Squash Blossom Coconut Brown Rice

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Every once in a while, I love to
treat myself to a delicious sticky coconut brown rice dish. There are many
variations that can explored, like this version using fresh squash blossoms
from the garden. I actually created this by accident, when I had picked
a bunch of squash blossoms with the intention of doing a stuffed squash
blossom dish. But then, I got busy and forgot to make time to do the dish,
and the squash blossoms no longer had the perfect constitution for
stuffing. Read More

Sprouted “Risotto” with Asparagus, Peas, Fennel, & Mint

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This time of year, whenever I
start to see fresh English peas and asparagus at the market, and the
nasturtium flowers start to take over the garden, my cooking mind always
wanders to spring risotto with asparagus and peas. So, the other night I was
making a side dish of sprouted brown rice, and I noticed that the texture
would probably lend itself well to a risotto-style dish. Well that’s all I
needed to give this one a try…voila! A healthy, sprouted risotto that makes
a great vegan entree or side dish! Read More

Saffron Riced Cauliflower

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The other day I picked up a bag
of “riced cauliflower” at the market, for the first time. I have
been playing around with it, both hot and as a raw salad, with delightful
results. In fact, the other day I posted a candid quickie of a raw riced
cauliflower salad I had created for lunch, that invoked such a positive
response in the social media world, I have decided to do two “riced
cauliflower” recipes in a row on here. First though, I want to share
this extremely simple recipe that brings saffron into the picture. The
cruciferous personality of cauliflower, both in taste and smell, seems to
blend extremely well with the distinctive flavor and aroma of saffron. I
enjoyed this with some seared wild tuna but you could easily add in some
legumes, sprouts, and-or vegetables for a vegan entree.

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Moroccan Spiced Eggplant & Tomato with Tahini

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I love cooking outdoors! One of
the highlights of my summer has always been firing up my electric smoker, or
using my Texas barrel as a “wood oven.” I have cooked just about
everything imaginable outdoors, from pizza to smoked peaches. Grilling,
smoking, and barbecuing doesn’t have to be reserved for meat. There are
a lot of plant foods that do extremely well on the grill. This recipe for
grilled eggplant is my favorite way to just grab an eggplant from my garden
and quickly turn it into a featured grill item. If you can mix a few spices
together, you can easily prepare this dish. The buttery flavor from the
natural oils of the roasted eggplant along with tomato and the tahini is
heaven when eaten! You can even prepare this on your stovetop griddle or in a
grill pan. Read More

Baked Ratatouille with Fresh Basil

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Baked ratatouille is super easy, delicious, and this recipe comes just in time for your summer vegetable harvest. It makes a great whole-food plant-based meal served with wild rice, pasta or polenta. It can also be used as a vegetable side dish. One recipe makes enough to enjoy a dinner and a couple easy lunches on the go. I used a handmade ceramic oven dish, which fills the air with a really nice aroma when baking, but a simple Pyrex will also do the trick.

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Spaghetti Squash with Crispy Sage & Garlic

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Greetings! I know it’s been a
while since the last post. To be honest, my creativity took a brief leave of
absence. I also became fixated on creating the perfect homemade vegan ice
cream, that also stores well. That sort of consumed me for a few weeks. No
ice cream recipe to post yet, and now it is becoming irrelevant, as summer is
going away. So, on to one of my favorite subjects: Quality kitchen time
during the fall season. Let’s kick it off with a very simple, and
surprisingly filling dish using just five key ingredients. Fresh sage, garlic
and winter squashes are good friends in my book. This recipe sort of takes
the traditional squash ravioli with sage, and sort of deconstructs it and
puts a yummy vegan spin on it. Don’t be afraid to ramp up the garlic and the
sage. Enjoy! Read More

Brussels Sprouts with Hempseed & Lemon Zest

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Brussels sprouts, you either
love them, or you hate them. I have both prepared, and eaten Brussels sprouts
many different ways: steamed, sautéed, braised in oatmeal stout, grated raw
in salads; some preparations good, some not so good. So who knew that the
quick and easy, clean and vegan preparation would turn out to be so
delightful? Well, not me, but now I am sold. This dish provides the
devout vegan with essential B12 from the nooch, essential fats, and a
complete amino acid protein profile from the hempseed. But don’t let the word
“vegan” put you off. This is absolutely delicious, light, and
satiating and can be enjoyed on just about any diet or lack
thereof.

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Lime & Sea Salted Watermelon & Avocado Salad

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I love it when something is so
ridiculously simple it almost doesn’t make sense. I have been extremely busy
developing some new flex foods to compliment a new cleanse product that
I have been offering on my Whole, Clean
& Green Challenge. The cleanse protocol specifies a very
short list of flex foods, so I was limited to basically just citrus juice and
sea salt for any kind of dressing. I was delighted to discover how flawless
and wonderful just watermelon, avocado, lime, and sea salt taste when
combined together. And therefore I had to share it on the blog! You can
make this in about three minutes. Drizzle some avocado oil on top if you
must, but it really isn’t necessary. Read More

Heirloom Potato & Kale Latkes

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I just whipped these up for
brunch and decided they were share-worthy. The red, purple, and fingerling
potatoes are a little healthier than the traditional russet potatoes. This is
totally vegan but you can use real eggs instead of chia eggs, or even serve a
couple poached eggs on top. To be honest, I was longing for a coupe duck eggs
that I sometimes get from a local urban farmer. Having said that, I love the
gooey texture in the middle that can only be a result of the chia seeds and
the consistency of the heirloom potatoes doing a little happy dance. Enjoy
these with some homemade ketchup or smoked trout. Yum!

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Riced Cauliflower Salad with Tomato, Basil & Garlic

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I’m having a
“mini-series” of riced cauliflower in my kitchen! Riced cauliflower
is great as a raw salad, because cauliflower florets are already slightly
tender and porous to start with, so, when mixed with other salad ingredients
it makes a great base! So, a while, back, I tried using it as you would pasta
in a classic “TBG” (tomato, basil, garlic) salad, and the results
were delicious.

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