Vegan Cooking with TLC

I often like to have fruit for dessert. In fact, most nights fruit is the dessert of choice at my house. On occasion, I do make other desserts. Sometimes I like to dress the fruit up a bit with some herbs, nuts, or other things I have in the pantry or refrigerator. I put this recipe together because I liked the play of colors and flavors of the myriad melons and it just seemed natural to pair the melons with mint. This salad also makes a great breakfast. Minty Melon Salad 1 small watermelon 1 small canary melon 1 small cantaloupe 1 small snow leopard melon 1 bunch fresh mint Peel melons.*  Remove seeds from canary melon, cantaloupe, and snow leopard melon with a large spoon. Discard seeds.  Cut all four melons into bite size chunks. Remove mint leaves from stems and chop the leaves into tiny pieces. Discard stems. Place the melon and mint in a large bowl .  Stir gently until well distributed. Cover and refrigerate for at l...

As I mentioned in my recipe for cold brew coffee, one of my favorite ways to drink it is paired with a plant-based milk , particularly  nut milk . Making a Cold Brew Latte really easy.  Whenever I drink one, I always feel like I'm giving myself a treat! I don't give exact measurements in this recipe because it depends on the size of your glass. Cold Brew Latte Ice* Equal parts cold brew coffee ** Equal parts nut milk ** Fill a glass halfway with ice. Pour coffee over ice until glass is approximately half full. Fill glass the rest of the way with nut milk.*** Serve. *Sometimes I opt to leave the ice out completely, but the additional cold is quite nice, particularly when it's really hot out. It does, however, make the latte a bit weaker, so if you prefer stronger, eliminate or reduce the amount of ice. ** I say equal parts of each because, generally speaking, that seems to give the best flavor profile though I ...

I love cold brewed coffee. There's something about it paired with plant-based milk , particularly  nut milk , (see Cold Brew Latte )that I find very refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. It's easy to make and ages fairly well in the refrigerator. Yet, I don't make it all that often. I think if I made it more often it would lose that feeling of having a treat! Cold Brew Coffee 1 cup dark roast coffee beans * 1 cup light (or light medium) roast coffee beans * 6 cups water Roughly grind coffee grounds in a coffee grinder , one cup or less at a time depending on the size of your coffee grinder. Place in an 8-cup measuring cup . Add water. Stir to combine. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Strain through a f ine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth in a pitcher. Twist the cheesecloth around the ground beans extracting as much liquid as possible. Store in the refrigerator. *While the coffee I linked to isn...

Nut milks are great for a variety of purposes. I like different ones for different recipes. I made cashew milk to test in a recipe I'm working on in which other nut milks seem to overpower more delicate flavors. It also worked wonderfully to make a cold brew latte . Variety is important as is knowing how ingredients interact with one another. Many times nut milks and other plant-based milks can be easily substituted for one another in a recipe. It's important though to know how the flavors will interact with one another when making substitutions. Sometimes the only way to find out is to experiment, so play with the options. That's right I'm encouraging you to play with your food. Cashew Milk 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews 4 cups water Soak cashews overnight. Pour cashews and soaking water into blender . Blend, slowly increasing speed to high, until well blended. Place a nut milk bag in a large mouthed pitcher . Pour liquid into nut mi...

Just like I assumed for peanut butter, I assumed almond butter involved some intense, time consuming process. I was surprised to figure out just how easy it is.  It can add a step to a recipe because you have to make the nut butter before you can use it in a recipe instead of just opening a jar, but it's worth the effort, time, and planning.  Freshly made nut butters taste fresher and intenser than most jar nut butters. It also allows you to control what goes in a nut butter. The vast majority of nut butters only need one ingredient, the nuts.  Almond Butter 4 cups raw, unsalted almonds Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a sheet pan . Place in oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes until begin to turn brown shaking a few times throughout baking time to make sure they’re roasting evenly. Cool in pan at least until they are cool enough to handle comfortably. Transfer nuts to a food processor . Pulse a few times to make sure they’re even...

I initially came up with this recipe last summer based on the contents of the CSA box from Denison Farms . I wanted to use ingredients I already had in the house in combination with the box. I came up with this recipe. This week after receiving a similar CSA box, I decided to make it for dinner and share the recipe. When I started eating, I wondered why I don't make it more often. Sesame Orange Roasted Vegetables 1 large shallot or small red onion 1 bell pepper 2 zucchinis 2 carrots 4 small-medium potatoes 4-8 button or crimini mushrooms 1 small eggplant* 1 orange 2 tablespoons Coconut Amino Acids or low-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar ½ inch piece fresh ginger 1 teaspoon ground ginger 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop all the vegetables into ½ chunks and place in a large mixing bowl . Grate fresh ginger using a citrus zester . Zest and juice the orange. Place fresh ginger, zest, and ...

I often make Miso Shiitake Soup on days when I'm busy and need something I can make quickly. It's a refreshing soup that can be eaten during any season. It's as warming on a cold, winter day as it is refreshing on a hot, summer day. It has a comfort food feel to it, so I often also make it when I'm feeling a bit under the weather, for example when a cold is coming on.  Miso Mushroom Soup 8 cups vegetable stock 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 pound shiitake mushrooms* 1 medium carrot 2 ounces soba noodles 10 ounces firm tofu** 2 nori sheets ½ cup miso *** If using frozen vegetable stock, thaw first. Chop mushrooms into bite-size pieces. Grate carrot. Cut tofu into small pieces. Tear nori sheets into small pieces. Add enough water to cover bottom of 6-quart pot . Add flaxseeds. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add stock. Bring to a boil. Add mushrooms. Cook on medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Add carrots. Spoon miso into a 2-cup mea...

I rarely make Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes for several reasons. I used to convince myself it was too much work, but making it this week dispelled that excuse completely. Yes, it does add the step of cutting up the tomatoes, but that's not really that much work. Another reason I rarely make it is the expense. It is quite pricey to buy 10 pounds of tomatoes, particularly organic tomatoes. Years when I've had a garden and my tomatoes have done well, this recipe felt like it made more sense to make. All that said, in a side by side comparison, I'm not so sure this costs that much more than the version I make with canned tomatoes . Making marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes allows more control over the ingredients including the salt content, which makes me happy. Lastly, I will point out that making this in the winter when fresh tomatoes have almost no flavor really doesn't work out very well. Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes 10 pounds fresh Roma tomatoes...