Vegan Mofo: Recreate a Meal From Your Childhood

It’s the second day of Vegan Mofo, the Vegan Month of Food — the month when bloggers, Instagramers, and the like pledge to blog as much as possible and fill the internet with delicious vegan food. And this year, there are fun daily themes! Today’s theme is “Recreate a Meal From Your Childhood.”

So technically, I didn’t create a meal. I created a dessert. But hey, dessert can be a meal, right? Don’t try to tell me you’ve never had cake for dinner. Just cake. Lots of cake. All by yourself, over the sink so you don't make a mess with the crumbs. I've been there. You've been there. We've all been there. Don't judge.

If you can make a meal out of cake, you can make a meal out of rice krispie treats. When I was a kid, I loved when my mom would make rice krispie treats. I don't remember it being all that often, but when she did, they were awesome. My mom made amazing meals every single day, so I could have recreated any of them. But honestly, I had some Dandies that needed using. So I made Cookies 'n' Cream Rice Krispie Treats with Semi-sweet & White Chocolate Drizzle.

Okay, so my mom didn't make cookies 'n' cream krispie treats. She just made the regular kind with marshmallows, butter, and rice krispies. And those simple treats are fantastic. But y'all don't need a recipe for those! So I figured I'd step it up a bit. Dandies sent me some vegan marshmallows to develop recipes with, so I whipped this up. I used the new cookies 'n' cream Oreos (yes, they're vegan!), but regular old Oreos would work just fine. For the topping, I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and vegan white chocolate chips. I brought these to a non-vegan potluck, and they were a huge hit! Paul loves them too.

As y'all may know, I'm working on a retro vegan cookbook right now. And turns out rice krispie treats have quite a history. It's believed that they were invented in 1939 by Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day at the Kellogg Company home economics department as a fund-raiser for the Camp Fire Girls, the first secular, multicultural organization for girls. How cool is that? So I'm definitely including this recipe in my cookbook! Oh, and Oreos debuted in 1912, so those home-ec ladies totally could have snuck some into their rice krispie treats.

Well, without further ado, here's the recipe! This one's for you, Mama Crunk! Thanks for keeping me fed all these years.

Cookies 'n' Cream Rice Krispie Treats

Yields 12 treats

3 Tbsp. vegan margarine

1 10-ounce bag Dandies vegan marshmallows (about 3 1/2 cups if using the minis)

6 cups rice crispy cereal

10 Oreos, roughly chopped

1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup vegan white chocolate chips

1/4 cup almond milk, divided

Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt the margarine in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until they melt, about 8 to 10 minutes. Vegan marshmallows melt a little weird, just keep stirring. They won't liquify. They'll stay in a melty blob, and that's okay. Just make sure the marshmallows are melted down and have lost their shape. Stir the entire time! Turn off heat.

Add the cereal one cup at a time, stirring to incorporate each time. As you add more cereal, it will be harder to incorporate. But put some arm work into it. Make it a workout! 

Once the cereal is all mixed in, add the crushed Oreos and stir to incorporate. 

Press the cereal into the casserole dish, spreading to all the corners and sides of the pan. Press down to make it even all the way around. Set aside.

In a double boiler, add the semi-sweet chips and 2 Tbsp. of the almond milk. Melt the chips slowly, stirring often. When they're melted, allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a pastry bag or a ziploc bag. If using a ziploc, trim the end with scissors and drizzle over the treats.

In a double boiler, add the white chocolate chips and 2 Tbsp. of the almond milk. Melt the chips slowly, stirring often. When they're melted, allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a pastry bag or a ziploc bag. If using a ziploc, trim the end with scissors and drizzle over the treats. Not all vegan white chocolate is created equal. Some melts better than others. I've had great luck with Vegan Sweets chips. They melt a little clumpy, and the color changes from white to off-white, but that's okay. When it dries, it will be white again. 

Cut treats into 12 equal-sized pieces. Eat!

Karmic Vegan Pimento Cheese

Follow Your Heart, makers of Vegenaise, is pushing a new social media campaign called #mayokarma, and a couple weeks back, they sent me two jars of Vegenaise to play with. I was instructed to take pictures of my mayo uses and post them on Instagram and Twitter. I'll take any excuse to play with free Vegenaise!

The #mayokarma campaign is promoting this idea that by spreading Vegenaise, you're spreading good karma to yourself, your friends, and your family. You're eating a vegan product that does not contribute to animal cruelty, pollution, or water waste, and it's free of harmful chemicals, preservatives, and GMOs. Veganaise was created in the '70s by hippies who ran a little health food shop in Southern California. It's still open, and one of these days, I hope to visit. Few things delight me more than old hippie vegan stuff. That's one of the reasons why I love working with my cookbook publishers at the Farm in Summertown, Tennessee.

But you're here for that pimiento cheese recipe, right? So the first thing I decided to do with my Vegenaise was create a Vegan Pimento Cheese recipe for my new cookbook project, which features trendy foods from the past century. From the research I've done, it seems that packaged pimento cheese began to hit the market around 1910.

Now for a disclaimer: This is not a super-healthy vegan pimento cheese recipe. If you want one of those, check out my chickpea-based pimento cheese in Cookin' Crunk. But if you're lookin' for a more realistic vegan version of the classic, Southern spread, look no further. This is loaded with plant cheese, so go easy on your servings. And eat with a side salad. That balances everything out.

(And another disclaimer for my editor friends: The "pimiento" pepper is spelled with an extra "i," but in the South, we leave that "i" out in the name "pimento cheese." Don't ask me why. That's just the way we do things. It's actually misspelled in my Cookin' Crunk cookbook because the editor insisted it be changed to "pimiento cheese." But don't let that fool ya. "Pimento cheese" is correct).

Karmic Vegan Pimento Cheese
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2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese (I used Daiya)
8 ounces vegan cream cheese, softened (I used Follow Your Heart cream cheese)
1/2 cup vegan mayo (I used Follow Your Heart Original)
1 4-ounce jar sliced pimientos
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl. Spread over sprouted grain toast, use as a dip for Ritz-style crackers, or use as a veggie dip.

Vegan Cheeseburger Oats

Okay, this is totally weird, I know. But this morning, I made Vegan Cheeseburger Oats. 

Let me explain. I've long been a fan of savory oats over sweet oats. Don't get me wrong — I can certainly get down with maple-sweetened oats piled high with dollops of almond butter and fresh berries. But give me a choice, and I'll pick noochy oats over fruity oats any day.

I've made a number of actual recipes for savory oats (like this Loaded Savory Oat & Lentil Bowl from the Oh She Glows Cookbook), but I typically just wing it. I'll start with plain rolled oats or steel cut oats, stir in some nutritional yeast, flax oil, hot sauce, etc. And then I'll top the bowl with walnuts or pumpkin seeds or sesame seed gomasio or something nutty. My fave-ever bowl was one that I topped with green olives, pepitas, and sundried tomatoes. Yum!

But this morning, I was feeling a little wacky. I knew I wanted to add protein to my oat bowl, but my nut supply is running short. I do, however, have a lot of veggie burger crumbles. I opted for the Dixie Diner Beef Not! crumbles, which are basically TVP crumbles. I rehydrated them and then sauteed in Magic Vegan Bacon Grease and seasoned with shoyu, liquid smoke, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Then I put 'em atop my noochy oats! Cheeseburgers need tomatoes, so I added those on top. And I stirred some spinach into the oats for good measure. You can't go wrong adding greens. Delicious! The only thing that would have made this bowl even better are slices of avocado. Yum! And maybe some ketchup and dill pickles, no?

Vegan Cheeseburger Oats
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1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup baby spinach
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup seasoned veggie burger crumbles
1 large slice tomato, chopped
hot sauce to taste
optional extra toppings: avocado slices, dill pickle, ketchup, mustard, thinly sliced red onion

Combine the oats and water in a large measuring cup and microwave for three minutes.

Stir in spinach until it wilts. Stir in nutritional yeast. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top bowl with seasoned veggie burger, tomato, hot sauce, and other desired toppings.

Macaroni & Tomatoes & Squash

Yesterday, I shared a picture of my first "cookbook," a Lisa Frank notebook filled with recipes I dreamed up when I was somewhere between the ages of 10 and 12. My mama recently dug it up while organizing a closet, and she gave it to me. I'd forgotten all about it! It's filled with craziness, like a recipe for hot dogs topped with salad or one that calls for Taco Bell mild sauce as an ingredient.

Anyway, I'm making it my mission to veganize most (or maybe all!) of the recipes contained within. I started that process last night, and I shared my recipe for Binky's Bum Beans, which are basically just baked beans with potatoes and corn. I have to say, the recipe was pretty damn good.

Tonight, I'm at it again with another recipe from Binky's Cookbook (in case you missed yesterday's post, "Binky" was my childhood nickname). This time, I made a dish I used to call Tomato 'n' Squash Casserole.

As you can see, I didn't get very detailed in my instructions with this one. I guess I was assuming everyone already knew how to make both macaroni & tomatoes and boiled squash because my mama made those dishes all the time.

She'd often make her macaroni and tomatoes (basically elbow mac cooked with stewed tomatoes) and her boiled squash (yellow squash boiled with butter and onions) as individual side dishes for the same meals. But I'd take both sides and mix 'em together. And I apparently considered that to be a casserole.

Well, now I'm older and wiser and realize that two stovetop dishes mixed together does not a casserole make. So I'm changing the name for this one. It involves making my Mama's Macaroni & Tomatoes from Cookin' Crunk, separately making boiled squash, and then combining them in the end. I tried the combo last night, and you know what? It's still delicious!

Here's the updated recipe for Macaroni & Tomatoes & Squash. This recipe is best enjoyed at the height of the summer growing season, when tomatoes are juicy (and cheap!) and crookneck yellow squash is abundant (like right now!). Stewing the tomatoes is a little time-consuming, so I'd recommend doing that the night before, or you could always cheat with a can of stewed tomatoes.

Macaroni & Tomatoes & Squash
Yields 4-6 servings

8 large tomatoes
1 cup water
8 ounces quinoa macaroni pasta or whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 yellow summer squash, sliced
2 tablespoons vegan margarine
2 teaspoons onion powder
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Wash the tomatoes and place them in a large soup pot with a lid. Add enough water to cover. Bring the water to boil over high heat and boil for 5 minutes. Drain the tomatoes into a colander over the sink. Run cold water over the tomatoes so they’re cool enough to touch. Remove the skins and discard.

Chop the tomatoes into quarters and place them back into the large soup pot with the cup of water. Bring to a boil. Then lower heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for one hour. Check periodically to ensure the water does not dry up. Add more water in 1/4 cup increments if needed.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is tender, drain the cooking water and return the pasta to the pot. Stir in the stewed tomatoes and olive oil.

Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, place the squash in another saucepan and cover with water until squash is just covered. Add the vegan margarine and onion powder, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium-high and boil until squash is just tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain most of the water from the squash, retaining about one-half to 3/4 cup liquid. Add the squash and liquid to the macaroni and tomatoes. Season with plenty of salt and pepper to taste.

Binky's Bum Beans

A few things you should know about my childhood:

• My nickname was Binky, short for Binky-doo. A fifth grade teacher couldn't pronounce Bianca, so she called me Binky. It stuck throughout most of high school.
• I loved all things Lisa Frank (and still do!). And yes, I've read about the sad and seedy underbelly of Lisa Frank's company on Salon.com. But that exposé will never shatter my love for frolicking rainbow unicorns, bunny ballerinas, and pineapples dressed in bikinis.
• I fancied myself a young chef. I was always in the kitchen mixing up spice blends (lots of garlic powder and seasoned salt!), and I even wrote a cookbook!

I'd actually forgotten about my early attempts at authoring a cookbook though. And then my mom found this a few months back when she was cleaning house.

That, my friends, is my first cookbook. It's an old Lisa Frank notebook with a 1990 copyright, and it's one of her Ultra Neo designs. So I'm guessing I must have been between 10 and 12 when I filled these lined pages with recipes. Flipping through, I discovered some that are pretty crazy — Stir-Fried Wieners, Salad Dog (a hot dog topped with a salad), and McBinky Burgers (hamburgers topped with lunch meat, Velvetta cheese, and Taco Bell mild sauce, among other things). And, I shit you not, there's a recipe for a Meat Dog (hot dog topped with bacon, lunch meat, and hamburger meat).

Suffice to say, I wasn't a vegetarian yet then. That didn't happen until I turned 14. And I swear I wasn't a stoner at age 10, but it certainly sounds like it, no?

Anyway, I'm making it my mission to actually veganize some of these recipes. Yes, even the Meat Dog. I'll blog about my efforts and share the recipes in a series of posts. But I wanted to start with something a little healthier than vegan meat-covered meat. So I picked this recipe for Bum Beans.

No idea why they're "bum" beans, and I'm not certain saying the word "bum" is even PC these days. But oh well. I tried this recipe tonight, and you know what? This was actually really good! Go Binky! Here's the healthy vegan version of Binky's Bum Beans.

And here's the updated vegan recipe. The only real change I made was to cut back on the onion powder and add a little garlic. I used frozen corn instead of canned corn. Oh, and I tried to get a little more specific in the steps than my previous instruction of "cook 'til hot." Ha!

Binky's Bum Beans
Yields 4 cups

1 whole Russet potato, cubed
1 14-ounce can vegetarian baked beans (I used Whole Foods 365 brand)
1 cup frozen corn
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon of seasoned salt (I used Ass Kickin' Habanero Hot Salt)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cover the potato cubes with water in a large pot with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan. Heat over medium-high for about 15 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the potatoes. Serve.

Tresomega Nutrition Coconut Oil Giveaway!

Last week, I posted about some yummy vegan chicken & cheese quesadillas that I made by sauteeing peppers and mushrooms in coconut oil and layering them into a brown rice tortilla with Match vegan chicken and Follow Your Heart Fiesta Shreds.

That coconut oil in the veggies was Tresomega Nutrition Coconut Oil, an organic extra-virgin coconut oil made from 100% cold-pressed young coconuts. It's non-hydrogenated and free of trans-fats. Since it's cold-pressed and extra-virgin, the oil retains a very coconutty flavor that's light, fresh, and subtly tropical.

Tresomega Nutrition sent me that jar to sample and review, and as I confessed in that quesadilla post, I really love this stuff. I buy all brands of coconut oil, and while I've never met one I didn't like, I definitely favor some over others. I'm partial to the oils that retain their coconut flavor. They add fantastic flavor to raw desserts and smoothies. But they also lend just a touch of coconut — but not too much! — to sauteed veggies.

Tresomega wants to give away a jar to a lucky Vegan Crunk reader! All you have to do is leave me a comment letting me know your favorite use for coconut oil. I'll randomly select a winner on Sunday night (9 p.m. CST). Please leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you win (unless you have a blog with an email address in your profile). Also, we're gonna make this open to U.S. readers only because of shipping costs.

Just for funsies, here's something I cooked up with the Tresomega oil tonight. I made tacos (Taco Tuesday!), and on the side, I made my recipe for Jalapeno Hominy from Cookin' Crunk. But I subbed coconut oil for the Earth Balance I typically use.

Here's the recipe. If you've never had hominy, well, you're missing out! It's a Southern staple that's made when field corn is soaked with lye. The result is a chewy kernel with a lot of flavor. That flavor is complemented with spicy jalapenos (I used red and green ones in this batch) and lots of black pepper.

Spicy Jalapeño Hominy
Yields 4 servings

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 jalapeño, minced
1 14-ounce can white hominy, drained
1 14-ounce can golden hominy, drained
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sea salt, to taste

Melt the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced jalapeño and cook and stir for about 2 to 3 minutes or until soft.

Stir in the hominy, black pepper, and salt. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook and stir for about 10 to 12 minutes or until hominy is heated through.

Roasted Green Beans!

Hey y'all. I'm heading out to Atlanta VegFest bright 'n' early in the mornin'. If you're in the ATL area, stop by and see me! I'll be demo-ing and signing copies of Cookin' Crunk. But more importantly, if you stop by Atlanta VegFest, you'll also get to see the one and only Isa Chandra Moskowitz demo-ing from her new book Isa Does It. And you can see the fabulous Annie Shannon of Betty Goes Vegan Betty Crockerin' it up in the demo kichen. And you can try Fran Costigan's vegan chocolate goodness from her new dessert book, Vegan Chocolate. Basically, it's gonna be bad-ass, and I can't wait.

But if you can't get to Atlanta VegFest, you can just make these tasty green beans instead. This is a quick and easy recipe that I came up with a few nights ago when I wanted to try something different with green beans. I typically steam them or saute them. But this time, I made Roasted Green Beans.

I just made enough for little ole me. So here's the recipe for one. Double or quadruple as needed.

Roasted Green Beans
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1 cup fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1/4 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees,

Toss beans, onion, garlic, oil, and salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl, making sure all the beans are coated.

Transfer to a baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring beans halfway through cooking time. Keep an eye on them because thinner beans may burn.

Eat!