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!

What's up with bee pollen? And a recipe to incorporate.

I've had this stuff on top of a delicious vegan shake before, but I never really knew what it was all about. While visiting our downtown farmer's market this weekend, I came across a bag of the stuff. The local bee keeper told me about some of the benefits of honey and the pollen, so I figured I'd give it a try.

Bee pollen has been considered a 'superfood' for many years, and even spoken about in ancient Chinese and Egyptian texts. To find out what I learned about in my research, and an easy recipe to incorporate bee pollen into your diet, click Read More!

Raw dinner: kale bites with tomatoes and spicy carrot filling.

Tonight I decided to do a raw dish for dinner. I had leftover pulp from juicing some carrots and other veggies, so I wanted that to be my base. I knew about what type of flavors I wanted, and the result was pretty delicious!! These would also be a great appetizer if you wrap the kale like a little taco with a toothpick. Here is the recipe.

Spicy carrot 'meat' filling


Ingredients:
1 cup veggie pulp (mine was from 2 carrots, half a cucumber and a pear)
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 Tbsp walnuts
2 Tbsp nama shoyu or soy sauce
3 scallions, mostly white parts
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice (about half of a large lemon)
1 tsp raw agave
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp cumin
dash of salt and pepper
1/2 tsp mustard seed (optional)

Directions:
 Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until nice and smooth. Add an additional tbsp olive oil or water if your blender/food processor is struggling.

For the raw kale bites:

Take 2 or 3 stalks of kale and wash. Remove leaves from stems in large, but bite-sized pieces. Pat dry and put in a bowl. Add a few Tbsps of olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, and a light sprinkling of salt. Massage with your hands until all of the leaves are fully coated in the marinade.

On a plate, lay out a piece of kale, about 1 tsp of the filling, and a slice of fresh tomato or sundried tomato.

Eat them up!

Polish Halupki!

Halupki is a traditional Polish dish that my grandma, my mom and my family make every Christmas and Thanksgiving. For the first time, though, I got my dad's side of the family to try out some polish food! This recipe is traditionally made with ground beef, but my mom and I make it with portobella mushrooms instead! Here is an easy recipe for you guys to try it out!

Polish Halupki.

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage

2-4 cups veggie boullion

4 portobella mushroom caps

4 cups cooked rice

1/2 white onion

1 clove garlic

1 Tbsp Earth Balance or olive oil

Preparations:

Follow directions and cook rice.

Place cabbage in a pot and cover with water. Add 1 tsp of oil and cover with a lid.

Chop onion, portobella caps and mince garlic. Add butter or oil to saute pan over medium, high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Add portobellas and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

 As the outer leaves of the cabbage begin to soften, cut and remove from cabbage head. You can do this by taking a paring knife, and carefully removing leaves at the base as they soften. Take the leaves and place them in a colander.

Prepare the cabbage leaves by slicing thick stems down to create a unified thickness throughout the

leaf. (I should have taken photos of this step... so ask questions if you need to!)

When the rice is done, add the mushroom mixture to it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a casserole dish by spraying lightly with nonstick spray. Now it's time to stuff the cabbage! To wrap, place about 1/4 cup of the mushroom mixture at the base of a cabbage leaf. Wrap of the cabbage leaf like a burrito, around the mixture. Make sure not to wrap it too tightly, because the rice still expands a bit.

Line up the cabbage wraps side by side to create a single layer in the bottom of the casserole dish. Add about 1 cup of the veggie bouillon. If needed, add a second layer of the wraps. Add the remainder of the veggie bouillon to the casserole dish. Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. (Until the cabbage is tender)

Top with tomato sauce and/or hot sauce if desired. Chow down!