Texican soup

If there's one thing that truely surprised me when I moved to the Chicago burbs was the Hispanic demographics. I'm from Cleveland. We have Italians and Irish, which are arguably much paler and much more angry than the pleasant little Mexicans that live here. Inarguably one of the biggest advantage of living amongst this subpopulation is that the grocery stores are chuck full of really unique produce (most of which I can't pronounce, but ALL of which I'm excited to try) that's at a really reasonable price. Although I rotate grocers depending on where I'm coming from, whenever I stop at a Hispanic grocer, I've been buying a "never-heard-of" item. Two weeks ago, it was nopales. This past week, it was chayote squash. Both I highly recommend if you get the chance to purchase them. Let me introduce you to the humble chayote:

Season: late spring

Taste: cross between and potato/cucumber/ and water chestnut

Nutritional Info: 

Texican Soup: 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 chayote squash
• 2 large roma tomatoes
• 1 T chopped garlic or 1 clove
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds discarded
• 2 large carrots (I steam mine for easier digestion)
• 1/2 packet taco seasoning
• 1 chick-un boullion cube
• 3 C hot water (i used the water from steaming the carrots)
• 1/2 T cumin
• 1/2 T red pepper flakes
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 4 sliced mushrooms
• optional: 
• handful of spinach
• corn
• avocado
• daiya pepperjack
• vegan sour cream
• black beans
• tortilla strips

Steps: 

1. chuck everything into vitamix except mushrooms, spinach, and/or "optionals"

2. blend until smooth (or chunky, whatever you like)

3. add mushrooms, pulse

4. add spinach, pulse (** I highly recommend doing this; I DIDN'T and it really messed with the whole "soup-vibe", but i really liked the added flavor)

5. pour into a big bowl

6. top with "optionals" if desired (you can see from the picture that I did not and it was amazing anyways, so they're not necessary to have a complete-tasting meal, just adds some extra texture)

Carrot Curry & Corepower

If you haven't heard about Corepower Yoga, you've been really deprived. It is a company that specializes in heated vinyasa and spinning yoga. Obviously two things right up my alley, so it's no wonder that i'm hooked. SO hooked, that i got a job at my nearby studio cleaning in exchange for a membership; i've never felt so satisfied cleaning up after other people (strangers at that) in my life! 

If you're wondering why a "carrot curry" post would involve my new job, let me enlighten you. There's not much about sweaty yoga studios that induce hunger for me, unless i'm leaving a class and i didn't fuel up before. But at about a quarter-till the end of my shift, when the yoga instructor walked in and lit some incense... I couldn't get curry off my mind. 

I don't know what it is about Nag Champa, but it always makes me crave curry. Not any particular curry- it could be indian, thai, or ethiopian... my tastebuds don't care. They just revel in the warth and complexity of the unique spice blends. So after 15 of wafting in the nag-champa-induced curry coma, i ran my little sweaty butt back to my place to whip up some red curry. The only problem was that i was just really not feeling the coconut milk part of the recipe i usually make.  so i decided to use carrots for their rich, velvety, sweetness as the base and it turned out FABULOUSLY. I just had to share... so here you are. 

Ingredients:

• 5 large carrots
• 1/3 eggplant, cubed (tiny)
• 2 cups baby kale (or spinach, whatever green you wanna put in...or not. This is totally about what you want in your curry.
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 sprays bragg's liquid aminos
• 1 cube vegan vegetable boullion
• 2 T Thai red curry paste (here's a link to homemade recipe if you can't find the pre-made stuff: http://thewanderlustkitchen.com/easy-homemade-red-curry-paste/)
• +/- pinch of turmeric and black pepper

Steps: 

1. peel and steam carrots in about 4 cups water for about 10 min. 

   

*tip: i put the boullion cube in the water here to kill two birds with one stone (not a very vegan saying, but you get the gist...), but you can always make a second cup of broth apart from the carrots if you really want to do more work. *

2. saute eggplant and garlic

3. put raw kale in bottom of bowl, layer the eggplant mixture on top of that

4. transfer steamed carrots, 1 cup of the broth, and the curry paste into your Vitamix (or other blender) and blend it until it's a thick sauce consistency. 

5. pour over bowl. Add turmeric and pepper for anti-inflammatory purposes if desired. 

This is what mine looked like (half-devoured); beautiful orange hue, no?

Why Carrots are Cool: 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one medium carrot or ½ cup of chopped carrots is considered a serving size. One serving size of carrots provides 25 calories, 6 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of sugars and 1 gram of protein.

Carrots are rich in vitamin A.

Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A, providing 210% of the average adult's needs for the day. They also provide 6% of vitamin C needs, 2% ofcalcium needs and 2% of iron needs per serving.

It is the antioxidant beta-carotene that gives carrots their bright orange color. Beta-carotene is absorbed in the intestine and converted into vitamin A during digestion.

Carrots also contain fiber, vitamin K, potassium, folate, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin E and zinc.

Farmer's markets and some specialty stores carry carrots in a range of colors - like purple, yellow, and red - that contain a variety of antioxidants lending them their color (such as anthocyanin in purple carrots and lycopene in red carrots).

A little tid bit on turmeric and black pepper: 

Black pepper enhances bioavailability of Turmeric: One important question which must be popping in your mind right now would be why among so many spices are we talking about black pepper? The answer is really interesting too. One problem with curcumin is its low levels of bioavailability. Most of the curcumin that is ingested gets metabolized before it can get absorbed. Piperine is said to help make curcumin more bioavailable. This could be because it could inhibit certain intestinal digestive enzymes. This increases the amount of any drug or supplement that can be absorbed by the body. They also do not get degraded quickly. Hence, there are studies to test if co-administering curcumin with piperine could improve the bioavailability of the former. These studies have been conducted on humans and laboratory animals. One study found that when even 2g of curcumin was ingested, its serum levels were very low. However, when 20mg piperine was added to curcumin the bioavailability increased by 2000%. The bioavailability, serum levels and levels of absorption of curcumin all improved dramatically.  Thus, if one tales turmeric, most of it is unutilized unless supplemented by addons such as black pepper.

Ok i'm going to try this again. although i'm going to apologize prematurely- the pics for these first two meals won't be there, so you'll have to use ur imagination. Reason 1- because I left my phone in my car and it's hella cold and i'm lazy. Reason 2- because i was really hungry and once i dig in, i can't stop until satiated. I promise that more will come with subsequent posts.

I'll also let you all know that I have gone cooked vegan, although i'll retain this blog name; like i said, i'm lazy (and busy) and I like the ring to it.

If you're wondering why I've been MIA for almost 2 years, let me fill you in on what's been happening. I was accepted shortly after my last post to a Naturopathic Medical school outside of Chicago, IL. I moved and have been here studying my butt off and not really getting culinarily creative unless I have a get-together with my classmates, where i've had the opportunity to try and showcase different vegan dishes, exemplifying how they stand up to traditional SAD dishes. Perhaps down the road, i'll share pics of these parties, but for now, i'll focus on my most recent yummies.

The move has also brought some failures along with triumphs, both in the culinary and personal fronts. I've burnt just about as many relationships as i have dinners, but i've also savored more in luck and love than the taste of the finest food in the world. I've slaved over books, projects, exams, and work MUCH more than I have over the stove or Vitamix, and I have to admit in retrospect, it's been so incredibly worth it. I've now settled into a good relationship (ironically with my boyfriend I had when I started this blog), have a stable (not to mention amazing) group of friends here in what is now not such a "foreign" city. And it is now, in this comfortable state, that I have returned to my passion. Health, cooking, and writing. Oh, and eating. Lots and lots of eating.

That being said, here's some recent nom nom i've been shoving into my face.

1. Roasted Red Pepper & Roasted Tomato Soup
This is one of those recipes that make me wish my Vitamix was wide enough to fit my entire face into it so I could savor every last drop. I've got issues. but trust me, you'll get it after you try this. 

Ingredients:

• 5 Red bell peppers
• 5 tomatoes
• cayenne pepper
• smoked/sweet paprika*
• cumin
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 T nutritional yeast
• 1 pinch of Himalayan salt
• Celery Salt** 
• 1/4 brick tofu (i used silken, but it doesn't really matter)
• 1/4 avocado, diced finely (optional)

*did you know? paprika is essentially the red bell pepper version of celery salt (see below)

**Celery salt is essentially dehydrated diced celery that is FP (food processed) into a powder.

Steps:

• dice tomatoes into small cubes
• line a baking sheet with parchment paper, bake at 400*F for 15 min
• halve and de-seed peppers
• if using a gas stove (like I did), turn two burners on
• using tongs, place halved peppers directly onto burners/flame (i prefer outside down) and char
• flip them and char the insides or until soft. 
• place them in a Ziploc (careful, they'll be hot) and seal. let them steam for ~10 min
• remove tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper, let cool
• remove peppers from bag and peel off charred skin (it'll be really easy once they've steamed in the bag, but it'll be messy, so wear gloves)
• toss 1/2 of the tomatoes, peppers, tofu, garlic, spices into Vitamix (or blender of choice) and blend until creamy
• place the other 1/2 of the tomatoes in bowl of choosing. Pour blended pepper mixture over it. season more if needed, and add diced avocado if desired. 

Overall this took me like 25 minutes tops and gave me about 45mL of soup. I had planned on saving some for lunch. Whoops. 

2. 'Creamy' Asparagus Soup
I use this as a base for many other recipes including dips, sauces, and my Fat Free (Fat Free) Pesto. 
Recipes will follow. 

Ingredients:

   Base:

• 1 bunch green asparagus
• 2 bunches white asparagus
• 1/3 block tofu or 1 cup chopped and steamed cauliflower/rutabaga
• celery salt
• 1 vegan boullion cube
• 1/2 T black pepper
• 1 clove garlic

   Soup:

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 tsp sage
• sprinkle of paprika for color

   Dip:

• 1/4 C nutritional yeast
• seasonings to taste

   Pesto: 

• 3 bunches of basil (fresh only, sorry but dried won't work here)
• 1/8 C nutritional yeast
• 1 more clove of garlic (this one I like to peel, wrap in foil, and bake until soft)

Steps: 

• steam asparagus and cauliflower/rutabaga if using instead of tofu
• drain and reserve liquid
• add everything to Vitamix plus 1-2 cups of reserved steaming water
• blend and season
• dunk, drizzle, or just straight up devour!

Vegan "Dorito" casserole

Alright, so I realize that I post intermittently  (I am a full time student with a full-time and part-time job, ya know.... ;) ) and I know that most people who read this (if any) are seeking healthy, low fat raw vegan or low fat vegan recipes, perhaps that are preferably light. This is not one of those recipes. This is  healthy trash food. That's not to say its in anyway "unhealthy"....I am a firm believer in not being too dogmatic or firm with one's diet, but trying to make each dish as healthy as possible.

I had just walked in the door from an extremely difficult exam to greet my boyfriend and his friend/coworker covered head to toe in dirt, mulch and grass debris. Clearly we'd all had a rough day. Which, for a couple hard-working dudes, mean "put comfort food in my belly asap," and I didn't blame them. So I decided to whip the pooped boys up a classic "kitchen sink casserole" of Dorito Chicken. Like many vegans, I despise the thought of touching dead animal carcass, but luckily their recipe only called for canned chicken, so I just opened the can and closed my eyes into a heaping bowl of creamy goo. Luckily for me also, I found the perfect way to rid the shelves of one more bag of junk food. But as I started to make their dish, the smell of the Doritos started calling to me. I don't know where this came from, probably stress, because I have NEVER liked chips and least of them all Doritos. However, the boys bugged me about eating with them, so I decided in the spirit of friendship, I'd share a meal with them...done "my way," of course.

This is Dorito Casserole done "my way":
(I will highlight substitutions with an asterisk*)

1/2 head of broccoflower, cut up into florets*
1 medium tomato diced
1/2 chopped jalapeno (without seeds)

1/2 package of silken tofu*
1/2 lemon, juice + chopped fruit
dash cayenne powder
1Tbsp Nama Shoyu*
1/4 C nutritional yeast
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 C "cream of vegetable soup" (see below)
1 clove of garlic
1/2 small onion diced
1/4 C almond milk
dash cumin
dash of paprika
dash dried oregano
sprinkle of nutritional yeast*

"cream of vegetable soup":
3/4 C almond milk
1 vegan vegetable bouillon cube
1 1/2 Tblsp Arrowroot Powder*

1. preheat oven to 370*F
2. In a 1 qt. pyrex, spread broccoflower florets to cover the bottom
3. make cream of vegetable soup in saucepan over the stove; whisk until thickened (about 5 minutes). Cool.
4. To Vitamix, add all ingredients besides tomato, jalapeno, sprinkle of nutritional yeast, and broccoli. Blend.
5. Add tomato-jalapeno mixture to Vitmix. Do NOT blend; stir in. 
6. Pour this mixture over broccoflower florets
7. sprinkle with extra nutritional yeast (optional) 
8. Bake for 35 minutes. Broccoflower will be cooked, but still crunchy.

I have to say, this turned out SOOOO much better than I expected; the boys promised to try one bite each of the "Jen version". They said mine was almost identical with the exception of the gooey cheesy and crunchy chip textures, both of which I didn't want in there anyways. Check out the pics, and tell me you're not drooling. 

Substitutions: 

*Broccoflower= 1 can jackfruit (This might be the solution for anyone wanting this to be entirely raw; just use all the substitutions and keep the "cheesy" flavor with nutritional yeast only.)

*Tofu= 1/2 C soaked cashews + splash of soak water

*Nama Shoyu= 1/4 C soaked seaweed, drained

*Arrowroot powder= equal amount of coconut flour or 1 Tblsp Chia/flax

*sprinkle of nutritional yeast=sprinkled daiya cheddar shreds

omg Raw Vegan pulled "pork"

Ever since turning RV (raw vegan), grociery shopping has become one of my all time favorite things to do. (Behind working out/yoga, playing in the sun, and uncooking of course.) ESPECIALLY for tropical fruits and veggies, which aren't exactly abundant here in Cleveland, Ohio. But, while they might not be abundant, there are a few little gems I've found around the city that supply a pretty decent selection, most of them being in a little corner outside the city known as "Asiatown". This past weekend, I conned my boyfriend into going down to one of these gems with the facade that it was the Chinese New Year, and that it is the only place in the city that served Dim Sum. What sold him is that Dim Sum were Chinese meat dumplings; meat and dumplings being two of his favorite things. So I sat through a quick [vegan] Dim Sum lunch at Lih Wah, and admittedly enjoyed a taro patty with chili sauce and kimchi dumplings. Not horrible, but I could almost feel the msg soaking into my bloodstream. It was [not really but sorta] worth it, because we headed right over to the grocier, more specifically the "Park to Shop" (yes, that is its name. Scout's honor.) where I found my plethora of amazing fruits and veggies. Lest I say, an hour and a half later, I walked out with an $80.00 bill and 19 bags of goodies. The haul included:

•  genmaicha green tea
• lotus root
• taro
• meyer lemons
• key limes
• coconut water (not good, even tho it was organic)
• mangos
• a couple papayas 
• strawberries
• bananas
• dragonfruit
• some AMAZING organic mushrooms
• plantains
• lychee
• rambutan
• DURIAN (yes, durian. luscious, luscious stinky  durian)
• and more importantly for this post, jackfruit

When the boy asked me to make him his BBQ favorite tonight, I had to see if I could put my haul star to work. The goal: fool the boy into thinking that my faux pulled pork was real. Story short, I succeeded.  Here's how:

Ingredients:

• 1 can jackfruit
• 1/2 onion (sliced)
• 3T tomato paste
• 1 T mustard
• 1 T raw honey
• 1 T raw apple cider vinegar
• 1tsp paprika
• 2 garlic cloves
• black pepper
• 1/2 C water
• pinch dehydrated onion flakes (or onion powder)
• 1T chili powder
• pinch curry powder
• 3 dropper-fulls of vanilla stevia* (optional)

1. drain jackfruit; cut out center core so all you have left are the stringy fan stuff
2. mix with onion and garlic in a bowl
3. in a separate bowl, mix tomato paste, mustard, honey, vinegar, water, and stevia
4. add to bowl of jackfruit all of the dry ingredients and mix with hands
5. let sit for 30 min or dehydrate for 105*F for 2 hours if you want it more chewy
6. pour wet ingredients onto jackfruit

I served this with sliced jicama for fries and corn tortillas:

Ingredients: 

• 2 C fresh or frozen (thawed) corn
• 1/4 C psyllium powder OR one ripe plantain
• 3 shakes cumin
• 3 shakes turmeric

1. blend in food processor or blender
2. pour onto dehydrator teflex sheet
3. dehydrate for 2-3 hrs per side. (Which means that you need to flip them after the first 2-3 hours)
4. peel from teflex. 
5. If you haven't poured them in a circle-shape, take a bowl and trace out the shape of the rim on the tortilla with a knife. 
6. At this point, i stack each tortilla with wax paper in between each, place them in a ziplock and freeze for later use. Before you need them, thaw as many as you'll need on the counter. 

Raw Vegan Red Hot [Red] Curry

MMMMmmmm MMMmmm MMMMmm! There's is NOTHIN' like a good red curry to get me excited. Since becoming vegan and especially since becoming raw vegan, I don't really crave much of anything except the occasional durian, lychee, date, or berry. (there's a whole post describing my cravings here). The longer I continue down this raw vegan path, I crave less and less things besides fruits (especially sweet fruits) and leafy greens...and spirulina as of the last couple months. But occasionally, I get a craving for Thai curry-particularly red curry or mango curry.

If you're not familiar with Thai cooking, it can be difficult to get any take-out or dine-in food in raw vegan form because of the frequency of their use of fish paste and preservatives. Blyick. Knowing this, I prefer making my own Red Curry Paste in the comfort of my own home. To do this, I make my own curry paste, which is too easy for words. Here it is: 

 

Ingredients: 

• 5 red chili peppers; leave seeds in if you want it spicy, discard them if you'd like it less spicy. 
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 small stalk of lemongrass
• 1 small knob of ginger
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1/2 T Mrs Dash Seasoning
• juice from 12 small lime

1. Clean and chop peppers with gloves (or if you're uber-cheap, and I've done this before, slip your hands inside two ziplock bags or wrap your hands in saran wrap); toss them in food processor. 
2. Toss everything else into a food processor and process until a paste-like consistency is achieved. 
3. Transfer to a container (ie- mason jar, tupperware if you're desperate) and label.

If you opted, as I do, to discard the seeds of the peppers in order to customize the amount of heat in your dishes, here's a way to make it spicier: enter Srirawcha (<--yes, with a "w"). In classic Sriracha Sauce found in Asian grocers or restaurants, there's a ton of nasty preservitives. Monosodium glutinate (MSG), potassium sorbate, and sodium bisulfite to name a few. Top that off with a bunch of sugar (listed as second on the ingredient list...meaning there's ALOT in there), and you've got one SAD condiment. 

But don't fear! I have a wonderful "cleaned up version" from the lovely Bonsai Aphrodite, (aka-Sayward Rebhal) as my base, halving her original recipe and adding a few of my own tweeks (of course). Here's the mix: 

Ingredients:

1/4 C Raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 lb jalepeno peppers
2 1/2 raw Serrano chiles; keep the seeds for the heat factor, which is characteristic to Srihacha Sauce

1/2 T nama shoyu 
1 dropper-ful of stevia

1 tsp miso paste
2 cloves garlic

splash of water (for processing)

Instructions: (the same as above)

*optional: after transferring to a mason jar or tupperware, I suggest fermenting it. Doing so adds a great flavor and even helps with digestion. It's easy. Just slap s piece of cheesecloth on the top, secure with a rubberband, and set on the counter for a few days. And viola! you've got healthy hottness on your hands. (Well, hopefully not on your hands because it's a bitch if you touch your face or go to the bathroom.)

Now, after you've spent all that time preparing these exotic condiments, I'm sure you're spent. But carry on! The best part is yet to come! Duh-dun-dun-dahh! The creamy concoction that is curry. Before you go getting all discouraged because there's one more step before you can mix up your deliciousness, know that you have options. 

          1. You can buy your coconut mylk in a can (which is something I regret to say I always have on hand, in case I get the "lazys") 

          2. OR you can make it. 

I won't judge you either way, but will instead present the option of making it from scratch. Not to bog you down, but just because it's THAT easy. Just these two ingredients and one step: (for 2 C of mylk)

• 1/2 C dried shredded coconut (organic, unsweetened)
• 1 3/4 C water

1. Blend. Done.

Finally, you can grab your veggies:

• sprouts (I use mung bean)
• mushrooms
• asparagus
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• carrot
• mango (might sound weird, but oh ma gawd, is it gooood)
• whatever else you wanna toss in there.

1. chop veggies and place in bowl
2. mix 1 C coconut mylk, a Tablespoon of Red Curry Paste and up to 2 tsp of Srirawcha in a small dish. Whisk together.
3. pour sauce on top of veggies and let sit up to an hour. 
4. When ready to eat, add:

• 1 dropper-full of stevia
• 3 shakes of curry powder
• 3 shakes of paprika
• 3 shakes of turmeric

     5. mix with your spoon and DIG IN!

*optional: pour concoction over "riced" parsnip or "riced" cauliflower.

mushroom stroganoff- an easier way

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 T agar agar
• 1 clove garlic (sliced thinly)
• 1 tsp nama shoyu
• 1 T pine nut parmesean
• 1T Nutritional Yeast
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp black or white pepper (I used black)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 medium onion (sliced VERY thinly)
• 1 c mixed mushrooms (chopped) 
• 1 spiralized yellow summer squash
• 1 1/2 c water
• 2 T Namashoyu

1. mix almond milk with agar & spices and set aside until it starts to thicken.
2. soak onion slices and mushrooms in water/nama shoyu mixture for 1/2 hour-1 hr
3. drain onion and mushrooms and add to almond milk sauce
4. stir, let sit another 5 minutes
5. pour over spiralized squash
6. enjoy!