Let’s talk about the vegan food market. For years, there were very few vegan cheeses. Then there were tasteless, rubbery vegan cheeses. Then we had some “okay” cheese alternatives. And now we have an amazing array of vegan cheese from Kitehill to Daiya.

One gap in the vegan market that I think many of us have been painfully aware of is a lack of vegan salad dressings! I mean, yes, we can goto almost any store and find a vegan Italian dressing, but blue cheese, ranch, french? Not a chance!

This month Daiya announced that they are expanding outside of their vegan cheeses, mac’n’cheese and pizzas. They are releasing salad dressing! I’m embarrassingly excited for this release. All my life, pre-vegan, I used Italian dressing and balsamic vinegar, but ever since I became vegan, I’ve had a strange yearning for new dressings. I suppose my wishes have been answered!

Daiya’s line will start with three flavors: Blue Cheeze, Homestyle Ranch, and Creamy Caesar. I’m looking forward to a quick goto ranch dressing. I don’t mind making my own, but this will be great for those busy days!

But wait, there’s more! Hampton Creek also came out with a big announcement this month. Hampton Creek is rolling out not one, not five, not ten, but 43 new products this year! You read that right—43 new products!

These products will be available at your local Wal*Mart and Target stores, so the company is going for a wide-reaching release. In addition to their ever popular (and tasty) Just Mayo and Just Cookies, they will now be producing a variety of cake and muffin mixes, salad dressings, pancakes, brownies, vegan scramble and more! These products will slowly roll out throughout summer 2016. My mouth is watering just thinking of all the new products I’ll get to try! I also think the packaging looks beautiful and fresh!

What product are you most excited about? I’d love to hear about it. Let me know!

Cheers!

Jocelyn

The post New Daiya & Hampton Creek Products Hitting Shelves! appeared first on Vegan Hostess.

I’m Italian, and I love pasta. However, I try to limit the amount of carbs I eat throughout the week so I tend to save some of my favorite Italian meals for special treats and holiday dinners. I usually make a hearty vegan lasagna for Christmas dinner, but this year I have been planning to make vegan stuffed shells. 

Today was my lucky day. The item I had be searching for high and low for weeks was finally in stock at my local Whole foods. So what is this item? It’s vegan ricotta cheese made by kitehill, and it was worth the search. Their almond milk ricotta is worlds above any tofu ricotta I’ve made in the past. The first time I made this dish I fooled omnivores and vegetarians alike with my vegan take on stuffed shells.

The recipe results in a true Italian dish full of fresh herbs with rich flavors and spicy marinara sauce all topping the perfect faux ricotta mix which includes kitehill ricotta, mozzarella Daiya, fresh basil, shallots and green peppers.

I hope you enjoy it! Cheers!

Jocelyn

Vegan Stuffed Shells

Time: 50-55 minutes, cook time – 25-30 minutes; prep time – 25 minutes

Yields: 30 shells or six servings

Ingredients

• Two jars pasta sauce (alternatively you can make you own sauce; I tend to buy a pre-made sauce and add extra flavors)
• Jumbo shells (30 shells, varies depending on company)
• Vegan Ricotta:
  • 2-3 packages of Kitehill vegan ricotta
  • 1 package, Mozzarella Daiya
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 1 large bell pepper dived
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Fresh basil leaves, sliced
  • Fresh oregano, minced (1 tbsp)
  • Fresh thyme, minced (½ tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp, sea salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ tsp, cayenne

Directions

• Grease a very large casserole dish or a few smaller casserole dishes, and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• Boil a large pot of water, lightly salted. (I also add a splash of olive oil so the shells don’t stick).
  • Once the water is boiling, add the shells. (Note, you will need to cook more than 30 since some will break during cooking.)
  • Boil for about 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.
  • Drain the shells, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, drain again, and set aside to cool.
• Sauté the minced shallots and garlic in a well oiled sauté pan. (About 5 minutes.) Set aside.
• Sauté your sweet onion and green bell pepper and set aside. (About 7 minutes.)
  • While you are sautéing your veggies, mince and shred your fresh herbs.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, empty the contents of the Kitehill vegan ricotta packages.
  • Add 1 package Daiya mozzerella and mix well.
  • Next add the fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, cayenne, sea salt, black pepper, and the minced garlic and shallots. Mix until well combined.
• Cover the bottom and sides of the baking pans with marinara sauce.
• Spoon the ricotta mixture into your stuffed shells and place in a single layer in the baking dishes.
• Cover with the remaining pasta sauce (be heavy handed) and sprinkle any remaining nominal amounts of the fresh herbs.
• Loosely cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling.
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

The post A Vegan Holiday: Recipe Stuffed Shells appeared first on Vegan Hostess.