transfer macaroni mixture to an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until heated through. Uncover dish, and sprinkle ½ cup herbed bread crumbs on top. Continue baking, uncovered, for 15-25 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and crisp. Serve hot.

Mozzarella Cheese Sauce-Vegan

This is super delicious cheese alternative that doesn't have any dairy or soy in it.  You cook it to the consistency you want.  It will thicken up to the consistency of a spread if you let it.  If it's going to sit while you assemble the rest of your dinner then make sure you stop cooking it when it's a little on the "thin" side and cover the pot.  It thickens as it cools.  I don't always roast the garlic for this.  Just use a little less because roasted garlic is more mild.  If you are going to be making many vegan sauces or "cheese" you should go ahead an get a supply of tahini (sesame seed paste) and nutritional yeast (NOT brewer's yeast).  These two items are used a lot.  This cheese sauce is great on pizza, calzones, tacos, or anything else you would enjoy melted cheese.  Great as a dip for veggies or on pitas as well.  To make smoked mozzarella just add 1/8 tsp. liquid hickory smoke.
*Sorry about the picture quality.  I took it as a last minute thought after I made calzones.  The lighting was bad so it looks yellow but it's really white.  You can check out the calzones picture to see it a little better.  I'll try to get a better picture in the future.

Mozzarella Cheese Sauce-Vegan

1 cup water
2 small cloves of roasted garlic
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp. tahini (the larger amount makes it "cheesier")
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.  Pour into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick.

Cheesecake Dip

This is a great dip for fruits, graham crackers, or vanilla wafers.  Great with the graham cracker crumbs but I make it without most of the time.  Can also be used as a delicious filling for crêpes with fresh berries and fruits or as a pancake topping.  We save this recipe for special occasions!

Cheesecake Dip

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp. milk

1/4 tsp. almond extract

2-3 Tbsp. sugar (or to taste)

1 pint fresh strawberries (we also like bananas, pineapple, apples, grapes, berries)

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add sour cream, sugar, milk, and extract; mix until smooth.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Place strawberries and crumbs in separate serving bowls.  Dip strawberries/fruit into cheesecake mixture, then into dry crumbs.  Enjoy!

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream

This is a great non-dairy/non-soy version of sour cream.  It tastes delicious and is less expensive to make than the cashew version.  It is great served on taco salad, fajitas, or anything else you would put sour cream on. (Or you can eat it by the spoonful, which is how my kids like to eat it!)  This is one time when you can let the kids eat as much sour cream as they want!  It actually makes the meals even more filling I've found.  The leftovers are also great served as a dip for veggies.  Make sure you use raw, unsalted sunflower seeds-not roasted.  I buy mine in the bulk bins at my local health food store.  Keeps for about 2 days in the fridge.

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream

1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup water
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove pressed (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette and Grilled Fish Tacos

I have never eaten Fish Tacos.  I know.  Crazy!  I love fish and I love tacos and I see this combo all the time but it never really sounded very good to me.  But I saw this recipe on Our Best Bites and for some reason it sounded really good so I decided to go for it.  The fish is marinated in a Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette before grilling.  (Not to be confused with the Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing.)  I served them with delicious Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing on top (also from Our Best Bites) and my Homemade Salsa.  They were so good!  Every one of my kids loved them, too.  The cabbage slaw was a great addition to them!  This vinaigrette has great flavor and can also be served on a salad, not just as a marinade.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2-3 juicy limes)
1/4 c. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 c. canola oil
1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro, stems removed

In the jar of your blender, combine lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and sugar. Blend until ingredients are completely combined. With the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Add cilantro and blend until the cilantro has broken down but still maintains some of its texture. Serve with greens, on any type of Mexican salad, or use as a marinade.

Grilled Fish Tacos

Mild white meat fish-cod, talapia, red snapper, mahimahi, etc.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Corn tortillas

Shredded cabbage (or cole slaw mix)

Pico de Gallo or Homemade Salsa

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Use a mild white meat fish like cod, tilapia, red snapper, mahimahi, etc.  Marinate in Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette for about 20 minutes (reserve some marinade to add to cooked fish later).  Lightly brush the grill with oil and cook fish for about 8-12 minutes over medium heat (depending on the thickness of the fish) or until very flaky.  (I just used my electric counter-top grill.)  Flake cooked fish and season with leftover marinade if desired (make sure you use the reserved marinade and not the marinade that the raw fish was in!)   Serve the flaked fish in corn tortillas. You'll need to slightly cook the corn tortillas so they don't overwhelm the flavor of the fish; you can brush them with olive oil and bake them in an oven set to 425 for about 5-10 minutes or cook them in a skillet with some olive oil until they start to brown but are still flexible.  Serve with cabbage (cole slaw mix), Pico de Gallo or homemade salsa, the amazing Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing and/or guacamole.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

I found this Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing over on Our Best Bites.  I had to make some.  It was super good.  They say it tastes like a Costa Vida/Cafe Rio style dressing.  I've only eaten at Cafe Rio a couple times but can't really tell you if this is what the dressing tastes like.  I know I really liked it and I know I really like this one...so it must be a match!  I stored my leftovers in a quart jar to use on salads later in the week.  Very tasty!  The green salsa does add quite a bit of heat though!  There is a note about the salsa at the end of the recipe.  Put it on any salad, slather it on a burger, serve it with tacos, or dip your chicken fingers in it.  You could probably drink it from the jar if you wanted to.  It's that good!

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing


1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (regular or buttermilk, and ignore directions on the packet)
1C mayo
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk depending on which packet you buy)
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

 Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender.   Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice.  Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa.  Blend 'er up.  Sample it and add hot sauce to taste.  Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

*A note about green salsa:
There are several brands of green salsa available in most supermarkets and they have various degrees of heat.  One of the most commonly seen brands is Herdez. Herdez brand is a lot spicier than any of the others I've tried.  Even their medium green salsa is way too spicy for my liking.  I like to buy La Costena because their  medium is actually really mild.  That way I get all of the flavor of the tomatillos but I control the level of heat with the hot sauce.  If you're not used to buying green salsa, make sure to sample it first before you put it in the dressing so you know what you're getting into!

Homemade Salsa

This is the salsa recipe we make at our house.  It originally came from Tory's Aunt Teresa but my sister-in-law, Wendy, has definitely mastered it.  (If you have anything to add Wendy...feel free!)  It's super easy and super fresh and it gets better with time (if you can leave it alone!)  I use the term "recipe" loosely because it really all depends on the size of tomatoes, onion, and your own personal taste but this is the basic recipe.

Homemade Salsa
For each batch you need:
-About 3-4 medium size tomatoes (Roma or vine ripened tomatoes are the best.  The darker and riper the better!)
-1/3 of a medium purple onion (MUST be purple onion...not yellow or white)
-1-2 jalapeños depending on your taste.  (Again, the darker the better.  The darker ones tend to be hotter, if you can find a dark one that's on the small side that should be pretty hot, sometimes you can smell the heat, too.  If the jalapeños smell really hot then I usually only use half of 1 for a batch.  Leave out seeds for less heat as well.)
-Cilantro, pretty much according to your taste, but don't leave out!  I like to grab about a handful of leaves for mine.  Probably around 1/2 cup.
-Garlic Salt-this pretty much makes all the difference in the recipe!  If at the end it seems like it's missing something...it probably needs more garlic salt.

Cut the tomatoes and onion into small pieces.  Put in food processor bowl.  Add jalapeño.  (I cut the jalapeño separately to make sure it gets diced very fine before I add it to the food processor.)  Place cilantro over the top.  Sprinkle garlic salt over everything.  Pulse until small pieces but do not puree.  Taste.  If you need more garlic salt then stir it in.  If it's too salty do another batch with less and mix them together.  If I'm making a lot I like to do 2-3 batches each separately and then mix them together in a bowl.  I think it turns out better than doing one big giant batch.  If you want it thicker, add a can of tomato sauce at the end.  Adjust seasonings.

Banana-Orange Topping

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet!  We use it all the time!  Maybe that's the problem.  We eat it before I can even get a picture.  Even this one was an afterthought right as we were getting ready to dive in.  It is our favorite topping for pancakes and waffles.  I grew up with this topping.  My mom always made it for us.  It's quick and easy and so much better for you than syrup.  It's also a great way to use up ripe bananas instead of making them into banana bread.

Banana-Orange Topping
1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 can water
2 bananas mashed with fork
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat OJ concentrate, water, and bananas in small pan.  Bring to a boil and boil for one minute; stir frequently!  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Serve warm over pancakes or waffles.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

This is the best cranberry sauce!  I got the recipe from my sister Heather.  It only has 4 ingredients and you don't cook it at all!  What could be more simple!  We're not big cranberry sauce eaters normally but this one is so good and fresh and so different that we all eat it up.  Be sure to make it the day before so the flavors can blend.  You're supposed to chop all of the fruit in the food processor but I don't have one.  I just use my Pampered Chef chopper.  Heather also recommends chopping each type of fruit individually to make sure it all gets chopped, then add it together and stir.  This is what I did and it was perfect.  You can chop it as much or as little as you prefer.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 large orange
1 large apple (crisp red variety works best)
1 c. sugar

Sort and wash cranberries.  Chop in food processor.  Cut up apple and orange and chop in a food processor.  Mix fruit together with sugar and let stand in refrigerator overnight.  Stir before serving.

Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce

This is the sauce I use a lot when cooking or eating fish. I like to use it to top tuna burgers and I also often use it when I bake salmon or other fish. I mix up a batch to put on top of the salmon as it bakes and then some more to put on top when serving. I like to put the Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning in it to give it a little more garlic (and because you know I just can hardly cook without my Mrs. Dash!) but it is optional.

Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. dill
1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb, optional
1/2-1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix well!

Speedy Spinach Pesto

Basil pesto with pine nuts is my favorite but it can be expensive to make or buy. This is an alternative recipe that uses spinach and walnuts (or pine nuts) instead. Still delicious!

Speedy Spinach Pesto

2 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and stemmed
1/2 cup fresh parsley, preferably Italian flat leaf
1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, not canned
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1. Place all ingredients into food processor and process to a fine paste.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings and transfer to a glass container and top with a thin coat of olive oil to prevent the top of the pesto from discoloring.
3. Keeps for weeks in the refrigerator. (If it lasts that long! Mine never has!)

Makes 2 cups.

REAL Crannberry Sauce

My husband makes a really good Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and anytime you enjoy a turkey.

1 bag of Cranberries
3/8 cup of Sweetner (We used Agave Nectar)
1 cups water

You mix the water and sweetner to a very light boil then add the cranberries. (Cranberries will pop) Stir until thickens. Let it cool until room temperature, and then refrigerate. Serve Chilled. We usually make ours the day prior.

Hope you enjoy!