Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese

Cheese. The food of the devil. It is probably the one food that stops many a vegetarian from becoming vegan. And I can't say I was immune.

When I was a girl, my favorite activities were to eat and read. Simultaneously. There are an embarrassing number of photos of me with an open book and a plate of cheese and crackers. Mostly cheese. The smellier the better as far as I was concerned. It was a vice I shared with my father.

I remember being sad that I would have to give up cheese but, after I discovered how much my health improved after I gave up dairy, it really wasn't that hard.

But when I saw a recipe for goat cheese (and feta and cheddar) in Vegetarian Times, I was all over it. Especially since it used cashews, something I haven't been able to get enough of lately.

Just making it was fun! You get to throw everything in the food processor, wrap it up in cheesecloth and hang it up to age for the day. I knew it would be good when I tasted the 'batter' from the food processor. But I was very surprised when I tasted the finished product: It's smooth, salty, creamy and dead on.

I used it to make CD's Greek Style Pizza again. Unbelievable. And so easy. I told people I was making cheese and they were dumbfounded. But it was the easiest thing to do. You should try it. It will certainly fix any cheese cravings you might have.

So when the devil comes knocking, there's no need to answer the door.

STATS
Vegan
Calories: 140 per serving (no indication of serving size)
Makes: 10 oz
Find it: Here
Tastes: Fabulous!

Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream

You gotta be kiddin' me! Do I ever feel sheepish.

I've been a subscriber to Vegetarian Times forever. Three years? I've made I think three recipes during that time. All from their issue on slow cooking (January, 2008).

I've loved their articles and reviews on gadgets but I've never really gotten into their recipes. WHY?! Did I think I was so smart with my zillion cookbooks? Whatever my problem was, I'm over it. I went through about a dozen back issues and flagged a ton of recipes to try. Hope you're ready for some Vegetarian Times reviews.

This is "Pamper Weekend". That means my Sweetheart is out of town. I scheduled a massage for this morning (divine!) and lots of cooking.
I'll start with one that is finishing up at I write this: Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream.

Holy cow is it good!

I've been on an ice cream kick this week.
If you like fruit ice cream, this one is probably the best. It's also the very first time I've used agave nectar. It is, indeed the sweetener of the Heavens. It's so light and sweet without taking over. You really need to give it a whirl if you've never had it. It is expensive though so I would only recommend using it when you're going to taste the difference.

One thing will you notice the difference on: Jam vs. Jelly. Please use jam or preserves and not jelly. Please, trust me. Jam or preserves.

I confess I only had 8 0z of frozen strawberries so I cheated and threw in some red raspberries. I don't know if it made a big difference, but this ice cream is SO GOOD! Another substitution I made was almond milk with a dash of corn starch to replace the soy creamer. Worked just fine.

You'll fool any dairy lover with this ice cream and I doubt they'll care. In fact, I think I'm going to make this again and switch out the strawberries for, say black raspberries? Blueberries? I predict another winner.

Just like all the other recipes I've tried recently from Vegetarian Times. To be posted soon...

STATS:
Vegan
Calories: 169 per serving. Good luck eating just one.
Makes: The recipe says it serves six. I say it just serves me!
Find it: Here
Tastes: Like you should go make it NOW!

Tangy Marinated Vegetables

I love pickles. My mother used to make Sweet Refrigerator Pickles. It entailed sugar, vinegar, maybe some water, onions, cucumbers and time. That last part was the one I had trouble with. They're supposed to sit in the fridge for days - a week, maybe? I'd be into them within hours. To this day, I've never had a batch last to the end of the week - when I'm supposed to START eating them. I wonder if they're any better?

Anyhow, I love Vegetarian Times, so when they published a recipe for Tangy Marinated Vegetables, that sounded an awful lot like "Time to Make Pickles" to me!
I made them an hour ago. I have eaten some already. They are great!
The recipe calls for carrots, broccoli and mushrooms but, hey, it also says to marinate at least four hours before eating. Yeah, right. I substituted onions for the mushrooms. I'd like to try the mushrooms someday, but, not having had them on hand, I stuck with onions. And they're all so good. They're perfect for a picnic or just to take along to a pot luck. Super easy to make - but no one needs to know.

Next time, I'll layer the vegetables. Right now, I've got poor broccoli on the bottom that I can't reach so I've not had those, yet.

Maybe they'll make it the whole four hours!

Stats:
Vegan
Calories: 61 calories per 1/2 cup
Makes: About 4 cups
Find it: Here
Taste: Delicious!