Asian Cabbage Slaw, variation 1

1/2 Red Cabbage, shredded
1/2 White Cabbage, shredded (Approx 6-8C Shredded Vegetables)
2 Spring Onions, julienned
Pinch of Chili Flakes (optional)
Juice of 1 Lime (Approx 2T)
1” Fresh Ginger, Minced
3T Brown Rice Vinegar
1T Tamari
1/2t Coconut Sugar (or other sweetener)
1t Sesame Oil
1T Neutral Oil
1/2C Chopped Toasted Cashews (optional)

Combine the shredded cabbage and green onions in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well. This salad benefits from sitting at room temperature for a while to allow the flavours to mingle and the cabbage to slightly soften. I added some toasted cashews to the leftovers and would recommend it!

Sweet Potato, Red Lentil & Sesame Patties

http://coconutandberries.com/2013/12/01/sweet-potato-red-lentil-sesame-patties-with-asian-style-cabbage-slaw/

Sweet Potato, Red Lentil & Sesame Patties:

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, Baked in their Skins (to yield 1 1/2C Mashed)
1/2C Red Lentils
1/2C Chickpea Flour
2T Sesame Seeds, Toasted
3-4 Green Onions, Chopped
Salt & Pepper

Bake Sweet potatoes if you haven’t done so already. Simply prick them with a fork, place on a baking tray to catch any drips and cook in a preheated oven at 200C/400F for approx 45 minutes, or until soft. Set aside to cool.

Rinse the red lentils well then add to a pan with 1C water. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until water is all absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Remove sweet potatoes from their skins and mash well in a bowl with the red lentils. Add the chickpea flour, toasted sesame seeds, green onions and seasoning and stir well to combine.

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a little as the mixture will likely be very soft.

Preheat oven to 180C/350F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large cookie scoop or 1/4C measuring cup scoop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheet. Using damp fingers flatten into patties and smooth the tops if necessary.

Bake for approx 25 minutes until the surfaces are dry. Leave to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets as they are a little fragile straight out of the oven. They firm up further once cooled.

Serve with non-dairy yogurt with a squeeze of lime, or your favourite dip.

Vegetarian "Beef" Strogonoff

Recipe and photo courtesy of gardein

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 package gardein beefless tips
• 1 small onion, diced
• 8oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 15-ounce can cream of mushroom soup or vegan cream of mushroom soup
• 3 tbsp sour cream or non-dairy sour cream substitute
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups flat noodles, cooked and drained

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan and lightly brown the vegetarian "beef" on all sides. This should take about 6-7 minutes.

Add the onions and mushrooms to the pan and continue to cook for another three minutes.

Stir in the cream of mushroom soup and sour cream, then stir in the wine and cook for another ten minutes.

Serve your vegetarian "beef" stroganoff over cooked noodles and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Grüne Sosse or Green Sauce

A Frankfurt delicacy


MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

INGREDIENTS

2 cups packed parsley
1 1/2 cups packed watercress
1 cup finely chopped chives
1 cup packed sorrel
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. walnut oil
1 hard-boiled egg yolk
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Process parsley, watercress, chives, sorrel, buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, oil, egg yolk, and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth; season with salt and pepper.


traditionally it is always: parsley, chives, cress, sorrel, chervil, borrage, & salad burnet. Dill is never a substitute, but broad leaf plantain or dandelion greens can be substituted. Most of the herbs are grown in the Oberad neighborhood of Frankfurt so it is truly a local dish.

• 2 hard boiled egg yolks
• 1 T. walnut oil (or other neutral oil)
• 2/3 c. quark
• 2/3 c. full cream Greek yoghurt
• 2/3 c. sour cream or crème fraîche
• 10 - 12 oz. fresh herbs, roughly equal amounts of parsley, cress, chives, borage, salad burnet, sorrel, chervil
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt
• Lemon juice to taste
• Boiled potatoes
• 8 hard-boiled eggs

Preparation:

These herbs in German are: "Borretsch, Kerbel, Kresse, Petersilie, Pimpinelle, Sauerampfer und Schnittlauch" (borage, chervil, cress, parsley, salad burnet, sorrel, chives).

Directions:
Mash the egg yolks with the oil and mix to form a smooth paste. Add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice. Mix this with the cream, yogurt and quark, add the herbs and then season to taste with salt, lemon juice and pepper.

Process in a blender until herbs are reduced to very small pieces and cream is bright green. You may choose to sieve the mixture into a bowl to remove large pieces of herb or egg yolk.

Serve cold over hard boiled eggs and hot, boiled potatoes.

Variations:
Add dill and / or lemon balm.

You may want to use this sauce for a bread dip or salad dressing.

Because half the herbs asked for in the German recipe are hard to come by, I have put together a mixture which mimics the taste of German "Grüne Soβe" without searching high and low for the ingredients. This sauce may not make the most finicky German happy, but it makes everyone else happy. It's even good as a dip or a salad dressing.

Serves 4

See larger image

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 hard boiled egg yolks
• 1 T. walnut oil (or other neutral oil)
• 2/3 c. buttermilk
• 2/3 c. full cream Greek yoghurt
• 2/3 c. sour cream or crème fraîche
• 2 oz. parsley
• 2 oz. fresh chives
• 2 oz. fresh cress
• 2-3 oz. fresh cucumber, grated and drained
• 1 oz. celery leaves
• 2 oz. baby spinach
• 1-2 T lemon juice, or to taste
• 1 tsp. sugar, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Note: Other herbs you may want to try and which are easy to obtain in the US are dandelion greens, green onions, cilantro, dill.

Directions
Mash the egg yolks with the oil and mix to form a smooth paste. Add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice. Mix this with the cream, yogurt and quark.

Clean and chop all herbs and leaves very fine and mix into cream. Add drained cucumber, lemon juice, sugar and pepper. Mix thoroughly or puree in a food processor.

Serve cold, with room temperature hard boiled eggs and hot, boiled potatoes or baked potatoes.

You may also serve over fish.

Even Easier Green Sauce Variation:

Serves 2

• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp. oil
• 4 c. loosely packed herbs, spinach, flat leaf parsley, celery leaves, green onion or chives, small amount of fresh oregano and thyme
• 1-2 tsp. sugar
• 1 - 2 T. lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper

Mix as above. You may also leave the egg yolk and oil out and use reduced fat sour cream for a low-calorie treat.

If it's not spicy enough for you, add one clove of garlic before pureeing.

Holiday Spruce RyePA

Spruce essence

Chinook Hops


http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/spruce-essence-2-oz.html

Quinoa Bean Burger

Adapted from Kitchen Cures (Penguin) by Peggy Kotsopoulos as psoted on Thrive Forward site

Ingredients:1 1/2 cup cooked red kidney beans
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup quinoa flakes (or 100% pure rolled oats)
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, steams removed and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp ground chia seeds mixed with 1/3 cup water

Instructions:
In a food processor, add beans, cilantro, onion, oil, garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin and pepper. Purée until smooth.
Mix in chia mixture into the bean mixture. Mix in quinoa and quinoa flakes (or rolled oats) until the mixture is sticky and holds together.
Divide mixture into four patties. Grease grill pan with coconut oil and cook about 6 minutes each side.

Peggy Kotsopoulos is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) and culinary consultant focused on teaching real health through lifestyle and dietary choices that are easy and delicious! Visit the Thrive Forward Contributors page to learn more about Peggy K.

Hummus from us!

Last year two local hummus producers started in Cincinnati. I thought I would share their flavors as a thought starter for people making their own hummus:

Summuh Hummus:Sister Mary Rosarita (chickpea, lemon, and rosemary)
Midnight in the Garden (black bean, cumin, coriander, cilantro and pickled red onion)
Down by the Sea (navy bean, wakame seaweed, sesame chili oil)

A.N.A.O. Hummus:- Original/Garlic
- Dill & Onion
- Super Spicy!!
- Black Bean & Cilantro
- Sweet Cinnamon Raisin (upon request)

Seasonal Flavors:
- Winter: Curry Lentil & Spinach
- Spring/Summer: Pink Paleo
- Fall: Curry Butternut Squash

Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Avocado

Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Avocado

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• Spiced Quinoa:
• Avocados (1 small avocado per person)
• ½ cup quinoa
• 1 can black beans (rinsed)
• ½ chopped red pepper
• ½ cup corn
• ½ chopped red onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro + some for garnish
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• Cilantro ‘sour cream’
• 1 cup cashews soaked for at least two hours
• 2 tbsp cilantro
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp agave (if you want it sweeter)
• dash of salt

Instructions

1. Start by rinsing your quinoa well and then place it in a sauce pan and toast for about two minutes until the quinoa starts to smell ‘toasty.’ Add one cup of water or vegetable broth and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cover. (To get fluffy quinoa, it’s really important to not stir it, just let it be, keeping a close eye on it)
2. Chop the red onion and red pepper and add all the ingredients, minus the quinoa, in a bowl and mix well with the taco seasoning. Once the quinoa is finished and has cooled, add it to the vegetable mixture.
3. Put the mixture in the refrigerator to cool.
4. Drain the cashews and place them in a blender. Add ¼ cup water, apple cider vinegar, agave, and salt and blend. You may want to add more water until the mixture is silky and smooth but I recommend doing so a little at a time. Once the consistency you want, pour into a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool
5. To assemble the avocados, begin by cutting them in half, removing the skin and the pit. I also scooped out part of the avocado to make a little room for more stuffing.
6. Scoop about ½ a cup of the quinoa mixture into each avocado, more if you can fit it.
7. Finish with a little cilantro ‘sour cream’ and some chopped cilantro and serve.
8. Enjoy!

Seaweed Salad

peeled fresh ginger
minced garlic
seaweed
rice vinegar
fresh cilantro
scallions
tart apple
sesame oil
soy sauce
 and sugar

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Pulled from: http://www.vegetariancookeryschool.com

This is our vegan recipe for sticky toffee pudding.
The quantities for the toffee sauce are large, but that’s the best part of a sticky toffee pudding.

Dietary: vegan
Serves: 6

Ingredients for sponge
250ml soya milk
100ml water
200g dates
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
115g vegan margarine
115g soft brown sugar
200g white self raising flour
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients for toffee sauce
100g golden syrup
200g soft brown sugar
150g vegan margarine
100ml soya cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 190C-Gas5.
Line a 20cmx 20cm shallow cake tin with baking parchment.
Chop the dates in half & put them in a small saucepan and cover with the soya milk & water & simmer until the dates are soft.
Take off the heat & stir in the bicarbonate of soda, which will froth as you add it to the date mixture. Leave to cool.
Beat together the margarine & sugar until pale & creamy.
Add the date mixture & stir in.
Mix the spices into the flour. Sieve the flour & fold into the sponge mixture.
Spoon the sponge mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30minutes or until cooked & the sponge bounces back when pressed.
To make the sauce: melt the syrup, margarine, sugar & vanilla essence in a small saucepan & simmer for 5 minutes without stirring. Leave to cool slightly & then stir in the soya cream.
Prick the pudding all over & pour half the hot toffee sauce over the pudding. Serve the rest of the sauce with the pudding & if you like a scoop of vanilla soya icecream.

Scrambled Tofu

FROM: http://www.lazarocooks.com/2010/08/vegan-goetta.html

INGREDIENTS:

• Half package of organic tofu, crumbled into medium pieces
• Coconut oil for sautéing
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon dried mustard powder
• Pinch of turmeric
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast *optional if you feel a little short on b-vitamins

PREPARATION:

1. Place tofu in a bowl and use a fork to break into medium curds. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil; add the mustard powder, turmeric and garlic powder to the oil and swirl to combine. 

2. Add tofu crumbles to the skillet and toss gently to coat with seasoning mixture. Cook over medium heat until hot. You may allow some of the curds to brown slightly if you like them that way. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle top with nutritional yeast if desired.

Also see Post Punk Kitchen recipe: http://www.theppk.com/2009/10/tof-u-and-tof-me-scrambled-tofu-revisited/

Vegan Goetta

INGREDIENTS
(This was made in the slow cooker/crock pot)
• 1 ¼ cups organic Steel Cut Oats (may be called Irish or Pin Head Oats)
• 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, grated
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried poultry seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 pinches dried red pepper flakes *optional
• ½ block extra firm organic tofu, drained and excess water pressed out
• Oil for frying

*Note: If you find that the oats get dry before done, add additional broth or water. This may also be done on the stove top in a heavy sauce pan but frankly, who wants to baby sit a vat of oatmeal?

PREPARATION
1. Rinse and drain oats. Pour vegetable broth into crock pot and set temperature to low. Add the oats, olive oil and all remaining ingredients except tofu; stir to combine. Place the lid on crock pot and cook mixture for approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours or until all the liquid is absorbed and oats are thick and tender. They will be chewy and this is just what you want. Remove bay leaves and discard.

2. Place tofu in a medium bowl and crumble with a fork until you have very small pieces; about the size of large curd cottage cheese. Stir the tofu into the oat mixture. 

3. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap to facilitate unmolding once the Goetta is set. Scrape oat mixture into the prepared pan and use a greased spatula or wet hands to flatten the top and compress the loaf. Fold overhanging plastic wrap up around the loaf to cover. Refrigerate Goetta at least 12 hours but overnight is best. 

4. When ready to serve, peel wrap back from the top of the loaf and invert onto a cutting board. Remove the plastic film and slice Goetta into approximately ½ inch slices or whatever thickness you desire. 

5. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat; add Goetta slices. Fry the Goetta over medium heat until very browned and crisped on the first side; turn and fry second side. Goetta is best when fried very, very crisp. If your heat is too high, your Goetta will just brown on the outside and not dry in the center. It will probably fall apart. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with Scrambled Tofu and farm fresh sliced tomatoes for the perfect vegan breakfast.

Vegan Chicken Parm

Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 1-30 min

Ingredients

¼ cup whole wheat flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 tsp. Egg Replacer
4 TBS. water

For the bread crumbs:
1 cup finely ground whole wheat bread crumbs
2 TBS. Vegan soy topping, parmesan flavor
1 /2 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1-10 oz. package (4 ea) “Gardein” Frozen “Chick” thawed
2 cups tomato sauce, jarred or homemade
1 cup “Daiya Mozzerella Style Shreds”
2 TBS. Vegan soy topping, parmesan flavor
¼ cup olive oil

Cooking Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small rectangular dish place the flour, salt and pepper. In another rectangular dish, combine the egg replacer and water.

Combine the ingredients for the breadcrumbs in a third rectangular dish.

Heat the olive oil on medium low heat in a 12 inch skillet.

Winter Root Vegetable Salad

Roasted Winter Root Vegetable Salad
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 beets, peeled and cut into wedges
10 baby carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 Inch pieces
1 turnip, ends cut off and cut into 1 inch pieces
8 purple fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 recipe, basic balsamic vinaigrette
garnish:
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 oz. feta cheese, shaved or crumbled (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place all root vegetables in a large bowl, drizzle with oil and toss together. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide mixture between two sheet pans and spread evenly.
4. Roast vegetables for 30 to 40 minutes, gently tossing around with a wooden spoon to ensure even roasting.
5. Remove from oven and allow vegetables to cool, 4 to 5 minutes (if serving cold, allow vegetables to cool completely before refrigerating until ready to serve).
6. Transfer vegetables into a large mixing bowl and gently toss together with balsamic vinaigrette. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
7. Top with pine nuts and feta and serve.

I got it from this yummy site:

http://spoonforkbacon.com/2013/01/winter-root-vegetable-salad/

Wine Pairings

Dreaming of fermented nut cheeses

I had my first taste of Punk Rawk Labs cheese.

http://www.rawmazing.com/rejuvelac/

http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-vegan-cheese/

http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-recipe-simple-almond-cheese/

Planning to try on my own now!

Thai Red Curry Soup

ingredients

• 6 c. vegetable broth
• 1-inch ginger, peeled and cut into slices
• 8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
• 14 oz. firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1-13.5 oz. can lite coconut milk
• 3 tbsp. red curry paste
• 2-3 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
• sliced green onions, cilantro & basil leaves, and lime wedges for serving

instructions

1. Bring broth and ginger to a boil over high heat. Once broth has come to a boil, use a slotted spoon to remove ginger. Add mushrooms and tofu and reduce heat to medium-low; cook about 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened.
2. Stir in coconut milk, curry paste, and brown sugar. Remove from heat and ladle into bowls; serve with green onions, cilantro, basil, and lime wedges.

Vegan Roux

Need a vegan roux for a non-dairy recipe? Try this vegan roux recipe which uses soy milk and vegan margarine. As an added bonus, a vegan roux is much lower in fat than a traditional roux, and is cholesterol-free as well! A roux, sometimes called a white sauce, has many uses in cooking, such as thickening a gravy, soup or stew or as a base for a French cream sauce.

Ingredients:
1 cup soy milk (unsweetened and unflavored is best)
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour

Preparation:
Heat soymilk in saucepan over low heat.

Once soymilk is hot, add margarine and flour, whisking vigorously to incorporate and avoid forming lumps.

Allow to simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened.

Sausage and Mushroom Étouffée

FROM: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/02/vegan-sausage-and-mushroom-etoufee.html

A quarter teaspoon each of the cayenne, white, and black pepper will probably provide enough heat for most people, but if you like your food fiery, add more to taste, but try to keep the amounts balanced. If you don’t like spicy dishes, start with 1/8 teaspoon of each pepper and build up from there.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup unbleached white flour
• 2 cups “no-chicken” or other vegetable broth
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, stemmed and halved
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 14-16 ounces vegan sausage (such as Tofurky or Fauxsages), sliced thickly
• 4 green onions (scallions), sliced

Instructions

1. Put the flour in a small skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until it is the color of light brown sugar, about 15 minutes. Be very careful–it burns easily if not stirred. If it burns, throw it out and start over again. When it reaches the right color, transfer it to the blender, add the broth, and blend it until smooth. Set aside.
2. While you’re stirring the flour, you can begin cooking the vegetables. Heat a large non-stick skillet. Add the onion and cook for about three minutes, adding water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking. Add the celery and bell pepper and continue to cook until the onion is beginning to brown. Add the mushrooms and a tablespoon of water and cover tightly. Cook until the mushrooms begin to exude their liquid, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
3. Give the flour mixture another quick whirl in the blender and add it to the vegetables. Add the soy sauce and all the seasonings and cook, stirring often, until sauce has thickened. Reduce heat and add the sliced sausage. Cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the gravy seems too thick, add a little more vegetable broth.
4. Check the seasonings and add more pepper and salt if needed. Stir in the green onions and serve over rice.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 45 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Nutrition (per serving, using Italian Fauxsages): 305 calories, 51 calories from fat, 5.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1158.8mg sodium, 377.7mg potassium, 32.9g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, 3.4g sugar, 34.4g protein, 8.4 points. Nutritional analysis will vary depending on the type of sausage used.