Mac and Peas (vegan)

I'd been thinking about making my own mac and cheese ever since I discovered this vegan version, which sounds a little crazy, I know, but vegans have made this old-time comfort food even better. Check out the Vegan Stoner with this version with canned peas (not my favorite) or this version with coconut milk. Both versions of mac and cheese added nutritional yeast. So I was toying with what else to use, when I met a woman in this thrift shop near the blenders. She said she uses a small blender to make a vegan mac and cheese sauce with cauliflower and cashew butter.

"Cauliflower and cashew butter?"

"I know," she said, "It sounds crazy but it works. It tastes exactly like Parmesan cheese." 

I spotted cashew butter at a Grocery Outlet not more than 15 minutes later, so I got some cauliflower  and tired making the sauce.  One problem was she hadn't given me any proporitons, so it was a bit of a guessing game.  

WOW! 

This mixture even smells like Parmesan cheese. How crazy is that? 

I wrote the recipe ahead of time, adding nutritional yeast and a bit of turmeric, a bit of lemon, garlic powder and sea salt. But when I tasted it before adding these other ingredients, I was shocked.  I kept wanting to taste it again and again.

For me, mac and cheese is a starter. It's one of those food canvas as where you add the colors and flavors. I thought it would be easy to find macaroni, and truthfully I only went to one store, but all the designer gluten-free pastas have taken the shelf space and good old macaroni got squeezed out.  Since I was making it yesterday, I could have gone to more stores, but I finally settled for shell noodles instead.

I've added so many different vegetables, herbs and sauces over the years, it's funny that I hadn't peas until recently.  

Zucchini is my standard with mac and cheese these days. So obviously that ingredient came before peas, but if you don't like it, add mushrooms, peppers or whatever non-starchy vegetable that you love.

Use fresh or frozen peas.  I choose frozen because fresh peas aren't quite at the market yet in Seattle.

Who doesn't love opening fresh peas?  I remember my grandmother shelling them and always sharing a few with me.

You can find cauliflower at the market now, but it's pricey because the season hasn't quite started.

So many possibilities for mac and cheese, and so little time.

Too many peas?  Blanch them in a big pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, dry and freeze.

One of my "secret" flavorings is apple-smoked sea salt from Rockridge Orchards.  I didn't add my favorite Mama Lil's Peppers, but you could add those too, if you have them.

Mac and Peas

(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons cashew butter

1 1/2  cup cooked cauliflower (reserve water and add to thin sauce)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

Pinch of turmeric

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, white pepper and smoked sea salt

1 Tablespoon oil

1 cup diced onions or shallots

1 cup diced red pepper
2 cups sliced zucchini

8 ounces macaroni or shell pasta

1 cup fresh garden peas or frozen peas

1. Combine cashew butter, cooked cauliflower, lemon, nutritional yeast and turmeric in a food processor or mixer and blend until creamy, add more liquid to make the mixture smooth.  Set aside. 

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. While pasta cooks, heat a skillet over medium heat and add onions, red peppers and zucchinis.  Stir and cook until onions and zucchini are caramelized and the peppers are tender.  If using fresh peas, add and cook for a few minutes, or until tender.

3. When macaroni is done, drain and blend with the sauce and vegetables and serve.

I forgot to mention the asparagus. It's not exactly part of this recipe, but I love asparagus even more than peas, so of course I get some at the market every week.  It looks beautiful on top of my Mac and Peas. All the flavors made me wish dinner would never end.

Sugar Snap Peas, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Penne Pasta

Pssst: Pea Season has arrived

I spotted pea shoots a few weeks ago at the farmers market, so I bought a bunch, washed and trimmed the stems and I cooked them briefly and served them with a simple lemon rice. 

I also bought pea plant starts from River Farm, but after we planted them, our cat Gino dug up three of them. At first I suspected Gino, was a secret vegetarian and wanted to try pea shoots, but he'd tossed the tiny plants aside, like he was miffed that we hadn't planted catnip.  

Gino, the pea shoot thief

Remove the tough stems from pea shoots.

Fresh peas at the market can be pricey, but they only come once a year, so plant your own or save your pennies and get to the farmers' market when the first shoots appear--which would be now at the U-District farmers market.

The flavor of pea shoots is delicate and subtle so choose ingredients that won't overwhelm them, and remember to remove all of the tough stem, which can make for an unpleasant eating experience.

After the shoots, come sugar snap, snow, and then shelling or English peas which are so good, even self-professed pea haters become converts. Sugar snap and snow peas are the best bargain because you eat the pods.

String sugar snap peas and snow peas after washing.  If you don't, you'll curse yourself because the tips can poke you when you eat and the strings are tough.

Shell English  peas before using in recipes.

Sugar snap peas from Willie Green's Organic Farm

Be sure to remove English peas from the pods before eating 

Sugar Snap Peas from Willie Greens Organic Farm 

My Cooking Assistant is in heaven with these fresh English peas.

Pea shoots from Mair Farm-Taki at the farmers' market

Sugar Snap Peas, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Penne Pasta

(Serves 6)

2 cups penne pasta

8-ounces shiitake mushrooms, tough stems removed (save for soup stock)

1 large red pepper, stem removed, seeded and diced

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup Kalamata olives

10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 tablespoons lemon juice or balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  While the water boils, prepare the vegetables.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add shiitake mushrooms and dry-fry, stirring until mushrooms become soft.  Add red pepper and oil.  Stir and cook until peppers soften.  

Add sugar snap peas, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until pears are tender.  Stir in garlic powder, green onions, and Kalamata olives.

Transfer to a serving bowl and gently blend in tomatoes, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper.

Grits and Greens

I woke up one morning craving grits and greens.

I didn't grow up in the South and I didn't eat grits or greens until I was older, so I never had the kind served with milk, cream, ham hocks or bacon.  But somehow it seemed right to add tempeh "bacon" strips which have a smoky flavor some might find reminiscent of bacon.

I might use Italian kale for dishes like this, also called Tuscon, black or dino kale.  Whatever you want to call it, it's generally my go-to green, but for this dish, consider collards. They are more tender and with a milder flavor, they allow the lemon and smoked tempeh to take center stage.  Add a bit of lemon juice and it's a perfect frame for the polenta or "grits."

Tuscon kale

I'm not sure what the exact difference is between polenta and grits, but I'm treating them the same for this recipe. I had Amish butter coarse cornmeal from Ayers Creek Farm in my freezer. This local coarse cornmeal has the best flavor.  And the directions for cooking these grits came from Ayer's Creek Farm.

If you don't have shallots, use red onions.

I'm not the only one who loves seasonal greens around here.  My Cooking Assistant has stolen them on occasion.

Swiss chard would also work in this recipe, if that's what you happen to have.  It takes less time to cook than kale, so it's a good option for a quick meal.

I might also add toasted pecans or pine nuts to top this dish, just to vary the textures.

Grits and Greens

(Serves 4)

2 cups water or vegetarian stock

1 cup coarse cornmeal "grits"

2 cups almond, rice or soy milk

1/2 teaspoon smoked sea salt 

1 to 2 tablespoons oil

6 tempeh bacon strips

1 or 2 shallots, peeled and minced

1 bunch kale or collard greens, stem removed and sliced thinly, then chopped

2 or 3 tablespoons apple juice 

Fresh Meyer lemon juice 

Heat water or stock in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  When water boils, add coarse cornmeal or "grits"in a thin stream, follow with salt.  Once the grits have been added, stir in the milk and sea salt.  Stir for 2 minutes. Adjust heat so mixture simmers but does not boil.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Uncover and stir for 1 minute.  Repeat this process two more times.  The mixture will be very thick.  Spread in a baking pan (9 by 11- or 13-inch).

While grits cook, heat a heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil and tempeh strips.  Cook on both sides until browned and crisp.  Remove from pan and add shallots.  Stir and cook until shallots begin to brown, then add greens.  Stir and add apple juice.  Cover and braise the greens until they soften, adding more liquid as needed.  Cut and serve grits topped with greens, tempeh and shallots.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Squeeze lemon juice over to taste.

Enjoy your local flavors.

Savory Shepherd's Pie with Shiitake Mushrooms

Who doesn't love comfort food?  Shepherd's Pie is one of my long time favorites.  It's the best for a rainy day.  When I'm looking for better flavors and texture, Olsen's Farms has the best selection at the farmers' market.  I like the Yukon Gold or Yukon for mashing.  I've tried to mash potatoes from baked russet potatoes but they don't seem to get as creamy tasting.  If you want more nutrition and less carbs, add a bit of cauliflower to the steamed potatoes.  The potatoes above were enhanced with sweet potatoes.  If you mash a vegetable with more water with the potatoes, you don't need to add much milk, vegan margarine or butter.

Many of the ingredients can be found at the farmers market.  Look for dried mushrooms, but if you can't find them, you can dehydrate shiitake or any other mushrooms and use those.  The longer you leave the mushrooms out, the more they dry. You could also put them in a dehydrator on low.  One friend left them in her refrigerator and instead of getting old, the mushrooms dried and made a rich mushroom stock.

I must admit, I'm a bit late with this post because I read this book and I've gone a little crazy with this method of tidying-up.  The book has significantly lightened my load.  I love her ideas of peeling stuff in categories and the idea of keeping only the things that bring you joy.

I have donated box after box to Bella's Voice a nonprofit thrift store that supports the Feral Cat Project.  The store offers amazing finds because stores like Goodwill often comb through donations to put them in online auctions, but Bella's Voice puts everything on the floor.  I hope more thrift stores open up as nonprofits supporting animal rescue organizations.

Here's the recipe:

Savory Shepherd's Pie with Shiitake Mushrooms

(Serves 4)

The mashed potatoes transform this Shepherd's Pie into a timeless tradition. First, choose an oven tolerant skillet such as cast iron. Prepare the mushrooms and potatoes ahead of time.  Mash the potatoes with cauliflower or sweet potatoes and you'll feel less guilt over the luxurious carbs. Also feel free to embellish any way you like, add herbs or change vegetables.

2 cups mashed potatoes (or mash a blend of sweet potatoes, cauliflower and potatoes)

1/4 cup salsa

1/8 cup dried shiitake mushrooms

1 cup boiling water

1 1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms, tough stems removed, caps sliced

1 tablespoon oil (canola or extra-virgin olive oil)

1/2 cup diced onion

2 stalks celery, sliced thin

1 carrot, small dice

1/2 red pepper, small diced or white beans

1 cup  seitan or white beans

1 tablespoon arrowroot

1 tablespoon Liquid Braggs Aminos

1 cup cauliflower, cut into small pieces

1 cup green beans, frozen

1 cup corn, frozen or canned

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Combine the mashed potatoes and salsa.  Set aside.

Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms.  Let allow mushrooms to rehydrate for at least one hour.  The longer the mushrooms are in the water, the more flavorful it becomes. Strain, reserve liquid and finely chop the mushrooms.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Cast iron is best.  Add mushrooms and dry fry, stirring them until they become limp. Add the oil, onion, celery and carrot.  Stir and cook until vegetables soften.  Stir in the pepper and seitan and continue to stir and cook for 5 minutes. Blend in the chopped, soaked mushrooms, green beans and corn.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Stir arrowroot into mushroom liquid until well blended. Pour over vegetables, stir and spread the mashed potatoes on top.  Sprinkle paprika over the top.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling.

Everybody gets to sample this Shepherd's Pie