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Sep
17

Vegan Fresh Basil Pesto

I love the smell of basil. I think it has an effect on the mind. I can’t imagine sniffing fresh basil and feeling bad. Think of basil and the first thing that comes to mind is Pesto sauce. Basil combined with the little flavor bombs A.K.A Pine nuts is just a perfect match. If pesto did not exist, I would want to be the one to invent it. Every time I make home-made Pesto I feel like I have just created a magic potion. It doesn’t matter what I’ll add it to, it brings everything to the next level of goodness; Sandwiches, Pasta, Pizza or just as a snack with some chips and crackers. My latest “trick” is to layer it under tomato sauce on my Almost Home-Made Vegan Pizza for all those Green-O-Phobes :). There are many rituals and beliefs associated with basil. One that I especially like is that if two people smell a basil stem together they will remain friends forever. So go ahead and sniff some basil with someone you like 🙂

Ingredients

3 to 4 Cups fresh washed basil leaves

1/2 Cup Pine nuts

2 Cloves of Garlic

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

Juice of Half a Lemon

1 tsp. Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Preparation

In a food processor, mix everything except for the oil.

Drizzle the oil gradually as you blend until smooth.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

I wish you could smell it through the screen…

Category: Blog, Dips and Spreads, Easy & Simple, Raw, Recipies, Snacks, Uncategorized

Sep
7

Vegetable “Rainbow”, Pineapple, Cashew and Tofu in Peanut Coconut Curry Sauce

A few years ago, I traveled to Asia. One of the exotic places I was lucky to be in was Thailand. Picture beautiful beaches, white sand, turquoise water, friendly people and great food. Life was so easy back then… drinking coconut water straight from its shell, so many tropical fruits right from the tree, fun in the sun and no responsibilities. That was a long time ago. Lots of coconuts fell off the trees and lots of pineapples were cut-open since my days of freedom in the sun 🙂 Good thing, I can always go back there in my mind with the help of memories and Thai food.

I once heard that the “secret” of Thai cuisine is in its right balance of flavors: savory and sweet, spicy and sour all together in harmony. This dish, I think, has it all: Beautiful colors, flavors and textures. The peanut curry sauce here is a sauce that can upgrade any vegetable stir fry dish, as long as you have peanut butter, coconut milk and spices at home. Usually I like to add Thai curry paste to give it a spicy kick. Feel free to add it if you like the “heat”, but even without it, this sauce will get you hooked!. The main work here is really just to chop the vegetables.

If you’re not going to use the Thai curry paste, you could use just the curry powder (I like both). Traditionally curry blend is made from “the five C’s”: Chili, Coriander, Cumin, Cinnamon, and Cardamom. I like to make my own from Coriander, Turmeric, Cumin, Cinnamon, Mustard powder, Garlic powder and Hot Paprika.

Ingredients

1 Large Sweet Potato/Yam

1 Fresh Pineapple or 1 Can of Pineapple Chunks

1 Pack of Tofu

Handfull Cashews

1 Pack of Mushrooms

¾ Cup Chopped Carrots

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Cup Green Peas

5 Cloves of Garlic

1 Cup Organic Vegetable Broth

3 Tbs Sunflower Oil

For the Sauce:

1 Can of Coconut Milk

1 Inch Ginger

2 Tbs Peanut Butter

Curry Powder or Thai curry paste

Cilantro or Thai Basil (if you can find it)

Coriander

Turmeric

Cumin

Salt

Preparation

Chop all the vegetables and dice the tofu and pineapple.

Mince the garlic and ginger.

Add the oil to a heated pan and start by sautéing the sweet potato.

Gradually add all the vegetables and tofu, starting with the hardest .

Let that cook on medium heat for about 20-25 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth slowly as needed so the vegetables will not get dry while cooking.

Add the pineapple and cashews towards the end.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl make the curry sauce.

Combine the ginger,garlic with coconut milk, peanut butter, spices and salt.

Mix well until you have a thick yellow sauce.

Pour the curry sauce over the vegetables and let cook for a few more minutes on medium-low heat.

Serve with jasmine or basmati rice.

Garnish with Thai basil or cilantro and enjoy!

Category: Blog, Gluten Free, Lunch, Recipies, The Main Dish, Uncategorized, Whole Meal

Sep
6

Raw Coconut Cherry Pie with Cashew Cream

Who doesn’t love cherries?! They’re so beautiful and flavorful. They are rich in vitamin C and are considered a super-fruit. Their season is short so I knew I had to do something quick with the bag of sweet cherries I got. The first thing I thought about is the color. That’s the real “food coloring” of nature, without the chemicals! Mixing the cherries with the coconut cream makes a pretty purple, then topping the pie with fresh cherries over the white cashew cream and I got two colors for the price of one… There is no baking here, just a lot of blending and cherry pitting.

For the look of clean lines of the pie layers, you can put it in the freezer for a few minutes between each layer of cream to allow it to set and prevent the layers from mixing. This decadent pie is so rich and full of nutrients, it is hard to eat more than one piece, which makes it almost a guilt-free dessert 🙂

Before you start, remember to soak the cashew in filtered water for at least 4 hours (preferably in the fridge).

Ingredients

Crust:

1½ Cup Walnuts

1 Cup Pecans (I used small American Native Pecans)

2 Tbsp Water (more if needed)

1½ Cups Pitted Medjool Dates

½ Cup Shredded Coconut

1½ tsp Coconut Oil

½ tsp Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

Cashew Cream:

2 Cups Soaked Raw Organic Cashews

½ Cup Maple Syrup

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

Cherry Coconut Cream:

2 Cups Pitted Cherries

½ Cup Coconut Cream (Cream = Not the coconut milk)

½ Cup Coconut “Meat”

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preparation

Crust:

Put all ingredients for the crust into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Note that sometimes the dates are a bit dry and need more water to help bind it all together. Add water only if needed.

Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan. You will need to do some patch work to spread evenly.

Place the crust in the fridge to set and harden.

Cashew Cream:

Soak the cashews for a minimum of four hours. Wash and drain.

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender (A good high-speed blender is important, you want the cashew cream to be super smooth with no pieces)

Place cream over the crust and put in the freezer to set.

Cherry Coconut Cream:

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Add this layer of cream onto the pie and freeze to set.

Finally, top the pie with a layer of cherry halves and serve.

* You can freeze the pie. If you do, don’t forget to thaw it ten minutes before serving.

Category: Blog, Gluten Free, Holidays, Party, Raw, Recipies, Sweets and Desserts

Sep
5

Black Kalamata Olive Tapenade

Just as the famous saying: “Every woman needs A Little Black Dress in the closet” I need a little black spread in the fridge.. Just like the dress, it is simple but versatile and can be “dressed” up or down. Spread it on toasts, Crostini, sandwiches or add it to pasta dishes and more..

Takes minutes to make and it stays fresh for a long time. I did not add salt because the olives were already very salty. Depending on the olives you’re going to use, adjust the salt, after tasting, since the spread somehow concentrate the flavors.

The pesto paste I used for this recipe is one that I’ve been using for many years, I was so happy to find the mark ‘Vegan’ on it! If you can’t find it where you live, you might find something similar or make your own. It contains basil, sunflower and olive oils, salt, pine nuts, and garlic.

Ingredients

3/4 lb. Kalamata Olives, pitted

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Cloves Crushed Garlic

Juice of ½ Lemon

1 ½ Pesto Paste

1 Tbsp. Herbes De Provence

½ tsp. Oregano

Black Pepper

Preperation

Mix all of the ingredients except for the lemon juice in a food processor, add the lemon juice gradually as needed, (you might need less lemon) Blend until it becomes a smooth paste/spread. Place in a glass container and drizzle some olive oil on top.

Category: Blog, Dips and Spreads, Easy & Simple, Gluten Free, Party, Recipies, Uncategorized

Sep
1

Tofu Sandwich with Caramelized Onion

The shortest career I ever had was as a Sandwich Delivery Company Co-Owner. (wooof… to the title…;)). My then boyfriend and I decided to start up a sandwich delivery business. What could be so hard? we thought, we know how to make sandwiches, people are hungry and we can deliver to their work place. Sounds like the beginning of an empire right? The next day we woke up- early, went to the bakery and bought 50 freshly baked baguettes and some stuff to put in them. We made beautiful sandwiches, wrapped them nicely in a huge pink basket and went skipping into the horizon like Little Red Riding Hood. Well not really.. we just went to knock on office doors, car mechanic shops and other businesses.

We were so embarrassed to walk around carrying this ridiculous big pink basket and we didn’t have much success. By the end of the day we closed shop and that was the end of it. At least we ate baguette sandwiches for the next 2 weeks…

One of the things I learned from that experience is that the most important part of a sandwich is the bread, as my friend said: “If the bread is good -the sandwich is good”!

Preferably, It’s better to have it all good, the bread, the spread and the filling just like this tofu, veggie, caramelized onion baguette sandwich, Bon Appetite!

Ingredients

1 French Baguette or Hero

1 Pack Extra Firm Tofu

Adobo Spice Mix (or any spice mix you like)

Caramelized Purple Onions

1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup

Roasted Red Peppers (Better to make in advance)

Black Olive Tapenade

Bunch of Baby Arugula

2 Cloves of Garlic

¼ tsp. Dried Basil

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preparation

The best way to save time is to make everything in advance (except for the tofu and toasting the bread with garlic)

Caramelize the onions in a non stick pan, Start with Medium heat and turn down to low heat, stir occasionally, add a little water every few minutes when the onion starts to stick to the pan. Add salt and maple syrup (to fully caramelize would takes 30-45 minutes). I use 4-5 medium onions, its enough for more than 2 sandwiches so there is left over for other uses.

Roast the red peppers: with a sharp knife, make small incisions on whole peppers, roast them in the oven until the skin is getting dark brown. remove from the oven and cover to help release the skin. after cooling peel the thin skin, cut and marinade them in apple cider vinegar and salt.

Slice the tofu into about ¼ Inch thick pieces. Dust the tofu generously with salt and spices. Fry in oil for a few minutes on each side, until golden on the edges.

Cut open and brush the baguette with a mixture of 2 Tbsp. olive oil, crushed garlic, dried basil, salt and black pepper. I recommend a garlic crusher, it makes it so quick and easy.

Toast the bread face down in a toaster/panini maker for a minute or two and start layering the olive tapenade, arugula, tofu, roasted peppers and caramelized onion.