Intro about myself and veganism!

Hello! My name is Taylor and I am a college student in Boston, MA. I recently switched to a vegan lifestyle after being a vegetarian for over 4 years. This blog will be all about vegan cooking. For those of you who aren't familiar with veganism, it is simply a lifestyle free of the consumption of animals or animal products. This includes red meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs and honey, to name a few. Typically, vegans stay away from leather, fur and suede as well. A person may become a vegan for several reasons. A vegan diet is better for the environment, can be much healthier than an omnivorous diet and prevents animal cruelty. One doesn't need to commit to a full vegan diet to better themselves or the world around them. Just a few vegan meals a week can make a difference!

T

Monday, February 2, 2009

Sweet and Spicy Macaroni


This recipe began when I tried to make vegan mac and "cheese" and failed horribly. It was not cheesy in either texture or taste, which makes sense considering it contained no cheese or cheese flavoring what-so ever. Due to the fact that I am a poor college student, I couldn't bring myself to throw it out. I started adding ingredients with a strong flavor, such as agave, to mask the original flavor which was quite bland, purely to make it edible. Determined to have a successful recipe, I tried again a few weeks later, starting with only the basic ingredients and adding as a went. Nutritional yeast has an almost nutty flavor, so I figured I could play off of that. I added tahini, which also has a nutty flavor, to make the sauce a bit thicker, agave, to give the sauce a touch of sweetness and Dijon Mustard to play up the nuttiness and add a little kick. After many attempts to figure out how much of each ingredient I actually threw in, here is the final result:

Ingredients:
-1 pound pasta (any kind will work, however I use whole wheat)
-1 1/4 cups water
-1 cup plain soy milk (or your favorite plain non-dairy milk)
-3/4 cup nutritional yeast
-3 tablespoons cornstarch
-2 tablespoons of agave
-2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-2 tablespoons tahini

Directions:
  1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until done, stirring occasionally.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, combine all other ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly. The sauce should have a consistency similar to milk.
  3. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir the sauce into the pasta and simmer on low-medium heat. If the heat is too high it will burn. Trust me from experience. Continue stirring and cooking the pasta until the sauce thickens to a desired consistency (about 5 minutes).
  4. This recipe serves 8 (approximately 1 cup per serving) and pairs nicely with steamed vegetables. Top with vegan Parmesan cheese or fresh basil if desired. Enjoy!
Nutritional Info per serving:
Calories-338
Total Fat- 5 grams
Cholesterol- 0 mg
Sodium- 38 mg
Total Carbs- 60 grams
Dietary Fiber- 10 grams
Protein- 16 grams
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