Vegan Grilled Gouda & Portobello Sandwich

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I couldn’t decide whether
throwing together a list of somewhat obscure plant based stabilizers and
coconut milk would appeal to any readers. But if you know how awesome it is
to find a vegan cheese that is easy to make, and has a really wonderful MELT,
you can understand why I had to finally break down and share this. Factor in
the current chilly wet weather we have been having, and well, there you
go!

The cheese recipe is a slight adaptation from a quick cheese
recipe found on one of
my favorite plant- based living blogs. The obscure ingredients can
be found at a mom and pop health market, Sprouts, or Whole
Foods.

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Fig & Shiitake Bacon Bites

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Here is a fun and extremely easy
variation on the bacon-wrapped fig. Actually, I wanted to see if I could
wrap a fig in a shiitake bacon, but the bacon pieces aren’t quite big or
flexible enough. Next time I will try making a portobello bacon. In the
meantime, this is what I ended up with, and to my delight, it came out
very tasty. Try this as a snack, or a vegan and Paleo-friendly summer hors
d’oeuvre, if you go with the vegan cheese, or I would imagine that
goat cheese would be equally amazing. You can google shiitake bacon
recipes and experiment, or just use the one I came up with here. Making
shiitake bacon is much easier than it sounds if you use this quick
method.

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Vegan Swiss Chard Enchiladas with Quinoa, Black Beans & Epazote

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We have this gigantic Swiss
chard “bush,” seriously taking hold in the food garden. The leaves
kept beckoning me to wrap them up with something. So, here’s an idea for
gluten-free and cornmeal-free Swiss chard enchiladas that came out pretty
yummy! The fresh epazote adds a nice, earthy, Oaxacan nuance, but you can
substitute something like fresh thyme and still get a great fresh herbal
infusion. Epazote is really easy to grow but not so easy to find at the
market. Feel free to play around with non-vegan variations using queso
fresco, organic chicken, and-or ground meat. Enjoy!
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Green Garlic Almond Cheese

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Nothing says Spring like fresh
green garlic at the farmer’s market. I grabbed a bunch the other day, and
before I could put it into my bag this idea to make fresh raw almond cheese
with green garlic popped into my head. This is a fresh, quick cheese
that slightly resembles the consistency of a ricotta, and offers a nice,
nutritious, dairy-free creaminess. The green garlic made it heavenly.
You can use it on a sandwich with vine tomatoes, as an hors d’oeuvre filling
or topping- as pictured, or try it in layers of lasagna. Enjoy!
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Cashew Mozzarella-Stuffed Paquillo Peppers

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Have you ever passed the tapioca
starch at the grocery store and wondered what in the world people use it for?
Well, as it turns out, it can lend a key hand at making an awesome, meltable
vegan cheese that can be made on the stovetop, literally in minutes. The
cheese sort of resembles burrata, and has a great stretchy consistency,
thanks to the tapioca starch. Tapioca comes from cassava root, so it is
basically nothing more than a clean, plant-based stabilizer. I put it to the
test with some paquillo peppers, and came up with this healthful version of
the ubiquitous jalapeño popper. You can use paquillos, baby bells, jalapeños,
or other stuff-able small chile, just make sure you are ready for whatever
heat comes with whatever chile you choose. For example, a habanero would be
adorable, but so hot you might not enjoy the cheese part. Have fun!
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Beet & Fresh Cheese Stacks with Avocado-Lemon Dressing

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I found a recipe for a quick vegan
cheese that I really like. The recipe says it’s a “Pepper
Jack” but it reminds me a lot more of a fresh cheese like queso fresco
or buffalo mozzarella. In any case, I am finding it to be quite versatile and
useful on many dishes, from tacos to this beet salad. You can venture into
making the vegan cheese, which will require some uncommon ingredients if you
aren’t used to vegan baking or cheese making. Or use a favorite cashew
cheese; some spreadable cashew cheeses would work great in between the layers
of beets. Or, if you eat dairy, just use a good, organic dairy cheese
like burrata or buffalo mozzarella.

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Vegan Cashew Nasturtium Pesto

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Are you a pesto-file? Always
looking at different ways to make pesto? Here is one you quite possibly have
not tried yet, and it is very versatile. A couple weeks ago, I taught a
workshop on edible common garden flowers at Fig
Earth Supply, the edible nursery in my neighborhood. And, it got me
thinking of all the delightful, delicious ways we can get the most
nutritional bang from our outdoor spaces. Enter nasturtium
pesto!

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