simple food – Page 2 – The Vegan Love Project

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.

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.

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.

Buckwheat Soba Salad Bowl

Sesame Ginger Noodle Sauce

1/4c tamari

1/4c mirin

2t hot sesame oil

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1″ fresh ginger, grated

1T water

1T extra virgin olive oil

1t raw agave or honey

1/4t cayenne pepper

1/2 lemon, juiced

Place all ingredients in a jar and set aside. You will not need all of the dressing however it is amazing to have on hand and in the fridge.

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Noodles

1 pound of 100% buckwheat soba

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the soba and cook until al dente. Rinse well with fresh water, then drain and set aside. Toss with oil (olive or hot sesame) to prevent them from sticking.

Salad fixings

1/2 cucumber, julienned

1 small carrot, julienned

2c fresh bean sprouts

1/4c snap peas, julienned

1/2 red pepper, julienned

1 ripe avocado, sliced

2T black sesame seeds

1 stalk celery, julienned

1/4c fresh cilantro, minced

fresh lime or lemon

salt & pepper to taste

Salad prep:

Toss all of the fresh vegetables except the avocado slices with the noodles, Dress with 1/4c of the noodle sauce- more or less to taste. Top with the fresh avocado. Adjust for flavor with salt, and squeeze fresh lime or lemon juice. Serve room temp or cold. Delicious the next day if there is any left over!

Red lentil Dal with Spinach

I made this tonight- SO delicious..I steamed white basmati rice with cumin seeds and it was a perfect whole, quick, satisfying meal. I had a 1/2 of a fresh tomato left over that needed to be used so I added it to the mix- could use more tomato for sure or omit entirely. Totally gluten free.

I highly recommend. XO

Red lentil Dal with Spinach

1 onion, small dice

1” fresh ginger, grated

2T fresh green curry paste

1t mustard seeds

1t cumin seeds

1t ground cumin

1/4t cayenne pepper or 1 pepperonicini

3T olive oil

1t turmeric powder

1/2t pink salt

1/4t black pepper

1c red lentils, uncooked

3T fresh cilantro, chopped *opt

1 fresh tomato, medium dice *opt

2c fresh spinach, cleaned and trimmed

4c water- boiled

In a large pot, heat up the spices; cumin, mustard, turmeric, dried pepper (red and black) until fragrant. Add the olive oil and sauté the onion with the ginger in the olive oil just until golden. Add the tomatoes and lentils and cover with the boiling water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes uncovered or until the lentils have softened. Add the spinach and mix in, cover for 5 minutes. Adjust the seasonings. Serve over white or brown basmati rice.

Kichari (Lentil Rice DELICIOUSNESS)

Ellen’s Kichari (lentil & rice porridge)

Kichari means mixture, usually of two grains. “Kichari may well be the most perfect therapeutic recipe of all because it detoxifies the entire system, while kindling the body’s digestive fires called agni.” This recipe is nourishing and easy to digest, and can literally be paired down to just the rice and beans and still be utterly satisfying. It can be eaten more on the soupy side or as a thicker porridge. SO.SIMPLE.SO.GOOD.

Wheat-free, Gluten-Free

1c red lentils or yellow (dahl), washed and drained

1c white basmati rice

1 medium onion, diced

1t turmeric

1T fresh ginger, sliced or grated/ or 1t dried

1t mustard seeds

1t cumin seeds or 2t ground cumin

1/2t black pepper

1t pink salt

3T extra virgin olive oil

6c boiling water

1t salt or to taste

Bring 6c of water to a boil, more if needed

In a large soup pot, toast the spices (cumin, mustard seeds, pepper, turmeric, salt and ginger- if using dried) until aromatic. Add the olive oil and sauté the onions, and fresh ginger until golden and soft. Add the rice and coat well in the spice mixture. Add in the lentils and cover with the hot water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, adding additional water if needed and or desired, stirring occasionally. In the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Adjust the seasonings before serving. If there is excess water, cover the pot to allow it to be absorbed. Serve optionally with fresh cilantro.

The City’s Gone Nuts Granola

I first made this recipe while I was living in NYC for my blog Slow Food In A Fast City, in a teeny tiny kitchen; I made it in my toaster oven. It is a super straight forward awesome granola recipe that is easy to modify by varying the nuts, adding dried fruits, and spices. This is my favorite taste combination, something about the almonds, cinnamon and vanilla that keeps me coming back to the original. I used black sesame seeds to add color contrast.

City’s Gone Nuts Granola

4 c GF rolled oats

1/3c coconut oil

1/3c maple syrup

1T ground cinnamon

1/2t sea salt (or less if desired)

1c almonds, coarsely chopped

2T black or white sesame seeds

2t vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir until well incorporated and the oats are coated.

Pour out onto a baking sheet (I had a super small convection oven so I did this in two batches- you could either do what I did, or ½ the recipe- unless of course you have an oven!)

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and aromatic. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack. The granola will crisp up as it cools. Store in a cool dry place. DELICIOUS served with cashew nut milk as a cereal with fresh berries.

Raspberry Shallot Vinaigrette

You could definitely omit the fruit or add in another fruit of your choosing but the raspberries give this dressing a beautiful pink color. I ate this over spring greens with raw dehydrated sunflower seeds and cubed gluten free smoked tofu.. #DELICIOUS

Raspberry Shallot Vinaigrette

1/2c extra virgin olive oil

1/4c red wine vinegar or lemon juice

2T apple cider vinegar

2T Dijon mustard

5 fresh raspberries

1T real maple syrup or raw agave

1 shallot, smashed and minced

salt and pepper to taste

Add all of the ingredients into a blender except the olive oil. Blend well. While the motor is running, drizzle in the olive oil. This will cause the dressing to emulsify. Season to taste.

Curried Moong Dal Soup (Yellow Split pea)

Moong Dal is a traditional Indian pulse, it is a yellow split pea with the hull removed. It has a sweet and nutty flavor to it and makes a perfect addition to any vegan, gluten free diet as a quick cooking source of vegetable protein. This is one of my most favorite of the lentils. The soup cooks relatively fast and has a tremendous amount of flavor.

CURRIED MOONG DAL SOUP

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

1-1/2c moong dal, (yellow split peas) washed and drained

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2t chipotle powder

1/4t black pepper

1/2t cayenne pepper

1 vegetable bouillon cube (or veggie broth to replace the water)

3T extra virgin olive oil

4c boiling water

1T mild curry powder

2t cumin powder

1t turmeric

1t salt or to taste

1/2c fresh cilantro, minced

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

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions until golden and soft. Add the salt, chipotle powder, black and red pepper and the other spices. Add the split peas, mixing them into the vegetables. Add the boiling water, the bouillon cube (or broth). Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. In the last few minutes of cooking, add in the fresh cilantro.

Serve with fresh cilantro sprinkled on top.

At this point, the soup is delicious as is or can be pureed to make a lovely, smooth, soup.

FOR PUREED SOUP:

In batches, in a blender or vitamix*, puree the split pea soup. Adjust the seasonings before serving.

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