Truly Vegan Potato Salad

I searched high and low for a good vegan potato salad recipe. All of them called for vegenaise- I am not so fond of many vegan substitutes. I know some like them, but in imitating the real thing, I feel like I automatically have expectations that won't be met! So I created my own recipe. It turned out SO yummy! I love it anyway. My husband (who is not a fan of mustard or dill) did admit that it was at least okay. Our guests seemed to enjoy it as well. It has hints of classic potato salad flavor, with a light, flavorful dressing.
Truly Vegan Potato Salad


Water for boiling
16-18 red potatoes, washed and cubed
approx 3 cups fresh or frozen green beans
3/4 cup shredded carrots (one large carrot did it for me)
approx 1/8-1/4 red onion, sliced thinly or finely diced (depending on preference)
3-4 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp raw agave nectar
2-3 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp white vinegar
1-2 Tbsp dried parsley (fresh would be awesome)
1-2 tsp dried dillweed
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried basil
Approx 1 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In large pot, bring salted water to boil and add potatoes. Cook until potatoes are only slightly firm (not too soft or they'll fall apart in your salad). Drain and rinse in cold water. Spread on paper towel to cool and dry. Salt them lightly while they cool. In smaller pot with lid, place about 1-2 cups of water and your green beans. Cover and turn on high. Steam until lightly cooked- approx 3-4 minutes after water boils. Remove from heat, drain and run under cool water. Salt and set aside.
In medium mixing bowl, whisk together mustard, lemon juice, agave, vinegar, garlic and seasonings. Then slowly pour in olive oil while whisking briskly to emulsify dressing. In large bowl, combine potatoes, green beans, carrots, onions and dressing, mixing gently to coat well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled and enjoy!

Quinoa Caprese Salad

This recipe turned out so yummy and easy. It is based on the idea of a classic Italian Caprese with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Quinoa Caprese Salad

2 cups dry quinoa, rinsed well
6 cups water
2-3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced (grape tomatoes cut in half would also be yummy)
approx 1 cup of 1/2 inch mozzarella cubes
approx 3-4 tbsp chopped fresh basil (2-3 tbsp of dried will work if you don't have fresh)
2 cups fresh flat leaf spinach, finely chopped
approx 3/4 c balsamic vinegar
approx 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 large cloves fresh garlic, pressed or micrograted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place quinoa and water in rice cooker and let cook or follow package directions on stove top.
Let quinoa cool before mixing in other ingredients.
Once quinoa is mostly cooled, add all other ingredients and mix well- be gentle so as not to damage your tomatoes. Serve chilled.
Enjoy!

Spinach Cashew Pesto

Sorry I've been slacking for a while! So much has been going on! I will try to catch up with great recipes in the coming weeks, but for now I'll start with a marvelous pesto that is awesome with pasta, as a dip, or however else you want to use it!
Most pesto sauces call for walnuts or pine nuts, but since I'm more apt to use what I have on hand, this one is made with raw cashews. It is easy and oh, so tasty.

Spinach Cashew Pesto

approx 4 cups fresh, clean spinach
approx 1/2-3/4 cup raw cashews
3 medium/large cloves garlic
approx 1 1/2 -2 Tbsp dried basil (if you have fresh basil- use it!!)
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
extra virgin olive oil

In food processor place all ingredients except for olive oil. Pulse until chopped, then begin adding olive oil a drizzle at a time while processor is running until desired consistency is reached. Thicker is desirable for a chip or cracker dip or spread. Thinner is great for pasta sauce.
You can add parmesan cheese if desired, but I kept this one clean and healthy.

Delicious with pita chips, on sandwiches, pasta- get creative!

Enjoy!

Laundry Detergent... one year later....

Wow. I am thoroughly impressed.

The homemade laundry detergent I posted about almost a year ago has been not only earth friendly and efficient, but majorly cost effective as well. I spent around 13 dollars for all of the materials. I made a double batch every 2 months or so and I just ran out of ingredients today! 13 bucks for a year's worth of laundry! Mind you- this is for a family of 5! In terms of time and effort, I calculate I spent about 30-45 minutes total this past year making detergent. That is incredible to me- that it can be so cost effective AND minimally time consuming.

I love it when experiments work out!

Creamy Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

I am constantly amazed at the decadence that can be enjoyed healthfully!!
This one came from the combined efforts of my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. SO delicious!
I am going to have to go buy myself an ice cream maker.
We doubled this recipe and it fed 20 people!

Creamy Vegan Coconut Ice Cream

2 15 oz cans coconut milk
15 oz rice milk
1/2 cup raw agave
1 tsp vanilla

Pour all ingredients into a large bowl and mix well, then follow your ice cream maker instructions. It's that easy! Thanks Misha and Joyce!

Toppings and Add-in possibilities:
Strawberries, Bananas, cocoa powder, blueberries, raspberries, peaches. - get creative!

Enjoy!

Veggie Coconut Korma and Naan

A marvelous Naan recipe inspired some Indian creativity and it turned out lick-the-plate divine!

Veggie Coconut Korma

10 medium red potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
approx 1 1/2-2 cups chopped carrots
3-4 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1/2 small white or yellow onion, diced
2-3tbsp cinnamon
2-3 tbsp curry powder
1-2 tbsp cumin
2 14 0z cans coconut milk
1 small-medium head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
approx 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas.
generous amount of sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steam potatoes and carrots in steamer or rice cooker steam basket until tender.
In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft. Add cinnamon, curry and cumin and stir well for 1 minute. Add coconut milk. Stir well, bring to a simmer reduce heat to medium low. Add cauliflower and peas, cover pot and let simmer until cauliflower is tender but not too soft- stir occasionally. Add steamed potatoes and carrots. Combine well and add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer uncovered for at least 5 minutes to allow flavors to combine and permeate veggies. Adjust seasoning amounts if needed.
Serve over cooked brown rice and with fresh naan and enjoy!

Fresh Pillowy Naan
(based on the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a day book)
For this recipe I clarified my own butter in place of ghee. To do this, place a stick of butter (1/2 cup) in a skillet on low heat until it melts and separates. Pour through strainer into glass container or scoop solids off top. The clear liquid is what you will use to cook the naan in.

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sea salt
3 1/4 cups flour (I used half whole wheat, half unbleached all purpose)

Combine ingredients in large bowl until incorporated-no need to knead. Cover with kitchen towel and place in a warm place for at least 30-40 minutes (up to 3 hours). In cast iron skillet, heat clarified butter over medium heat. With floured hands and working with a floured surface, pull off a tennis-ball sized piece of dough. Flatten and work into a thin circle (1/16 to 1/4 inch thick), sprinkle with sea salt and place in hot ghee. Cover with lid and let cook for 2 1/2 minutes. Turn over with tongs and cook for 2 1/2 more minutes.
Repeat for as many naan as needed. Add ghee to skillet as needed.
Cover (not air tight) and refrigerate any leftover dough for up to 2 weeks.
Dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated after rising.
3 naan fed our little family of 5 well.

Enjoy!!

MSG

It is in EVERYTHING! I try really hard to avoid MSG, but those sneaky processed food people have started renaming it- or using food titles that we don't recognize as containing it. From the Mercola website:

Here is a list of ingredients that ALWAYS contain MSG:

Autolyzed Yeast	Calcium Caseinate	Gelatin
Glutamate	Glutamic Acid	Hydrolyzed Protein
Monopotassium Glutamate	Monosodium Glutamate	Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein	Yeast Extract	Yeast Food

Yeast Nutrient

These ingredients OFTEN contain MSG or create MSG during processing:[10]

Flavors and Flavorings	Seasonings	Natural Flavors and Flavorings	Natural Pork Flavoring	Natural Beef Flavoring
Natural Chicken Flavoring	Soy Sauce	Soy Protein Isolate	Soy Protein	Bouillon
Stock	Broth	Malt Extract	Malt Flavoring	Barley Malt
Whey Protein	Carrageenan	Maltodextrin	Pectin	Enzymes
Protease	Corn Starch	Citric Acid	Powdered Milk	Anything Protein Fortified
Anything Enzyme Modified	Anything Ultra-Pasteurized

I will definitely be going through my cupboards and fridge checking labels!

Here is a link to the Mercola article on MSG and what it does to our bodies.

All the more reason to eat more food in it's natural form!