Galaxy Nutritional Foods Blog

Out of this Galaxy Cheesecake

September 27th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

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.

Process cookies in the bowl of a food processor. Pour in melted spread and agave and pulse briefly to combine.
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.
Add crumbs and press down using the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake 5 minutes. Let cool.
Combine cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
Add remaining ingredients, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Pour mixture onto baked and cooled cookie crust.
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.
Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours until the cheesecake is firm in the center.
Remove cheesecake pan from water bath and place on cooling rack. When cooled, transfer cheesecake pan to the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 10 hours.
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.
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

Veggie Gourmet
www.veggourmet.wordpress.com

Congratulations GNF Second Recipe Contest

August 28th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

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.

Second Galaxy Nutritional Foods Recipe Contest

August 8th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

We are excited to announce our second recipe contest!!

Okay home cooks; we invite you to send us your best recipe for a dish using Galaxy’s Vegan or Veggie Classic Plain or Garlic and Chive Cream Cheese. The First Place Winner will receive $50 worth of Galaxy product. The Second Place Winner 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.

*RECIPES ARE DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011. Recipes should be submitted to [email protected].

We will pick five finalists; then post them here on the Galaxy Blog for you to vote on. The three final recipes will be chosen based on taste and creativity.

Voters will have five days to cast votes on the Galaxy Blog (by commenting on a post) between SATURDAY, AUGUST 20 – FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2011.

The winner will be announced on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31.

Galaxy Nutritional Foods Recipe Contest Terms

Only original recipes may be submitted. If your recipe was inspired by another source (a published one i.e. on a blog or cookbook not authored originally by you) that is fine, but you need to tell us how you changed it and include a link to the original source. Plagiarism in the eyes of this contest’s organizers is the same as theft and will not be tolerated.

A recipe may only be submitted once.

You may only vote once for each contest, but you may vote for your own recipe. If you do not like a recipe do not vote for it. Constructive criticism is fine; just remember everyone has feelings and different taste buds.
PRIVACY: By entering and providing the required entry information, entrants acknowledge that Galaxy may also send to entrant information, samples or special offers it believes may be of interest to entrant about Galaxy publications or other complementary goods or services offered by Galaxy. Information collected from entrants is subject to Galaxy’s privacy policy. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SHARE YOUR INFORMATION, PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THIS PROMOTION.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION: Except where prohibited by law, by participating Contest entrants agree that: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participant(s) and Galaxy and its agents shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of the State of Minnesota without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law of any jurisdiction. Entrant agrees that any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to this Contest, or awarding of the prizes, shall be filed only in the state or federal courts located in the State of Minnesota. Entrant hereby consents and submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of litigating any such action. Except where prohibited by law, by participating in this Contest, entrant agrees as follows: (a) that any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or awarding of the prizes, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating in this Contest but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will any participant be permitted to obtain awards for and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitations or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above may not apply to you.

OTHER: Galaxy assumes no responsibility for entries or votes it is unable to process due to network, hardware or other technical failures; or any other reason, or incomplete, damaged, misdirected, illegible, stolen or lost entries or votes. Galaxy reserves the right, in its sole discretion to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the voting process, the operation of the web site or otherwise in violation of these Official Rules. Galaxy further reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate or modify this promotion if not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, technical corruption, non-authorized human intervention, force majeure or any other causes beyond the control of the Galaxy which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or integrity of the contest. In the event of cancellation, Galaxy reserves the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received prior to date of cancellation.

Galaxy Nutritional Foods Bloggers Contest

May 27th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Galaxy Nutritional Foods Bloggers Contest: How Galaxy Nutritional Foods Has Changed My Life

Galaxy Nutritional Foods is excited to announce we will be offering food bloggers nationwide an opportunity to win the first ever Galaxy Nutritional Foods blogger sponsorship and travel to Santa Monica, California to attend International Food Blogger Conference 2011 scheduled November 11-12, 2011. This two-day conference is one of the social media networking events within the food community. In addition to hanging out with fellow foodies this lucky food blogger will attend engaging seminars by leading authors, bloggers, chefs, and influencers in the social media industry. Attending a blogger conference is a great way to gain increased exposure for one’s blog, now times that by 2-3 with the exposure this lucky blogger will get from Galaxy linking to those blog posts on our popular Facebook page with a community of almost 12,000!

Grand prize is $1000 cash

THE RULES:

The competition is open to adults (18 and older) with a food/nutrition/lifestyle blog that has been publishing for at least 12 months.

Please include the URL of your blog.

Entrants must submit a statement of 75 words or less describing “How Galaxy Nutritional Foods Has Changed My Life” and one photograph of a dish you made (does not matter if from an original recipe) using a Galaxy Nutritional Foods product.

Applicants should have an active Facebook and/or Twitter account(s). Please include links to either/both.

Written entries will be judged on relevance to theme, creativity, and how inspiring they are. Photographs will be judged on composition (lighting, angle, background) and creativity.

Submit entries to [email protected].

All online entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 10, 2011.

The winner will be announced on Friday, June 17, 2011.

Winner Agreement:

Display Galaxy Nutritional Foods badge (logo) as provided by Galaxy Nutritional Foods on the home/landing page of the website/blog in a manner clearly visible to the user without scrolling down and in the top 768 pixels of the page (“Above the Fold”) for four consecutive months beginning July 1, 2011.

Provide Galaxy Nutritional Foods with final approval of the placement, look and feel of the badge on the website/blog in a timely manner.

Notify Galaxy Nutritional Foods if there is a malfunction with the badge (logo).

Exclusively represent Galaxy Nutritional Foods at the Blog Conference in Santa Monica, California scheduled November 11-12, 2011.

To network with other participants at the International Food Blogger Conference in Galaxy Nutritional Foods at the Blog Conference in Santa Monica, California scheduled November 11-12, 2011. This includes contacting participating bloggers chosen by Galaxy Nutritional Foods and the winner (via email or social media) in advance of the conference.

To follow-up with bloggers from the conference via email after the show on behalf of Galaxy Nutritional Foods with offers of GNF product samples (GNF will send samples directly on behalf of GNF and the winner and absorb all shipping costs exclusively for the GNF samples).

Tweeting – Winner will include periodic mentions of Galaxy Nutritional Foods (including links to GNF’s Twitter handle in Tweets related to experience at conference,

Winners will be expected to cover up front expenses…Galaxy Nutritional Foods will pay $500 by July 1, 2011 and $500 by November 28, 2011.

THE JUDGES:

Jamie Schapiro, Director of Marketing Galaxy Nutritional Foods

Alex Jamieson, author of The Great American Detox Diet, blogger, nutrition and wellness coach

Elisa Bosley, Senior Food Editor Delicious Living

HOW GALAXY NUTRITIONAL FOODS HAS CHANGED MY LIFE CONTEST TERMS:

Registrants may only enter the contest once.
2. By entering this contest, entrants agree Galaxy Nutritional Foods may use information and or quotes from application submissions and winner blog posts for marketing and sales purposes.
PRIVACY: By entering and providing the required entry information, entrants acknowledge that Galaxy may also send to entrant information, samples or special offers it believes may be of interest to entrant about Galaxy publications or other complementary goods or services offered by Galaxy. Information collected from entrants is subject to Galaxy’s privacy policy. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SHARE YOUR INFORMATION, PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THIS PROMOTION.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION: Except where prohibited by law, by participating Contest entrants agree that: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participant(s) and Galaxy and its agents shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of the State of Minnesota without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law of any jurisdiction. Entrant agrees that any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to this Contest, or awarding of the prizes, shall be filed only in the state or federal courts located in the State of Minnesota. Entrant hereby consents and submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of litigating any such action. Except where prohibited by law, by participating in this Contest, entrant agrees as follows: (a) that any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or awarding of the prizes, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating in this Contest but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will any participant be permitted to obtain awards for and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitations or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above may not apply to you.

OTHER: Galaxy assumes no responsibility for entries or votes it is unable to process due to network, hardware or other technical failures; or any other reason, or incomplete, damaged, misdirected, illegible, stolen or lost entries or votes. Galaxy reserves the right, in its sole discretion to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the voting process, the operation of the web site or otherwise in violation of these Official Rules. Galaxy further reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate or modify this promotion if not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, technical corruption, non-authorized human intervention, force majeure or any other causes beyond the control of the Galaxy which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or integrity of the contest. In the event of cancellation, Galaxy reserves the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received prior to date of cancellation.

Breakfast Burritos from Eating Well

May 18th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Eating Well’s new cookbook Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals is chocked full of delicious recipes that are easy to prepare and accompanied by nutritional information. This one could be great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Enjoy!

Breakfast Burritos from Eating Well’s Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals

Ingredients:
1 tsp canola oil
2 red potatoes, cooked (poke several holes in potatoes and microwave on High until cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes), peeled, if desired, and diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped scallions (4-6 scallions), divided
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
4 corn tortillas or small whole-wheat flour tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup tomato
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and 1/3 cup scallions and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato and chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Beat eggs, egg whites and cayenne with a fork in a small bowl. Push the vegetables away from the center of the pan and pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring the eggs with a wooden spoon, until some curds have formed but the mixture is still creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and stir the eggs and vegetables together.

Divide the egg mixture among warm tortillas and roll each one into a burrito. Top each with a spoonful of salsa, a little cheese and some of the remaining chopped scallions. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Asparagus Souffle

May 11th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Whether or not you live in or are from the south, the turmoil Mother Nature has wreaked there over the past month can hardly go unnoticed. Reuters reported that, between Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, a total of nearly 3 million acres of farmland had been inundated. In Mississippi the river could rise 11 more feet in the next ten days. Our thoughts are with those in the Delta suffering the worst flood to hit the region in over 70 years.

The American Red Cross and Salvation Army are two of the organizations helping those left homeless in the wake of this natural disaster. If you know of food banks in the areas hit by flooding, please post information on them in the Comments section.

With this region on our mind, we share with you today a delicious recipe for comfort food from an old spiral bound collection organized by the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi. Please note, we suggest substitutions for several items in order to make this a more heart healthy recipe.

Asparagus Souffle by Mrs. Robert Allen Smith from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi’s Southern Sideboards

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can asparagus spears, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (substitute with Galaxy’s Veggie or Rice Cheddar Shreds)
1 cup mayonnaise (or Vegenaise)
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (Imagine’s Mushroom Soup is a good option)

Directions:

Beat eggs in blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend. Pour into lightly greased 1 1/2 quart souffle dish. Place souffle dish in a second pan and add 2 inches of water. Bake at 350 F for 55 – 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Yield: 6 servings

Guacamole and Chips

May 4th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

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)

Linguine in Lemon Cream Sauce from Vegetarian Times (and 2011 Foodie Awards)

April 28th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

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.

Fennel Soup with a Green Swirl

April 19th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

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 Waffle, Sausage, and Cheese Panini

April 14th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

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