"Casheeze"

This makes a great "cheesey" sauce base that can be kept in the fridge for 6 weeks. It can be used in lasagne, macaroni and cheese, tortilla casseroles, pasta alfredo, or just over steamed vegies.

This recipe is take from the website vegweb.com and was originally posted by a user called Dragonfly, where it is titled "Dragonfly's Bulk Dry Uncheese Mix".

It is vegan, and gluten and soy free. It tastes delicious.

Casheeze

Ingredients:

3 cups raw cashews
2 cups nutritional yeast*
3 Tbsp Herbamare seasoning salt (or whatever salt you have)
3 Tbsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp onion powder
8 Tbsp arrowroot powder

Method:

1. In a very dry food processor, blend the cashews until they are very fine and powdery. Pour out of the processor and into a dry bowl.

2. Put half of each of the ingredients into the food processor and blend until very fine and combined. Pour out of the food processor and into a dry container.

3. Repeat step 2 with the second half of the ingredients.

YOUR CASHEEZE IS NOW READY TO BE STORED!


To make it into a sauce:

1. Take a heaped 1/2 cup of the mixture and place it into a saucepan

2. Slowly add 1 cup of water and whisk constantly over a medium high heat until thickened. The constant whisking will hurt a little, but it is important to produce a smooth, stretchy cheese.


* Nutritional yeast is high in complete-proteins and vitamins (especially vitamin B-12). It gives a lovely cheesey flavour. You can find Lotus Savoury Yeast Flakes (or other varieties) in your local supermarket in the healthfood section, or even in healthfood stores. As an example, and so you can see the brand I use, see the link to the Cruelty-Free Shop http://crueltyfreeshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_18_76&products_id=699

Source: Booklet from "Introduction to Vegan Cuisine" at the Leichhardt Community College. Tutor: Leigh Drew

Serves: 4 (per 1/2 cup of mixture)

Rating: 4.5/5

Merlot and Goat's Cheese Risotto

YUMMMMMMMMMMMM

This recipe came from an online friend, and I've adapted it. She cooks a bit like I do - a bit of this, a bit of that...but I've had to come up with absolute figures to get this recipe down.

Merlot and Goat's Cheese Risotto:

Ingredients:

a dash of olive oil
2 cups arborio rice
400ml "chicken" stock, made with hot water (we use Massel "chicken style" stock)
400ml good, fruity merlot
dash of balsamic vinegar
3 saffron threads, or 1/4 tsp tumeric
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 fresh shallots, roughly chopped
a good chunk of fresh goat's cheese (sometimes called "chevre")
1/4-1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup cashews, slivered almonds, or a mixture of both
"knob" of butter

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add rice, shallots, garlic, and stir until aroma is present and the rice is coated. Add saffron/tumeric.

2. Meanwhile, mix the "chicken" stock, merlot and balsamic vinegar together. Add to the rice a little at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the first amount completely before adding the second, and so on. Stir constantly as you add the liquid. NOTE: this will probably take 30 mins.

3. As the risotto nears completion, add the cranberries to the rice and heat through.

4. Just before you serve, add the knob of butter and the nuts, and mix through.

5. Serve risotto into required number of bowls, and sprinkle the chevre/goat's cheese on top in generous quantities.


NOTES:

* You may like to use fresh cherries in place of the cranberries, if in season.
* DO NOT give in to the temptation to add "just that little bit more wine"...it can easily overpower the dish.

Serves: 2-3

Rating: 5!

Brown Rice & Cashew Patties with Coriander & Coconut Sambal

This recipe takes a bit of fiddling around, but is SO worth it.

Brown Rice & Cashew Patties with Coriander & Coconut Sambal:

Ingredients:

Patties:

250g dried chickpeas
3 cups instant brown rice
1 Tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
125g roasted cashew paste (you can also make this yourself with roasted cashews, some butter/oil and add a bit of peanut butter - all in a food processor and whizz for a bit)
1 egg (free range always - happy chooks make better eggs)
60g tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 vegetable stock cube (we use Massel stock cubes)
5 Tbsp tamari
1 small carrot, grated
1/2 cup fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
oil, for shallow frying
2 Tbsp oil, extra
310g bok choy, trimmed and washed

Coriander and coconut sambal:

90g fresh coriander leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small fresh green chilli, seeded and finely chopped (can use 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce instead)
1 tsp garam masala
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Method:

1. Soak the chickpeas in cold water overnight. Drain. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 1-1.5 hours, or until cooked. Drain, reserving 2 Tbsp of the liquid.

2. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook the rice over medium heat for 10-12 mins, or until tender. Rinse well and drain. Keep warm.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for 2-3 mins, or until golden. Set aside.

4. Mix the chickpeas, cashew paste, egg, tahini, cumin, tumeric, lemon juice, stock cube, reserved chickpea liquid, and 2 Tbsp of the tamari in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and add the rice, onion, carrot and breadcrumbs and mix well. Divide the mixture into 16 even portions and form into patties about 1.5 cm thick. Refridgerate for 30 mins.

5. To make the sambal, finely chop all the ingredients in a food processor. Refridgerate until ready to use.

6. To cook the patties, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat and cook in batches for 3-4 mins each side, or until golden and cooked through. Remove and keep warm. Wipe with a paper towl. In the same pan, heat the extra oil and add the bok choy and cook, tossing, for 1-3 mins, or until wilted. Pour in the remaining 3 Tbsp tamari and toss through. Place the bok choy on eight serving plates and top with two patties. Spoon a dollop of chilled sambal on top and serve immediately.

Notes:

* Fresh chickpeas (or any beans/legumes) are always best, but if you don't have the time, you can use tinned goods instead at a pinch.

* You can cook the rice in a rice cooker, instead, if you prefer.

* Patty mixture freezes well. Simply thaw and cook as usual.

Serves: 8

Rating: 4