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