nice face

p.s. the kale was amazing

Jackfruit Carnitas Chili

serves 8-12

3 cans young jackfruit in brine, drained

3/4 lb mushrooms, roughly minced

3 15oz cans chili beans, rinsed

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 24oz jar strained tomatoes

1 large or 2 small red onions, halved and thinly sliced

4+ cloves of garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, sliced, opt

1/4c + chili powder

2 tbs coriander

1 tbc cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tbs chipotle chili

1 tsp mexican oregano

1 tbs braggs, GF tamari, or dark soy sauce if you can eat gluten

2-4 cups stock, depending on desired thickness

Gluten Free Roasted Corn Cornbread- adapted from spark recipes.com

1 10oz bag frozen corn kernels

1 c brown rice flour

1 1/4 c cornmeal

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

3 tsp en r g egg replacer, no water

1 1/4 c almond milk

1/2 c melted earth balance

1/4 c agave, maple syrup, or if you’re fancy, OHGAVE! honey flavored agave

1 tbs cider vinegar

get out a large dutch oven, or heavy bottom stock pot. sauté the onions in a few tablespoons of oil until super soft and beginning to turn golden. add the jackfruit and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. start using the back and tip of a wooden spoon to break up and shred the jackfruit. don’t worry about pulverizing it, yet. now add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and increase the heat. cook until all liquid has evaporated. add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add the jalapeño and bell pepper and sauté for a few minutes. add the tomato, spices and beans and mix well. stir in enough stock to suit your tastes. simmer covered for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally to continue to break up the jackfruit, taste for salt and seasonings, and add more stock if needed. adjust, and simmer for another 15 minutes or so. i cooked mine for almost an hour and a half while i cleaned and made cornbread- the texture kept getting better.

jackfruit chili

to make the cornbread, heat your over to 400 and grab a cast iron skillet if you have it and throw in on the bottom rack. once heated, add a few tablespoons of oil to the skillet and add in the frozen corn. throw the pan back in the oven and roast until pale flecks of gold appear, this should take around 10-15 minutes. mean while, add the cider vinegar to the milk to curdle, and then whisk in the agave/honey, and earth balance. in a second bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well. remove the corn from the oven and stir into the wet ingredients, and then stir the wet into the dry. pour the batter (it will be pretty thick) into the cast iron and pop into the oven. bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. you can also use an 8×8 brownie pan if you don’t have a cast iron skillet.

gluten free vegan roasted cornbread

jackfruit chili

not pictured; served with creamy slices of avocado

tofu bagel sandwich

veggie sausage, tofu scramble, greens and veggies piled on a vegan jalapeño bagel.

gluten free vegan voyeur melt

the voyeur melt on GF bread. tempeh, avocado, basil veganaise, grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms. heavenly with a side of garlic fries.

“IF we had a bakery case webcam with a gluten free channel, today’s star would be vegan CHOCOLATE gluten free donut, co starring BLACKBERRY V,GF donut with a special guest Valentine’s Day appearance by vegan, gluten free petit heart shaped mini cake. But we don’t so you’ll just have to take my word for it”

holiday or no holiday, you better get up and then get on down, james brown style,  on those beauties.

mega salad

crispy tofu tacos

Crispy Tofu Rub:

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp menudo spice blend

1 tsp corriander

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbs masarepa or fine cornmeal

mix well in a shallow pan

slice extra firm tofu into desired shape, dredge in season blend and bake at 375 for 5-8 minutes per side or until crispy and firm.

vegan migas from the modern times cafe, w/side kale, duh!

raw not-chos from the ecopolitan

raw "chilli cheeze" burrito from the ecopolitan

my flavor flav!

raw eco-sausage pizza from the ecopolitan

as you can see, we were too busy devouring our dinner to take proper pictures.

gluten free vegan doughnuts from the birchwood cafe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok, so i don’t like doing negative review posts, but if you remember me going gaga a few months back over a donut shop…

the love didn’t last long. the donuts and service just kept declining so i stopped buying them. and then i decided to go gluten free and figured i’d never love another doughnut/donut again. then i discovered the birchwood cafe! i am in LOVE! they have gluten free vegan goodies everyday, they’re reasonably priced, presentable, and they taste good! the rest of the vegan menu is so-so, but the daily specials are where it’s at.

i’m celebrating the “national day of getting laid” early, and i’m adapting some old stand-by’s to fit the GF bill. a savory, roasted eggplant lasagna, and sharing a recipe i found online for a gluten free, vegan, chocolate torte. yum!

this is definitely a labor intensive meal with the pre roasting, but you can always pre-assemble your sexy lasagna a day in advance/morning of and pop it in the oven when you know you have an hour til’ romancing. besides, who said love was easy? this is also quite a hefty lasagna, so feel free to halve it and assemble it in a brownie pan. if you like your lasagna saucy, grab an extra jar (or can if you find BPA free) of sauce to pool on your plate for serving.

sexy roasted eggplant lasagna

serves 8-12

1 box Tinkyada Rice Lasagna

3 med/large eggplants- pick ones with taught, shiny skins.

1 lb cremini mushrooms

1 large red onion

tarragon

fennel

a couple GF veggie burgers to crumble up, opt

daiya cheese, opt

salt, pepper, ect

Tofu Ricotta: 

1 lb tofu

1 tbs miso

1/2 c cashews that have been soaked for a few hours, or 30 minutes in very hot water

1 tbs nutritional yeast

Simple Marinara

24oz jar strained tomatoes

2 tbs itallian seasoning

1 tsp agave

crushed red pepper, opt

crushed garlic, as many cloves as you’d like

preheat the oven to 425

Prep:

if you have a cast iron griddle, pop it in the oven while it heats up to 425. peel the eggplants, and slice into 1/3″ rounds. once the cast iron is hot, smear it with a dab of oil, and place a layer of eggplants down. season the tops with salt and pepper and roast for 8 minutes per side or until golden and ‘dry’ looking. keep repeating until all slices have been cooked. if you have no cast iron, put some parchment on a cookie sheet and roast them on it. the parchment helps the eggplant dry out as it roasts so it won’t turn to mush!

meanwhile, thinly slice your onion into half moons. sauté in a little earth balance or oil until caramelized, about 15 minutes. thinly slice your mushrooms and add a few handfuls at a time, cooking until soft before adding the next hand full. once all of the mushrooms have been added, increase the heat and sauté until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. add 1/4 tsp each fennel and tarragon, and crumble in your veggie burgers if using. otherwise, fold in the spices and sauté for a minute more, until fragrant, and set aside.

to make the sauce, open the jar of tomatoes and pour in the agave, garlic, hot pepper, and the itallian spices. re-cap and shake well. easy! *or cheat further and buy spaghetti sauce.

to make the ‘ricotta’, crumble the tofu into a food processor, add the miso, nutritional yeast, cashews and a 1/2 tsp salt. puree until smooth.

Assembly and Baking:

preheat the oven to 375

*rice pasta can get gummy if boiled too long so i par-boil mine for 3-5 minutes. the residual liquid in the filling will finish the pasta in the oven. i use a large high-walled skillet so that i can easily grab individual sheets from the water with a tongs.

oil a high-walled casserole/lasagna pan. pour about one fourth of the pasta sauce into the bottom and spread out. put down the first layer of pasta. spread with tofu ricotta- if it got too thick, thin with a little almond milk or water. then add half of your eggplant slices, overlapping slightly. lastly, sprinkle with half of your mushroom/veggie burger mix. top with another fourth of the sauce and spread out. i like to really press down at this point to ensure all of the layers are compact as it will help the noodles retain their shape and soak up the rest of the veggie liquid. repeat the layering with the rest of your filling, and top with a final layer of pasta, and the rest of the sauce. cover tightly with oiled aluminum foil (oil side down) and bake for 60 minutes. once the lasagna is hot all the way through, top with daiya or vegan béchamel sauce, and return to the oven to melt the cheese- or skip this step and serve as-is. i served mine alongside some steamed broccoli with a little garlic olive oil on top.

sexy roasted eggplant

vegan roasted eggplant lasagna

for dessert, i made this flourless chocolate cake, topped with this caramel sauce, and coarse sea salt.

gluten free vegan chocolate torte with salted caramel sauce

next time, i’ll tinker with the cake to make it a bit denser- maybe more buckwheat flour, or brown rice flour? and i want to cook the caramel longer in the first stage, it seems too light, i think.

Basic Gluten Free Cheezy Sauce

2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 heaping tbs raw cashew butter

1 tbs miso paste- white

1/4 tsp sea salt *or more if you really like salt or won’t be dumping this on salted chips

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 c nutritional yeast flakes, aka nooch

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, this adds a little “tang”

3 tbs garbanzo bean flour, also called besan, gram, or chana dal flour at indian grocers

3 tbs water

this is super duper easy:

melt the cashew butter over low heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan. whisk in everything else except for the water and the chickpea flour and increase the heat to medium high.  slowly whisk the water into the chickpea flour, and stir until completely smooth. add some of the hot sauce into the chickpea flour to help warm it, (much like tempering eggs if you’re familiar) whisking until smooth. now, slowly whisk the chickpea mixture into your sauce and keep stirring until thick and smooth. enjoy as is, or follow some options for tinkering!

10 am nacho fix!

for nacho/queso cheese:

add 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper powder, and up to 1 c of your favorite salsa. you may need an extra tablespoon of chickpea flour if your salsa is runny.  you can also fold in a cup of daiya pepperjack or cheddar if you want the consistency of stadium/pump cheese, but after experimenting, i don’t notice a big difference in flavor to make it worth a 5$ bag of cheese.

for mac and cheese:

double the sauce recipe and use regular paprika instead of smoked. add a pinch of ground nutmeg. fold into one pound of  al dente quinoa or brown rice noodles (or regular if you tolerate gluten). then, fold in up to an entire bag of daiya if you really, really want to go overboard on the cheesiness factor. i sometimes like a small sprinkle on top, but i won’t judge spoon into a lightly oiled casserole, cover, and bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

bechamel style- great as a fondue dip:

skip turmeric, omit 1/2 of the nutritional yeast. add a pinch of nutmeg and an extra tsp of onion powder. serve with blanched vegetables, cubes of bread-regular or gluten free, olives, and wine.

cashews kick ass, and lately i can’t seem to get enough of their creamy, protein packed flavor. it all started when the vegetarian times had a recipe for cashew goat cheese.  i can bring it anywhere, re-named as ‘savory cashew spread’ and it’s devoured almost instantly. then i discovered dr. cow’s tree nut cheeses; aged for 3 months, these cheeses develop the same sharp tang as traditional cheese, making them an insanely delicious pairing with crackers and wine. i’ve always wanted to re-create them, but aging? that seems a bit too complex for my decidedly amateur cooking skills. then, i found chef tal ronnen, his book ‘the conscious cook’, and his amazing recipe for cultured cashew, and macadamia nut cheeses. it’s similar in concept to the vegetarian time’s cashew cheese; you soak raw cashews and cream them, but before flavoring and setting the cashew cream, you culture it with store-bought probiotic powder -1 tsp per 2c cashews- for 16 hours, and then let it set up in the fridge. the result is incredibly reminiscent of cream cheese; tangy, velvety, and with a hint of sweetness. i’ve been making, and devouring his recipe weekly. it’s my favorite snack with slices of apple, cucumber, and gluten free flax crackers.

i’ve also been tinkering with using it as a base for faux-ranch dressing.

cashew ranch

next, i want to try making raw cashew cheesecake. i love the version they make at the ecopolitan, but i think culturing the cashews will add the backbone that it’s been missing!

raw cheesecake

Merry Hempsters Hot Muscle Rub! it’s a vegan friendly hemp based alternative to icy hot- and for hairdressers, bakers, or anyone prone to tendon and joint pain it’s definitely a must have! i just rubbed some in, and within 5 minutes the areas were bright red, tingly and warm. it also smells like ‘winter’ due to the oils of clove, cinnamon, and mint. yum!

will you be going to the boneshaker benefit dinner?