Pistachio Citrus Pad Thai

6 T PB2 (or 4T Peanut Butter)
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1/3 c fresh orange juice
2 T tamari (I always use reduced sodium)
red pepper flakes - to taste
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t fresh ginger, minced
2 T sesame oil
1 t chili powder

Rice Noodles
scallions
broccoli
bell pepper
1/4 c pistachios, chopped
orange zest
fresh basil, chiffonade

Have you heard of PB2? Its pretty much way cool. PB2 is peanuts that have been smashed into a powder, and most of the oil & fat has been extracted. So you buy it in powder form, rehydrate with water, aaand you have peanut butter. No, its not the same thick & sticky texture you're used to.. but the flavor is there and it spreads. And it contains 85% less fat. So, I'm down with PB2.

Start by re-hydrating the PB2 with a little water, not too much because next you are going to add citrus and tamari. Stir to combine, then set aside.
In a pan or wok, heat the sesame oil and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes, until the onion is soft & transparent, then add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for an additional minute, then stir in the peanut-citrus-tamari mixture. Add the chili powder. It should thicken pretty quickly. If it is too thick, then ass a touch more water, a little at a time until your desired sauce consistency is achieved.

You can cook Rice Noodles like regular pasta, they just dont need as much time. 6 minutes should do it. Make sure you stir them often, or else they'll stick together.

I like to blanch or steam my broccoli and lightly saute the bell pepper. Toss the noodles in the peanut sauce, top with the veggies, scallions, orange zest, basil, pistachio and serve.

Taco Salad

Buttermylk Ranch
1/2 c thick cashew milk*
1.5 t lemon juice
1 small clove garlic grated
1 T scallions, minced
1 t paprika
salt & pepper

whisk the ingredients together and let em sit for at least 20 minutes.
*here is my recipe for cashew milk. for a thicker milk add much less water. try 1 part cashews 1.5-2 parts water. 

Walnut Taco Meat
1 c walnuts, soaked 2 hours
1 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
few pinches cayenne
2 t hemp oil
salt

drain & rinse the walnuts. throw em in the food processor with the seasonings & salt. drizzle in the oil as the machine is running. Once you're happy with the texture of ground walnuts (should look a bit like ground beef) it is ready to go!

 For lunch today (and dinner last night!) I loaded lettuce, bell peppers, tomatoes, guacamole, plus a little salsa with the walnut taco meat & my Ranch dressing. It was suuuper good. Just go easy on the guac & salsa or else your salad could get goopy. And who wants goop? enjoy!

Homemade Pumpkin Butter -low sugar

I am so excited about this! I'm excited about Autumn in Missouri, leaves on the ground, the drop in temperature aaaand local fall produce. The garden has been turned down, the house decorated, pantry stocked, we're ready for winter. My mind has been racing with the flavor possibilities this season has to offer.

I first tried pumpkin butter a few years ago while working at the Root Cellar in Columbia, MO. It drove me wild. I needed another jar almost immediately. At the time I was eating dairy, and spread it on cream cheese. It was near perfection. Now, as a lactose-intolerant vegan food enthusiast I am looking forward to more creative ways to delight in my beloved pumpkin spread.

Makes 5 cups

2 pie pumpkins (also called sugar pumpkins)
2T pumpkin pie spice (blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice & ginger)
1/2 c apple juice or water
1/2 c coconut sugar (or what have you)
1 t stevia
2T maple syrup

Start by roasting 2 pie pumpkins. You can follow my simple instructions by clicking here.
Take all the flesh from the pumpkin and puree it. For this step you can use a high-speed blender, food processor, immersion blender or food mill. Any of these will work fine.

Transfer the pureed pumpkin to a pot and stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer on low, with a lid tilted so that steam can escape, for 2 hours.Stir the pot about every 10 minutes or so.

Look forward to upcoming posts about different ways to use the pumpkin butter! I'm thinking I'll use this in a smoothie with almond milk, spread on toast or a tortilla with banana, stirred into my morning oatmeal, and as a dip for pears. You could also spread it onto baked goods like a bagel or muffin, it'd be delicious on pancakes or waffles.. use your imagination! I'm sure once its in your fridge you'll find all kinds of excuses to eat it. Enjoy

These are the sweeteners I used: Coconut Sugar, Maple syrup and Stevia.

This is my first time using Stevia. I am very interested in cutting back on sugar in my diet, especially since I eat so much fruit & have no interest in cutting back on that! I decided not to use Stevia as my ONLY sweetener in this recipe because I am new to it and I understand that it can result in a bitter flavor.

Coconut Palm Sugar is a minimally processed, highly nutritious and sustainabily harvested sweetener. What more could you want?? Maybe some maple syrup...? yeah. me too.

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!

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.

Mochi Waffles

Mochi Waffle Breakfast Spread

Apple Cinnamon veganButter, Lavender Blueberry veganButter, Orange Almond Syrup. Maple Syrup, Raw Honey, Raw Cashew Butter 

What is Mochi?? Mochi is rice, that has been pounded into a paste, then dried into blocks/ sheets/ what have you. When you heat it, it puffs up. Puffed mochi can be used as dumplings, you can toss it into a stir fry, eat it like a snack, dip it into your favorite condiments & sauces, fill it with ice cream, drizzle honey or a sweet syrup on top, aaand you can make mochi waffles!!!

Its as simple as cutting it into tiny squares and setting it into a hot waffle iron. The inside gets chewy, but the outside crisps up and gets toasty. Perfect for waffles!

Mochi squares melting into the waffle iron

Mochi Waffle with Apple Cinnamon veganButter, Cashew Butter, Banana & Maple Syrup

Mochi Waffle with Lavender Blueberry veganButter, Orange Almond Syrup & Banana

The recipes for the vegan compound butters are in a previous post, you can find those by clicking here.

 Blood Mandarin, Navel orange, Valencia Orange, and Seville Orange

Orange Almond Syrup
4 c Orange juice
1/4 c honey
1 T almond extract
1 seeded vanilla bean, just the empty pod (you should keep these stored in your freezer)
pinch of sea salt

Simmer and reduce to 1 cup. Should take about an hour.

Vegan Compound Butters

My finished products, ready for Mochi Waffles this sunday!

This Sunday, my classmates from culinary school and I are having a staycation! We finished the coursework portion of school back in December, so we desperately miss being in the kitchen together, sharing food and our life stories.

We have 3 meals planned out for the weekend, Tamales, Gnocchi and Mochi Waffles! Look forward to recipes and pictures from our trip. I can't wait!!

Blueberry Lemon Lavender Compound Butter

1/3 c wild frozen blueberries

1/2 t lavender, bruised by mortar & pestle

1 Meyer lemon, juice and zest

1 drop good balsamic

1 T honey

I cooked these ingredients down into a thick syrupy reduction, let it cool, then added it to the *butter.

Apple Cinnamon Raisin Compound Butter

1/2 an apple shredded

1/4 c raisins

1/2 T cinnamon

1 T honey

Mix it all up, and fold it into the *butter.

* I chose to use Earth Balance Buttery Spread, the soy free version.

Meyer Lemon, frozen wild Blueberries, and culinary Lavender

Reducing my blueberry syrup so that its thick when I mix it with the butter

Getting the apple cinnamon compound butter ready

raw Superfood Salad w Mustard Tahini Dressing

 

I've been eating this salad everyday this week.. ya know its just one of those things. I've got all the ingredients in my fridge and I'm just hooked.

Spinach

Romaine

Fennugreek Sprouts

Watermelon Radish

Tomato

Avocado

Sunflower Seeds

 Bee Pollen

Dulse

Dressing

1 part tahini

1 part mustard

agave

lemon

soysauce

water to thin it out

raw Coconut Curry Spread

1 c dry coconut
1/4 cashews
1/2 c milk/water
1 t tumeric
1 T ginger
salt
pepper
curry powder or garam masala to taste

You can water this down and use it as a pasta sauce, spread it on sandwiches, lettuce wraps, crackers or fresh vegetables

raw Berry Asparagus Salad w Avo Dressing

Salad
spinach
basil
mint
blueberries
strawberries
sugarsnap peas
asparagus
fennugreek sprouts
slivered almonds
cacao nibs

Dressing
2 small avacados
juice of 3 oranges
salt
dry herbs
onion

Pea Shoot & Arugula Pesto

A pile of gorgeous Pea Shoots from Green Gate Farms!! I picked these myself, 

they're sprouting up everywhere!!

The Pea Shoot is just the top few inches of a new pea plant.. they grow like wild, so it doesnt do any damage to trim off the tops before they become big ole adult pea plants.

You can pick a pea shoot and eat it straight away.. it tastes like a blend of spinach.. and peas!! They wouldn't cook very well because they're so tender and delicate, but they'd be nice wilted into some pasta, on a pizza, sandwich or tossed in a salad. The arugula is growing like crazy too, so I decided to combine the two in a pesto for friends.

There are as many ways to make a pesto as there are people in this world. Feel free to play with the measurements til you have one that you love. Pesto freezes really well in tupperware, or in an ice cube tray (pop em out and store em in a ziplock bag in the freezer!)

I use miso instead of cheese. Try it sometime!

Pea Shoot Arugula Pesto
2 c packed pea shoots
1 c packed arugula
1/2 c cilantro, optional (i had some laying around)
toasted walnuts
olive oil
white miso
lemon
garlic

Combine the ingredients in a blender or a food processor. Or make a rustic pesto, by knife or suribachi! A suribachi is like a mortar and pestle, only the bowl is ribbed.

For my guests, I served this with

Carrot & Turnip Saute
4 baby turnips, or 2 large, shredded
5 carrots, shredded
olive oil
salt

Heat the olive oil, add the veggies and season with salt. Cook for 3-4 min on med-low.

Crostini
Delicious bread, sliced thin
dredged in olive oil, minced garlic & herbs
and toasted under the broiler

13 Bean Dahl

1c Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Mix (I love Bob)
5 c water
small piece Kombu
2 T coconut oil
1/2 T ginger
1/2 T fennel seeds
1 t cayenne
4 t coriander
2 t cumin
3 medium tomatoes diced, or 2 cans
1 t salt
optional garnish with tumeric cashew cream, (recipe follows) bean sprouts and fried chickpea noodles

Tumeric Cashew Cream
cashew cream (1 part H20 + 1 part cashew, blend until smooth)
shake of tumeric
dash of salt
pinch of cayenne

 Soak the beans overnight. Then cook 1 c beans in 5 c water for an hour or until soft.
Meanwhile, heat oil in saucepan. Add the ginger and fennel seeds and cook for 1 minute. The oil should be hot enough to should hear it sizzle, but not so hot that it burns. Then add cayenne, coriander, cumin and cook for an additional minute. Now, add the diced tomatoes and cover. Cook until the tomatoes have completely fallen apart and the mixture has become a sauce. Now stir in the beans and simmer for 10 minutes.

PBJ Banana Bread Pudding a la Mode

STAY TUNED FOR A COMPLETE RECIPE

PB choco Sauce
1/3 c Peanut butter
1.5 T cocoa powder
1/3 c milk product
pinch salt
honey, to taste

Heat the milk in a skillet. Once it is warmed, whisk in the peanut butter, then cocoa, honey and salt.

Jam
1/2 lb Strawberries, chopped
6 oz blueberries, smashed
1 orange, juiced
splash balsamic vinegar
pinch salt

Heat the orange juice in a small pot. Add the berries, balsamic and salt then and bring to a simmerand cook until the sauce thickens and reduces.


Breadpudding
half loaf 10grain bread
milk product
arrowroot powder
maple syrup
vanilla
cinnamon

Serve with a baked banana and ice cream!

Potato Cannellini & Cabbage in a Mustard Dill Stew

I'm crazy about Mustard & Dill. I am constantly trying to use my favorite flavor combinations in new ways. I was so happy with how this turned out.

3 small Russets, diced small
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c cooked Cannellini beans, reserve cooking liquid *
1/2 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced
6 large crimini mushrooms, quarter
1 very large roasted tomato or 1 can roasted toms
1 1/2 c veg broth**
1/2 c veg milk***
2 T mustard (to taste)
1 T dry dill or 2 T fresh

Feel free to omit the tomato as it is out of season.. we have some gorgeous local greenhouse tomatoes so I could not resist.

Start by small dicing the potatoes and cooking them over med-high heat in a bit of oil and salt until crisp and brown. Set aside

If you are going to roast your tomatoes yourself, set your oven to 325, slice the tomato into sixths toss in oil and salt and place in oven on cooking sheet. After a half hour or so, the tomato will start to deflate, the flavor will intensify, and you can easily peel the skin off. Set aside.

In the same pan you cooked the potato.. saute the diced onion with garlic and salt. Cook for a few minutes, then add the cabbage, bean cooking liquid, milk and veg broth. Bring to a simmer, add the tomato, mushrooms, dill and mustard. Season to taste.

*soak 1/2 c beans in water over night. Drain & rinse the beans. Cook the beans in a 3-1 water-bean ratio. (I always toss a bit of kombu in the pot to add mineral content and aid digestion)

** Keep onions, carrots and celery on hand for making broths quickly. If you arent making broths often, you can always juice any excess carrots & celery. To make a delicious quick broth heat a bit of oil, dice the onion, carrot celery and add them to the pot. Cook for several minutes with a bay leaf, salt & a couple of peppercorns. Once the vegetables are good and soft add water to cover. Cook for at least 30min. You have broth!

***I stopped buying milks at the store several months ago. Instead I buy cashews. Soak the nuts for an hour, then blend 1part cashew with 3 parts water, strain, and voila you have 3 cups of creamy, healthy, delicious milk!

Jerk Shrimp Tacos w Canteloupe Salsa & Slaw

Our Appetizer.. Stoneground Crackers, Caramelized Onions, Roquefort, Sliced Apples & Smoked Salmon

Slawred cabbage sliced super thin
onion sliced super thin

Slaw Dressing
1/2c carrot juice
1.5T ginger juice
2T rice wine vingear
1.5 T white miso paste
1T sesame oil
1t maple syrup

Shrimp1 lb shrimp
2 1/2 t dry thyme
2 t paprika
3/4 t allspice
1 1/2 t sugar
1/2 t garlic
1/2 t cayenne
2 T olive oil

Salsa
1/2 cantaloupe diced small
1 small tomato
red onion
cliantro
salt
lime juice
jalapeno
salt

Brown Rice Pudding with Grilled Pineapple Reduction

RECIPES FOR LATEST POSTS COMING SOON...

Pressed Salad with Mustard Tahini dressing

All kinds of fruit & veg are great for pressed salads. The idea is that you slice them thin, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, gently massage, and set a plate & heavy object atop the salad for at least 1 hour.
In this process, water is released from the vegetables, making them easier to eat raw, and producing a dish high in mineral quality, alkalizing, rich with fiber and digestive enzymes.

This salad contains:
Carrot, Daikon Radish, Red Radishes, Savoy Cabbage, Cucumber & Apple

Dressing:
3 parts Tahini
2 parts Stone Ground Mustard
dash lemon & shoyu (or tamari)
agave nectar (or honey or brown rice syrup)
garlic, minced
water to reach desired consistency

This salad might seem boring, but believe me its exciting! Its one of our favorite things to eat/prepare different versions of at school. Its healthy crisp & delicious. The dressing is actually quite sweet, and if you like mustard you'll love this dressing!

As an alternative you could add fresh herbs, nuts, dried fruits, onion, pear, citrus juice.. Enjoy!

RAW "pasta alfredo"

This recipe is dairy-free, un-cooked, nutrient packed, and friggin delicious. I ain't kiddin. I understand the skepticism, but by now you should all trust my tastebuds!!

So there is a Raw revolution happening in this country. Many people have no idea what this means, and many more are very skeptical. I am not endorsing an all-raw all-year lifestyle, but I firmly believe that having at least a 50% raw diet will help you feel and look much much better.
When you cook food the minerals stay, but many of the vitamins leave... food for thought.

Raw "alfredo sauce"
1 c cashews
1/2 c pinenuts
1 1/2 c water
garlic
thyme (or oregano, parsley, basil)
red pepper flakes
sun dried tomatoes
salt
1-2 T lemon juice

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor.

This is a pretty standard recipe among raw foodists. Buy the nuts from your grocer's bulk section to save money. Dont buy them toasted or salted.

The noodles are made from zucchini. If you dont have a fancy spiral slicer like me, you can just slice thin strips off your squash with a peeler.

You could also top this with marinated mushrooms, steamed broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc.

Roasted Potatoes & Butternut Gravy

Red and Yukon Potatoes Roasted with garlic, spring onions and herbs

Sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil, agave nectar and thyme

melting butternut squash broth ice cubes that I saved from soup-making last month


whisking the broth into the onions & garlic

You can make gravy with any stock, broth, water, milk... etc. All you really need is a thickener, usually a roux, but in this case arrowroot powder.

I love to freeze leftovers in ice cube trays. I reserved squash cooking liquid from several weeks ago, knowing that I love to make this gravy. For a quicker version, just make some broth with a bouillon cube/paste & some water.

Gravy
12 butternut squash broth ice cubes, melted
1/4 of an onion finely minced
2 cloves garlic
a couple drops agave nectar (or any sweetener)
thyme
olive oil
arrowroot powder (kudzu & cornstarch work too)

heat oil and saute onion until translucent & soft. Add garllic, thyme & agave & continue to cook for another minute. Stir in broth, but reserve 2 T. Mix the 2T broth with 1 T arrowroot and whisk in this mixture. Continue to whisk until the gravy thickens.

Serve over Roasted Potatoes & Onions. or whatever!
Make sure to slice the onions very thick so that they cook evenly with the potatoes.

Stuff that I make

Straining the Green Onion Oil through a fine mesh seive
Green onion oil in a pan.. ready for potatoes! We used to drizzle it on Pizzas @ Broadway Brewery
Fresh Strawberry Sauce & Green Onion Oil

Fresh Strawberry Sauce on Nada Moo Coconut Ice Cream



Fresh Strawberry Sauce
-1 pint strawberries
-agave nectar
-balsamic vinegar
-lemon juice

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend the ingredients so that there is still a somewhat chunky consistency.

I would use this with breakfast or dessert!

Green Onion Oil
-Tops of 2 Spring Onions or 1/2 bunch scallions
-1 c high heat oil (Safflower, Canola, Grapeseed..)

Place onion tops & oil into a blender or food processor & puree until smooth. Then press through a fine mesh seive to separate the flavored oil from plant fiber.

I would use this to re-heat roasted root vegetables, on a salad, in a dressing, potato salad, on a pizza, in pesto, drizzle over.. well, most things savory!