Vegan Cheddar Spread

I have been craving a good cheese lately so I decided to put my fate into my own hands and make some.  It does have a reminiscent cheddar quality but the texture is that of a spread.  It also tastes a tad like mustard due to the turmeric addition but replacing or removing it next time should eliminate that.  I was inspired by a vegan blogger who mentioned she did not remember cheese as garlic-y or onion-y and yet all the recipes call for it.  I have so far used this sauce to make quesadillas, grilled cheese, and topped my soup with it.  So here goes.

Vegan Cheddar Spread:
6 tbsp Okara
1 Whole Carrot, grilled
6 rounded tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Turmeric
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/8 tsp Salt Substitute
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Tahini
1 tbsp Kuzu Root Starch
1 tbsp Earth Balance made with olive oil

Toss it all into a blender and process until smooth.  Pour into a small saucepan and heat to boil, then turn down to med-low heat and cook until sauce thickens.  Pour into tupperware and let cool in refrigerator.

Grilled cheese with spinach, tomato and mole seitan

Delicious Vegetable Soup

This soup is hearty and delicious and chocked full of nutrition.  Not sure if I have yet mentioned the switch to veganism in January.  A very easy switch indeed, especially in Austin.  For past recipes, just replace egg with 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce, or egg replacer.  If egg was a main ingredient, as in the best breakfast ever, a slab of seitan roast or some tofu eggs are in order.  First though, soup!  This recipe stemmed from an excess of fresh veggies in the refrigerator and a barage of house guests on my doorstep.  Obviously, when you're in Austin you must go out to eat everyday but I couldn't let good food go bad!  One of the ingredients I needed to use up was okara, the leftover pulp from making soymilk, this can be omitted but adds to the protein and balance of this soup.  Also, I have a recipe for homemade black beans on livestrong.com that are essentially just plain beans with a tad of Adobo seasonings (because the husband snuck some in!). 

Vegetable Soup:
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 small red cabbage, or half a large one, chopped
1/2 of a bell pepper
1/4 of a jalapeno
1/4 of a white onion

Boil carrots and celery in 2 cups of water for about 10 minutes, then add the rest. Remove some of the big chunks of cabbage and set aside.  Pour contents into a blender or food processor with:
1/2 cup okara
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin

Blend until smooth, may take a few minutes.
In a large bowl pour in:
1 cup homemade black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
the cabbage that was set aside
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Mix with your hands, then pour puree on top.  Stir until well mixed.  Let sit until corn is warmed, then eat!  Good cold too.  We spooned some avocado on top and on the second serving added a bit of Sriracha and it was heaven.

Soup with cabbage rolls