Summertime Kale and Seaweed Salad...

All that talk about sea vegetables yesterday really inspired me!  After writing the last post there was nothing more I wanted then a big ‘ole salad full of goodness and sea veggies. I know I’ve been kind of slacking this year, school, work, the new job, and then finally being done with school and just needed to relax and veg out - I’ve neglected this blog. Sure I’ve posted, but most of my posts these days tend to be restaurant, or product reviews. Otherwise they’re posts about what I made for the holidays but no original recipes. I feel bad about that, but the truth is that my eating’s been erratic. I’ve either eaten really healthy - but boring, thus not worthy of being blogged about. Or I’ve gone really over the top, but using the recipes of others. I’m really going to try to change that. I want to post recipes again, I want to be more active here again, and so here’s a start.

Unfortunately when I was making my lunch yesterday I wasn’t doing so with the intention of posting the recipe. I just whipped some stuff together and didn’t really measure anything. So take the measurements as suggestions and approximations and adjust as you see fit. Even if you add a little more of ‘this’ or a little less of ‘that’ I know you’ll enjoy this salad. It’s rich in high-quality nutrients, and packed full of flavor. It really hits the spot mid-afternoon afer a long bike ride, or a good yoga session. Enjoy while sitting out in the summer sun, with a nice cool glass of water or your favorite kombucha!

Summertime Kale and Seaweed Salad 

3 Big Leaves Kale torn into bite sized pieces
1 Medium Carrot peeled and julienne
½ Cucumber peeled and julienne
Red Onion sliced thin (about 1/4 C or to taste)
½ C Corn (Fresh or Frozen)
½ C Frozen Edamame
2 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
Small handful Arame ( 1/4 C or less) Soaked in warm water for five minutes. Then drained and rinsed, then patted dry.
1-2 Sheets Nori (to taste) torn into bite sized pieces
2 Garlic Cloves minced

1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Rice Vinegar

Dressing 

2 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Tamari
1 Tbsp Mirin (or Agave)
½ Tbsp Lemon Juice
Sriracha to taste
Water as needed to thin
Salt and Pepper to taste -  optional

- Place your torn kale into a large bowl, drizzle the sesame oil and rice vinegar over top and massage thoroughly with your hands utnil the kale breaks down a bit. Set the bowl aside and continue making the rest of the salad.
- Heat a small pot of water on the stove, when boiling add the Edamame - and if using frozen corn add that too - boil for 2-3 minutes until Edamame and Corn are cooked through. Drain and let cool.

- Mis all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

- Assemble the salad. To the kale add in the julienne carrot, cucumber, sliced red onion, minced garlic cloves. Corn, edamame, Hemp seeds, torn nori sheets, and arame. Drizzle the dressing over top and toss a few times to make sure all of the vegetables get evenly coated.

*** Note - Gluten Free if using GF Tamari.***

Happy Earth Day 2014...

Tuesday was Earth Day, and Earth Day is one of my favorite non-holiday-holiday’s! Each year I celebrate by making a tasty meal, and then my husband and I go and see the latest Disney Nature Earth Day film - proceeds of which go to benefit things like ocean conservation, the national parks, Chimpanzee’s etc... whatever the year’s film happens to be about.

This year my dinner was a little lower-key then dinners past because I’ve been so burned out on food lately, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have some delicious fun.

I started by making a delicious batch of Summer Strawberry and Mango Guacamole from Angela Liddon’s wonderful new book “The Oh She Glows Cookbook.” Now, you might not think that mangos and strawberries belong in a Guac recipe, and I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but this guac was so good! Seriously, all the flavors mingled so well, and I absolutely loved the combination of buttery avocados, with tart strawberries, and sweet mangos. A perfect marriage of the three - we ate this up like ravenous dogs, with a bag of Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips.

For our meal I decided to make Brian Patton’s Meatball Parmesan Burgers from the August 2013 Issue of VegNews Magazine. I remember being particularly excited about this issue because of the exquisite burger recipes, but as often happens I never actually got around to trying any of the recipes until now. These burgers were pretty easy to make, however they did require a few steps. First you need to make the patty which is a mixture of tempeh, walnuts, vegetables, spices and wheat gluten. Then you make the Garlicky Mozzarella Sauce which is a creamy cashew based cheese sauce, then you make a batch of the Basil Macadamia Pesto. I also decided to make my own burger buns since I didn’t have any buns on hand. I used the recipe for Rustica Buns in Joni Marie Newman’s wonderful book “The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet.” Since the buns have chopped up pieced of sun-dried tomatoes in them I thought they would be a perfect fit for a meatball burger and boy was I right. These buns were super awesome, and I would definitely make them again.

The only significant change to the recipe is that I decided to make them sliders instead of full burgers. I thought they would be cuter that way, and of course making a smaller burger - and a smaller bun - decreases cooking time. Honestly, in the end I wasn’t sure how I’d like the burgers but they ended up being one of the best home-made veggie burgers I’ve made - and I’ve made a lot. They weren’t overly gluten-tasting which I really appreciate, and they weren’t mushy either. I think they’d probably stand up well to a grill. They were particularly amazing when all the components were brought together, the bun, the burger, the sauce, the pesto, and the marinara. Both the cheese cause and pesto were excellent. I’ve made a lot of vegan pesto in my time but never one using macadamia nuts. It was a really nice surprise flavor wise.

To accompany our burgers I decided to go with another one of Brian Patton’s recipes. This time I chose The Green Bean Fries from his book “The Sexy Vegan’s Happy Hour At Home” These tasted a lot more like green bean tempura then french fries but they were delicious nonetheless. The beans were tossed in arrowroot powder, then bathed in a batter mix of flour, beer and spices then deep fried.  To serve you make a really delicious tahini dipping sauce that tasted so amazing with the beans.

Since we’re pretty burnt out on sweets I opted not to make dessert for once, but we didn’t miss it. We stuffed ourselves silly, and were quite happy there wasn’t anything else that needed eating. After filling our bellies and cleaning up we went for a nice walk. The weather was nice, sunny and mostly warm with a breeze. Then as stated earlier, we saw the new Earth Day film "Bears" which really tugs at the heartstrings. If you're as into Nature Films, Nature Documentaries, or Animal Documentaries as much as I am, you'll love it - for the amazing close-up footage alone.

Hope you all had a happy Earth Day.

January Cleanse Part One...

Woodstock Peace Salad - Spinach, Green Cabbage, Sunflower Seeds
Tomato, Cucumber, Kalamata Olives, Avocado Tahini Dressing

I did not forget that I promised I’d keep you in the loop on all my New Year’s cleansing details - it’s just that I’ve been busy - incase you haven’t yet noticed, I’m sometimes notoriously bad at structuring my time! Over the weekend I was especially derailed and never seemed to have my camera handy - no camera, no pictures, not much to post about you know?

Anyway, the weekend was just my ‘primer’ as I mentioned before, it was the slow giving up of the bad, and the slow incorporation of all that’s good. I ate up the last of my holiday goodies, and made sure to get into a routine of green smoothies - a combo of spinach, water, banana, mango -1 12oz for breakfast and another 12oz to drink on break at work. Lunches were big ole salads, or in the case of Saturday where I dropped my lunch on the ground I bought a sesame bagel, an avocado, and a tomato and ate an open faced sandwich with a bit of sea salt and pepper sprinkled on top. Strangely that impromptu sandwich and my green smoothie kept me so full all day that I wasn’t hungry for dinner and so I decided to end the night with some water, tea, and some fresh grapefruit juice. Dinner Friday night was the sesame noodles from Robin Robinson’s book “Party Vegan.” These were super delicious, and though they look and sound decadent they weren’t really. Buckwheat Soba Noodles with broccoli, tahini, sesame seeds, onion, garlic, tamari, and siracha. Pretty straight forward and yet they were so satisfying. It’s not likely I’ll be eating a lot of - or possibly any - pasta on this cleanse, but since this was only a ‘primer’ I didn’t feel too guilty about it. Especially since it was a whole foods meal.

Sesame Noodles with Broccoli 

Sunday night was whole wheat penne that my husband made. I had neglected to make dinner before leaving for work Sunday and so he took care of it, My husband is not very proficient in the kitchen, but he can whip up a mean batch of pasta. Unfortunately I neglected to take a picture of the dish. He made a light olive oil sauce and added lots of garlic, a bit of onion, red pepper flakes, zucchini, tomato and parsley to the dish, then jazzed it up with a little sea salt and pepper. Sounds simple, but trust me, it was so good. He used an entire head of garlic!

Monday was when things were suppose to get serious and it all started off well enough. I got up and made a large batch of juice. A fruit combo that included grapefruit, oranges, and lemon, which was delicious. Then I made a big batch of green juice - Swiss Chard, Kale, Cucumber, Apple, Pineapple, broccoli stems, celery, ginger and lemon. It was a bit bitter due to the massive amount of broccoli stems I included and so I altered it a bit with a few drops of liquid stevia, and it was actually really good and refreshing. I made a couple of 12 oz bottles of each juice and popped them into the freezer. I know it’s best to drink fresh juice right away, but the reality of it is that I’m just not going to juice each day - I don’t have time for that. So instead I thought juicing twice a week and freezing the juice would be a much more feasible plan, and it’s been working great so far.

Super Simple Stir-fry Wok Veggies
Over Quinoa and Edamame 

My downfall came early Monday evening. The weather in Chicago is bad - I’m sure you’ve heard - still my husband and I decided to venture out in the arctic chill to catch a film that was playing a good hour from our house. We were gone for some time, and since I’d only had fruit juice and green juice all day I started to feel that gnawing in my gut. I broke down and bought a vegan cookie at the theater, and then after we grabbed a cup of coffee to warm up. Sugar and Caffeine are two things I’m trying to avoid and so I decided I’d start the cleanse ‘for real’ Tuesday.

Monday nights dinner however was another massive Woodstock Peace Salad and it was amazing.

Yesterday went much the same way as the days previous. Each day I’ve started my morning with a glass of water with lemon. Then I drink a 12oz juice. Then I drink a cup of tea, if I’m hungry I drink another juice and then make a breakfast. Yesterday I was so busy with school work that my breakfast ended up being more of a lunch but I was craving oatmeal and so I didn’t think there were any rules against making oatmeal for lunch.

I loaded my bowl of oats with sliced raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, a dash of cinnamon, a tbsp of blackstrap molasses, a few drops of stevia and just enough unsweetened almond milk to give it a nice consistency. It was delicious.

Yesterday’s dinner was this super simple Stir-fry Wok Vegetables from Kriss Carr’s book “Crazy Sexy Kitchen” It’s lightly sauteed onion, red bell pepper, snow peas, button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, and ginger. The sauce is super simple, just vegetable broth and tamari, I added a bit of red pepper flakes and garlic for fun then served it over some quinoa I boiled in water with edamame. It doesn’t sound like much but this was super satisfying.

So that about recaps the past few days. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I’ll try to be more diligent in that department from now on. Though I probably won’t get the chance to post every day of my cleanse I’m going to aim for 2 posts per week, recapping what I’ve been doing.

I have to say, it's only been a few days but I already feel a lot better then I've felt in a while. I have a lot more energy, and I feel more satisfied. Though I had a bit of a sweet craving last night I was able to overcome it by drinking a 12oz bottle of fresh juice, and I felt a lot better then I would have, had I given in and eaten a square of chocolate or something.

Cleansing For The New Year...

Woodstock Peace Salad with Tahini Dressing 

Happy New Year - and here’s to making 2014 count! I recall being very excited, and hopeful that 2013 would be a red-letter year, it turned out to be kind of a rough one, with several ups and downs. I never make resolutions - I’ve talked about this before, but I basically believe resolutions are nonsense. - however I do enjoy goal setting. The first day of the new year is always like a clean slate, you don’t know anything yet, and anything can happen. There are a lot of things I’m looking forward to this year, I’ve got vacation plans already in the works - amongst other things, school is almost at it’s end, and I have numerous ideas for the future. Right now the world feels like my oyster, and I want to take full advantage of it, and make 2014 the amazing year that 2013 was suppose to be.

I plan to start this year off right, and my biggest goal for this year is getting back into a routine. An exercise routine, a meditation routine and a healthful eating routine that focuses on whole fruits and veggies. I normally don’t do January cleanses, I think it’s silly - everyone does it, but this year a cleanse is something I really need.  May was really the beginning of my ‘falling off point’ I fell out of my usual routines, stopped hooping, stopped yoga, started eating more processed foods. Over summer I got back on the wagon for the most part, but school took up a significant portion of my time which left little time for me to exercise. Come September and vacation - an amazing, yet gluttonous touring feast through Eastern Canada, I fell back off. For months I’ve been trying to get back on track, and I do great with it for days and then fall prey to the sugar monsters, and the chocolate demons once more. The sadness I’ve felt over my Oma’s passing in October, coupled with the stresses of school and work, the bad weather and a few other things have just left me feeling blah. Staying on track has been a struggle these past few months and so I feel a cleanse is in order. I need to kick myself in the ass, and kick-start my health you know?

So come Monday I’m going to embark on at least a 21 day cleanse. Using Kris Carr’s amazing “Crazy Sexy Diet” as kind of a jumping off point. I may extend the cleanse, for several weeks depending on how I feel, and I haven’t decided yet how exactly I’m going to structure the whole thing but I’m feeling good about it. Getting back to whole fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Getting back to juicing, junking processed foods, sugar, chocolate, easing up on oil, and salt. I’m excited. This is the way I prefer to eat, but sometimes we get side-tracked.

Chiptole Black Eyed Peas and Steamed Kale 

Anyway, I plan to document my experience on the cleanse for you guys to follow, with pictures of what I’m eating, and descriptions of what I’m doing and how I’m feeling. The next few days leading up to Monday is going to be sort of a ‘cleanse primer’ a slow giving up of the bad stuff so that Monday isn’t a total shock to the system.

I started today with a glass of water with lemon, and cayenne. Then downed a bottle of fresh grapefruit, orange and lime juice. For lunch I had an enormous salad - the inspiration for which came from Kris Carr’s Woodstock Peace Salad with Tahini Dressing. I loaded my bowl with a mixture of baby spinach, red cabbage, chopped broccoli, sunflower seeds, avocado, radishes, and green onions. It was so delicious and tasted great with the tahini dressing.

For dinner we had a simple meal of Chipotle Black Eyed Peas from Jae Steele’s book “Get it Ripe” made with carrots rather then zucchini, and served alongside a bed of steamed kale. This was the perfect dinner, and I felt great eating it. Eating black eyed peas and greens on New Year’s Day is tradition in some parts, and it’s believed that doing so will bring good luck and prosperity in the year to come. Lets hope so! Stay tuned for more cleanse details, tips, ideas, and recipes.

Arugula Lasagna with Garlic Scape Pesto and Tofu Ricotta...

Okay, so I know it’s summer, and I know a lot of you are living in placed where it’s currently hot, hot, hot, but here in IL yesterday it was actually quite nice. It felt more like spring then summer with a cool breeze and no humidity. It was a perfect day, and while it might not have been a lasagna day per say, that’s inevitably what I ended up making for dinner.

You see, yesterday I was extremely busy writing essays and doing other homework. It consumed most of my day up until about 3pm. By then I was feeling a little tired and brain-fried and so I didn’t really feel like thinking to hard about making dinner. Originally I was just going to cook something from a cook book, but every recipe I found that was ‘quick and easy’ and looked appealing didn’t really utilize the bounty of fresh produce I had on hand. I had pounds of arugula, garlic scapes, kale, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage and beets and so I really wanted to make something that would use at least one or more of the most perishable items in that list. I started thinking about noodles, using my garlic scapes and kale to make a pasta dish but I didn’t feel like spaghetti. Then I remembered a box of whole wheat lasagna noodles my mom gave me to take home with me when I left Vancouver in May. Hm... Lasagna.....

So the wheels got turning, and I must say as much as I love a good lasagna I really hate actually making lasagna. It’s always such a process, but once I got thinking about it I couldn’t stop. I mean what if I put garlic scapes and arugula in a lasagna? I’d never heard of that before, It could be very interesting. What about some olives? Do I have tofu to make ricotta? What if I made a pesto out of the garlic scapes? Hm.. The questions just kept on coming and finally I decided, ‘lets do this thing!’ Of course pesto alone in a lasagna might be a bit too overpowering I thought, so I made a red sauce too, and everything combined together made the most perfect, and delicious lasagna. My husband says this is one of my best ever. No one flavor overpowers another, they all work In perfect harmony together. So If you like lasagna I urge you to make this one, it’s unique blend of flavors is really a pleasure. Of course, if it’s a bit too hot where you live to turn on the oven, then wait for a cool day to try it!

Arugula Lasagna with Garlic Scape Pesto and Tofu Ricotta 

Lasagna

14oz Whole Wheat or Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles
1 Large Yellow Onion Diced
½-1 lb Baby Arugula (I used roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of a 1 lb package)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tomatoes Sliced
Handful of Kalamata Olives
Sea salt and Black Pepper to garnish if desired
1 Recipe Tomato Sauce
1 Recipe Garlic Scape Pesto
1 Recipe Tofu Ricotta

Tomato Sauce 

1 28oz Can Diced Tomatoes
8oz Can Tomato Sauce
3 Cloves Garlic
2 tsp Dried Basil
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/4 C Capers

Garlic Scape Pesto 

14 Garlic Scapes Steamed
½ C Walnuts
½ C Olive Oil
½ C Water
2-4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (to taste)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Smokes Paprika
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2oz Fresh Basil

Tofu Ricotta 

1 lb Extra Firm Tofu drained and Pressed
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
2 tsp Dried Basil
2 tsp Dried Oregano
½-1 tsp Sea salt
Black Pepper to taste
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Mellow White Miso
Slightly less then 1/4 C Water

To Make the Tomato Sauce 

- Combine all ingredients except capers and blend until smooth, add in the capers and give a gentle blend for 2 seconds just to incorporate.

- Set aside until ready to use.

To Make the Pesto 

- Trim the ends off of your garlic scapes and steam in a pot fitted with a steamer basket for 5-7 minutes until bright and fragrant.

- Pulse Walnuts in a food processor until very fine.

- Add in Olive oil and garlic scapes. Process until relatively smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

- Add in all other ingredients along with the water. Process again until you reach your desired consistency. (I like my pesto slightly textured.)

- Set aside till ready to use

*** Note - You can use more or less water depending on your desired thickness. You can also leave the garlic scapes raw if you prefer, but some people find the taste too strong which is why I suggest steaming them for a few minutes before hand.***

To Make the Tofu Ricotta 

- Crumble Tofu into a mixing bowl.

- Mix the White Miso with the water until smooth.

- Add all other ingredients to the tofu including the miso water mixture and use a fork to mash until everything is thoroughly combined and tofu reached desired ricotta-like consistency.

- Set aside until ready to use.

For the Lasagna 

- Boil the Noodles per package directions then drain and rinse under cold water.

- Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan and saute the onion until soft. Add in the arugula and saute for roughly 5 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Assembly 

- Preheat oven to 400'F

- Fill the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of the sauce. Place a layer of cooked noodles over top.

- Place half of the pesto mixture on top of the Noodles and spread to coat evenly.

- Spread half of the arugula mixture over top of the pesto.

- Spread half of the tofu mixture over top of the arugula mixture and spread as evenly as possible.

It’s okay if the Arugula shows through the tofu.

- Spread another thin layer of sauce over the tofu mixture, then top with another layer of noodles.

- Spread the remaining pesto over the noodles.

- Spread the remaining arugula mixture over the pesto

- Spread the remaining tofu over the arugula and top with another layer of noodles.

- Spread the remaining sauce over top of the noodles. Then garnish with thinly sliced tomatoes, kalamata olives and a bit of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper if desired.

- Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until tomatoes are shriveled and sauce is bubbling.

- Let cool for 15 minutes then cut into the Lasagna and enjoy!

***Note: This can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free noodles.*** 

Classic Hummus...

I love hummus - who doesn’t - I love it, and I make it often. It’s one of my favorite foods, and it’s often a saving grace when it comes to eating healthfully - and sometimes just plain eating - as a vegan traveler. No matter where you go, no matter how small the town, or how vegan-unfriendly the city, someone, somewhere has hummus. It seems to be universally loved, and it seems that everyone and their mother has a personal hummus recipe that they like best.

When it comes to hummus I don’t care if it’s thick, thin, creamy, extra-creamy, or a little textured. I love them all just so long as the flavor is good. That’s that’s really the key, because hummus just ain’t no good if it’s bland or boring. I don’t mean that you have to dress it up and make if fancy - although I love that too - I just mean that when it comes to a good hummus you should be able to taste the nutty tahini, the tart lemon, the bitter cumin, and the garlic, oh gods the garlic!  Hummus without garlic is like a hand without fingers. You definitely, definitely need the garlic!

For years and years I used to make hummus with canned chickpeas and the result was always good it comes out smooth and creamy like I like, and the flavor is wonderful. Until this year I had never made hummus with dried beans before, and this is because my old stove just wasn’t up to the challenge of cooking a bean as hard as the garbanzo. I don’t know why this is, but no matter how long I cooked them on the stove they never got soft. Now my new stove cooks these things like a champ in about an hour, and I have to say the flavor of hummus with home-cooked beans is really out of this world.

Another thing I love about hummus is that it’s so versatile. Really as long as you have chickpeas you can do basically anything else you like. You can season it with whatever you have on hand, and often times while I’ve been on vacations where I’ve had access to a kitchen - or at least a food processor - I’ve been able to whip up hummus using almond butter instead of tahini, lime juice instead of lemon, garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. Hell I’ve even used basil, oregano, curry, and other random seasonings to flavor it when I didn’t have enough cumin. It’s easy, simple, filling and oh so satisfying!

For the sake of your convenience you can use either canned or home-cooked in this recipe, but I highly recommend you trying the home-cooked method, because it really is amazing. So here I go tossing my hat into the ring and adding another hummus recipe into the

Classic Hummus 

2 ½ C Home-Cooked Chickpeas (about 1 heaping cup dried)
4-6 Garlic cloves
3 tsp Ground Cumin
2 tsp Ground Coriander
3/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
½ tsp Onion Powder
5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
6 Tbsp Tahini
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/3C -2/3C water - (Or enough to reach your desired consistency, the more you use the creamier and thinner the hummus)


- Combine the chickpeas and the garlic in a food processor and process until you have corse crumbs.

- Add in the spices, salt, pepper, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Process until you have a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

- Add in the water and process until you have a smooth creamy dip. Add enough water to reach your desired consistency. This may take a few minutes depending on your processor and you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.

- Scrape the hummus out into a serving dish and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, some smoked paprika or a dash of cayenne pepper, and a little minced cilantro. Enjoy as a dip for veggies or toasted pita or forget the serving dish and use the hummus in a wrap, on a sandwich, scooped onto a salad, spread out onto some falafels, or spread across some socca. Enjoy!

Broccoli Stem and Kohlrabi Salad with Chickpeas and Smoky Pepper Tahini Dressing...

I love a big ‘ole salad, by now this should be perfectly obvious. For me, any day of the year - but particularly on sunny Spring and summer days - there are few things better then a gigantic bowl filled to the brim with a luscious array of rainbow colored vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes.  There are days where I just crave salad, and nothing had me craving salad more then my week long foray into Irish cooking. As much as I loved the Irish cuisine I cooked up leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish aren’t exactly known for ‘light’ meals, nor are they particularly known for their salads. So after a long week of heavy seitan and potatoes fair I was desperate for a good old fashion salad.

Unfortunately the usual salad fixings were pretty scarce in my house yesterday. There wasn’t a scrap of any sort of lettuce, no avocado, no fresh herbs, and only one tomato. What’s a girl who needs a salad to do? Well, she’s got to get creative. I took a quick inventory of my crisper drawers and then began to formulate a plan. I might not have had lettuce, but I had two kohlrabi that had been in my fridge since who knows when, and two broccoli stalks leftover from the night before. Since I got my juicer I’ve been a big fan of re-proposing vegetables. I save all of my stalks and stems now instead of junking them, and feed them through my juicer. That was the original plan for these broccoli stalks but then I thought, why juice them when I can eat them? Washed and steamed and combined with a bit of red cabbage that I had, some red bell pepper, green onions, sesame seeds and tomato I was well on my way to lunch!

This is a really great way to use up your broccoli stalks, if you’re saving them or don’t want to throw them away, and if you’ve never had Kohlrabi before you’re really in for a treat. Kohlrabi is such a strange vegetable, it’s round like a beet but green, and it tastes like something between a potato, a cabbage and a sunchoke. They’re really unique and they can be eaten either raw or cooked. So a light steam is a really nice way to have them. They also pair really nice with a creamy-smoky dressing. It makes the perfect lunch salad.

Broccoli Stem and Kohlrabi Salad with Chickpeas

2 Broccoli Stems Chopped
2 Medium Sized Kohlrabi Peeled and Chopped
1 Tomato Chopped
½ Red Bell Pepper Chopped
1/4-1/2C Shredded Red Cabbage
1/4C Green Onions Sliced
½ Can of Chickpeas rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds (to taste)
3 Garlic Cloves Minced (or to taste)

Smoky Pepper Tahini Dressing 

3 Tbsp Lime Juice
3 Tbsp Tahini
2 Tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s
2 Tbsp Water (to thin and dilute as needed)
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1/4-1/2tsp Smoked Paprika
White Pepper to taste
Black Pepper to taste

- Steam the Broccoli and Kohlrabi together in a steamer basket fitted into a medium sized pot. Steam for about 5-6 minutes until tender, but still a bit firm.

- Combine all other salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the steamed vegetables and mix together.

- Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Then pour desired amount over your salad, mix well and enjoy!

Thai Inspired Cabbage Salad with Creamy Tahini Lime Dressing...

This is one of my favorite salads. Seriously. I’ve been making it frequently over the past couple of years and though it’s super simple and easy it never fails to amaze me just how satisfied I am after eating it. This is one of those recipes that came about because a growling hunger was gnawing at my stomach at a time when my refrigerator was looking pretty sparse, so I had to make due with what I had. Sometimes that’s the best way to cook. Though it can be restrictive to cook with an empty fridge and an empty pantry, it can simultaneously be inspiring. It can provide you with the kind of freedom to be creative that you might not have otherwise. There’s always something a little magical in that.

Over the years this recipe has changed and transformed. The basic heart of it however has stayed the same. It was initially inspired by Thai flavors, - Thai cuisine being one of my favorites - and those hot lazy days of mid-summer when you don't want to do a lot of cooking anyway. Though no matter how I choose to make it these days, it always has the same six basic ingredients. Cabbage, cilantro, green onions, tahini, lime juice and soy sauce. Some days I use a little more of this, or a lot more of that. Some days I throw certain ingredients in, and leave others out, it all depends on my mood and what I have on hand, and that’s the beauty of this. It’s versatile! There are no hard and fast rules to making it, as long as you have those six basic ingredients it’s a winner every time.

I really do love the cool crisp cabbage slathered in thick rich, creamy, and nutty tahini. The sourness of the lime, the saltiness of the soy sauce, the bite of the onion, and the earthiness of the cilantro. It’s such a satisfying combination, made even better by various additions. A little sweetness from agave, or bell pepper, extra crunch from bean sprouts, a little spice from the radish. Cool and creamy avocado, or sweet mango, a hint of ginger or a hint of garlic. This version that I present to you is definitely a more jazzed up version of that original salad that I first made years ago, but it is extremely delicious. Of course it’s meant to be simple, so if you don’t have everything on the list don’t fret. In keeping with the spirit of the original work with what you have, and enjoy!

Thai Inspired Cabbage Salad with Creamy Tahini Lime Dressing 

1 Small Nappa Cabbage sliced thin
½ Head Red Cabbage sliced thin
1 Large handful bean sprouts
2 Large Carrots shredded
1 bunch green onions Sliced
1 bunch cilantro Minced
6 Red Radishes Sliced Thin
1 Cucumber Sliced thin
1 Red Bell Pepper Sliced thin
Handful of Raw or Roasted Unsalted Peanuts

Half a Mango sliced thin (Optional)
Half an Avocado sliced thin (Optional)

Creamy Tahini Lime Dressing

4 TBSP Tahini
4 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp Water (as needed)
1 Tbsp Agave
1 small piece Ginger Grated finely
1 Clove Garlic Minced
1/8 tsp Cayenne


- To make the salad slice, chop or mince all ingredients as directed and place into a large mixing bowl.

- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and taste for flavor. Adjust seasonings as needed if you want more lime, more tamari, more garlic etc.. or if you need to thin it more with a little water.

- When the dressing is to your taste pour it over the salad in the mixing bowl. Mix the salad thoroughly to combine and serve!

- Enjoy garnished with extra cilantro and peanuts if desired. Or with sliced avocado and/or sliced mango.

PS: I chose to use Tahini here in the dressing because I love it, and it's what I had on hand. However if you were interested in a more traditional Thai taste, you could easily substitute almond butter or peanut butter for the Tahini. Though it's not something I do myself i'm sure it would be just as lovely.

Vegan Mofo #25 - Celine & Tamasin’s Bulgur Hummus Wraps...

Vegan Mofo #25 - Celine & Tamasin’s Bulgur Hummus Wraps 

The Book - Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!
The Author - Celine Steen & Tamasin Noyes
The Recipe - Bulgur Hummus Wraps
Page # 70
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 30 minutes

I love these wraps, they are bursting with flavor and full of delicious, nutritious simple whole foods ingredients. They may not sound all that exiting or innovative at first, at least that’s what I thought, but one night I was looking for something super quick and easy to throw together that I could also use for Mofo, and this wrap just jumped out at me. I also happened to be in the mood for something with a middle eastern flavor so this was the perfect choice.

To prepare the bulgur Celine and Tamasin suggest that you place it in a bowl with water, sea salt , pepper, cayenne, garlic, onion powder and lemon juice then cover it in plastic and leave it in the fridge for 2 hours. That was too long for me so I used my tried and true method of preparing bulgur which is to pour boiling water over the bulgur then cover it and let it sit for fifteen to twenty minutes until all the water is absorbed. It’s much faster this way and yields the same result.

While your bulgur is plumping up you can make the hummus. Hummus is something I make a lot and I’ve tried a lot of different recipes and variations, most of them have been pretty damn good but I typically always prefer my own version of humus. For the sake of this recipe though I decided to use Celine and Tamasin’s Hummus and boy was it good! I’m telling you, this is probably one of the best hummus recipes I’ve ever tried and it has a totally unexpected ingredient in it. Capers! I know it sounds strange but love it! And it went surprisingly well with everything else in the dish.

So aside from capers and chickpeas the hummus also has the usual suspects of olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, plus some brine from the capers. You whip it up in a food processor and voila! Instant deliciousness!

The final component of the wraps is some simple sauteed veggies such a shredded red and green cabbage, carrots salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil. Celine and Tamasin say to make this an even quicker meal you can just toss the raw veg with the oil and salt and serve that way but I chose to saute the veggies and it turned out really well. Once all the steps are completed you smear a generous amount of hummus onto a tortilla, layer on some bulgur top it with the veggies and roll it up! You really have to try these, they are absolutely to die for!

Vegan Mofo #18 - Chloe’s Falafel Sliders with Avocado Hummus

Vegan Mofo #18 - Chloe’s Falafel Sliders with Avocado Hummus 
The Book - Chloe’s Kitchen
The Author - Chloe Coscarelli
The Recipe - Falafel Sliders with Avocado Hummus
Page # 107
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - 30-40 minutes

I love a good falafel, and I enjoy them pretty regularly but I never thought of turning one into a burger. I also never thought of making hummus with avocados, what a brilliant idea! Two of my favorite things hummus and avocados in one dish? Amazing!

These sliders are actually really quick to throw together. The burgers come together quickly and once they’re formed into patties they only need a few minutes of frying on both sides. You can bake them if you prefer, which will take a little longer, but still it’s relatively quick. Again I like that these were made with wholesome pantry-staple ingredients. Chickpeas, red onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, cumin, coriander, sea salt, garbanzo flour, and olive oil. The only change I made here was I used cilantro instead of parsley because I didn’t have any.

Next the avocado hummus is just as simple. You whip a quarter cup of chickpeas together with an avocado, some parsley - cilantro again in my case - olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt and cayenne, and you’ve got some of the most delicious hummus I’ve ever eaten. Being the garlic lover that I am of course I added more garlic then she suggests.

Lastly you make a creamy tahini sauce that is also super easy. Blend some tahini with water, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and bam, super creamy goodness. Served on a slider bun with sliced red onion, and tomato it’s a quick, and delicious dinner.  I used Pretzel slider buns because who doesn’t love a good pretzel but you could use any kind, just don’t skimp on the hummus.