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Sundried Tomato & Scallion Tofu Spread (Surfer’s Spread)

I made this this afternoon- it is so easy and so delicious- it makes a great snack and also a really delicious spread.

I was at a local co-op here they have a spread called “Surfer Spread”. It. is. YUMMY. I was determined to replicate it, I have a ton of RAW unsulfered sun-dried tomatoes, and picked up some local fresh scallions at the Farm Stand down the road and VOILA….It took me two times to get it. I have to say, mine tastes a little bit more badass. Just sayin. Don’t over process the tofu or else you will have more of a paste than you might like but experiment with the consistency you prefer!

Sundried Tomato & Scallion Tofu Spread

¼ sundried tomatoes- rehydrated

1 pound tofu, blanched and drained well

3T Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 small bunch of scallions, trimmed and coarsely chopped

1/4c nutritional yeast

2 cloves garlic

2T shoyu or tamari

1t ume vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

In a food processer, mince the scallions and…

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AMAZING Gluten-Free Pasta Summer Salad

The Vegan Love Project

You can use all of the vegetables you love in this amazing pasta dish- edamame instead of chickpeas, more or less of your faves but this is a WINNER- PERFECT for pot lucks and summer gatherings.

AMAZING Gluten-Free Pasta Summer Salad

½ red bell pepper, small dice

½ green bell pepper, small dice

1 carrot, small dice

½ small red onion, small dice

1 stalk celery, small dice

1c cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3c uncooked pasta, fusilli (or another desired shape)- I use Bionaturae and LOVE it

1T sweetener (raw agave, raw honey, maple)

1T apple cider vinegar

1c vegan mayo

1/4c fresh lemon juice

2T extra virgin olive oil

1t pink salt

1/4t fresh black pepper

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Cook the pasta according to directions, drain and let stand until cool but warm.

In a large bowl, mix all of the veggies with the other dressing ingredients and toss well. This…

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Vanilla No Egg Cream Soda

My Dad loves Egg Creams. When we would drive to NY to see my Grandparents, there was an amazing jewish family deli off 84 called Rein’s that we would always stop…I needed to have this memory today…and it was perfect. I FaceTimed him and immediately showed him what I had made….It is AMAZING. So refreshing, sweet and bubbly but filled with protein, omega 3’s, and good fats. BOMB.

Vanilla No Egg Cream

1c nut/seed milk

1T hemp seed

1T chia seeds

1t raw coconut blossom sugar, agave or raw local honey

2t coconut oil

2t cacao butter

1t vanilla

1 scoop protein powder

Pinch salt

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1/4c ice

Seltzer to fill the glass

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

Add the ice and blend just to cool down the mix.

In a tall glass, add the vanilla mix and top off with the desired amount of seltzer.

THIS IS DELICIOUS.

*For a chocolate No Egg Cream add 2T of raw cacao to the mix and an additional 1-2t of sweetener.

AMAZING Gluten-Free Pasta Summer Salad

You can use all of the vegetables you love in this amazing pasta dish- edamame instead of chickpeas, more or less of your faves but this is a WINNER- PERFECT for pot lucks and summer gatherings.

AMAZING Gluten-Free Pasta Summer Salad

½ red bell pepper, small dice

½ green bell pepper, small dice

1 carrot, small dice

½ small red onion, small dice

1 stalk celery, small dice

1c cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3c uncooked pasta, fusilli (or another desired shape)- I use Bionaturae and LOVE it

1T sweetener (raw agave, raw honey, maple)

1T apple cider vinegar

1c vegan mayo

1/4c fresh lemon juice

2T extra virgin olive oil

1t pink salt

1/4t fresh black pepper

—

Cook the pasta according to directions, drain and let stand until cool but warm.

In a large bowl, mix all of the veggies with the other dressing ingredients and toss well. This mix should be well seasoned before adding the cooked pasta- if not adjust for saltiness, sweetness as desired.

Add the pasta and with a large spoon, mix well until all of the pasta is well incorporated into the vegetable dressing. Allow to stand on the counter for at least 30 minutes- I am not sure why, but this prevents the Gluten-Free pasta from getting hard when it is refrigerated! You can enjoy this at room temperature or cold. FRICKEN delicious.

Carciofi alla Romana (Roman Style Artichokes)

The most beautiful baby artichokes are at the Greenfield Co-Op…this HAD to happen…..

The Vegan Love Project

I ate these everyday in Rome. Usually, they are stuffed with the parsley pesto- I however, prefer the raw fresh taste of the garlic and greenness of the parsley so I choose to put it on prior to serving. If stuffing them, simply smash the pesto into the leaves of the artichokes and carefully place them in the cooking pot so as not to tip them over while cooking. If there is extra water when finished cooking, simply cook them uncovered for 5 minutes to let some of the water evaporate out- the cooking liquid, oil is SO delicious you wouldn’t want to waste any of it.

Carciofi alla Romana (Roman Style Artichokes)

3T fresh parsley

2-4 cloves fresh garlic

1/2T pink salt or more to taste

Black pepper to taste

1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 artichokes, halved and trimmed of coarse leaves, choke removed, (when trimeed, set…

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Savory Chickpea Pancakes

I made this today with sautéed minced onions and garlic, with a big bunch of fresh spinach greens. I made a tomato chutney/ sauce from leftover marinara by adding vinegar, coconut sugar and green curry to it and I could not be happier……;)

The Vegan Love Project

These are scrumptious little bits of amazing. I LOVE them. They are so easy to make and super satisfying. You could easily add in veggie combinations, spices and flavors of your own choosing, maybe even make them into a sweet variation. I love this particular combo dipped in Herbed Tamarind Sauce. S P E C T A C U L A R. Eat warm, hot or room temp.

Savory Chickpea Pancakes

1/2c garbanzo bean flour

2/3c water

1/2t baking soda

1/4t turmeric

1/2t cumin

1/4t chipotle powder

1/4t onion powder

1/4t pink salt or to taste

1 lemon, juiced

2/3c fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1/3c fresh cilantro, minced

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Coconut oil for pan-frying.

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Preheat cast iron pan over medium heat.

In a medium size bowl, combine chickpea flour, water, baking soda, turmeric, cumin, onion powder and salt to taste. Mix well, being sure there are no clumps. Add in…

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Amazing Lentil Chili

Amazing Lentil Chili

This simple bowl of yum is packed with protein, fiber, and flavor. With or without the Vegan ground beef, this chili is a winner. The vegan ground beef by Beyond Meat is gluten free and soy free! I topped this with Field Roasts’Chao Cheese and it is just awesome.

2c-cooked lentils, drained

1c-filtered water

1c tomato puree

½c chopped tomato, medium dice (about 1 medium tomato)

1 red bell pepper, medium dice

2t cumin

1-2t smoked chipotle powder (more or less for heat)

1t chili powder

1t turmeric

1t pink salt or to taste

2t coconut sugar

2-3T coconut or olive oil

1c gluten free, soy free vegan ground beef *optional

Fresh parsley, cilantro or both, minced

In a large pot, over medium-high heat, sauté the chopped onions in oil for about 5 to 7 minutes, or just until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder, turmeric, coconut sugar and salt. Stir well to incorporate the spices into the vegetables and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the lentils, water and tomato puree. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, slowly reducing the liquid content and thickening up to a stew like consistency.

In the last 3 minutes of cooking add the vegan beef and any fresh herbs. Remove from the heat and cover. Let stand for 3-5 minutes prior to serving. Adjust seasonings.

Serve topped with vegan cheese, nutritional yeast and a simple salad.

*chao chili pic — I used the Original flavor of Chao Cheese made by FieldRoast…YUM!

Cultured Vegan Probiotic Butter!

Cultured Probiotic Vegan Butter

This recipe was worked off of Homemade Artisan Vegan Butter by Miyoko Schinner. My friend sent me the link and I knew I had to try it! In her recipe she calls for several ingredients that I wouldn’t necessarily want to use; soy lecithin, refined canola oil, store bought almond milk…. I like to eat, use, buy food that has value in it if I am going to put it in my body. I have always had a hard time when making food, using crap ingredients- don’t get me wrong, I love junkie vegan foods but I really only eat them once in a while, I just don’t have them readily available in my kitchen. Butter is a staple, so I felt it was important to make it a good one. I recipe tested several batches and there is still some room for improvement. The biggest problem I was having was separation when it was setting up. I figured out it was the water content in my homemade nutmilk- although I have not tried culturing a prepared dairy free milk and using that, it was neat to figure out where the break down was happening- the taste was always good but then it would separate! With this recipe, I made a thicker almond milk, with less water and then cultured it. During the culture process, the “kefir” separates from the solids- the solids are what I ended up using for the butter. Reserve the kefir for drinking or for adding to smoothies.

For the ALMOND KEFIR CREAM:

1/3c raw almonds, sprouted (soaked overnight, drained)

1c water

1 capsule vegan probiotic, opened into the milk and stirred

In a blender, combine the nuts with the water and blend until completely smooth. Pour the cream though a nutmilk bag or through a fine mesh strainer into a glass pitcher or wide mout ball jar- discard the pulp or make use of it in smoothies, crackers etc.

Add in the probiotic and gently stir with a wood spoon. Cover with a cloth and place in a warm spot overnight to let the culture do its thing. When ready, the “kefir” will be under a layer of fatty almond cream- do not shake or disturb the separation! With a spoon, spoon out the ½ cup needed for the butter. Use the rest for a delicious probiotic rich addition to your morning smoothie.

*vegan butter on toast — this was one of the first trials- delicious but hard!!! The final recipe is quite spreadable!

The BUTTER

1c unrefined coconut oil (you can use refined if you want no coconut flavor)

½c almond kefir solids

1/4c safflower oil

1/2t pink salt

1t brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

teeny pinch turmeric

2t sunflower lecithin- I used liquid

1T nutritional yeast

Combine everything in a blender and let the machine run until the mixture has emulsified. Pour this into butter molds or into smallish crock-pots or even into jars. Transfer immediately into the freezer to allow the butter to set without separation- give it about 20-30 minutes before transferring into the fridge.

The Best Bowl Of Oatmeal

Just the best winter breakfast EVER…..

The Vegan Love Project

The Best Sweet Oatmeal

This almost tastes like custard it is so creamy and delicious. For me it is all about the balance between sweet and salty. I like to cook a little bit of sweet and salt into the oats while they are cooking so any adjustments in the bowl are only for fine tuning. Taste your oats after they are done- before you steam them to the finish so you can adjust for your liking prior to serving- the add ins are just that.

I also like adding the sweet into the cooking oatmeal because I find it’s a bummer when the add ins brings the temperature of the oatmeal down- I like my oatmeal hot!

Oatmeal Prep

1c oatmeal

1 stick cinnamon* optional

3c water

1t lemon juice

1/2t pink salt

In a non reactive pot, add in the oats, salt, lemon juice and water and let stand…

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ChickNuts (Roasted Chickpeas)

IN DA OVEN…… These are such a great, high protein salty yummy snack….

The Vegan Love Project

Roasted Chickpeas

3c cooked chickpeas, rinsed and well drained

1/4c extra virgin olive oil

1/2t pink salt

1/4t black pepper

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees

In a bowl, toss everything together. In a shallow dish or baking sheet, spread the coated chickpeas out and space evenly. Roast for an hour to insure a proper roasting. Taste one or two, if they are at all soft, they are not done. You can lower the heat if longer roasting is neccesary. When they are done, using a slotted spoon, lay them out on a cooling plate or onto paper towels. While hot and the oil is present on the surface, SPRINKLE MORE SALT, the oil will help it stick. SUPER FRICKEN DELICIOUS. They will get crunchier as they cool so it is just as important to not overcook as it is to not undercook.

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