Hoff's Quick Mac & Cheese

Hoff's Quick Mac & Cheese
Yields: 4-6 serving
meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. Gluten-free Pasta
• 1 stick Earth Balance Butter
• 1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1 cup unsweetened plain Plant Milk
• 1 tbsp. Arrowroot
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Cook Pasta according to directions
2. Meanwhile put remaining ingredients (except Butter) into Vitamix & blend until smooth
3. Drain Pasta, return to pot, mix in "Cheese Sauce" & Butter
4. Return to stove-top to heat through
5. Enjoy!

Hoff's Portobello Stew (Instant Pot)

Hoff's Portobello Stew (Instant Pot)
Yields: 6-8 servings
meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free

Ingredients:

• 32 oz. Veggie Broth
• 2 cartons Portobello Mushrooms
• 1-2 cups Baby Potatoes (quartered)
• 3-4 Carrots (chopped)
• 1 15 oz. can Green Beans (rinsed & drained)
• 1 15 oz. can Tomato Sauce
• 1 medium Sweet Onion (chopped)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1/4 cup Braggs
• 3 tbsp. Arrowroot
• 1 tbsp. minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp. Coconut Sugar
• 1 tsp. Paprika
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Dissolve Arrowroot in a few tablespoons of Water, set aside 
2. Stir ingredients together in the IP, Bay Leaves on top (except Arrowroot)
3. Close & lock lid
4. Set Pressure Valve to Sealing
5. Select Manual setting, High Pressure & set for 15 minutes
6. Manually release pressure
7. Remove Bay Leaves 
8. Stir in dissolved Arrowroot

Hoff Thoughts: You want just enough liquid to cover the ingredients, if you don't have enough, just add some Water.

Happy Turkey Day!

Hoff's Orange Risotto Rice (Instant Pot)

Hoff's Orange Risotto Rice (Instant Pot)
Yields: 4-6 Servings
meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Orange Juice
• 2 cups Veggie Broth
• 2 cups Risotto Rice
• 1 15 oz. can Mandarin Oranges in light syrup
• 5 oz. Spinach (optional greens add)
• 3 tbsp. chopped Cashews (optional)
• Sea Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Mix Juice & Rice together in IP
2. Lock lid in place and make sure pressure release valve is closed
3. Press "Manual" button & reduce time to 5 minutes
4. When done, use quick release method
5. Stir in Spinach until wilted, Mandarin Oranges with Juice & Cashew pieces
6. Season with Sea Salt

Hoff Thoughts: I don't actually chop my Cashews, I just throw them in a sandwich bag and bash them a bit with a heavy object, ah...Zen.  I also don't buy whole Cashews, too pricey!  Instead, I opt for their cheaper, yet still tasty alternative - Cashew pieces.  As I typically blend them to make sauces or break them into tiny pieces for a hit of crunch in dishes such as this, the cost effective pieces work out perfectly!

Mushroom Alfredo

Mushroom Alfredo
Yields: 5-6 servings
meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Gluten-free Pasta
• 1 Sweet Onion (half moon slices)
• 1 carton Mushrooms 
• 1/2-1 cup Veggie Broth
• 1 cup Cashews
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened plain Almond Milk
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1/2 Lemon
• 2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Cook Pasta according to directions
2. Meanwhile place Cashews, Milk, Garlic, Juice of Lemon & Seasonings into a Vitamix
3. Blend until well combined (about 30 seconds)
4. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick frying pan, sautee Onions until brown
5. As Onions begin to stick, add a splash of Veggie Broth
6. Add Mushrooms, adding Veggie Broth when needed
7. When Pasta is done, use a slotted spoon to transfer Pasta to Sauce (the goal is to incoprporate some of the starchy water to create a thicker Sauce
8. Stir & serve

Hoff's Quick Red Lentil Soup (IP)

Hoff's Quick & Easy Red Lentil Soup

Servings: 6
meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, oil-free, soy-free, gluten-free

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Red Lentils
• 4 cups Veggie Broth
• 1 cup Water
• 1 15 oz. can diced Potatoes (rinsed & drained)
• 1 15 oz. can Tomato Sauce
• 1 15oz. Beans (rinsed & drained)
• 1 tsp. Dried Onions
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika 
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Stir everything together in the IP
2. Lock lid in place and make sure pressure release valve is closed
5. Select Manual setting on High Pressure & cook for 2 minutes
6. Natural release pressure for 15 minutes, then Quick release
7. Season with Sea Salt

Hoff's Thoughts: Soup is even better the next day.

This Time I Really Found An Aluminum-Free Deodorant That Works!

I know, I know - I've made this proclamation before when I exclaimed that Thai Deodorant Stone Crystal Deodorant Stone was the real deal.

I'm sorry, I was...wrong.

At first, the stone was the bomb, worked beautifully...for a few months, then things started going south and I switched back to my aluminum-laced deodorant that I had shoved to the back of the cabinet in case things didn't work out.  But after using that for a few months, I would freak out over the aluminum and switch back to the stone, which worked for a few months and then slowly stopped working.

In retrospect, this was a disturbingly good thing.  What it forced me to realize was that I was absorbing all the chemical crap from the aluminum deodorant and that it was taking two months to work itself out of my system - that's why the stone appeared to be working. DISTURBING!

More motivated than ever to find an effective aluminum-free deodorant I tried one natural deodorant after another, until I finally found what I was looking for.

Determined not to make the same misguided proclamation to all of you again, I used said product for over a year and I'm still in love with its effectiveness!

Despite searching the world, the answer turned out to be in my own backyard - made right here in Lakewood, Ohio - Stem Soaps has crafted the perfect aluminum-free deodorant!

While they have the cutest little shop that deserves a drop-in, don't despair non-Clevenlanders, all of their products including this coveted deodorant is available online!

Check it out!