Tofu, Zucchini & Carrots in Cashew Sauce

Oh so yummy and kids LOVE it. Wonderfully savory dish and a great way to use tofu. To start, slice 2 carrots 1/4 - 1/2 in. thick. Slice 2 zucchini lengthwise once and then slice half moons 1/2 in. thick. Then cube 1 block of tofu 1/2 - 1 in. thick. Set aside. Now take 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil into a good sized sauce pan, add 2 cloves of garlic  chopped, and 1 thumb of ginger - peel & chop. Over med heat - sautee' garlic and ginger slightly then add carrots and 1/2 c water. Stir well while you cook for 5 minutes. Now add 1/4 tsp grey salt and a dash of fresh black pepper. Toss in zucchini & tofu, continue to stir around until zucchini begins to be tender. Now add 1/4 c Bragg liquid amino's. Now move ingredients to one side of the pan so you have some juice available to melt cashew butter (if no juices then add water & more Bragg). Now take 2 heaping spoonfuls of cashew butter and stir them into liquid until it dissolves and makes a saucy consistency. Then mix into everything else. Goes really nice with quinoa, and if you've never cooked it, 1 c quinoa to 1 1/2 c water - bring to a boil then lower to lowest setting, cook for 20 minutes or less.

Vegan Taco's

Super easy and super fun. Great meal for kids. I used organic corn taco shells, either yellow or blue. Just heat in oven at 350* for 5 min. Organic refried beans (vegetarian) - heat in iron skillet with some ground cumin & coriander, shredded vegan cheddar cheese, sliced black olives, shredded lettuce, diced onions, vegan sour cream, guacamole (mashed avocado with lemon & salt), your favorite salsa and sprouts...I used cilantro microgreens. Another fun sauce is the cilantro/tamarind sauce on the recipe for crepes done on Feb 25th. Let everyone construct their taco's and see how different you all are when it comes to tastes. Enjoy!

Raw Spinach Soup

A highly coveted recipe THIS soup was introduced to me by Cherron P. during a raw food retreat we had here at Thunder Mountain a few years ago. It's super easy to make, and doesn't need a whole lot to be eaten with it, since it is so filling and nutritious. Just a side salad is good. Also you can add things like cucumber or other greens if you want to get creative, or even use water in place of carrot juice...find what works for you. Recipe: 2c fresh Carrot Juice, 1 T Lime Juice, 1/2c Extra Virg Olive Oil, 1/4c Tamari, 1 Avocado, 1/3c Basil packed, 2c fresh Spinach, 2 T Scallions, 2 T Garlic, 1 tsp Jalapeno, 1/3c Parsley, 1/2 med Tomato or 6-8 Cherry Tomatoes. If you have a vitamix just put all the ingredients in and blend until creamy. If you have a basic blender blend the carrot, lime, olive oil, tamari, basil, spinach and avocado first and blend, then add the remaining ingredients chopped well and blend until smooth. And if you like it spicy then add more of the jalapeno. This soup won't last long so eat it up...

Baked Tofu w/ cilantro lime & ginger

Making baked tofu is just about the easiest thing you can throw together for a vegan protein. I'm not a big 'tofu' eater when we go out to dinner mainly because restaurants don't know how to season it. They tend to grill it with some salt and pepper. Tofu is a blank canvas. It needs help to create a flavor. That's why you can use it for dips, desserts and other amazing things with out it tasting strangely tof-fuey. So for this amazing way of having it, just take a baking dish and add 1/2 c olive oil, 1/2 c Bragg Liquid Aminos, juice of 1 lime, a thumb of fresh ginger (peel & grate finely), fresh black pepper, and some cilantro. Now I used cilantro microgreens but you can use cilantro leaves or chopped cilantro. Now you slice 2 blocks of tofu. For even sized slices I tend to cut it in half then cut each piece in half again, and then repeat so you 8 even sized pieces, or you can freely slice it and have thin pieces but you will need to layer the slices against each other to fit it all in the pan. Layer flat in pan then flip them over in 1 minute to get even coverage of juices. Bake at 400* for about 40 minutes. YUM!

Lentil Salad

Lentil salad is a great way to get your protein and veggies in one serving and it makes a great potluck dish. It lasts a while in the fridge which is a plus in my house because I like to make a big batch and feed off it for a week or so. For my salad I prefer the french indigo lentils which cook quickly and tend to keep their shape (unless you cook the crap out of them). Yellow and green lentils are better for creamy dishes or a dahl. So cook 2 c  lentils with a bay leaf for about 1 hour or until they are just tender. While they cook make a dressing in a large bowl of 1/2 c olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, 1/4 c apple cider vinegar, 1  T  ground cumin, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 tsp celtic salt, fresh black pepper, and 1/4 c chopped parsley or cilantro - whisk well. Then add the following diced - cucumber, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, and red or yellow pepper. Once your lentils are cooked, strain them in a colander and rinse well with cold water until you can handle them. Then add veggies and lentils into the bowl and toss.

Sweet Potato Crepes w/ Cilantro Tamarind Sauce

Now I just rolled this up, I didn't actually prepare the ingredients - just helped cook the crepes. Kylie B. was the one who pulled this recipe from a great cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. This is a great book with lots of fun recipes. Kylie did make regular crepes and a wheat free version by just switching flours to the GF kind, it was a thinner batter but cooked nicely. And I must say I REALLY liked these...and will defiantly be making them again. There are a lot of ingredients so bear with me....Crepes; 1 1/2 c flour, 1/2 c chickpea flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 T olive oil, 2 c water. Mix well - cover & chill 1/2 hour. To cook them you can use a non stick skillet and 1/4 c batter and swirl it around so that it spreads out, flip when the top looks cooked through. Cooks fast!
Filling; in a large skillet 2 T oil (she uses peanut) add 1 1/2 c onions - chopped, 1 red pepper - chopped saute 5 min, add2 cloves garlic, 2 T ginger grated, then add 2 1/2 # of sweet potatoes, cover & cook 15 min stirring. add spice mixture of - 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp fenugrrk, 1 tsp mustard, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of cayenne, and grind 2 cardamon pods w/ 6 cloves...Add1/2 can coconut milk, 1 T maple syrup, 1 T lime juice - cook 5 min.
Sauce; try to make while potatoes are cooking...1/2 c cashews, 2 c cilantro, 1/2 can coconut milk,1 tsp maple syrup, 1 T oil (again she uses peanut but can use sunflower etc..), pinch of salt, put into blender and blend till smooth. So put your crepes together as you serve them and eat often!!!! SOOO YUMMY!

Raw Cacao Balls

Staying on the 'Healthy' kick for January I wanted to do my favorite snack. Now if anyone knows me at all they know that I love chocolate. Lately I've found something way better than the basic candy bars and cookies. These Raw Cacao Balls - now I have to credit Sarah H. for introducing these amazing (addicting) treats which I have put my own spin on. I make these and keep them in my fridge and snack on them often without any guilt. They are raw and wheat free, so they fit into a category of nutritional bars etc. Here goes: with a Cuisinart grind up 1/2 c dried coconut flakes. Set aside. Then 1/2 c of almonds or pecans, grind into a flour. Put coconut flour back in, add 1 1/2 c of Raw Agave Nectar, 1 1/2 c Raw Cacao powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cardamon, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla & 3 T Coconut Oil. Blend well, then using a spatula remove from Cuisinart and put into a mixing bowl. Now here's the hard part - since you don't want to break the Cuisinart....add 1c millet flour and mix with your hand, squeezing the dough through your fingers mixing until its dark & smooth. Now you can add chopped nuts if you want or switch out the millet flour for Vega Smoothie Infusion to give it more nutrients. Wash hands, add about 1 c dried coconut in a separate bowl, and using a melon baller, scoop out  dough and roll each ball between your hands and when your done toss into the coconut - coating well and set on tray. Once you roll all the balls - stick tray into fridge overnight to chill and harden. Now enjoy...I know I do :)