In Love with Chocolate Truffles – Raw & Vegan, of course!

Spaghetti & Meatballs w/Zesty Marinara

Meatballs you say? How can they be vegan? Well, it’s easy. I was inspired when I saw Isa’s recipe in Veganomicon for her meatballs, but I wanted to come up with my own recipe which didn’t include any gluten, so that’s what I did and Voila…Gluten Free and Vegan “Meat”balls with GF Spaghetti!

This is one of many of my clients favorite dishes, even Tony Horton! The man loves his spaghetti and Meatballs, although I know they don’t compare to his Aunt Stella’s real deal, which he doesn’t eat much anymore!

Enjoy! I know your kids will love these too!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. Brown Rice Spaghetti or Ziti, prepared according to package directions (Love Tinkyada Brand)
• 1 recipe of Mel’s Zesty Marinara Sauce (below)
• 2 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• ½ c. brown rice, cooked
• ½ c. raw yellow onion, diced small
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for browning meatballs
• 2 tablespoons Braggs Amino Acids
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon basil
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs or find ground cornmeal.

Mash beans and rice together in a bowl with a potato masher until mushy but beans are still somewhat noticeable. Add onion, garlic, olive oil, Braggs, tomato paste Worcestershire sauce, and herbs. Mix well with a spoon or hands to combine. Add breadcrumbs and using hands, mix well and knead until doughy. Roll into small walnut sized meatballs. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat with olive oil and brown meatballs on the skillet. Serve on top of spaghetti with a generous serving of marinara sauce.

 

MARINARA SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ can tomato paste
• 2 -28oz cans fire roasted crushed tomatoes
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

In a stock pot heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté onion, garlic & mushrooms until soft & caramelized. Add thyme & oregano and stir to incorporate to release the herbs. Add crushed tomatoes & tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Add Braggs Aminos, maple syrup & balsamic vinegar & stir well. Simmer 5-10 minutes more. Season with salt & pepper and top with fresh basil.

Vegan & Gluten Free Mac & Cheese w/ Broccoli

Mac and Cheese is a touchy subject in most homes and this one will even fool the youngest mouths in your life! And it’s more nutritious with the addition of some fun green trees (broccoli)!

1/2 pound gluten free brown rice elbows (Tinkyada brand is best)

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 cups plain, unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk or Almond Milk
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoons tahini
• black pepper to taste
• 1 TBL Brown rice flour
• 1-2 TBL olive oil or Earth Balance (soy free)
• 1 – 2 c. broccoli florets (depending on how much you like)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 tsp. olive oil

Prepare pasta to al dente. While pasta is cooking, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute garlic until tender. Add broccoli and a splash of water, cover and steam until tender.  In the meantime, blend all remaining ingredients together in a blender except for olive oil and brown rice flour. When pasta is done, drain and rinse and set aside.

Over medium heat, add olive oil or Earth Balance to a sauce pan and heat. Add brown rice flour and stir to make a roux. Add sauce mixture and pasta and cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. If sauce is too thick, add more coconut milk, if too thin, add a little more rice flour. Add in cooked broccoli and stir to combine. If the sauce needs a touch more flavor, add more mustard and onion or garlic powder. Top with a dash of smoked paprika and serve immediately!

Coconut Basil Stir Fry over Quinoa

Raw Vegan Chocolate “Pudding”

INGREDIENTS

• Meat from 2 young thai coconuts
• Water from one young thai coconut
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours & drained
• 1/4 c. raw cacao powder
  (you can add more if you like it more chocolaty)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from a vanilla bean
• 1/4 c. agave nectar or maple syrup

Open coconuts (carefully) with a cleaver or sharp serrated knife and scrape out meat. Place all ingredients in a blender except coconut water. Add coconut water just to barely cover ingredients, you can always add more later if too thick.  Blend until creamy smooth. If pudding is too thin, add more cashews. Enjoy with fresh berries!!

Baked Ziti with Spinach & Cashew Cheese

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Tinkyada Brown Rice Ziti or Penne, cooked al dente
• 2 c. Cashew Cheese (recipe below)
• 1 cup organic, frozen chopped Spinach thawed
• Mel’s Zesty Marinara Sauce
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 c. shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 TBL Tamari
• 1 TBL Balsamic Vinegar
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ can tomato paste
• 2 -28oz cans Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 tsp. Agave Nectar (leave out for cleanse or add 1 tsp xylitol)
• 2 TBL Fresh basil, chopped

In a stock pot heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté onion, garlic & mushrooms until soft & caramelized. Add thyme & oregano and stir to incorporate to release the herbs. Add crushed tomatoes & tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer 20-30

minutes. Add tamari, agave & balsamic vinegar & stir well. Simmer 5-10 minutes more. Season with salt & pepper and top with fresh basil.

 

CASHEW CHEESE

• 2 cups cashews, soaked for 4 hours & drained
• Filtered water
• 2 TBL Nutritional yeast flakes
• sea salt & pepper to taste

Place soaked cashews in a blender cup with just enough water to barely cover. Blend until very smooth. Add nutritional yeast and blend. This mixture should be fairly thick, so if it’s too thin, add some more cashews. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Pour into a bowl and add spinach. Stir well to incorporate

Preheat oven to 400.

To Assemble:

Place cooked Ziti noodles in large bowl. Ladle in marinara sauce until well covered. Stir to coat. If you like more sauce, add more. Add 1 cup cashew cheese & spinach mixture and stir to incorporate. You can always add more if you want more. Pour into baking dish and ladle sauce on top to cover.  Sprinkle with additional nutritional yeast flakes. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes until heated through. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. MANGIA!!

Curried Kale with Caramelized Shallots

Kale, is one of nature’s super foods. Enjoy it raw, sauteed, juiced or made into Kale chips. I like to use the heartier Dino Kale for this tangy yet subtlety sweet recipe that will give you a new found love for this healthy & nutritious super food!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 TBL Coconut Oil
• 1 TBL Curry Powder
• 1 TBL Agave Nectar
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 bunch Kale (about 4 oz) stems removed and chopped into large pieces
• 2 TBL Tamari, Braggs or Nama Shoyu
• 2 TBL Water

Heat oil over medium heat, add shallots and sauté until dark brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Stir in curry powder, agave and lemon juice.  Add kale, soy sauce and water. Cover and steam for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until kale is still chewy but tender. Do not overcook. Serve over Quinoa or Brown Rice!

Raw Kale Salad with Miso Dressing

INGREDIENTS

• 1 or 2 heads kale, any variety (I like Curly Kale for this salad)
• 1/4 cup dried Organic cranberries
• 1/4 cup Pine nuts
• Extra Virgin First Cold-Pressed Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Miso Dressing (see recipe below)

Strip kale of stems, tear into small pieces and soak in a bowl for a minute or two to get rid of any sand or dirt. Drain kale and using a salad spinner, spin the kale dry. Place kale in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Massage kale with your hands for a few minutes until it softens. This helps the kale become easier to digest.

Add cranberries & pinenuts and toss with Miso Dressing.

MISO DRESSING

• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 tbl dijon mustard
• 1 tbl white sweet miso
• 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. maple syrup or agave nectar
• 3 TBL Olive oil
• Blend in a Magic Bullet or shake well to mix.

 

Tony Horton’s Fave Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is a favorite of many of my clients, including Tony Horton. I include Cardamom in these which is is a sexy scented spice that aids in digestion and speeding up the metabolism! If you don’t like it, leave it out! But I guarantee you will!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. Spelt or Oat Flour
• 3/4 c. Rolled Oats
• 1/2 c. chopped Walnuts (optional)
• 1 c. Grain Sweetened Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 3/4 tsp. Baking soda
• 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp Cardamom
• 2/3 c. Agave Nectar
• 2/3 c. Coconut Oil, melted
• 2 TBL Almond Milk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Place dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add wet mixture to dry and stir together with a wooden spoon until combined. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Place by the tablespoon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Karma Chow Veggie Burgers

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
• 3/4 c. cooked brown rice
• 1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded & cut into chunks
• 1 c. spinach
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 red or yellow onion, cut in chunks
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1-1/2 to 2 c. gluten free bread crumbs
• 2 TBS Tomato paste or unsweetened ketchup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Using a food processor, blend pepper, onion, spinach & cilantro until all mixed together and somewhat liquidy. Pour into a medium bowl.

In food processor, separately pulse brown rice & chick peas together then add to bowl containing veggie mixture.

Add chili powder, tomato paste & sea salt and stir together to mix well. Add bread crumbs and combine until burgers stick together. If the burgers feel too wet, add more bread crumbs.

Form into patties and cook on a skillet with coconut oil on the bottom of the pan over medium heat until browned on both sides.

Serve on an Ezekial Sprouted grain roll with Avocado, Agave Ketchup, Lettuce, Onion & Tomato!