Three-Ingredient Whisk-Only Caramel Sauce
Small-Batch Strawberry Chia Jam
CASHEW PARMESAN
This Cashew Parmesan is an all-time staple in our household. We sprinkle it over all our pasta dishes, risottos, or pizza. It really works with everything and anything! Our Cashew Parmesan recipe takes only a couple of minutes to make and it stores for weeks and weeks. (If you haven’t devoured all of it before then, that is.)
Makes: 1 cup | Time: 5 min
Ingredients
1 cup (130g) raw cashews*
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Put all ingredients in a kitchen processor and pulse until a fine powder is created that resembles Parmesan.
2. Sprinkle over all kinds of pasta dishes, pizza, or risotto.
3. Store the vegan Parmesan in an airtight glass jar at room temperature for 1 to 2 months without problems.
*You could also use blanched almonds or substitute with sunflower seeds for a nut-free alternative.
BASIC VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE
This vegan cheese sauce is perfect for various purposes. It’s delicious on lasagna, pasta bakes, pizza, in mac & cheese, or to eat as a dip. It’s ooey-gooey and everything you’ve ever wanted in a vegan cheese sauce!
Makes: ¾ cup | Time: 5 min
Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil
⅓ cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika powder
¼ teaspoon curry powder
⅓ cup (20 g) nutritional yeast
½ cup (120 ml) water
Instructions
1. Heat the coconut oil in a small pot on low heat.
2. Once the oil is a complete liquid, add in the flour and whisk.
3. Add the salt, paprika powder, and curry powder and whisk again.
4. Then, add the nutritional yeast and whisk again. It should be clumpy—that’s normal, don’t worry.
5. Add the water and whisk on the lowest heat setting for about 1 minute until the sauce thickens nicely. If it gets too thick (or if you want to reheat at a later time) you can add a little bit more water and whisk again and it should be good as new.
6. Use it as a dip, pour it over some lasagna or pizza or whatever you like, and enjoy!
HOMEMADE SEITAN
Seitan is made by rinsing the starch from wheat flour over and over again, which is quite time-consuming. Thankfully, there’s a lifesaver called vital wheat gluten, which allows us to make seitan much, much quicker. Seitan does not have any real taste itself. Just like tofu, you can consider it a blank canvas for you to paint on, so make sure to add lots of spices to give it a delicious taste!
Makes: 1 log | Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
1 cup (130 g) vital wheat gluten
¼ cup (15 g) nutritional yeast
¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup (120 ml) water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients and whisk. Add the combined wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix everything with a large spoon, then use your hands to knead the mixture for a couple of minutes until it’s stretchy and all of the ingredients are incorporated. Shape into a loaf.
2. Cover the seitan loaf in plastic wrap or cheesecloth and knot the edges.
3. Bring enough water in a large pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the seitan for about 45 minutes.
4. Remove the plastic wrap or cheesecloth, cut the seitan in slices, chunks, or whatever you need for the recipe you want to make. I like to pan-fry the seitan quickly so the sides get crispy before using it in the recipe.
5. Keep the seitan in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
DATE-SWEETENED ALMOND MILK
Plant-based milks are staples in a vegan diet, and the good news is that it’s actually not hard to make them yourself. This is a basic recipe for naturally sweetened almond milk, but you can easily remove the dates for an unsweetened version. You can also add maple syrup, chocolate, or ground vanilla to give it an even sweeter twist. Note: A quality nut milk bag, preferably nylon, is even more important than a high-speed blender. This really makes a difference and makes your nut milk super silky and soft!
Makes: 4 cups | Time: 10 min + soaking time overnight
Ingredients
1 cup (150 g) blanched almonds (or regular ones, but the milk will be a bit darker)
12 dates
4 cups (1 liter) water (use less if you want to make it thicker)
1 pinch of salt
Instructions
1. Soak the almonds overnight. Drain and rinse the almonds.
2. Put the almonds, dates, water, and salt in a high-speed blender and blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes. At this point, you can add additional flavors like cocoa powder* or ground vanilla if you want!
3. Cover a strainer with a nut milk bag for the smoothest results, and place it in a bowl. Alternatively, you can use a cheesecloth or breathable clean kitchen towel. Then, pour the almond milk in the nut milk bag and press out excess liquid.
4. Store the milk in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Bianca's Kitchen Hack
How to Make Any Plant-Based Milk
You can make more than just nut milk at home. Just like you would with the nuts, you could also soak rice, oats, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, coconut flesh, flaxseeds, and sunflower seeds for more plant-based milk varieties. Let them soak for a few hours, blend them with water, and strain. Done.
*For a chocolate milk version, add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder per 2 cups milk.
THREE-INGREDIENT WHISK-ONLY CARAMEL SAUCE
We know, we know. This is not actually caramel sauce. While traditional caramel sauce is made out of caramelized sugar, we tried a healthier approach and found this recipe to be just as delicious as the real thing. You’ll only need three ingredients for this one. Plus, you don’t need to heat it up!
Makes: ¼ cup | Time: 2 min
Ingredients
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup, rice syrup, or agave syrup
1 teaspoon water*
Instructions
1. With a small whisk, mix the almond butter, syrup, and water until smooth.
2. Let it sit for a few minutes to thicken up.
3. Serve over some nice cream (see on pg. 182) or use it in the caramel cups (see on pg. 169).
*Depending on the almond butter you’re using, you might have to add a bit less or more water to reach a perfect ooey-gooey consistency.
SMALL-BATCH STRAWBERRY CHIA JAM
In our household, we don’t really eat tons of jam, so when we do, we usually prepare quick little batches. This batch of strawberry chia jam can be made with just a few minutes of work. It’s the perfect jam for PB&J sandwiches or to spread it on our homemade English muffins (see on pg. 113).
Makes: ¼ cup | Time:10 min
Ingredients
1 cup (130 g) frozen strawberries
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon chia seeds
Instructions
1. Put the frozen strawberries in a small pot, add the maple syrup, and let them cook on medium heat until soft.
2. Mash them with a fork, add the chia seeds, and give it a quick mix.
3. Take the pot off the stove and let it sit for about an hour to thicken. After that you can use it immediately or fill a small jar and store it in the fridge for about a week.
