Speed Vegan! Two Minute Beans

 

Do you ever have those days where you want something really healthy but you do not want to cook? Or you do not have time to cook? Or maybe it is just you and who wants to cook for only one person? This is a very filling, healthy meal that comes together in two minutes flat!

 

Beans. Pico de Gallo. Greens. Done!

 

Two Minute Beans

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free

 

Serves 1 as a meal, 2 as a side

 

1 can or 2 cups black beans

1 container fresh pico de gallo (I use Trader Joe’s)

2 cups fresh chopped greens (kale, collards, chard, spinach, etc)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

1 teaspoon high mineral salt

Fresh cilantro (optional)

 

1. Place the black beans, pico de gallo, nutritional yeast (if using), and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until just starting to bubble and boil.

2. For the greens, either use them raw (my preference) or lightly steam or sauté them. Place them in a serving bowl and pour heated bean and pico de gallo mixture over the greens. Garnish with cilantro.

3. Gobble up!

Kitchen Sink Bars

 

We are going camping this weekend! Ok we are bringing an RV, does it still count? As always, I am in charge of the food. Camping food should be portable, simple to make and eat, and filling. Since we have an RV we have a little more flexibility because we have an oven, a stovetop, and a microwave. I know, we are totally cheating!! Although, I do not really plan to use anything except maybe the microwave. Here is what we are bringing for food for our two day camping trip:

 

Chia Oatmeal

Bananas

Tons of Fruit

Rainbow Kale Salad

Field Roast Sausages

Sprouted Buns

Hummus and raw veggies

sweet potatoes

Sprouted bread

peanut butter

jelly

Collard greens (For banana peanut butter collard wraps)

vegan marshmallows

chocolate

vegan graham crackers

and these bars…

 

I call them the kitchen sink bars because they have so many different things in them. I kind of love that about them. They are also moist unlike most energy bars, and the best part is they have no sugar! They are sweetened with date paste and a little bit of brown rice syrup! These are definitely bars I feel good about eating and giving out to the people I love!

 

One note about these bars, I used dried cherries and apricots because that is what I had on hand and I do not love the combination. Especially with the little bit of chocolate I put in these bars, it is a bit too tart. Next time I might just do cherries and leave out the apricots, or do apricots and leave out the chocolate, or make them tropical with some papaya and pineapple!

 

As always, the measurements here are approximate. I am really bad about actually taking the time to measure out specific ingredients so take this recipe as a general guideline and feel free to add less or more of something to suit your preference and taste! Also, substitutions here are really easy! The only think I would not change is the dates and the quinoa flakes/oats measurements. Everything else is fair game!

 

Kitchen Sink Bars

Vegan, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Can be Raw

Makes 16 Bars

 

8oz pitted dates

1 1/2 cups quinoa flakes or old fashioned oats, finely ground

1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely ground

1 cup pecans, finely ground

2 small handfuls dried cherries, chopped

2 small handfuls dried apricots, chopped

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup sprouted buckwheat groats

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use enjoy life brand)

2 dashes cinnamon

3 tablespoon brown rice syrup

 

1. Cover the dates with water and let sit a couple of hours until plump and soft.

2. Place the dates and water in a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Add the date paste and the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.

4. Heat the oven to 350degF and grease an 8” square pan with coconut oil, or line it with parchment paper.

5. Pour the mixture into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for thirty minutes until dry but not hard. Cool to room temperature before slicing into bars.

 

Raw version: replace the flakes/oats with buckwheat groats and dehydrate in a dehydrator until firm.

Asian Cabbage Salad with Outrageous miso Dressing!

 

Yum! The dressing on this salad is so so good, I could drink it! I have used this dressing on many different types of salad but I think my favorite is this simple cabbage salad. For some reason the crunchiness of the cabbage lends itself nicely to this dressing. They just go well together. I like to make a big batch of this salad so that I have leftovers for later because cabbage holds up nicely and this salad lasts well in the fridge for a couple of days!

 

This is a great salad to have as a side to your meal. If you want to make a meal out of this salad, add some baked tofu or tempeh, edamame, and maybe some soba noodles to make it more filling. Cucumber would also taste great in this salad!

 

The recipe for the dressing below makes a huge batch. Enough for the salad with plenty left over to use in other salads and dishes. Trust me, when you try it you will be glad you have extra!

 

Enjoy!

 

Asian Cabbage Salad with Outrageous Miso Dressing

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Raw

 

Makes about 4 servings

 

For the Dressing:

¼ cup miso

½ cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon agave

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/2 cup olive oil

 

1. Place the miso, rice vinegar, agave, ginger, and soy sauce in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. With the blender on low, slowly drizzle in the sesame oil and olive oil to create an emulsion. Transfer dressing to a container and set aside.

 

For the Salad:

1/2 head of purple cabbage, core removed and sliced into thin strips

1 large bell pepper, core and seeds removed and sliced into thin strips

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

 

1. Place everything in a large bowl and toss to mix.

2. Add desired amount of dressing (I probably use about a third of it) and toss to coat. Serve immediately or marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Food I want to Stuff My Face With

 

 

I made these coconut lentils from the Whole Foods website the other day but instead of baking them I cooked them in my slow cooker. Boy they were delicious! I served them with quinoa and baked tofu one day and over some mixed greens another day. YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This raw banana cream tart from Whole Living sounds like the perfect dessert to me! I cannot wait to make this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been really into fruity ice cream lately and have been using figs a ton in my smoothies and in other recipes. This fig, blackberry, coconut ice cream from Green Kitchen Stories sounds so good and with ingredients like these, I do not even have to feel bad about eating dessert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This blog is insane! Golubka is an insanely creative blog about raw food with awesome photography and scrumptious raw food. This soft cheese plate looks to LIVE for!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing says fall to me like bright colorful roasted veggies. These roasted beets and sweet potatoes with a truffled lemon vinaigrette from Hungry Foodies Pharmacy have me drooling like my 8 month old baby! Bring on fall baby!