Rainy days

Rainy days + fall = ...?
SOUP
and even better

Spicy Pumpkin and Coconut Curry Soup

1 cup of cubed tempeh

1/3 cup of chopped onion

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup white wine

1/2 lemon grass stalk (cut into four 2 inch pieces)

~1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

water

3/4 can of pureed pumpkin (or 3/4 cup fresh pureed pumpkin, even better!)

1 cup coconut milk (I used Silk brand coconut milk, it's a lot less fat and a thinner consistency than the canned coconut milk)

* You can sub the coconut milk for soy milk as well (If you want to omit the coconut flavor).

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Squeeze of fresh lime

2 fresh kale leaves (I used dinosaur kale)

salt/pepper

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Step 1 sautee onion and tempeh in olive oil until onions are somewhat translucent and tempeh is a little bit browned. (You can also add garlic at this step.) 

Step 2 add white wine, and cook down. Once wine is cooked down, add a little bit of water and let it steam (put the lid on), because you want the tempeh to be fully cooked.

Step 3 add lemon grass, and ginger. Immediately add the coconut milk and pureed pumpkin. Let it simmer for about 5-10 min on med/low heat. The longer the better, so you can even go up to 20 if you let it go on low heat.

Step 4 Add all spices, and let it simmer again, just about 5 minutes this time. Once the 5 minutes are up, add some fresh squeezed lime. It's a perfect compliment!

Step 5 Add salt/pepper to taste. Once it's to your liking, the last step is to add the fresh kale. Make sure this is the absolute last thing you do because you don't want the kale to turn brown. Keeping it green guarantees maximum nutritional content. You don't want to kill it with heat.

Step 6 Take out the lemon grass stems, and serve up and enjoy with fresh cilantro for garnish!

It's so good, you'll probably die. Just warning you.

For the Love of Tahini

Not a big firm tofu fan.
I bought some to try this "vegan cheese" idea a friend of mine showed me. I'll show you in another post!
Anyway, I had half a block left... What to make for dinner...
Looked in my fridge and I had some tahini, and some really old miso that's rather questionable (but I reasoned with myself that it's fermented to begin with).
This recipe is stolen from work >:)

Tahini Miso Tofu Salad

5 oz super firm tofu

2 Tbsp tahini

1 Tbsp miso

1 Tbsp flax oil

~1/3 cup blanched kale

~1/3 cup fresh purple cabbage 

1 tsp honey**

sesame seeds for garnish

**I used honey to even out the saltiness of my miso. This isn't necessary if your miso isn't super salty like mine was.

First I cut the tofu into small, thin squares. You don't have to cut it like this, it's just how I did it. (It will taste the same cut into any fashion!)

Next I blanched the kale in some hot water, and immediately put it into ice cold water. It's important to not expose it to the hot water for too long because it will loose it's nutrients and become brown and gross. Putting it into ice water directly after will stop the cooking process.

Once I toweled off the kale from any excess water, I put it in a mixing bowl with the tofu, added the miso, tahini, flax oil, and purple cabbage. 

Make sure to mix thoroughly with your hands, you don't want any big clumps of miso!

Make sure to do a taste test! This will determine whether you'll need the honey (agave is okay too) or not.

I served it with some fresh Manoa lettuce from my yard and garnished with toasted sesame seeds. 

Enjoy!

Brain Food

Midterms....
ugh.
How can you eat healthy and conveniently, when you're studying all the time (not having a life)?
It's a sad dilemma.
The best thing to do is to eat to FEED YOUR BRAIN! Stay clear from processed food, sugar, and especially... excessive caffeine.

That last one is unrealistic for me, I'm a coffee fiend! 

Anyway.

Dark leafy greens are loaded with vitamins (A, B6, C and K) and minerals (iron, calcium, potassium, folate, and magnesium). Kale is a great source of these, along with carotenoids and flavonoids which are antioxidants that slow aging, support a healthy immune system, and most importantly, assist in healthy brain function! Eating an abundance of these during studying will help you from getting sluggish and with help you keep alert so you can retain information better!

Another great thing to consume for "brain food" are healthy fats (omegas 3, 6 and 9). Your brain is made of mostly fat, and needs more of what it's made of to keep functioning properly! Not to confuse processed fats and oils (avoid butter, lard, shortening, and vegetable oil/corn oil), "healthy fats" are in foods such as nuts, salmon, eggs, and avocados. Eating these healthy fats come with a load of health benefits besides healthy brain function, but consuming healthy fat with dark leafy greens assists in better nutrient absorption.

Here's a simple recipe to get everything you need to keep that brain going.

Toasty Spiced Almonds

1 cup raw almonds

3 tablespoons coconut oil

4-5 heaping tablespoons of nutritional yeast

spices of your choice (I used cumin, turmeric, cayenne, and garlic salt)

Heat oil in a frying pan, add almonds and toast slightly, add nutritional yeast and spices. Simple, fast, and easy!

You can also do this with some fresh kale. Sautee with the same ingredients! Delicious and nourishing.

I packed myself some apple cinnamon bars from the bulk section at my local health food store, some tahini, and the toasty spiced almonds. Travels easily, and doesn't have to stay cold or anything. Especially when your bag is full of text books and notes. 

This was my lunch for midterm line-up break that I had. (Trig/college algebra midterm and Microbiology midterm back to back!) Kept me satisfied so I could stay focused for the day!

I'm Back!

My apologies for being absent so long... This semester has been kicking my ass!
I decided to take a break and pick up posting on the blog again... I missed it :)

So tonight I took this recipe from The Vegan Stoner, which is the cutest recipe blog I have ever bumped into! They make really simple, cheap, and easy vegan recipes, but they display all of the information in such a cute way, with hand-drawn pictures!

It's called Falafel Pie. Falafel? Pie? In one? Yes!

So, I just bought some falafel mix from the bulk section at my local health food store. Mixed 1 cup of falafel mix with 1/2 cup of H2O, and pack it down in a pan after oiling it down with some olive oil. Once that's done, bake for 12 minutes at 350.

Next, I chopped up some fresh herbs from my garden (Dill and Italian parsley). 

While that was baking, I chopped up cucumber, kalamata olives, and cherry tomatoes.

I also blended up the yogurt dressing.

After the 12 minutes, I took it out, drizzled some olive oil because it was lookin like it needed some love, sprinkled the feta cheese and drizzled some tahini on it and put it back in for 6 minutes.

Once the 6 minutes were done, I put the cucumber, tomatoes, olives and the yogurt dressing on top. Feel free to garnish with more feta/tahini/herbs/pepper/etc.

Taaadaa!

Falafel Pie

1 cup falafel mix

1/2 water

olive oil

cucumbers

tomatoes (doesn't have to be cherry tomatoes, that's all I had)

kalamata olives

~1/4 cup feta cheese

2 table spoons tahini

pepper to taste

Yogurt-Herb Dressing

3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt (Greek or regular, just depends on how thick you want it)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon

1/4 cup fresh dill

1/4 cup fresh parsley (Italian or regular)

1 small clove of garlic

salt & pepper to taste

A wonderful marriage of hot and cold.

What to do with a bunch of bread scraps?

At work, we cut off the crusts of the vegan ciabatta bread we get for the sandwiches. (To anally make them all the same size.) Naturally, when I see a bunch of food going to waste I don't hesitate to make it my own and find something to do with it. In fact, if they're throwing away jars that once held delicious tahini, I even take those home, in hopes to reuse it!

So what to do with a bunch of strips of bread?? 

Croutons.. Bread pudding... Bread sticks?

So I made some French toast sticks! They're "almost vegan" French toast strips, topped with a home made cherry compote.

(Quantities depend on how much bread you're using.)

Step one: Soak bread in a mixture of egg, milk (I used almond milk), ground up chia seeds, agave syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make sure that bread is completely saturated, to the point where the bread is just about to fall apart but still in tact. 

Step two: Slab some Earth Balance (vegan butter substitute) or regular butter onto a frying pan, and let it melt.

Step three: Place french toast sticks on the pan and cook untill slightly browned.

Pretty simple hmm?

Next  I cut up some fresh (about 10) cherries and turned the pain on high and cooked with a splash of water, a couple teaspoons of coconut sugar, about a teaspoon of agave syrup, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a little bit of lemon zest and cooked let it simmer until most of the water evaporated and it formed a jam like consistency.

Top with some honey, maple syrup, or whatever you like.

Acai BOWLLLZZzzzZ

Acai bowls are a great for breakfast, lunch or DINNER!!

I think I love them a little bit too much... So to save me some money, I started making them myself, which is actually a lot easier than you think! 

It's a just a matter of having the ingredients :)

I like to make a SUPER version of the regular acai bowl, by adding cacao/greens/hemp/chia/spirulina/whey protein/whatever I have.

1 Unsweetened acai packet (Sambazon brand is good)
half of a frozen banana
2-3 frozen strawberries
unsweetened almond/soy/hemp/coconut milk (anything but dairy)
1 Tbsp cacao
1 1/2 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 Kale leaf
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 Tbsp spirulina
pinch of cinnamon
1 Tbsp bee pollen
1/4 c granola (any kind)
fresh fruit to top it with
agave/honey to taste

Blend frozen fruit, kale, cacao, hemp, chia, spirulina, cinnamon, and nondairy milk into a thick consistency. Next, add half of your 1/4 cup granola to the bottom of a bowl, pour smoothie into the bowl, add the rest of the granola, bee pollen, fresh fruit and honey/agave, and you've got yourself an acai bowl!
Sometimes, I find that blending the kale and the super foods (hemp, cacao, etc.) before adding the frozen fruit works best.

You can also get creative with whatever you can find to put into it, such a wheat germ, chlorella, maca powder, coconut flakes, etc.

It's just so much better/satisfying/CHEAPER to make it yourself, than buying it from a smoothie shop. You can also add as much granola as you like!!

Cumin Carrot salad

Vitamins and SPICES is the name... And this salad has lots of them.

3 large carrots, grated

1 can of garbanzo beans (16 oz)

1 kale leaf, chopped

3 sprigs of Italian parsley, minced

2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp tumeric
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
2 Tbsp Hemp seeds
1 Tbsp agave
Juice of half of a lemon
salt and pepper to taste


Carrots are packed with vitamin A, which is great for skin and eye site!
Garbanzo beans, AKA chick peas have the required protein to make this a complete and satisfying meal.
Hemp seeds also add in some proteins, minerals and omegas (healthy fats).
Cinnamon and turmeric have great anti-inflammatory properties and aid digestion.

You can also choose to add dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped up dates to give it a good balance of sweetness (instead of using agave syrup)!

Spirulina

Spirulina is a blue-green micro algae superfood that comes in supplements and powders. It actually helped produce the oxygen in our atmosphere billions of years ago! But more importantly, it has amazing health benefits.

1. It has 60%-70% complete protein. (More protein than chicken or soybeans!)
2. It contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, vitamin B12, iron, nucleic acids RNA & DNA, chlorophyll and phycocyanin.

3. Highly digestible (reduces cholesterol). It also promotes beneficial flora production in the intestinal tract.

4. Gives you an energy boost (because of all of these highly concentrated nutrients).

5. Increases antioxidant production.

6. Fights free radicals.

7. Curbs appetite/promotes weight loss.

8. Helps in controlling the growth of bacteria/yeast

9. Good for skin.

10. Improves allergies/respiratory function.

11. Stabilizes blood sugars.

Learn more at http://www.naturalnews.com/036101_spirulina_superfood_nutrients.html.

I usually throw about 1/2 tsp into smoothies or some juice with chia seeds.

But I just recently got the idea of putting it into food!!

I was at my local Vim and Vigor health food store, and saw that they had spirulina musubis. I was AMAZED, and I was inspired to make some myself instead of buying it.

2 cups of short grain brown rice

4 cups of water

Any sort of filling, I used salmon and furikake.

Shoyu or Bragg's Liquid Aminos to taste

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

Sesame seeds

3-4 Tbsp of spirulina powder

Cook rice and let cool. Add Shoyu/liquid aminos, rice vinegar, sesame seeds and spirulina to rice. Fill a palm sized amount with about a teaspoon of your filling and morph into a ball. Sprinkle some furikake on top.

Easy enough right? The carbs and protein will give you a boost of energy, along with this amazing superfood to power you through your day :)

Cherry Granola Parfait

Greek yogurt is packed with twice the amount of protein that regular yogurt has. It's low in sodium, carbs, and its very easy to digest. I LOVE it with any fruit, smoothie, with some cinnamon and agave syrup, or with some dill, cucumber and feta cheese to make a tzatziki sauce for Greek gyros and salads.

For breakfast I made a cherry and granola parfait (it's cherry season), layered with some agave in between. I topped it with a sprinkle of hemp seeds for a little extra protein and some greet omegas.

All you need is..

Cherries, pitted
Granola. I used pumpkin seed granola.
Plain Greek yogurt (fat free)
Agave syrup or honey to taste

Layer granola, fruit, yogurt, granola, fruit, yogurt, etc. (You get the idea)

And place in your favorite bowl or cup! I used a beer glass ;)

Tofu "Aioli" Dip

There are three things I cannot eat.
No it's not a food allergy.
It's because there's just something about them that makes me cringe....

1. Pineapples 
I don't know why, but the smell makes me gag! Whenever there's a pineapple near me, I need to get away, whenever there's a pineapple in my food, or near it, I can't touch it or put it anywhere near my mouth. Pineapples just absolutely disgust me.

and #2....

MAYONAISE!!

Totally disgusting me. Almost as bad as the pineapples.... But it doesn't have a putrid acidic smell that pierces my soul, thoughts, and dreams so it's up there, but not first on the list.
I just really can't handle any "gloobery" kinds of food with eggs in it. Eggs benedict, sunny side up, you name it, can't do it. I can only handle scrambled eggs, super WELL DONE!

SO, on with my point here, I found this great tofu aioli sauce to use instead of mayo. It's vegan and it tastes amazing!

1 block of silken or firm tofu (doesn't matter)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 paprika

Blend olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and garlic together in food processor until garlic is minced. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until it is a thick sauce consistency.

The picture above is the same recipe, but I added fresh mint and beets. (Random, I know, but delicious!)

Feel free to add anything you want to it. Fresh herbs, more spices, vegetables, etc.

And dip anything you want into it! (I was using home made rice crackers and sugar snap peas.) It is also great on sandwiches, or you can add some more vinegar and olive oil to create a creamy vegan dressing :-)

If you're like me, and anti mayonnaise, you will definitely have to try this out. It is an amazing swap!
As for the pineapples... those will just have to be left alone. Totally not swap-able.

Do you have any foods/sauces you cringe just thinking about?

Easy Coconut-Peanut Kale

Shredded coconut and organic peanut butter... Mmm the perfect ingredients for a cookie!
Or kale?

Since I began working at a vegan cafe, I have been (I hate to use this word) stealing so many recipe ideas! Of course I can't make it exactly the way that they do, but I have definitely gotten close. You will learn in time, that when I follow recipes, I never actually "follow" them. I use recipes as guidelines, and add my own twist to adjust to my taste.

The original recipe calls for peanut butter and coconut flour, but all I had was shredded coconut so I pulsed that in a coffee grinder. I also added sesame seeds! (Because I love them so.)

1 bunch of kale

3 Tbsp organic peanut butter (smooth)

1/4 cup ground shredded coconut or coconut flour (unsweetened)

3-4 Tbsp sesame oil

1 1/2 tsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (you can also use shoyu or "soy sauce")

2-3 generous Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Steam kale leaves until wilted, not until cooked, an blanch. Cut kale leaves horizontally across stem into 1/2 inch tall pieces. Mix sesame oil, Bragg's/shoyu, coconut flour, and peanut butter together into a large mixing bowl into a runny paste. Mix in kale and sesame seeds. Feel free to sprinkle some extra shredded coconut on top for garnish.

Easy enough right? Sounds like a strange combination, but believe me you will fall in LOVE!!

I also tried mixing in some alfalfa sprouts, and that mixed well also.

A lovely dinner composed of my favorite kale salad, some home made basil hummus (I will add some hummus recipes later), some cut up whole wheat flat bread and carrot sticks. Perfection!

There's something about breakfast....

that gets my wheels turnin!
It's when I get most creative. Smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, omelets, granolas, energy bars, fresh juice... This list goes on.
Lately, I've been going crazy with smoothies. It's summer time and there's nothing better than a refreshing breakfast, especially an easy refreshing liquid breakfast.
The good thing about smoothies is that you can put literally ANYTHING in them! Whatever you got, blend it up and see if the combination works. That's how easy it is.

Today I made a pumpkin-almond-banana-spice smoothie. Yep, that's right, you don't have to just stick to frozen berries! I usually throw in a handful of greens, but I had to hold myself back on this one.

1 frozen banana

1 1/2 tbsp of pumpkin almond butter (I will post this recipe later!)

1 1/2 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp maca powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Almond milk (as much as you need, depending on your blender)

Blend together! It's just that easy :-)

It's like pumpkin pie in a cup!

Energy Balls!

Energy balls are basically throwing any dried nuts and fruits combination into a food processor and rolling the finished product into a spherical formation. The picture above is one of my personal favorites, dried blueberries, dates, almonds, cinnamon, and flax.

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup dried blueberries (unsweetened is best)

5 (give or take a couple depending on your taste) pitted medjool dates

3 tbsp agave syrup

3 tbsp chia seeds (ground or whole will work)

1 tbsp cinnamon (plus 1 tsp for sprinkling on after)

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

golden flax seeds

Add almonds into food processor, and grind to chunks. (We don't want almond butter, so just a few good pulses is necessary!) Add 1 tbsp cinnamon, salt and vanilla. You can add more if you love cinnamon like I do! Next, add in the blueberries and dates with the agave syrup. Pulse into a thick paste. It should be thick enough to keep form while rolling into the ball shape, if it's too thick you can add more agave, if it's not thick enough you can add more chopped up almonds or chia seeds. Put some flax seeds on a small plate (as many as you want), and after rolling the paste into balls, roll onto the plate of flax seeds to cover. Place your energy balls into reusable container or platter and sprinkle with some more cinnamon.