This was an evening when the man-meat and I just wanted to chill out so we made something super fast. Brent prepared the pasta (as I’ve noted in previous posts, I can’t be trusted with parts of a meal that require patience) and I added a tablespoon of olive oil and about 2 cups of chickpeas (1 cup of dry beans, soaked or 1 can, drained) and fried them lightly with some chili powder.
To this I added a tin of diced tomatoes. I used a tin of “Rotel” mild with diced green chilis.
After this was looking and smelling amazing we shredded some basil (cilantro would have been better but we didn’t have any) into it and then added the cheese. You can also add some nutritional yeast for a flavor boost and nutrients.
This cheese is called “Ste. Martaen” and we used their pepperjack variety. I don’t like this cheese for eating: I find the texture disturbing. It’s great for cooking since the flavors are fabulous and it melts well. It’s made with an agar base (that’s a seaweed based gelatin, very sustainable and low calorie) As you can see, we’ve got a cheesy mass of chickpeas and tomato that’s still very low in calories, cholesterol free and high in nutrients like protein, vitamin C, and fiber and we haven’t even added the quinoa pasta yet!
This is the finished product. We devoured it and vowed to make it again. The creamy sauce was spicy and cheesy and the bite of the peppers was balanced by the smooth chickpeas and mellow tomato.
This is Brent and Christie, signing off!
Turning Veganese 
Holy cheez sauce that looks delicious!
What did you use for the cheese sauce? Looks amazing!
I took a carton of Ste. Martaen pepperjack “cheese”, cubed it and threw it into the pan with the chickpeas and tomato. I stirred it until all the cubes had melted. Maybe I should have said that in the recipe…
Sorry, I must have missed that detail reading your post. I was distracted by the delicious looking photos. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
You’re in the right; details are important. My scientist self was also distracted by delicious noms! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Yumm!!! This looks amazing. I’m always looking for ways to meet my cheeze cravings. Can’t wait to try it.
That looks great! I would love to get my hands on that cheese stuff.
I’ve been getting a variety of “cheeses” at Vegan Essentials. I am still a bigger fan of Daiya for cooking and Dr. Cow’s for cheese and crackers but this is a good lower calorie alternative to Daiya for cooking. Teese is a great value for a good melty ‘cheese’ and there are still more to try. Our responses to Heidi Ho, Follow your Heart, Galaxy, Tofutti, Bute Island and Ste. Martaen products ranged from “yawn” to “WTF?”. We will probably craft a post about vegan cheeses at some point. If you’ve got a recommendation for us to try, let me know!