late summer – Page 4 – The Vegan Love Project

Heirloom Tomatos, Garlic, Basil, & Olive Oil with Grilled Artisan Bread

I had purchased this beautiful heirloom tomato at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday and it took me until today to actually think of something to make using it- I didn’t want to cook it; although a fresh Tomato Basil Soup or Gazpacho would have been amazing. A fresh pasta sauce crossed my mind but this thing was 5″ across and GORGEOUS. I have been reading Michael Pollan’s latest book “Cooked” and last night was on the chapter about bread and it lit me up about the local artisan loaf I purchased the same day at the market…10% Rye Sourdough with Sesame. I had eaten a lot of it on Saturday so I sliced it and put it in the freezer. So I knew today was the day. Today was the tomato day. Variations on a theme, there is nothing like the basil, garlic, tomato trilogy; everything local and in season. I ate it as a series of open faced sandwiches, I say a series, because I grilled 4 slices and ate all 4 slices…..

For the tomatoes

Local, fresh, summer tomatoes, preferably heirloom, sliced

plenty of fresh basil

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

fresh hot chili pepper

extra virgin olive oil

pink salt

black pepper

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for the bread

artisan loaf of bread

Extra virgin olive oil

garlic, smashed and minced

Heat up the grill or grill pan.

Prepare the bread:

Slice the bread into ¼-1/2” slices, how ever many slices you and friends will eat (2-3 per person or 4 if I am coming over)

In a small plate, add the garlic, olive oil. Lightly brush the bread slices with the oil and set aside.

Over high heat, place the bread on the grill or pan and close the grill or cover the pan. Let grill for about 3-4 minutes. The bread should easily flip and have gorgeous markings. Once flipped, continue to grill for another 3-4 minutes.

Serve immediately with the fresh tomato slices on top drizzled with more garlic olive oil, salt pepper and basil.

Summer Peachy Power Smoothie

Summer Peachy Power Smoothie

1c nut milk, almond or cashew

1T hemp seeds

1t raw agave or raw local honey

2 small peaches or 1 large

1T gold flax seeds

1t vanilla

1scoop protein powder

—

1c ice

Blend all ingredients together except the ice and process until smooth- taste and adjust if needed.

Add the ice and blend just until smooth.

Clean Green Mexican Summer Soup

This soup is refreshing served both hot or chilled and also very simple and quick to prepare. Because the greens are added in at the blending process, you are maximizing on their green nutrients in their optimal state, not totally cooked, making this a soup high in anti-oxidants and vitamin C. This soup is literally a powerhouse of green awesomeness. Serve with a wedge of fresh lime, cilantro and accompanied by some fresh summer salsa and a side of organic corn tortilla chips. FRICKEN YUM.

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

Clean Green Mexican Summer Soup

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 zucchini, chopped, about 2c

1 carrot, coarsely chopped

1 small jalapeno, de-stemmed

1/4t chipotle powder

2T extra virgin olive oil

1T raw agave or maple syrup

Juice from one lime

1/4c fresh cilantro

1c lightly packed fresh greens; kale, or baby spinach

fresh cracked black pepper

4c boiling water

1t salt or to taste

—

3T cashew crème/ milk *optional AND/OR 1 whole ripe avocado

Bring 6c of water to a boil, in case you may need more.

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots and garlic until golden and soft. Add the zucchini, jalapeno, salt, chipotle, and black pepper. Continue to sauté until the vegetables soften and turn bright. Add the boiling water, bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes.

In a blender or vitamix, puree the soup, adding the fresh kale, lime, cilantro and agave/ maple syrup and *cashew milk AND/OR avocado. Adjust the seasonings again after adding the crème/ avo/both.

**Caution: blending hot liquids can be extremely dangerous. Fill the blender only half way and proceed in batches if necessary.

Coconut Cream Power Smoothie

Super creamy, raw, and delicious, this shake will leave you satisfied for hours. Use straight cashew milk for an even more decadent “ice cream” style smoothie. For everyday, I like to use raw almond milk, as it has a lighter taste that compliments the coconut really nicely.

Coconut Cream Power Smoothie
1c almond or cashew nut milk
1T hemp seed
1t raw agave or raw local honey
2T raw Coconut Manna
1T chia seeds
1t vanilla
1/4t cinnamon
1scoop protein powder
___
1c ice

Blend all ingredients together except the ice and process until smooth- taste and adjust if needed.
Add the ice and blend just until smooth.

Tofu Vegetable Crust-less Quiche

VOTE FOR THIS “FOLLOW YOUR HEART VEGAN CHEESE SHREDS RECIPE CONTEST” HERE!!!

This is so so good, super easy to make, only takes some prep work; chopping, getting your ingredients in order. I woke up knowing I wanted this for brunch today after Lora’s class at the studio so I got up, walked the pups and got it started straight away. Pressing the tofu helps to release extra water, the cornstarch however will help to absorb some of the water that will be released by the more water dense ingredients; tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms etc. This morning I had on hand Yellow squash, red pepper left over from the Thai Fresh Rolls, baby spinach, Kalamata olives and fresh herbs, mostly all from the garden. I use Follow Your Heart Monteray Jack style vegan cheese, I like the subtle flavor the best out of the vegan cheeses. You can absolutely omit the faux cheese, the base has a cheesiness on its own!

25 mins prep, 60 minutes bake time

Tofu Vegetable Crust-Less Quiche

1/4c olive oil, divided

1 red or yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic divided, minced, divided

1/4-1/2c kalamata olives, chopped, halved or sliced

2t pink salt, divided

1/4t red pepper flakes

1/2 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

1T Tamari or shoyu

1t raw agave, or maple syrup

1 lb firm tofu, drained and pressed

¼c nutritional yeast

1 small summer squash or 2c chopped broccoli

2c baby spinach

3T fresh basil

3T fresh parsley

1T cornstarch

2T lemon juice- 1/2 lemon

2T tahini

1t rice vinegar

1/2t ume vinegar

up to 1T of water only if needed to process

1/2c vegan cheese, shredded + 2T to top the quiche (Daiya, Follow Your Heart)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9″ pie plate, loaf pan or 8″ square baking pan. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2T of the olive oil, adding the onions once hot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly caramelized, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, zucchini, peppers, 1t salt and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic smells fragrant and the mushrooms have lightly browned, about 5 minutes more. Add the fresh herbs. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl.

In a blender or a food processor, process the tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, corn starch, tahini, rice vinegar, ume and remaining garlic and salt until smooth. Season to taste. Both the veggies and the tofu mixture should have a good seasoned flavor.

In the bowl of veggies, fold in the tofu mixture and the vegan shredded cheese, stirring until evenly mixed. Pour the filling into the pan and bake for 30 minutes covered with tin foil, 15-20 minutes without, and bake until golden brown and set. Can be served hot or cold.

You can use any combination of vegetables you prefer, you want to end up with at least 3 cups of fresh veggies to go into the skillet.

Mushrooms,
Peppers
Broccoli
Carrots
Tomatoes
Spinach
Kale
Swiss Chard

Sauteed Kale with Tomatoes & Garlic

My new favorite way of making kale. Simple simple simple but oh so tasty. Use as a side for any vegan main. Can also be enjoyed cold the next day. I can easily go through a whole bunch of kale on my own so plan accordingly. Fricken Yum.

Sautéed Kale with Tomatoes & Garlic

1 bunch kale, washed, trimmed, and torn into bite size pieces

1 large clove garlic, smashed and minced

1 medium tomato, small dice

1 small fresh chili or jalapeno pepper or 1/4t cayenne pepper flakes

2T extra vrgin olive oil

1/4t salt

1/4t fresh black pepper

In a large skillet heat up the olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the garlic just until golden brown. Add the salt, hot pepper, and the tomato and sauté just for a minute or so before adding the kale. With a fork or a pair of tongs, move the kale around the pan cooking the kale until wilted and tender. I like to place mine in a bowl with a plate over top so that it continues to steam slightly. Serve immediately or eat chilled.

Sunshine Burgers

These are delicious, they just are….whether you keep them almost raw (the only cooked ingredient is organic brown rice) and stuff it into lettuce leaves or it is perfect inside a bun, pita or bread of your choosing baked, pan fried or toasted. Today I made this lightly pan fried, just to get a crust on the patty and to warm it through, and ate it on gluten free rice bread. I topped it with all of my favorite fixings; organic green leaf lettuce, avocado, vegan mayo, ketchup and mustard…..RIDICULOUSLY MESSY AND DELICIOUS……I ate it accompanied by one of my very own fermented sour dill pickles and a Steel Rail Beer….I did not want for anything.

Sunshine Burgers

Almost raw, wheat-free, gluten free

2c cooked brown rice (cooled or even cold)

2c sunflower seeds (raw, soaked and sprouted, can also use 1c of another sprouted seed like pumpkin)

1 small onion, rough chopped

1 large carrot rough chopped

1-2 stalks celery rough chopped

1/4 bunch parsley rough chopped

2 leaves kale or handful baby spinach

2T raw tahini

1T mello miso

1t chipolte powder

1t cumin

1/2t himalayan sea salt

*I have also used left over pulp from my savory green juices in place of new veggies VEGGIE JUICE PULP (KALE, CELERY, CARROT, GINGER, CUCUMBER, PARSLEY, LEMON, RED PEPPER!) Comes out delicious…

Process the seeds with the brown rice in a food processor until a meal forms. Add the other ingredients and process until a thick mixture is formed- if it is too wet, add more seeds or rice. Taste this and adjust your spices and seasonings- keep in mind that if you dehydrate, flavors will intensify somewhat so easy on the salt.

Form into patties- I dehydrate mine for 2 hours or so but you can coat them in a dusting of rice flour and then pan fry them or you can bake them until they dry out a bit.

Can be baked, pan fried, or eaten AS IS. I make a large batch and freeze them- then pull out as needed and decide how I would like it prepared!

I LOVE these. You can play with the flavors, spices etc…southwestern, mexican, spicy, mellow etc…

Fresh Thai Basil Peanut Rolls with Sweet Hot Chili Lime Dipping Sauce

These really are not difficult to make, they are definitely more time consuming than throwing pasta in a pot of boiling water, but they are so worth it. They are more of an “occasion” meal or made per a craving request. I was definitely craving them, so I made them for myself after yoga this morning. After already having made the Thai Basil Pesto with the Thai basil out of my garden, half the work was already done and in the fridge! I made a Peanut Sauce earlier today, which takes no more than 5 minutes so the rest of the prep is all about getting the components gathered and ready for you to roll (hehehe). What you put inside the rolls is really personal preference; my standard go to’s are:

grilled or smoked tofu, sliced into thin strips
red peppers, sliced into thin strips
rice vermicelli or glass noodles, cooked and drained
hoisin sauce or pesto and or peanut sauce- I use both!
fresh cilantro, fresh basil, fresh mint
fresh lettuce
crushed roasted peanuts

I use the water that I boil the noodles in to soften the rice wrappers. You can purchase the wrappers in almost every main stream market now a days, or in asian specialty stores, they are also easily found online at specialty markets.

On a clean surface or cutting board, lay your dampened rice wrapper, making sure there are no hard edges, if there are, try to moisten them with the heated water. Now you are ready to fill- my rhythm is as such:

lay down about one 2 teaspoons of pesto
then plenty of fresh herbs next to the sauce, above or below (they look pretty showing through the transparent skin when fully rolled)
then lettuce
then tofu stacked on the lettuce
then peppers stacked
then peanut sauce gets spooned over
then crushed peanuts

Roll from the bottom edge up towards the top to encase the tower of yum. Fold in the sides, the rice wrapper will help you by sticking in place. Once both sides are folded in, roll up to the top to close the package. They don’t keep well, the wrapper tends to stiffen overnight, thus lending to their name, fresh rolls. Dip into both the peanut sauce and the sweet chili lime sauce. FRICKEN YUM.

Sweet Chili Lime Dipping Sauce

3T raw agave, or local raw honey

2T apple cider vinegar

1T lime juice

1/2t pink salt

1t red chili flakes