Pear & Red Kuri Squash Soup

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The feeling of fall has moved in
right on schedule here in Los Angeles. So red kuri squash soup is where my
mind went when I saw some beautiful red kuris at the Farmers market. This
soup is super simple and can be made in a matter of minutes while you are
multi-tasking and doing other stuff. I love doing recipes that don’t require
a lot of measuring. Many people don’t realize how easy cooking is, and how it
often doesn’t have to be perfectly exact. Getting fresh, nutrient dense foods
into your body while also enjoying the flavors, shouldn’t be a daunting
project! In retrospect, I think it would have been nice to garnish this with
some pomegranate seeds. Perhaps there is an update in this recipe’s
future! Read More

Mexican Braised Tofu with Smoky Yams

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This Mexican braised tofu, and
braising tofu in general, is a great, fairly easy way to add some variety to
otherwise bland and funkily textured traditional tofu. There are some key
components to remember though, if you want your tofu to really absorb
whatever flavors you are working with. This recipe explains how to
effectively drain your tofu so it can better receive the flavors in the
braising process. It’s a Mexican twist on combining tomato, sweet, and smoky
all together. Read More

Vegan Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Herbed Almond Ricotta and Bruschetta Salsa

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Who loves that nuanced taste of
ricotta cheese blended with herbs, tomatoes, and garlic? Who doesn’t
actually? This recipe for vegan zucchini lasagna rolls delivers on the nuance
while providing a more refreshing, more nutrient dense, clean version, that
highlights the awesome natural flavors found in some of our favorite herbs
and vegetables. These rolls are better suited for a lunch, brunch, or
appetizer, but you could also have them for dinner along with some cooked
grains, cannellini beans, and-or a green salad. Don’t let the small size fool
you. The almond ricotta in these makes them quite rich and energy dense, and
one can fill up on just a few. Get ready for a fantastic blend of fresh
flavors! Read More

Spinach Persimmon Salad with Chickpea Miso Dressing

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I am such a lucky guy, because
my neighbor gave me a nice bag of Fuyu persimmons! And I picked up a
container of chickpea miso, all in the same week. I saw this as a cosmic
directive to whip up this Spinach Persimmon Salad; a Japanese-inspired salad
that will blend well with the traditional holiday table. Unlike their
counterpart, the Hachiya persimmon, the Fuyu can be enjoyed in various stages
of ripeness, making them a great addition to your holiday salad! You can
easily tell them apart because Fuyus are shaped more like a tomato, while
Hachiya persimmons are acorn–shaped. If you try to eat a Hachiya before it
gets completely soft, you will be left with a mouthful of astringent icky.
This recipe uses firm, crunchy-yet ripe Fuyu persimmons as the star
ingredient. Read More

Fig & Shiitake Bacon Bites

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Here is a fun and extremely easy
variation on the bacon-wrapped fig. Actually, I wanted to see if I could
wrap a fig in a shiitake bacon, but the bacon pieces aren’t quite big or
flexible enough. Next time I will try making a portobello bacon. In the
meantime, this is what I ended up with, and to my delight, it came out
very tasty. Try this as a snack, or a vegan and Paleo-friendly summer hors
d’oeuvre, if you go with the vegan cheese, or I would imagine that
goat cheese would be equally amazing. You can google shiitake bacon
recipes and experiment, or just use the one I came up with here. Making
shiitake bacon is much easier than it sounds if you use this quick
method.

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Green Beans with Lemon, Tarragon & Chia Seeds

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This green beans with lemon
recipe is another one of those super simple, “too tasty and easy to be
true” dishes for an easy lunch or dinner side dish. Sometimes
demonstrating that you can grab one vegetable from your garden or the Farmers
Market, and easily turn it into a fairly complete meal or tide-over, is the
best way I can use my blog space! The chia seeds provide extra complete
protein and healthy fats to this, making it a decent light meal. And you can
always add more chia seeds to suit your own nutritional preference and taste.
So enjoy this one and let me know in the comments all the different ways you
did! I used some rattlesnake
beans from my garden for this recipe.

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Vegan Hazelnut Pesto with Mango & Avocado Slices

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Basil, basil, and more basil!
When a basil plant decides to take hold it really pumps it out. So, I
schedule a few minutes each day to go out and cut the flowering basil tops,
to keep the plant going all summer long. Which winds me up with a lot of
extra basil hanging around the kitchen. Here is a great
sweet-meets-savory idea for a lazy afternoon salad, with vegan hazelnut pesto
as the star of the show. You can also do a non vegan version of this by using
parmesan or another hard aged cheese in place of the nutritional yeast.
Enjoy! Read More

Miso-Tofu Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Dynamite

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I like to work a little tofu
into my diet here and there. This tofu stuffed portobello mushroom usually
hits the spot. If you stick to natural, more traditional, and
unprocessed forms of soy you can alleviate most health concerns around soy.
The commercialization of soy has managed to turn soy into a
“Frankenfood” monster by using GMO soy and creating so many
products from refined soy. Therefore, my personal policy about soy is to
use a whole food approach and common sense, backed up by this
article from Dr. Mark Hyman, MD. Keep your soy products organic,
natural, fermented, sprouted if possible, and in a more traditional form.
This recipe uses two such traditional forms of soy: organic tofu and organic
miso paste. I love combining miso, mushrooms, any chance I get. These
flavors love being together! This makes a great, simple entree. You can
enjoy it right away or as a protein-rich salad topper for a lunch or
brunch. The stuffing is somewhat similar to a tofu scramble, with a little
more depth from the other ingredients. Read More