Posts Tagged ‘vegan’

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Yummy Red Lentil Dal

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

As I was looking through my recipes, I realized that the number of of (well, mostly) wholesome desserts to food had gotten skewed more toward the dessert side. Which isn’t so much a problem, but I like balance. Since we have 10-20 inches of snow on the way, it’s a perfect time to post one of my very favorite, easiest, yummiest, recipes. I love it, and love even more that it’s just like a hug on a cold winter day. Try it, you won’t be disappointed, I promise!

And, of course, it’s allergy friendly and vegan.

I use blended young coconut meat and broth, I’m sure you could replace some of the broth with coconut milk. This is a very basic recipe that is totally open to artistic expression! Add in a dash of cayenne or other spices to taste.

1 chopped onion
1-2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 cup red lentils
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala (or 2 tsps for milder version)
most of carton (3-4 cups) broth (I enjoy Pacific foods)
meat of a young coconut blended with the broth
salt to taste

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add in the curry/garam masala, stir for a minute then add in lentils. Add broth/coconut blend and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are well cooked. Add salt to taste.

And that’s it. Serve with roasted cauliflower, purr.

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Posted in main meal, recipe, soup | 2 Comments »

Nanaimos–A Daring Baker challenge

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Nanaimos=Canadian for bliss

No one was more delighted than me to see this month’s DB pick!

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

A dear friend kicked off my Nanaimo obsession during my Berkeley days. They were uber addictive, and the joke with my roommates was that one of us would creep to the freezer in the middle of the night, grab one and scurry away…and then creep back 30 seconds later and grab another. So Michelle, Adrien and Hayley–these babies are for you! Come raid my freezer.

Good thing for me that these were pretty easily gluten-freeable, but I’m also menos dairy, eggs, corn, soy and most importantly, sugar. I made a version last year and they were good–I like these even better.

So this is my grain and sugar free, vegan and massively delicious new and improved version. They do not taste just like nanaimos, but they are luscious.

One word of warning–they’re dense. As in like, very, very rich. And so a small piece does wonderfully, or at least it would if I didn’t go back for the 2nd small piece…and the 3rd…

Base:
2 cups almonds
¾ cup walnuts
½ tsp stevia powder
¼ cup agave
2 T water
1 tablespoon whole chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
½ tsp salt

Filling:
2 cups raw cashews and macadamias
2 teaspoons whole chia seeds
pinch stevia
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (or more
1.5 cups water
.5 cup agave nectar

Top
8 oz chocolate mass (unsweetened)
¼ cup cashew mac butter
1 cup agave
2 tsp stevia powder
2 Tablespoons mesquite or carob powder
½ tsp vanilla powder

For the base: soak chia in the agave. pulse nuts in the food processor, add in the wet and pulse until combined. Press down into 2 lined 8X8 pans (or a 9X11). Bake at 350 until starting to brown. Allow to cool or put in the freezer

For filling: I put all in the vitamix and throughly blitzed. With a normal blender, you’d absolutely have to soak the nuts. Pour on top of the base, and freeze until hard

For the topping: melt the chocolate, add in other ingredients and whisk very thoroughly until well blended. Pour mix quickly onto of frozen filling, and smooth down with out making a mess.

Store in the freezer, chop with a very sharp knife once hard. Enjoy! I’ve only had them straight from the freezer, I do think they’d ooze at room temp.

Please do check out the other DB Nanaimo masterpieces!

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Posted in daring bakers, dessert, recipe | 2 Comments »

Carob Chestnut Balls

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

carobchestnutI love these babies. I’ve made them for a while, and finally wrote down the recipe…only to lose it in the shuffle of a kitchen remodel. But no worries! The new, improved version is even yummier (I think). So check out these gluten/dairy/egg/soy/corn/sugar/caffeine free vegan babies and know that no matter what you can eat, there’s always a way to make life very tasty.

Chestnuts are awesome. They give a wonderful moist creamy feel to the treats, and using the pre-peeled ones makes it super easy. I just will have to remember to stock up to have them all year long!

The balls do taste chocolat-y, especially if you add the chocolate liquor. Or if you aren’t avoiding chocolate, rolling them in cocoa powder or adding an ounce of melted cocoa mass instead of the cashew butter makes someone’s brain think chocolate. But carob has a lovely flavor of its own that I appreciate it best for what it is, rather than trying to make it into something it isn’t (i.e. pretending it’s chocolate)

8 oz drained whole peeled chestnuts (I use the TJ’s box)
6 brazil nuts, preferably toasted
1 Tbsp cashew butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup carob powder
1/4 tsp stevia concentrate
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla
splash chocolate liquor, such as godiva (optional)

Blend chestnuts, brazil nuts and cashew butter until they are mostly ground down, then add the agave and coconut oil until you get a nice smooth paste. Add in the rest of the ingredients, pulse until well blended. Scoop into a bowl, chill for 30-60 min. Roll in powdered sugar, powdered coconut sugar, cocoa powder or a mix.

Mmmm. They keep well, but I’ve rarely tested that out.

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Posted in dessert, recipe | 6 Comments »

Super Easy (and yummy) peach crumble

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

peach crisppic

It’s that season, and what a great way to celebrate!

We threw together this super easy vegan treat in minutes, and gobbled it right up. I’m sure this would work with any berries or fruit. I love to use mesquite in the topping, because it hides the flavor of quinoa and gives a nice flavor. If you can’t find any, use any other kind of GF flour and just add in some vanilla extract or extra cinnamon to balance the flavors a little better

Peach Crumble

6 large peaches, nectarines, plums, etc

peaches

2 Tablespoons arrowroot starch
3 Tablespoons agave nectar (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom

Crumble topping:
1/2 cup quinoa flakes (or GF oats)
2 Tablespoons mesquite
2 Tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tablespoons oil

Grease an 8X8 pyrex pan or line with parchment or aluminum foil.
Cut peaches into slices and toss with arrowroot, agave and spices.

Mix together crumble topping and scatter chunks evenly on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the peaches are softened and the edges of the crumble are browning.

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Posted in dessert | 4 Comments »

Menu Plan Monday: Cherries!

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

I’m delighted by Kim’s choice of cherries as this week’s theme for Menu plan Monday.  We’ve been getting choccherrypuddingbeautiful ones, and some Ranier cherries too, which are beyond delicious.  Although I think cherries are perfect as is, I did make an easy and yummy raw, sugar free, vegan cherry pudding and the recipe is below.

I also posted the Daring Baker challenge of Orange Milan Cookies…they worked beautifully, and I can’t wait to do them in mint.

My DH is out of town traveling, which makes cooking much easier and has me lean toward more vegan options and a lot more play.  As much as I love to cook, it’s nice not to have responsibilities from time to time, too.

Also,  if you’re interested, check out an article on Celiac and autoimmunity.

Monday:
Sea’s Chickpea and spinach curry

Tuesday
quinoa with pesto

Weds:
Salmon and roasted peppers

Thursday:
Indian Spiced Cauliflower with papads

Friday:
Hubby’s home!
Chicken in a mint sauce with artichokes

Saturday:
Southwestern quinoa and some sort of dessert

Baked goods:
Chickpea crackers
Some dessert for a potluck–maybe a raspberry mousse? I will likely change my mind a bunch of times
banana cupcakes with chocolate frosting
Chocolate cherry “pudding”

Chocolate cherry pudding:
2 cups pitted cherries
1/4 cup agave
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (Salba)
“meat” of one young coconut

Put everything in a vitamix or good blender. Blend until smooth. Chill, top with cocoa nibs if desired and enjoy!

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Posted in dessert, menu plan, recipe | 3 Comments »

Lemony Mint Quinoa

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

mintquinoaQuinoa is just a perfect food for a summertime dish.  Quick, easy, delicious, naturally gluten free and high in protein and fiber…and easy to take along.  Consider me a big fan.  Generally, I’m partial to my Quinoa Italiana or Southwestern Quinoa Salad, but this is the epitome of simple and delish.

This can be easily dressed up or kept basic.  Sauteed garlic is a nice touch, and grated lemon zest works, too.  The mint provides a nice and fresh taste, and I always have much more mint than I can handle!  In the summer, I add in baby tomatoes, in the winter, steamed broccoli is a great compliment and I use thyme instead of mint.  Like all simple recipes, fresh ingredients make all the difference.mint

If you’ve ever grown mint, you know that it’s quite an assertive plant.  It’s an invasive plant, and I planted it in a container to keep it from getting too aggressive.  But it actually grew out of the pot somehow, and has continued on its quest for world (or garden) domination.  Good thing it’s tasty, or we’d have to do battle and I’m afraid it would win.

Lemony Mint Quinoa

1 cup quinoa, toasted
2 cups broth
juice of 1/2 lemon
15 mint leaves, coarsely torn
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups halved grape tomatoes

Toast quinoa in a dry large skillet over medium heat until it starts smelling toasty and browning a bit (10-15 min). Note: this step can be done in advance or skipped altogether, but it does enhance the yum factor in a big way. Add broth to the pot, bring to a boil and simmer 10-15 minutes or until done. Stir halfway through and add in 1/2 the mint leaves. Squeeze in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in tomatoes and the rest of the mint leaves when cooled.

This ode to mint is my weekly submission to Weekly Herb Blogging, the brainchild of Kalyn, who passed the torch to Haalo. I’m this week’s happy host!

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Posted in main meal, recipe, weekend herb blogging | 8 Comments »

Chickpea Crackers

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

chickcrackesr

These crackers are a staple that I make just about weekly. They’re easy, versatile, yummy, healthy, and lend carb-y goodness that seriously needed on my grain free diet. I do constantly tweak them just a bit and play with different flavors, and you can add whatever spices suite your fancy. So give them a whirl! You’ll enjoy them.

Preheat oven to 325.

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed well and put in a strainer to drain
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons ground flax seed
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried herbs (blend de jour of oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Italian seasoning dried herbs
coarse sea salt

Shake as much water you can from the garbanzos and let them blot with a towel. Pulse in a food processor. Add rest of ingredients through black pepper and blend well. Add oil, and the dough should come together into a ball. If not, add a little more until it does.

rawcrackers

Cover with saran wrap for ease and roll out thinly on to 2 silpat mats or parchment paper (not as thin as you possibly can, but close). Use a pizza cutter to cut the crackers into sizes of your choice, and sprinkle with seasoning and salt. For prettier crackers, prick with a fork. Bake in preheated oven until slightly browning (around 30-40 min), watch them after 20 min or so.

You do have to turn the sheets periodically, and rotate the crackers when you’re able for the best results. The outside crackers brown much quicker–those usually just go directly to my mouth.

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Posted in baked goods, recipe, side dish | 17 Comments »

Easy Almond Cookies

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

alm-cookies

I’m overdue for a recipe post. In some ways, it’s because I’ve gotten pickier. I make a recipe and I like it, but intend to do it again with changes and improve…and repeat…and then I don’t end up posting any! It’s kind of funny, actually, since there are very few recipes that I don’t alter every time, whether they’re mine or someone else’s. It’s just part of the art and fun of baking!

I really like these cookies because they’re very easy, and quite tasty. They’re soft and chewy inside, and fabulous right out of the oven (although they don’t firm up until 10-15 minutes later). The trick is to bake them until they’re *just* set. They’re good once they start browning, but just a bit tough for my taste. So watch ‘em! And, of course, the cookies are gluten/dairy/egg/corn/soy/sugar/grain free, low glycemic and vegan. Yahoo!alm-tray

I’ve been playing with flax cookies in an attempt to add more into my diet, and I’ve tried quite a few variations of these. They were supposed to be Chinese 5 spice cookies, but the flavor of the spice is quite mild, and I like it that way. I will probably try them with more spice in the future. Like any time you add agave to ground nuts, the secret is just a quick whirl or you have a tacky glob. If anyone knows what it is about agave that interacts with nut butters, I’d love to know…I’ve never seen maple syrup or honey act the same way. But the baked product turns out well, so no complaints here.

2 cups toasted almonds
8 brazil nuts
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp stevia
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
1/3 cup plus 1 T ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice powder
2/3 cup agave

3 T chopped almonds
Preheat oven to 350
Toast almond and brazil nuts. I prefer to toast chopped brazil nuts, it seems to work better. Grind in the processor until it forms a chunky nut butter, scraping down the sides occasionally (4-5 min in my food processor). Add in everything but the agave, and process a minute more. Add in the agave and pulse a few times.

Roll the dough into small balls (maybe 1 inch in diameter?) and squish down, sprinkle with chopped almonds. Using a silpat mat works best, but I’m sure parchment would work, too.Bake until just set–around 10 minutes. They’re much better when the cookies don’t brown much. Allow to cool on the drying rack for 15 minutes before moving, or they will fall apart.

Enjoy!

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Posted in dessert, recipe | 6 Comments »

I *heart* Red Pepper Sauce

Friday, February 13th, 2009

rpchicken3iconsYahoo!  At long last, I am delighted to get the honor to host Weekend Herb Blogging.  If you’re not familiar with WHB, it was originated by Kalyn’s Kitchen, and our current hostess is Haalo.  It’s a great way to get inspiration for yummy ways to use herbs in your cooking…and an eclectic collection of fruits and veggies, too.

The last few weeks have been a total roller coaster rides, so it was time for a peaceful, relaxing, indulgent meal.  One my DH’s absolute favorite things is red pepper sauce, and one of my favorite things is rpeppersaucehow darn easy it is!  And how delicious, too.  I love that it’s so creamy that it tastes like it’s a dairy based sauce, and the sweetness is such a treat.  My first post way back when had red pepper chicken, and quite a few people asked for the recipe.  It’s worth the wait, I think!

We had an unseasonably warm weekend, so I roped DH into grilling the peppers.  Usually, I just use frozen herb-y peppers from the summer months.  The hardest part is having enough peppers left over to freeze.  They’re just like candy.

So, this is a beautiful meal for you and your Valentine.  The sauce is delish any kind of protein…or on anyone you love. =P

5 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1-2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons oil

1 cup good quality broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
good squeeze of lemon
2 Tablespoons ground almond or hazelnuts

2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced

Grill or roast peppers, or use canned or frozen. When cool, add to blender with broth, cayenne, onions and ground nuts. Blend until very smooth. In a Vitamix, this takes 2 minutes. It will take much longer in a normal blender. Saute garlic in olive oil, add in the blended peppers. You can poach a protein of your choice in the sauce, or just pour it on whatever you want to make yummy.

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Posted in recipe, vegetables, weekend herb blogging | 5 Comments »

Arugula Winter Pesto

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

arupesto

This is barely a recipe, but it is tasty! Lately, quick and easy have been the primary food criteria around these parts.  This pesto fits the bill, and works to make anything taste yummier. I use it as a dip for raw veggies, and add it to quinoa, steamed veg, fish, etc.  I use less oil than I do for a regular pesto because it’s been bothering my poor sensitive tummy, but feel free to sub more olive oil for the water for a more traditional pesto.

And as a bonus, DH doesn’t seem to realize that he’s eating veggies…

5oz package of arugula, well washed
1/2 cup water* (see headnote)
1/4 cup olive oil (or more)
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2-1 clove of garlic, optional
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, pine nuts or a mix

Put arugula, water, oil, lemon and salt in the food processor and blend until smooth. Add in olives and nuts and blend, leaving it as chunky or smooth as you like!

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Posted in recipe, side dish | 11 Comments »

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