Vegan Parmesan Cheese

We made it! After 23 hours of driving, spread out over three days, we are finally sleeping in our new apartment in Queens, New York. We couldn't be happier. Our apartment is everything we hoped for. The metro is literally right across the street, there's an amazing food market less than a block away, and there are all different kinds of cuisines to choose from at our fingertips. 

The view from our apartment our first morning. See the food mart?!

Breakfast my first morning in our new place. Chocolate mint oats with banana slices, 

almond butter and hemp hearts.

As for the interior of our apartment, we were unpacked in two days. I'm the kind of person that loves organizing and decorating, so to be able to start from scratch in a new, clean apartment was a dream. I spent all day yesterday working on the final touches and now we can just enjoy the open space, large windows and of course the kitchen!

This angle makes the world map look small and not centered, but it looks better in person.

At least I hope so.

Ah, the kitchen. It's good to be cooking and baking again. I'm actually amazed at all the different things I've been able to whip up in addition to all the decorating and unpacking I've been doing. I guess you could say I've been deprived. 

Since we got here on Friday I've made:

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies

Asian Coleslaw Salad

Homemade Nutella

Homemade Tahini

Ratatouille

Nutella Stuffed French Toast with Strawberry Sauce

Couscous with Sautéed Veggies and Chickpeas

Watermelon Juice

AND...Vegan Parmesan Cheese. 

Yum.

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen my picture of the Ratatouille I made the other day. I said that I would be sharing the recipe today, but then I remembered that the recipe calls for vegan parmesan and I have yet to share that recipe with you. So, today I'll share with you how to make a dairy-free parmesan thing that's pretty close to the real thing. I really hope you try it out, whether you eat dairy-free or not. Brett gave this parmesan high marks and kept reaching back for more. But, the coolest thing about this faux parmesan for me is the way it melts like real parmesan cheese. When you sprinkle it on something warm, it seems to just melt away and marry with all the other flavors.  

Make this parmesan quick, because you'll want it to sprinkle on my Ratatouille, which recipe I'll share with you next!

Vegan Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until a fine meal forms.
2. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Almond and Cashew Cherry Yogurt (Vegan!)

When I first went vegan I thought yogurt was going to be the hardest thing to give up. I had grown to love plain greek yogurt with fruit and granola for breakfast, so the thought of giving it up made me sad. While it was hard to stop eating it the first week, I soon found different things to eat for breakfast that made up for it.

The longer I've been vegan the more I've begun experimenting with harder recipes. A while back I finally started researching homemade yogurt. I would occasionally buy non-dairy yogurt at the grocery store, but it's so expensive that I wanted to learn how to make my own. And I did! You can check out the recipe here!

While my homemade yogurt became a staple in my house, I still wanted to find a yogurt substitute that didn't take hours of incubating to make. Not long after, I came across Deliciously Ella's Cashew and Almond yogurt and it sounded delicious to me...and unfortunately expensive. I decided to make a few substitutes and try it out and, voila! This delicious, fruity yogurt was the result! It takes a fraction of the time to make, is thicker, and has more consistent results.

Yum!

Almond and Cashew Cherry Yogurt

(Make about 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup dates
• 1/2 cup frozen cherries (or any frozen fruit)
• 1 1/2 cups water, divided
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (or other thickener)

Directions:

1. Soak the almonds, cashews and dates in a bowl for about 4 hours.
2. Drain the nuts and dates and place them, along with the frozen berries and 1 cup of water, into a blender. Blend until smooth.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup water and teaspoon of cornstarch until dissolved. Pour it into the blender and blend with the other ingredients until combined.
4. Pour the contents of the blender into a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat. Let the mixture heat slowly while whisking often until the "yogurt" thickens. You can know when it's ready when your whisk leaves marks in the yogurt.
5. Pour the yogurt into a jug and place in the refrigerator to cool.
6. Serve with fruit and granola for a delicious breakfast!

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Raw Chili Chocolate Brownies with (optional) Fudge Glaze

These brownies might be one of my favorite recipes I've shared on the blog yet. They are so rich and satisfying and have a subtle kick to them. I single handedly finished off an entire batch almost by myself. Yes, it was done slowly over the course of a week or two, but still. Simply Delicious.

What to know what's in them?

Almonds

Dates

Raisins

Cocoa

Cinnamon

Chili powder

Agave

Vanilla

Sea Salt

What a beautiful, nutritious list of ingredients! And if you really want these to be a crowd stopper then you can also top them off with my delicious vegan fudge sauce. The sauce hardens and give these brownies a delicious fudge layer on top. But if you decide to keep these raw, then they'll be just as delicious too.

I had quite of few of my friends try these brownies and everyone loved them. That's when I know it's good. I hope you try these! You won't regret it.

Raw Chili Chocolate Brownies

(Serves 16)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almonds
• 1 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 cups dates, pitted (Best when soaked in warm water to soften and then drained)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar

For the Fudge Glaze:

• 2 tablespoons almond milk
• 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

1. In a food processor, process the almonds until fine.
2. Add in the cocoa powder and process some more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add in the cinnamon, chili powder and sea salt and pulse a few times.
4. Add in the soften and drained dates and the raisins 1/2 cup at a time, processing each time and scraping down the sides of your food processor bowl often.
5. Drizzle in the agave and vanilla. If you need to add in more agave to moisten the mixture you can.
6. Press the mixture into a 8x8 baking dish and place it in your fridge while you make the fudge sauce. 
7. For the Sauce: Heat the almond milk in a small skillet over medium heat. Once warm add in the chocolate chips and stir until all the chips have melted. Add in the chili powder and stir some more.
8. Pour the fudge sauce over top of the brownies and spread over the top of the brownies.
9. Place the brownies in the fridge to cool and then cut into 16 squares.
10. Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.

Notes: Recipe adapted from Sweet Sugar Bean.

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Mind Blown...Homemade Almond Milk!

Seriously. I don't know why I haven't done this sooner! In my last post I talked about how I wanted to start making everything at home from scratch that I can. I know there will be times when I'm to busy to make fresh bread or tortillas, but I really want to get some basic foods down pat before I move overseas. That way I can make things like almond milk and whole wheat bread wherever! 

Homemade almond milk has been on my list of things to try for a long time. I just seemed intimidating. Man was I wrong. This took no time at all to make and I know exactly what's in it! You can make simple almond milk with just two ingredients, or you can easily add in some vanilla and sweeteners for vanilla almond milk. And another great thing about making homemade almond milk is that you can use the leftover pulp to make Almond Pulp Freezer Fudge or Almond Pulp Cracker. I'll share these recipes soon!

Almond Pulp Freezer Fudge

Recipe coming soon!

I'll start by showing you how to make basic almond milk, but I'll share how you can add in additional ingredients to make sweetened vanilla milk. If you're going to use your milk for baking or in tea, I would suggest leaving it plain. If you want it for drinking or in cereal try sweetening it up!

Basic Almond Milk

(Makes 4 cups)

 Ingredients:

· 1 cup almonds, whole

· 3-4 cups water (see notes below)

· Optional Add-ins: 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2-4 pitted dates, 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar

Directions:

1. Soak. Soak the almonds in cold, clean water for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.  They’ll expand and become soft.

2. Drain and Rinse. After the almonds have soaked,  drain and rinse them.

3. Blend. Place the rinsed almonds and 4 cups of water in a blender. Blend on high for about 2 minutes until the liquid is white and you only see small bits of almonds. (If you're making sweetened vanilla almond milk, add in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 2-4 pitted dates to the almonds and water before blending.)

4. Strain. Pour the milk into a nut milk bag, paint strainer bag or over cheese cloth that has been positioned over a bowl. Allow the milk to drain out as much as possible into the bowl

5. Squeeze. Once most of the almond milk has strained out of the bag on its own, use your hands to squeeze the bag or cheese cloth so that you extract out as much milk as possible. Soon you’ll be left with a dense lump of almond pulp in your bag. (Don't throw the pulp away, but use it in other recipes!)

6. Refrigerate. Refrigerate the milk in a pitcher or container for 3-5 days. You will need to shake it before drinking as the mixture may separate while sitting.

7. Enjoy! Enjoy your homemade almond milk in cereal, tea or with a warm cookie!

Notes: If you like your milk thicker, use only 3-3.5 cups of water.

Below are step by step instructions with pictures!

Soak 1 cup of almonds uncovered in cold water for 8 hours or even as long as 

48 hours until they are big and plump.

After soaking your almonds, place them in a blender with 4 cups of water and any additional add-ins you may want. Blend on high for 2 minutes.

You can stop blending once you have white milk and only small almond particles left.

 

Using cheese cloth, a nut milk bag or a paint strainer bag, strain your milk by pouring it into the bag over a large empty bowl.

I would have used a paint strainer bag if I had gone to the store in time, but cheese cloth inside a strainer works great too!

Let the almond milk strain through the bag or cloth for a while.

  

Then use your hands to squeeze the remaining milk out of the almond pulp. Soon you'll just have almond pulp and...

...beautiful, homemade almond milk!

Store your milk in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Ignore the mess in my kitchen:)

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Sweet and Salty Protein Trail Mix

I'm currently in New York City and it's bliss! Brett and I are here to scope out locations for where we could possibly live when we move here in July. Since we got here on Friday it has been beautiful and warm and we've loved exploring the city. It's still surreal to me that I'm going to live here. 

When we arrived on Friday we went straight to Flushing and got some amazing Chinese food with a friend. I got a vegan dish with thick, chewy noodles, seitan, and veggies. It was delicious and a great way to kick off our trip. Yesterday we spent most of our time in Manhattan and today we walked all around Union Square. There is so much life in the city and you never run out of things to look at and do.

I knew coming into this week that we'd be walking a ton so I decided to prep some snacks to take with me. Food can be pretty expensive as you all know, so I figured I could save us some money by planning ahead. This isn't really a recipe that I'm sharing with you, but more of a concoction that popped into my head. And it's delicious.

First I roasted some chickpeas coated in agave nectar and sprinkled with cinnamon. I poured 1 tablespoon of agave nectar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon over 1 cup of cooked chickpeas and roasted them in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Every ten minutes or so I would use a spoon to move the chickpeas around so that they wouldn't burn.

These little nuggets are subtly sweet and crunchy once they cool.

I then used those roasted chickpeas to make this amazing Sweet and Salty Protein Trail Mix. Deliciousness.

Sweet and Salty Protein Trail Mix

(Makes 5 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 1/4 cup cashews

· 1/4 cup almonds

· 1/4 cup craisins

· 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips

· 1 cup agave roasted chickpeas

Directions:

1. Roast 1 cup of chickpeas using the above directions.

2. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Get your fill of protein!

Notes: To be honest, you can use whatever nuts or dried fruit you like or have available. I just happen to be biased to this combination.

My stash of goodies for the week:

 Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Homemade Almond Butter

I've always known that peanut butter is made from peanuts and almond butter is made from almonds. Duh. But who knew that with a little patience it could be so easy to make on your own AND that by making your own nut butter at home you can control what goes into your nut butter. Beautiful revelation.

The other day I wanted to make Cranberry Orange Biscotti, but the recipe called for almond butter, which I didn't have. Then I realized that this would be the perfect time to try to make my own almond butter. Thankfully I had some roasted almonds in my cupboard and the time to make it. I don't know if I'll ever buy nut butter from the store again.

Homemade Almond Butter

1 1/2 - 2 cups almonds (roasted or plain)
Sea Salt (optional)

To make your own nut butter you'll need a good food processor...and some patience.
Place all the almonds in your food processor and process on high. (Make sure you process on high, or otherwise this process will take an hour instead of 15 minutes. I learned the hard way and my food processor even died for a couple of minutes because I had been working it so hard!)

After a couple of minutes, your almonds will turn into a course meal and will eventually get finer after a few more minutes.

 

As you continue processing the almonds, stop your processor every couple of minutes or so to push down the sides and make sure that all of the almonds are getting processed. Soon you'll be able to see a subtle paste begin to form on the bottom of your processor. But keep going!



After about 15 minutes or high processing and the occasional pushing down of the sides, you'll start to get almond butter! At this time you can add your seas salt if you desire, which is so delicious.



Ah, pure almond butter. Made a home. No added ingredients. Mmmmm.



I used a little less than 1 1/2 cups of almonds and it almost filled a small mason jar. I hope you try it out. It's so easy and pure, you won't regret it!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith