The Beauty and The Beet — Fun Vegan Creations

Sep
17

Almost Home-Made Vegan Pesto Tomato Pizza

It took me more time to take the pictures than to actually prepare this beautiful Pizza, which was about 5 minutes. There, I said it! You can call The Martha Stewart Police on me… guilty as charged… If I can make a Vegan Wholesome Pizza that is healthier than a frozen Pizza and quicker than a Vegan Delivery Pizza than I’m choosing the easy-healthier-quick one. I wish someone will see the potential and open a Vegan Pizzeria close to me already! :). Some super moms, somewhere, are probably making the whole thing from scratch. Not me, I love time saving short cuts that lets me keep the good quality ingredients without compromising on taste, especially on days where I don’t have the time to do rocket-science recipes.

There are a few things to keep in mind / have in advance:

1. I try to keep a good quality tomato sauce handy for quick recipes like this one.

2. I used the Fresh Pesto Sauce from a day before, but even if you choose to make it the same day, it’s super quick to make as well (you can use a store-bought vegan pesto if you’d like).

3. For the crust, I found this organic great whole grain ready-made crust. If you can’t find it where you live, use any crust you like or even make it on an Indian Naan bread or pita bread (make sure to check the ingredients since some of them are made with dairy).

4. I also keep shredded mozzarella Daiya cheese which is the invention of the century for vegans… but there are other kinds of vegan cheese that you could use (Trader Joe’s has one that really melts good).

Ingredients

One 12″ Pizza Crust (I used Rustic Crust Organic Great Grains)

Tomato sauce (Marinara or basic Pizza sauce)

5 Tbsp Pesto sauce

1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella style Vegan Cheese (I used Daiya)

a bunch of heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

a few Sliced olives and fresh basil leaves for topping

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 425°

Spread a layer of the pesto sauce on the crust first, spread the tomato sauce over it than sprinkle with the shredded “cheese”.

Add the sliced tomatoes, olives and decorate with basil leaves.

If you want to get fancy, add some crushed pistachios mixed with nutritional yeast for a “parmesan- ish” twist.

Bake for 8-12 minutes. Cool for 3 min. before cutting into slices and serve.

Reading the ingredients list on the Pizza crust, happy I found it!

Category: Blog, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Recipies, The Main Dish

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
12

Smiley Coconut Snowballs

While I was researching the famous phrase: ‘You are what you eat’, to find out who said it, I stumbled upon a very funny comment in one of the sites. Someone said it was his mom who said it first… 🙂 I’m sure she is not the first mom telling it to her kids, wanting them to eat healthy. As a mother, a big part of my life is worrying about what my daughter eats and I know I’m not alone in the ‘Picky Eaters Parents Club’. So I have to be creative and “sneak-in” the ‘good stuff’ into the food I make for her. It makes me happy to see her eating something healthy in disguise. For her it’s a dessert and all I see is the chia seeds.

Easy and quick, no baking involved so even the kids can help make it. Everyone loves them, including the grown ups! Back to ‘You are what you eat’, even though I don’t have scientific evidence, I’m pretty sure you can become a smiley (and healthy) snowball after eating these cute & delicious munchkins 😉

(makes about 25-35 Balls)

Ingredients

2 Cups Raw Almond Flour/Meal (Ground Almonds)

2 Cups Unsweetened Shredded dry Coconut Flakes

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds, Soaked in ¼ Cup Almond Milk (it will expand into 3 Tbsp. after soaking for 15-20 minutes)

½ Cup Maple Syrup

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

Pinch of Salt

Options: Add Teaspoon Raw Almond Butter, Cashew Butter or Cinnamon

(If you want Chocolate balls, just add 1 1/2 Tbsp. of Cocoa Powder)

For the Decoration:

Shredded dry Coconut to cover

Vegan Chocolate Chips (for the eyes)

Goji Berries (for the mouth)

Pine Nuts (for nose)

Preparation

Mix everything well, don’t add the liquid all at once (Almond milk with soaked chia seeds), try to play with the amounts to the desirable consistency. The coconut oil melts in room temperature so after you’re done mixing, place in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to harden, so its easy to work with. Take it out of the fridge and form balls. Dip in the shredded dry Coconut, decorate and serve, or keep in fridge for later. Smile & Enjoy!

Category: Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Party, Raw, Recipies, Snacks, Sweets and Desserts, 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).