If you are looking to break out of the old school of holiday-friendly dips, especially where your health is concerned, but you want to hang on to some characteristics that appeal to the autumn and winter senses, consider giving this dish a try. It works well as a dip, a spread, or a topping for a holiday canapé. I have even just enjoyed it fresh and still warm, folded into a pita or tortilla with fresh crisp greens, cucumber, and tzadziki. Actually, any time of the year, this twist on hummus punches lots of nutrition, and can fill you up fairly easily with the right kinds of calories. Read More
Roasted Delicata Squash, Fennel & Onions
Okay, admit it. I’ll bet that more times than not, when you glance at the delicata squash at the market you think, “Wow that would make a lovely table decoration.” Don’t feel in the dark. It is a cool looking squash. And I am sure you are not alone. Here is the great news though. It tastes better than it looks, and you can eat the whole thing, skin and all. I guess that’s why they call it “Delicata,” although I have done no research to back this notion– just a hunch. This recipe is extremely easy, bringing delicata squash and fennel together like soul mates. Add this to your Thanksgiving menu or serve it as a quick and easy weeknight vegan meal. I recently featured winter squash on my nutrition blog in an article titled 10 Superfoods for your Autumn Grocery List. So dig in, and know you are getting some awesome nutrition. Oh, and you can serve this right out of the oven, or make it a couple hours ahead and enjoy it at room temperature.
“Creamy” Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Tomato Salsa
Nothing completes a crisp autumn or rainy day like a bowl of creamy soup. I am pretty sure that there isn’t a person out there who doesn’t have a nostalgic attachment to a “cream of something” soup from their past or childhood. Well I have some good news about that! You can keep your creamy, comforting stroll down memory lane while also avoiding the bad and promoting awesome, clean nutrition. This soup is very easy to make and is also great as a cold vichyssoise style soup if you have leftovers. The salsa is a tangy compliment that offers extra rich flavor in the truffle oil, but also completely optional. Read More
Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Sage & Garlic
Greetings! I know it’s been a while since the last post. To be honest, my creativity took a brief leave of absence. I also became fixated on creating the perfect homemade vegan ice cream, that also stores well. That sort of consumed me for a few weeks. No ice cream recipe to post yet, and now it is becoming irrelevant, as summer is going away. So, on to one of my favorite subjects: Quality kitchen time during the fall season. Let’s kick it off with a very simple, and surprisingly filling dish using just five key ingredients. Fresh sage, garlic and winter squashes are good friends in my book. This recipe sort of takes the traditional squash ravioli with sage, and sort of deconstructs it and puts a yummy vegan spin on it. Don’t be afraid to ramp up the garlic and the sage. Enjoy! Read More
Chickpea & Wild Mushroom Cakes with Basil-Mint Tzadziki
Lately I have been thinking this a lot: “A tzadziki would go great with this dish.” But I hadn’t found a great, vegan plain yogurt. Although some will argue that dairy yogurt is good for you, if you are avoiding dairy, or keeping vegan, a dairy yogurt just won’t do. Then the other day I was headed to one of my local grocery stores, but coming from a completely different direction than usual. Surprise! I rode my bicycle right into the South Pasadena Farmer’s Market. I couldn’t get from one end of the market to the other without completely spending all of my cash. Then I found a vegan nut cheese maker called Blode Kuh. And there before my eyes was a sample cup filled with cashew yogurt. Yum and yay, because not only was the yogurt fantastic, the cheese maker accepted my credit card on his “square” thing. Gotta love technology! This recipe is devoted to the people at Blode Kuh! Thank you for your awesome yogurt!! Read More
Huevos con Nopalitos
Whatever you call it, that ubiquitous cactus that is probably hanging out in more back yards than many of us realize, is packed with superfood nutrition. The leaf or “pad” of the nopale is believed to support many aspects of health and well being such as weight loss, blood purification, maintaining blood sugar balance, and more. My personal philosophy is that nature designed the nopale to provide good, somewhat complete nutrition in climates where growing and cultivating food, and finding an abundant water source may be a challenge. In any case, I feel extremely lucky to have two nopale trees in my food garden. They are going crazy right now producing more nopales than we can keep up with. In the spirit of water conservation, food sustainability, and good health, why not explore how many accessible nopales are growing in your world? Here is a simple, very traditional egg recipe for enjoying fresh nopales from your garden. Be sure to cut the nopale when the leaf is still young and the thorns are still soft to the touch. Once the thorns have become wooody and hard, the nopale leaf is too mature for culinary enjoyment. You can cut nopales, clean, and cut into “nopalitos,” basically cleaned and cut up nopales, and store them in an air tight bag or container for up to a week or two. Read More
Garlic Stuffed Roasted Artichoke
I love the artichoke roots that have taken hold in my food garden! Every year, a glorious new artichoke plant pops out and produces delicious artichokes right on schedule. They have become one of the highlights of spring in at our house. Artichoke roots go dormant in late summer early fall, but then wake up in early winter to start producing the plant, and spring is usually harvest time for artichokes. Many people scratch their heads at artichokes, either because they only know how to boil them, or maybe they just don’t think its worth the work required to finally get to the delicious heart of the artichoke. To me it is all worth the work, but just in case, here is a super easy way to prepare fresh artichokes, that incorporates roasted garlic. I recommend trying this accompanied by something you can spread the edible meat of the artichoke, along with the roasted garlic onto, like a baguette or a toasted flatbread. Don’t let spring pass without trying this once! It is a nice alternative to the traditional boiling method. I like to leave two or three artichokes on the plant each year because they eventually blossom into a beautiful flower. And they look as beautiful as they taste! Read More
Basil-Hemp Pesto Spaghetti with Veggies
I am kind of on a hemp kick right now. Hemp seeds have almost earned “BFF” status in my kitchen life. Unlike their chia and flax counterparts, hemp seeds have a buttery nut-like texture making them an ideal go-to for those times you need to fill that “dairy” component in a recipe or a dish. And, three tablespoons of hemp seeds have ten grams of plant based protein! If you can live with their fat content then I say keep them around and discover all their hidden talents. I put them to a pesto test and I was delighted and a bit surprised that it came out better than the traditional pesto with parmesan. By the time it got to the plate it had become the star of a refreshing spring pasta dish. Read More
Eggplant Cannelloni with Mushrooms & Leeks
Cannelloni, ravioli, manicotti, tortellini…what do these foods have in common besides ending with the letter “i”? Well, it is probably safe to say that they are all loved by many for their cheese-stuffed, pasta goodness. One of my favorite reasons for blogging on here is to discover healthier, less toxic versions of this kind of stuff. With that said, I am loving this cannelloni creation that has been evolving in my kitchen. It delivers a rich, comfort food experience without any of the bad stuff. And, it is great the next day, even cold! I know this because I left it sitting on the stove one cold winter night, and the next morning it was devoured before I could wrap it and put it into the refrigerator! The sunflower seeds give this dish enough clean protein to replace any meat or dairy version, and the mushrooms don’t need any nutrition hype to make their healthy introduction. In other words, this would make a great entree whenever you have that urge for a comfort food whatever…ending in “i”!
Cauliflower Diablo Tacos with Mango Slaw
It’s hard to overlook cauliflower’s recent rise to food fame. It seems like everyone is going bananas for this cruciferous, that until now has endured a long reputation as a pretty boring vegetable. It’s because cauliflower is undeniably and extremely good for you, and therefore, more and more people are looking at ways to bring cauliflower to the forefront of their dinner plates. But what happens when you just want a good old taco? Can cauliflower hold up to carne asada, carnitas, or shrimp? Well, I gave it a whirl last night and it came out pretty yummy. Check out this vegan spin-off of the Baja style shrimp taco and decide for yourself.