Because I never grew up, and the internet enables me.
Grilled Cheese: Tasty Recipe | Serves: 4 | Time: ~30 min
Ingredients
½ cup #cashews
1 medium #carrots, sliced
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
⅛ tsp turmeric
vegan butter, to taste
8 slices of sandwich bread of choice
I also threw on some basil leaves, because I had them, and why not?
Instructions
In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the cashews and carrot and boil for 10 minutes, or until the carrot is fork tender.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cashews and carrot to a high-speed blender. Do not discard the cooking water.
To the blender, add the nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, turmeric, and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking water (discard any remaining water). Blend the sauce for 2-3 minutes on high speed, until completely smooth.
Pour the “cheese” sauce back into the pot and stir with a spatula over low heat. Clumps should begin to form. Continue stirring for 2-4 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and stretchy. Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.
Butter each slice of bread on 1 side. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat a dollop of vegan butter over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, add a slice of bread, butter side down, and use a spatula to spread cheese sauce on top. Top with another slice of bread, butter side up. Cook for 2-4 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread is golden brown. Flip and cook for 2-4 minutes more, until the other slice of bread is golden brown as well, then remove from pan. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Slice the sandwiches in half and serve immediately.
Bonus! I only needed to make 2 sandwiches tonight, so I used the remaining "cheese" as a dip for out-of-town guests looking for a late night snack. Our one friend is on a gluten-free diet, so I went with gluten-free pretzels for dipping.
Tomato Soup: Healthy Nibbles Recipe | Serves: 4 | Time: ~30 min
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
28-oz can of whole peeled #tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt to taste
1/3 cup light coconut milk
Basil leaves, for topping
Black pepper, for topping
Cashew cream, for topping (I skipped this since there's already a ton of cashews in the "cheese")
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-low heat. When the pot is hot, add onions and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onions are soft. Stir often to keep the onions from burning.
Add the entire can of whole tomatoes, including the liquid, and 1 cup of water. Using the back of a wooden spoon, gently smash the tomatoes. Add dried oregano, dried basil, paprika, and a pinch of kosher salt. Raise the heat to medium and bring everything to boil. Let soup simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Let the soup cool off for 5 minutes before transferring to a blender to blend.
Return soup to pot and stir in coconut milk. Serve.