It’s Easy To Be Cheesy With The Cheesy Vegan

It’s Easy To Be Cheesy

Cheese is something that people of all ages love. However, it is a food that not only consists of some of the bad fats which are not heart healthy but is also derived from animal products which contribute to animal cruelty on factory farms.

It Takes One To Know One: The Cheesy Vegan

Plant based recipes are not new to the culinary world. Granted, there are a myriad of vegan cookbooks out there but not necessarily ones good enough to be given the privilege of space on your kitchen bookshelf.  For someone new to plant based cooking, it can be overwhelming and confusing. Let’s not forget the plethora of D-list celebrities seeking spotlight who can’t tell you the difference between a calendar and a colander.   That is never the case with best-selling author, John Schlimm! His books make you want to have a dinner party just to show off what you have made! John always comes up with the most amazing, kid-friendly recipes for foods that he enjoyed as a carnivore  and now has generously shared his delectable recipes for those who seek plant based recipes.

 

In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to best-selling, vegan author, John Schlimm about his latest book, The Cheesy Vegan!

Listen To The Interview

About The Author

John Schlimm is a member of one of the oldest brewing families in the US. He is the international award-winning author of several books, including The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Cookbook (awarded the “Best Beer Book in the U.S.” and “Best Beer Book in the World” by the Gourmand Awards), Harrah’s Entertainment Presents…The Seven Stars Cookbook, Tipsy Vegan, and Grilling Vegan Style, among other titles. He holds a Master’s degree from Harvard University, and travels the country speaking about cooking, entertaining, and public relations. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Flying Buffalo Pizza Recipe

Hot sauce, Tabasco sauce, and liquid smoke make this seitan pizza saucer a round-trip you’ll enjoy taking again and again. Also, Flying Buffalo Dip (page 144) and Blue Moon Dip (page 136)  are a nice way to launch this sizzling pizza feast.

Yields: 2 TO 4 SERVINGS

Ingredients:

• 1?2 CUP VEGAN KETCHUP
• 1?4 TO 1?3 CUP FRANK’S RED HOT CAYENNE PEPPER SAUCE
• TABASCO SAUCE
• 1 TEASPOON LIQUID SMOKE
• 1 TABLESPOON EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
• 1?2 CUP FINELY CHOPPED YELLOW ONION
• 8 OUNCES SEITAN, CUT INTO 1?2-INCH CUBES
• 2 CUPS QUARTERED SHIITAKE MUSHROOM CAPS
• 1 (12-INCH) PREPARED VEGAN PIZZA CRUST
• 1 CUP GRATED VEGAN MOZZARELLA CHEESE (PAGE 31, OR STORE-BOUGHT),
• OR MORE IF NOT USING MUENSTER AND/OR BLUE CHEESE
• 1 CUP GRATED VEGAN MUENSTER CHEESE (PAGE 44, OR STORE-BOUGHT)
• 1 CUP CRUMBLY VEGAN BLUE CHEESE (PAGE 41, OR STORE-BOUGHT)
• 1 CUP WHOLE BABY ARUGULA OR REGULAR ARUGULA, SLICED THINLY
• 1?2 CUCUMBER, PEELED AND DICED

Directions: Preheat the oven to 450°F, placing a rack in the lower third of the oven. In a medium-size bowl, mix the ketchup with the hot sauce, Tabasco sauce, and liquid smoke.

In a medium-size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the seitan cubes and mushroom quarters, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook for 4 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened. Turn off the heat and pour the ketchup mixture into the seitan mixture.

Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread the seitan mixture over the crust. Top with the cheese(s) of choice and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the seitan mixture is bubbling. Top the pizza with the arugula and cucumber, and serve.

Baked Cauliflower-Parmesan Penne Recipe

Yields: 2 Quite Ample Servings

Roasting cauliflower brings out a lovely sweetness in this vastly under-appreciated vegetable that counterpoints the lusty background flavor of the olives in the sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1?4 cup fresh, slightly course vegan bread crumbs
• 1?4 cup vegan panko
• 1 small head cauliflower, or 1?2 large head, cut into 3?4-inch florets
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 3 green onions, white parts chopped finely, green parts cut into 1?2-inch pieces
• Tabasco sauce or red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces gemelli or multicolored fusilli
• 1?3 cup pine nuts, toasted lightly (see instructions on page 30)
• 1?2 cup pitted and coarsely chopped kalamata olives
• 1?4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (page 39, or store-bought)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large pot, bring 6 to 8 quarts of water to a boil. On a foil-lined jelly-roll pan, toss the bread crumbs with the panko, and watchfully toast the mixture in the middle of the oven until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil right on the jelly-roll pan and season  with the salt and pepper. Roast in the middle of the oven, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside. Lower the oven heat to 325°F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic and green onion whites until soft, about 4 minutes. Add Tabasco sauce to taste and cook for another minute or two.

Remove the skillet from the heat while you cook the pasta according to the package directions. Just before the pasta is al dente, 10 to 11 minutes, add the cauliflower, pine nuts, and half the toasted bread crumbs to the skillet. Toss the mixture well.

When the pasta is ready, reserve a cup of its cooking water, drain the pasta, and add it to the skillet with  1?2 cup (more or less) of the cooking water. Stir in the olives and green onion greens. Transfer the pasta mixture to a 21?2-quart gratin or baking dish and bake in the middle of the oven until the pasta on top begins to crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil to refresh the pasta, and sprinkle it with the rest of the crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.