Blog

Aug
31

Vegan Sesame Halva “Milk”

The first time I took a sip of this amazing “milk” was at a Vegan cooking class. The chef teaching was Adam Sobel, the awesome owner of the famous Vegan Food Truck: “The Cinnamon Snail”.

Immediately, it reminded me of the taste of Halva, which is a Mediterranean sesame sweet treat. I think it really should be called liquid Halva. It could be a base for shakes, ice creams and other desserts. So easy to make and you will not believe how good it tastes!

If you’re in New York City go see the Cinnamon Snail, there is nothing like it, they are very friendly and the food is amazing!

Ingredients

1 Cup Unroasted Sesame Seeds

3 ½ Cups of Cold Water (1 Cup for soaking + 2½ Cups to add later)

5 Tbs. Maple Syrup

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Tbs Coconut Butter (Oil)

1tsp. Sea Salt

Pinch of Cinnamon for serving (optional)

Preparation

Soak the sesame seeds in 1 cup water for 30 minutes.

1. Blend The soaked sesame seeds with the water in a high power blender.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again.

3. Strain through a fine mesh bag like this one. (If you don’t care for smoothness than this step is optional)

Enjoy!

Category: Blog, Breakfast, Drinks, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Party, Raw, Recipies, Sweets and Desserts

Aug
31

Black Eyed Peas, Carrot and Kale Minestrone Soup

A lot of things I learned about cooking came from people along the way. I was inspired by friends’ mothers, cooking shows, my own mother and my own imagination. One of them, a dear lady ,told me once: “if you want kids to like your food you’ve got to add sugar to everything”. Of course I rather not use sugar and I love to discover something sweet that is actually good for you. In this soup a secret surprising ingredient adds the sweetness- dates! Everybody likes this soup and it is my favorite for winter but it’s good any time you feel like you need a warm hearty comfort food.

Usually, Minestrone soup has pasta in it, I did not add it this time. Its “rich” enough for me the way it is, I mean have you seen the purple and yellow carrots? I’m always fascinated when I see unique, rare colors in the vegetable kingdom. Whenever I see them I have to try them. Purple asparagus, yellow beets and here these beautiful carrots. I recently learned they’re called Heirloom, How interesting…

This soup is a meal by itself. It has the protein, the carbs, the vegetables, a hint of sweetness from the tomatoes and the dates, and the Megastar Green… The kale!

I served it with a freshly baked Ciabatta bread and it was gone before you could say Minestrone…!

Ingredients

1 large Onion, diced

3-4 Carrots, diced

2 Celery Stalks, diced

1 Bunch Kale, chopped

5 Medium Tomatoes, Crushed (In a food processor or store bought Can)

1½ Cups Black Eyed Peas, drained and rinsed

2-3 Medjoul Dates, chopped

2 Cups Vegetable Broth

5 Cups of Water

2-3 Tbsp olive Oil

1 tsp Italian dried Herb Mix (Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, Parsley)

1 tsp Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Preparation

1. In a large pot, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent.

2. Add the celery and carrot and cook for a few minutes until soften.

3. Stir in the beans, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

4. Add the chopped Kale , dates and spices and cook until tender -about 20-30 minutes, add water and adjust the spices if needed.

Serve with freshly baked bread and stay warm!

Category: Blog, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Recipies, Soups, The Main Dish, Whole Meal

Aug
31

Beet Orange Salad

A blog named “The Beauty & The Beet” should live up to its name and I feel like I owe it to the beets to share a beet recipe first!

Here is a colorful and beautiful salad with a special tip to help you make it like a pro…and the dressing is so good you could use it on any fresh salad!

Ingredients

3 Medium Beets

2 Oranges

3-4 Cups of Baby Arugula

½ Cup Chopped Cilantro

For the dressing

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tsp Maple Syrup

½ tsp Dijon Mustard

Juice of ½ Lemon

Juice leftover from Orange supreme

Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk together well and set aside.

Preparation

Cook the beets in a pot of boiling water until tender, 30-45 minutes.

Let the beets cool, peel and slice them.

Supreme the oranges and add the wedges to the salad.

Add the baby arugula and cilantro.

Add the dressing and attack!

Category: Blog, Lunch, Misc., Recipies, Salads

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
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!