Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Coconut Almond Butter Granola

So those of you who know me know that I don't suck at many things (right?...) but making granola is something that I have proven time and time again to royally suck at....until I came up with this super easy scrumptious recipe.  It came to me one day as I was feinding like a crackhead for sugar after a hearty healthy lunch.  So I decided to use up the apples I had leftover from my juice fast in a healthy apple cobbler thingy.... and guess what I also suck at making apple cobbler thingies (but don't get it confused foolios I can make some bomb cobblers).

The topping I came up with was to die for, it was like the best most delicious granola I have ever tasted in my life and as most vegans, I worship granola.  It was sweet but not too sweet, hearty but not too hearty, and chunky but not too chunky and overall just perfect.  And in this process I decided that I do not suck at making granola, the recipes I used for making granola sucked and were overly difficult and loaded with too much unnecessary hippy shit (I love hippy shit but not unnecessary hippy shit).  So I gave it a go and viola the perfect easiest granola ever...

Coconut Almond Butter Granola


3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cups coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond butter
1 cup agave or maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts


1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl add the oats, coconut, salt and mix.  In a separate bowl add almond butter, agave, coconut, melted coconut oil and vanilla and mix until well blended.  Add the almond butter mixture to the oats and mix thoroughly.

2.  Spread mixture on a large cookie sheet and spread so it is about 1/2 inch thick and place in oven for 30-40 minutes.  Take out of oven half way through and give the granola a mix, if you like chunky give it a light mix if you don't like it chunky mix it good and it will fall apart.  Once crunchy and browned on the edges it is good to go, pull it out of the oven add the walnuts and your done!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Potato Filled with Broccoli and Cashew Velveeta

Damn it!  I need a real camera, this blackberry bullshit is just not cutting it...hint hint ;) anyone gots a camera laying around collecting dust they could lend me? 

Anyways... when your in a funk whats better to eat than broccoli and cheese?  I usually make my cheese sauce with nutritional yeast, earth balance, soy milk and flour but because I am TRYING not to eat wheat and soy... notice I emphasize TRYING.  Not eating wheat and soy on a vegan diet is effin hard!  But overall I have been eating a hell of a lot better so this might be something I try to stick with... we will see.  Both cheese sauces are REALLY good but I think the cashew one is a little easier.  They can also be very versatile, last night when I came home and had a mad case of the munchies I made some quesadillas with the leftover cashew Velveeta and though they were sloppy they were also delish. 

So at this point I am feeling pretty cocky about my ability to veganize (yes that is a word) pretty much anything, so give me some ideas, what is your favorite dish you would like to see veganized?  I want to get some crazy delicious dishes on my blog and then start promoting it a little more.  Let's see what kind of crazy ideas you gots!

Baked Potato Filled with Broccoli and Cashew Velveeta

2 large potatoes baked
1 head of broccoli chopped and steamed
1 cup of cashews
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
juice of 1 lemon
water
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Place cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and lemon in a blender and fill with water until the cashews are just covered and blend until a creamy cheese sauce is formed.  Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.  Open potato and salt generously, add a tablespoon or two of cheese straight to the potato then top with broccoli and add a couple more tablespoons of cheese.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Greens, Beans and Tempeh Bacon

OMG! What a peice of shit week I have had, hence the lack of postings and cooking in general and when this beezie is not cooking and eating she is not happy:(  Up until yesterday I have pretty much only been eating a shit ton of bananas because I have been so effing lazy and stressed.  I wont get into details here but let's just say within the matter of a week I have unexpectedly  relocated residencies and my relationship of five years is on the rocks. But what better way to cure a broken heart then some hearty greens with tempeh bacon, fucking yum:)  As you can see in my other posts I am not a strainger to comfort food, especially the kind of comfort food where the more you eat the better you feel because it is just that healthy. 

I came up with this dish one day when I made some boring ass sauted kale and topped it with a veggie burger and tempeh bacon.  Let me just say the veggie burger was not very complimentary (blehk) but the tempeh bacon and greens...fucking genious.  This recipe is perfect on it's own or you can serve with a side of quinou or some kind of healthy grain.  I easily ate half of this whole recipe last night which means a whole head of kale to the dome!  Now thats some pretty healthy shiznit... So here is the recipe so you can over dose on kale just like me...

Greens, Beans and Tempeh Bacon

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
6 peices of tempeh bacon or other vegan bacon cut into 1/4 inch peices
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 bunches of kale cut into small peices
1 can of cannelli beans
1 cup of veggie broth
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat and add onion and bacon, cook for 3-4 minutes until bacon is browned.  Add the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant, just for a minute or so then add the rest of the ingredients and braise the kale until desired consistency.  I like my greens a little crunchy but it is up to you.

Damn that is one easy ass recipe... so go make it now!!!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Bomb Diggity Raw Chocolate Shake



This shit is no joke.  If you have a sweet tooth like this beezie than this little doozy is for you.  It is the perfect drink to put two striped bendy straws in and share with a loved one:)  Ooohhh just the thought of it gives me warm fuzzies inside.


The Bomb Diggity Raw Chocolate Shake

2 peeled frozen bananas
3-4 dates depending on how sweet you like things
1 tablespoon raw chocolate powder
water

1.  Put all the ingredients in a blender and add water until the shake reaches a desired consistency.  Let blend for a minute so the dates get mixed in real good.  Then pour into your favorite glass, pop in your bendy straw and there you have it, heaven on earth.

Raw Cashew Alfredo over Zucchini Pasta

This is a fricken awesome raw dish!  Before I made this I  would see recipes using zucchini as pasta and think to myself "those raw foodies are redick, sometimes they take it one step too far...zucchini pasta? fo real?!" but guess what? This ish talking skeptic ate the shit out of those healthy little zucchini "noodles" and loved every bite.  Just slather them in some cashew cheese and your goods to go.  Of course I used my raw cheese recipe that I am calling alfredo once poured over the the "pasta".  The trick is to get the zucchini nice and thin so there is a good sauce to veggie ration, I used my veggie peeler to create the pasta out of the zucchini, but you fancy pants mofos can use a mandolin.  This is another must try dish!  I have also been experimenting with kelp noodles which is just what it sounds like, kelp from the sea that look like noodles.  They have been a little crunchy for my liking even after letting them set in water for 30 minutes or so, I think i will just stick with the zucchini for now.

I can't wait till this cleanse is over!  I am so sick of raw foods.  I commend all those raw food nuts that stick to this diet day in and day out, I just need my ass some pinto beans from time to time, ya know?  Anyways, starting with my 3 day juice fast today and I am already cranky and hungry;(  And this beezie does not like to be hungry.  Check out my vlog if you are interested in how my cleanse has been going


Cashew Cheese Alfredo

1 cup raw cashews
water
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Place cashews in a blender and pour water over cashews until they are just barely submerged.  Then add the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend until a smooth cream is formed.  Pour over everything you eat and voila it is instantly easy to be a vegan, now is that so hard?

Zucchini Pasta

4 zucchinis cut into very thin pasta like shape with either a veggie peeler or mandolin
optional veggie additions; bell pepper, spinach, mushrooms, sun dried tomato, asparagus, broccoli or whatever your heart desires
1 recipe of cashew alfredo

1.  You can throw this dish together however you wish because it is so easy but to make the masterpiece pictured above layer spinach, then zucchini, then bell pepper (i used two colors of bell pepper to be extra fancy), then alfredo and top with raw Parmesan (recipe below).  Seriously bomb!

Ghetto Raw Parmesan Cheese

1 handful of raw walnuts finely chopped or ground down in the food processor (i hate dishes so I just chopped them)
1/2 nutritional yeast
a pinch or two of salt

1. Mix all ingredients, done.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Raw Taco Salad

So I came home from yoga with my BF ravenous and in full bitch mode (sorry Lover).  It was the end of day 3 on my cleanse and I was effin starved to put it lightly.  I had planned on making raw tacos but threw everything into a salad so I could stuff my face faster.  My Lover had actually made real tacos for himself and it was painful to even walk past the pan of crusty cold refried black beans.  My love for beans is one of the few qualities that links me to my Mexican heritage.  Supposedly according to my Daddy (yeah I am almost thirty and I still call him Daddy, so what!) he grew up on bean sandwiches which consisted of pinto beans and mayonnaise on white bread.  Maybe it is the Mexican in me but that shit sounds delicious, maybe I will veganize it and post the recipe on my blog after this stupid awesome cleanse is over.

Anyways, the taco salad came out bomb and it took like 5 minutes to put together with my snazzy new food processor that my Lover Santa bought for me.  Quick story about how much of a brat I can be, so I decided to boycott Christmas shopping this year and told my family and friends not to buy me anything in support of my boycott which was all fine and dandy until Christmas eve hits and the realization sets in that there are no presents under my $2 paper Christmas tree I got at Goodwill and I started to cry.  Yes, I cried about it to my oh so patient and supportive Lover and he promised that "Santa" was coming late this year and assured me that I was a good girl and deserved all the useless crap in the world.  And this is how my bratty ass got my awesome new Cuisinart food processor (you can't see me but I am dancing like a 5 year old in celebration of my new toy).  OK, here is the taco salad recipe finally...

Raw Taco Salad

Taco "Meat"
2 tomatoes cut into quarters
1/2 package of taco seasoning (I used trader joes)
1 1/2 cups raw almonds
1-2 zucchinis cut into quarters (added the zucchini to boost the vegetable content but they are not needed)
1 cup mushrooms

Salad:
mixed greens
salsa fresca
tomato
onion
cilantro
avocado
olives (yeah I know there not raw but my Lover opened a can for his tacos and I could not resist)
whatever else your heart desires... maybe some shredded carrots, beets, kale, guacamole, pepitos, raw corn, cashew cheese ....

1.  To make the taco "meat" mix tomatoes and taco seasoning in a food processor until a sauce is formed.  Then add almonds to sauce and blend until a ground beef consistency is formed (I know totally gross but I don't know how else to explain it).  Add in the zucchini if using and mushrooms and blend until desired consistency.

2.  To plate add a couple of handfuls of lettuce to a plate or large bowl and top with salad toppings and taco "meat".

Note:  You can easily make raw tacos out of the this recipe by wrapping the taco "meat" with lettuce or other greens and adding the traditional taco accompaniments.

And for dessert I had chocolate dipped bananas which as you can see from my picture needs work but it still tasted delish. I will get back to you guys with recipe once it is perfected.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Raw Teriyaki Cashew Stir-Fry


It is the first day of my raw food cleanse and so far so good but not drinking on New Years... now that effing sucked.  You can hear more about it in my video blog that will be posted this evening. Started the day with a banana with almond butter, then had a basket of strawberries as a snack and then for lunch  I made the delightful stir-fry pictured above.  This is a top of the line raw recipe that anyone can appreciate.  It is super easy and I am considering never cooking my stir-fry's again... but I will not be giving up my brown rice!  You can use whatever vegetables you like for this recipe but I highly recommend using a lot of mushrooms, they really soak of the sauce and add a nice meaty texture.

I am on the hunt for some good raw food recipes so if you have any please share:)

Raw Teriyaki Cashew Stir-Fry

Teriyaki Sauce:
3 tablespoons nama shoyu ( I used Braggs)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic
1 inch of ginger peeled
2-3 dates depending on how sweet you like your sauce
1/4 cup water

Stir-Fry
1 1/2 sliced mushrooms
1 cup bell pepper cut into thin 1 inch pieces (I used red and orange but any color will work)
2 cups of chopped bok choy
2 cups of broccoli cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 carrots sliced thinly
3/4 cups raw cashews
other veggie possibilities: asparagus, snow peas, green onion, onion, zuchinni, cabbage or whatever you want....

1.  To make sauce add all ingredients into a blender and blend until a creamy sauce is formed.

2.  Place all chopped vegetables in a bowl and top with the teriyaki sauce and let marinade at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour and it is ready to eat.  The longer the sauce sits with the vegetables the better it will taste, I would recommend letting it marinate for 2-3 hours at room temperature to really let the vegetables soak up the flavor.