REAL Recipes

Date Walnut Muffins, Gluten-free

Molasses give these muffins their chocolate color and complex flavor.
2 cups Brown Rice Flour
1/3 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 large Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup Molasses
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350oF. Recipe makes 12-15 muffins. Prepare muffin tins by lightly greasing with oil, shortening or vegan butter or line with paper muffin cups. 

1. In a large bowl mix together rice flour, tapioca, potato starch, baking soda, cinnamon, flax seeds and walnuts.
2. Add in chopped dates, separating the sticky pieces as possible.
3. In a separate bowl mix together vinegar, molasses and water.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
5. Spoon about 1/2 cup of batter into each muffin cup.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until muffins are firm.
7. Remove from oven. Let cool. Remove the muffins from the tin, place in a basket and serve with your favorite spreads.

Interviews with Harold Brown and Dr. Nuno

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

4/30/2013:

Part I – Dr. Ismael Nuño
The Spirit Of The Heart

Dr. Ismael Nuño had a 35-year career as one of America’s leading heart surgeons and throughout his career he experienced his fair share of loss and triumph. He details his incredible journey as a heart surgeon in his new book The Spirit of the Heart: Stories of Family, Hope, Loss, and Healing.

4/30/2013:

Part II – Harold Brown
Farm Kind

Harold Brown, a character in the documentary Peaceable Kingdom, The Journey Home, spent over half of his life in agriculture. Growing up on a beef farm in Michigan and later working in the dairy industry. Harold has been involved in the behind the scenes operations of food production that uses animals. Today Harold is an activist advocating for sustainable food production, social and environmental justice, animal rights and peace through non-violence.


TRANSCRIPTION PART I

Caryn Hartglass: Hello, everybody! I’m Caryn Hartglass. You’re listening to It’s All About Food. And I am actually in Florida and ready to do the show from here. It’s been really a great tour. I premiered the Swingin’ Gourmets last week, which was really fun. And now I’m in Florida doing a number of talks in a variety of places and it’s always fun to meet the community and the people that are interested in food the way I am. Okay. So, interesting show today. I’m looking forward to getting started so let’s do that, why don’t we?

My first guest is Dr. Ishmael Nuno. And he’s the author of the book, The Spirit of the Heart. He has had a 35-year career as one of America’s leading heart surgeons and throughout his career he had experienced his fair share of loss and triumphs. He details his incredible journey as a heart surgeon in his new book, The Spirit of the Heart: Stories of Family, Hope, Loss, and Healing.

Dr. Nuno, are you with us?

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes, ma’am. I’m in Los Angeles and I am hearing you from Florida.

Caryn Hartglass: You know, it’s crazy. I love technology. It brings us all together. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. I talk about this all the time and what we really need is balance but I love the way I could speak to people all over the world.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Absolutely.

Caryn Hartglass: Okay. I read your book and I really was touched by all your intimate thoughts about your career and the people you connected with. It’s a fascinating thing doing heart surgery.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes, it is. I wanted to do heart surgery ever since I was a kid. My entire life was oriented towards one day becoming a heart surgeon. My high school projects, my science projects, were heart. My papers in college were in the heart. My training and surgery was in the heart. It was a very fulfilling career. We operated on a lot of patients, saved a lot of life. We lost some but there some learning in that so that’s why I wanted to produce the book. And the most important part of it was losing an 18-year-old daughter.

Caryn Hartglass: Yeah. I cannot imagine what that feels like. And I imagine, just writing about it and sharing your thoughts and keeping her spirit alive is somewhat helpful.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes, it is. It was very … it brought back a lot of memories. I keep on thinking about it. I can now speak with other parents who are having the same problems with their children. And I think it is very beneficial so even though she’s not with me physically I keep her in my heart and I talk to her, deal with her, you know, get angry with her still.

Caryn Hartglass: Well, one of the things that I enjoyed about your book, there were a number of things, but one was the fact that you were open to some metaphysical thoughts about spirits leaving and connecting, which I think is so important, especially in the medical profession because so many doctors turn off to that possibility because there’s no scientific evidence for it.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Right. It’s difficult to talk, even amongst colleagues, when you sit there having a cup of coffee and you’re discussing certain events. They’re looking at you like, “Yeah, you’re nuts!” And you’re absolutely correct. They do turn it off but I think that those of us who are in the business, we really learn to respect the sensitivity of not only a life but a death, just in the blink of an eye. I opened up the book with my sister. We were flying to Paris and her heart stopped and I had to give her … I had to resuscitate her at 35,000 feet. Luckily, things turned out well for her. But it’s a blink of an eye. And that’s exactly what happens when a family takes a loved one for heart surgery and everything is going well, and you’re patting yourself on the back, and everything turned out fine and then all of a sudden, their heart stops. It promotes an entire philosophy, not only existential but spiritually, what happens. I’m not talking about really what happens after death; I know nothing about it. And like you said, it’s not scientifically proven but there is a transition, as you go from life to death, that I think that can be a very, in a way, beautiful aspect of it when a patient I know is going to die and then they’re dying and bringing the family in, they can touch him, they can tell him how much they love him. And there’s a lot to that that we ordinarily miss. When you have a loss, which is sudden, that is horrible and everybody understands that but if you know that it’s coming and then I think you can make appropriate changes in that moment so that you can help that person: put them at ease, tell them that you love him. What’s a better way of leaving this life than knowing that you have loved ones around you? I asked my wife, I said, “When your time comes, if you have a choice of time and place, how would you do it?” And she said, “I would love to have my grandchildren around my bed.”

Caryn Hartglass: Yeah. You had mentioned how many hospitals don’t want young children in the presence of people who are sick.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Right. For a couple of things, a couple of reasons. One of them is the fact that we used to have the epidemiologic thoughts that a child was a harbinger of a lot of viruses and that if you brought them in, they could create and epidemic, that sort of thing. And so there were hospital policies against a child coming in. I will believe that a child can bring a lot of happiness to a person who is gravely ill, especially if they can make contact and they’re not in a coma. But even in a coma, you never really know how much people are taking it in, the patients take in, the love that comes from family.

Caryn Hartglass: That’s right. Well, I know when I’m around small children, even if I’m a bad mood, all of a sudden my mood changes. Young children, we can learn so much from them. We forget how to be like children and we really should pay more attention to their child-like manner, where everything is new, and fresh, and joyful.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: I agree entirely.

Caryn Hartglass: Now, another thing that I like is when you talked about seeing the other side as a patient. A friend of mine, Dr. Robert Quitman wrote a book, When Doctors Become Patients. And I think it’s something that doctors need to learn in their education, becoming a doctor, what it’s like to be a patient because there’s so much arrogance and …

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes.

Caryn Hartglass: And the patients do not benefit from it.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes, I agree with you entirely. I learned a lot being in the hospital, just observing the way I was treated: the poking of the needles, the attitude that some of them had. It was a truly learning experience. And when I was told I was going into liver failure and that I was up for liver transplant. It was so bizarre, Caryn, sitting there all night, waiting for somebody to die so I can have his liver. It was an incredible experience. When morning came I realized I didn’t die. Number one and number two, nobody gave me their liver, which was a good sign. And I learned a lot. Some of those moments when the sun comes up and you’re thinking about your own life and your own mortality, they’re beautiful moments, and moments that you just never forget.

Caryn Hartglass: I’ve done a bit of reading about transplants and maybe you’re familiar with this but I’ve heard incredible stories about how there is memory, not just in the brain but in all parts of our body. And people who had transplants sometimes experience the memory of the person that they got their organ from.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: You know, when you take a look at couples, all of us throughout the world, you begin to observe that, perhaps, the male begins to look like and the female begins to look like the male. It’s like all of us who have dogs; the dog has a certain characteristic that our character has. But my thought is that through intimacy, for example, you are going to transfer cells from one body, from one organism to the other and those cells are going to replicate, which is the basis for stem cells. You take a few originating cells and they develop into an organ and that’s what can happen between human beings, such that the wife can give her cells to the male and I think that’s how it’s going to develop. Same thing with transplants. When we used to put in the organs into patients and eventually they would develop certain traits that were different. And I had women ask me if their husband was going to develop the, perhaps, an ugly, mad character the originating patient had. It’s hard to say that but I think there are some changes that undergo to the body. Now, technically, what we do is we wash out this organ so that we wash out a lot of the cells, the debris, and going to the organism so that there is no host organ or organ against the host. So yeah, that can happen. I believe in that.

Caryn Hartglass: Yeah, it’s pretty wild. Well, there are clearly so many things that we don’t know. You’ve had a long career as a heart surgeon, 35 years. I imagine things have changed incredibly over those 35 years.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes. Number one, the most common surgery that was performed in the United States until recently was coronary artery bypass. And when I began, we were making cuts from the neck to the abdomen, and through the groin, to the ankle and there were huge, huge cuts. And now we have technology by which, thank God we have it, through a small little hole, you can do the bypass. You can take out the vein leg … leg vein, I’m sorry. So there’s a lot of new advances that are putting us in the right direction. We do robotic surgery through small little holes. Pretty soon we’re going to have, once we work out this indigenous aspect we have in America, a surgeon in Los Angeles or New York can be doing the Columbus surgery in another city or country and that’s going to come, hopefully, in a shorter while from now. We just have to work some books from it.

Caryn Hartglass: Yeah, isn’t that crazy? It’s just mind-boggling. And we know that it’s going to happen and it’s going to happen soon.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: It’s progressive. Absolutely. We’re going to get there.

Caryn Hartglass: All right. We know that there are over 600,000 deaths from heart disease every year. I think it’s 650,000; it’s probably increasing. And there are many, many people that suffer from Type II adult on-set diabetes. And my passion is food. And we’re learning more and more about the power of food and how it can prevent and often reverse heart disease and diabetes. You never mention food in your book.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: No, but it’s an important aspect of it. I learned a lot through my daughter. She was fighting anorexia nervosa, number one. Number two, as a heart surgeon, I do recommend certain diets. One of them is the Mediterranean diet, which is very good. And the Societies of Cardiology of America voted it as the most preventive and health-wise diet for cardio-vascular disease. It’s a mixture of fish and some white meat, with nuts, vegetables and a little bit of red wine. So the American Heart Association recommends about 4 oz. of wine a day. You can go up to 8 oz. a day but you just have to be careful about it. But yeas, there are certain diets that we do recommend for cardiovascular health. And in the long run, it has created some improvements in longevity in patients that are studied. So there’s a lot to be said about that for diets and the way that we … You have to recommend exercise, of course, which is an important aspect of heart health. But we can do better in America and throughout the world as far as improving or decreasing the number of deaths from heart disease.

Caryn Hartglass: Yeah, I think we definitely can do a lot of improvement and the thing is, our technology is so incredible and so advanced and we can do so much. And what frustrates me is that we can be doing much more for diseases that we know are not preventable and take that technology and us that for those things like paralysis and other things, where people have accidents or really bizarre diseases.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: I agree.

Caryn Hartglass: But heart disease …I personally don’t think the Mediterranean diet is the best diet. I’m a vegan and I come from the plant-strong world. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who wrote Preventing Heart Disease and there’s a documentary called Forks Over Knives, but there’s this big movement now to focus on the power of plant foods and how it can really reverse heart disease. I really think that that’s some of where we’re really going to improve in the future. I mean, I hope so because those things are easy.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: I think we’re well. I think it’s up to us as physicians and people like you helping in trying to put the word out that it can be done. I was present at the American Heart Association and I suit up one day at the conference room and I said, “People, we’re dealing with a lot of the population that when they go to the grocery store, they’re going to get bread and milk for their kids and that’s it.” That’s what they care about: feeding their kids. Those of us who are better off socio-economically, yes, we do take a look at the labels, at the calories, at the nitrates, and all of that but I think that there’s a lot of room, like you said, so we can push it. There are vegetarian diets that, I think, will help us. You’re in a better position to tell me that, If you have any particular suggestions.

Caryn Hartglass: Yes! Well. There’s two great books out. One is called The End of Diabetes by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and he talks from a really detailed perspective. I had him on the show about a few weeks ago about medication and how some of it actually increases cardiovascular disease and the things you can do to really … If you have Type-I diabetes, to reduce your insulin requirement. If you have Type II, how you can totally turn it around. It’s really fascinating and powerful stuff.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Excellent, excellent.

Caryn Hartglass: Yeah. And I have a few other questions I want to talk about. You mentioned privilege; how some of us have more privilege and we can choose better foods. But also in the medical environment there’s a great deal of privilege. And I remember you mentioned when you were an intern, I think, or a new physician and you had to take someone off life support and you wanted to resuscitate him but his choice was “Do not resuscitate.”

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Correct, yes.

Caryn Hartglass: I wonder about those who don’t have access to great health care, they end up just dying and then those who have access to good health care have a choice: they could not have to be resuscitated or they could be put on all kinds of machines to keep them going.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes, absolutely. The advance directive, you can write one as you go into the hospital, whether you want a tube or medication. I think we’ve gotten to the point where we can be selective. The only problem is the degree of information the patient has. It’s our duty to make sure that they understand fully what they’re getting into. We, as children of parents, I don’t think we have that hard of a choice when we see if they’re suffering, if their life has become so limited, we can say, “Okay, that’s enough. Stop. Let them be at peace.” For our children, I think, it’s a lot different. I think we’re learning a lot from the cancer patients, how their survival now is getting better, thank God. I think it’s great! I think that the choices that we’re having to make for our younger patients, for our children, are getting better. So we’re learning, we’re getting better, and I think we’re going in the right direction.

Caryn Hartglass: Another thing you mentioned was that early on in your career, you put in very long hour-days and now there are more restrictions about doctors spending so much time in the hospital because it’s not good for anybody; everybody gets tired.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes, we do.

Caryn Hartglass: But there’s all kinds of things in hospitals. We’re seeing so much these viruses, the hygiene problems. Do you see some hope there? Because some say that the second greatest cause of death is hospital care.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Yes, absolutely. Don’t go to the hospital; they’re dirty. They really are. The accumulation of pus, the terrible things that are around, especially some of the viruses. I’m a Republican by vote. We won’t talk about politics but as a physician I do have to understand the Obamacare that’s coming, how we’re going to best deliver it best to patients, how we’re going to take care of them from now on. And one of the directions that we’re going is to decrease the size of hospitals and to have, as much as we can, care as an outpatient. So we’re going to have to reinvent the machines of the care for some of these patients, such that we can deliver it at home. We’re going to have to have a series of health care delivery agents, excuse me, people out to the homes and take care of them. So things are going to change and it’s coming; there’s no question about it. I think that it’s going to be re-distributed, such that all these infections that you hear about …One went into open-heart surgery and they got staph at the hospital. That’s a terrible thing! I can’t imagine being more sorrowful than to think that I made the cut, it’s my patient, and my patient coming in a better situation in than I left him in. It’s a huge promise and sometimes that promise if broken and that’s a terrible thing to happen.

Caryn Hartglass: The last thing I want to talk about is love because I believe, above all else, love heals. And it’s so important to have love, be surrounded by, supported by friend and family. And it’s really magical at some point. I remember reading in your book when you talked about this wife who brought a rabbi in to speak to her husband Larry, who wasn’t stable and all of sudden, he was stable. It’s kind of a … I mean, you really have to realize there’s so much more that’s bigger and greater than all of us out there when you see something like that happen.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Absolutely.

Caryn Hartglass: So my prescription for you, Dr. Nuno, is lots of dark leafy green vegetables, onions, mushrooms, raw nuts and seeds.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Thank you so much.

Caryn Hartglass: Okay, thank you for joining me on It’s All About Food.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: I will take your advice. Thank you so much!

Caryn Hartglass: All the best with your book.

Dr. Ishmael Nuno: Thank you. Bye-bye.

Caryn Hartglass: Well, there you go. I’m Caryn Hartglass and you’re listening to It’s All About Food. Now, you know you can call in to this show if you have any comments or questions. And the number is 1-888-874-4888. I don’t say that very often because I usually get wrapped up talking to my guest but I’m always happy to hear from you. And you certainly can send me an email at info@RealMeals.org. And if any of you are in the South Florida area I’m going to be speaking this Friday night. I’m looking right now at the information. May 3rd. It’s a vegan potluck for EarthSave Miami at the Tamarac Community Center. You can find out the specifics if you visit my website, responsibleeatingandliving.com and click on the “Talks” tab. That’s going to be lots of fun. Lots of information out there about heart disease. We talked awhile ago about this new study that came out linking carnatine and how it changes into something… what are the initials, something like TMAO, T … you know what I’m talking about. But it develops arterial sclerosis and there’s all kinds of back and forth conversation about this now because there are people that don’t want to know that their meat and eggs might be causing arterial sclerosis and now having more scientific proof on that subject. But when it all comes down to health, for me, it’s dark leafy green vegetables because people have been asking me about it and aren’t sure where to find it so I just put it right back, front and center, on the front page. It’s all about juicing, blending, what’s the difference, steamed greens, salads. Just get more greens in your diet. Just remember, there’s nothing kale can’t do.

Okay. Let’s take a break and we’re going to be back and talking with Harold Brown of Farm Kind. So a few more minutes and we’ll be right back.

Transcribed by Dianna O’Reilly, May 15, 2013

Banana Maple Walnut Muffins, Gluten-Free

Bananas typically don’t last long enough in our home to get really ripe and gooey. But when they do, they are perfect for making banana muffins.
2 cups Brown Rice Flour
1/3 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup potato starch (corn starch or arrowroot may be substituted)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (any other nut or seed may be substituted)
2 Tablespoons maple sugar (or other sweetener like evaporated cane juice)
2 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup ground flax seeds mixed into 1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350oF. Recipe makes 12 – 18 muffins. Prepare muffin tins by lightly greasing with oil or vegan shortening (non-hydrogenated) or line with paper muffin cups. 

1. In a large bowl mix together rice flour, tapioca, potato starch, baking soda.
2. In a small bowl mix together flax seeds in 1/2 cup water, add vinegar, mashed bananas and sugar. Bananas do not have to be completely blended in, small bits in the mixture are fine.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
4. Pour in 1 cup water and beat the batter by hand.
5. Stir in nuts.
6. Spoon batter into each muffin cup about 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until muffins are firm and golden brown.
8. Remove from oven. Let cool. Remove the muffins from the tin, place in a basket and serve with your favorite spreads.

All in a Saturday

While editing and uploading IT’S ALL ABOUT FOOD transcriptions (there are now 66), planning our upcoming April fundraiser and enjoying this snowy, wet March day, I made some of my favorite recipes. Where do I go for recipes? ResponsibleEatingAndLiving.com of course. Where do I get the energy? PLANT POWER!!

RECIPES

Prune Butter

Hummus

Yeasted Bread, GF

Leek Carrot Turnip Soup

Hummus is Hummus

Once in a restaurant Israel with my sister, I asked about the hummus, and the server’s reply was “hummus is hummus”. Not true! I don’t like any of the hummus varieties available today in stores loaded with too much salt and often with preservatives. Freshly made is best and simple to do.

2 cups chick peas (garbanzo beans) (I soak dry beans and cook them until soak. Canned beans can be used instead)
4 Tablespoons Tahini (sesame butter)
juice of 1/2 large lemon
1 cup or more of water
salt to taste (optional)

Place the beans in a blender and add a cup of water. Blend until creamy. Depending on your blender power you may need to stop the blender and stir the contents with a spoon several times until it is smooth using a little more water if necessary. Add in Tahini and lemon juice and blend to incorporate. Place in a container and refrigerate until ready to serve. When ready to serve, spread desired amount out flat on a plate about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and cumin, drizzle with olive oil or sprinkle with pine nuts.

Leek, Carrot and Turnip Soup

Soup should be simple. And this one is just about the simplest. The title says it all – 3 vegetables plus garlic and herbs and voila! Perfect for an unexpected snow day in the middle of March. Leeks and turnips make an unbelievably flavorful broth.

1 large leek (1 1/2 inches wide and about 14 inches long) or 2 small leeks
5 carrots
1 medium turnip
1 1/2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence (or combination of any of these herbs: basil, marjoram, thyme, parsley, tarragon, rosemary)
4 garlic cloves
8 cups water
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon kelp powder or salt to taste
Optional: 1/3 cup dried mushrooms or 1 cup fresh mushrooms.

1. Slice the leek lengthwise. Open it up and rinse the leaves making sure to remove any dirt. Chop in 1/4 inch wide pieces, both white and dark greens parts.
2. Chop carrots in 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide circles.
3. Peel turnip and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
4. Mince garlic
5. Put the vegetables and garlic in a large stock pot, cover with a cup of water and cook on medium heat until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the remaining water and herbs and, if using, kelp powder and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 40 minutes.
7. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.

Snowy Joes

Snowy Joes! When it’s cold and snowing outside here’s a great dish to warm up to. Serve over your favorite grain, or if you have the time, bake up some of our REAL Yeasted, Gluten-Free Burger Buns.

1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 package organic tempeh (8 oz)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water plus 1 cup
1 tablespoon maple syrup or molasses
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon savory
dash of pepper
1 can of organic kidney beans, no salt added, with the water (NOTE: if using any other beans, drain and rinse first and then add to the pot)
1 can of organic tomato paste

1. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and chop the tempeh.
2. In a large saucepan combine onion, garlic, tempeh, red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup water, maple syrup (or molasses) and spices. Mix well and let set for 10 minutes to soften the dried spices and slightly marinade the tempeh.
3. Over med-high heat bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until onions are soft and translucent.
4. Add the beans, tomato paste and 1 cup water (add 1/4 cup more water if you’ve rinsed the beans prior to adding them to the pan). Mix well and return to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes with the lid on (stirring occasionally).
5. Adjust the seasonings and simmer without the lid for an additional five minutes.

Serve open faced on buns, over your favorite grain or by itself. (Snowy day is optional)

Yeasted Burger Buns, Gluten-Free

Taking the time to make your own bread is always worth it. These yeasted burger buns are a variation on a recipe by Laurie Sadowski in her cookbook The Allergy-Free Cook Bakes Bread. It’s the few tablespoons of ground almonds that give Laurie’s recipes a delicious flavor. LISTEN to the IT’S ALL ABOUT FOOD interview with Laurie.

1 3/4 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 package Active Dry Yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds
1 1/4 cups sorghum flour
2/3 cup potato starch
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
3 tablespoons finely ground almonds
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 200oF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix together yeast, 1 teaspoon agave and 1 cup of warm water. Let stand for about 5 minutes, allowing mixture to bubble and foam. In medium size bowl, beat the flax seeds in the remaining 3/4 cup of water. Add in 2 tablespoons of agave, cider vinegar and olive oil. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredient together, sorghum flour, potato starch, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, almonds, xanthan gum and salt. Add in flax mixture and proofed yeast mixture and make a very moist dough.

With oiled hands scoop out 1/6 of the batter, and form a round bun. Repeat with the remaining batter, making six bun. Let rise on top of the warm oven for about 60 minutes, until doubled in size.

Raise oven temperature to 350oF. When the desired temperature is reached place the buns in the oven. Cooked for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the buns from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Gluten-Free

Bring the sunshine to your winter breakfast table with Lemon Poppy Seed muffins. Red bananas add their own light lemony flavor while adding sweetness and acting as a binder.
2 cups Brown Rice Flour
1/3 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 Tablespoons poppy seeds
2 Tablespoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)
Juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tablespoons lemon juice)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup ground flax seeds mixed into 1/2 cup water
1 red banana, mashed (a conventional Cavendish banana can be used instead)

Preheat oven to 350oF. Recipe makes 12-15 muffins. Prepare muffin tins by lightly greasing with oil or vegan butter or line with paper muffin cups. 

1. In a large bowl mix together rice flour, tapioca, potato starch, baking soda and poppy seeds.
2. In a small bowl mix together flax seeds in 1/2 cup water, add vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, mashed bananas and sugar.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
4. Pour in 1 cup water and blend followed by the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Beat the batter by hand.
5. Spoon about 1/2 cup of batter into each muffin cup.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until muffins are firm and golden brown.
7. Remove from oven. Let cool. Remove the muffins from the tin, place in a basket and serve with your favorite spreads.

Mini CriMini Mushroom Burgers

Some folks call the small sized burger a slider, some call them White Castle style, here at REAL we call them Mini Crimini Burgers. Regardless of what you call them, this recipe is simple with optimum results. We recommend 3 minis each as an entree or 2 each as a party appetizer for 12 friends. WARNING: After you taste these juicy mushroom burgers with sautéed onions you may want to make extra because they go fast. Garnish with your favorite burger sides.

1 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon REAL Tuscan Herbs (or Herbes de Provence)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or 2 cloves of minced garlic
24 large crimini mushrooms (1.5″-2″ in diameter)
2 yellow onions chopped (about 2 cups)
1 Tablespoon olive oil (for sautéeing the onions)
24 REAL Gluten-Free Mini Burger Buns (split)

Dry clean the mushrooms by brushing them with a very soft brush (remove the stems, chop them into small pieces, reserving for use later in this recipe).

In a small bowl prepare the marinade, mixing together the Balsamic vinegar, herbs and garlic.

Place the mushrooms in a shallow dish, bowl or glass baking pan and pour half the marinade over them.

Preheat a cast iron grill-pan or frying pan over medium heat.

Place the mushrooms on the grill and cook until tender, brushing with the remaining marinade.

When they are done, place them back in the pan and keep warm in a low temp oven.

In the same pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and the mushrooms deglazing the pan with the remaining marinade.

Assemble the Mini Crimini Burgers on the mini buns as you would any burger and garnish each with a teaspoon of the onion mushroom saute.

Pasta Frolla, Gluten-Free

Soy lecithin is used in place of egg yolks to bind pasta frolla and give this crust it’s rich flavor. And it rolls out perfectly.

Almond RIcotta Vegan Gluten-Free Cheesecake


For the crust
2 cups rice flour plus a little extra for rolling
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 cup vegan butter
4 tablespoons soy lecithin in 4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons Marsala wine

In a small bowl, beat the water into the soy lecithin until creamy. (I grind the entire container of soy lecithin granules and keep them in the refrigerator in a jar. It’s very sticky but blends easier with water when I am ready to use it). If the mixture is lumpy, use a sieve, strain the mixture into a another bowl so that it is very smooth. In a large bowl mix together the rice flour, xanthan gum and sugar. Cut in the vegan butter making a crumbly dough. Add in the soy lecithin and Marsala wine and knead into dough. Let chill about an hour.

Take the dough from refrigerator. Place a sheet of wax paper on a firm surface and sprinkle liberally with flour. Flatten the dough into a round circle. Dust liberally with flour and cover with another sheet of wax paper. Roll dough into desired shape/size. Remove the top sheet of wax paper. Carefully turn the dough over and press into cake or pie pan. If you are having difficulty with the dough you can press pieces of it in the pan until the bottom and sides are uniformly covered.

Basic Wheat Flour Pie Crust

Use this crust for sweet or savory pies, like our Tomato Onion Quiche.

Basic Wheat Crust

3/4 cup white flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat or 1/1/2 cups white flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) vegan butter
Ice Water, 6-8 tablespoons

Cut vegan butter into flour and knead dough. Add 2 – 3 tablespoons of water at a time until dough is moist and elastic. Roll out dough on a floured cloth to a round for an 8” pie plate. If the dough is too crumbly you can add more water or just press it into the plate.

Add desired filling and bake according to recipe directions.

Pumpkin Seed Crust, Gluten-Free

The pumpkin seed crust is so flavorful and free of oil, butter or margarine. It’s a wonderful crust for Thanksgiving, for a sweet or savory pumpkin pie.

Crust

1 cup brown rice flour plus extra on the side for rolling if necessary
1 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
water

Drain and rinse pumpkin seeds. Place in a food processor and pulse several times to start forming a paste. Add a 1/4 cup of water and pulse several more times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add another 1/4 cup water and start to blend seeds. The goal is to make a paste with the least amount of water possible. Add water as necessary to enable blending, about 1 cup total. In a small bowl mix together flour with xanthan gum. Add to food processor and blend until mixture clumps into a bowl. Remove from processor and place in a small bowl. Knead slightly and press into a bowl. Dough will be moist and sticky. Cover with wax paper and let chill at least an hour.

Remove from refrigerator. Place dough on a piece of wax paper at least 12 inches in length. If the dough is too sticky you may dust your hands and the wax paper with more flour. Press dough into a flat circle and cover with another sheet of wax paper. Roll out with a rolling out to a circle as large as the pie plate you will be using. Carefully peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Don’t worry if the dough tears. You can easily just press it into the pie plate where needed. Turn the dough onto the pie plate, pressing it to match the plate form. Carefully and slowly remove the top sheet of wax paper. Trim edges. Add desired filling and bake according to pie filling recipe.

Watch the video on making SAVORY PUMPKIN PIE

Rice Flour Pie Crust, Gluten-Free

This is a basic gluten-free pie crust that can be easily pressed into a pie plate.

Crust
3/4 cup rice flour
1/3 cup vegan butter
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon evaporated cane juice (optional)
pinch salt (optional)
Ice Water, 4 tablespoons

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, xanthan gum, salt and sugar. Cut vegan butter into flour and knead dough. Add 4 tablespoons of water at a time until dough is moist and somewhat sticky. If the dough is too crumbly you can add more water. Let the dough chill at least 30 minutes.

When ready to roll out the dough, preheat oven to 350F. Place dough on a sheet of wax paper and press into a circle about 1 inch thick. Cover with another sheet of wax paper and roll dough from the center out to the edges, to make a circle large enough to cover an 8 inch pie place. Carefully remove the top sheet. Flip the dough on top of the pie plate. Center the dough and press into the plate. Slowly peel the top sheet off, holding the dough in place with one hand. If the dough tears, that’s okay. It’s easy to scoop up the dough that sticks to the wax paper and press into place. Even out the edges, trim and press with a fork or pinch all around to make it pretty. Bake crust for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

Hollandaise

Hollandaise Sauce to top our No-Eggs Benedict Arnold.

Vegan Hollandaise (quick version)

1 cup of Vegan Mayonaise
1/2 cup of melted vegan butter
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon of turmeric
dash of cayenne pepper

Whisk together over a double boiler on low heat the lemon juice, mayonnaise and turmeric until warm (but not hot) to the touch — when everything is incorporated slowly add the melted butter a little at a time and continue to whisk. Add a dash of cayenne if desired. Keep warm over a double boiler.

For a quick vegan Béarnaise sauce, add a tablespoon of freshly chopped tarragon to the Hollandaise and mix well.

Baked Tofu Fries

A popular appetizer on some Asian menus is Fried Tofu. Tofu contains a good amount of fat and deep frying it in oil takes a healthy food and turns it into a not-so-healthy one. Here’s a great way to make Fried Tofu, without frying!

One package (15-16 ounces) of tofu.

Freeze the entire package of tofu. Once frozen, the package can be defrosted. Freezing and defrosting changes the texture of the tofu and makes it chewier.

When the tofu has defrosted, remove it from the package. With your hands, over the sink or over a bowl, gently press the block of tofu and squeeze out the water. The tofu can be wrapped in a towel to remove more water.

On a dry cutting board, cut the tofu into 1/2 to 1 inch wide sticks.

Preheat over to 400oF. Take a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Place the tofu sticks the baking sheet. Do not overlap.

Cook for 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet and carefully turn tofu fries over. Return to the over and cook for another 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place tofu fries on a serving dish. Serve hot with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Winter Salsa

After reading Tomatoland, we stay away from buying tomatoes that are not organic or are out of season. In the winter, we’ll make tomato salsa with organic, salt-free canned tomatoes.

1 can (15 ounce) diced or crushed salt-free, organic tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/3 cup finely chopped scallions
juice from one lime
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a medium bowl toss all the ingredients together and mix well. Let set about 10 minutes. Serve with REAL Corn Chips.

Corn Chips

January 29th is National Corn Chip Day. Celebrate by making your own corn chips, free of oil and salt, with corn tortillas. So easy! Try them with our easy REAL Winter Salsa.

Corn tortillas – Read the ingredients! Corn tortillas should contain corn, of course and not much else. We purchase corn tortillas made of corn, water and lime, and they are salt-free. Watch out. Some popular corn tortillas contain things like Cellulose Gum (from cotton seeds and/or wood pulp), Sodium propionate, Propionic acid, Sodium hydroxide, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Sorbic acid, Fumaric acid, Dextrose, FD&C Yellow #5, Yellow #6 and Red #40.

Preheat oven to 350oF.

On a cutting board, cut each tortilla into 8 triangles, by first cutting the circle into two equal semicircles, then cutting each piece into 4 triangles. Cut as many tortillas as desired. Lay the pieces out on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes until chips are just starting to brown. Remove from oven. Chips are best served immediately, warm, with REAL Winter Salsa.

National Blueberry Pancake Day

January 28 is National Blueberry Pancake Day. Start off this holiday morning or any day with any of the REAL recipes below, all vegan and gluten-free. These are something to celebrate!

Blueberry Pancakes
With blueberries added to the batter, they burst with gooey goodness.

Blueberry Pan Cake
This is literally a blueberry pan cake. In other words, you pour it in a pan and bake.

Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
Our own Pancake House version, with blueberry made only with blueberries!

Breakfast Blini with Blueberries
These small, yeasted pancakes are lovely and light.

Blueberry Syrup

REAL blueberry syrup – surprisingly made only with blueberries! Serve with any of our REAL pancake recipes.

1 package frozen blueberries

1. Place the frozen blueberries in a saucepan on medium low heat.
2. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, especially in the first few minutes to prevent the berries from sticking or burning before they’ve created enough juice to cook in.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Blend until smooth in a blender or using a hand blender in a tall container. The blueberries are hot – be careful not to splatter the hot juice when blender.
5. If you prefer a sweeter syrup, add maple syrup to taste.
6. Pour into a small pitcher to serve on pancakes.

Blueberry Pancakes, Gluten-Free

January 28 is National Blueberry Pancake Day. Start off this holiday morning or any day with our REAL Blueberry Pancake recipe. They are something to celebrate!

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1 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 cup Sorghum flour
4 tablespoons ground flax seeds (I buy them whole, grind them and keep them in a glass jar in the refrigerator)
2 tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 tablespoon baking power
2 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons Agave or Maple Syrup
vegan butter or shortening for oiling the griddle
3/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 200oF.

1. Mix together flours and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl beat together ground flax seeds with 1/2 cup water, add 1 1/4 cups water, vinegar and agave (or maple syrup) and mix well.
3. In a medium to large bowl using a hand mixer or whisk, beat the Ener-G Egg Replacer with 1/2 cup of water until foamy and forms light peaks.
6. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and mix well. Add blueberries and stir. Fold in the Ener-G Egg Replacer mixture.
7. On a lightly greased hot griddle, pour about 1/3 cup batter and smooth into a circle about 4 wide. I use a small ladle and use the back side to gently smooth the batter into the size I like. After a minute or 2 small bubbles will appear and the edges and top surface will start to dry. Flip and cook for another minute. Repeat until all the batter is used. Re-grease the pan with a very small amount of vegan butter before pouring the batter. Keep pancakes in oven on a baking sheet to keep warm until ready to serve.

Makes about a dozen.

Buckwheat Waffles, Gluten-Free

This waffle, made with buckwheat flour is wheat-free, oat-free, light and crispy.
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer or cornstarch, arrowroot or potato starch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vinegar
OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Vegetable cooking oil or shortening for the waffle iron

Get your the waffle iron ready by greasing the surface if necessary and turning on the heat. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup water with flax seeds and beat with a fork until well-mixed. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Pour in flax mixture and remaining water and vinegar and mix well. Stir in sunflower seeds if using. Pour batter into each waffle space. Let cook for about 15 minutes. Top with maple syrup or APPLE BANANA BERRY COMPOTE.

Serves 2-4

REAL Favorite Cookbooks of 2012

With so many vegan cookbooks coming out all the time, there are so many to choose from. Here are our REAL Favorite Cookbooks of 2012.

1. Ramses Bravo, BRAVO! Health-Promoting Meals From The TrueNorth Kitchen
This is my personal favorite because Ramses Bravo has created recipes that are not only delicious but so good for you; sugar, oil and salt free (SOS-Free). While I do eat salt, sugar and salt on occasion, I believe SOS-free food is the healthiest way to go. This cookbook shows us how, deliciously.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW with Alan Goldhamer, TrueNorth Health Center founder


 
  Read more »

Risotto Milanese in Saffron Vegetable Broth

For our soup course in our Italian Holiday Menu here is the Risotto Milanese in Saffron Vegetable Broth.

For the risotto:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 teaspoon saffron threads
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) vegan butter

Heat the vegetable stock in a stock pot, add the saffron, stirring to infuse.
In a 12 to 14-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Once the onions are translucent add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until toasted and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the wine to the toasting rice. Ladle in about 4 to 6 ounces of the saffron-infused stock and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed. Continue adding the stock a ladle at a time, waiting until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Cook until the rice is tender and creamy and yet still a little al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the vegan butter until well mixed.

Soup broth
3 carrots (diced)
3 celery ribs (diced)
2 shallots (minced)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 quarts vegetable stock
2 teaspoons saffron threads

In a large pot heat the olive oil and saute the shallots until soft. Add the carrots and celery and continue sauteeing until tender. Add the saffron and saute with the vegetables for a few minutes. Then add the prepared stock and simmer the soup for about 15 minutes until saffron is infused throughout the broth and the vegetables are cooked.

Portion 1/4 cup risotto into 12 warmed soup bowls and ladle the soup over the top. Serve hot.

Roasted Garlic Smashed Turnips and Potatoes

Serve our Roasted Garlic Smashed Turnips and Potatoes with our Tempeh in Crosta and Sauteed Chard.

4 lbs organic Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
1 lb white turnips, peeled and quartered
4 large bulbs of organic garlic
1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1 gallon of boiling water
3 to 4 stalks of organic celery

If you buy or make a rich vegan vegetable stock, you will not need salt and pepper in these mashed potatoes. Also, the celery in the boiling potato water adds a natural salty taste to the potatoes. If after you have made the potatoes and you feel they still need a little more salt and pepper, by all means, use to taste.

STEP ONE – MAKE THE GARLIC MIXTURE
Take four large bulbs of garlic and slice the tops off (about a 1/4 inch from the top) just enough to expose all of the cloves. Don’t cut off too much of the top of the bulb. Place the garlic in a heavy baking dish and ladle about a cup of vegetable stock over the garlic bulbs. Sprinkle with chopped organic Italian flat leaf parsley. Make tight seal by covering with baker’s parchment paper or in a shallow roasting pan that has a lid. Place the garlic in a hot oven (about 425oF) for one hour or until the garlic bulbs are a dark golden brown, and the garlic can be easily squeezed out of the bulb with your fingers. WARNING: let the garlic cool to the touch before squeezing it. When the garlic is cooled, squeeze into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add one cup of vegetable stock. Puree the garlic and stock mixture and set aside to be used later in the mashed potatoes.

STEP TWO – BOIL THE POTATOES AND THE TURNIPS
Bring a large stock pot of water (about a gallon) with the celery, potatoes and turnips to a boil and then simmer at low heat until they can be pierced gently with a fork. Immediately drain the water and let the potatoes and turnips “dry” in the pot they cooked in with lid removed (about a half hour).

STEP THREE – MASH THE POTATOES/TURNIPS AND ADD THE GARLIC
Once the potatoes and turnips are free from water (dried), place them in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add the garlic mixture and mix thoroughly. Remove the potatoes and turnips to an oven proof serving bowl and place (covered) in a warm oven (around 250oF) for at least a half hour (or until they are thoroughly heated) until you are ready to serve.

The potatoes will keep nicely in the refrigerator for about three days if you make them ahead of time. Just make sure you store them in an airtight container. Reheat and serve.

Sauteed Chard

Serve our Sauteed Chard with our Tempeh in Crosta and Roasted Garlic Smashed Turnips and Potatoes.

2 bunches organic rainbow Swiss chard
1 large onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and cut the long stems from the Swiss chard and reserve for another use (like juicing). Chop the chard. In a saute pan, heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic until soft and translucent (but not brown). Add the chopped chard and saute until tender. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Tempeh In Crosta in Marsala Wine Sauce

The main course in our Italian Holiday Menu is the Tempeh In Crosta in Marsala Wine Sauce.

The Marinade
4 cups of vegetable stock
1 cup of Marsala Wine (you may use non alcoholic wine or all vegetable stock if you prefer)
Juice of 3 lemons (with their peels)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 Tablespoon herbes de provence
1 Tablespoon maple sugar
1 teaspoon of paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the stock, wine, lemon juice and peels, vinegar, onion, garlic, herbs and sugar, and salt and pepper thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 375oF

Marinating the tempeh

1 lb tempeh (two 8oz slabs)
Marinade (see above)

Place the tempeh horizontally on a cutting board, filet it down the middle so that you have two long rectangles. Then cut each rectangle in thirds so that you are left with 12 pieces of tempeh. Place the tempeh in a large baking sheet with high sides. Pour the marinade over the tempeh. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and then cover that with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Keep the remaining marinade for use in the Marsala Wine Sauce (below).

Dredging Station – Dry Ingredients

2 cups Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (use one cup at at time)
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
salt and white pepper to taste

Dredging Station – Wet Ingredients

2 cups non dairy milk (use 1 cup at a time; you may need more)
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard (use 1 tablespoon at a time; you may need more)

Crosta

12 six inch round spring roll wrappers (rice paper)
water for soaking and softening wrappers
olive oil and vegan butter for sauteing

Have all the ingredients ready to go before you start. You are going to need to replenish wet and dry dredging stations periodically.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder and salt until well incorporated.

Take the cooled tempeh and brush off any remaining herbs. Place the tempeh on a plate and set to one side.

Put the “skin” on the tempeh.

Select a dish or pan that is large enough for the rice paper to lie flat inside. Inspect each rice paper carefully and discard any sheets that have holes or cuts. Add about 1 cup of very warm water to the dish or pan and soak 1 sheet of rice paper for about 20 seconds, or until the paper is softened but has not become completely limp.

Place the rice paper on a cutting board and rub it gently with your wet hands to flatten it and work in more water if needed.

Put a tempeh piece on the rice paper, slightly below the center, working from the edge closest to you. Pick up the edge closest to you and fold the rice paper up and over the tempeh. Fold the right and left sides toward the center. Working from the edge closest to you, gently roll up the tempeh burrito style. Repeat the process with the remaining tempeh.

Lightly dust a sheet pan with a little of the sifted and seasoned gluten-free flour.

Dredging Station Set-Up

In a pie plate, mix the non dairy yogurt and milk together. Roll a tempeh patty in the flour, then in the non dairy milk/Dijon mustard mix and in the flour again. Place on the floured baking sheet and repeat this process with all the tempeh.

A cast-iron skillet performs best for sauteing the tempeh but if you don’t have one, use a heavy bottomed pan with sides that are at least 3 inches high.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon vegan butter in the pan over medium heat until it the vegan butter is completely melted and is mixed with the oil but is not brown.

Using metal tongs, saute 4 pieces at a time, for about 2 1/2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer the sauteed tempeh to a baking lined with parchment paper and place in a 300oF oven. Repeat the process with the remaining tempeh. You will also need to add more oil and egan butter with each batch. Tempeh will keep in the oven until ready to serve.

Marsala Wine Sauce

Remaining Marinade
1 cup of Marsala wine
1 cup of Vegetable Stock
1 Tablespoon of gluten free flour (more if needed)
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons vegan butter (to finish the stock) (optional)

In the pan you’ve just sauteed the tempeh in, add the remaining tempeh marinade (removing the lemon rinds) and bring to a boil. Then add the 1 tablespoon of all purpose gluten free flour and cook for a few minutes. Add the Marsala wine and the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for five to ten minutes or until the mixture reduces by a third; it should have the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from the heat and pour it through a sieve or china cap, pressing down on the solids to get all of the juices. Discard the solids. Adjust the seasonings. Reheat the sieved sauce and add the optional vegan butter by whisking in 1 teaspoon at a time as you would a Hollandaise. Keep warm for use on the tempeh.

Plate the Tempeh In Crosta

On a large heated plate place a 1/4 cup (or so) of roasted garlic mashed potatoes and turnips.
Add on top of the turnips and potatoes about 1/4 cup of sauteed chard.
Place a Tempeh In Crosta on top of the chard; add a dollop of sauce on top and serve.

Bread Sticks, gluten-free

Fresh, homemade bread sticks will give your next dinner party that extra special touch.

1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
2 teaspoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)
3/4 cup sorghum flour plus more (about 2 tablespoons) for handling dough
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch, corn starch or potato starch
1/2 cup rice flour or All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour (we use Bob’s Red Mill)
2 tablespoons finely ground almonds (we grind the almonds in the same coffee bean grinder we use for our flax seeds)
1 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 200oF.
2. Prepare two baking sheets, lining them with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, mix together yeast, sugar, flax seeds and water. Let stand for about 5 minutes, allowing yeast to foam.
4. In a large bowl mix together sorghum flour, tapioca, arrowroot, rice flour, almonds, xanthan gum and salt.
5. Add olive oil and vinegar to the yeast mixture and pour this into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix together well. This becomes a moist, sticky dough.
6. Dust dry, clean hands with sorghum flour. Keep extra flour close by. Using your hands, pull a small amount of dough, about 3 to 4 tablespoons and roll into a log and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. You can make your bread sticks any length and width you like. Repeat with remaining dough.
7. When all the dough is used up, place the baking sheets in a warm place for about 30 minutes. I place the sheets on the top of the warm oven for rising.
8. After the rising period, raise oven temperature to 425oF. Place baking sheets in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and cool.

Bread sticks may be served warm or allowed to cool and stored for later use. If bread sticks are too soft, reheat them in the over at 200oF for about 10-15 minutes and then serve immediately.

Torta Al Limone, Lemon Tart, Vegan and Gluten-Free

After a many course meal, this light and lovely lemon pie is a perfect finale.

For the crust
3/4 cup rice flour
1/3 cup vegan butter
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon evaporated cane juice (optional)
Cold water, 4 tablespoons

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, xanthan gum, salt and sugar. Cut vegan butter into flour and knead dough. Add 4 tablespoons of water at a time until dough is moist and somewhat sticky. If the dough is too crumbly you can add more water. Let the dough chill at least 30 minutes.

When ready to roll out the dough, preheat oven to 350oF. Place dough on a sheet of wax paper and press into a circle about 1 inch thick. Cover with another sheet of wax paper and roll dough from the center out to the edges, to make a circle large enough to cover an 8 inch pie place. Carefully remove the top sheet. Flip the dough on top of the pie plate. Center the dough and press into the plate. Slowly peel the top sheet off, holding the dough in place with one hand. If the dough tears, that’s okay. It’s easy to scoop up the dough that sticks to the wax paper and press into place. Even out the edges, trim and press with a fork or pinch all around to make it pretty. Bake crust for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the filling
2/3 cup cashew cream
1/2 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
4 Tablespoons soy lecithin
2 Tablespoons ground golden flax seeds
2 Tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/2 cup water
Grated zest of 3 lemons
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup powdered sugar

In a small bowl mix the soy lecithin, flax seeds and Egg Replacer with the water. Strain mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps. In large bowl whisk together the cashew cream, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and lecithin/flax mixture. Pour half of the cream into the pie pan and bake for ten minutes. Remove pie from oven and add the remaining cream. Return to the oven and back another ten minutes. Remove the pie and allow it to cool. When ready to serve sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.

Crostata di Ricotta, Almond Ricotta Cheesecake, Vegan, Gluten-Free

I imagine this is how cheesecake was made before spring form pans existed, in a rich pastry crust. Soy lecithin is what gives this cheesecake and crust the rich flavor. The crust rolls out perfectly.

Almond RIcotta Vegan Gluten-Free Cheesecake


For the crust
2 cups rice flour plus a little extra for rolling
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 cup vegan butter
4 tablespoons soy lecithin in 4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons Marsala wine

For the filling
1 cup unsweetened non dairy yogurt
3 2/3 cups raw almonds
2 cups water plus water for soaking almonds
4 tablespoons soy lecithin in 4 tablespoons water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 Tablespoon tapioca
1/2 – 3/4 cup sugar

The day before or 8 hours before preparing cheesecake, soak almonds in water. Place them in a jar and cover with double the amount of water. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the soaked almonds from the refrigerator and drain and rinse them. Peel the skins by pressing them between the thumb a forefinger. Alternatively, you may blanch the almonds by cooking them for about a minute in boiling water, draining and when cool removing the remaining skins. You may also start with blanched almonds which can save some time since the skins are already remove. Put the almonds in a food processor and pulse to chop them up. Add about 1/4 cup water and pulse until water is incorporated. Do not add too much water at a time because you may reach the liquid limit on your processor and the water will leak out. Continue to add about 1/4 cup to the mixture and pulsing to blend. When the entire 2 cups water is added, pulse until creamy. The mixture with be a little lumpy, like ricotta cheese. But it should be blended enough so it’s not chewy. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the water into the soy lecithin until creamy. (I grind the entire container of soy lecithin granules and keep them in the refrigerator in a jar. It’s very sticky but blends easier with water when I am ready to use it). If the mixture is lumpy, use a sieve, strain the mixture into a another bowl so that it is very smooth. In a large bowl mix together the rice flour, xanthan gum and sugar. Cut in the vegan butter making a crumbly dough. Add in the soy lecithin and Marsala wine and knead into dough. Make one large ball. Divide the ball in half and take one of them and divide it in half and roll the 3 pieces into balls. Let chill about an hour.

When ready to roll dough, preheat oven to 350oF. Grease an 8 inch diameter, 2 inch deep cake pan. (A spring form pan may be used but is not necessary.) Cut a 9 inch diameter circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan. The paper should be a little larger than the bottom so that it comes up the sides, about 1/2 inch.

Take the dough from refrigerator. Place a sheet of wax paper on a firm surface and sprinkle LIBERALLY with flour. The trick in rolling this dough so that it doesn’t stick is to use a lot of flour on the wax paper. Take the large ball of dough (1/2 of the recipe) and flatten it into a round circle. Dust liberally with flour and cover with another sheet of wax paper. Roll dough into an 11 inch round circle. Remove the top sheet of wax paper. Carefully turn the dough over and press into the cake pan. Press the edges against the sides to reach the top of the pan. If you are having difficulty with the dough you can press pieces of it in the pan until the bottom and sides are uniformly covered.

In a small bowl, beat the water into the soy lecithin until creamy. Using a sieve, strain the mixture into a another bowl so that it is very smooth. In a large bowl mix the almond ricotta, lecithin mixture, vanilla, tapioca and sugar. Pour into the crust. Press the crust edges in, slightly over the filling.

Take the remaining 1/4 of dough. As before, roll the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, only this time, roll out a long rectangle, about 10 inches by 6 inches wide. Cut dough into 6 long strips. Carefully top the filling with the strips crisscrossing as shown in the picture. Trim the edges. Extra dough can be pressed into the crust to even out the edges if necessary.

Baked for one hour and 20 minutes until the filling is firm, not wiggly. Cover the top with aluminum foil after about 30-40 minutes to keep from burning or getting too brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Epic Lasagna! Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Tempeh Bacon Filling & Cashew Cream Béchamel
Vegan, Gluten-Free

This rich and creamy baked Lasagna is as unbelievably satisfying as it is elegant. A perfect pasta course at a seven course meal or buffet or served with a salad. Trust me, you don’t need to eat a lot to feel full but you are going to want to have seconds just the same. Happy Feasting.

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Baked No-Egg French Omelette Soufflé with Kale and Onions, Gluten-Free

Perfect for the holidays, this light and fluffy omelette soufflé is a terrific addition to your list of easy one pan meals to use when you need to feed a large group of hungry house guests. It’s so versatile — use spinach instead of kale, add mushrooms or diced tempeh bacon. Sprinkle a little vegan cheese on top right before it’s ready to come out of the oven — use your imagination! I also love making this recipe whenever anyone says they could never give up eggs because they love eating omelettes and soufflés. I think you’ll be a believer, too.

FOR THE BATTER

1/2 brick firm tofu (6-7 ounces)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 Tablespoon soy lethicin
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 to 2 Tablespoons water
salt and pepper to taste

Except for the water, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The consistency should be like a heavy pancake batter. Let the batter set for 15 minutes. The batter will have thickened. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, to return the batter to its previous, thinner consistency.

FOR THE FILLING

1 cup chopped raw kale
1/2 brick firm tofu, crumbled (6-7 ounces)
1 medium onion chopped (about 3/4 of a cup)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425oF

Place a large cast iron or heavy oven proof frying pan on the stove and heat the pan for about 30 seconds.
After the pan is heated, turn the burner to medium and add the olive oil and wait until it shimmers but does not smoke.
Add the onions and sauté until translucent and lightly browned.
Add the chopped kale, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Saute the mixture until soft. (about 4 minutes) Spread the ingredients evenly at the bottom of the pan.
Add the crumbled tofu evenly on top of the kale and onions — DO NOT MIX.

ASSEMBLE THE DISH

Pour the batter on top of the ingredients in the frying pan. Lightly move around the chunks to evenly distribute the batter, but again — DO NOT MIX.
Lower the heat to simmer and let the mixture come to a slow boil (about two to three minutes).
Once the batter is simmering slowly, place in the pre-heated oven and bake at 425oF for 10 minutes or until it starts brown slightly — you’ll also see it bubble occasionally.
Reduce the heat to 325oF and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until it starts to move away from the sides of the pan and turns golden brown.
Serve the baked omelette soufflé right from the pan. It makes a great center piece to any brunch served with REAL Baked Potato Pancakes and REAL Gluten-Free Toast and REAL Apricot Butter.

Apple Sauce

Homemade apple sauce is easy to make. Made with your favorite organic apples they are perfect on top of our REAL Baked Potato Pancakes.

6 – 8 apples, cored and chopped (peel only if not organic)
approximately 1/2 cup water

Put the chopped apples in a medium size saucepan. Pour a little water in, just enough to cover the bottom. Cook, covered on medium heat, stirring occasionally until apples are soft. Remove from heat. Puree apples in the pot with a hand immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Serve warm or chilled.

Smoked Tempeh Ruben on Grilled Caraway Seed Rye-Style Bread with Red Sauerkraut & Vegan Mozzarella

The Tempeh Reuben has become a popular sandwich in vegan circles. Our REAL version features smoke-flavored tempeh with our REAL Caraway Seed Rye-Style Gluten-Free Bread and Vegan Mozzarella from Miyoko Schinner’s Artisan Vegan Cheese Cookbook.

1 slab of tempeh, 8oz, (cut into four sandwich sized pieces)
2 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 a medium head of cabbage)
1 cup chopped onions (about one onion)
2 cloves of fresh garlic (minced)
2 cups Strong Smoked Russian Caravan Black Tea (it has a smokey flavor, a combination of Chinese Keemun and Lapsang Souchong teas) or water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup wheat-free tamari
1/4 maple syrup or 2 tablespoons maple sugar (agave may be substituted for syrup; sugar for maple sugar)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
8 slices REAL Caraway Seed Rye-Style Gluten-Free Bread
4 slices vegan mozzarella or vegan cheese of your choice, we make ours from the Miyoko Schinner’s Artisan Vegan Cheese Cookbook
1 tablespoon vegan butter

Preheat the oven to 375oF.

Cut the slab of tempeh in half and then filet each half so you are left with four pieces of tempeh about a 3/8 inch thick by 3.5 inches long by 2 3/4 inches wide. Rub the tempeh with the olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Place the tempeh in a glass Pyrex baking dish.
Sprinkle the tempeh with the tamari, syrup and/or sugar. Sprinkle the tempeh with the chopped onions and the shredded cabbage.

In a separate bowl combine the tea, vinegar and liquid smoke; mix well and pour over the tempeh/cabbage/onion.

Cover the baking dish with parchment paper and then with aluminum foil to make a tight seal. Place in the oven and bake for one hour. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.

Remove the tempeh then mix the cabbage and onion mixture with the remaining pan juices, making the sauerkraut.

To assemble the sandwiches:

Take the 8 slices of bread and spread one side of each slice with vegan butter. Place on a sheet pan buttered side down. Lay a slab of tempeh on four of the slices; lay the cheese on the other four slices; take a quarter cup of the sauerkraut and place on tempeh. Place the sheet pan in the hot oven and bake the sandwiches for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.

Remove from the oven. With a spatula carefully place each cheese half on the tempeh sauerkraut half. Plate with mustard, the remaining sauerkraut and a salad. Serves four hungry adults or cut each sandwich in half and serve 8 appetizer size portions.

Caraway Seed Rye-Style Bread, Gluten-Free

What I love about rye bread are the seeds and the sourdough. Well now you can do that without rye flour, without the gluten with our REAL Caraway Seed Rye-Style Bread recipe.

1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
OPTIONAL: 3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
5 cups warm water
3 Tablespoons caraway seeds

Preheat oven to 200oF.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, potato starch, tapioca, flax seed and xanthan gum, and salt.

In a medium size bowl mix the sugar with the yeast and pour in about 1 cup of the water. The water should be lukewarm, not hot, or the yeast won’t work. Beat the mixture with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes. The top should foam. If it doesn’t the yeast is not good and the dough won’t rise. Pour the yeast mixture over the dry ingredients and incorporate with a fork whisk. Mix in another cup of water. Continue adding water until the mixture has the consistency of a very thick cake batter.

Pour batter into two greased loaf pans, filling each pan about half-way. Place on the top of the oven and cover with a towel. I have a gas oven with the burners raised above the top surface of the oven so that the pans are not directly touching the heat – they are just in a warm environment. If you have a flat surface cook top you many want to place the pans on a rack so they are not in direct contact with the heat. Allow the batter to rise and double in size – rising above the top of the pans. This can take from 30 to 60 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 400oF and bake loaves for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from the oven and cover each with aluminum foil. If the bread is not covered the crust will get very dark and hard. Bake the covered loaf pans for about 35-45 minutes. To determine if the bread is done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. I like a moist bread, so I bake it for 35 minutes after covering. The toothpick was free of crumbs but there were some gummy spots which when cool becomes a moist, spongy bread. Remove from oven. It’s important to allow this bread to cool before slicing.

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder is on my list of hearty, comfort foods. The Caraway seeds are essential for the best flavor.

1 package (16 oz) frozen corn or 3 cups corn kernels
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium potatoes, cut in small cubes (peel if not organic)
1 carrot, cut in small chunks (peel if not organic)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 cup unsweetened non dairy milk
6 cups water
salt to taste

1. In a large soup pot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic in about 1/2 cup water for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add in potatoes, carrots, parsley, sage and caraway seeds along with remaining water.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let cook until potatoes are soft.
4. With an immersion hand blender or regular blender, puree about 2/3 of the soup, so that the soup has a creamy base with some corn, potato and carrot chunks.
5. Add in the non dairy milk. Let soup simmer until ready to serve.

Top with a dollop of REAL nondairy yogurt.

Apple Cranberry Raisin Butter (Holiday Butter)

Apple Cranberry Raisin Butter is delicious in place of cranberry sauce, chutney or apple sauce, or used in recipes calling for a fruit butter like our Holiday Apple Cranberry Spice Muffins or our Baked Potato Pancakes. I like to call it Holiday Butter because it tastes like the winter holiday season.

8 large organic Fuji apples (washed, cored, and cubed; peel only if not organic)
1 lb fresh organic cranberries (rinsed)
1 lb organic raisins
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons cardamon
3 cinnamon sticks (optional)
6 ounces maple sugar (optional)
1 bottle (750 ml) Cabernet Sauvignon (or non alcoholic red wine)
2 cups water

1. Make sure the apples are cut in chunks.
2. Put all the ingredients in a large jam pot or stock pot and mix thoroughly.
3. Add more water until the mixture is barely covered with liquid.
4. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour on a low heat; stirring occasionally until all of the ingredients are soft and mushy.
5. Remove the lid and simmer for an additional 30 minutes until the mixture reduces to a thick pie filling consistency; stirring frequently. As it thickens you will need to stir it more so it doesn’t burn.
6. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
7. Remove the cinnamon sticks and blend the filling until smooth in small batches in a food processor or you could also process the mixture right in the pot with an emersion hand blender.
8. At this point you can follow the same instructions you use for canning jams and apple butters or you can put in your own separate containers and keep in the refrigerator.

Holiday Apple Cranberry Spice Muffins, Gluten-Free

Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Flax Seeds, Apple Cider Vinegar – these are staples in gluten-free, vegan baking. When you have them on hand, the rest is easy. These muffins took less than 1/2 hour to mix together, bake and serve. Make every weekend a holiday with these Holiday Apple Cranberry Spice Muffins. Serve with REAL Apple Cranberry Raisin Butter (Holiday Butter)
This muffin is not sweet, it is more like a bread. We sweeten the muffins with our favorite fruit butter spreads.
2 cups brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca Flour
1/2 cup starch (potato, corn, arrowroot)
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) plus 2 Tablespoons for garnish
1/2 cup REAL Apple Cranberry Raisin Butter or any fruit butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
OPTIONAL, For a sweeter muffin: 2 Tablespoons – 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice

Preheat oven to 350oF. Prepare muffin tins by lightly greasing with vegetable shortening or oil, or line with paper muffin cups. 

1. In a large bowl whisk together rice flour, tapioca, starch, baking soda, flax seeds, spices and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds.
2. In a small bowl mix together water, vinegar, fruit butter and sugar (if using).
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. The batter will be thick and dry.
4. Spoon about 1/2 cup of batter into each muffin cup.
5. With a food brush and a little water, smooth the tops of the muffins. Sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on top of each one.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until muffins are golden brown.
7. Remove from oven. Let cool. Remove the muffins from the tin, place in a basket and serve with your favorite spreads.

Baked Apples, Gluten-Free

Treat yourself this weekend to a luscious breakfast or brunch that is as unbelievably delicious as it is unbelievably good for you. It’s REAL Baked Apples.

4 organic apples, cored
2 tablespoons almonds
2 tablespoons raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
water

Chop the almonds and raisins and mix with the spices. Place the apples in a baking dish and add a small amount of water, about 1/2 inch in depth. Fill the cored centers with the almond/raisin mixture. Bake at 350oF until apples are soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Plate each apple with some of remaining juice in the baking dish and serve with non dairy yogurt.

The REAL Mezze Platter

Our REAL Mezze Platter consists of Baba Ganoush, Red Pepper Hummus and Cucumber Salad and is a great party plate. Or serve it with our our REAL Baked Falafel Burgers on our REAL Soft Sesame Buns for a hearty lunch or satisfying dinner.

Soft Sesame Seed Buns, Gluten-free

These soft buns go great with our REAL Falafel Burgers and Mezze Platter.

2 cups Brown Rice flour or All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour (we use Bob’s Red Mill)
1 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup Garbanzo Flour
1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 3/4 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons unsweetened, non dairy milk or water

Preheat oven to 350oF. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl mix together flours, tapioca, flax seeds, baking soda and xanthan gum. Pour in the water and vinegar and make a thick batter. The batter will be a little stiffer and dryer is you are using rice flour. With a small ladle, scoop the batter, about 1/3 cup and in a circular motion using the back of the ladle, form into a 3 inch diameter circle, 1/2 inch thick. Repeat until all the batter is used up. For mini burgers use about 2 tablespoons of batter/dough for each 2 inch burger. Using a food brush, lightly coat the tops bun with non dairy milk or water. You can also use the brush to smooth out the top. Sprinkle seeds on top of each roll. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool, and serve.

Baked Falafel Burgers

Baked Falafel Burgers are bursting with the great combination of flavors as the traditional Falafel, only without all the oil and salt. And since they are baked and not fried, they are even easier to make. Serve on our REAL Soft Burger Buns, gluten-free and a dollop of Red Pepper Hummus and Baba Ganoush from the REAL Mezze Platter (below).

1 3/4 cups chick peas (garbanzo beans), cooked from dried beans or from a can (look for no-salt added)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 small onion, about 1/2 cup chopped
2 tablespoons dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350oF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine, scraping down the sides. Run processor until ingredients start to clump together into a ball.
3. Remove and roll the “dough” into 8 balls of equal size. Press each ball flat into a burger shape, about 2 /12 to 3 inches wide in diameter, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and flip each burger. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from over and serve hot.
Falafel can be prepared in advance, refrigerated and reheated at another time.

The REAL Mezze Platter:
Baba Ganoush
Red Pepper Hummus
Cucumber Salad

Red Pepper Hummus

I am very picky about my hummus. Ready made hummus available today in most supermarkets has preservatives, and too much salt and oil for my palate. It’s really easy to make hummus at home, it’s less expensive and taste so much better. Using all organic ingredients, a little red bell pepper adds a subtle yet distinctive note. Serve with crudités or your favorite crackers.

1 3/4 cups chick peas (garbanzo beans), cooked from dried beans or from a can (look for no-salt added)
2 Tablespoons tahini
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded
juice of one lime
1/4 cup water
salt to taste (optional)

Blend ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Place in a bowl and serve.

The REAL Mezze Platter:
Baba Ganoush
Red Pepper Hummus
Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Salad

This cucumber salad can be served on it’s own or topped on a bed of lettuce, stuffed into a pita pocket with our REAL Baked Falafel Burgers, or as part of a mezze platter, as shown below.

2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
8 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
juice of one lime

In a medium size bowl toss the ingredients together and serve.

The REAL Mezze Platter:
Baba Ganoush
Red Pepper Hummus
Cucumber Salad

Baba Ganoush

Light and creamy, this Baba Ganoush is easy to prepare, with only 3 ingredients. It goes perfectly with our REAL Red Pepper Hummus and
Cucumber Salad in the REAL Mezze Platter pictured below.

1 eggplant
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons tahini

1. Place the eggplant in a baking dish. Poke a few holes in it. Let it cook in a 400oF oven, turning occasionally, for about 40 minutes until soft. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Peel the skin off.
3. Place the eggplant, lime juice and tahini in a food processor and blend until creamy.
4. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

The REAL Mezze Platter:
Baba Ganoush
Red Pepper Hummus
Cucumber Salad

Soccacia, Gluten-Free

Here’s a variation on Chickpea Flour Flatbread. Combining Socca, the chickpea flour crepe and the pizza dough bread served with toppings called Foccacia and you have Soccacia!

Follow the instructions for the Chickpea Flour Flatbread. While it’s in the oven, chop a large onion to about a half inch dice. Heat a heavy duty saute pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the oil is shimmering like water but not smokey. Add the onion and saute for about 15 minutes over medium heat or until it browns and carmelizes but does not burn, stir occasionally. During the last five minutes of the flat breads baking time remove it from the oven and spread the onions evenly over the top. Return to the oven and bake for the remaining 5 minutes.

Simple Cabbage Soup

This is probably the easiest soup you’ll ever make and also one of the most satisfying, especially on these cold autumn nights. I find it tastes just like corned beef and cabbage without the corned beef. It’s also great if you add a slab of tempeh while the soup is simmering but it is not necessary. Remember, if the veggies are organic you don’t have to peel them, just make sure they are throughly washed. Serve this soup with your favorite mustard and a good crusty bread.

2 onions (scrubbed and chopped in large pieces)
6 carrots (scrubbed chopped in large pieces)
4 stalks of celery (scrubbed and chopped in large pieces)
4 large potatoes (scrubbed and cut in thirds)
1 head of cabbage (rinsed and chopped in large pieces)
2 quarts of vegetable stock or water
1 cup white wine or water
1 slab (8 oz) tempeh (optional)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put all of the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour or until the vegetables are tender. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with REAL crusty bread.

Apricot Butter

Simplicity and quality. Simple, quality ingredients to dazzle the palate. For our REAL Apricot butter we use sweet, moist, organic dried apricots and clean water (filtered, distilled). Spread on our gluten-free yeasted bread or our quick soft rolls with your favorite vegan butter and it tastes like caramel.

Makes about 4 cups of Apricot Butter

1 pound organic dried pitted dried apricots
3 cups water

1. Place apricots in a 3.5 quart saucepan and add 2 cups water to almost cover the fruit. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue to cook until fruit is soft, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove from heat and puree fruit with a hand blender, food processor or blender. Be careful not to splatter, the fruit is hot. The hand blender is convenient because you can leave the fruit in the pot. The mixture should be very thick. Add 1 cup water and blend until smooth.

3. Let cool, store in clean jars or containers and refrigerate.

Yeast Bread, Gluten-Free

At REAL Worldwide Headquarters, the weekends are for baking bread. Once you get in the routine of it and have the ingredients on hand, baking gluten-free bread is relatively simple. Yet there’s nothing routine or simple about the taste. Fresh home made bread is always cause for celebration.

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
2 cups corn starch, potato starch or arrowroot starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
OPTIONAL: 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 1/2 cups warm water (more water may be necessary)
OPTIONAL: 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds (sunflower, sesame, walnuts, etc)

Preheat oven to 200oF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, garbanzo flour, corn starch, tapioca and xanthan gum, and salt.

In a medium size bowl mix the sugar with the yeast and pour in about 1 cup of the water. The water should be lukewarm, not hot, or the yeast won’t work. Beat the mixture with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes. The top should foam. If it doesn’t the yeast is not good and the dough won’t rise. Pour the yeast mixture over the dry ingredients and incorporate with a fork whisk. Mix in another cup of water and the olive oil. Continue adding water until the mixture has the consistency of thick cake batter. It will be a creamy, very thick liquid. Stir in nuts/seeds.

Pour batter into two greased loaf pans, filling each pan about half-way. Place on the top of the oven and cover with a towel. I have a gas oven with the burners raised above the top surface of the oven so that the pans are not directly touching the heat – they are just in a warm environment. If you have a flat surface cook top you many want to place the pans on a rack so they are not in direct contact with the heat. Allow the batter to rise and double in size – rising above the top of the pans. This can take from 30 to 60 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 400oF and bake loaves for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from the oven and cover each with aluminum foil. If the bread is not covered the crust will get very dark and hard. Bake the covered loaf pans for about 35-45 minutes. To determine if the bread is done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. I like a moist bread, so I baked it for 35 minutes after covering. The toothpick was free of crumbs but there were some gummy spots which when cool becomes a moist, spongy bread. Remove from oven and let cool.

Yogurt, Dairy-Free

I used to make dairy yogurt as a teenager with one of those plug in yogurt kits. Later I learned I didn’t need a kit, I just needed a warm space to let the yogurt culture grow. Recently I discovered I had a dehydrator option on my oven which is ideal for yogurt making. Inspired by Miyoko Schinner‘s yogurt recipe in her Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook I started making yogurt again. Miyoko’s recipe uses soy or almond milk blended with cashews. After making her recipe I decided to try almonds instead of cashews. They are slightly different, both delicious!

4 cups unsweetened soy milk
2/3 cup raw almonds (or cashews)
3 tablespoons non dairy soy yogurt
 
1. Soak almonds for 3 hours or more in water. I put the almonds in a jar soaking in water and put it in the refrigerator. If I leave them for 24 hours or more, I will change the water.
2. Preheat oven on dehydrator setting of 110oF (if you have this option).
3. Drain almonds and place in a bowl. With your hands, slip off the brown skins from each almond. This may seem tedious, but it doesn’t take long and I think it is worth the time. Blanched almonds may be used instead which already have the skins removed.
4. Blend almonds by pulsing in a food processor. Add about a cup of the soy milk and continue to process until smooth and creamy. Pour into a pot with the rest of the soy milk. Stir well.
5. Cook over medium heat. Using a food thermometer, cook the soy milk until it reaches 170oF. Once the milk starts to heat up you will need to stir it regularly to prevent it from sticking and to make sure it doesn’t boil over. I prefer to heat the milk to this temperature first in order to kill any unwanted bacteria that might be lurking about before growing my yogurt culture. Remove from heat and cool to 110oF.
6. Once at 110oF, add in the yogurt and mix well.
7. Transfer milk to a clean, glass bowl or jar and cover. Place in oven. Or – if you do not have a dehydrator option on your oven, place the yogurt in a warm place. You can heat the oven to 200oF and set the yogurt on the stove top which will be warm or just wrap it in a towel and keep away from drafty spaces. Let sit for 8 hours or more. The longer you leave it, the tangier it will get. Yogurt must be stored in the refrigerator.
8. REMEMBER to save 3 tablespoons to start your next batch.
 
 

Sourdough Cornmeal Pancakes, Gluten-Free

Made with our own REAL yogurt these corn cakes will bring out the MMMMMMMMmmmmm in the morning.

3 Tablespoons ground flax seeds in 6 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cups All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour (We use Bob’s Red Mill)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups nondairy, unsweetened yogurt (Make your own REAL yogurt)
1 cup water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons (about) vegan butter for greasing griddle

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.
2. In a medium size bowl beat together flax seeds and water. Stir in yogurt and vinegar.
3. In another bowl mix together dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda.
4. Mix in wet ingredients and beat until smooth.
5. With a food brush, brush a small amount of vegan butter to a large skillet (we use cast iron) or griddle over medium heat.
6. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on to the skillet. If there is room you may make more pancakes, 1/4 cup each, spacing them apart on the griddle. 7. Cook pancakes until golden brown on bottom and some bubbles begin to break around edges, about 1-2 minutes. The tops of the pancakes will be still be wet. As long as the edges are dry you can flip them. Turn pancakes over; cook until bottoms are golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.
8. Transfer pancakes to baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
9. Repeat with remaining batter. Brush the pan with more vegan butter as necessary.

Makes 12 five inch pancakes. Serve with yogurt, fresh blueberries, syrup or your favorite fruit topping.

Classic Pizza, Gluten-free

Everyone loves pizza. Pizza should be a special treat, made with special ingredients. Try our REAL Classic Pizza with our REAL Classic Italian Tomato Sauce, our REAL Pizza Crust recipe below and vegan mozzarella cheese.

 
2/3 cup REAL Classic Italian Tomato Sauce
4 oz Vegan Mozzarella Cheese , Make your own with Miyoko Schinner‘s Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook. It’s the best!
 
Pizza Crust
Our REAL gluten-free recipe, is a variation on the Essential Pizza Crust recipe from Laurie Sadowski‘s wonderful and highly recommended Allergy-Free Cook Bakes Bread cookbook.
 
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz)
2 teaspoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)
3/4 cup sorghum flour plus more (about 2 tablespoons) for handling dough
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch, corn starch or potato starch
1/2 cup rice flour or All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour (we use Bob’s Red Mill)
2 tablespoons finely ground almonds (we grind the almonds in the same coffee bean grinder we use for our flax seeds)
1 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil plus a little more for oiling parchment paper
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

 
1. Preheat oven to 200F.
2. Prepare two sheets of parchment, coating each lightly with a little olive oil.
3. In a small bowl, mix together yeast, sugar, flax seeds and water. Let stand for about 5 minutes, allowing yeast to foam.
4. In a large bowl mix together sorghum flour, tapioca, arrowroot, rice flour, almonds, xanthan gum and salt.
5. Add olive oil and vinegar to the yeast mixture and pour this into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix together well. This becomes a moist, sticky dough.
6. Dust dry, clean hands with sorghum flour. Keep extra flour close by. Using your hands divide the dough into 2 pieces, making each into a ball. Place one ball onto the parchment paper and flatten with your hands, pressing into an 8 inch round, with a 1/2 lip around the edges. If the dough is too sticky to handle, dust more flour on hands and dough. Repeat with second piece of dough.
7. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. I put the dough and parchment paper on pans and place them on the top of the warm oven for rising.
8. Place 2 medium sheet pans in the warm oven while waiting for the dough to rise.
9. After the rising period, raise oven temperature to 425F. Remove heated pans carefully. Place the dough on the parchment paper on top of the heated pans and place in the oven. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove. Crusts may used right away or can be refrigerated or frozen to be used later.
10. Top each crust with tomato sauce, vegan cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.
11. Bake for 13 minutes in hot oven or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Serve immediately.
 

Minestrone Soup

Celebrate the harvest in a bowl! This very hearty soup can be enjoyed as a main course or as the perfect starter for your next Italian feast. This recipe is also great for canning because it can easily be doubled, tripled and quadrupled, it all depends on the size of your harvest. We garnish steaming bowls with pistou and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast or you can use your favorite vegan parmesan.

3 to 5 carrots (about 2 cups chopped)
3 to 5 stalks of celery (about 2 cups chopped)
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon Tuscan Herb mix
pinch of salt and pepper
1 cup red wine (for sautéing)
2 quarts vegetable stock
1 small head of cauliflower (cut into small florets)
1 small head of cabbage (chopped to about 1” pieces)
1 large turnip (cut into bite sized pieces)
2 cups cooked white beans (cannellini, navy, etc.)
1 cup of string beans (cut into 1” pieces)
2 12 oz cans whole tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
½ pound shell or elbow-shaped pasta (optional)

Wash, scrub vegetables. Peel the turnips. Peel the carrots as well if they aren’t organic. Chop the carrots and celery into bite-sized pieces. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Chop cabbage into 1 inch pieces. Chop the turnip into bite-sized pieces. Cut the string beans into 1 inch pieces.

In a large soup pot (at least 5 quarts) sauté the carrots, celery and onion and herbs in the red wine for about 10 minutes. Then add the vegetable stock, cauliflower, cabbage, turnip, white beans, string beans, tomatoes and tomato paste.

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the cabbage is thoroughly cooked.

In a separate large pot filled with rapidly boiling water, cook half a pound of your favorite shell or elbow-shaped pasta per package directions for “al dente”.

Meanwhile, bring soup back to a low rolling boil. Once the pasta is done cooking drain, rinse off the starch and add to the boiling soup. Let it cook for an additional three minutes.

Serve with a dollop of basil-garlic pistou and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.

Pistou

Swirl this puree of garlic, basil and oil into any vegetable soup for extra flavor.

one bunch basil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Finely chop basil and garlic and place in a small bowl or jar.
2. Add 1/2 cup olive oil to the garlic and basil and blend ingredients together well. Pistou may be refrigerated.

Watch the video below for making the the pistou.

Pistou

Oranges with Mint

A super simple recipe with surprising results – fresh oranges with mint. If you like you can top with your favorite nondairy yogurt. That’s it! It’s delightful.

Per serving:
1 orange, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint
1-2 Tablespoons non dairy yogurt (we made our own using Miyoko Schinner‘s yogurt recipe from her cookbook Artisan Vegan Cheese.

In a bowl toss orange pieces with mint. Spoon into serving dish and top with nondairy yogurt.

Prune Butter Muffins, Gluten-Free

Our REAL Prune Butter seems to go with everything especially these gluten-free muffins made with REAL Prune Butter.
2 cups Brown Rice Flour
1/3 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup Ener G Egg Replacer
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup ground flax seeds mixed into 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup walnuts (chopped) or any other nut or seed
1/2 cup canned REAL Prune Butter (apple sauce or other fruit butter may be used instead)
2 Tablespoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)

Preheat oven to 350oF. Recipe makes 12-15 muffins. Prepare muffin tins by lightly greasing with oil or vegan butter or line with paper muffin cups. 

1. In a large bowl whisk together rice flour, tapioca, egg replacer, baking soda and cinnamon.
2. In a small bowl mix together flax seeds in 1/2 cup water, add vinegar, prune butter and sugar.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
4. Pour in 1 cup water and blend followed by the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Beat the batter by hand. Fold in walnuts.
5. Spoon about 1/2 cup of batter into each muffin cup.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until muffins are golden brown.
7. Remove from oven. Let cool. Remove the muffins from the tin, place in a basket and serve with your favorite spreads, like REAL Prune Butter.

Basic Miso Soup

Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup often made with bonito (fish) flakes. This is the vegan version and a wonderful base for many soups. Keep in mind that miso is extremely salty – a little goes a long way.
3 3/4 cups water
3 Tablespoons white miso paste in 1/4 cup water

Boil water in a medium size sauce pan. In a a small bowl, mix miso paste with water until creamy. Stir into soup and serve. Do not boil the soup once the miso is added. Miso is an aged fermented food with digestive enzymes and friendly bacteria that high heat can destroy.

You can be creative and add ingredients. Miso is traditionally made with scallions, soft tofu and kombu (kelp). I like to add 1 cup of frozen peas, or 1/4 cup of dried mushrooms.
Serves 4-8

Carrot Apple Ginger Dressing

Carrots, apples and ginger go great together in a salad dressing. It’s sweet and tangy, made with only three REAL ingredients.
2 medium carrots, grated
2-3 teaspoons finely grated ginger (to taste)
3/4 – 1 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

In a blender, combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. If too thick add more apple juice, a little at a time.

Tofu and Eggplant in Plum Sauce

Our REAL Prune Butter is the special ingredient that makes the flavorful sauce with no oil, sugar or salt.
1 package extra firm tofu
2 large or 3 small eggplants
1 onion
3 celery stalks
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup REAL Prune Butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
Salt, soy sauce or tamari to taste (optional)

1. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside.
2. Peel the onion and cut it from top to bottom in 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide half moon strips.
3. Cut the celery into 1/4 inch wide strips, about 3 inches in length.
4. Coarse chop garlic.
5. Peel eggplant and cut into 1/2 x 1/4 inch wide strips, about 3 to 4 inches in length.
6. Heat a large cast iron frying pan to medium high. Add the tofu, spread the cubes out evenly and brown the sides, stirring and turning occasionally for about 10 minutes. Dry sauteeing works well with extra firm tofu because this kind of tofu is dry and won’t stick. If you use a softer, wetter tofu it will stick to the pan. Remove tofu to a bowl and set aside.
7. Add the garlic and onions to the hot fry pan and dry saute, stirring constantly. The garlic and onions will soften and brown slightly. It’s important to keep stirring to keep the garlic from getting to brown or black. After a few minutes when the onions soft, add in the celery. Mix well and cook another few minutes until the celery has wilted. The eggplant strips can be added on top of the other vegetables. Depending on the size of the frying pan, there may not be enough room to mix the eggplant in. That’s okay. As the eggplants heats up it will lose water and reduce in size. Stir occasionally and mix, bringing the bottom vegetables up to the top. Cook until the eggplant is completely soft and slightly translucent.
8. While the eggplant cooks, prepare the plum sauce. In a medium size bowl, mix the prune butter, garlic and ginger powders, cayenne pepper, vinegar and water. Optional: add salt, tamari or soy sauce to taste.
9. Mix the tofu with the vegetables in the pan and top with the plum sauce. Stir everything together and cook for another few minutes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Make the entire REAL Asian Fusion Menu:
Millet Maki
Miso Soup
Salad with Carrot Apple Ginger Dressing
Tofu and Eggplant in Plum Sauce

Millet Maki

Mix things up a little bit. Variety is the spice of life. Try millet when making maki instead of rice. Maki is typically made with rice, seasoned with sugar and rice vinegar. We season our maki millet filling with apple cider vinegar and agave.

1/2 cup millet
2 cups water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon agave
1 small ripe avocado
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
3 sheets of Nori

1. In a small saucepan stir the millet and water. Cook over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the vinegar and agave.
2. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado halves with a large spoon and slice lengthwise, thinly.
3. Divide the millet in thirds. On a bamboo sheet for rolling maki, place a sheet of nori. Add 1/3 of the millet on the top half of the nori, leaving a one inch border along the top and side edges. Flatten the millet out evenly into a rectangular shape. Top with avocado slices and sprinkle with teaspoon of sesame seeds. Roll the maki with the bamboo starting from the bottom rolling upward. If the nori doesn’t stick together enough you can add a little dab of water to the top edge and roll tightly with the bamboo. Take the roll and cut into 6 pieces. Repeat with the other 2 sheets of nori. Serve with wasabi sauce and soy sauce or tamari.

Tuscan Herbs

Use these Tuscan Herbs in our REAL Stuffed Red Italian Peppers Tuscan Style.

1 teaspoon of each of the following dried herbs:
rosemary, basil, thyme, sage, marjoram
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon of ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Mix all the spices thoroughly and store in an airtight container.

Stuffed Red Italian Peppers Tuscan Style

Here at the REAL home office in Forest Hills, NY we’ve been celebrating the arrival of our new farmers market which has been busting at the seams with gorgeous, locally grown produce like Italian peppers in all different colors. Lately they’ve been the most beautiful shade of red which are perfect for roasting. Here’s a REAL simple recipe for one of my favorite Autumn dishes! I hope you enjoy it!

8 Italian red peppers
2 cups chopped marinated tempeh (one 8oz slab marinated and chopped)
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked chopped spinach (squeeze out all of the water)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon REAL Tuscan Herbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Clean and seed the peppers by cutting the tops off (about an inch below the top, leaving the stem to be used later as a lid). Wash thoroughly and remove all of the seeds. Dry the peppers with a clean tea towel. Set aside. NOTE: keep each pepper top together with its bottom for a good fit.

For the stuffing, mix the tempeh, rice, spinach, yeast and spices together.

Stuff the peppers and lids and assemble them in a large baking dish. Brush them with the olive oil. Cover first with parchment paper and then foil. Bake in a 350F oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional ten minutes. The peppers will be al dente. Remove from oven and serve with our REAL marinara sauce.

Caesar Salad Dressing

I find that many of the vegan Caesar Salad recipes going around use an awful lot of processed vegan mayonnaise to try and get that authentic Caesar Salad taste. Well here’s a recipe that gives you the taste without all of the processing. This dressing is loaded with fiber, something processed oils can’t give you, because sesame tahini is used as the oil/egg base for the dressing. Don’t forget the fresh garlic! Try this dressing on our REAL Caesar Salad served with REAL Caesar Salad Sun-dried Tomato Filets and REAL Caesar Salad Croutons! Enjoy!

REAL Caesar Salad Dressing
3 garlic cloves
Juice of two fresh lemons
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (vegan)
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup nondairy milk (unsweetened)
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon capers (drained)
1 teaspoon caper vinegar (from the jar of capers)
salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend on high speed until emulsified, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender/bowl. The dressing should be thick and creamy (if it’s too thick add a few more drops of nondairy milk, if it’s too thin add a teaspoon more of tahini). Let the dressing sit for at least an hour in the refrigerator to marry all the flavors.

Caesar Salad

I find that many of the vegan Caesar Salad recipes going around use an awful lot of processed vegan mayonnaise to try and get that authentic Caesar Salad taste. Well here’s a recipe that gives you the taste without all of the processing. This dressing is loaded with fiber, something processed oils can’t give you, because sesame tahini is used as the oil/egg base for the dressing. Don’t forget the fresh garlic! I know you are going to love this salad with REAL Caesar Salad Sun-dried Tomato Filets and REAL Caesar Salad Croutons! Enjoy!

REAL Caesar Salad Croutons
4 slices of REAL gluten-free bread
1/2 cup of vegan parmesan cheese or our REAL cashew cheese
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
1 Tablespoon of chopped parsley flakes
freshly ground pepper to taste

Place 4 slices of the REAL gluten-free bread on a sheet pan, brush each slice with olive oil and divide the cheese evenly between all 4 slices as well as the remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 “pizza style” for about 15 minutes or until the croutons are toasted to a golden brown. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Once they are cool to the touch cut each slice into thirds or quarters.

REAL Sun Dried Tomato Filets
4 sun dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)
1/4 teaspoon kelp powder (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the sun dried tomatoes on a cutting board evenly spaced (with room to grow) and cover them with a piece of kitchen parchment paper and then a tea towel and flatten them by lightly pounding them with a kitchen mallet. Remove the towel and parchment and then sprinkle a pinch of kelp powder on each as well as salt and pepper. (WARNING: Kelp powder goes a long way so use sparingly.) Slice the tomatoes in ribbons about 1/2 inch wide and use as a garnish on the REAL Caesar Salad.

Caesar Salad
2 heads of Romaine lettuce
Sun Dried Tomato Filets (above)
1 Tablespoon of nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon of capers (drained)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
REAL Caesar Dressing

Wash and spin dry the Romaine lettuce and then hand tear into bite-sized pieces in a large salad bowl. Toss with the nutritional yeast and capers then add about a half a cup of the REAL Caesar Dressing and toss until the leaves are completely coated. Serve the salad on large plates and garnish with REAL Caesar croutons and REAL Caesar Sun Dried Tomato Filets. (Salad serves 4 entree-sized portions or 8 side salad portions.)

Creamy Mung Bean Soup

The secret to any soup is the spice. We use a lot of spices and buy them in large bags from Indian and Middle Eastern stores and put them in our own jars. There are many different kinds of curry powder and Malaysian is our favorite. Aside from the spice there are only 3 ingredients. Mung beans cook quickly so you can have this soup ready in no time at all.

2 cups dry mung beans
1 onion, peeled and coarse chopped
3 carrots, coarse chopped (peel if not organic)
1/2 teaspoon kelp powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons Malaysian Curry Powder (coriander seeds, turmeric, dried chili, anis seed, cumin seed, cinnamon, star anise, white peppercorn, fenugreek, nutmeg, cardamon, clove)
8 cups water
nondairy yogurt or nondairy sour cream (optional)

In a large soup pot, add all the ingredients, stir, cover and cook over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until beans are soft (about 30 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Using an immersion hand blender or countertop blender puree soup until smooth. Serve with a dollop of nondairy yogurt or nondairy sour cream. Makes 4-8 servings.

Tempeh Marinade

This marinade for tempeh is perfect for our REAL Crispy Southern Fried Tempeh.

The Marinade
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 cup of dry white wine or vermouth (you may use non alcoholic wine or all vegetable stock if you prefer)
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of dried parsley
1 teaspoon of dried sage
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cloves of garlic (smashed)
salt to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 375ºF

Marinating the tempeh.

Mix the spices and the liquids thoroughly.

Place the tempeh in a large baking sheet with high sides. Pour the marinade over the tempeh. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and then cover that with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Crispy Southern Fried Tempeh

October! There is something truly magical about October. Philosophers and poets have lauded it and the falling leaves applaud its arrival. Did you also know that October 1st is World Vegetarian Day and the kick off of Vegetarian Awareness Month? REAL is here to help with delicious recipes, helpful videos, informative interviews, and more! Why not kick off Vegetarian Awareness Month with this comfort food recipe for Crispy Southern fried Tempeh, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Peas. This recipe was inspired by Chef Roberto Martin. Listen to our REAL interview with Chef Martin.

Two 8 oz packages of Marinated Tempeh
1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon salt
1 cup non dairy yogurt
1 cup non dairy milk
1 package spring roll wrappers (rice paper)
High heat oil for deep frying (about 2 cups of either grape seed oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, etc.)

Have all the ingredients ready to go before you start.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder and salt until well incorporated.

Take the cooled tempeh and brush off any remaining herbs. Cut in thirds so that you have six pieces. Place the tempeh on a plate and set to one side.

Put the “skin” on the tempeh.
Select a dish or pan that is large enough for the rice paper to lie flat inside. Inspect each rice paper carefully and discard any sheets that have holes or cuts. Add about 1 cup of very warm water to the dish or pan and soak 1 sheet of rice paper for about 20 seconds, or until the paper is softened but has not become completely soft.

Place the rice paper on a cutting board and rub it gently with your wet hands to flatten it and work in more water if needed.

Place a tempeh piece on the rice paper, slightly below the center, working from the edge closest to you. Pick up the edge closest to you and fold the rice paper up and over the tempeh.

Fold the right and left sides toward the center.

Working from the edge closest to you, gently roll up the tempeh burrito style.

Repeat the process with the remaining tempeh.

Lightly dust a sheet pan with a little of the seasoned gluten-free flour.

In a pie plate, mix the non dairy yogurt and milk together. Roll a tempeh patty in the flour, then in the non dairy yoghurt/milk mix and in the flour again. Place on the floured baking sheet and repeat this process with all the tempeh.

A cast-iron skillet performs best for frying the tempeh but if you don’t have one, use a heavy bottomed pan with sides that are at least 3 inches high. Pour enough oil into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the tempeh. Heat the oil over medium heat until it looks thin like water and shimmers.

Using metal tongs, pan fry 3 pieces at a time, for about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Do not turn the pieces more than twice. Transfer the fried tempeh to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack or lined with a clean tea towel. Repeat the process with the remaining tempeh.

Serve warm with garlic mashed potatoes and peas.

Orange You Glad Soup

Citrus is a great way to bring out the flavor in soup. Adding fresh squeezed orange juice to this soup gives a subtle sweetness. Orange you glad?

1 and 1/4 cups Split Toor Dal (yellow pigeon peas)
1 onion coarse chopped, 1/2 inch pieces
3 carrots sliced, 1/4 inch thick (peel only if not organic)
5 celery stalks chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon kelp powder
1 teaspoon madras curry
1/4 teaspoon allspice
juice of one orange, plus peels if organic
8 cups water
nutritional yeast

Rinse and drain the Dal. Place in a large soup pot. Pour in the water, vegetables, kelp powder, herbs and spices. Stir and mix everything together well. Turn heat to medium high. Cook covered, stirring occasionally until Dal is soft, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in orange juice and orange peels. (Peels are to add flavor, and should be removed before serving.) Cook another 5 minutes and serve with a little nutritional yeast.

Heavenly Salad

This is a variation of Chinese Chicken Salad, without the chicken and it’s heavenly. The flavors of the cilantro, scallions and peanuts really pop. It’s important to let the cabbage marinate in the refrigerator without the dressing or the peanuts. You can’t stop eating it, it’s that good.

Dressing
2 Tablespoon peanut butter (if allergic to peanuts use Sesame Butter, Tahini)
2 Tablespoons agave
1 Tablespoon Tamari (soy sauce)
1 Tablespoon water
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon shredded fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon dry powder
1/8 teaspoon mustard powder

In a blender or with a whisk in a stainless steel bowl blend all ingredients. Adjust the thickness: if it’s too thin add a little more peanut butter/tahini; if it’s too thick add a little more water. It should be the consistency of heavy soy creamer.

Salad
1 large head Napa cabbage (shredded)
3 cups mung bean sprouts (loosely packed)
1 bunch cilantro (about one cup chopped, no stems)
1 bunch scallions (green onions) chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts (if allergic to peanuts use 1/2 cup sesame seeds and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds mixed)

Wash all ingredients thoroughly and either spin dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with a clean tea towel.

Shred the Napa cabbage with a sharp knife or food processor fitted with the slicing wheel (if you use the food processor you will need to do this in small batches and place in a large bowl)
Chop the cilantro — NOTE: Use only the leaves and the tender stems near the leaves (save the thick stems for juicing).
Chop the green onions/scallions, (use the entire onion, even the green part)

PLACE ALL INGREDIENTS IN THE LARGE BOWL AND ADD THE MUNG BEAN SPROUTS

Toss all ingredients until completely incorporated and let set in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. This marinates the cabbage with all of the flavors.

NEXT, mix in the peanuts (saving a few for garnish) and toss the salad with the dressing.

Serve with a side of brown rice and a few peanuts for garnish.

Sunflower or Pumpkin Seed Pie Crust: Gluten-Free, Oil-Free

This is my favorite crust, pictured here with our REAL Vegetable Quiche. Not only is it delicious, but it is full of good things for you and is oil-free, gluten-free and soy-free.

1 cup rice flour plus extra on the side for rolling if necessary
1 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
water

Drain and rinse seeds. Place in a food processor and pulse several times to start forming a paste. In a small bowl mix together flour with xanthan gum. Add to food processor and pulse to incorporate. Add a 1/4 cup of water and pulse several more times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add another 1/4 cup water and make a dough. Add water as necessary to get a smooth dough and process until mixture clumps into a ball. Remove from processor and place in a small bowl. Dough can be used right away or covered and refrigerated.

Dough may be rolled or pressed into pie shell. If rolling, place dough on a piece of wax paper at least 12 inches in length. If the dough is too sticky you may dust your hands and the wax paper with more flour. Press dough into a flat circle and cover with another sheet of wax paper. Roll out with a rolling out to a circle as large as the pie plate you will be using. Carefully peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Don’t worry if the dough tears or crumbles. You can easily just press it into the pie plate where needed. Turn the dough onto the pie plate, pressing it to match the plate form. Carefully and slowly remove the top sheet of wax paper. Trim edges.

Bake crust at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Pour in filling and bake according to recipe directions.

Vegetable Quiche

Here’s a quiche recipe that is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and full of flavor. It can be prepared in advanced and be ready when you are, for your next dinner party or to bring to a pot-luck or picnic.

Pie Crust
Try our REAL Sunflower Seed Crust or your own pie crust recipe.

The Filling
1 large onion
4 cups chopped vegetables: I used 2 cups frozen spinach and 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, string beans, peas)
You can use other fresh or frozen vegetables as well – like zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes.
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 Tablespoon potato starch
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
Herbs: I used 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried sage
You can adjust the herbs to your taste as well, add spices to heat it up or keep it mild.
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cashews or sunflower seeds in 1 cup water
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon olive oil (optional)

1. Coarse chop the onion and dry saute in a heavy sauce pan on medium heat. Stir regularly so onions do not stick or burn. Cook about 10 minutes until lightly brown and translucent.
2. Toss in vegetables, mix well to combine and cook for a minute and remove the chill (if frozen). Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, mix together garbanzo flour, potato starch, yeast, salt if using, herbs and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In a food processor blend the cashew/water mixture until smooth. Pour into garbanzo flour mixture with oil. Whisk to combine. Add 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking until smooth. Batter should be like heavy cream.
5. Fill pie crust with vegetables. Carefully pour the batter evenly on top.
6. Bake for 45 minutes at 350F. Remove from the oven. Serve immediately or allow to cool. Quiche may be reheated or served at room temperature.

Tex-Mex Tofu Fajita Steak Stew

Enjoy our REAL Tofu Steaks on top of black beans, peppers and onions. Bring the cast iron pan to the table with a side of warm corn tortillas and sides of your favorite condiments like shredded cashew cheese, guacamole, tofu sour cream, and salsa. Have a party!

The Steaks
1 lb block of organic super firm tofu (sliced into eight 2oz rectangles)

The Marinade
¼ cup soy sauce (I used low sodium gluten free Tamari)
¼ cup agave

The Tex Mex Red Pepper Sautee
4 large Italian red peppers cut in julienne strips (about ½ inch wide)
1 large yellow onion (sliced)
2 cups cooked black beans (or one 14 oz can drained)
1 cup of REAL Tea Smoked BBQ Sauce (click link for recipe)
1 cup of organic/vegan ale or vegetable stock or water (for sautéing)

Tofu Prep — Preheat the oven to 400ºF
Open the package of tofu and drain any excess water and pat dry. I always wrap the block of tofu in a tea towel to get out the excess water.
Slice the block of tofu into eight 2 oz rectangles.
Tofu Marinade: In a glass pie plate or shallow bowl, mix the soy sauce and the agave.
Prepare a ¼ sheet pan with a piece of baking/parchment paper.
Dip/dredge the tofu slices in the marinade making sure both sides are coated and place on the baking sheet.
Bake the tofu in center rack of hot oven for 15 minutes, turn, brush with remaining marinade, and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. The tofu will look golden brown and shiny, like it’s been shellacked. It’s okay if the edges are a little charred too.
Set the tofu aside.

The Tex-Mex Fajita Stew
Saute the onions, peppers in a large cast iron frying pan on medium high heat, when the peppers and onions start to stick to the pan, deglaze with a little of the beer/stock/water at a time. Salt and pepper to taste. When they are al dente, add the barbecue sauce and the rest of the beer/stock/water and cook for about 10 minutes until the sauce reduces to about half, then add the black beans and continue cooking for about 5 to 7 minutes or until all are incorporated.

Place the tofu steaks right on top of the peppers and onions and bring the cast iron pan to the table with a side of warm corn tortillas and sides of your favorite condiments like shredded cashew cheese, guacamole, tofu sour cream, and salsa. Have a party!

Kasha and Onions

When I was very young, my grandfather would ask me in a scratchy voice – “You, ya like kasha?” We didn’t have kasha (buckwheat) very often and when we did, I wasn’t sure what I thought about it. It was different. My grandfather passed away many years ago but I think of him now whenever I make anything with buckwheat. It’s a tasty, nutritious, easy to prepare, satisfying food. Now I can say, “Yes Grandpa, I do like kasha, very much.”

1 cup roasted buckwheat groats
2 cups water
1 onion, chopped into 1 inch pieces.
1/2 package (6 ounces) firm silken tofu, mashed (optional)
water for sauteing

1. In a medium saucepan, mix buckwheat with 2 cups of water. Cook on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and cook until all the water is gone and buckwheat is soft, about 20 minutes.
2. In a heavy skillet or cast iron fry pan, turn heat to medium high. Add onions and saute dry, stirring regularly. Turn heat down if onions start to burn. Cook about 10 minutes until onions are translucent and slightly brown.
3. Add buckwheat and tofu and mix to incorporate. Cook about 5 minutes. If buckwheat sticks to pan add a little water to loosen. Cook until steams off. Remove from heat and serve.

Leek and Lentil Soup

Summer rain pours down on and off all day long. A great day to stay in and make soup. Lentils, herbs and spices create a satisfying broth without oil or salt. Kelp powder is used in place of salt. It has a salty flavor and natural plant iodine. Enjoy al fresco, like we do on our terrace while we watch the rain fall. Serve with Kasha & Onions.

1 cup red lentils
1 medium leek
4 medium carrots (peel only if not organic)
3 celery stalks
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried dill
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon dried kelp powder
8 cups water

1. Slice the leek lengthwise, open up and wash thoroughly. Leeks often have hidden bits of soil between the leaves. Coarse chop the entire leek, white and green parts into 1/2 inch wide pieces.
2. Chop carrots and celery in 1/4 inch wide chunks.
3. In a large stock pot on medium high heat, toast the turmeric and curry powder for about a minute, stirring frequently. Add in all the remaining ingredients – vegetables, lentils, herbs and water. Stir and cover. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Makes 4 meal-sized bowls of soup or 8 cups.

Baked Potato Pancakes, Latkes: Gluten-Free

These potato pancakes are light and delicious, with little or no oil at all. They are a great party food for any celebration. Top with our REAL Tofu Sour Cream or REAL Apple Sauce or our REAL Apple Cranberry Raisin Butter (Holiday Butter). Recipe includes 4 varieties: plain potato, potato carrot onion, potato buckwheat and potato spinach.
RECIPE
Potatoes (about 3 pounds, washed and scrubbed, peeled if not organic)
1 large onion
1/2 cup potato flour (all purpose flour, wheat or gluten-free may be substituted)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (optional – if you are on an oil-free diet leave this out)
3/4 teaspoon salt (optional – if you are on a salt-free diet leave this out)
1 cup frozen spinach
1 carrot (washed and scrubbed, peeled if not organic)
1/2 cup roasted buckwheat groats
1 cup water
Tofu Sour Cream

1. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Peel and cut onion. Cut onion in half. Grate one of the halved pieces and put in a small bowl. Chop the other half and put in a small bowl.
3. Grate carrot and place in a small bowl.
4. Place the buckwheat in a small saucepan, add water, stir, cover and cook over high heat, bringing to a boil. Turn heat to low and cook until water is gone and buckwheat is soft, about 15-20 minutes.
5. In a large cast iron pan or heavy skillet, over medium high heat, dry saute the chopped onion, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Adjust heat so onions do not burn. Add in carrots and cook for 2 more minutes. Spoon out onions and carrots and place in a small bowl.
6. In the same pan, add the spinach and let it cook for about a minute or two, just to defrost and/or soften and remove some of the water. Spoon out 1/2 cup of the spinach and place in a small bowl.
7. Take 1/2 cup cooked buckwheat and place in a small bowl.
8. Grate potatoes over large bowl, filled halfway with water. Toss the grated potatoes around in the water, drain, rinse and let sit in a mesh colander over a larger bowl. Press potatoes to squeeze out additional water.
9. In a very large bowl, toss together the grated potatoes and grated onion. Add oil and salt if using. Mix well. Sprinkle in the potato flour, a few tablespoons at a time. Using your hands, mix together to make a dough. Use enough flour so that the mixture can be shaped into a patty. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Take one quarter and place in another bowl. Pull enough potato dough to form into a patty of desired size. About 1/4 cup will make a 2 1/2 – 3 inch pancake. Place on sheet pan. Take another 1/4 of the dough and place in the mixing bowl. With your hands, knead in the sauteed carrot/onion mixture. Form into pancakes and place on sheet pan. Using the third quarter of potato dough, knead in the buckwheat, form into pancakes and place on sheet pan. Using remaining dough, knead in the spinach, form into pancakes and place on sheet pan.
10. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from heat. Flatten by pressing down on each pancake with a spatula and flip the over. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve immediately with Tofu Sour Cream or Apple Sauce.

Caryn’s Carrot Cake, or Caryn Cake: Gluten-Free

Carrot Cake has always been one of my favorites, but only when it’s made my way. That’s why I call this cake, Caryn Cake. There’s a secret ingredient that as of today, is no longer a secret! It’s Mace. Mace is a spice made from the outer covering that surrounds nutmeg seeds. The flavor is similar to that of nutmeg, but with its own subtle peppery flavor that gives this Carrot Cake it’s “je ne sais quoi”. I just know you will love it.

2 ½ cups hot water
3 tablespoons ground flax seed in 6 tablespoons water (lightly beaten)
1 cups agave nectar
3/4 cup vegan butter like Earth Balance
1 1/2 cups sugar (evaporated cane juice) – use 1/2 cup less sugar if you don’t want it very sweet
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 cups rice flour
½ cup sorghum flour
1 ½ cups tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mace
½ cup ground almonds (if allergic to tree nuts, or use sunflower or pumpkin seeds)
1 cup finely grated carrots

Frosting:
Two packages Vegan Cream Cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, or to taste
1 tsp almond extract or vanilla
1/3 cup organic coconut

To make the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350oF. Grease two 8 inch round cake pans, or cupcake tins for 2 dozen cupcakes. You can use any size pans you like. The size and shape will determine how long it needs to cook. See step 11 below.
2. Cream sugar with margarine in a medium size bowl.
3. Slowly beat in flax seed mixture, agave, vinegar and vanilla.
4. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended.
5. Combine flours, almonds, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon and mace in a large bowl.
6. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
7. Stir in hot water, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well. Batter should be thick.
8. Stir in the carrots
10. Pour batter into greased pans, filling each halfway.
11. Bake for about 40 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn off oven; leave cake in oven for 10 min to gradually cool (prevents cake form falling). Mini cupcakes will take about a half hour, average cupcakes take about 35-40 minutes. One large round will take about 60 minutes. If you make one large cake, cover the top with foil after 30 minutes to prevent top from burning.
12. Remove cake from oven and allow to completely cool. Remove from pan and top with frosting.

To make the frosting:
Blend vegan cream cheese, almond or vanilla extract and sugar with a fork. Don’t use an electric beater, it can make it runny. Beat with fork until smooth, do not overbeat. Let chill several hours.

Option – Toast the Coconut:
The frosting can be topped with plain coconut or toasted. To toast the coconut spread it out on a sheet pan and toast at 300oF for several minutes. Keep and eye on the sheet – it can brown quickly and burn. Shake the sheet ever one of two minutes so the coconut gets evenly toasted. When lightly browned, remove coconut from over and let cool.

To Assemble Cake: Frost top of one layer, place the other layer on top and cover with frosting. Add coconut to top and sides by gently tossing it onto the frosting. Coconut that does not stick can be pressed into the frosting with a knife.

Caryn’s Carrot Cake, or just Caryn Cake

Carrot Cake has always been one of my favorites, but only when it’s made my way. That’s why I call this cake, Caryn Cake. There’s a secret ingredient that as of today, is no longer a secret! It’s Mace. Mace is a spice made from the outer covering that surrounds nutmeg seeds. The flavor is similar to that of nutmeg, but with its own subtle peppery flavor that gives this Carrot Cake it’s “je ne sais quoi”. I just know you will love it.
Get the GLUTEN-FREE version of this recipe here.

1 cup organic unbleached flour
1 cup organic whole wheat flour
½ oat flour
1 2/3 cup organic sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup water
1 cup light organic coconut milk
2 tablespoons organic cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup vegan butter, softened (we use Earth Balance)
2-3 carrots, grated (about 1 1/3 cups grated carrots)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mace (secret ingredient)

Frosting:
Two packages Vegan Cream Cheese
¼ cup Maple syrup or 1/4 to 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of ½ lemon
1/4 cup organic coconut

To make the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside. Mix sugar, flours, and baking soda into a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Add carrots. Combine coconut milk, water, vinegar, spices and vanilla in large measuring cup. Place vegan butter in a medium bowl. Add in coconut milk mixture whisking until smooth after each. Add vegan butter-coconut milk mixture to dry ingredients and fold gently with rubber spatula until just incorporated. Divide batter evenly between cake pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, switching position of and rotating pans after 12 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

To make the frosting: Blend tofutti cream cheese, vanilla extract, maple syrup or sugar, and lemon juice with a fork. Don’t use an electric beater, it can make it runny. Beat with fork until smooth, do not overbeat. Let chill several hours.

Option – Toast the Coconut: The frosting can be topped with plain coconut or toasted. To toast the coconut spread it out on a sheet pan and toast at 350 for several minutes. Keep and eye on the sheet – it can brown quickly and burn. Shake the sheet ever one of two minutes so the coconut gets evenly toasted. When lightly browned, remove coconut from over and let cool.

Assemble: Frost top of one layer, place the other layer on top and cover with frosting. Add coconut to top and sides by gently tossing it onto the frosting. Coconut that does not stick can be pressed into the frosting with a knife.

Braided Bread: Gluten-Free

I love baking bread. At first, making gluten-free yeast bread seemed like a daunting challenge. Like anything, it just takes a little practice. Now it’s as easy as pie.
4 cups Bob’s Redmill All Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour plus 1/2 cup for dusting
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 cup nondairy milk, plain, unsweetened

Preheat oven to 200F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, and salt if using.

In a medium size bowl mix the sugar with the yeast and pour in 1 cup of the warm water. The water should be lukewarm, not hot, or the yeast won’t work. Beat the mixture with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes. The top should foam. If it doesn’t the yeast is no good and the dough won’t rise.

Add the oil yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and form a dough. The dough will be very dry and stiff. Add remaining water, 1/2 cup at a time to create a slightly sticky moist dough. It should be a very sticky dough, not a batter. It may be easier to use a stand mixer. Incorporating the water into the stiff dough requires a bit of muscle!

On a cutting board or work table liberally sprinkle the surface with the flour. Spread flour on your hands as well. Divide the dough into 3 uniform balls. Roll each dough into a long roll about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place the 3 rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Attached the 3 ends at the top and carefully braid them, attaching the ends at the bottom. If the dough cracks a little you can pinch it back together.

Using your hands or a food brush, liberally coat the bread with nondairy milk, smoothing the surface. Sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Place on the top of the oven and cover with a towel. I have a gas oven with the burners raised above the top surface of the oven so that the sheet is not directly touching the heat – it is just in a warm environment. If you have a flat surface cook top you many want to place the bread on a rack so it is not in direct contact with the heat. Allow the dough to rise and double in size for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Increase oven temperature to 400F and bake bread for 10 minutes. Remove bread from the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Bake the covered bread for about 30 minutes. To determine if the bread is done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.

Ginger Beans and Greens with Mango and Tomato

Fresh ginger is just so good. It is good for you and it wakes up any dish. This recipes uses diced firm tofu for the bean but you can use navy beans or garbanzo beans instead. Dandelion greens are shown in the picture but any dark leafy green would be fine, like kale, collards or spinach. I love the juicy bites of the warm cherry tomatoes, along with the mango. They give a sweetness to the tofu and smooth out the bitter flavor of the greens.

1 bunch Dandelion or other leafy greens, about 6-8 oz.
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1 mango
1 package firm tofu, about 15 – 16 oz; 1 can of beans (white, navy, garbanzo) can be used instead or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans
2 inches fresh ginger, (about 2 tablespoons minced)
water

1. If using tofu, slice into small cubes about 1/4 inch wide.
2. Peel and cut mango into small pieces
3. Peel and mince ginger, make about 2 tablespoons
4. Rinse greens and chop off about 2 to 3 inches of the bottom stalks.
5. Fill a medium size saucepan halfway with water. Place on high heat, covered and bring to a boil.
6. Place a cast iron frying pan or heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the ginger and dry saute for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower heat if necessary to prevent burning.
7. Add in tofu or beans and mix well with ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes. If tofu starts to stick add about 1/4 cup of water. Add in mango and tomatoes. Stir occasionally and cook until the tomatoes are hot, about 5 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, add the greens to the boiling water. Let cook about 3 to 5 minutes until softened a little but not overcooked. Remove from water and drain.
9. Add greens to the frying pan. Using tongs, separate the greens and mix with the other ingredients. Cook for about 2 minutes and serve immediately.

Serves 2 – 4

Ginger Kale with Scallions

How do I love Kale? Let me count the ways! I love Kale today with fresh ginger and green onions.

1 bunch Lacinato dinosaur kale
1/2 cup chopped scallions
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon olive or sesame oil, just enough to lightly oil the surface of the fry pan
water

1. Cut off the stalks from the leafy part of the kale. Set these aside to use for a green juice. Or chop into small pieces.
2. In a large stock pot, add water, about 3 inches deep and bring to a boil. Add the greens, cover and cooked for no more than 5 minutes.
3. During this time, lightly oil a heavy skillet or wok and turn heat to medium high. When hot, fry the ginger and scallions for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Do not let the ginger burn or get too brown.
4. With tongs, remove the greens from the water, shake the excess water off into the pot and place them in the fry pan.
5. Toss and mix greens with the ginger and scallions. Cook greens for several minutes. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Red Cabbage Ginger Stir Fry

One thing nice about cabbage – it is ready when you are. It lasts a lot longer in the refrigerator than most other vegetables. Today was the day for this red cabbage ginger stir fry. There are only 4 ingredients and its full of flavor.

1 medium head of red cabbage (about 5″ diameter)
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 bulb fresh garlic, minced
1 pound fresh mung bean sprouts
water

1. In a food processor with the crescent blade, shred the entire head of cabbage. Or you can chop the cabbage without a food processor, into thin shreds, about 1/4 inch wide.
2. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Dry saute the ginger and garlic for about a minute or 2, stirring regularly, until lightly brown. Adjust heat if necessary, don’t let it burn.
3. Add the cabbage tossing a bit to mix in with the ginger and garlic. Add about a 1/4 cup of water to prevent sticking. Stir occasionally.
4. When cabbage is limp, add in bean sprouts and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if necessary to prevent sticking, 1/4 cup at a time.

Serve immediately.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Here’s a satisfying soup that will excite your taste buds. Balsamic vinegar is the secret ingredient that brings out the flavor instead of salt. Serve this soup with a side of warm corn tortillas and a crisp cool salad. Or serve it cold as a chilled summer soup. Garnish with a squeeze of lime, a dash of nutritional yeast, a slice of avocado or your favorite summer herbs. WARNING: This soup is accompanied by a GIANT KICK of flavor.

About 4 cups of cooked black beans (or two 16 ounce cans salt-free black beans w/ their liquid)
About 4 cups of diced tomatoes with their juice (or two 14.5 ounce cans salt-free tomatoes with their juice)
2 large Italian green peppers (mild)
1 large sweet white onion
1 cup water
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

spice mix:
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon smoked jalapeno chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash white pepper

Garnish
Squeeze of fresh lime
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1. Chop the green peppers and onions to 1″ chunks.
2. Heat 1/2 cup of water in a heavy duty sauce pan and allow it to boil.
3. Add the green peppers and onions and saute until they are al dente (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the spices and vinegar and continue cooking for about 3 minutes until the spices are well-incorporated and the liquid is reduced by about half.
5. Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the garnish) and cook for about 30 minutes.
6. Add water to your desired thickness (about an additional half cup).
7. Remove from the heat and let set for about 20 minutes before serving.

Soup may be chilled for several hours (or overnight) and served cold.
Garnish with a squeeze of lime and a dash of nutritional yeast.

A Mid Summer Night’s Salad

Be it Shakespeare in the Park or sunset on the terrace, this unbelievably simple salad of fresh green beans, yellow tomatoes, and red onions makes the perfect accompaniment to your next enchanted evening. As a side dish or on a bed of lettuce as an entree, there is no better way to celebrate the sights and sounds of those summer nights.

1 lb fresh green beans
4 large yellow tomatoes
1 large red onion
1 bunch of fresh basil (leaves only; about 1 cup loosely packed)

Wash all of the vegetables and the basil thoroughly.

Place the green beans in a steamer basket and put it in a large sauce pan with about 3 inches of water at the bottom. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, and cover with a lid. Steam the green beans just until the color changes to a bright green. Be careful not to overcook the beans, just blanch them to a firm, ‘al dente’ texture. Strain the green beans in a colander immediately and shock them under cold running water to stop the cooking process. NOTE: If you are a raw food enthusiast, you can skip this step of steaming the green beans and use them raw in your salad.

Cut the yellow tomatoes into 1 inch chunks making sure to reserve the juice and place all in a large mixing bowl.

Dice the red onions to about 1 inch chunks.

Rough chop the basil.

Mix all of the vegetables together with the basil and dress with the tahini dressing below. Serve simply, as a side dish or on top of a bed of salad greens.

Creamy Dressing (Dairy-free)
2 tablespoons of sesame tahini
juice of one medium-sized lemon
1 tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
several drops of water (if needed)
fresh ground pepper to taste

Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, Balsamic vinegar and nutritional yeast together. If it binds into a paste, add a few drops of water at time until you reach the consistency of a creamy dressing.

NOTE: Salt is intentionally NOT used in this recipe, the addition of balsamic vinegar works as the acid as well as the lemon juice to bring out the flavors.

Farmers Market Pasta Salad with Arugula Pesto

Here’s a recipe to celebrate National Farmers Market Week, 8/5-11/2012. We shopped at our new Farmers Market in Forest Hills, NY on Sunday and made this dish with the vegetables we purchased.

2 eggplants
4 Italian peppers (green)
2 yellow tomatoes
1 red onion
1 lb penne pasta
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Marinade – mix together in a medium size bowl:
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Arugula Walnut Pesto
2 cups loosely packed Arugula
1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 Cup nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Slice eggplant on the bias making about 1/4 inch thick slices. Dip each slice of eggplant in the marinade and immediately place the slices on the sheet pan with parchment paper. If you run low on marinade just make more. When the first layer is complete, sprinkle with nutritional yeast, then cover with another sheet of parchment paper and repeat until all eggplant is used. It should make three layers. Cover the last layer with parchment paper (it’s okay if it sticks to the eggplant) and put in the center rack of your preheated oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until eggplant is tender and brown.

Seed and chop the peppers, onions, and tomatoes (reserving the juice) and place in a lightly oiled rectangular Pyrex baking dish. Bake in your preheated oven along with eggplant for 20 minutes or until tender and the tomatoes have created a lovely sauce. During the baking stir occasionally.

Remove both the eggplant and the pepper, onion and tomato mixture when done.

Boil a large stock pot with water and cook the penne per the package instructions for al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water for a few seconds to stop the cooking process.

For the Pesto:
Place the Arugula in a food processor and pulse, add the walnuts and nutritional yeast and continue to pulse until well combined. With the motor running stream the olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. If too thick you may add a few drops of water to make it a consistency of traditional pesto. It should be loose but not too runny.

Mix the pasta with the roasted vegetables (EXCEPT THE EGGPLANT SLICES).

To assemble the salad:
For an entree size portion, layer the bottom of a plate or bowl with six eggplant slices (leaving a well in the center of the plate), mound a generous scoop of pasta salad on top of the well, dollop (about 1 Tablespoon) the top of the pasta salad with the pesto (adding more if desired).

Enjoy this dish served warm or chilled.

Soft Rolls – Gluten-Free

Fresh baked soft rolls can make any meal special. These rolls make tasty burger buns too. I am enjoying gluten-free baking more and more.

2 cups Rice Flour
1 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup Garbanzo Flour (plus about 4 Tablespoons for dusting)
1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 3/4 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds or sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons unsweetened nondairy milk or water.

Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl mix together the rice flour, tapioca, garbanzo flour, flax seeds, baking soda. Pour in the water and vinegar and make a dough. Let dough sit for about 10 minutes. Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust hands with garbanzo bean flour, scoop a small amount of dough (1/2 cup) and roll into a 3 to 4 inch diameter ball. Dust hands each time with flour before forming a bun. Repeat until all the dough is used up. Using a food brush, lightly coat the tops and sides of each roll with non dairy milk or water. You can also use the brush to smooth out the dough. Sprinkle seeds on top of each roll. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool, and serve.

Green Juice – Deconstructed (Kale Salad)

Green juice saved my life. Literally. I am committed to consuming green juice every day. That commitment includes one head of kale (about 0.8 to 1 lb) and other vegetables. With a desire to give my body a quick cleanse, I decided instead of juicing, I would “deconstruct” the recipe and eat all my juice ingredients including the fiber. The discovery? I am sated all day long and have no cravings for anything else. Warning: This is REAL slow food. Mealtime takes a bit longer because every bite must be chewed. Take the time to relax and enjoy the moment.
1 head of kale, about 8-10 leaves, 0.8-1 pound
2 bell peppers (red, orange and/or yellow), cored, seeded or 2 carrots
1 fruit (apple, pear, mango) sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts
OPTIONAL: 2-4 tablespoons black olives, 2-4 oz baked tofu cut in small cubes
OPTIONAL: 1/4 finely chopped Vidalia or red onion

Dressing: 1/4 cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar or juice of one lemon

I use a food processor, but everything can be chopped by hand. Using the crescent blade, process the kale (stalks and all), celery (with the leaves), carrots/peppers and onions (if using). Place in a very large salad bowl, pour in the dressing and knead the leaves with your hands for a few minutes. This will soften the kale. Add in the remaining ingredients. Toss and serve. I eat the entire salad in one day, 1/2 for lunch and the other 1/2 for dinner. But it can serve 2-3 as a main dish or 4-6 as a side salad.

 

Coconut Cake (gluten-free)

There’s something about coconut that irresistible. Several years ago I craved coconut cake for my birthday. I went to the kitchen and created this recipe using white wheat flour. Still getting that coconut cake craving from time to time, but wanting to make it gluten-free I came up with this recipe. It’s heavenly.

CAKE:
2 cups sugar/evaporated cane juice
3 cups all-purpose baking flour gluten-free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 3/4 cups coconut milk (1 can)
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
1/4 to 3/4 cup hot water
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

FROSTING:
2- 8 oz vegan, nondairy cream cheese, nonhydrogenated oil version preferred (Tofutti brand has no gluten)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar or more, to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Adjust oven rack to middle position, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside. Mix sugar, flours baking soda and xanthan gum into a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Cut in the vegan butter, making a crumbly mixture. Combine coconut milk, vinegar and vanilla in medium size bowl and add this mixture to dry ingredients. Mix well, batter will be thick. Pour in hot water, 1/4 cup at a time and mix well. The batter should be thicker than a standard cake batter, not runny. Fold in shredded coconut. Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, switching position of and rotating pans after 12 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Sift powdered sugar, removing any clumps. Blend vegan cream cheese, almond and vanilla extracts and sugar with a fork, whisk or beater. Beat at low speed until smooth, do not overbeat. Add additional sugar to taste. Let chill several hours.

Frost top of one layer, place the other layer on top and cover with frosting. Add shredded coconut to top and sides by gently tossing it onto the frosting. Coconut that does not stick can be pressed into the frosting with a knife.

Cream of Broccoli with Vegetable Noodles

Everyone loves noodle-based soups. How about noodles that are made from thinly sliced vegetables instead of overly-processed refined flour? Yes! Broccoli and creamy coconut milk make the base and sauteed onions and peppers are perfect noodles. I was making this soup to serve at another time but couldn’t help myself – I had to sit down and have a bowl right away. It is that good.

1 pound fresh broccoli
2 bell peppers, red, yellow or orange
2 large onions or 3 small
1 teaspoon cumin
8 cups water
1 cup coconut milk

1. Coarse chop the broccoli flowers. The broccoli stems should be cut smaller, into 1/2 inch circles.
2. Peel and slice onion into thin circles, separating the pieces into rings.
3. Remove seeds from peppers, cut of the tops and bottoms and slice the flat portions into thin noodles, about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Place a large skillet on medium high heat. Lightly toast the cumin for about a minute in the dry pan. Add in the onions and dry saute, stirring occasional until the onions are soft, translucent and lightly brown. Add peppers to the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Pour two cups of water into a large soup pot. Add the broccoli. Cook, covered on medium high heat until broccoli is soft. Remove from heat.
6. Using an immersion blender puree the broccoli and water into a smooth cream. A conventional blender may be used as well. The mixture will be hot – be careful not to splatter. Return puree to the soup pot, add the remaining water and bring to a boil. Once the soup has boiled, turn the heat to low.
7. Stir in the vegetable noodles and the coconut milk, mixing into the soup. Keep on low heat, covered until ready to serve.

Collard Rolls – Raw

Try rolling up your salad for a fun, colorful twist. Collard Rolls are a great way to get your greens. A cool dish for a hot night.

2 large collard leaves
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced in thin circles
1 tomato, sliced in thin circles
1/2 cup Sunflower Seed Cheese
2 tablespoons raw almond butter
water
optional: your favorite hot sauce or hot chili powder, agave

Rolls:
Carefully tear one side of the collard leaf away from it’s stem. Repeat with the other side. Take one of the halves and place it on a cutting board. Spread about 2 tablespoons evenly on the leaf, leaving about 1/2 inch boarder all around. Top with 2 tablespoons of grated carrots, 2 slices of tomato and 2 or 3 slices of cucumer. Take one of the thinner sides and roll into a cylinder. Repeat with other collard leaves.

Sauce:
In a small bowl, mix the almond butter with about 2 tablespoons of water. Beat with a fork until smooth. Continue to add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have the consistency of cream. Season to taste with hot sauce or hot spices and/or a little sweetener like agave.

Place rolls on a serving dish along with the almond butter dipping sauce.

Sunflower Seed Cheese Spread

Say goodbye to cheese made from animal milk and say hello to the wonderful world of nut and seed cheeses. This recipe makes a creamy, mild cheese that goes well with so many things. Use you imagination! Try it on crackers, with crudités or inside our REAL Collard Rolls.

1 cup hulled sunflower seeds
2 cups water
1/4 onion
1-2 tablespoons fresh dill plus one sprig for garnish
optional: 1/2 – 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, 1/2 – 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper, salt, pepper

1. Pour the seeds into a jar or bowl and cover with water. Place in refrigerator and let soak for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Rinse and drain seeds.
3. Place seeds in a food processor with onion and dill. Pulse and then process until well blended. Mixture should be somewhat dry.
4. Scoop seed mixture into a bowl and chill for 2 hours or more.
5. When ready to serve, glide a knife around the sides. Turn bowl upside down and carefully remove seed cheese onto a plate. Garnish with fresh dill and serve.

Summer Stir Fry

Hot, hot, hot! When the weather is hot, you don’t want to be slaving over a hot stove. Stir fry dishes are quick and make good use of the wonderful vegetables that are in season. I love the colorful, sweet bell peppers. They can be expensive, because it takes a while for them to ripen. (Green bell peppers are simply red, yellow or orange peppers that have not fully ripened). During the summer when they are in season and the price comes down a bit, I put them in everything.

1 package firm tofu (about 16 oz), drained and cubed
1 cup white wine, champagne or beer ( go to Barnivore.com for a list of vegan-friendly beer, wine and liquor)
2 teaspoons dried basil or 4 teaspoons fresh (minced)
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
3 white mushrooms, sliced
hot sauce or red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

In a large fry pan, heat the wine on medium heat. Add the tofu cubes, sprinkle the basil over them and stir to evenly coat. Cook until almost all the liquid has disappeared. Add in the eggplant and onions. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally. When the eggplant and onions are limp and almost translucent, stir in remaining ingredients: pepper, tomato and mushrooms. Let cook another 5 minutes. Season to taste. I like adding about a teaspoon of hot sauce or red pepper flakes to heat it up a bit.

Hot dog buns: Gluten-free

Hot Dawgs, ice cold beer here… these are sounds of summer in New York. At the ball park, Coney Island, or a 4th of July barbecue – hot dogs are what’s on the menu. While I would never consume a conventional hot dog today, extruded from a slurry of animal parts, artificial preservatives, flavorings and spices, I happily indulge occasionally in a number of cruelty-free vegan hot dog varieties often found in many grocery store cold cases. Serve with mustard and sauerkraut inside these gluten-free hot dog buns along with REAL Oven Baked Potato and Sweet Potato Fries and you’ve got yourself a home run.

2 cups Rice Flour
1 cup Tapioca Flour
1/2 cup Garbanzo Flour (plus 4 Tablespoons for dusting)
1/4 cup ground golden flax seeds
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 3/4 cups warm water
optional seed topping: 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds or sesame seeds and 2 Tablespoons unsweetened nondairy milk.

Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large bowl mix together the rice flour, tapioca, garnanzo flour, flax seeds, baking soda and xanthan gum. Pour in the water and vinegar and make a dough. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dusting the hands with garbanzo bean flour, scoop a small amount of dough (1/2 cup) and roll into a 1 1/2 diameter log for a hot dog bun or into a 3 to 4 inch diameter circle for a hamburger bun. Dust hands each time with flour before forming a bun. Repeat until all the dough is used up. If topping with seeds, using a food brush, lightly coat the tops and sides of eat bun with non dairy milk. You can use the brush to smooth out the dough. Sprinkle seeds on top of each bun. Bake buns for 15 minutes. Let cool, slice and serve.

Ratatouille Crepes

RRRRRRRRatatouille! This is one of those dishes that says summer to me. It’s easy to make and delicious served hot or cold. I made a lot of ratatouille when I lived in the south of France. Everyone has there own way to make it, some more complicated than others, too often drenched in olive oil. This is my version – oil free and full of the flavor of fresh picked garden vegetables. Often it’s best to chop everything first before cooking but with this recipe I chop while I cook. The vegetables that need to cook longer get chopped first and start to cook, while I chop the vegetables that require less cooking time. By the time I am done chopping, I can tidy up a bit and then it’s done. Ratatouille is great on it’s own, served over rice or as a side or shown here, all dressed up, wrapped in light and delicate buckwheat crepes.

1 yellow onion
1 eggplant
2 medium zucchini
2 bell peppers, red, yellow or orange
2 large tomatoes or one 16 oz can diced tomatoes
4 teaspoons Herbs de Provence or your own mix (basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano)

Chop the onion in to 1/2 inch pieces. Take a large stock pot and place on medium heat. Dry saute the onions in the pot, stirring occasionally to keep from burning. Once the onions start to cook, they will release their own moisture to cook in. Meanwhile mince 4 or 5 cloves of garlic and add to the pot. Continue to stir occasionally. Peel the eggplant if not organic and then cut into 1 inch pieces. Add to the pot and stir. Next, cut the zucchini in thin 1/4 inch circles and add to the pot. Take the bell peppers, remove the seeds, chop into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the pot, stirring to mix in with other vegetables. Chop the tomatoes or open the can of tomatoes and add to the pot along with the herbs. Stir everything together and cover. Cook over medium-low for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Buckwheat Crepes

Buckwheat crepes make any meal special. These can be served with savory or sweet fillings. Crepes may appear hard to make because they are thin and delicate. But with my secret ingredient – garbanzo flour, this batter makes perfect crepes, every time. Try the savory version, with REAL Ratatouille.

1/2 cup Buckwheat Flour
3/4 cup Garbanzo Bean Flour
2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 cups water
vegan butter for oiling the pan

In a blender or a large bowl, mix together the flours and flax seeds. Add the water and blend to make a smooth batter. Let stand for about 5 minutes. When ready to use stir the batter up again. Use a very small amount of vegan butter to oil a cast iron frying pan or griddle. Wipe excess off with a paper towel. Heat to medium high. Once pan is hot, fill a ladle with 1/4 cup of batter. Keep the ladle very close to the pan and slowly pour the batter in the center of the pan, letting it spread to a small circle. With the back of the ladle, gently touch the batter in the center and in a circular motion, move the batter out, making a larger circle (about 6″ in diameter), keeping the batter thin. Cook for about 2 minutes. Using a very thin spatula, lift the crepe up all around the edge. Once underneath the crepe, carefully press the spatula down on the pan and further under the crepe, loosening the entire piece. Flip the crepe and cook on the other side for 30 seconds to one minute. Repeat with remaining batter. If batter starts to stick, grease the pan as above. Makes 10 -12 crepes

Vegetable Cakes, Gluten-Free

Yesterday, on the way to my nephew’s preschool graduation in upstate New York, my mom and I stopped at an out of the way deli restaurant because she was hungry and we were early. She ordered a vegetable patty. The patty looked nice, probably not vegan, so I didn’t try it but I couldn’t help thinking about how I might veganize it when I got home. These yummy vegetable cakes are the results.

1 onion
1 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour)
3/4 cups plus one tablespoon water
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables (8 oz) or 1 1/2 cup finely chopped vegetables (carrots, string beans, corn, peas)
tahini dressing

Chop the onion into 1/2 to 1 inch size pieces. Heat a grill pan (I use a 12 inch round cast iron grill for this recipe) on medium. Lightly oil pan with about one teaspoon oil. Add the chopped onions. Spread them out over the pan and cook, moving the pieces around occasionally. The onion pieces should become lightly brown and translucent. If they start to blacken lower the heat. When nicely browned add the frozen or fresh chopped vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

In a medium size bowl mix the chickpea flour and herbs. Whisk in the water and make a smooth batter. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Mix in about half of the vegetables.

Heat the grill pan to medium. Depending on the pan, it may or may not be necessary to add a little more oil. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter in the grill pan. I use a small ladle, keeping it very close to the pan surface, pouring it out slowly, to keep the batter shape small and circular. Let it cook until the edges have bubbled and the the top is mostly dry. The center can still be wet, but at least 1 inch of the edge should be dry. With a spatula carefully lift underneath all around the edges, to free it from the pan. The entire piece can be lifted and flipped to cook the other side. Let it cook another 2 minutes and remove from heat. Keep vegetable cakes warm in a 200F oven until ready to serve.e

Serve topped with the remaining vegetables and drizzle with tahini dressing.

Stir-Fried Greens

I love my dark leafy green vegetables prepared in a variety of ways. When I would sauté them I typically used garlic and onions. But I could never make them at home to taste like they do at one of my favorite restaurants, Buddha Bodai in Flushing and Manhattan. The Flushing restaurant recently moved and is now called the New Bodhai. They prepare a vegan Buddhist style cuisine that doesn’t use garlic and onions. So how did they make their greens so good? I just figured it out, it’s so simple. It’s all in the ginger.

1 pound leafy greens such as watercress, spinach, Chinese broccoli
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon untoasted sesame oil

1. Wash and drain the greens.
2. In a large stock pot, add water, about 3 inches deep and bring to a boil. Add the greens, cover and cooked for no more than 5 minutes.
3. During this time, lightly oil a heavy skillet or wok and turn heat to medium high. When hot, fry the ginger for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Do not let the ginger burn or get too brown.
4. With tongs, remove the greens from the water, shake the excess water off into the pot and place them in the fry pan.
5. Toss and mix greens with the ginger. Cook greens for several minutes. Remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Servings 2- 4

Mini Banana Oat Bread Loaves, Wheat-Free

When I was young, on special occasions we would go to Cookie’s Steak Pub for dinner. They were known for the large quartered chunks of iceberg lettuce served with a choice of 4 creamy dressings, a shrimp cocktail bar and endless mini slices of banana bread that I loved. With all the great greens available, I rarely have iceberg lettuce now. Steaks and shrimp have been off my menu for a long time. But banana bread endures, better than ever, with no refined flours or cholesterol, slightly sweet and good for you. Baked in mini loaf pans, I slice the bread to resemble the restaurant version.

2 cups rolled oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 ripe bananas, cut in chunks
1 cup water
vegetable shortening or oil to oil pans

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a blender, add the oat meal and pulse into a coarse flour. Process on low to grind a little finer. Add in the baking powder, flax seeds and cinnamon. Pulse to mix together. Add water, bananas, almond extract and vinegar and process to make a thick batter. Pour into 2 mini greased loaf pans and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool. Remove from pan, slice and serve.

Black Bean Paté

Hummus, a paté made from garbanzo beans, is very popular today all around the U.S. But garbanzos are not the only bean in town! Life is too short to eat only one kind of bean spread. There are so many different kinds of beans waiting to be whirred up into something special. Spice things up a bit with this black bean paté. Instead of oil and tahini, avocado is used to make this dip rich and creamy. Serve with REAL Corn Cakes.

1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
1 teaspoon cumin
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle
oil for sauteeing

Lightly oil a frying pan and place on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent and lightly browned.
In a food process, add the beans, tomatoes, avocado, lemon or lime juice and process, mixing everything together. Add in spices, onion and garlic and process until light and creamy. Scoop out into a bowl and serve.

Corn Cakes, Gluten-Free

When I interviewed Terry Hope Romero about her cookbook Viva Vegan! I went nuts over her very simple Arepa recipe, a corn tortilla or pancake made with masa harina. But since I live with an Italian, polenta is more of a staple in our house than masa harina. I came up with this recipe using polenta. Serve with REAL Black Bean Paté.

1 3/4 cups polenta
1/4 cup ground yellow flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
oil for frying
Optional: You can flavor this cake any way you like. Try adding 2 tablespoons of chopped olives, scallions or pesto.

In a food processor, pulse and then process the polenta for a couple of minutes to make a finer ground. Add the flax and salt and pulse to incorporate. Pour in the water and process, making a batter. Add the corn and pulse a few times to mix and cut up the kernels a little. Let stand for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200F. Heat a cast iron griddle or skillet on medium high. Lightly grease with oil. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle for each cake. Add as many as will fit on the grill, about 1 inch apart. Cook for several minutes until the edges are dry. With a spatula flip the cake and flatten it down. Cook another couple of minutes until lightly browned. Remove and place on a baking sheet in the oven to stay warm while you finish the remaining batter.

Makes a dozen corn cakes.

Light and Crispy Oat Waffles, Gluten-Free

Waffles are the perfect Sunday morning breakfast. Soy lecithin gives these waffles a rich, “egg-like” flavor with all the goodness and none of the cholesterol.
1 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons cornstarch or Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 tsp cinnamon
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy lecithin granules
2 cups water
Vegetable cooking oil for the waffle iron

In a blender, add the oatmeal and pulse making a coarse flour. Add to it, the flax seeds, sunflower seeds, cornstarch, cinnamon and fennel. Pulse to incorporate all the ingredients. Pour in the water and vinegar and blend to make a batter. Add in the soy lecithin and blend again. Let mixture sit for about 15 minutes. Heat the waffle iron. If necessary lightly oil the surface. Pour batter into each waffle space. Let cook for about 12 minutes. Top with APPLE BANANA BERRY COMPOTE.

Serves 2-4

Apple Banana Berry Compote

My favorite waffle or pancake topping is fruit compote. Made with fruits that are always available in our house, it’s easy, simple and so sweet. Serve over Light And Crispy Waffles.
2 apples, cut into small cubes (peel first, only if not organic)
1 package frozen raspberries
2 bananas, sliced
1/4 cup water 

In a saucepan, cook apples, raspberries, bananas and water over low heat, covered. Stir occasionally. Cook until the apples are soft and the raspberries break apart making a sauce. Remove from heat and serve over Light And Crispy Waffles.

Scallion Pancakes with Plum Sauce

This is adapted from the Vietnamese Happy Pancakes recipe from Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray’s The 30 Minute Vegan Taste of the East. Instead of the sauteed vegetable topping in their recipe, I use a Plum dipping sauce made from REAL Prune butter. It’s amazing how perfect these little pancakes are with so few ingredients, and gluten-free. I am very happy indeed. LISTEN to Caryn Hartglass’ interview with Mark Reinfeld.

3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup water
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (scallions)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (not toasted)

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt and turmeric. Add the water and mix well. Fold in the green onions and set the mixture aside for 15 minutes, during which time it will thicken slightly. Heat a skillet or griddle until it’s piping hot and brush a very light coating of oil. Stir the batter again and pour 1/3 cup onto the skillet in a very thin layer. Cook for about 5 minutes until the edges turn brown. Flip and cook for a minute on the other side. Keep pancakes warm in a 200F oven until ready to serve.

Plum Sauce
2 tablespoons REAL Prune butter
Water
1/4 teaspoon Ume Vinegar (this is a very salty plum vinegar, salt or soy sauce may be substituted – to taste)
1 teaspoon finely chopped green onions (scallions)

In a small bowl add about 4 tablespoons of water to the prune butter. Beat with a fork to incorporate. Add a little more water at a time to thin to the consistency of heavy cream . Add the vinegar. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Chopped Salad of Romaine Lettuce, Pea Shoots, Cilantro, Green Onions and Almonds

If you like the earthy tastes of pea shoots, cilantro and green onion, then this is your salad. I like serving this salad at lunch with a side of brown rice. Substitute bean sprouts if you can’t find pea shoots or if you are not fond of their flavor. You may also use peanuts and peanut butter in the dressing instead of almond butter. I find the almond butter adds a nice contrast to the overpowering flavor of the pea shoots. Add a dash of cayenne pepper to the dressing for a bit of heat. This salad is really addicting. Enjoy!

1 large head of Romaine lettuce (approximately 4 cups chopped)
2 cups pea shoots
1 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup sliced/chopped/slivered almonds (lightly toasted)

Wash and spin the Romaine, make sure it is very dry, then rough chop in one inch squares, and place in a large salad bowl. Add the pea shoots, scallions, cilantro and almonds — mix thoroughly.

Dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons almond butter
1/4 cup agave
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon shredded fresh ginger
(You may use peanut butter if almond butter is not available)

In a mixing bowl, whisk the almond butter with the soy sauce and the lemon juice. Add the agave, in a stream as you would with oil when making an emulsion. Dressing should be the consistency of heavy cream. Add in the ginger and mix. If it is too thick, add a teaspoon of water. If it’s too thin, add a teaspoon of almond butter.

Toss the salad with half the dressing and serve the remaining dressing on the side for those wanting more.

Broken Rice Paper Noodle Soup

I enjoy making and eating Summer Rolls but I am often left with many cracked or broken sheets of rice paper. What to do? Make soup! This is an Asian Fusion vegetable soup. Rice paper has its own unique flavor and holds its own in this soup.

1/4 white onion, chopped fine
6 scallions, chopped fine, separating white and green parts
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 carrots, cut in 2 inch by 1/4 inch strips
1 cup chopped cilantro
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon lemongrass powder or about 2 Tablespoons dried lemongrass pieces soaked in water (optional)
8 cups of water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon dried leeks (parsley may be substituted)
1 teaspoon dried basil
2-3 cups coarsely broken rice paper
2 pinches kelp powder or salt to taste

In a large soup pot over medium heat, coat the bottom with a thin layer of sesame oil. Add in the onions, white part of scallions, garlic and ginger. Saute for several minutes until tender, stirring occasionally, watching not to burn. Add 1 cup of water and the carrots. Cook about 5 minutes. If using lemongrass pieces, wrapped them in cheese cloth tied with string or put in a tea egg before adding to the broth, so they can be removed from the soup before serving. Add the remaining 7 cups of water, lemon juice, basil and leeks and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the cilantro, green part of the scallions and rice paper and stir well. Cook another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 3 large bowls or 6 – 8 small bowls.

Roasted Red Root Vegetable Salad

This is a REAL great salad of roasted red root vegetables served with a spectacular roasted garlic aioli. This salad is very tasty and is great as a main course salad served on top of a bed of crisp greens or as a side dish complimenting a several course meal! It is great served warm or cold anytime of year!

3 large red beets
12 small red potatoes
8 medium red carrots (use orange carrots if red aren’t available)
1 large red onion
1 tablespoon olive oil

Remove the greens from the top of the beets and save for another use. Remove the greens on the top of the carrots and use as mulch for your garden. Clean and scrub the beets, potatoes and carrots (trimming the ends of the carrots and beets) with a stiff brush and water. Make sure the vegetables are dirt-free.

Place the beets at the bottom of a large stock pot and fill the pot with water so it is just covering the beets. Open a collapsible steamer basket and place it on top of the beets. Add the carrots (cut in 2 inch pieces) and the potatoes (leave them whole). Place a lid on top and bring the pot to a boil, this allows the beets to boil and the carrots and potatoes to steam. Cook for 12 minutes or until partially cooked.

Remove vegetables from boiling water with tongs and/or a slotted spoon and cool.

Peel the beets by running cold water over them and gently rubbing off the outer skin.

Cut the beets in 2 inch chunks and quarter the potatoes. Chop the large red onion in large pieces. Mix all of the vegetables together with one tablespoon of olive oil and lay on a large sheet pan. Place the pan in a hot oven (350F) and roast for 10 minutes or until tender but not soft.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Dressing
1 bulb of roasted garlic
¼ cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
chopped fresh dill

Cut the top off of a large bulb of garlic (about an 1/8th of an inch) and roast it in a small ovenproof container (covered) 30 minutes in a hot oven (375ºF) until soft — Let the bulb of garlic cool enough so you can handle it. Squeeze the softened garlic from their cloves and place the roasted garlic puree in a blender. Add the mustard, vinegar, nutritional yeast and puree. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the blender. While the blender is running on low, pour the olive oil in a steady stream while the dressing is processing and run for several seconds until completely combined, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula. You should have a thick dressing the consistency of mayonnaise. If you want a thinner dressing add a teaspoon of water (more olive oil and/or vinegar can also be added). Once you have the consistency you desire, mix in the chopped fresh dill reserving some for garnish.

Making The Salad

Combine the roasted vegetables with half of the dressing and let marinade for several minutes or, if serving cold, chill for several hours. You may serve on a bed of lettuce at room temperature or chill and serve cold as a side dish.

Garnish the salad with chopped dill and serve with the remaining dressing on the side for those wanting more of the yummy rich aioli. The aioli also goes well on lettuce or as a spread on your favorite bread or cracker or as a vegetable dip.

Sautéed Zucchini with Onions, Red Peppers and Tomatoes

You can roast them, grill them, bake them – anyway you cook them, zucchini with red peppers, onions and tomatoes are perfection! Sauté with herbs and a touch of fennel, serve it with French bread for a rustic simple supper. For a heartier meal, toss it over pasta, brown rice or other whole grain. It’s also delicious served cold.

1 large onion, diced
3 medium zucchini, sliced in 1/4″ thick rounds
3 small or 2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4″ strips
1 can salt-free diced tomatoes or 3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 cup water

Set a large French Oven or stock pot on medium high heat. Add water, onion, parsley, basil, sage and fennel. Sauté onions, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add zucchini, peppers and tomatoes. Mix together. Cook, covered, stirring every few minutes, until vegetables are tender. Serve immediately as a side dish or over pasta or whole grains. Serves 2 – 4

Red Cabbage Salad

Not all salads need to be green to be good. When out of lettuce, I reach for the red cabbage. Shredded and tossed with creamy avocado, chewy sweet figs and tart lemon juice and vinegar and the secret ingredient, Prune Butter, you will not believe how good it is until you try it.

1 head red cabbage (shredded)
2 bell peppers, 1 red/1 yellow, diced
1 cucumber (diced: medium sized)
2 ripe avocados (diced)
1 onion (diced: medium sized; red, yellow or white)
12 dried figs (quartered)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 lemon (juiced)
2 tablespoons Prune Butter

Wash and thinly shred cabbage with a sharp knife or food processor (about a quarter of an inch thick or less) and place in a large bowl.
Add diced bell peppers, avocados, onions, cucumbers and lightly toss.

Mix prune butter with apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. Pour over salad and mix well.

Tarte aux Pommes

I learned how to make the Tarte Aux Pommes when I lived in the south of France. I have modified it slightly, with a gluten-free crust. You can use whatever kind of crust you like. The star of this recipe is the organic Fuji apple. Sweet, fresh, delicious!

4 or 5 organic apples, peeled and cored
1/4 cup sugar in 2 tablespoons water (optional)
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup vegan butter
1 teaspoon agave
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 eight inch pie plate

1. In a large bowl mix xanthan gum with rice flour.
2. Add in vegan butter, agave and knead with hands making a crumbly dough. 3. Pour in water, continue to knead, making a wet, sticky dough. Form into a bal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Peel and core apples. Slice into 1/4″ crescents.
5. Preheat oven to 350F.
6. Take chilled dough and place on a sheet of wax paper dusted with rice flour. Cover with another sheet of wax paper. Roll dough out with a rolling pin between wax paper sheets, making a circle slightly larger than the pie plate.
Carefully peel the top sheet off. Flip the dough onto the pie plate and carefully peel off the other sheet of wax paper. If the dough rips, it can easily be pressed onto the dough in the pie plate. Press the dough evenly in the plate and decorate the edges, pinching with your fingers.
7. Place the crust in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
8. Line the apples in the pie plate. I like to line the apples up in the same direction, evenly. Pour the sugar water (if using) evenly over the apples.
9. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy.

Jungle Crumble

Part II: While visiting the Corwin family in Costa Rica, we had a potluck dinner. See Part I, Rainforest Oat Banana Bread. For dessert, I created this Apple Crumble recipe. When I think about Costa Rica it’s the exotic delights that I get excited about, like papayas and mangos and all the other wonderful tropical fruits there. Apples are not something that comes to mind but they do grow in Costa Rica and Beth Corwin loves them. These apples are great for cooking and perfect in my Jungle Crumble.

To learn more about life on a farm in Costa, listen to my interview with Beth Corwin on the ASK A VEGAN show.

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used the Corwin’s homemade variety made from real sugar cane)
6 apples
1/2 cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Peel and core the apples. Finely slice into 1/4″ crescents.
3. In a large baking dish, line the bottom with apple slices. I like to neatly place them all in the same direction, with each slice slightly overlapping each other.
4. Toss the raspberries evenly over the apples.
5. In a medium size bowl, knead the oats, sugar and coconut oil into a coarse, crumbly mixture. Spread evenly over the top of the fruit.
6. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Rainforest Banana Oat Bread, Wheat-Free

Part I: While visiting the Corwin family in Costa Rica, we had a potluck dinner. Staying in a remote area, far from any grocery stores, I made this Banana Oat Bread using bananas from the farm, sugar from homegrown sugar cane and coconut butter from locally grown coconuts. It was a perfect complement to the other wonderful salads and soups the other guests brought made from fresh grown vegetables. For dessert see Part II: Jungle Crumble.

To learn more about life on a farm in Costa, listen to my interview with Beth Corwin on the ASK A VEGAN show.

2 cups oat flour (I took rolled oats, put them in a blender and made oat flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used the Corwin’s homemade banana vinegar)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used the Corwin’s homemade variety made from real sugar cane)
2 ripe bananas mashed
1 cup water
1/4 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar. In a small bowl, mash banana and blend with coconut oil. Add banana mixture, water, vanilla and vinegar to flour and mix well. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool. Remove from pan, slice and serve.

Chocolate Truffles

Pictured here as a basket of Easter eggs, these chocolate truffles are delicious any time of the year.

1 bag organic, non-dairy, semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
14 vegan marshmallows (I used Dandies)
1 cup coconut milk (just the fat, save the water for another use) NOTE: If you chill a can of coconut milk the fat will solidify and the water will separate. Open the can, pour off the water, scoop out the coconut fat.
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons organic cocoa powder

In a double boiler, heat chocolate slowly until melted. Add marshmallows and heat until combined with chocolate. Add coconut milk and combine. Add all other ingredients slowly until completely combined. Let chill. Roll to desired egg or truffle shape (use a melon baller). In a small bowl sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Roll the truffles in the sugar/cocoa mixture until coated. Place each truffle in a small baking cup and chill.

Matzo Ball Soup: Vegan, Gluten-Free

It’s Passover and that means matzo ball soup. I have not had matzo balls in ages. It’s one thing I wasn’t motivated to veganize, until now. I was inspired by Nava Atlas’ Vegan Holiday Kitchen when I had a chance to interview her last year (Listen to the interview here). I made some slight modifications to her Simple Vegetable Soup with Vegan Matzo Balls. Her recipe uses matzo meal and quinoa flour with a gluten-free option to use all quinoa flour. Not having quinoa flour I decided to make them with brown rice flour. And the results? YUM! Quinoa flakes will make a lighter version, the rice flour balls are heavier.

Serves about 16

Soup:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
8 potatoes, scrubbed and diced (if not organic, peel first)
12 carrots, sliced
6 celery stalks, diced
10 cups water
1/4 cup dried dill or 1/3-1/2 cup fresh chopped
salt to taste

In a large stockpot, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the onions and celery and saute until transparent. Add the potatoes, carrots, dill and water. Reduce heat, cover and cook for another 20 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add salt to taste. The soup can be eaten right away but is best to wait several hours or even a day later to allow the flavor to develop.

Matzo Balls
4 1/2 cups brown rice flour
4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
4 teaspoons onion powder

In a large mixing bowl, add half of the rice flour. Mix in the onion powder and salt. Pour the boiling water in and mix well and let the mixture rest for several minutes. Add in the remaining flour and the oil and mix well. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 275F. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator. It’s helpful to keep a small bowl of rice flour nearby. Lightly dust your hands with the flour. The mixture is soft and slightly sticky. Roll into 1 – 2 inch balls and place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the batter is used up. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Carefully turn the matzo balls over and cook for another 12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

When ready to serve, reheat the matzo balls on a baking sheet in a 200F oven. Heat the soup. Place several matzo balls in each soup dish and cover with soup.

REAL Enchiladas

Enchiladas are easy and fun to make with the family. You can make everything from scratch with our REAL Tomato Sauce and vegan cheese recipes or buy ready made vegan cheese, tomato sauce and it’s ready to go. They are awesome!

1 package corn tortillas (12)
3/4 (10 oz) package frozen mixed vegetables
3 cups REAL Tomato Sauce Recipe or 1 (24 oz) jar of enchilada sauce
1 red jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
7 oz baked tofu (finely diced)
6 oz grated cashew jack vegan cheese, (save 2 oz for garnish)
1 (15 oz) can Black Beans or 2 1/2 cups
Large baking dish

1. If you are making the REAL Tomato Sauce from scratch, add the jalapeno pepper, cumin and red wine vinegar in step 2 of that recipe, and saute along with the onions and garlic. If using a jar of ready-made enchilada sauce you can skip this step.
2. In a large bowl mix together the diced tofu, frozen veggies and 4 ounces of cashew cheese.
3. Cover bottom of baking dish with a ladle of sauce.
4. Pour half the sauce in a shallow dish, take a tortilla, one at a time and soak in sauce, place in baking dish and spoon a generous (approximately 2 Tablespoons) portion of mixture in the center of the tortilla. Roll it and place in baking dish seam side down. Continue until all 12 tortillas are used. You may need a second baking dish to fit all the enchilads. Ladle sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 375F covered for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional five minutes until bubbling hot.

Pumpernickel Bread, Gluten-Free

When my father was young he worked in a bakery. He explained that they would take the cake that did not sell during the day, crumble it up and turn it into pumpernickel bread. This fascinated me – using cake to make bread? Maybe that’s why pumpernickel tastes so good. This is my vegan, gluten-free version. And no, I do not use leftover cake!

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
2 cups arrowroot, corn or potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
4 Tablespoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 packages active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup molasses
4 1/2 cups warm water (more water may be necessary)

Preheat oven to 200F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, garbanzo flour, starch, tapioca, cocoa and xanthan gum.

In a medium size bowl mix the sugar with the yeast and pour in about 1 cup of the water. The water should be lukewarm, not hot, or the yeast won’t work. Beat the mixture with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes. The top should foam. If it doesn’t the yeast is not good and the dough won’t rise. Mix in the molasses and oil. Pour the yeast mixture over the dry ingredients and incorporate with a fork whisk. Mix in another cup of water. Continue adding water until the mixture has the consistency of thick cake batter. It will be a creamy, very thick liquid.

Pour batter into two greased loaf pans, filling each pan about half-way. Place on the top of the oven and cover with a towel. I have a gas oven with the burners raised above the top surface of the oven so that the pans are not directly touching the heat – they are just in a warm environment. If you have a flat surface cook top you many want to place the pans on a rack so they are not in direct contact with the heat. Allow the batter to rise and double in size – rising above the top of the pans. This can take from 30 to 60 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 400F and bake loaves for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from the oven and cover each with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake the covered loaf pans for about 35 minutes. To determine if the bread is done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. I like a moist bread, so I baked it for 35 minutes after covering. The toothpick was free of crumbs but there were some gummy spots which when cool becomes a moist, spongy bread. Remove from oven and let cool.

Delicious served with our REAL Prune butter.

Choucroute Garnie

Choucroute garnie is a famous Alsacian recipe for preparing sauerkraut with potatoes, chopped onion, sliced apples, black peppercorns, cloves, garlic, juniper berries, bay leaves and white wine. I have created my own “traditional” recipe here with tempeh instead of the traditional meat and sausages. Cooking sauerkraut and potatoes in white wine is simply heavenly.

1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups sauerkraut
8 small potatoes or 4-6 medium/large potatoes, scrubbed, (peeled only if not organic) and cut in quarters.
3 cups white wine
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 cup water
Optional: 1 package of tempeh or other veggie meat: baked tofu, sausage, seitan, cut in chunks
Dijon mustard
Horseradish

In a medium to large heavy pot or French oven (3 1/2 quart or larger), pour enough wine to coat the bottom – about 1/4 inch in depth. Turn the heat to medium. When hot, add the onion and garlic and saute until soft. Add a little more wine if it starts to dry. Add in the remaining ingredients, sauerkraut, potatoes, peppercorns, bay leaves, wine, water and veggie meat (if using). Cover, stirring occasionally and cook until potatoes are soft. Serve with Dijon mustard and horseradish.

Kale, Red Cabbage, Daikon, Ginger Stir Fry

Sometimes I go out of my comfort zone and create something new. I rarely use daikon radish although I can’t say why. It’s a very versatile root vegetable and I have enjoyed it raw in salads and cooked as well. I recently bought some and made a dish with several ingredients I don’t typically put together. And it was GOOD. Here it is.

1/2 pound kale
1 pound red cabbage
4 or 5 cloves of garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1 daikon radish
2 shallots
juice of one large lemon
water

1. Mince shallots and garlic. Scrape skin off the ginger with the edge of a spoon and mince.
2. With a knife, scrape the exterior skin off the daikon. Slice into 1/4 inch or thinner rounds.
3. Wash the kale. Rip the leaves away from the stalks. Roll the leaves up into cigar shape cylinders and slice kale into strips (chiffonade).
4. Slice the cabbage into thin strips, 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide.
5. In a heavy cast iron frying pan or a wok, on medium high heat, add 1/4 cup of water. When the water starts to sizzle add the garlic, ginger and shallots. Stir regularly and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. If the pan dries out add a little more water. There should never be too much water or too little, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, less than 1/4 inch.
6. Add the daikon slices and cook until they are soft.
7. Toss in the red cabbage. If your pan is not very big it may take a minute or two for the cabbage to shrink before you can stir it and mix it in with the other ingredients.
8. Add in the kale. Let it wilt and stir in with other ingredients.
9. When all the vegetables are soft, turn the heat off and toss in the lemon juice.
10. Serve immediately.

Prune Butter

What’s in your prune butter? Good prune butter is hard to find! Here’s an easy recipe with just two ingredients, prunes, of course and water. Perfect for Hamantashen cookie filling.

Makes about 4 1/2 cups of Prune Butter

1 pound organic dried pitted dried prunes
3 cups water

1. Place prunes in a 3.5 quart saucepan and add water to almost cover the fruit, about 1 cup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue to cook until fruit is soft, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove from heat and puree fruit with a hand blender, food processor or blender. Be careful not to splatter, the fruit is hot. The hand blender is convenient because you can leave the fruit in the pot. The mixture should be very thick. Add remaining water, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring to incorporate with the hand mixer or blender. Return to the stove and cook another 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let cool. Place in jars and refrigerate.

Blueberry Pan cake, Gluten-free

This is literally a blueberry pan cake. In other words, you pour it in a pan and bake.

12 ounces blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup rice flour
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1/4 cup sesame tahini
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup brewed Chai tea (strong)
1 cup soy milk or other nondairy milk
1/2 cup of boiling water

Preheat over to 375F. Grease a large Pyrex baking dish with a tablespoon of vegan butter or oil and set aside.

1. Mix the dry Ingredients in large bowl: rice flour, garbanzo bean flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and baking soda.
2. In another large bowl, mix the Ener-G Egg Replacer with cold water. Add sugar, tahini and cream together. Add in vinegar and mix well.
3. Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
4. Add hot tea and nondairy milk.
5. Mix thoroughly and let set for 20 minutes.
6. Spread the blueberries evenly at the bottom of the greased baking pan.
7. After the 20 minutes resting period, add the 1/2 cup of boiling water to the batter and mix well. Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it’s too thick, thin it with a little more boiling water.
8. Pour batter over the blueberries.
9. Put pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Test by piercing with a clean tooth pick, it should come out clean and dry. Otherwise it will need to be cooked a few minutes more. Cool for 1 hour before slicing. Serve with your favorite spreads – jellies, nut butters, vegan butter, etc.

Val Dal Soup

Val Dal, a lablab bean, is widely used as a food crop throughout the tropics, especially in Africa, India and Indonesia. I like it because it cooks fast, like lentils or split peas and has a light flavor. Why are so many of my soups yellow? I can’t resist adding turmeric to every savory dish I can. I love the flavor and even more I love how nutritious it is.

2 cups dried val dal (any lentil or split pea can substitute)
3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 onion coarse chopped
1/2 bulb of fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoon dried leeks/parsley/fennel herb mix (plain parsley can be substituted)
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
8 cups water

1. Put beans in a colander. Remove small stones and rinse.
2. Place a large soup pot on the stove on medium high heat.
3. Add in all the ingredients, stir and cover.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until beans are soft.

Soup can be served as is or may also be pureed for a smooth soup. Try adding some fresh lemon juice to the soup to bring out the flavor.

Serves 6-8

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies, Gluten-Free

Chocolate and mint are perfect partners. Here’s a gluten-free version of the chocolate chip mint cookie. They are especially good to dunk in Teeccino Herbal Coffee.

1½ teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer in 2 tablespoons water
¾ cups vegan butter (Earth Balance buttery spread)
½-3/4 cups sugar (evaporated cane juice), I use 1/2 cup but if you like a really sweet cookie use 3/4 cups.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1½ cups white rice flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 cup semisweet nondairy chocolate chips

1. In a small bowl, beat together the egg replacer and water.
2. Cream together vegan butter and sugar. Add the egg replacer mixture, vanilla and peppermint extracts.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together – rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum and cocoa powder. Add to the shortening/sugar mixture and knead into a dough. If the dough is too crumbly add a tablespoon or 2 of water. Knead in the chocolate chips. Cover bowl with wax paper and let dough chill for about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Take a small piece of dough, about 2 tablespoons, flatten with your hands into a circle about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
6. Bake for about 12-14 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Light Rain Soup

Vegetable Soup? All my soups are made with vegetables, but should I call them all “vegetable soup”, when they are all so different and unique? I named this soup after the weather today, Light Rain. The herbs give off a lovely, cozy fragrance to the home. I used a lot of dried herbs in this recipe. I buy them in big bags, not in small jars. It’s more economical this way especially when I use herbs so frequently.

Dark green tops from 2 leek, chopped into 1/3 inch pieces
(I steam the white and light green parts to make Leeks with Vinaigrette)
3 carrots, cut into small squares, 1/4 inch
1 onion chopped
1/2 bulb of fresh garlic, minced
4 medium organic potatoes with the skin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. (if not organic, peel off the skin)
1/2 cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried leeks/parsley/fennel mix
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kelp powder
8 cups water

1. Place a large soup pot on the stove on medium heat.
2. Add in leeks, onions and garlic. Dry saute for about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add wine. Stir occasionally and cook for about 10 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Make sure there is always some liquid in the pot.
4. Add the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and herbs. Stir well.
5. Pour in the water, stir, cover and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes until potatoes are soft.
6. Remove from heat and serve.

Serves 3-6

Strawberry Tahini Scones – Gluten-free

I love tea parties! And a tea party needs scones. For a REAL afternoon tea, try these: Strawberry-Tahini scones.

1 cup arrowroot starch
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/3 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
pinch salt (optional)
2/3 cup tahini
4/3 cup nondairy milk
2 cups frozen strawberries, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, flours, starch, sugar, baking pwoder, xanthan gum and salt. Add in the tahini. With 2 knives cut the tahini into the flour making a crumbly dough. Add in the nondairy milk, a little at a time to make a dough that will hold together. The dough should not be too wet. Add in the strawberries and knead to incorporate. Cut the dough into quarters. Take one quarter and pat into a circle, about 1 inch thick. Cut the circle into 6 triangles and place them on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other quarters of dough. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let set for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with jam.

Pear Sunflower Seed Tart – Gluten-free

This is a variation on the classic Pear Frangipane Tart using sunflower seeds in place of almonds. Sunflower seeds are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, a delicious way to get anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits.

Crust
3/4 cup rice flour
1/3 cup vegan butter
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon evaporated cane juice (optional)
pinch salt (optional)
Ice Water, 4 tablespoons

Filling
4 to 5 small pears
6 tablespoons vegan butter
1/2 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1 1/4 cups raw sunflower seeds (hulled)
2 Tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup nondairy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, xanthan gum, salt and sugar. Cut vegan butter into flour and knead dough. Add 4 tablespoons of water at a time until dough is moist and somewhat sticky. If the dough is too crumbly you can add more water. Let the dough chill at least 30 minutes.

When ready to roll out the dough, preheat oven to 350F. Place dough on a sheet of wax paper and press into a circle about 1 inch thick. Cover with another sheet of wax paper and roll dough from the center out to the edges, to make a circle large enough to cover an 8 inch pie place. Carefully remove the top sheet. Flip the dough on top of the pie plate. Center the dough and press into the plate. Slowly peel the top sheet off, holding the dough in place with one hand. If the dough tears, that’s okay. It’s easy to scoop up the dough that sticks to the wax paper and press into place. Even out the edges, trim and press with a fork or pinch all around to make it pretty. Bake crust for 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

Peal, core and slice pears into thin 1/4 inch pieces. If the pears are very ripe and soft you can use them as is. If they are hard and/or dry it’s best to poach them. To poach, place them in a saucepan and add about 1 inch of water. Cover and cook over high heat for about 10 minutes. Remove, drain and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the sunflower seeds into a meal. Add vegan butter, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon. With the processor running, stream in the nondairy milk, vanilla extract and almond extract. Pour batter into the pie crust.

Line the batter with pear slices. Bake the pie for about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Raisin Cookies – Gluten-Free

When I was in college in Pennsylvania we would go to the farmer’s market. There was an Amish bakery that sold raisin cookies. They were so simple, soft, gooey and so good. I have not had them in decades! I have recreated a vegan, gluten-free version here.

Cookie dough
4 cups white rice flour
4¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
1 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2½ teaspoons xanthan gum

Raisin Filling
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cups boiling water
1 cup seedless raisins

In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, nutmeg and xanthan gum. In another bowl, blend shortening with sugar and add vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture, making a dough. Add in the water, a little at a time. The dough should be damp and slightly sticky. Cover with wax paper or towel and put in the refrigerator for about an hour.

In a medium saucepan, mix together cornstarch and sugar with boiled water. Cook on medium high heat. Add in the raisins. Stir occasionally and cook until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. With a hand blender, or in a blender, puree the filling. Set aside to cool.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat over to 350F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Divide the cookie dough into quarters. Make a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Make 1/4 inch thick slices and place them on the cookie sheet. Spoon about a teaspoon of filling in the center of each cookie. Take another quarter of the dough and make another log, slightly larger than the first. Slice the dough a little bit thinner that the first log. Top each cookie with another slice, pinching down the edges to seal. It’s okay if the dough cracks a little or the filling oozes out. Repeat with the other half of the dough. With the tips of your fingers you can smooth any cracks or rough edges.

Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Let cool. Makes about 18 cookies.

TIP: This dough can be sticky. The extra moisture eliminates the gritty texture of the rice flour when the dough is cooked. Keeping the dough very cold helps minimize sticking when handling. Use 1/4 of the dough at a time, keeping the rest refrigerated until ready to sue. A small amount of potato or corn starch on your hands may help when forming the cookies.

Dill Poppy Seed Bread – gluten-free

This gluten-free, yeast bread is perfect for sandwiches. I like it because I can make very thin slices with it. I usually make one standard loaf and 2 mini loaves. I like to slice the mini loaves and toast them to use a crackers with dip.
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
2 cups corn starch (potato starch may be used instead)
1 cup tapioca flour
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt (OPTIONAL – personally I don’t use any salt)
2 Tablespoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 1/2 cups warm water (more water may be necessary)
1-2 tablespoons dill weed
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 200F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, garbanzo flour, corn starch, tapioca and xanthan gum, and salt.

In a medium size bowl mix the sugar with the yeast and pour in about 1 cup of the water. The water should be lukewarm, not hot, or the yeast won’t work. Beat the mixture with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes. The top should foam. If it doesn’t the yeast is not good and the dough won’t rise. Pour the yeast mixture over the dry ingredients and incorporate with a fork whisk. Mix in another cup of water and the olive oil. Continue adding water until the mixture has the consistency of thick cake batter. It will be a creamy, very thick liquid. Stir in dill and poppy seeds.

Pour batter into two greased loaf pans, filling each pan about half-way. Place on the top of the oven and cover with a towel. I have a gas oven with the burners raised above the top surface of the oven so that the pans are not directly touching the heat – they are just in a warm environment. If you have a flat surface cook top you many want to place the pans on a rack so they are not in direct contact with the heat. Allow the batter to rise and double in size – rising above the top of the pans. This can take from 30 to 60 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 400F and bake loaves for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from the oven and cover each with aluminum foil. Bake the covered loaf pans for about 35-45 minutes. To determine if the bread is done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. I like a moist bread, so I baked it for 35 minutes after covering. The toothpick was free of crumbs but there were some gummy spots which when cool becomes a moist, spongy bread. Remove from oven and let cool.

For a plain bread, just omit the dill and poppy seeds.

Vegetable Noodle Soup

This soup features turmeric and nutritional yeast for flavorings. I put turmeric in as many dishes as I can. Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. With an unusual warm and slightly bitter flavor and, a mild fragrance it is used in curries and gives many foods a bright yellow color. Red Star Nutritional yeast has B12 in it and gives vegetables a more complex, cheesy flavor.

2 leeks, chopped to 1/3 inch pieces, white and green parts
4 carrots, cut into small squares, 1/4 inch
2 celery stalks, diced
1 bulb of fresh garlic, minced, about 1/4 cup
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt to taste
water
baked tofu, 14 oz, sliced in 1/4 inch ribbons
4 oz of dry, vermicelli noodles of your choice. Whole brown rice vermicelli was used in this recipe

1. Place a large soup pot on the stove on medium heat.
2. Add in turmeric, leeks, carrots, celery, garlic and nutritional yeast. Stir to coast the vegetables with the spices as the spices toast lightly for about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups water. Stir occasionally and cook for about 10 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Making sure there is always some liquid in the pot.
4. Add 10 cups of water and baked tofu and mix well. Cover and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes.
5. In a separate pot, prepare noodles according to package directions. When noodles are done, drain the water, rinse the noodles and set aside.
6. When soup is ready, turn off heat and uncover the pot.
7. Take four large soup bowls or 8 small soup cups and divide the noodles evenly in each bowl. Pour the soup over the noodles. Serve immediately.

Eggs Benedict Arnold
Vegan No-Eggs Benedict

Happy Valentines Day! Here’s a dish to serve to the ones you love – ‘Eggs’ Benedict Arnold. This traitor to the original recipe is egg-free, cholesterol-free, gooey and good. Come over to our side – join the vegan ranks!

No Eggs Benedict Arnold (Servers 4)

1 block of tofu 15-16 oz (firm)
1 pkg tempeh bacon
4 English muffins, split (vegan and vegan/gluten-free varieties are available)
1 cup vegan hollandaise sauce
Olive oil or vegan butter

Preheat over to 375F

1. Drain the tofu and lightly squeeze out excess water. You can also wrap the block of tofu in a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze out the excess water.
2. Place the block of tofu in front of you and slice in half, then take each half and slice it four times, you now should have 8 quarter inch slices.
3. Take a sheet pan and line it with parchment paper. Lay the tofu on the lined pan and lightly brush each side with olive oil or melted vegan butter.
4. Line a large sheet pan with oven proof parchment paper. Open the package of tempeh bacon and carefully separate the strips from themselves and lay flat on the parchment paper lined sheet pan.
5. On another sheet pan split the English muffins and lay them open faced on the pan. There is no need to line the pan with parchment.
6. Put all three pans in the oven on separate racks and bake for ten minutes on each side or until bacon, tofu and muffins are desired crispness/browness.

Vegan Hollandaise (quick version)

1 cup of Vegenaise
1/2 cup of melted vegan butter (Earth Balance)
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon of turmeric
dash of cayenne pepper

Whisk together over a double boiler on low heat the lemon juice, mayonnaise and turmeric until warm (but not hot) to the touch — when everything is incorporated slowly add the melted butter a little at a time and continue to whisk. Add a dash of cayenne if desired. Keep warm over a double boiler.

To assemble:

Plate an English muffin open face, cut the strips of tempeh bacon in half and lay three half slices on each muffin, add one square of tofu on top of each muffin/bacon half, add a large dollop of vegan Hollandaise on top of each tofu square and garnish with a dash of cayenne pepper or paprika if you want it mild.

For a quick vegan Béarnaise sauce, add a tablespoon of freshly chopped tarragon to the Hollandaise and mix well.

Our Pancake House: Vegan Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup, Gluten-free

Memories of buttermilk pancakes and syrup? Here’s our REAL version using soymilk soured with vinegar in place of buttermilk. Serve with REAL blueberry syrup – surprisingly made only with blueberries!

1 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-free flour
4 tablespoons ground flax seeds (I buy them whole, grind them and keep them in a glass jar in the refrigerator)
2 tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 tablespoon baking power
3/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups non dairy milk
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons Agave or Maple Syrup
vegan butter for oiling the griddle
REAL blueberry syrup

Pancakes:
1. Mix together flours and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl add the vinegar to the soy milk.
3. In a small bowl beat together ground flax seeds with 1/4 cup water.
4. Add the flax mixture and the agave or maple syrup to the soymilk mixture.
5. In a medium to large bowl using a hand mixer or whisk whip the Ener-G Egg Replacer with 1/2 cup of water until foamy and forms light peaks.
6. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and mix well. Fold in the Ener-G Egg Replacer mixture.
7. On a lightly greased hot griddle, pour about 1/3 cup batter and smooth into a circle about 5 to 6 inches wide. I use a small ladle and use the back side to gently smooth the batter into the size I like. After a minute or 2 small bubbles will appear and the edges and top surface will start to dry. Flip and cook for another minute. Repeat until all the batter is used. Re-grease the pan with a very small amount of vegan butter before pouring the batter.
Serve immediately with REAL blueberry syrup. Makes 8-10 pancakes.

Tofu Leek Stir Fry

I love making something new, something satisfying – out of what’s available in the kitchen just BEFORE going grocery shopping, finishing up what’s fresh and leftover before buying new food. Today’s 1/2 package of tofu, leftover leek tops and a fresh crop of home grown sunflower sprouts came together with some pantry essentials to make a great dish.

8 oz firm organic tofu
1 cup chopped leek tops
1 handful sunflower sprouts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
4 dried black mushrooms, soaked in hot water
water

Use a heavy cast iron skillet or frying pan on medium heat. Toast the cumin, turmeric and coriander in the pan for about two minutes, stirring regularly. Add in the garlic and leeks and dry saute for another few minutes, stirring to keep from sticking, until the leeks begin to wilt. Toss the tofu in and fully cover with the spices and cook another couple of minutes. Drain the mushroom, slice them in small pieces and add them to the pan. Add a small amount of water, about 1/2 inch in depth from the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir occasionally for another couple of minutes. Add the sunflower sprouts and cook another minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Serves 2.

Red Cabbage Masala Soup

This soup features a rich, distinctive, flavorful broth. The secret is a small amount of garam masala: a mix of spices that include cinnamon, roasted cumin, caraway seeds, cloves, nutmeg (and/or mace) and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods, dried red chili peppers, dried garlic, ginger powder, sesame, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, bay leaves, and fennel.

1/2 medium head of organic red cabbage, shredded in 1/2 inch ribbons
1 organic onion, coarse chopped
2 organic carrots, cut in 1 inch round slices
2 organic potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup organic garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon minced organic garlic
8 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Place a large stock pot on medium heat.
2. Add the turmeric and garam masala and lightly toast the spices for about a minute, stirring occasionally.
3. Toss in the red cabbage and garlic and let cook for about 7 minutes, stirring regularly. The moisture from the cabbage will start to self-steam itself.
4. Add the onions and carrots.
5. Add about 1 cup of water and saute the vegetables together for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the potatoes, garbanzo beans and the remaining water. Stir.
7. Add in the bay leaf, parsley, dill, pepper, paprika, caraway seeds, lemon juice and vinegar.
8. Let cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Soup can continue to cook over low heat until ready to serve.

Frittata with Leeks, Gluten-Free

Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sumptuous Frittata.

1 small leek chopped, about 1 cup (white and green parts)
8 oz firm tofu (non GMO), drained and cut into small chunks
1 tablespoon soy lecithin granules (non GMO)
1 tablespoon sesame tahini
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (brown or golden, I used golden seeds because the color blends in)
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/3 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons red wine
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons, grated REAL Cashew Jack or other vegan cheese
vegetable oil

In a large cast iron skillet or frying pan, add a small amount of water, about 1/4 inch high. Heat to medium and add chopped leeks. Saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add additional water to keep leeks from sticking or browning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400F.

In small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, spices, flax seeds. In a blender, pour in soy milk, wine, sesame tahini and soy lecithin, pulse and mix. Add in dry spices and pulse several time to mix again. Remove the center cap from the blender cover. With the blender running add several chunks of tofu at a time to form a smooth, thick batter. Depending on the blender, you may need to turn it off, remove the cover and stir the batter a few times to get everything well mixed. Lightly oil two 5-inch round crème brulee dishes with a 1-inch depth or other similarly-sized shallow baking dishes. In each dish, sprinkle half the leeks on the bottom, followed by half of the vegan cheese and pour half of the batter on top. Bake at 400F in the oven for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove frittata from its dish by loosening the sides with a knife and turning over onto a plate. Serve with REAL Toast (gluten-free) and berries.

Vegetable Corn Cakes, Gluten-Free

Breakfast, brunch or appetizer, try these savory Vegetable Corn Cakes. Top with salsa, guacamole, hot sauce or vegan sour cream.

1/2 cup corn meal (polenta)
1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds in 1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer in 1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, stringbeans)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, I don’t use any)
oil

Preheat oven to 200F
1. In a small bowl beat flax seed and water until creamy.
2. In a blender or food processor pour in flours, pepper and chopped onion. Pulse to make a coarse mixture. Scoop batter out and place into a large bowl. A hand blender with the blade attachment can also be used.
3. Add flax seed mixture and mixed vegetables and stir well to incorporate.
4. In a medium bowl add the Ener-G Egg Replacer and water. With a hand blender or mixer, using the whisk attachement, beat until white and foamy and forming soft peaks. Fold gently into batter.
5. Lightly oil a cast iron skillet. Heat to medium.
6. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter to form 1/2′ wide, 2 1/2 inch patties. The batter is stiff and you can shape and flatten them in the frying pan to the desired size. Let cook 2 to 3 minutes until nicely browned. Using a thin spatula carefully get underneath the patty to lift and flip. Let cook 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Remove the corn cakes and place on an oven proof plate or platter. Place in a 200F oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter. Keep corn cakes in the oven until ready to serve.

Serve with salsa, hot sauce, vegan sour cream or guacamole. Makes 8 or 9 corn cakes.

Saturday Night Salad For Two

Salad for Saturday evening dinner? Absolutely! REAL salads are never boring and rarely the same. And while people continue to recommend using smaller plates and eating less food, we serve our salads on 15″ chargers and fill up for seconds.

1 head red leaf lettuce, ripped into small pieces, washed and spun.
1 small cucumber, cut into 1/4″ squares (peel first if not organic)
1 block of baked tofu, cut into 1/4″ squares
2 carrots, grated (peel first if not organic
1 oz sunflower seeds
1 cup garbanzo beans
1 small avocado cut into small squares
2 Tablespoons raw black sesame butter
Juice from one lemon
1 Tablespoon walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
water

Dressing:
In a small bowl, using a fork, beat the sesame tahini with the lemon juice until smooth. Add a tablespoon of water and beat in. Continue to add water, a tablespoon at a time until a thick, smooth dressing is obtained.

Vegan Parmesan
Grind the walnuts into a powder with a mill or chop on a board into small pieces. Put in a small bowl and mix with nutritional yeast. Optional: add a small amount of red pepper or black pepper.

In a large bowl toss lettuce, vegetables and dressing together. Put salad on plate and sprinkle with vegan parmesan.

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side.

Breakfast Blini With Blueberries and Vegan Sour Cream, Gluten-free

For a very special breakfast or brunch, try this Blini recipe. These small, yeasted pancakes are lovely and light, served with blueberries and your favorite vegan sour cream.
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup buckwheat Flour
1/2 tsp salt (optional – I don’t use salt)
1 1/4 cups non dairy milk
1 package active dry yeast (1 Tablespoon)
1/3 cup vegan sour cream
2 Tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer in 2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons soy ecithin in 2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds (golden are used here, they blend in; brown can be used as well and will appear as brown flecks)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1. In a large bowl, add the two flours and salt (if using) and whisk together.
2. Warm the the nondairy milk slightly to lukewarm (baby bottle temperature < 130F) and add the yeast. Mix well. Let stand for about five minutes. Mixture should become foamy on top. If not, the yeast is no longer active and will not work.
3. In a small bowl beat together the soy lecithin and water until creamy. Add in the flax seeds and beat again to incorporate.
4. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour and mix well. Add to it the soy lecithin mixture amd make a smooth batter.
5. Cover with a clean towel and let it sit in a warm place to rise for about 30-50 minutes.
6. In a small saucepan, cook fresh or frozen blueberries over low to medium heat until hot and a small amount of juice is formed. Set aside.
7. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the Ener-G Egg Replacer and water until the mixture is white, foamy and starts to form peaks. This will take a few minutes. A hand mixer with the whisk attachment works best, on high speed. Set in refrigerator to chill until batter is ready. Beat the mixture again for a few seconds before using.
8. Gently fold the whipped Ener-G Egg Replacer mixture into the batter until mixed well.
9. Heat a cast iron pan to medium heat. Slightly grease the pan. I like to use a very small amount (< 1/4 teaspoon) of Earth Balance Buttery Spread before pouring the batter on the griddle. Test with a drop of batter to make sure the pan is hot enough. The batter should sizzle.
10. Drop about 1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons of batter on the pan for each Blini. I use a small ice cream scoop which is just the right size. Fill the pan with Blinis, about 1 inch apart. It is important to watch the Blinis cook. Every pan and stove combination are unique and the cooking times will vary. The top of each Blini should become dry and may bubble. With a very thin spatula, check under the first one of two to see how they are cooking. It should take at least 1 1/2 minutes and possibly more to cook. The bottom should be nicely browned. Flip and cook on the other side for about a minute, again, until nicely browned. Coat the pan with a little more Earth Balance (< 1/4 teaspoon) before starting each round. Blini may sit in a warm oven (200F) until ready to serve.
11. Top Blini with vegan sour cream and warmed blueberries.

Serves 3 to 4.

Blended Salad: Pear, Banana, Raspberries, Collard Greens and Walnuts

Here is another blended salad recipe. The variations are infinite. When I make blended salads, in addition to leafy greens, the featured ingredient, I include at least one fruit and one fat. This recipe has collard greens, three fruits (pear, banana, raspberries), and one fat (walnuts).
Collard Leaves, raw, about 4 leaves with stalks.
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 ripe pear, cored, cut in chunks (with peel if organic)
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup raw walnuts
1 cup water

In a blender, add the banana, pear, raspberries, walnuts and water. Blend until smooth. Add one collard leaf at a time and blend well. Add ice if desired. Pour into a tall glass or a container to take with you on the go.

Steamed Greens with Vegan Parmesan

Eat more greens! Steamed greens are so easy and so good for you. They are delicious topped with a vegan parmesan made with walnuts and nutritional yeast.
1 head of kale, about 8-10 leaves or other leafy green, like collards, spinach or chard
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1) Prepare a pot of water with steamer basket. Place on high heat.
2) Wash the greens. Tear the leaves from the stems. Save the stems for juicing or soup.
3) Coarse chop the leaves into 2-3 inch wide pieces.
4) When water comes to a boil, add greens and cook for 5-10 minutes.
5) Chop walnuts fine on a cutting board or in a food processor. Toss with nutritional yeast.
5) Remove greens from steamer when leaves are tender. Place in a bowl. Top with walnut/yeast mixture and mix well. Serve immediately.
 

WATCH how to make it
 

Pina Colada Kale

This is a fun way to get more greens. Pina Colada Kale is a blended salad of kale, pineapple and coconut. It’s quick and easy and so good for you.
Kale, about 4 leaves, stalks removed.
1 cup pineapple, fresh or frozen, cut into chunks
1/2 cup coconut milk (fresh, rehydrated from Edward & Son’s Let’s Do Organic Creamed Coconut or canned)
1/2 cup water

In a blender, add the pineapple, coconut and water. Blend until smooth. Add one piece of kale at a time and blend well. Add ice if desired. Pour into a tall glass. Enjoy!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins: Gluten-free

Thanksgiving morning breakfast before the big meal of the day – Pumpkin Spice Muffins. They are easy to make and get you into the spirit of pumpkin and spice and everything nice.
2 cups White Rice Flour
1 cup Tapioca Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup ground flax seeds mixed into 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or any other nut or seed
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350oF. Recipe makes about 15 muffins.  Prepare muffin tins by lightly greasing with oil or vegan butter or line with paper muffin cups. 

1. In a large bowl whisk together rice flour, tapioca, baking soda and spices.
2. In a small bowl mix together flax seeds in 1/2 cup water, add vinegar, apple sauce and sugar.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
4. Pour in 1 cup water and blend followed by the remaining cup of water.  Beat the batter by hand.
5. Spoon about 1/2 cup of batter into each muffin cup.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins are golden brown.
7. Remove from oven. Let cool. Remove the muffins from the tin, place in a basket and serve with your favorite spreads.

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

This pumpkin ice cream is delicately spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. A small scoop along with our Poached Pears is a perfect finish to our Thanksgiving Celebration Feast.

2 cans coconut milk, chilled
2/3 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1⁄4 cup brown sugar (evaporated cane juice and molasses blend)
1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3⁄4 cup canned pumpkin puree (1/2 can)

Scoop coconut milk and pumpkin out of the cans and mix well in a large bowl. Add vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and beat until smooth. If the coconut milk is solid instead of thick and creamy, you will need to leave it out a few minutes and/or beat the mixture well so there are no lumps. Alternatively, if the coconut milk has not be chilled, you can mix all the ingredients together and chill the mixture before putting it in your ice cream maker for freezing. Freeze ice cream according to manufacturer’s instructions. When done, scoop ice cream into a container and let harden in the freezer. When ready to serve, leave the ice cream out a few minutes to soften up before serving.

Watch the video on making PUMPKIN SPICE ICE CREAM

Poached Pears with Caramel Sauce

Here’s another version of Poached Pears, served with Caramel Sauce and Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Poached Pears

water
4 organic pears

Remove the core and seeds from the bottom to the middle.
Place the pears upright in a sauce pan and fill with water to reach one third the height of the pears. Cook , covered, over medium heat until pears are soft but still keep their shape (about 15-25 minutes).

Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the water and sugar in a saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a medium brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Watch ithe sauce carefully, the caramel can burn. Slowly add the coconut milk and vanilla. Simmer until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Serve warm.

Place one or two tablespoons or two of the caramel on the bottom of each individual dessert plate. Set one pear on top of each pear. Serve with a small scoop of vegan pumpkin spice ice cream. Serves 4.

Watch the video on making POACHED PEARS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

REAL Thanksgiving Celebration Feast

Here are some REAL Thanksgiving favorites.
These dishes can all be prepared in advance.
They can be served all together or separately as side dishes.
Links to the actual recipes are included below each video.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS: THE MENU

CHAPTER ONE: GREEN BEAN ONION WALNUT PATE

CHAPTER TWO: LA SOUPE AU PISTOU

CHAPTER THREE: SAVORY PUMPKIN PIE

CHAPTER FOUR: CASSOULET

CHAPTER FIVE: CORN BREAD

CHAPTER SIX: POACHED PEARS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

CHAPTER SEVEN: PUMPKIN SPICE ICE CREAM

CONCLUSION: HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS: THE MENU

 

 

CHAPTER ONE: GREEN BEAN ONION WALNUT PATE

Get the recipe: GREEN BEAN ONION WALNUT PATE

 

 

CHAPTER TWO: LA SOUPE AU PISTOU

PART I – Soup

Part II – Pistou

Get the recipe: LA SOUPE AU PISTOU

 

 

CHAPTER THREE: SAVORY PUMPKIN PIE

Get the recipe: SAVORY PUMPKIN PIE

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR: CASSOULET

Get the recipe: CASSOULET 

 

CHAPTER FIVE: CORN BREAD

Get the recipe: CORN BREAD 

 

CHAPTER SIX: POACHED PEARS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Get the recipe: POACHED PEARS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE 

 

CHAPTER SEVEN: PUMPKIN SPICE ICE CREAM

Get the recipe: PUMPKIN SPICE ICE CREAM 

 

 

FINALE: HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Savory Pumpkin Pie – Gluten-Free

This is a variation on our Tomato Onion Quiche.  It is a gorgeous addition to any Thanksgiving table with orange hues from the pumpkin and flecks of green from the pepitas.  The pumpkin seed crust is so flavorful and free of oil, butter or margarine.

Crust

1 cup brown rice flour plus extra on the side for rolling if necessary
1 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, soaked in water for at least 4 hours
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
water

Filling

One cup organic diced tomatoes (one half of a 15 oz can salt-free tomatoes)
1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 1-4 hours
1 12-16 ounce package Tofu (firm tofu will give a chewy texture and rustic look to the pie, silken soft tofu will be more custard-like.
1/2 can pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons Red Star Nutritional Yeast, vegetarian support formula
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Drain and rinse pumpkin seeds. Place in a food processor and pulse several times to start forming a paste. Add a 1/4 cup of water and pulse several more times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add another 1/4 cup water and start to blend seeds. The goal is to make a paste with the least amount of water possible. Add water as necessary to enable blending, about 1 cup total. In a small bowl mix together flour with xanthan gum. Add to food processor and blend until mixture clumps into a bowl. Remove from processor and place in a small bowl. Knead slightly and press into a bowl. Dough will be moist and sticky. Cover with wax paper and let chill at least an hour.

Remove from refrigerator. Place dough on a piece of wax paper at least 12 inches in length. If the dough is too sticky you may dust your hands and the wax paper with more flour. Press dough into a flat circle and cover with another sheet of wax paper. Roll out with a rolling out to a circle as large as the pie plate you will be using. Carefully peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Don’t worry if the dough tears. You can easily just press it into the pie plate where needed. Turn the dough onto the pie plate, pressing it to match the plate form. Carefully and slowly remove the top sheet of wax paper. Trim edges. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, turn heat to medium. Add oil and saute onions until transparent and lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Blend onions, tomato, tofu, pumpkin and cashews in a food processor. Start by pulsing, then once everything is mixed, puree until smooth. Add salt, pepper, sage, onion and garlic powders. Pour over crust. Garnish top with pumpkin seeds. Bake at 375F for 40 minutes or until filling is firm and crust is nicely browned. If the edges start to brown before the filling is done, cover the top with foil.

Watch the video on making SAVORY PUMPKIN PIE

Buckwheat Noodles in Peanut Sauce

As an appetizer or main dish, cook up your favorite noodles and toss with this easy, creamy sauce. It’s too good.

2 tablespoons peanut butter – almond butter or sesame tahini can be used instead of peanut butter
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon mellow white miso paste
1/4 water for the sauce
4 ounces dry noodles (100% buckwheat noodles shown in the picture)
3 cups water for cooking the noodles

1. In a large pot, boil water. Stir in noodles, cover the pot and cook until soft. Remove from heat. Place a colander in the sink and carefully drain off the water.
2. While the noodles are cooking, put the peanut butter in a medium size mixing bowl. With a fork, add 1/4 cup water, about a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is creamy. Beat in the nutritional yeast followed by the miso. The mixture should be a thick paste.
3. Add the hot noodles to the paste and toss well, coating the noodles with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4.

Lettuce Wraps

The fun way to get your greens – lettuce wraps. Even kids that don’t want to eat lettuce like wrapping stuff up in the leaves and eating them up.

One head lettuce
3 carrots, diced, about 1 cup
3 celery stalks, diced, about 1 cup
1 large leek, white and light green parts, cleaned and diced, about 3 cups
5 cloves garlic, minced, about 2 tablespoons, or 1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 package silken tofu, 4 ounces
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
water

1. Carefully remove each leaf from the head of lettuce. Rinse each leaf and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Place a large cast iron frying pan or other heavy frying pan on medium high heat. Cover the bottom with about 1/4″ of water (or wine, beer or tea). Add the carrots, celery, leeks and garlic. Stir to even out in pan. Sprinkle in the ginger and turmeric. Stir occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium size mixing bowl or blender, add the tofu, mustard and water and blend until creamy.
4. Remove vegetables from heat and stir in Dijon sauce.

Place the vegetables in a bowl and the lettuce leaves on a large plate. Each person may serve themselves by scooping about 1 heaping tablespoon of the vegetables onto a leaf. Depending on the kind of lettuce, it may be eaten rolled up or open. Serves 4-6.

Tomato Onion Quiche

REAL men and women eat quiche. Vegan Tomato Onion Quiche.

Basic Wheat Crust (or use your own favorite recipe)

3/4 cup white flour and 3/4  cup whole wheat or 1/1/2 cups white flour
1 stick (1/2  cup) vegan butter (We use Earth Balance)
Ice Water, 6-8 tablespoons

Filling

One cup organic diced tomatoes (one half of a 15 oz can salt-free tomatoes)
1 small onions finely chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 1-4 hours
1 12-16 ounce package Tofu (silken will make a creamier filling, regular tofu will give more of a ricotta cheese texture)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons Red Star Nutritional Yeast, vegetarian support formula
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
dash pepper
One large organic tomato sliced thinly in half moons

Cut vegan butter into flour and knead dough. Add 2 – 3 tablespoons of water at a time until dough is moist and elastic. Roll out dough on a floured cloth to a round for an 8” pie plate. If the dough is too crumbly you can add more water or just press it into the plate.

In a large frying pan, turn heat to medium. Add oil and saute onions until transparent and lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Blend onions, tomato, tofu and cashews in a food processor. Start by pulsing, then once everything is mixed, puree until smooth. Add salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders. Pour over crust. Garnish top with sliced tomatoes. Bake at 375F for 40 minutes or until filling is firm and crust is nicely browned.

Miso Vegetable Noodle Soup

When the weather changes and the chill is in the air, it is easy to feel under the weather, get a scratchy throat or have the sniffles. Warm up with this nourishing noodle soup, feed your immune system and you are good to go.

2 slim leeks, chopped, about 1 cup white part, 1 cup of the green
1 large onion, 2 1/2 – 3 cups diced
2 large carrots, 2 1/2 – 3 cups diced
4 celery stalks, about 2 cups diced
2 small potatoes, diced, about 2 cups
1 bulb of fresh garlic, minced, about 1/4 cup
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup mellow red miso
water
8 oz (1/2 pound) of dry, slim noodles of your choice. 100% buckwheat noodles were used in the soup in the picture but any noodles will do: wheat, rice, mung bean, etc.
1/2 cup dried mushrooms soaked in 1 cup warm water (optional)

In a large soup pot add 1 1/2 cups water. Turn heat to medium. Cut the leeks lengthwise and rinse under water, removing any dirt. Cut off the roots on the bottom and dice all of the white part and most of the green. Add to the pot. Peel and dice the onion and add to pot. Rinse carrots. Do not peel, if organic. Dice and add to pot. Rinse celery stalks, dice and add to the pot. Rinse and scrub the potatoes. Do not peel, if organic. Dice into small 1/4 ice pieces and add to pot. Remove all the cloves from the bulb of garlic and mince. Add it to the pot. Add in the turmeric and pepper. Stir occasionally and cook for about 15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Add 7 cups of water to the pot, cover and cook for about 30 minutes.

Put the miso in a small bowl. Add a cup of water to it, slowly. First add 2 tablespoons of water and with a fork, mash the miso and blend it with the water making a thinner paste. Add another 2 tablespoons and mix well until the mixture is creamy. Add the remaining water and mix well. Set aside.

In a separate pot, prepare noodles according to package directions. When noodles are done, drain the water, rinse the noodles and set aside.

When soup is ready, turn off heat and uncover the pot. Let it cool for several minutes. Stir in the miso mixture and mushrooms with broth.

Take four soup bowls and divide the noodles evenly in each bowl. Pour the soup over the noodles. Garnish with fresh sprouts if desired. Serve immediately.

White Bean and Vegetable Soup

It’s time for soup! Take the autumn chill off with this lovely white bean and vegetable soup.

2 cups small white beans (dry)
2 carrots
1 large onion
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon blackpepper
salt to taste (I don’t use any)
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
water

1. Place beans in a colander, sort through them removing any tiny pebbles or other debris, and then rinse under cold water. Put beans in a large bowl. Cover the beans with three times their volume of water and soak for 4 hours.
2. Cut carrots and potatoes into small pieces, 1/2 to 1 inch in size.
3. Peel and chop the onion, 1/2 inch in size.
4. In a large soup pot, add the carrots, onions and potatoes. Pour a little water over the vegetables, just barely covering them. Sauté for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in spices and dill.
6. Drain and rinse beans and add them to the pot. Cover with 8 cups of water and cook for an hour or until beans are soft.
4. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and serve.

New York Style Cheesecake – gluten-free

Giving up cheese and all dairy products does not mean you have to give up fabulous desserts.  Try this rich, New York style cheesecake that’s not only vegan but gluten-free. No one will know it’s dairy-free and you may even fool yourself.

Crust
1 1/2 cups white rice flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/3 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1 ½ tsp Ener-G egg replacer in 4 tablespoons water
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened

Filling
2 1/2 pounds vegan cream cheese, five 8 oz containers, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar (evaporated cane juice)
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
5 tablespoons ground flax seeds (yellow flax seeds will blend in with the batter, brown flax seeds will be more visible, as in photo)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease an 8 or 9 inch diameter springform cakepan.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and xanthan gum.
4. In a small bowl mix egg replacer with water, cut in vegan margarine.
4. Add to the dry mixture creating a dough. Knead the dough, which will be slightly dry. Pack the dough together and press evenly on the bottom of the pan. Prick the dough with a fork.
5. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6. In a small bowl, mix flax seed, coconut milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix in vegan butter.
7. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, tapioca, flax seed mixture and mix thoroughly.
8. Pour filling over crust and bake for 40 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200 degrees F and continue to bake for 20 minutes. Turn oven off leaving cake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
9. Chill overnight.
10. When ready to serve, remove from springform pan and slice.

Soupe au Pistou

Another dish I made very often while living in France was this vegetable soup. Made with a few simple vegetables and herbs, it can be served as a first course or as a meal in itself. It’s the turnip that gives the soup its full flavor.

Soup
12 organic carrots, washed and sliced
3 small to medium turnips, peeled and sliced
3  large leeks or 6 slim ones, cut in pieces from the white part up to the beginning of the green until the green is too fibrous
1 Tablespoon olive oil for sautéing
salt to taste
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
8 cups water or Vegetable Stock
   or Two, 32 oz cartons of low sodium Vegetable Stock
¼ cup chopped parsley

Pistou
one bunch basil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil for the pistou

1. Sauté carrots and leeks in a large soup pot with oil for 15 minutes.
2. Cover with water, so that water level is 1 inch higher than vegetables. Add turnip and parsley.
3. Cook, covered over low heat until all vegetables are soft.
4. Remove from heat and purée in blender or with a hand mixer, slowly stir in add soy milk to thin and give desired creamy texture.
5. To make the pistou, finely chop basil and garlic and place in a small bowl or jar.
6. Add 1/2 cup olive oil to the garlic and basil and blend ingredients together well. Pistou may be refrigerated.
7. Serve soup and top with a tablespoon of pistou.

Watch the videos below for making the soup and the pistou.

PART I – Soup

Part II – Pistou

Sweet As Honey Cake – Gluten-Free

To end your traditional Rosh Hashana dinner, try this Honey Cake made vegan, without honey! You may want to start that dinner with our fabulous gluten-free Challah, egg bread made without eggs, schmeared with our chopped liver, made of course, without liver. Here’s to a sweet year.

1 cup hot coffee or hot water
1 ½ cups hot water
3 tablespoons ground flax seed in 6 tablespoons water (lightly beaten)
1 cups agave nectar for the batter, OR 1 1/2 cups agave if you like cakes very sweet
¼ cup agave nectar for brushing the cake
3/4 cup vegan butter like Earth Balance
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups brown rice flour
½ cup oat flour or sorghum flour
1 ½ cups tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, if allergic to tree nuts, or use sunflower or pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup dried unsulphured papaya, cut in ¼ inch cubes
1/4 cup dried unsulphured pineapple, cut in ¼ inch cubes
or
1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit (in place of papaya and pineapple)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 8×4 inch Baking Pans. You can use any size pans you like. The size and shape will determine how long it needs to cook. See step 11 below.
2. Cream sugars with margarine in a medium size bowl.
3. Slowly beat in flax seed mixture, agave and vanilla.
4. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended.
5. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.
6. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
7. Stir in coffee (or hot water). Mix well. Batter should be thick.
8. Add remaining 1 ½ cups of hot water, ½ cup at a time, mixing well in between. Start on slow speed each time to incorporate and then go to medium speed.
9. Stir in the nuts and dried fruit.
10. Pour batter into greased pans, filling each halfway.
11. Bake for about 40 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn off oven; leave cake in oven for 10 min to gradually cool (prevents cake form falling). Small cupcakes will take about a half hour. One large round will take about 60 minutes. If you make one large cake, cover the top with foil after 30 minutes.
12. Remove cake from oven and allow to completely cool. Remove from pan and brush with agave.

Sweet As Honey Cake

To end your traditional Rosh Hashana dinner, try this Honey Cake made vegan, without honey! You may want to start that dinner with our fabulous Challah, egg bread made without eggs, schmeared with our chopped liver, made of course, without liver. Here’s to a sweet year. We also have gluten-free recipes for the cake and bread.

1 cup hot coffee
3 tablespoons ground flax seed in 6 tablespoons water (lightly beaten)
1 cup agave nectar for the batter, OR 1 1/2 cups agave if you like cakes very sweet
¼ cup agave nectar for brushing the cake
1/2 cup soy margarine
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, if allergic to tree nuts, or use sunflower or pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup dried unsulphured papaya, cut in ¼ inch cubes
1/4 cup dried unsulphured pineapple, cut in ¼ inch cubes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 8×4 inch Baking Pans and set aside.
2. Cream sugar with margarine in a medium size bowl.
3. Slowly beat in flax seed mixture, agave and vanilla.
4. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended.
5. Stir in coffee.
6. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
7. Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in the nuts and dried fruit.
8. Pour batter into greased pans, filling each halfway.
9. Bake for 40 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn off oven; leave cake in oven for 10 min to gradually cool (prevents cake form falling).
10. Remove cake from pans and allow to completely cool. Brush with slightly heated agave.

Vegan Treats Bakery

Responsible Eating And Living gets to sample some of the yummy offerings at Danielle Konya’s Vegan Treats Bakery in Bethlehem, PA. 

For more on Vegan Treats visit VeganTreats.com

V-BLAT: Vegan Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato

Autumn is here. We are trying to get in a few more days of outdoor eating and V-BLT’s or V-BLAT’s (Vegan Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato) hit the spot. On a busy day, we keep it simple with our favorite store-bought tempeh bacon and vegan mayonnaise, although you can certainly make your own. Try it on our gluten-free Sesame Seed Burger Bun or your favorite bread

One package Tempeh Bacon – we use LightLife Fakin’ Bacon
Vegan Mayonnaise – we use organic Follow Your Heart Vegenaise
Two small avocados or one large, peeled, pitted and sliced thinly
Two small tomatoes or one large, sliced in thin rounds
1 cup shredded lettuce

Spread the insides of the bread with vegan mayonaise.  Top one side with letuce and tomato the other side with avocado and tempeh slices, cut in half.  Put the sides together and enjoy! Serves 4.

Tofu Broccoli Scramble, Gluten-Free

Tofu scramble is a hearty, filling, easy to prepare dish. Once you get the hang of it, you can be creative, varying the spices and vegetables that you add to the tofu. Turmeric is a great spice and an essential ingredient in this recipe. Not only does it have lots of healthful properties but it gives the scramble a terrific yellow hue. Serve with Oven Baked Potato Fries, cut into small cubes instead of French Fry style.

1 onion
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 package firm tofu
1 package frozen broccoli or other frozen vegetable like spinach, peas or mixed
2 Tablespoons Red Star Vegetarian Support nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder or two garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, wheat-free tamari or salt to taste (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Peel onion and cut into small pieces. Sauté in an large, lightly oiled fry pan over medium heat for 15 minutes or until onion is transparent and lightly browned. While the onions are cooking, mash the tofu in a medium size bowl and mix with the nutritional yeast, soy milk, herbs and spices. When the onions are done add in the tofu, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add in the frozen broccoli and cook until broccoli is hot. Season with soy sauce or tamari if using and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Red Cabbage Soup with Leeks and Potatoes

Whenever I make Leeks with Vinaigrette I like to use the leftover green tops for soup. Leeks go great with cabbage and potatoes. Red cabbage is especially flavorful in this soup.

1 red cabbage, shredded
1 onion, diced
4 leek tops, just the green tops not used in the Leeks with Vinaigrette recipe, diced
4 organic potatoes, rinsed and cut in small cubes.
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 cups water
Tofu Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Put about 2 cups of water in a large soup pot. Turn heat to medium high. Add the cabbage, leeks and onions and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the turmeric, caraway seeds, pepper, potatoes and remaining water. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of tofu sour cream and chives.

Leeks with Vinaigrette

Leeks are extremely popular in France and when I lived there I had this dish several times a week. It’s hard to find slender leeks here in the United States but when I do, I make this dish.

4 slim leeks
Vinaigrette

Rinse the leeks. Peel away the out leaves to make sure there is no dirt inside. Cut off the roots and the dark green leaves, leaving at least 8 inches of leek.

Place leeks in a large pot. Cover leeks with water. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook, covered for about 10 minutes, until leeks are soft. Remove and drain leeks and place on a serving dish. Top with vinaigrette.

Tofu Sour Cream

This is my vegan version of sour cream. Other tofu sour cream recipes have oil, vinegar, sugar and salt. I like this simple version best.

1 package (12 oz) silken firm tofu
6 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons water

Blend the tofu, water and lemon juice until smooth. Store in the refrigerator. Tofu sour cream will last 3 to 4 days.

Poached Pears with Raspberry Coulis and Chocolate Sauce

While living in the south of France, I often saw Poached Pears on dessert menus of upscale restaurants. It’s a beautiful dish, very fresh and light with just enough sweetness to finish a perfect meal.

8 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries or strawberries
1 tablespoon or more Sweetener to taste (Evaporated cane juice, Succanat, Agave Nectar, etc.)
8 oz. non dairy semi sweet or dark chocolate
¼ cup nondairy milk: soy, rice, almond
4 organic pears

Raspberry/Strawberry Coulis: Cook raspberries in a sauce pan over low heat until fruit has broken apart and is syrupy. Add sweetener to taste. Set aside to cool. When cool, purée in blender until smooth.

Chocolate Sauce: Melt chocolate in a double boiler (or carefully in a saucepan over low heat). Add milk and stir until smooth.

Carefully peel pears, keeping the stems (if available) in tact. Turn the pears over and remove the core and seeds from the bottom to the middle. The pears should keep their form, and once upright, it should not be obvious that the cores are removed. They do not need to be peeled if they are organic.

Place the pears upright in a sauce pan and fill with water to reach one third the height of the pears. Cook , covered, over medium heat until pears are soft but still keep their shape (about 15 minutes). Pears can also be placed in a microwave for several minutes until soft.

Place two or three tablespoons of the berry coulis on the bottom of each individual dessert plate. Set one pear on top of each pear. Drizzle 1 – 2 tablespoons of chocolate sauce over each pear.  Serve with a small scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream if desired.  Serves 4.

Cassoulet

When I lived in the south of France I learned about Cassoulet, a rich, slow-cooked white bean stew made with different meats, like pork sausages, pork, goose, duck and mutton). This was an easy dish to veganize, adding tempeh, seitan and tofu in place of the meats. The French are very particular about ingredients remaining true to the name of a dish. I apologize to anyone who may be offended because I call this vegan version Cassoulet as well. Whatever you call it, it’s hearty, delicious and satisfying. Bon Appétit.

16 ounces Tempeh or Tempeh Bacon (optional)
16 ounces Seitan, Firm Tofu, Baked Tofu or Vegan sausage (optional)
1 pkg. Navy Beans (small white beans) or 4 cans of Navy Beans
1 cup organic, salt-free tomatoes
3 tablespoons Herbes de Provence (thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, lavender)
3 cloves garlic
4 carrots, cut in 1 inch chunks
3 onions, cut in 1 inch chunks
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt to taste
1 cup water or white wine

Soak beans over night. Rinse, drain and replace water and cook, covered in large pot until soft but still whole, not falling apart. Drain. In a large soup pot, sauté garlic, carrots and onions with 3 tablespoons Herbes de Provence in water or white wine for 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Cook until vegetables are soft. Add the beans, tomatoes, tempeh, seitan and/or tofu and mustard. Cook, covered for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Salt to taste.

Cassoulet can be served immediately or reheated and served later, adding more water if it gets too dry.

Watch the video on making Cassoulet

Coconut Cake

There’s something about coconut that irresistible. When I was young I loved coconut cream pie, coconut ice cream and any other coconut treat that came my way. I forgot about coconut for a while, maybe because most coconut desserts had dairy in them. I decided to make a coconut cake several years ago and made this recipe. It’s heavenly.

CAKE:
1 and 2/3 cups sugar/evaporated cane juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour (I take ½ cup of oatmeal and grind it in a blender)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 ½ cups coconut milk (1 can)
2 tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

FROSTING:
2- 8 oz vegan, nondairy cream cheese, nonhydrogenated oil version preferred (Follow Your Heart brand is organic)
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar or more, to taste
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Adjust oven rack to middle position, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside. Mix sugar, flours, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Add shredded coconut. Combine coconut milk, water, vinegar and vanilla in large measuring cup. Place vegan butter in a medium bowl. Add coconut milk mixture, whisking until smooth. Add vegan butter-coconut milk mixture to dry ingredients, fold in gently until just incorporated. Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, switching position of and rotating pans after 12 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Sift powdered sugar, removing any clumps. Blend vegan cream cheese, almond and vanilla extracts and sugar with a fork, whisk or beater. Beat at low speed until smooth, do not overbeat. Let chill several hours.

Frost top of one layer, place the other layer on top and cover with frosting. Add shredded coconut to top and sides by gently tossing it onto the frosting. Coconut that does not stick can be pressed into the frosting with a knife.

Pâté aux haricots verts à la Lois – or – Grandma’s Vegan Chopped Liver

The tradition continues. My grandmother used to make chopped liver with plenty of schmaltz (chicken fat) and everyone in the family loved it. My mom continues the tradition and makes her version for all the family holidays. Only mom’s ‘chopped liver’ is so much better, made with simple, plant-foods, onions, walnuts, string beans and vegetable oil and love.

1lb FRESH string beans (frozen is okay, but not as good – DO NOT use canned string beans)
3/4 cup walnuts
2 very large onions, chopped
Canola oil or other high temperature vegetable oil (enough to cover size of frypan)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large frying pan at medium heat.
2. When oil is very hot, sauté onions until almost tan, stirring constantly.
3. Wash, drain, remove stems, and cut up string beans.
4. Add to frying pan and cook until tender, not firm about 20 minutes or more. Stir often.
5. When string beans are tender add walnuts to pan and mix together.
6. Remove from heat and let cool.
7. Place in food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are broken up. Process until smooth.
8. Continue to process, turning on and off until the mixture looks like chopped liver.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste (optional)
10. Scoop into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold.

Watch the video on making GREEN BEAN ONION WALNUT PATE

Pizza: Gluten-free

Pizza is one of America’s favorite foods. But white flour and cheese are two of America’s worst foods in terms of health. Try REAL’S pizza, with organic tomato sauce, chick pea flour crust and cashew grated cheese. Everyone will gobble this up because it looks and tastes just like pizza. And it is.  It’s also REAL good and REAL good for you.

1. For the crust, use REAL’s Flatbread recipe. It’s made with chick pea flour so it’s gluten-free. It’s perfect for pizza and a lot easier than making a wheat flour yeast dough.
2. Once the flatbread is made, place it on a greased 9×13 sheet pan. Cover the flatbread evenly with REAL’s Classic Italian Tomato Sauce.
3. Grate REAL’s Cashew Jack Cheese on top of the sauce.
3. Top with your favorite pizza toppings – mushrooms, olives etc.
4. Bake in oven at 425F for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, slice and serve.

Classic Italian Tomato Sauce

Classic Italian Tomato Sauce, made with organic tomatoes, so flavorful, no salt or sugar is necessary. Great for all recipes that call for tomato sauce, including REAL’s Baked Eggplant.
1 large red onion
1 bottle of red or white wine or water (750ml or about 3 cups)
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch parsley
1 stalk rosemary (just leaves)
4 cans whole ORGANIC tomatoes, salt-free
2 cans ORGANIC tomato paste
pepper to taste (no salt is necessary) 

1. Chop the onion, garlic, parsley, rosemary.
2. Heat 1 cup of wine (or water) in a large sauce pan until it begins to simmer, add the onions, garlic, parsley, rosemary, and pepper.
3. Sauté until tender. The wine will be reduced by about 75%.
4. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and 2 cups of wine or water.
5. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat. Simmer with the lid on the pot for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Melanzane al forno con formaggio vegano e salsa di pomodoro – Baked Eggplant with Vegan Cheese and Tomato Sauce

Whether you are stuck inside preparing for a summer hurricane or want to make a dish for a summer dinner party, REAL recommends our Baked Eggplant with Vegan Cheese and Tomato Sauce.
1 large eggplant
1 large red onion
1 bottle of red or white wine or water (750ml or about 3 cups)
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch parsley
1 stalk rosemary (just leaves)
4 cans whole organic tomatoes, salt-free
2 cans organic tomato paste
pepper to taste (no salt is necessary)
1 package of tofu
1 pound of REAL’s vegan jack 

Eggplant Prep
Wash eggplant (be sure to remove the sticker(s) that some produce departments put on their vegetables and fruits). Lay the eggplant on its side and slice the eggplant on the bias in 1/4 inch thick circles, keep the vine top for another use. Lay the slices on a clean kitchen towel and lightly salt on both sides, lay another kitchen towel on top and repeat until all of the slices are used and lightly salted. Set the eggplant slices wrapped in clean kitchen towels to one side for approximately 2 hours (longer if you’ve more time; this sweats the eggplant which removes the bitterness. If you don’t mind the bitter taste, skip this step). Rinse the salt off of the eggplant and pat dry with a clean salt-free kitchen towel. Follow the instructions for grilled vegetables or lightly brush the eggplant slices with olive oil, lay on a sheet pan, and place under a broiler for approximately 10 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. Let the slices cool before handling.

Sauce Prep
Chop the onion, garlic, parsley, rosemary. Heat 1 cup of wine (or water) in a large sauce pan until it begins to simmer, add the onions, garlic, parsley, rosemary, and pepper. Sauté until tender. The wine will be reduced by about 75%. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and 2 cups of wine or water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat. Simmer with the lid on the pot for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Tofu Prep
Remove tofu from the package and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Crumble the tofu in a mixing bowl, add 2 cups of the tomato sauce, lightly mix and let cool.

Cheese prep
Grate the vegan jack cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Take an oblong baking dish. Ladle 1/2 to 3/4 cup tomato sauce on to the bottom of the dish and evenly spread out the sauce. Stack the eggplant and slice it in half. Take the half slices and make an even layer at the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the eggplant with about a 1/2 cup of the shredded vegan jack. Take about a half cup of the tofu/sauce mixture and randomly drop full teaspoons on top of the eggplant. Ladle another half cup of sauce on top of the tofu, this helps spread the tofu evenly over the eggplant and cheese. Repeat the layering process until all of the eggplant slices are used. Add the remaining cheese and tofu sauce mixture to the top and a ladle of sauce. Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes or until it is bubbly.

Remove the dish from the oven and let set approximately 10 minutes before slicing into large squares and serving. Serves 4 to 6 depending on the size of your squares.

Challah: Gluten-free

I transformed my delicious vegan challah recipe (egg bread without the eggs) and made a gluten-free version.
2 1/2 cups rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour (we use Bob’s Redmill)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt (OPTIONAL – I don’t use any salt)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 packages active dry yeast
3 Tablespoons of ground flax seeds
3 Tablespoons soy lecithin, ground into a powder (OPTIONAL)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 to 3 1/2 cups warm water (approximate, as needed)
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds (OPTIONAL)
water

Preheat oven to 200F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, potato starch, tapioca, xanthan gum, and salt if using.

In a medium size bowl mix 1/4 cup sugar with the yeast and pour in 1/3 cup of the warm water. The water should be lukewarm, not hot, or the yeast won’t work. Beat the mixture with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes. The top should foam. If it doesn’t the yeast is no good and the dough won’t rise.

In another medium bowl beat flax seeds and lecithin (if using) with 1/3 cup water. Add the olive oil and beat until creamy. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour, followed by the flax mixture. Stir to incorporate. Add warm water, 1/3 cup at a time until a very thick batter is made. Place on the top of the oven and cover with a towel. I have a gas oven with the burners raised above the top surface of the oven so that the sheet is not directly touching the heat – it is just in a warm environment. If you have a flat surface cook top you many want to place the bread on a rack so it is not in direct contact with the heat. Allow the dough to rise and double in size for about 1 hour.

On a cutting board or work table sprinkle the surface with all-purpose-gf-flour. Add all-purpose-gf-flour, about 1/3 at a time to the batter. Add just enough to form a sticky wet dough, about 1 cup. Liberally coat hands with all-purpose-gf-flour. Divide the dough into 3 uniform balls. Shape each dough into a long roll about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place the 3 rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Attached the 3 ends at the top and carefully braid them, attaching the ends at the bottom. If the dough cracks a little you can pinch it back together.

Brush the bread with water to smooth the dough and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Let rise for 30 minutes. The dough will spread. If you want the dough to stay in place, pull of the side of the parchment paper and staple the corners together, creating a cradle to keep the dough from spreading out.

Increase oven temperature to 375F and bake bread for 35-45 minutes. If the top starts to get too brown, remove bread from the oven and cover with aluminum foil and return to the oven to continue baking. To determine if the bread is done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Miso Vegetable Soup

I love soup. This recipe is perfect for a rainy summer day, light, nourishing yet cozy and comforting.
1 red onion
4 carrots
1 pound fresh broccoli
8 cups water
3 Tablespoons red miso paste (other miso flavors can be used)
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup white wine
1 package (8 oz) tempeh
salt to taste 

1. Coarsely chop carrots and onions.
2. Remove broccoli stalks (these are great to use when making a green juice). Chop florets into small pieces.
3. Cut tempeh into thin strips, 1/4 inch thick, 1 inch long.
4. In a small bowl mix the miso with about 1/3 cup water until well blended. Set aside.
5. Pour wine and about 1/3 cup water into a large stock pot. Turn heat to medium-high. Add carrots and onions and saute in liquid for about 10 minutes.
6. Add ginger and garlic powder, tempeh and remaining water to pot. Cover. Bring to a boil.
7. Add broccoli and cook for about 3 minutes or until broccoli is cooked the way you like it.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Stir in the miso mixture.
10. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-8

Raisin Bread – Gluten-free

What is it about raisins and cinnamon that make bread irresistibly good? With or without raisins, this gluten-free yeast bread is delicious. It slices perfectly.
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
salt – up to 1 teaspoon (OPTIONAL – personally I don’t use any salt)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons active dry yeast (3 packages)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 1/2 cups warm water (more water may be necessary)
1 1/3 cups raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 200F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, garbanzo flour, potato starch, tapioca and xanthan gum, cinnamon and salt if using.

In a medium size bowl mix the sugar with the yeast and pour in about 1 cup of the water. The water should be lukewarm, not hot, or the yeast won’t work. Beat the mixture with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes. The top should foam. If it doesn’t the yeast is no good and the dough won’t rise. Pour the yeast mixture over the dry ingredients and incorporate with a fork whisk. Mix in another cup of water and the olive oil. Continue adding water until the mixture has the consistency of thick cake batter. It will be a creamy, very thick liquid. Stir in raisins.

Pour batter into two greased loaf pans, filling each pan about half-way. Place on the top of the oven and cover with a towel. I have a gas oven with the burners raised above the top surface of the oven so that the pans are not directly touching the heat – they are just in a warm environment. If you have a flat surface cook top you many want to place the pans on a rack so they are not in direct contact with the heat. Allow the batter to rise and double in size – rising above the top of the pans – about 60 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 400F and bake loaves for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from the oven and cover each with aluminum foil. Bake the covered loaf pans for about 35-45 minutes. To determine if the bread is done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. I like a moist bread, so I baked it for 35 minutes after covering. The toothpick was free of crumbs but there were some gummy spots which when cool becomes a moist, spongy bread. Remove from oven and let cool.

For a plain bread, just omit the raisins and cinnamon and/or top with sesame seeds.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Sandwich Cookies, gluten-free

Another way to serve up the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter. This chocolate cookie is soft, almost like a brownie with a luscious, creamy peanut butter filling.

 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Sandwich Cookie
Cookies
2 ¼ cups white rice flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar, evaporated cane juice
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/3 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
2 teaspoons ground flax meal in 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup applesauce 

Cream Filling
3/4 cups creamy peanut butter (peanut butter made with 100% peanuts, no other ingredients necessary!)
3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350oF. Line a large cookie sheet or 2 medium sheets with parchment paper. Mix together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sugar and cocoa, and set aside. In a medium bowl beat the flax seed with the water. Add in applesauce and Earth Balance and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly beat into flour mixture and form a crumby dough. Dough should stick together when pressed firmly. Press dough into a log with hands and place on a sheet of waxed paper. Wrap and roll dough to form a uniform log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Put in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Dough can stay in freezer indefinitely until ready to use. Remove dough and slice into 1/4 inch wide pieces. You can adjust the shape of each piece to make it more uniform if desired. I take a knife and make each piece as square as possible. Place sliced cookie dough on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. These cookies hold their shape and do not spread so they can be baked close together. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes and then let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Put the cookies on a plate cool.

For cream filling, combine the peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix well forming a smooth dough. Take about a full teaspoon and roll and flatten between the hands. Make little sandwiches with the filling. Makes about 16 sandwich cookies.

Tempeh Skillet Dinner

One skillet dinners are easy and have that good, old-fashioned home-style cooking feeling to them.

 tempeh skillet dinner

1 package, 8 ounces, tempeh
1 onion
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 medium hot chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon parsley
1 cup water
1 can, 15 ounces, diced tomatoes (I use the no added salt variety)
1 cup frozen corn
salt to taste (I don’t add salt)

1. On a cutting board, grate the entire package of tempeh.
2. Peel and chop the onion into 1/2 inch size pieces.
3. Turn heat under skillet to medium high. Add all the ingredients above. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Serve with your favorite tortillas. Top with grated Cashew Jack cheese. Serves 2-4.

Cashew Jack

Cashew Jack — A variation on the Cashew Cheddar recipe already on our site. I find that this is a much creamier cheese and is perfect for pizza because of the olive oil. You can also experiment with herbs and spices such as adding a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to give it a kick. If you don’t want to add the garlic or onion powder, you don’t have to. You can also cut down the salt by eliminating it from the recipe. Also, this cheese can be grated or sliced. It freezes extremely well and melts brilliantly — especially in the microwave. Enjoy!
 Cashew Cheese

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
4 cups cold water for soaking cashews
1/2 cup of water for blending
3 1/2 cups boiling water to dissolve agar
1 cup agar flakes (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white miso
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1. Soak cashews in 4 cups of cold water in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2. Place soaked cashews in a blender.
3. Add oil, 1/2 cup of water, miso, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and spices and blend the cashew mixture until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender.
4. Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in agar flakes. Turn the heat down to allow mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally until all of the agar is dissolved — about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. With the lid on the blender and the pouring cap removed, turn the blender on low and slowly pour the water and agar mixture into the running blender.
6. Blend thoroughly.
7. Pour in to 2 well-oiled loaf pans, or 2 oblong Pyrex pans or – be creative and use any shape pan you like. Cover with waxed or parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.
8. Cheese can be used once it is firm. It will last several days in the refrigerator. We recommend cutting the cheese into blocks of your desired size, wrapping them and putting them in the freezer to use when you want.

Tofu Steaks and Pasta with Kale

Kale, the wonder food, should be consumed often. Here’s one great way to get your daily dose.
Pasta with Kale, Red Onion and Red Pepper Flakes
Serves Four 

1 lb brown rice spaghetti
1 large bunch of kale (about 1/2 lb)
1 large red onion
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 cups boiling water (reserved from cooking the pasta)

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.
2. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente (approximately 8 – 10 minutes).
3. Reserve one cup of the hot pasta water. Drain the pasta in a colander. Rinse quickly in cold water to stop the cooking (about 10 seconds; the pasta will still be hot). Set aside.
4. Chop the kale to approximately 2 inch pieces.
5. Slice the onion in thin crescents.
6. Heat a large cast iron or heavy duty fry/saute pan.
7. add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and saute the onion and red pepper flakes until soft. Add the kale and another 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and cover with a lid. Turn the heat to medium and steam until tender, adding more water if needed.
8. Add the pasta to the kale and onion mixture, mix well, adding more water if needed.

Baked Marinated Tofu Steaks

1 lb extra firm tofu
3 Tablespoons gluten free low sodium tamari
2 Tablespoons dark maple syrup
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds (preferably raw)

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Set to one side.
2. Pour tamari and maple syrup in a pyrex pie dish. Mix well.
3. Remove tofu from container, drain off excess water, rinse, pat dry with paper towel or kitchen towel. Slice in half and then slice each half in half again.
4. Dip each piece of tofu in the tamari/maple syrup marinade until completely covered and lay on the prepared cookie sheet.
5. Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the steaks, brush with extra marinade.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.
7. Lay steaks on top of pasta with kale and spoon remaining marinade over the top.

Serves four.

Yeast Bread – Gluten-free

I have always loved baking bread, from the mixing to the fragrant smells coming from the oven, to finally eating it. Now I am discovering the world of bread baking without gluten and the varieties seem infinite.

 Bread -Gluten-free

The gluten-free choices of bread mixes are staggering and exciting, with flours from grains and legumes – millet, rice, quinoa, sorghum, teff, chickpea, etc. and starches from corn, potato, tapioca to create the desired taste and texture. Gluten-free quick breads have been easy to make and we have numerous recipes on this website. Try this gluten-free yeast bread. This bread slices perfectly and has a sweetness that makes it taste like Challah or Brioche.

1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 1/2 cups garbanzo flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
salt – up to 1 teaspoon (OPTIONAL – I don’t use any salt)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons active dry yeast (3 packages)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups warm water

Preheat oven to 200F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, garbanzo flour, corn starch, potato starch, tapioca and xanthan gum, and salt if using.

In a medium size bowl mix the sugar with the yeast and pour in about 1/3 of the water. The water should be lukewarm, not hot, or the yeast won’t work. Beat the mixture with a fork and let sit for about 5 minutes. The top should foam. If it doesn’t the yeast is no good and the dough won’t rise. Pour the yeast mixture over the dry ingredients. Add in the remaining water and olive oil. Whisk everything together. The consistency will be like cake batter.

Pour batter into two greased loaf pans, filling each pan about half-way. Place on the top of the oven and cover with a towel. I have a gas oven with the burners raised above the top surface of the oven so that the pans are not directly touching the heat – they are just in a warm environment. If you have a flat surface cook top you many want to place the pans on a rack so they are not in direct contact with the heat. Allow the batter to rise and double in size – rising above the top of the pans. It took 40 minutes for me, but may take longer.

Increase oven temperature to 400F and bake loaves for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from the oven and cover each with aluminum foil. Bake the covered loaf pans for about 35-45 minutes. To determine if the bread is done, insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. I wanted a moist bread, so I baked it for 35 minutes after covering. The toothpick was free of crumbs but there were some gummy spots. I knew this would cool and firm up into a moist, spongy bread. The results were delicious.

Verdura Mista Al Forno (Oven Baked Mixed Vegetables)

Oven baking is the healthiest and most delicious way to make French fries. Even better is to add some veggies in with the potatoes. And Kids love them.

 Oven Baked Mixed Vegetables

4 large russet potatoes (sweet potatoes can be substituted and/or added)
6 carrots (or other root vegetable)
2 large yellow crook neck summer squash
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Spice Rub, consisting of 1 teaspoon each of:
• parsley flakes
• sage
• rosemary
• thyme
• oregano
• red pepper flakes
• granulated garlic
• granulated onion

Preheat the oven to 450

1. Wash and scrub the vegetables but do not peel.
2. Julienne cut the potatoes to the size of a 1″ thick french fries/steak fries.
3. Julienne cut the carrots to 1/2 inch thick french fries, as if you are making carrot sticks.
4. Julienne cut the yellow crook neck summer squash to 1 1/2 inch thick strips, like large french fries.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the herbs and spices. Add 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, toss in the vegetables, coating well with the spice rub.
6. Grease a large sheet pan (approximately 17″x11″) with 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
7. Spread vegetables on the lightly oiled sheet pan and bake in the middle rack of a hot oven approximately 45 minutes to an hour or until brown and crispy. Mix the vegetables around the 20 minute mark and revolve the pan for even browning.
8. Serve with REAL barbeque sauce.

Chickpea Flour Flatbread: Gluten-free

This is a variation of Socca. It is the easiest flatbread you can make. It’s always a delightful surprise to see the liquid batter come out of the oven as bread after baking. Most of our recipes here are gluten-free. Check them out at the RECIPES tab above.

 Chickpea Flour Flatbread
2 cups chickpea flour (more if needed)
1 1/2 cups water (more if needed)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 dash salt (optional)
1 dash pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 400º F 

1. In a large bowl combine the flour and spices (garlic, parsley, rosemary, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper) with a whisk until fully incorporated.
2. Add the water one half cup at a time and let the mixture set for a couple of minutes between each 1/2 cup. The amount of chickpea flour to water always varies depending on the grade of flour. When the batter is the constancy of heavy cream, let set for about 10 minutes.
3. Grease a 9×13 inch sheet pan with at least a 1 inch depth and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until the bread is brown on the edges and firm in the center.
4. Let cool before cutting into the desired shape. This bread keeps 4-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat it in a 250 degree oven until it is warm to touch before serving.

For thicker flat bread use an 8×10 inch Pyrex pan prepared the same way (greased and lined with parchment paper).

Summer Vegetable Stew

This Summer Vegetable Stew is easy to make with fresh vegetables from the garden or farmer’s market. You can have it hot one evening for dinner then chill the leftovers and have it cold the next day for lunch. Serve it with chickpea flour flatbread. Summer Vegetable Stew
4 yellow zucchini
4 Japanese eggplant or 1 regular eggplant.
1 bunch red chard with the stems
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 bunch basil
2 cans whole tomatoes (unsalted)
1 can tomato paste
1 cup red wine, vegetable stock, or water
1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
dash of pepper
OPTIONAL: salt to taste 

1. Wash chard thoroughly. Place in a pot and cover with water. Boil until the stems are tender, about 7 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water and drain. Set to one side.
2. Mince the garlic.
3. Rough chop the onion by peeling and cutting in half then slicing each half in thin crescents.
4. Rough cut the zucchini and the eggplant to 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks.
5. Optional step. Some eggplant can be bitter and salting it prior to use can remove the bitter flavor. If you are using Japanese eggplant it is very sweet so you will not need to salt it before cooking. If you use regular eggplant lightly salt cut chunks with approximately 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Let set for approximately 1 hour in a colander. Rinse off the salt and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
6. Remove the leaves from a bunch of basil. Wash thoroughly and spin dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
7. Saute the garlic in red wine, stock or water for a couple of minutes.
8. Add the vegetables in the following layers: onions; zucchini, eggplant, basil. Bring to a fast steaming boil over a medium high heat and put a lid on the pot. Cook with the lid on for about five minutes on high heat and remove the lid and add the Balsamic vinegar, the tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir well. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking with the lid on for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 as a main course, or 8 as a side dish. Can be served hot or cold.

Vichyssoise – Leek and Potato Soup

Vichyssoise, the classic leek and potato soup, is perfect for summer. Traditionally it’s served chilled but serve it hot if you prefer.

 Vichyssoise

6 slim French leeks or 3 large leeks
3 large organic potatoes
10 cups of vegetable stock
salt to taste (optional)

1. Wash and cube potatoes.
2. Wash leeks, split down the middle and rinse inside to remove any dirt. Chop into 1 inch pieces, using the entire leek.
3. Put vegetables and stock in large stockpot
4. Bring to boil, reduce heat and let simmer until everything is tender.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Use a blender or food processor, pulse until all blended.
7. Serve cold with a dollop of unsweetened cashew cream and chopped chives.

Buckwheat Pancakes – Gluten-Free

This pancake recipe makes a lighter, thinner pancake than our other Hearty Buckwheat Pancake recipe posted earlier. Only Buckwheat flour is used here, no other flours are added. Serve with fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries, cooked until soft.

 Buckwheat Pancakes

2 cups Buckwheat Flour
4 tablespoons ground flax seeds (I buy them whole, grind them and keep them in a glass jar in the refrigerator)
4 tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 tablespoon baking power
4 cups water
vegetable oil or Earth Balance margarine for oiling the grill

Mix together dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Stir in water and mix well making a batter. On a lightly greased hot grill pour about 1/2 cup batter and smooth into a circle about 5 to 6 inches wide. Small bubbles will appear and the top surface will become dry. Flip and cook for several more minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used. Makes about 14 pancakes.

Marinated Tea-Smoked Tempeh Slabs

Tempeh — The other, other, white meat substitute. For those transitioning to a plant based diet may we suggest a switch from Tofu to Tempeh as your main event course. On the grill or in the oven, this ancient bean cake is something to live for! If you are a novice with Tempeh, you may not like the mushroomy/nutty/slightly fermented taste, some have even said it’s a bitter taste. Well if you use this marinade we guarantee you won’t taste any bitterness. And you won’t need a smoker to get that tea-smoked flavor.
 Tempeh Barbecue

Make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven and pre-heat oven to 350ºF

Tempeh Marinade

1. Mix in a large bowl the dry ingredients listed below.

1 teaspoon each of:

  • parsley flakes
  • sage
  • rosemary
  • thyme
  • oregano
  • anise seed
  • red pepper flakes
  • mustard
  • granulated garlic
  • granulated onion
  • chipotle smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon of:

  • nutmeg

2. Add to the dry ingredients the following wet ingredients:

  • 4 cups Red Wine
  • 3 cups Strong Smoked Russian Caravan Black Tea (it has a smokey flavor, a combination of Chinese Keemun and Lapsang Souchong teas) or 3 Cups black tea with 2 Tablespoons of liquid smoke
  • 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/3 cup Tamari
  • 1/3 cup Maple Syrup

3. Mix all of the ingredients well and set aside for about 30 minutes.
4. Unwrap 4 packages (8 oz each package) of tempeh and place in a large oblong glass baking dish; we used pyrex.
5. Pour the marinade over the tempeh slabs
6. Place in oven and bake for 1.5 to 2 hours (until most of the liquid is absorbed)
7. Remove the tempeh slabs from the marinade. At this point you can store them, refrigerated and grill when needed.
8. Heat grill to medium. Place marinated tempeh on the grill and brush with our favorite tea-smoked barbecue sauce, about 10 minutes on each side.
9. Remove from the grill and place on cutting board.
10. Slice into one-inch strips (about 10 to a whole slab) and serve with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed dandelion greens.

If you are lucky to have leftovers, this recipe may be even better, served cold, a day later.

Tea-Smoked Barbecue Sauce

This is an ideal barbecue sauce for our Marinated Tea-Smoked Tempeh Slabs, but you can use it for any dish where you want a sophisticated, ‘grown-up’ flavor – not too sweet, subtly spicy.

 Barbecue Sauce

1 large onion
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Red Wine
1 cup Strong Smoked Russian Caravan Black Tea (it has a smokey flavor, a combination of Chinese Keemun and Lapsang Souchong teas) or 1 Cup Black Tea with 1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
3 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Tablespoon chopped Parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (or less if you like it mild)
1/2 cup Maple Syrup (more if you like it sweet; less if you like it tart)
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Black Strap Molasses
1 chunk of fresh ginger (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches)
1 small can tomato paste (7 oz)

1. Slice the onions in thin crescents and set aside.
2. Heat a large heavy sauté pan over medium heat.
3. Add the olive and heat it until it starts to thin out but not smoke.
4. Add the onions.
5. Raise the heat to medium high and saute for 7 to 10 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent and are just starting to caramelize and turn brown. They should be sticking to the pan a little.
6. Deglaze the pan by pouring the vinegar over the onions.
7. Add the peeled ginger.
8. Continue sautéing until the liquid is reduced to about half. Turn off the heat and set aside.
9. In a large sauce pot, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
10. Add the onions.
11. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour covered.

Sauce can be used right away or put in a jar and refrigerated.

Sautéed Dandelion Greens with Olive Oil and Garlic

Dark leafy greens – you can’t get enough of them. Dandelion greens are so delicious, how did they ever get demoted to weeds? I am glad they are making a comeback in this country as a delicious, nutritious food.

 Dandelion Greens

1lb Dandelion Greens
Water (to cover greens)
4 – 6 cloves Garlic Minced (more if you want to smell like you are afraid of Vampires)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1. Wash the greens well.
2. Place greens in a large stock pot, cover with water, put on the stove, turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Boil about 10 minutes or until ribs are tender. Remove from heat.
3. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and set aside.
4. Place a large sauté pan on the stove and heat for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the olive oil until it starts to thin but doesn’t smoke (about 2 minutes).
6. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 4 minutes or until it begins to turn a light gold color but NOT BROWN.
7. Add the greens and raise the heat to medium high.  Sauté for about 6 minutes or until heated through.

Socca, Chickpea Flour Crêpes

Hummus is an extremely popular spread today in the United States, found in most supermarkets. Made with chickpeas, olive oil and sesame tahini, people have been enjoying hummus at least since the 18th century. But in Arabic hummus really means chickpea or garbanzo bean. And chickpeas are extremely nutritious and versatile. I’ve been discovering the wonders of chickpea flour, first as a gluten-free alternative and now just because it is so easy to use and delicious, like in this recipe for Socca, Chickpea Flour Crêpes.
 Socca

1 onion
1 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour)
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional – I don’t use salt)
2 teaspoons olive oil
tahini dressing

In a medium size bowl mix the chickpea flour and pepper and cumin, if using. Whisk in the warm water and make a smooth batter. Mix in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside.

Chop the onion into 1/2 to 1 inch size pieces. Heat a grill pan (I use a 12 inch round cast iron grill for this recipe) on medium. Lightly season the pan with about one teaspoon of olive oil.   Add the chopped onions. Spread them out over the pan and cook, moving the pieces around occasionally.  The onion pieces should become lightly brown and translucent. If they start to blacken lower the heat. When nicely browned, remove half of the onions to a small bowl and set aside.

Pour the garbanzo bean flour mixture over the remaining onions in the grill pan. With the back of a large wooden spoon, even out the batter.   Let it cook until the top is dry and the sides start to peel in a little. With a spatula carefully lift underneath all around the edges, to free it from the pan. The entire piece can be lifted and flipped to cook the other side. If you are not comfortable lifting the entire piece whole, you may cut it in half or quarters and flip to cook the other side. Let it cook another 3 minutes and remove from heat.

Serve topped with the remaining grilled onions and drizzle with tahini dressing.

Pasta with Tomato Concassé, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil.

This is one of those classic pasta dishes that is great served hot or cold. It’s made with a few seasonal ingredients that when brought together create a sensational experience for your taste buds and say, “Summer”.

 Pasta with Tomato Concassé

1 lb spaghetti of your choice (pictured is vegan and gluten-free brown rice pasta)
5 medium vine-ripened organic tomatoes
1 loosely packed cup of fresh basil leaves (no stems)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons high quality balsamic vinegar
3 medium cloves of garlic (about one tablespoon minced)
pinch of white pepper
pinch of sea salt (optional)

1. Bring a large stock pot of water to boil (about 6 quarts) and then turn the heat OFF under the pot so that the water is no longer boiling.
2. Prepare an ice bath (a large bowl of cold water with about a cup of ice cubes floating in it).
3. Lightly (and gently) run a sharp knife edge over the tomatoes just enough to pierce the skin in several places, being careful not to cut into the flesh of the tomato.
4. With a slotted spoon gently place the tomatoes in the boiling hot water — BE CAREFUL NOT TO SPLASH YOURSELF WITH THE HOT WATER!!! Leave them in the boiling water for about a minute (you will see the skin begin to curl. DON’T COOK THE TOMATOES. Remove the tomatoes with the slotted spoon and immediately place in the ice bath to stop the cooking and to cool. Save the pot of hot water to cook the pasta.
5. Peel the tomatoes, cut them in half.
6. Seed the tomatoes: with one hand hold half of a tomato over a bowl and with the other using the point of a paring knife to scrape out and remove the seeds (you can also use your fingers) and let the seeds and the juice fall in to the bowl. Save the juice and seeds for another use or drink it – it’s delicious! Repeat this process with the remaining tomato halves.
7. Dice the tomatoes in small cubes. Place them in a large bowl, and set aside.
8. Chop the basil leaves, coarsely, not too fine, and add to the bowl of diced tomatoes.
9. Mince the garlic and add to the tomato/basil mixture.
10. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to the tomato/basil/garlic mixture and toss. Let stand while you cook the pasta.
11. Using the same large pot of water, bring it back to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta per the instructions on the package. When the pasta is to your liking, drain and rinse quickly under cold water to stop the cooking, shake out all of the excess water and add the hot pasta to the tomato mixture, toss well and serve.

Serves 4

Cheesy Garlic Bread

You can use any bread you like, we used the Sesame Burger Bun recipe which is gluten-free. The important item is this great topping that is quick and easy to make with our almond cheese, a little vegan mayonnaise, like Vegenaise, garlic, chopped fresh parsley, and red pepper flakes.

 Garlic Bread

This recipe makes enough for one loaf of French bread, 6 burger buns or 12 pieces of sliced bread.
8 oz softened Almond Cheese
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (no stems)
3 Tablespoons minced garlic or 1 Tablespoon of granulated garlic (more if you are a garlic lover or if you are trying to rid your life of vampires)
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (more if you like it hotter, less if you like it milder)
pinch of salt (optional)
pinch of pepper (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 450F
1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Spread on your favorite bread and place on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in a hot oven until it becomes brown and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get to brown or burnt.

Crêpes farcies aux épinards, chanterelles, tofu et fromage d’amandes (Buckwheat crepes with spinach, mushrooms, tofu and almond cheese) Gluten-free

A REAL update on a classic dish found throughout bistros and crêperie in France, certain to impress your guests and satisfy any size appetite.

 spinach crepe

6 large buckwheat crepes
1 package (16 oz) frozen spinach
9 oz firm tofu
1 oz package dried chanterelle mushrooms, or 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 cup grated almond cheese

1. If using dried mushrooms, place in a bowl and cover with a cup of hot water. Let soak until soft.
2. In another bowl, mash the tofu. Pour the vinegar over it and stir well.
3. Use a cast iron skillet or large frying pan. Turn the heat to medium.
4. Put the spinach, mushrooms and its soaking water, tofu, thyme, parsley and garlic in the skillet. If using fresh mushrooms add 1/3 water to the pan. Stir occasionally. Let cook about 8-10 minutes until the moisture has disappeared. Remove from heat.
5. Place a crepe flat on a plate. Fill with several tablespoons of the spinach mixture along the diameter of the crepe. Roll the crepe and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining crepes. Top with the grated almond cheese.
6. Place the crepes in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from the over and with a spatula carefully transfer the crepes to individual dishes.

 

Crepes au Sarrasin (Buckwheat crepes) Gluten-free

Buckwheat, which is not related to wheat and is not a cereal or grass, is a fruit or seed, rich in iron, zinc and selenium. Buckwheat noodles (soba) are popular in Japan and buckwheat groats (kasha) as a porridge are common in eastern Europe. In France you can find buckwheat crepes, sweet or savory, served everywhere around the country.

 buckwheat crepes

1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1 1/4 cups nondairy milk, unsweetened
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon vegan butter like Earth Balance Buttery spread.
1/4 cup ground flax seeds, in 1/2 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoon ENER-G egg replacer
2 tablespoons soy lecithin granules
Addition vegan butter like Earth Balance Buttery spread for oiling the fry pan.

1. Grind lecithin into a powder.
2. In a small bowl, mix flax seeds with 1/2 cup water. Stir in lecithin and egg replacer. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Melt the vegan butter in a small pan over low heat. When melted, remove from heat.
4. Pour nondairy milk and water in a blender. Add the melted vegan butter and the flour. Cover blender and turn on low. Blend the ingredients into a batter. Let stand for 1 hour.
5. Heat a cast iron griddle pan to medium-high.
6. Brush a small amount of vegan butter over the entire surface. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into the center of the hot pan. Quickly and carefully with the smooth, backside of a ladle, gently and in a circular motion from the center moving out, bring the batter out towards the edges to make an 8 inch circle. Cook until the batter dries on top. Carefully with a thin metal spatula lift up the edges around the entire circumference of the crepe. Make sure the crepe is not sticking any where – if it is, it may need to cook a few more minutes. Lift the crepe up and turn over. Cook on the other side for about 2-3 minutes. Put the crepe on a plate. Repeat this step until the batter is gone.

Makes 6 large (8 inch crepes). Serve with vegan butter and powdered sugar or fill with a sweet or savory filling.

Crêpes à la crème de bananes et beurre d’arachide (Crepes filled with peanut butter banana cream) Gluten-free

This healthy and nutritious dish is disguised as a luxuriously decadent dessert – indulge yourself and your guests with REAL food.

 banana crepes

6 large buckwheat crepes
6 tablespoons salt-free peanut butter (made from just peanuts)
6 oz firm tofu
4 large, ripe bananas
2 tablespoons grated dark chocolate

1. In a blender, add the bananas, tofu and peanut butter and combine until smooth.
2. Place a crepe on a plate. Spoon several tablespoons of banana creme along the diameter of the creme. Roll up and repeat with remaining crepes. Place crepes on individual dishes. Sprinkle with grated chocolate and drizzle remaining banana cream on top.

Makes 6 large (8 inch crepes).

REAL Air Pop

Whether it is a summer blockbuster at the multiplex or a classic in your own living room, movies go better with popcorn! Try these oil-free, flavor-full popcorn recipes using a few simple plant-based ingredients and that old air popper you’ve got collecting dust in the back of your cupboard.

 air pop

Cheddar Vegan Cheese Corn

1/2 cup popping corn kernels
2 Tablespoons white or yellow Miso
2 Tablespoons water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast mixed with 1 teaspoon tumeric

1. Mix the miso with the water.
2. Fill the reservoir provided by the manufacturer with the recommended amount of un-popped popping corn. Place a large stainless steel bowl under your air pop machine and turn it on. As soon as the corn has finished popping, pour the miso over the popped corn and with the machine still running toss with two wooden spoons under the hot air of the popper.
4. Once incorporated sprinkle the spiced nutritional yeast and continue tossing until it is fully coated.

Nacho Cheddar Vegan Cheese Corn

Follow the instructions above, but add these spice along with the turmeric to the nutritional yeast:
1 Teaspoon onion powder
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon medium hot chile powder (more or less depending on if you like it spicy or mild)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.

Chocolate Pop Corn

1/2 cup popping corn kernels
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 cup organic cocoa powder
1/8 cup powdered sugar

1. Sift together cocoa powder and sugar.
2. Warm the maple syrup slightly.
3. Fill the reservoir provided by the manufacturer with the recommended amount of un-popped popping corn. Place a large stainless steel bowl under your air pop machine and turn it on. Once it is popped, pour the syrup over the popcorn and mix with the machine still running over the bowl as if you are tossing a salad.
4. Once it is incorporated, sprinkle the cocoa/powdered sugar mixture and continue tossing until all the popped corn is coated.

Licorice Pop Corn

1/2 cup popping corn kernels
1 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon Blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon anise extract
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground anise seeds (optional)

1. Mix together and warm slightly the maple syrup, molasses and anise extract.
2. In a small bowl mix together the powdered sugar and anise seeds.
3. Fill the reservoir provided by the manufacturer with the recommended amount of un-popped popping corn. Place a large stainless steel bowl under your air pop machine and turn it on. Once it is popped, pour the warmed syrup/molasses/anise extract mixture over the popcorn and mix with the machine still running over the bowl as if you are tossing a salad. Once it is incorporated, sprinkle the powdered sugar/anise seed mixture over the popped corn and continue tossing until all the popped corn is coated.

REAL Banana Splits

There are lots of yummy vegan ice creams out there, but we make ours with a frozen banana base, so you can indulge without any guilt!

 Banana Splits

Serves Four

6 ripe bananas, peeled and frozen
1 cup nondairy milk
1 cup frozen strawberries
4 tablespoons organic cocoa powder
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can coconut milk, refrigerated for at least 4 hours (not the light version)
1/3 cup organic confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
1/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
2 Tablespoons grated dark nondairy chocolate
1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 ripe bananas
4 Maraschino cherries (look for the kind with no red dye or preservatives)
Metal mixing bowl for whipping cream should be chilled in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

1. Place the frozen bananas in a blender. Add the nondairy milk. Depending on the power of the blender will determine how you will blend the bananas. If the blender is not very powerful you will need to pulse once or twice, then stir the contents with a long wooden spoon, remove the spoon, cover and pulse again. You continue this way until the mixture is smooth and the consistency of soft serve ice cream. If it’s too difficult to blend, wait a few minutes to allow the bananas to soften up.
2. Scoop out 1/3 of the banana mixture into a bowl, add the almond extract and one teaspoon vanilla. Stir and mix well to incorporate.
3. In another bowl add 1/3 of the banana mixture, the cocoa powder and one teaspoon vanilla. Stir and mix well to incorporate.
4. Add the frozen strawberries to the remaining banana mixture in the blend and blend well. Put this mixture in a bowl.
5. The three bowls can be put in the freezer while you make the whipped cream. Or you can spoon into individual cups or small serving dishes to mold into single scoops.
6. Sift confectioner’s sugar and starch into a small bowl and mix well.
7. Remove the coconut milk from the refrigerator. Pierce a hole in the BOTTOM of the can and let the liquid drain into a bowl and discard. Open the top of the can and remove the solid coconut fat. Place this is the chilled bowl for whipping. Whip the coconut for about 30 seconds on high speed. Add the sugar/starch mixture and 1 teaspoon vanilla and whip to incorporate. Whipped cream can be put in the refrigerator to chill a little longer until ready to use.
8. Shredded coconut and chopped nuts can be served as is, or lightly toasted. To toast, place each on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 350F. Bake for 2 or 3 minutes, remove the pans, stir the contents around and bake again for 2 to 3 minutes. Continue until the coconut and the nuts are golden brown. Let cool.
9. Peel bananas and cut lengthwise into 4 pieces each. Place two pieces in each banana boat. Take the frozen banana mixtures out from the freezer. Remove the individual scoops from their cups. You may need to run the bottom of the cups under hot water so the contents can come out. Place one of each flavor in a boat. Or if not previously molded, scoop one of each flavor into each banana boat. Top each scoop with a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle each scoop with toppings and top each dish with a cherry. Serve immediately.

Insalata Caprese

Like the salad from the Italian region of Campania, this version uses tofu. Dried black olives add the salt and tahini dressing adds the tang to perfect this simple combination.

 Tomato, Basil, Tofu Salad

Serves Four

1 package extra firm organic tofu, drained and patted dry
16 tomato slices – (about 4 tomatoes)
16 fresh basil leaves
16 dried black olives, pitted
tahini dressing

1. Cut the tofu in half along the short side and then make 16 1/4 inch slices, 8 per block.
2. On a serving dish, place one tomato slice, top with a tofu slice. place one split pitted olive and one basil leaf on top and drizzle with tahini dressing. Repeat with remaining tomato and tofu slices.

Mango Tango Tofu Slaw

The tang is courtesy of the lemon and sesame oil vinaigrette in this salad made from a slaw of shredded green cabbage and carrots, diced red onion and mango, chopped raw almonds and sesame seeds served on a bed of romaine lettuce leaves along with baked tofu slices. Each lettuce leaf can be filled with some of the slaw and a couple of pieces of tofu, rolled up and eaten burrito-style.

 Mango Tango Tofu Salad

Serves Four

Slaw
1 medium sized head of green cabbage
4 carrots
1 medium sized red onion
1 large ripe mango
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
15 ounces of baked tofu (four 4 oz blocks per salad)
1 large head of romaine lettuce

Dressing
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons of mango juice

1. Shred the cabbage and carrots on a box grater or use a food processor with the shredder disk and put in a large mixing bowl.
2. Peel a ripe mango and dice it making sure to remove all of the fruit from the large pit. (NOTE: you could use a potato ricer to gently squeeze the juice from the fruit that remains clinging to the pit and reserve it to use in the dressing)
3.  Add the mango, almonds, sesame seeds to the bowl with the slaw.
4. Dice the red onion and add to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients and set to one side.
5. In a small bowl whisk the lemon juice, sesame oil and mango juice. Add to the slaw and toss.
6. Cut the tofu into half inch strips.
7.  Arrange romaine leaves on a plate and pile the slaw in the center of the plate. As if you are making the sun’s rays, arrange the tofu around the mound of slaw, garnish with a few more sliced almonds or a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Summer Grilled Vegetables

Fire up the grill.  These vegetables brushed with light marinade are perfection.  They can also be prepared in advance and served at room temperature.  Make a sandwich with your favorite bread, pesto and almond cheese and sip on some iced Rooibos tea.

 Grilled Veggies

Serves six

3 large Yellow Summer Squash
3 large Red Onions
6 large Portobello Mushrooms
3 large Russet Potatoes
3 large Red Potatoes
3 Red Bell Peppers
3 Yellow Bell Peppers
2 medium-sized Eggplant (3 if you’re using Japanese Eggplants)

Marinade
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup of Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves
3 Tablespoons fresh Rosemary (3 teaspoons dried)
1 teaspoon ground pepper

1. Place all the marinade ingredients in a blender. Turn on high until well blended. Set aside.

Summer squash, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, onions — these vegetables do not need any blanching.
2. Slice the squash to a 3/4 inch thickness.
3. Cut the peppers in half and seed them.
4. Slice the eggplant in 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices. Lightly salt both sides of each slice in order to ‘sweat’ the bitterness out of them. Let them stand for at least 3 hours. Rinse off the salt and pat them dry with a dry clean towel.
5. Slice the onions in 1/4 inch circles.
6. Clean the mushrooms with a dry towel gently wiping away any dirt.
7. Blanch potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes. Rinse them in cold water to stop them from cooking.
Lightly blot them with a towel. Slice the cooled potatoes in 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices.
8. Brush all the vegetable slices with marinade, before grilling.

Outdoor Grilling: Light a gas grill and/or charcoal grill per manufacturer’s instructions. If you are using a charcoal, make sure the coals have turned gray prior to placing the vegetables on the hot grill.

Indoor Grilling: If you are using an indoor electric grill or frying pan follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If you are using a cast iron stove top griddle or grill pan, a cast iron frying pan, a large sauté pan, or heavy duty frying pan, make sure it is lightly oiled and pre-heated on medium to high heat, being careful to adjust the flame and/or temperature as you are grilling.

Oven Roasting or Broiling: Preheat the oven/broiler to 450º. If you are using an oven, lay vegetables in a heavy duty baking dish and place on a rack in the middle of the oven. If broiling, lay the vegetables on an oiled broiler pan or sheet pan and place it on the oven rack second from the top. Bake or broil for about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan, turn the vegetables and cook for another 7 to 10 minutes.

Brush with marinade throughout the grilling/baking/broiling process.

 

Rolled Oats, Papaya, Coconut and Pear Cereal, Gluten-Free

Did someone say oatmeal was boring? There are an infinite number of ways to combine fabulous fresh fruits, nuts and seeds to raw oats – making this cold cereal new and delicious every time.  Great served outdoors on a hot summer morning.

 Oats with Papaya, Pear, Coconut
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup papaya cut in small cubes
1 pear cut in small cubes (peel the pear if not organic)
1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
nondairy milk 

Serves 2. Put the oats in 2 cereal bowls, 1/2 cup in each, top with the fruit, coconut and seeds. Add nondairy milk of choice: soy, rice, oat, almond, hemp. There are so many healthy, delicious ways to avoid cow’s milk!

Pesche Calzolaio Fresca con Anice (fresh Peach Cobbler with Anise): Gluten-free

A good peach is hard to find! The perfect peach should be fragrant, golden, juicy, soft but not pithy. This simple cobbler is ideal for a weekend breakfast
 Peach Cobbler
2 organic, ripe peaches, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon sugar/evaporated cane juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon anise
1/2 cup water
2 5 inch quiche dishes or oven-proof small bowls, lightly oiled (I use Earth Balance shortening) 

Preheat over to 375F.

Mix together rice flour, baking powder, sugar, xanthan gum and anise. Add water and beat with a fork or hand mixer on low until well-blended. The batter should look like a stiff frosting. Spoon half the batter into one dish, pressing with the back of a spoon, evenly on the bottom and sides of the dish. Repeat with the rest of the batter in the second dish. Put both on a baking sheet and place on the middle rack in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Let stand a few minutes to cool down a little and serve warm. Serves 2.

Strawberry Smoothies

I scream, you scream, we all scream for… Strawberry Smoothies! Made from three healthy ingredients, this is something delicious to scream about and will cool you down, no matter what the temperature is or whatever it is that is heating you up.  And our oven-baked french fries are great to dip in them too.
 Strawberry Smoothie
1 12 oz package organic frozen strawberries
1 ripe banana – peeled and frozen
1 cup non dairy milk 

In a blender, ad the three ingredients. Depending on the blender you may need to let the strawberries soften slightly or add a little more milk. Pour into two glasses and enjoy.

S’mores: Gluten-free

I haven’t had a S’more in decades, not since my Girl Scout camping days. That is, not until recently. Now there are vegan marshmallows available for purchase and Graham Crackers are easy to make at home. Get that campfire going, here come the S’Mores.
12 Graham Cracker squares
36 small vegan gluten-free marshmallows (We use Chicago Soy Dairy Dandies)
1 non-dairy dark chocolate bar (3.5 oz) cut into 12 pieces. 

Marshmallows can be toasted over a campfire. Or, if a campfire isn’t available, put the marshmallows on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place in oven on broil for about 3 minutes until they puff and the tops turn golden brown. Spread about 6 marshmallows on a cracker, top with two pieces of chocolate and another cracker. Repeat with the remaining crackers. Makes 6 S’mores.

Graham Crackers – Gluten-free

Graham Crackers are simple cookies that go well with so many things, like peanut or almond butter, jelly or just plain dipped in tea.  But the best thing to do with them is to make S’mores.
 Graham Crackers
Makes about 12 to 16 crackers
3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Shortbread Cookie Flour Mix
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar/evaporated cane juice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Earth Balance shortening, softened
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup non dairy milk 

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together flours (minus 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour), sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a medium size bowl put the shortening, nondairy milk, molasses, and vanilla. Using a hand mixer or fork, blend the shortening with the liquid ingredients. Pour the liquid into the large bowl with the flours and mix well, kneading to form a smooth dough. The dough should be moist, but not sticky.  Add in the remaining 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour if the dough is sticky or more if necessary.

Line a work surface with parchment paper.  Lightly dust with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour. Place the dough on the parchment and work into a rectangle using your hands and a rolling pin. Make a rectangle that is about 1/8 inch thick.  With a paring knife or pizza dough cutter trim the edges making all the sides even.  Cut the dough into thirds or quarters lengthwise and then into thirds or quarters widthwise.

Transfer the crackers on the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Score each cookie with a fork 3 or 4 times in 2 columns.  Bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on the baking sheet.

Cabbage Soup

This soup is based on the Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage soup, without the Corned Beef. Serve in large bowls with your favorite bread, vegan grilled sausages, cornichons and whole grain vegan mustard.
 Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:
1 large head of cabbage
4 large carrots
6 stalks of celery (with the leaves)
8 to 10 small Yukon Gold potatoes
3 quarts of vegetable stock
1 12 oz bottle of beer (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)
2 teaspoons salt (OPTIONAL – I don’t add salt to this soup)
Cheese Cloth Spice Bag or tea ball containing:
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground allspice (or 1 teaspoon allspice berries)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon juniper berries (OPTIONAL)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (OPTIONAL)

Wash and scrub all the vegetables (peel vegetables if not organic).
Cut the cabbage in half, remove the core (save for another use like juicing) and rinse.
Cut the cabbage in 8 to 10 small wedges and place in the bottom of a large stock pot.
Cut the carrots, celery in 1 inch pieces and also place in the pot. Add the potatoes.
Place all of the spices in a spice bag (or tea ball).
To make the spice bag: cut a 4 x 4 inch square of NON BLEACHED cheese cloth that has been doubled, place the spices in the middle of the cloth, bring the corners together and tie with 100% cotton NON BLEACHED kitchen string.
Place in the pot, cover with the vegetable stock.
Bring to a Boil and lower heat to low.
Simmer for approximately 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender.
Discard the spice bag. Serve immediately or let chill to store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Cashew Cream

Any time a recipe calls for heavy cream, cashew cream is the ideal non dairy substitute. This recipe makes a cream that is similar in thickness to heavy cream. It is not a whipping cream.

 cashewcream

2 cups raw cashews
water

1. Rinse cashews.
2. Place in a large jar, cover with water, double the volume of the cashews, about 4 cups. Cover and let soak overnight. 3. Drain water, rinse cashews and put in blender. Pour water in the blender, enough to just reach the level of the cashews, not more. For a very thick cream use less water. Blend until smooth.
4. If cream is for a savory dish, do not add sweetener or vanilla. If using for a dessert, add sweetener to taste. Maple syrup and agave with give this cream an ivory cover. For a really white cream, use sugar and add vanilla.
5. Pour in a container and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Lasts 3-4 days. Cashew cream may be frozen.

Shortcake: Gluten-free

Perfect with strawberries and cashew cream, this shortcake is light and not sweet balancing the sweetness of the berries.

 shortcake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose gluten free four (Bob’s Redmill)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1/2 cup shortening: (I use Earth Balance buttery spread)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Put dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix together. Cut in shortening using two knives or a hand mixer. Mixture should look crumbly. Combine soy milk and lemon juice and pour into flour mixture. Mix by hand or with a mixer at a low speed to incorporate all ingredients. The result should be a sticky, lumpy dough, not a batter, not a smooth, dry dough. Drop 1/2 cupfuls on to a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. You can improve the shape of each cake by pushing the dough into a circular form with a knife. Bake at 375F for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Slice each cake in half, fill with fresh berries and top with fresh cashew cream. Makes about 6 shortcakes.

Strawberry Shortcake: Gluten-free

Breakfast at Wimbledon, July 4th brunch or any summer celebration, this Strawberry Shortcake recipe is a winner.

 strawberry-shortcake

32 oz fresh organic strawberries
2 Tablespoon sugar/evaporated cane juice (optional)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Cashew cream
6 individual gluten-free shortcakes

Rinse and pat dry strawberries. Remove stems and cut in quarters. Place in a medium bowl and toss with sugar and lemon juice. The sugar will bring out the juice from the berries, creating a a little sauce and the lemon juice brings out the sweetness. Place the bottom half of a shortcake on a small plate or in a bowl, top with berries, pour cashew cream over the berries and cover with the top of the shortcake. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Makes about 6 individual strawberry shortcakes.

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