THE VEGAN LOVE PROJECT – Page 12 – The Vegan Love Project

Corn Crusted Zucchini / Zucchini Cutlets

FRICKEN YUM

Corn Crusted Zucchini /Zucchini Cutlets

1 large zucchini, sliced thinly on the bias

1clove garlic, smashed, minced

olive oil for pan

—

Coating:

1/3c cornmeal

3T nutritional yeast

1/2t salt

1/4t ground black pepper

Pinch ground cayenne pepper

1/4t chipotle powder

In a large plastic container with an air tight, sealable lid, add the cornmeal, salt, black and red pepper and stir to have the ingredients well integrated. Add the slices of zucchini. Place the lid back on the container and shake the contents, thoroughly coating the squash with the cornmeal mixture.

In a large, heated skillet or frying pan, heat up over pan over medium heat Add the oil and the garlic. When the oil is hot, add the coated pieces of zucchini in batches, making sure not to overload the pan. Pan fry the zucchini for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp. Remove onto a plate lined with a clean dishtowel or paper towels to drain. You could also slice the zucchini length wise and just a bit thicker, creating cutlets.

Simple Red Lentil Soup

Simple Red Lentil Soup

Seriously fool proof- red lentils are a mainstay in my vegan lovin diet. They cook really fast and you can have a gorgeous meal in 20 minutes flat from start to finish. Today I literally grabbed some kale and parsley from the garden and put it into the soup after the heat was turned off to let it steam/cook/mingle. DELICIOUS. Going into the colder days, I always have this soup in the house, I eat it for breakfast!

1 medium onion, *coarsely chopped

1-2 stalks celery, *coarsely chopped

1 carrot, *coarsely chopped

1c red lentils

2” piece of fresh ginger, *coarsely chopped

1 vegan bouillon* optional

1/4t black pepper

1t pink salt OR smoked salt (nice change) or more to taste

1/2t cayenne pepper flakes

1t turmeric (cause it’s just so awesome for you)

3T extra virgin olive oil

4c boiling water

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

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots, celery and ginger until golden and soft. Add the red lentils, and black and red pepper. Continue to sauté until the lentils are well coated in oil. Add the boiling water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes partially covered, stirring occasionally. When the lentils are completely cooked, add the salt. In a blender, puree the soup until completely smooth (Or not!!!). Adjust your seasonings as needed.

*Coarsely chopped – if you are not going to puree this soup, then cut your veggies more uniformly to fit on a spoon!

OPTION-Add fresh greens like fresh spinach or kale in the last minutes of cooking if you like.

Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and fresh black pepper. YUM

Fermented Hot Sauce!

This stuff is BOMB. I started making it last year and could not wait for this summer to roll around to plant all of the peppers I could to make it again. SO SIMPLE. You can use any variety of hot peppers, I use a mix of Hot Cherry Bombs, Cayenne, Jalapeño, and Chili’s. Depending on the kind of heat you prefer, you could totes add Scotch Bonnets and Habañeros to the mix for a hotter hot or add some sweet peppers to make it more like a homemade Sriracha Sauce. I also add in some fresh ginger, garlic in addition to the salt in the brine. I eat it on sandwiches, with tofu, just about anywhere I want a little kick in the pants. SO. GOOD.

You Will Need:

A glass jar with a gasket lock-tite lid
2-3″ piece of fresh ginger
3-4 cloves of fresh garlic
*Salt
3-4c prepared hot/sweet pepper mix, de-stemmed and at least split so that the brine can penetrate the pepper
*Brine: Mix 1 heaped tablespoon of a mineral rich good sea salt, like pink or celtic sea salt, per quart water.
a small dish to weigh the peppers down once the lid is sealed to keep them under the brine

Hot Sauce

In the clean glass jar, start layering the peppers, ginger and garlic in, tightly packing them and also pounding them in to crush them somewhat.
Layer them tightly! You can salt as you go or you can pre-mix your saltwater brine and pour over the pepper mix.
Leave about 2 inches of space from the top. I use a little porcelain ramekin and close it down with lid onto the peppers (do this over the sink so as not to let what spills out spill all over!)

All of the goodness should be completely submersed under the brine.

THATS’ IT! I put this in my dehydrator, not on, so it can do it’s thing in a safe, warm, undisturbed place for at least two weeks.

After several days you will see bubbles start to happen- Don’t open the jar! TWO WEEKS.

After two weeks, in the sink, because the contents are now under pressure, carefully open the jar- You will most definitely get a POP.

Pour this directly into your food processor or vita-mix and puree completely with ALL of the brine included. If you need more liquid, you can add a little bit of raw apple cider vinegar to the blender. Bottle and store refrigerated. AMAAAAAAZINGNESS.

Lentil Vegetable Soup

Whenever I am need of warming up, this is the soup I make. Being a million degrees and humid, today was not of those days- however, just back from New York city where I ate out for all of my meals (bagels, margaritas, processed vegan food, etc..), I was in need of some serious homemade vegetable love. Everything is local and organic, be it from my garden or from a local farm. It is so simple and so very satisfying. I ate this with 3 seeded cultured bread that I lightly oiled and then grilled with a side of my sweet, lovingly made Kombucha. Fricken delicious.

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free

prep: 10 minutes cook time: 30-40 minutes

Vegetable Lentil Soup

2c brown lentils, cooked, washed and drained

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, medium dice

2 carrots, diced

1 potato, medium dice

1-2c broccoli florets and stems, diced or chopped leafy greens

1t turmeric

1/2t ground cumin

1/4t black pepper

1/2t cayenne pepper flakes or 1/2 of a fresh chili or jalapeño

1 vegetable bouillon cube (or 1T veggie broth powder)

2-3T extra virgin olive oil

4c boiling water

1t salt or to taste

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

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and sauté the onions, hot pepper and garlic until golden and soft. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, salt, turmeric, cumin, black and red pepper. Continue to sauté until the carrots turn bright orange, stirring often. Add the lentils, mixing them into the vegetables. Add the boiling water, the bouillon cube (or powder) tamari, and Ume. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli.

Adjust the seasonings before serving.

TLT Sandwich

So I know this isn’t huge on the creativity scale of vegan food preparation but with beautiful tomatoes abundant now- why complicate? I have been boycotting Lightlife Foods, as they are owned by ConAgra; a pro GMO (genetically modified organisms) Corporation, but my friend just bought a package of Fakin Bakin and brought it to the house -with a GORGEOUS heirloom tomato on the counter waiting to be dressed- I couldn’t resist 🙂 ….I use Ezekiel Whole Grain Bread, Follow Your Heart Organic Veganaise and the rest is either from my garden or someone else’s.

Tomato Lettuce Tempeh Bakin Sandwich

2 slices whole grain bread, slightly toasted

2t vegan mayo

1 small tomato, thinly sliced

baby greens

salt & peper

Pickled Beets

These keep amazingly well in the fridge- even though they may not last as long as you would like! They develop a deeper integrated flavor if you let them set overnight.They are a great accompaniment to lunches and sandwich type meals. Instead of using hot vinegar, I toss everything together while the beets are still warm and let them sit and mingle on the counter for several hours after mixing, then into the fridge.

Pickled Beets with Red Onions

3 pounds red beets, scrubbed and washed

1 small onion, sliced very thinly

3T eextra virgin olive oil

1/4c apple cider vinegar

1T red wine vinegar

1/2t salt

1/4t black pepper

2T maple syrup or raw agave or raw local honey

—

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 refrigerating at least 6 hours before serving.

Asian Cole Slaw

Asian Cole Slaw

Deliciously crisp and fresh tasting- make this and no one will know that there is anything “special” about this slaw other than it’s awesome taste.

1 small green cabbage, thinly sliced, or shredded (4CUPS)

1 carrot, grated

Salt

Dressing:

1/4c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1T Hot Sesame Oil

3T Apple Cider Vinegar

2T Agave Nectar, or maple syrup

2t brown rice vinegar

1t ume vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

2T toasted sesame seeds

In a large bowl, place the shredded cabbage and salt it generously, allow it to sit for several hours, even overnight with a plate on top. This will release the liquid in the cabbage, which you will drain out. This removes any bitterness and makes the cabbage more digestible and more tender.

After draining, add in the other ingredients and toss well. Serve chilled.

Holy Berry Blast Power Smoothie

Holy Berry Blast Power Smoothie

1c nut milk
1T hemp seed
2t raw agave or raw local honey
1/4c blackberries
1/4c strawberries
2T goji berries
2t Maqui Berry poweder
1t vanilla
1scoop protein powder
1T flax seeds
____
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.

Peanut Butter Cacao Power Smoothie

Peanut Butter Chocolate Power Smoothie

1c nut milk

2T raw cacao powder

1T raw agave or raw local honey

2T peanut butter

1t vanilla

1scoop protein powder

1T hemp seeds

pinch Himalayan sea salt

—

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.

Variations:

Chocolate Monkey- add 1 frozen banana in place of the ice

Changing the world with food…

“”Together we are creating this dance to have a better world. Your passion for this fascination with the burning issues of our day- which is about food, personal growth and development, activism, the environment, children’s rights, women’s rights, animal rights, world health, world peace-the idea that all these could be dramatically improved by what we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is REVOLUTIONARY. No one would really think you could effect all those things by what’s on your plate. So I say, we should just BRING IT ON!” ~Joshua Rosenthal, Founder and Director Integrative Nutrition”