EASY CHEEZY INSTANT POWDER

great for macncheez, popcorn, instant queso, fries, broccoli sauce, cheezy rice, etc

EQUIPMENT:

Sauce or saute pan 

wooden spoon

storage container with lid

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of chic pea flour

1/2 cup of nutritional yeast

1 tsp. of paprika

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp of vegan lactic acid (or more to taste)

(if you do not have lactic acid (sold on Amazon), add a little vinegar to a queso or macncheez sauce while rehydrating)

METHOD:

*  on high heat, salute chic pea flour, while constantly turning over for around 5-7 minutes, watch that you do not burn the flour.  Take the flour off of the stove and, after cooling, taste to make sure the "RAW, BITTER" taste is cooked out.

*  in storage container combine all ingredients and place in frig until use

Tips....

Place on popcorn or fries while they are still hot, after oil or vegan butter for the popcorn.

To rehydrate you should use fat (cheez is fatty).   I like to use vegan mayo or melted vegan butter and a tiny bit of water to make an instant cheez sauce, queso or to pour over vegan burgers or veggies.

Sour Cream (Boulder Dairy Fair)

Re-post for Boulder Vegan Dairy Fair:  My favorite vegan sour cream, thinned out with water (no tofu bean taste) and set up with refined coconut oil.  Melts fast, add at last minute to hot meals

Tofu sour cream is somewhat sweet, very sour and a tad bit salty, non-vegans will not know the difference

Equipment:
High speed single bottom blade blender ( I use vitamix)
Glass sealed container for storage
Measuring cup
Silicone spatula for removing sour cream from blender

Ingredients:
*  8 oz. of extra firm tofu (refrigerated tofu in water, not silken, dried with clean towel)
*  1/2 cup water
*  1/2 tsp salt
*  2-3 tsps of liquid sweetener (maybe less or more-to taste) or powdered sugar 
*  1/2 tsp, maybe more, of citric acid (very important to have food grade citric acid instead of using lemon juice. If you were to use the amount of lemon juice needed for the sour affect, the cream will taste like lemonade).  You can find citric acid online on Amazon or health food stores.
*  1 tsp of cider vinegar
*  1/2 cup or 4 oz. of melted refined coconut oil, this means that the heated coconut oil will measure 1/2 cup.

Method:
Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth.  
IMPORTANT...taste, taste for sour and sweetness.  
When working with citric acid it is important to add very little at a time, once you go over, you can't go back, so add the first 1/2 tsp, then add a pinch or two and if it is still not sour enough keep adding pinches, blend then taste and you will reach the final level of "sour".  
The same thing goes for sweetness levels.
To loosen if too thick, add water and stir

Makes incredible ranch dressing and is great on baked potatoes, nachos, stroganoffs and for all sour cream uses.

Churned Butter

Real Churned Corn Butter-makes 1 cup or 8oz.

around 15-20 minutes of labor total and 1 day waiting period

This has an almost identical taste and liquid/solids/fat ratios as dairy butter, amazing!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup corn off of the cob, or frozen corn

1/2 cup warm or room temperature water

3/4 cup refined coconut oil (melted equals 3/4 cup)

3 TBL canola or safflower oil

1 tsp vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Equipment:

bottom blade blender for pulverizing

food processor for "churning"

mesh strainer to strain "corn milk"

glass container with lid for butter

spatula 

glass measuring cups for oil

butter knife

cheese cloth or clean towel for first hour storage

microwave or stove with pan to heat up "corn milk"

Method:

Melt coconut oil, add canola oil and set aside

Add corn and water and salt to blender and blend until pulverized (a few minutes at minimum)

Strain this mixture with a fine mesh strainer and spatula.  This should produce a tad bit of fiber mush in the stainer
clean blender and dry for next use

Mix 1 tsp of vinegar into strained corn milk

heat corn milk in microwave or on stove until warm, not hot

add corn milk to blender with the melted oils

blend on low-medium for a few seconds until mixed thoroughly.

place in glass container with lid and refrigerate overnight.

Next day:

cut solid butter out of container and place in food processor in 2" pieces

place a little cheese cloth on bottom of storage container

(if you would like a magarine type spread add an additional teaspoon of oil in this step)--pulse and pulse, be patient, until the butter sets up and releases liquid buttermilk (pancakes anyone??)

save buttermilk for use

store butter in container with cheesecloth at bottom, after an hour you can get rid of the cheesecloth.

ENJOY

schmear

This is not your ordinary, add a little vinegar to silken tofu type schmear.  This schmear is the real thing.  Better than any store bought spread.  So good it should be illegal...well,  you get the picture.

This is a time intensive recipe, unless you have a constant supply of vegan yogurt.  If you make your own yogurt (and you should, its easy) this is a breeze.  I would like to thank Miyoko Schinner from Miyoko's Kitchen http://miyokoskitchen.com/miyoko/ for the original yogurt recipe (her original recipe comes from Artisan Vegan Cheese or a youtube video online).  The idea of "trial and error" in creating this schmear comes from Miyoko's recipes in her AVC cookbook.  Onto the recipe:

This is the original probiotic I use to make yogurt

Schmear can be used for Spreads, Bagels, Italian food, As a "puffy liquid cheese", On baked potatoes, As sour cream and a really excellent Egg Substitute

(Money Saving Tip:  I use Kirkland (Costco) plain soy milk (plus cashews) to make vegan yogurt.  I use less cashews than Miyoko states in yogurt recipe, this is probably due to starch in the Kirkland Soymilk.  Turns out wonderful.) 

Equipment:
Yogurt maker (I use a eurocuisine YM100), glass container with lid that holds 3-4 cups, bottom blade blender (I use Vitamix), silicone spatula

Ingredients:

*  1/4 cup of soy milk soaked cashews, soak an hour or so at room temp (rinse the cashews with water before soaking in the soymilk)

*  1/2 cup of soy milk room temperature, I use kirkland (Costco) and it turns out fine

*  2 TBL of homemade yogurt (Miyoko's) (plain, no additives)

*  canola oil, as needed

*  1 1/2 tsps of salt

Method:

add soy milk soaked cashews, soy milk and salt to blender, blend until incorporated.  

add the yogurt and then add appox 1/4 cup of oil to blender and blend until thick.  

if it doesn't "set-up" like mayonnaise, add another 1/4 cup oil and blend until its really really thick somewhat like mayonnaise.  (you might have to use a little more oil, or a little less to get the "mayo" thickness).

use spatula to get all of the mixture into the glass container.  Place uncovered container in yogurt machine and let culture for around 2-4 hours.  Keep tasting it every 40 minutes or so after the first hour (it can get a little TOO cultured).

put lid on and refrigerate until completely chilled.   Dry the liquid from lid before 1st use.  Mix before using to get air bubbles out and some of that lactic acid in.  Thats it, its wonderful!!!  In my experience, this has kept a few weeks (or longer, although we eat this stuff pretty fast)

Time Saving Tips

I am introducing a new label on this blog, time saving tips.  This is some of my personal experience, through trial and error.  Time saving, elimination of steps and saving time with clean up.

For instance, tofu pepperoni http://veganizeeverything.blogspot.com/2011/12/tofu-pepperoni.html

 will be tagged with "time saving tips" because cutting up tofu, making the marinade and placing in oven with parchment is a lot faster than making a seitan from scratch.  The oven drying takes a long time, but the labor and clean up involved is minimal.