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Meatless/Veg*n – Savory recipes which do not contain any meat or which may fall into either the vegetarian (no meat or fish) or vegan (no animal products of any kind) categories. Dishes generally feature beans or vegetables as the central ingredients. We will not be putting baked goods and desserts in this category, although most of our baking will be vegan (and will be tagged as such). These recipes will not contain dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat or hazelnuts. If we use a top 8 allergen, we will use a tag warning of its use.
I found this recipe, which I’ve now modified to fit my tastes, on the back of a silken tofu package. I had bought a couple of packages of silken tofu to try as an egg replacement in brownies. Silken tofu might work for others in brownies but not for me, and since I had to now find something else to do with the extra silken tofu, I noticed the recipe on the back of the package and decided to try it. I think I’ve now got it just about where I want it. I know it won’t work for those of you who can’t do soy, but Mary Kate’s going to post an onion dip that’s fabulous and maybe you can throw some spinach in it.
Spinach Dip
1 – 12 ounce package of Mori-Nu Silken Lite Firm Tofu
1 package/envelope of French onion soup mix (check labels for possible dairy, I have better luck with a store brand for dairy free or make your own mix, here’s a recipe)
1 – 10 ounce package of fresh spinach, steamed, cooled and squeezed dry
2-3 medium green onions, about a 1/4 cup when chopped (use green part too)
1 – 8 ounce can water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced or just process in food processor
Several splashes of Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Steam spinach in a covered container in the microwave with two tablespoons of water for approximately 5 minutes. Drain and when spinach is cool enough to touch, squeeze spinach dry, and place in fridge until cool.
Drain tofu, and place in a food processor or blender with soup mix. Blend until smooth. Add mayo and garlic and blend, scraping down sides until all ingredients are well blended. Add cooled spinach to blender or food processor and blend with short pulses until spinach is mixed in, but is still a bit chunky. Then add the spring onions and the water chestnuts and do two short pulses just to mix it up, you don’t want the spring onions and water chestnuts obliterated, just mixed in. (You could just put the spinach and tofu mixture, the spring onions and water chestnuts in a bowl and mix up with a spoon, if you want it chunkier).
Remove mixture from food processor or blender and put it into a bowl. Add Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least an hour, but overnight is best to let the spices blend.
After we perfected the Ranch Dip using a Cashew Base (see today’s other post) we found a recipe for ranch using the Earth Balance Mindful Mayo. We fiddled with the recipe because liked the flavor profile we had developed for the Ranch Dip Using a Cashew Base better. The result is pretty awesome. We both like our version with cashews better as a dip, but if you can’t have tree nuts that recipe won’t work. And this recipe was closer to real ranch dressing for use on actual salads, and much less expensive. I used it on a salad and I just about cried because I could have ranch dressing again. (I’m guessing that at some point I’ll be using this recipe and the Penzey’s Creamy Peppercorn dressing mix to experiment further with obtaining more replacements for dairy based salad dressings). We also served this dip to people who can eat dairy at a bridal shower and they also really liked it.
Ranch Dip/Dressing Using Earth Balance Mindful Mayo
1 cup of Earth Balance Mindful Mayo (I’ve tested it with original and organic but have not tried it with the olive oil version)
1/4 cup of rice milk (original, unsweetened, or use rice milk powder following directions on container)
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until all ingredients have been incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. You can also do this in a bowl and mix it by hand, if you prefer not to have to wash your blender, but I think the spices blend better in the blender. Taste the mixture and adjust spices as needed. Let sit for a couple hours before serving and the flavors will develop.
Ranch dressing. It’s one of those things that seems really, really hard to replace. And you miss that creaminess, salty, tart flavor, especially on salads, buffalo, wings, or just with a veggie tray at a party. When Mary Kate and I started this blog, we began a list of things we missed desperately (okay, so it was a spreadsheet divided up by category, but anyway). I don’t think ranch even made the list. I don’t think it was even something that we considered being able to replace. But while I was researching replacement mayo recipes, I came across a recipe on Yummly.com that used cashew nuts to make a ranch dressing. Mary Kate and I didn’t think the flavor profile was quite right, so we messed around a bit with the spices. It was one of our first real successes and even people who can have real ranch dressing seemed to be shocked at how much they liked it. And it’s really pretty easy. I know this recipe won’t help those of you who can’t have tree nuts, but we’re posting another ranch recipe that will help.
Ranch Dip Using a Cashew Base
1 1/4 cups cashews (raw, unsalted, and if you buy cashew pieces it’s cheaper)
3/4 cup rice milk (original, unsweetened, or use rice milk powder following directions on container)
Grind cashews in spice grinder or coffee grinder, in small batches until the cashews are a nearly a powder, but not to the point they become a butter.
Place the ground cashews and all remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until combined and until mixture thickens a bit. Taste mixture and adjust spices as needed. Let sit for a couple hours before serving and the flavors will develop and the mixture will thicken further.
Some of the testers have found that this recipe does not hold up well overnight as it becomes more salty, but there’s been some debate about that. Also some of us preferred less salt and others preferred more. The recipe as written is using less salt.
This past summer, one of my co-workers went through a phase of making Thanksgiving dinners — I don’t think she was cooking a whole turkey, but part of it, plus dressing and cranberries. I think it happened more than once, and the craving turned out to be transferable.
But for me? Turkey, eh, whatever. I don’t like it or dislike it, but I don’t feel excited enough to cook one if I don’t have to. What I love about Thanksgiving are the side dishes, and while most of my family’s traditional foods are not allergen-free in their original formats, it is truly easy to make most of them safe with dairy alternatives (although, personally, I prefer vegetable broth to most non-dairy milks in mashed potatoes — less chance for an odd sweet flavor to happen).
For my mid-summer Thanksgiving, I decided to do a casserole of all my favorite flavors, and since there is just one of me, I did individual casseroles so that I could freeze some of them. If you wanted turkey, you could make it on the side. If you wanted a full vegan meal and you’re not gluten-free, add diced seitan with the mushrooms in the gravy portion, but be sure to leave some extra room for it at the top of your casseroles. Some sort of cranberries on the side? Why not? This can be the main dish, the centerpiece, the only dish, or a side. Nothing but versatile, right?
This casserole has a base of mashed rutabaga, a center of vegan, gluten-free chestnut and celery dressing, and a rich mushroom gravy, all baked in one lovely personal-sized casserole. I’ve never made this as one large casserole, but I think doubling each layer and increasing the cooking time would work.
Mini-Thanksgiving, Casserole Style
3 servings
Pre-heat oven to 350F, and spray three 1/2 cup mini-casserole dishes with cooking spray (note on cooking spray — the only one I’ve found free of all allergens including soy is Pam for Grilling).
First, make the rutabaga:
2 cups stock (veg or chicken) or 2 cups water and 2 bouillon cubes (watch for hidden gluten and soy in stock and especially bouillon — look for natural brands for boxed stock for the best selection of options)
about 2 cups of cubed rutabaga (look for it frozen and bagged)
Boil rutabaga in stock until cooked through. Takes 20-30 minutes for fresh rutabaga, but 10 or so for frozen.
Drain rutabaga, and mash with:
1+ Tablespoon soy-free Earth Balance
salt and pepper to taste — be generous with the pepper here.
Spoon into bottom of dishes and press down with the back of the spoon. Should be about 1/4 to 1/3 an inch at the bottom of each dish. If you have leftovers, pack them in or eat them.
Rutabaga base
Next, make the dressing. In large skillet, over medium heat, heat
1 Tablespoon olive oil. When shimmery hot,
Add:
1 cup of diced onion. Cook until translucent.
Add 1 cup celery, chopped, cook until hot, 3-4 minutes
Add one package of chestnuts, chopped (my package was 5.2 oz, and was about 15 chestnuts)
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon thyme, crushed as you add it.
Chestnut-Celery Dressing
Cook everything about 5 minutes. Onions should be entirely clear, celery should still retain a bit of crisp, the chestnuts don’t appear to change.
Stir in 1/3 cup gluten-free bread crumbs (I make my own from the leftover pieces of bread from each loaf, but if you need to buy some, the Ener-G loaves make good bread crumbs).
Spoon over rutabaga, leaving just a bit of room (1/4 inch or so) at the top. Scrape all the bits out of the skillet.
Chestnut-Celery Dressing, stage 2
Finally, make the gravy. Into the same skillet you just used (really no need to wash it out), still over medium heat, add
2 Tablespoons olive oil. When shimmery hot,
Add 1/4 cup onion, diced small. Cook until translucent.
Add 1 3.5 oz package of shitaki mushrooms, washed, stemmed, and diced. Cook until the liquid comes out of the mushrooms (watch, if you don’t know what I’m talking about — you’ll see it). 2-5 minutes. Then add
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons garbanzo bean flour
2 Tablespoons of soy sauce, gluten-free tamari, or coconut aminos
Whisk these until you’ve made a slurry, good and thick. Let it cook for a minute. Begin to slowly drizzle in water, about 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring and letting each addition thicken before adding the next drizzle. Add at least 1 cup of water, and not more than 1.5 cups.
Spoon gravy over casseroles. At this point, you can cover the casseroles and refrigerate overnight, or you can bake them immediately. If immediately, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. If you are taking them out of the fridge, let them sit 15 minutes or so to come up towards room temperature, and then bake 25-30 minutes. These freeze okay, but let them thaw thoroughly and then bake.
2 cups stock (veg or chicken) or 2 cups water and 2 bouillon cubes
about 2 cups of cubed rutabaga
1+ Tablespoon soy-free Earth Balance
salt and pepper to taste — be generous with the pepper here.
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup of diced onion
1 cup celery, chopped
1 5.2 oz package of chestnuts, chopped (15 chestnuts)
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/3 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup onion, diced small
1 3.5 oz package of shitaki mushrooms, washed, stemmed, and diced
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons garbanzo bean flour
2 Tablespoons of soy sauce, gluten-free tamari, or coconut aminos
(Final note — it seems to me that chestnuts are tree nuts, but did not confirm this. Assuming this is so, this recipe is not nut-free. MK, and readers, I checked this morning and confirmed they are tree nuts -Denise)
Note (note 1): This post seems to have a lot of notes.
My last year of grad school, my two roommates and I hosted somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 people for Thanksgiving. We added all the leaves of my drop-leaf table (I’m the last of the grandkids to get it, and it seats 12), plus several desks and side tables and created this huge banquet table that took up our whole living room. It was honestly possibly the best Thanksgiving dinner ever. There was SO MUCH food, and it was all amazing — and all done on grad school food budgets.
[Vaguely related side-note (note 2): It did not hurt the situation that apparently, people don’t love pumpkin pie as much as I do, and leftovers consisted of an entire pie that no one else in my house wanted. I ate it. All of it. To our lovely readers: if anyone knows of a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, SOY-free pumpkin pie recipe that works, please please please please share. I will be forever in your debt.]
This amazing recipe was made by my friends Amanda and Ken (who also brought something else reasonably gourmet for grad school. It involved fancy cheese and mushrooms, I think.) Neither of them remembers where the recipe came from, and apparently neither one has a copy anymore. This isn’t the original anyway, but it’s still perfect — thick and creamy, smoky and sweet, and possibly the most perfect welcome to fall soup ever.
Note about measurements (note 3): This is not a recipe in which all ingredients must be precisely measured. It’s more about proportions. If you get stuck buying a threesome of leeks (like I did) and can’t see where the left-out leek will get used in your weekly meals, add it and cut back the onion a bit. Adjust the seasonings to your preferences (For example, I often double the amount of nutmeg in this soup, but when making it for other people, who find that overpowering, this is the recipe I use).
Amanda & Ken’s Smoky Sweet Potato Soup
In large sauce pan over medium heat, melt:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy-free Earth Balance
Add:
1 ⅓ cup chopped sweet onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 ¼ cup chopped leek, white and light green only (about 2)*
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)
¼ teaspoon thyme, crushed
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Nutmegs
Cover and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
**(note 5): Leeks. If you’ve used them before, skip this mini-tutorial. If you’ve never used them before, I think you may love them. But know before hand that they are dirty dirty vegetables, full of grittiness. Here’s how I prep them.
Leeks cut up.
Cut off the tops and bottoms. Anything above the light green is really tough.
Sliced lengthwise.
Slice them lengthwise.
Washing leeks.
Soak them in the sink. If you have any doubt if this is necessary, look at the grit left in the sink when you drain it.
Proceed by draining the leeks (or just shaking them over the sink if you have little patience) and slice thinly.
**Spice (note 4): chipotle peppers in adobo sauce come in a can, usually from the Mexican foods section of the grocery store. Chipotle are smoked jalapeño peppers and adobo sauce is a smoky, spicy tomato and vinegar sauce. This stuff has a good kick to it, so if you haven’t used it before, start conservatively and add more as needed.
What you add from this can will depend on your taste and dining companions, but if you like things a bit spicy (or more than a bit), add one chipotle chili from the can — the chilis vary in size, so root around in there and find one that’s about your current level of courage. If you like things a little less hot, add 1-2 tablespoons of just the adobo sauce. If you have a mix of spice needs in your audience, serve the adobo sauce on the side.
Even if you like things crazy hot, you will have leftovers! I often store the sauce and peppers separately — the sauce can go in the fridge for about 4 or 5 days (it’s got vinegar in it, but usually no other preservatives). It also freezes well. I lay the chilis themselves out on wax paper or parchment over a plate, and throw it in the freezer. When the peppers are frozen, throw them in a plastic bag.
This is that layered Mexican dip that someone always brings to a potluck. I don’t recall being a huge fan of it in the pre-diagnosis days, but it was one of the random things I really missed when I suddenly couldn’t have it. This version is only 4 layers (no sour cream and no olives), but feel free to add the olives if that’s your scene. Neither Denise nor I have found a good substitute for sour cream if you’re dairy and soy free (I liked the Tofutti when I still was eating soy).
Two of the layers are adapted recipes — the nacho cheez is my final version of Joanne Stepaniak’s nacho cheese from The Uncheese Cookbook. Go check out the original and play around with it — it offers a lot of latitude in choice of flours and non-dairy milk. This is one of my go-to comfort food recipes on work days now (the cheez alone, with chips, not this dip). The red lentil “refried beans” are slightly adapted from Heather Van Vorous’ Eating for IBS.
This was one of my first experiments for allergen-free cooking for parties, and I’m pretty happy with it. Make sure to plan ahead — you need perfectly ripe avocados for this recipe, a bit soft, but not yet squishy. Leftovers will keep for 4-5 days, but they do get a little squishy and the avocado will brown a little. Just a little though, because of the layering.
A note on formatting — this is how I write out recipes for myself, with ingredients grouped by step, not all at the beginning. I find I’m less likely to get lost in the recipe this way. I would love to know what you think of it. I’ve put a full ingredient list at the bottom, for those of you who are traditionalists.
Happy Layers Nacho Dip
This is a four layer dip. The recommended layer order is important to the structural integrity of the dish, as well as its freshness.
Grease a 11×8 glass pan.
Layer One: “Refried” Beans
In saucepan, mix:
red lentils
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted
2 ¾ cups water
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Whisk occasionally, cooking until smooth consistency, about 40 minutes.
“refried” lentils
Let briefly cool, and then smooth into pan. Let cool completely. If you want to do this step the night before, go ahead.
Layer Two: Guacamole
homemade guacamole
Best to keep this one simple. Smash together:
2-3 ripe Haas avocados
large pinch of kosher salt
juice of ½ to 1 fresh lime (use your judgement — you want smooth, but not liquidy)
You can use a potato masher, a pastry cutter, or a fork to smash avocados. I prefer a fork. You could use the large Florida avocados, if you get them, but I find them too often bad up here. Could just be the distance. They are enough bigger that you’d likely only need one. Smooth guac over top of the beans in the pan.
Layer Three: Nacho Cheeze
In medium saucepan, over medium heat, whisk together:
½ cup garbanzo bean flour
½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoky Spanish paprika (pimentón), or, if you do not have this, use regular paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dried mustard
2 teaspoons dried oregano
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you are Denise or just like it really hot)
Whisk together all dry ingredients first. Then add
¼ cup olive oil
Nacho Cheez dip in its primordial state
Whisk together
Add 2 cups unsweetened rice milk
Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches a boil and starts to thicken.
Add either fresh chopped cilantro or about 2 teaspoons (two cubes) of frozen herbs.
Pour over the first two layers and smooth on carefully — getting sort of a seal of the cheez layer is what keeps the guacamole layer green. Cover and chill.
Top with a final layer of salsa just before serving — tomatillo salsa (the green one) highly recommended for flavor, but traditional red salsa provides more color contrast. Or hey, get festive like I did in the top photo, and attempt stripes! Note: Salsa is not easily constrained to your decorative purposes.
Serve cold, with tortilla chips.
Happy Layer Nacho Dip on chips (with ominous camera shadow)
Full Ingredients List in Traditional Cookbook Order:
Refried Lentils
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted
2 ¾ cups water
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Guacamole
2-3 ripe Haas avocados
large pinch of kosher salt
juice of ½ to 1 fresh lime (use your judgement — you want smooth, but not liquidy)
Nacho Cheez
½ cup garbanzo bean flour
½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoky Spanish paprika (pimentón), or, if you do not have this, use regular paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dried mustard
2 teaspoons dried oregano
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you are Denise or just like it really hot)
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups unsweetened rice milk
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro (I use the convenient frozen cubes). Add more if you like.
Jar of salsa for topping. Takes about 1/3 to 1/2 of a regular-sized jar.
It’s still summer and there’s lots of good stuff to pick up at farmstands. So Mary Kate and I got the bright idea to buy a bunch of vegetables and experiment with grilling them this weekend. Although we spent a marathon day grilling, one of the things we wanted to share with you all, was the grilled vegetable salsa we put together. If you don’t want to do this on the grill, I have also made this salsa by roasting the vegetables in the oven and in my rotisserie.
Grilled Salsa
Our score at the farm stand
1 red bell pepper, cut into quarters and seeded
1 jalapeno, cut into halves and seeded
1 bulb of garlic, with top cut off and with most of the outer layer peels removed
2-3 tomatoes, cut into quarters and seeded (if you wish reserve the juice and the seeds to mix in with the salsa at the end.)
2 small onions, cut in slices (so they form rings about 1/2 inch thick)
Do what you would normally do with your grill to bring it to cooking temperature, light the charcoal, light the propane, or start the fire, depending on what you have for tools and equipment. If you do have a grilling basket, feel free to use it if it will make things easier on you.
Once your grill is hot, place garlic, cut end up, on a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the garlic and seal it shut. Drizzle garlic bulb with olive oil, and wrap foil around bulb.
Garlic after grilling
Place on indirect heat out of the way so that it can cook slowly while you grill the other vegetables. You want the garlic to be fork tender and easily mash-able.
Grilled Red Bell Pepper
Place other vegetables on the grill to cook. It might be best to place the onions and jalapeno in the grill basket to cook. This will take several minutes and you will want to watch the vegetables carefully. You may not want your vegetables quite as charred as our red bell pepper got (whoops!).
Grilled Tomatoes
The vegetables will also cook at different rates. Once each vegetable becomes tender, or is cooked the way you like it, take it off the grill and place them on a plate or a bowl until all the vegetables are done, checking the garlic last.
Chop the red bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, and jalapeno finely and place in a bowl (with juice and tomato seeds if you reserved them.)
Add 3 to 4 cloves (or more if you like) of the roasted garlic and mash it in with chopped vegetables. (You can freeze the remainder of the roasted garlic if you wish for use at another time, such as mashing it into potatoes or as a spread.)
Grilled Salsa after mixing
Add the red wine vinegar, the Cholula Chili lime hot sauce, cilantro, and adobo seasoning. You may also add a splash of olive oil if you wish. Mix well, or if you like your salsa to be more saucy, use a stick blender or a regular blender to process it a bit. Enjoy!
You know how grocery stores do all sorts of tastings and giveaways for a grand opening? Well, just to get things jump started here, we’re going to post TWO RECIPES for your allergy-free pleasure. Both focus on fresh vegetables, given that it’s summer and even in New England things are fresh.
Hominy? What on earth is hominy? That was my first reaction on reading a recipe in one of my mother’s stash of food magazines. This was well before my gluten-free days, but it turns out that hominy is great for the gluten-free. This is your new pasta salad for the summer days.
Hominy is corn. More specifically, dried corn kernels exploded by being soaked in some sort of weak lye solution, common in Native American and Central American cooking. It’s the corn kernel, but without the exterior “skin,” with a texture that reminds me a little of grits.
Hominy can be bought in cans, I’ve mostly found in the “ethnic foods” aisle of the grocery store (Goya brand is what I’ve found here). It must be drained and rinsed, much like beans, and has a different, but really cool texture and flavor. It absorbs the flavor of the dressing you make for it.
This salad should take advantage of the best of summer fruit and veg. It’s best to adjust it according to what you can get good and fresh wherever you are just now.
Hominy Salad
Make dressing.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk:
2 teaspoons chopped basil (if you can’t get fresh, the frozen cubes work better in this than dried. If you have to use dried herbs, some fresh parsley or even chives would go a long way to preserving the “green” flavor of the salad)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (best quality you have)
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
freshly ground pepper to taste
Set aside
In a medium bowl, mix:
one 16 oz can of white hominy, drained and rinsed (yellow will likely work, too, but I’ve never seen it and never tried it)
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
3 stalks of celery, chopped small
about ⅓ of an English cucumber, cubed
2-4 scallions, sliced
Add dressing, toss salad, and chill for at least an hour, to let the flavors meld. Other vegetables could be added to this salad, depending on what’s fresh and best where you are, though this combination is pretty solid.
What summer foods do you miss from your pre-apocalypse days? Maybe we can help. If you try this recipe, let us know how it works.
