Lauren Toyota’s Top Comfort Food Classics on UnchainedTV
Hot for Food’s Lauren Toyota is a genius at cooking up vegan recipes that satisfy cravings! Â It’s comfort food meets gourmet! Her fun and approachable style has made her wildly popular. Cooking should be fun, after all!
Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 14, 2024 — Lauren Toyota, the best-selling Canadian cookbook author and comfort food queen, brings creativity to every bite. The Hot for Food blog is her brainchild where you can find appetizers, soups, main courses, desserts — and everything in between.
With millions of views and hundreds of thousands of fans, Lauren has created a vegan empire and UnchainedTV is thrilled to be streaming some of Lauren’s top recipes via her own Hot for Food Channel within the network.
Watch Lauren Toyota on UnchainedTV Now!
Beer Cheese Fondue
Hot for Food’s Lauren Toyota shows you how to make a plant-based version of this popular bar food. Ingredients like cashews, potatoes and beer come together to make a creamy dip. Just add some bread, potato chips, pretzels, raw veggies and…  you’ve got yourself a spread. Your friends and family just might think you’re a professional chef after you whip this up!
Click on the link below to watch the video!
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fondue:
Beer Cheese Fondue
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 cups peeled & diced white potato
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 cups pale ale
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut brine
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon
Instructions
- In a large pan or cast iron skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add garlic, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper and sauté for another minute. Then add in potato and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the pale ale and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes. The potatoes should be fork-tender.
- Add this mixture to a high-powered blender along with drained and rinsed cashews, sauerkraut brine, white wine vinegar, and dijon. Blend until very smooth.
- Pour into the fondue vessel at the table once the flame is ignited and get fondu’ing!
Notes
Jackfruit Tacos
Lauren Toyota’s inspired take on tacos will have your mouth watering. When jackfruit is unripe, it has a neutral flavor that pairs well with savory dishes. You can use unripe jackfruit in place of other vegan protein sources like tofu or chickpeas. Plus, research shows that eating jackfruit can potentially reduce the risk of heart disease and has other health benefits. Tasty and healthy….we call that a win!
Click on the link below to watch the video!
Take your Taco Tuesday to the next level. Here’s how you can whip up this dish — and impress your friends and family at the same time:
Roasted Poblano & Jackfruit Tacos with Adobo Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- Roasted Poblano Peppers
- 3 large poblano peppers
- Adobo Cream Sauce
- 1 x 7.5 oz / 212 g can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce about ½ cup
- 1 C raw cashews soaked for 20 minutes in hot water
- ½ C fresh water
- 1 lime juiced
- Jackfruit Filling
- 1 x 20 oz/565 g can of young green jackfruit in water
- 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
- 1 C finely chopped yellow or white onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon sage
- 1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire
- Tacos
- 2 C finely shredded red cabbage
- 1 handful cilantro leaves
- ½ lime juiced
- 6 6-inch flour tortillas
- extra lime slices as garnish
Instructions
- Roast the poblanos for about 6 to 8 minutes per side on a baking sheet under the broiler in the oven. Ensure you place the baking sheet on the middle rack rather than too close to the element. You can also char them over an open flame if you have a gas range stovetop. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning them occasionally with a pair of metal tongs to get the peppers evenly charbroiled. Either way, do not leave these unattended or forget about them! They're done when they've softened a bit and have turned a deep browny green color and dark charred spots all over.
- Immediately place the peppers in a plastic bag and seal it. This will allow them to sweat and steam helping to remove the skins easily. Leave them in the bag while you prepare the sauce and jackfruit.
Notes
Vegan Crème Brûlée
OMG! This video proves that Lauren Toyota is a magician in the kitchen. Unlike normal magicians, Lauren is happy to reveal her secrets and show you exactly how she creates the divine creme brûlée that is creamy and sumptuous but completely free of dairy and, therefore, cholesterol-free and cruelty-free. You can dress up a batch of crème brûlée by adding caramel or fruit on the bottom, but the classic version is plain vanilla. Warning, you need a mini-blow torch!
Click on the link below to watch the video!
Here’s the written recipe so you can make it exactly the same way!
Vegan Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 1 C soft tofu
- ⅔ C granulated sugar plus extra for brûlée
- ½ C thick cream from a can of coconut milk
- ¼ C nondairy milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 vanilla bean
- â…› teaspoon sea salt
- tiny pinch of turmeric optional
Instructions
- Strain excess water from the tofu. I used a nut milk bag to squeeze most of it out. Add tofu to a blender with sugar, coconut cream, nondairy milk, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, sea salt, and turmeric. Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean, adding the paste to the blender.
- Blend until very smooth, then pour the mixture into a saucepan. Heat it over medium-low heat, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, until it's thickened and gelatinous - approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
- Divide the mixture evenly into ramekins and allow to cool at room temperature. Once they're somewhat cooled and still warm, but not piping hot, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours until firm or overnight.
- Only brûlée the top right before serving. To brûlée, sprinkle an even layer of granulated sugar on top of a serving and torch it until deep golden brown and a caramel coating forms. You want to hold the torch far enough away from the surface so the end of the flame burns the sugar rather than the base of the flame. Move it around to prevent overly burnt spots. Let it rest for a few minutes, then serve immediately.
Notes
While she seems to have been cooking gourmet/comfort all her life, Lauren’s journey to Hot for Food actually began outside the kitchen.  Before launching hot for food and dreaming of running a vegan empire, she had a previous career as a MuchMusic VJ and was a nationally recognized TV host and producer for nearly 10 years. That explains why she’s such  natural on the camera, while she’s cooking, no small feat. Her passion and unique style will draw you in.
Bon appétit, friends! Be sure to watch her other videos on UnchainedTV!
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