Pastelitos de Guayaba

When I was in Jacksonville this past weekend with Marc we ended up buying a guava tree, even though he never had guava before. This inspired me to recreate the guava and cheese pastries of my past. My love for guava stems back to my childhood when my dad would bring home guava stuffed churros from Miami on his way back from work. My brother and I would fight over them like a bunch of rabid animals. And for my birthdays I would ask for a tray of guava and cheese pastries instead of the traditional birthday cake. Guava just tastes like my childhood, you know?

The guava tree we planted

1 package puff pastry, most brands are surprisingly vegan!
1 package guava paste, found in the Latin specialty foods aisle of the supermarket
1 container vegan cream cheese, yes- they now sell this stuff at most Publix Supermarkets!*
Almond milk, or any other preferred plant-based milk
Flour
Sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

On a lightly floured surface lay out the puff pastry sheets, let them thaw out until they're soft, it may take 15 minutes if they came straight from the freezer. Cut each sheet into quarters, so you'll have eight squares as there are two pastry sheets.

You want to add about a heaping tablespoon of each the guava paste and cream cheese to the corner of each square of pastry dough. It's sort of hard to measure since it's difficult to mold as it is very sticky, but just eyeball it. The first time around (as pictured below) I didn't use enough guava or cream cheese. The second time around I cut about 1.5 inch long by .5 inch wide rectangles of guava and used a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese, which turned out perfect.

Moisten the edges of the dough with almond milk before folding into triange and crimping with a fork. Brush the tops of the pastries with almond milk and sprinkle with some sugar.

Place pastries on a greased baking sheet and back for 27-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Allow to cool slightly before eating as the inside filling will be molten-lava hot.

*If you want to skip the vegan cream cheese just double up on the guava, I've made them with and without the cream cheese and they're both great.

Quick Stuffed Mushrooms

You won't come across an easier stuffed mushroom. You can practically whip these up in your sleep. This is what drew me to the in the first place. I had 25 minutes before I had to run to the gym and was able to get these guys made and just popped them in the oven when I got home. Yeah- my kind of recipe!

2 boxes 1-inch mushrooms with stems, about a pound
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper
4 tablespoons plant-based butter
1 cup white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup panko or regular breadcrumbs (I only had GF on hand and it worked perfectly)
1 bunch (3 ounces) chives, minced

Preheat oven to 350° F. Carefully remove the stems and place them in a bowl, as you will be using them later. Using a damp clean kitchen towel rub the tops of the mushroom caps to remove that thin layer of skin and/or any dirt. Then toss the caps in the olive oil, and a few grinds of salt and pepper. Spray a glass dish with non-stick spray and bake (tops up) for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Place the hot mushroom caps onto a plate to cool and set aside- do not throw away the mushroom liquid that was released during the baking process, we will be using this!

Rinse your stems to remove any dirt, then roughly chop. Add the plant-based butter to a pan over medium heat and melt, then add in the onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes, or until they start to turn slightly brown. Add the chopped mushroom stems into the the pan with the onion-garlic mixture, saute for another 5 minutes. Next add in the white wine and saute until the wine is almost cooked. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl, stir in the breadcrumbs, chives, and reserved mushroom liquid.

Stuff mushrooms, then bake for 8-10 minutes, until warmed through and the tops start to turn golden brown.

*I had a lot of extra stuffing leftover, you can always freeze the stuffing and thaw it for future stuffed mushrooms. Or just bake it and eat it like a holiday stuffing.

Recipe from Sublime Restaurant Cookbook

The Best Kale Salad

I saw this recipe on my twitter feed and knew I had to make it. I'm always looking for a new way to use kale. It was freaking awesome. Although my Thanksgiving menu was supposed to be set in stone, I went out to Whole Foods tonight to get the ingredients to add this to the list. Unfortunately my picture didn't come out, but you can view a great picture from the original recipe here.

2 bunches lacinato/dinosaur kale, finely chopped or torn into baby bite-sized pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
4 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Pecan-Parm Crumble:
1 cup pecan halves, toasted
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Spin the kale dry and set aside at room temperature while you make the dressing. Mince the garlic into tiny pieces, add it to a bowl along with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour the dressing and cranberries over the kale and toss well. Set in fridge for 30-60 minutes to soften.

Meanwhile, make the Pecan-Parm crumble. Roast the pecans at 350°F for 8 minutes. Add them to a food processor along with the nutritional yeast and olive oil and pulse until crumbly. Once the salad is done setting sprinkle the Pecan-Parm over top and serve.


 Recipe from Oh She Glows.

Roasted Sweet Potato Mash

There is such a difference in flavor when you roast a sweet potato whole vs. cutting it up and roasting it. I can't explain it, both are great, but they're so different. For this mash I roasted the sweet potato in cubes, which both lends to a different flavor and saves cooking time. It's a simple mash that isn't very sweet, like most other sweet potato mashes. Give it a go, I served this with some maple roasted Brussels sprouts, what a good combo!

2 medium sweet potatoes
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4+ cup coconut milk from carton, not can (found in the aisle with the almond milks)
1 tablespoon plant-based butter
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Peel your sweet potatoes, then cut them into 1 inch by 1/2 inch cubes. Spray a cookie sheet with some non-stick spray (I use a coconut oil non stick). Place your sweet potatoes cubes on the cookie sheet, sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and salt and then lightly mist with more non-stick spray. Bake in the oven until they are soft enough to be flattened by a fork, about 20-30 minutes.

Transfer sweet potatoes to a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Process until completely smooth. You may need a little more coconut milk to get your desired consistency. Serve warm. You can even add a pinch of cinnamon over top before serving if you're feeling really festive!

Zesty Roasted Asparagus

Once again this brilliant recipe comes from my friend Anna. Seriously girl, can't you open up your own restaurant already?? This dish will definitely be a side at our vegan thanksgiving this year! Oh, and Anna, even though I know you'll be spending the holiday in KY with your family, just know my family has extended the offer. Clearly the way into our hearts is with food!

1 bundle asparagus, trimmed and washed

Olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder, plus extra for later

Salt

Lemon, cut in half

2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Preheat your oven to 425°F. 

Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (I use a coconut oil non-stick). In a bowl drizzle some olive oil (a few teaspoons) over the asparagus, then sprinkle the garlic powder and salt to taste, and the juice from half a lemon, toss to incorporate. Lay your seasoned asparagus out on the prepared baking dish and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. If you're using pencil-thin asparagus adjust your cooking time to 8-10 minutes. 

Once the asparagus are out of the oven allow to cool slightly, then sprinkle the nutritional yeast over top, along with another pinch of garlic powder, extra lemon juice, and salt to taste. Give the asparagus a good toss so the seasoning is well distributed, arrange on a dish and serve.