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 .

High Protein Vegan Sandwich Bread

High Protein Vegan Sandwich Bread

Don't let this lousy picture fool you...These loaves were amazing. I made them after coming home from work and they didn't finish baking till almost bedtime LOL ( hence the terrible lighting)

Ingredients:

Mix in a large bowl and set aside for five minutes until it begins to froth:

4 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

Mix in another bowl:

1 cup warm soymilk

1 cup warm water

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp maple syrup (use sugar or agave nectar if you’d rather)

1 tbsp salt

Add the soymilk mixture to the yeast. Add to it:

2 cups whole-wheat flour

Mix in a stand mixer on low speed or by hand. Then add:

1 cup vital wheat gluten flour

Knead on low speed or by hand, adding a little at a time until the dough is no longer sticky:

1 to 1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour (add more flour if the dough’s still sticky).

Continue kneading for another 10 minutes. You should have a really smooth, supple dough.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, turning once so the top of the dough is coated with oil.

Cover with a kitchen towel and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in volume.

Now punch down the dough, and put it back in the bowl to rise for another hour.

Grease and flour two standard (6-cup) loaf pans. Now punch the dough down again and divide it into half. Shape each half into an oval, tucking the seams underneath.

Place each oval into a loaf pan, cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and set it aside to rise for about 90 minutes until the dough rises above the pan, forming a nice dome.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the loaves for 10 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 30 minutes or until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, then remove the loaves from the pan and continue cooling.

Recipe by HolyCow

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

Baingan Aloo

• Indian potato & Eggplant stir-fry

• 
  
• 1 large eggplant chopped
• 2 medium potatoes cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• pinch of asofetida 
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 Tbsp. Curry
• 1 teaspoon ginger chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic chopped( 3 cloves)
• 1 Serrano chili pepper chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 2-3 whole canned tomatoes

1. Heat a large pan, and the garlic, ginger, chili, curry, coriander, and cumin powder and cook for several minutes, adding water as necessary so it doesn't stick.

1. Add in the potatoes and turmeric and mix well to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes
2. Add in the eggplants, tomato and salt and mix well to coat with all the spices.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 20-25minutes stirring occasionally. If you like your eggplants softer, than cook longer or to your desired softness.

Recipe adapted from Holycow

Sweet Potato Hamman

Sweet Potato Curry with Spinach

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, washed clean. Dice the sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes and steam until almost tender

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 or more handfuls of spinach

1 tsp. dried chili, or to taste

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp coriander

1 tsp. Tamarind paste

1 Tbsp. Curry powder

Salt to taste

Put the  spices in a blender along with the coconut milk. Add the coconut milk and tamarind and enough water to blend into a smooth paste.

Pour the coconut paste in a saucepan and add the sweet potatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil. If it’s too thick, add more water.

Add salt to taste, and the spinach and let the curry simmer about 10 minutes. Add  Turn off the heat.

Serve hot over boiled rice.

Recipe adapted from Holycow

Pad Kee Mao

Spicy Drunken Noodles

aka Pad Kee Mao

You may have to hit the Asian Supermarket to pick up a few of these specialty sauces but believe me, this recipe will be worth it..

Drunken Noodle Sauce

2 Tbsp. Chinese Vegetarian stir fry sauce ( vegan option for Oyster sauce

2 Tbsp. Thai thin soy sauce ( vegan option for shrimp paste)

3 tsp. Agave

2 Tbsp. Thai Golden Mountain sauce

2 Tbsp. Thai black soy sauce

2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

3 tsp. Asian Chili garlic sauce

Ingredients:

12 ounces Dried ho fun or super wide rice noodles

1/2 onion thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno sliced into thin rings( more or less to your taste)

4-5 baby bok choy sliced

2 cups Chinese cabbage

6 or 7 broccoli florets

1 carrot, sliced into thin julienne

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. bottled Thai basil or 1/2 cup fresh Thai basil

Cook rice noodles according to package and set aside.

Wish together all ingredients for Drunken noodle sauce and set aside.

Heat a large pan over medium heat and cook the onion,  jalapeno, and garlic until soft, adding water by the teaspoon to prevent sticking.

Add remaining ingredients except for the Thai basil. Cook until veggies are al dente.

Add the cooked noodles, half the sauce, and the Thai basil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining sauce and cook until most of the liquid has absorbed and everything is coated in sauce and noodles are gently seared in some places.

Serve with a wedge of lime!

Recipe adapted from Vegan Eats World