Author: Ellen Abraham
Lit Up Vegan-Yoga-Spin-Pilates-Health- Life Coach-Training-Trainer-Food-Animal Activist-Studio Owner........
Tempeh 1/4 Pounder (Faux Chicken Sandwich)
Tempeh ¼ Pounder
Does this satisfy a craving or what? It is absolutely one of the best vegan burgers I have ever had. Simmering the tempeh in broth prior to pan frying “opens up” the tempeh and also softens it, allowing for a ton of flavor to be added into the burger. I dredged mine in a cornmeal coating prior to pan frying giving it more texture and depth as a whole inside the sandwich. Absolutely delicious.
Wheat-free, can be made Gluten-free by using GF bread or rolls
Makes 2 sandwiches (½ the recipe for one serving)
1 block of tempeh (4oz each portion)
1 vegetable “chicken” bouillon or 2c vegetable broth
1 tomato, sliced thin
¼ of a small red onion, sliced, thin
yellow mustard
veganaise
vegan cheese *optional
4 leaves, green leaf lettuce
prepared ketchup
2 rolls, buns, slices of bread of choice (wheat-free or gluten-free)
Prepare the tempeh:
Cut the tempeh in half. In about 2 cups of water or veggie broth, in a small pot, bring the tempeh and 1 veggie boullion (or broth) to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Let steep for another 10 minutes covered, allowing the tempeh to soak up the flavor of the broth.
*EXTRA STEP optional…Coating the tempeh
The coating makes for more of like a chicken sandwich style burger, like a breaded cutlet- SUPER YUM…..
2T cornmeal
1T nutritional yeast
1/4t salt
1/4t ground black pepper
Pinch ground cayenne pepper
1/4t chipotle powder
Olive or Grape seed oil for pan-frying
Salt and pepper to taste
In a toaster, place either the sliced bread or rolls in and toast.
Preheat a large sauté pan or skillet, over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Place the tempeh halves in and reduce the heat to low. (*if corn crusting, remove the from the broth and dredge them directly into the cornmeal coating then proceed to the next step.) Pan fry covered 2-3 minutes on each side. If using vegan cheese, after the tempeh has been flipped once, places the slices of vegan cheese on top, 1oz each return the top and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
When the bread is toasted, spread veganaise, mustard, slices of tomato and red onion and top it with a couple of leaves of lettuce. On the other pieces of bread or roll (the other side of the sandwich), put the ketchup.
Place the cooked “patty” on top of the lettuce, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover it with the twin bread or roll with ketchup. Serve with a fermented dill pickle and a side of booch.
Green *FRICKEN AMAZING* Falafel
GREEN FALFEL
Unbelievably delicious……this greened Falafel can be served as an appetizer with hummus and lemon tahini sauce or as a main course. Stuff whole grain Pita Bread with falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, lemon tahini sauce, salt and pepper. As an alternative, falafel can be formed into patties and eaten like a veggie burger. SO FRICKEN YUM.
Makes over a dozen patties. Can be easily frozen.
3c fresh kale, de-stemmed, torn into small pieces
3c chickpeas, cooked, rinsed, drained (= about 2 cans)
1 onion, rough chopped
1/4c fresh parsley
3T tahini- I use raw
1T cumin
1T pink salt
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1c cooked brown rice
1/2c barley flour
2 lemons, juiced
Olive or grape seed oil for pan-frying.
Combine all ingredients except the barley flour in a food processor and process until a smooth paste is formed. Taste and adjust the seasonings; more salt, more cumin, more lemon juice etc. ßto your liking.
Heat up a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over low heat.
Transfer into a mixing bowl and add the flour and mix in until well incorporated.
Add the oil into the hot pan. With a cookie scoop, scoop out the chickpea mixture and place in the pan, not overcrowding. With a spatula, gently flatten the domes. Cook for 5-6 minutes per side or until they are golden brown crusted and then flip. Remove to a plate. Eat cold or hot! Serve with Lemon Tahini sauce.
Lemon Tahini sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
½c tahini
pink salt to taste
black pepper
1/4c water
In a small bowl, add all of the ingredients and whisk until smooth and to the desired consistency. If a thicker sauce is preferred, use less water. Serve over cooked greens, salads, or falafel.
Fresh Tomato Soup
Amazing soup. JUST AMAZING. If the tomatoes are not sweet on their own, add a bit of sweetness with your favorite sweetener. I used Thai Basil to flavor this soup, being a fresh soup, any fresh herbs would be superbly paired against a late summer, early fall tomato; cilantro, italian basil, rosemary, thyme, etc. Serve with some crusty bread and a large leafy green salad this makes for an exceptional simple and satisfying meal.
Summer Tomato Soup
*Supa Fresca*
3c chopped fresh tomatoes
1 one onion, medium dice
3t extra virgin olive oil
2t raw agave or maple syrup
½ fresh jalapeno or cherry bomb pepper, small dice
1/4t fresh black pepper
1/2t pink salt
3c water
2T fresh basil
1 veggie bouillon or replace the water with veggie broth
Heat up a soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the chopped onions. Sautee until they are just golden. Add the fresh jalapeno, salt and pepper and toss around in the pan for a minute or so before adding the fresh tomatoes. Cover with the water (or broth) and bring to a boil over medium heat- about 10 minutes or so. Puree and add in the fresh basil, adjust seasonings and serve. YUM!
*Caution: blending hot liquids can be extremely dangerous. Fill the blender only half way and proceed in batches if necessary.
Homemade Fermented Sriracha Sauce (sweet hot chili sauce)
This stuff is STRAIGHT UP AWESOME. Fermented, local, fricken amazing….I used my fermented hot sauce as the base and tried to get it taste like my favorite sulfite sugar laden bottled stuff…..I NAILED IT. I gather you could make this simply using fresh peppers, garlic etc, but the fermented aspect gives it a flavor unlike anything just raw can do…. I use this sauce on everything, from beans to rice, tofu, tempeh, sandwiches- EVERYTHING….I’m sorta in shock I made it taste so good….. 🙂
See for yourself and tell me how it goes!
Sriracha Sauce
3C fermented hot peppers or 2c blended fermented hot sauce
1c raw local honey or raw agave
2T heaping mellow white miso- more if needed
1 clove garlic
1/2t pink salt
In a blender, combine all ingredients and process until completely smooth. Taste for sweeter or adjust for more salt. Bottle and refrigerate.
Makes 5-6 5oz bottles, or just one really giant awesome home batch.
Sautéed Almond Tofu
Serve this with sprouted brown rice and a side of greens…a little hot sauce and this meal is PERFECTION.
Sautéed Almond Tofu
1 lb firm tofu, pressed, drained, cubed
2T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp chili flakes or 1 fresh chili pepper, minced
2T maple syrup
2T GF tamari or Shoyu
Juice from ½ a lemon
1/4 cup roasted almonds (or peanuts!), chopped (optional)
In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic and hot pepper in oil just until golden Add the tofu and continue to sauté until the tofu is browned on all sides, tossing often. Add the shoyu or Tamari sauce and the lemon juice. When the moisture is absorbed by the tofu, add the maple syrup and then the almonds. Continue to sauté until all of the liquid has cooked into the tofu.
Delicious hot or cold.
Sugo..Red Sauce…Marinara….
A STAPLE SAUCE. MAKE IT. FREEZE IT. ALWAYS HAVE IT IN THE HOUSE.
Ellen’s Simple Marinara Sauce
2 large cloves garlic, smashed & minced
1 large can (28oz) of diced or crushed tomatoes – I used the equivalent from a glass jar (Bionatura brand)
1c water
1 large onion, medium dice
1/4t black pepper
1/4t cayenne (opt) or one whole small chili
1/4c extra virgin olive oil
1T maple syrup or agave
1t salt or to taste
1T-dried or fresh parsley *opt
In a large pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic with the sweetener until golden and soft. Add the tomatoes, parsley (dried), salt, black and red pepper. Add the water and allow the sauce to come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, adjust the seasonings. Add in the parsley (fresh).
At this point, the sauce is delicious as is or can be pureed to create a smoother sauce.
FOR A SMOOTHER SAUCE:
In batches, in a blender or vita mix*, puree the tomato sauce until desired consistency is achieved. Adjust the seasonings again after pureeing.
*Caution: blending hot liquids can be extremely dangerous.
Raw Cashew Cream Cheese
This cheese is EXCEPTIONAL….full of pro-biotics (belly healthful bacteria), it is incredibly creamy and delicious. Easy easy easy to make. It’s raw, its animal free, dairy free, gluten free AMAZINGNESS…..It’s sort of like, why WOULDN’T you make it?….
Raw Cashew Cream Cheese- Savory
1c raw cashews
1c raw sauerkraut (not pasteurized)
1T dulse flakes
1t raw agave or raw local honey
1 clove garlic
1/2t pink salt
3T of coconut oil
3-4T water- just enough to process until smooth- less is better!
—
In a blender, add in all of the ingredients except the water and blend until totally creamy and smooth. Add the water as needed, 1T at a time. Pour into a jar with a locking lid (gasket, air sealed) and close it up. There should be at least 3 inches of space to give the cheese a chance to bloom. Label it, date it and place in a dark and warm place for 12-24 hours.
Transfer the jar into the refrigerator and allow to set up and cure for at least a week.
This is a pro-biotic rich cheese!
- Delicious as a base for savory dips and spreads
- Amazing spread on toast, bagels, and crackers
Spicy Chickpea Hummus
I make this all the time…so good to have in the house as a quick source of veggie protein for sandwiches, salads, fresh vegetable dipping. It takes less than 5 minutes to make and is a vegan staple. The addition of the fresh chili pepper gives it an unbelievable amount of kick without being overwhelming. I also use RAW tahini, and fresh lemon juice (NEVER bottled) in this recipe- I take the RAW nutrition wherever I possibly can…..YUM.
Spicy Chickpea Hummus
2c Cooked chickpeas
2t ground cumin
1/2t Hungarian paprika
1/2c extra virgin olive oil
2T sesame tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1/4t black pepper
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1t pink salt
1 fresh chili pepper, seeds and all
Place all ingredients into a food processor.
If needed, add a few teaspoons of water to help turn the mixture and help it along. Adjust seasoning to taste
** can be made raw with 2c sprouted chick peas
Curried Ginger Squash Soup
Curried Ginger Squash Soup
1 small onion, minced
2T olive oil
2c sweet squash, roasted or steamed- cooked
2T maple syrup, agave, sucanat
2t curry powder
1/4t turmeric
4c hot water or veggie broth
1 veggie bouillon
3t fresh ginger, grated
1/4t cayenne or fresh hot pepper
1/4t salt
3/4c cashew milk *opt
Bring 4c of water to a boil.
In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions with the sweetener until golden and soft. Add the cooked squash, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, salt, black and red pepper. Continue to sauté until the squash, onions, and spices meld, stirring often. Add the boiling water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
In batches, in a blender or vitamix*, puree the soup with the cashew milk. At this point, the soup is delicious without the cashew milk but the crème can be added to create a wonderfully elegant soup. Adjust the seasonings again after adding the crème.
*Caution: blending hot liquids can be extremely dangerous. Fill the blender only half way and proceed in batches if necessary.
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