Galaxy Nutritional Foods Blog

Out of this Galaxy Cheesecake

Crust:
1 box Mary’s Gone Crackers gf Double Chocolate Love Cookies
1 Tbsp. Earth Balance non-hydrogenated spread, melted
1 tsp. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave

Filling
3-1/2 pkgs. Galaxy Classic Cream Cheese
1-3/4 cup Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp. liquid lecithin
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup Jules Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
1-1/2 Tbsp. egg replacer dissolved in ½ cup water
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/4 cup SoyaToo! Whipping Cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

1. Process cookies in the bowl of a food processor. Pour in melted spread and agave and pulse briefly to combine.
2. Spray bottom of 8 or 9” round cake pan (not springform) with vegetable oil. Place a piece of parchment paper, cut to size, on top.
3. Add crumbs and press down using the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake 5 minutes. Let cool.
4. Combine cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
5. Add remaining ingredients, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Pour mixture onto baked and cooled cookie crust.
7. Place a baking pan, larger than the cheesecake pan, in the oven. Place cheesecake pan in larger pan. Add hot water to large pan, about ½ way up the sides of the cheesecake pan to create a water bath for the cheesecake.
8. Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until the cheesecake is firm in the center.
9. Remove cheesecake pan from water bath and place on cooling rack. When cooled, transfer cheesecake pan to the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 10 hours.
10. To unmold: Using a sharp knife, go around the edges of the cheesecake to loosen it. Cover the pan with a large plate and turn the cheesecake upside down. Peel off the parchment liner.
11. Place a serving plate over the bottom of the cheesecake and flip it over so that the cake is sitting upright. Decorate with additional SoyaToo whipped cream, if desired.

Serves 8

©2011, Mimi Clark.

Veggie Gourmet
www.veggourmet.wordpress.com

We invited home cooks to send us their best recipe for a dish using Galaxy’s Vegan or Veggie Classic Plain or Garlic and Chive Cream Cheese. The First Place Winner, Julie Ann Zserdin, will receive $50 worth of Galaxy product. The Second Place Winner, Regina Weiland, will receive $15 worth of Galaxy product. Each winner will also receive a copy of Eating Well magazine’s new cookbook Eating Well: Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals.

First Place: Julie Ann Zserdin

VEGAN STROGANOFF

Ingredients:
2 cups plain soy milk
2 8 oz. containers of plain or garlic Galaxy Cream Cheese
1 8 Oz container of vegan sour cream
2 large onions
2 large green peppers
1 large pkg. fresh mushrooms or lg can of mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves (2 Tbl. garlic powder)
1 bag of vegan crumbles
salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp allspice
2 cups vegan all wheat flat noodles ( or vegan noodle of choice)

Lightly brown onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil. once translucent add milk, cream cheese, sour cream, crumbles, and spices to pan. Let simmer for an hour. Cook noodles in large saucepan with a tsp. of sea salt and 2 TBL. olive oil. drain when soft and rinse. Top noodles with vegan stroganoff.

The best part of being a vegan is the purity and peace of mind one experiences and the strong connection I feel to the animal kingdom. - Uri Geller

Second Place: Regina Wieland

STUFFED JALAPENOS

Ingredients:
6-8 large jalapeños
1 tub Galaxy Vegan Cream Cheese
8 oz vegan sour cream
2 Tbsp vegan mayo
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
4 Tbsp southwest seasoning
2 tsp chili powder
¼ cup olive oil

Wet mix:
½ cup flour
½ cup soy milk

Dry Mix:
¼ cup flour
¼ cup cornmeal
¼ cup breadcrumbs
½ tsp chili powder

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut slit in jalapeños leaving the stem. Scrape out all the seeds. Whip together the Galaxy Cream Cheese, sour cream, mayo, and spices. Pipe mixture into the jalapenos. Mix the flour and soy milk together for the wet mix. Mix the flour, corn meal, bread crumbs and seasonings in a large bowl. Coat peppers in the wet mixture and then coat in the dry. Place peppers on a baking stone and bake for 15 minutes. Coat peppers with oil and cook for 10 minutes to brown.

Just in time for your Cinco de Mayo celebration we are posting a delicious recipe for homemade Guacamole and Chips from Canal House Cooking Volume No. 4 cookbook.

Friends and former co-workers Christopher Hirsheimer (a talented food photographer and founder of Saveur) and Melissa Hamilton (chef, food stylist, food editor…) started Canal House five years ago in rural New Jersey as a photo and design studio for their Canal House Cooking books. The series, which features their rustic and seasonal cooking, has earned them a cult following among foodies. Volume No. 6 was just released featuring (as always) simple recipes using ingredients found in most markets. The emphasis is on fresh and joy (of making and eating).

Guacamole and Chips from Canal House Cooking Volume No. 4

For the Chips:
Vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas
Salt

For the Guacamole:
1-2 cloves garlic
Salt
6-8 ripe Hass avocados, halved and pitted
2-3 juicy thin-skinned limes, halved
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

For the chips, add enough oil to a heavy skillet or wok to reach a depth of 2 inches Heat the oil until it is hot but not smoking, ideally to a temperature of 350 (use a candy thermometer to check the temperature). Meanwhile, cut the tortillas into quarters.

Slip the tortillas, a few at a time, into the hot oil and fry them until golden and crisp, 1-2 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the chips as they’re done to paper towels to drain. Season them with salt while still hot.

For the guacamole, use a pestle or wooden spoon to mash the garlic with a good pinch of salt in the bottom of a medium bowl. Scoop the avocado flesh into the bowl using a spoon or rubber spatula. Mash the avocados until chunky smooth. Squeeze the juice from some of the limes into the bowl, season with a little more salt, and mix well. Taste the guacamole and adjust the seasonings with more lime juice and/or salt. Stir in the cilantro. Serve the guacamole with the chips.

Yield: 4-6 servings (or one)

While at Natural Products Expo West in Los Angeles in March a few of the Galaxy Nutritional Foods staff met with some of the editorial staff from Vegetarian Times. These trade shows are always a lot of work, as one can imagine, but the results are hard to beat. We get to talk to other people making and selling natural foods we enjoy (after all, as much as one might like, you can’t live on our cheese alone…you at least need some fruit and crackers). We also are able to engage in conversations with editors like those from Vegetarian Times, a publication several people in the office read and at least one subscribes to for their recipes. What we learn from interactions such as these are not just what is working (thankfully a lot), but where we can improve, how people use our products, and what people want (one way our Facebook page is great, all those comments asking for a soy free item or placement on a shelf in a natural food store in a small town in Colorado…).

A big thanks to the kind person at Vegetarian Times who enjoyed the Classic Plain Vegan Cream Cheese and then turned us on to the recipe Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce, which she had used light cream cheese in and we agreed could easily be swapped out for ours. Well, we did (swap it out that is) and oh the pasta dish was so so good. In advance of giving you the recipe we are going to encourage you to get pen and paper ready to write down what you need (should you not have everything in your house, pretty short list so you might) and let the family know you’ve got dinner tonight. Oh, and serve with a nice salad on the side with some fresh greens and tomatoes dressed in a nice light extra virgin olive oil based dressing with Hawaiian Sea Salt (sold at gourmet shops, Whole Foods Markets) and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

For once dinner will come out just as pretty as in the picture. Just visit this page of the Vegetarian Times website for the recipe.

Just one more itsy bitsy little item Vegetarian Times just announced their 2011 Foodie Awards. Galaxy’s Vegan Classic Plain Cream Cheese made the short list of products!!! We are featured under the Soft Cheese category (section #23), http://www.vegetariantimes.com/2011foodieawards Added bonus, just because the publication is so cool, by voting you are eligible to win a $250 grocery shopping spree. The magazine will announce readers’ top choices in their October issue.

If you have A Platter of Figs you probably have some idea of the good things in store for you in David Tanis new (released in 2010) cookbook Heart of the Artichoke: and other kitchen journeys. A bit of chopping, few fresh vegetables, little heating, bit of blending, and voila a beautiful and inspiring meal. Oh, and while this is one of those soups that is extra special when warm…is also very good on a warm day served cool. We enjoyed a few of our cheddar flavored blocks with this soup. A bit of crusty bread might be nice too. Enjoy!

Fennel Soup with a Green Swirl from David Tanis book Heart of the Artichoke

Ingredients:

For the soup:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced
1 large onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup long-grain white rice (we used brown rice, because that is what we had on hand, and the end result was delicious)
6 cups chicken broth or water, or as needed

For the swirl:
1 cup roughly chopped fennel fronds
1/2 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel, onion, and garlic. Season generously with salt and pepper, and stew the vegetables, stirring every few minutes, until they are softened and light colored.

Add the rice and broth or water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Taste the broth, add more seasoning if necessary, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender (we recommend a food processor instead), then pass through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any fibrous strands (we did not do this and there were no strands). Return the strained soup to the pot. Check the consistency. It it’s too thick, add a bit of water or broth.

Rinse and dry the blender, and put all the ingredients for the swirl into the blender at once. Blend on high speed until you have a smooth green puree. Transfer to a small bowl.

To serve, reheat the soup and ladle it into soup bowls. Swirl a tablespoon of the green puree into each bowl.

We paired with Galaxy’s Vegan Cheddar Block, Rice Cheddar Block, and Veggie Cheddar Block.

Alicia Silverstone’s cookbook The Kind Diet is chocked full of delicious recipes…the Sicilian Collard Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins and Peanut Butter Pie are out of this world. Oh, and they are both vegan…all of the recipes in Ms. Silverstone’s book are meat and dairy free.

With a surplus of dairy free cheese at our disposal, the Galaxy team decided to take on a few of her recipes and the one for Waffle, Sausage, and Cheese Panini we loved, loved, loved. The sweetness, savory heartiness, and best of all…how easy it was to make. Whatever you do, don’t let the ingredients list intimidate you. Maybe jam and Vegenaise don’t sound like they would taste good together, but they really do. We found ourselves digging in at dinner and making more for lunch the next day (today). So delicious, so easy. Enjoy!!

Waffle, Sausage, and Cheese Panini from Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet

Ingredients:
4-6 (1 to 1.5 ounce) Italian-style soy sausages
1/3 cup fruit-sweetened apricot jam
1/4 cup Vegenaise
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 frozen whole grain waffles, toasted
4 Tbsp oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups arugula
4 slices vegan mozzarella (Try Galaxy’s Vegan Mozzarella Slices)

Cook the sausage according to package directions until browned in a large skillet. Transfer the sausage to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle, slice each sausage in half lengthwise and then in half crosswise.

Stir together the jam, Vegenaise, thyme, and pepper in a small bowl.

Wipe out the skillet you cooked the sausages in and place over medium heat, or preheat a panini press or countertop grill. Spread each waffle with 1 Tbsp jam mixture. Sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes over 4 waffles and layer each sandwich with arugula, 1 cheese slice, and one-quarter of the sausage slices. Top each sandwich with the remaining waffles.

Brush the heated pan, panini press, or grill with oil. Add the sandwiches, and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted, making sure to turn the sandwich once if you are using the skillet method. Cut the sandwiches in half, and serve.

Note: Use a second skillet weighted with a heavy can or two to press the sandwiches as they cook to re-create the panini press effect in your skillet.

Yield: 4 servings

King Midas’ Golden Soup by Gwendolyn Mathers

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp earthbalance or olive oil
1 small onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 large Yellow Beets, peeled and cubed
1 small-medium carrot, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf (opt)
3 cups vegetable broth
1 large tart apple, cubed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste

For garnish Vegan Grated Topping toasted bread crumbs or crushed croutons

Directions:

Heat the oil or earthbalance in a medium to large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute briefly until fragrant.

Add the beets, carrot, potato, bay leaf, and 1 cup of the broth. Turn down to a simmer at medium heat and allow to cook for about ten to fifteen minutes, or until the beets are tender.

Add the apple and 1 more cup of broth. Continue to cook for a few minutes until the apple is tender, about five more minutes. Remove the bay leaf (if using) and add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Puree in with an immersion blender or in batches if using a tabletop blender.

Pour through a fine mesh strainer as you return the soup to the pot. Reserve the strained beets for a dumpling filler or yummy sandwich spread for later. Reheat the soup for about two minutes and serve.

When spooned into each bowl add some warmed non-dairy milk and swirl lightly with a spoon or chop stick to get a pretty spiral design. Top with croutons and a light dust of vegan grated topping. Enjoy with some stuffed mushroom and seitan dumplings!

Save this recipe for January when after a holiday season full of excess you will be wanting something healthy, and nourishing. Even between all those meals made up of vegetables more than likely there were plenty of sugary treats.

This bright red soup is sure to brighten up those gray January skies and offer a warm finale to the day. Eating this soup you will feel yourself transported to a table in the sunny Italian courtyard of a cafe along a stone pathway where tomato plants seem to dance along the walls.

Extra delicious with Galaxy Nutritional Foods Parmesan flavored Vegan Grated Topping.

Tomato Soup with Two Fennels from Molly Wizenberg’s blog Orangette.

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 medium fennel bulbs (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed, quartered from root to stalk, and thinly sliced
4 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp fennel seeds
two 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes
water
3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
sugar, to taste
red wine vinegar, to taste

In a large (5-quart) pot or Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion just starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently - garlic has a tendency to burn - until the onion is translucent and very soft, 5 to 8 minutes more. Add the thyme and fennel seeds and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Using your hand to hold back the tomatoes, pour the liquid from the tomato cans into the pot. Stir well. Crush the tomatoes in their cans, using your hands or a potato masher to tear and mash them into small chunks. Add the tomatoes to the pot. Then fill 1 empty tomato can with cold water and pour it in, too. Bring to a boil. Then adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook, uncovered for about 45 minutes.

The soup is ready when the fennel is very tender and a spoonful of the tomatoey broth tastes like a goo, full-bodied soup. (It if hasn’t cooked long enough, it will taste watery and raw, like tomatoes straight from the can.) Add the salt. Taste and adjust as needed. If the tomatoes need a little sweetness, add a pinch or two of sugar. If the soup tastes a little bland, add a small splash of vinegar. Molly notes she often adds both.

Serve hot. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

This recipe for vegetarian chili from the blog Simply Recipes is healthy, nourishing, and something you may turn to at lunchtime and dinnertime. We like it with some of our Cheddar flavored Veggie Shreds or shavings from our Cheddar flavored Vegan Block. This is a recipe you can count on to warm you up during the cold months, or be eaten (once cooked) cool during the warmer ones. Easy enough to put into a thermos for a school lunch or a reusable container to be spooned out at the office. Make this chili and enjoy it at a relaxed pace so you can take in all of the delicious flavors.

Recipe is here.

Photo from Simply Recipes.