PureLifeTaste

The Lasagna of Love...Valentine's Dinner

2011-02-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

Lasagna is one of my favorite foods of all time, especially since childhood. I'm sure I have mentioned that before on this blog, and anyone who knows me will know this! Lasagna really is a labor of love as sauces and fillings must be made individually, noodles cooked, toppings prepared, and everything must be seasoned just right to make the entire dish come together in harmony (wow, I even get poetic when writing about lasagna). This is the first time I have made this lasagna with cashew creme, and ingredient that I use often in my cooking, both savory and sweet. Cashew creme is an incredibly versatile and healthy replacement for dairy based creams/cheeses. If you want to know how to make cashew creme (very easy) read here. Once you have the basic creme made then you can season it with sea salt, lemon and nutritional yeast if you are using it as a savory cheesy replacement. If you want to use it like sour cream, then leave out the nutritional yeast.
Moving on! I also used my beloved Field Roast sausage as the protein in this lasagna. I simply took two links (I like the Fennel Apple flavor) and pulsed it in a food processor to make crumbles and then mixed that with about 1 cup of marinara.
The other layers of this lasagna are spinach and leeks that have been sauteed down with a hint of garlic and then mixed with the cashew creme. Atop that layer is a layer of roasted squash (yellow and zucchini both- make sure and season the veggies well) but you could use any veggies you like. Just be sure to cook the veggies prior to adding them to the lasagna, other wise they will release all of the water into the lasagna and nobody likes a watery, tasteless lasagna!
So again, this is layered as: Marinara, then noodles, spinach/creme mixture, veggies, noodles, crumbled sausage, noodles, red sauce, then cashew creme, topped with some homemade bread crumbs and sprinkled with oregano.
This was really a delicious lasagna. My hubby loved it and gobbled down two pieces! It was the perfect accompaniment to our Valentines evening. Followed by rich yet healthy brownies from the Millennium cookbook made with Ghiradelli cocoa in honor of our San Francisco roots- the city in which our love began.

Kabocha Squash Curry

2011-01-03T20:58:00.000-08:00

Last night I made this delicious Kabocha Squash Curry that is just loaded with delicious vegetables that soak up the silky and flavorful coconut milk curry. Some Thai restaurants do the Kabocha Squash curry, but certainly not all...I have found it can be hard to find. I really love this dish and vegetarian curries in general, but this to me, tops them all. The squash is so sweet and buttery, but still has texture and bite to it. The kabocha squash is more dense than a butternut squash which and has a slightly different taste and a bright, beautiful color.
To cook the kabocha squash is actually quite easy. I first take the whole squash and put it in a 350 degree oven for about ten minutes. This softens it up enough to where I can cut it in half easier. Take the two halves and scoop out the seeds in the inside. Then, put the two halves, cut side down on a baking sheet, and return to the oven for about 25-30 minutes depending on the size of your squash. You want it to be done, al dente as it will continue to cook as you simmer the curry. When the squash is cool enough to handle then take small scoops out of the squash leaving only the thick skin behind.

To make the curry, I saute up all my veggies, except for the squash, with lots of garlic, ginger and a bit of salt in coconut oil. In a separate saucepan, combine 1 can of coconut milk with 2 or so tablespoons of curry paste, and a small piece of lemongrass. (or you can make your own, but that is a separate blog post. Thai Kitchen makes some good ones). After my veggies have started to soften, then I pour my coconut milk mixture over the veggies, add the squash and let them all simmer together. I finish the dish with a squeeze of lime juice, some chopped thai basil, and a bit more salt if to taste. Remove the lemongrass and serve over a bed of delicious brown rice. In this picture I made a brown rice pilaf with almonds, peas, onions, and a bit more spice.

This is a hearty, nutritious dish with lots of warming spices perfect for a cold January night!

2010 Holiday Dish Roundup

2010-12-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

So, the holidays are here and one of my all time favorite things to do is make the classics for my family, but of course make them vegan... yet equally delicious and satisfying. Now I don't go around advertising the fact that everything is vegan too much, because I want the holiday to be about each other and not about the food. However, I love being able to feed everyone a healthier alternative that will fill their plate with nourishing and delicious bites that allow us to be better to ourselves and the planet. I have found that even the most hearty carnivores at our table find these dishes delish.

Above you will see:

Cornbread Stuffing with Cherries, Leeks and Almonds
Field Roast wrapped in Puff Pastry
Candied Sweet Potatoes with Candied Walnuts
Green Bean Casserole made with Cashew Creme and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Classic Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Cashew Creme

Other favorites not photographed are: Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom Gravy, & Spiced Cranberry Sauce.

Now, I apologize because I have yet to type all of these items into recipes, which takes some time after I scratch down on scrap paper what I am doing while I cook, and then am left with the task of inputing that in my Mac recipe program. However, I wanted to at least share this with you all now, as Christmas is just a few days away, hopefully you may find inspiration here for your upcoming holiday meal. If anyone is interested in a specific recipe, feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you.

Other than that I will leave a few specific notes on my dishes:

1.) Cashew Creme is your friend. I make a large batch of it, to which half becomes savory (for the Green Bean Casserole- Cream of Mushroom soup died with the 80's!) The other half I add in agave nectar to whip into a delicious non-dairy topping with dessert. Cashew creme can also add a luxurious touch to gravies, casseroles, and pretty much everywhere where dairy may normally lurk.

2.) Who needs butter? Use Earth Balance- it has a salty richness, I guarantee nobody knows the difference. Pretty much all the grocery stores are carrying it now- check the natural foods section.

3.) Make your own vegan cornbread for stuffing!

4.) Trader Joe's sells Fried Onions that are vegan. I didn't say they were healthy, but it is the holidays after all.

5.) Field Roast sells their awesome seitan roasts wrapped in Puff Pastry but those things are elusive as heck. Couldn't find one anywhere. So, I bought Puff Pastry (Pepperidge Farms is vegan- again, not healthy, but this is not everyday food) and wrapped my luscious field roast in that. I barely got a slice, because everyone else wanted it.

6.) Pies are so easy to make vegan. Use earth balance or vegetable oil in the crust and the filling is a home run!

Remember- the best foods of the season are plant based. With a bit of creativity your holiday table can be healthy (mostly), guaranteed colorful, compassionate, and delicious.

Merry Christmas all!

Apple Hazelnut Torte

2010-11-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

For some reason my computer has decided not to work with me tonight, and will not upload the pictures of the beautiful Apple Hazelnut Torte that I made for my mom's Birthday! I will keep working on it, but it in the meantime I will happily share the recipe (which has a photo of it's own).

I saw this recipe in last month's Bon Appetit, and it is an Apple Torte however the crust is made with breadcrumbs and hazelnuts. I thought this was very interesting and decided to give it a whirl. I happened to have a bunch of homemade cinnamon bread in the freezer, so I used that bread to make the breadcrumbs which really added to the flavor of the crust, so I highly recommend doing that!

This was a very easy recipe to veganize because there were no eggs in it. When the recipe called for butter, I used Earth Balance, and when it calls for milk, I used almond milk. Simple as pie.

This dessert went over very well with the crowd, and I do recommend it. Can't wait to share the pics with you, but in the meantime, check out the recipe here...

Cranberry Orange Walnut Muffins

2010-11-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

As I often do on Sunday mornings, this past Sunday I felt like spending some time in the kitchen baking up something simple and nice to nosh on during our traditional Sunday morning TV, paper, coffee and tea-a-thon. I happened to have an orange and dried cranberries on hand, so voila, cranberry orange muffins it was!
This is a simple recipe, so there isn't much to say... I adapted it slightly from Isa's recipe in Vegan Brunch. I made the muffin whole grain, a blend of flours as I often do to create complexity in flavor and texture. I also added a touch of cornmeal for texture. You can use fresh or dried cranberries, I used dried. They are especially yummy when glazed, which I did not show in my pic (sorry). BTW- I learned not to shoot foods the same color as my bamboo cutting board, on my bamboo cutting board. Lesson learned!

1 ⅓ cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
⅔ cup oat flour
¼ cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup orange juice
½ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons almond milk or other non dairy milk
2 tablespoons orange zest from one orange
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¾ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped, (you can also use fresh cranberries)
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
¾ cup powdered sugar
dash almond milk, add 1 teaspoon at a time

Preheat oven to 350 (convection) or 375.

In a large bowl combine flours and cornmeal with sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Mix well and set aside.

In separate bowl combine orange juice, oil, milk, zest and extracts. Mix well.
Add in to dry ingredients along with cranberries and walnuts and mix until just moistened...
careful not to over mix.

Line your muffin tins with paper liners and fill each tin 3/4 of the way full with batter.
Bake for 23-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean. Let cool.

While the muffins are cooling mix the powdered sugar with non-dairy milk, one teaspoon at a time,
until you reach an icing consistency. Drizzle over the muffins and serve.

It's Enchilada Night and I'm talking about Mexican Food!

2010-11-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

Yay for Mexican Food! A lot of people think that if you are vegan then you don't "get to eat regular food". I think the word "vegan" can scare people unnecessarily. Avoiding animal products is not hard, especially considering that most flavorings are plant-based: herbs, spices, oils, salt, pepper, tomato sauces, salsas, guacamole, marinades, barbeque sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, jams, chutneys, etc. I find that ethnic foods are especially easy to make without animal products and eating out as a vegan is almost always easy at ethnic foods restaurants.

Eating out:
When I go out to a Mexican restaurant I almost always get vegetable fajitas and enjoy building my own little tacos filled with the veggies, guacamole, salsa, beans and rice (always ask to make sure they are vegetarian- sometimes they sneak chicken broth or lard in there). Luckily, guacamole and chips and margaritas are usually animal free and I can make a meal out of that right there!
I have always loved refried beans, but those can be more difficult to find at a restaurant due to the fact that they are classically made with lard. Most of the time, a Mexican Restaurant will offer both black beans or pinto/refried beans and in my experience the black beans are almost always vegetarian and often the pinto or refried beans are not, but sometimes you get lucky and they are (Tres Agaves, I love you). The mexican rice is often also vegetarian, but again you have to ask because they could use chicken broth to cook the rice in, in which case it's not going on my plate...
I am happy to see that almost all restaurants now days are vegetarian/vegan friendly and no longer act surprised when consumers ask questions about the origins/ingredients of their dishes- whether it be about trans fats, sugars, animal products, etc. Vegetarian or not, as a society, I think we are learning that we have to take control of what goes in our bodies, but we shouldn't have to sacrifice eating out to do so.

So back to these Enchiladas I made tonight...I have always loved Mexican Food, believe it or not I am a quarter Mexican- I don't look it at all, but I definitely have a love for all things Mexican- which makes my Grandma very happy! We ate a lot of Mexican Food growing up, and back in the day it was not vegan. My mom is great at making mexican food, but now as an adult I have had a lot of fun veganizing my favorite mexican dishes. Tonight I made my version of enchiladas. Inside those enchiladas were a combination of homemade refried beans (so yummy), diced and marinated seitan (a vegetarian protein made from wheat protein and has a meat like texture), which was sauteed with diced red peppers and corn. I also put a dollop of cashew creme in there to add a nice texture. I used regular corn tortillas, and made a homemade enchilada sauce from tomato paste, water, diced tomatoes, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin powder, salt and pepper. A top the casserole was the amazing and delicious Daiya Cheese which I have talked about before on this blog. I am so happy because it is SOY FREE! Not that Soy is bad but just like anything else, I think soy should be eaten in moderation - a topic for another day. Anyways, if you haven't tried Daiya yet, you must. A lot of pizzerias are starting to use it now as a vegan option which is awesome... Daiya is available at Whole Foods and probably most Natural Foods markets.

Lastly- those refried beans. I will post the recipe on another day this week, but in short, I use a bit of cashew cream as I mash my beans to give them that creaminess that the best refried beans will boast. The flavor and texture is spot on, and lard-free. More to come later this week.

So, my final point today is that it is easy and delicious to make minor changes that can take a classically non-vegan dish, make it healthier and vegan and supremely delicious!

South American Stew

2010-11-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

This recipe is a recipe I adapted from Bauman College's Natural Chef program, where I received my certification in 2009. It is one of my absolute favorite stews, packed with colors, vitamins, flavors and textures and lots of protein between the quinoa and the kidney beans, and is perfect for fall. I like to top mine off with a bit of fresh avocado and cilantro. I always feel so healthy after eating this stew but it is so hearty and comforting you would think it was bad for you!

South American Stew
2 cups carrot juice
1 T. grapeseed oil
1 cup onions- diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato juice
2 cups vegetable stock- plus more if needed to thin at the end
1 1/2 T. chili powder
3 cups sweet potatoes, 1 inch dice
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cups green beans, cut to 1 inch
2 cups cooked kidney beans (1 15 oz. can - rinse if using canned)
2 cups corn- fresh or frozen
2 cups vegetable stock- or more if needed to thin
lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot, add onions about 5 minutes. Add garlic for 1 minute more.
Add carrot juice, tomatoes and tomato juice, chili powder, sweet potatoes, and quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for 10-15 minutes.

Just as the sweet potatoes get tender add the green beans and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the beans and corn and continue to cook until just heated through. Add more vegetable stock if stew is too thick. Season to taste with sea salt, fresh pepper and lemon juice.

Serves 8

What I love about Vegan MoFo...

2010-11-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

So, I have to keep today's post a bit short, it has been a super long day! But I had to update a few things that I have been cookin the past couple of days. Well, ironically the one picture I have to post is of uncooked food. It was still delicious though!

I love Vegan MoFo because it is so much fun to explore the blogs of other vegan foodies such as myself, and I am constantly amazed at some of the brilliant combinations that people come up with. This site makes it super easy to surf blogs the world throughout. I recently made the super fudgy brownies from Not a Rabbit which were amazing! A bit more like fudge than a brownie, but a great hybrid a super recipe! (Pictures to come if I don't eat them all first). Also threw together some whole wheat cous cous with steamed broccoli, tri-color cauliflower and butternut squash, and dried cranberries, a very simple and satisfying lunch.

The pic I posted is of a super tasty fall salad that I made. I sliced fennel very thin and tossed it with some green apples, radishes, hazelnuts, and parsley. I made a tangy vinaigrette from white balsamic vinegar, agave nectar, olive oil and salt. Lots of flavors going on here, and the peppery radishes balance the sweet and tangy apples and dressing. Very seasonal and pretty to look at, especially the way those radishes contrast with the green apples!

So, I have a few things on my radar for the next couple days: a tomato, kale cannelini bean soup, cranberry orange muffins, and gingerbread cookies... lots of good food blogging to come...

Winter Pasta - Brown Rice Penne with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard

2010-11-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

I may have mentioned this before, but if I haven't, I really love winter squash... really, really, really love winter squash. Kabocha Squash is my ultimate favorite, but I also love, delicata, butternut and acorn. The health benefits of winter squash are numerous, namely they are packed with phytochemicals- those important anti-oxidants that help us fight off diseases like Cancer, and a plethora of vitamins and minerals, namely Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium, Folate, and the B Vitamins.

So, this week I was feeling like comfort food and decided to make this creamy pasta dish studded with chunks of fresh roasted butternut squash, along with swiss chard that had been sauteed up with a touch of oil, garlic, and Field Roast seitan sausage. This was a hearty plate, filling and satisfying. I had pre-roasted my butternut squash cubes very simply in a light coating of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 375 for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. (This can be done in advance, and then re-heated)

I used brown rice penne pasta. I am not gluten sensitive, but I try to reduce the amount of gluten that I eat when I can. Since the Field Roast sausage that I was using is made from vital wheat gluten, I thought I should go with a gluten-free pasta to balance it out. If you haven't tried brown rice pasta yet, I highly recommend it. You can't tell any difference, and it is more nutritious than regular pasta. The only thing that I have found is that brown rice pasta is not good for cold pasta dishes, it becomes very tough! But for hot pasta, go for it. Even Trader Joe's is now offering Brown Rice Pasta in a variety of shapes.

For the quick and creamy sauce, first I made a roux. Yes a roux can easily be made vegan! A roux is a combination of butter and flour traditionally used as a thickener to start off a sauce. I used earth balance and whole wheat pastry flour to start mine. You use equal parts of both ( I used 2 tablespoons of each). You put the roux in a sauce pan over medium low, and stir it frequently until it starts to brown a bit. At that point you build your sauce. I added vegetable broth and unsweetened almond milk, nutritional yeast, a touch of fresh nutmeg, and salt. I like to eyeball these ingredients, start out slow because you can always add liquid, but you can't take it out! You need to whisk constantly as you add these ingredients, and the roux will thicken it as it heats up. Once you reach the desired consistency and taste, you remove from the heat. You want to leave it a little bit thin so it can spread over the pasta well- if it's too thick it is not very palatable on the pasta. The resulting sauce is golden brown and deliciously flavorful.

To bring the pasta together, I added the cooked pasta to my skillet of swiss chard and veggie sausage, threw in the squash cubes, and finally tossed it gently with the creamy sauce. I like to top mine off with a touch of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, but that is up to you!

It's Vegan MOFO... My first post of the Month: Soba Noodles with Green Beans

2010-11-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

That's right, it's Vegan MoFo! That is Vegan Month of Food! I was looking at the headlining page of Vegan MoFo headquarters and saw that I got a shout out for my recent posts... the headlining page is everchanging, but still cool to see my stuff on the main page. Every year, vegan bloggers all over the world commit to blogging about their delicious plant based cuisine for at least 20 days out of the month of November. I am three days behind on my post, but I have been taking pics, so I am sure I will catch up with it...

I really think Vegan MoFo is great because it brings awareness to the benefits of a whole foods, plant based diet that is better for our bodies, the earth, and also for the animals. It is inspiring to see the incredible things that people come up with, and experience people with similar values from across the world.

My first blog is these awesome Soba Noodles with Green Beans, Bell Peppers, Bok Choy, and Peanuts. Super simple dinner last night, and I was craving noodles for some weird reason. I really like Soba noodles and I look for the ones with the highest percentage of buckwheat flour. Buckwheat is very healthy, it has more protein than regular wheat (which it is much different from) and a unique nutrient profile. Soba noodles are generally a blend of wheat flour and buckwheat flour, and the darker they are, the more buckwheat they have in them. I did a quick stir fry on the veggies while the noodles cooked, and to bring it all together I made a quick sauce reminiscent of something you would get at a chinese restaurant.

In a saucepan, I combined ( no real measurements here, just eye-balled it) soy sauce approx 1 tablespoon, a splash of rice wine vinegar, a splash of hot sauce, about 1/3 cup of vegetable broth and about a teaspoon of sesame oil, and about 2 teaspoons of tomato paste. I whisked all that together, and added about a teaspoon of corn starch to thicken it. I whisked this over low heat until the mixture thickened, about 2 minutes... a super simple asian sauce for my noodles!

Lastly the sauce goes in the skillet with the stir-fried veggies, add in the drained noodles and the sauce, and there's dinner. I topped it off with some fresh scallions and peanuts.
Super yum!
Hope you enjoy Vegan MoFo...

I've been baking! The Sundae Cupcake, Hazelnut Biscuits, and Whole Wheat Bread

2010-10-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

As much as I love my vegetables, I have to admit (and you can probably tell this from reading this blog) I really love to bake. One of my goals in the somewhat near future is to open a small, handcrafted vegan bakery here in my new hometown of Roseville, California. There really isn't anything like that in Roseville and I think this market would definitely embrace a healthy, but still tasty alternative! The bakery will probably have to wait a bit, but for now I am having fun practicing and developing recipes that I hope to use in this someday bakery.

I have been very busy lately, especially as I am still working in San Francisco a few days a week, which is a lovely 2-3 hour drive (each way) depending on traffic. As you can imagine this takes away from my beloved time in the kitchen, but I have still kept up my cooking and baking as much as I can ... homemade food just tastes so much better than store bought food. It has been a good challenge for me to cook foods that I can take on the road with me, some days for all three meals.

Anyways, in an effort to be efficient, here I thought I would combine some of my favorite developments of the past month or so:

1.) The Sundae Cupcake. OMG this came out so good. We had some of our SF friends coming to visit a couple of weeks ago, one of whom was celebrating a birthday. I wanted to make some cupcakes and couldn't decide between a fruity cupcake or a chocolatey cupcake. I had the thought to make an ice cream sundae sort of cupcake! So of course, all vegan, this cupcake was: a Vanilla cake with Strawberry filling, topped with Chocolate Buttercream, chopped peanuts, and a cherry on top! Oh sweet heaven, were these good! This is definitely going on the list of must haves for this future bakery. If you haven't made a vegan cupcake yet, I highly recommend it. You will see that there is absolutely no reason to make non vegan cupcakes, when dairy and egg free versions are just so good! If you want a good place to get down the basics, pick up this book.

2.) Hazelnut Biscuits. These I thought of as a nutty, crunchy treat for coffee/tea time, or as a not too sweet afternoon snack. I love the rich flavor of hazelnuts, and these biscuits are full of it! The biscuit is a simple combination of hazelnuts and oats, processed in a food processor, to which I added brown rice syrup, salt, a little hazelnut oil and a touch of maple syrup. The consistency is a little loose, but easy to form into shapes. ( I am considering forming them into either a biscotti shape or a madeleine shape next time) After forming them into a ball with a little well in the center, I added a dollop of dark chocolate which is the final richness and complexity that the biscuit needs!

3.) Whole Wheat Bread.
I love to make quick breads, but I don't usually make traditional yeast risen breads. My dad has made homemade bread with a bread maker my whole life, which I have always loved. He is hardcore, he grinds his own wheat, and then makes a whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread that is to die for! Anyways, I just go ahead and buy good quality whole wheat flour. Save myself a little hard labor. I miss homemade bread and decided that I should start honing some bread making skills. I started here with a simple whole wheat bread. I adapted it from a recipe that a friend uses for white bread and loves. It is a simple recipe, and I successfully subbed a mixture of whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour (it is a lighter color of wheat, but still whole wheat... not white flour). The other ingredients are just water, yeast, sugar, and a touch of oil. No surprises there, but the ratios are perfect. I like this recipe for it's moisture and tenderness, and by using half white whole wheat flour, the color was this really gorgeous blonde color instead of that super dark whole wheat bread. I ate bread with earth balance and cinnamon or jam for at least three days straight after I made this, it was just so yummy.

I think next time, I need to spend a little bit more time in the kneading phase though. I think if I had kneaded it a little longer it would have been even more aerated than it was. I have this great oven with our new house that has a proofing mode, and man is it great! But not a bad start with breads... I am going to keep practicing, and maybe this Christmas everyone will get a loaf of bread a la Rebecca.

I Don't Want Summer to End! Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salad

2010-08-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Summer is my favorite season (Fall comes in at a close second), and although the weather is still quite hot here in Roseville, I am already starting to get a little sad knowing that the end of Summer is coming... good thing Fall is my second favorite, since that comes next!

I love a lot of things about summer, the heat, getting to wear flip flops everywhere but work, being tan, the general relaxed mentality, vacations, etc. BUT one of my most favorite things about summer is Tomatoes! Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have an all out love for tomatoes. My Mom says that when she was pregnant with me she craved tomatoes something terrible, and since they were out of season, she ate whole tomatoes from a can! Now, I am not quite that hardcore, but this time of year, I usually have tomatoes at least two meals a day.

Summer brings along several over foods that I love as well: cucumbers, peaches, nectarines, peppers, etc. My parents have always had a garden, and the summer harvests were some of the most delicious foods I can ever remember eating growing up. I also notice that in the summer, I much prefer eating raw foods as opposed to cooked foods. I don't eliminate cooked foods altogether, but I certainly crave cold, raw foods much more. And all these summer foods taste so good raw! Eating raw foods (vegan of course, we are not talking meat here) is super healthy and nourishing to our bodies, because all of the nutrients and wonderful phyto-chemicals are still in tact. And, you can certainly feel that difference as well.

I was standing in line for an avocado sandwich at a local deli the other day, and I picked up this local foodie magazine that is available in several cities. It is called edible (enter name of current city), in this case Edible Sacramento. One of the featured recipes was this salad, and I couldn't wait to go home and try it! I had never thought of creating a salad of peaches and heirloom tomatoes before, but what a great idea. That night I confirmed what I had suspected would be true... this is one delicious salad!

I know this is no culinary feat to create this dish, but that is also what is so great about it. It is simple food, simply prepared, to an amazing result. Here is what it is, this will serve about 2 people, so you can increase the quantities if you are feeding more:

1 ripe peach sliced, and each slice halved
2 ripe heirloom tomatoes chopped
1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chiffonade
a splash of balsalmic vinegar (I used white balsalmic so that it wouldn't change the color)
a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a pinch of coarse sea salt
a grind of fresh black pepper
I tossed in a small amount of Arugula, which is optional

Toss everything in a bowl and serve. It is heaven. Literally, a summer's day on a fork. It makes a great side dish when entertaining as well.

I'm back! And bringing some Strawberry Pie...

2010-07-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

I can not believe it has been four months since my last blog post! Well... maybe I can. It has been a very busy year for me as we purchased a new house, and in a new area, so I have been dealing with lots of changes and getting the new house all set up.

So, as you can imagine, my food blogging took a back seat to everything else that has been going on, moving, working (commuting), decorating, landscaping (still LOTS of that to do), and still so far to go, but it has been a very fun and exciting journey so far. I especially can't wait to plant my garden, but considering it is 90-100 degrees around here, I will probably be waiting to plant a winter garden so that I don't lose precious plants to the heat! Here's the new house! We are really happy here...
Although I am sad not to live in San Francisco anymore, I know it is less than two hours away and I will surely be visiting there a lot. I am excited to get cooking again in our

new area because I am planning on starting my cooking business
back up, and I really want to focus on helping people who have diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other life threatening diseases
learn how to cook for themselves in a healthy way that they can
heal their bodies and thrive! I feel that this area is a great place to do that because there just isn't as many resources here for someone looking to eat natural, organic, vegetarian food, so I look forward to meeting new people and making a difference here.

So, onward to this beautiful Strawberry Pie. Easily one of the prettiest desserts I have ever made. I made this with the help of my Mom and my Mother in Law (my second Mom). We are on a new pie making kick this summer, and had a great time making this beautiful pie. I adapted it from a recipe that I found online, which was practically already vegan, so it was very easy.

1.) Make a vegan pie crust. I could post the recipe I use, but most pie doughs are flour, butter, and water with a pinch of salt. All you have to do is replace the butter with Earth Balance. Done.
2.) Bake that crust for a good 10-12 minutes until it is golden brown. 350 should do.
3.) Get a good 5 cups of fresh strawberries. Take 2.5 cups of the strawberries, remove the stems, halve them, and put them in your shell.
4.) Take the other half and mash them in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in 3/4 cup sugar (vegan of course) and bring to a slight boil.
5.) In a separate bowl mix 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 3/4 cup water thoroughly. Add this mixture to your strawberry mixture in the saucepan, and continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring consistently.
6.) Pour this mixture over your fresh strawberries in the pie shell. Let cool for at least 10 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
7.) Serve with delicious vegan ice cream!!
(recipe adapted from All Recipes.com)

I hope you enjoy this delicious Strawberry Pie! I will be back with another blog soon. Adios!

Sunday Vegan Brunch with houseguests

2010-03-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I had the joy of having both my Mom and my Mother-in-law (they are best friends!) and their good friend in town. We had a girls night out to see the musical Wicked, which was great! Then we spent a relaxing Sunday, for which I made brunch and we took our doggie Cooper to play at Fort Funston. Brunch turned out to be just perfect for a sunny Spring morning. I have the wonderful cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz aptly titled Vegan Brunch, and so far everything I have made from it is spot on delicious! Isa is one of my favorite cookbook authors not just because of her wit, and lively commentary throughout her books but also because her food is always what you expect it to be!

So, from Vegan Brunch, I made the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins that were just perfect, and I adapted another recipe to make some pastry bites with a filling of sauteed mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and mashed cannellini beans, along with lots of spices such as fennel seed, cumin, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, etc. The topping for the pastries was a Caramelized Onion Cashew Creme that I had already made from the day before. (Cashew creme is easy to make and extremely versatile. I will soon write a post about everything that you can do with Cashews!) I also made my own recipe of classic hash browns seasoned with Old Bay Seasoning, served with a sauce of ketchup, vegan mayo, chipotle powder, and a teaspoon of relish. It was a nice tangy and spicy addition to the potatoes. Lastly I served a simple fruit salad dressed with Vanilla Coconut Yogurt to which I added some cinnamon and chopped fresh mint. (BTW- If you haven't had Coconut Yogurt it is out of this world delicious! It is a wonderful and healthy alternative to dairy yogurts.

I am definitely a breakfast person, no doubt it is my favorite meal of the day. Food just tastes really good in the morning, I think. This breakfast was filling and pleasing to the palate, cholesterol free, and best of all relatively simple to make! Nobody wants to get up and slave for 2 hours to make a nice breakfast. I highly recommend Vegan Brunch, I promise you will love it!

Vegetarian Chili and Cornbread for a rainy day

2010-03-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to do this post for awhile now... I have again not been able to blog as much as I would like lately, so I have all of these food pics and topics building up!
When I was a kid there were a few dinners that were my mom's staples. My favorites were tacos, lasagna, and chili with cornbread. There were others that were also her staples that were not my favorites, but we won't go into that...

So, I have created my own version of her chili that is now without the ground beef, and chock full of hearty and healthy vegetables. There is really nothing more comforting and cozy on a rainy day (and the day that I made this was just that.) The foundation of the chili is one diced red onion, one diced red bell pepper, one diced jalapeno pepper, and 3 cloves of garlic sauteed together until soft. I then add diced tomatoes (organic canned are the only way to go this time of year), 1 1/2 cups pinto beans, and 1 cup kidney beans. The beans should be fully cooked. Canned beans are ok, I just always recommend buying organic and rinsing them to reduce the salt on them before you use them. Now it's time to turn this into a chili. The spices I add in are: 2 tablespoons of chili powder. If you can find chipotle chili powder use half this and half regular chili powder. This will add a great smoky flavor to the chili. Then 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, and 1/4 cup of tomato paste for thickening. Add in about a cup and a half of water and stir to combine. Bring to a light boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Let the chili simmer on low for at least a half an hour, but an hour or two is better if you can to bring the flavors together.

While the stew is cooking, prepare your toppings. I can't go without diced avocado and scallions. This time I also added a generous sprinkling of Daiya cheddar cheese and my own homemade cashew sour cream.

Lastly, but certainly not least, is the cornbread. My favorite recipe is this one. Jazz it up by adding some Daiya cheddar, fresh corn kernels, etc...

The best part is the leftovers for the next couple of days!

Cashew Creamed Spinach with Gnocchi, Gardein, and SunDried Tomato Pesto

2010-02-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

I decided to try something I had never tried, ever before. I have never had Creamed Spinach. As a matter of fact I had never had any "Creamed" food ( ie creamed corn, etc) until the other day I had Creamed Mustard Greens, and they were to die for. So, being that was at a vegan restaurant, I knew that I needed to make this deliciously wonderful dish at home, so that I could have it anytime! So, that is what I did, and man was it great.
I used my homemade Cashew Creme (a blended version of cashews, lemon juice, water and salt) which is a wonderful dairy substitute, especially when you use the awesome vita-mix blender! I sauteed leeks and garlic, then added organic bloomsdale spinach that I got at the farmer's market. I sauteed the greens down and then added about a 1/2 a cup of my cashew creme. I seasoned this with nutmeg, salt and pepper and served it with vegan basil garlic gnocchi.
I also really wanted to make some sun dried tomato pesto. This included the tomatoes, of course, garlic, lemon juice, capers, basil, and pepper, all whizzed up in a food processor, but you should leave it a little chunky for texture. If it's too smooth then it's a paste more than a pesto. This has so much flavor, you really don't need any salt.
I smothered that on a Gardein "Chicken" Scallopini which I browned up in a skillet. If you haven't tried Gardein products, I highly recommend them! Even though I don't often use meat "analogs" because I really don't miss meat at all, Gardein makes a really nice tasting and textured product that is made mostly from real vegetables! Not overly processed and refined.
Monday night dinner? Check.

Shepherd's Pie with Yams and Tempeh

2010-01-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season! I have just returned from two back to back trips, one back home to visit my family and another back to Chicago to celebrate New Year's with some great friends. Before I go on, I just want to say that I ate at the Chicago Diner while I was there which is an amazing all veggie restaurant that has been around since 1983. The food was awesome. They are famous for their Reuben sandwich, but by looking around I could tell that all the food was great. I had a burger with a kale salad that was great, and my hubby had a "fib-rib" sandwich that he loved. And we shared a strawberry shake... mmm... Anyways, I highly recommend it if you are ever in the windy city!! I experienced the coldest weather I have ever known while I was there, at times it was as low as 3 degrees! Still a fabulous visit though.

So, on to some comfort food. This is a take on a traditional shepherd's pie. This is something we did when I was in school for my Natural Chef certification. It is a pie made with a mixture of mushrooms, crumbled tempeh, onions, garlic, red onions, tomato paste, red wine, carrots and peas. You saute this mixture and then layer it into a pie dish. Simultaneously, roast yams, and then mash them (I use a hand mixer to ensure they get creamy) and spread them on top of your saute mixture. Then bake your pie until the top is golden brown and it is cooked through. Serve it with some fresh vegan biscuits and a salad and there's your dinner! It is comforting and healthy (full of beta-carotene if you can't tell from the color of the pic!) Proof that you can feel comforted, healthy, and satisfied without animal products.

I hope that 2010 can be a year where we can all be healthy and thrive. It has definitely been a lesson to the world this last year that excess is not good, whether it be money, food, or just consumption in general. I hope to see more people eating less meat and feeling the satisfaction of taking care of themselves and all of the earth's inhabitants.

Pumpkin Dumplings in Ginger Miso Broth

2009-12-24T06:09:00.000-08:00

I can not believe it has been a month since my last blog post. This was not intentional! The holidays have kept me super busy as I have not only been doing all the regular holiday stuff: shopping, attending holiday parties, etc... but I have also been spending a fair amount of my "free" time preparing for a series of cooking classes that I will be teaching in Menlo Park, CA starting in January! I am really looking forward to the classes, they will be all vegan, and have a focus on seasonal and organic cooking for optimum health.
Anyways, now that the gifts are all wrapped, my bags are packed for our trip to our family's home, and only a few hours stand between us and a wonderful Christmas celebration, I finally have some time to blog about some of the food I have made in the past month. I will separate out the blog posts, but this was one of my favorite dishes of the past month.
I was at the farmer's market one chilly Saturday morning, and a woman was selling, amongst other things, a section of what was once a much larger pumpkin. It wasn't your average halloween pumpkin, it was clearly of a different variety, and as I was told, a very flavorful squash.
I brought it home and roasted it, and indeed it was very flavorful. So I decided to make some dumplings with it. I had some wonton wrappers (which I am so happy are vegan!) so I pureed the squash, and because it had so much natural flavor, the only thing that I had to add to it was a bit of sea salt and red pepper flakes. I spooned the puree into the wonton wrappers and created the cute little dumplings that you see pictured above. I then steamed them for about 12 minutes in my bamboo steamer.
Simultaneously, I started a broth with fresh ginger, garlic, tamari and filtered water. I let this simmer for 15 minutes and added in fresh bok choy. I removed the broth from the heat and added in some miso paste. Miso paste is a fermented soy product, which contains beneficial bacteria. You never want to heat miso very high, certainly not to a boil, as the high heat will kill all of that beneficial bacteria.

I finished the broth off by adding my dumplings (probably more than I needed but they were sooo good!) and some fresh chopped scallions. The combination of the squash, the chewy dumplings, the bok choy, and the complex ginger was just heavenly.

Delicata Squash Tart with Bloomsdale Spinach and Caramelized Onions

2009-11-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

I was reading the always inspiring and ever handy Martha Stewart mag the other day, and there was a feature on a mostly vegetarian Thanksgiving. I say mostly because the family was vegetarian yet were preparing some non-vegetarian foods for their guests, but the majority of the meal was vegetarian. Obviously, my Thanksgiving is chock full of beautiful and satisfying dishes that are animal free and full of flavor and nutrition. I was inspired by a dish in the feature using these beautiful delicata squash rings on a tart, so after a trip to the farmers market I decided to make something similar. I bought the most beautiful, organic bloomsdale spinach, and one of my favorite combinations is winter squash and dark leafy greens.

I have to admit, I wasn't feeling like making a yeast dough from scratch, so I cheated a bit and bought the whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe's. It works great if you haven't tried it before. So I sauteed up my spinach with a bit of garlic, grapeseed oil, sea salt and pepper. (Keep in mind, you must always cook spinach! Spinach contains high amounts of oxalate which binds to nutrients that you need, and blocks their absorption. If you cook your spinach, you will inhibit the oxalate so that you can take in those valuable nutrients such as iron and calcium that are so rich in spinach). I also caramelized some onions for that touch of sweetness.

I sliced the delicata squash into rings (you can leave the skin on for this purpose, it adds some color and is not as thick as the skins of other squashes), and roasted the rings in the oven for 15 minutes. I layered the spinach, onions, and squash onto my par-baked dough. I finished it off in the oven for another 12 minutes to get that nice browning on top, and a crisp crust on the bottom. A drizzle of fresh olive oil, a pinch of salt and red pepper, and a fresh fall entree is on the table. De-lish. And thanks again to Martha for the inspiration.

In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for my wonderful family: my husband and our sweet doggie, my parents and my brother and his wife, my in-laws and siblings in-law. My friends, my health, and the wonderful blessing of the journey of becoming vegan, and being in a position to share the joy and benefits of wonderful, healthy food with others.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!

Homemade Coconut Milk Ice Cream

2009-11-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

One of the best small appliance purchases I ever made was that of my ice cream maker. It was not expensive and is not fancy, but it sure does the trick. The experimenting to be done with vegan ice cream is endless. From the ice cream base: soy milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, rice milk, almond milk, etc... to the add ins: chocolate, (duh), peanut butter, cookies, cookie dough, fruit, spices, etc... First, however it is of utmost importance to nail a good vanilla ice cream to build from. And this is mine. I use a combination of 1 can of light coconut milk, and one can of regular coconut milk. With that, I use my vitamix blender to combine the milks with agave nectar, soy lecithin (a soy product that you can get in vitamin stores that is good for brain function, and also works to help bind non-dairy ice cream without eggs) and I use some vanilla extract, along with the seeds of one fresh vanilla bean.
From there, I refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes, then transfer to my ice cream maker. 30 minutes or so later, you have the most delicious homemade ice cream that does not compare to anything you buy in the store.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake!

2009-10-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

My oh my, this is such a Halloween dessert! I'll be honest, I was very skeptical about the combination of chocolate and pumpkin... world's colliding... I dunno. But, I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. I needed to put together a fall dessert for a lovely get together with good friends, and after a little searching on my favorite website, vegweb.com, I came across this recipe, and gave it a whirl. It came out good! It is definitely different with the fall spices and the chocolate, but somehow, it works. I gave the top of the pie a nice swirl, but after I had it in the oven I realized I had been a little over zealous with the chocolate on top, and you could hardly see the swirls. It would have been nice if the pretty swirls had stayed, but it tasted great, and that's what matters most!

Dana Sly's Blue Ribbon Vegan Cornbread

2009-10-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

I know that cornbread isn't THE most exciting thing in the world, but I really love it and didn't quite feel like I had found the perfect vegan cornbread yet. Well, I have now! I found this recipe online for Dana Sly's Blue Ribbon Vegan Cornbread . Apparently Dana Sly developed this award winning cornbread and was only 11 years old at the time. I think that is awesome! The cornbread is equally as awesome. It has great texture and a nice balance between crumble and moisture. The only changes that I made is that I used whole wheat pastry flour in place of AP flour, and I added whole corn kernels as well. I highly recommend this recipe as a companion for a great bowl of chili (I'll post that recipe soon, I promise) and what to do with the leftovers?

As you can see from the first picture, a great breakfast or snack toasted with some earth balance and blueberry preserves.

Marrakech Curried Stew from the reFresh Cookbook

2009-10-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I fell off the Vegan Mofo wagon last week! I hate to say it, but it's true. And it's not because I didn't want to be blogging about amazing food, it was just that I had a super crazy week last week that barely left me with time to check my email, let alone write about what I really love... food! Anyways, I am back on track, and off with a bang this week. Tonight, I made the Marrakech Curried Stew from the reFresh Cookbook. I had a beautiful kabocha squash that I got at the market last week that I needed to put to some good use, and as I was flipping through cookbooks in my pj's this morning, as I often do on Sunday mornings, this recipe caught my eye and looked like the way to go. I did make a couple substitutions (namely kabocha squash for zucchini) but I also subbed in a purple yam for a standard sweet potato, and I added in green beans as well. The stew is studded with chickpeas and raisins in addition to coconut milk, peppers, onions, carrots and lots of delicious spices including cinnamon, curry, turmeric, and cumin. I served this over quinoa for an extra protein boost. Quinoa is a highly nutritious grain (actually it is technically a seed) that cooks up with a lovely texture and a nutty flavor. Quinoa is a nutritional superstar because it is very high in protein (it has all essential amino acids) and is naturally packaged with fiber, b-vitamins, and several other nutrients. Quinoa is also gluten-free, and is healthy for all diets. (Even my doggie likes quinoa!) This made for a lovely sunday meal as my husband and I relaxed before the week ahead... We finished off the meal with homemade coconut milk ice cream, but I will save that for tomorrow's blog...

Simple Salads

2009-10-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

I am sure it is no shocker that a vegan is a salad junkie, but that is exactly what I am! I rarely make the same salad twice, and if I do, it must be darn good. I love the creativity of salads, and changing them with the seasons. Some nights I just don't have the time or the desire to make more than a salad, so I just throw everything I got into a bowl and whip up a nice dressing to go on top. Thats another thing... dressings. It is a basic formula: an acid, a fat, some salt and pepper - voila dressing is done. I rarely will purchase a salad dressing because it takes a minute to make them at home, and then just keep them in a jar in your fridge. I have some more elaborate creamy dressings that I like to make too- 1.) Avocado dressing: blend an avocado in a blender with enough water to get it to a lighter yet still creamy dressing. Add some lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and you are done. Yum. You can also make a dressing by soaking sunflower seeds and then blending them in the same way as the avocado dressing to achieve that same creaminess.

The salad above is a protein salad. I have baked tempeh and tofu cubes plus pumpkin seeds. I also threw in some roasted squash and onions, arugula, tomatoes, fresh parsley, etc.

There are several options for your base salad greens. I have been on an arugula kick lately, but I also love a good spring mix, baby lettuce, or fresh romaine for some real crunch. The darker the leaves, the better in my opinion, but romaine is surprisingly nutritious on it's own. Hands down, my favorite? Marinated kale. But I will save that for another day's post.

My point is that salad is not just a side dish, nor something to eat only when it is hot. It can (and should) be eaten year round, and let your creativity flow- our bodies love us to eat a variety of foods for a variety of nutrients. Raw foods have some definite benefits for our health. Namely, all nutrients and enzymes are in tact because the food hasn't been cooked.

SF Vegan Bakesale Day!

2009-10-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today was the second Vegan Bakesale in SF this year. I LOVE these bakesales because not only do they raise money for great animal related causes, they also raise awareness that BAKED GOODS DO NOT NEED EGGS, ANIMAL-BASED BUTTER, CREAM, OR MILK TO BE GOOD!

As far as I am concerned, vegan baked goods are waaay better than non-vegan baked goods because they are a delicious treat, full of satisfaction, but without eggs, dairy, or any other harm to animals. There are plenty of ways to bind baked goods without eggs: ground flax seeds mixed with water, "Ener-G" Egg replacer, applesauce, mashed bananas, etc. I would love to see the day that all of the baked goods made in grocery stores, schools, bakeries are made without eggs, dairy, and are instead made with vegetable based butters, non-dairy milks etc. It is better for our bodies (although we still need to eat sweets in moderation. It is still sugar, fat and flour) and it is especially better for the animals.

So, for this bakesale, I was feeling some Mexican style inspiration. I made Dulce de Leche cookies, which are basically snickerdoodles with a little extra cinnamon and a homemade caramel topping (made from rapadura, earth balance, and almond milk). These cookies are more flat and crispy, and are rolled in large sugar crystals. I also made Mexican Double Chocolate Cookies, for which I used my basic chocolate cookie recipe, added cinnamon, chili powder, a pinch of cayenne, and of course, chocolate chips. These cookies were more dense and chewy, and were definitely my favorite of the two. These warming spices are my favorite this time of year, and especially enjoyable when mixed with chocolate. But what isn't made better by chocolate?

I always bring home an assortment of treats from the bake sale as well. This time, I bought oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, a chocolate cherry brownie and a cinnamon roll by Cinnaholic. My husband and I will be sharing the cinnamon roll for breakfast tomorrow. Yum!

Thanks so much to the organizers of the bakesale! They do such an amazing job. I am just fortunate to have the opportunity to donate to a great cause each time.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2009-10-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Squash is an amazing vegetable. It has everything going for it. It has great texture, amazing flavor, and incredible nutrients. You can mash it, cube it, puree it into soups, add it to baked goods. I especially love cubed kabocha squash in a thai curry, or butternut squash soup. The only pie I ever liked as a kid? Punkin pie, of course! Ok... I think I've made my point. Squash is cool. I like squash.

Anyways, this dish is in no way original, but the joy of it is that it is completely adaptable, I don't think I've ever made this the exact same way twice. Here is the technique that makes it easy: Buy a small sized winter squash (I used acorn squash in the photo). Heat your oven to 375. Put the squash in whole, and let it bake whole for at least ten minutes, but no more than 15. Take it out and let it cool. When it is cool enough to handle, cut it in half lengthwise. It should be very easy to cut, much easier than if you had tried to cut through it raw. Take a spoon, and remove the seeds. Then put the squash cut side down on a baking sheet, and let it cook for another 30 minutes or so until cooked through but not over cooked to where it is imploding. The squash steams itself perfectly. Remove from the oven and let cool. Turn over so that the cut side is up. (At this point, you could scoop out the flesh and use it for soup, or a mash) In this recipe, I made a lovely pilaf of brown rice, wild rice, and red quinoa. To that, I added tomatoes, pistachios, onions, raisins, and a few spices: cinnamon, cumin, and dried thyme. Spoon this mixture into the squash "bowl" and top with fresh parsley. Then, as you eat, scoop in a little squash with each bite for a real treat. Mmmm hmmm. Fall. Squash. I love it.

Strawberry Blondies

2009-10-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

I am a couple of days behind on posting this one, I actually made these last Saturday. Last weekend was Fleet Week in San Francisco, and it is a tradition of my good friend Cassandra's to have a swanky roof top party at her place to watch the Blue Angels fly. I, of course, can't seem to go to any get together without bringing some sort of food to share... that's just me. I love to feed people, and especially delicious vegan food! So, I whipped up this variation on Blondie's. In case you haven't had a blondie before, it is basically a brownie sans the chocolate, and there are endless variations to blondie's. For these, I swirled in a fresh strawberry puree to the top layer, which added a lovely tanginess and beautiful color, and also helped keep the blondies super moist. I topped them off with a dark chocolate ganache, and toted them into the city for the party. Unfortunately, the notorious San Francisco fog made it too dangerous for the Blue Angels to fly, so good thing we had good friends and good food to enjoy.

Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash, Cremini Mushrooms & Sage

2009-10-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight was risotto night. It has been awhile since I made one, and I guess I had the hankering to just stand at the stove stirring. It is somewhat therapeutic I suppose, but it's not something I do often. Tonight I used farro in place of your traditional arborio rice that is typically used in risotto. farro (as it is called in Italy) is a form of wheat that is similar to spelt. It has a rich and nutty flavor that I think pairs very nicely with mushrooms. You can easily make a risotto from farro using the same technique as used with arborio rice, although there is less starchiness in farro so it has a slightly less gelatinous texture than arborio rice. The biggest difference however, is that it has a "bite" to it, or is chewier because of the density of the grain. I personally like this texture, but not everyone does, so it is something to be aware of if you are serving for company. The great benefit of using farro is that it is more nutritious than arborio rice which is basically the same as white rice, nutritionally speaking: void of much in the way of vitamins and minerals, fiber. Farro is unrefined and a whole grain, therefore it has all of the vitamins, minerals (B vitamins, calcium and iron to be specific), fiber and protein in tact. Because of that, the digestion of farro will cause less of a spike in blood sugar than arborio rice, and is filling and digested slowly.

In tonight's risotto, I added a nice blend of diced butternut squash, cremini mushrooms, onion, garlic, fresh sage, dried basil, and finished it with sundried tomatoes and parsley.

Sunday Dinner- Chickpea Cutlets, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Grilled Peach Salad, and Apple Tart

2009-10-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, Sunday was different than any other day... it was family day. Granted as a teenager, this wasn't always what I wanted, but looking back it is something that I am very grateful that my parents did. As an adult, my husband and I have carried on the same tradition. Sunday is our day to relax and enjoy one another and not have much of an agenda. For that reason, I tend to make big dinners on Sunday. I am definitely having that feeling of fall setting in, so I did a nice traditional, country style fall dinner.

I made Chickpea Cutlets that I have been wanting to try. You can find the recipe here. It turned out great. To accompany that, I made my signature mashed potatoes with a simple mushroom gravy. They were creamy and full of flavor. I like to use red potatoes, and leave the skins on for a nutritional boost. With white potatoes, the majority of the nutrition is contained in the skins, so why throw them down the drain? Plus I like the rustic texture that they give to the mash.

My farmer's market still had peaches this weekend (me= happy) so I did a grilled peach salad with avocado, toasted walnuts, and arugula with a blackberry balsalmic dressing.

Dessert? Of course. I made an Apple Tart with traditional spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), and served with a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream.

Comfort? Check.

Raw Key Lime Pie from "Sweet Gratitude"

2009-10-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Last year, I took a class on raw desserts at Cafe Gratitude, and I was super impressed with how delicious and seriously satisfying raw desserts can be. I purchased their "cook"book - Sweet Gratitude, and I have really enjoyed making several of the recipes. This is the Key Lime Pie which is made using avocado. The avocado is undetectable and adds this lovely creaminess to the pie. It also uses a date nut crust, which I really recommend trying out. It is quick, easy and delicious. Enjoy!

Key Lime Pie (from Sweet Gratitude)

Macadamia Pecan Crust:

1 1/4 cups macadamia nuts

1 1/4 cups pecans

3 ounces date paste ( give the dates a whirl in your food processor)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

Lime Filling
3/4 cup lime juice

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 cup avocado

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons soy lecithin (available at natural foods stores, whole foods, or vitamin stores)

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil

For crust:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until there are no large chunks of nuts and dates are well combined with nuts. Transfer to 9" pie or spring form pan and press in evenly and slightly up the sides.

Add all of the filling ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until very smooth. Pour into prepared crust.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours until set. If you are still having trouble getting the pie to set, transfer to a freezer for an hour and then slice and serve.

The return of the SF Vegan Bakesale!!

2009-10-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

Yea!!! It's back!! My favorite excuse to bake lots of sugary sweets is the SF Vegan Bakesale. You may have seen my post from the last time I contributed to the bakesale and the sale was extremely successful. This time the bakesale will be to benefit Give Me Shelter Cat Rescue, and from what I hear, I think this bake sale will be even bigger than the last!

Mark your calendar and bring your dollars over to Ike's on Saturday October 17th. (If you haven't eaten at Ike's they have super yummy sandwiches) Be prepared to be tempted... you will always end up buying more than you meant to!

...Now what to make, what to make?

Pumpkin Oatmeal with Berries and Soy Yogurt

2009-10-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

This is one of my all-time favorite breakfasts, and I eat it a few times a week this time of year! In short, here is whatcha do:

Heat up some water (about a cup) and pour it over 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (you can use more if you like it extra pumpkin-y)in a bowl, give it a stir. Cover the bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then stir in 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and either some stevia of agave if you like your oatmeal a little sweet.

Top this off with some chopped strawberries, blueberries, and a dollop of soy yogurt for some extra creaminess and nutrition. The final touch is one tablespoon of fresh ground flaxseed. This gives texture and your daily dose of the very important Omega-3 fats that are hard to get.

Eat warm and enjoy the flavor of fall.

Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce, Veggies, and Meat-free "Beef"

2009-10-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight I felt like going asian style and using up some of the homemade Peanut Sauce that lives in my refrigerator always. My hubby loves peanut sauce, and will put it on anything, and I do mean everything- pizza, salad, whatever... so I try to always have some on hand. And I love real Japanese buckwheat soba noodles. They are almost like comfort food. Buckwheat is actually not related to wheat, and is very nutritious. These noodles are a blend of buckwheat and wheat, and the buckwheat is what gives them the dark brown almost grey color.

I am not one to use a lot of the meatless meat products, but sometimes it is just nice to switch it up a little and use them. Tonight was one of those nights. I grilled up some of the meatless "beef" strips and tossed them in there with the real good stuff: broccoli, carrots, spinach, edamame, and scallions. Anyone can throw this dish together very quickly: just steam your veggies while you cook the noodles and grill the strips, then toss it all together. A very tasty monday night din din.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies and a road trip to Bodega Bay

2009-10-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Today we are taking a little road trip to Bodega Bay where we will help one of our close friends celebrate his 30th birthday party... so naturally I had to make some chocolate chip cookies (Any excuse to make classic chocolate chip cookies!) I don't know if I have mentioned that I am a total cookie monster... I know I know, I talk about nutrition all the time, but we all have our weaknesses and what would life be without indulgences from time to time? Mine is chocolate chip cookies. I have mastered the perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's a little different than your standard vegan version of Nestle toll house. In this recipe you use the butter (earth balance of course!) cold and I also refrigerate the egg replacer mixture for a few minutes. I use a blend of barley flour, oat flour and whole wheat pastry flour (so maybe there is a little nutrition in there... just a little though) and a combination of unrefined rapadura and evaporated cane sugar for the sweetener. These cookies are the perfect blend of chewy, soft, crisp and of course chocolatey. I can't wait to share these with our friends out on the beautiful north coast.

Tostadas with Sauteed Squash Blossoms & The kick off of Vegan MoFo!

2009-10-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

More time has elapsed since my last posting than I would have liked, my life has been a little crazy lately, but today is the first day of VEGAN MOFO! So that means I am going to be posting a looottt more! What is Vegan MoFo? It is Vegan Month of Food! You can read more about it here: Postpunkkitchen, but the basic idea is that bloggers all over the world will write as much as they can about vegan food, from home kitchen experiments, to tried and true techniques, favorite ingredients, and great vegan restaurant meals.... at least 5 days a week! So be ready for some serious blogging, and to learn lots about delicious, plant-based cooking!

... On to my tostadas. I actually took this picture a few weeks ago and have been meaning to write a blog about it for awhile now, but better late than never, right? I had picked up some late season squash blossoms at the farmers market, and wanted to integrate them into some other dish... and I had a hankering for mexican food. It was a Sunday, and I love to spend time in the kitchen on Sunday, it's like therapy/mad scientist day for me... I can try out new things and really find it relaxing, actually. Plus, my husband gets to eat whatever concoction I have made for dinner (may be a good or bad thing for him... depends :) So I made some homemade tortillas. My Grandma is Mexican, and when I was young I remember her making homemade tortillas when she was babysitting my brother and I, and I really think there is almost nothing better in the world than I fresh homemade tortilla that is still warm (with some Earth Balance on it, of course) They really aren't hard to make, just time consuming. Here is a good recipe for tortillas.

Moving on- I had some quinoa to use up, so I mixed that with some vegetarian refried beans for the protein layer of my tostada. I spiced this mixture up with some great seasonings: Chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. The next layer of the tostada is diced Heirloom Tomatoes (mmmm... I wish these were in season year round) Then, the squash blossoms. I sauteed these lightly with some sliced garlic and olive oil. Very simple and very tasty. The whole dish is topped off with some tangy avocado cream (Avocado, lime juice and cilantro processed in the food processor with a pinch of salt) and some fresh chopped cilantro.

Voila! I love food with layers, you get the best of every layer in each bite. This dish is absolutely bursting with flavor, and the best part is that it is totally adaptable- you can add in extra layers of any of your favorite mexican style ingredients.

Spring Rolls with Collard Greens

2009-09-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

For any of you who live in the bay area, you may be familiar with a popular vegan restaurant chain, Cafe Gratitude. It is one of my favorite treats to go there and have a really delicious and fresh meal, in a nice atmosphere. I often try to recreate their dishes at home. This one was kind fun. One of their appetizers is spring rolls, but they wrap them in greens instead of rice paper. I have done dolmas wrapped in collard greens before, so I was confident I could recreate these spring rolls somewhat successfully at home. So I bought some collard greens, and all of the veggies that I wanted to stuff them with: avocado, carrot, scallions, heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers, and I decided to add some marinated tofu (not on Cafe Gratitude's menu). And it was surprisingly easy! So, I blanched the collard greens whole. You do this by bringing a large pot of water to a light boil, and then dipping the whole leaves in the water for a few seconds until they start to turn bright green. Then you submerge the leaves in ice water to stop the cooking process. Once the leaves are cool, you remove the stems so that you have two equal sized and shaped "wrappers". Give them a quick pat dry with a paper towel. At this point, you should have all of your fillings of choice prepared- any veggies and even fruit, that you like: cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, papaya, orange slices, arugula, mint or other herbs, etc. Now you are ready to roll. Put your filling in a line on the lower side of the wrapper closer to you, leaving a little bit of room from the bottom. Then pull the part of the wrapper closer to you up and over the filling, fold in the two sides like a burrito, and then roll it away from you until all of your wrapper is used up. It may take a couple trys to get your rhythm going with this, but you will get it, I promise! If you are having a hard time keeping all of your filling together, then you could always add a little sauce like a peanut sauce to your fillings to keep them from falling apart. If you don't have a sauce on the inside, then I highly suggest a dipping sauce. In this case I made a sauce with almond butter, just like they serve at the cafe. This can easily be made by whisking some almond butter with tamari, rice vinegar, minced garlic and ginger, and a little chili paste. I finish it off with some lime juice for an extra little kick. Slice the rolls in half at a diagonal, and serve either as an appetizer, or a few rolls with a side dish as an entree.

Purple Power!

2009-09-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

I just had to share these incredible purple foods.. this first one is a purple yam. I first had a purple yam when I was in school at Bauman College and one of my teachers brought one in to show us. She had baked it, and we all tasted it just plain without any seasoning at all, and it was delicious. Ever since then, I have been keeping my eyes open to try to find them again. Well I was at the farmer's market, and low and behold there they were, a small basket of purple yams almost hidden behind larger baskets of regular potatoes and yams. So, of course I bought more of them than I needed just because I was so happy to have found them again! This photo was taken just after I baked the yam whole, then split it in half, and what was inside was this stunning color and beautiful design! The outside of the yam is virtually colorless with just a light beige skin to it. I still eat the skin however, because as with all potatoes and yams, a good amount of the nutrition is contained in the skin.

To the right, is purple cauliflower. This is a little bit easier to find than purple yams, but the purple cauliflower can add some really amazing colors to several dishes. The taste is very similar to cauliflower, maybe just a little bit more complex. My favorite way to prepare this is cut into florets, and simply tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Then roast in the oven turning once or twice for about 25 minutes. You could certainly also integrate purple cauliflower into curries and casseroles, just know that you are going to have a gorgeous intense purple color to your dish!

Purple vegetables and fruits are packet full of beneficial phytochemicals and flavonoids that are great for protecting you against heart disease, cancer, and help to improve brain function among several other benefits. Eat up!

Friday Night Pizza Night

2009-08-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

I have this certain memory from my childhood, that Friday nights we often went to the Pizza "Parlor". Gosh. Nothing is called a parlor anymore. Maybe I'll open a restaurant someday and call it a some sort of Parlor. I find that word charming. Anyways, I seem to equate Friday nights with pizza or at least some type of comforting food. Almost a reward for making it through the week, and a good note to start the weekend off with.

Vegan pizza is soooo good. It is one of my favorite treats. I know... I know... what is pizza without the cheese some of you may be saying.... Well I'll tell you. It is a delicious fresh tomato sauce made with the most ripe and delicious tomatoes of the season. It is fresh basil, and in this case sauteed onions and swiss chard, and barbecue soy chicken. I topped it off with a non-dairy white cheddar cheese. An absolute treat. I don't think I have made the same vegan pizza twice. There are soooo many options with all of the incredible vegetables to choose from. I recommend either roasting or sauteing your veggies first, because vegetables have a high water content, which they release as they cook. With most veggies, if you put them on the pizza raw they will release their liquid as they cook on the pizza, and nobody likes a watery pizza pie!! Just a little tip for ya.

Garlic & Ginger Asian Noodle Soup with Dark Greens and Tofu

2009-08-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ginger is a complex and delicious flavor. It is almost fascinating to me that something so pungent, spicy, sweet, and savory can come all in one package, and growing from the earth at that! Ginger is known to help when you have a cold, to soothe your stomach when you are nauseated, and to be a beautifully fragrant tea. But the uses for ginger can go on and on. I love an Asian style broth with a strong scent of ginger, and ginger is always the perfect match to garlic, no doubt. If you have never tried raw ginger, I highly encourage you to do so, (mind you, only a small amount at first) to really appreciate the true flavor of ginger. Cooking it will certainly mellow it out some, and today I had a craving for a nice savory broth loaded with ginger, garlic and lots of fresh veggies. I added some baked tofu I had in the fridge, and some dark leafy greens (I can't hardly go a meal without these) and low and behold, I had a dinner to indulge all of my senses to end a good day of work...

Garlic & Ginger Asian Noodle Soup with Dark Greens and Tofu

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
½ large yellow onion
1 tablespoon tamari
1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon chinese five spice powder
1 ½ cups filtered water
2 ounces quinoa pasta or brown rice pasta
½ cup snow peas or sugar snap peas, whole
½ cup carrots, julienne
1 cup swiss chard or spinach, chopped
½ cup firm sprouted tofu, cubed
1 teaspoon red miso paste
chopped scallions for garnish

In a large saucepan, add garlic, ginger, onions, tamari, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, five spice powder, water, and dry noodles. Add water and bring to a light boil. Add snow peas and carrots, then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Let simmer for 10 minutes and add swiss chard or spinach and tofu. Stir, and let simmer another 2 minutes until greens cook down and noodles become tender. Turn off heat and add miso paste. Stir gently until all miso is dissolved into the broth.
Garnish with scallions and serve.

Oat Berry Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

2009-08-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

I love whole grains, like really chewy rustic whole grains. In my pantry at any given time, I have barley, millet, quinoa, wheat berries, farro, brown rice, bhutanese red rice... I just like to have a small amount of whatever I might want to use available at any given time. Recently, I was at Rainbow market (my personal equivalent of Disneyland) and saw Oat Berries, and I couldn't believe I hadn't ever tried these before! Oat Berries are the whole form of oats before they are rolled flat, cut up, or any of the other forms of processing they go through to make the oats that we all know and love. Now that I have tried them, to be totally honest, flavor-wise I don't see a huge difference in taste and texture between oat berries, and wheat berries, but either way the were delicious, and super nutritious too! With any whole grain that I listed above, I recommend soaking the grains for at least 8 hours up to 24 hours before cooking. This is for two reasons- 1.) It starts the germination process, and improves the nutrition (you won't see any sprouting yet) and 2.) It reduces the cooking time. Most hearty grains such as barley, oat berries and wheat berries can take up to an hour to cook! If you soak ahead, you are probably looking at more like 40 -45 minutes cooking time.

So, after a long day at work I felt like a nice light healthy salad, so I put my pre-soaked oat berries on the stove to simmer, and I roasted up some sweet cherry tomatoes (both red and yellow, and oh so so sweet) along with some garlic and onion. The three roasted up together for a classic combination. When the oat berries were done, I tossed them with some fresh arugula, parsley, and then my trio of roasted delight. I topped it all of with some white balsalmic vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt, pepitas, and fresh cracked pepper. You could make this oat berry salad in similar variation with any number of veggies you might have on hand, tossed with a nice dressing, and some chopped nuts or tofu. A perfect dinner.

Summer on a plate- Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato and Arugula Salad with Corn Chowder and Nectarine Cobbler

2009-07-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Nectarine Cobbler
Corn Chowder
Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato and Arugula Salad

with Avocado and fresh Mint

To be completely honest, summer in San Francisco is not at all replicable of what summer is supposed to be. It is not hot, as a matter of fact it is not even warm. It is usually pretty chilly actually (today's high: 67 degrees) and overcast most of the morning and late afternoon. We usually get our "summer" in late September and October. But, where I grew up summer was hot and very traditional, so no matter what it looks like outside my window, in my head it is July, and there are just certain foods that I want to eat in July. The cold weather has left me deeply craving for summer lately, so I ended up having all my summer favorites all in one dinner to satisfy my longing...

Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato and Arugula Salad:

I think watermelon and tomato go beautifully together, and when you pair these two with some spicy arugula, and tangy balsalmic dressing, you have the most balanced and tasty salad you can possibly imagine. Just to bump it up to the next level, I added in some mint chiffonade, and topped the salad with a nice creamy avocado. There is a woman who has been at the Alemany Farmer's market lately, and she comes up from Southern California, and she brings the most delicious avocados I have ever had. They are perfectly ripe, and so full of flavor, suddenly I have been wanting avocado on everything... I don't know what I am going to do if she ever stops coming to the market.

Corn Chowder

This is one of the simplest soups I have ever made, but if you use ripe, full flavored corn, it is simply delicious. I started by removing the corn kernels from 4 large cobs of fresh sweet corn. I then took the corn cobs, and simmered them in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes to make a corn stock, to enhance the corn flavor of my soup. In a separate large soup pot, I sauteed a whole yellow onion, and added one clove of minced garlic. I then added the corn in with onion, along with a teaspoon and a half of ground cumin, salt and pepper, and one medium potato diced. (Leave the skin on- this is where the majority of the nutrients are in the potato, and once you blend the soup you will hardly notice the skin). At this point, I added my corn stock to the pot, covered it, and let it go at a medium simmer for another 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes were tender. I finished off the soup by pureeing it in batches and then re-seasoning until the flavors are just right. I topped it with a cilantro sour cream (mix chopped fresh cilantro with some tofutti sour cream) and more of that awesome avocado.

Nectarine Cobbler

My hubby does not like the fuzzy skin of peaches, so I decided to make the cobbler with some beautiful organic nectarines I scored. Again, I like to leave the skins on because there are so many wonderful nutrients and fiber contained in the skins. The nectarines were this beautiful red orange color, and so sweet I hardly had to add in any sweetener. This dessert was so simple, I just finely chopped up a few nectarines, and tossed them with a maple/agave blend from trader joe's (seriously, I don't think I even used a whole tablespoon) and some ginger powder (a little less than a teaspoon) I then used the biscuit recipe from one of my favorite blogs: veganyumyum (which you can also get as an iphone app- so awesome!!) I added some cinnamon to the biscuit recipe, and topped my nectarines with the biscuit dough, and baked it for about 25 minutes until it was bubbly and browned. I served it with some sweet cinnamon spiced cashew creme I had made for another recipe a few days earlier.

So this meal brought the sunshine into our home, I felt fulfilled, enjoying the bounty of fresh summer foods. After all, it is summer pretty much everywhere else, even though when I look out my window it is still grey and misty.

Humm, Humm Hummus... Today's variation - Summer Squash and Kale Hummus

2009-07-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

I'm not gonna deny it, I loooovve hummus. Every kind of hummus, red pepper, cilantro, white bean, sun dried tomato, eggplant hummus, I could literally go on and on. Although, my utmost favorite is the classic, creamy traditional hummus. I am always experimenting with new variations based on what I have in my fridge at the time, or what I might see in season at the farmer's market. You will probably see me post multiple times about different hummus variations that I make.. The primary components of hummus are chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste) garlic, lemon juice, spices (usually cumin and paprika and sometimes parsley for me, but sometimes I change things up with other spices). Therefore, it is one of the healthiest snacks you can make. You are getting protein, fiber, folate and iron from the chickpeas, calcium from the sesame seeds, and all of the benefits of raw garlic. If you make it without oil, as I do, you can keep your hummus pretty low on fat as well.

Not only is hummus a great dip for snacks, it can be used as a spread on sandwiches and wraps in place of higher fat spreads as well.

Today, I had some kale left over from a kale salad, and a fresh yellow summer squash I wanted to put to use in a new way. So, I added those into my vita-mix as I was blending my hummus for my wrap for lunch today. Voila! This is one of my favorite hummus variations yet, and has an even more stellar nutrient profile from the added kale and squash!! And so pretty too. It's a keeper.

Summertime Barbeque Salads

2009-07-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know many people who can't identify with the great pleasure of sitting outside either in someone's backyard, or in the park, or near the beach in the company of good friends and family, sipping delicious drinks, and enjoying barbeque, and the delicious classic accompaniments. Now that it is July, it was time to hit the barbeque with my husband. So, last Thursday night, I put together a nice cool Corn, Avocado & Tomato Salad, and my favorite- A classic style Potato Salad. I put these along side some skewers of BBQ seitan, squash, & crimini mushrooms. It was my first time making seitan from scratch which was very good and quite easy, but we'll save that for another day's blog. Anyways, pair this with a nice cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and what a great way to start off a summertime weekend!

I had scored a nice bag of mixed potatoes at the farmer's market that made for a colorful adaptation to my potato salad. The bag had a combination of fingerling, purple, and red potatoes, and all were miniature, and easy to quickly cut up. I roast my potatoes first, instead of boiling them, because I prefer the texture to be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I have always felt that the potatoes get a little mushy if you boil them, but if you prefer a softer texture, by all means you could definitely boil them briefly instead of roasting them! I also used Garlic Aioli (Wildwood) because it is my favorite vegan mayonnaise replacement, but you could use Vegenaise, Nayonaise, or anyother eggless mayonnaise that you prefer. And always use fresh (not dried) herbs! It makes a huge difference. Actually, I hardly use dried herbs in the summertime specifically, as fresh always just seems more appealing this time of year. Anyways, if you can, let the salad sit in the fridge for at least an hour or two before serving, to let all of your flavors come together. Enjoy!

1 pound Small red potatoes, or fingerlings, purple potatoes, or combination of- chopped to 1/2-3/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup Wildwood Garlic Aioli, or other vegan mayonnaise
¼ cup scallions , chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
½ cup carrot or celery (or combination of both), finely chopped
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning, or combination of garlic powder, paprika, and cumin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combined chopped potatoes, olive oil, sea salt, and a grind of fresh black pepper. Toss well, and spread out evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until starting to barely brown, and are easily pierced with a fork. Let cool completely. Transfer to large bowl.

Add in fresh herbs, carrots/celery, lemon juice, and aioli (or mayonnaise) to the potatoes. Thoroughly combine, and taste. Add additional salt or pepper if necessary.

Transfer to the refrigerator to cool at least one hour before serving.

Serves 4

Gluten Free Lasagna

2009-06-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

I remember watching Garfield when I was little, and Garfield and I had one major thing in common, we both love lasagna. Garfield would always scarf down those cartoon lasagnas and who can blame him, lasagna is delicious!

So, here I am as a vegan chef so many years later looking for new ways to make a healthier yet still so satisfying lasagna, and I have made quite a few. From traditional lasagna, to mexican style lasagna, to this one, my latest: Gluten Free Lasagna. For this one I made a batch of creamy polenta, which I spread out on a baking sheet in a thin layer. I then baked this and let it cool, and cut the polenta into "noodle" like strips. I then layered the polenta "noodles" with a mixture of caramelized onions & mushrooms, and a delicious swiss chard and tofu "ricotta" that I created using tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper. I also roasted some sweet tomato slices to put on top with a final dollop of cashew cheese . Not bad! I think Garfield would have liked this one ...

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, San Francisco

2009-06-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I had the honest pleasure of donating my baked goods to San Francisco's local sale for the World Wide Vegan Bake Sale that is going on in countries all over the world this weekend. You can read more about it at www.veganbakesale.org. The purpose of this bake sale is to raise money for local charities, each location can choose whatever charities they would like the proceeds to be donated too, and the other benefit is that it will introduce people the deliciousness of vegan goodies! It is a common thought that vegan baked goods must be lacking in flavor or texture as compared to the "real thing," but let me tell you, these treats were exploding with flavor, color, texture, and all without any cholesterol or animal products! My contribution were these yummy brownies topped with a layer of Almond Butter and Toasted Coconut (mmmm yum!) and I also made a few Baked Vanilla Donuts (with sprinkles, of course) these were my favorite donut when I was little, and I love that I can make a healthier version nowadays to enjoy as an adult. It was so fun to donate to this good cause. The local proceeds are going to benefit "Animal Place" and "East Bay Animal Advocates"

Pure*Life*Taste

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Tostadas with Sauteed Squash Blossoms & The kick off of Vegan MoFo!

Spring Rolls with Collard Greens

Purple Power!

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Garlic & Ginger Asian Noodle Soup with Dark Greens and Tofu

Oat Berry Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

Summer on a plate- Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato and Arugula Salad with Corn Chowder and Nectarine Cobbler

Humm, Humm Hummus... Today's variation - Summer Squash and Kale Hummus

Summertime Barbeque Salads

Gluten Free Lasagna

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, San Francisco

PureLifeTaste