Going vegan......old style?!

shandyclover

2 homemade 'cheese' recipes I tried last week that the kids liked.

Mozzarella

3/4 C unsweetened soya milk
1 T lemon juice
1/4 C melted coconut oil (I used sunflower oil, I didn't have CO)
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder (didn't have so missed it out without any problems)
2 T cornstarch

1. Blend all ingredients (I used food processor)
2. Pour into microwave safe glass container.
3. Heat for 2 mins making sure it does not overflow, should be consistency of thick yogurt, but if not stir and microwave again.
4. Let cool, it firms up to the point it becomes a soft block once refrigerated for a few hours.

Don't expect it to taste exactly like mozzarella, but still pretty good, I made it originally to put on kids pizza, but it was snacked on with ryvita!

This one I made the other day too, much stronger tasting, I used miso instead of yeast flakes, and didn't add any other herbs.

http://www.uncaged.co.uk/cheese.htm

shandyclover

Another recipe I tried...

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/desertrecipes/r/vanillapudding.htm

I was trying to copy the Promavel custard/pouring yougurt type stuff. Made this early in the morning before kids set off for college, poured into tubs and topped with granola and blueberries for their packed lunch - they actually texted me at lunch to say how good it was!

rayyycharles

this is my first post here,although i have been browsing and loving MSE for a few years now.

just wanted to say i am a vegan of nearly 2 years (december) and it is unfortunately often seen as an expensive way to live, whereas it is actually the complete opposite! alot of people do buy into the cheeses and expensive substitutes at first, and sometimes for a long time afterwards, where actually it is easy to make your own or even not buy into them at all, as there is a lot of rubbish in them usually. i have just started making my own seitan which is a fantastic meat substitute made from just flour and water, then flavoured however you like, as with chicken or such!

i bookmark a lot of vegan recipes that i find for things such as the meringue pie (currently making now!) that are difficult to find veganised, but other than that i actually just use my copy of good housekeeping which i grew up making recipes from, and adapt them myself to make them vegan, its very easy 9 times out of 10! things such as butter or milk are no different for recipes, and coconut milk, egg replacer, agave syrup etc all have their place to replace other things aswell.

once you get into the swing of things its really great. the one thing i always say to people considering veganism or asking how i manage, is that you have to be prepared to not only cook alot of your meals from scratch, but also always be prepared to take your own meals out with you, so you dont get caught wandering supermarkets for vegan options, which can be few and pricey, which is what OS is all about anyway! they go hand in hand!!

hopefully i havent posted too late on this thread and this gets seen! :rotfl:

likelyfran

Grated apple - try Braeburns, raisins or currants, raw porridge oats, soya cream, crushed almonds, and loads of cinnamon, mix it all together - YUM! Can be tweaked with fruit juices or different healthy ingredients.

shandyclover

rayyycharles wrote: »

this is my first post here,although i have been browsing and loving MSE for a few years now.

just wanted to say i am a vegan of nearly 2 years (december) and it is unfortunately often seen as an expensive way to live, whereas it is actually the complete opposite! alot of people do buy into the cheeses and expensive substitutes at first, and sometimes for a long time afterwards, where actually it is easy to make your own or even not buy into them at all, as there is a lot of rubbish in them usually. i have just started making my own seitan which is a fantastic meat substitute made from just flour and water, then flavoured however you like, as with chicken or such!

i bookmark a lot of vegan recipes that i find for things such as the meringue pie (currently making now!) that are difficult to find veganised, but other than that i actually just use my copy of good housekeeping which i grew up making recipes from, and adapt them myself to make them vegan, its very easy 9 times out of 10! things such as butter or milk are no different for recipes, and coconut milk, egg replacer, agave syrup etc all have their place to replace other things aswell.

once you get into the swing of things its really great. the one thing i always say to people considering veganism or asking how i manage, is that you have to be prepared to not only cook alot of your meals from scratch, but also always be prepared to take your own meals out with you, so you dont get caught wandering supermarkets for vegan options, which can be few and pricey, which is what OS is all about anyway! they go hand in hand!!

hopefully i havent posted too late on this thread and this gets seen! :rotfl:

Just wanted to say I'd be very keen to see your recipe for seitan, all the recipes I've found need a special type of flour I haven't been able to track down - do you just use regular flour?

Also the meringue pie recipe, pretty please?!

shandyclover

likelyfran wrote: »

Grated apple - try Braeburns, raisins or currants, raw porridge oats, soya cream, crushed almonds, and loads of cinnamon, mix it all together - YUM! Can be tweaked with fruit juices or different healthy ingredients.

Hmmmm that sounds lovely - will have to try that one!

Justamum

shandyclover wrote: »

Also the meringue pie recipe, pretty please?!

I posted it a while ago - http://www.misterniceguy.com.au/recipes/vegan-lemon-meringue-pie/

rayyycharles

justamum- thank you so much, i couldnt remember where it was but im just cooking it now and i thank you so much for posting!!! (i open a million pages when on mse so lose place very quickly!!)

shandyclover- if you search 'make your own seitan from wheat flour' its on youtube by pokertranslator and is by far the best one we have tried so far. we tried around 8-10 recipes over a fortnight and now have made this version about 15 times for burgers/ stir fry meat alternative/ sandwich meats, etc etc. its fantastically adaptable by changing flavours up! enjoy

rayyycharles

oh also shandyclover, we found after using many different flours (they recommend high gluten but its SO expensive!!) we just use strong white bread flour, it works perfectly. even mixing up the quantities with wholemeal etc changed it too much, so we are sticking at strong white bread flour!

shandyclover

rayyycharles wrote: »

oh also shandyclover, we found after using many different flours (they recommend high gluten but its SO expensive!!) we just use strong white bread flour, it works perfectly. even mixing up the quantities with wholemeal etc changed it too much, so we are sticking at strong white bread flour!

Thanks so much for the link rayyycharles! We have a chinese shop near our house so we'd bought seitan before and the kids liked it, though it was a bit pricey and the cans weren't really big enough for a family meal our size (6 of us and usually a few strays turn up for dinner!). I'd looked into making it but was a bit baffled by vital wheat gluten, when I did find it online - like you said the price was a bit offputting. Never knew it could be made at home with normal flour. I just have wholemeal and chapatti flour in the house right now so will try and get some white asap to try it out.