It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t like ceviche, but if you are trying to eat less animals, finding a good ceviche can be a challenge. Enter- Spicy Cauliflower Ceviche with Coconut Milk & Peanuts! This recipe is honestly to die for, and you can add all sorts or additions or exchanges to make it your own.
Once you have the cauliflower method down you are off and runnin’. I served it with some Rhythm Superfoods Beet Chips, both on the side and crumbled on top for an interesting and sweet crunch. You can also serve with tortilla or plantain chips for dipping. It’s plant-based (aka vegan), paleo, dairy-free and dee-lish!
Spicy Cauliflower Ceviche with Coconut Milk & Peanuts
3/4 lb cauliflower, cored and cut into baseball size chunks (about 1/2 medium head) 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt Zest of 1 lime (more…)
Sprouts are fun and easy to grow and are delicious, alkaline and packed full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. These fun little projects are also a great source of vitamins E, C, B and A as well as potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and protein. Sprouting unlocks the nutrients & protein inside the plant cells more readily and makes the protein found beans as well as nuts & seeds more bioavailable and more digestible. Sprouting as well as soaking, or fermenting foods also significantly reduces enzyme inhibitors, greatly increasing the digestibility and absorption of all nutrients in food, including amino acids.
Step #1 Select Your Bean & Quantity: Use organic beans such as adzuki, lentils, mung beans or chickpeas. The beans beans will at least double in size during sprouting, so only prepare as many sprouts as you can eat in about 4 weeks. The fastest to sprout are mung beans and lentils, especially if you live in a humid climate. My favorite beans are adzuki beans (shown here) for their nutty texture, high protein and iron and anti-oxidant content. Most dry beans are good for sprouting but you want to avoid black beans as they can be toxic. Note that “split” beans or peas will not sprout.
Step #2- Soak Your Beans: Place your beans in a wide-mouthed glass jar and fill with filtered water until the beans are covered by about 4 inches of water (use this rule for any amount for beans). Allow them to soak in the water overnight, or for about 8 to 12 hours and then rinse and drain them very well as they can go off if they are too moist. I do this several times inside the jar. Cover with a piece screen from the hardware store (shown here) or a piece of cheesecloth. Leave the jar in a semi-lit place while the beans sprout (I like my kitchen near the window). (more…)
Austin LOVES tacos…well and who doesn’t quite frankly? I think we love them because they can be filled with just about anything- which is part of the fun. Get creative to celebrate National Taco Day or just follow the this delicious and plant-based and paleo friendly recipe below for Eggplant Banh Mi Tacos and you cannot go wrong. This recipe was developed in collaboration with our incredibly talented chef Heather Valdes for a summer cooking class. The initial recipe was made with shiitake mushrooms, yum! This one was adjusted to use up some of the bountiful eggplant happening in Austin & Miami right now. Whatever your filling choice, this is a great template for all sorts of interesting options.
Eggplant Bánh Mì Tacos with Pickled Veggies & Spicy Aioli
Quick Pickled Veggies~ 1 medium carrot, julienne or grated (or butternut squash to be uber seasonal) 1-1/2 cups cucumber, thinly sliced into thin half moons 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 1/3 cup filtered water 2 Tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
Eggplant Filling~ 3 Tablespoons coconut oil 1-1/2 pounds eggplant, cut into ¼ inch x 3 inch strips 3 Tablespoon reduced sodium tamari 2 Tablespoons filtered water 1 Tablespoon maple syrup 1 Tablespoon Siracha (or to taste) 2 teaspoons rice vinegar 3 large cloves garlic, minced 1” piece of ginger, minced Freshly ground black pepper
Tacos & Optional Garnish~ 8 small corn tortillas, warmed through either in the oven or on a stove top Lettuce Wraps instead of tortillas Generous handful of fresh cilantro and/or mint- tough stems removed Scallions, thinly sliced on bias Thinly sliced radish Chopped Peanuts
Quick Pickled Veggies: Add all ingredients to a large glass jar, secure the lid, and shake for 10 to 15 seconds to mix. You’ll want to allow the vegetables to soak for at least 30 minutes (at room temp) up to 24 hours- the longer the better. If you plan to do hours in advance, place the jar in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Eggplant Filling: Whisk together the maple syrup, tamari, chili garlic paste, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and black pepper in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, add the coconut oil and the eggplant and reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent burning.
Add the tamari mixture to the pan and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce is absorbed, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
To Assemble~
Fill each corn tortilla with a small spoonful of the eggplant and then the pickled vegetables. Drizzle with the aioli (recipe follows) and top with the fresh, cilantro, mint, scallions and peanuts if using. Serve immediately.
Tip & Notes~
This recipe would also be delicious with a variety of mushrooms or other veggies such as squash, peppers, cauliflower or broccoli.
Siracha Aioli
1/2 cup mayo of your choice (we like brands with very little ingredients- Just Mayo is a good one) 2 Tablespoon sriracha Juice of one lime 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika Salt to taste
Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Allow to sit overnight for flavor to develop if you have time.
This Vanilla Cashew Milk recipe is a revelation for me. Some of you know of my “milk conundrum”. That is, my long time battle with what kind of milk to take in my coffee. I used to use fat free organic dairy milk. If you don’t know what that was a bad choice read this post.
I switched to store bought organic almond milk. I follow the rule of not using anything with ingredients that I cannot pronounce…almond milk was my only exception. Why not make my own my own you ask? Because it’s grainy and separates in my coffee and I refuse to be annoyed before 7am. So then I went to grass-fed whole milk. This didn’t quite sit right either, as I try to lessen my environmental impact and eat vegan much of the time.
I went back and fourth for a long time. Then the “ahhhhh ha” moment came. Cashew milk was the answer! Creamy, rich, vegan, easy to make, no straining and it doesn’t separate in my coffee…victory! You can make it plain for universal applications or put vanilla or other fun stuff in it.
Creamy Vanilla Cashew Milk
Ingredients: 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water to cover for at least 4 hours 1-1/2 cups filtered water 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder* or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (more…)
1 cup nuts such as walnuts, pecans or almonds or a mixture of 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds 1/3 cup chia seeds 1/3 cup coconut flakes 1 heaping packed cup pitted dates 1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins or dried cherries 1/3 cup sweet cacao nibs (optional) 2-3 Tablespoons filtered water, as needed A pinch of Himalayan Salt
Makes 8 bars or 12 balls
Place the nuts, chia seeds, coconut flakes and sunflower or pumpkin seeds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until the mixture is the texture of coarse sand. If you would like some more texture in the bars you can take out a little of the nuts, coconut and seeds before mixing and add them in later.
Add the dates, cranberries and the cocoa nibs and blend until the mixture begins to come together in a sticky dough. If this is not quite happening you can add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until it is sticky and moist and will come together easily in your hands. At this time mix in the chunky pieces if you kept some aside and pulse just until blended.
For Bars: Line a baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper and press the mixture down into a rectangle about 1/3 of an inch thick, making the sides as even as possible.
Place in the fridge for 1 hour. Remove and flip over onto a cutting board and peel off the parchment. Cut into 12 even pieces and store in a glass container or wrap individually in plastic wrap for easy transportation.
For Balls: The faster method is to roll the dough between your palms into balls about 1 ½ inch diameter.
Both methods will keep in fridge for up to a month or at room temperature for a week.
I found the inspiration for recipe through a really amazing foodie website called Food 52. The pics are to die for and the recipes are mouthwatering. Bread gets a bad rap these days…sad to say. This bread however is healthy, gluten free, easy and ridiculously deelish. I have made a few tweaks but it is basically the same and totally worth the short time it takes to make it!
Gluten Free Powerhouse Bread
INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 cup rolled oats (gluten free if this is a concern) 1 cup raw sunflower seed kernels (not in the shell) 1/2 cup chia seeds 1/2 cup nut of your choice 4 Tablespoons psyllium husks* 2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt 1-1/2 cups room temperature water 3 Tablespoons melted coconut oil 1 Tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Makes 1 loaf
DIRECTIONS:
Line a silicon loaf pan or a standard loaf pan with parchment. In a medium mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk water, coconut oil and maple syrup together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated, if the dough is too thick and hard to stir, add one or two tablespoons of water until the dough is manageable.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let the loaf sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it or lift the parchment.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place the loaf in the parchment directly on the rack and bake for another 30 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.
Store in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. This bread freezes well also – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!
Tips & Notes~
Add some dried cranberries, raisins or other chopped dried fruit.
Caraway seeds and some caramelized onions are also a nice addition to make a rye-flavored bread.
*Psyllium husk can be found online or in the supplement area of most grocery stores.
Step #1 Select Your Bean & Quantity:
Eggplant Filling~
