Summer Kale Salad with Tahini Ginger Dressing

This tahini ginger dressing takes literally 2 minutes to whip up. You just throw the stuff in the food processor and it practically makes itself. It's a great pocket recipe for nights when you don't feel like cooking and just want a simple meal.

Salad:
1 bunch of red kale
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin rounds
1 small cucumber, cut into thin rounds
Handful of baby bell peppers ( or 1 regular bell pepper), cut into bite sized pieces
2 avocados

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Braggs unfiltered apple cider vinegar
2 heaping tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and smashed with the back of your knife
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 small clove of garlic

Optional Garnish:
Fresh chives
Sesame seeds

Wash the kale and rip the leaves into bite sized pieces. In a large salad bowl add the kale pieces, pre-cut carrots, cucumber, and bell pepper- toss.

In a food processor add all the dressing ingredients, blend until completely smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add a little water until desired consistency.

While the dressing is in the food processor, slice the avocado.

Assemble: Add the salad into bowls, top the salad with avocado slices, drizzle the dressing overtop and garnish with fresh chives and sesame seeds before serving.

Recipe adapted from Fettle Vegan

Simmered Collard Greens

This past weekend my mom and I took a mini vacation to Orlando to spend some much appreciated quality time together. We mostly spent our trip lounging at the pool, soaking in as much sun as we could get between the reliable afternoon rain showers of Florida Summers. I took her to Ethos Vegan Kitchen, my all time favorite vegan restaurant in the entire continental United States, where I was inspired by yet another one of their dishes. I had the most yummy simmered collard greens that accompanied my main dish of BBQ 'Chikun' with mashed potatoes and gravy. Apparently what they're saying is true: Collards are the new Kale. I've made collards before, but I've never had them simmered so simply. I thought they were drool-worthy. So the day we got back I ran out to the store and bought a bundle of collards and simmered away.

1 bunch collard greens
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth*
Seasonings (optional)*

Remove the stems from the collards and rip the greens into smaller pieces.

In a pan over medium heat saute the garlic in the olive oil until fragrant. Add in the greens and vegetable broth and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours with a lid over top. Strain out any remaining liquid before serving. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

*The broth you use will determine the flavor profile of these collards. I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base which has great flavor.

*A lot of people enjoy adding red pepper flakes or hot sauce to their simmered collards, but I loved how I had them at Ethos, so flavorful and simple, so I did without.

Mexican Themed Dinner Party Part 3/3: Baja Tempeh Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Crema and Cabbage Slaw

This is the last post in the three part series of the Mexican themed dinner party recipes (part 2 and 3 being the Gazpacho and Esquites Corn Salad). These tempeh tacos are phenomenal. Out of this world, seriously. They can (and should) be made in advance so all you have to do is set up the taco bar and let people assemble the tacos themselves when it's time to eat. The cilantro-lime crema was liquid gold, I used the leftovers for days. And the cabbage slaw was fresh, crisp, and had a hint of spice. Trust me on this, vegan or not, your guests will love these.

Tempeh/Marinad 

I doubled this recipe to feed 8 people

8 oz package of organic tempeh

1 bottle beer, preferably an IPA

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tablespoons avocado or peanut oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

Cilantro-Lime Crema

I doubled this recipe and had a ton leftover, which was a blessing because I ended up putting this on everything and anything

1/4 cup plain unsweetened soy yogurt

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons avocado oil

1/3 cup cilantro, packed

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cabbage Slaw

4 cups of coleslaw mix, found in the lettuce section, containing shredded cabbage and carrots 

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pickled jalapenos, diced

Corn tortillas

Additional taco toppings, optional (I used fresh diced jalapenos, avocado, and thinly shaved radishes from the garden- get creative with this!)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the tempeh into three equal strips, the long way. Now cut those strips in half, the long way. This gives you six long, thin, strips. Once the water is boiling place the tempeh in the water, reduce to a low heat, and simmer for ten minutes.

While the tempeh is simmering combine all the marinade ingredients in a large shallow glass dish, like a casserole dish. If you doubled this recipe you will need to set up two large casserole dishes, as one will not be big enough to marinate all the tempeh. Gently place the tempeh into the marinade (it's okay if some of the tempeh breaks apart, this stuff is fragile). It's better if the tempeh sits all day, this way it really soaks up the marinade. If not, an hour will do. Make sure to flip the tempeh halfway through the marinating time so both sides equally absorb the marinade.

In a glass bowl, toss together the cabbage slaw ingredients. Lay a piece of saran wrap loosely over the cabbage mix and place a weighted item over top of that (like a can of beans or a jar of pasta sauce). Let it sit at room temperature for an hour, or let sit in the refrigerator all day. Once again, the longer it sits, the better the flavors.

In a blender add all the ingredients for the Cilantro-Lime Crema, blend until smooth. Taste and adjust for salt, or a little extra lime or cilantro. Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour to allow the flavors to combine. Once again, I made everything in the morning to simplify my life.

Rub a grill pan down with coconut oil, heat the grill pan over medium heat, then lay the marinated tempeh pieces onto the pan and allow them to cook 6 minutes a side, letting grill marks appear. If you don't have a grill pan you can use a regular pan and a bit more oil. Once all the tempeh is cooked, cut into smaller strips. If you're not eating the tacos right away, just stick the tempeh in the oven until heated through before serving.

When ready to eat, warm the corn tortillas and place them out along with the crema, cabbage slaw, and tempeh along with any other toppings you wish to include. Build your tacos and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The PPK

Avocado Pesto

Ok, if you're anything like me that title may put you off a bit. Avocados in pesto? Sounds strange. I only decided to make this because I had two very ripe avocados on the counter and no dinner plans. This pesto is AMAZEBALLS. Yeah, I went there. It's insane. I made it twice in a row, partly because I have an unhealthy love affair with pasta, but mainly because it was that damn good.

1 pound linguine pasta, GF if necessary, I love brown rice pasta so that's always a great option
1 large bunch of fresh basil, I probably used 1 1/2 to 2 cups lightly packed basil
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 avocados, pitted and scooped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup light olive oil (I think the virgin olive oil is too thick/strong for pesto, but whatever you like will work)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, optional

Cook the pasta according to instructions.

In a food processor add all ingredients except the sun-dried tomatoes, blend until creamy.

Toss warm pasta in pesto sauce, add in the sun-dried tomatoes, and mix until well incorporated. Serve warm.

Makes 4-6 portions

Recipe adapted from Chef Chloe

Baked Falafel Wraps

As most of you know the deal in my house goes like this: I can live at home rent free (as a budgeted graduate student this deal can not get any better) as long as I make dinner five nights a week. I really struck gold on this deal; my family keeps a vegan diet in the house (hooray for health!) and I'm able to expand my recipe index one dinner at a time. Well, I've been slacking hardcore lately. I missed two dinners last week, because some extremely important opportunities, or what not, came up. And by opportunities I mean, a cookout with my childhood best friend's family and a Girls season finale night- in which I needed to be away the whole night to both mentally prepare for this finale, and then stay up talking about it after with my girlfriends. I'm a busy gal, what can I say. Anyways, I got the guilt trip from my mom not long after my missed dinners: "I don't care so much about the dinners, but I miss spending time with you". Dagger to the heart. My Mama Bear misses me. So I buckled down and decided to make her a dinner she would love, and I'm pretty sure I succeeded- this dinner was spot on.

Falafel
1 15oz BPA-free can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro and parsley mix (or either or, depending on your taste)

1/4 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons chickpea flour

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 

Toppings:
*If you're gluten-free, use a GF wrap or omit the wrap and serve over a salad instead

Tortillas (I used habenero lime soft tortillas from Trader Joes, which were to die for)

Arugula, or other preferred lettuce

Tomato, sliced

Cilantro/Parsley for garnish, optional

Tahini sauce
2 heaping tablespoons tahini paste
2 tablespoons vegan mayo
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons Franks hot sauce, optional
1-2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons dried dill
Water, to thin, as needed

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine all falafel ingredients in a food processor until it forms a 'dough ball'. Using a small scoop, make small rounded balls, flatten slightly, and place on a prepared baking sheet that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

While your falafel are baking, make the tahini sauce. In the food processor combine all ingredients until smooth. Add a little water to thin it if necessary. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Place in fridge to allow flavors to marinate.

Heat the tortillas in the oven for a minute before assembling. Lay each tortilla on a plate, sprinkle with a bed of arugula, tomato slices, and two or three falafel patties. Drizzle with the tahini sauce garnish with the cilantro and parsley before serving.

Makes 10-12 mini falafel patties

*I recommend doubling the tahini sauce recipe since it was such a big hit with the falafel.

Recipe adapted from One Green Planet

Kale Burgers

I don't know about you, but I've had it up to my eyeballs with kale. I get it weekly in my organic food co-op box and frankly, eight months in, I'm sick of it. I've steamed it, sauteed it, served it raw, dehydrated it, juiced it, blended it, and baked it. I was officially going mental- yes, the kale was making me crazy. How much kale can one person eat? But then, by sheer miracle, I landed on a recipe that took kale and spun it in a completely different direction. Meet: The Kale Burger! And because I was so impressed with this oddity I am passing it along to you.

1 large bunch kale, well-washed and mostly dried
Hefty pinch of sea salt
1 tomato, chopped (try and get a Roma, they're less juicy)
1 tablespoon almond butter or tahini
2 garlic cloves, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup almond meal (or finely ground up blanched almonds if you're in a pinch)
1/4 cup all purpose of GF flour
Olive oil
1 tiny onion, sliced
1/4 cup plant-based mayo
Zest of a lemon
Juice of half a lemon

Derib kale (and ribs aside for future use- toss them in a smoothie or something), take the leaves and sprinkle with sea salt and massage with your hands for a second. Let rest for 15 minutes. In the meantime toss the tomato, almond butter (or tahini if you don't have it), one garlic clove, coriander, and cumin into the food processor and blend until smooth.



Rinse the salt off the kale. In a large saucepan heat a little olive oil, then toss the rinsed kale in and saute for just a few minutes until it wilts. Meanwhile, mix the almond meal and flour in a small bowl.  Once the kale has wilted down, transfer it to a bowl and allow to completely cool- if you're in a rush you can throw it in the fridge for a few minutes.

While the kale is cooling dice the remaining garlic clove and add it to the vegan mayo, along with the zest of the lemon and the juice from half of it. Refrigerate to allow flavors to marinate. Slice the onion and saute in a pan with some oil over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until completely caramelized, then set aside.


Once the kale has cooled squeeze out all the excess water. Add the kale to the food processor with the tomato mixture and pulse several times until the kale is finally chopped. If the kale mixture is too wet to form into patties add a few tablespoons of the almond flour mixture. If it's too dry, then add some olive oil or water. After forming each burger, carefully coat each side in the almond flour mixture.

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan (if you're not using a non-stick, spray it with non-stick spray before adding the oil, trust me on this one). Once the oil is hot add the burgers in, cooking three minutes per side.


Assemble: I served these bunless. I added a half teaspoon of the lemon garlic aioli to each burger and finished it off with the caramelized onions. I also had some leftover 'steak' mushrooms that I threw on top but the burger itself is so good I wouldn't worry about not having the mushrooms. Twice I paired these with potatoes, once with these sweet potato fries and the second time with potato skins, that recipe is coming soon.

This roughly make six mini burgers (which are very filling).