- 1/4 cup raw almond butter (or peanut butter/sunflower butter)
- 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 1-2 tablespoons warm water, to desired consistency
- 1 tablespoon tamari (or low-sodium soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or agave)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or freshly minced ginger
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha (or more, to taste) or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Author Archives: vanessa
Coconut Curry
- 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
- 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (or 1 tablespoon coconut oil; if you cook with oil)
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- pinch of sea salt and black pepper
- 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, minced
- 1.5 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 head of cauliflower, florets
- 1 small head of broccoli florets (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup frozen edamame
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons Kikkoman Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon raw coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha or hot chili sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (or fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- Make the brown rice
- Heat the veggie broth in a large saucepan or pot to medium heat.
- Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Next stir in the ginger and red curry paste and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli and edamame. Cover with lid and let steam about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a splash more of veggie broth/water as needed, if you feel like it’s getting dry.
- Now pour in the can of coconut milk, 1/2 cup veggie broth, soy sauce, coconut sugar, Sriracha, curry powder, turmeric and garam masala. Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer about 8-10 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Serve over brown rice and garnish with optional toppings.
Black Bean Soup
- 3/4 cup water (or 2 tablespoons olive oil; if not oil-free)
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/3-1/2 jalapeño, finely chopped, to taste (optional)
- 2 medium-sized carrots, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped (or any color)
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
- 1 15 oz. can organic sweet corn, drained and rinsed
- 3 15 oz. cans organic black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- sea salt & pepper, to taste
- toppings: avocado, crushed tortilla chips, jalapeño, cilantro, dairy-free cheese
- Heat the water (or oil, if preferred) in a soup pot or large dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onions and garlic, with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.
- Stir in the jalapeño, carrot, red bell pepper, cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Cook until vegetable are soft, about 7-9 minutes.
- Pour in the beans, corn and broth. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans are soft and the broth has lots of flavor, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Using a hand immersion blender, blend about half of the soup, still leaving whole beans in tact. Blend more for a smoother texture or less for a chunkier texture, depending on preference (this step is optional; you can also blend half in a regular blender, making sure to let out the steam, to prevent a soup explosion as it gets very hot. Pour it back into the soup pot).
- Stir in lime juice and cilantro and taste test to see if it needs more salt or pepper.
Sweet Potato Sauce
- steamed sweet potato
- garlic
- 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp. turmeric
- 1 tbsp. nut butter
- almond milk
- pepper
Honey Oat Bread
1 Envelope of Yeast (2-1/4 tsp )
2 tsp of Salt
1/4 cup of Honey
3 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, melted
1-1/3 cup of Warm Water
3 cups of Bread Flour
1 cup of Old Fashioned or Quick Oats
1/3 cup of Non Fat Dry Milk Powder
2 Tbsp of Honey, warmed up a bit so it’s runny
2 or 3 Tbsp of Oats
1) In a small bowl, add the water, honey and yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes until the yeast is activated.
2) In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment, add flour, milk powder, oats, salt and the yeast milk mixture.
3) Knead the dough for just a few minutes or until it comes together.
4) Turn the dough onto a floured surface and continue to knead until the dough is nice and smooth.
5) Lightly grease a large bowl, place the dough in the greased bowl, brush the top with a little oil and cover with plastic wrap.
6) Place in a warm draft free spot and let it rise for about an hour and a half to two hours or until doubled in size.
7) Grease a 9×5” loaf pan with some vegetable oil and set aside.
8) Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it for a minute just to pull it together. Form it into a loaf, place it in the greased loaf pan (seam side down) cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise for another hour or so or until doubled once more.
9) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, brush the top of the bread with the warmed honey and sprinkle the oats all over the top. Bake your bread for about 40 minutes or so or until lightly golden brown. If you see the bread turning brown too quickly, tent it with a little foil to stop it from getting too dark. Allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Ginger and Coconut Pork and Caulifower
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 small cauliflower
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 2-inch ginger root, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ¾ tsp salt
- Black sesame seeds
- Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground pork, and cook a few minutes until beginning to brown.
- Grate the ginger and mince the garlic, add to the pork. Stir in the fish sauce and salt, then cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is no longer pink.
- Roughly chop the cauliflower, coarsely shred in a food processor (or dice manually) then add to the meat mixture.
- Stir in the coconut milk and cook, stirring occasionally) until cauliflower is softened, about 10 minutes.
- Finely chop the scallions, add to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, top with black sesame seeds and enjoy warm.
Portuguese Chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups cored seeded sweet red, green and yellow peppers, cut into thin strips
- 1 cup thinly sliced onions
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon saffron stems or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 pounds
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup fresh or canned chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- Heat the oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3 minutes or until crisp tender. Then add the tomatoes and saffron. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet large enough to hold the chicken breasts in one layer. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the pieces, reduce the heat and cook about 5 minutes or until done. Do not overcook. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter and keep it warm.
- Add the shallots to the skillet and cook until wilted. Do not brown. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom with a wooden spatula to dissolve any brown particles that may cling to the bottom of the skillet. Reduce the wine almost completely and add the chicken broth. Let this cook until it is almost totally reduced. Add the chicken breasts and any liquid that may have accumulated. Add the pepper and tomato mixture, bring to a simmer and add the parsley. Serve with rice.
Grains and Beans
- 1 cup whole grains, such as barley, wheat, emmer, einkorn, rye, spelt or wheat berries
- 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
- ½ teaspoon salt, more as needed
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced, plus celery leaves for serving
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons thyme leaves, more for serving
- 3 ½ cups (two 15-ounce cans) cooked red kidney beans, drained
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Hot sauce, for serving
- In a medium pot, simmer grains in chicken stock, adding salt to taste if stock is unsalted. Different grains will cook at different rates, but 35 to 75 minutes is the general range. When grains are just tender, drain, reserving any extra stock.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving 2 tablespoons bacon grease in skillet.
- Add onion, pepper, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt to skillet and cook until vegetables are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes longer, until garlic is fragrant.
- Stir beans, black pepper and nutmeg into skillet and cook until vegetables are very tender, 10 to 20 minutes, adding some reserved chicken stock from the grains or water if pan looks dry.
- Add drained grains to pan and stir until heated through, adding more stock or water if needed. Stir in bacon, and salt to taste. Serve grains and beans topped with celery and thyme leaves, with hot sauce on the side.
Muhammara
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
- chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup whole-grain bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. pomegranate molasses
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 – 3 roasted red peppers
- 1/2 – 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Using a hand blender (preferably) or a conventional blender, puree the chile flakes, cumin, walnuts, bread crumbs, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, and red peppers to a smooth, even consistency. Mix in the warm water in increments to achieve an easily spreadable consistency similar to a thick yogurt. If you¹re going to use it for dipping, you might want to leave it a bit thicker. Stir in the salt and adjust the seasonings if needed.
Hummus
1 can drained chickpeas
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. tahini
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
1 small clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
VARIATIONS
Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of spices for more flavor, like cumin, sumac, harissa, or smoked paprika.
• Drizzle a little pomegranate molasses or sprinkle a pinch of sumac on top.
• For a roasted vegetable hummus, blend in 1 cup of roasted vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, or garlic.
• For an olive hummus, fold in 3/4 cup of chopped green or black olives.
• For a nutty hummus, blend in some lightly toasted walnuts, almonds, or pine nuts.
• For a more lemony hummus, add 1/4 cup of chopped preserved lemons.