A Salad You Eat With Your Hands

A Salad You Eat With Your Hands
Vegan; Gluten Free; Raw; Serves 4; 10 minutes to make

Alright, maybe it's not exactly a salad in the sense that you're thinking of. Coming home from the farmers market and famished, all I could think of is making some wraps with the beautiful swiss chard leaves that I picked up. Super easy to make (cheating using my food processor to shred and slice) enjoy!

8 leaves swiss chard; steamed to help with the wrapping
2 small carrots or 1 medium carrot
1 large yellow squash
1 sweet red pepper, de-seeded
2 gypsy peppers, de-seeded
garnish with pineapple
serve with dressing of your choice
I added some gluten free edamame pasta noodles

1. (If using) Cook pasta according to directions.

2. (I cheated here) Shred carrots and yellow squash. Use a grater if you don't have a food processor. Slice the peppers.

3. Fill the swiss chard leaves like a taco with pasta, pineapple and veggies. Add the dressing of your choice and wrap.
Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Vegan; Makes 24 cupcakes

Bruce and I went to a potluck last night, and I brought these. Since it was a friends birthday, and I said I'd make the birthday cake. These little gems were such a hit, so I was told I needed to share the recipe. I adapted this recipe in San Antonio from 2 different recipes. Living in Colorado I got 2 dozen vs. the 3 dozen I got in SA. Also, in SA I could use baking powder and baking soda. Here I have to omit the baking powder and use the same amount of baking soda, without adding more.... So, one never knows until you make a mistake through trial and error....

To make the cake:

2 cups plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 cup coconut oil, liquidfied
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 oz. carrot baby food (I use carrot, apple and parsnips from a squeeze out tube)
1 Tbs. finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. vanilla extract
egg replacer equavilent to 3 eggs
3 cups coarsely grated carrots (can be shredded in food processor), from about 2 carrots
1 20-oz. can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 1/2 cups ground walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

2. To make Carrot Cake: Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, allspice and cardamom. Beat oil, both sugars, baby food, ginger, and vanilla extract until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add egg replacer, beating after. Add flour mixture in two additions. Add carrots, pineapple, raisins and nuts; beat just until blended. Divide batter in cupcake liners and bake 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool on baking racks and cool completely.

See Recipe in Blog for Frosting and top with toasted coconut or walnuts....

Traditional Mexican Salsa

Traditional Mexican Salsa

The history of Salsa sauce originated with the Inca people. Salsa (combination of chilies, tomatoes and other spices) can be traced to the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas. The Spaniards first encountered tomatoes after their conquest of Mexico in 1519-1521, which marked the beginning of the history of Salsa sauce. Aztec lords combined tomatoes with chili peppers, ground squash seeds and consumed them mainly as a condiment served on turkey, venison, lobster, and fish. This combination was subsequently called salsa by Alonso de Molina in 1571.

This is the traditional Mexican Salsa from the Mid section "DR" Mexico City region:
Four plump Tomatoes or six Roma Tomatoes
1/4 cup on white onion (best onion for salsas is the vidalia)
One Jalepeno
One yellow or red pepper
One Tomatillo-used to cut down on heat and bitterness of Jalepeno
One cup of Fresh Cilantro
1 1/2 to 2 limes depending on how tangy you like it.

Instructions:
Cut or use a food processor to cut vegetables finely
Mix together in a bowl
Add salt to taste
Squeeze one 1/2 to 2 limes in bowl (to taste)

Let sit for 45 minutes

Add Mango or Pineapple to give a different dimension.

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

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

In-the-Red Smoothie

In-the-Red Smoothie

Bright red berries are among the richest sources of health-promoting antioxidants. This smoothie gives you another way to drink your grapes and berries, along with other nourishing fruits. For all who feel like they over indulged this holiday season and for those who may have left over cranberries in the freezer, this is a perfect recipe.... Happy New Year Everyone! I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what is in season in Colorado since it's winter and cold.... brrr....

Ingredients

Makes about 6 servings

1 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup red grapes
1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks, or 1 can (4-ounce) pineapple chunks packed in juice, undrained
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon agave nectar, maple syrup, or other sweetener (optional)

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a blender. Turn the blender on low speed and gradually increase to high speed, processing until smooth.

Nutrition Information | Per serving (1/4 recipe):

calories: 52; fat: 0.2 g; saturated fat: 0 g; calories from fat: 2.8%; cholesterol: 0 mg; protein: 0.5 g; carbohydrate: 13.4 g; sugar: 9 g; fiber: 2 g; sodium: 3 mg: calcium: 20 mg; iron: 0.5 mg; vitamin C: 18 mg; beta-carotene: 21 mcg; vitamin E: 0.4 mg

Recipe by Ellen Jaffe Jones from Eat Vegan on $4 a Day