BLACK BEAN TEMPEH NACHOS WITH CASHEW CHEESE

SERVES 4 PORTIONS

FOR THE CASHEW CHEESE

3⁄4 cup raw cashews, soaked from 1 hour to overnight and drained

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp tapioca starch or tapioca flour (they are the same thing)

1⁄2 tsp garlic powder

1⁄2 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

1⁄2 cup water

FOR THE TEMPEH NACHOS

283g – 510g (10oz – 18oz) tortilla chips

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1⁄2 cup diced red onion

1 Roma tomato, diced small

8 ounces tempeh, diced very small

1 hot chili pepper, sliced thin crosswise

2 tbsp raw shelled hempseed

1 avocado

Juice from one lime

NUTRITIONAL VALUES

Calories: 944kcal
Fat: 33.7g (6.7g S.Fat)
Carbs: 124g
Protein: 45.9g
Sugar: 6.7g
Sodium: 57mg

METHOD

CASHEW CHEESE:
In a blender, combine all the cheese ingredients and blend until smooth. Put the blended mixture in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly. It will take between 5 and 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

TO ASSEMBLE THE NACHOS:
Arrange all the chips on a platter. Black beans should be sprinkled on top of the chips. Make a cashew cheese smear on top. Sprinkle the top with the red onion, tomato, tempeh, chili pepper, and hempseed.

Dredge the avocado in lime juice after dicing it. Diced avocado should be sprinkled on top of the nachos.

NO-BAKE CHOCO CASHEW CHEESECAKE

SERVES 8 TO 12 PORTIONS

2 cups (280 g) (9.9oz) raw cashews (covered with water, soaked 8 hours, drained, and rinsed)

1⁄4 cup (60 ml) coconut cream (scooped from the top of an unshaken, chilled can of full-fat coconut milk stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours before use)

1⁄4 cup (20 g) (0.71oz) unsweetened cocoa powder

1⁄2 cup (160 g) (5.6oz) pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1⁄4 cups (125 g) (4.4oz) walnut halves

1⁄2 cup (89 g) (3.1oz) chopped dates

1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon

1⁄4 cup (30 g) (1.1oz) almond meal, as needed

NUTRITIONAL VALUES

Calories: 311kcal
Fat: 23.6g(4.2g S.Fat)
Carbs: 21.2g
Protein: 9g
Sugar: 13g
Sodium: 3mg

METHOD

Line the bottom of four 4-inch (10 cm) spring-form pans with a parchment paper circle.

In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine the cashews, coconut cream, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla. Process until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the machine with a rubber spatula as needed. This could take up to 10 minutes depending on the efficiency of your machine. Set aside the mixture in a medium mixing bowl. Using a paper towel, clean the food processor or blender.

In the same food processor or high-speed blender, combine the walnuts, dates, and cinnamon. Finely chop and combine until the mixture holds together when pressed. If you overprocess the mixture, it will become too sticky. If it's too late and the mixture is too sticky, pulse in the almond meal. In the prepared pans, press down.

Smooth out the top of the crust with the cashew mixture. Place the pans in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 hours, or until set (this will make what follows easier), then remove the cheesecakes from the pans and return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

RECIPE NOTES

Serve with a simple coulis on top of the cheesecake: In a small saucepan, combine 12 ounces (340 g) frozen raspberries or strawberries and 2 tbsp (40 g) pure maple syrup and cook over medium heat until the berries fall apart, about 10 minutes. If you're not a fan of seeds, strain them through a fine-mesh sieve before using. This recipe yields approximately 1 1/2 cups (355 ml).

ALMOND OR CASHEW BISCUITS

SERVES 9 BISCUITS

1 1⁄4 cups (150 g) (5.3oz) whole wheat pastry flour or (156 g) (5.5oz) all-purpose flour

1⁄3 cup (47 g) (1.7oz) toasted whole cashews or (48 g) (1.7oz) almonds (Use unsalted.)

1⁄2 tsp fine sea salt

1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp (42 g) (1.5oz) semi-solid coconut oil (the texture of softened butter)

3 tbsp (48 g) (1.7oz) natural smooth cashew butter or almond butter

1⁄2 cup (120 g) (4.2oz) blended soft silken tofu or unsweetened plain vegan yogurt

NUTRITIONAL VALUES

Calories: 86kcal
Fat: 5.1g (1.4g S.Fat)
Carbs: 9.1g
Protein: 2.3g
Sugar: 4.9g
Sodium: 4mg

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C, or gas mark 7). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine the flour and nuts. Pulse until the nuts are chopped, leaving a few larger pieces. Pulse a few times to incorporate the salt and baking powder.

Pulse in the oil and nut butter just to combine. Pulse in the blended tofu or yogurt until a crumbly (but not dry) dough forms. Gather the dough on a piece of parchment paper and pat it into a 6-inch (15-cm) square.

Make nine 2-inch (5-cm) square biscuits. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet that has been prepared. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.