Vegan Grated “Parmesan”

    In making recipes that called for grated parmesan cheese, my go to brand was always Parma!.  Over the course of the last several months, Parma! has been incredibly difficult to find.  I’ve been omitting parmesan from recipes all together because I could never find it on the shelves.  I was making artichoke dip for a party and for this recipe I knew the parmesan was one of the ingredients that made a big difference in flavor so I called Whole Foods and asked if they carried any other vegan parmesan cheese. (I find asking if an item is “vegan” is a much easier way to get an absolute answer that the product is dairy free.) 
I was quickly routed to this gem:

Image courtesy of galaxyfoods.com

    When I brought it home and cracked the seal, I knew it was going to be good.  It smelled exactly like grated parmesan cheese.  Tasting on my finger was even better.  It had the texture and flavor of dairy-full parmesan cheese.  If any of you have tried Parma! you know that tasting that stuff on your finger just doesn’t taste the same as the regular stuff.  I added it to my appetizer recipe and it gave the parmesan flavor that was called for.  I think this little jar is ready to shake-shake over my spaghetti!

Cucumber Greek Salad

(Image courtesy of Google Images)

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet. It's my go to recipe every summer when my garden is going nuts with cucumbers. I haven't take a picture of it yet, but the one above is close to what it looks like. It's so light and refreshing on a hot summer day. I love it. The original recipe came from Eating Well and I adapted it to my tastes from there.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

4 cups peeled and diced cucumbers
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red or green bell pepper
1 can black olives
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional for the dairy free)
1/4 cup red onion (optional, I usually leave it off)

Directions
Wisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat. Eat immediately or chill and serve later.

Korean Beef

Another recipe I found from a blog and didn't have to adjust to make it gluten or dairy free! I love that. The meat is great on it's own but also delicious over rice. I would recommend making 1.5 portions of the marinade and set aside the extra half a recipe. Warm it up before serving and then pour it on top of the meat and rice. I also had a friend who pan fried the meat instead of grilling it and said it was great that way too.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs steak, cut into thin (about 1/4 inch) strips
1/2 cup pear juice (small bottles are found in the baby food aisle)
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

Combine everything but the steak in a large bowl. Add the steak and marinate overnight (8+ hours).

Preheat the grill or pan. Cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side being careful not to overcook the meat. Serve immediately!

Salsa

Since pickle canning was so easy Kristie and I decided to tackle salsa. This recipe came from Kristie's Aunt Barbra and we tweaked it a tiny bit. It makes about 28 pints so you can half or double depending on how many tomatoes you have to process. Corn and beans are completely optional - we didn't add them for the first try, which results in a few less pints of salsa. I also added a handful of habanero peppers to my recipe since my house likes spicy food. This recipe is awesome and it was pretty easy to make.

Ingredients

25 ½ cups tomatoes, chopped and cored (some people blanch and peel, we didn't)

2 ¾ cups jalapeno peppers

6 cups peppers, green/red

8 ½ cups onions, chopped

½ cup garlic, minced

2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped

6 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

¼ cup salt

1 ½ tablespoons cumin

2-2 cups cider vinegar 

optional

30 oz canned black beans rinsed 

6 cobs of fresh corn, grilled 

habenaro peppers

tomato paste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot, starting with 2 cups of cider vinegar. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until it thickens to a proper consistency. Taste along the way and adjust spices/heat to your liking. Add up to 2 more cups cider vinegar if needed. If it is too runny, add a small can or two of tomato paste

Ladle and divide salsa evenly into jars. Warm up the flat part of the jar cover in pan of simmering water. Once the tops are warm, place them on the jars and screw the lid on tightly. Put the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove and they will seal themselves.

Keep one jar out to enjoy right away!