Vegan Parsley-Pesto Sauce

 

Pesto is a sauce originated in Italy that traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, pine nuts blended with olive oil and parmesan cheese. But basil and pine nuts are not readily available in Asia, thus here's a twisted version of pesto for us! 

 

 

I am pretty sure there is at least once (or very often!) that you have tons of leftover English parsley in your pantry that you cannot use up in time before it goes bad, and neither do you want to miss out using this green herbs as a beautiful garnishing which perfect your dishes, and for photography. Then, this recipe is perfect for you!

 

 

And if pine nuts are not readily accessible in your local stores, you may replace with walnuts, almond or cashew nuts. To replace diary cheese that is traditionally used in pesto recipes, I used nutritional yeast for that nutty and cheesy taste, you may use also vegan cheese. This is perfect for vegans! I use this pesto sauce for pasta, pizza base, as sandwich spread, as dip for crunchy veggies like carrot, cucumber and celery, and as salad sauce! One sauce, multi-purpose.. love it!

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.
Yield 1 cup

 

Ingredients
 1/4 cup cashew nuts (or pine nuts, walnuts, almond)

 2 1/2 cups fresh parsley, packed
 3 cloves garlic, peeled
 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
 2 tsp lemon zest 

 1 Tbsp lemon juice
 1/2 tsp salt
 Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

 

Method

1. Toast nuts in a dry pan for 5-6 minutes over medium heat or in Airfryer until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove and set aside to cool.

2. Into a food processor, add nuts and pulse a few times until smaller pieces. Then add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) and blend slowly until smooth. Through the feed tube, pour in the oils until evenly blended

 

3. Transfer to a jar and serve and use as you like!

 

Tips

☼ How to store?

Freeze in ice cube tray or baking mould, remove pesto cubes and place into a bag. It can be stored frozen up to one months.

Make Caramel from Sweetened Condensed Milk - Just One Ingredient!



Making caramel from sweetened condensed milk with just one ingredient, seriously? Yes! The usual method is to boil an unopened can of condensed milk, but I really cannot bring myself to do this. Because I do not usually even take any canned food, let alone eating the stuff in the metal tin that was on low heat for hours! 

 

BPA is an industrial compound, but food manufacturers use BPA to protect food from metal corrosion and bacteria. BPA is a toxic chemical linked to health risks including reproductive abnormalities, heart disease and cancer and other serious health problems.

 

Thus, I did some research to see if there are other methods to this, and realised I could use a sealed glass jar instead. An added advantage of using glass jar is that you will be able to see if the caramel is ready! How thrilled! So here's the recipe!

 

Ingredients

 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (any brands work!)

 Water for simmering

 

Method

1. Fill about 3/4 of the glass jar with condensed milk, and seal the bottle cap tight. Doing a few bottles at one go is even more value for money!

 

2. Fully submerge with water the glass jars in slow cooker or pot over stove. From time to time, check on the water level in the pot, if the water evaporate, add water. NOTE: if the glass bottle is not fully submerge, it will explode! Make sure it is just simmering and not boiling.

 

a) Using slower cooker method

Cook on low heat (not high or auto) for 8 hours.

 

b) Using pot over stove method 

Leave on a simmer for about 3 hours.  



Condensed Milk in Glass Jar in Slow Cooker



3. Remove from pot, let cool for about 5-10 minutes.

 

4. Open the cap, and enjoy your caramel as dips, spread for jam, sauce for any desserts and for any baking recipes e.g. popcorns. The list is endless. Store in fridge to keep it fresh and lasting.



Turned into Caramel after 8 hours in slow cooker

Look at the colour of the caramel, yumm!

Notes

☼ I think it is more energy efficient and cost saving to simmer over stove for 3 hours than over slow cooker for 8 hours.  

☼ This is a express method, but I'm hesitant because of the additional sugar, but will try this if I'm in rush!

 

Bulking method (faster)
1) Melt equal weights of brown sugar and butter in a pan on low heat until mixture becomes smooth liquid.
2) Add condensed milk, continue to simmer and stir continuously for 20 minutes until brown.

 

Chipotle Mayo

This Chipotle Mayo is multipurpose, it is great as a dipping sauce, condiment and salad dressing. It only takes seconds to whip up when you need it!

Make 3 Tbsp

Ingredients

 ½ tsp chipotle sauce, I used TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce
 3 tbsp vegan mayo 
 1/4 tsp paprika powder
 Sea salt, to taste
 Fresh black pepper, to taste

Method
1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Taste, add more chipotle sauce if desired, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Chef's Notes
☼ Add a little hot sauce for more spicy kick!

Vegan Mayonnaise (Using Tofu!)

Why get store-bought mayonnaise when you can make your own? Here is a easy and inexpensive recipe for making your own fat-free vegan mayo at home, egg free!

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan. 
Make 1 Cup

Ingredients

 300g silken tofu, drain off excess water
 2 Tbsp dijon or whole-grain mustard 
 1½ tsp distilled white vinegar
 Lemon juice, to taste
 Agave nectar or maple syrup (any other sweetener), to taste
 Refined coconut oil (optional)

Method
1. Combine tofu, lemon juice and mustard in a blender or food processor or simply use a immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth and creamy.

2. Add few drops of lemon juice and agave nectar, then blend again.

3. Taste, and add more lemon, honey or mustard as desired. If the mixture is too runny, add some coconut oil and continue to blend. As coconut solidify at 24 degree Celsius, after being placed in fridge overnight, the mixture will thicken.

4. Chill until ready to use.


Notes
☼ Can be stored in airtight container in refrigerator up to 7 days. Can keep in freezer

Japanese Vinaigrette (Wafu Salad)



Here is my all-purpose salad dressing to dress any leafy greens and raw veggies like tomato and cucumber. 'Wafu' means Japanese-style. This dressing is an aromatic, flavorful combination of classic ingredients yet still simple and easy to whip up with minutes.

Serve 2

Ingredients

For the Dressing:
 2 Tbsp white or rice vinegar

 1 tsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos

 1/4 tsp sugar or molasses

 1 tsp sesame oil

 1 tsp olive or flaxseed oil

 1/2 tsp roasted white sesames or chia seeds
 1 tsp tonkatsu sauce (optional)

 1 clove garlic or 1 tsp ginger, grated

 
For the Salad:
 Any lettuces you prefer
 Tomato, chopped
 Cucumber, chopped
 Raisins
 Any (roasted) nuts
 

Method

1. Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a bowl.

 

2. Add to the salad right before serving, leave some balance dressing for dipping.

 

Notes

☼ Keep this dressing handy in your fridge, can keep up to 3 days.