Vegan Mac & Cheese

Vegan Mac & Cheese

Check out this creamy, cheesy Mac recipe. This recipe can be nut free if you decide to use a vegan cheese without nuts. Many vegan Mac & cheese recipes call for nutritional yeast, potatoes (for cream) and carrots (for color). This is simple and utilizes locally made vegan cheese!

This recipe has been adapted from the Crowded Kitchen recipe.

Ingredients

• Macaroni pasta: gluten free or regular macaroni both work fine.

• Vegan Butter

• Gluten free all purpose flour: or regular all purpose flour if you're not gluten free.

• Vegan milk: Opt for plain, unsweetened plant-based milk. (Be sure to check the ingredient label as some unsweetened nut milks still contain vanilla flavoring!) We prefer oat milk in this recipe for its neutral flavor.

• Salt

• Pepper (optional)

• Vegan cheese: we use shredded vegan cheddar cheese in this recipe. You can use a mix of cheddar and mozzarella, or one or the other. We've tried this recipe with a few different store-bought options and they've all worked well!

  • A few of our favorite brands for shredded vegan cheese that actually melts: VioLife, Daiya, and Follow Your Heart. *Note: some vegan cheeses contain nuts so be sure to read the label if you have an allergy.

  • You can use local brands such as cashew-based Cultured Kindness, which offers otions like Gouda or Havarti. These come in soft rounds, so its best to cut them into smaller pieces and mix in slowly.

Instructions

1. Get your macaroni cooking in salted water. We use 1 teaspoon of salt for every 4 cups of water. Cook until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, start the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once it's melted, add in the gluten free flour and whisk well until it forms a smooth paste.

3. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking while you add it, until no lumps remain. Let simmer for a few minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn.

4. Whisk in the salt, pepper and vegan cheese. Vegan cheese takes a bit longer to melt and fully incorporate, so be patient and keep stirring! After a few minutes of whisking over medium-low heat, you'll have a super smooth, creamy, velvety cheese sauce.

5. Add in the cooked macaroni and stir well until fully coated.

Romano Bean Salad

Romano Bean Salad

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 quarts water

2/3 lb Romano beans, trimmed & cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tsp kosher salt

1 garlic clove

2.5 Tbsp chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 tsp capers

2 tsp olive oil

3/4 tsp lemon zest

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne (optional)

Instructions

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add beans, 2 teaspoons of salt, and garlic: cook for 8 minutes or until tender.

Drain and plunge beans into ice water. Drain again.

Place beans in a medium bowl. Finely chop garlic. Add garlic, parsley, and all remaining ingredients to the beans and combine. Season with salt to taste, and a light dust of cayenne if you want to add a little kick.

Blueberry Shrub & Drinking Vinegar

Blueberry Shrub

by Eleanor Escafi, Board President

Ingredients:

12 ounces organic blueberries

1-1.5 cups organic white sugar

1 cup vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar but you can use red wine vinegar, whine wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, or unseasoned rice vinegar)

Instructions:

1. Gently mash berries into a medium bowl with a fork.

2. Transfer to a 1-quart glass jar with a lid, add sugar, and stir to combine. 

3. Seal jar and let fruit mixture sit at room temperature for one day. Shake every so often. 

4. Stain through a sieve or colander and eat or discard fruit pulp (I love it over vanilla ice cream)

5. Add vinegar to the blueberry syrup and stir to combine. Taste, and add more vinegar or sugar to preference. 

6. Add to a clean jar, and cover with a lid. Allow flavors to meld over one week. 

7. Serve 2 tablespoons over ice and top with club soda! 

Radish, Pea and Asparagus Salad with Mint & Feta

I love this simple and quick recipe and think of this as my late spring/summer-time Greek salad. chunks of crunchy vegetables, spring onions, fresh herbs and feta, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Serves 4

Variations:

Mix and match your vegetables

Delicious herbs that you can add to suit your taste are fresh oregano, parsley, tarragon, chervil, chives or any combo.

Substitute 1/3 cup toasted seeds or nuts for the feta.

Ingredients

1 bunch radishes, washed, trimmed and cut into chunks

2-3 Japanese salad turnips (Hakurei turnips), washed, trimmed and cut into chunks

1 spring onion or about 1/4 cup any onion you have, chopped

4-5 asparagus spears, washed and thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 cup snap peas, strings removed and cut into thirds

Handful of mint leaves, chopped (see variations)

A little fresh or dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 ounces feta, crumbled (see variations)

 

Directions

Put all the ingredients, except the feta, in a bowl. Toss well, taste and adjust seasoning

with vinegar and/or salt or oil. Gently toss in feta and serve.

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Tagged: snacks, simple, Parties, vegetarian

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Spring Quinoa Salad w/ Herbs, Scallions & Lemony Vinaigrette

This is a very adaptable salad (template). Substitute vegetables and herbs as you wish just be sure to chop everything quite small. This is a good dinner salad on a warm night especially if you add cooked beans, cheese and/or toasted seeds or nuts or other proteins.

This makes a lot of salad so feel free halve the recipe. I load mine up with herbs, especially mint, parsley, cilantro, chives and thyme. The more the better!

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cups quinoa

One bunch radishes, trimmed and chopped

3-4 carrots, scrubbed and thinly sliced or diced

2 cups bok choi stems, cut into small dice

2 cups mizuna or arugula or young mustard greens, fairly finely chopped

4 green onions (scallions) or 1 shallot or 1/2 a small onion, finely diced

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh herbs (parsley, mint, basil, dill, sorrel, cilantro in any combination)

Salt

Dressing

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

1 garlic scape or stalk of green garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced

Grated zest of a lemon

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the quinoa in a fine meshed sieve under cold, running water for a minute. Quinoa has a natural coating (saponin) which is a bit bitter and the rinsing removes it. Put the rinsed quinoa in a pan and add 2 ¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring it to a boil then cover and turn down to a simmer. Cook, for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender and all the water has been absorbed. Put in a large serving bowl and let cool while you prepare the vegetables.

In a small bowl whisk mustard, garlic, zest and vinegar until smooth. Slowly add oil while whisking until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. This dressing needs to be salty and tart. The quinoa will absorb a lot. You’ll be surprised how much vinegar and salt you need especially if you don’t serve it right away.

Add the vegetables and herbs to the cooked and cooled quinoa and drizzle on most of the dressing and mix well and taste and adjust with more dressing and/or salt and pepper as needed.

Become a scrappy, creative cook who can make something delicious and nutritious with what’s on hand. The Recipe, Tips & Inspiration you Need to Eat Well Every Day!

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What to do with the vegetables in the fridge? Short on time but still want healthful meals? And how to be well-stocked so that cooking is more fun and frankly, realistic. People’s is partnering with Cook With What You Have, a subscription-based, online seasonal recipe collection created by People's Member-Owner Katherine Deumling. Katherine empowers you to cook freely and build creativity and confidence with every dish. Cook With What You Have is providing a discounted subscription to the Recipe Collection for People’s Members/Owners & Customers for $29/year, or $2.99/month (50% off retail).  Use discount code PEOPLES to subscribe at https://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com/get-started/

Pumpkin Seed Butter Cookies

This recipe was chosen by our Bulk Co-Buyer, Zahra Salim. Zahra has been working on introducing new bulk products and revitalizing pre-pandemic offerings, including our alternative nut butter section! All of these ingredients can be found in our bulk section. Enjoy!

“These chocolate dipped pumpkin seed butter cookies are a delicious, allergy-friendly treat. They’re soft, chewy, and decadent yet nutritious. These cookies are nut-free, gluten-free, vegan, and grain-free. They’re kid-approved and perfect for school snacks.” - Jennifer Bell

Author: Jennifer Bell

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 57 minutes

Servings: 12

Check out the full recipe article with step by step photos here.

Equipment

• Sheet pan

• Parchment paper

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seed butter (with no added sugar or salt)

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1/2 cup coconut flour

• 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• Optional topping: pumpkin seeds for sprinkling on top of the cookies

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Add the pumpkin seed butter, maple syrup, coconut flour, vanilla extract, vinegar or lemon juice, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix well until a dough is formed.

• Use your hands to roll the dough into 12 evenly sized balls and place them on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.

• Use your fingers to press the cookie dough balls into flatter circles.

• Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes or until they look solid and slightly golden around the edges.

• When then cookies are finished baking, allow them to cool to room temperature.

• While the cookies are cooling, melt the dairy-free dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate), either in the microwave or on the stove. To melt it in the microwave, add the chocolate to a microwave safe bowl, then cook on high power for 20 seconds, stir, and repeat until it’s melted. To melt it on the stove, add the chocolate to a pot on the stove set to low heat and stir constantly until melted.

• Once the chocolate is melted and the cookies have cooled to room temperature, dip the cookies in chocolate so that half of each cookie is submerged in chocolate and the other half is not, then place them on a platter (or two dinner sized plates) lined with parchment paper (you can reuse the parchment paper that you baked the cookies on).

• Sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on the chocolate dipped sides of the cookies, then place the cookies in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden before serving.

Notes

• To make this recipe even quicker and easier, skip the step of dipping the baked cookies in melted chocolate. You can mix the chocolate into the raw cookie dough instead.

• Store these pumpkin seed butter cookies in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze them for up to six months.