Ingredients:

• 1 pkg gnocchi
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp rosemary, ground
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Whip it up…

• Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions. It generally only takes about 2-3 minutes to cook.
• Meanwhile, in a saute pan, melt the margarine over medium heat. Then add the garlic and let it get tender and brown a little… about 4 minutes.
• Grind dried Rosemary with a mortar and pestle. (I wouldn’t recommend not using ground, otherwise the whole leaves get stuck in your teeth and overall it’s just not a pleasant texture.)
• Add the rosemary, salt and pepper and stir up for about 20 seconds.
• Finally, add the nutritional yeast. It will absorb most of the liquid and flavor and begin to clump up. Don’t worry, this is supposed to happen.
• Add the gnocchi into the pan and stir up. You will see that the heat and moisture from the gnocchi help the sauce melt a little and coat all the gnocchi. Keep stirring until you feel it is completely coated well.
• Feel free to garnish with more salt and pepper and nutritional yeast.

Recipe and photo property of  Vegan Pandemonium.

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.

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:

• 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!

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!

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

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.

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!

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!

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!