Curried Coconut Quinoa and Greens with Roasted Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• Sea salt

Curried coconut quinoa with greens

• 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil or olive oil

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• ½ teaspoon curry powder of choice (optional)

• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1 can (14 ounces) light coconut milk

• ½ cup water

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well in a fine mesh colander

• ⅓ cup raisins

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 4 cups baby arugula or chopped chard, spinach, maybe even kale*

• Optional garnishes: 2 green onions, chopped, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Roast the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the cauliflower florets with coconut oil, cayenne pepper and a light sprinkle of sea salt. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes on the middle rack, turning halfway, until the cauliflower is tender and golden on the edges.

2 Cook the quinoa: In a large pot with a lid, warm the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it is turning translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, curry powder and cardamom and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the coconut milk, water, rinsed quinoa and raisins. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.

3 Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in the salt, vinegar and greens (if you intend to eat this dish as leftovers, I recommend storing leafy greens separate from the quinoa, as the greens don't reheat well). Divide the quinoa into bowls and top with roasted cauliflower. Garnish with green onions and red pepper flakes if you'd like.

Spicy Ramen Stir-Fry with Broccoli, Tofu, and Mandarin Oranges

When making this simple stir-fry, be sure to get the wok or skillet really hot so that the broccoli and ramen noodles get a seared crispiness to them.

Ingredients: 

1 7-oz. pkg. baked tofu, cubed

3 cups small broccoli florets

4 mandarin oranges, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)

2 Tbs. hot-chile sesame oil

1 3-oz. pkg. plain ramen noodles

Directions:

1 Combine tofu, broccoli, orange segments, and hot-chile sesame oil in medium bowl, stirring to coat evenly. Marinate at room temperature 30 minutes.

2 Cook noodles according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Set aside.

3 Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with cooking spray. Add broccoli mixture, and stir-fry 7 to 8 minutes, or until tofu is browned and broccoli is tender.

4 Add noodles to skillet, and toss to combine with vegetables, adding cooking water to moisten. Season with salt and more hot-chile sesame oil, if desired.

Pasta With Snap Peas, Garlic, Lemon Zest, and Black Pepper

INGREDIENTS

1 pound snap peas, trimmed Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon corn starch

1/2 pound ridged pasta

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

Pinch red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon juice and 1 teaspoon zest from 1 lemon

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS

1 .Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add snap peas and cook until bright green but still crunchy, about 2 minutes. Strain and run under cool water until chilled. Drain and transfer to a small bowl. Toss with corn starch and set aside.

2. Place pasta in now-empty saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Season to taste with salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook until pasta is barely al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Add cooking liquid to bowl with snap peas, stirring to ensure cornstarch is dissolved.

3. Empty saucepan and wipe out with paper towels to dry. Add oil and garlic. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until garlic starts to take on hints of color around the edges, about 2 minutes. Add pepper flakes and a few good grinds of black pepper followed by snap peas. Bring to a boil, then add drained pasta, lemon juice, and parsley leaves. Toss to combine, Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sauce is reduced to desired consistency (about 1 minute), season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired, and serve, topping each serving with lemon zest.

Why go vegan?

For the animals

Preventing the exploitation of animals is not the only reason for becoming vegan, but for many it remains the key factor in their decision to go vegan and stay vegan. Having emotional attachments with animals may form part of that reason, while many believe that all sentient creatures have a right to life and freedom.

For your health

More and more people are turning to a vegan diet for the health benefits: increased energy, younger looking skin and eternal youth are just some of the claims from enthusiastic plant eaters. Well-planned plant-based diets are rich in protein, iron, calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals. The plant-based sources of these nutrients tend to be low in saturated fat, high in fibre and packed with antioxidants, helping mitigate some of the modern world's biggest health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

For the environment

One of the most effective things an individual can do to lower their carbon footprint is to avoid all animal products.

For people

Just like veganism is the sustainable option when it comes to looking after our planet, plant-based living is also a more sustainable way of feeding the human family. A plant-based diet requires only one third of the land needed to support a meat and dairy diet. With rising global food and water insecurity due to a environmental and socio-economic problems, there's never been a better time to adopt a more sustainable way of living.

Veggie noodles with curried coconut sauce 

Ingredients

• 2 green courgettes

• 2 yellow courgettes

• 1 large carrot

• 2 corn cobs (kernels only)

• 200 g fresh peas

• 1 large handful of mixed herbs, such as coriander, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme

CURRIED COCONUT SAUCE

• 1 small banana shallot

• 1 small clove of garlic

• 3cm piece of turmeric , or 2 tesapoons ground turmeric

• 1 lime , plus extra to serve

• 200 ml coconut milk

• 300 ml coconut water

• 100 g unsweetened desiccated coconut

• 1 teaspoon medium-hot curry powder

Method

First make the sauce. Peel and roughly chop the shallot, garlic and ginger, roughly chop the chilli. Juice the turmeric, if using fresh. Zest and juice the lime.

Blitz all the sauce ingredients in a food processor until combined, then season to taste – the sauce should be smooth and creamy.

Using a julienne peeler or spiraliser, cut the courgettes and carrot into long noodles. Place in a bowl with the rest of the vegetables, slicing the mangetout diagonally. 

Pour over the sauce and mix well. Pick, finely chop and sprinkle over the herbs and reserved coconut. 

Leave to marinate for 30 minutes, until the ‘noodles’ have softened slightly, then serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pizza
one pizza

1 ball of pizza dough
1 1/2 Tbsp Italian dried herbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder

Sweet Potato Mash
1 large sweet potato
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
squeeze of clemetine juice (about 1 clementine)

3 clementines or tangerines, peeled/de-seeded/sliced into circles
3/4 cup cheddar cheese slices (I used vegan Follow Your Heart here - Daiya shreds would be yummy too)
3/4 cup chopped roasted/unsalted pecans
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 415 degrees.

2. Start with the dough. Fold the herbs and olive oil into the plain pizza dough. The start to stretch it out into your pizza shape. Lay it on a pizza pan - brush the top layer with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic powder. Set aside.

3. Mash up your baked sweet potato with the other sweet potato mash ingredients. Spread the sweet potato mash over the pizza dough just as you would marinara sauce.

4. Prep your clementines and cheese slices. Sprinkle a thin layer of pecans over top the sweet potato and then add the clementine rounds and cheese. An extra drizzle of olive oil or maple syrup is optional.

5. Bake the pizza for 20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Cool for a few minutes. Slice. Serve.

Vegan Peach Cobbler

12 Servings

Ingredients

Filling:

7 large ripe peaches, pitted and sliced into 1/3-inch pieces (about 2 3/4 pounds)

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping:

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or soy milk

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 1/2 cups whole spelt flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Directions

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the peaches, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon to a large bowl, and mix thoroughly to combine. Transfer the fruit mixture to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish, and spread out in an even layer.

For the topping: Combine the almond milk and lemon juice in a small bowl, and set aside for 5 minutes to "clabber" (curdle). Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda into a medium bowl; add the coconut sugar and salt, and whisk to combine. Drizzle the coconut oil into the flour mixture, and use your hands to work the oil in until all the flour is moistened. Add the clabbered almond milk and the maple syrup, and stir until just incorporated.

Crumble the topping over the filling, and bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is browning around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the cobbler from the oven, and set aside for 10 minutes before serving.

Total Calories: 2550

Per Serving: 212

This next recipe is going to be harder than the previous ones. I did this two times before i got it right. It is a family recipe but i changed a little bit the ingredients in the crust, I like it better that way! 

Chilled Dark Chocolate Pie with a Toasted Almond Crust and Strawberry Vanilla Compote

Yield: 12 servings

For the crust

• 3/4 cup raw almonds

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

• 1/2 cup oat flour

• 1 cup rolled oats

For the filling:

• 1 bag dark chocolate chips (about 340 grams)

• 1 (15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, chilled in fridge overnight

• Pinch of salt

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the strawberry compote (optional):

• 1 pound strawberries,diced

• 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or other sweetener), to taste

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1. For the crust: Preheat oven to 350⁰F and lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with coconut oil. Add almonds into a food processor and process until a fine crumb forms, the size of sand. Now add the coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, and oat flour and process again until the dough comes together. Finally, pulse in the rolled oats until the oats are finely chopped, but still have some texture to them. The dough should stick together when pressed between your fingers. If it doesn’t, try processing for a bit longer. 

2. With your fingers, crumble the dough evenly over the base of the pie dish. Starting from the middle, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the dish, moving outward and upward along the side of the pie dish. The harder you press the crumbs into the dish, the more it will hold together. Poke 5-6 fork holes into the bottom to let the air escape. 

3. Bake pie crust, uncovered, at 350⁰F for 10-13 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove from oven and set aside to cool on a rack for about 20 minutes.

4. For the filling: Chill can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight so the cream can solidify. When ready, open the can and carefully scoop out the solid white coconut cream into a pot, discarding the water. Add chocolate chips and stir until combined. Heat over low-medium heat until most of the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla until smooth.

5. For the strawberry compote: Add diced strawberries into a pot and increase heat to medium. In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetener and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) until no clumps remain. Add to strawberries and stir. Increase heat and bring mixture to a simmer and cook the strawberries for around 9-12 minutes or longer, until thickened and soft. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

6. Assembly: Pour chocolate filling into pie crust and smooth out. Place in the freezer, on an even surface, for a minimum of 2 hours, or until firm throughout. Allow pie to sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes before attempting to slice. Serve the pie chilled with the optional compote on top. Enjoy!

Steamed Buns with Tempura King Oyster Mushrooms 

   1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup mirin

2 king oyster mushrooms, about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide

1 quart vegetable, canola, or peanut oil

1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup ice-cold club soda

Kosher salt

12 Chinese sandwich-style steamed buns (bao)

1 1/2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce

4 scallions, very thinly sliced on an extreme bias, stored in a bowl of cold water in the fridge

1/2 cup picked fresh cilantro leaves

1.

Combine soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add king oyster mushrooms. Place a clean, lint-free paper towel or kitchen towel directly on the surface of the liquid, pressing down until it is completely saturated and keeps the mushrooms partially submerged. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to maintain a bare simmer. Cook until mushrooms are completely tender (a cake tester or paring knife inserted should meet little resistance as it goes through), about 30 minutes, flipping mushrooms once halfway through cooking.

2.

Remove mushrooms from liquid and dry carefully with paper towels. Return remaining liquid to a gently boil over medium heat and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. When mushrooms are cool enough to handle, slice each into 12 disks about 1/2-inch wide.

3.

Heat oil in a large wok, saucepan, or deep fryer to 350°F and adjust flame to maintain temperature.

4.

Combine cornstarch and flour in a large bowl and stir with chopsticks until roughly combined. Add soda and stir very rapidly with chopsticks while shaking bowl. Do not overmix—there should be plenty of lumps and bubbles. Add sliced mushrooms to bowl and turn to coat. Working one piece at a time, lift mushroom, allow excess batter to drip off, then slowly lower into hot oil. Repeat until all mushrooms are in the oil. Cook mushrooms, agitating oil and turning mushrooms occasionally with a wire mesh spider or long chopsticks until pale golden brown and completely crisp, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt immediately.

5.

Place steamed buns on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high power until hot, about 1 minute. Add shredded lettuce, two fried mushroom slices, a drizzle of the reduced simmering liquid, sliced scallions, and cilantro leaves. Close sandwiches and serve with dipping.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE (VEGAN, RAW, GLUTEN-FREE)

Crust:

    • 1 cup buckwheat flour

    • ½ cup walnuts

        • 8 Medjool dates

    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

      • ¼ teaspoon salt

Filling:

• 2 cups soaked cashews

• 1 cup coconut milk

• ¼ cup coconut oil

• 4 dates

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Juice of 1 lemon

• ¼ teaspoon salt

Strawberry frosting:

• 2 cups strawberries

• 4 Medjool dates

• Juice half a lemon

Place walnuts and buckwheat flour in the food processor and pulse into a flour.

Add dates, vanilla and salt and process until mixture begins to stick together.

Press the dough into a 9-inch pan to make the crust.

Combine the filling ingredients in a blender, except the coconut oil.

Melt the coconut oil and add into the mixture until well combined.

Pour the filling into the crust and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

Blend the strawberries with the dates and lemon juice until smooth.

When the filling is hard enough take the cake out of the freezer and pour the strawberry frosting on top.

Garnish with some fresh strawberries and serve.

Vegan Tomato Soup

  1 cup diced onion (about ½ onion, diced)

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided, optional)

½ cup raw cashews (soaked for a few hours, if you're not using a high-speed blender)

½ cup water

4½ cups stewed tomatoes (about three 14.5 ounce cans)

¼ cup coconut milk

1½ teaspoon dried basil (or a few tablespoons of fresh, if you have it)

¾ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

In a pan, saute onion and garlic in 1 teaspoon olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes, just until they are soft and fragrant.

Place cashews and water in blender. Blend on high for about 30 seconds, or until the mixture is fairly smooth and creamy. If you need more liquid, add a cup or two of your stewed tomatoes and blend again until all the cashew pieces have disappeared.

Add your sauteed onion/garlic and remaining stewed tomatoes to blender and blend until smooth.

Pour blender contents into a saucepan on medium to medium-high heat. As soup begins to simmer, stir frequently to prevent lumpiness and burning. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until soup color has darkened slightly.

Add remaining ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil, coconut milk, granulated sugar, dried basil, and salt to your saucepan.

Taste for salt and serve immediately

                Total calories: 1050

                Per serving: 260

These super easy cookies are really delicious, and well who doesn't like cookies?

Vegan and Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies

1 ½ cups gluten-free flour blend

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 cup packed dark brown sugar 

¾ cup peanut butter 

½ cup Earth Balance vegan butter (or Spectrum shortening) 

1 tsp pure vanilla 

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

organic cane sugar 

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and xanthan gum. Set aside. 

With an electric mixer, combine all other ingredients and mix until smooth. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. 

Roll the dough into balls then roll in cane the sugar. Flatten the cookies with your palm or use a fork to make traditional cross marks.  Bake at 375F (191C) for 6 to 8 minutes. This recipe makes about 15 Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies.

Calories:

160 per one cookie

compare to regular cookie 220 calories

Fig, Coconut & Blackberry Nice Cream

4 cups (1 liter), servings: 4 

10 fresh ripe figs

6 tbsp water

lemon zest, from 1 lemon
1/3 cup dried shredded coconut, unsweetened

fresh ginger, 1 inch, minced (optional)

1/2 cup (1,2 dl) agave nectar (or honey  if non-vegan)

2 cups (5 dl) coconut milk

lemon juice, from 1/2 lemon

2/3 cup (1,6 dl) fresh blackberries

lemon balm

Start by removing the ends from the figs. Cut each fig into 8 pieces. Put them in a saucepan, add water, lemon zest, coconut flakes and ginger. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the figs are tender. Add honey and around 10 blackberries. Continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes (you might want to lower the heat a bit) until it reaches a jam-like consistency. When it’s done, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Use an immersion blender or food processor to quickly mix it together with the coconut milk and lemon juice. Don’t mix too hard, it’s nice with some fruit pieces here and there. Chill well in the fridge (otherwise you will have yourself a fig milkshake) before you put the mixture in an ice cream maker for about 25 minutes or however long your brand of ice cream machine suggests. Serve with fresh blackberries and a few leaves of fresh lemon balm.

Total calories: 440, per serving 110!

Compare to regular vanilla ice cream: 170 calories