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
“”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”
This is my favorite served in romaine lettuce leaves but it also makes a great sandwich filling. It is so easy to make and I love having it in the house as a quick snack option- it light, crunchy and fresh tasting. You can try using different varieties of the baked tofu, they will all produce a slightly different taste. I ate this for lunch today on whole grain Ezekiel bread, one of my heirloom tomatoes and baby lettuce from the garden.
8 oz Smoked Tofu Lin, broken in chunks
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1/3 to 1/2c vegan mayonnaise
pink salt and pepper to taste
In a food processor or vita-mix, pulse the celery or turn on low to mince. Remove into a large bowl. Do the same with the carrot and then the tofu. Process the tofu until desired consistency, it should at least be a fine, even. meal. Add into the bowl of veggies. Add the vegan mayo, salt and pepper and with a spoon, mix all of the ingredients together until well incorporated.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
This sauce can literally transform everyday foods into new meals, on veggies, grains, noodles- I created this recipe while living in New York City. I had the tiniest kitchen, I cried my first night, not because of being homesick but because of my new kitchen! I had two jars of peanut butter which were clearly taking up too much real estate so instead of consolidating the jars, I made the sauce with what ingredients I had in the apartment in-the-jar, and then the jar became the storage container for the fridge! Use it over noodles, it pairs amazingly well with Grilled Tofu over a fresh bed of crisp greens and sprouts as a dressing, and inside fresh rolls (which is what I will be making today!) are just some of its uses- it is a fantastic, big flavor sauce. Spice it to your liking, I add a fresh hot pepper into the mix cuz I like it hot! It literally takes 5 minutes to make and is worth keeping in the fridge at all times.
Peanut Butter Sauce
1/3c organic peanut butter, natural style, crunchy or creamy
1T shoyu or tamari
1″ fresh piece of ginger, more if desired
1 small fresh chili or 1/2 fresh jalapeño pepper
1T fresh lime juice *opt -makes it taste more awesome but so not needed
2T cilantro *opt-makes it taste more awesome but so not needed
1T prepared ketchup
1T hot sauce or sriracha sauce
1/3-1/2c water
1T maple syrup or raw agave or raw local honey
2t hot toasted sesame oil
Black pepper to taste
Add all ingredients into a blender, start with a smaller amount of water to get it going, and add more if needed. Blend until completely smooth and to your desired consistency, more liquid for a sauce, less liquid for use as a dipping sauce. It’s your sauce, make it awesome!
The Vegan Love Project 