One of the great things about having a mother who cooks great food is easy access to such deliciousness.  Not only can I pick her brain on how to make the food, but I know how it tastes, too, so I can play around with ingredients to healthify them!

Ché is a term used to describe a large variety of Vietnamese desserts.  There isn’t really a way to pin them down, except that they all seem to contain liquid as well as food.  They are all vegan, but some are only eaten cold, some are only eaten hot, and some can be eaten both ways.  This can be eaten both ways, and I enjoy it both ways but I think I may slightly prefer eating it cold.  Don’t worry about measurements for this – adjust it to your tastes and preferences.  I have yet to figure out a healthy way to recreate my favorite ché, but here is a super simple version of one that my mom made for me over the holidays that I couldn’t stop gobbling.  It is so easy to make that you can basically let it sit while you go watch TV or do other things.  It has a sweet and nutty taste to it from the mung beans, in a creamy base from the coconut milk.  This dessert is gluten free and high in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and fiber.

If you are having trouble finding any of these ingredients, just click on the ingredient and you’ll be taken to the Amazon.com link for the item.

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 6 tbsp maple syrup
• 3/4 cup dehusked mung beans
• 1 cup water or more

1. Add chia seeds to a large container.
2. Shake the can of coconut milk until the liquids and solids mix together and add milk and syrup to the container.  Don’t worry if you have chunks of coconut milk – they will melt later.  Stir ingredients until they turn into a light brown color.
3. Rinse mung beans and add to a large pot.  The beans should be a thin layer across the bottom.  Add enough water so that it rises above the layer by about half an inch.  You can add more if you want the beans to become softer and thicker.
4. Heat beans on medium low until they simmer. Reduce heat to low until most of the water is absorbed into the beans and the beans have softened, about 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twice.  There should be no more water rising above the layer of beans.  You can always adjust the water and amount of mung beans to your taste, or let it heat longer if you want the beans even softer.
5. Add beans and remaining water from the pot into the container and stir until the solid chunks liquefy and blend with the rest of the dessert.
6. Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least a few hours and serve cold.

Tip:  If you want to serve it immediately, I recommend letting the chia seeds soak in the milk mixture for at least a couple hours before starting the mung beans, so that the chia seeds can have time to form that gel coating.

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!

I love Thai food, so of course I had to take a stab at another dish that I love – drunken noodles!  Sometimes it also goes by the name of pad see ew.  So of course I had to take a stab at vegan drunken noodles/vegan pad see ew.  I healthified even further by replacing some of the ingredients for more wholesome items.  Like all my other recipes, this has a ton of nutritional benefits.  I loved this dish and could not stop myself from getting more, even though I wasn’t even hungry!  But what I love is that there is no guilt when eating these foods.  Try it and see!

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
• 6 tbsp nama shoyu (or tamari for gluten free option)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 fresh squeezed lime
• 1 tbsp brown rice miso (omit for gluten free option)
• dried red pepper flakes
• 1 box brown rice noodles
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 package tempeh, cut into medium-thin slices
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1-2 carrots, sliced thinly
• 1 small green bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 2 tomatoes, thickly chopped
• 1/2 lime, cut as wedges for garnish

1. Whisk together vinegar, nama shoyu or tamari, maple syrup, lime juice, miso, and red pepper flakes and set aside.
2. Boil hot water for the noodles, then pour boiled water into separate pot and let sit for 5 minutes.  Add rice noodles and let sit for 20 minutes, then rinse in cold water.
3. While noodles are cooking, heat oil in wok or large skillet on low to medium-low heat, then add garlic, onion, and tempeh, cooking until the tempeh gets a light brown color.
4. Add carrots and bell peppers, cooking until carrots lightly soften up.
5. Stir in noodles and sauce until everything is coated.
6. Add tomatoes and stir for about a minute or two.

Yum, who wants some delicious vegan, gluten free Thai curry?  Bursting in flavor, this sauce is very versatile and so easy to make!  I have eaten it with quinoa and with noodles. Of course, you can also go the traditional route and eat it with rice.  This makes quite a bit of sauce, so it is enough for several servings.  And as long as you know how to chop and stir, you should be able to make this dish!  Be careful, because once you start eating it, you might find it hard to stop!  This recipe is made without curry powder or paste, since I don’t have any on hand and am reluctant to go buy something that can only be used for one type of dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, 1/2 thinly chopped and 1/2 thickly chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup raw creamy almond butter
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup water
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 3 tbsp lime juice and their zest (about 1 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
• crushed red peppers, to your taste
• 1 package tempeh
• 3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4″ thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 3/4″ long thin strips
• 1 potato, largely chopped (optional)

1. Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-low heat and add thinly chopped onion, ginger, and garlic, cooking until tender (about 10 minutes).
   
2. Add almond butter, turmeric, and cumin and stir for a few minutes.
3. Whisk in water, coconut milk, lime juice and zest, maple syrup, and red peppers, and bring to simmer.  Season with salt.
   
4. Add thickly chopped onion, carrots, and bell pepper, simmering over medium-low heat and stirring occasionally until carrots are tender, about half an hour.  Season with salt.  If you are adding potatoes, you may want to add a little more water so that there is enough curry to coat all the vegetables.
   

And there you have it!  I served mine with quinoa – delicious!

I love eggplant parmesan.  But when I indulge in some cheesy, saucy goodness, I have to prepare myself for the repercussions of eating a completely unhealthy meal…what with the deeply fried eggplant dipped in batter and covered in breadcrumbs, then the mounds of cheese, and finally the cooked tomato sauce (cooked tomatoes are acidic on the body – raw tomatoes are alkalizing).

So now I have this lightly baked vegan eggplant parmesan dish that’s loaded with nutrients and baked!  I’m very pleased with myself.  I love finding guilt-free versions of unhealthy food.  So let’s begin, shall we?

Eggplant Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced (about 1/4″ thick)
• 5-6 slices sprouted whole wheat spelt bread (to make about 2.5 cups breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (or oat flour)
• 3/4 cup raw almonds, soaked at least 1 hour (preferably overnight)
• 1 1/2 cups filtered water
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 package Daiya mozzarella flavored cheese

Sauce Ingredients

• 2 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked at least 1 hour (or at least 10 minutes in hot water)
• 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup dried basil
• 1/3 tsp dried oregano
• 1/3 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/3 tsp dried thyme
• 3 medium tomatoes (about 1.5-2 cups)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 225º.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Lay the sliced eggplant on a paper towel and coat with sea salt (about 1/4  -1/2 tsp per slice).  Let sit for 30 minutes.
3. Toast the bread, then toss into food processor with nutritional yeast and parsley.  Set aside.
4. Grind the oats to make flour and set aside.
5. Drain almonds and put in food processor with water.  Strain through nut milk bag or cheesecloth to make 1 cup almond milk.
6. Combine oat flour, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and remaining seasonings in food processor and set aside.
7. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.  Dip the eggplant in batter and then coat both sides with breadcrumb mixture, and place on baking sheet.
8. Top eggplants with Daiya cheese and place in oven for 15 minutes.  Flip and bake for another 20 minutes.
9. While the eggplants are baking, combine sauce ingredients into food processor.  It may help to process the dates and garlic first, then the sun dried tomatoes, then the rest of the ingredients.
10. Serve eggplants with healthy dollop of sauce.  Store eggplants separately from sauce.  I recommend not using the microwave to reheat, but instead the oven.

Oh My Deliciousness!!  This is so amazing, you’d have a hard time believing it’s whole and nutritious!  Gently cooked vegan, gluten free pancake cinnamon rolls – now you can have your guilty pleasure breakfast food without the guilt!  I LOVE it when food not only bursts with flavor in your mouth BUT your body also gets to reap the benefits of the nutrients.  I didn’t bother cleaning my blender between uses, aside from a quick rinse.  For those of you who are against using raw honey, you can replace it with maple syrup but the taste will be significantly different.

Ingredients to be done first:

• 3/4 cup raw almonds, soaked at least 1 hour (preferably overnight)
• 1 1/2 cup filtered water

Batter Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats (or oat flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 2 small ripe bananas
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 tbsp raw honey (I use the solid kind, so if you prefer the liquid kind, I do not know how runny the result will be)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch sea salt

Icing Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp raw coconut butter
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

1. Drain almonds and blend with water.  Strain through a nut milk bag and set aside liquid.  This is your almond milk.
2. Preheat oven to 225º and heat a little coconut oil on a large pan on low heat.
3. Grind oats, then add baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and blend.  Set aside.
4. Add remaining batter ingredients plus 1/2 cup of the almond milk to blender or food processor and blend.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in blender and blend.
6. Pour half the batter onto the pan and cook it on medium low until bubbles start popping and the bottom of the batter becomes light to medium brown in color.  You want to spread out the pancake wide and fairly thin.
7. Flip batter and cook on the other side for a few minutes, leaving it mostly undercooked.
8. Repeat with the rest of the batter, making 2 large pancakes.
9. Meanwhile, blend the filling ingredients until it is fairly smooth.
10. Spread the filling mixture evenly onto both pancakes, stopping about half an inch from the edges.
11. Roll the pancakes and cut the roll about 2″ apart, making 2″ high cinnamon rolls.
12. Place the rolls back onto the pan and put the pan into the oven for about 10 minutes.
13. While that is cooking, melt coconut butter.  An easy way to do this is to place coconut butter in a shallow cup or bowl, and place the cup or bowl inside a larger bowl filled with very hot water.  If you stir constantly, the coconut butter should melt within a couple minutes.
14. Blend melted coconut butter with the remainder of the ingredients and 1.5-2 tbsp of the almond milk.  If you have any leftover almond milk and feel uneasy about throwing it out, add a little bit of vanilla extract and maple syrup and enjoy a small beverage!
15. Once the rolls are done baking, remove and drizzle icing over the rolls for some soft, gooey deliciousness!

I’ve never been one for salads, but I think this is semi-salad.  It has a fresh taste to it.  The vegetables are barely cooked and the lime adds a fresh, almost dressing-like flavor to the sauce.  Very easy to make and of course it’s delicious.  It is very close to raw vegan, the only thing is that the quinoa is cooked and the vegetables are VERY slightly cooked.  But all you’d have to do to make it vegan is to replace the quinoa with raw noodles instead, like kelp or zucchini noodles.  I like more starch-like flavor in my food, I guess.  Plus, it’s gluten free!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 1/2 tsp ginger root
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 cup raw creamy almond butter
• 2 – 2 1/2 tbsp tamari
• juice from 3 medium limes
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2-3 tbsp water
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, diced
• a few stalks bok choy, chopped
• sesame seeds

1. Cook quinoa according to directions.
2. Meanwhile, add ginger and garlic to a food processor or blender and blend.  Then add almond butter, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, and water.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
3. Once quinoa is finished, turn off heat and stir in remaining vegetables, until the bok choy leaves become a little wilted.
4. And that’s it!  Serve cold.  To serve, drizzle desired amount of sauce over the quinoa.  Otherwise, keep them separated.  Enjoy!