Monthly Archives:March 2015

I love bánh mì but I usually only eat it when I splurge, since it typically involves a white baguette and mayonnaise and/or butter.  It’s a result of when the French had taken over the country, and represents a fusion of the two cultures.  Well, now you can enjoy the taste in a much healthier way.  It’s vegan with sprouted bread, and can be made raw vegan by omitting the bread.  It’s also gluten free if you omit the bread and use tamari soy sauce.  So get ready for this wonderful blend of flavors!

If you don’t know what daikon is, it looks like a large white carrot, maybe about 3x the size of a normal carrot.  If you don’t have access to daikon, you can try using radish slices instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 package tempeh, chopped into inch-long medium-thin slices
• 2 tbsp nama shoyu (or tamari for gluten free option)
• 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp maple syrup, plus 1/3 cup
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1-2 scallions, chopped
• crushed red pepper flakes, to your taste
• 1/3 cup filtered water
• 1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup shredded daikon
• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 slices sprouted bread, toasted and chopped (omit for raw vegan and gluten free option)

1. Toss tempeh with the nama shoyu, lime juice, 2 tbsp maple syrup, garlic, scallions, and pepper flakes and let marinate in a plastic bag.
2. In a jar, combine water, vinegar, 1/3 cup maple syrup, carrots, and daikon.  Let sit for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better.  This should last for a very long time, even months.  Make sure the liquid covers the vegetables.  If you want to add more carrots and daikon, just make sure you keep a 1:1:1 ratio of water to vinegar to syrup.
3. To serve, toss together lettuce, cilantro, bread, and tempeh, and then add carrots and daikon to your liking.  Make sure that you lightly squeeze out most of the liquid from the carrots and daikon as you add them to your dish.

Enjoy a tasty chocolatey, gooey treat without any of the guilt!  I have to admit, I have trouble enjoying the bitter taste of raw cacao, but I have no trouble scarfing these down.  So instead of grabbing those candy bars, reach for raw vegan candy bars, instead!  If you like Twix, I have a feeling you’ll like this, and they’re super easy to make!

Bottom Layer Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 cup raw cashew butter
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• a pinch sea salt

Caramel Layer Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup medjool dates (about 9 dates)
• 2 tbsp raw cashew butter
• 1/4 cup filtered water
• pinch sea salt

Chocolate Layer Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

1. Mix bottom layer ingredients in a bowl.
2. Layer down onto parchment-lined baking sheet and place in freezer.
3. Add caramel layer ingredients in a blender or food processor and spread on top of the bottom layer and return to freezer.
4. In a small food processor or blender, blend chocolate layer ingredients and place a thin layer over the top.
5. Leave in freezer until ready to cut and serve!

Traditional potato salad is typically very unhealthy.  Lots of carbs and fat, no nutrients.  Well, now you can enjoy the taste without any of the guilt, and with plenty of nutrition added as a bonus!  For this recipe, I incorporated a raw vegan mayonnaise recipe I found from The Rawtarian.  Most of this recipe is raw vegan – the only exception are the potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium potatoes, largely chopped (I used 3 sweet potatoes and 3 white potatoes)
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise (click for recipe – MUST use raw vegan mayonnaise, otherwise this recipe is NOT healthy)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 medium celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
• 1 medium to large carrot, diced

1. Set a steamer basket in a large pot, and add enough salted water to come just below basket.  Bring to a boil.
2. Place potatoes in basket, cover pot, and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Steam potatoes, gently tossing occasionally, until tender, about 30-40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
4. Add potatoes and remaining ingredients and stir well.  Refrigerate until cold.

I did it! I finally did it! I finally worked out a vegan recipe that adequately mimics the taste of pad Thai!  This can be made gluten free by using tamari instead of nama shoyu and it can also be made raw vegan by using kelp noodles instead of the rice noodles.  However, I do not know how much kelp you’ll need but it’ll have to be at least the larger bag that is sold in stores.  Kelp noodles are sold in the refrigerated area and to prepare kelp noodles, simply rinse the noodles.  I would also suggest cutting the noodles a bit to make them easier to grab and eat.

Healthy, vegan pad Thai was difficult for me to work around because Asian dishes have complex flavors, and two of the most prominent ingredients in traditional pad Thai are fish sauce and sugar.  So, after many disappointments, I am excited to present to you my pad Thai!  Although, one of the experiments did lead to the peanut noodle/pad Thai fusion that is also an excellent dish, which I highly recommend you trying by clicking here.

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes (a little more is fine)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 tablespoons nama shoyu (or tamari for gluten free option)
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons brown rice miso (omit for gluten free option)
• 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
• dried red pepper flakes to taste (I used 2 tablespoons)

Main Dish Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli
• 1 package tempeh, chopped thinly into 1″ long blocks
• 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 box brown rice noodles (or kelp noodles for raw vegan)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1.5″ long thin strips
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• cilantro for garnish (optional)
• lime wedges for garnish (optional)
• mung beans for garnish (optional)

1. Turn on oven to lowest temperature (ignore if making the raw vegan version).
2. Throw all sauce ingredients into the food processor or blender.  I suggest blending the garlic, tomatoes, and oil first before adding the rest.  Set aside.
3. Let the broccoli thaw out.
4. Place tempeh flat on a baking sheet and spread a thin layer of sesame oil over the top.  Place in oven while making the rest of the dish (about 30-40 minutes).  For the raw vegan version, just let the tempeh marinate in the sesame oil and serve as is.
5. Boil water, then let it cool for 5 minutes.  Pour water into a large pot and add noodles, bell pepper, scallions, and garlic.  Let sit for 20 minutes.  For the raw vegan version, let the vegetables sit in hot, but not boiling, water for 20 minutes and then mix with the kelp noodles.
6. Drain the noodles and vegetables and stir in the broccoli, tempeh, and sauce until thoroughly coated.
7. Serve with garnishes!