Posts Tagged ‘roasted red pepper’

Tasty Tuesday: Vegan “Cheese Tease” Sauce

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

Many moons ago, when hubby and I were dating, one of our favorite snacks was tortilla chips with cheese queso dip. Believe it or not we would buy a brick of Velveeta cheese, melt it in the microwave, and add a jar of salsa. You know that brick of cheese I’m talking about…the one you question if it is actually food or some strange edible plastic….eewww!

Once we became more conscientious about our health, we definitely stopped eating Velveeta cheese all together. I will admit though I missed eating queso dip. That is until I discovered an awesome vegan substitute that is made entirely of WHOLE FOODS! And as a bonus I can whip it together in less than 10 minutes! Seriously less than 10 minutes for a delicious, homemade, healthy, vegan, nacho cheese substitute. This recipe originated from the Vitamix recipe collection, however I have seen several variations of it floating around since I first discovered a few years ago. After experimenting a bit, the version I share below is not only my favorite, it’s also the easiest/fastest method.

I have made this cheese tease dip for non-vegan foodies and they have LOVED it. In fact most of the time they are SHOCKED when I finally divulge the ingredient list to them. You can enjoy this Cheese Tease Sauce as a dip for tortilla chips. Or poured over broccoli or mashed potatoes. Or drizzled over a fajita. Or mixed with noodles for a dairy-free mac-n-cheese. There are so many possibilities for this yummy sauce. It’s equally tasty hot or cold.

I hope you enjoy this Cheese Tease Sauce as much as I do. Actually my belly is about to explode right now from enjoying it a little too much this evening, lol! 🙂

Ingredients:

1 cup  water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 roasted red pepper*

2/3 cup  whole raw almonds

1 1/4 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 cup  nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons sea salt

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend at high speed for approximately 3 minutes. See, easy-peasy just like I promised it would be!

*Red peppers are super duper easy to roast yourself. I roast mine in our toaster oven.

ENJOY!

Sarah

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Tasty Tuesday: Mixed Potato Soup with Roasted Red Pepper

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

My hubby made this soup on a whim the other day. As usual he whipped it together without using a recipe and simply making use of whatever we had available in the fridge/pantry. Luckily we had just purchased a brand new high-quality vegetable peeler because there was a lot of peeling involved. The soup turned out sooo yummy that I asked him to write it down so I could attempt to repeat it. I made it again last night for dinner served with a side of cashew nut quinoa and a spinach salad. My kids totally licked their soup bowls clean. Our dinner guest also raved at the deliciousness of the soup.

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil (or olive oil)

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tablespoon of curry

1 Tablespoon of ginger

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 red potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

1 Tablespoon of soy sauce

1 Tablespoon of sesame oil

3 cups of water (depending on how thick you want it)

1/2 can of coconut milk

salt, to taste

Directions:

Sautee onions and garlic in coconut oil. Add currry and ginger and saute one minute stirring to evenly coat onions and garlic. Add all remaining veggies and saute for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and water. Bring to a boil. Then cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes until carrots are soft. Transfer to blender and blend smooth. Return to pot and mix half a can of coconut milk and salt to taste. Simmer funcovered or 10 more minutes. ENJOY! 🙂

Quick Tips:

  • You can easily roast your own red peppers at home for WAY cheaper than buying jarred roasted red pepper. I usually roast more than one at a time…might as well do a couple at a time if you are going to heat up the oven. I have also roasted them in a toaster oven and on the grill.
  • There is a lot of peeling involved in the preparation so be sure you have a good peeler to make this step quick and easy.
  • You can roughly chop the veggies since you will be blending everything anyway. However if you chop vegetables into large chunks, it might take a tad longer for them to soften.
  • Be sure to use a high quality curry…it makes a world of difference in the flavor.

Would love to hear your feedback if you give this recipe a try! 🙂

-Sarah

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