raw Italian Neatballs

Italian Neatballs
3/4 c sun dried toms
1 c orange juice
1/4 c nutritional yeast
2T Italian seasoning
1/4 red onion
3 garlic cloves
1/4 red bell pepper
1 T Irish Moss
1 C hazelnut meal
1 c sunflower seeds, soaked
1 c walnuts, soaked

Marinara Sauce
2 med tomatoes
handful sundried toms
1/8 c red onion
2-3 garlic cloves
5 basil leaves
1 t oregano, dry
sea salt

Blend the ingredients for the Neatballs in a food processor until well combined. It should be pretty smooth, but still chunky. find a happy medium. Shape em into little balls & dehydrate at 109 for about a day, dehydration time depends on the humidity in your area.

Throw all the ingredients for the sauce into a blender, add a little water if you need to thin it out.

Halfway through the dehydration roll the Neatballs in the marinara sauce, then continue to dehydrate.

To serve these cute little guys I got out my Spiralizer & made some zucchini noodles. I tossed them in the rest of the sauce, and garnished with some diced kalamata olives. These pasta bowls were a hit with my omnivorous friends!

4 Bean Spring Salad

1 can garbanzos
1 can salad beans, mix of kidney, black and cannelini
2 scallions, diced
2 handfuls dragon tongue beans, or other fresh bean
handful dry cranberries
handful chopped pecans
minced fresh herbs: basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, tarragon, chives
3 T red wine or sherry vinegar
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper

I usually don't buy canned beans unless I'm in a rush.. in this case, I needed to create a quick meal for protein and couldn't pass up the convenience.
This entire dish was inspired by the dragon tongue beans pictured below! I had to have them :) So I created this bean salad. Its extremely fresh tasting and the cranberries & pecans are the perfect touch.
The instructions are pretty simple.. drain the cans & throw it all together. The only other step is to blanch the fresh long beans & chop them, then toss em in with everything else.

Breaded & Baked Morels!!

MOREL Mushrooms.. they come & go so quickly every spring. And they're everybody's favorite! There guys are super rare, very seasonal and deliciously savory.
I manage to get my hands on some every year.. usually they get breaded & fried right away. These year I decided to take a healthier, vegan and gluten free route.

1 lb Morels, soaked in water
1 bag Whole Grain Corn Chips, crushed in food processor
3 T ground flax seeds
3/4 c water
1/2 c buckwheat flour

Soak the morels to remove debris.
Whisk together the group flax & water. This with replace the egg in a typical breading.
Set up a station with 1 plate flour, 1 bowl flax/water, 1 plate crushed breadcrumbs
Gently shake the water off of the morels. Then roll them in flour, dip in flaxwater, then roll in chips.
Set them on a greased sheet tray and bake for 25min at 400deg. Flip halfway through.

I enjoyed these with a good friend, creamy nutbased ranch & some BBQ sauce. YUM!

Creamy Zuchinni Soup

6 small to med zucchini
2 small yellow onion
4-5 cloves garlic
2 T Tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 T Balsamic Vinegar
salt & pepper
4-5 cups vegetable broth, or more/less for desired thickness
fresh/dry Italian herbs

Dice the squash. Heat a couple T oil in a large pan, then toss in the zucchini & onion. Cook until tender. Turn heat to low and add the garlic, tamari & balsamic.  Cook for an additional minute then transfer the zucchini to a blender .. slowly add the broth until you reach your desired thickness.
Serve with diced tomatoes, chopped olives, bread crumbs, truffle oil...

I don't eat a whole lot of eggs.. but when I happen to have some in the fridge for a special occasion I poach them in my soups! It takes about 8-10 minutes, on low, with a lid. In the photo below I served the soup w a poached egg, daiya vegan cheese and sriracha hot sauce.

Nacho Kale Chips

These went too quickly to get a finished photo!! aahh!! Ill have to be more careful next time.

1 c sunflower seeds
1/4 c pine nuts
water, about 1/2-3/4 cups
1/4 c nutritional yeast
carrot, 2in chunk
red bell pepper, a 1/3
1 t mustard
tumeric, a pinch
onion, 1/8 c
garlic, 2 cloves
1 T miso
1 T applecider vinegar

Throw all of the above ingredients into a high powered blender.
Strip 2 bunches of Kale from their stems, keeping the leaves in large pieces.
Rub the leaves liberally with the Nacho dressing, then place in the dehydrator at 109 for at least 1 day.
Flip half way through.
Youll need to keep them in a sealed container once theyre dry or else theyll rehydrate & get soft.

Spicy Spring Slaw

In this forum.. I'm forced to be the critic of my own food. So let me tell you how happy I am with this salad. The name "Spicy Spring Slaw" doesn't really give it justice. "Crisp, Cool, Creamy, Crunchy, Sweet, Spicy, Salty, Pretty, Seasonal, Healthy Spring Slaw" would be more accurate. I'm sure Ill eat a version of this everyday for at least the next 2 weeks.

There are lots of substitutions that can be made too!  Try:

Avocado instead of banana

ramen noodles

cucumber

bell pepper

sunflower seeds

cashews

pear

more fresh herbs

coconut

fennel

jiacama

lime zest

orange wedges

quinoa

So, use what you've got. Make a spring slaw! For someone like me.. who can easily become housebound watching netflix, reading, cooking, or lounging, this is a perfect example of an energizing spring dish to get me moving and feeling good.

Usually, I cut the radishes and carrots into flower shapes! Which really adds to the experience of enjoying this salad. Ill have a post soon about how to do that. Always a crowd pleaser.. even when you're the only one eating :)

SLAW
Nappa cabbage 1/2 head, cut into strips
1 apple, julienned
2 scallions, diced
daikon radish, 4-5 inches, cut into rounds
1 watermelon radish, cut into rounds
red radish, 3 small, cut into rounds
1 carrot, peeled into strips
sugar snap peas, handful, diced small
cilantro,1 handful minced
1/3 c broccoli with stems, minced
1 banana, sliced into rounds
sesame seeds, to garnish
kelp noodles optional
1/2 c sea vegetable, rehydrated optional

Prep each ingredient accordingly and toss together in a large bowl. You can keep this slaw for a couple days, just leave it undressed in a large ziplock or large food storage container.


DRESSING
1/4 ume plum vinegar, or use a rice wine vinegar
2 T shoyu
2 T white miso
2T siracha, or sambal olek
1 1/2 T sweetener (agave, honey, raw sugar, palm sugar etc. )
3 T fresh ginger
1 T sesame oil
3/4 c Tea oil, or other mild flavored oil

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.

Kelsey's Best Risotto: Marinara with Breaded Baby Zucchini

2-3 T olive oil
small yellow onion, small dice
small red onion, small dice
6 cloves garlic, minced
dry Italian herb blend
red pepper flakes, to taste
bay leaf
roasted red bell pepper, skinned, seeded & diced
pint mushrooms, diced
sun dried tomatoes, handful, diced
large can San Marzano Tomatoes
1/2 small can tomato paste
1 c water
1 c arborio rice
1 c red wine
fresh basil, chiffonade
fresh parsley, minced
salt, to taste

the Sauce
Dice the onions, combine the red with yellow, and set aside in a pile.
In a medium sized pot heat 1-2 T olive oil and add half the onions. Saute for several minutes then add the garlic, italian herbs, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and mushrooms. Cook for 2minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the red bell pepper and sun dried tomatoes. Cook for an additional minute, stirring, then add the can of tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Simmer for 20minutes. 

the Risotto
Once the sauce is cooked, in a separate large wide pan, heat 2-3 T olive oil, then add the rest of the onion. Saute until translucent, then add the garlic and the arborio rice. Cook for another 2 minutes. Then turn up the heat and add the wine. Once all of the wine has cooked down.. turn the heat to med-low and add 1/3 of the tomato sauce.. Stir frequently. Once the rice starts to soak up the sauce, and you can drag the spoon across the bottom of the pan without seeing any liquid.. add another 1/3 of the sauce to the rice. Keep stirring. If you want to walk away, put a lid on it. Once the rice soaks up most of the liquid, add the rest of the sauce and let it cook with a lid on, stirring frequently. Taste it.. see how "done" the rice is. If the sauce is super thick and the rice isn't cooked thoroughly yet, add a little more water.. add 1/2 c at a time until your rice is cooked and your have a creamy thick marinara sauce. Yum. Stir in the parsley and basil at the end, then serve. Enjoy this meal with a fruity red wine and a good friend :D

the Zucchini
6 small baby zucchini
1 1/2 c seasoned Italian bread crumbs
3 T ground flax seed
1/2 c water
1/2 c flour
balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Mix the ground flax seed and water. let sit for a few minutes. This can be used as a replacement for egg in any batter.
Set up a "dredging station" with 1 plate of flour, 1 large bowl of flax/water mixture, and 1 plate of breadcrumb. Rinse the squash, then dredge in flour, then flax, then breadcrumb. Set on a foil lined, sprayed/rubbed with oil baking sheet and bake at 380 for 25minutes. Flip halfway through. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper before serving.

Berry Almondine Chia Pudding

bluberries, 1 c
raspberries, 1 c
1 banana
3 oranges, juiced
1t almond extract
almond shavings, garnish
bee pollen, garnish

Blend the berries, juice and banana in a blender, but leave it a little chunky. Stir in the almond extract to taste. Add the chia sseds and chill in the fridge for a few hours, then its ready to eat!

Cinnamon Apple Chia Pudding

1 apple, diced very small
1 banana, chopped
raisins, a handful
cinnamon, to taste
maple syrup, a dash
1/2 c water or apple juice
2 T chia seeds

Mix everything together then store in the fridge for a few hours until the chia softens. Enjoy!