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Vegetarian/Vegan – Page 19 – surviving the food allergy apocalypse (archive)

Tag: Vegetarian/Vegan

Recipes contain no animal products or by-products. Consider the sourcing of your ingredients if purity is important to you.

  • Gluten Free Flour Mix for Waffles and Pancakes

    Gluten Free Flour Mix for Waffles and Pancakes
    Gluten Free Flour Mix for Waffles and Pancakes

    Using method that the Gluten Free Girl and the Chef have provided on their blog to make an all-purpose flour mix, I made up the following flour mix to make the waffles and pancake recipes that will be posted for our Hangover Breakfast series.  (These recipes will be posted on April 1st, keep your eyes out for them!) I used a kitchen scale and I used a glass measuring cup zeroed out on the scale thinking that I could give you the cup equivalents. The thing is, it worked out that all the amounts were not a full measurement of anything and were really weird amounts. If you’re going to do any serious gluten free baking, you probably need to get a kitchen scale. This can be used as an all purpose mix, but I chose these flours with waffles and pancakes in mind. To use a regular recipe with this mix, exchange 140 grams of this mix to every 1 cup of regular flour.

    Gluten Free Flour Mix for Waffles and Pancakes

    Makes about 3 1/2 cups of flour mix.

    • 50 grams of Oat flour
    • 50 grams of Sorghum flour
    • 50 grams of Millet flour
    • 50 grams of Masa Harina flour (a type of corn flour)
    • 150 grams of Sweet Rice flour
    • 150 grams of Potato Starch

    Measure out each of the flours carefully, and place into a large mixing bowl.  Using a whisk, mix the flours and starches together until they are very well mixed.  Store in an airtight container until you are ready to use it.  Enjoy!

  • Sriracha Oven Roasted Potatoes

    Sriracha Oven Roasted Potatoes
    Sriracha Oven Roasted Potatoes

    For the second post in our Hangover Breakfast series, what breakfast is complete without home fries?  But on the morning after (or pretty much all the time if I’m honest about it), I’m going to be pretty lazy about what I actually cook on the stove top that requires constant attention.  Therefore, I like my home fries oven roasted.

    Sriracha Oven Roasted Potatoes

    • 1/8 c. of olive oil
    • 1 Tablespoon of fresh minced garlic (3-4 cloves or go nuts)
    • 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning (it’s a mix of the usual suspects, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano and basil, if you don’t have it, just use a dash of each.)
    • 1/2 teaspoon of Penzey’s Forward (if you don’t have this, use 1 teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt or any other brand of season salt, and omit the salt below)
    • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
    • 1 teaspoon of Sriracha  (if you don’t have Sriracha, BUY SOME, or substitute any hot sauce, or if you don’t like spicy, omit it altogether)
    • 4-5 potatoes, washed and scrubbed and trimmed of any scars or bad spots, but otherwise unpeeled.

    Preheat oven to 475º degrees. Place all the ingredients except the potatoes into a bowl.

    Olive Oil and Spices in Bowl
    Olive Oil and Spices in Bowl

    Whisk oil and spices together so they are well incorporated.

    Well mixed olive oil and spices
    Well mixed olive oil and spices

    Wash, scrub and trim potatoes if you haven’t already.

    Washed, Scrubbed and Trimmed Potatoes
    Washed, Scrubbed and Trimmed Potatoes

    Cut potatoes into 3/4 inch pieces and place into the bowl with the olive oil and spices.

    Potatoes cut into 3/4 inch pieces
    Potatoes cut into 3/4 inch pieces

    Once you have finished cutting up all the potatoes, mix the potatoes with the oil and spice mixture until they are well coated.

    Potatoes coated with spice mixture
    Potatoes coated with spice mixture

    Place coated potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Scrape the bowl and drizzle any of the remaining spice mixture on top of the potatoes.

    Coated Potatoes on baking sheet in single layer
    Coated Potatoes on baking sheet in single layer

    Put potatoes in preheated oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

    Sriracha Oven Roasted Potatoes just out of the oven!
    Sriracha Oven Roasted Potatoes just out of the oven!

    Serve them with some sausage (see our Maple Glazed Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties recipe), bacon, and some fresh fruit.  Enjoy!

  • Sizemore Family Mac n’ Cheez

    Sizemore Family Mac n’ Cheez

    Gluten and Dairy Free Mac and Cheese
    Gluten and Dairy Free Mac and Cheese

    Is there anything better than good solid comfort food?  In this dreary mid-winter, I’m drawn again to this casserole that my friend Corianne gave me back when I needed just to go dairy-free.  The recipe is her mother’s, but it seems like food is a family affair — Corianne and her sister now run the vegan Treehouse Bakery in Phoenix (ask nicely — they do gluten-free!  And if you’re in Phoenix or just a glutton for punishment, like them on Facebook to hear the list of flavors every day.  Can I highly recommend the spicy chocolate cupcakes?).

    Anyway, I’ve tweaked very few things over the years I’ve had this recipe, as it’s pretty much perfect.  It was easy to make gluten-free with quinoa pasta.

    Casserole of Awesome
    Casserole of Awesome

    Gluten-free, Soy-free, Vegan Cashew Mac and Cheese, courtesy of the Sizemore family

    • 2 quarts water
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 cups gluten-free macaroni (I recommend quinoa pasta)

    Cook mac according to package directions, to the shorter end of the cooking time.  Do not overcook!  Drain.  Pour into greased casserole dish.

    • 1 cup raw cashew pieces
    • 2 cups water

    Add to food processor and process until smooth.

    • 2 oz jar of pimentos
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (optional — adds a tiny bit of kick)

    Add these to the cashews, and process until smooth.

    Pour sauce over mac.

    Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350F.

    Uncover.  Top with gluten-free bread crumbs, if desired (I prefer it without, personally) and bake another 15 minutes uncovered.

    Close up Mmmmmm
    Close up Mmmmmm

    Enjoy.  I think this is best served cold, in the morning, for breakfast, with coffee.  But your mileage may vary.  I think plenty of people like their mac n’ cheez hot.


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    Sizemore Family Mac ‘n’ Cheez
    Print Recipe
    Sizemore Family Mac ‘n’ Cheez
    Print Recipe
    Ingredients
    • 2 cups gluten-free pasta (I prefer quinoa macaroni for this)
    • 4 cups water
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    • 1 cup cashew pieces soaked overnight
    • 1 3/4 cups water
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder
    • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard optional — adds a tiny bit of kick
    Servings:
    Share this Recipe
     
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  • Happy President’s Day, Bread and Chocolate with Cherries

    Bread and Chocolate and Cherries
    Bread and Chocolate and Cherries

    And this is take two on cherries for our President’s day theme. Cherries go with chocolate. And there’s a place in Concord, New Hampshire that sells a pastry called Bread & Chocolate that I’ve been trying to replicate since the dairy allergy diagnosis, so I decided to add cherries to the mix this time.  This is like a jelly roll, except instead of cake and jelly or cream, you have bread and chocolate and cherries.  Although I’ve tagged a warning, just to be clear, this recipe contains wheat and gluten, and I’ve written it to be used with a bread machine.

    Bread and Chocolate with Cherries 

    • 1/4 cup of warm water (between 70ºF and 85ºF)
    • 3/4 cup of a milk alternative product of your choice (I used homemade oat milk)
    • 1 Tablespoon of Ener-G egg replacer, mixed with 6 Tablespoons of warm water
    • 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
    • 1/3 cup and 1 teaspoon of dark brown sugar, packed firmly
    • 1/4 cup of shortening or Earth Balance Soyfree Natural Buttery Spreads
    • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
    • 4 cups of bread flour
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons of bread machine yeast
    • 1 cup of Dole frozen Dark Sweet Cherries, chopped
    • 1 cup of Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate chips
    • 2 Tablespoons of melted Earth Balance Soyfree Natural Buttery Spreads
    Sunbeam Bread Machine
    Sunbeam Bread Machine

    Using my nicely inexpensive Sunbeam bread machine, add first three ingredients in order as listed to the bread machine pan. Then add the salt, brown sugar, shortening, cinnamon and flour to the bread machine pan, heaping the flour in a pile.

    Using a spoon, make a little indentation that you can put the yeast in, and then add the yeast.

    Ingredients in Bread Pan with Yeast in Indentation on Top
    Ingredients in Bread Pan with Yeast in Indentation on Top

    Set your bread machine menu to just make dough.  When its ready it should look something like this:

    Completed Dough in Bread Pan
    Completed Dough in Bread Pan

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread a little flour on your very clean counter top or on your dough mat, and dump dough on mat or counter.  Make sure you remove the paddle if it falls out of the bread pan.  Roll out dough using a rolling pin to a rectangular shape approximately 12 by 18 inches.

    Dough rolled to a rectangular shape
    Dough rolled to a rectangular shape

    Once you have rolled the dough to the correct shape, spread your chopped cherries over the surface.

    Dough with Cherries Spread over Surface
    Dough with Cherries Spread over Surface

    Then sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the surface of the dough.

    Chocolate Chips and Cherries Spread over Surface of Dough
    Chocolate Chips and Cherries Spread over Surface of Dough

    Taking a small amount of water, dip fingers in water and run them around the edges of the dough to help it seal when you roll it up.  Take one edge of the shorter side and begin to roll it up, making sure that you seal up the edges as you go, and that the final seam is sealed by pressing the wet edges to the dough.  Carefully place the roll with the seam on the bottom on the pan you will bake it on.

    Completed Bread Roll
    Completed Bread Roll

    Taking the melted Earth Balance, brush it over the surface of the dough.

    Brushing Melted Earth Balance over Bread Roll
    Brushing Melted Earth Balance over Bread Roll

    Let dough rise for about an hour and half, until it nearly doubles in size.

    Bread Roll After Rising
    Bread Roll After Rising

    Place in oven preheated to 375°F, and bake for 30-35 minutes.  If you rolled your rectangle out a bit too wide, you’ll get the bent shape I did after baking 🙂

    Baked Bread Roll
    Baked Bread Roll

    Let cool for 30 minutes or more and then cut slices.  Enjoy!

    Bread Roll after Cutting
    Bread Roll after Cutting
  • Happy President’s Day, Can’t Tell a Lie Cherry and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread

    Can't Tell a Lie Cherry and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread
    Can’t Tell a Lie Cherry and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread

    You know how hard it is to find a food theme for President’s Day? It’s hard. Which is why I’m using cherries out of desperation, even though I was a history major and I know that story about George Washington and the cherry tree is a crock. Despite that I decided to do it up, and make two versions of a chocolate and cherry bread dish that could be breakfast and dessert. This one is gluten free, and doesn’t have all that pesky rising and all that. I couldn’t find fresh cherries, so I used frozen ones, and was surprised at the blue tones I got in the finished dish. It’s almost like it had blueberries in it. In any case, since I’m not one who has to be gluten free, and since I’m not a gluten free baking genius, I started with a recipe from the gluten-free goddess®, and modified it a bit.

    Can’t Tell a Lie Cherry and Chocolate Chip Quick Bread

    • 1 cup of sorghum flour
    • 1 cup of tapioca starch
    • 1/2 cup of millet flour
    • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
    • 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum
    • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
    • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
    • 1 cup of dark brown sugar, firmly packed.
    • 1 cup of applesauce
    • 1/3 cup of Canola oil
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons of Ener-G egg replacer, mixed with 3 Tablespoons of water
    • 2 teaspoons of vanilla
    • 1 cup of Dole frozen Dark Sweet Cherries, chopped
    • 1/2 cup of Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate chips
    • 9 inch loaf pan
    • parchment paper

    Preheat your oven to 350°, and line the loaf pan with parchment paper so that you can lift the loaf out of the pan in order to cool it.

    Loaf Pan Lined with Parchment Paper
    Loaf Pan Lined with Parchment Paper

    Place sorghum flour, tapioca starch, millet flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl (I used my KitchenAid stand mixer).  Whisk together these ingredients until they are completely mixed.  Add the brown sugar and whisk it into the other ingredients.

    Now add the applesauce, oil, Ener-G mixture, and vanilla, and beat to combine and then continue beating the mixture on medium high until the batter is smooth.

    Fold in the cherries and chocolate chips by hand with a spatula.

    Folding in Cherries and Chocolate Chips
    Folding in Cherries and Chocolate Chips
    Completed Batter
    Completed Batter

    Pour batter into the parchment lined loaf pan, scraping down the sides of the bowl and smoothing out the top of the loaf.

    Batter in Parchment Lined Loaf Pan
    Batter in Parchment Lined Loaf Pan

    Bake for approximately 65 to 75 minutes or until you can insert a tooth pick and it comes back clean, except if you hit a chocolate chip and you have chocolate chip goo.  If this happens, try again in a different place.

    Baked Loaf in Parchment Lined Pan
    Baked Loaf in Parchment Lined Pan

    Once done,  let the loaf cool for 15 minutes or so, and then use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan and onto a wire rack.  Peel down the sides of the parchment paper and let the loaf cool.

    Baked Loaf on Wire Rack with Parchment Peeled Down
    Baked Loaf on Wire Rack with Parchment Peeled Down

    Once cooled to down to slightly warm, slice yourself a piece and enjoy!

    Slice of Can't Tell a Lie Cherry and Chocolate Quick Bread
    Slice of Can’t Tell a Lie Cherry and Chocolate Quick Bread
  • Microwave Popcorn, lots and lots of flavors (and allergy-friendly!)

    Popcorn

    So this isn’t the post that was originally supposed to be here. I was supposed to have concocted this wonderful braised pork chop recipe, but Winter Storm Nemo happened and shot my plans to go to the grocery store to hell. I tried to make a go of it with what I had in the apartment, and it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t worthy of you all. So then I was left to find something else to do at the last minute. And what else do people do when there’s no food, and you don’t feel like cooking? Microwave popcorn. Except for those of us that are dairy free, there’s no microwave popcorn that we can buy without milk or milk derivatives in it. So, the internet to the rescue! I can’t remember where I found the link on how to cook popcorn in a paper lunch bag in the microwave, but I want to thank them fervently.

    Also, for those of you who are Valentine’s Day abstainers, popcorn is a good thing to have while you do a movie marathon to ignore the fact that the rest of the planet is participating in a corporate-manufactured holiday.

    Basic Microwave Popcorn

    • ⅓ c of popping corn
    • ½ tsp of canola oil
    • ¼ tsp of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, or Penzey’s 4/S salt.
    • 1 paper lunch bag
    • 1 piece of tape (optional) or a plastic clip like these from Pampered Chef

    Variations:

    Cajun – Replace seasoned salt with  1/4 tsp Penzey’s Spicy 4/S Salt, or Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning to taste. If your Cajun Seasoning does not have salt, leave the seasoned salt in the basic recipe in as well.

    Cheez – Add 1-2 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the basic recipe.

    Ranch – Add 1 Tablespoon of nutritional yeast, and a dash of each of the following: garlic powder, onion powder, basil, dill weed, and red pepper flakes to the basic recipe.

    Curry – Add 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala, and 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder to the basic recipe.  If you want to add some heat, add a dash of cayenne pepper.

    Open paper lunch bag. Add the popcorn kernels and all the seasonings to the bag. Add the oil, and then hold the bag closed and shake quickly to distribute oil and seasoning around popcorn kernels.  Either fold the top of the bag over twice, use tape, or the clip to seal the bag tightly. Put the bag in the microwave on its side. Because all microwaves are different and everyone has figured out the optimum time to nuke microwave popcorn without burning it, try it at your normal setting and see if that works, and adjust the time as needed. In my microwave, it takes 1 minute 45 seconds to pop the popcorn without burning it. Shake the bag after taking it out of the microwave and dump the popcorn in a bowl, shaking any seasonings left in the paper bag out over the popcorn.

    This would really work with any combination of seasonings you want to try. Let us know how any experiments you do work out. Enjoy!

    All the Single People!

    And for those who are single or anti-holiday, whatever your reason, here’s Mary Kate’s current V-Day At Home Alone, currently available via streaming Netflix, movie night plan:

    Thor

    Captain America

    and to remember that sometimes romance gets in the way of your future plans,

    Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

    Anyone watching along with me?

  • Almost-Instant Black Bean Soup

    Almost Instant Black Bean Soup
    Almost Instant Black Bean Soup

    It’s winter, so it’s already dark when you get home, late, hungry. and cold.  There’s probably some sandwich stuff in the fridge, and there’s cereal, but again, it’s cold.  And you’re hungry.  NOW.

    You need this soup.

    In about 15 minutes, with very minimal effort, you have fresh wondrous HOT satisfying soup.

    This Is How Easy Dinner Can Be
    This Is How Easy Dinner Can Be

    Black Bean Soup

    • 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 can of tomatoes, either chopped or crushed, with seasonings if you like
    • 1 cup of frozen corn
    • 1 small can of tomato juice or V8 (I use low sodium V8) OR about 6 oz of water
    • 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
    • pinch of cayenne or dash of hot sauce

    Mix in sauce pan, heat.  That takes about 10 minutes.  Eat.

    The basic recipe is so easy that it’s possible to easily dress this up, but the basic recipe is excellent and all the ingredients are shelf-stable, so you can always have them on hand.

    Other potential add-ins before cooking: 1/4 teaspoon oregano, a cube or two of frozen cilantro (or fresh, if you have it), leftover cooked rice, leftover cooked sweet potato, leftover shredded or cubed chicken.

    Potential toppers for after cooking: crush a handful of tortilla chips on top, add some sliced avocado before serving, add some fresh chopped cilantro, or sprinkle on some shredded cheese, vegan or not.

    Almost Instant Black Bean Soup, ungarnished
    Almost Instant Black Bean Soup, ungarnished
  • Miraculous ALLERGEN-FRIENDLY Fried Cheez Nuggets

    Fried Cheez Nuggets with Marinara Sauce
    Fried Cheez Nuggets with Marinara Sauce

    When Denise and I sat down to discuss things we needed to learn to make, things we could not longer eat “normal” versions of, one of the things that popped to the top of the list was what my college roommate called “bar food” — fried foods that tasted great and had little or no nutritional value.  I can still have french fries, which are my favorite of the genre, but Denise missed mozzarella sticks (to the point that I had dreams about them – D). 

    As anyone who is vegan, allergic to milk, lactose-intolerant knows, cheese is one of the harder flavors to replicate without actual dairy products.  Many have tried, but the majority of “non-dairy” cheeses on the market actually contain some dairy, and therefore aren’t suitable for anyone vegan or with allergies.  There is nothing on the market that really would work for a fried cheese product.

    But we do have the wonder of Joanne Stepaniak’s The Uncheese Cookbook, which has an amazing variety of cheesy flavors (including the basis for the nacho cheese used in the Happy Layers Nacho Dip).  We figured that if we made the mozzarella recipe, made sure it was structurally sound enough to batter and fry, and then figured out a breading, we’d be set.  Easy, right?

    Not exactly.  We had no problems with the cheez, though we made three or four recipes before determining which worked best, and tried several different “egg wash” and breading options, too, before determining which worked best.  But even our less perfect attempts were edible, and we’ve shared these with regular omnivorous eaters, and while they wouldn’t mistake them for mozzarella sticks, they did enjoy them.  This recipe was our first resounding success, and it’s kept us going for a while.

    This is NOT an every day recipe!  And frankly, given that it’s fried “cheez,” it really shouldn’t be anyway.  There is preparation involved, and then deep frying, but they taste good at room temperature and could easily be re-warmed or kept warm in a low oven.

    Before we get started, you will need the proper equipment.  You decide how much you can fudge this stuff, but remember you’ll be playing with oil.

    For making cheez:

    • 2 qt. saucepan
    • whisk
    • silicone ice cube trays or molds with a capacity of about 1 Tablespoon each (cubes are approximately 1 inch square)
    • plastic wrap
    • freezer space so they can set

    For the frying:

    • pot deep enough to accommodate about 3 inches of oil and the frying thermometer, a thick stainless steel or a enameled dutch oven would be best. You also want a pot that’s tall enough that the edge is 2 or more inches above the oil level. It’s safer and there’s less splatter all around. The pot we used was 5 inches tall and about 8  inches across.  We do not recommend using anything with Teflon or nonstick coatings. Of course, if you have an actual deep fryer appliance, use that.
    • frying thermometer (the link goes to the one we used)
    • splatter screen (trust us, don’t go forth without this one)
    • tongs and/or slotted frying spoon/spider (we used a silicone one rather than the traditional wire and bamboo, but I can’t find a picture of ours)
    • cookie cooling rack and cookie sheet, lined with paper towels
    • probe-style thermometer
    • For recapturing the oil for re-use (with proper care, you can use this oil at least 6 times)
    • Mason jars
    • coffee filters
    • funnel

    Ingredients, all in one list:

    • 2 cups rice milk
    • ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
    • 7 Tablespoons oat flour (if you can’t get gluten free certified oat flour, grind gluten free certified rolled oats in a blender, food processor or coffee grinder until you have flour)
    • ¼ cup tahini
    • ¼ cup cornstarch
    • 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 Tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer powder
    • 1/2 cup warm rice milk
    • one loaf of white rice bread, turned into bread crumbs, or about 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs
    • a large jug of canola oil, for frying
    • marinara or tomato sauce for dipping (optional)

    Miraculous Cheez Nuggets

    There are two things you need to do in advance — make the cheez and make the bread crumbs.  You could buy bread crumbs, but it may be easier to make your own and control the bread.  For gluten-free bread crumbs, we suggest either Ener-G White Rice Bread or Food for Life White Rice Bread.  In my opinion (MK), neither one is a fantastic sandwich bread, but the white rice breads do make excellent bread crumbs for frying.

    For either one, lay the slices out on the oven rack and bake for about 2 hours at 200°F.  Let cool completely, and then put through the food processor.  You won’t use the whole loaf’s worth of crumbs, but why not keep the rest on hand?  They keep well in a plastic bag or other sealed container.

    Make cheez:

    Place the following ingredients in the saucepan:

    • 2 cups rice milk
    • ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
    • 7 Tablespoons oat flour (if you can’t get gluten free certified oat flour, grind gluten free certified rolled oats in a blender, food processor or coffee grinder until you have flour)
    • ¼ cup tahini
    • ¼ cup cornstarch
    • 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

    Whisk all ingredients together until well combined.

    Cheez Ingredients mixed before heating
    Cheez Ingredients mixed before heating

    Cook over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally until mixture starts to thicken. Turn heat to low, whisk constantly until mixture starts to pull together and away from sides of pan.

    Cheez after cooking
    Cheez after cooking

    Spoon into silicone molds or ice cube trays, approximately 1 tablespoon per cube.  Try your best to smooth out the tops.

    Cheez in Silicone Ice Cube Trays
    Cheez in Silicone Ice Cube Trays

    Cool in fridge.  Then cover with plastic wrap and freeze the cheez over night. The cheez must be frozen to hold up to frying without becoming a really nasty mess. The last batch we made we had intended to fry the the next day but couldn’t, so the cheez was in the freezer for a week or so with no ill effect. To save time, you could keep some cheez made ahead of time in the freezer and then just bread and fry when you want some.

    Frying Fun!

    Fill the frying pot (described above) with about 3 inches of canola oil, and put your frying thermometer in place.  Start heat over medium-low and aim for 360ºF.

    Frying Set Up
    Frying Set Up

    While waiting for your oil to heat, you will bread your cheez.  Make an “egg” mix by mixing the following:

    • 2 Tablespoons Ener-G egg replacer powder
    • 1/2 cup warm rice milk

    Place egg mix in a deep enough container or bowl that you can dip the cheez nuggets in it and coat them easily.  Place bread crumbs in a low flat container so that you can easily roll the nuggets to coat them in the bread crumbs.

    Remove cheez nuggets from silicone molds. One at a time, dip nuggets in egg mix, then in bread crumbs. Place on a tray to until you are ready to fry them.

    Coating Cheez in Bread Crumbs
    Coating Cheez in Bread Crumbs
    Cheez Nugget Coated in Bread Crumbs
    Cheez Nugget Coated in Bread Crumbs
    Tray of Breaded Cheez Nuggets
    Tray of Breaded Cheez Nuggets

     

    Fry them! Drop nuggets (gently!) in the hot oil and then cover the pot with the splatter screen.

    Putting Cheez Nuggets into Oil
    Putting Cheez Nuggets into Oil
    Cheez Nuggets Frying
    Cheez Nuggets Frying
    Using Splatter Screen
    Using Splatter Screen

     

    Our pot was about 8 inches in diameter, with 3 inches of oil, and we could fry 5 nuggets at a time.  Each batch took approximately 5 minutes with the starting oil temperature at 360-370ºF.  We were able to test the interior temperature (remember, these will still be frozen when you drop them in the oil) with the probe thermometer — anything over 70ºF is good (take a nugget out of the oil and test it on a plate. DO NOT TRY TO PROBE A NUGGET WHILE FRYING). You can also just cut one open and feel it.

    Blurry Photo of using Probe Thermometer
    Blurry Photo of using Probe Thermometer

    If you put too many nuggets in the oil at once, you will drop the temperature too far down (don’t go below 330ºF), and you won’t get a golden brown outside with a warm cheezy center.  If your oil drops more than 15 degrees, put fewer nuggets in the next time around.  You can also adjust your stove temperature to try to keep the oil temperature consistent.

    When the nuggets are done, lay them on the cookie sheet that you’ve prepared — cover the cookie sheet with paper towels and lay your cooling rack upside down on the paper towels.  The fried nuggets will be kept up off the paper towels, and the towels will draw the oil down.  These nuggets are NOT greasy if you’re doing all this right, and they are wonderful.

    Taking out Cheeze Nuggets to Put on Rack
    Taking out Cheeze Nuggets to Put on Rack
    Cheez Nuggets on Rack
    Cheez Nuggets on Rack

    Serve while still warm, with marinara if you so wish.

    You can freeze any leftovers, but reheat them low and slow — 250ºF for about 30 minutes seems to work.  We only tested reheating them once, though, so if you do it, let us know how it goes!

    Yummy Cheez Nugget!!
    Yummy Cheez Nugget!!