Thursday is my designated throwback day to tackle a classic dish and make it vegan. This week it's also St. Patrick's Day, so I was conflicted about posting something non-St. Patrick's Day related. But in the end, I was at my local health food store, Anelas Yoga and Wellness, and they had sprouted bagels AND I had just made a new batch ofCultured Cashew Cheese, and decision was basically made for me.
When I was in college, before I was vegan, I lived in a small Northern California town with the cutest every bakery that was Mexican and Jewish fusion- don't adjust your screen, that's what it was- called Los Bagels. That place was AWESOME (and I'm sure still is, even without me visiting. In addition to round bagels, they had a long straight bagel called a "slug" that had the Everything Bagel toppings- sesame, poppyseed, garlic, and onion. I would get these all the time and loved them loaded up with cream cheese, sprouts, onions, tomato, cucumber, avocado, EVERYTHING.
I really fell in love with the "Everything Bagel" there. Once I became vegan, I realized that most bagels have an egg wash and so it limits my bagel options considerably, and I haven't come across a vegan everything bagel in the supermarket. But, there are good bagel options- so what's a girl to do? Make her own? That's really intimidating to me, involving several steps, but if you are into it, here are two recipes to try: Whole Wheat Bagels from The Happy Herbivore Multigrain Bagels from Seitan is my Motor
If, like me, you just want to buy your bagels, just check the ingredients. Generally, egg is the only animal ingredient I see on bagels, but with baked goods you might check for milk/whey/butter/casein/lactose, and L-cystine (derived from hair and feathers and used as a dough condioner- I know, gross). These sprouted wheat bagels from Alvarado St. Bakery are awesome, have 10g of protein (if you are into that sort of thing) and tasty. Thomas's mini bagels are also vegan, if you have fewer choices where you live.
Everything Cream Cheese
So, in case you can't find an everything bagel, I came up with a solution- Everything Cream Cheese.
2 Tbsp vegan cream cheese (I used my Cultured Cashew Cheese, but you can get Tofutti, Daiya, or Follow Your Heart cream cheese for this instead If you don't want to wait for it to culture, this would be good with my Cultured Cashew Cheese even before it cultured.) 1/2 tsp each garlic granules, onion flakes (or chopped green onion), poppy seeds, and sesame seeds Optional: red pepper flakes to your liking Mix it all together and schmear on your toasted bagel More Toppings
If you are feeling extra fancy, top it with a vegan smoked salmon/lox alternative like this amazingrecipe from Olives for Dinner that uses carrots (this one takes a couple days- so plan ahead).
You could also simply top it with onion, capers, dill, and roasted red pepper. Sprouts and or a slice of tomato would go great with this. Go a bit sweet and add a thin layer of jalapeño jelly. Or go sweet and simple and just schmear and go. 
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When Good Food Goes Bad, but That's Good Maybe you, like me, are terrified of food spoilage and when I tell you how I make my fermented items you are going to scream and run for the hills. I totally understand, that was me until I got into it, and I still get freaked out from time to time and throw out a whole batch of something because it scares me. Fermentation is a traditional and time-honored method of preservation, but it also means intentionally leaving your food out to "age." Because I'm no expert, in fact, quite the novice, IMO, I strongly suggest you read up on it if you haven't tried it before and feel free to buy substitutes if you don't want to do home fermentation. If you are on Facebook, the group Wild Fermentation is a wealth of very skilled and experienced fermenters who can answer questions and give you suggestions on how to get your fermented goodies just right. Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases or alcohol. It occurs in yeast and bacteria. via Wikipedia There are many things that are fermented that you probably already love like wine, vinegar, kombucha, yogurt, cheese (many vegan cheeses are made with fermented nuts milks/purees), sauerkraut (while the shelf-stable sauerkraut that you get in jars or cans is made with vinegar brine, more and more stores offer wild fermented sauerkraut in the refrigerator section). and more! Want to just buy some? Here are some brands of cultured nut cheeses to try:
 The creamy base of these tacos is cultured cashew cheese. Cultured Cashew CheeseI want to reiterate here: ferment at your own risk! I am not an expert and this is just how I have made it several times and enjoy it. For more tried and true recipes from someone who IS an expert, I recommend the book Vegan Artisan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner which has lots of info and recipes on how to culture your own cheeses. You can also order Miyoko's cultured cheeses through her website or in some Whole Foods and health food stores (mostly in California). Okay, so if you are still reading, I love your adventurous spirit, let's do this! You'll need a high speed blender (or you can presoak your cashews overnight), a wide mouth mason jar with lid, and either a very thin kitchen napkin or paper towel. This needs to be made a couple days prior to eating. Recipe 1 cup raw cashews/cashew pieces (I like these in bulk for a good price) 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil 1/2 tsp pink salt 1 tsp fermented cashew cheese (If you can get some, this will make for a really good starter, so if you order some from Miyokos or find some in the store, just save a bit to get the process going. It works without, but it sure helps. Some recipes call for using a probiotic capsule to start it, so you can try that instead. I've even used a little liquid from live sauerkraut as a starter and it worked well.) Blend all ingredients until silky smooth. Like this. It's actually really good right at this point for a mild cream cheese, but I like to get it a bit funky, so I top it with a piece of paper towel or thin kitchen towel and the ring for the lid and set in a darkish corner of my kitchen counter. In 12-24 hours, little bubbles become visible, and that means it's ready to transfer to the refrigerator. You can also go by taste, but make sure to use a clean spoon and no double dipping! You don't want to introduce your mouth bacteria or any from your hands into your mixture. When it's got a nice tangy flavor, it's ready to move to the refrigerator and put the flat part of the lid in place instead of the paper towel or it will dry out. It's best to leave it overnight to solidify (this is where the coconut oil does it's magic. It becomes thick and creamy like cream cheese and I like it in place of vegan mayo on veggie burgers, tacos, in sandwiches, or on toast topped with avocado. When it warms up, it will melt back into that thick oozy goodness like when you first poured it from the blender, so be aware it will be messy if you use a lot. I like a thin layer for a flavor punch.  This is good to sit for a bit.  After 24 hours: perfect! Flavor add ins:
As always- have fun! Use your imagination and see how it turns out! |
I wrote a children's book, How Our Vegan Family Celebrates, to help vegans and vegan allies know how to include vegans in their celebrations and give affirmation to vegan kids who may feel alone. The book goes through holidays throughout the year and has a section at the back with parent tips!
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AuthorI love cooking and playing in the kitchen with my toys, so let me share that joy with you and your family to bring the FUN back into the kitchen! Categories
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