Awesome Pea and White Bean Dip! May 31, 2012

 

I know what you are thinking, peas and white beans??? That CANNOT taste good! I know, I was skeptical at first too. Trust me it is delicious! In fact, I have made this dip three times in the last two weeks and have been devouring it almost every single day, it is that good!

 

Reminiscent in color and taste to guacamole, this dip has hints of lemon, lots of yummy cumin, and unlike the creamy avocado counterpart, it has no fat. Do not get me wrong, I love me some guacamole! But it is nice sometimes to have an alternative that you can feel a tad less guilty about when you devour half of it in one sitting!

 

For this dip I really like using raw peas (I buy the shelled raw peas from Trader Joe’s) but frozen peas would work just fine too. Also, I keep this recipe pretty simple, but like guacamole, there are a million ways you can vary it and make it your own. I have added diced tomato and red onion, you could add some jalapenos to spice it up, and it would probably be good with a summery twist by adding mango, pineapple, or strawberries!

 

Enjoy!

 

Awesome Pea and White Bean Dip

by Katie Barlow

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

 

Ingredients (about 5 cups)

• 10 oz fresh or frozen peas
• 1 can white cannellini beans
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 green onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place everything into a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

Place in an airtight container and store the dip in the fridge.

Enjoy with your favorite veggies, chips, crackers, etc!

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Veggie Wraps with Dill Tofu-Cashew “Cream Cheese” May 17, 2012

I hope everyone is having a good week! The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous so my baby girl and I have been spending TONS of time outside. I love it! Today I bring you another sandwich. Apparently, I have been in a sandwich mood lately (remember my peanut butter and sprout sandwich?). I like sandwiches because they are quick to make and easily portable. I can easily make my sandwich and bring it out to the backyard to enjoy while I watch my daughter run around! Salads are easily portable to and are my favorite go-to lunch but nothing beats some homemade vegan “cheese” on a sandwich full of veggies!

 

For this sandwich I used lavash bread and made it a wrap. I like wraps so much better than traditional sandwiches made with sliced bread because you can stuff so many more veggies in a wrap! And the veggies are the best part!

 

What makes this wrap so tasty (and trust me it is TASTY!) is the homemade dill “cream cheese” made from tofu and cashews. It is creamy and flavorful. It has the flavor from the cashews but has a very light, airy creaminess from the tofu. The best of both worlds if you ask me.

 

The recipe for the “cream cheese” is adapted from a recipe in the book Veganomicon.

 

Enjoy!

 

Veggie Wraps with Dill Cashew-Tofu "Cream Cheese"

by Katie Barlow

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: none

 

Ingredients (1 wrap plus lots of extra “cheese”)

For the cream cheese

• 1/2 cup cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 8 ounces silken tofu
• 2 teaspoons dried dill
• 1 teaspoon salt

To assemble the wrap

• 1 whole wheat lavash wrap
• Dill tofu-cashew "cream cheese"
• handful of arugula
• handful of sprouts
• 1 tomato, sliced

Instructions

 

for the cream cheese

Add all ingredients except the dill to a high speed blender and blend until creamy

Add the dill and blend for a few seconds until mixed

store in an air tight container in the fridge

 

To assemble the wrap

Place the lavash wrap flat and spread the cream cheese in the middle of the wrap

Layer the arugula, sprouts, and tomato on top of the cream cheese

Wrap up the lavash and devour!

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peanut butter and… Sprouts??? May 9, 2012

 

I know! Sounds weird doesn’t it? Trust me, it is GOOD! This has been my lunch almost every single day for at least the past month. I cannot get enough of it!

 

So here is what I do:

 

1. I toast a sprouted grain bagel (I get mine from Trader Joe’s).

2. Then I slather peanut butter on both sides (I like my sandwiches open faced because then I can really load on the veggies!)

3. I top each side with sliced tomatoes and a heaping mound of sprouts.

4. Lastly, I season my open faced bagel sandwiches with sea salt and Cholula hot sauce.

 

Yum, I think this is my favorite meal of the day right now.

 

Some notes about this sandwich:

 

1. I have made this sandwich using almond butter or tahini instead of peanut butter, all are very delicious.

2. If you do not like things spicy you can omit the hot sauce or replace it with some balsamic vinegar.

3. Cucumber would also be very good on this sandwich.

4. Instead of bagels, you can always use just regular bread or English muffins.

 

And that my friends is all for today.

Rainbow “Pasta” with an Almond Tumeric Sauce October 6, 2011

This dish was inspired by a dish I had at the Loving Hut in Palo Alto last weekend. They have this raw fettuccini dish that is killer! Here is the description from the website:

 

A raw celery root fettuccine with collard greens,
carrot, tomato, beet, cucumber, bell pepper, pistachio
and almond, in a rich n’ creamy almond sauce

 

So I really wanted to recreate it and let me tell you, this tastes NOTHING like it! It is still good though. Mostly, I just liked the idea of using a bunch of different veggies in a “pasta” shape with a creamy and nutty dressing. For mine I just used veggies I had on hand: Kale, butternut squash, red bell pepper, and zucchini. Celery Root, Kohlrabi, Collard Greens, beets, would all be great to use as “noodles.”

 

 

As for the sauce, I decided to make an almond turmeric sauce. Turmeric has a compound in it called curcumin which has many health properties including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. When combined with black pepper the bio-availability of curcumin increases dramatically making it much more potent as a healing agent.

 

I made a very simple sauce with almond butter, soy sauce, black pepper, raw honey, lime, and turmeric. It was yummy but I will be honest, I think I liked the sauce that Loving Hut used better. I added water to my sauce as well to thin it out and felt it was too watery so the recipe below does not include water. If you find the sauce too thick add water a tablespoon at a time to thin it out.

 

 

I added tempeh that I lightly seared in coconut oil to my salad. It was healthy, light yet filling, and tasty! Enjoy the recipe!

 

Raw Rainbow Pasta with Almond Turmeric Sauce

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

 

Makes 1 Serving

 

two handfuls of chopped kale

1 bell pepper, sliced into very thin strips

1 cup raw butternut squash, spiralized

1 cup raw zucchini, spiralized

 

2 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon raw honey (or agave)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic

 

1. Layer the veggies in a large bowl.

2. Blend the almond butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey (or agave), turmeric, pepper, and garlic in a blender until smooth.

3. Pour sauce over veggies. Mix. Enjoy!

Speed Vegan! Two Minute Beans September 26, 2011

 

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!

Asian Cabbage Salad with Outrageous miso Dressing! September 21, 2011

 

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.

Finger Food September 15, 2011

 

This has been a week of sleep deprivation, stress, and tantrums (baby and mommy!). So when it came to making dinner tonight I was craving something simple, easy, and yummy. I also wanted a variety of things on my plate because since I was having a hard time finding pleasure in most things, I was going to find pleasure in my meal! This is what I came up with:

 

 

Peanut Butter Banana Rolls

Yummy Eggplant Pate with raw carrots

Tempeh lightly sautéed in coconut oil

Homemade Raw Sauerkraut

Mango (not pictured)

 

This dinner was filling, healthy, and so fun to eat! Do you ever crave snacky finger food for dinner?

A Simple Salad September 11, 2011

 

I am in the Bay Area this weekend with my family. As soon as I found out my grandpa had passed away I felt this huge need to be near my grandma and my family during this difficult time.

 

My family are hardcore meat-eaters and with 5 other members in my immediate family, I am highly outnumbered. For a long time it was really difficult for me to eat with them at home. I constantly felt left out and cooking for myself felt very unappealing. Now, whenever I visit my dad, I would much rather spend a night cooking at home with my family than go out. I realized the trick was to just keep it simple. Now when I visit my Dad, my step mom usually has a bunch of beets baked for me (my favorite!) and some brown rice with flax seed or some other type of grain. I go to the store and buy kale, bananas, and a few other veggies and most of my meals consist of a bowl filled with greens, veggies, avocado, beans, grains, or a combination of these things lightly dressed with some lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic salt. Yum. There is something so delicious and satisfying about a simple meal made with whole ingredients.

 

This salad is an example of one of those meals. It is just a bowl of veggies with garbanzo beans and a dressing made only of lemon juice and curry powder. I had this one night for dinner with mango for dessert and it completely hit the spot. I opted not to put olive oil on this salad and I have to say the lemon juice is slightly overpowering. I did not mind it but if you want to mellow out the lemon juice a bit just drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the salad.

 

Salad with a Simple Lemony Curry Dressing

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

 

Makes 1 large serving or 2 smaller servings

 

1 Romaine heart, chopped

1 cucumber, quartered and sliced

1/2 large tomato, diced

2 cups garbanzo beans

1 avocado, diced

Juice form 1 lemon

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

 

1. Add Ingredients to a large bowl and toss until dressing is well mixed and veggies are well coated!

2. Enjoy with a fork or chopsticks!

Kitchen Sink Salad September 9, 2011

 

Happy Friday! I hope everyone enjoyed the short week. Mine flew by! And since it has been so hot here this week, much of it was spent swimming with baby Harper!

 

I usually get all of my fresh fruits and veggies at my local farmer’s market on Saturdays. By Friday my stash is depleted and what is left are a few odds and ends that need to be used up before they go bad. This dish happened on one of those nights. I literally grabbed all the left over containers and the remainder of the veggies in my fridge, chopped them up and threw them in a bowl. I call this The Kitchen Sink Salad because it basically had everything in my kitchen except the kitchen sink!

 

Here is what I put in the salad:

 

Half a cabbage, chopped finely

1 large raw yellow squash, diced

French lentils

Wheat berries

Handful of Basil

Lemon Juice from one or two lemons

Nutritional yeast

High mineral salt

fresh ground pepper

Olive oil

may have been some balsalmic in there too…. I do not remember!

 

Mmmm….this salad was so tasty! It was crunchy and filling without being heavy. The best part about this salad was that every perishable thing left in my fridge was put to good use instead of left to wilt and die. The next morning, I ventured to the farmer’s market with an empty kitchen ready to be filled with all the fresh vegetable and fruit goodness the market had to offer!

Amazing Rainbow Kale Salad September 5, 2011

I hope everyone had an amazing Labor Day weekend! Today I bring you another kale salad! If you have not noticed, I love me some kale salad! It is so yummy and nutritious! This one is packed with a ton of superfoods including sun-dried tomatoes, olives, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds!

 

I use raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds that I sprout by soaking them in water overnight and dry in my dehydrator. But just plain old raw seeds will do or use toasted if you prefer!

 

For the olives, you can use any type you like. I prefer kalamata in this, but green olives, or even black olives would be delish as well.

 

The best part about kale salads is that unlike most salads, it is still good several days later. Because kale is such a tough leaf it actually tastes better when left in the fridge to marinate overnight and does not turn soggy and disgusting like most salads. So when I make this, I made a huge batch and eat it over several days!

 

What were you eating this labor day weekend?

 

Amazing Rainbow Kale Salad

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

 

Makes a ton! At least 4 large servings.

 

1 head kale, julienned into thin strips (If using curly kale, remove stems first)

1/2 head of purple cabbage, cut into thin strips

3-4 carrots, shredded

1 cup unsulfured sundried tomatoes, rehydrated in water for at least 4 hours and cut into strips

1 cup chopped olives (I used kalamata)

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon raw agave (vegan) or raw honey (not vegan)

1 teaspoon high mineral salt (smoked salt is awesome it this!)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

 

1. Throw everything in a large bowl and toss to mix well.

2. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the kale and cabbage to soften a bit and the flavors to meld.

3. Enjoy!