Variations on vegan mac & cheese

All made without animal slavery!

Vegan macaroni and cheese (nutritional yeast, tahini, evoo/flax oil, turmeric, lemon juice, black pepper, sea salt, garlic) with sauteed vegetables (kale, carrots, green beans, onions, celery, brown rice macaroni).


Vegan macaroni and chees with sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach (evoo/flax oil, nutritional yeast, tahini, cayenne pepper, turmeric, white vinegar, evoo/flax oil, whole wheat flour, sea salt, garlic, tarragon, savory, brown rice macaroni).

Vegan macaroni and cheese (vegan margarine, nutritional yeast, evoo/flax oil, arrowroot powder, sea salt, garlic, brown rice macaroni) with kale, lentils, red peppers, mushrooms and raisins (evoo/flax oil, sea salt, lemon juice, vegan worchestershire sauce, liquid smoke).

Letscho with whole wheat dumplings

Letscho (red lentils, red pepper, green pepper, dill, mustard, vegetable soup stock, tomatoes, white vinegar) with whole wheat dumplings (whole wheat flour, baking powder, sea salt).

Sweet potato and tofu rosti with red peppers and spinach

Sweet potato and tofu latkes with red peppers and spinach (garlic, tamari, white onions, evoo/flax oil, whole wheat flour, chick pea flour, vegetable stock).

Oven-baked sweet potato pancake goodness!

Vegan macaroni and cheese with asparagus, red peppers and dulse

Vegan brown rice macaroni and cheese with asparagus, red peppers and dulse.

For the cheese sauce:

1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1 heaping tablespoon of arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
1 tablespoon of evoo/flax oil
1 tablespoon of turmeric
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of paprika
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
Sea salt to taste

Grilled, currant and rosemary glazed tofu cutlets on a bed of sauteed kale and red peppers w/roasted mushrooms, onions and potatoes.

Grilled, currant and rosemary glazed tofu cutlets on a bed of sauteed kale and red peppers (sea salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic) w/roasted mushrooms, onions and potatoes (evoo/flax oil and sea salt).

For the currant/rosemary glaze:

1/2 cup of currants
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (preferably olive oil).
1/4 teaspoon of rosemary
1/2 teaspoon of savory
1/2 teaspoon of tarragon
Sea salt to taste
Water as necessary (1/3 to 1/2 cup, depending on how dry the currants are)
1 tablespoon of vegan worcestershire sauce (you can probably sub lemon juice or white vinegar -- just use a little less water)
1 tablespoon of horseradish mustard
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of white vinegar

Vegan cheese and pinto bean strata with collards

Vegan cheese and pinto bean strata (yellow corn tortillas, vegan cheese, refried pinto beans, onions, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, coriander, cumin, tomatoes, red peppers) with collard greens (sea salt, lemon juice, evoo, liquid smoke).

Hunan tofu with asparagus and red peppers over brown rice

Hunan tofu with asparagus and red peppers (tamari, garlic, chili paste, white vinegar, mustard, agave nectar, sugar, lime juice, sea salt, vegetable stock, sea salt) over brown rice

Couscous with figs, zucchini, red peppers, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms

Couscous (sea salt, evoo, garlic, ginger, turmeric) with roasted figs, zucchini, red peppers, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms (vegetable stock, evoo, black pepper, allspice, cardamom, cumin, coriander, paprika, wine vinegar).

White bean and kale soup; spelt stromboli with roasted pear, portabello, red pepper and spinach

White bean and kale soup (cannelini beans, dinosaur kale, vegetable soup stock, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, tomatoes) garnished with nutritional yeast.

Spelt stromboli (spelt flour, sea salt, yeast, herbs de Provence) with roasted pear, portabello, red pepper and spinach (evoo/flax oil, sea salt, rice wine vinegar, nutritional yeast).

This is basic soup and sandwich combination. Stromboli is sort of like a white calzone (no red sauce) and it tends to be long like a baguette rather than a folded-over pizza (which makes it easier to eat with the hands). Typically, it's served with a side dish of, or sometimes sauced with, marinara. In this case, I added more tomato to the soup than I normally would.

Potato salad with red peppers, pepitas and flat-leaf parsley

Potato salad with red peppers and flat-leaf parsley (red Ontario potatoes, evoo/flax oil, nutritional yeast, white vinegar, liquid smoke, mustard, garlic, dill, black pepper, sea salt, nama shoyu).

Black beans with red peppers, mushrooms and bok choy; spelt empenadas stuffed with sweet potatoes and coconut accented with chipotle and lime.

Black beans with red peppers, mushrooms and bok choy (nutritional yeast, sea salt, vegetable stock, chipotle, cumin, black pepper, lemon juice).

Spelt empenadas (spelt flour, yeast, water, sea salt, palm oil) stuffed with sweet potato and coconut mash accented with chipotle and lime juice (vegetable stock, allspice, palm oil, sea salt).

All plated on a bok choy green.

Red pepper, artichoke and kalamata olive salad; tofu and quinoa paella with lobster mushrooms, dulse and sundried tomatoes.

Red pepper, artichoke and kalamata olive salad (evoo/flax oil, sea salt and lemon juice, lime juice).

Tofu and quinoa paella with lobster mushrooms, dulse and sundried tomatoes (evoo/flax oil, saffron, vegetable stock, tarragon, basil, oregano, sage, liquid smoke, garlic).

Pissaladière with sundried tomatoes, green olives and pomegranate caramelized onions; ratatouille with chick peas and mushrooms

Pissaladière (whole wheat flour, canola oil, sea salt, yeast, herbs de Provence) with sundried tomatoes, green olives and pomegranate caramelized onions (sea salt, nutritional yeast, herbs de provence, pomegranate juice).

Ratatouille (roma tomatoes, Italian eggplant, zucchini, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, herbs de Provence, nutritional yeast, vegetable stock) with chick peas and cremini mushrooms.

Deep dish pizza arrabiata with arugula and red peppers

Deep dish pizza arrabiata (evoo/flax oil, nutritional yeast, salsa, sea salt, black pepper) with arugula and red peppers

Veggie burgers with mahammar mayo, grilled romaine, portabello and red pepper salad and grilled pear

Dinner 29 March. Spring has almost sprung in Ottawa. So, I broke out my barbecue and drank a Tuborg with my dinner. I didn't eat on my balcony, though; it's still too chilly.

Veggie burgers (Yves brand) with a mahammar mayo (roasted red pepper, chipotle, pomegranate molasses, garlic, sea salt, walnuts).

Grilled romaine hearts with julienned portabello and red pepper with lime, jalapeno and cocoa dressing (lime, cocoa, tamari, jalapeno, nutritional yeast and sunflower oil).

Grilled pear (pear and a little sunflower oil).

The best thing about grilling is that it brings out interesting flavour layers in the ingredients themselves. Grilling romaine lettuce, for example, really broadens and sweetens the flavour.

Plantain, cassava greens and artichoke roti with red pepper and black bean salad.

Dinner 26 March 2007. Plantain, cassava greens and artichoke (roasted plantains, cassava greens, artichokes, white wine, turmeric, all spice, cumin, chipotle, garlic, sea salt, black pepper) roti (whole wheat flour, vegan margarine, spices) with red pepper and black bean salad (diced red peppers, black turtle beans, thin sliced onion, jalapeno, mint, lemon juice, black pepper, sea salt).

A Caribbean dish, roti is an excellent example of fusion cuisine wrapping spicy and sweet curry with a flat, pastry bread (somewhere between a pita and a tortilla). The dish combines some basic French and Indian pastry concepts, Indian and local spices and local ingredients (often fish, goat, potatoes, okra and so on).

Wine: Clos de los Siete. I thought this wine was particularly appropriate given Michel Rolland's transnational approach to oenology (the wine is primarily a combination of originally French grapes grown in Argentina).