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vegan cheese

Vegan Pulled NO-Pork Nachos

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A plate of comfort-food deliciousness in the form of Vegan Pulled NO-Pork Nachos!

There’s a plethora of options for cheese in this nacho-libré momento… more proof that leaning towards vegan eating is actually an abundant move, not a restrictive one.

The more you explore the different options for your nostalgically yummy dishes, the wider your foodie mind will be opened!

Instead of dairy mozzarella, you can either choose from a ton of different vegan mozz alternatives (check out Vegan Supply and order online internationally), or make yourself one of these whole food cheeses: Cashew Cheese, Carrot Potato Cheese Sauce, Mind Blowing Multi-Purpose Cheese Sauce (nut-free), or even this Lentil Cheese Sauce.

There are so many different ways to cheese up your nachos!

And let’s not forget about jackfruit and the miracle that it is. If you’remissing that pulled texture of pork, jackfruit is your answer. Upton’s Naturals makes a great BBQ jackfruit, or the Jackfruit Company. Otherwise, buy it plain and sauté with some flava flave (as seen below).

No need to support the demand for this in this pulled pork situation.

Enjoy!

You nacho lover, you.


Vegan Pulled Pork Nachos | As simple as it gets
 
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A big plate o' nachos to share with your buds! This jackfruit pulled pork brings the 'meatiness' to this vegan fun time. Make it easy by using store bought vegan cheese, or go for it and make your own like this nacho cheese sauce or
Author:
Recipe type: nachos, party food
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 250F
  2. If your jackfruit is plain, follow the above ingredients and sauté jackfruit
  3. Spread a layer of chips, top with a generous sprinkle of cheese, a few onions, olives and pieces of jackfruit.
  4. Do it again! It's all about the layering.
  5. Once the top layer is done, and topped off with cheese, bake for 10 minutes.
  6. Then broil for 2 minutes on low.
  7. Meanwhile, make your guacamole: Smash avocado with lime juice, garlic, red onion and salt n' pepper to taste.
  8. Serve it up with salsa and guac on the side.

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Vegan Mac & Cheese (with Carrot Potato Cheese Sauce!)

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Time to get saucy! Carrot Potato Cheese Sauce-style.

This week is all about creating that decadent flavour and texture, amping up the nutrients, and ditching the high fat, high calorie ways of those usual culprits in your typical creamy or mac n’ cheese pasta sauce (I’m lookin’ at you butter, cheese and heavy cream).

This sauce is so healthy, that there’s no shame in drinking it from the blender.

Actually, it’s highly encouraged.

When you’re just dying for that creamy pasta experience…but you don’t want to dose yourself with a big ol’ bowl of heavy cream sauce, this is the pasta sauce for you.

Carrots and taters to the rescue.


Vegan Mac & Cheese (with Carrot Potato Cheese Sauce!)
 
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A super healthy version of your typical mac & cheese, but still so creamy, flavourful and more than satisfying!
Author:
Recipe type: dinner, lunch
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Pasta noodles of choice (around 450g)
  • 1 large head of broccoli florets, chopped (save stalks for your next hummus plate as dippers!)
  • 1 package vegan sausage (I used Field Roast from Spud. You can use code: 'CRVAN-MURJUB for 20$ off your first order)
  • Smokey Vegan Parmesan

  • Carrot Potato Cheese Sauce:
  • 3 medium-sized russet potatoes, chopped
  • 4 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ¼ cup miso paste
  • ⅛ cup dijon
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup unsweetened, unflavoured soy milk
  • pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Steam potatoes and carrots for 10-15 minutes (until you can poke a fork through them)
  2. Add all the sauce ingredients to your blender, including the carrots and potatoes
  3. Bring your pasta pot to a boil.
  4. Place broccoli in the steamer (add more water if needed), and steam for 5 minutes.
  5. Back to the blender: blend sauce ingredients until smooth (you may need to use a tamper to help in the beginning, but it should blend on its own. Let it blend for a couple of minutes for optimal creaminess)
  6. Cook pasta of choice 1 minute less than what directions say.
  7. Meanwhile, heat a pan to medium, add 1 tsp of oil (avocado is best), then the vegan sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, flipping around every minute or so.
  8. *OPTION: to use 1 less pan, wait until the pasta is finished, and add the sausage to the bottom of the pasta pot while the pasta sits in sink in the strainer*
  9. Strain, pasta, then put back into the pot with the broccoli and sausage.
  10. Add the sauce to the pot and mix until each pasta noodle is super creamy delicious!
  11. Whip up some Smokey Vegan Parm to sprinkle on top!

 

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Smokey Vegan Parmesan | Ready in 3 minutes

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This smokey vegan parmesan goes well with anything, and I mean ANYTHING savoury.

It has to be in the fridge at all times, ready to get it’s sprinkle on.

There’s nothing like a little smoky saltiness to add pizzazz to any meal.

Your next pasta, salad, tofu scramble, sandwich or wrap will welcome this parm with open arms.

The one thing people seem to miss most during the transition to plant-based eating… CHEESE, because it’s physically addicting. Casomorphins in dairy create an opioid effect to keep the calf coming back for more from her cow Mama. When milk is made into cheese for human consumption (it takes 10 lbs of milk to create just 1 lb of cheese), the casomorphins are concentrated to high levels and create a strong opioid effect, that keep us coming back for more. Once you’re separated from the addiction for a bit, you’ll be over and and see cheese for what it really is… Check out this post for more on that.

It’s becoming easier and easier with all of the amazing vegan cheese companies coming out with innovative, melty, flavourful, creamy, cheeses! And this recipe gives a cheesiness to any recipe.

When it comes to parm, I think VioLife makes the best store bought vegan version. But, when you don’t have any of that kicking around, you can resort to this smokey vegan parmesan recipe!

The smokiness adds a deep deliciousness to your typical parmesan flava flave.

Benefits:

  • Cashews provide you with 100% of your copper needs! Copper helps with the reactions needed for the metabolism of iron, energy production, and neurotransmission. They’re also packed with vitamins E for healthy skin and bones!
  • Paprika is ground up red pepper! It’s packed with antioxidants, and is very anti-inflammatory.
  • Sunflower seeds are also an amazing source of copper and vitamin E, as well as B1. Vitamin B1 helps the breakdown of fats and protein, and vastly improves the cardiovascular functioning of the body.


Smokey Vegan Parmesan
 
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This is your next meal's best friend. Sprinkle this stuff on anything to enhance any kind of savoury dish.
Author:
Recipe type: topping
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup raw cashews
  • 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¾ tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in a mini food processor, blender or spice grinder until you reach the consistency of parm! You shouldn't need more than 30 seconds.
  2. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

** This goes great with Simple Green Curry, Butternut Mac n’ Peas, Whole Roasted Cauli, Curried Collard Greens, Mashed Potato Butternut Swirl, and the Green Machine Curried Zucchini Hummus.

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Easy Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce | 7 Ingredients

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The good ol’ days of broccoli and cheese sauce are making a comeback, this time in the form of this next-level raw vegan cashew cheese sauce.

Totally nostalgic…who’s with me on that?

In the attempt to get me to eat those veggies in any way possible… cheese sauce, and sometimes mayo, made it onto the plate beside those greens.

It worked like a dream, just like this new & improved eat-yo-veggies cashew cheese hack will.

Something special happens to broccoli when it’s paired with a creamy, tangy, cheesy sauce. Dip away with all the other veggies, and you’re easily munching away on greens like their goin’ outta style.

All you need to do for this recipe is soak the cashews, blend it all up, and then drizzle, spread, dip, scoop…

I’m all about the sauce.

If you’re looking for a veggie-based cheese sauce option, check out this Mind-Blowing Nut-Free cheese sauce recipe I posted not too long ago.

Either one is perfect for a colourful side dish for a holiday like……. Easter!

Benefits:

  • Cashews are packed with healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) to help the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and vitamin K) found in the nutrient-dense greens. Plus, these healthy fats help brain development and memory!
  • Nutritional Yeast (NOOCH) is a vegan’s best friend. Not only does it taste cheesy, but it also is packed with Vitamin B12 (which comes from microorganisms in soil), the one nutrient that you might be lacking in on a vegan diet.
  • Turmeric is a magical ingredient. Not only does it change any recipe into a smashingly colourful dish, but it’s also one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients out there. Add a bit of pepper to increase the bioavailability of the curcumin in the turmeric by 2000%!


Easy Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce
 
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Answer that cheese craving with this super easy vegan cheese sauce, ready to be best friends with anything that calls for cheese. Pizza, pasta, veggies, nachos, you name it!
Author:
Recipe type: sauce, condiment, snack
Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw cashews (soaked at least 30 minutes and rinsed)
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt + pepper
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp plain unsweetened plant based milk (I used almond)
Instructions
  1. Blend all ingredients in high-speed blender until smooth! You might have to turn it off and scrape down the sides with a spatula every now and then...
  2. Use it for dipping, drizzling, spreading... anything! Pizza, pasta, cracker plates, or saucin' anything up!

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Mind-Blowing Multi-Purpose Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut-Free)

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This nut-free vegan cheese sauce may be the answer to all of your cheezy needs.

If nutty vegan cheese is too heavy for you to digest but you still want to curb that cheezy craving for all the things, you’ve come to the right place.

That cheezy pasta, or that cheezy dip for your chips, or that cheezy sauce all over your broccoli…

There’s not a thing in this world that I wouldn’t put this stuff on…well ok, maybe that’s a bit extreme.

While I may not douse my oatmeal or chocolate cake in this goodness…this stuff is still magic.

While surfin’ the waves of the inter web, you’ll come across vegan cheese sauce recipes based on cashews, sunflower seeds, or beans. This one, however, puts the veggie kingdom on the pedestal.

That’s right. Carrots and cauliflower can magically turn into cheese sauce. It’s possible, and it’s delicious.

What I love about this is sauce that you can devour a ton of it with zero guilt. It’s packed with nutrients + fibre, yet low in calories and fat. Sometimes the sauces made from nuts (as delicious as they are), can be a little heavy, ya know?

Vegan Cheese Sauce

To create a simple + yum pasta, just cook up your fave noodles, pan sear, then chop up some vegan sausages (the Gusta or Field Roast brands are yum), steam some broccoli florets, then mix everything together with this sauce. Top it all off with green onion and vegan parmesano (make this easy parm recipe, or find yourself some amazing Violife cheese to grate)!

Benefits:

  • Cauliflower is super nutritious, so don’t let the lack of colour fool ya’. This white magic is packed with folate, vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin B6. Plus, it’s a cruciferous vegetable, aka a cancer-fighting super veg with a good dose of antioxidants.
  • Carrots are known for their mega-dose of beta-carotene (an antioxidant that our body converts into vitamin A). What this means for you, is healthy skin and mucus membranes, a stronger immune system, and better eye health and vision.
  • Miso paste is an awesome addition, not only for the flava, but also because it’s fermented. Fermented foods do wonders for your gut aka microbiome aka microflora. This is where most of our bacteria lives! Since around 1/10 of our cells are human and 9/10 of our cells are bacteria, we’ve got to keep these bacterial cells happy by feeding them fermented foods. Eat that miso up.

Mind Blowing Vegan Cheese Sauce (without nuts)

Mind-Blowing Vegan Cheese Sauce (No Nuts)
 
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This nut-free, vegan sauce is a light option for that cheezy comfort food feel. It's perfect for pasta or a dip with veggies and chips!
Author:
Recipe type: Comfort Food, dinner, lunch, appetizer
Serves: 5 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
  • 6 carrots, chopped
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ large sweet onion, diced (or 1 tbsp onion powder)
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ⅛ tsp smoked paprika (optional, but gives it a nice smokey flavour)
  • 1 cup plain almond milk (or any other plain plant-based milk)
Instructions
  1. Steam the cauliflower and carrots until soft (about 10 minutes)
  2. Meanwhile, (unless you're using onion and garlic powder), oil-free sauté the onion and garlic for about 7 minutes. Heat the element to medium, then add the chopped onions and garlic. Let the bottom of the pan brown, then add 1-2 tbsp of water to de-glaze the pan. As the onions cook, continue adding bits of water to prevent sticking if needed
  3. Add the onion, steamed cauliflower, and carrots to the blender with the the rest of the ingredients
  4. Blend until smooth!
  5. If using as a dip, put in and oven safe dish and broil on high for 3 minutes.
  6. Or, mix in with pasta, pour over roasted veggies, or just eat it by the spoonful 😉

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