Watermelon Delight

For those of you who subscribe via email: come over and check out the site! It's received a bit of a makeover and it now features a fundraiser for one of my classmates. After you do that, please do yourself a favor and make this drink as it is beyond heavenly! Helllooo, summer- this drink just made you bearable!

2 cups watermelon, cubed
1/4 lemon
6 large basil leaves, or 10 small ones
Ice cubes

Juice the watermelon, lemon, and basil leaves. If you don't have a juicer just use a high power blender until it's completely liquidized, then strain it using a mesh strainer. (If you're using the blender make sure to remove the lemon peel before blending.) Serve over ice.

This makes just a single serving, next time I will use an entire watermelon and make a pitcher's worth to share.

Creamy Garlic Soup

I took note over dinner as my brother used his bread to scrape up the last remaining drops of his second serving of soup. This must be good, he never likes soup. Then while he was cleaning the dishes something unusual happened, he didn't complain! And as he was loading the dishwasher he casually says "You should make this once a week", and he's completely serious. The non-soup eater wants to eat soup once a week!? That's the moment I knew this soup was damn good.  The coolest part about this soup is it's a natural antibiotic that will be sure to knock out any bad guys brewing inside you. And I promise for a soup with garlic in the name and how many cloves?! in it the garlic taste is strangely subtle.

26 unpeeled garlic cloves (roughly 2 1/2 heads)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons plant-based butter
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
2-3 tablespoons ginger (I use the ginger that comes in the squeeze tube in the refrigerated herb section, it's not as fibrous and less time consuming then grating 3 tbsps of fresh)
1 large onion, sliced (roughly 2 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
26 peeled garlic cloves (roughly 2 1/2 heads)
4 cups organic vegtable broth
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
4 large pieces of preferred bread (I used both pumpernickel and ciabatta bread)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a small glass dish add the 26 pieces of unpeeled garlic cloves drizzled with the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, bake covered in the oven for 45 minutes. You can use tin foil if you don't have a glass or clay lid to cover your small dish. Once done, place the baking dish in the freezer for 10 minutes to cool. Once cooled squeeze out the garlic using your fingers and place the roasted garlic in a small bowl and set aside.

In a stock pot over medium high heat melt the butter and saute the onions, cayenne powder, ginger, and thyme for 6 minutes, or until onions are transparent. Add in the roasted garlic cloves and the raw garlic cloves and saute for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, cover and simmer until the raw garlic is soft, about 20 minutes.

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over your bread and bake it in the toaster on the broil setting until it's crispy.

In batches blend the soup, then return to the stock pot and stir in the almond milk. Ladle the soup into four bowls, squeezing one wedge of lemon into each bowl; serve with a piece of the hot crispy bread.

Makes 4 servings, recipe slightly adapted from Anna Bailey

TuNo Salad

TuNo (get it? Like tuna!). Clearly my sense of humor is getting worse. Anyways, every once in a while I really crave a good tuna salad sandwich. I've tried a few recipes, none really satisfied my cravings. I ended up coming up with this recipe through lots of trial and error. It is truly delicious and it's the spot. I either make a sandwich out of it with a thick slice of tomato, some onion and a piece of crunchy lettuce, put a scoop over a salad, or I just eat it straight from the container ((oops, bad manners?)) with some pita chips.

1 can BPA free Chickpeas
1 scant tablespoon dijon mustard
3+ heaping tablespoons vegan mayo (start with 3 and add more if necessary)
3/4 tablespoon finely ground kelp powder (you can get this at any health food store or online, be careful it's not granules, the flavor in my experience isn't as concentrated as it is in powdered form)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 small celery rib, diced finely
1 teaspoon capers (optional)

In a food processor add the chickpeas (once drained and rinsed), the mustard, the mayo, and the kelp powder- pulse until almost smooth, you want it to still have a few chunks in it so it has a similar consistency to real Tuna salad. Mix in the salt and celery and optional capers.

Pineapple-Cucumber Cooler

A little liquid perfection on a hot summer day!

2 large cucumbers (leave the skin on, just wash it really well to remove any wax)
1/2 large pineapple
1/4 cup mint

Using a juicer (I have an Omega masticating juicer and I adore it) juice the cucumbers, pineapple, and mint- strain if necessary. You can drink it straight up or serve it chilled over ice. If you want to get fancy add 2 parts of juice to 1 part chilled sparkling water.

Makes 20 ounces of juice (more or less depending on the type of juicer you own)

Pesto and Sun-dried Tomato 'Goat Cheese'

This cheese spread is ridiculously easy and will definitely impress! I made this for my visit with the grandparents up in Boca and they loved it so much that they literally devoured it in one sitting. It's a nice little appetizer to bring over to someone's house, a sure crowd pleaser.

For cheese:
1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked for 2 hours) or raw macadamia nuts (soaked for 4 hours)
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup water
1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon refined coconut oil
1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar

For the Pesto you can use whatever recipe you like. I threw together a Spinach Pesto which turned out really great:
1 cup spinach
1/3 cup basil (I used Thai basil since mine grows like a weed)
1 tablespoon raw walnuts
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/3 cup olive oil (more or less, slowly drizzle it in and adjust)
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced into tiny pieces
1-2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 small bowl + saran wrap

Line your small bowl with saran wrap, set aside. In a food processor add all the cheese ingredients. Once the mixture is completely smooth pour half of it into the prepared bowl. Set aside the remaining cheese in a separate dish since we will need the food processor again.

Process the pesto ingredients (except the sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts) in the food processor. Once everything is blended and pesto-like remove from the food processor. Layer 4(ish) tablespoons of pesto into the prepared bowl over the cheese, use a spatula to spread it even. (Freeze remaining pesto for later use, I normally toss some grape tomatoes in leftover pesto and serve it as a side dish). Top it off with the sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Pour the remaining cheese over the pesto and sun-dried tomato layer. Place in the fridge overnight, or a minimum of 6 hours to set.

Before serving lift the cheese dome out of the bowl by picking up the edges of the saran wrap, invert it on a serving plate and remove the wrap. Drizzle with some olive oil and top with herbs and pine nuts. With this you'll look like a true professional! 

Serve with a side of pita chips, rice crackers, or dipping veggies.

Recipe adapted from Fork and Beans

Baked Jalapeño Poppers (on the Skinny)

I like things hot, really hot- so hot in fact that I actually developed a heat syndrome, whether that's deficient heat or not (hint: it is) is a whole other story (a little TCM humor for those that get it!). Moving on with the point here- these were too hot, even for me! And because this recipe was kick ass (literally, the heat will knock you down if you're not prepared) I will have to replace the Jalapeno peppers with Poblano peppers next time I make this, and I suggest you learn from my mistake and make the switch the first time around.

10 jalapeño peppers (REMEMBER what I said about the switch! I would say 5ish Poblano peppers, it depends on how big they are)
2 tablespoons raw macadamia nuts, soaked for 30 minutes
2 tablespoons raw cashews, soaked 30 minutes
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon basil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 cup + extra Daiya Cheddar shreads
1 teaspoon dried ground cumin

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash the peppers, cut them lengthwise, and remove seeds. If you're ignoring my suggestion and using jalapenos, then please wear gloves while preparing these. I didn't, and I am currently typing this with a chemical burn! ((too dramatic??)) on my ring finger and middle finger of my left hand, the two fingers of course that were involved in the seed removal. Place halves cut side up on a baking sheet sprayed with some non stick cooking spray. In a food processor add the nuts, lemon juice, salt, 3 tablespoons of the basil and the nutritional yeast- blend until completely smooth. Using a spoon fill the halves with the mixture. Rinse the food processor and return it back to it's base, process the remaining basil, sunflower seeds, hot sauce, 1/4 cup of the Daiya, and the ground cumin- don't get carried away with the food processor here, you want this mixture to have a nice crunch. Spoon a layer of this mixture over the pepper halves, then sprinkle each stuffed pepper half with some remaining Daiya cheese. Pop these bad boys in the oven for 20 minutes, remove and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Jacqueline Fisch

Summer Squash and Bok Choy Soup

Oh Tuesday. You see, I don't love cooking on Tuesdays because it's the day before our weekly co-op delivery, which means the only produce left in the fridge are the things I didn't want to cook throughout the week. What was left over for the Tuesday Kitchen Throwdown this week? 3 sad summer squash and 3 baby bok choy. Somehow though, I ended up making the most dreamy soup, which was so incredibly delicious it was declared at dinner a 'prize winning soup'! Whoop Whoop. Jules 1, Terribly Tuesday 0!

2 yellow squash (mine were on the smaller size), cut into thin rounds
1 medium zucchini, cut into thin rounds
3 baby bok choy
1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 cups vegetable broth (I used 3 cups water and 3 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon- I used the veggie base, but the no chicken and no beef come highly recommended from a friend, it's on my list to buy!)
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves (I used mainly Thai basil since I had an abundance of it in the garden)
3 tablespoons raw cashews
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (found at any health food store, including bulk bins at Whole Foods)
Olive oil
Juice of half a lime
Red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare the bok choy. If you're not fimilar with this yummy veggie than you probably wouldn't realize how sandy they are. Make sure you take off each leaf and really give them a good wash. Once all bok choy is well washed cut the hearts and ribs (the white parts) into two inch pieces and place them in a bowl. Set the leafy green tops aside for now, you'll be coming back to these later.

In a large stock pot over medium heat add two tablespoons of olive oil, once hot add the diced onions and saute until slightly browned. Add in the crushed garlic and saute another minute. Add in the squash, zucchini, and bok choy ribs and hearts to the stock pot, sauteing for about five minutes. Add in the broth, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and pop a lid on the stock pot. Cook until the squash is soft and the bok choy hearts are tender, roughly 15-20 minutes. Take off the heat and add the raw cashews, basil leaves, and nutritional yeast, then carefully transfer the soup mixture into a blender in batches, blend until the consistency is smooth. Repeat until all soup is blended. Return to stock pot and put back on the stove on low heat so it remains warm while you finish up with the bok choy greens.

Chiffonade the bok choy greens. In a small saute pan over medium heat add a tablespoon of olive oil, once hot throw in the greens, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and a pinch of red pepper flakes- saute them down until all the water is out and they start sticking to the pan a bit. Add the juice of half a lime and remove from heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a nice spoonful of the greens, a drizzle of good quality olive oil (I got hooked on Braggs- thanks Anna!), and serve immediately.

Recipe inspired by Fat Free Vegan, serves 6

THE BEST CRACKER IN THE WORLD!

Okay, that title may have been a little obnoxious with the caps and all but I'm just SO EXCITED to share these with you!!! Earlier today I begged my brother for a favor to no avail. Finally I whipped out the big guns: 'in exchange for this favor... I will make you homemade mock Cheez-Its!' and just like that the deal was on! 

 

Shortly after the batch came out of the oven I regretted the deal with my brother. Instead of me selfishly enjoying every single delicious cracker to myself I had to hand over half the batch (with a forced smile). This doesn't seem like a big deal now but you will understand the second you taste one of these bad boys.

And here I am, curled up in a little ball on the couch, enjoying my last Cheez-It. Oh, I'm having withdrawals already.

3/4 cup flour (AP or AP gluten free)
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
1 cup Daiya Cheddar cheese (delicious soy-free vegan cheese made from pea protein)
3 tablespoons vegan butter, softened (I used my butter!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ice water

Preheat oven to 375° F. In an electric stand mixer beat together the butter and cheese until blended. In a bowl mix together the flour, gum, and salt, then add half of the flour mixture into the cheese mixture- once it is fully incorporated add the remaining flour mixture. Add in the water and with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the mixture, mix until everything is incorporated. Since the weather down south is so humid I ended up using closer to 1 1/4 cups of flour after adding the water- I probably could have omitted the water and used less flour. You want the mixture to be workable so you can knead it a few times until you can form a ball. Divide the dough ball in half and place one half in the refrigerator, the other half you want to roll out on parchment paper to roughly 1/4 inch thick (or less). Using a pizza/pastry cutter (or in my case, a non-serrated knife) cut little squares. Carefully transfer them one at a time to a parchment paper lined baking sheet using a metal spatula, this is time consuming and requires patience since the squares are so delicate. Using a toothpick poke a hole in the center of each square. Sprinkle the crackers with some coarse salt and pop them in the oven for 13-17 minutes. While the soon to be crackers are cooking repeat the process with the remaining dough from the fridge. Storage won't even be a problem because I have no doubt in my mind these will be gone the second they come out of the oven.


Recipe from the lovely Fork and Beans. Oh, you better believe next time I make these it will be in mass quantities!