Ellen Abraham

Pickled Beets with Onions

Pickled Beets with Onions

These keep amazingly well in the fridge- even though they may not last as long as you would like because they are SO DELICIOUS! They are a great accompaniment to lunches and sandwich type meals.

2 pounds red beets, scrubbed and washed

1 small onion, sliced very thinly

2T extra virgin olive oil

1/4c apple cider vinegar

1T red wine or rice wine vinegar

1/2t salt

1/4t black pepper

1T maple syrup or raw agave or raw local honey

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4c water

1/2t salt

Trim both ends of the beet off but leave the skin on. In a large pot, place the trimmed, whole beets and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, simmering for 30-40 minutes partially covered, until the beets are tender all the way into the center. Drain. The skin should slip off the beets, if not, using a peeler, remove the skins and set aside. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the beets in rounds, evenly and thin. In a large bowl, place the sliced beets, sliced red onion, salt, pepper, olive oil, sweetener, and vinegar. Gently toss with a large spoon. Adjust the seasonings. This can be eaten right away but it gets better as it sits- I recommend letting stand at least 6 hours before serving.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Tomato Red Lentil Soup

This soup is so easy to make and a quick cooking source of vegetable protein. Delicious on its own, or packed with freshly steamed, or sautéed greens.

Tomato Red Lentil Soup

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 large can or 1 jar (28oz) strained, pureed tomatoes

1 clove garlic, smashed

1t black pepper

1/2t cayenne pepper or fresh jalapeno

1c dried red lentils, rinsed

3T extra virgin olive oil

1t chipotle powder

1-2 veggie bouillons or broth equivalent

6c boiling water (in place of liquid broth)

1t smoked salt or pink salt to taste

OPTIONAL: 2 c fresh greens- 1 bunch kale, bok choy or escarole, coarsely chopped and (pan sautéed in olive oil and garlic is optional)- added in at the end

Bring 6c of water to a boil.

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions with the garlic and hot pepper until golden and soft. Add the lentils, tomato puree, black pepper and chipotle powder. Add the boiling water and the bouillon. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Adjust the seasonings. You can puree the entire soup until super smooth or simply run a burr mixer through it to incorporate the vegetables and lentils or serve it as is.

To serve, in a bowl, place the greens and ladle the soup over. Top with nutritional yeast and season to taste.

Creamy Vegan Coleslaw

Creamy Vegan Coleslaw

1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded

1 medium carrot, shredded

1T maple syrup or raw agave or raw honey

1/2c veganaise or another type prepared vegan mayonnaise

2T olive oil

1/4c apple cider vinegar

1T salt

1/2t ground black pepper

Place the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1T of salt over the cabbage/ carrot mixture. Place a plate over it and let stand for 20 minutes. or longer. You can actually let the cabbage stand overnight to initiate fermentation- which makes the cabbage easier to digest.

Remove the plate and rinse the cabbage and drain well. In a large bowl, add the cabbage and the remaining ingredients; the mayonnaise, sweetener, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and pepper, and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. You may or may not need to salt the mixture.

Adjust the seasoning before serving.

Sesame Tahini Ginger Dressing

This dressing is to DIE FOR! Sooooooooo fricken yummy and easy to make. Tahini offers more protein than milk and plenty of calcium to boot. The ginger has been used in eastern medicine as a natural anti inflammatory and pain killer so after a killer HERO WOD this morning this was the perfect outfit to dress my salad up in. You can feel free to omit or add other flavors to this, I love it on the lemony side. Served over fresh salad greens with avocado is my favorite but it would be delicious as a sauce for steamed veggies or for GF buckwheat soba noodles as well.

Sesame Tahini Ginger Dressing

1/2c raw tahini

1/2c water

1 clove garlic, smashed

1t raw agave or honey

1T rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1T shoyu (raw) or tamari (GF)

2T extra virgin olive oil

1/4t pink salt or to taste

1 lemon, juiced

2T sesame seeds

1” piece of fresh ginger

1t hot sesame oil

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2T black or white sesame seeds- to be added to dressing after-*optional

In a blender, process all ingredients until smooth. Adjust seasonings for taste. This will set up in the fridge, you can thin it out by adding a bit more water and or lemon juice.

Roasted Spring Asparagus

This winter took SO LONG to break…for me the 1st signs of light are tulips and asparagus- so when I walked into the River Valley Co-Op and saw beautiful bunches upon bunches of purple tipped asparagus, I knew spring had finally sprung. I am of the school that the simplicity of the main ingredient is what makes beautiful food- this is literally asparagus with a touch of garlic, olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. You can put them on the grill to give an earthy char taste but they are equally exquisite done in a countertop broiler.

1 bunch asparagus- cleaned and trimmed

2T Extra Olive oil

1t pink salt

1/4t black pepper

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1/4 one lemon- juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

On a small pan or oven proof dish, lay out the asparagus, as thinly as possible. Drizzle the oil over and add the other ingredients except for the lemon. With your fingers, toss the stalks with the ingredients. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until tender.

Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Chipotle Tempeh

Chipotle Tempeh

8oz or 1 package tempeh (I used Flax), sliced in ½ and then thin slices

2T coconut or olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1t pink salt

1t chipotle powder

1/4t black pepper

2T nutritional yeast

In a large skillet or cast iron pan that has been heated over medium to high heat, add the oil and garlic. Add the tempeh slices and pan fry until golden brown and then flip, about 3-5 minutes per side, lower the heat if necessary. Remove all contents of the pan into a small-ish bowl and toss with the salt, peppers, and nutritional yeast. Serve immediately or cold.

Delicious over fresh salad greens.

Blood Orange Creamsicle Power Smoothie

This is an amazing recovery smoothie- reminiscent of an Orange Julius (remember those???) but filled with omega 3’s and healthy fats and proteins.

Blood Orange Creamsicle Power Smoothie

1c nut milk- cashew or almond

1T hemp seeds

2 small blood oranges, peeled and quartered

2t raw agave or raw local honey

1T coconut manna

1T flax seeds

1t vanilla

1 scoop protein powder

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1c ice

Blend all ingredients and process until smooth- taste and adjust if needed.

Add the ice and blend just until smooth.

KOMBUCHA!

CAN NOT GET ENOUGH!!! Just made Raspberry and I am finishing up a batch of Strawberry, then Blueberry Ginger is next!!!

The Vegan Love Project

I have been wanting to share my passion for making Kombucha for a while now, so in lieu of a workshop, here is the written lesson. I love kombucha. I love making it, I love drinking it, I love everything it represents- to me it is a sort of guerrilla slow fermented food movement of health, wellness and culture- literally. The culture is called a SCOBY and there is lots of info out on the web about it’s amazing characteristics- for our purposes, this is the straight up recipe to get you going on your Kombucha trail blazing path. I have LOTS of SCOBY’s so if you are in the need for a Kombucha Start Up Kit (funnels, strainers, scoby and starter tea) email me. This will make 7 pints of Booch. I drink one a day so I am in the rhythm of fermenting, bottling, and then making the…

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RAW Cacao Coconut Hemp Crunch Chips

These are an amazingly delicious crunchy sweet and satisfying snack. Everything is raw and it is SO easy to put together. The hemp adds protein and omega 3’s while the coconut and cacao add vitamins, minerals and energy. Y U M. So delicious.

RAW CACAO COCONUT HEMP POWER CRUNCH CHIPS

2-1/2c raw coconut chips or shreds

1/2c hemp seeds

1/4c raw cacao powder

1/4c coconut sugar

1T raw agave

Pinch pink salt

1/2t vanilla

1/2c filtered water

In a bowl, toss all of the ingredients together, being sure to coat the coconut-hemp mixture thoroughly.

On a dehydrating sheet, thinly spread the coconut love all over the sheet. Place in the dehydrator for 15-20 hours. Remove and let the chips come to room temp before storing in an air proof container. You can break into small or larger pieces as you wish.

Lemon Poppy Seed Sunflower Dressing

This dressing is an awesome go to dressing, packed with protein, fiber, nutrients and minerals all without any added oils or fats. Amazing on mixed fresh greens.

Lemon Poppy Seed Sunflower Dressing

1 1/2c raw, (sprouted & dehydrated is ideal) sunflower seeds

2 to 2 1/2c filtered water

2T sesame seeds

2 lemons, juiced

2T mellow miso

4T poppy seeds

2t stone ground mustard

1t paprika

1 clove garlic, smashed

salt and pepper to taste

Blend all of the ingredients, except the poppy seeds, together in a high powered blender. Add more water if a thinner dressing is desired.