Raspberry Limeade Cupcakes

Raspberry Limeade Cupcakes~
Yield: 2 dozen

I made these for a girls night, and they were a hit :) These little gems, scream summer! If you like food coloring, than add a few drops of green to the cupcake batter. I'm not a fan of the artificial coloring, since I had read somewhere that the food dye is tested on animals.

Cupcake Batter
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened hemp milk (really any non-dairy milk will work)
1/2 cup lime juice
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons lime zest chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine non-dairy milk and lime juice in a medium bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to thicken. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, and lime zest to the lime juice non-dairy milk mixture, whisking to combine.

3. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture, stirring gently till no longer lumpy and the batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly into lined cupcake pan.

4. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Repeat the process till all of the batter is gone.

5. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Raspberry Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup raspberries, pureed
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 Tablespoons vegan margarine
hemp milk to thin

1. Add pureed raspberries, vegetable shortening, vegan margarine and powdered sugar in a bowl. Blend until smooth, adding non-dairy milk to desired consistency.

2. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Hominy Quesadillas with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa

Hominy Quesadillas with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa
Vegan; Serves 8; 30 minutes or fewer

Welcome summer with this light tasty meal. Letting the grill and the food processor do a lot of the work, makes this a super easy meal to prepare on a weeknight. I soaked cashews in the morning, before going to work and was able to make a cashew cream to take place of the goat cheese that the original recipe from Vegetarian Times called for.

3 large or a combination of small and medium equal to 1/2 cup, husked and halved
1 large poblano chile, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded (I used 1 1/2 smaller poblano chiles)
1/2 onion cut into chunks
1 Tbs. lime juice, plus extra to cut into lime wedges for serving (about 3 limes total)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup cooked hominy or canned hominy, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked pinto beans or canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
8 flour tortillas (I used green chile flour tortillas)
1/2 cup cashew cream
1/2 cup pepper jack daiya cheese
hot sauce

1. Preheat over medium heat, you may have to coat the grill grate or the grill pan with cooking spray. We didn't and didn't lose any veggies...

2 Coat tomatillos, poblano, and onion chunks with cooking spray. Grill for 10 minutes or until charred.

3. Pulse grilled onion chunks and tomatillos to coarse puree in a mini food processor. Add poblano and lime juice; blend until poblano is chopped. Transfer to bowl, and stir in cilantro.

4. Pulse hominy, pinto beans, and 2 Tbs. of tomatillo mixture in food processor until just beginning to stick together.

5. Press one-quarter hominy mixture over half of each tortilla. Add cashew cream and sprinkle pepper jack daiya cheese and fold tortillas in half. Grill quesadillas for 6 minutes or until filling is heat through, turning once. Let stand for about 2 minutes and serve with hot sauce.

Poblano White Chili

Poblano White Chili
Vegan; Gluten Free

This is a thinner chili, then the usual stick to your ribs chili. Instead of the goat cheese that the original recipe (adapted from Vegetarian Times) called for, to keep the tangy flavor that this needs, I used cashew cream. Hope you all like this. Serve over rice and blue corn organic chips!

3 cups cooked white beans, black beans, or kidney beans (I used a combination)
1 recipe Rajas (see recipe in blog)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 Tbs. lime juice, divided
3/4 cup hemp milk
2/4 cashew cream (see recipe in blog)
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
white pepper to taste

1. Bring beans, Rajas, broth, oregano, and cumin to a simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook 2 minutes more.

2. Warm milk in separate saucepan. Add cashew cream, 1 Tbs. lime juice, season with white pepper and stir until smooth. Serve chili garnished with cashew cream sauce, pumpkin seeds, and cilantro.

Spring Rolls

Spring Rolls
Vegan; Raw (Almost); Gluten Free

I made these last week and the boys LOVED them. These are really easy to make, I will tell you right now that the rice paper doesn't keep too nicely. Mine have really become brittle, I guess the dry air in Colorado. Anyways, there are ideas listed below, so the sky is the limit!

1/3 head of red cabbage, finely chopped
1 cup Udon noodles (to make gluten free use a rice or gf noodles)
1/4 cup fresh herbs (use cilantro, basil or mint, your choice)
1 zucchini, julienned
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)
juice from 1/2 lime
soy sauce or dipping sauce of choice
I added slices of pan fried tofu to each roll (omit to make raw)
slices of seaweed

Other Ideas:
1/2 cup bean sprouts
5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, grated or julienned

Preparation:

1. To make this easy, if you have a food processor use it. I used mine with the red cabbage, ginger and zucchini to shred evenly. Squirt with lime juice and set aside.

2. Pan fry tofu slices, or skip to make raw.

3. Submerge spring roll wrappers in hot water until pliable, about 15 seconds. Layer with noodles or rice, about 2 tablespoons of cabbage mixture, tofu, seaweed and I used mint on wrapper and wrap your spring rolls. Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!

Yucca and Spinach

Yucca and Spinach
Vegan; Serves 4; 30 minutes or fewer

So, I've made this before for Bruce, and I'm surprised that I've never posted this. The original recipe calls for Yukon Gold potatoes from Vegetarian Times. However, I love this SO much more with yuca, it seems to have more of the perfect balance and texture. Yuca is often used a substitute for potato. Hope you enjoy!

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 lb. Yuca, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
1/4 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced (1½ cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
2 Tbs. zested fresh ginger
1 jalapeño chile,finely chopped (1 Tbs.)
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 1/2 cups light coconut milk
1 6-oz. bag baby spinach
1 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
1 Tbs. lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Steam yuca in steamer basket set over simmering water 10 minutes, or until just tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 8 minutes, or until soft and golden. Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeño, and sauté 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir in coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Add steamed yuca, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes, to coat with spices. Add coconut milk and 1/4 cup water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken.

3. Stir in spinach, garam masala, and 1/4 cup water, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.

Vegan Key Lime Pie

Vegan Key Lime Pie
45 minutes

I made this for a potluck on Sunday, and I didn't even get to make it out of the house before all but 2 slices were gone. Rave reviews from the entire party, so I know this is a hit! Super Easy, I had it assembled in about 30 minutes and froze it for about 8 hours with about a 30 minute commute in between. In a perfect world maybe freezing over night would work, but when your short on time, this still makes a spectacular presentation!

Ingredients:

Crust
1 cup almonds
1 cup dried Medjool dates
pinch of sea salt

Filling
3 1/2 cups raw cashews -soaked over night
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup agave
1 cup organic, unrefined coconut oil- liquefied (see below)
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
for extra lime flavor, I added about a 1/4 lime zest (optional)

Directions:

To melt coconut oil, if solid:

Measure out 1 cup of solid coconut oil and place in shallow bowl of warm water. As it softens, stir. Replace the water in the shallow bowl with fresh warm water and repeat until all is melted. I only needed to have the oil sit in the water for about 10-15 minutes to make it reach a fully liquid state.

To make crust:

Blend almonds, dates and a pinch of sea salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Press mixture very compactly into the bottom of a spring-form pan. I used the back of a spoon and my thumb to press the crust down, and it worked perfectly.

To make filling:

Take all filling ingredients and blend in food processor until smooth. Just let it go for a few minutes…. the texture should be nice and creamy.

To assemble:

Pour filling on top of crust and spread out until smooth. Cover with foil and freeze overnight. The freezing process will re-harden the coconut oil and set up the cake. After it is frozen you can refrigerate and it will be ready to serve after about one hour. Even though you have to freeze this cake to set it up, it is not a frozen cake… once refrigerated, it takes on an extremely similar texture to a regular old cheesecake.

Found and inspired by Manifest Vegan and a fellow Pinterest.

Cumin and Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Cumin and Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4; Vegan; Gluten Free

I made this for a potluck last week, and it was a huge hit. Super simple to make, the longest part of this is the roasting time. I added a few things to the original recipe, so I’ll add stars to them. Happy Eating!

1 large sweet potato or garnet yam (1 ¼ lb.), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
**¼ onion, coarsely chopped (those who follow me, know I never put the amount of onion called)
Original calls for 1 large yellow onion (about 2 cups)
**1 jalapeño seeded and chopped
**1 tsp. Safflower oil (I added a little extra, the potatoes were drying out)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 lime, halved
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray. Toss sweet potato, onion and jalapeno with oil on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with cumin and paprika, and season with salt if desired. (I didn’t add salt, I added lime zest instead.) Squeeze juice of half lime over the sweet potato mixture. Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour (mine took 42 minutes), tossing halfway through cooking time.

2. Remove vegetables from oven; squeeze juice of remaining ½ lime over top, and sprinkle with cilantro.

Per 1 cup serving: 135 cal.; 3 grams prot.; 2 grams total fat (<1g sat fat); 29 grams carb.; 0 mg chol.; 36 mg sod.; 5 grams fiber; 10 grams sugars

Found: Vegetarian Times Sept. 2012 2nd place winner in readers contest

Not Your Mothers Potato Salad

Not Your Mothers Potato Salad
Vegan; Serves 4

Using the Chipotle Mayo (recipe in the blog) as the perfect pairing to this recipe.... Depending on if your taking this to a picnic or a potluck, adjust the measurements accordingly.

1/2 a pound of blue potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tablespoons of chipotle mayo
2 Tablespoons of WayFare Pig Out-Whole Grain Bacony Bits (I picked up from Nooch in Denver, CO)

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place blue potatoes in a small to medium casserole dish. Drizzle with oil. Bake for 50 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a bowl, and prep the rest of the ingredients.

3. Make the chipotle mayo and mix in with the potatoes, until well coated. Add the lime zest, lime juice and the cilantro, mixing again. Toss bacony bits and serve warm or room tempature.

Indonesian Tofu Stir-Fry

Indonesian Tofu Stir-Fry
Courtesy of The Orchard

For the Indonesian Sauce:
1 1/2 cups tamari
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped garlic
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup smooth natural peanut butter
Water sufficient to give it a smooth, sauce-like consistency

1. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender. Add the water and blend until smooth.

To Assemble:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 block tofu, pressed and cubed
Vegetables of your choice

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Sauté the tofu and vegetables.

2. Add enough of the Indonesian sauce to cover, plus a few extra Tbsp. Cook until reduced and thickened.

3. Serve over rice or tossed with soba noodles.
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Found through www.VegCooking.com website

Hawaiian-style Sweet and Sour Roasted Pineapple and Bell Peppers

Hawaiian-style Sweet and Sour Roasted Pineapple and Bell Peppers
Serves 6; Vegan

This tropical medley is a fresh alternative to a vegetable side dish. To stretch it into a main dish for four, serve it with tofu and over steamed rice.

3 cups cubed fresh pineapple
1 medium red bell pepper, cubed (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges (1 1/2 cups)
1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. dark or light brown sugar
1 Tbs. sweetened coconut flakes, optional
1 Tbs. lime juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange pineapple cubes, red bell pepper cubes, and red onion wedges on ungreased rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil and vegetable oil, sprinkle with brown sugar, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Toss to coat.


2. Roast pineapple mixture on center oven rack 30 minutes, or until lightly browned, turning once. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sweetened coconut flakes, if using, then drizzle with lime juice. Remove to serving bowl and toss well to combine. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutritional Information
Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 108, Protein: 1g, Total fat: 5g, Saturated fat: 1g, Carbs: 17g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 3mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 12g

Found: Vegetarian Times May/June 2010

Lime-Cucumber Dill Salad

Lime-Cucumber Dill Salad
Vegan; 30 minutes

So, this is a twist on a classic summer salad. Bruce and I were shopping at the Farmers Market (I'm not sure which one, still learning the city ~_^ ) and picked up some fresh dill. Well, knowing that he was wanting something light, I asked if he could pick up some cucumbers. For those of you growing your own, here is a great recipe-super fast! **As an update - I added tomatoes to this and it's perfect for the Texas summer heat!*

2 cucumbers (2 pounds)
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh
the juice from 1 lime, plus the zest (add less depending on your taste)
crushed red pepper (add as much or as little depending on your taste)

Directions

1. Slice the cucumber lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice thinly.

2. In a colander, toss the cucumber with the salt and let it sit and drain for 20 minutes. Press the liquid out of the vegetables and rinse well with cold water.

3. In a medium bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir well. Add the cucumber and the lime juice including zest and toss to coat. Stir in the dill and crushed red peppers.

Papaya Smoothie

Papaya Smoothie
Serves 2

This is my go to smoothie when I have an upset stomach. For those who know me, I tend (like most women) to internalize my stress, that comes out in a sour stomach or where I can't eat anything. The ginger in this helps with that....

1 cup cubed ripe papaya (if you can find frozen, keep it on hand)
6 frozen strawberries (this helps thicken the smoothie)
1/2 cup soy milk (I use hemp)
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. light agave nectar
1/4 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.

Spicy Tomatillo Banana Pepper Salsa

Spicy Tomatillo Banana Pepper Salsa
Vegan

While I was visiting friends in San Antonio, TX. I was able to hit my usual farmer market (Legacy Oaks) and got caught up with my farmers. Mr. Estrada (one of my favorite people) had the banana peppers, tomatillos and the tomatoes. Bruce got to go with me, and asked what I had in mind, well.... I wasn't expecting the salsa to be the kind of spicy that you feel in your ears, but his oldest finished the half that was mango free. My friends liked the mango version, even with the heat level.

1 pound small sweet tomatillos, shucked
1/2 pound banana peppers, seeded (save some of the seeds-to taste)
1 pound cherry tomatoes (I used an orange variety that was more sweet then tart)
1 habanero pepper, seeded
1/4 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. lime juice
salt to taste

**NOTE: To cut the heat add 2 mangoes (which I had to, so I could leave for friends) or 1 cup pineapple and cut the salsa recipe in half.

1. Heat a pot of water and add tomatillos. They will change to a lighter green-white color, remove before they burst. Depending on size, this can take up to 15 minutes.

2. Pulse in a blender or a food processor tomatillos, banana peppers (some seeds) and tomatoes. Add habanero pepper, onion, cilantro and lime juice, pulse again.
** Add the mango or pineapple if using, and pulse

Spinach, Beet, and Orange Salad with Ginger-Agave Dressing

Spinach, Beet, and Orange Salad with Ginger-Agave Dressing
Vegan

All of these are in season right now!

Beets pair beautifully with citrus, and this salad is a delicious example. Beets come in a variety of colors—not only several shades of red and purple, but also pink, yellow, and even white! And have you ever wondered what to do with those beautiful green leafy beet tops? They don’t have to go to waste, the tops are very nutritious and can be lightly steamed or served fresh in a salad mix.

Directions
2 small beets, scrubbed and trimmed, stems removed
6 cups baby spinach
2 medium oranges, peeled and cut into sections
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
juice of 1 lime

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Wrap each beet in foil to seal. Place beets on a baking sheet.

2. Roast beets until fork tender; this may take as little as 40 minutes or as much as 1 hour and 20 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Let beets cool, unwrap, and peel beets under running water. Cut beets into bite-size wedges.

3. Arrange spinach on a platter and top with beets and oranges.

4. To prepare the dressing: Add vinegar, agave nectar, paprika, ginger, and chili powder to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add lime juice. Let dressing cool and drizzle over spinach salad.

Nutrition Information
Per serving (1/4 of recipe): 89 calories; 0.5 g fat; 0.1 g saturated fat 5%; calories from fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 2.5 g protein; 20.6 g carbohydrate; 13.5 g sugar; 3.5 g fiber; 59 mg sodium; 100 mg calcium; 2.3 mg iron; 51.1 mg vitamin C; 2947 mcg beta-carotene; 1.5 mg vitamin E

Recipe from The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Neal Barnard, M.D. and Robyn Webb

Yellow Squash and Zucchini Tacos

Yellow Squash and Zucchini Tacos
Vegan; 30 minutes; Serves 4

This is adapted from one of the farmer market vendors. She used Japanese eggplant and sweet bell peppers. (Feel free to substitute what you have on hand.) My tortillas didn't come out exactly round, but Bruce and the boys LOVED them anyways....

2 med. or 1 large yellow squash, cut into strips
2 med. or 1 large zucchini, cut into strips
1 cup of Portabello mushrooms, sliced
1 sweet red bell pepper cut into strips
1/4 cup olive oil (enough to coat the pan)
1/2 lime
2 Tbs. cilantro
tortillas
arugula
salsa (I used a blackberry, peach, chipotle salsa)

1. On medium heat coat pan with olive oil. Add yellow squash and zucchini. Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms and cook for about 2-3 minutes until brown. Add red bell peppers and while that's cooking add cilantro and squeeze lime. Cook till heated through.

2. Serve on heated tortillas, arugula and add salsa. Enjoy!

Herbed Tomatillo and Grape Salsa

Herbed Tomatillo and Grape Salsa

from Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider
Look for the small sweeter tomatillos; I picked them up from one of my farmers back in San Antonio, and wow! I took this to a pot luck and there was nothing left. For added color I threw in some edible flowers, such as marigolds and save some for garnish on top. Serve with organic blue corn chips for a great balance.

3/4-1 pound tomatillos
1 to 3 small green chiles, such as serrano or jalapeño, halved and seeded (I had to use 4, since I like it spicy)
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves
1/4 cup lightly packed basil or mint leaves (I used both)
1/2s cup stemmed seedless green grapes
about 1 tablespoon lime juice
2-3 marigolds (optional)

1. Barely cover husked tomatillos with cold water; cook very gently until gender, the time can range from 2 to 15 minutes, depending upon size and thickness. Check often to prevent bursting. Cool in liquid.

2. In food processor container, combine 1 chile(or more to taste), garlic, salt, and half each of the cilantro and basil(or mint). Whiz to mince.

3. Drain tomatillos if needed. Add to container, with grapes, marigolds and 1 Tablespoon lime juice. Whirl to a chunky puree. Taste for heat and tartness, adding lime and minced chile to suit. Scoop into a bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

4. To serve, mince the remaining cilantro and basil(mint). Stir into the salsa. Salt to taste.