I grew up in Channahon, IL  - population 12,560. It’s a quiet place inhabited these days mostly by old folks, and it isn’t known for much. In fact, when I found out that Nick Offerman’s dad taught social studies at a junior high in Channahon I burst in on Tony in the bathroom to tell him about it. It’s literally the most exciting fact about Channahon you will ever learn. But it was a good place to be a kid – lots of wide-open spaces to run around in, and steep, steep hills to ride your bike down. (My mom doesn’t like when I compare that to the dirt bike scene in Gummo, but that’s what it reminds me of.)

Of the many things Channahon is not famous for, it is probably least famous for its cuisine. For most of my life the only non-chain restaurant around was a truck stop called Sarah’s Place that served re-heated frozen delicacies like jalapeño poppers and chicken fingers. But that didn’t bother us, because my family could potluck and cookout with the best of them. Burgers and hot dogs took a backseat to the sides that my mom, cousins and aunt would whip up. My mom’s taco salad (that she started making with fake meat for me in 1998 and no one has noticed to this day), my cousin Mikey’s twice-baked potatoes and my Aunt Cindy’s taffy apple salad stand out as favorites in my memory.

After receiving a sneak peek package of Chicago Vegan Foods‘ Dandies Mini Vegan Marshmallows I decided to revisit my aunt’s go-to side dish with all vegan ingredients. (These will be available in the fall – until then, you can use kitchen scissors to snip full-sized Dandies into smaller pieces.) Turns out, it’s actually way less work than the original! I made some swaps, too, like walnuts in place of peanuts and tart green apples in place of Red Delicious – but if you could definitely switch back if you wanted to. Taffy apple salad recipes vary – some call for crushed pineapple, some call for chopped up Snickers bars – so in this recipe I made sure to capture the essential elements of whipped cream, nuts & apples and did my best to include a hint of sugar and salt.

Use this recipe for candied walnuts (although I up the salt to 1/4 tsp). To make coconut whipped cream, place two cans of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, carefully turn them over and open the bottom. Pour out the water, and place the thick cream that’s leftover into a mixing bowl. Use a handheld electric mixer to beat the cream until it’s thickened. You may wish to add a 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum or another vegan whipped cream stabilizer to keep the whipped cream from separating over time. I didn’t sweeten or flavor the coconut cream in this recipe, although you could add 2 Tbs of confectioner’s sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract for that authentic Cool Whip flavor.

What are some childhood food favorites you’d like to see receive a makeover?

Here is my secret to a winning vegan dinner recipe: Mix four things together. Make sure one of them is Doritos. The end.

At the time of this posting, Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are the only vegan variety, although I hope their popularity will encourage Doritos to come out with more. Please be sure to check the ingredients before you buy as they may change over time and I’m way too lazy to come back and update this post. If this recipe floats your boat you’re going to love my cookbook. Pre-order it now!

Pot pies are a savory dish incased inside two flaky pastry crusts. This dish doesn’t have a crust at all, so technically it’s a casserole, but here’s the thing about that – I don’t care. I like to say “tot pot pie” and there is nothing anyone on this earth can do to stop me. Nothing. I might be small, but I’m quick with an eye-poke and I have burned bridges over things way more petty than this, so let’s not come to blows over me calling a casserole a pot pie, OK?

Anyway, this recipe features a spin on a vegan cheese sauce you’ll find in my upcoming book, Bake and Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans. You should probably click that link, because I recently added some quotes about the book from people like vegan cookbook author Julie Hasson and pro-wrestler Colt Cabana, and I’m just a tiny bit proud of those.

Here’s the recipe for Chee-Zee Sauce, you’ll need it to complete this dish:

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 & 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbs cornstarch
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Dissolve the salt in warm water, then add the cashews and soak them for at least 1 hour. Place all the ingredients, including the cashews and soaking water into a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until thickened (6-8 minutes). Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and set aside.

Experienced vegans and vegetarians, step aside – I’m about to drop some knowledge on some of our newbie friends that you might already know. I think it’s worth talking about, though, because a lot of people ask me about soy-free vegetarian options, and/or inexpensive meal ideas and jackfruit is one of my go-to answers. If you’re super new to the whole not-eating-meat thing, you might also want to check out my Crash Course in Eating plant Strong.

What is jackfruit?

Jackfruit is a huge tree-borne fruit that typically grows in tropical regions. When ripe, they taste a little bit like a tart banana. Just close your eyes and think about that for a second… Tart. Banana. But we’re not here to talk about ripe jackfruit, we’re actually here to talk about young, or unripe jackfruit. Young jackfruit has a really mild flavor, and once you get your hands on it, it has the texture of shredded pork or poultry. Pretty weird, right?

Why should I eat it?

Well, like I said – jackfruit is an inexpensive, soy-free meat alternative, so it has that going for it. Like pretty much all fruit, jackfruit provides a decent burst of energy because it contains simple sugars like fructose and sucrose. It’s also a good source of fiber, and who doesn’t appreciate a healthy b.m.? Plus, it’s a pretty decent source of Vitamin C, is rich in B-complex vitamins (not so common in fruit) – and the seeds are a good source of protein. So stick it your mouth-hole today!

Where do I buy it?

Look for cans of young jackfruit in brine (not syrup) in Asian grocery stores, or if you have a nice international market nearby, look in the Asian section there. It should be under $2 for a 10 oz can. If you absolutely cannot find it anywhere near you, you can order it online. Or, if you are my mom and sister, ask me to bring you cans of it every time I visit, because I totally will.

What do I do with it?

Cook it with BBQ sauce, coconut milk and spices, or anything you like, really. Then, throw it on a bun, use it to top off a salad, toss it on a baked potato… the sky is the limit when you’re in the jackfruit cult.

No, like, literally – what do I do with it? Give me recipes, dummy.

Oh, right, I forgot no one knows how to use Google except for me. So, first you need to drain and rinse the fruit. Squeeze out as much of the water as you can, then rinse it and squeeze it again.

Once you’ve manhandled it, you’ll notice that it starts to take on a meaty texture. Also, the seeds will make their creepy, toe-like presence known. There is an 85% chance this will freak you out. Remain calm. Some people like to save the seeds and use them kind of like beans in other dishes. I am too hungry and impatient for that, so I just keep them in the mix. Now, there are lots of ways to cook jackfruit – you can simmer it in spiced coconut milk on the stove top, you can bake it, or, like me, you can toss it into a slow cooker. (I received a Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System at the Food Bloggers Conference a few months ago and I make pretty much everything in there.)

There are a few official recipes in my book including a jackfruit breakfast hash and a savory BBQ jackfruit salad, but unofficially:

Eat it on a bun, on a salad, on a baked potato, nachos… do what thou wilt. That’s my story about jackfruit. Enjoy.

One thing that irritates me about Pinterest is how impossible it is to track down the original source for ideas you find pinned. For instance, a few days ago one of my friends pinned a photo of raw, vegan cookie dough bites with the caption, “OMG, really tastes like cookie dough!” Claims like that make my Food Puncher ears perk up, so I clicked the link and found the recipe posted on some blog and printed it out. But today when I went back to Pinterest to find it (I hadn’t pinned it because, like I said, I mostly hate Pinterest) I found a bazillion identical recipes attached to dozens of different adorable photos overlaid with cutesy banners and fonts. So long story long, I don’t know exactly where this recipe came from because there are numerous pastel and polka dot blogs out there laying claim to it.

Anyway, this recipe made 12 little “cookie dough” balls and Teno ate 10 of them the first night. I know that sort of gives away what his review is all about, but in truth, he spent most of his camera time reading the recipe out loud and talking about soy milk (don’t worry, I edited). All in all these were a pretty tasty little snack, easy to make and good for you, too. Oh, and if you are on Pinterest, be sure to check out my Shit I’m Sick Of board. I think it’s the crabbiest board on the whole website.

I got home from South Beach Wine & Food Fest just in time for Chicago to dump about a foot of snow on us. SPF 100+ straight to snow boots, this is my life. But I wasn’t complaining because the slushy weather inspired Tony to whip up one of his famous one-pot concoctions. I mentioned in my post about Tony’s Anarchist Tacos that the man doesn’t believe in recipes – so I’ve been trying to peek over his shoulder lately so I can get some of my favorite Tony dishes down on paper. I mean, what if he left me? How would I make soup???

Unlike lots of stews, this potato and kale dish is table-ready in less than 30 minutes – no all day simmering required. The flavors do intensify  though, as does the color thanks to the turmeric if you save the left overs for lunch the next day. When we make this again I’ll be sure to have some toasted walnuts on hand – they would be amazing in this sweet and savory stew – you could also serve it over rice or quinoa. I threw flax seeds in mine because I am a secret hippy.

Do you love my Bake and Destroy bowl? Me too! These, and a few other limited edition Bake and Destroy pieces will be available for sale by Circa Ceramics when my book comes out in August!