Key Lime Pie

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Just when you thought you’ve had all the hip whip, tofu whips, mylk whips, and cashew creams you could handle, some amazing company has to top off the cake.
I was getting some grub at Rancho’s market in North park, and to my surprise, they had organic vegan pressurized whip cream! When I saw this, something deep inside me screamed key lime pie, cappuccino’s, chocolate chip funny face pancakes, and stove top chocolate pudding. It also reminded me of throwing my head back and filling up my entire mouth with as much of it as possible, even if that meant using the whole bottle. With that thought, I bought 2 cans of delicious-organic-vegan-pressurized whip cream:).
Meringue topping always used to gross me out when I was little. But how I loved that tart key lime custard! I had an amazing vegan version at Food Swings in Brooklyn years back. This is my take on it, with my new sweet whip companion. One of the tricks is using the most silken tofu you can find. I used the Mori-nu brand.

Graham Cracker Crust:

  • 3 cups Graham cracker crumbs (hand crumble crackers if you must!)
  • 2 Tab. Safflower oil
  • 1 Tab. water, purified
  • Sprinkle of sea salt

***Mix graham cracker crumbs with sea salt. Then add the water and oil, and mix till firm. You may need to add a little more water if still dry. You want the mixture to just gently hold, but not be too damp. Press into pie pan evenly using spatula or spoon.

Key Lime Filling:

  • 1 package silken tofu, mori-nu
  • 12 oz. tofutti cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup key lime juice
  • 2 1/2 tea. lime rind zest
  • 2/3 cup blue agave
  • 1/2 pod vanilla bean
  • 1 Tab. coconut oil

***First, in food processor, blend tofu, vegan cream cheese, and lime juice till smooth. Add the lime zest, and agave. Scrape out the vanilla bean and add, along with the coconut oil. Check for sweetness, etc. then pour into crusted pie pan. Allow to set in fridge for at least 3 hours. Get funky with some whip topping, or the filling works great as pudding with some whip cream as well:)

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Lentil Seed Loaf

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Yum. Yum. Yum.

Its been far too long since I’ve made any kind of loaf. But this one came out so delicious, it made up for lots of lost loaf time! To top, I made a thick nutritional yeasty gravy, with a classic side of garlicky mashed potatoes. This is definitely a filler up meal, so go easy on those potatoes, and make sure you eat all your loaf first! Lentils, as most of us know are high in iron & proteins. Lentils also contain dietary fiber, vitamin B1, and minerals. Health magazine has selected lentils as one of the five healthiest foods. Thats right, so eat up!

Lentil Seed Loaf:

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1.5 cups lentils, red look the prettiest
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup bulghur
  • 1/3 cup each, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, & pine nuts
  • 2 cups yellow onion, minced
  • 2/3 cup celery, minced
  • 2/3 cup carrots, minced
  • 2 Tab. oil
  • 2 tea. each of sage & thyme
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tea. sea salt
  • 1/2 tea. blk. pepper
  • 1 Tab. parsley
  • 1 Tab. tamari
  • 2 cups oats, quick cooking

*** Preheat oven to 325 degrees. First, bring the 4 cups water, bay leaf, and 1.5 cups of lentils, to a boil. Allow to simmer till tender, about 30 min. Drain and save 1 cup of vegetable broth.
Next bring the 1/2 cup water to a boil. Stir in the bulghur, and remove from heat.
On a sheet pan, toast seeds for about 10 min. Allow to cool. In a large skillet, saute veggies until tender. Stir in parsley & tamari. Add in the toasted seeds & nuts, lentils, bulghur, oats, vegetable broth and stir well. Add more salt, etc. to taste. Place in an oiled 4×7 bread pan, and bake uncovered for 50 min. Cover with foil, and bake for another 20 min. Slice and serve!
….And don’t forget your favorite gravy.

Strawberry Ginger Rhubarb Pie

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Forgive this horrible picture but, Hooray for Pie! Pie screams summer, like no other.

Rhubarb is generally eaten as a fruit, but it’s botanically a vegetable. Because of rhubarbs superb amount of tang, and the strawberries being so naturally sweet, I figured the ginger would add a bonus flavor. I made this using my moms, ever so famous pie recipe. I had bought this red palm oil from whole foods, and decided its reddish hues would look nice in the crust. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit on the African palm tree. This particular brand is cold pressed, and works great for shortening! Sorry for the blurry picture. EEk!

Pike Street Market

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Seattle

Well I only had an afternoon, but it was spent well. The weather was beautiful, as was the city. I love the atmosphere of port cities. Most of them anyway.

Lunch was quick, as I grabbed a sandwich from Wayward Cafe, and strolled down to Pikes Market. It was a blast. I even took a moment to watch the fisherman throw around there freshly caught salmon and trout. The market had a huge selection of veggie eats. Organic, local, and fresh produce, nuts, flowers, herbs, as well as a ton of arts-n-crafters! I can’t remember the name, but there was a cute little pastry shop that specialized in vegan cinnamon rolls and other yum yums.

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I didn’t get to check out the Mighty-O Donut house, but a friend did bring me a bag of 6 different flavors!!! Lemon Poppyseed heaven! I think soon Ill have to make some of my own soon!

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This one is for Mom….Everlasting statice flowers!

Bye Bye Birdie Tempeh Salad

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Tempeh is made by fermenting soybeans, binded together by a mold called rhizopus. I know what your thinking….a mold?!?!? Yes a mold! This mold produces a medicinal antibiotic to increase our bodies resistance to infections, and helps to eliminate toxins. The most widely used tempeh, come in flavors such as flax or grain.

This recipe was a KF favorite, now yours to share! Tempeh is best marinaded overnight. So its worth it to give your self some extra prep time. If your feeling frisky, mix in some sunflower seeds for an extra crunch!

Marinade:

  • 1 8oz. pkg. tempeh, cut in cubes
  • 1 Tab. garlic, minced
  • 1 Tab. ginger, minced
  • 2 Tab. sesame oil
  • 3 Tab. Tamari (wheat-free)

***Toss all ingredients in large bowl and let sit overnight

After marinaded, lightly sautee the tempeh, and all those yummy juices, till lightly browned. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, In another large bowl:

  • 3/4 cup veganaise
  • 1 Lr. celery stalk
  • 2 Tab. red onion, minced
  • 2 scallions, sliced thin
  • 1 kosher dill pickle
  • 2 Tab. fresh dill, minced

***When tempeh has cooled, mix into the large bowl. Test the flavor, you may want to add some sea salt & fresh ground pepper.

Raw-violi’s

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This idea was inspired by Cilantro Live. Though I’m not a fan of their version, they are usually too small, and dry. But I thought the idea was way cool:)

The yummy filling consists of soaked pignoli nut pate, sandwiched between 2 vine tomatoes. I then dehydrated these for about 6 hours, flipped, and dehydrated again till they held together nicely. They were gone shortly after I took the picture! Good thing for veggie friends with big appetites!

My, how I heart M Cafe!

I think after this last visit to M Cafe, I can safely say it is my favorite eatery in all of California…..its true. And is what is not to love? The brunch is Amazing. Best Seitan Cutlets ever, and they’ve even started making ice cream! This months flavor was Black sesame! Grain sweetened Ice cream! I’ve heard they are opening a new location. Hopefully soon, they’ll be one in SD.

IMG_0022Tofu Florentine, with tempeh bacon

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Edamame Inari