Baba ganoush

 Baba ganoush 

Made some baba ganoush for snacks today, too. Yums. 

(Recipe adapted from Robertson, Robin. Vegan Fire & Spice: 200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes. Vegan Heritage Press, 2008, p. 98.)

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants 

1 large clove garlic 

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

1/4 cup tahini 

3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt

1 teaspoon cumin 

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

A couple handfuls of fresh cilantro 

Method:

Roast eggplants in the oven until they look all wrinkled and slighted deflated. (I puncture the skin of the eggplants with a knife a few times, rub olive oil all over the outside of the eggplants, and then roast at 400F for about 45 mins.) Scoop flesh out of eggplant once cooled a bit and place into food processor. Put the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. YUM! 

Gỏi cuốn

 Summer Rolls (aka Gỏi cuốn)

Made some mostly raw summer rolls for lunch today. Filled them with shredded daikon, shredded carrot, fresh basil, fresh mint, julienned red bell pepper, and spinach. Rolled them in rice paper wrappers and some white sesame seeds. It was messy, but delicious. I think I'll try wrapping them in collards, chard, lettuce, or cabbage, too, for a totally raw option.

I finally found a dipping sauce that I like! Woo!

Spicy Raw Almond Butter Dipping Sauce 

(Recipe adapted from von Euw, Emily. The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook. Page Street Publishing Co, 2015, p.40.)

6 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon red miso paste (*it's what I had on hand instead of other miso)

3 tablespoons raw almond butter

Cayenne pepper (to taste)

Going green ... and a Quick Roasted Red Pepper and Chickpea Salad ... yum!

 
 


So, I've been really sick this year and I credit that, in large part, to my eating a lot of dairy and some processed food again. After my latest bout with illness, I'm trying to be done with dairy again and eat much more clean. Since I was feeling miserable anyway, I managed to quit coffee while I was sick two weeks ago. I start the day with water or a fresh raw juice which makes a lot more sense! I'm sure my immune system is thanking me already.


I also quit dairy. My biggest weakness is a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Hey ... I'm raised in Jersey and I live in Brooklyn. This is, like, essential to life as, say, sunshine. So, I'm trying some alternatives. I don't like the Tofutti cream cheese style spread and so I tried the Daiya version. Sorry to say that the Daiya is not a tasty substitute in my opinion either. :(

So, I smeared some avocado on my bagel and that was better than any vegan cream cheese-like spread I've ever had. Hummus won't do the trick; it's got to be creamy. So, I think I'm going to try the tofu ricotta from Veganomicon next.


I also love provolone subs (a la the Jersey Shore style). This would be my last meal. Seriously. So, I tried the Daiya Provolone slices. I ordered a sub with no meat or cheese and then added the Daiya to it. No deal. Good try my friends at Daiya, but it can't really replace provolone for me. I put a few slices of avocado on the other half of my sub and that tasted pretty good. *sigh* ... but not as good as provolone. *sigh*

While I was at the Jersey shore for the weekend, I cooked up some yummy things ... Here are a few:

Roasted Red Pepper and Chickpea Salad with Parsley and Olives
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 jar roasted red peppers
1 bunch curly leaf Italian parsley
1 small can sliced black olives
1 shallot, diced
red wine vinegar and olive oil (I do half vinegar and half oil)
salt and pepper to taste
Method: combine all veggies in a bowl and drizzle with vinegar and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I served this with some couscous with toasted pine nuts and steamed kale as well as some roasted fennel, roasted eggplant, and a green salad.

Vegan Summer Rolls

I finally made summer rolls! They were far easier than I thought they'd be! I thought I'd be wrestling with broken rice paper wrappers and unable to actually make a neat roll. Not shabby for my first attempt ...

The lovely filling stuffs ... some avocado, sprouts, basil, julienned orange pepper, sliced cucumber ... I also put some shredded carrots and cellophane noodles in these rolls.


To make cellophane noodles: The package should have the instructions, but all you do is drop them in boiling water, turn off the heat, let them sit for about 10 minutes, and drain.
To make summer rolls: Just dip rice paper wrapper quickly in room temperature water until it becomes pliable. Lay on a cutting board and put in some of the ingredients you've chosen to stuff them with. Roll wrapper over ingredients, tuck ends in (like a burrito), and finish rolling up.
Voila! So healthy ... so delicious! 

I like to dip these in peanut sauce or sweet and sour sauce (both of which you can buy over the counter).

Summer Tomato Salad (thanks to my local CSA)

Summer Tomato Salad

My CSA delivered some delish local organic tomatoes this week, so I made this simple salad that was out of this world. It's just fresh sliced tomatoes, roasted red pepper, pitted kalamata olives (capers would also be nice here), and some homemade pesto dotted on top. Yum!

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Vegan Terrine

*This recipe is adapted from the Vegetarian Times magazine November 2011, p.65, recipe entitled "Mediterranean Terrine."

This yummy terrine has roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, and a cashew cream.

Cashew Cream Ingredients
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup nutritonal yeast
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons agar powder or flakes (a sea vegetable available in health food stores which thickens sauces - often used as a vegan substitute for gelatin)
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Terrine
2 jars roasted red peppers (I like to buy them already roasted and save myself the trouble)
1 teaspoon salt
1 large eggplant
olive oil
flat-leaf Italian parsley

First, make the cashew cream. Soak cashews in a large bowl of water for 3 hours or even overnight. Drain and return to bowl. Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, and salt. Set aside.
Whisk agar and garlic powder into 1.5 cups water in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5 mins or until agar dissolves; stir constantly.
Add agar mixture to cashew mixture in a food processor and process until smooth.
Pour into a rectangular-shaped loaf pan and chill for 1 hour.
Slice eggplant lengthwise, brush with olive oil, and roast eggplant slices.
Once, agar/cashew mixture has solidified, unmold it onto a plate and slice it lengthwise into two layers.
Line loaf pan with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap hangs over the sides.
Put parsley leaves into the bottom of the loaf pan, layer with eggplant, slices of roasted red pepper, and a layer of the cashew cream. Repeat. End with a layer of eggplant. Wrap loaf pan in plastic wrap and chill mixture. You can place something heavy on top so that the terrine takes the shape of the loaf pan.
When you're ready to eat it, unmold it by flipping the terrine over onto a flat plate. Ta da!

Carmelized Onion and Tofu Basil Ricotta Pintxos (Tapas)

Ingredients:

1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
agave nectar (or honey)
olive oil
a few slices of whole wheat bread (or bread of your preference - that's just what I had on hand)

Tofu Basil Ricotta (recipe from Veganomicon p.206)
1 pound extra-firm tofu
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
handful of basil leaves
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:
Saute the onion in a little olive oil and some agave nectar (or honey) until they start to brown.
Meanwhile, throw all the ingredients for the tofu basil ricotta into a food processor and process until smooth.
Toast bread, remove crusts, and cut into triangles.
Spread some of the tofu basil ricotta onto the bread ... then add some of the carmelized onions ... and drizzle some agave nectar on top. Yum!

NOTE: Next time, I think I'll make this with the recipe for Cashew Ricotta (also on p.206 of Veganomicon) and omit the basil.

Muhammara (Middle Eastern Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Dip)

This recipe is loosely based on the one on p.99 of the cookbook Vegan Fire & Spice.

Ingredients:
16oz jar of roasted red peppers (in water)
15.5oz can red kidney beans (Beans are not usually in Muhammara, but I just threw these in. It's really tasty! Omit if you want.)
3/4 cup walnuts
2 garlic cloves, halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small bunch of italian flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Throw all the above ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth.
Enjoy with pita. Mmmm.

Artichoke-Olive Crostini (vegan)

I also made the Artichoke-Olive Crostini from Smitten Kitchen.
It is yum! Click above to go to the recipe on her site.

Pic from Smitten Kitchen to entice you...

VEGAN Almond Feta Cheeze with Herb Oil

I made vegan cheeze! This was FANTASTIC!



Lucas scoffed at the idea of "vegan cheeze" but, as soon as he tasted this, he agreed - it is totally delicious. :)

Fattening, yes. Healthy though? Yes! Nuts are so good for you and so yummy. :)

Recipe from Vegetarian Times - April 2009 Issue - p.49

Ingredients:
1 cup whole blanched almonds (I only had blanched slivered almonds, and it worked out fine.)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves

1. Place almonds in medium bowl, and cover with 3 inches cold water. Let soak for 24 hours. Drain soaking liquid, rinse almonds under cold water, and drain again.
2. Puree almonds, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup cold water in a food processor 6 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy.
3. Place large strainer over bowl and cover with three layers of cheesecloth. Spoon almond mixture into cheesecloth. Bring corners and sides of cloth together, and twist around cheese, forming into orange-size ball and squeezing to help extract moisture. Secure with rubber band or kitchen twine. Chill 12 hours or overnight. Discard excess liquid.
4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees fahrenheit. Place unwrapped ball of cheese on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for about 40 mins or until top is slightly firm. Cool, then chill.
5. Combine remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, thyme, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Warm until very hot but not simmering. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle herb oil over cheese just before serving.

Avocado Hummus and Crunchy Lentil Salad

AVOCADO HUMMUS (veganize by using soy yogurt)

This is definitely one of my favorite things to make. It is SO delicious.

2 (15oz) cans of chickpeas
3 ripe avocados (flesh only; no skin or seeds)
1 tablespoon of tahini
juice of one lemon
5 tablespoons plain yogurt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
freshly chopped garlic to garnish

Place whole garlic cloves in food processor and process until chopped finely. Place chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, yogurt, olive oil, avocado flesh in the food processor and process until smooth. (I like to leave it a bit lumpy. You will have to scrape down the sides halfway through.)
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Put in a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.

Serve with chips. Makes enough for a party. Yummy yum yum.

Recipe Source: Linda McCartney on Tour: Over 200 Meat-Free Dishes from Around the World by Linda McCartney (This is one of my fave cookbooks!)



CRUNCHY LENTIL SALAD (vegan)

This is SO good too! yummy yum yum.

1 cup dry yellow lentils
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
a few carrots, chopped up into small pieces
1/2 finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fruity olive oil
2 tablespoons (or more) fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Combine lentils, water, and bay leaf in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it boils, cook it uncovered for 15 mins. Throw the chopped carrots in with the lentils about half way through cooking. Drain carrots and lentils and remove the bay leaf. Rinse carrots and lentils in a colander under cold water. Place lentils and carrots in a serving bowl and toss with the rest of the ingredients. Serve cold or room temperature.

Recipe Source: Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin