Blog

Aug
31

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote with Coconut Cream and Granola Crunch

If you have a dinner party and want to impress your guests, this is a recipe to go with. It is a real party of flavors, textures and colors. Creamy and crunchy, sweet and tart all in one individual treat with presentation so beautiful it will look like you cheated and ordered from a five star restaurant. 😉

It has three steps and it is really not hard to make. Now you may ask what is a rhubarb?! Thats what I said when I first saw it, It looks like a red celery stalk but is tart in flavor and is super nutritious. It pairs perfectly with the strawberries and cream in this recipe.

*Use only the rhubarb stalk, not the leaves!

*It’s important to refrigerate a can of full fat Coconut Milk (not the light one) beforehand.

Ingredients

1 Cup Fresh Berries of your choice, to top the dessert (I used raspberries)

Compote:

2 Cups Rhubarb

2 Cups Sliced Strawberries

½ Cup Maple Syrup + 2 Tbs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Lemon Juice

Lemon Zest

Coconut Cream:

1 Can of Full Fat Coconut milk (keep cold in fridge)

3 tsp Powdered Sugar

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

Granola Crunch:

1 ¼ Cup Chopped Pecans

1 Cup Rolled Oats

1 Cup Quinoa Flour (you can use any flour)

½ Cup Sunflower Seeds

¹⁄3 Cup Maple Syrup

¼ Cup Coconut Oil

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

½ tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Salt

Mint and fruit for garnish. I used raspberry.

Preparation

For the compote:

Preheat oven 400º F

Cut the rhubarb into ½ inch pieces

Combine with the maple syrup. Bake for 10-15 minutes on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Transfer the baked maple-coated rhubarb to a small pot.

Add vanilla and more maple syrup (2 Tbs).

Add the lemon juice and zest.

Bring to a boil but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn, cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes more.

Turn off the fire and add the strawberries.

Set aside to cool and start the coconut cream.

Granola Crunch:

Lower the oven to 350º F

Mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

Let cool down and break into individual pieces.

Try not to eat it all before the dessert is ready to serve!

The Coconut Cream:

Coconut is one of the greatest ingredients. It’s nature’s source for oil, butter, milk and cream (without stealing milk from baby cows and without the hormones and antibiotics thank you!).

Coconut cream is the ultimate replacement for heavy cream. Plus it’s much more tasty in my opinion!

This cream is versatile. I use it in savory dishes, like curry or asian dishes and in sweet desserts.

Flip the chilled can of Coconut Milk upside down, open it and pour out the liquid.

Scoop out the cream into a mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer.

Add the powdered sugar and vanilla gradually until fluffy .

Here is a helpful link on: How to make the whipped coconut cream.

To serve:

Scoop the compote mixture into a dessert glass. Layer with coconut cream. Stand the granola crunch on top. Garnish with fruit and mint leaves.

Category: Blog, Holidays, Party, Recipies, Sweets and Desserts

Aug
24

Spicy Tofu Scramble Shakshuka Quesadilla

They say that when you make food, you have to make it with love. Otherwise, it will not be tasty. This is probably the reason why mom’s food is the best… it’s because she makes it with love! One place I felt the Love in the food, was a restaurant in Las Vegas called: Pura Vida. A Vegan Latin Bistro and the lovely Owner-Chef Myra is so warm and inviting, you can feel her love and care in the food! If you are in the Sin City area… I defintely recommend it. (and say Hi to chef Myra!)

Dining there, inspired me to make this recipe. Full of flavors, it tastes like Vegas to me… I made the Shakshuka filling (which is a north african dish of poached eggs in tomato chili sauce) to go with the traditional latin Quesadilla and replaced the eggs with the scramble tofu Oh So Yummy… you will not be able to stop! Just don’t forget to add ♥LOVE ♥

Ingredients

4-6 Tortilla Wraps (I like Brown Rice wraps and it also makes it a gluten free recipe).

1 Package Tofu (about 14 oz)

2 Ripe Roma Tomatoes

1 Medium Onion

2 Jalapeño Peppers

2 Small Colorful Bell Peppers

½ Cup Tomato Sauce (You can use store bought pasta or pizza sauce)

½ Cup Shredded Vegan Daiya Cheese

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Handful Chopped Parsley

1 tsp Adobo Spice Mix (or any spice mix you like)

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Red Paprika

1 tsp Ground Coriander

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Chop the vegetables.

2. Sauté the onions in the olive oil. Gradually add the peppers, jalepenos, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to the pan and stir for a few minutes.

3. Crumble the tofu with your hands and add to the pan.

4. Add all the spices, stir until the tofu gets a nice yellow color.

5. Add the parsley and the Daiya cheese.

6. Transfer onto a wrap and fold in half. Place into a panini maker/toaster until the cheese melts and it all comes together.

Serve with fresh salad and enjoy!

Category: Breakfast, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Recipies, Sandwiches and Wraps

Aug
16

Vegan Vanilla Banana French Toast

Since I became a mom, every weekend breakfast is special. There is more time to make it and its the only breakfast we have together as a family. When I was a child, my father was in charge of breakfast on weekends. We used to wait for his “Bird in the nest” toasted sandwich quietly so to let mom sleep till late. In my case, there are no more birds, no nests and my hubby’s cooking expertise includes only one thing: Popcorn. and even than, when he makes it, the kitchen looks like a war zone… Hey, but no complaints here! he makes the best popcorn ever! ;).

One of my daughter’s favorite weekend breakfast is a french toast, especially if she can help. If you have kids, It’s great to get them involved in the kitchen. I find that my picky eater is more likely to eat something we make together.

I like to use good quality bread. Spelt bread has a more gentle and pleasant taste than regular wheat bread in my opinion, the idea is you can use any bread and it doesn’t have to be fresh.

In this recipe I used banana as a binding agent (instead of eggs) and of course for taste.

Ingredients

1 Ripe Banana

1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk (or Soy Milk)

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Shredded Dry Coconut

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/8 tsp Baking Soda

Pinch of Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

6-8 Slices of Bread

Coconut Oil for frying

Maple Syrup for serving

Preparation

In a blender, blend the banana, almond milk, sugar, coconut, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until thick and smooth. transfer the batter into a shallow dish.

Dip the bread into batter so it is fully coated.

Use coconut oil generously and fry lightly in a non-stick pan on medium heat until brown on both sides. When you flip the toast, make sure to scrape carefully so the batter doesn’t stick to the pan.

Serve with your favorite seasonal fruit and maple syrup on the side.

Optional: sprinkle with cinnamon and confectioners’ sugar.

Yumm!

Category: Blog, Breakfast, Kid Friendly, Recipies, Sweets and Desserts

Aug
16

Go Bananas Smoothie

My morning smoothie helped me kick my addiction to coffee. I still love coffee but I don’t have to drink it everyday, three times a day. Smoothies are very filling and could be breakfast in itself. My base is always bananas, some kind of dried fruit (dates, apricots, figs) and a bunch of leafy greens (my favorite is arugula but I also use kale or spinach). To that I add hemp seeds, chia seeds, cinnamon, almond butter or whatever I feel like adding that day. Don’t be deceived, it looks like “alien slime” as my daughter calls it… but is surprisingly yummy.

Makes 3-4 drinks.

Ingredients

3-4 Ripe Bananas (the ones with brown spots)

3-4 Cups Leafy Greens (Arugula, Kale, Spinach or other lettuce)

3-5 Dates (don’t forget to take the pits out)

½ to 1 tsp Cinnamon (I heard it’s good for suppressing appetite :-))

1 tsp “Superfood” (I add my favorite hemp seeds, chia seeds, or both)

½ Tbsp Nut butter (optional, I like cashew butter)

3 Cups Water or Coconut Water or Almond Milk (more or less, depending on how thick you like it)

Preparation

Blend well in a high-speed blender and Enjoy!

Category: Breakfast, Drinks, Gluten Free, Raw, Recipies

Jul
26

Vegan Mushroom & Leeks Frittata

For most of my life breakfast meant eggs with “something”. The very first thing I was going to miss when I decided to go vegan was my breakfast omelets. Soon enough I found a great solution… it’s yellow, oily and I can add almost anything to it. Its not exactly the same as an omelet but it answers to the same craving. I actually think it taste much better than eggs omelette (you know… the one that comes out of the chicken’s butt)

The main ingredient in the basic vegan omelette recipe is the Garbanzo Bean (chickpea) flour, which is a great source of protein. I make the omelet when I don’t have the time, but the addition of vegetables and herbs upgrades this recipe into a delicious Frittata. Unlike the omelet, the Frittata is thick and it needs to be finished baking in the oven.

In this recipe, the addition of polenta ground corn really makes the Frittata much more gentle and adds some sweetness and texture.

Here I made it with my favorite toppings: mushrooms and herbs.

Ingredients

1 cup Garbanzo Bean (chickpea) Flour

¾ Cup of Organic Polenta (milled corn-not corn grits)

¼ tsp Baking Soda

1 Tbsp Adobo Spice Mixture (or any spice mixture of your choice)

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Fresh Oregano

1 tsp Fresh Thyme

Any other herbs you like

1 ½ Cups of Water

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 ½ Cup Chopped and Washed Leeks Stalk (mostly the white parts)

1 Pack of Button White Mushrooms

1 Pack Shitake Mushrooms

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 375˚.

1. In a bowl mix the flour, polenta, baking soda, herbs and spices with the water. Mix well with a fork so there are no clumps and set aside. If you need more water add a little bit at a time until it looks like a thin pancake batter.

2. Sauté the leaks and the mushrooms in olive oil for a few minutes in a pan until soft.

(The amount of oil may seem like a lot, but remember that we’re not using eggs, which contain fat, so you might even have to add more oil. Don’t worry, the Frittata won’t come out greasy anyway.)

3. Add the batter to the pan and cook on medium-low heat for at least ten minutes. Make sure the batter is evenly spread out so you won’t have undercooked parts.

4. Finish up baking in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serve with salad and enjoy!