PLANT BASED CHEESE SAUCE

CHEESE SAUCE
Yum!  Easy to make.  Takes about 35-45 minutes to make.  Freezes good.

2-3 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
1 large carrot, chopped into bite size pieces
1 cup water, reserved from boiling vegetables
3 T nutritional yeast
2 T lemon juice
1.5 T olive oil (I only use 1 T and used avocado) - next time try without any
2 tsp salt
1 jalapeno, stem removed - didn't add
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 cayenne powder - didn't add

Start by bringing a pot of water to boil.  Once boiling, add chopped veggies and cook until fork-tender (around 10 minutes).  Transfer veggies with a slotted spoon to a blender - SAVE 1 CUP OF THE WATER

Allow the veggies to cool for 15 minutes.

Next add everything else to the blender and process until smooth and creamy.  Keeps wells for 1-2 weeks in fridge.


CHEESE SAUCE
Javan said he likes this more than real cheese.  Lots of steps so I usually do the top one.  This one is darker than the one above and looks more like cheese.  Works really good for mac & cheese also freezes well.

2 cups water
3 medium white potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/4 cup aquafaba (bean water from the garbanzos)
1/4 to 1/2 cup cashews

2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp paprika
pinch red pepper flakes

Peel and cut the potatoes. 

In a medium pot, add the potatoes and carrots and about 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. Set aside to cool until it can be handled. 

Add the potatoes and carrots and the cooking water to a high-speed blender. Add the salt, garbanzo beans, aquafaba, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Blend well for a minute, until smooth. 

Add the remaining ingredients and blend for a couple minutes, until the cheese sauce is uniform, glossy, and silky smooth.

Use on vegetables, chips, pasta, etc. Store covered in the fridge for up to three days.

ALTON BROWN LENTIL SOUP

ALTON BROWN LENTIL SOUP
We all really liked this.  Scott just started eating plant based so I did 1 can (15 oz) chicken broth and the rest vegetable broth that I made myself (frozen vegetable scrapes boiled down and some vegetable concentrate added)

Alton Brown Lentil Soup
https://www.food.com/recipe/alton-browns-lentil-soup-369791?utm_campaign=yummly&utm_medium=yummly&utm_source=yummly

2 tablespoons olive oil - didn't add
1 cup onion (chopped finely) - any onion will work
½ cup carrot (chopped finely) - used 1 cup
½ cup celery (chopped finely) - used 1 cup
2 teaspoons kosher salt - did 1 kosher and 1 iodized
1 lb lentils (culled & rinsed)
1 cup tomatoes (peeled & cubed)
1 quart chicken broth
1 quart vegetable broth
½ teaspoon coriander (ground) - at the end used 1 drop fennel and sprinkled in more cumin 
½ teaspoon cumin (ground)
½ teaspoon grains of paradise (ground) - can substitute black pepper/cardamom

with salt, sweat the onion, carrot, and celery in hot olive oil.
add the broth, tomatoes, lentils and seasonings.
bring to a boil.
reduce heat and cover, cooking about 35-45 minutes.
blend if desired (I do not blend).