On the topic of moderation, I have been eating a lot more dairy products than I used to lately and one of my goals for 2013 is to cut back to once a week (pizza!) or special occasions. Too much dairy just doesn’t work for me.

Something that I tend to crave in the cold months is a stuffed baked potato. Especially with steamed or blanched broccoli and cheese sauce. When I was 15 I became vegetarian but didn’t really know much about nutrition or healthy food. I think the only thing I ate for a while there was baked potatoes, broccoli and cheese. Not that bad but not exactly the type of diet that puts you in a bikini lol! As I learned more and more about food, cooking and nutrition, I tucked the potato, broccoli and cheese combo away as Vegetarian Comfort Food and only ate it occasionally.

I received the True Food cookbook as a Hanukkah gift and the moment I saw Dr. Weil’s recipe for Umami Sauce, I knew I was going to have to make it and pour it over a baked potato with broccoli.

Let me digress for a minute and tell you that if don’t have this cookbook yet, this is a MUST HAVE!

I think I bookmarked 90% of the recipes and have already made more than five – each being better than the last. I can’t get enough of it. I love the food philosophy behind the recipes, the attention paid to quality and ingredient selection and the emphasis on moderation and the Mediterranean diet.

Next up is a trip to the True Food Kitchen Restaurant. I told my husband that our next weekend trip has to be to Scottsdale or Southern California – to get some sun (hello, we live in Seattle!) and eat every single meal at the True Food Kitchen. Only half kidding over here!

OK, back to the recipe, I only slighted modified Weil’s Umami sauce to reduce the amount of oil, add a bit of water and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. This stuff is so good.

NOTES:

  • The Cheeze Sauce makes approximately 1 1/4 cups and can be stored up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. This recipe is based on using a single serving of the sauce, which is 3 Tablespoons.
  • Not familiar with Nutritional Yeast? Check out my Vegan Seasoned Popcorn or Vegan Cheeze Its recipe for more info about it.
  • Here is a tutorial on “How to Blanch Broccoli”. I like my vegetables on the crunchy side so I only blanch my Broccoli for 60 seconds.
  • I have a recipe for Foolproof Perfectly Baked Russet Potatoes in my eBook – “Think Vegetables First”

Umami Cheeze Sauce adapted from: Umami Sauce from True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure by Andrew Weil, Sam Fox and Michael Stebner

5.0 from 3 reviews

Vegan Broccoli + Cheeze Stuffed Baked Potatoes
 
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7 Points Plus Per Serving for 1 Medium Baked Potato, Broccoli and 1 Serving of the Sauce (see Notes)
By,:
Serves:: 2

Ingredients
UMAMI CHEEZE SAUCE:
  • 7 to 8 cloves garlic, smashed
  • ¼ cup organic apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons low sodium tamari (or soy sauce)
  • 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
  • 2 tablespoon cold water
  • pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • pinch kosher salt
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
FOR SERVING:
  • Medium Baked Russet Potatoes
  • Steamed or Blanched Broccoli Florets

Instructions
  1. Smash the garlic.
  2. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in bowl of food processor of high-powered blender.
  3. Process until pureed and creamy. Slowly add in olive oil until mixture emulsifies (like mayonnaise). Store in a covered, glass jar or container for up to 2 weeks.
TO SERVE:
  1. Split baked potato, layer cooked broccoli on top. Drizzle warmed Cheeze Sauce over and Enjoy! (I warmed my sauce up in the microwave for 20 seconds. You could use a small saucepan and it would probably heat up in seconds. Be sure to stir if using a saucepan so the sauce doesn’t break.)

Vegan Broccoli and Cheeze Stuffed Potatoes from www.everydaymaven.com

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