The Dirty Dozen

   My goal this year is to buy more organic produce and try to incorporate more raw foods into my diet on a daily basis. The Environmental Working Group has compiled a list of the top most sprayed produce in stores today. This list was eyeopening! It was also a great tool to help me choose which produce to start buying organic. If I could, I would buy all organic!! But unfortunately, in some places you don't always have that option. For me personally, the top 3 on the list; Apples, Celery, and Strawberries- I will only buy organic, and if organic is not available, I just don't buy them. For the rest of the list, I try my best to buy organic if it's available, and it also helps to purchase in season, and locally. For instance- most table grapes sold in grocers today are imported, and imported grapes contain up to 14 different pesticides on a single sample. 
   With that in mind, if organic produce is not available, research suggests that thoroughly washing the fruits and vegetables, removes most of the chemical residue. The cooking process also reduces contamination further, but when trying to add more raw foods to the diet, be sure to wash the food as well as possible, and if at all possible, choose to purchase organic produce, for your health, and the health of the planet. Our choices as consumers do make a difference. If more people choose to buy organic and/ or pesticide free produce and other food products, companies will start to shift the way food is grown. 
So... here is the list! 


The Dirty Dozen
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches 
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines- imported
7. Grapes- imported
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries- domestic
11. Lettuce
12. Kale and Collard Greens


   I hope this list encourages you to choose organic produce! For the rest of the list, visit The Environmental Working Group's website. Under the heading Executive Summary, you can also find the Clean 15- a list of the most pesticide FREE produce. The Full List is also available with the top 53 fruits and veggies with the most contamination. 


Choose Well, Eat Well, Live Well!
   -Lisa

Super Simple Slaw

Super Simple Slaw

  ...Mix up this simple slaw to go with Veggie Burgers, and Oven fries. The slaw salad is a nice touch to round out the meal.

2-3 cups shredded green and/or red cabbage

1 cup shredded carrots
2 apples- grated

1/4 cup lemon juice 
3 heaping Tbsp. Veganaise, (vegan "mayo")
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. agave syrup or maple syrup

Ground fresh black pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)


Shred the cabbage, carrots, and coarsely grate the apples. In a large bowl, toss with the lemon juice.

Blend together Veganaise, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, agave/maple syrup.

Add the dressing to the salad and toss well.

Add pepper and sesame seeds

Allow to chill in fridge for at least twenty minutes before serving.
Serve cold with fresh pepper on top. 

That’s it! Super Simple Slaw!

Enjoy…. -Lisa 

Wedding Menu- Crumble Cakes

Spanish Crumble Cakes

 Otherwise known as ‘mantecados’, these little cookies are a delicate, soft, melt in your mouth treat. Try to find the anise liquor or extract, as it adds a delicate and unique flavor that words can’t describe.

2 ¼ cup vegetable shortening (I used Earth Balance)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 2/3 cup granulated sugar

Egg re-placer(4 eggs worth- I use Ener-G brand)

2 tsp anise extract or 2 shot glasses of anise liquor

Zest- from one Lemon

Juice- from one Lemon

½ tsp cinnamon

7 ¼ cups unbleached white flour

½ tsp baking soda

4 Tbsp Almond Milk (or other nut milk for glaze)

 In a large mixing bowl, whip together the shortening and oil until well blended. Then add the sugar and mix until smooth.

Prepare the egg-replacer and add it along with the anise, lemon zest, juice, and cinnamon and mix well.

Slowly add the flour one cup at a time, plus the baking soda. Be sure to mix well. The dough should be smooth and soft.

 Preheat the oven to 325°. Using a small spoon, scoop out a dollup of dough, roll it into a ball. (If the dough is too sticky, add more flour) Place the balls evenly space on an un-greased cookie sheet. With something flat (the bottom of a glass jar works good), lightly press down on each ball to flatten into a round cookie.

 Brush the Almond milk on the top of each one. This will give them a slight glaze on the top, and also help them to turn golden brown.

 Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, maybe 20. Let the crumble cakes cool 5 minutes before removing them from the sheet pan, as they are very delicate. This recipe makes about 7 dozen cookies. These cookies may also be frozen, to save for a later date. 

Wedding Menu- Wedding Cookies

Mexican Wedding Cookies

I just loved the way these cookies turned out. They are very rich and using the gluten free flour just added to the nutty flavor.When using the Gluten Free flour blend, it is recommended to add Xanthan Gum, so I did add it as per the instructions on the flour package. This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies! Be prepared to share the love!

2 sticks (1 cup) Earth Balance or non-dairy butter

¼ cup Sugar (granulated)

2 tsp Vanilla

2 cups GFAll Purpose Baking Flour
½ tsp Xanthan Gum

2 cups Pecans, finely chopped

2 cups powdered sugar

 Preheat oven to 300°F. You will need 3 cookie sheets, nonstick or lined with parchment paper.

 With a mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Mix Xanthan Gum into flour, then gradually add in the flour and mix until well combined. Add the chopped Pecans and blend 30 seconds more.

 Using a ½ Tablespoon measure, or something about that size, generously round the dough in the spoon and with your hands roll them into balls. Place the balls about an inch apart on the cookie sheet. Bake time is about 30 minutes. Until they begin to just turn golden. To test if they are done- cut one cookie in half, there should be no doughy strip in the middle, it may crumble a bit.

 In a bowl full of the powdered sugar, roll the cookies while they are still warm. Then cool on racks.

 Serve at room temperature. Dust with a bit more powdered sugar for a nice clean presentation. Be careful not to eat too many! 

Wedding Menu- Crostini

Crostini Bites

 Crostini is easy! And you can put anything on top that you want. All you need is a small baguette, slice it up into thin rounds; place on a baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and toast in the oven until just golden. Watch them close!! They can toast fast… I’ve seen a few trays burn and had to start over!

 The recipes here are for the spreads and toppings. First is Roasted Cauliflower with sautéed mushrooms. The second is a White Bean spread with fresh tomatoes and herbs.

Roasted Cauliflower and sautéed Mushrooms

Cauliflower Florets (from ½ head)

Olive Oil

Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

1-2 cloves Garlic- smashed

Fresh chopped Thyme

2 cups sliced and diced Mushrooms (**Mushrooms shrink to about half their raw volume when cooked. Adjust measurement if necessary.)

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Truffle Oil(This is the secret ingredient!!)

Micro Greens for garnish (optional)

 Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the Cauliflower with Oil, Salt, Pepper, and smashed garlic. Spread evenly on a baking or roasting sheet. Roast in the oven for approx. 15 minutes or more, some of the edges of the florets will just be turning golden.

 Meanwhile, slice and dice your mushrooms. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil on med-hi, add mushrooms, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook down until all the mushroom juices are gone. Set aside to cool for later assembly of the crostini. Sautéed mushrooms will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 days. (**Note- Mushrooms when salted or cooked will release their ‘water’. At first the mushrooms in the pan will soak up all the olive oil and it will seem dry- wait- the mushrooms will start to release their juices and soften. Some of the juice will be re-absorbed as new flavor and the rest will evaporate with cooking.)

 In a food processor or blender combine roasted cauliflower and fresh chopped Thyme and blend until smooth. You may add a drizzle more olive oil to help with the creamy texture. 

 For Assembly: Spread Cauliflower mixture evenly on the toasted crostini. If using micro greens, put a bit on before a small spoonful of the mushrooms. Finally, drizzle with truffle oil. Beautiful! 

White Bean Spread with Fresh Tomatoes

1 can Cannellini beans (or Great Northern beans)

1 small head of Garlic

Olive Oil

Fresh chopped Rosemary

Fresh Tomatoes- sliced

 Roasting Garlic: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb. Leaving the paper skins of the individual cloves intact. With a knife, cut off ¼ to ½ inch off the top of the bulb, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

 Place the garlic head(s) in a small baking pan; muffins pans work good. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of oil over the head. Use your fingers to rub it in so the head is well coated. Cover or wrap the head with foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft.

 Allow the garlic to cool. Then use a small knife to cut the skin around each clove. Use a tiny cocktail fork to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins. 

 In a food processor, Blend together the Beans, roasted garlic (start with 1 Tabelspoon- add more garlic if you love it!), Rosemary, and a bit of olive oil to smooth it out.

 And the Assembly: Spread Bean mixture evenly on the toasted crostini. Add a slice of tomato, and finally the micro greens (basil micro greens work well here). If you want, fresh ground pepper and a tiny drizzle of olive oil to finish.  Enjoy…

Wedding Menu- Spiced Nutz

Spiced Nutz

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cinnamon

2 cups unsalted mixed nutz (almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios) 

2 Tbsp EarthBalance (vegan butter)

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp water

½ tsp salt

Mix the spices together and set aside.

 In a dry skillet, heat the nuts, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast- about 4 minutes. Add the Earth Balance and cook another minute. Add the mixed spices, sugar, 1 tablespoon water, and the salt and cook about 5 minutes more- or until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed.

 Cool the nuts on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork. Store the Spiced Nutz in an airtight container after cooled. 

Wedding Menu- Eggplant Dip

Roasted Eggplant Dip and Warm Pita

Otherwise known as Baba Ghanoush, this dip is best served warm but is good cold too!

1 large eggplant

½ of a Lemon + Juice of one Lemon

3 Tbsp Tahini (sesame seed butter)

Drizzle Olive oil

Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste.

  My favorite way to roast the eggplant is on the grill outside, but you can also to it in the oven, on the broil setting.

  Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Remove seeds if you desire. If there are lots of seeds, I try to remove some, but don’t worry about getting them all. Poke the flesh of the eggplant with a fork, squeeze lemon juice over it and let it soak in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Skin side down- place them in the oven on a sheet pan, or straight onto the outdoor grill. Roast on Med-Hi for 20 minutes. Check to see if the flesh is soft. Time may vary.

If grilling out, turn flesh side down for last couple minutes for grill marks and extra roasty flavor if desired.

  When it’s ready, the flesh should be soft enough to scoop out of the skin with a spoon.  

  In a food processor or blender; blend roasted eggplant, lemon juice, and tahini. Add a drizzle more olive oil while blending. If desired, add more salt and pepper to taste.

  Serve with warmed pita bread or for a gluten free option, use as a dip for fresh veggies like red peppers or snap peas. 

Wedding Menu- Grape Leaves

Stuffed Grape Leaves 

24 large grape leaves

2 Tbsp olive oil

¾ cup finely chopped onion

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

½ cup chickpeas (cooked/ drained and rinsed)

¼ cup dried currants (Zante)

2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ Tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

½ tsp cinnamon

Salt and Fresh ground Black Pepper

Juice of one Lemon + 1 lemon

Drizzle olive oil

  If using fresh picked grape leaves, you must first rinse the leaves and them steam them, just until their color turns 1-2 minutes. Then allow them to cool before removing the stems. If using leaves from a jar, rinse with cold water, pat dry with paper towels, then remove stems and set aside.

To make the stuffing: First rinse the quinoa well, drain and set aside. In a saucepan, combine olive oil and chopped onions. Sautee onions until translucent. Add the quinoa, stir with heat on high and add water. Stir once and let it come to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to LOW. Set the timer for 15 minutes. Check to see if water is fully absorbed, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

  Meanwhile chop the fresh herbs and juice the lemon. The quinoa does not have to be fully cooled, so once you have all the other ingredients ready, Add them to the quinoa; chickpeas, currants, parsley, mint, dill, cinnamon, salt and pepper, lemon juice and oil.

  Now for stuffing the leaves: Lay leaves out with stem side towards you and the leaf tip pointing away. Spoon 1 rounded tablespoon of filling onto the center of the grape leaf. Fold one side of leaf over filling and then the opposite side. From the stem side roll up and away from you toward the tip of the leaf.

  Place rolls in casserole pan side by side. Squeeze more lemon juice over the top and drizzle with a little oil. Bake, covered in the oven at 350° for ten minutes. Stuffed Grape leaves can be served warm or cold. They will keep in the fridge for up to a week. 

Wedding Menu- Fingerling Potatoes

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Aioli

1lb (or more) fingerling potatoes

Olive Oil

1 Tbsp (chopped) Fresh Rosemary

Salt & Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Rinse the potatoes and slice them in half, lengthwise. Toss with Olive Oil, fresh chopped Rosemary, salt, and pepper. Place on baking sheet or roasting pan and roast in oven for

Aioli

¼ cup Vegenaise (by Follow Your Heart)

1 clove fresh garlic (finely minced)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice

Pinch of Salt

Blend all ingredients in blender, or mix by hand. Adjust and ingredients to your taste!

Wedding Menu... Recipes too!

“Love is in the air, and we're not talking about the mushy, get-each-other-cards kind of love. We're talking about the love for animals.” VegNews Magazine

  This is the same way I felt about having vegan food at my wedding. I felt that a celebration of loving-kindness, compassion, and commitment to each other, shouldn’t just end there, but extend into all aspects of our lives. That is how it played into the details of the food.

  So, in celebration of the ‘Day of LOVE’ -Valentines Day-

Here are some of the tasty recipes from my late summer wedding! And a toast to the animals that we love so much… and that were not harmed in any way during the event.

                    The MENU

       Fingerling Potatoes with (vegan) Aioli

         Stuffed Grape Leaves

               Roasted Eggplant Dip and warmed Pita

             Crostini with Roasted Cauliflower Spread and Wild Mushrooms

                 Crostini with White Bean Hummus and fresh Tomatoes 

         Spiced Nuts

       For DESSERT

             Fresh Figs       

        Mexican Wedding Cookies

        Spanish Crumble Cakes

    As it was an outdoor wedding and reception, I didn’t want a sit down meal, so I opted for a simple menu of finger-food appetizers. This eliminated the need for silverware, place settings, or any other formal dinnerware. The question of Cake came up at one point, and we decided that cookies would be a better option for the style of party we were planning. Then, again, we wouldn’t have the need for forks, and I was able to have a Gluten Free cookie to offer as well. 

Details are very important to me, as I feel they add a touch of personality and in this case, elegance. Though our style is simple, I wanted it to be beautiful, just as the day should be.

  The Heirloom Tomatoes and the micro-greens that garnished the Crostini were from the same local greenhouse that provided the amazing flower bouquets. I hand-picked all the grape leaves from wild vines near our local stream. All the cookies were homemade, as well as everything else. I chose to ship in Fresh Figs, because they are my most favorite fruit, and happened to be in season on the west coast. The Figs were perfectly ripe, and all we did was cut them in half to show their beautiful gooey centers.

   Even the beer and wine was hand crafted locally! All of these details could not have been possible without all the amazing people that helped put my vision together. Thanks goes out to Maija for sharing her delicious recipes for the Fingerling potatoes, Crostini, and Spiced Nutz; to Nancy for the irresistible Spanish Crumble Cakes recipe; to my sister Jess (also author on this blog) for the Mexican Wedding cookies recipe and the beautiful photos; to Bitsy and MaryAnn for helping to roll all the grape leaves; and to my Mom, for testing many of the recipes months in advance to make sure they would be a go!

Here’s to Love, Compassion, and Beautiful Food! Click on the food titles under the MENU for their recipes… Enjoy!

             -Lisa

CHOCOLATE CRAZY CAKE

Just in time for Valentines Day... My favorite chocolate cake & frosting recipe. 
Make this lovely Chocolate cake for those you love. xoxo jessica

CHOCOLATE CRAZY CAKE 

3 cups all-purpose flour 

2 cups sugar 

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

3/4 cup vegetable oil(my favorite combo is 1/4 coconut oil, 1/4 canola oil, 1/4 olive oil)

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 cups cold water

Directions:

Add all dry ingredients together and mix well. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until well incorporated, don’t over mix.

Grease a 9x13 pan with coconut oil using wax paper to help distribute oil.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set timer to check cake after 30 minutes. When your toothpick comes out clean. Set on cooling racks and cool completely before frosting.

PERFECT CHOCOLATE FROSTING

 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan earth balance

 2/3 cup Cocoa powder

 3 cups powdered sugar

 1/3 cup coconut milk 

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.