Recipe: 4 Ingredient Vegan Cheese Sauce (Paleo & Nut Free Option!)

I’m not vegan. I don’t follow any particular diets (except the fact that I eat gluten free because I have coeliac disease - trust me, I’d be eating gluten if I could!!), track macros or follow any food rules. But I do loveeeeeee food.

So you’ll commonly find me eating a high carb breakfast, a paleo snack, a vegan lunch, a high protein dinner and a sugar free dessert. 

Why? Because I’m all about eating all the delicious things in life.

That’s why, today, I wanted to share my favourite Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe with you. It has just three ingredients and can be eaten on so many different things. 

The cashews in this cheese sauce give you the creamy decadence of cheese without any milk. Ever carnivores will love this recipe - we've never shared it with anyone who didn't love it! 

Warm it up and drizzle it over nachos, mix it with a little bit of milk and stir through pasta for a vegan mac and cheese, use it as a salad dressing or stir it through quinoa. The possibilities are endless! 

You'll often find a jar or bottle of this in our fridge, especially if we have guests coming for dinner or have to bring a salad to someone else's house for lunch or dinner.

One of my all time favourite ways to eat it is as a dressing for a roasted vegetable quinoa salad. 

Simply roast your favourite vegetables with garlic, salt and pepper and olive oil, add to cooked quinoa with some baby spinach leaves, stir through and drizzle this cheese sauce on top.

Seriously delicious, seriously easy - and seriously nutritious too because this vegan cheese sauce is so simple to make and jam packed full of nutrients. 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: 4 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss Balls (Date Free, Gluten Free & Vegan!)

Jesse and I have been together for ten years, and he's been eating food I've cooked for nine years (hello long distance relationship) - but somehow he still manages to be surprised by the creations I come up with. 

Considering the first thing I ever made for Jesse was a batch of chocolate chip cookies that he devoured in such abundance he actually made himself sick - you think he'd realise I was pretty good in the kitchen. 

But when I made these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss Balls (known as Snickers Balls in our house), his response went a little like this; 

Now THAT is peanut butter goodness.

Wow.

Wow.

YOU are amazing... do you know that?

Wow. These are GOOOOOOOOOOOD.

You are amazing... do you know that?

How many can I eat?

Just... ah... er... go over there for a bit and leave me here with them...

If I was an ego maniac I'd have a big head - but luckily he also makes sure to let me know when my hair is really frizzy, when my jokes aren't funny AND when I've embarassed myself among other things - so my head is normal sized 😉

But I promise he wasn't exaggerating when he said these were good - because they are AMAAAAAAAZING. And if that's tooting your own horn, I'll toot away all day!

Simple to make and seriously delicious to eat, they've become a favourite in our house - and you'll often find them on the top shelf of a fridge in a jar or container, waiting for whenever we feel like something sweet.

It's a healthy treat that tastes seriously indulgent - and it's gluten free and vegan to boot!

So let me share the recipe with you! >>

Recipe: 3 Ingredient Date-Free Caramel Bliss Balls (Paleo & Vegan!)

I love dates.

Not the let's go out to a restaurant and share plates of spaghetti kind of date - I'm talking about the sweet, caramel like natural candy dates. But recently - I've realised that not everyone does. 

Dates seem to be one of those polarising ingredients that you either love or hate. 

So when a friend told me she hated bliss balls because they were always made with dates, I was off on a mission. 

You see, whilst I have plenty of date free bliss ball recipes (like this ANZAC Cookie Bliss Balls Recipe, Cookie Dough Protein Balls Recipe or these Caramel Latte Protein Balls Recipe), I didn't have a pure caramel bliss ball recipe.

Because, whilst my lovely friend hates dates, she loves caramel - so I needed to come up with an alternative. 

Enter these three ingredient Date Free Caramel Bliss Balls.

Yep, you heard me right THREE INGREDIENTS and you don't even need a food processor. 

There's just one problem.

They're ridiculously delicious and so easy to make.... so you will probably struggle to keep them around for more than 0.0000001 seconds. 

But that's not such a bad thing...

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Paleo ANZAC Cookie Bliss Balls (Vegan!)

Today in Australia, it's Anzac Day - a day to remember our ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corp) soldiers - it's a day of remembrance with commemorative services held at dawn (the time the Anzac soldiers landed in Gallipoli on that day), with many ex-servicemen, women and their families then marching in Anzac day parades.

Whilst it's not like Christmas or Thanksgiving with it's set foods, there's one food that Australians always tend to link with Anzac day - Anzac biscuits. 

During world war one, friends and families of soldiers who were left at home in Australia would put together care packages to send to the fighting men. Due to the fact that all packages needed to be sent by boat and there was major time delays in getting food to the soldiers, they needed food that wouldn't spoil on the journey - and the Anzac biscuit was born. 

Made with oats, sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup, boiling water and baking soda, the biscuit is really simple to make and really delicious to eat - but if you have food allergies or intolerances, it's a bit of a no go. 

This Anzac day, I wanted to make a super simple allergy friendly alternative. Whilst I thought about making cookies, I'm on a bit of an energy bite kick at the moment - so I thought it would be the perfect chance to create an Anzac Cookie Bliss Ball!

Made without oats and flour, these Anzac cookie bites are gluten free, dairy free, grain free, egg free, peanut free and can be paleo too! 

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: One Bowl Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites (No Food Processor Needed!)

I'm kinda sorta ridiculously lazy when it comes to cooking at times. You see, our kitchen is so small that I can't keep all of my appliances in them - so my food processor and blender are at the opposite end of the house. 

This means I tend to use them only when I really need to (read: only when I can be bothered getting them, bringing them to the kitchen, using them, washing and drying them and then returning them to their place). 

Enter, this energy bite recipe. 

Most energy bite/bliss ball recipes you'll find will tell you that you need to make them in a blender or food processor - but not this one! This is a simple one bowl recipe you can make anytime, anywhere - and all you need is FOUR ingredients.

If you're not a fan of dates, this recipe will be a favourite of yours too as it's completely date free!

All you'll need is peanut butter, coconut (or oats - see below!), cocoa powder and brown rice syrup (or honey/maple syrup) - and a bowl to mix everything up in. 

Within a few minutes, you'll have the most delicious energy bites that you'll probably struggle to resist. I know that a batch rarely lasts more than a few days in our house as they disappear before your eyes!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Italian Garlic and Herb Roasted Chickpeas

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If Jesse ever needed to change jobs, I think he should probably consider being a roasted chickpea salesman. 

You see, roasted chickpeas and roasted fava beans were one of the first healthy snacks he fell in love with - and he's been convincing people to buy them ever since. They're crunchy, flavoursome and the perfect alternative to chips and Jesse can rarely go a day without them. 

Unfortunately for me, that roasted chickpea habit can get a little expensive - so something needed to change. 

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I knew Jesse wouldn't let me stop buying roasted chickpeas without having an alternative that was even better - and thus I had a mission. 

I needed to come up with my own roasted chickpea flavours that were even better than anything could be bought. They needed to be made with healthy ingredients, free from funky additives and easy to make in big batches.... and this recipe ticks all of those boxes. 

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We call these "Pizza Chickpeas" in our house because they have a delicious Italian inspired flavour. They're kind of cheesy and all sorts of delicious and they're jam packed full of nutrients. 

Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavour with a protein and vitamin B boost whilst fresh (or dried) herbs add that traditional Italian flair. They're cheap to make (even organic chickpeas can be found for around $1 a can) and super simple - making them the perfect healthy snack!

So let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Easy Homemade Gluten Free and Vegan Bread (Crusty Artisan Style)

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I hate kneading dough. 

I also hate rolling dough. 

It's sticky, it's frustrating and it takes some serious work - and in the past all that work has lead to less than stellar results. 

All that hatred is why it's 110% safe to say that this may be the easiest bread recipe ever. 

You see, the kneading is minimal and the end results are seriously ridiculously good. 

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This Homemade Bread Recipe was one of my stupid sounding ideas that just happened to turn out wonderfully. 

You see, when you've had some SERIOUS bread fails in the past, you probably shouldn't try to turn the bread game on it's head - but I did just that. 

Instead of playing by the rules, I decided I was going to come up with a bread recipe that was; 

• Gluten Free
• Vegan 
• Made without any xantham gum or weird additives 
• Super ridiculously easy to make. 

And somehow I managed to nail it on the first try. 

It's actually SO good that Jesse doesn't think you're going to believe a word I say as he's never tried gluten free bread that tastes so good. 

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Sure, it takes some time (well, a fair bit of time - but that time is where you leave the bread to do it's thang and you get on with whatever it is you feel like doing) but it's worth every second when you have crusty delicious gluten free AND vegan bread that's made with ingredients you can pronounce and doesn't taste disgusting.

In fact, it's so good that Jesse asked me if he could eat an ENTIRE LOAF for dessert. Unfortunately for him, I said no - but that was only because it meant less bread for me. 

The recipe I'm sharing with you today makes two small loaves, however, we've found ourselves doubling the recipe and making four small loaves so we can slice and freeze the bread to use later. 

It's more of a sourdough style bread in that it's not super soft and fluffy (like a Wonder White kinda bread) - but that means it's perfect for toasting or bruschetta style creations!

But enough yapping!

Let me share the recipe with you! >> 

Recipe: Easy Vegan DIY Coffee Creamer (Or Sweet Cream!)

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One question I'm often asked is whether I'm annoyed that I have coeliac disease and food intolerances - and apparently my answer is a little surprising. 

You see, whilst there's many times where I wish I could eat just like everyone else, share food without questioning the ingredients and enjoy birthday cakes with my friends - most of the time I'm actually really grateful. 

At first, that wasn't the case, however, I quickly realised that my own experiences equipped me to help others. 

How? Well because I've already walked a mile (and then some!) in their shoes. 

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That's exactly the reason I started posting recipes on Southern In Law - and exactly the reason I get SO excited when readers like Michelle get in touch with me to see if I can create a recipe for them. 

Michelle is one of those SIL readers who is an absolute gem. She is always liking and commenting on our Facebook posts and always puts a huge smile on my face. Last month, Michelle sent a message to our Facebook page asking if I could create a recipe for a non-dairy coffee creamer that was simple and delicious - and also suited her dietary needs. 

As someone who has never ever used coffee creamer (it's not really common in Australia), let alone created a recipe for it, it was a challenge I was SO excited to accept. 

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After creating the cashew based sauce for my Healthy Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe I was inspired to try and make a sweet cashew cream recipe - and that's exactly what this DIY vegan creamer recipe is! 

Best of all? It's super simple and uses nothing other than a blender. No annoying nut milk bags or straining - just soak, blend and enjoy! 

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Whilst it's perfect in coffee (though, be sure to read the note below) it's also great in tea and can be used in a variety of ways! I've been serving it up with cakes (instead of thickened cream) and in any sweet recipe where you might usually use cream. 

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It's an incredibly versatile recipe that we've fallen in love with, however, whatever you do - be sure to try it on oatmeal too! It's so creamy and delicious and I'm sure you'll find a bunch of uses for it too. 

In fact, when I gave some to Jesse to try the first time his response was "um... don't bother sealing the lid on that jar because I think I'll just drink the whole thing". 

But let me share the recipe with you! >>