“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.”
~ Samuel Johnson

To me there is no city in the world that can compare to London. I feel like it is the city of my soul, it is home in a way that no other place has ever been. (Except here in Aramco of course, but this isn’t exactly the ‘real world’.)

Growing up, my family and I spent a few weeks every summer in London or elsewhere in the UK and I always felt ‘right’ when I was there. I fit in like I did no place else and to this day London is my favorite place in the world. I even spent my first year of University there. (Here’s another post I did about my love for the UK.)

London really has everything you could ever want (except sunshine), from a fast paced city feel to the tradition and quirky elegance I always associate with England. The architecture, the history, the endlessly charming people, the brilliant shopping, the diverse and eclectic culture, the beautiful parks and markets, are all stamped on my heart forever. I just can’t get enough of that place, which is why I’ve been thinking about spending a week there this summer for my birthday.

Ever since that idea popped into my head I’ve been in constant daydreaming mode, remembering all of my favorite places in London and making mental checklists of things I’ve got to do and people I have to see. But, as you would imagine from a food blogger, I’ve been mainly dreaming about the amazing food. And what is more quintessentially London than a big pile of greasy fish and chips?

My nostalgia must have inspired my culinary creativity because this recipe is truly out of this world authentic. The trick to making the tofu taste really fishy is the addition of 2 sheets of finely ground up nori rolls in the wet batter. It gave the tofu the perfect amount of ocean fresh taste that I had been missing. The right texture of the wet batter is essential to making this recipe really genuine. You have to make sure to get the oil super hot before adding the battered tofu so the batter will seal up instantly and be light and crisp. YUM!

Vegan Fish
1 lb extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed gently to remove excess water, then sliced into 4 pieces. You don’t want them too small!
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup dark beer + 2 Tbsp (we used non-alcoholic because here in Saudi Arabia alcohol is illegal)
2 inches deep of very hot vegetable oil in a large pot
2 nori seaweed rolls
1/3 cup all purpose flour for dredging
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper

- Place the pieces of tofu in a large dish and splash them with malt vinegar and let them marinate for 3 hours. They don’t need to soak in the vinegar, just give them a good splashing and turn them once.

- Grind up the nori rolls in a food processor till they are a powder

- Combine the 1 cup flour with the beer, paprika, salt, pepper, and nori powder

- Get the oil really, really, really hot.

- Remove the tofu from the marinade, dredge each piece in the 1/3 cup flour, then dip them in the wet batter and quickly place in the very, very, very hot oil

- Watch them closely, the oil is super hot so the batter will brown quickly. Remove when golden. Serve with a side of tartar sauce (vegan mayo and chopped pickles) and covered with lots of sea salt and malt vinegar.

The chips couldn’t be easier. Chop 2 potatoes into fry sized pieces, not too small, you want hefty fries! Toss them with a generous amount of olive oil, lots of salt, and then put them in a 400F oven. Don’t even think about touching them for 30 minutes. If you try to stir them before then they will break apart. Leave them alone for at least 30 minutes and only try to stir them and turn them over if you can do it without them breaking. In total they should bake for about 45 minutes or till they reach the crispiness you like. Serve them with lots of salt and malt vinegar!

This is classic Iranian comfort food, known as Tah Dig, and it really doesn’t get any better than this. Cody and I are both in love with this meal, it’s almost a week later and we are still gushing about it. I veganized (and improved upon!) a recipe from this month’s Martha Stuart Living magazine, and if you make it I guarantee you will love it.

Imagine fluffy, fragrant basmati rice filled with juicy, buttery mushrooms and bright cilantro, all topped with crispy, salty potatoes, and really, can you imagine anything better?

Tah Dig

3 quarts water

2 cups basmati rice, rinsed

2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

5 cups chopped white mushrooms (sliced thinly and then chopped small)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 tsp liquid smoke

2 large potatoes, sliced into very thin rounds

1 cup cilantro, chopped

8 Tbsp vegan butter, divided

extra vegan butter to grease pans

extra cilantro and a handful of pomegranate kernels for garnish

- In a large frying pan in a drizzle of olive oil and a pat of vegan butter cook the chopped mushrooms on medium high heat. Drain the liquid that they give off frequently, you always want to keep the pan as dry as possible. Once most of the liquid has cooked off and poured away, add the liquid smoke, garlic, and soy sauce, and continue cooking the mushrooms until they are brown and caramelized.

- Bring the water, salt, and cinnamon to a boil in a large pot and gradually add in the rice, cook and stir for about 5 minutes, until the grains are tender but still slightly firm. Drain rice and add to it the mushroom confit and 4 Tbsp of vegan butter.

- In a large pot melt 4 Tbsp of butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Arrange 3 layers of potatoes in the bottom of the pot in the melted butter, in a circular pattern, overlapping slightly, working from the outside.

- Sprinkle the chopped cilantro over the potatoes and top with the rice mixture, pressing down lightly to form an even layer. Place a cotton kitchen towel or a paper towel over the surface of the rice, covering completely. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until potatoes are crisp and golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.

- Remove towel, run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pot, and invert onto a serving platter.

But here in Saudi Arabia we have to wait a long time until we can enjoy anything resembling winter weather. Just this past week we finally got it! Now that we have cold weather at last (brrrr! it’s in the 50s!) I have been able to think of nothing but soup; steaming hot broth, subtly spiced and aromatic, served with mountains of crusty, toasted, and heavily vegan buttered french bread. That is my idea of the perfect cold weather comfort food.

And lately I’ve moved away from wanting heavy, blended soups, or even clear soups filled with lots of different morsels. No, what I can’t get off my mind is much simpler and far more delicious; French Onion Soup.

To me it just might be the most perfect soup in the world. The broth is always my favorite part of any soup and the broth in French onion soup is always the star: hearty and rich with so much savory punch it is definitely a meal in itself. But it only gets better from there! One of the great loves of my life, caramelized onions, plays a central role in this soup. Buttery and sweet they balance the bold broth and melt into it so completely that sometimes you can’t tell where the liquid ends and the onions begin.

When I was attending university in London I would often hop on the Eurostar, speed through the Chunnel, and spend the weekend getting lost in Paris, wandering from bistro to bistro, eating and drinking and imagining myself to be very chic. I was not vegan at the time and my meal of choice was always a huge, piping hot bowl of French onion soup. (I was still a drinker back then, and my drink of choice was often a double whiskey on the rocks!!!)

But my favorite memory of France was when I was 18 years old and my family joined a few other Aramcon families for a week of skiing in the French Alps. We all rented a rustic, homey chalet and spent the entire week feasting on ridiculously rich and hearty food, and skiing the beautiful mountains.

Well, that is not entirely true. I didn’t actually do any skiing. You might remember from this previous post that I just don’t have it in me to be a skier. So, instead, I spent the entire weak camped out in the various cozy restaurants throughout the little ski town, reading wonderful books, listening to music, and ordering bowl after bowl of my favorite soup.

As you can see, I’m the only one not in ski clothes!

But, have no fear, I did do something pretty exciting that week:

Parachuting off of the French Alps! Yes, that is me up there in those pictures! What a crazy experience. We spent at least an hour in a rickety old car racing up the mountains on tiny, half hidden roads, squealing around hair pin turns. Once we got to the top several gruff and slightly drunk French men shoved us into our harnesses, attached their harnesses to ours, and without any safety instructions or explanations shoved us hard on our backs and started screaming at us to RUN! RUN! So, run I did! I ran as fast as I could, trying not to trip or fall over and we ran ran ran till we got to the edge of the cliff and before I could even have time to get scared that the parachute wouldn’t open behind us…..we were flying! Soaring, lifted straight off the side of the cliff, and wheeling through the air.

What an absolutely magical experience….only slightly marred by the creepy, drunk French dude strapped to my back who wouldn’t stop babbling and grunting. And after what seemed like hours, floating above the storybook little skiing village, we finally landed…and with a hard crunch, I twisted my ankle….which led to more screaming from the French man who told me I had ruined his equipment. Le sigh.

*****

Yesterday, here in Saudi Arabia, the weather was very blustery with frigid winds and temperatures well below my cut-off line of reasonable: 60F. I had no clue what to do, it has been years since I’ve had to seriously deal with cold weather. What do I wear to walk the dogs? How can I walk to the car in my flip flops? How do you appropriately layer ratty old t-shirts and horse drool covered tank tops? Oh the struggle!

So, as the chilly day drew to a close with an even colder evening, I hurried to my stove to make the biggest pot of soup I could imagine. We definitely don’t have any packaged vegan beef broth here in Saudi Arabia, and we can never really find any vegetable broths or stocks either, and definitely not any that are not made up of pure sodium and chemicals, so I knew I would have to make my own.

I started with a basic vegetable broth and then jazzed it up to give it a robust, beefy flavor. Then I got to work transforming onions into the buttery soft caramelized ribbons that I so cherish. Everything came together magically! The broth is complex and beefy, rich and powerful, the perfect background for the buttery sweetness of the onions.

Dimming the lights, curling up in my cozy chair, and savoring this soup brought back so many memories of chilly nights under the lights of the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, sneaking into a show in a ritzy member’s only club, and talking and arguing until the early hours of the morning in smoky garret rooms about politics, economics, religion, and, of course, the favorite topic among disillusioned and very self-important college kids; Marx.

My life has changed a lot in the 10 years since then. Sure, I still love to argue about politics, economics, religion, and the occasional revolutionary thinker, but I prefer to do it in a smoke free environment, with water replacing the whiskey and vegan soup standing in for the beef based soup, surrounded by my dogs instead of alternately hostile or amorous French boys, and I definitely, definitely need to be in bed by a decent hour!

I hope that you make this wonderful soup and create some memories of your own! Enjoy!

Vegan Beef Broth

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 leeks, chopped

4 garlic cloves, diced

2 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp paprika

2 tsp oregano

2 bay leaves

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

3 liters of water

¼ cup soy sauce

3 tsp hickory liquid smoke

1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

-         In a large soup pot, in a drizzle of olive oil, sauté the onions for 5 minutes, then add the celery, carrots, leeks, and garlic. Saute for another 10 minutes.

-         Add the spices, water, parsley, and salt and pepper.

-         Simmer for 30 minutes then add the soy sauce, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for another hour. (If you don’t add these ingredients and just continue cooking you will have vegetable broth.)

-         Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before straining out the liquid, making sure to remove all the vegetables and spices. You want clear broth!

Vegan French Onion Soup

4 onions, chopped in half and then sliced thinly

3 cloves garlic, diced fine

2 Tbsp vegan butter

Lots of salt and fresh cracked pepper

-         In a large soup pot in a drizzle of olive oil sauté the onions on medium low heat with lots of salt and pepper, you want to caramelize them very slowly. After about 20 minutes add the garlic and continue to cook for at least another 20 minutes. The longer you spend caramelizing the onions the better!

-         After 40 minutes or more of cooking, add the vegan butter and more salt and pepper.

-         Add the batch of beef broth, bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Serve piping hot with crusty bread. You might want to top the bread with melty vegan cheese, that is also fantastic.

And when it gets cold outside what does every vegan want? A bowl of soup, of course!

I wish I could invite you all over for a steaming bowl of this simple yet delectable soup. Its flavors are subtle, but perfectly married to create an absolute symphony of YUM in your mouth. I haven’t had soup this good in a long time.

Whereas I usually prefer spicier, bolder flavors, when I created this soup I was craving something simple and soothing, a hearty dinner to enjoy after a long and fun day spent playing outside. The miso swirled into the broth infuses this soup with a very authentic ‘chicken’ flavor while the leeks and green onions impart a buttery, onion taste to every bite. This is one of my favorites, I hope you make it and love it!

Ingredients

½ lb of farfalle noodles boiled separately according to package directions, drained and set aside (feel free to use more traditional buckwheat soba noodles, we just don’t get those here!)

1 bunch of leeks, chopped

3 cloves garlic, diced fine

5 liters of water

4 carrots, chopped

1 large bunch of chard, chopped

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ cup of white miso

Green onions for garnish

Recipe

- Boil the farfalle pasta by itself according to directions, drain and set aside

- In a large soup pot in a drizzle of olive oil, saute the leeks and garlic with salt and pepper for about 10 minutes

- Add in 5 litres of water, and the carrots, and bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots are soft, about 15 minutes

- Add in the large bunch of chard and the can of chickpeas

- Remove 1 cup of the simmering broth and whisk the miso into it, combining completely

- Add the  miso/water mixture back into the soup pot and stir everything to make sure the miso is dissolved throughout the broth

- Serve topped with green onions

I served mine with a side of vegetable spring rolls drizzled with sweet and sour sauce, and steamed broccoli.

***

Don’t forget to enter my Grand Opening Giveaway #2 for your chance to win a whole batch of awesome Vivapura goodies!

The weather has finally gotten wintry here, with chilly breezes and nighttime temperatures in the 60s and 70s. We even had a bit of a drizzle the other day, the first of the season! Of course, other than that one cloud it has been clear skies and sunshine as usual.

But with the sweater weather and chilly evenings I have been in major soup mode lately, and this is my favorite creation yet! It is creamy, smoky and veggie filled, but the absolute best part is the crispy zesty chili lime croutons. I could eat them by the handful!

Ingredients

- 4 roasted red bell peppers, chopped (drizzle them with olive oil and pop them in the oven under broil until their skin is black. Let cool, and remove as much of the black skin as you can, then chop.)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 liters of water
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin
- salt and pepper
- 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions
- Juice of 3 limes
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 and 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

- In a large soup pot in a drizzle of olive oil saute the onion and celery for about 15 minutes, then add the garlic, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 15 minutes till it is all soft and tender. While cooking the veggies boil up the cup of rice by itself.

- Add the roasted bell peppers, 2 cans of tomatoes, 2 liters of water, salt, pepper and cumin, and bring to a boil, then lower the temperature and keep at a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes.

- Remove soup from the heat and allow to cool a bit. Blend everything to a creamy consistency with a hand blender and then put back onto the heat.

- Add the black beans, corn, cooked rice, lime juice, cilantro and liquid smoke. Bring back up to heat, top with the croutons, and serve!

Chili Lime Croutons

- Chop up 4 pieces of bread (1 piece for each person eating) and fry it in a tiny bit of vegetable oil til it is very crispy.

- Remove bread from the pan and toss with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp chili powder and the zest of several limes.

I was lucky enough to have a ‘seasonal visitor’ drop by to help out with the cooking!

The other day when I was making my scrumptious Tuscan Pesto wraps, I decided to make Cody something a little different. He is a huge fan of Thai Curry and I thought I could make him a veggie wrap that would capture all the key flavors of one of his favorite dishes. And I did! It was easy and SO tasty!

The sauce is creamy and rich, with a lot of spice from the green curry paste and just enough tang from the ginger and lime to keep you coming back for more!

Ingredients

All of your wrap fixings, whatever veggies you like!
1/2 cup raw walnuts
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tsp green curry paste (I would have used more but this stuff was ferociously hot!)
1/2 inch of ginger
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 cup water
pinch of salt

Blend all of the ingredients (except veggie fixing!) in a food processor. I chose to leave a few dollops quite thick, for dipping, and then add in most of the water, to thin the sauce out.

I tossed all of the veggie filling with the sauce and piled it into butter lettuce wraps.

Cody loved it and gave it his lip smacking approval!

Red Onion Marmalade has always been one of my favorite things, but up until now I had never made it for myself. One taste of this amazing spread and I bet it will be one of your favorite things, too. It has the buttery taste of cooked onions, the tangy bite of vinegar and the sweet, molasses mellowness of brown sugar, all together in one place. It is delicious spread on toast in the morning, on top of crispy fried tofu, in a baked potato, topping a veggie burger, mixed with mashed black beans to make an insane dip for crackers and chips, there are a million different ways to use this yumminess!

Here it is on top of crispy fried tofu, served with a side of steamed broccoli and my cheddar jalapeno biscuits. The tofu was marinated in soy sauce, olive oil and lemon juice and then dredged in nutritional yeast, AP flour, cornstarch, garlic powder and ground flaxseeds and then fried up in a thin puddle of olive oil.

Ingredients
2 red onions, chopped small
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
3 cloves garlic, chopped small
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

- In a small saucepan combine all of the ingredients. No need to be specific about the order, just get them all in there, and stir it up.

Onions and garlic in the vinegar, water mixture

Brown sugar and ginger added!

- Bring to a gentle simmer/boil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes, to an hour. You want to cook until most of the liquid is gone, everything is soft and it has the consistency of jelly.

Bubbling away!

- Enjoy!

You know it is a scientific fact that the homeliest looking food is often the best tasting, right? It’s true! I know this soup might not look like much, but it packs a tasty punch that will have you headed back to the kitchen for seconds, guaranteed. This delicious dish is creamy and thick with so much spice it’ll make your tongue twirl!

Ingredients

1 yellow onion, chopped small
3 stalks celery, chopped small
3 cloves garlic, diced fine
2 heads cauliflower, chopped
1 and 1/2 Tbsp curry
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp fenugreek
2 litres of water
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp garam masala
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
zest and juice of 2 lemons

- In a huge soup pot saute the onion, garlic and celery in a drizzle of olive oil for 15 minutes, add a pinch of salt and pepper

- After 15 minutes add the cauliflower, 1 Tbsp of curry, 1 Tbsp of turmeric, 1 Tbsp of cumin and 1/2 a Tbsp of fenugreek, and saute for 20 minutes, stirring frequently

- After 20 minutes add the 2 litres of water, more salt and pepper and gently simmer for 1 hour

- After one hour the cauliflower chunks should be very tender and breaking apart. Turn off the heat and add the garam masala and the last 1/2 Tbsp of curry. Allow to come to room temperature.

- Add 1/2 cup soymilk, the nutritional yeast, and the lemon zest and then blend together with your hand blender.

- Bring back up to heat and add 1/3 cup chopped cilantro and enjoy!

Bonus pic of the cauliflower just after getting tossed into the pot!

Yesterday was my 27th birthday! YAY! I love birthdays and I have so been looking forward to celebrating this year. Yesterday was my first day out of my ACT Inspiration cleanse and all month long I had been pinning all my hopes on this day. I didn’t have any serious cravings or problems on the cleanse (except for a few short days) but I would always comfort myself with the knowledge that I could dive head first into a vat of fried goodness on my birthday. I knew exactly what I would want too – Channa Masala, a very spicy onion and cashew gravy filled with tender chickpeas, Potato Vada – fried balls of heaven, filled with spicy mashed potatoes coated in a crispy chickpea flour batter, and a stack of Puri, crispy, tender, chewy bread to sop up all the greasy goodness. I usually get this great meal at Anand Bhavan, but since I couldn’t make it to Bahrain I decided to whip it up myself.

Channa Masala – this is one of my favorite dishes in the entire world. It is so comforting and rich and spicy and ooohhmmmm….just perfect! The spices all blend together to create a hearty, savory riot in your mouth that is balanced by the creaminess of the blended cashews and the earthy chickpeas. Add a sprig of bright green cilantro and you have the perfect mix.

Ingredients
4 cans chickpeas
2 yellow onions, chopped small
3 cloves garlic, diced fine
1 and 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp fenugreek
pinch of cloves
pinch of salt and pepper
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp kalonji black onion seeds
4 cups water
1 large can chopped tomatoes
1 cup ground raw cashews

- In a large soup pot in a drizzle of olive oil fry the 2 onions for 10 minutes until soft and slightly golden

- Add the garlic, curry, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, cloves, salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes

- Add the can of tomatoes and the 3 cups of water and the garam masala and bring to an *almost* simmer, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly

- In a hand mixer or blender or food processor blend the entire mixture until smooth, place back on medium heat

- Add the ground cashews, chickpeas and kalonji to the blended mixture and bring to an *almost* simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer it cooks and sits the better! Serve topped with fresh cilantro.

Potato Vada – The perfect snack food! The mashed potatoes in the center are lightly fluffy and fragrant with a delicate spice blend, then dipped in a simple batter and fried quickly to golden perfection.

Ingredients
4 large potatoes, peeled, chopped into chunks and boiled until soft
1 large yellow onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, diced fine
green chilli, seeded and diced fine
2 Tbsp vegan butter
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp fenugreek
pinch of cloves
1 tsp kalonji black onion seed
pinch of fennel seed
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Batter
2 and 1/2 cup chickpea flour
3 cups water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

- In a large frying pan on medium heat fry the onions for 10 minutes and then add the garlic for 5 minutes

- Add the green chili, 2 Tbsp vegan butter, and all of the dried spices and cook for 2 or 3 minutes

- Add the spice mixture to the cooked and drained potatoes and mash together until they are light and fluffy, you don’t want them creamy and soft, they should be fairly dry

- Add the 3 Tbsp of vegan butter and the cilantro and combine. Set aside till they come to room temperature.

- Combine the batter ingredients and prepare a large pot of VERY HOT vegetable oil. You want the oil as hot as you can make it because you want the balls to fry very quickly, almost instantly so they don’t get heavy and soggy.

- Form the potato mixture into balls the size of a lime or lemon, dip into the batter and then drop them into the hot oil. As soon as they are nice and golden, take them out of the oil, sprinkle with salt and eat!

(For the puri bread recipe….well, let’s just say you try and try and try and they never taste good, so you go to your freezer and you pull out the frozen ones you bought from the store. Pop those into the frying pan and you are good to go! Ha ha!)

And what would a birthday be without cupcakes!?! And since I was the birthday girl I didn’t have to choose between chocolate and vanilla!

ps. This meal was delicious, really tasty and just what I had been dreaming of all month. But…I think the ACT Inspiration has warped my brain. While I was standing in the kitchen preparing this glorious feast of fried amazingness, all I kept thinking about was the huge bowl of fresh salad in the fridge. And while I did have a yummy plate of spicy channa puri and crispy potato vada, I must admit that the plate was small….and front and center on a BIG plate was my raw veggie salad. Sigh. What has become of me!?!?!

Have you made an extra huge batch of my super scrumptious Chicken Fried Seitan and now you have a plate of leftovers?

Well, if you want sticky, spicy, hot wings follow this simple recipe and you will be drooling over a plate of lip smacking goodness in no time!

Ingredients
1/3 cup molasses (or maple syrup)
1/3 cup vegan butter
TONS of hot sauce, as much as you can handle!
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of garlic salt and cumin

- Melt all the ingredients in a pan together

- Take the leftover chicken fried seitan out of the fridge and toss it in the liquid mixture (if you have made seitan patties, you might want to chop them up into chunks)

- Bake the liquid coated seitan in the oven on 300 degrees for 10 minutes (this step not only reheats the cold seitan but also lets the yummy hot sauce mixture soak in!)

- Remove the seitan from the oven and dip it one more time in the liquid mixture and then serve and enjoy!

I serve mine with a side of vegan ranch dressing…or vegan blue cheese dressing…I can’t decide which it tastes more like. (Did you know how versatile and super healthy cashews are? I’ve made so many wonderful things with them over the past week and I am quite impressed.)

Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
several teaspoons of dried dill, to taste
pinch of salt and pepper

- Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor and dip and dunk to your heart’s content!