Chic Vegan

This is one of those amazing raw recipes that look much fancier than they really are. Whoever the creative force was behind raw pasta gets an A+ in my grade book.

This is a recipe for pea-pesto mixed with zucchini on top of a bed of wilted kale, finished with sun-dried cherry tomatoes, brought to you by Rawxy. Go to her site to enjoy more photographic splendor.

Whats better than a tasty vegan milkshake on a hot summer day? A RAW vegan milkshake! This recipe is so easy and delicious that you will want to make it everyday! This is also a great opportunity to try your hand at making some raw milk, which I always thought was daunting but turned out to be a piece of cake!

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Delicious Factor: High

Ingredients:

• 2 cups soaked raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
• 3/4 cups maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1/4 t. fine sea salt
• ——————————–
• 1.5 cups homemade raw hemp milk, plus more to taste
• 1 T. fresh orange juice
• Agave nectar, to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup raw cocoa nibs

Preparation:

This is a wonderful recipe from Heidi at everyone’s favorite veg cooking blog, 101 Cookbooks. Slightly cooked veggies and spicy dressing make this recipe simple but highly satisfying.

• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup / 3 oz / 85g sliced almonds
• a small handful cilantro, about 1/2 cup
• 1 medium clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and de-veined
• 1/4+ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/3 cup / 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch / 8 oz / 225 g baby carrots, scrubbed and sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 bunch / 16 oz / 450 g pencil-thin asparagus, stalks trimmed, cut into 2-inch segments
• squeeze of lemon, optional

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, toast the almonds in a large skillet over medium heat in a splash of olive oil along with a big pinch of salt. Let them get deeply golden, remove from heat, and set aside.

Make the dressing by combining the cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, and salt in a food processor – or alternately, in a blender or with a hand blender. Drizzle the olive oil in while pulsing, continuing until the dressing is a creamy, vibrant green. Taste, and adjust to your liking with more salt, garlic, jalapeno, etc.

Salt the boiling water generously, then add the carrots, wait 15 seconds and add the asparagus. Depending on the actual thickness of your carrots/asparagus, cook for about 30 – 60 more seconds, you want the vegetables to retain some structure and bite. Drain and immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking. Spin dry in a salad spinner.

In a large bowl toss the vegetables with a generous splash of the dressing. Toss well, add 2/3 of the toasted almonds and gently toss again. Taste and adjust for seasoning. You might want to add a quick squeeze of lemon juice at this point, but it’s optional. Serve family-style topped with the remaining almonds.

Serves 4-6 as a side.

Recipe and photo property of 101 Cookbooks!

Snacks are the cherry on top of every wonderful day! Whatever your poison is – salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy – there is a delicious recipe floating around with your name on it.  They range from super easy (banana soft serve and kale chips) to slightly more gourmet (raw ice cream bars), but all are healthy for you and worth the time invested!  Here are some wonderful recipes that will comfort you during a relaxing night in or keep the kids happy in between meals.

Honey Roasted Chickpeas

Homemade Raw Vegan Ice Cream Bars!

Kale Chips!

Hummus and guacamole
Everything tastes better with hummus or guac added!

Banana Soft Serve
If you haven’t heard about this yet… prepare for life changing information!

After a long summer day of hiking, swimming or laying about in a random park,  my absolute favorite Summer go-to food is always summer rolls! Commonly referred to as “salad rolls” these are fresh tasting, light and delicious. The best part about them is that they are easy, quick to make and you can fill them with all of your favorite ingredients. A perfect snack for steamy summer days!

Here are some great variations on the standard summer roll with some interesting dipping sauce recipes.

Nectarine and Basil Summer Rolls with Almond Sauce

Mock Tuna Salad Rolls

Green Curry Summer Rolls

Summer Rolls with Udon Noodles

Vegetable Summer Rolls with Carrot Ginger Dipping Sauce

This recipe is courtesy of Beth, who when not spending her time veganizing Bobby Flay recipes (such as this one) she moonlights as the sole owner and member of The Z is Silent, a project to start an all inclusive arts space in Philadelphia. She envisions a completely modular space where artists can present visual, performing and any other kind of art in a space they themselves can help design and work with instead of in. However, Beth has no money. So, instead she fills her time writing nonsensical and whimsical musings for blogs like Chic Vegan while working to create and support sustainable  agriculture in the Philadelphia area. She lives with her lovely boyfriend, his mustache, a cat and a dog.

Lemon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1 small shallot, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4-1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk shallot, juice, zest, vinegars, and salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified.Allow flavors to meld on the counter for 20 mins at least before using

Couscous and Veggies

• 1/2 pound Israeli couscous
• Salt
• 12 spears asparagus cut into 1/4-inch pieces (in season now!!!)
• 1 zucchini,cut into 1-inch pieces (in season now!!!)
• 1 yellow squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 large red peppers, diced into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Roast  vegetables with the basil, a bit of olive oil, some salt and pepper in a 400 degree oven until *almost done* (10-20mins), olives, basil, and vinaigrette and toss until combined; season with salt and pepper.Heat large saute pan medium heat. Add couscous and toast until lightly golden brown.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil over high heat, add 1 tablespoon salt and toasted couscous and cook until al dente. Drain well and place in a large bowl. Combine veggies, couscous and vinegrette, and season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving or cover and refrigerate.

This sinfully delicious recipe has been brought to us by the lovely Natalie from Angst Love Spinach.

Banana Chocolate Chip Blondies
yields 9-12, depending how you cut them.

3 ripe bananas
1/4 cup Earth Balance
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (you could substitute rum extract for added fun)
1 1/2 cup flour, lightly spooned and leveled
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil an 8×8 baking pan.
Combine bananas, sugar, Earth Balance, and extracts in a food processor until smooth.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda.
Pour banana mixture into flour and stir until just mixed.  Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth evenly with a spatula.  Scatter almonds over top.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick/knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!

Would you like your recipe to be featured on Chic Vegan? Email Mandi and if it is vegan and yummy.. it will get published!

This absolutely delicious recipe is brought to us by Sam from the wonderful blog Quantam Vegan.

Cilantro-Lime Quinoa with Black Beans & Kale

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 or 2 small hot chilis, seeded & minced
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red pepper
2 15oz. cans black beans, drained (reserve liquid)
3 cups kale, chopped
1 cup fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
lime juice to taste
black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Rinse the quinoa and place it in a pot with the water or broth.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

2) While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and chilis and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the onions and pepper, cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

3) Add the beans, cilantro, cumin, and lime juice and pepper to taste.  Add as much of the reserved bean liquid as you wish to make the whole thing moist but not too watery.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the quinoa is done.

4) Once the quinoa is done, uncover the bean mixture and add the kale.  Cook until just wilted, then stir in the tomatoes.  Add the cooked quinoa and stir until everything is well combined and heated through.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve hot.

I found I needed more cilantro and lime juice, but it’s entirely up to you how seasoned to make it!

Source of recipe: I wanted black beans and quinoa for dinner, but none of my cookbooks turned up the sort of recipe I was picturing.  Kale happened to be on sale, as well, and since it’s a family favorite, I tossed them all together and came up with this!

Makes: 4 servings, Preparation time: ~15 minutes, Cooking time: ~30 minutes

Would you like your recipe to be featured on Chic Vegan? Email Mandi and if it is vegan and yummy.. it will get published!

This delicious recipe is by Kristin Doyle, RN, CNC from San Francisco. She is the author of Therapeutic chef: Recipes to prevent cancer, heart disease and diabetes (a vegan cookbook!)

QUINOA TABOULEH

(Serves 6)

Tabouleh is a middle-eastern dish typically made with bulgur wheat. This recipe uses quinoa, the ‘mother grain’ from South America for just a little extra boost in minerals and protein. Plus it contains lots of parsley, which is high in vitamins A and C, and iron, and is helpful in cleansing the blood, aiding in digestion and freshening the breath.

1 1⁄2 cups quinoa
3 cups vegetable broth (may substitute water)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
3 medium lemons, zest from 1, and juice from all 3
1⁄4 tsp unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt
2 bunches fresh parsley, cleaned, trimmed, and rough chopped
1⁄4 cup fresh mint leaves
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS flax seed oil
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 cups of diced tomatoes, seeded (multi-colored cherry tomatoes, halved, are nice)
1 medium fennel bulb, finely chopped, core discarded
1 carrot, scrubbed and shredded
1 cucumber, seeded and diced

Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a bowl of cold water. Pour off excess water. Drain well in a fine mesh strainer. Bring broth to a boil with the drained quinoa. Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Do not overcook the quinoa. Once it is tender remove from heat and transfer to a large glass or stainless steel bowl, draining if necessary to keep from getting mushy. Gently fluff with a fork and let cool.
Meanwhile, place garlic, lemon zest, juice, salt, parsley, mint and oils in a food processor and pulse to combine (you may need to do this in batches if you have a small food processor). Toss this mixture with the cooled quinoa and add the green onions, tomatoes, fennel, carrot and cucumber. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

*To make this dish a little more hearty you could add 1 cup of cooked chickpeas when you add the green onions.

Would you like your recipe to be featured on Chic Vegan? Email Mandi and if it is vegan and yummy.. it will get published!

I made a batch of these the other day, and can I just say that these were absolutely AMAZING.  Perfectly chewy, sweet, and without the strange flavor of most gluten free baked  goods. Oh did I mention these are gluten free, vegan and packed with protein? Doodles and I ate a whole batch in less than 24 hours.  That is one cookie an hour! We are expert cookie eaters.

This recipe of perfection comes from the one and only Gluten Free Goddess.

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour or potato starch (not potato flour!)

1 2/3 cups organic light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large measuring cup blend:
2/3 cup light olive oil
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract

Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a sturdy wooden spoon until you get a thick, sticky batter.

Make your egg replacement:
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer
4 tablespoons warm water

Whip the egg replacer ingredients till foamy and frothy.

Add the egg replacer to the batter and combine well. The dough should be thick and rather sticky.

Add:

3 to 4 tablespoons of warm water, as needed to achieve a cookie style dough that sticks together when you pinch it.

Stir in:

1 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with an Exopat, Silpat, or lightly greased parchment. ( Be sure to use parchment.. your cookies will  BURN if you don’t!)

Lovely warm and melty. Store in a covered container for up to a day or wrap cooled cookies in recycled foil, bag and freeze for longer storage.

Makes 24 cookies.