The Beauty and The Beet — Fun Vegan Creations

Jan
9

Preserved Meyer Lemons

Meyer Lemon is a special lemon. It’s smaller and sweeter than other lemons; its rind is thin and delicate with a fragrant floral aroma. It’s less acidic and tastes like an orange and a lemon had a baby 🙂 That’s how I would describe it …

Usually, Meyer lemons are available only in winter. Some are darker in color, kind of a light orange color, which can be confusing. The first time I saw a Meyer lemon was when a co-worker brought it in to work. Thinking it was an orange, she bit into it–her face had the expression of a sour surprise …

A good way to enjoy them even when they’re not in season is to preserve them and make a preserved lemon condiment, which means to let them pickle in their own juices and salt until they become tender with perfect balance of tart , saltiness and a hint of bitterness (from the rind).

Most preserved lemon recipes call for at least 2 to 3 weeks before it is ready to be used. I find that with the Meyer lemons it’s much quicker. Five to seven days is enough; the thin skin and slicing them very thin speeds up the process. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, use regular lemons, but just keep in mind that they will take longer to preserve.

When ready, the liquid becomes thicker–almost like an oily jelly consistency. A deeper flavor will develop with time; the more it sits in the liquid the better. Oh… the flavor! So simple to make but yet so intense and bold.

If you’re like me, you will treat this stuff like a jar of gold… I add just a little bit at a time to stews, sauces, sandwiches, salad dressings; or garnish just like in this stuffed grape leaves recipe. Once it’s in the fridge, it’s good for up to 6 months.

Ingredients

4-5 Meyer Lemons

1 Tbsp. Sea Salt

1 Cup fresh Lemon Juice

1 Cup filtered Water

Preparation

First, wash the lemons and trim both ends.

Slice the lemons very thinly, and remove the seeds.

Combine the brine liquid and pour over the lemons in a glass bowl. Press down on the lemons a bit with a large spoon or fork to squeeze out more juice and to soften them. Make sure everything is submerged in the liquid and cover. Set aside for 5 to 7 days at room temperature.

When ready, transfer into an airtight container/ jar and store in the refrigerator.

You can always adjust the saltiness if it’s too salty for your taste. Just wash some in water before you use them or add more water into the jar.

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

Dec
19

Roasted Cauliflower Potato Leek Soup

It’s finally snowing in New York and its a perfect day for homemade hot creamy soup (without any creams of course …)

A little “twist” to the typical ‘Potato Leeks Soup’ here, is simply the addition of cauliflower. Oven roasted cauliflower to be precise. Roasting the cauliflower on high heat concentrates the flavor and that steps it up from good to awesome as in Awe-Some-More Please!!

Ingredients

3 Medium Potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Head of Cauliflower (Cut into florets)

1 Large Leek, finely chopped (use only the white and light green parts)

3-4 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Quart Vegetable Broth

2 Cups Water

Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. Adobo or (Spice mixture that contains: Sea salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, oregano, bay and turmeric)

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Roasted Sliced Almonds (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°

Spread the cauliflower florets on to a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Roast for about 25-30 minutes, tossing half way if needed until golden brown at the edges, check every few minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn.

In a large pot, sauté leeks and garlic in little olive oil, add the roasted cauliflower, potatoes, vegetable broth, water and spices until the vegetables are covered in liquid. bring to a boil and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Use a hand blender to blend until silky smooth, add water if its too thick.

Taste and adjust spices if needed.

To serve: sprinkle black pepper and roasted sliced almonds.

Category: Blog, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Recipies, Soups

Dec
11

Homemade Hummus Spread with Baby Bella Mushrooms

Hummus is a must have staple in our kitchen, it’s always in the fridge and ready to use as a base for sandwiches, wraps or just like in this recipe – as a dip topped with mushrooms, served with fresh pita bread and chopped salad. Hummus is a Mediterranean spread/dip made from Garbanzo beans A.K.A Chic Peas, Tahini paste, lemon and spices. It is a good source of protein, calcium (in the Tahini) and is very satisfying.

I sometimes buy a good quality Hummus but prefer to make it myself from scratch. It takes 5 minutes on the clock to prepare, and yes, I did time myself (: I like to use the BPA-Free Tetra Pak® Garbanzo Beans or the BPA-Free Can (just like in my Mexican Black Bean Dip recipe). Sometimes I add a bunch of pitted olives into the food processor, for added zest, and make an Olive- flavored Hummus, which is absolutely De-Lish’!

Ingredients

1 Can or 1½ Cup Cooked Garbanzo beans (about 15oz)

1½-2 Tbsp. Tahini

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice (Juice of ½ lemon)

1 tsp. Cumin

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt to taste

For the Mushroom Topping:

1 Pack Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced ,stems off

Oilve Oil

Salt and Pepper

Chopped Parsley ,Scallion and Paprika for garnish

Preparation

Place all Hummus ingredients in a food processor and mix, add lemon juice and olive oil gradually, until it becomes paste like consistency. Taste and adjust to your liking.

If it’s too “dry”, I like to add a little bit of the sesame oil that’s at the top of the Tahini Jar. (It also adds more flavor).

You can add more lemon juice or water if it is still not as smooth as you like, add it gradually, a Tbsp at a time so it won’t be too “watery”.

Don’t forget to leave some whole chic peas on the side for later.

Sauté the mushrooms in oil for a few minutes, until soft, add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, generously spread homemade Hummus on a plate. Drizzle olive oil on top, add mushrooms, chic peas and scallion. Decorate with paprika and parsley.

Get some fresh pita bread and start “wiping”…

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

Nov
14

Spaghetti Cardboard-O-Lognese

There are many kinds of meat substitutes and alternatives. The most common one is Seitan, which is a wheat protein and is the most versatile in its ability to “mock” meat. It comes in many textures and shapes. The Seitan that looks like ground meat is the easiest type to start with if you want to experiment. It is the closest in texture to ground meat.

I’ve found that there’s an assumption that meat “substitutes” taste like cardboard… but just like animal flesh doesn’t taste good by itself and needs to be flavored with spices and herbs (which come from plants), so does Saiten “meat”. Plus, I’d rather eat cardboard that tastes good and not eat the crushed body parts of a miserable dead cow.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I have a tendency to hide healthy ingredients in my daughter’s food. The “hidden treasure” in this recipe is the mashed acorn squash in the “Bolognese” sauce. When I made this dish for my daughter’s playdate guests it was a delicious success! The acorn adds sweetness, blends in perfectly in the sauce and the young vegetable detectives did not catch it. 😉

If you want to learn more about how to start and substitute, watch Colleen Patrick-Goudreau in her funny innovative lecture,

Ingredients

1 pack Spaghetti Pasta

1 medium Onion chopped

3 cloves Garlic minced

1 ripe Tomato

1 can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup Vegetable Broth

2 packages Seitan (Cubed and Ground, I chopped them both more finely than packaged)

1/2 roasted mashed Acorn Squash (I used the other half from yesterday when I made this Red Lentil Patties recipe; you can use other mashed pumpkin or carrots, or anything that can add sweetness and can “disappear” in the red sauce).

3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 Tbsp. Soy sauce

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar (Optional)

1 tsp. Adobo Spice Mix (optional, I stick this stuff everywhere but you dont have to, just season as you like)

Sea Salt

1/2 tsp. Paprika

Olive Oil

Preparation

Cook the pasta according to package instructions, it’s important to salt the water. Drain the pasta and set aside until sauce is ready.

Start sautéing the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the ground Seitan. Stir occasionally for a few minutes until golden brown.

Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, chopped tomato, the mashed squash, brown sugar and spices. Cook until everything blends well. Add the vegetable broth to “open” the sauce. let it simmer for a few m ore minutes until it all comes together and the sauce has a nice color and you like the consistency.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well let it soak in the sauce for a few minutes before serving.

Category: Easy & Simple, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Recipies, Uncategorized, Whole Meal

Oct
24

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Just saying “chocolate cake” makes everyone smile 🙂 . Chocolate cake with raspberry sauce makes me smile even more. It was one of my pregnancy cravings… I was addicted to a chocolate soufflé with raspberry sauce from a Belgian restaurant in NYC and made my husband go with me or bring it home every chance I got… Sometimes at crazy hours. Well, you get a permit to harass your husband when you’re hormonal 😉

According to a Parenting magazine, chocolate is the number 2 most craved food by pregnant women, right after ice! It said “Chocolate — or any sweet for that matter — is something pregnant women can’t get enough of. This could be because chocolate makes you happy, and since there’s no drinking for pregnant women, chocolate is literally the next best thing. An old wives’ tale states if you crave sweets it means you’re carrying a girl”. Can you believe it?! Pregnant or not, nobody says NO to a piece of this moist chocolaty gorgeous red raspberry goodness.

I wanted a taller cake so I actually made two cakes to assemble as two layers. It is perfect as a one layer cake too, so If you want you can skip the second cake and just make it without the jam/sauce in the middle.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

Makes One 9 -Inch Round Layer

Dry:

1 ½ Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Sugar (I used Turbinado Cane Sugar)

1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

¼ tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

Wet:

1 Cup Almond Milk (I used sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk)

½ Cup Oil (Canola Oil or Grape-seed oil)

1/8 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

Raspberry Sauce:

2 Cups Fresh Raspberries

2 ½ Tbsp. Water

¼ Cup Sugar

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

1/8 tsp. Salt

For spreading between the layers:

3 Tbsp. Raspberry Jam

Chocolate Ganache Frosting:

Dark Chocolate chunks (about 1 and 1/2 – 2 Cups)

1 Cup Almond Milk

4 Tbsp. Maple Syrup (or Sugar)

Garnish:

Fresh Raspberries

Handful roasted Pistachios

Preparation

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°

Brush with oil a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together wet ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl sift together the flour and cocoa powder, add in the rest of the dry ingredients.

Combine the wet into the dry and mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. (check if it’s ready, insert a tooth-pick it should come out dry)

Let the cake cool before adding the ganache and the raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce:

Place all sauce ingredients In a medium saucepan, cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

Place the sauce in a small food processor or a blender and blend until smooth. Press it through a small fine mesh strainer with a spoon to get rid of the seeds. Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Mix 3 Tbsp. of the raspberry sauce with 3 Tbsp. of store bought Raspberry Jam to make it thicker. “Shave” the top of the bottom cake to make it more even. Flip the top layer cake upside down to get a flatter top and spread the raspberry sauce and jam mixture between the two layers of cake before covering with the ganache frosting.

Ganache Frosting:

In a saucepan, boil the almond milk, reduce to simmer, add the chocolate and maple, turn off the heat and stir well until the chocolate has melted.

Cool a bit, spread over the top and sides of the cake and place in the fridge to harden.

To Serve:

When you are ready to serve, cut the frosted cake, decorate every piece with a raspberry, pour some raspberry sauce on top, sprinkle with pistachios and start dieting tommorow…