Raw collard taquitos... Asian style.

This super simple recipe came out great! I know, I know... the name is a slaughtering of traditions and heritage. I'll have to come up with something better later. Tonight for dinner, I was lazy and sauteed some veggies with some spicy simmer sauce over rice. So, to compensate, I wanted to make some raw salad rolls. I also still have a huge stack of collard leaves in the fridge, so I wanted to use them as well. I will definitely be wrapping these up again!

The peanut sauce was from the Live! Recipe Book. I would highly recommend this cook book to anyone wishing to dabble in raw food. Everything I've made is delicious! The sauce is a combination of ginger, miso, vinegar, tahini (I used peanut butter), agave, soy sauce/nama soya and black pepper.

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:
6 small to medium size collard leaves
1/2 head cauliflower, rinsed and leaves removed
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp miso
1 lime, squeezed
1 avocado
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
salt and pepper
 

Directions:
To prepare collard leaves, trim thick portions and excess length. Next, marinate the collard leaves for an hour or so in half of the lime juice, 1 Tbsp olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. (Marinating is optional, but suggested) If you marinate the leaves, they are a little easier on the stomach and softer to chew, but a little messier. If you don't marinate the leaves, they are a little tougher (still tasty), but stay together much better. 'Massage' the collards for a minute or two to make sure everything is fully mixed.

Next, prepare your filling. In a food processor, add cauliflower in large pieces (stems don't need to be trimmed), garlic, olive oil, and miso. Pulse until consistency of rice. Stir in a dash of salt and pepper and set aside. Next, prepare your avocado my removing skin and pit, and mashing with a fork. Stir in lime juice and set aside.

To make the wraps:
I chose to do little skinny taquito wraps, but you can also do classic burrito style. Just remember, portions might need to be modified to accomodate different leaf sizes. Add about 2 heaping Tbsp of cauliflower mixture to the center of the wrap. Top with 1 Tbsp avocado and a sprinkling of onion. Wrap them up and set them on a plate! Serve with peanut sauce.

Easy Chunky Beet Soup

I had leftover veggie broth from the spicy tempeh I made last night and also had beets in the fridge. So... it was only natural that I combine the two and make some beet soup! This soup is very easy, but hearty and delicious.

Makes 2-3 servings.

Ingredients:

2 cups veggie broth
3 small or 2 large beets with greens
3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium red onion
4 or 5 collard or kale stems (leaves removed)
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp agave nectar or maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
dash of cayenne

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare veggies: Wash beets and greens thouroughly. Remove the top of the beet where it meets the stems and discard. Slice beets in 1/4in thick pieces. Slice greens and stems in about 1 in pieces. Peel the red onion and slice into large, 1/2in chuncks. Peel garlic. Chop collard stems in 1 in pieces.

Add all veggies to a medium sized baking dish. Add spices, oil, vinegar and agave. Toss all ingredients to coat.

Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes... until beets are soft in the center.

In a blender, add veggie broth and the roasted veggies. Puree for 1 minute or until a consistent texture is achieved. If desired, top with some sour cream (or vegan substitute)and chives. Serve with a toasted piece of crusty bread!

Mini vegan feast: Spicy cajun tempeh

Tonight, I made dinner for dad and Jen. Cajun spiced tempeh (protein), sweet collards with raisins (green leafy veggie and fruit), whipped sweet potatoes (veggie) and southwest orzo pasta (grain). I've been trying to include a little bit of everything when I'm planning dinner.

The tempeh and collards are both from Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry. This cookbook is amazing. Being (mostly) vegan/vegetarian AND from the South, I have definitely felt a void of these types of recipes for a few years now. Bryant speaks in simple terms about each recipe, gives a brief background of their origin and even gives you a suggested soundtrack to listen to while cooking them! In his recipes, Bryant tries to waste as little as possible... using even the rinds of watermelon! He also talks about eating and cooking seasonally. Who would have thought! His delicious tempeh recipe is below. Some other great recipes you'll find in the cookbook: succotash soup with garlicky cornbread croutons, baked bbq black eyed peas, upper Caribbean creamy grits with roasted plantain pieces, and many more. If you enjoy the recipe, I highly suggest his cookbook! You can find it for only $8 on Amazon.

Cajun-creole-spiced tempeh pieces:

Ingredients:
1 8oz. package tempeh
2 cups veggie stock
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp white pepper
 olive oil for frying

Directions:
Cut tempeh into 1/2-in cubes.


In a medium saucepan, heat veggie stock to a boil. Add tempeh pieces and bring back to a boil. Cover and lower to medium-high heat. Simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from the head and drain the tempeh in a colander (reserve stock for future use!), and let pieces dry out on a paper towel for for about 30 minutes.

In a medium-sized paper bag, combine the rest of the spices. Shake to combine and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1-2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add tempeh pieces. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning every few minutes to brown evenly. Remove tempeh from pan and immediately transfer to paper bag of spices. Close bad and shake vigorously until all pieces are coated well with the seasoning, about 1 minute. That's it!