Potato Verde

Sometimes you just stumble on a ridiculously simple, and  delicious dish, such as this one.
I was in the mood for some salsa Verde...and while whipping up a batch, I realized  I had nothing to eat it with... so I threw on  some boiled potatoes and whoa-la ... Potato Verde is what you get!

2-3 organic butter potatoes per person
1/4 avocado per person

1 pound tomatillos
2 habaneros peppers
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 an onion, quartered
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup water
juice of 1 lime
kosher or sea salt, to taste
1-2 tsp agave, optional

Boil the potatoes in salt water and cook until tender but not soft

Make Salsa
Roast tomatillos over an open flame ( I did mine on my gas stove) with a pair of tongs, and roast the skin until blistered and somewhat charred.
Place a flat top on the stove and heat to med-high heat. Mist with spritz of olive oil, then wipe off.
Roast garlic, onions and hot peppers until somewhat charred.

Let veggies cool off silghty, then place all of them into the blender except for two of the tomatillos and 1/2 of the onion, which you need to dice fine ( if you like it chunky)
Add the cilantro, lime juice, water, salt and agave if using and blend until the smoothness of your liking. Add the diced tomatillos and onion and add to the salsa and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Spoon the salsa verde over the warm potatoes and serve with sliced avocados!

Summer Spring Rolls

Summer Spring Rolls with  a Citrus & Cilantro dipping Sauce

Ingredients

Rice paper wrappers

Sliced fresh veggies... I used

yellow peppers, scallions, red cabbage- shredded, sprouts, basil leaves, sliced avocados, and fresh spinach leaves.

Cilantro Citrus Dipping Sauce

2 Tbsp cilantro, minced

2 lemons or 3 limes squeezed, seeds removed

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1-2 tsp of agave

dash of salt and pepper

1/8 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp. minced jalapenos

Soak each wrapper in water for 20 seconds or so, until it's  soft and pliable. Remove from water and place on a dry kitchen towel. Place your sliced veggies in the center, and wrap paper around the veggies, fold in the sides, and continue rolling until you have a tight cylinder.

Combine all dipping Sauce ingredients and mix well, and get busy dipping!

Simply Amazing Salsa

Salsa

1 Large fresh tomato

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro 

4 lemons- juiced 

1/2 cup red onion- fine dice

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. sea salt 

1 tsp. coarse ground pepper

2-3 Tbsp minced jalapenos

Place canned tomatoes in a blender and pulse once or twice.

add all the remaining ingredients and adjust seasonings ( cilantro, jalapenos, salt and pepper to your taste)

let sit in fridge a minimum or 3 hours, or longer for better flavor!

Vegan Mozzarella

Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

This is an amazingly simple but sooo good! It makes the most amazing Vegan grill cheese sandwiches!  The best this about it, it'a not that processed, expensive vegan cheese made with oil and other stuff you can't pronounce, just natural ingredients and it's OIL-FREE!

INGREDIENTS

¼ Cup Raw Cashews

1 Cup Hot Water

2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Tapioca Starch 

1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast

1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

½ teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the cashews for four hours or overnight. Or  just boil them for 10 minutes until soft. Drain before using.

Add the cashews the hot water, and all the remaining ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. It will be very watery.

Pour into a small sauce pan and heat over medium high heat, while stirring.

As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then all of a sudden it will become a cheesy gooey mass, all in about 5 minutes or so

 Continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes to make sure it has firmed up completely.

Inspired by itdoesnttastelikechicken

Beans...Glorious Beans!

Creamy Polenta with Spicy Red Beans & Greens and Chipotle Cashew Cream

 INGREDIENTS

Chipotle Cashew Cream

½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours
¼ cup water
½ tbsp. lemon juice
1- 1 1/2 chipotle from can or chipolte powder to taste
dash salt

Spicy Red Beans

1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1¾ cups or 1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
3-4  canned chipoltes, chopped  or Chipolte powder to taste
½ cup vegetable broth
1 Bay leaf
1-2 tsp agave or to taste- Optional
4-5 collard greens, rinsed and chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Creamy Polenta

3 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1 cup polenta
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
up to 1 cup unflavored, unsweetened coconut milk or your choice of vegan milk

INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Cashew Cream
Place cashews and water in high power blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Add in lemon juice, salt and chipotle , and blend again until completely mixed and smooth.

Make the Beans
Heat pan over med-high heat.  Add onion and saute until soft, about five minutes. ( add water as needed to prevent sticking )
Add garlic and saute another minute.
Add beans, greens, tomato, spices and vegetable broth and bay leaf.
Bring to a simmer and cook until tomatoes and greens are tender and most of broth has evaporated, about ten minutes.
If you want it a little creamier, add some coconut milk and cook another 5 minutes or so

Make the Polenta

Place water and salt in medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil and add polenta.
Lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for about five minutes.
Stir in cilantro, nutritional yeast, and as much milk as needed to get a creamy consistency.
Allow to sit for about two minutes before serving.


Divide polenta into bowls.
Top with bean mixture, then with chipotle cashew cream and fresh cilantro.

Quinoa Citrus Salad with Beans

Spicy Quinoa & Bean Citrus Salad

1/2 cup Brown rice vinegar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 limes, zest and squeezed

1 1/2 Tbsp. Ginger, minced

1 Tbsp. Raw agave

1 small Jalapeno minced

4 cups cooked quinoa

1 cups chickpeas 

1 cup black eyed peas

6 green onion, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups fresh spinach chopped

Combine the vinegar, garlic, japaleno, lime zest and juice, Agave, and ginger and mix well.

Add the quinoa, beans, spinach,  green onions and salt and toss to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour before using. 

Onion Gravy with Curried Rice

Vegan Onion Gravy & Curried Rice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 tomato, thinly sliced ( I used a 2 tsp. of tomato in it's place)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried majoran

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp adobo seasoning

1/4 tsp paprika

1 cup water

2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp braggs liquid aminos ( or soy )

1/4 tsp Caribbean browning ( burnt sugar )

1/4 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp yellow mustard

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, tomato, and garlic and sauted until translucent and somewhat tender. Add the herbs, onion powder, adobo, and paprika if using. then stir in the water. Cook for another 5 minutes or so then stir in tomato paste, soy sauce, browning, corn starch, and mustard. Simmer and stir occasionally for 15 minutes or more as needed until it's starts to get thick.

Curried Rice

1 Tbs. Madras curry powder

1/2 onion, minced

1 cup white rice

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp adobo seasoning

1/4 tsp chili  powder

Heat heavy pot and add onion. Stirring so they don't stick. Add water by the tsp. if necessary so they don't stick, cook onions for until almost tender. Stir in the rice and saute another 3 minutes. Stir in the water, salt, tumeric, adobo and chili powder. Cover and cook  over medium-low heat for about 23 minutes, until water is absorbed. 

Burmese Eggplant

Burmese Eggplant Curry-

Khayan Thee Hnut

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp. vegan shrimp paste (optional)
• 1 (1") piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 jalepeno, diced
• 1 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 large eggplant sliced into 1" thick strips
• 1 tsp. agave or to taste
• 1 tsp salt or more to taste
• 2 cup veggie stock or water

Put ginger, garlic, onion, vegan shrimp paste, and jalapeno in small food processor and process with a little water if necessary to form a smoothish paste.

Heat heavy bottom pan and cook this paste over medium/low heat for a couple of minutes. Add paprika, tumeric, cumin, coriander, curry, and salt and cook for a minute of so. Add eggplant and coat well. Add the stock and cook over medium heat until just tender. Adjust salt and with agave as necessary

Thick & Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing

So Thick and Creamy you'll never know it's Vegan and Oil-Free!

2 Large garlic cloves-minced

1/2 cup Tahini ( 125 g )

1/2 cup Fresh lemon juice

6 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup brown rice syrup or Agave

1/8 tsp Chili powder (optional)

1 Cup of water

Put everything in the blender and blend till completely smooth. Add more water if necessary.  Dressing will thicken up in the fridge, so I keep it in a mason jar, so that I can add water if necessary and shake. Keeps 2 weeks in the fridge.

Great on salads, Steamed bowls and Veggies

My NEW Favorite Dish !!!

Aloo Saag with Aubergine ( Oil-Free )

( Spinach Potato Curry with Eggplant )

1- 11 oz Container fresh spinach

1 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

6-7 new potatoes

, scrubbed and boiled till almost done, drained and set aside

1 Large eggplant, diced, salted and roasted in the over for 20 minutes or till almost tender  ( You can leave the eggplant out altogether if you wish )

1 large onion, chopped

1 Heaping Tbsp Fresh ginger, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. Coriander

1 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Curry powder
1/2 tsp. Fenugreek ( Aesofetida )

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp Chili powder or to taste

1/2 cup or more unsweetened coconut milk

1-2 tsp Brown rice syrup or Agave to taste

Place the spinach in a large pot with the water and salt and cook for a minute or two covered until wilted. blend with a burr mixer till partially smooth and set aside.

Put onions in a hot pot and cook on medium  for 5 or 6 minutes till cooked but not starting to brown, add a teaspoon of water if necessary not to stick . Add garlic and ginger and cook another minute or two, again adding a tsp of water if necessary. Add the spices cook another minute, then add potatoes and 1/4 cup of the coconut milk, stir well. Add the eggplant and stir well. Add the spinach mixture, brown rice syrup, and remaining coconut milk and stir well.  ( You can add more coconut milk if it's too dry) Cook for about 10 minutes on low.
Adjust salt and chili powder to taste. Serve with brown rice.

***You can use Chickpeas instead of potato, omit the Eggplant and you have an Amazing dish called Channa Saag***

Banana, Almond & Coconut Granola

Easy & Delicious

Banana, Almond and Coconut Granola

4 Cups rolled oats
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 cup chopped cashews, optional

Preheat oven to 275.
Put oats into large mixing bowl, and set aside
Place dates and 1/2 cup of water in a small pan and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes ( add small amounts of water if necessary to prevent sticking)
Remove from heat put in blender with the banana, and almond extract, blend till a smooth paste.
 Add mixture to the oats and add the cashews and mix and coat well.
spread granola evenly onto baking sheet and bake 45-50 minutes stirring every 10 minutes until granola is cripsy.

Recipe: from Forks over Knives

 Eggplant in Coconut Sauce

* Served here with brown rice and collard greens*

1 large onion, cut into thin slices

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 large eggplant cut into large dice

1/2 cup coconut

2 green cardamom pods

2 cloves

1 1-inch piece of cinnamon

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds 

1 tsp Asofetida

1-2 tsp chili powder to taste

1 tbsp Agave

1 tsp turmeric

1 to 2 cups light coconut milk

Place eggplant on baking rack and sprinkle with a little salt and half of the turmeric and roast at 400 till almost tender

Heat heavy pot and  add the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, chili powder, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and asoefita and toast until they start to get darker. Set aside

Add the coconut to the skillet and toast, stirring constantly, just a few seconds until the coconut starts to get lightly brown. Don’t leave the coconut on the stove unattended because it will burn in an instant.

Place the toasted spices,  coconut, agave, and the remaining turmeric in a blender. Add enough light coconut milk and blend into a very smooth paste.

Heat a heavy pot on medium high heat till very hot- add the mustard seeds. When they sputter, add the sliced onions. Saute them until they start to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and saute another minute. Adding water by the teaspoon if they begin to stick.

Add the ground spice mixture and when the come to a boil, add the eggplants. Add more coconut milk,  if the sauce is too thick.

When the sauce boils, turn down the heat so it just simmers, slap on a lid, and cook about 10-15 minutes or until the eggplant is really tender.

Adapted by recipe from HolycowVegan

Spicy Cabbage Subzi

1 Tbsp. Cumin seeds

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1/2 onion, diced

1- 1" cube fresh ginger, minced

6 cloves garlic

1 medium head of cabbage, shredded

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. black mustard seeds

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. red chili powder

1 tsp. or more salt to taste

Heat a heavy pan, add the cumin and turmeric and cook until the seeds sizzle, about 30 seconds.
add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, add teaspoons of water if they begin to stick. Add the cabbage and stir well. Add the chili, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds pepper, and salt. Turn heat down to low and partially cover and cook until cabbage is done to your liking. Adjust seasonings and salt to taste.

Three Bean & Brown Rice Salad

3 Cans of assorted beans, Rinsed and drained

1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can organic corn, drained
1 red onion, chopped
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 Tbsp. Agave, to taste
1 tsp. sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1⁄2 tsp. ground cumin
1⁄2 tsp. black pepper, ground
1⁄2 tsp chili powder, to taste

1- 1" piece fresh ginger, minced

1/2 Jalapeno, minced

1 Tbsp. Minced cilantro if desired

1.In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers,  corn, and red onion.
Add all other ingredients and mix very well. Adjust with seasonings to taste.

Flavors get better when it sits for a day!

Indian Spiced Eggplant with Potatoes

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp asafetida

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

1 two Inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into very thin matchsticks

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped into small dice

1 onion, peeled, chopped

1 Jalapeno, minced

3 whole tomatoes( from whole canned tomatoes) or 1 large fresh tomato

2 medium-large eggplant, roughly chopped

2 tsp. sea salt

1 Tbsp. coriander

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 Tbsp. garam masala

1/2 to 1 cup vegetable stock

Heat a heavy pan over medium heat, add the asafetida, cumin, and turmeric. Cook a minutes or so, then add ginger and garlic. Cook stirring for about a minute or so, adding water by the teaspoon if necessary, if they begin to stick.
Add the potato and cook and stir to coat with spices. Add the onions, jalapeno and cook for several minutes, again adding water if mixture starts to stick.
Add the tomato and their juices and stir. Add the eggplant, stock,  salt, garam masala, coriander and chili powder. Stir well to combine all ingredients, and turn heat to low and cook, partially covered until potatoes and eggplant are tender.


Recipe adapted from : Vegan Indian Cooking

Fudgy, Chewy Raw Vegan Brownies- Gluten Free, Oil Free

1 cups walnut

1 cups raw cashews

3/4 cup cacao powder

2 pinches Sea salt

2 cups dates

1/2 cup prunes chopped

Seeds from 1 Vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla

1 to 2 Tbsp Agave

Shredded unsweetened coconut- Optional

Process the nuts in the food processor until finely ground.

Add cacao and salt . Pulse until combined.

Add vanilla and  dates, 1/4 cup at a time until all ingredients are well combined. Add prunes and pulse until well combined. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp. Agave while pulsing until mixture starts to come together.  Press into 8 x 5 pan top with shredded coconut if desired. Chill and cut .

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Vegan No-Knead, Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons agave
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ¼ teaspoons salt

1) Mix the wet ingredients and activate the yeast

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the warm water, maple syrup and yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes so the yeast activates.
2) Whisk together the dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour and salt.
3) Mix the dough

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl containing the dry ingredients and vigorously mix with a wooden spoon in a circular motion for 1 minute. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
4) Mix the dough again briefly then allow it to rise again

Vigorously mix the dough again with the wooden spoon for 30 seconds and allow it to rise once more, covered, at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.
5) Proof your dough

Preheat your oven to 350F (177C). Stir the dough one last time for 30 seconds to degass it. The dough can now be proofed by gently forming it into a lightly oiled loaf pan and allowed to sit covered with a plastic bag until it reaches about 80% to 90% of it's intended size, which should be about 40 minutes. The proofing stage is where the dough takes most of it's shape. It's important to leave room under the plastic bag so the dough can rise sufficiently.
6) Bake the vegan bread to perfection

Remove the plastic bag so the dough can rest for about 10 minutes. Due to the high water content in the dough it may begin to spill over the sides of the loaf pan. In this case, take the edges of the dough and stretch it over the loaf to the other side, working your way around the perimeter of the loaf pan as you go. Stretching the dough over itself will also help keep the loaf in its proper shape as it bakes. Lightly dust the top of the loaf with wheat germ, wheat bran or oat bran.

During baking, the dough will rise another 10% to 20% of it's intended size in the process known as oven spring. Bake until the internal temperature of the bread registers 180-190F (82-88C) when read by an instant-read thermometer. This should be about 45 minutes. Rotate the loaf 180 degrees in the oven halfway through the baking duration for even baking.
7) Allow the bread to cool slightly before removing it from the loaf pan

Remove the bread from the loaf pan after about 30 minutes and allow to cool on a wire rack until it's cooled to room temperature. This bread is best stored covered in a cool dark place or pre-sliced and stored in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer. This recipe makes one loaf.

Recipe by Veganbaking.net

Black Eyed Peas, Collard Greens, and Tomato Soup

Black Eyed Peas, Collard Greens & Tomato Soup

6c veggie stock

2 stalks celery, sliced thinly

1 medium/large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch collard greens, washed + chopped into strips

3c cooked black eyed peas [or 2 cans]

28oz whole canned tomatoes with juice

2t thyme

1 to 2 cups butternut squash, cubed

2t oregano

1t basil

pinch of cayenne

salt + pepper to taste

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add

chopped onion and celery, until the onion has browned. adding water as necessary so it doesn't stick.

  Be patient and stir every minute or so.

Stir in garlic, thyme, parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. and cook for about 30sec, stirring constantly.  Go easy on the salt to start and season more along the way.

Add in peeled tomatoes with the juices + veggie stock, crushing the tomatoes with your hands as you add them in.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-low, add beans, squash greens and cover with a lid.

Simmer at least 30min, stirring occasionally.

Taste + adjust seasoning, adding more salt + pepper if necessary. 

Add a few shakes of cayenne, if you want a little heat, and stir.

Simmer 5 more minutes, and taste again.

Add collard greens, stir + cover to simmer for 5min.

Top with avocado!

Recipe adapted from Edible Perspective

I love Eggplant!

Spicy Vegan Japanese Eggplant

I found this recipe online and had to try it. It might not be the prettiest dish, but it sure it delicious.

INGREDIENTS

2 large Japanese eggplants (or 1 large regular one or equivalent) – cut into 1 inch cubes

1 onion – diced

Thai basil (or red basil or regular basil) – chopped – optional

Sesame oil

6 garlic cloves – chopped

4 TBS minced ginger (I used jarred)

3 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS sriracha

2 TBS sambal oelek (or chili garlic sauce)

2 tsp molasses

3 TBS soy sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used homemade I had leftover but jarred or canned is fine)

1 TBS rice vinegar

1 TBS vinegar

Crushed red pepper

Salt

Sesame seeds

1/2 cup water

Scallions – green parts sliced – as garnish