Saturday, May 30, 2009

What to do with abundant fresh berries???

Make Raw Berry Cobbler, of course........................



I do believe that this is my new favorite dessert. Well, at least for the summer that is. I'm not going to abandon my first dessert love, the cupcake, but I mean yummy dessert with no oven required, how can you beat that on a hot summer day??

Not to mention, as an added bonus you get ALL of the nutrients from the berries, nuts and seeds because they aren't cooked out. And I guarantee, this is one of the healthiest desserts you will ever eat.

Raw Berry Cobbler

Crust:

2 cups Almonds Soaked & Drained

1/2 cup Sunflower seeds Soaked & Drained

2 Tbs Shredded Coconut

1/2 cup Pitted Dates

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

2 Tsp Vanilla extract

1 Tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Filling:

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup Mango, dried and re-hydrated

3 Tbs Agave Nectar

To make the crust: In a food processor, process the almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, dates, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Press mixture into a pie plate.

To make the filling: In a food processor, process the berries, mango, and agave. Pour the fruit mixture over the pie crust and refrigerate for two hours or more, allowing the pie to solidify.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

A new quick and easy favorite

So, I'm still on that quick and easy kick. I can not wait for school to be over and life to slow down a bit this summer. Not to mention, I can't wait for the rain to stop and the farmer's markets to get in full swing. They've been on for about 3 weeks now, but they are pretty skimpy this time of year.

Lack of time + Lack of inspiration = Quick and Easy!! Luckily, though, with this sandwich quick and easy does not = boring. What sandwich do I speak of you ask?? Well, that would be "Better Than a BLT" from ED&BV. I was a huge fan of BLT back in the day, but I've never been much of a fan of tempeh, so I figured my BLT eating days were over. That was until I came across this recipe that called for the tempeh to be chopped (and since my dislike of tempeh is a texture thing, I thought chopped might do the trick). Not only did this recipe take care of my tempeh problem, it also included one of my most favorite foods in the entire world, avocado.

I can't even begin to tell you how delicious this sandwich was. It will definitely be a summertime staple here....can't wait until those tomatoes get ripe!! Since the girls didn't like it too much there were leftovers which we had as a condiment on tofu scramble tacos the following night....again, a delicious use of this sandwich filling.

Along with the sandwiches we also had Roasted Garlic and Artichoke dip from ED&BV as well. This dip was good, but slightly too garlicky for me. I think next time I will decrease the amount of garlic a bit. Surprisingly the garlic didn't even phase Mairin, who gobbled up a rather hefty portion. This will be a fantastic dish to bring to any summer picnics that might come up, as it can be served hot or at room temperature, and can withstand several hours of setting out on a buffet or in a basket with no need for refrigeration.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Food Again


Finally, some food to post. This is actually something we had several weeks ago, that I'm just now getting around to posting about. I'm not sure what has changed in my life, but I recently seem so overwhelmed with things to do that cooking has taken a backseat. We've been having a lot of simple repeats recently, and experimenting with a lot of homemade pizzas (which just seem too mundane to blog about). Even on my evenings off I've been looking for quick and easy recipes/methods. Enter this Jamaican Jerk Seitan with Caribbean Coconut Rice and Greens. The rice recipe comes from the May (I believe) issue of vegetarian times, and the seitan is simply Westsoy Chicken style seitan simmered in a jar of Whole Foods brand Jerk marinade. Quick, easy, and tasty. Perfect for a busy summer weeknight.
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