Spring into Healthier Eating: Peace Salad Party!

First things first…The winner of the Plant Powered 15 by Dreena Burton is Bex of How to Feed a Vegan. Congratulations, Bex!

Now, onto my  next Spring into Healthier Eating review…Peace Salad. Have you heard of this yet? I hadn’t either until I received an email from my only real-life vegan friend (as opposed to my virtual vegan friends – ha!) asking if I wanted to have a Peace Salad party. Um…sure?

Peace Salad is the newest brainchild of raw-food, vegan blogger, Sandy Henson Corso, the owner of  Peaceful Daily and Sandy’s Salad.

In the book, Sandy lists 100 tips for peace. Practiced together, they’re like a salad

To celebrate the book, people are hosting Peace Salad parties all over, so we did, too!

Last Saturday night, we gathered a few friends and enjoyed some lively conversation over an abundance of vegan eats and treats. Ok, there were also some vegetarian cupcake there, but they were from a small business down the street, so at least we were supporting local business

Check out this spread!

Ellen, the hostess of the party, made some of her favorite party foods, including this macaroni salad (from the Forks Over Knives cookbook (I gave her that book as a Christmas gift )) and those crispy apple muffins in the background (from the Everyday Happy Herbivore cookbook).

Ellen also made her famous bruchetta (with a pesto recipe from The Kind Diet) and this super delicious cheeze dip (made with Teeze, soy cherizo, and spicy tomatoes). We couldn’t stop eating this stuff!

Someone else brought giant vegan cupcakes from a local restaurant, and someone else brought hummus and tabouli from a local artisan.

There was also lots of wine!

I brought a giant pan of raw vegan brownies, using my Brown Batter Bites recipes, and frosted them with chocolate cashew cream (made by blending cashews, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a little date soaking water – left over from the date paste I used in the Brownie Batter Bites).

And a bunch of Gabby’s Pizza Bites.

The mixture was so massive, I had to bust out the beast – my 13 cup Kitchen Aid food processor.

And I made this giant bowl of Asian Rice Noodle Salad, which got rave reviews!

Here’s the recipe!

Asian Noodle Salad

1 pkg rice noodles, cooked according to package directions (I used Brown Rice Noodles)

1 sm pkg shelled edamame (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 c shredded carrot

1 small bunch scallions, diced on the diagonal (white and green parts)

2-3 TBSP toasted sesame oil (more or less to taste)

1/4  c tamari (more or less to taste)

Cook noodles according to package directions, and allow to cool. Mix noodles, edamame, carrots, and scallions in a bowl. Add sesame oil and tamari and toss to combine. Add more sesame oil and tamari to taste, or after noodle salad sits for a while. (My suggestion is to make this salad ahead, and let it sit in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld.)

So easy, and soooo good!

I hope you decide to have a Peace Salad party, too. It’s a great excuse to gather your friends and family and share your ideas on peace and happiness while you enjoy some peaceful, vegan goodies. Enjoy!

 

Raw Carrot Cake Cookies

Happy Easter!

I whipped up these tasty little treats earlier this week, and have been enjoying and sharing them for days.

Staying with my theme of using as much left-over almond milk pulp as possible, the base for these cookies is almond pulp. If you don’t have almond pulp, almond meal/flour should work (your dough may require more liquid), and if you can’t have almonds, any nut/seed meal/pulp should work. I don’t know about grain based flours; they’re much denser, so you may have to play with the liquids a bit if you choose to use a base like that. Enjoy!

Raw Carrot Cake Cookies

1 c wet/fresh almond pulp

1 c dry/dehydrated almond pulp

1 large banana

10 regular sized dates, soaked

1/2 c shredded carrot

1/4 c raisins, soaked

1/4 c goji berries, soaked

1/4 c coconut shreds, unsweetened

1/2 c pecan pieces (or other nut)

2 t vanilla powder (or 1 TBSP vanilla extract)

1 t cinnamon

1/4 – 1/2 c water (use the date soak water for more sweetness)

Add almond pulp, banana, dates, cinnamon, vanilla and 1/4 c water to food processor and pulse until combined. (You don’t want to see pieces of banana or date.) Then, either pulse in remaining chunky ingredients or fold in by hand.  Scoop cookie mix onto mesh dehydrator trays, flatten to form a cookie shape, and dehydrate until dry. NOTE: Do not flatten cookies by pressing into the mesh; the dough will squish through to the other side, and your cookies will be stuck on the tray. Lift each cookie and flatten it in your hands or on a solid service.

Dehydrator times will vary: I start the process at 145F for about an hour, then lower to about 110F. My cookies took 4-6 hours at this temp.

The cookies become much darker as they dry.

If you want to “cook” these cookies in the oven, I’d suggest a lower temperature for a little bit longer time – perhaps 250-300F for 15-20 minutes. You want them dry to the touch and firm in the middle.

Vanilla Cashew Butter Balls

Thanks to everyone who commented for a chance to win the free download for the Vegan Delish app! The winner was LV, who said…

I’m always on the lookout for inspiration in cooking! Sometimes I’m just not very creative.

Congrats! Be on the lookout for more give-a-ways! (There are at least two book reviews/give-a-ways coming, and maybe more!)

Today, I’m sharing another recipe to help use up the never ending supply of almond pulp you probably have hogging valuable space in your freezer. No? Well, I do! I need to dehydrate some SOOOOO bad! That’s a weekend plan And, bonus, it uses my favorite nut butter…cashew!

Vanilla Cashew Butter Balls

1/4-1/2 c cashew butter, softened

2 TBSP date paste

1/4 c almond meal/flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla powder (optional)

Stevia or other additional sweetener (optional)

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. Scoop into balls and sprinkle with vanilla powder. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Notes:

Cashew Butter: If you’re cashew butter is stiff and/or dry, heat it up. It heats up beautifully and will be nice and creamy again in no time. [Of course, if you can't eat cashews, don't have/like cashew butter, use something else ]

Vanilla powder: What’s vanilla powder? It’s just just ground vanilla bean and/or pod. It’s a lot stronger than extract, so be cautious before you dump it into something if you’re new to the product.

Optional Sweetener: I gave my mix a little squirt of liquid stevia, but it didn’t make much difference in the sweetness. You might want to try some maple syrup (You may need to increase you almond meal due to the extra liquid.) or some coconut sugar (You might have to loosen the mixture with a tiny splash of non-dairy milk or water to counteract the extra dry ingredient.) I can see these rolled in sugar, too. Yum!

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ABC Marbles

ABC Marbles? What the heck are those? Well, they’re these…

I couldn’t decided what to call my newest dessert balls, so I asked for suggestions on Facebook. Someone suggested ABC Swirl, and while I loved the idea of ABC, the swirl didn’t quite fit, so I went with marble. My original idea was Almond Butter Carob Marble Balls. Ha! Apparently my kitchen inspiration has been just slightly better than my recipe naming inspiration

ABC Marbles

1/2 c + 2 TBSP almond butter

1/4 c carob

2 TBSP maple syrup

Combine 1/2 c almond butter, carob powder and maple syrup in a ball until thick batter forms. Add  the two tablespoons of almond butter to the mix and smash in to combine. Roll into balls and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Notes:

Nut butter: You can use any nut or seed butter – almond, peanut, cashew, sunflower, etc.

Carob: You can easily swap the carob out for raw cacao or coco powder. The carob powder I’ve been using is by Bob’s Red Mill, and it’s super sweet. It’s much sweeter than the Chatfield’s brand.

Maple Syrup: You could easily use another liquid sweetener – even date paste.

 

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

I love muffins. They’re great for on-the-go breakfasts  – and second breakfast! (Am I the only person who eats a second breakfast most days??)

Tuesday night, I went to bed thinking about muffins, and when I woke up before the alarm on Wednesday morning, I decided to do it! Doesn’t everyone make muffins at 5 am?! Ha!

In my groggy state, this is what I came up with…

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

1 1/2 c oat flour (I used certified gluten-free)

1/2 c almond pulp/meal/flour

1/2 tsp baking powder (aluminum free, please!)

2 flax eggs (2 TBSP flax meal + 3 TBSP water)

1/2 c coconut sugar (aka palm sugar)

3/4 c unsweetened applesauce (two individual containers)

1/2 TBSP vanilla extract  (or a pinch of vanilla powder)

1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

2 TBSP chia seeds (optional)

1/2 c raisins (soaked)

1/4 c goji berries (soaked)

Add dry ingredients to bowl. Whisk to combine. Add wet ingredients. Stir to combine. Fold in drained, soaked raisins and goji berries.

Fill muffin tins/cups and bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Remove promptly from baking pan and cool on a wire rack so bottoms don’t get soggy.

Makes 9 nice-sized muffins at about 200 calories each. Freezes well.

Notes:

“Flour”: Is your freezer being overrun by almond pulp too?! Ugh. It’s getting a little crowned in there; time to thaw, dehydrate, and process into more almond meal/flour. But, before I do that, I need to use some of the last batch, so I’ve been sneaking it into anything and everything. If you don’t have any almond pulp/meal/flour lying around, I’m sure you could use all oat flour. (Side note: Make your own oat flour by grinding some old fashioned oats in a blender or food processor until smooth in texture. I use my magic bullet.) Additionally, this might work with all almond pulp/meal/flour. I haven’t tried it; if you do, let me know if it works!

Flax Egg: I find my flax gels up much better with less water. Some people like their eggs a bit runny, but I like mine thick and gooy. I like to use golden flax, too. It has a milder flavor and doesn’t show through the oat flour. I’m sure you could use  chia eggs as well (same amount of ground or whole chia seeds instead of flax meal).

Chia Seeds: These are totally optional, but I like putting them in muffins and quick breads for the added omega’s. Plus, I think they add some binding. Or not. That might be all in my head

Applesauce: I used the applesauce for both the moisture and the oil sub. I’m guessing you could use some kind of oil (coconut oil would be my suggestion) and maybe a little non-dairy milk if you don’t have/don’t want to use applesauce. Additionally, liquified banana would probably work, as would pumpkin puree, prune puree, etc. Keep in mind, however, using a higher sugared fruit might mean an adjustment to your other sweetener.

Coconut/Palm Sugar: I’ve recently started using coconut/palm sugar more often. It’s not very sweet, but I like that. Subtle. Plus, the glycemic index is so low, reports are that it doesn’t spike insulin levels in those who are sensitive. (The carbohydrates in the oat flour could, though, so be careful if this applies to you.)

Dried Fruit: I love oatmeal raisin as a flavor, but if you don’t, try a different dried fruit. Dried cranberries, cherries, apricots, figs, bits of date, currents, etc, would all be great! I added the goji berries for an extra antioxidant kick, but something more exotic like golden berries would be nice too!

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Brownies

I’ve been craving brownies since December.

First, I tried this fat-free black bean recipe. It was OK. I’ve tried other fat-free black bean recipes, and they’ve been OK too. All have been very cake-like. Good when you’re in the mood for that type of brownie, or even a piece of chocolate cake, but not so good when you aren’t sure what you want. Apparently that wasn’t what I wanted.

Then, I tried a fat-free brownie that used sweet potato instead of beans or bananas. It was OK. But, guess what, I can’t find the recipe. Ugh. I guess you’ll have to settle for some a photos.

I also made this  blondie, which was very interesting. Cooked quinoa. Crazy!

Sadly, I wasn’t super thrilled with either of these recipes either. The blondie was a different flavor I wasn’t fond of – not bad but not great. And, I ended up having to bake them for almost four times the length of time in the recipe. I don’t know what the difference in moisture could have been, but wowza! They were in the oven forever, and I could have left them in even longer. The regular brownies didn’t do it for me either. I probably didn’t leave them in the long enough (the oven had been on all day), and instead of being fudgy, they were gelatinous. I don’t do anything anything gelatinous. Luckily, after a night in the fridge, they firmed up a bit, and I ate them with the mindset of cold chocolate oatmeal.

Finally, I tried making a batch of raw brownies. Just about every vegan food blog, and maybe non-vegan blogs, have a recipe for raw brownies – and why not?! They’re delicious and super easy to make.

The recipes are all about the same: dates, cacao and some kind of mix-in. My recipe isn’t anything special in design, but it sure tastes good!

Raw Brownies

20 jumbo medjool dates (40 regular size) – soaked if hard

1/4-1/2 c raw cacao (or carob – to taste)

1/8 – 1/4 c almond meal or flour (I used dehydrated and processed almond pulp left-over from making almond milk.)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla powder

2 TBSP (heaping) raw cacao nibs – optional

1/4 c (scant) sliced almonds – optional

Add dates to food processor first. Process until dates have broken down. (You don’t need to process them into a paste, though.) Add cacao powder and almond meal and process again until mixture forms a ball. Add your mix-ins and combine by hand. Press mixture into a small container, silicone molds, or form into balls and store in the refrigerator or freezer. Allow to thaw a bit before eating  if freezing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cherry Date Balls

I accidentally ordered some dehydrated cherries last month, and I finally got around to using them.

Cherry Date Balls

1 c Dates

1/4 c (scant) Coconut

1/2 c (scant) slivered almonds (or whole, but slivered process better)

1/2 c freeze dried cherries (or other dried/freeze dried fruit of choice)

Add all ingredients to food processor and process until combined. Mixture will be crumbly but should hold together when pressed.  Scoop mixture by the TBSP (or cookie scooper – I used a size 50 scooper), pack tight, and roll into a ball. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. (If you freeze, thaw for a few minutes before eating; they become very, very firm.)

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Cinnamon Sugar Snack Bite

I originally created this recipe as a raw-ish snicker-doodle, but I didn’t quite achieve the flavor for which I was seeking. So, I thought maybe I could call these sugar cookies. But the flavor wasn’t quite right for those either. Undaunted, I kept eating, and, finally, it hit me…They taste just like a cinnamon sugar Pop Tart. Ah…a flavor from my past. A predominate flavor from my past. *sigh* And, thus, Cinnamon Sugar Snack Bites/A Raw-ish Ode to Cinnamon Sugar Pop Tarts (frosted, of course) were born.

Cinnamon Sugar Snack Bites

1 c almond pulp, dehydrated and processed into a fine meal

1/4 c brown rice syrup (or another thick and sticky liquid sweetener)

1/4 c coconut sugar (or other granulated sweetener)

1 TBSP vanilla

1/2 t (or more) cinnamon

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t cream of tarter

Combine everything in a bowl until well incorporated. Scoop into large tablespoons and roll into balls. Store in the refrigerator. Makes about 6 large balls.

Options: I have a ton of options for this one!

Almond pulp: I love that this recipe uses left-over almond meal. I had bags and bags of almond meal in the freezer and was desperate for a way to use it. I thawed it, dehydrated it, and whirled it in the food processor into a fine powder. (You could also do this in a coffee or spice grinder or the dry contain of a blender.) Side note: We tried running the almond meal through the grain mill attachment on the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, even though it says not to, and it got all clogged up. Twice. Sigh. Guess we won’t be doing that again. Boo.

If you don’t have almond pulp, regular almond meal or almond flour will work. If you can’t have/don’t want to use almonds, you can make any nut or seed meal of your choice by grinding some frozen nuts/seeds of your choice in a food processor or coffee/spice grinder.

Brown Rice Syrup: BRS is not grain free, nor is it raw, and it may contain arsenic, so it might not be your sticky sweetener of choice. You need a really thick and sticky sweetener, so whatever works for you is fine: coconut nectar (bonus – it’s raw!) or raw honey (if that’s how your roll) are probably both good choices. A thinner liquid sweetener might work, too: maple syrup, agave, etc.

If you don’t want/can’t use nutritive sweetener, dates are probably your best best. Make a thick date paste by blending soaked dates with little or no water.

Coconut Sugar: Any granulated sugar will work here: raw/turbinado sugar, sucanat, regular granulated (vegan) sugar, brown (vegan) sugar, etc. If you don’t want to/can’t use nutritive sweetener, a little powdered stevia will add a nice touch of extra sweetness to the mix, as will xylitol or erythritol.

Cinnamon: I recently started using ceylon cinnamon, and it’s much stronger than “regular” cinnamon. At least to me.

Vanilla: I recently purchased some vanilla powder, but I didn’t use it in this recipe. If you are using vanilla powder, use sparingly. Vanilla is a background flavor and shouldn’t be noticeable.

Baking Soda/Cream of Tarter: These ingredients might seem a little weird in the recipe, but they really add to the overall flavor. The baking soda gives a nice saltiness and zing to the snack bites, and the cream of tarter provides that little, “Hum…What is that?”

If you want to keep this recipe raw, you can probably substitute salt for the baking soda and a tiny bit of lemon juice for the cream of tarter. (I’m going to try that combo next!)

Balls vs Cookies/No-Bake vs Bake vs Dehydrate: I’m sure these snack bites could easily be flattened into cookies and either baked (at 325 for a few minutes) or dehydrated (until firm on the outside), or the entire batch could be squished into a small, square dish and cut into squares (or pressed into molds or free-formed into bars or….)

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Top 7 Posts of 2012

Ok. It’s January 13, and I have yet to post anything this year. That’s bad. Bad, bad, bad! I’ve been a bad blogger, and for that I apologize. Sincerely.

One of my goals for 2013 is to blog more often. I’m off to a very good start. Bad blogger!

I could list all of the reasons I haven’t been blogging, but all you have to do is go back a few months and you’ll see all of the reasons. Sometimes my real life gets in the way of blog life. And sometimes they cross paths. Right now, they are on separate paths, and my real life is winning. I’m teaching 10 classes this semester between two schools, both of which are about an hour away from home. (But only about 30 minutes away from each other, which is nice.) And, since school just started last week, I haven’t gotten used to my new schedule yet. But, as soon as I do, I’ll have some time to create new recipes and share all of my veggie adventures with you

To get the ball rolling on 2013, though, let’s take a look at 2012 one more time. Here are the top posts from 2012…

#1: Cookie Dough Balls: This was by far the most viewed post last year, and rightfully so! These are delicious! I still make them often, switching up the ingredients.

#2: Butter Pecan Balls: Again, super delicious! I just made a batch of these over the holidays, and they were gobbled right up. So good! And so easy

#3: Super Simple Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls: These dessert balls really are super simple. The simplest! Just throw some PNB, cacao (or coco) powered and your favorite sweetener in a bowel, vanilla if you want, mix to combine, and roll into a ball. You can make a batch of these in a few minutes and be on your way to dessert heaven. They also freeze well, but there probably won’t be any left to freeze

#4 Raw Zucchini Bread: This was one of my first attempts at raw bread, and one of my early uses of the dehydrator. Great way to use up all of that summer zucchini!

#5 Brownie Dough Bites (plus Cake Batter Balls): Who doesn’t love brownies? And, who doesn’t love easy to eat and travel with brownies? And cake batter, well, ’nuff said.

#6 Peanut Butter Banana Muffins: I ate some many of these last fall that I should be sick of them. But I’m not. I haven’t made any in a while, but I’m pretty sure there will be peanut butter banana muffins in the oven this week. Oh yah!

#7 Grain Free Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies: I just made these two days ago. I was craving cookies and had all of the ingredients in the house. Too good to pass up! And too good not to eat up

Raw Pumpkin Cheesecake

I’ve been wanting to make a raw pumpkin cheesecake forever. Well, for the last couple of years, anyway So, I finally did it.

Raw Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust

1/2 c almonds, soaked

8 jumbo dates (or about 10 regular size)

Filling

1/2 c cashews, soaked

2/3 – 3/4 c pumpkin puree (puree raw pumpkin to keep it raw or use cooked puree if you don’t care)

1 TBSP maple syrup (or another liquid sweetener to keep it raw)

1 TBSP chia seeds (grind into meal first if you don’t like the mouth feel of chia seeds)

1 tsp vanilla

First, make the crust by processing the almonds and the dates together until they begin to form a giant, sticky ball. If your food processor isn’t very powerful or is on the small end, process the almonds first, or use almond meal. Press the mixture into a glass container.

Next, make the filling by combing all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Alternately, make cashew cream by blending the soaked, rinsed cashews, liquid sweetener, and vanilla until smooth then fold in the pumpkin and chia seeds. Add the cheese cake mixture to the top of the almond crust and refrigerate until firm.

Note: Don’t store this in the freezer unless you aren’t going to eat it for a while (as in days or maybe a week or more) because the water content of the pumpkin makes it rock hard in the freezer. The fridge will keep your cheese cake nice and fresh – but it won’t last long enough to worry about

If you have extra pumpkin left, you can use it to make pumpkin pudding by just making the filling and eating it without letting it firm up in the fridge, or you can try making pumpkin parfait by alternately laying the crust mix with the filling mix. Then there’s pumpkin lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin balls, pumpkin bites, pumpkin custard, pumpkin smoothies…I could go pumpkin crazy!

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