Very Vegan Mac and Cheese

The dark cold of of this solstice night brings forth the desire for creamy comfort food.  Wrap me in your warmth - this dish is pure love and light.

The Sauce 

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup vegetable broth, divided*
1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
1 cup unsweetened non dairy milk ( I use almond or cashew)
2 T nutritional yeast
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t white pepper
Optional: finely chopped herbs like sage or parsley or thyme

Heat a  high sided skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add onion and cook stirring constantly until it begins to brown and stick to skillet ( that's right - no oil).  This takes about 5 minutes of vigilance.  Stir in garlic and a few tablespoons of broth and cook, stirring, until onions are tender and broth has evaporated.  Transfer this mixture to a blender, adding remaining broth, cashews, non-dairy milk, yeast, salt and pepper.  Blend until very, very smooth.  If you are using herbs, you can stir in at this moment.

8 ounces of spiral type pasta, cooked.
1 T vegan parmesan ( very optional)
smoked paprika
 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
a smidge of olive oil

Mix bread crumbs with olive oil.
In a separate bowl, mix the cooked pasta with the sauce.  Place in a very lightly oiled dish.  I used an 8x8 glass baking dish.  Spread the bread crumbs on the top and dust with the smoked paprika.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes

Farro and Native Bean Salad

1 cup farro
1/2 cup native bean, like tepary or anasazi
sun dried tomatoes
red onion
olive oil
juice of 1 orange
balsamic vinegar

Soak the beans and farro, separately, overnight.  Cook the beans till done, but not mushy ( about 45 minutes).  Cook the farro about 30-40 minutes.  Drain.  Cool.

Dice up the veggies ( you can certainly play with the choices here).

Mix the farro and the beans and the veggies.

Whisk olive oil, juice and vinegar.  Gently fold into the farro and beans and keep in refrigerator.

Spiced Tempeh and Lentils

I changed the ingredients in this traditional recipe to reflect a plant based approach.  I absolutely loved this recipe~

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 brick ( about 8 ounces) tempeh
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
sea salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2cups chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup brown lentils
3 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1 ( 15 ounce ) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained ( save the juice) and chopped
cilantro leaves

Heat olive oil in a pan.   Crumble the tempeh and add to the pan with the curry powder, cumin, pinch of sea slat and red pepper flakes.  Saute for about 5 minutes.  You may add a smidge of vegetable broth to keep things moving.  The tempeh will most likely not brown.  This is ok.  Add the onion, carrot and jalapeno and saute for another 4 minutes.  Add garlic and stir constantly for about 1 minute.  Stir in tomato paste and reserved tomato juice.  Add the lentils and quickly stir to incorporate in the dish.  Add the vegetable broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hours until the lentils are tender.

Serve with a bit of chopped cilantro.

I used a Le Creuset dutch oven for this dish.  The ceramic finish is ideal for creating lovely stews and such.