Raw Pineapple Upside Down Cookies

Take all the tastiness of pineapple upside-down cake, and make a healthier, no-bake, raw vegan version! Note that raw cherries would make this a truly raw dish, but you can find vegan maraschino cherries in stores or online. I think they taste a little more old school that way.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cashews (crumbled in food processor)
• 3/4 cup dried pineapple (blended in food processor)
• 3/4 cup dried dates (blended in food processor)
• 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
• raw coconut flakes (about 1/2 cup)
• cherries, raw or maraschino

Put the first four ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well with your hands to create a “dough”. Roll the dough into small balls, then roll in  a plate of dried coconut to coat. Use your thumb to press into the balls and create a small space to put 1/2 of a cherry. Ta-da!

Want more videos? Watch here:

 Thai Mushroom Lettuce Wraps | Chipotle Sweet Potato Salad | Ultimate Buddha Bowl

AVOCADO AND COCONUT ICE CREAM: With Cilantro and Jalapeño

Avocados and coconut are proof that maybe that little blonde boy knows his stuff and Heaven IS for real.

In this recipe, I blend them with fresh cilantro and just a touch of jalapeno pepper for a sweet and savory vegan ice cream! No ice cream machine is needed – just a blender, a shallow dish, and a freezer.

Let’s do this.

 

Ingredients

• 1 avocado (just the flesh/green creamy part)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (the thick creamy stuff at the top of the can)
• 2 TBSP coconut oil
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• dash of salt
• 1/2 TBSP packed fresh cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed (add more or less to taste)
• zest of one lime (optional)

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Scoop ice cream base into a shallow dish and spread out evenly. Put in the freezer for at least 1-2 hours.

If ice cream is too hard to scoop when you take it out of the freezer, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften. Garnish with lime zest.

– Watch more episodes of Save the Kales! right here –

xo

 

Coconut Almond Crusted Cauliflower with Red Pepper Curry Sauce

You can see all segments from this episode of Save the Kales! on our YouTube Channel.

I was thinking about writing some quips and anecdotes to entice you to make this recipe, but seriously? IT’S SO GOOD. And super easy, as you can see. So gather the ingredients (many are simple pantry staples) and preheat your oven. This is a good one to share with friends, as pieces can be cut smaller for snack-size bites. This is vegan, soy-free, and can be made gluten-free.

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COCONUT ALMOND CRUSTED CAULIFLOWER

• 1 cup flour (*use a gluten-free flour if needed)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut (NO sugar added)
• 1 head of cauliflower

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Add first five ingredients to a bowl and whisk together to make a batter.

In a food processor, grind almonds to small crumbles and put in a bowl. Add coconut to the almond crumbles. Put the mixture on a flate plate or tray for easy coating.

Slice cauliflower as you would slice bread, into large but thin slices. (See video above)

Dip cauliflower into the batter, shake off excess, then place in the almond and coconut mixture on both sides to cover. Lay slices on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.

RED PEPPER CURRY DIPPING SAUCE

• 2 whole roasted red peppers
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 clove garlic
• TBSP tomato paste
• 1 tsp curry powder
• pinch of salt

Blend everything in a food processor until smooth.

You can find more Save the Kales! online: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube

And don’t miss Fresh Perspectives with Jaime K, my bi-monthly column in Lehigh Valley Style magazine

Lehigh Valley Style Magazine Has a New Columnist (and She’s Vegan)

I am honored to share my new bi-monthly column for Lehigh Valley Style magazine, Fresh Perspectives with Jaime K.

So much to say about the emotions of seeing this in print, but for now I’ll tell you: It’s the March issue and it’s on news stands now! Learn about my journey to become vegan and years later, to embrace the Lehigh Valley as my home for creative communities, young entrepreneurship, and vegan food (we keep getting luckier!). Going forward, the column will highlight people and businesses doing work I admire, be it art & design, mindful cooking, or making positive community and societal impacts.

“Fresh Perspectives is meant to chronicle my love of the Lehigh Valley, seeking beauty in everything, living with true mindfulness to be kind in a world that makes it easy to post an Internet meme about kindness while forgetting to show it in our actions.

It’s about simple and unintimidating recipes, and inclusiveness, and honoring where we come from while striving to be better.” (pg. 100)

I hope you’ll love it, and if you have suggestions for future columns I’d love to connect and learn about them. Reach me at SavetheKales@gmail.com.

xo Jaime K

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”

― Ernest Hemingway

Orange and Fennel Salad with Avocado

The past several weeks have seemed like the weather-equivalent of Eeyore: sad and gray.

If you need a burst of fresh, sunny brightness, try this orange and fennel salad. Juicy citrus and crunchy raw fennel will, at least for the moment, transport you to an afternoon of running through spinklers and strolling through Farmer’s Markets.

 

Orange and Fennel Salad

Vegetables

• 2 raw fennel bulbs, sliced very thin (use mandolin if you have one)
• 6 navel oranges, all but one peeled and sliced into chunks
• zest of one orange
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1 avocado, cubed

*Note: A mandolin is not necessary, but it’s a great time to use one if you have it. If not, carefully slice veggies as thin as you can with a knife.

Add all but one navel orange to a large bowl. Put one orange aside to use for the dressing.

Dressing 

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Whisk in small bowl, pour over vegetables, and mix.

Watch more episodes of Save the Kales! online (click here)

PUMPKIN CHIA PUDDING: It’s Like Instant Tapioca Pudding!

“Yes, these are the same seeds you may have spread atop a ceramic sheep at some point in your life.”

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You can find a hundred posts about the wonders of chia seeds (dare I say, it’s the kale of 2013?), so I’ll just share this quick recipe, great for a chia seed beginner!

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This is very kid-friendly since you “cook” it by mixing stuff together. Easily altered to whatever flavors you’re enjoying at the moment: add dried fruit, play with spices, maybe live on the edge and add some dairy-free chocolate chips! Just remember the basic ratio of 1:3, 1 part chia seeds to 3 parts liquid base (almond, soy, coconut milk, etc).

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PUMPKIN CHIA PUDDING

• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 3/4 cup sweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• dash of pumpkin pie spice
• sweetener if needed (maple syrup, agave nectar)

 Mix chia seeds in a bowl with almond milk. Stir every few minutes for about 20 minutes until it has gelled. Mix in remaining ingredients.

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You can garnish with shredded coconut (shown below).

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Watch more videos from our Fall/Pumpkin Episode of Save the Kales! right here.

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Easy Gluten-Free Vegan Almond Cookies (in less than fifteen minutes!)

Let’s say you are hosting an impromptu get-together and, being the caring and attentive host/hostess you are, you need to put out a snack, and that half bag of corn chips ain’t going to cut it.

 May I suggest these cookies? Because they have great texture, flavor, and are just about everyone-friendly (no soy, gluten, dairy) and the best part… start to finish – out of the oven – you can have them in fifteen minutes!

This genius recipe comes from one of the most creative ladies in the cooking land, Ricki Heller, and can be found in her brand new comprehensive guide to goodies, Naturally Sweet and Gluten-Free: Allergy Friendly Vegan Desserts.

Ricki is the mastermind behind so many of my favorite recipes (seriously, something cool pops up on Pinterest and lo! it’s from Ricki), so this book with 100 recipes and full color photographs is simply scrumptious.

I’d recommend anyone have a good allergy-friendly cookbook in their library to prevent panic in this day when there’s always someone with some sort of food intolerance, because of biology or ethics. And you can’t go wrong with desserts. Therefore, buy the book.

I need to take a minute to also mention Ricki’s invaluable role, not just as a recipe developer and cooking teacher, but as a genuinely good human being. She’s an animal lover (she’s vegan after all), LOVES dogs and you’ll see “insight” from her pups show up in her work, and she’s just a damn fine human being. Kindness to the core. I love her work, and then I love her work even more because it’s a quality product put out by a quality person. Let’s support nice people. Especially when they are crazy-talented.

On to the recipe!

Easiest Almond Cookies by Ricki Heller

• 2 cups raw, skin-on almonds
• 1/4 cup finely ground flax seed (from 2 TBSP whole seed)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 2 TBSP sunflower (or light-tasting) oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pure almond extract
• 1 TBSP water, if necessary*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray.

In a food processor, blend almonds, flax, baking soda and salt until you have a very fine meal (like cornmeal consistency), with no large almond pieces.

Add the agave, oil, and extracts, and process again until the mixture holds together and just leaves the side of the bowl. *If it’s too dry, add the water and process again.

Use a Tablespoon to measure out small scoops, then roll into balls with your hands and place them about two inches apart on the cookie sheets. Wet your palms, and press down to flatten to about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway, until the edges are just barely golden brown. Allow to cool completely before removing from the cookie sheets.

Links:

Ricki’s Facebook Page/Twitter

RickiHeller.com (soooo many recipes!)

Link to BUY the new book!

BOOKS: Nut Butter Universe by Robin Robertson; Linguini with Thai Pesto

All of us know and love Peanut butter, and have become acquainted with ever-popular Almond butter. But what about pistachio, walnut, chestnut butters? We seem to forget that we can make our own nut butters with a few ingredients and a blender, and then blank on what to do with them beyond a condiment for toast.

 Welcome to the stage: Robin Robertson’s Nut Butter Universe. This salivation-inducing addition to my cookbook collection is about 150 pages of inventive, savory recipes that combine comfort food and international flair.

Recipes include beauties like Scalloped Cashew Potatoes and Cauliflower, Peach Almond Butter Quesadillas, and Tropical Chickpea Brazil Nut Stew. I know! I KNOW! You didn’t know these foods exist and now know, with everything in your soul, you can’t live without them. Who would want to?

Peanut butter is one of Chubby dog’s favorite snacks, so he was particularly excited about this one.

The first recipe I had from this book was Indonesian Gado-Gado (p. 49), prepared by Dianne. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days afterwards, and tried to recreate something like it with raw shredded cabbage and spicy peanut sauce. EVERY recipe I’ve made from Nut Butter Universe is just as addicting, and this has quickly become one of my favorite new cookbooks in 2013.

I’m happy to share this recipe today, which combines two Karpovich household favorites – pesto and peanut sauce. Heaven on earth, right? This recipe can be made gluten and soy-free as well!

Linguini with Thai Pesto, by Robin Rpbertson from Nut Butter Universe

Linguine with Thai Pesto

(by Robin Robertson from Nut Butter Universe)

Redolent of garlic, lemongrass, and pungent herbs, this Asian-style pesto makes a fabulous fusion dish when combined with linguine. Most of these ingredients, including the slender, hot Thai chile, are available in supermarkets. Thai basil can be found in Asian markets, as can any of the other ingredients that your regular market may not stock. To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.

Ingredients:

• 2 large cloves garlic

• 1 Thai bird chile, halved lengthwise and seeded

• 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, chopped

• 1 teaspoon natural sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup Thai basil leaves

• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

• 1/2 cup parsley leaves

• 1/3 cup peanut butter

• 3 tablespoons water

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 
12 ounces linguine

• 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Preparation:

Combine the garlic, chile, lemongrass, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process to a paste. Add the basil, cilantro, and parsley and process until finely ground. Add the peanut butter, water, and lime juice and blend thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside.

Cook the linguine in a large pot of salted water just until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the water. Toss the pasta with the sauce, adding a little of the hot pasta water, if necessary, to thin the sauce. Garnish with peanuts and serve immediately.

Serves 4

From Nut Butter Universe by Robin Robertson. ©2013 Robin Robertson. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press. Photo by Zsu Dever.

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LINKS

Order a copy of Nut Butter Universe

Robin Robertson’s Website

Facebook page for publisher Vegan Heritage Press

And! Here’s that gateway-recipe for Indonesian Gado-Gado

Vanilla Rosewater Parfaits (with Lentils!) from Kathy Hester

You’d never think this gorgeous, fluffy parfait is a protein powerhouse made with beans, so your mind is about to be blown.

 This recipe comes to us from Kathy Hester and her freakin’ fabulous new book, The Great Vegan Bean Book.

I love love love this cookbook, not only because of the creative recipes, but because beans are so inexpensive and nutritious, and using them in so many inventive ways helps brings delicious vegan food to so many palates and grocery budgets. High five, Kathy.

Some of my favorite recipes in the book are:

• Black Bean Breakfast Sausage Patties
• Lemon Coconut Chickpea Muffins
• Beluga Lentil Borscht
• Hard Cider-Sauced Beans
• Sun-dried Tomato White Bean Wheat Balls (“meat balls”)

Wholly inventive uses of beans to provide texture and flavor, from creamy dips and sauces to silky desserts (see below), plus gorgeous color photos throughout the book, make this book one of my new go-to favorites.

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Vanilla Rosewater Parfaits from The Great Vegan Bean Book

gluten-free option*, oil-free

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup  (262 g) vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup ( 192 g) cooked red lentils
• 1 container (12.3 ounces/349g) silken tofu
• 1 tablespoon rosewater
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar (more if using plain yogurt)
• 3 cups (240 g) vanilla cookie crumbs (*use gluten-free cookies to make gluten-free or leave them out and just have pudding)

Add everything except for the cookie crumbs to a food process and purée for about 8 minutes. Stop every few minutes and scrape down the side of the bowl to make sure it all gets smooth.

In 8 small (10 ounce) custard cups (or in shot glasses to make minis) layer the crumbs on the bottom, add a layer of the tofu mixture, more crumbs, another layer of tofu and end by completely cover the top with the rest of the cookie crumbs.

The mixture will thicken up when you refrigerate the parfaits, so put them in the fridge at least 2 hours before serving but will keep covered for a few days.

Yield: 8 servings
Per serving: 124.1 calories; 3.1 g total fat; .0 g saturated fat; 6.0 g protein; 17.8 g carbohydrate; 2.3 g dietary fiber; 0 mg cholesterol.
Total Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Serving Suggestions & Variations: Use different extract flavors, add cocoa powder or even liquors to make an unlimited array of versions. Graham crackers and chocolate cookies make great crumb layers as well.

LINKS:

Order your of The Great Vegan Bean Book

Check out Kathy’s website, Healthy Slow Cooking

Beautiful food photography by  Renee Comet

Colombian Empanadas: Vegan and Gluten-Free by Allyson Kramer

 Did you know Allyson Kramer has a new cookbook, available on newsstands right this moment? Her impressive, best-selling title Great Gluten Free Vegan Eats gets some international flair in her new book, GGFVE From Around the World.

Allyson, darling that she is, was kind enough to pop in for an e-visit on her book tour, and provided one of the many recipes you’ll find in her new book (see below).

A few more favorites include:

• Peanutty Parsnip and Carrot Soup, Fusion Dish
• Boeuf(less) Bourgignon, France
• Fig Pastries, Sicily
• “Seafood” Stew, Ecuador
• Australian Veggie Pie, Australia
• Baked Poutine, Canada

As we’ve come to expect from Allyson, the book is full of stunning color photos for nearly every recipe. Go here to order a copy immediately! And enjoy the recipe below. Thanks, Allyson! xo

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Colombian Empanadas by Allyson Kramer

Yield: 12 empanadas

photo by Allyson Kramer

INGREDIENTS 

For the dough:

21⁄2 cups (560 g) masa harina flour

3 cups (700 ml) hot water

11⁄2 teaspoons sea salt

For the filling:

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 cup (70 g) chopped mushrooms

1 small potato, diced

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt, to taste

1⁄4 cup (4 g) packed cilantro

1 cup (130 g) frozen peas, thawed

1 teaspoon cumin

3⁄4 cup (84 g) vegan cheese shreds (Daiya brand works best)

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

In a medium-size bowl, combine the masa harina, hot water, and salt into a dough using a fork. Cover and let rest about 20 minutes.

To prepare the filling: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan and sauté the mushrooms, potato, onion, and garlic until the potato is softened and the onions are translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Salt lightly while cooking. Stir the cilantro, peas, cumin, and cheese shreds into the rest of the filling mixture. Transfer to a bowl and set in the refrigerator to cool.

To assemble the empanadas: Grab a touch larger than a golf-ball-size amount of dough and roll out in-between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, forming a 5-inch (13 cm) diameter circle. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon (15 g) of the filling on half of the dough and using the plastic wrap, gently coax the other half of the circle to cover the filling. Use your fingers to seal the dough and form a half moon–shaped pocket. Make sure there aren’t any breaks or tears in the empanada; if needed, use wet fingers to help seal any small holes. Place prepared empanadas on a parchment-covered surface and repeat until all dough and filling has been used.

To cook the empanadas: Preheat a deep fryer to 360°F (182°C). Prepare a surface with either paper bags or paper towels to place the empanadas on once they have cooked. Drop about 3 empanadas at a time into the preheated oil and cook for 6 minutes or until golden yellow in color. Place on the prepared surface and let cool briefly before serving.

Recipe Note: For an easy alternate filling, simply stuff the empanadas with Soyrizo (in the book, page 103) and follow the directions the same way.Stir the cilantro, peas, cumin, and cheese shreds into the rest of the filling mixture. Transfer to a bowl and set in the refrigerator to cool.

*Recipe Printed with Permission of Fair Winds Press