Two Tone Soup

We've been having hurricane like weather here in San Francisco. Perfect weather to stay in my pj's, fix a nice bowl of comfort soup and watch a marathon of my favorite shows. Unfortunately, I have a job and responsibilities. Here's to dreamin'

Serves 2
45 minutes

Broccoli Lentil
2 cups Broccoli, chopped
1/2 Onion, diced
1/2 cup Green lentils
1 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili powder
1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon (or a GF Bouillon cube)

Roasted Pepper
1 Red bell pepper, roasted
1/2 cup Tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
Black Pepper to taste

1. Turn oven to 350 degrees. Wrap your red bell pepper in aluminum foil, add about a tablespoon of water, roast in oven for 20 minutes.
2. In a big pot add about a tablespoon of olive oil, once heated add your diced onion, you're making your broccoli lentil, if that wasn't obvious. When they get all soft and start to brown, add your lentils, cumin and chili powder. After a few minutes add 2 cups of water, broccoli and bouillon. Cook till lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, gut and chop up your roasted pepper (after it has cooled of course), add it to food processor along with all your other roasted pepper ingredients. Process then pour into a clean pot and heat through.
4. Once your broccoli lentil soup is cooked through, put it in your food processor and process.
5. Have some fun with how you put them in your bowl! I got the above look by filling the bowl 3/4 way with broccoli lentil then, I pressed the bottom of a big ladle full of roasted pepper into the middle (so that the top of both soups are level with each other) and slowly rotated the ladle upside down. I hope that makes sense. I used blue corn tortilla chips to garnish.

Original recipe from VeganYumYum

These Nuts

My sister gave me the idea to make my Dad's favorite treat for a Christmas present. I thought it would be fun to give him a variety of flavors, not that it matters too much because he inhales them. These would be great for a house party, movie night or while listening to Dr. Dre's "Deeez Nuuuts"

Makes 4 cups
30-45 minutes

4 cups Raw cashews, or raw nuts of your choice

Base
1/3 cup Vegan butter
1/3 Light brown sugar

Spicy Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/4 tsp Salt

Garam Masala
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Salt

Rosemary
2 Tbsp Fresh rosemary, finely diced
dash Cayenne pepper

Dill
1 Tbsp Fresh dill, finely diced
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Salt
Black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Split nuts into 4 bowls, 1 cup each. Melt butter in microwave, add sugar and mix.
2. Split "base" between the four bowls of nuts and toss each. Add spices to separate bowls and toss again.
3. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Keeping flavors separate, spread out evenly (I baked in two sets, consecutively, to make it a bit easier) and bake for 15-20 minutes.
4. Serve warm or cool.

Each flavor is measured out to one cup of nuts.

Minted Brussels Sprouts

Growing up my sis and I protested Brussels sprouts through and through. Apparently my dad hated them as well but, my mother told him to act as though he liked them to set a good example. So, just to make this clear; three of the four people eating Brussels sprouts loathed them, yet apparently that was not enough to stop my mother from continuing to cook them for us. My father still complains about all the Brussels sprouts he had to eat but the brainwashing worked on me and now I'm a fan.

Serves 2
25 minutes

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, cut off the stems and halve em'
Olive oil
2 Tbsp Rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Tamari sauce
1 Tbsp Fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 cup Fresh mint, chopped
1 Garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp Red chilli flakes

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat up oil in a saute pan, saute sprouts till edges are golden and a lil' crispy; about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer sprouts to oven safe dish (if your pan is oven safe just keep em' in there), bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the rest of your ingredients in a large bowl.
3. When sprouts are done, add them to your large bowl, toss and serve.

Corn Pudding

If you remember from an earlier post I have been on the look out for a vegan corn souffle recipe. I knew souffle would be impossible so I found something very comparable: Corn Pudding. I know what you're envisioning in your mind: jiggly, gelatinous, off white colored mush speckled with corn. But you have to give corn pudding a break, it comes from the South and the South isn't very talented when it comes to naming foods (i.e. grits, hush puppies, jambalaya, swamp cabbage) but they are talented cooks.

Serves 2-4
1 hour 10 minutes

3 cups Canned corn, drained
1/4 cup Almond milk (or soy)
1 Tbsp Vegan butter, melted
1 Tbsp Arrowroot starch
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Gluten-free corn meal (or All-purpose Gluten-free flour)
2 tsp Baking powder
1 Tbsp Fresh rosemary, diced
1/4 tsp Salt (optional)
Pepper to taste

1. Mix milk with arrowroot starch. Throw 1 cup of corn in your food processor along with your arrowroot mixture. Processes well.
2. Throw in the rest of your ingredients EXCEPT your remaining corn. Process. Now you can add the rest of your corn. Process for just a little bit, you want some kernels intact so it has a nice consistency and people remember that it's corn they're eating, not baby food.
3. Spray small baking pan with canola oil spray. Pour mixture into said pan. Put your pan in the oven and turn it on to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour.

Kale Stroganoff

I haven't had Stroganoff since my Mom made it for me out of a box. That's the funny thing about "like mom used to make" mom used to make crap. But those packets full of sodium, sugar and beef flavored powder hit that synapsis and stayed in a very special part of our minds. This is far from mom's but I'm okay with that.

Serves 4
20 minutes

8 oz Quinoa Fusilli
Olive oil
1 Yellow onion, diced
3 Garlic cloves, minced
10-15 Button mushrooms, finely diced
8 oz Vegan sour cream (or vegan cream cheese)
2 Tbsp Nutrition yeast
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp Thyme 
Pinch Nutmeg
1/2 Salt
Pepper to taste
Bundle Kale

1. Start boiling your pasta. When al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Heat up some olive oil in a saute pan. Add onions and saute for 3-5 minutes, add garlic for a few minutes then throw in your mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the rest of your ingredients EXCEPT the kale. When the sour cream is heated and all is well mixed add in the kale for a few minutes.
4. Stir in the pasta and serve.

Original recipes Lux Hippie and Mouthwatering Vegan

Glogg

I wont lie, this was a tough recipe to share. Why is it so hard to share the good things in life? A good band, restaurant, in this case; a recipe. It's like a selfish super secret. Does it make it less special because more people know about it? People are rather quick to discredit something because it hits main stream. I never understood it and I still don't even though I'm experiencing some of the same reluctance now. Alas, someone shared this recipe with me years ago and I would be an even bigger a*#hole if I didn't share this liquid of spectacular.

If I don't double this recipe, I'm never able to have a second glass because the drunkards I call family and friends have had it all. I recommend the same unless you are surrounded by people who are able to practice a little more self restraint.

Serves 6
20 minutes

1 750ml bottle Tawny port
3/4 cup Brandy
15 Cloves, whole
 4 Cinnamon sticks
1 tsp Cardamom, ground (or 10 cardamom seeds)
The peel of one orange, cut into silver dollar size pieces
Raisins and almond slivers for garnish

1. Add about a cup of water into a big pot along with cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and orange peel. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. I do this to start opening up the bouquet of spices and peel.
2. Add your port and brandy, heat through. Add your raisins, almonds and serve. Keep covered on very low heat. You don't want this to simmer.

I would also like to note that I make strong drinks. You've been warned.

City O' Wrap

 

I feel as though I'm being mean mugged by this sandwich

This wrap comes from a joint in my hometown called City O' City. When I lived there, I lived there. When ever I'm feeling a little home sick I throw this puppy together. It is not Gluten-Free so I make it when my sweetheart isn't around.

Store bought hummus is expensive and bland and inferior to homemade from scratch. I included my general recipe but you can, of course, switch it up however you would like (i.e. extra garlic, basil, sun dried tomatoes)

Serves 4
20 minutes (due to the cooking of the fries)

Hummus
1 15oz can Garbanzo beans, rinsed
2 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp Salt
2-3 Garlic cloves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Water as needed

Wrap Makings
4 Pita wraps
Small bag Frozen fries, cooked
2 dozen Pitted green olives, diced
2 hand fulls Mixed greens
Sriracha Sauce

1. Start cookin' ya fries. Throw all your hummus ingredients in your food processor and process. If it's too thick add a tablespoon of water at a time till a nice spreadable consistency
2. Spread hummus onto your pita, line up your nice hot fries down the middle; top with olives, greens and sriracha to taste.
3. Fold and shove into mouth.

I added some raw-cotta to mine, if you're non-vegan feta works swimmingly.

Also, don't forget the Lucky Peach Giveaway!

Lucky Peach Giveaway (CLOSED)

Lucky Peach is the best "magazine" I have ever read. Ever. I use magazine loosely because it is unlike say: Bon Appetit or Food Network. In fact I'm bothered by listing those other magazines in the same post. Lucky Peach is a quarterly with writings about food, art about food, pictures of food and oh yeah, food.

Lucky Peach always leaves me inspired and I hope to pass that inspiration on to you!

To win:
1. Follow this blog on BlogLovin'
2. Leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address
3. That's it, good luck!

The winner will be randomly selected and announced next week

UPDATE:
We have a winner! Who was chosen at random,... out of one. They will receive the Fall 2012 issue of Lucky Peach

Gluten-Free Pizza with Raw-cotta

What you put on your pizza defines you as a person. Deep, I know but, it's true. I studied topping to personal trait comparison for years while I worked at my neighborhood pizza shop in high school. That being said; I'm pretty sure my toppings reaffirm that I'm an a*#hole. Raw-cotta, basil and caramelized onions.

Crust
I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix and subbed Ener-G Eggs Replacer. It says to use moist hand to spread it out on your oiled cookie sheet. Screw that. Put your ball of dough in the middle of your sheet, lay a piece of wax paper over it and roll it out. Smush the edges together where needed.

Caramelized Onions
Caramelizing onions is more than just browning them. Actually, it's just like browning them, only in very slow motion.
1. Take your pan and a good two tablespoons of olive oil. Warm on medium heat, never turn the heat up. Ever. Use a yellow onion, trust me on this. Slice it into long pieces and throw them in your warmed oil with a little bit of sugar. Add more oil as needed.
2. Stir infrequently for about a half hour, until your onions look like Tan Mom. Remove from heat.

Raw-cotta
1 cup Macadamia nuts, soaked 8 hours
1/4 cup Pine nuts, soaked 4-6 hours
2 Garlic cloves
1 Tbsp Lemon juice (or juice of 1/2 lemon)
2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
Cold water

Put all but the water in your food processor. Process until nuts are pretty well broken down. Add a few tablespoons of water at a time until some what creamy, some what textured, ricotta-eque softness of your dreams.

Assemble. Devour.

Raw-cotta original recipe from Julie's Raw Ambition

Maple Glazed Carrots

I was makin' this recipe even before I was vegan. That means it MUST be good.
Now for some fun carrot facts:
+ Carrots contain more Vitamin A than any other vegetable.
+ Orange carrots were cross bred from yellow and red carrots in the 16th century.
+ Carrots were the first vegetable to be canned commercially.

Serves 4
30 minutes

2 pounds Carrots, cut diagonally 1/4 inch thick
6 Tbsp Vegan butter, split into two parts
2 Tbsp Brown sugar, split into two parts
3 Tbsp Real Maple syrup
1/2 cup Fresh Orange juice (or juice of one orange)
1 tsp Fresh ginger, minced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Fresh parsley, chopped

1. In a large pot add two cups water, carrots, 3 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Drain.
2. In the same, empty, pot melt the rest of your butter. Add maple syrup, orange juice, ginger and the rest of your brown sugar. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add carrots, salt and pepper to taste. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
3. Ladle carrots with a slotted spoon into your serving dish, cover them and set aside. Simmer remaining liquid for 5-10 minutes to thicken. Pour over carrots, add parsley, mix and serve.

Champagne Risotto

I'm going to stress the importance of using good booze in your cooking. When I was a little fledgling cook I tried my hand at Penne alla Vodka. It was gonna be AWESOME! I made a fatal mistake: I used cheap vodka and when I say cheap vodka I don't mean Absolute. Oh no, I mean, damn near moonshine, pretty sure this company uses discarded Listerine bottles, kinda vodka. What I got was Penne alla Paint Thinner. If you can't afford a nice champagne, feel free to sub a nice prosecco or white wine. It doesn't need to be top shelf by any means but something nice.

Serves 2
25 minutes

1 stick Celery, diced
2 Leeks, white parts chopped
6 Tbsp Vegan butter, split in two parts
1 tsp Olive oil
1 1/2 cup Champagne
3 cups Veggie stock (possibly more)
1 1/3 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup Nutrition yeast
Pepper

1. In a pot add 1 cup champagne with all of the veggie stock. Bring to and keep at a low simmer.
2. Chop up your veggies. Melt half your butter with the oil in a saucepan, add veggies and cook till soft.
3. Add your rice to your veggie saucepan, stir to coat in butter. Turn up heat a touch and add your remaining 1/2 cup champagne. Stir continuously. Turn heat down to original heat and add in ladles of stock/champagne combo. Let one ladle be absorbed before you add the next. Stirring all the while. Continue for about 20 minutes.
4. At this point your rice should be cooked through, there's only one way to find out. If it is and you have stock left over, forget about it. If it's not heat up some more veggie stock and continue the process.
5. When rice is cooked through and the excess moisture is absorbed remove from heat. Stir in remaining butter, nutritional yeast and pepper.

I served this with a simple green salad tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette and let me tell you it was a mah-velous combination.

Original recipe from Nigella Lawson : Feast

Kerala Spiced Peas

If you live in San Francisco you know about Mission Chinese Food. If you live in New York, one just opened there, be sure to check it out. If you are unable to access a Mission Chinese Food, I'm sorry. The good news is, this recipe reminds me A LOT of one of their dishes on the SF menu. Enjoy.

Serves 6
15 minutes

2 Tbsp Vegan butter
2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Ground coriander
1/2 tsp Ground cardamom
2 Serrano peppers (or 1 Thai chili), minched
1 Yellow onion, sliced
1 Pound bag frozen petite peas (they're sweeter than regular peas)
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
3-4 Garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp Salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Heat butter in a saute pan. When butter is hot add cumin and mustard seeds for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add coriander, cardamom, peppers and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add peas, ginger, garlic and salt. Heat peas through. Add lemon juice, stir and serve.

Somewhere Danny Bowien is turning up his nose at me.

Original recipe from The Kitchn

Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie

2 months ago
Me: Are you sure you don't want two pie pans? That way I can make you two pumpkin pies at once?
Boyfriend: No, one will be fine.
Yesterday
Boyfriend: You should make two pumpkin pies.
Boyfriend fail.

This recipe is not a quick one but there is plenty of time for clean up and/or working on other recipes. Multitasking is what will make this world a woman's.

Serves 1 to 8 (Depending on the amount of pumpkin pie love per person)
3 hours +3 hours in fridge

Crust
1/2 cup Vegan butter
2-4 Tbsp Water + ice
1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
     + extra for rolling
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Sugar

Filling
1/4 cup Maple syrup
3 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 1/4 cups Canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/4 cup Almond milk
1 Tbsp Vegan butter, melted
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger, ground
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
Pinch Cloves, ground

Icing
1/2 cup Vegan cream cheese
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
3 Tbsp Powdered sugar

1. Crust: Cut butter into pieces and freeze for 15-30 minutes. Place some ice in your water. Meantime mix your dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter to processor and pulse till mixture is crumbly. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time till dough clumps together. Do not add too much water, dough should mold to hands when you squeeze it. Remove dough from processor and form into disk, wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least one hour.
2. Filling: Mix maple syrup and cornstarch together. In a larger bowl mix all of the filling ingredients together and set aside.
3. Crust: Take dough out of fridge and allow to warm for 5 minutes. Lay wax paper out and dust with flour, place dough disk on top, dust disk with flour and lay another piece of wax paper on top. Roll to 12 inches wide. Carefully transfer to pie pan*  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in freezer for 30 minutes.
4. Icing: Beat cream cheese till smooth, mix in vanilla extract then add powdered sugar. Set aside in fridge.
5. Crust: Remove from freezer and bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Pull crust out and allow to cool. Fill with pumpkin filling, top with cut outs and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, cover crust edges with tin foil and return to oven for another 15 minutes. Allow to cool for one hour then place in fridge for three hours (this is a must). Decorate with icing and serve!

* Make sure there are no children within ear shot as there is a lot of cursing at this point. I often find myself simply molding the crust into the pan wondering: what was the point of rolling this out? If you have any tips on this, please feel free to share (aka HELP ME!)

Original filling recipe from Oh She Glows
Original crust recipe from Simple Gluten-Free

Mango Dal

Mangoes were on sale at the market this week so I picked a few up. If you've never cut open a mango before it can be kinda tricky. Here is a perfect little tutorial. I don't know if I'd hold it in my hand though. I mean I would,... because I did,... and I cut my hand.

Serves 4
40 minutes

1 cup Yellow lentil
4 cups Water
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground turmeric
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Cumin
1 Medium yellow onion, diced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp Ground coriander
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 Mangoes, cubed

This goes well over rice if you wanted to cook some up.

1. Combine lentil, water, 1 teaspoon salt and turmeric in a sauce pan. Bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Cube mangoes and set aside. Heat oil in a medium pot/pan. Add cumin 30 seconds before your onion, saute onion for about 5 minutes. Add in everything else EXCEPT your cubed mangoes. Saute for another minute.
3. Add onion mixture and mangoes to your lentils. Cook for 15 more minutes or so, stirring from time to time. Most of the water should be absorbed and lentils falling apart.
4. Chomp down on it!

Original recipe from Eating Well

Pumpkin Wontons

My friend Candace is a nerd about food and together we have magical food nerd conversations. She requested a pumpkin recipe and I thought this would be perfect because she's Asian! Don't worry, this wont offend her, she knows she's Asian. Be sure to check out her blog Cui Bites, it's about enjoying the good things in life: food.

This is a perfect example of taking a non-vegan, gluten laced recipe and making it work pour moi. Also, this would be a great recipe to make if you have left over pumpkin pie filling after Turkey Day.

Makes 18 wontons
1 1/2 hours

Filling
1/2 cup Pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp Vegan cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsp Powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
Pinch Clove, ground
Pinch Salt

Wontons
2 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour (found at Whole Foods)
      + extra for kneading
1 tsp Xanthan gum
3 Ener-G Eggs prepared
      + 1 extra for wonton sealing
3/4 cup water
      + more if needed
Vegetable oil

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup 100% Real maple syrup
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
If you don't like the idea of this dipping sauce make a cinnamon sugar mixture to dust the wontons with.

1. Mix all your filling ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl add flour and xanthan gum together, mix. Mix in eggs then mix in water a few tablespoons at a time until dough molds to hand when you squeeze it.
2. Break dough into two equal balls, dust counter and first ball with flour and knead dough. Add flour as needed until dough is no longer sticky. Repeat with second ball. 
3. Roll out balls one at a time, continuously sprinkling with flour (You don't want your balls sticking to the counter) until they are 1/8 inch thick. Cut dough (A pizza cutter rocks for this) into 4-5 inch squares.
4. Mix your extra Ener-G egg and brush the edges of the wrapper with some of the mixture. Add about a tablespoon of filling, fold in half and press edges together (I can never get them lined up perfectly so I cut them to make them so). Repeat until all your wontons are assembled.
5. Put a big soup pot (or cast iron) on medium heat and fill with about an inch of vegetable oil. Heat to about 350 degrees (if you don't have a thermometer, imagine what it's like when you put your hand in a 350 degree oven, then hold your hand over the oil, yeah, freakin hot). While the oil is heating mix your dipping sauce (or dusting) ingredients together and set aside.
6. Put a few wontons in at a time, don't crowd the pot. Be sure to scoop out any vagrant pieces between batches. Cook on each side for 1 minute then place on paper towels. If you're using the cinnamon sugar dusting, now is the perfect time to sprinkle it on your wontons.
7. All done!

Original recipe from A Cozy Kitchen

Hot Pot

I got knocked off my feet by a killer cold this week and spent the last four days in bed, getting up only to do the most minimal of human functions, one of which is eating. My boyfriend, bless his heart, made me as many bowls of soup as I wanted. Unfortunately, they all came from cans. Nothing will motivate you more to get better and back in the kitchen than four days of canned soup. First thing I made, soup. Duh.

Serves 4
45 minutes

4 cups Vegetable broth
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 Red onion, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
3 Garlic cloves
2 Tbsp Lemongrass, minced
1 Tbsp Ginger, minced
1/2 tsp Red chili pepper flakes (more, depending on how congested you are)
2 Star anise
1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp Tamari sauce (soy sauce if you're okay with Gluten)
1 Tomato, chopped
1/2 oz Fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
Salt and Pepper
15 oz can Coconut milk
1/2 Lime, juiced

Optional: cooked rice, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, cashews, basil, cilantro, snow peas, water chestnuts, really just about anything you have left over in your frigidaire. Remember to add them in at the appropriate time. I hope I didn't jinx you by saying that.

1. Put a big soup pot on medium-high heat with your sesame oil in the bottom. Saute your onion and pepper with a pinch of salt for a few minutes. Add garlic, lemon grass, ginger and chili flakes.
2. Take a cup of your veggie broth and mix in cornstarch to dissolve than add to saute, along with the remaining veggie broth. Add star anise, cinnamon, tamari, black pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Add in shittake and tomatoes, countiue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Add coconut milk, lime, heat and serve.

Sometimes I'd be making a shopping list for a new recipes and come across something I had never seen/used/heard of before. I would methodically search produce shelves for labels and look for what I had imagined the said vegetable would look like (i.e. Leek: I bet it looks like a beet, yeah, totally a beet-esque vegetable) When I wised up a bit I'd print pictures to take with me.

Shiitake mushrooms, lemongrass (the riding crop lookin thing) and bok choy. 

I hope I saved you some research.

Original recipe from The PPK

Persimmon, Pomegranate and Mint Salad

Pomegranate has got to be the most beautiful fruit ever. But I am like a mother with many children and I say that to just about every fruit/veggie that makes it's way to my chopping board. Seriously though, every time I open it I feel like a gemologist who's cracked an undiscovered cave of rubies. That's how exciting shit gets in my kitchen.

Serves 4
20 minutes

4 Fuyu Persimmon, peeled and sliced
1/2 Pomegranate, deseeded
1/4 cup Mint, chopped
2 Tbsp Agave
1 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice
Pinch Cinnamon

1. If you are not serving right away, wait to add pomegranate as it will stain your persimmon. Combine fruit and mint.
2. In separate bowl mix agave, lemon juice and cinnamon.
3. Mix it all together. I suggest getting a high five from everyone that eats this (they'll agree you deserve it)

My Asshole Diet

Raw Cashew Dreamcake

It's ma birfday! I considered just picking up a VGF cake some where because my original attitude was; It's my birthday why should I make my own cake and then I remembered I'm Type A. I actually hate baking; some one asked me today if I ever completely ruin something and have to trash it in it's entirety. Of course I do, you don't actually think I know what I'm doing, do you? Anyway, the things I usually ruin are baked goods, they are the red wine stain on my wedding dress. I guess this would be an exception as it is not actually baked.

This was my first raw cake so I followed the recipe to a T. I'll spare myself retyping the recipe and send you straight to a favorite site of mine My New Roots for the original.
My Asshole Diet 

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard, White Beans and Cherries

Our three days of San Francisco Summer are over and before I had a minute to crave Fall, it was here. Now that it is, all I've wanted is squash. I turned up this recipe with a google search and added some lovin' touches. It's super good and stuffed anything seems fancy. I might add some quinoa in on my next go around.

Serves 2
40 minutes

1 Acorn squash, halved
Olive oil
1/2 Yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup Veggie Broth (more if needed) 
2 Garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary
1 Tbsp Dried Thyme
1 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cups Chard, Chopped
1/4 cup Dried cherries (I'm sure craisins or raisins would be great too) 
1/2 15oz can White beans, rinsed
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup Gluten-Free bread crumbs
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/4 tsp salt

1. Pre-heat your broiler. Slice off the bottom of each squash half so it lays flat. Cover inside of squash with a little bit of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put on a plate and pull some plastic wrap over the top, microwave for about 12 minutes or till tender.
2. Start choppin' your veggies. Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add onions for a minute or two. Add broth, garlic, tomato paste, chard, cherries, salt, pepper and herbs for another 5 minutes. Add olives and beans; stir and pull off the stove.
3. Combine bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Stuff acorns, sprinkle bread crumbs on top put em on a cookie sheet. Broil till bread crumbs are toasty.

Original recipe from Delish
My Asshole Diet 

Broccoli Edamame Pesto

I tend to hodgepodge gluten-free recipes with vegan recipes. Honestly, if I didn't, we probably wouldn't have much of anything to eat. This isn't really an example of that per say but it is a combo of two recipes I thought were genius. When I stumbled upon this NYTimes Broccoli Pesto I knew I had to mash it together with an edamame pesto I've long since memorized. Bonus: 1 serving packs as much protein as a chicken breast. Take that herbivore haters!

Serves 4
20 minutes

8oz Edamame, thawed
1/2 Lb Broccoli
3 Garlic cloves
1 cup Basil
3 Tbsp Nutrition yeast
3 Tbsp Olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp Salt
1 Lb Quinoa Pasta

1. Get a pot of water boiling for your pasta and a pot for your edamame (broccoli too, if you steam like I do**)
2. Process your garlic and your basil.
3. Start cooking edamame and steam broccoli for 6 minutes. When they're both done, start cookin your pasta.
4. Add edamame, broccoli and remaining ingredients to processor. Process to nice, minced pesto consistency.
5. When pasta is done, drain and put back in your warm pot, mix in pesto and serve. So easy, so good.

** I don't know if this is common knowledge or how I discovered it myself. I do not own a steamer, I would consider them a waste of space. I just boil a couple inches of water in a medium size pot, place a mesh, all metal colander of selected vegetables inside the pot and put a small lid inside the colander, over the vegetables. The colander doesn't touch the bottom of the pot, it actually only goes down about half way into the pot. I hope I described this well enough. Any who, this method is perfect for this recipe because you can cook your edamame on the bottom and your broccoli on the top. Tah-daa!

Original Broccoli Pesto recipe from NYTimes
Comparable Edamame Pesto recipe at The PPK 

P.S. The garnish on this is a breaded squash that I will post the recipe for another day.
My Asshole Diet 

Stupid Hearty Corn Chowda' (+Broccoli)

As I stated in a previous post, I've got my eyes on the prize for another awesome Thanksgiving meal. One dish I have yet to recreate is my mothers amazing Corn Souffle but seeing as how it calls for every animal product plus corn, the idea of recreating it has been intimidating. I figured I would take a step back before approaching this one. My step back being Corn Chowda'. I threw in some broccoli because there's no such thing as too many vegetables.

Serves 8
30 minutes

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 White onion, finely chopped
1 Bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
8 Red potatoes, some diced, some chopped
2 Stocks celery, diced
3 Carrots, diced
1 Head broccoli, finely chopped
2 Bay leaves, broken
8 cups Vegetable broth
3 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon, No Chicken Base
1 cup Cashews, soaked 8 hours in water (I wont lie, I spaced this and soaked them for an hour and lived to tell the tale)
1/3 cup Cornstarch
3 cups Fresh or frozen white & yellow corn
Pepper to taste

1. Heat a big ol' pot with EVOO in the bottom. Saute onions for a minute or so, than add the rest of your chopped veggies plus bay leaf pieces, saute for about 5 minutes.
2. Add 6 cups of your broth and than your bouillon.
3. In the meantime do two things: First, add cashews (minus water) and 1 cup of veggie broth into processor and process till smooth. Second, add cornstarch into your last remaining cup of veggie broth and mix.
4. Once taters are tender, add cashew blend, corn starch blend, corn and pepper, bring to a nice hot temperature again.
5. Eat. Watch out for bay leaves.

Original recipe from Cheeky Kitchen
My Asshole Diet 

Green Bean Casserole

This was always a favorite growing up and one of my first challenges after going vegan. In my search for a solution I found one of my favorite (and now revitalized) sites: VeganYumYum. I was very proud to serve this to my boyfriend when we first met but he quickly protested the gravy with the simple statement: I hate mushrooms. I, of course, took this as a personal challenge. As always, I've added my own changes to the recipe and listed the original below.

Serves 4
20 minutes

1 lb Fresh Green Beans
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cups Mushrooms
2 Ribs Celery, diced
4 Tbsp Earth Balance Margarine
4 Tbsp King Aurthur's Gluten-Fee Flour
1 to 1 1/2 Cups Almond Milk
Salt to taste
1 tsp Thyme
1/4 Crushed Red Peppers
1/8  Liquid Smoke
S*#! ton Black Pepper (probably 1/2 tsp)
Walnuts for garnish, roughly chopped

1.Start your steaming mechanism. I throw the mushrooms in a food processor for a more smooth gravy texture. Heat up the EVOO in a skillet and saute mushrooms, celery and a pinch of salt for a hot minute, than remove to a bowl on the side.
2. Start steaming your green beans.
3. Meanwhile; melt "butter" in the same skillet, then add "flour" and whisk. Slowly add "milk", whisking all the way. When milk is all in, add your spices.
4. Add mushroom/celery combo. Add more milk as/if needed.
5. Assemble: green beans down first, dollop of gravy, throw them walnuts on top.

The boyfriend completely approves of the newest version btw.

Original recipe from VeganYumYum 
My Asshole Diet

Mashed Cauliflower

This being my 3rd year as a vegan, I'm still getting used to vegan holiday meals. About this time of year I start warming up with ideas of what to cook. I was having a conversation with a fellow A Hole dieter who suggested this recipe (for the record Katherine couldn't be any more far removed from an A Hole,... besides her diet). I feel like mashed potatoes are so personal, there are so many different ways you can make them: truffle oil, spicy, "cheese & bacon", Italian spiced, wasabi, etc. This is just your jumping point.

Serves 2-4
25 minutes

1 Head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
3 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Earth Balance "butter"
2 Tbsp Almond milk
Salt & pepper to taste
Chives for garnish

1. Steam cauliflower till you can easily slice through it with a spoon. Throw it in a food processor for a quick smooth mashing (or mixer, or labor intensive with a masher)
2. Mix all, minus the chives
3. Devour.
My Asshole Diet 

Quinoa Salad with Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Basil and Mint

I'm not the largest fan of quinoa salads because they're so heavy on the quinoa. I more often than not double the non-quinoa ingredients (or half the quinoa, it's all relative really) This one is simple, tasty and incorporates one of my favorite vegan unamis; olives.

Serves 4
20 minutes

1 Garlic clove, minced

1 cup Quinoa, cooked

1 Small tomato, diced

1 Carrot, diced

3 Scallions, sliced (white and light green sections)

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

1/3 Pepita (or shaved pecans, almonds or walnuts)

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp Fresh basil leaves, chopped

1-2 Tbsp Fresh mint leaves, chopped

Olive Oil

Juice of 1-2 lemons or limes, depending upon size

A hand full flax seed 

1. While the quinoa is cooking, get to slicing and dicing your other ingredients. Put in large bowl with all the rest of the ingredients.

2. Wait till quinoa has cooled a bit and add to bowl, mix, taste and adjust spices. All done!

I add flax seed to a lot of recipes because it blends right in and is a great source of Omegas.

Original Recipe from Gluten-Free Goddess
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Moroccan Carrot Ribbons and Black (Or in my case, Green) Lentils

I've been wanting to try this one out for a bit and I'm so bummed it took me so long because it's un-freaking-believable. I was unable to find black lentil so I used French green lentils (shoot me for it). Besides that near disastrous escapade, this recipe was quick, easy and will forever be a part of regular rotation. Per usual, I made a few tweaks according to what was in my spice collection and personal taste (the original recipe is listed below)

Serves 4
20-30 minutes

Carrot Marinade:
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Orange juice
Pinch of salt

Dressing:
1 Tbsp Cumin
1/2 Tbsp Anise seeds
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground ginger
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Ground coriander
Pinch of crushed chilies
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 tsp Agave
2 Tbsp Olive oil
Pinch of salt

Ingredients:
1 cup French green lentils
3-4 Carrots
1/2 cup Red onion
8 Prunes
1/2 cup Mint, chopped


1. Mix together your carrot marinade in a large bowl. Wash and peel your carrots in long strokes for desired "ribbon" fanciness. Place in marinade.
2. Cook your lentils as directed (usually 2:1 water:lentil ratio, boil water, turn to medium, add lentil, cook for 20-30 min yada yada). Rinse to make it pretty, I don't bother.
3. While your lentil is cooking make your dressing. Just put it all in a bowl and mix. Also, finely-ish chop your onions, prunes and mint.
4. When all is ready to go, mix it all in that OG marinade bowl and serve. Yum!

Original recipe created by Sarah Britton from My New Roots via Whole Living
My Asshole Diet 

Beet Hummus on Cucumber "Crackers"

I had this great idea to make a vegetable that tastes like dirt (which I enjoy, don't get me wrong) into a dessert. I peeled, cubed and roasted some beets in balsamic vinegar, what I got was some roasted beets that the boyfriend hated. Fail. Alas, I was not about to let 4 perfectly roasted beets go to waste and I happened to be throwing a party the next night.

Serves 4-6
1 hour (including the roast)

3-4 Beets, peeled and cubed
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
2 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp cumin
Pinch of salt
Lemon, juiced
A cucumber
Mint and 4-5 walnuts for garnish

1. Drizzle large foil square in olive oil, throw beets in foil and drizzle with 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Crunch foil around cubes. Roast at 375 for 45 min or so (You should be able to pierce the beet without it screaming). After cooked through, remove from oven and allow them to cool.
2. In the mean time: Peel cucumber roughly as to leave a lil green for prettiness. Slice into quarter inch rounds (The mandolin is my hero). Pull the tiny leafs and leaf tips off the mint. Roughly chop 4-5 walnuts.
3. In food processor add: cooled beets, tahini, cumin, salt and lemon juice. Process. If the consistency is off add a little water at a time.
4. Assemble. A dollop of beet hummus on a cucumber "cracker". Push the cute little leaf into the top of the hummus using your walnut shard. Assemble right before you serve as the beet red with soak into the cucumber and discolor it, making it unworthy of Martha Stewart.
5. Watch as you blow the mind's of your friends.
My Asshole Diet