Vegan Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake

(From the My Sweet Vegan cookbook by Hannah Kaminsky)

Chocolate Crust:
1½ cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
¼ cup margarine, melted
¼ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350° F and lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.

Place the cookie crumbs in a medium bowl and pour the melted margarine on top. Add the salt, stirring to thoroughly coat the crumbs. Dump the mixture into your prepared pan. Use your fingertips to press the crumbs down so that they evenly and completely cover the bottom. Bake for approx. 10 minutes and let cool. Leave the oven on.

Coffee Cheesecake:
1 12-oz package extra-firm tofu
2 8-oz packages vegan cream cheese
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp ground coffee beans
¼ Kahlua or coffee-flavored liquor
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

Drain the package of tofu, then break it into large chunks before placing it in the food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Then add the cream cheese and sugar, processing again to combine. Add the coffee grounds, liquor, vanilla, and salt. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then process everything again until it is evenly mixed.

Pour the mixture into the springform pan and tap gently to remove any air bubbles. Smooth out the top of the filling with the back of a rubber spatula. Bake for 20 minutes. After that amount of time, turn the temperature down to 325° F and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. The cake should be a bit wobbly in the center, but slightly darker in color.

Vanilla Topping:
1 cup vegan sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
¼ cup granulated sugar

As the cake finishes baking, stir together the sour cream, vanilla, and sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Once the cake comes out of the oven, pour this layer on tap and smooth it down with a rubber spatula. Bake once more for 5-10 minutes, just until bubble begin to percolate around the edges. The cake will seems rather loose and wobbly, but it will continue to set up as it cools. Let it cool completely before you make the caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce:
2 Tbsp margarine
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp plain soymilk
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp arrowroot powder

To complete the cake, set a saucepan on the stove and melt the margarine over medium heat. Once melted, add the brown sugar, soymilk and salt. Whisking slowly and steadily, bring the mixture to a gentle boil and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in half the arrowroot powder and with thoroughly to prevent lumps. Add the remainder of the arrowroot and continue to whisk for about a minute. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before pouring it over the cheesecake.


* This recipe gets better after it has been able to sit in the fridge for a day. The consistency of the cake is firmer and easier to cut.

Salsa Verde

1 pound tomatillos
1 medium onion, small dice
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and small dice
juice of 1/2 a lemon
5-6 stems cilantro, minced
salt and pepper to taste

1. Take the papery peel off the tomatillos. Wash and quarter them, then place in the food processor. Puree.

2. Transfer the puree to a medium mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. You can add more or less of all these ingredients depending on your own taste buds.

This gets better in the fridge overnight.

Us and Them Tomato Sauce

This sweet and savory tomato sauce combines the best of “Us” (i.e. homemade and simple ingredients) with as much of “Them” (store bought, prepared items) as we need to meet our time, effort or money goals for the day.

Use as much “us” as you can- fresh garlic, fresh herbs and tomatoes, and your own homemade roasted red peppers as you’d like. The fact that you’re not just pouring sauce out of a jar puts enough “Us” in the sauce to justify the title.

Elements:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
12 cloves garlic, minced
1 sm. can tomato paste
½ cup water
1 jar (or 7 oz) of roasted red peppers
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 tablespoons each of dried basil and oregano
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 lb chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh*)
1 teaspoon salt

Optional: One 16-24 oz jar of “Them” (store bought) tomato sauce- any variety.

The Process:
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onions are just beginning to become transparent. Be careful to stir often so you don’t char the onions. Crispy onions is not the goal.

- Add tomato paste and ½ cup water and stir until the paste is thinned and blended through the garlic/onion mixture.

-Add tomatoes and roasted red peppers, bring them to a boil and continue to cook on medium high for another 5 minutes.

- Add sugar, salt, oregano, basil and balsamic vinegar.

- Reduce heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes and up to an hour depending on your patience and heat tolerance. Good compromise is to let it all simmer for about 20 minutes.

The Meal:
Toss in your favorite protein and top with your preferred cow, goat or soy cheese, some diced tomato and snips of herbs.
Serve sauce on top of your favorite pasta.

Tips from the Hive:
* If using fresh herbs, chop them up finely and save them to add at the very end of the sauce prep.
*If using fresh tomatoes, blanch and peel tomatoes first before cutting. Unless they’re your own garden tomatoes then just rinse and toss in!
* Roasted garlic cloves can be subbed in for the garlic role.
* Any tomato will do- Fresh, jarred, canned of any variety from grape to beefsteak.
* Add a 16-24 oz of prepared tomato sauce at the end. It’s a fab trick to double the volume of your sauce, and keep this sauce feeling more like “Us” sauce even though you might toss in a bunch of “Them” ingredients.

Cheap and Easy Vegetable Stock

This fabulous recipe is NOT hive-created. It was, in fact, submitted by Lorraine Glazar to the Tucson CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) website. It is beloved by all the hive's Beez so we thought we'd pass it on. The link to the original post is at the bottom.

The basics of this recipe are that as you go about your cooking merriment, hang on to all those pieces of vegetables that don't make it into your food! Store them up in your freezer and bust 'em whenever you need a tasty stock that doesn't require much effort or heat in your kitchen.

Essential Elements:
Clean vegetable trimmings: Root ends of onion, herb stems, green tops from I’itoi onions, tails and tips from carrots, tomato cores, turnips, radishes, celery tops and roots, fennel cores, skins peeled off of ginger roots, etc.

2 quarts good-tasting water
Bay leaf
Peppercorns
Dried chili (optional)

-Save your clean vegetable trimmings in the freezer until a gallon sized bag is at least half full. -Place these trimmings in your slow cooker and cover with 2 quarts water.
-Add a bay leaf and a dozen whole peppercorns.
-Cook on slow for 4 to 8 hours. Allow to cool and strain liquid into sturdy jars.

Tips for success:

Use water you like to drink. Tap water is fine if it tastes good to you, otherwise use filtered. Subtle vegetable flavor won’t overcome chlorine or heavy mineralization.

Do not salt. You will salt the stock when you deploy it in cooking.

Save strong flavored vegetables (members of the cabbage family, artichoke peelings, etc) separately and make a batch with them for use in like-tasting soups.

Be sure to taste the stock before you label it in case there are any strong flavors (broccoli stems, etc.) you didn’t notice when the mix went in.

Potato peels, winter squash trimmings, etc. make a wonderful cloudy broth. It’s perfect for chowders or other thick chunky soups; keep it separate from stock you want to look clear.

Compost the solid vegetables after you have strained off the stock.

If planning to freeze the stock leave 1 ½ inches “headroom” in the top of the jar.

http://www.tucsoncsa.org/2009/04/09/slow-cooker-vegetable-stock-2/

Seduce A Carnivore Steak

This revolutionary recipe involves the four basic elements involved in the seduction of any carnivore: steak, butter, fire, and alcohol. It's quick, simple, and guaranteed to work.*

Seductive Elements:
2-4 beef tenderloin steaks or other fabulous cuts of cow
4 Tbsp. of salted (regular) butter or margarine/butter-like spread
4 Tbsp. of honey dijon mustard (stone ground preferred)
3 Tbs. of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brandy (the cheap stuff's fine)
3/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
Salt and Pepper

Note: Remember that the steak will keep cooking after they're removed from heat and wrapped in foil. So if you want medium rare, it might be wise to remove the steaks at rare and wrap.

The Process:
-Lightly coat steaks with salt and pepper.
-Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the steaks by pressing each exposed surface of the steak into the pan for just a few seconds until meat changes color. Then cook for about 3 minutes on each side for rare.
-Remove steaks and wrap in foil and set aside.

-Mix mustard and worcestershire sauce together until blended. Add to the skillet and stir a few times. Take the skillet off the heat but do not shut the heat off.

******At this point, if you really want to impress your date/mate, ask them to come into the kitchen for this part of the process********

-Add brandy to skillet and carefully light with a match or lighter to ignite. There will be a big burst of fire. Lightly shake the skillet using a gentle back and forth motion (not up and down) to keep the flames moving over the alcohol.

-Once the flames die down, put the skillet back on the heat. Add the cream and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often.

-Unwrap your steaks, place on individual plates and drizzle or pour the sauce over the steaks.

Serving Ideas:
Herbed Smashed Potatoes and Lemon Flavored Green Beans make fab sides.


*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA or any other organization or agency and are not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease (including venereal) or condition (including celibacy). Nor do these statements constitute or substitute for legal advice. Use with caution.

Not Too Spicy Black Bean Burgers

Whether you're carnivorous, herbivorous, or an opportunistic eater, these burgers make a fab, cheap addition to the "What can I throw on a bun" category of dinner ideas.

To bring to a grilling party, consider doubling the amount of bread crumbs to give the burgers a firmer texture for easier flipping.

Vital Elements:
2 cans (or about 4 cups) cooked, rinsed, drained black beans
3 tablespoons chunky salsa
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned)
1 egg (or 1/4 cup eggbeater or 1/4 cup vegan egg replacer)

1/2 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (fresh or jarred)
1/2 to 1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Sazon Goya (or Taco seasoning, or 1 tsp each of dried oregano, ground cumin, & chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

The Process:
-Sauté onion, pepper and garlic until onions are clear and pepper is tender.

-Mash 3 cups black beans with a hand masher in a large mixing bowl or pulse in a food processor. Beans should be chunky, not soupy.

-Add remaining 1 cup of black beans, onion and pepper mixture, salsa, corn, egg, bread crumbs, salt and spices, and cilantro to mashed black beans and mix until combined. Mixture should be chunky and thick.




-Form into patties either using a dough cutter or the old-fashioned use your hands method. Try to keep the patties 1-2” thick.

-Chill patties in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before cooking or wrap in plastic wrap to store for up to a week.




-Grill on tin foil on a hot grill or cook in a large skillet prepared with cooking spray, over medium heat. Cook for about 4-5 minutes each side.

Serve with or without a bun and top as you like. My favorite topping is a few slices of fresh tomato and a good slathering of herb aioli.

Revolutionary Alterations:
Consider cooking a whole pepper and an entire onion and reserving half the mixture for another recipe such as a salsa or with the morning eggs.

Substitute a small can of mild or roasted green chilis for the green pepper.
Add a dash of spicy chili powder for kick and/or a spicier salsa.

Costs about $1-2.50 a burger.
The cost for all ingredients, if you have to buy every ingredient before starting, is $12-14.