25 Feb 2023, Saturday

 25 Feb 2023, Saturday

Prioritized Daily Task

Shelby Traveller's 19th birthday

Debbie and I had prayer together before she left with the girls to a fitness exercise high peak class at Jazzworks, one of the 19 things Jodi has planned for Shelby's 19th birthday today.  Afterward, they got Shelby's car washed and brought breakfast home.  Debbie brought me a dairy-free fruit smoothie, and I had some oatmeal.  I did not eat any of the french toast they brought back for breakfast.  Later they all went to get a pedicure.  I listened to Jared Halverson's podcast Come Follow Me on some of the miracles of Christ.  I also read some before calling Charlie Hibbert and Ora, my sister.  I tried to call Dan Lester in Cedartown but no answer.  I went for a walk along the canyon wall before Jodi, Debbie, and the children got home.  Cache and Cooper got back from snowmobiling.  Debbie and Jodi prepared lunch.  After lunch we rode around Twin Falls for Shelby to relive her life in Twin Falls, where she was born, went to school, homes the family lived in while she was growing up, etc.  We went to Barnes and Noble to find $19 books and read.  Later the girls all danced and afterward, we all went to dinner at the Texas Road House Restaurant.  After dinner Debbie and I went back to Jodi and Tony's.  Debbie took the sheets from the dryer and we made the bed we had slept in.  We told everyone goodbye and wished Shelby a happy 19th birthday.  Debbie and I drove back to Lehi, unpacked, had prayer together, and went to bed.  Matthew texted and sent pictures.  Madeline's cheer team placed 5th in the NCA All*Star National Competition.  There were 25,971 athletes competing on 1,445 teams.  The team that won first place, Madeline't team had beat a few weeks back in California.  For an 11-year-old little girl on the stage in that large of an arena with thousands of people shouting and cheering would be intimating.  It will probably be a shootout in Orlando, Florida this summer at the World Competition televised by ESPN Sports.  These elite teams are very competitive. 

                                                                                NCA All-Star Nationals 2023 takes place February 25-26, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. NCA will award bids to The Cheerleading Worlds 2023

                                                      Madeline's team and coaches

                               Melodie, Madeline, and Matthew 

How to make cheese without milk

*Better than Grilled Cheese P.111-112 from "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. M.D.

1/3 cup Water

1/4 Cup nutritional yeast flakes

2 tablespoons whole-grain flour

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons no-tahini hummus

1 1/2 tablespoon ketchup or tomato sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon or more garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard or any 1 teaspoon regular mustard

8 slices of whole grain bread

 

Other receipts on the Web that are not quite as healthy - Ingredients

¾ cup peeled and diced Yukon gold potato

¾ cup peeled and diced sweet potato

2 garlic cloves

¼ cup raw cashews

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup water

To make your cheese spicy or smoky, try adding:

½ to 1 chipotle pepper from canned chipotles in adobo

1 tablespoon pickled jalapeños

¼ to ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Add a few pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until fork-tender, 8 to 12 minutes.

Drain and transfer to a high-speed blender with the garlic, cashews, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, olive oil, and water. Blend until smooth.

For spicy vegan cheese, add the chipotle pepper or pickled jalapeños. If you’d like a smoky flavor, add the smoked paprika.

Serve with tortilla chips for dipping or over pasta to make vegan mac & cheese.                                                                                                        Note: if you're using a high powdered blender, like a Vitamix, there's no need to soak the cashews. If you're using a less powerful blender, you can soak them for 2 hours. Drain before adding to the recipe.

Easy Vegan Mozzarella “Cheese”

1 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup plain unsweetened coconut yogurt* (or store-bought)

1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond or rice milk

1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)

2 – 2 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (for cheesiness)

4 Tbsp tapioca starch (for stretchiness)

Instructions

Soak cashews in very hot water for 1 hour or overnight or at least 6 hours in cool water. Drain thoroughly.

Add cashews to a high-speed blender, along with coconut yogurt (see notes for substitutions), lemon juice, almond or rice milk, salt, nutritional yeast, and tapioca starch, and blend on high until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesiness, salt for saltiness, lemon juice for acidity, or coconut yogurt for more creaminess or tang. The texture should be creamy, smooth, and pourable.

Transfer to a small saucepan or skillet, heat over medium-low heat, and begin whisking. It should start to bubble and thicken and look a little clumpy – this is OK. Keep whisking and the mixture will come together in a ball-like shape within 4-5 minutes. Lower heat if cooking too quickly. It’s also normal for the cheese to stick to the bottom of the pan a little. Don’t panic.

Lower heat to the lowest setting and switch to a wooden mixing spoon. Continue stirring until a loose “ball” is formed (see photo). Then transfer to a small mixing bowl.

At this point, it’s cheese that’s ready to be used! I prefer covering, letting it cool in the refrigerator, and then scooping into 1 Tbsp amounts for “curds” or 3 Tbsp amounts for “mozzarella-like balls.”

Optional: Make a salt water brine by adding 1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt to 2 cups (480 ml) hot water and stirring to dissolve. Then add plenty of ice to chill. Add your mozzarella balls or curds to the bath to add a bit more salty flavor. However, I found that this caused the cheese to take on more liquid and become too moist, so I’d personally recommend skipping this step.

*

WAYS TO USE THIS RICOTTA RECIPE:

You can use this tofu ricotta in pretty much any application that calls for Ricotta Cheese, but here are a few other suggestions:

• Pasta: you can’t go wrong with these Vegan Stuffed Shells! This Vegan Lemon Ricotta Pasta is also so creamy and delicious, or layer it in your favorite vegan lasagna.
• Veggie-based dishes: if you follow a low-carb diet, try this ricotta in my Eggplant Lasagna, or these Vegan Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups.
• BREAD! Dollop this ricotta over some toast with sautéed tomatoes or mushrooms – or put it on some pizza with sautéed spinach and basil (yum!)
• Sweet Applications: stuff this ricotta inside cannolis, or spread it on sweet toast with fresh fruit or jam.

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

Vegan Ricotta Cheese Recipe

PRINT RECIPE

★★★★★

5 from 22 reviews

Made with only 7 plant-based ingredients, this Vegan Ricotta Recipe is easy, healthy, and delicious! Perfect for Lasagna, Stuffed Shells, and more.

• Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: ~3 cups
• Category: Side
• Method: No Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

SCALE

• 1 14 ounce (400 g) block firm tofu, pressed*
• 1 cup (140 g) cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours*
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see notes for “sweet” variation)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt 

Optional Savory add-ins:

• 3 to 5 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder for a milder flavor)
• Black pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or other spices/herbs of choice)

Instructions

1. Whip it Up: Set up a food processor with an S-blade attachment and add the tofu, cashews, lemon zest, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt. Add the garlic, black pepper, and Italian seasoning as well, if you are going for the savory version. Process the mixture for for 45 to 60 seconds, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula as necessary. The final mixture should be creamy and fluffy, with a slight texture that melts in your mouth. 
2. Serve: Enjoy as-is as a dip, or use as desired in any recipe of choice! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Notes

• Tofu: use a tofu-press if you have one, or wrap your tofu around a clean kitchen towel and place a heavy object on top. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes, ideally. I prefer the softer texture of firm tofu for this recipe, but extra firm tofu will work as well.
• Cashews: If you forget to soak your cashews ahead of time overnight, you can (1) cover them in boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes, or (2) cover them with water and microwave for 3 minutes, then let sit for 3-5 minutes before draining. If you have a cashew allergy, you can also replace the cashews with blanched slivered almonds, macadamia nuts, or pine nuts.
• Nut-Free: double the amount of tofu, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the mixture to keep the ricotta creamy. This version will be slightly less fluffy, but still delicious!
• Sweet: you can use this ricotta in sweet applications as well, but reduce the nutritional yeast to only 1 tablespoon

Keywords: vegan ricotta, dairy free ricotta, vegan cheese recipe, vegan ricotta cheese