Pure Taste

Time to move on.

2013-01-28T22:31:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone. Thanks for being wonderful readers of my blog. I have some exciting and sad news. The sad news is that I'm closing up shop on blogger. Don't get me wrong, I love blogger which is why I will miss it. Who knows, maybe I will post here and there just for old time's sake. However, I now have a new blog with a cool new domain name it's called http://guiltfreeglutton.com and I already have 3 posts. It' was my goal to have four before the end of January. I still have a couple days and I'm still deciding what to post for the 4th. So, I do hope all of you will join me at my new blog!! I will miss you if you don't come!!! See you at my new blog! :)

Look, Ma! No Eggs!! Vegan Omelette

2012-12-30T23:58:00.002-08:00

I woke up to some vegan documentary on TV. I have no idea what it was but it then inspired me to make a delicious vegan breakfast that even my non-vegan boyfriend would enjoy. It wasn't the healthiest of breakfasts (to me a healthy breakfast would consist of all raw fruits and veggie juices or smoothies) but it was a rainy Saturday morning and we both were off work for once so we decided to have a treat. I made pancakes with blueberries and bananas, hash brown potatoes and a vegan omelette. My favorite omelette was always spinach and mushrooms. Luckily, I had a portobella mushroom, some spinach and Daiya (gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free) cheese, hanging around in my fridge. So, I whipped this up and it was so delicious I had to share the recipe. Of course you can top with whatever you like. Here are a few ideas I had: chorizo and salsa, sauteed veggies, sauteed eggplant and cheese, chili with cheddar. You could do whatever you like with the toppings, get creative!

Vegan Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese Omelette
"Egg" Mixture
10 ounces silken tofu
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Place all "egg" ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Add 1-2 TBS water if necessary.

Topping
1 portobella mushroom cap sliced
1//2 C baby spinach
1/4- 1/2 C Daiya cheese

Sautee mushrooms and once they are cooked to your liking, reduce heat and add the spinach to wilt it.

Assemble
Pour about half the mixture into a skillet over medium heat, it will be thick so spread it out a little with a spatula or spoon (don't spread much as it will spread very thin as it heats). When it starts to bubble (kinda like a pancake) add the mushrooms and spinach watch closely until it begins to brown around the edges it will stop bubbling in the middl. Add the cheese then use the spatula to lift the edge of the omelette and fold over. Cook until the cheese begins to melt and flip to the other side. Once cooked you will have a tasty omelette crisp on the outside and soft and cheesy in the middle. FYI- the "egg" mixture also makes a fantastic cheese sauce for vegan quesadillas or mac and cheese.

Vegan Tofu "Turkey" Roast

2012-12-29T16:27:00.002-08:00

Need a roast for the holidays that's delicious and not too hard on the wallet like those $20-$40 vegan roasts you see at Whole foods around the holidays? Of course you do! This is the one and it's perfect for Thanksgiving or any meal where you might wish to have a vegan replacement for Turkey. It has a nice crunchy skin and is full of flavor. It goes great with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Vegan Tofu Turkey Roast

Tofu "Turkey" Roast

Step 1
Salt tofu

Step 2
1 tsp onion granules
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp hickory smoke
2 tsp agave
1/4 c soy sauce or bragg liquid aminos
2 c water

Step 3

1/4 c corn starch
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper

Step 4

Yuba (bean curd sheets)
Olive oil
Salt
Rosemary

Step 1
Salt tofu and use a fork to poke holes in tofu. The more holes you make, the more the tofu flavor the tofu will absorb. Set aside.

Step 2
Prepare marinade. Mix all ingredients in step 2 add tofu and let marinate overnight or for at least a few hours. It works best if you can marinate overnight or even better if you can let it sit for 3 days.

Step 3
Place step 3 ingredients in a bowl and mix. Roll marinated tofu in the mixture to thinly coat.

Step 4
Wrap tofu in bean curd skin and cut off excess. Brush skin with olive oil, salt and rosemary and place in oven. Bake at 375 until golden brown. Some of the skin will be crunchy some will stay soft.

Coco-Nog (Vegan Soy-Free "Egg" Nog

2012-12-28T11:35:00.000-08:00

Just in time for new years, here is my recipe for Coco-Nog, named for coconuts which make this nog recipe rich and delicious. I am dedicating this recipe to my grandmother, Mary Ellen Anderson, who can't have a lot of sugar. This nog is full of healthy medium chain fatty acids from coconuts, is low in carbs and sweetened with Stevia in the Raw, which is a combination of Stevia and dextrose which is a safe alternative sweetener, that contains no dangerous chemicals like Splenda, Equal, etc. I am also including the high-carb version sweetened with coconut sugar (safe for diabetics but does still contain carbohydrates but they break down slowly and therefore coconut sugar still has a low glycemic index, plus it has a delicious butterscotch flavor) and a good amount or rum (not recommended for diabetics or those avoiding carbs). Both are delicious! Even a vegan friend who hates coconut loved this nog!

Coco-Nog (low carb version)
2- 15 ounce cans of coconut milk (get the thick kind with 90% coconut and nothing but water added if you can)
meat of one young coconut (if you can't find this, just leave out the water)
6 packets of Stevia in the Raw
2 T vanilla extract
1 T rum flavor (optional)

1/4 C water
20 ice cubes

Nutmeg

Place coconut milk, coconut meat, stevia in the raw and vanilla in blender, blend until smooth. Let sit in fridge until ready so serve, add 1/4 C water and 20 ice cubes and blend again. If your blender is small, you can do half the mixture at a time with only 10 ice cubes. Pour nog into glasses sprinkle nutmeg on top and serve.

Coco-Nog (high-carb version)
2- 15 ounce cans of coconut milk (get the thick kind with 90% coconut and nothing but water added if you can)
meat of one young coconut
3/4 C coconut sugar
2 T vanilla extract

1/2 C rum
20 ice cubes

Nutmeg

Place coconut milk, coconut meat, coconut sugar and vanilla in blender, blend until smooth. Let sit in fridge until ready so serve, add 1/2 C rum and 20 ice cubes and blend again. If your blender is small, you can do half the mixture at a time with only 10 ice cubes. Pour nog into glasses sprinkle nutmeg on top and serve.

BLT- Vegan Tofu Bacon

2012-10-30T01:18:00.002-07:00

I handed my boyfriend this sandwich and waited to see what he thought. He took a big bite, chewed it up, paused for a bit then said: "I'd buy this."
Success!!

Vegan BLT!

We had a late night getting out of work at about 2:30am and of course in spite of the late hour we were both starving. I don't know why I had the bright idea to whip up some BLTs with tofu bacon but I'm glad I did. Hope you are too!

This is a simple sandwich:
1. Toast bread of your choice
2. Add vegan mayo of your choice. I like Veganaise.
3. Slice tomatos place on top of bread along with chopped romaine lettuce
4. Add bacon
5. Slice
6. Eat

Here's the bacon recipe:
Slice 8oz non-GMO organic firm tofu (not silken) into thin strips and set aside.
Mix 1/4 C water 1TBS liquid hickory smoke, 1 tsp organic raw agave, and approximately 1/4 tsp sea salt.

Place the strips and liquid in a pan and heat until most of the liquid boils out then add olive oil approximately 2-4TBS and fry until crisp.

*For Paleo dieters: sub shredded coconut for tofu to make something similar to bacon bits.

Make Your Own Dole Whip!

2012-10-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. When you work in a theme park occasionally it just eats your life for months or so at a time. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun but sometimes your life just isn't your own.

So, to make it up to you, this post is about a delicious theme park treat you may have tried just outside the Disneyland Tiki Room. Made with Dole pineapples, this stuff is really popular and refreshing so as you can imagine there is always a line for this one hot days at Disney. It does contain extra ingredients that are not so healthy though. What I discovered recently is that I can make a comprable treat without anything but pineapple... well, and a Champion juicer.

All I had to do to make my own pineapple whip was put the blank on and push frozen pineapple through the juicer and that was it. So for breakfast I had delicious whipped pineapple and clean up was simple, everything just rinsed clean. Love the simplicity of raw foods. For added creaminess and sweetness, you can add a frozen banana but I like it just like this. Pineapple is naturally sweet so no need for sugar. I bet it would be yummy topped with raspberries and slivered almonds. For fun, and because I love chocolate, I added chocolate syrup. I just bought this Santa Cruz organic chocolate syrup. It still sugar but if you have ever as a vegan missed thick creamy hot fudge, this stuff is a great replacement. Mmm. Oh and you could also make a yummy pineapple float just swap out the blank for the screen and make some pineapple juice to add to your frozen confection. Simple and refreshing. If you don't have a juicer that will work for this, I apologize. You should consider getting one. If you can't afford the over $261. price, just keep checking places like craigslist and Ebay. It's worth it! Anyone out there know of other juicers that can do what the Champion does? I love the Omega but not sure it has the same features. Maybe a Vitamix would work?

Home made Dole Whip. Yummy!

Bitter Melon Salsa and Gluten-Free/Grain-Free Crackers/Chips

2012-09-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my produce I got in my box from the Farmers Market and there was something in there I never tried before.

It looked like this but I'm not sure. Anyone know of anything else that looks like this?

Mom identified it as bitter melon. I think she was right. Anyway I peeled it and tasted it. It tastes kinda like a cucumber but the seeds are not really edible. I thought it would be great in a salsa. I got a ton of fresh sage in my box as well so I added that in and I have to say it's pretty good.

Bitter Melon Salsa:

1 large bitter melon

1 yellow pepper

1/4 C onion chopped

1/4 C fresh sage chopped

2 cloves of garlic minced

juice of one lime.

Peel remove seeds and chop your bitter melon and pepper. Add in the chopped onion and sage and minced garlic mix it all up with the juice of one lime and this it. Simple.

Crackers/ Chips:

1/2 C yellow flax seeds

1/2 C almond meal

1/4 C water

juice from 1/2 a lime

salt as desired

Mix the flax seeds, almond meal, lime juice and water. Let stand about 10 minutes then flatten the mixture into crackers or chips and place on a piece of parchment paper. For best results, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough. You can dehydrate them if you want them to be raw or cook them in the oven on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven or dehydrator when firm. I used to have a dehydrator but sadly I left it when I moved so I had to cook my crackers but that best dehydrator I owned was the Excalibur. It was fantastic and had a lot of room. However, it's really expensive. I used to have the Ronco version from Ron Popeil and that one is ok (though on occasion it seemed the temperature got a little high and seemed to dehydrate the food unevenly compared to the Excalibur but it only costs like $39. So, I'm in the market for a dehydrator sometime soon. Anyone have any other recommendations?

Unemployment Pie (aka Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie)

2012-09-01T08:07:00.001-07:00

I'm so sad the haunted house where I work closed down temporarily. On the bright side we decided to have a "Bye Bye Pie Potluck" and I made a tasty pie! So, I'm sharing the recipe with you! This one is a little labor intensive but mostly because you have to crack open a few coconuts. Yikes! That's hard work but maybe you have a machete or a buzz saw or drill.... there's got to be something that makes opening a coconut easier. I am not suggesting you use a buzz saw. I mean you can try to do it at your own risk I have no idea if it will work. If you do try it and it works without injury, let me know. :)

Anyway, even though no one else who works in my maze is vegan, besides my sister who brought a delicious "chicken" pot pie (which will be blogged at a later date) I still like to bring my tasty vegan creations to share. Besides, there has to be something I can eat there!

Bye Bye, Pie. You were tasty.

So, here it is:

Raw Chocolate Banana Coconut Cream Pie

Crust:

2 C almond meal

3 T Coconut oil

2 T maple syrup or raw agave or date butter

Mix all ingredients into a bowl and press into the bottom of the pie tin. If you like a thicker crust, you can double the recipe.

Filling:

(Layer 1)

2 bananas chopped and spread on top of crust

(Layer 2)

Meat of 2 young coconuts

2 T raw cacao powder or raw cocoa

1/4 C maple syrup or raw agave or date butter

1/4 C cashews

2 T coconut oil

Mix above ingredients in a juicer fitted with a blank or vitamix, blender, etc and puree. Spread this layer over crust and bananas. Place in freezer while you prepare the next layer.

(Layer 3)

2 bananas chopped

1 C dates

1/2 C water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In blender or food processor puree dates with water and vanilla spread over layer 2 with the chopped bananas. Place pie back in freezer.

(Layer 4)

Meat of 2 young coconuts

1/4 C maple syrup or agave or date butter

2 T raw cacao powder

Puree above ingredients together in blender and spread over layer 3 then sprinkle shredded coconut over the top or if you prefer a sweeter topping, make more of layer 3. Keep in refrigerator until it's time to serve.

Raw Three Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

2012-08-28T18:40:00.001-07:00

Need a easy, decadent chocolate fix, without all the sugar and fat? Today I looked in my fridge and saw my raw cacao powder. Knowing how healthy it is and how it makes my cramps and headaches go away in minutes, I wanted some. I also saw my date butter so that's how this happened. It's really simple and so delicious. Try it!!

Chocolate Mousse- Vegan, Sugar-free and All Natural

Vegan Raw Chocolate Mousse:
(Single serving)
1/4 C date butter
1 tsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp water

Pour ingredients into a bowl and mix with a spoon until blended. Eat. Be happy. Ok so it's four ingredients but water doesn't count. ;-)

Date Butter

2012-08-28T17:15:00.001-07:00

Ok so date butter. It's not terribly exciting, it's pretty self explanatory how you would make it. I'm going to tell ya anyway. The reason I'm writing about date butter is because I think it's a great staple for sweeting smoothies or tea if you don't mind a little sediment. It's great for spreading on bread or add a little vanilla and a pinch of salt and you've got a great caramel apple dip. I also use it in in my recipes for raw pies and sweets. I like to just make a jar of it and keep it in the fridge to use at my leisure.

Date Butter:
16 oz medjool or honey dates
enough water to cover dates

Soak the dates 30 min or more. After you soak them, pit them and put them in the blender add about 2 cups of the water you soaked them in and blend until smooth. Store in a jar in the fridge and use often.

Blendtec vs.Kitchenaid 5 speed Blender

2012-08-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Wow. I may have been wrong about the Blendtec. I still think it is a fantastic machine (I've never tried to liquify a whole orange or apple in a blender) but this video makes me think the Kitchenaid blender is a winner at less than half the price of the Blendtec. You want a really great blender because if you are making raw food, it will save you a ton of time in the kitchen. So check it out! Below are the best priced ones I could find.

I believe a good blender is necessary and this one is way less expensive than the Blendtec so if you can't afford the top of the line Blendtec or Vitamix, you can still get a great blender.

Raw Fettuccine With Meatballs And Creamy Marinara Sauce

2012-08-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

Vegan, Raw, Gluten-Free, Paleo-Friendly Fettuccine With Meatballs And Creamy Marinara Sauce

I know I am posting a lot of uber-healthy recipes rather than decadent sweet treats. Trust me I have a ton of sweet recipes, which will be coming up soon but this summer it has been so hot and all I feel like eating is fresh, raw wholesome meals that won't heat up my kitchen and that take advantage of my amazing raw organic produce. So, if you're looking for junk food, hang tight I'll post those recipes later even though I might be switching over to a more plant based, less (or no) grain, soy, etc. I still have written down many vegan junk food recipes so I don't want them to go to waste. I will post eventually. I must clarify, when I say vegan junk food, I don't mean junk like the equivalent of fast food or twinkies. I always use quality ingredients which are healthier, they just are a little more processed than say Raw Fettuccine With Creamy Marinara and Meatballs. This recipe is vegan which means dairy and meat free. Also, it is gluten-free, grain-free, and 100% raw. It probably took less time to make than real fettuccine and didn't heat up my kitchen which is very important as we've been in a bit of a heat wave lately. Anyway, I am very excited about this recipe. I hope you enjoy.

Pasta:

4-6 zucchini

juice of 2 lemons or limes

dash of salt

1 T olive oil (can be left off if you are cutting back on fat)

Peel zucchini and toss or eat the skins or feed to pets (I have a rabbit and guinea pig who love my veggie scraps). Use your veggie peeler to shred the zucchini into noodles then mix noodles in with the lemon or lime juice, salt and oil and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

My cute veggie lovers: Piglet and Thumper

Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce:

8-10 oz of cherry or grape tomatoes

1 T red onion minced

1 zucchini peeled and sliced

salt to taste

1 clove of garlic minced

5-7 leaves of fresh basil

5-7 leaves of sage

6-8 olives

Place all ingredients (minus the sage and olives) into a blender, Vitamix or Blendtec (I know I'm pushing this blender a lot but it is my favorite you may also find a used or refurbished one cheaper on Amazon) and puree. Mix sauce into noodles. Add a few whole leaves of fresh sage and the olives chopped in half.

Italian Sausage Meatballs:

1 C Walnuts

1 C sunflower seeds

1/4 C sun dried tomatoes

2 cloves garlic minced

2 T onion minced

2 T fennel seeds

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

water as needed

Soak your nuts and seeds while you prepare the noodles and sauce. If you don't remember to soak them, it's ok you may just need to add water while you are blending this mixture. Add all ingredients to a blender, Vitamix, etc or food processor and blend thoroughly. It should have the texture of a thick almond butter or something like that. Once mixed, roll into 1/2" balls.

Serve noodles and sauce over a bed of spinach and top with "Meatballs." There you a have a satisfying, delicious meal that is filling, wholesome and doesn't heat up your kitchen.

Organic Produce Co-op!!

2012-08-26T15:43:00.002-07:00

I just discovered the most amazing thing! The South Central Farmers Cooperative it's an organic produce co-op where you can buy a box of assorted produce for $20, $25 or $40 and pick it up weekly from your local farmers market or whichever of their locations is most convenient. Here's the link for anyone who's reading in Los Angeles: South Central Farmers Cooperative

Anyway, all the boxes are the same size but you can choose to pay more if you can to help cover those who can't afford as much. Pretty cool, huh? The boxes vary depending on what's in season. My box came with several types of zucchini, cherry tomatoes, watermelon, oranges, mandrine oranges, fresh basil, parsley and sage, squash, kale, and I think a bitter melon. I'm not exactly sure what it is. The box is supposed to feed a family of 4 for one week. Not sure how long it will last with how much produce my family of 3 eats but it's definitely going to save us some money. I want to start adding videos to my blog so I think I'll do one next week when I open my box. That way you can see how fresh and amazing it is. I was just too excited this week with my first box to think of doing a video before I started tearing into it. Seeing all the yummy raw produce inspired me so I will have some tasty, healthy recipes coming up. :)

If you have a local farmers market where you live, or maybe you live in a good farming community, you should see they have anything similar to the South Central Farmer's Cooperative and if not, maybe you can organize one for your area. It's a great way to save money if you're trying to be more frugal and eat more fruits and veggies or if you just want to eat more locally grown food. Keep an eye out for my upcoming recipe for raw fettuccine with creamy marinara and "meatballs." All made from fresh organic produce and no meat, grains or dairy. It should be posted by tomorrow so come back and check it out.

Raw Lettuce Leaf Tacos and Raw Nachos

2012-08-16T21:54:00.001-07:00

There's a restaurant I love called Sun Power Cafe in Hollywood. It's on Cahuenga blvd, if you're ever in the area and want to check them out. Quite possibly my favorite dish there (besides the chocolate shake or the key lime pie) is the lettuce leaf tacos. They are an appetizer but I usually order them as my entree. The dish seems small, like it wouldn't be a lot of food but it's the perfect amount of food. I guess all those live enzymes, minerals, and vitamins that are so bio available just fill you up faster. You don't miss what's not it them. Anyway, I've been craving them and the Paleo Power Lunch Cookbook I mentioned the other day had a similar recipe so, I made my own even better version today. I was completely ravenous after work and didn't have the time to wait for nuts and mushrooms to soak so I have a new impromptu version of my nut meat which requires much less preparation. I think perhaps the best recipes are invented out of starvation. I could be wrong. What do you think? Do you have any favorite recipes created under similar circumstances?

For this recipe, and most raw food recipes, you will need a good blender, I recommend this one: Blendtec Blender HPA-611-25 White - J-2 3qt

It's my absolute favorite! It really is amazing, it can grind popcorn into cornmeal and rice into rice flour. So it's great for a gluten-free baker to save money on gluten-free baking ingredients and it will cut time from all of your raw food recipes. If you're interested in more raw recipes, I own this book: The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Raw By Reinfeld, Mark/ Rinaldi, Bo/ Murray, Jennifer . It makes raw food recipes simple. It really is a great beginner's book.

Anyway, without further ado, here's my new favorite recipe:

Lettuce Leaf Tacos/ Raw Nachos:

If making Lettuce Leaf Tacos, you will need 1 head of romaine lettuce washed. Each leaf can be sliced into two to three "taco shells." If making "Raw Nachos" you will need a couple cucumbers sliced into "chips"

Taco Meat

1 C Walnuts

1 C sunflower seeds

3oz sun-dried tomatoes

1 T chili powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp paprika

1-2 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

Soak nuts and sunflower seeds for 10 to 20 minutes while you prep the rest of your ingredients. Pour excess water out then pour the seeds, walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes into a food processor along with the seasonings. This should have a course texture. Once blended to desired texture, remove from blender and place in serving bowl. Set aside.

Cheese

1/2 C almond meal

1/2 C sunflower seeds

1/2-3/4 C water

juice from 1 lime

2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes*

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion powder
dash of nutmeg

Add all ingredients to the food processor or blender, add more or less water as needed to reach desired consistency. I made mine about the texture and thickness of hummus.

UPDATE: I recently made these and discovered a shortcut! I just chopped up avocados, tomatoes and olives and placed them on top, instead of making guacamole. It was easier and tasted great- maybe even better than with the guacamole.

Guacamole

2 Haas Avocados

1 small tomato

1 jalapeno

1 shallot

1 garlic clove

juice of 1 lime

add salt and cumin to taste

Chop up tomatoes, green peppers, cilantro and black or calamata olives to place on top of the tacos or nachos. Place each taco or nacho topping in it's own separate bowl and each person can make their own with whatever they want to add. I made mine with "meat", then "cheese," then guacamole topped off with tomatoes, green peppers, cilantro and olives.

Paleo Power Lunch- Vegan?

2012-08-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

I can't say I'd ever go 100% Paleo as I don't eat meat and the diet would be rather restrictive. However, I really like this diet's avoidance of wheat gluten, and dairy and generally sticking to natural unprocessed foods. So, I just checked out this great cookbook. It provides a lot of help for planning out your meals for the week and also includes simple and nutritious no-cook recipes. I love un-cooking. I don't post nearly enough uncooked recipes. The only thing I did to make up for the lack of meat, which of course is not normally a lack of food for me but without grains, beans or potatoes (which are excluded from the paleo diet) to fill me up, the recipes can seem a bit sparse for a vegetarian so I made a recipe for "nut meat" (see below for recipe). It's raw, contains no gluten or grain and can be seasoned in any way to match the flavor of whatever dish you add it to. I also recommend cauliflower blenderized to replace the egg. Maybe you could add flax seeds or cashew or sunflower seed butter or milk for more protein. I didn't try it so if you do, let me know how it worked out.

I would definitely recommend this cookbook to anyone. If it seems to restrictive for a lifestyle change, it would easily make a great short-term detox diet or a quick plateau- busting diet for weight loss that will give you great energy. If you're vegan or vegetarian, include my nut meat as a substitute for the meat or you can just add extra nuts, seeds, or mushrooms to your meals to keep you from feeling really hungry.

Click here to get the Paleo Power Lunch Cookbook.

And, for anyone who's ever wanted to try gluten-free, soy-free*, dairy-free and egg-free meat alternative, here's my nut meat recipe. I think it needs a new name. Any suggestions?

Nut Meat
1 C raw walnuts
1 C raw white mushrooms sliced- or if you like the taste, dried shitake mushrooms have more of a meat-y texture
1 clove of garlic minced
2 tomatoes
1/4 C Bragg Liquid Aminos*
1/4-1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp sea salt or himalayan crystal salt
1/2 tsp raw agave

In blender, mix the tomatoes, liquid aminos, salt, agave onion powder and garlic. Add a little water if needed to blend thoroughly. Pour into a container with the walnuts and mushrooms and allow to marinate overnight. When ready to prepare "meat," drain the excess liquid from the mushrooms and walnuts then place in food processor and grind to a ground beef consistency.

For mexican taco inspired "meat" season with:
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano

For italian flavor season add:
sun-dried tomatoes, basil, oregano, and black pepper

*Liquid aminos contain some soy, can substitute an extra 1/4-1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 C water

Ron Popeil Olive Oil Fryer

2012-06-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am going to be in the next Ron Popeil informercial for his new Olive Oil Fryer and Steamer! So, I have been working on some fantastic recipes. I am determined to get some of my recipes into his recipe book. The major selling point about this fryer is that you can safely and easily cook a 15 lb turkey in 45 minutes. Of course that's fantastic if you eat meat but I don't. However, this is an amazing machine and I have made tons of yummy recipes which have no meat, no dairy and no gluten which is a least a little healthier.

Even though olive oil is healthier than other types of oils, I may have to get together with Richard Simmons again after creating all these fried recipes.

I'm very excited to say I have my new thanksgiving turkey replacement. I'm not a big fan of the Tofurkey roast though I love their deli slices. So, since they were on the whole turkey kick, the first thing I made was a tofu turkey. I used Ron's amazing flavor injector to make my tofu full of flavor. I will post the recipe of how I did it at a later date as I don't want to give away my recipes yet in case they get used in the cookbook! The whole recipe took less than 15 minutes to make and it was super easy and delicious! The next thing I made was breaded tofu nuggets. I used the flavor injector again and I also made a gluten-free breading using almond meal. It's tasty but I'm still perfecting it. I also wanted to make a few dessert recipes so I made fried bananas breaded again with almond meal and also shredded coconut, fried strawberries, which taste like an amazing jelly doughnut and my most decadent recipe I like to call cherry bombs which is basically chocolate covered cherries fried in a coconut mixture. If you've had fried chocolate covered cherries, I can guarantee they weren't as good as mine. They are also pretty simple to make and are sugar-free and gluten-free.

Anyway, since I'm not giving away my recipes yet, I'll tell you about this fryer. It is a great little machine and all the extra pieces, except the steaming attachment, that came with it fit inside for easy storage. I got some cool extras with the machine that I will definitely use.

The most surprising is the carving knife. It's designed for carving meat but it's amazing. It slices lots of things with ease. I of course haven't tried it on a tin can or anything crazy but it is definitely equal in quality to our Cutco knife set.

I also got the flavor injector which I mentioned earlier. It is a flavor injector. Its got a syringe and a giant hollow needle which comes with a warning not to use on anything other than food. The frightening thing is that is would work on a person- if you had massive veins like a bodybuilder. Please don't inject yourself with anything though cause that could kill you. My sister is actually somewhat disgusted by it. I guess it doesn't bother me due to my medical background and the fact that I'm only injecting tofu. Hmm wonder why I never thought to bring a needle home from blood draws to inject flavor into my food rather than marinate it? Anyway, I have big plans for this flavor injector and I'm really excited to develop more recipes with it.

Another thing I am excited about but I haven't received it yet. It's a cool contraption that you used to bread anything rather easily without getting your hands dirty. I haven't used yet so I can't really go into detail but it will cut down on the time it takes to prepare some of my simple recipes so I'm looking forward to getting that.

There's also a cool little slicer coming. It's called the Spiral Slicer. It's a really simple contraption but it will slice a potato into really thin potato chips in just seconds. It's pretty cool to see it in action but it slices really fast and would made pretty vegetable garnishes or whatever. I am sure I will find some creative uses for that one. It was actually made by Ron Popeil's dad in Chicago, IL.

Vintage Picture of the Spiral Slicer

So, I am really excited to get back in my kitchen and make more cool recipes. I've got to come up with some cool ideas for the steamer. I know I haven't posted in a while but trust me, these upcoming recipes will be worth the wait. ;-)

Nachos for a heart-attack-free super bowl party!

2012-02-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

I don't really have much interest in the super bowl besides the commercials and maybe the half-time show, but I love good food and entertaining! If I were having a super bowl party, this is what I would serve. You won't have to worry about heart attacks with this recipe. My sisters and I opted to go to Trader Joe's for a quick meal rather than Chipotle the other day and that is where this recipe was born. We needed it to be quick and with three of us it took less than 10 minutes to throw everything together. So unless you have 3 pairs of hands working in It was so good I had to share. This recipe features vegan nacho cheese, vegan sour cream, refried beans, beef-less taco meat, guacamole, salsa and fajita style peppers and onions.

Mmm Fajita Nachos

Vegan Fajita-Style Nachos

You will need:

2 tubs of non-dairy [cream cheese] spread

1 can Trader Joe's salsa style refried beans

1 pepper (red or green)

1/2 red onion

1 bag blue corn chips

1 package Avocados Number One Guacamole- or if you have time to make any other guacamole recipe, that's fine

1 tub of Trader Joes Serrano Salsa Fresca- or other Salsa you enjoy

1 tsp Trader Joes Red Jalapeno Sauce- if you don't have TJ's maybe you can sub Tapatio or Texas Pete or whatever other hot sauce you enjoy

1 package TJ's Beef-less Grounds

olive oil

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp chili pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

Start by slicing the peppers and onions first then place the onions in a pan with some olive oil on low-medium heat. While the onions are cooking down, start the taco "meat."

In a bowl mix the chili pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and salt in with your Beef-less Grounds. Once thoroughly mixed, pour olive oil into a pan add your "meat" and brown until desired temp is reached.

While you're cooking the meat or once you're done, it should be time to add the sliced pepper to the onions that have been cooking. Add more oil if necessary.

Next make the nacho cheese. Take one container of non-dairy spread and dump it into a small saucepan. Add 1/2 C water and 1tsp Jalapeno sauce along with a dash of salt and a dash of garlic. Stir over low heat until your nacho cheese reaches desired consistency.

Now put the refried beans in a bowl with 1/4 cup water and heat in the microwave on high about 2 minutes. Stir well once you take it out of the microwave. By now our peppers and onions should be cooked so don't forget to remove them from heat.

Then make the sour cream. In a bowl mix the other tub of sour cream with about 2 Tbs of water and 1 Tbs of lemon juice and it's ready to serve. If it still feels too thick you can add a little more water.

Place everything in serving bowls and let your guests put together their nachos however they like. If you're taking food to a party and that's too inconvenient, you can layer it in a large bowl in this order: beans, meat, nacho cheese, peppers and onion, guacamole, salsa, sour cream. Or, try my 7 Layer Dip if you prefer.

Happy Super Bowl!!

I think I must be a stress eater but at least it's good for my creativity!

2012-02-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

My mom's in the hospital, she just had surgery. She's doing well but every time I come home from the hospital I just keep making delicious gluten-free recipes. Maybe it's because all the food at the hospital is so awful I have to remind myself that there's good food in the world. Yesterday I made the most delicious rosemary olive gluten-free loaf which my sister and I polished off before I could think of blogging about it. Today I woke up wanting pancakes so. I made my own recipe and made the dough. They were amazing! Luckily for you guys, I remembered to blog. ;-) This recipe is so easy too!

So delicious!

Easy Gluten-Free Pancakes

Ingredients

1/2 C certified gluten free oats
1/2 C cornstarch
2 Tbsp. honey* or agave
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum**
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. flax meal***
1 C. water + 1/4 C water
1 Tbsp. oil- I used olive but I think it would be better with grape seed oil.
1/4 C blueberries (optional)
*Honey is not considered vegan by most so if you're opposed to the consumption of honey, use agave
** You can find xanthan gum at Whole Foods or online. I also see it at the chinese grocery stores sometimes. Most recipes don't require much so it's good to just keep around the house for your GF baking needs.
*** The flax meal and 1/4 C water mixture is a replacement for an egg so if you eat eggs and you don't have flax, you can use one egg instead.

This is the dough before I added the blueberries.

How to make it

Put the 1/2 C oats into the blender and blend until the oats have mostly the consistency of flour. In mixing bowl, stir together oats, corn starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. In a small bowl combine the flax meal with 1/4 C water and mix together. Let stand while you get another mixing bowl, and mix the honey, water, and oil. Add to oat mixture all at once and mix in flax meal mixture and blueberries if you're using them. Stir until blended. Pour about 2 Tbsp. or 1/4 C onto heated pan or griddle. On my stove we set it to a 2 out of 8. Not sure what temp that is. Sorry. You can test the temp of your pan or griddle by wetting your fingers and dropping a drop or two of water onto it. If it skates across the surface, it's ready. When you drop the dough onto the pan, you will need to help it spread out as the dough doesn't really spread out easily as regular pancake mix. Perhaps this could be helped by adding more liquid but I didn't think to try that.
Cook until pancakes are golden brown, you will know it's time to flip when you see little bubbles on the surface of the pancake. Makes 8 to 10 pancakes.
And yes, my sister and I ate them all. :-p

I'm the vegan Paula Deen y'all! J/k, I'd never eat that junk, but this food is good!!

2012-01-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

So, I'm working on a new cooking endeavor. I'm making a YouTube cooking show! I spent hours filming it last weekend and was so tired at the end, I didn't even film my second recipe. However, y'all are in luck because I'm posting both recipes here so you can have a preview! I'm not sure when the episode will be edited. So, I couldn't wait to share with you.

I love pizza. I have tons of creative pizzas I make, but for now, I'm just going to share two that I adore. One of my crusts is regular and one is gluten-free. Everyone loved the gluten free version better. Surprising, but I'm happy with that result. Anyway, here they are:

Vegan Spinach - Mushroom - Sausage Pizza

Besides ingredients listed below for each component of the pizza, you will also need Daiya cheese.

Crust

3 ¼ C Whole wheat pastry flour

½ C yellow cornmeal

1 ½ Teaspoon Himalayan pink crystal salt

2 tbsp honey or agave

4 ½ tsp rapid rise yeast

1 ¼ C warm water 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit

½ C olive oil

Mix yeast ¼ cup of warm water, ¼ cup of flour and honey or agave in a bowl. Let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes. Mix in with the rest of the ingredients, knead for 15-20 min punch down and knead until the correct texture is achieved (add a bit more flour if needed so it’s not sticky). If you want a lighter crust, you can reduce or omit the olive oil and add in up to 1/4 cup of water if dough is too dry.

While the dough is sitting, make your Italian sausage, sauteed mushrooms, tomato sauce and spinach and cheese mixture.

Saute the mushrooms in olive oil, about 5 min on medium heat, remove from heat and set aside.

Make cheese mixture:

½ brick of firm tofu

1 tub of non-dairy cream cheese

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp dried basil

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp granulated garlic

mash together with fork and add in spinach

Set aside while you make the "sausage"

Vegan Italian Sausage recipe:

1lb high protein tofu

1tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1tsp onion powder

1tsp Marmite (yeast extract) w/ 1/4 c olive oil

1tsp fennel seed

1 clove garlic minced

2 tsp oregano

Crumble your high protein tofu into a bowl add in salt, pepper and onion powder. Mix the Marmite with olive oil (it won't ever blend completely but mix until the olive oil looks brownish and the Marmite isn't so sticky and blend together with the tofu mixture

Set aside.

Place the minced garlic and fennel seed into oiled pan and sauté together add in the tofu mixture and oregano sauté until the tofu is very browned and a crispy add more olive oil for sauteing if needed

Set aside and make tomato sauce

Tomato Sauce:

2 cups tomatoes (canned is fine)

2tsp agave

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp onion powder

Puree all ingredients in blender

When dough is ready, assemble the pizza.

Press dough into oiled pan and up on the sides. Brush the bottom of the crust with olive oil, next spread the spinach and cheese mixture. Spread tomato sauce on top of that then add the sausage and mushrooms. Top with Daiya cheese or any other brand of vegan cheese you enjoy. Place pizza in oven pre-heated to 475 and cook for 20 -30 minutes.

Creamy Jalapeno and Chorizo pizza- Gluten Free

For this pizza, besides the ingredients listed for each component of the pizza below, you will need avocado, olives and Daiya or other brand of vegan cheese.

Pizza crust recipe

3 1/4 cups flour (flour = 1 1/4C GF oat flour, 1C tapioca starch, 1C rice flour)

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

2 tbsp honey or agave

4 1/2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast (this is equal to two 1/4 oz packets)

1 1/4 cups warm water

1/4 cup vinegar

½ cup olive oil

Mix yeast ¼ cup of warm water, ¼ cup of flour and honey or agave nectar in a bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes. Mix in all the other ingredients, knead 10-15 min and let stand covered for about 1 hour.

Set aside while you prep the other components.

Pre-heat oven to 475

Creamy Jalapeno Sauce:

1 8oz tub non-dairy creme cheese spread (I use Trader Joe's non-dairy spread, Tofutti also makes a good one)

1 Tbsp TJ’s Red Jalapeno Sauce

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 clove of minced garlic, sautéed in approx 1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1tsp agave

dash of salt

Sauté the garlic first then blend together with the other ingredients

set aside

Next make Vegan Chorizo- you can also purchase vegan Chorizo at many grocery stores if you prefer not to make it however, I love the health benefits of tempe so I made this recipe.

Vegan Chorizo:

Tofurkey brand Homestyle Tempe

1 tsp salt

1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar or regular distilled vinegar

2 tsp agave nectar

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp chili pepper

2tsp organic ketchup

1/4 tsp cumin

1-2 cloves of garlic minced

dash of oregano

ground black pepper to taste

tbsp water

Crumble tempe and mix all ingredients then sauté in olive oil until desired texture and consistency is reached

Set aside

Assemble pizza when dough is ready.

Press dough into oiled pan. Pour creamy jalapeno sauce over bottom of crust and spread evenly. Next add a layer of fresh spinach top with soy chorizo then add olives and top with Daiya cheese. Place in oven preheated to 475 bake for 20- 30 minutes. After removing pizza from oven, slice up an avocado place on top of the cheese. Coat avocado slices with lemon juice so they don’t turn brown. Sprinkle some chili pepper and paprika if desired and serve.

Decadent German Chocolate Cheesecake- Raw, Gluten-Free and Vegan!!

2011-11-18T12:46:00.001-08:00

My boyfriend told me he was craving cheesecake just a few days before his birthday. Hmm... I started tossing out all these ideas (do you want strawberry, cherry, chocolate, chocolate chip?) I was imagining all kinds of tasty ideas. He was just like, "Stop! You're making me hungry." Well, he's no help. :-p So anyway, he mentioned cheesecake and I love raw, vegan cheesecake and have been wanting to experiment making my own. I also love this amazingly decadent vegan german chocolate cake that my sister has been making for everyone's birthday for the past year or so. It's full of bad things like sugar and processed flour but it's vegan and so delicious.

I have been thinking that I could probably quite successfully make a raw version of this incredible cake. Of course it would have to be a cheesecake type cake because I don't have a clue how I would make a delicious chocolate cake that was spongy, moist, still raw and doesn't taste healthy. So, a silky cheesecake kind of texture would have to work. It turned out great! I would only change one thing. I made a tasty crust for it however, I think I would prefer a dark chocolate coating where the crust would be, just to make it more true to the delicious cake my sister makes as well I believe it would better compliment the texture of this cake. So, I will be adding the chocolate coating recipe to this one later. I have an idea of how I want to make it but want to test it first before I post. Anyway, this recipe has lots of healthy fats and is free from the most common allergens: milk, dairy, eggs, soy

Crust:

1 C raw oat groats (if you can't find these, you can use whole oats)
1/2 C raw coconut oil (I like Artisana brand from Whole Foods)

Pour oat groats into blender or food processor and blend a minute or so until it has more of a floury consistency. It will be a bit grainer than flour then mix together with the oil in in a bowl. Sometimes I need to add a little extra coconut oil. Once the dough is mixed, press into the bottom of your pie pan and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Filling:
1 C coconut oil
1 C shredded coconut
2/3 C raw cashew or macadamia nut butter ( you can make this by soaking nuts overnight and blending in a vitamix or food processor)
1 C raw cacao or cocoa powder
1 C raw agave syrup
1/4 tsp sea salt

Blend the shredded coconut and oil in the blender or food processor until smooth then blend the rest of the ingredients together. You can also melt the ingredients together with a spoon over heat no higher than 98 degrees. Blend until smooth. Spread mixture over crust and place in fridge again.

Topping:

1 C honey dates or medjool work well too
1/2 Tbsp raw whipped honey* (optional)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract**
2/3 C raw pecan pieces
1/3 C shredded coconut

Soak pecans and dates separately overnight. I actually skipped this step but it does usually make a difference. Place dates, honey, and vanilla in the blender and blend until smooth then stir in coconut and pecans. Spread this mixture over the top and serve right away or refrigerate until you're ready to serve it.

*Honey comes from bees so is not vegan
**Vanilla extract is not raw but is tasty so I use it you can leave it out if you eat strictly raw foods

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Healthy (and Easy) Gravy Recipe

2011-11-17T17:04:00.001-08:00

Since it's almost Thanksgiving, I imagine people will be searching for great vegan and gluten-free gravy recipes. I created this recipe last Thanksgiving based on my mom's vegan gravy recipe. This is really simple and can be made with or without mushrooms. I love mushrooms but sometimes I just want plain gravy.

Anyway, if you're making it with mushrooms, thinly slice some baby bella or crimini mushrooms and saute them in olive oil with a good splash of Bragg liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and set aside.

Ingredients:
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C nutritional yeast flakes
2-4 tsp corn starch or arrowroot powder
1/4 C Bragg liquid aminos (if you don't have this ingredient, use a soy sauce)
2-3 C vegetable broth (I like Imagine brand or make your own)
freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Over medium heat, brown the yeast flakes in the olive oil. It will make somewhat of a paste then add the Bragg liquid aminos and the cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Once you have everything mixed, add in the mushrooms if you're using them, then gradually stir in the vegetable broth. Add more arrowroot or cornstarch if it doesn't thicken to the desired consistency. If you like it to be saltier, add more Bragg liquid aminos. Once it's finished, reduce heat and grind a little black pepper on top if you like and serve. It's great with mashed potatoes.

If you're not worried about gluten, you can replace the nutritional yeast flakes with whole wheat flour and leave out the cornstarch.

Chocolate Chip Hummus

2011-10-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

I am such a nice daughter, I made a delicious (No Sugar) Cookie Dough Dip for mom's potluck, knowing I wouldn't be attending. As I said previously, me, mom and my sis are all scare performers and though we work at the same place, our scare areas are far apart. :( Anyway, this is not my own recipe. It is from my new favorite blog, Chocolate Covered Katie. Since starting my blog, I have been reading other great blogs to get inspiration and ideas and Katie's is my favorite so far. I don't want to steal so of course I must give credit where it is deserved. This dip was amazing! We served it with apple slices and graham crackers and I am told it was the talk of the terror tram. Mom even met another family of scare performers at the potluck. The mother was so happy because her daughter has an autoimmune disease and is allergic to nearly everything. So, she was very excited her daughter had an option to eat something that was both healthy and delicious.

This recipe is mainly made with garbanzos, which is why I like to call it chocolate chip hummus, but you would never know it has garbanzos by the taste. The oats and vanilla disguise any bean flavor or texture it might otherwise have. Best part is, you can have your protein and your sweets at the same time and not feel guilty. I actually made mine with raw agave rather than dates (had no time to soak the dates) so mine did have sugar technically I also added a little extra vanilla because I love it. Personally I could have it as a meal but I'd probably eat it after a nice little salad since I like to have some raw veggies with every meal. Although dipping raw apple slices could be sufficient raw food intake. ;-) So anyway, now you're probably salivating so check out the blog: (No Sugar) Cookie Dough Dip

Btw- This is how I made it. It's a little different than her's.
Chocolate Chip Hummus
• 1 ½ cups chickpeas (1 can, drained) (250g)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup nondairy milk
• ½ C raw agave or brown sugar
• ¼ C oats
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth. Then stir in the chocolate chips and serve.

Trader Joe's Vegan 7 Layer Dip Recipe

2011-10-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

I call this Trader Joe's Vegan 7 Layer Dip because everything came from TJ's and for the most part did not require a whole lot of effort. Here is the recipe:

1 can Trader Joe's fat-free Refried Beans
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
olive oil

1 package TJ's soy chorizo

1 box/2 containers of Avocado's Number 1 Guacamole

1 container of TJ's Pico de Gallo Salsa

1 tub of TJ's "This Is Not A Tub of Cream Cheese, This Is a Tub of Non-Dairy Spread"
1-2 TBS lime Juice

Calamata Olives

1 chopped organic red pepper

First pour some olive oil into a pan large enough to cook your beans, add the garlic and saute until browned. Remove from heat and add the beans along with 1/2- 1cup filtered water and mix. Return to heat and cook until you reach your desired temp/consistency. Pour beans into a serving bowl. It will look pretty in a glass bowl.

Rinse pan and cook soy chorizo with a cup of water heat until water mostly boils out. Pour into bowl on top of the beans.

Next add the guacamole on top of the chorizo.

Then add the salsa.

Now mix the lemon juice together with the cream cheese. You may need to thin a little more with some water to reach a sour cream consistency then add on top of the salsa.

Take as many calamata olives as you like and slice in half. Toss in on top of the sour cream. You may also use black olives but calamata are my favorite so that's what I used. I didn't measure. I probably used about half the jar but I was eating them too. Just use as many as you think you will like.

The final layer is red pepper. You can saute them if you like but I prefer them raw. Just chop it up and toss them in and enjoy. I made this twice. Once after work at 4am which mom, sisters and I devoured quickly and once for my boyfriend. He's a meat eater and he loved it. Sorry there's no pic of the finished product. We were so tired and hungry, we just dove into the food. I'll update with a pic next time I make this. By the way, it tastes great served over a bed of lettuce or on top of TJ's organic white or blue corn tortilla chips.

Vegan Gluten-Free Mini Tiramisu (no baking required)

2011-10-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

I made lots of delicious food this weekend and I am so excited to share it with you. My mom, sis and I are working as performers for a very fun, scary theme park event for Halloween. We're apparently a scary family. It's so much fun to scare people, though it is very exhausting (I sound a bit evil but I promise these people getting scared seem to enjoy it so I feel good about it). We get through the long 12 hour nights by having potlucks and fun theme events. For example, this past weekend was 80s night in my group so I searched the web looking for a great idea for food to bring. I am an overachiever so I like to impress and amaze everyone at the potluck. I noticed the most often mentioned potluck idea was 7 layer dip so I considered bringing that but decided to go with a dessert as at our last potluck I made my delicious mac and cheese and several people mentioned they wished we had a decadent desert like cheesecake. So, I ended up making the 7 layer dip for a snack at 4am after we all got home from work. It was really easy to throw together and mom, sis and I scarfed it down. Scaring works up quite an appetite!

For my potluck, I chose to make vegan, gluten free mini tiramisu. I have made regular tiramisu before but I thought for convenience, mini tiramisu would easy for people to just grab and eat. Plus, I read that in the 80s there was a trend of making mini versions of various foods and that tiramisu was also trendy in the 80s due to mascarpone cheese being rather trendy. Anyway, here's the recipe. It's very simple and requires no baking which was important for this last weekend. By the way, I got all the ingredients from Trader Joe's and these went really fast at the potluck.

Vegan, Gluten-Free Mini Tiramisu

serves 24

2 8oz. tubs of Trader Joe's "This Is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese It Is a Tub of Non-Dairy Spread"
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C vanilla non-dairy milk- I used Trader Joe's Vanilla Coconut milk beverage
1/2 C of raw turbinado sugar
1 tsp lemon or lime

2 boxes of gluten free Snickerdoodles
cupcake liners

1 C brewed coffee or espresso

1 TBS marsala wine or rum- I used marsala wine which is only about $3 from Trader Joes

First powder the raw turbinado sugar in the blender for about 1 minute.
Then pour non-dairy spread, vanilla extract, vanilla non-dairy milk, powdered, raw turbinado sugar and lemon or lime juice into a bowl, mix with a spatula and place in the refrigerator.

Brew the coffee or espresso and mix in the rum or wine. Immerse each snickerdoodle in the coffee/wine mixture and place cookie in cupcake liners. I recommend the foil cupcake liners as after a while the paper was becoming soggy and though it was still tasty I think it would be less of a struggle with the foil liners.

Next take your semi-sweet chocolate bar and grate it into a bowl. Set aside.

It's ok to eat a few squares, I did. :-)

Now place a couple spoonfuls of the non-dairy spread mixture on top of each cookie. I would guess it was roughly two tablespoons/cookie but I didn't measure. Then take the grated chocolate and sprinkle on top of your tiramisu and you're finished. Easy, right?

Delicious No-Sugar Raw Vegan Pecan Pie

2011-09-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and my favorite food to bake, now un-bake, is pecan pie. I have made many tasty vegan pecan pies because I love pecan pie and have always been trying to perfect my recipe but this is my favorite and just happens to be the easiest too!

I had the idea for this recipe when I went through the farmer's market and tried some tasty honey dates. They tasted like delicious caramel or like the gooey part of pecan pie filling plus I was kinda on a raw food kick and just discovering many amazing things that could be done with coconut oil, like make a delicious buttery-tasting crust. The best thing about this pie is it's easier to make than regular pecan pie and equally, if not more, delicious.

Crust:
2 Cups raw oat groats (if you can't find these, you can use whole oats)
1 Cup raw coconut oil (I like Artisana brand from Whole Foods)

Pour oat groats into blender or food processor and blend a minute or so until it has more of a floury consistency. It will be a bit grainer than flour then mix together with the oil in in a bowl. Sometimes I need to add a little extra coconut oil. Once the dough is mixed, press into your pie tin (it works best in a disposable pie tin) and place in refrigerator while you make the filling.

Filling:
2 C honey dates or medjool work well too
1 Tbsp raw whipped honey* (optional)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract**
1 1/2 C raw pecan pieces

Soak the pecans and dates separately overnight or for at least an hour or two. This step can be skipped if there are time constraints but it does make a tiny difference in taste.

Mix the dates, honey and vanilla in a blender or food processor. You may need to add a little water if using a blender to get everything to blend. Then stir in the pecans. Once the filling is mixed to your liking,

You can also make it a chocolate pecan pie by mixing a cup of raw cacao nibs in the food processor with your dates, honey and vanilla. It has a very dark chocolate flavor.

*honey is not considered vegan to some people so if this is you, omit it
**If you're strict about being all raw, vanilla extract is not raw so you may want to omit this.