Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: garlic

  • Rutabaga and Yam Fries with Garlic Dipping Sauce

    Rutabaga and Yam Fries with Garlic Dipping Sauce

    One of my all time favorite things we make at the deli I work at is sweet potato or yam fries.  They are so simple but so good.  So, often times I will make them at home.  I call them my bacon, because they are to me what bacon is to meat eaters.  Hard to stop eating and kind of addictive.  You know maybe if more people tried them they would think giving up bacon isn’t so bad!  I was making a recipe for work the other day, and I got to thinking, since yam fries are good, what about other veggies as fries?  The rutabaga I was using for a recipe sounded like a good thing to test out, so I bought myself some and decided to give it a go.

    The truth is I used to hate rutabaga back in the day and my Dad would always tease me and say that is what we were going to have for dinner.  I don’t know why I hated it, I think it was because it was a foreign veggie to me at the time and I had been told it was gross and maybe once my Grandma had made some and I didn’t care for it.  But then when I was in college and experimenting with cooking and all sorts of new veggies I decided to try it again and ended up loving it.  The recipe that I had made the first time was a vanilla scented mashed rutabaga and it was amazing!  But it is so good roasted and in soups too I quickly discovered.  It has a sort of sweet flavor to it.

    I figured it would be perfect made into fries.  I combined them with some yams I had on hand, because why not do two different veggies?  As far as I am concerned the more veggies the better when it comes to what I eat. I kept them simple, just tossing them with a bit of avocado oil, sea salt, pepper and cayenne and it was perfect to showcase the sweetness of the rutabagas and yams.  They would have been good just like that, but I decided to make a dipping sauce as well.

    For the dipping sauce, I wanted something creamy and garlicy so I whisked together some almond butter, garlic, lemon and salt with a bit of water to thin it out and it was perfect!  You could use a different nut butter or even tahini for a nut free version if you prefer and it would be delicious as well.  The fries were sooo good!  The sweetness of the root veggies was brought out even more by roasting and the garlic sauce was the perfect partner for them!  Definitely give these a try this winter, just be warned, you may eat the whole batch they are pretty darn addictive!

    Rutabaga and Yam Fries with Garlic Dipping Sauce
    Serves 2-4

    Ingredients:

    Yams:

    • 2 medium sized yams, cut into fries
    • 1 large rutabaga peeled and cut into fries
    • 1 Tbsp avocado oil
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
    • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
    • 1/8 tsp ground cayenne or chipotle powder

     

    Sauce:

    • 1/3 cup filtered water (or as needed)
    • 1/3 cup almond butter
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 tsp lemon juice
    • 1 garlic clove, minced

     

    Instructions:

    1. To make the fries, preheat the oven to 400F degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment.
    2. Toss the fries with the oil, sea salt, pepper and chipotle powder until they are coated, and spread them out on the sheet pan.
    3. Place in the oven and roast until tender and starting to brown, about 45 minutes.
    4. Meanwhile, to make the dip, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth (if you want it thinner, add more water since almond butters vary in texture sometimes).  Set aside.
    5. When the fries are done, remove them from the oven and serve with the dip!
  • Roasted Garlic Scape Hummus

    Roasted Garlic Scape Hummus

    About 10 years ago, I was shopping at a local co op that I made the trip to every weekend, and I came across an odd item in the produce. They looked like a bunch of green electrical cords or something, but they were obviously plants. What they were was garlic scapes, as I soon discovered when I read the sign near them. I was curious as to what they tasted like, so I brought some home and googled some recipes so I knew what types of things people used them in. I experimented a bit and bought them for a few weeks (until the season ended, since it is short), and I liked them best roasted. They get all crispy and yummy and snack-able when roasted. But they also make a great thing to add into your pesto. Garlic scape pesto is amazing. I get a bit excited now when I see them, because I know I won’t have too many chances to buy them since the season is short so I always buy a bunch when I can.

    I was at the Northeast Minneapolis Farmer’s Market last weekend, and I was lucky enough to score some there. The first thing I decided to make was hummus. I hadn’t made any in a while, and I was craving it. I like to include it in my lunches for dipping veggies, or to eat as a snack with chips. I figured roasted garlic scapes would make it super delicious!

    So I roasted them for a little while in the oven before adding them to the recipe. This has a whopping 2 cups of them, so it is packed with their lovely flavor. If you haven’t had them, they are not as strong as garlic cloves, they are a bit more mellow and sweet. Roasting them intensifies the flavor even more!

    I combined them with some classic hummus ingredients like chickpeas for the base, tahini to make it creamy, and a bit of lemon juice and sea salt to bring out the flavor of the scapes and it was super delicious! If you get your hands on some garlic scapes, definitely give this a try!

    Roasted Garlic Scape Hummus
    Makes about 2 cups

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups garlic scapes, cut into 2 inch pieces
    • 1 tsp avocado oil or olive oil
    • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
    • 1/2 cup tahini
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 cup filtered water

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
    2. Toss the garlic scapes with the oil and spread out on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Place in the oven and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.
    3. Remove from oven and let cool.
    4. Combine the scapes, and all other ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth (adding a little more water if necessary). 
    5. Serve!
    6. Keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks in a sealed container.
  • Vegan Roasted Asparagus Garlic Flat Bread

    Vegan Roasted Asparagus Garlic Flat Bread

    Last weekend I ran the Foodie 4 Mile, a race to celebrate the opening day of the Minneapolis North East Farmer’s Market.   It was a beautiful perfect morning for running, about 49 degrees and cloudy.  I like the cooler temperatures because then I don’t overheat.  I ended up beating my time from last year by 6 seconds which was a surprise because I recently took a little time off from an injury and didn’t feel like I was in as good of shape as I normally am this time of the year. It went really well though, and I was glad I did it.  I just prayed before the race that I would feel good and go well, and it did!  They gave out reusable totes with coupons to the farmer’s market, so we had to stop there after and browse around.  I love farmer’s markets, but I don’t get there often because usually I work on Saturdays and am busy on Sundays, so it is packed up by the time I would get there.  But it was awesome to be able to visit right after the race on the way home.  They had surprisingly a good amount of produce for this time of the year.  I bought some beautiful asparagus, purple and green.  Since it is so good this time of the year.

    I thought it deserved to be used in something delicious. I usually would just roast it with a little olive oil and sea salt and eat it like that, but I decided to use that roasted asparagus to top off a flatbread. It just sounded good.  I wanted it to have a nice sauce on the bottom underneath the veggies, so I decided to use some Dastony watermelon seed butter that Raw Guru recently sent me to make a creamy garlic sauce.  If you have never had watermelon seed butter, it tastes similar to tahini just a little more mild.  I honestly did not even know it existed until they sent me some to try but it is good, and actually has health benefits!  Perfect for people who want to make a creamy sauce but are allergic to cashews.  If you want to check it out for yourself, you can find it HERE. If you do check out the Raw Guru Website, and you decide to order something, use my coupon code FRAGRANTVANILLA to get 10% off your order, typed in at your checkout.  Back to that flatbread.  The creamy garlic sauce was the perfect thing to spread over the flatbread.

    I had made a whole wheat cracker crust, because that is what I like. I am not as much of a fan of doughy crusts for some reason.  It is the toppings that matter to me.  I roasted plenty asparagus, then combined it with arugula, kalamata olives, and some vegan garlic white cheddar I had made and it was beautiful.  Lastly a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for garnish and it was perfect!  It was a nice combination of textures and flavors, with the crunchy crust, savory veggies, creamy cheddar and garlic sauce and kick of pepper flakes.  If you are in the mood for something that screams “Spring!” give this a try!

    Vegan Roasted Asparagus Garlic Flat Bread
    Serves 2

    Ingredients:

    Dough:

    • 1 1/2 cups organic whole wheat pastry
    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt
    • 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp filtered water

     

    Asparagus:

    • 2 cups organic asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
    • olive oil
    • sea salt

     

    Sauce:

    • 1/2 cup Dastony watermelon seed butter
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 1/3 cup filtered water (or as needed)
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste

     

    To finish:

    • 1/2 recipe Vegan Garlic White Cheddar , or store bought, such as Miyoko’s Kitchen cheddar
    • 1 handful arugula
    • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
    • red pepper flakes

     

    To make the dough, combine the flour, and sea salt in a bowl, and whisk until well blended. Add the oil and water, and mix in until you have a soft dough.  Turn out onto a sheet of parchment paper with a light dusting of flour, and roll out into a 14 inch circle.  Set aside.

  • Vegan Garlic White Cheddar Cheeze

    Vegan Garlic White Cheddar Cheeze

    Often times when I am at the store, I see an item that isn’t vegan that sounds good to me and I try to veganize it once I get home, so I can enjoy it too.  It is honestly one of the best sources for inspiration, walking through the store.  So, recently I saw a garlic white cheddar and thought to myself, a vegan version would be amazing.  I had made a cheddar style cheese before and it turned out really delicious so I was going to go for it!  I was a big cheese lover before I went vegan and a long time ago I even said that I could never give up cheese.  But guess what?  I did, and I don’t even miss non-vegan cheese because there is so much delicious vegan cheese out there now, and I also make some delicious stuff at home. When I first went vegan I didn’t even know I could make cheese.  I thought I had to buy it at the store and at that point in time there weren’t many good options.  Mostly rubbery stuff that didn’t melt very well and didn’t taste that good.  But it has come a long way and now they even have awesome artisan vegan cheeses out there like Miyoko’s Kitchen and Punk Rawk Labs. Those both taste amazing if you want to just buy some.  But I actually enjoy making it at home too, which brings me back to that garlic white cheddar I made last week.

    I wanted it to have that sharp cheddar like flavor, so I added probiotics and let it ferment overnight.  It developed just the right level of tanginess that I wanted.  If you want it to be mild or not as tangy, you can skip the probiotics and instead of letting it sit overnight, just proceed with the recipe.  It had to have plenty of garlic flavor, so I roasted a head of garlic until it was all mellow and caramelized and used that in the cheese.  If you have never roasted a head of garlic before, you are in for a real treat.  If I wasn’t using it in the cheese, I would have saved it for using in recipes.  It tastes totally different than raw garlic, and almost has a sweet flavor.  It is the perfect thing to spread on toast, or puree into dressings for a rich garlic flavor.  Once it was added to the cheese, it tasted wonderful!

    It turned out even better than I imagined.  Rich garlic flavor without being overpowering and a nice sharp flavor like real cheddar. This is delicious with crackers on a cheese plate of course, but it also melts well if you mix it with hot water for a quick creamy cheese to be poured over pasta for a delicious mac and cheese.  So, if you a vegan and you are craving a good cheese, give this a try!  So many people say to me that they could never go vegan because they could not give up cheese.  Well, I think that they should try some vegan cheese, and they would change their minds! If you are looking for more replacements for dairy items, and more cheese recipes, check out my post on Why I am Vegan and Vegan Replacements for Dairy Items!

    Vegan Garlic White Cheddar Cheeze

    Serves 10

    • 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours, and drained
    • 1 tsp probiotic powder
    • 1/4 cup filtered water
    • 1 Tbsp white miso
    • 1 head garlic
    • 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
    • 1/3 cup raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid*

     

    In a high speed blender combine the soaked cashews, probiotic powder, filtered water, and miso and blend until smooth.  Pour into a bowl, cover and place in a warm spot (like 70 degrees).  Let sit overnight.

    Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F degrees, and wrap the garlic in foil.  Place the garlic in the oven and roast until it is very soft and caramelized, about an hour.  Remove from the oven, let cool, then squeeze out the cloves.  Set aside in the refrigerator (if it is overnight, cover it).

    When the cheese is tangy, add it to a food processor or blender and add the garlic, sea salt and coconut butter and blend until well incorporated.  Pour into a bowl, place in the freezer for about 10 minutes, then scrape onto a mold, or if you want to shape it like I did, put it on a large piece of plastic wrap,  and shape into a ball in the middle.  Flatten it, and wrap the plastic wrap tightly around it.  Place in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours.  Then enjoy!

    *Note: If you want the cheese to not have any hint of coconut flavor, you can use refined coconut oil instead of the butter.