Mostly Raw Almond and Coconut Macaroons

Inspired by all of Averie's delicious sounding raw cookie balls and made up on a whim when I was needing a little somethin'.

Mostly Raw Almond and Coconut Macaroons - Makes 1 Dozen

3/4 flaked oats
3/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened cococunt
1/4 cup agave
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 Tablespoons almond meal/flour
2 Tablespoons rice milk or other non-dairy milk
Splash of vanilla

Put the oats in a food processor and process for 15-20 seconds.  Add all the other ingredients and process till a dough comes together.  Gather the dough up in tablespoon portions and roll in your hands to make small balls.

So simple!

So yummy!

So Pretty!

Sweet Potato Tacos with Chipotle Cream

These are one our favorite quick week night dinners.  It's simple.  It's delicious.

1 large Sweet Potato or Yam, peeled and diced
oil to coat the above
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons sour cream or vegan alternative
1 tablespoon plain yogurt, dairy or vegan
1 heaping teaspoon chipotle puree*
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
corn tortillas

Place the oil coated, diced sweet potato in a roasting pan and roast at 375 till tender - 20-25 minutes.

In the mean time blend the sour cream, yogurt, chipotle puree and lime juice in a small bowl.

When the sweet potatoes are done, warm the corn tortillas.  In each tortilla put a little of the sweet potato and avocado and drizzle the chipotle cream over the top.

Eat and Enjoy!

* Chipotle puree can be made by taking one can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce and pureeing in a blender or food processor.  Place in a jar and store in the refrigerator to have on hand for all things chipotle.  It will keep for several months.

Cookie Monster Goes Raw

There are a total of six cookie monsters in this house.  The first and foremost would be Mark - my
hollow-legged skinny pole of a husband.

(Really I DO feed him and his mother had to swear the same thing and his sister, Meri, will most likely have to say the same thing about one (or both) of our nephews - they seem to be taking after their Uncle Mark. I'll feel for Meri when she has to start feeding those boys through their teenage years!)

The next cookie monster on the list would be Ginger.  If a cookie comes out, she's quick to try and steal, beg or otherwise let it be known that she things all cookies belong to her.  She's a tortoise-shell tabby with the attitude to match her striking good looks.  She occasionally gets a cookie crumb and a reminder that she's an obligate carnivore and if she eats too much grain things get messy. (This IS a food blog so I won't get anymore detailed.)

Then comes Tigger (the loud mouth) and his sister Tipsy.  These two grey striped monsters are always on the lookout for a stray cookie or crumb or whatever they can get their nosey little whiskers into.

Now Jazz, she's a different story.  She would quickly forgo the cookie to get her pink little tongue into the glass of milk that goes with it.  This cat will drink coffee if it has milk or cream in it.  When you go to the coffee pot and start to make coffee she gets all excited and under foot because she KNOWS that the milk will soon come out of the fridge and I have been a sucker enough times to make a nuisance into a monster.  Heaven help this cat if I were to ever go Vegan!

And the sixth cookie monster?  Well, that's me.  I've been known during times of bad behavior to have a cookie or two for breakfast.  Shame on me.

Having cookies for breakfast may not be such a bad thing now that I've discovered the glories of Raw Cookies, thanks to Averie over at Love Veggies and Yoga.  That woman is always posting up the most delicious ideas and recipes and so far I've tried out the Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Protein Bars - they were good.  Then I made a version of her Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookies which turned out way to cinnamon-y for the likes of me but they were right up my husband's alley - the guy is a cinnamon freak.  I made these with raisins as the base and learned that it would be better to soak the raisins first. I had to add water to get a workable dough.  I honestly wonder if 2 T of cinnamon is a typo*...but Mark loved them anyway.  I have to make more for him asap, I've been informed.  (I don't have a puppy-dog, but who needs one when you have a husband that is so good at puppy-dog eyes?!)

Since the first batch of cookies didn't turn out to my liking I decided to play with the recipe a bit.  Averie gives lots of options for ways to switch it up with the raw cookies.  I ended up using dates as my base, and added coconut and only a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon but more than a splash of vanilla and ooh la la I got a winner!  I LOVE these cookies.  These little cookies are packed with good for you stuff.  On my last trip to the co-op I picked up some raw chocolate nibs that are SO going into my next batch.  To top it all off, these cookies are SO easy to make - I can't wait to get one of the nephews over here to help me make a batch.  They'll learn baking from mom and grandma and un-baking from Aunt Maurie - what well rounded kids (culturally, that is) they'll be!

* Thanks to Averie for stopping by in the comments and pointing out my oops.  I had doubled the recipe - that's where I got the 2 from.  But even worse was how I read Tsp as Tablespoon.  It comes from the way my mom always wrote recipes:

Big "T" "for tablespoon and little "t" for teaspoon.

I saw the capital T and my brain said Tablespoon and ignored the rest of the letters - even after double checking!  Silly me!

Vegetarian Stroganoff with Seitan

Stroganoff was a staple growing up. My mom never followed a recipe because she learned to make it alongside her mom and it was the same for me. Stroganoff is intuitive in my family. So when I started wondering what a vegetarian version of stroganoff might look like, I just winged it. At first I considered making it with lots of extra mushrooms to take the place of the beef in the traditional dish. But then I found a brand of seitan that didn't have additives that would make me sick. It was not organic, however, and that is unacceptable to me on a regular basis - so eventually I'll have to get around to making my own seitan for recipes like this.


1 package egg noodles (or egg free for a vegan version), cooked according to package directions

2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
3-4 cups sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
A couple splashes brown rice vinegar
1/2 cup water or broth
1 tablespoon Shoyu soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegan worstershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup sour cream (or sour cream alternative to make it vegan)
8 ounces seitan, sliced to thin bite sized pieces

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté till they begin to brown. Add the mushrooms and sauté about 4-5 minutes longer. Add the minced garlic and sauté a minute longer. Add the vinegar and stir well scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add the water and mix well. Add the soy sauce, worstershire sauce and black pepper. Stir well, and turn the heat down to medium low. Add the seitan. Add the sour cream. Mix well, cover and let flavors blend over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, while the pasta boils.

Serve the pasta piled with yummy stroganoff and enjoy.

Mark and I both enjoyed this a lot. My husband had a euphoric expression on his face as he ate - so I think it passed the test. We both agreed that we wanted to try it with homemade seitan and that it would be just as delicious with extra mushrooms in place of the seitan as well - just not as high in protein.  Either way there was a request to make this again which I will honor - just not as often as it might be enjoyed by my husband, because unlike him I do not have two hollow legs that can be filled repeatedly without gaining an ounce!  This is a calorie-rich meal to be served up only on occasion unless everyone in your household has my husband's metabolism!

Beans and Burritos

We've had a few nights recently where we needed a quick and tasty solution to dinner. Burritos to the rescue! The ever-evolving burrito. The endless possibility burrito. A burrito by any other name...

First you have beans. Black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, azuki beans, cannelini beans - the list goes on and on. There are hundreds of varieties of beans. There are whole books dedicated to the bean - such as Growing and Cooking Beans and Beans A History . And there are many jokes and lyrical saying about beans.

Beans: you either love 'em or hate 'em or they get revenge. I love beans and they seem to not mind me for the most part so I'm fortunate on that account and so I eat plenty of beans. That is a healthy thing. Beans are loaded with good for you stuff.

You can cook beans in a number of ways (pressure cooker, stove top, baked, stove top and crock pot - the latter is my favorite) and there are endless rules about cooking beans (soak first, don't soak first, change the water X-amount of times, add baking soda, don't add baking soda, cook with kombu (kelp), don't add acidic ingredients while cooking, and never ever add salt until the beans are cooked through.) Everyone has there opinion. But are they "worth a hill of beans"? That's for you to decide. I take it all with a grain of salt. Except for when it comes to salt. That's the one rule I follow when cooking beans. I never add salt until they are soft. I don't like partially cooked beans and the adage that salt keeps beans from softening properly while cooking seems to be true - for me at least.

Or you can just skip the whole cooking thing and go with the far more convenient option (n0 need to plan or think ahead) and use canned beans. I do both. I have a good supply of dry beans and other legumes all looking pretty in their canning jars in my pantry and I also have a good number of canned beans on hand. I've come to only buy one variety of canned beans though. Eden Organic. Why? They are the ONLY company that uses BPA-free cans for their beans. They pay extra to do it. There cans are made specifically for them. Here's the story behind it - it's worth a read. They would can all their other items in the same cans if they could - but the FDA doesn't allow it, as explained in the article linked above. The FDA insists on BPA-lined cans for anything acidic - like tomato products. The theory is to keep the metal from leaching into the food and making it bad for you. Ironic, considering how bad BPA is for us. (I could spend days on my soap box about stuff like this, but I'll spare you - for now.) So that is why I only buy Eden Organic canned beans.

But a burrito is more than just beans, right? I suppose it doesn't have to be but let's just assume we want more than beans wrapped in a tortilla. You could add grains. Any kind of grain would do. There's the obvious and common rice. But what about polenta, quinoa, spelt, kamut, ferro, barley. All are great options. Or no grain. Whatever you like. Next you have the option of dairy and dairy alternative options - various cheeses, sour cream, yogurt. (Sour cream is my favorite.) And salsa. All the lovely varieties of salsa out there to choose from! Two common one's in our house are Muir Glen's Organic Chipotle and their Organic Black Bean. Then there's salsa fresca or salsa verde when the garden (or farmer's market) is overflowing with tomatoes and tomotillos. Finally we come to herbs and vegis. Some favorite herbs to chop up and add to my burritos are cilantro, oregano, parsly, chives, epizote, one of the hundred varieties of thyme. Green onions, fresh corn, avocado, lettuce, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and garlic are among my favorite vegies for burritos.

Now that we have all these toppings piled onto a tortilla we get to struggle with actually getting it closed up for slightly less messy eating. Or give up and just eat it with a fork like my husband did recently when he piled WAY to much onto the poor little tortilla to even get the sides to touch.

Have a napkin (cloth, preferably) handy and chow down.

Happy burrito making.

Change the World Wednesday and Raw Foods

There's this great blog called Reduce Footprints and every Wednesday a new challenge goes out to encourage people to try and live a life a little lighter on the earth. And this week's challenge is all about food and borrowed from yet another blogger - What a Card. Here it is:

This week, "plan an oven- and stove-free day, and no cheating and going out to eat! Have sandwiches, cut up fruit, veggies with dip, leftovers from a previous dinner that you can heat in the microwave**. Plan ahead and make a pasta salad you can eat cold for a few days. Have hummus, feta cheese, and spinach on a pita or wrap. There are tons of healthy, delicious meals you can have without having to turn on the stove! As an added plus, many of the meals are quick and easy to prepare!"**I'd like to bump up What A Card's challenge ... how about including microwave-free, as well.

The day before I read this challenge I had been craving mass quantities of out of season vegis and I so gave in. My meal that night and my lunch the next day was nearly entirely Mexican - meaning most of those vegis travelled all the way from Mexico. In itself, that is hardly a "light on the earth" thing to do, but my body was saying it wanted lots of cooling raw yummy vegis. So that is what I gave it - and just happened to fulfill the Change the World Wednesday's challenge in the process.

The meal was simple vegi wrap. A soft whole wheat tortilla smothered with mayo and mustard and filled to the brim (it turned out more taco like than wrap because it was so full there wasn't enough wrap to go around all the goodies) with avocado, cucumber, several colors of bell pepper, sweet onion (from WA state!), tomato and alfalfa sprouts (also from WA state). Mark and I each ate two huge wraps (tacos) for dinner and loved every lip-smacking minute of our totally out of season no-cook meal.

As the week has progressed I got to thinking about how this no-cook meal challenge would be a perfect opportunity to try any number of raw food recipes out there. So I went searching for blogs on raw foods and found a few good ones loaded with mouth-watering recipes that I look forward to trying soon. Like the Raw Banana Cream Pie from Rawmazing or any one of these incredible salads from The Sunny Raw Kitchen. I could keep going, but I'll leave it at that and let you all explore further yourselves. As for me, well it's time to go get some dinner going and after all this thinking about, reading about and writing about food - I'm hungry!

Inspiration from Others

I've been reading blogs for a long time now. I enjoy the variety that's out there and I especially enjoy those that inspire others to live life to the fullest by mixing things up and encouraging folks to try to knew things. Among those kinds of blogs are a few that inspire me to keep exploring the deliciousness of cooking and eating in all its wondrous variety. Some focus more on local cuisine like one of my old favorites Mixed Greens Blog. I've been reading this blog off and on for several years and I always found it amazing when I would visit to catch up on their beautiful posts that many of my posts were along similar lines. Maybe it's because we both live in the Northwest and are tied to the local, sustainable and seasonable way of life. It happened again recently when checking in from a longer than usual absence. Though this blog is not specifically vegetarian it features many foods that are and if you don't come away envying their food photography, I'll know something is wrong with you. A recent post of there's also reminded me of why I can only claim to be 98% vegetarian and not an absolute purist. But maybe only someone who grew up on local shellfish would understand.

A blog I more recently came upon that inspires me is The Voracious Vegan. I'm not a vegan, though many of the meals I prepare are, but this nice lady makes veganism very approachable through her wonderful and creative food posts. And if anyone is inspiring others - she is. You should read all about The Great Vegan Challenge of 2010 where her dad (a very open-minded fellow I might add) had some amazing breakthroughs while eating vegan for three weeks - all meals lovingly prepared by his awesome daughter. I think most people would wish they had such open-minded and willing family and friends when it comes to trying out new ways of eating and living. I for one am very eager to try The Voracious Vegan's Chicken Fried Seitan. Nearly all pre-packaged mock meats out there have yeast in them and since my intolerance to yeast is still alive and vicious having some recipes to try home-made versions is very welcome. I've had seitan before and really liked it and this recipe sounds great. I would love to try it in a vegan version of "Chicken" Marsala - loaded with mushrooms and gravy over mashed potatoes. Oh yum!

Another blog I've been reading regularly these days is Love Veggies and Yoga. And it was a recipe from this blog that I recently tried for myself. My own variation of Averies No Bake Vegan Choc Chip Protein Bars. Now I'm constantly making muffins for Mark - he loves them. But I only feel so-so about muffins and much prefer something that doesn't have any leavening for a snack - like chewy granola bars. Well these are like that, only raw. Though Averie does mention that they could be dehydrated and I may just do that for future backpacking trips. Her recipe (scroll down the page of the above link to find it) suggests, no promises, success no matter what combination of ingredients you put in these. So far she seems to be keeping that promise. I replaced coconut with slivered almonds, didn't add chia seeds since I didn't have any, used chopped dried apricots in place of raisins and cut the sweetener (in my case that was agave syrup) from 1/2 cup to a 1/3 cup. And for my tastes I would cut the sweetener even more the next time I make these. I'd also like to use a more sustainable option for individually wrapping them in the future - I hate throwing away saran wrap - even the non-toxic recycled stuff I use - and wrapping up these bars takes quite a bit of it. The bars were definitely worth making and very simple. I love anything with oats and the banana makes a great addition I wouldn't have thought of on my own. In the future I would enjoy trying these with other nut butters, seeds, nuts and fruits - the combinations are endless as are the adventures for the taste buds.

Smokey Lentil Soup

I'm still working my way through all the delicious recipes of the recent copy of Vegetarian Times Magazine. I wrote about making the Apple Custard Pie with Oatmeal Crust and how any issue of a magazine that devotes a whole section to oats is one well worth its weight in paper and ink. And now I have another recipe to rave about - the Smoky Split Pea Soup which became Smoky Lentil Soup because that's what I had in my pantry. I love versatile recipes and thankfully with a bit of creativity most recipes are just that. This was no different. Here's my version.

Smoky Lentil Soup

1 cup brown lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon bitter smoked paprika
1 heaping teaspoon chipotle puree (blend chipotle in adobo sauce till you have a puree)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 medium onion
3 ribs celery, diced, including leaves
4 cloves garlic
6 cups water
1 small can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon smoked salt (optional, but it was a nice final touch and brought out the smokiness of the soup all the more)

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the chipotle puree and the smoked paprika, let cook for a minute or so. Then add the sweet potato, onion and celery. Cover and cook until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, let cook for a couple more minutes. Add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil then turn down to medium low and simmer for about 50 minutes or until the lentils are done. Add the salt and tomatoes and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes longer.

This soup was sweet, savory, smoky and so good I almost let it all disappear before getting a picture.

Now I have to decide what to try next, the Vegetables Korma or the Garlic Kale Soup. Decisions, decisions.

Roasted Parsnips and Cabbage

This is my ultimate comfort food. I've done this dish with a wide variety and many combinations of root vegis, but this is my all time favorite. Mark and I make this a meal often enough - it's so simple and soooo delicious!

Roasted Parsnips and Cabbage

2+ pounds of parsnips, pealed and cut into chunks
1/2 head savoy cabbage (I've used other cabbages but this is the best)
olive oil to coat
sea salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in a covered baking dish and mix well. Cover and bake at 375-400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes or until parsnips are very tender and cabbage has started to caramelize in the parsnip juices.

I've added carrots to this when I didn't have enough parsnips. I've also done it with rutabegas, parsnips, and carrots - when Mark said he wanted to try rutabegas since he'd never had them before. It was yummy too. But if I had my way it would be just parsnips and cabbage all the way!

Wild Rice Salad

This recipe is based off of a tear-out recipe from one of the Vegetarian Times Magazine subscription inserts. It called for way too much oil and too much dressing overall. I realized this after making the whole batch of dressing and ended up using only a portion of it. The rest of the dressing is waiting for me to come up with something else to dress. In the mean time this rice salad turned out quite tasty. I've altered the original recipe to accommodate the changes that I would make in the future.
I used Lundberg Farms Wild Blend my favorite wild rice blend for most anything. It has a very nutty flavor and great texture.
Wild Rice Salad
1 16 oz package wild rice or blend , cooked according to package directions and allowed to cool.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 c orange juice (I used a fresh squeezed cara cara orange)
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard

Whisk the above ingredients in a large bowl.
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Combine the wild rice blend, pine nuts, dried cranberries, mint and green onions with the dressing in the large bowl. Refrigerate to let flavors blend.

Tofu Baked in Coconut Milk

One of Mark and my favorite items from natural food store delis are the various flavors of baked tofu. These along with a one of the many salad options and we have a very satisfying meal.

I've tried to create a good baked tofu before but with little success. Lately though I've been getting better with sauces and dressing and marinades and decided to give this baked tofu thing another try. The results? Delicious! We served this tofu along side the Quinoa Mango Salad - they were a perfect match!

Tofu Baked in Coconut Milk

1 block firm tofu, well drained and cut into half inch slices

Blend together the following ingredients in an 8X8 baking dish.

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 fruit juice (I used Knudsen's Morning Blend)
1 tablespoon shoyu soysauce
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 t agave syrup

Place the tofu in the sauce in a single layer. Spoon sauce over the tops to coat well. Refrigerate for two hours or more.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. Serve the slices with the extra sauce drizzled over them.

This is just as good, if not better, served cold the next day.

Quinoa Mango Salad

This was one of the best meals from last week. Mark raved about it while praising me for my diverse cooking abilities. What a good man!

The Quinoa Mango Salad was inspired by Curried Quinoa Salad with Mango from The Tropical Vegan Kitchen. Once again I tweaked it to fit what I had on hand.

Quinoa Mango Salad

1 cup quinoa

In a large saucepan bring salted water o a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for about 12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain and let cool.

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fruit juice (I used Knudsen's Morning Blend)
1/2 teaspoon agave
1/2 teaspoon stone ground mustard
1/16 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (white pepper would be even better)

Whisk the above ingredients in a medium to large bowl and set aside.

1 mango, peeled and diced
1 medium cucumber, pealed and diced
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Once the quinoa is cool, add it, the mango, cucumber and scallions to the dressing. Toss well to blend.

I loved this salad and I have to admit, I bought more mango and cucumber to make another batch sometime this week. I might add some chopped mint this time just to try something a little different.

Vegetables in Coconut Milk

This dish was inspired by a recipe from The Tropical Vegan Kitchen, a cookbook that has so many recipes in it that make me hungry, I will eventually have to get my own copy and give up the one from the library.
I was looking for a quick and simple recipe that used several ingredients I had in the house, including coconut milk and vegetables. The Thai-Style Spicy Mixed Vegetables in Coconut Milk over Rice on page 104 came close enough to give me a starting point for what turned out to be a very tasty dinner.

Here's how I made it:

1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
2 inch chunk lemongrass, chopped roughly
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons shoyu soysauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of salt

Place all of the above ingredients into a large pan and simmer gently for several minutes.

Add the following (or whatever combination of vegetables you have on hand):

1 1/2 cups frozen green bean pieces
3 cups of savoy cabbage, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded

Stir the vegetables into the coconut milk mixture, cover and let cook until the vegetables are done to your liking.

Serve over jasmine rice.

One thing that I would do in the future, that the recipe does not call for, is to pick out the shredded kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass chunks after they simmer in the coconut milk and before adding the vegetables. This would make the overall texture of the dish more pleasant.