In which I make Susan Voisin's (fatfreevegan.com) "Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise," and "Spicy Collards and Black Eyed Pea Soup," and tell you all about it.
So, I'm trying something new. This week (yes, I'm trying to blog at least once a week this summer), I'm not sharing a recipe of my own creation, but some super delicious recipes from one of my favorite blogs - The Fat Free Vegan Kitchen by Susan Voisin. As I've mentioned before, I've been following Susan's blog for years, and it's an absolute go-to when I'm planning our meals for the week. She has a wonderful collection of soups, salads, one pot meals (especially great when the school year is in full swing), desserts, sauces, dressings, etc. that use accessible ingredients and are both delicious and extremely healthy. Love, love love!
I've made two of her recipes in the past two days, one for the first time and one that I've made many times before. I wanted to share my thoughts, and pictures, with you!
Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise!
Now, I have NEVER been a fan of mayo. Even before I went vegan - even then the thought of eggs and oil whipped into oblivion made me cringe. But there are two things I do like it in - potato salad and chickpea salad (sort of a vegan chicken salad kinda thing). There are several great vegan mayonnaise products out there - Nayonaise and Veganaise (my omnivore dads favorite). But they can be a bit pricy, and if it's not something that I'm going to use often (and that has a limited shelf life), I'm reluctant to shell out $6 for a jar of the stuff. However, that's where this tofu-cashew mayonnaise comes in!
It has started to get horrendously hot here in Texas - the high yesterday was 104- and while that absolutely won't stop me from using my stove top, it does make me start craving light, cool lunch fare. So I decided to make a batch of chickpea salad (recipe coming soon) to keep in the fridge - it's great on toast, in a pita, or on top of a big pile of greens - refreshing and oh so tasty. And it's one of those things that just gets better as it sits in the fridge, which is always an added bonus. I had come across this recipe the other day, when I was looking at some of Susan's salad dressings, and decided to give it a shot. It has 5 ingredients, and you basically just throw everything into a food processor/blender and voila! It looks and tastes like mayo, and is much, much better for you - 1 TBS has only 15 calories and less than 1 gram of fat! And, needless to say, 0 cholesterol.
As she suggests in the recipe, I ended up making half a batch (using the remaining silken tofu in a smoothy :) - because, as I said - it's just not something that I use that frequently. I followed the recipe to the letter, but I think in future I may change one little thing... Next time, I'll probably soak my cashews (either overnight, or in boiling water for 30 minutes) before blending them with the other ingredients. I think it would make it just a little smoother, and more like the real thing. Nevertheless, it tasted fantastic in my chickpea salad.
Spicy Collards and Black Eyed Pea Soup
I have made this recipe countless times before - it usually goes into fairly regular rotation once the weather starts to cool down and I'm in full-on soup obsession mode. However, despite the heat, this week I really, really wanted some soup. And this one's always a hit. I do take a few more liberties with this one- adjusting the spices to my own tastes. I just can't handle too much spice, so I make this mild, and give my husband the bottle of Sriracha and let him torture his taste buds as he will. To that end, here are my alterations:
1) I omit the cayenne and hot sauce - for me, the paprika and chipotle chili are enough for a nice subtle heat.
2) I usually don't add the additional 2 cups of water, because I like my soup a little thicker.
3) I add 1-2tsps of garlic powder - because I really, really like garlic.
4) I add 1tsp of liquid smoke in the last few minutes of cooking. I think it adds such a nice depth of flavor, and it just seems to finish the dish for me.
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