Broccoli and Cauliflower with Cheesy Sauce

A favourite product of ours has finally hit Vancouver shelves everyone-Daiya Vegan Cheese! Hailing from North Vancouver and a cult favourite among vegans worldwide, it will delightfully substitute dairy cheese in any dish and can now be found at Choices, Capers, Whole Foods and The Drive Organics. Yippee!  This recipe for steamed veggies smothered in cheesy sauce is the first in what will be a vegan cheese binge over the next little while until the excitement wears off.

1 head of cauliflower

1 bunch of broccoli

1 tablespoon earth balance

1 tablespoon wholewheat flour

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 cup shredded cheddar-style Daiya

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets and steam until just tender.

Melt the earth balance in a small saucepan over low heat and add the flour to make a roux. Add the nutritional yeast, onion powder and salt.  Whisk in non-dairy milk.  Add the vegan cheese and whisk till smooth and all the cheese has melted.  Pour over steamed veggies and serve warm.  The resemblance to the classic version is uncanny!

~The Vegan Project

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LASAGNA SANDWICH!!!

So, the other day I was busy puttering around the house, blogging, stuff like that.  It was time for lunch and my cupboards seemed bare. After rummaging around using leftover, maybe stale goods from the back of my pantry I created something out of nothing.  And that something wand dang good!  I will describe the following steps loosely as the end result was so magnificent that it may debut on the Vancouver street scene soon enough…so…i wanna keep it a secret for now 😉

Dried parsley on Noodle Bake, 8 x 4 x 2 1/2 in, 2010

It started with a weird little noodle bake/lasagna thing I made (this is the part that is top secret) But, you get the idea…sauce, noodles, vegan cheese (Daiya is my fave).  You may or may not want to add a lame parsley design on top…?

Take any two pieces of bread (This recipe for Rosemary focaccia made it extra special)

Smear a piece of lasagna on one side.  Add a few pieces of lettuce*.  Thank you to SOLEfood for the extra awesome green leaf!

*Adding the lettuce makes it feel like it’s not just noodles in bread and gives a crunch and freshness.  Because let’s face it, that’s exactly what it is but it’s sooo good!

The Pièce de Résistance!

This is a fun and exciting snack that is super flavourful and filling!  Wrapped in tinfoil, they travel well too!  I have been making variations of this treat since I was young.  My favourite was Chef Boyardee ravioli squished between two pieces of Wonderbread with butter on it, sans lettuce. Oh how things have changed!

We here at The Vegan Project are wondering what you think about this latest creation.  Give it a try, or maybe you already have?  Is the Lasagna Sandwich something you would like to have access to on a regular basis? Let us know!

~The Vegan Project

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Jesse & Janine Day 1

(By Janine)

Starts with a coconut milk and raspberry smoothy which tasted kinda weird.  I think I will try coconut water instead.  The only thing is I’m not sure which of the coconut water’s is a sustainable product and not the one being marketed by the guys who originally started Sobey’s beverages. I met a marine biologist who is the brother (ironically) of one of the executives there and he tells me that they exploit third world countries and steal their resources like water, coconuts, whatever, then pump and dump their new revolutionary ‘health’ drink, make millions and then move on to the next project.  Maybe I will just use some soy milk instead.

So anyway, I get a sick stomach all morning at work from this shake and Im feeling gross and tired.  It might have something to do with the binge of McDonalds I had before I started the challenge.

Lunch consists of a salad from my own garden and stuffed fake chickeny thing which would have tasted so much better if everyone else around me wasn’t consuming delicious smelling grilled meats with fatty sauce.  I’m really looking forward to the end of the day and  having a nice dinner out with my boyfriend.

We arrive at the Wallflower for vegan pizza night.  I’m so excited for this – its got to be good.

I walk in and instantly know the girls at the bar are who we are meeting.  They must be the vegans because they’re skin is so healthy and glowing .

(Jesse takes over)

This is where I describe the meal I guess. So just like Jammer I’m starved and the Wallflower did not disappoint. Really the best moment was when Janine asked for a vegan caesar. Boy did that blow the servers top. Big thanks to miss burns for the care package of blueberry scones, granola, vegan cheese made out of astronaut something (Daiya), kelp, & yeast powder. Oh I guess we should describe the food.

Mac and Cheese with vegan weenies – tasty stuff here, and smooth creamy goodness.

Pizza  – I loved the veganroni! It tasted amazing and the gluten free crust was interesting if not a magical feat.

Thunder Fries – yummmmmmm. This was probably my fave. I’ts better than chili fries with out the death farts. Yummy.

The best part was I left energetic and happy. Thanks Vegan Project!

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Lasagna to Dai-ya for! – By Bridget

I had to take a piece before I took the picture, I was so excited!

I really felt like some oozy, gooey homemade lasagna today.  So, I defrosted a block of Daiya and popped over to IGA to pick up some ingredients (I’m pretty sure I saw Lou Diamond Phillips picking up a few things as well!)

This is what i picked up: whole wheat lasagna noodles, spinach, crimini mushroooms, can of artichokes, can of whole tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, spanish onion, cashews, firm tofu, 2 lemons, and an avocado (completely irrelevant).

Here’s what I came up with (the cashew ricotta is straight out of  Veganomicon, the rest my head).

Marinara Sauce

1 medium spanish onion finely chopped

2 cloves of chopped garlic

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

cracked black pepper

generous pinch of cayenne pepper

1 14oz can of whole tomatoes

1 small can of tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp  dried oregano

Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat.  Saute onions with salt for about 5 min.  Stir in garlic, basil, oregano, cracked pepper and cayenne.  Stir in small can of tomato paste and fill that same can with water and mix that in as well.  Open can of whole tomatoes and squeeze through your fingers with your hands into the saucepan.  Bring to bubbly boil, reduce to low and let simmer while you prepare the other parts of the lasagna.

Cashew Ricotta

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 lb firm tofu, drained and crumbled

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

My addition: 1 cup of grated Daiya

Combine first 4 ingredients in food processor. puree to thick paste. Add tofu and blend until smooth.  Blend in salt and basil.  Add grated Daiya to the ricotta mixture.

Sauteed Mushrooms, Artichokes and Spinach

10 crimini mushrooms, chopped

1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped

4 cups of spinach

pinch of sea salt

cracked black pepper

1 tbs extra vigin olive oil

Saute mushrooms in olive oil at medium high heat with salt until water is evaporated.  Stir in artichokes and spinach and cracked pepper til spinach wilts.  Turn off heat.

Ok, time to assemble…

In a rectangle pan spread a layer of sauce on the bottom, then a layer of noodles, then more sauce.  Spread on half the of the ricotta mixture (kinda tricky but do your best), then half of the mush/art/spin mixture.  Repeat.  Top with a third layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce and grate about 1 cup, maybe 2 cups of Daiya on top.  Sprinkle with dried parsley, cause it’s pretty, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand until you can’t wait any longer and ta-da!

Scrumptious!

Photos courtesy of my macbook photo booth. Not bad.

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