Happy holidays! The holiday party season is upon us and many of us will be throwing or attending parties and bringing along treats. This cheese ball recipe, inspired by one from Carol Kreutzer, is an easy delicious throwback to traditional cheeseballs. Your guests are guaranteed to love it!
Makes one large ball or two medium size balls.
Ingredients
4 ounces plant-based pepper jack cheese, like Daiya 4 ounces plant-based cheddar cheese, like Daiya
4 ounces plant-based cream cheese, like Miyoko’s 2 tablespoons plant-based mayonnaise, like Just Mayo 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh onion
1 tablespoon grated horseradish
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup chopped walnuts and/or sunflower seeds
Chop all the cheese in blender or food processor until crumbly. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the walnuts and seeds. Mix well with a wooden spoon or clean hands. Form into one large or two small balls. Roll in chopped walnuts and/or seeds. Refrigerate for up to 10 days. Serve with bread or crackers.
Budget-friendly recipe alert. Not only is split pea soup packed with goodness (dry peas are a good source of protein as well as important minerals), but they cost mere pennies. Savor your meal while thinking about all the money you saved. Serve with a salad and homemade cornbread for a filling winter meal. This recipe comes from my Meatless Monday Meal Planner.
Time: 10 minutes active, 1-1/2 hour cook time Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup yellow or white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium white potato, cubed
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup dry split peas, rinsed and sorted for rocks
3 cups vegetable broth or water
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Method:
In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté onion in oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add potato, carrot, and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Add spices and allow to toast for 30 seconds. Add peas and broth and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir periodically. Continue simmering until peas are tender, about an hour.
Serve in two separate bowls, topping with a drizzle of coconut milk, optionally. Or, if you prefer a smoother soup, using an immersion blender, carefully pulse until smooth. Return to pot and heat until hot, adding more water if necessary.
Mix it up: You can use green or yellow split peas to add a variety to your meals. You can also double the recipe and place half in a sealed container for lunch or freeze for up to three months for easy work lunches or quick homemade dinners!
Millions of people are eating meat-free on Mondays. Some stick with it, some go beyond Monday. One of the burning questions I often get is “what do I eat?” so I created this Meatless Monday Meal Plan replete with recipes to show how delicious and easy meat-free meals can be. The meal plan includes recipes for a month of Meatless Mondays, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal ideas. From Hunka Hunka Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes to Tempting Tofu Bacon Avocado Lettuce + Tomato Sandwiches, your family will enjoy these recipes any day of the week.
Ever made almond milk? It’s so quick, easy and much less expensive than buying it from the store; not to mention there’s no packaging to have to dispose of. Here’s how to do it.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw, unsalted almonds soaked for at least an hour, up to overnight
Let’s face it: chickens have it rough. Many people trying to eat healthier switch from beef to chicken, unfamiliar with the horrors of chicken factory farming. Chickens raised for meat are bred to grow very large very fast and thus live short lives, many dropping dead of heart attacks, their organs unable to keep up with the pressures of their overgrown bodies. On top of that, many trying to eat healthy don’t realize that chicken meat still contains cholesterol and saturated fat.
The great news is there are loads of delicious foods we can nosh on sans chicken that offer the flavors we love. Here’s a favorite recipe, plus a list of some of my favorite chicken-free meats.
Napa Valley Chicken-Free Salad
Serve this chicken-free salad on a bed of greens or sandwiched between whole wheat bread for a delicious, filling meal. It’s ideal for a picnic or an easy workweek lunch.
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 9-ounce package chicken-free strips, like Beyond Meat Lightly Seasoned Strips, Tofurky Slow Roasted Chick’n, diced into small pieces
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 celery stalk, diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions or chives
1/2 cup halved seedless red grapes
1/2 cup egg-free mayonnaise, like Just Mayo
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
1 teaspoon poppy seeds, optional
Instructions
Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until combined well. Best chilled for at least an hour.
To serve, layer your favorite sandwich bread with lettuce and chicken-free salad or serve on a bed of greens.
Five of my Favorite Chicken-Free Plant-Based Meats
Beyond Meat: Lightly seasoned strips have a tiny bit of spice, but absorb your seasonings whether you’re making fajitas or chicken noodle soup.
Simple Truth Crispy Tenders: Available at Kroger or Ralph’s these chicken-free finders are crispy, yummy, and easy to prepare. Have some BBQ sauce on hand to dunk away!
Boca Spicy Chick’n Patties: You can find these bad boys in most grocery stores. Warm up, stack on a bun and pile with your favorite toppings for a simple meal.
Who doesn’t love a good macaroni and cheese? It’s the quintessential comfort food. This macaroni and cashew cheese doesn’t have the same neon orange color of the food of my childhood, but it’s way more delicious. The surprise is that not only is it tasty and comforting; it’s also healthy, with cashews offering the creaminess of cheese. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, but bright green broccoli makes a nice contrast. This recipe appears in my book, MeatLess: Transform the Way You Eat and Live — One Meal at a Time, published by Da Capo Press, 2017.
Serves 4 Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients: 1 pound of your favorite pasta (macaroni or shells work great)
1 head broccoli, cauliflower, or your favorite vegetable, cut into florets or small pieces
Cheese sauce ingredients: 1-1/4 cups raw cashews (if you have time to prepare in advance, soak them for an hour to overnight for a creamier sauce)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 cups plain, unsweetened soy or almond milk
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup yellow miso
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Method:
Prepare the pasta according to package instructions. When 5 minutes remain in cook time, add in broccoli, cauliflower, or other vegetables. Drain, rinse, and pour into a casserole dish. Set aside.
Meanwhile grind the cashews into a powder in a high speed blender or food processor. Add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, and garlic powder and blend thoroughly.
Add the soy or almond milk, oil, miso, and lemon juice and blend until smooth, scraping sides to ensure it’s thoroughly combined.
Toss cheese sauce over pasta and veggies and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Pro-Tip: Crumble crushed walnuts or panko bread crumbs over the top before baking for a fancier mac.
