Buffalo "Wings" + blue "cheese" sauce

I've come to realize that being vegan means using a lot of quotation marks. Tonight's recipe: buffalo "chicken wings" (actually cauliflower) with "celery" (actually fennel stalks) and "blue cheese" dressing (actually not cheese). The above drawing is a confused chicken who has cauliflower stalks for wings (thanks to my bf for that ♥). Anyway, I was skeptical of this recipe but it was really, delicious and sinful. It's no secret that I love hot wings and, being vegan, I miss them more than occasionally. These really hit the spot. Here goes... 

For about a dozen "wings" (see, quotes again), you'll need:

• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces (maybe 1-1.5 inches across)
• 1 c flour
• 1 c almond (or soy) milk
• 2 t garlic powder

The steps:

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, milk, and garlic powder until smooth.
3. Place cauliflower pieces in mixture and coat.
4. Place battered cauliflower on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes.

For enough buffalo sauce for those "wings", you'll need:

• 1 standard bottle of hot chili sauce (a typical chili and vinegar one like Cholula or Tabasco would be good. I used Trader Joe's hot chili sauce)
• 1.5 T vegan margarine, melted

The steps:

1. Melt margarine in a bowl.
2. Add hot sauce and whisk until smooth
3. Thoroughly coat "wings" with this buffalo sauce once they've been removed from the oven.

For enough "blue cheese" sauce for those "wings", you'll need:

• 1 c vegan mayo
• 1/4 c tahini
• 2-3 t apple cider vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/4 block extra firm tofu, crumbled (optional)

The steps:

1. Combine mayo, tahini, vinegar, and garlic until smooth. A whisk here helps.
2. Crumble and add tofu to simulate chunky blue cheese and gently fold in. (I don't really feel this is necessary)

Anyway, this was a really great dinner. I chopped up some fennel stalks (I had already used the bulbs in this recipe) to serve as a [more flavorful] celery substitute. Enjoy!

Sucrine Du Berry + Coconut Soup with African flair

This is a hearty squash soup. This is the second time I've made it, this time using sucrine du berry squash, an heirloom variety we received in our CSA last week. Previously, I've made this soup with acorn squash but prefer the sweetness and fleshiness of the sucrine du berry squash. Not to fear though, acorn or any of the other more mild squashes would be a very good substitute. To give you an idea, the sucrine du berry squash I used was about the size of a [lumpy] rugby ball. This soup is thick, spicy, rich, and perfect for a chilly fall day. Here goes...

For about 4 servings, you'll need:

• 1 sucrine du berry squash
• 2 dried red peppers (the small kind)
• 1/2 c raw cashews
• 3 T nutritional yeast
• 2 c unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 T coconut oil
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 4 t berbere spice
• 2 t curry powder
• 2 T raw sugar
• salt

The steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 425.
2. Slice squash in half long ways and remove the seeds and stringy parts. Place sliced side down on a greased cookie sheet and bake until easily pierced, about 30-40 minutes. Skin will darken and begin to bubble around the edges. Let cool (I put this in the oven while I was eating lunch and let it cool until it was time to make dinner. Cook it the night before or in the morning while you're getting ready)
3. Once cool, scoop all the contents of your squash into your food processor. Add 2 dried peppers. Process until a smooth puree results. Place squash puree into a large pot, with the burner off.
4. Measure out cashews and nutritional yeast and puree in the food processor until the consistency of chunky peanut butter is achieved. Add to the pot.
5. Turn heat to low and stir to combine squash and cashews. Once combined, add the rest of the ingredients.
6. Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes. Taste it at the end and season accordingly. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk to achieve the consistency you prefer.
7. Serve and enjoy while hot.

Delicata Squash + Crimini Mushroom Cream Sauce

Today, Jeff called me a MacGyver in the kitchen. I think this dinner turned out well too!

For two (quite large) servings, you will need:

• 1 delicata squash
• 1 box whole crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper
• A few dashes each (or a seasoning blend containing) of the following:
• parsley
• basil
• thyme
• rosemary
• 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• 1 T raw sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

The steps:

1. Stab your squash several times with a fork and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Turn over. Microwave another 3 minutes.
2. While squash is cooking, prep garlic and mushrooms and cook on low with Earth Balance and spices. Cover and let cook on low for about 7-10 minutes, until mushrooms are done.
3. When squash has completed cooking, slice in half (longways) and scoop out the seeds. Scoop flesh into your food processor.
4. Add almond milk and nutritional yeast to the processor and blend until squash is smooth.
5. Add the squash mixture to the pan with mushrooms and garlic. Add sugar. Taste and season.
6. Serve over pasta.