Deli-Style Chickpea “Chicken” Salad from the book, Great Gluten-Free Eats, by Allyson Kramer. 3 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas, (if canned rinse and drain). 1 Tbsp rubbed sage 1 1/2 teaspoon vegan chicken flavoring. 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 stalks of thinly sliced celery (about 1 cup 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise* 1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard 1 Tbsp agave nectar 1/4  tsp celery salt 1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds** 1 cup halved seedless grapes Pulse cooked chickpeas, sage,  chicken-flavored vegetable seasoning and salt in a food processor until just crumbly. (Note: The size of the chickpea chunks will determine the texture of the salad—for a smoother salad, pulse longer) Transfer to a bowl and stir in celery, lemon juice, vegan mayo, brown mustard, agave and celery salt until combined. Fold in almonds and grapes and season to taste with salt and black pepper if desired. * To make this dish soy-free, use Vegenaise Grapeseed oil mayo. **To toast almonds I spread them out in a baking sheet and bake them for 5 min. at 350 deg.   Serve on bread or bed of greens. Serves 8 - 1/2 cup servings.   I have made this dish several times and it is super easy and delicious! Everyone who has tried it has enjoyed it. I prefer the chickpeas to be ground to a more smooth texture myself. View high resolution

Deli-Style Chickpea “Chicken” Salad from the book, Great Gluten-Free Eats, by Allyson Kramer.

  • 3 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas, (if canned rinse and drain).
  • 1 Tbsp rubbed sage
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vegan chicken flavoring.
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 stalks of thinly sliced celery (about 1 cup
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise*
  • 1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
  • 1 Tbsp agave nectar
  • 1/4  tsp celery salt
  • 1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds**
  • 1 cup halved seedless grapes

Pulse cooked chickpeas, sage,  chicken-flavored vegetable seasoning and salt in a food processor until just crumbly. (Note: The size of the chickpea chunks will determine the texture of the salad—for a smoother salad, pulse longer) Transfer to a bowl and stir in celery, lemon juice, vegan mayo, brown mustard, agave and celery salt until combined. Fold in almonds and grapes and season to taste with salt and black pepper if desired.

* To make this dish soy-free, use Vegenaise Grapeseed oil mayo.
**To toast almonds I spread them out in a baking sheet and bake them for 5 min. at 350 deg.
 
Serve on bread or bed of greens. Serves 8 - 1/2 cup servings.
 
I have made this dish several times and it is super easy and delicious! Everyone who has tried it has enjoyed it. I prefer the chickpeas to be ground to a more smooth texture myself.

Lemon Tart Mousse Recipe from Amber Shea Crawley

This tart is dso rich and delicious! I didn’t have any raspberries on hand so I used some strawberries I had frozen from last week’s Farmers Market but you could use blueberries, marionberries or even bananas if that’s what you have. 

Yield : 16 servings

Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • 1 cup dry almonds
  • ¾ cup dry macadamia nuts
  • ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

For the Mousse:

  • 1½ cups cashews, soaked for 2 to 4 hours and drained
  • 2/3 cup coconut water
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup agave nectar
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color)
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil

To serve:

  • 1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions

For the crust: Pulse the almonds, macadamias, and coconut together in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the raisins and salt, and pulse until the mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Press into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (or a pie plate) and refrigerate or freeze to chill completely.

For the mousse: Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

To assemble and serve: Fill the chilled crust with the lemon mousse. Chill the tart for at least one hour, or until ready to serve. Top with fresh raspberries just before serving.

Substitutions:

Almonds: Pistachios

Macadamia nuts: Cashews

Raisins: Pitted dates

Coconut water: ½ cup filtered water plus 2 tablespoons agave nectar

Agave nectar: Coconut nectar or any other liquid sweetener


© 2012 Amber Shea Crawley
 

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 247 calories, 18.3g fat (6g sat), 20.1g carbs, 3g fiber, 4.8g protein

 

Lemon Mousse Tart adapted from the book, Practically Raw, by Amber Shea Crawley. Oh. So. Decadent. View high resolution

Lemon Mousse Tart adapted from the book, Practically Raw, by Amber Shea Crawley. Oh. So. Decadent.

A.N.D. Cafe: https://www.facebook.com/andcafepdx

The food here is pretty yum. So far the tastiest meals I have had have been their specials and thus are not always available. Here is the breakfast burrito (Special) and their kale salad (regular menu item). A few months ago they were serving an artichoke spinach melt with Beyond Meat chicken. It was TO DIE FOR!

Restaurant Review: Evolution Fast Food-San Diego, Ca

http://evolutionfastfood.com/

We were so excited to discover this gem just on the edge of the Hillcrest neighborhood during our trip to San Diego last weekend. They have smoothies and lots of raw food options. I tried the chicken tenders (made with Beyond Meat) and a kale avocado salad. The tenders were made buffalo style with a nice tangy sauce and came with chipotle sauce and ranch on the side for dipping. The best part about having my lunch here: listening to the three men at a table near us on the patio debate the mass extinction happening during the Holocene Epoch. Good food and good eavesdropping! 

I love eating tostadas in the summer! They are the perfect combination of lightness and crunch and the variety of ingredients is limited by your own imagination. The secret trick to making these fabulous tostadas extra rich is adding a teaspoon of hemp hearts on top of the layer of beans. I also like to add some nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Yum! View high resolution

I love eating tostadas in the summer! They are the perfect combination of lightness and crunch and the variety of ingredients is limited by your own imagination. The secret trick to making these fabulous tostadas extra rich is adding a teaspoon of hemp hearts on top of the layer of beans. I also like to add some nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Yum!

No-oil creamy vegan potato leek soup

I LOVE this soup. Can also be eaten chilled on a hot day.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

6 large red potatoes peeled and chopped

1 med-large yellow onion diced

3 cloves garlic

2 leeks thinly sliced

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups spinach

½ cup cashews

2 stalks celery

2.5 cups water

1/2 Tbsp rubbed saged

1 tsp tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1: Sauté onion and celery with tarragon and sage until soft (about 5-7 min). Add a little water as needed to prevent sticking.

Step 2: Add garlic and leeks and sauté another 2 min.

Step 3: Add potatoes, vegetable broth and remaining water. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 min. or until potatoes are tender. Add spinach for the last 2 min. of cooking. Add salt and pepper.

Step 4: Transfer small batch (1 or 2 cups) of soup to food processor or blender. Add cashews and nutritional yeast and blend well until smooth. Return blended soup to pot and continue transferring batches of soup to blend until desired texture is reached.

Step 5: I like to have a few chunks of potato in my soup but you can make it as creamy as you like.

Doing the Holidays: Vegan Style

Thanksgiving feast: Most recipes from Forks Over Knives: http://www.forksoverknives.com/

Recipe: Brown Rice and Steamed Veggies Bowl with Butternut Cashew Alfredo Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 can black beans

2 cups cooked brown rice (I used long grain)

1 celery rib- coarsely chopped

1 carrot- thinly sliced

2 cups broccoli- coarsely chopped

3-5 leaves of kale removed from stalk and torn to small pieces

Butternut Alfredo Sauce (found on Post Punk Kitchen’s Blog here: http://www.theppk.com/2012/10/roasted-butternut-alfredo/) *

*I omitted the white wine because I didn’t have any and substituted with vegetable broth and it still tasted great.

Steam all veggies except kale for about 4 min. Add Kale and steam for another 2 minutes or until all veggies are tender. Warm black beans on stovetop or microwave. Divide rice into two bowls. Add beans to rice and pile veggies on top. Drizzle alfredo sauce over rice and veggie bowl. You could add toasted pine nuts or pepinos for an added crunchy texture. Enjoy!

Vegan Thanksgiving

I’ve been wondering what I’m going to do for Thanksgiving now that I am on a vegan diet. This will be my first holdiay season as a vegan. I’ve never been that into turkey on Thanksgiving anyway but am a sucker for creamy mashed potatoes, biscuits with butter and greenbean casserole!

I found some great vegan holiday dinner suggestions at forksoverknives.com:

http://www.forksoverknives.com/plant-based-thanksgiving-by-lindsay-s-nixon/

Can’t wait to try some of them!