vegan

Spicy Quick-Pickled Carrots

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pickled carrots

Continuing with my pickle cravings 😛 I really love these carrots straight out of the jar or diced on a salad. Tonight, over wilted kale, I drizzled avocado oil, sprinkled sea salt, and topped it with some of the diced pickled carrots. They really give a salad some oomph! Vinegar helps manage your blood glucose levels and could help lower your risk of high blood pressure.

1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 1/2 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns*
1 bunch carrots with stems, de-stemmed, peeled, quartered lengthwise**

1. Bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and add garlic, mustard seed, peppercorns, and chili flakes.

2. Place the carrots in a wide-mouth quart-size mason jar or large bowl (preferably glass or ceramic) and pour the vinegar mixture over it. Stir to combine spices. Make sure all the pieces are submerged in the brine. Allow to cool completely (at least a couple hours) before serving.

*peppercorns can be cracked with mortar and pestle or placed in a ziploc bag and smashed with the bottom of a pan.

**cut the carrots to the length of the jar. I like to use these carrots on the stem because they tend to be sweeter and more tender, but they can be replaced by regular carrots. Also, carrot tops are edible! Wash them really well and saute with olive oil and garlic for a refreshing side dish

Persian Cucumber Salad

Jennifer 1 Comment

pickled cucumbers

Although cucumbers are not in season right now, lately I’ve been craving pickled veggies. Adding some pickled veggies to a salad or as a side dish really brightens up the plate. These are quick-pickled, so they’re ready to eat in under an hour! I really love the crispiness of persian cucumbers, but kirbies could easily be substituted here. Cucumbers are a good source of potassium, which helps regulate the amount of sodium in your blood. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 dried chile de arbol, torn
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dill seed
2 cups halved and sliced unpeeled Persian cucumbers
2 tablespoons dried currants or golden raisins
3 sprigs of fresh dill

Procedure:
1. Combine vinegar, water, chile, sugar, salt, and dill seed in a small sauce pan.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes
2. Meanwhlie, place cucumbers and raisins in a shallow glass dish along with dill sprigs.
3. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the cucumber mixture.
4. Cover and refrigerate, stirring once, for 20 minutes.
5. Strain and discard the chile and dill sprigs, reserving the pickling liquid. This liquid can be
used to pickle more veggies or whisked with olive oil as a dressing.

Smoky Black Bean Soup!

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black bean soup2

This smoky black bean soup is one of my favorite soups to make in the winter. Not only is it really satisfying and healthy, but you can whip it up really quickly! The chipotle adds some heat and a great smoky flavor. In the past, I’ve also added in some Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn which adds a nice sweetness to the spice. Black beans are a great source of folic acid, magnesium, potassium, and iron. This recipe is fully enjoyed by everyone, including carnivores. Try it on a meatless Monday!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 cups of cooked black beans
2 cups veggie broth
1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
2 cups roasted corn
salt

Procedure:
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat and add onion and bell pepper. Sauté until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and oregano; sauté 1 minute more. Stir in beans, broth, and chipotle; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Transfer 1 1/2 cups soup to blender and purée. Stir purée back into soup and add corn.

Magic Dust!

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popcorn

For those of you lucky enough to have the day off from work due to snowstorm Juno, it’s a perfect day to hibernate with Netflix and popcorn. I’ve experimented with nutritional yeast in vegan mac and cheese years ago and never really found it to be a substitute for cheese. However, mixed with spices, it can be a tasty topping on popcorn! Nutritional yeast is a good source of B Vitamins and is a complete protein, which means that it has an adequate proportion of all nine essential amino acids. You can purchase it at any health food store, Whole Foods, or even Amazon. This magic dust can practically be sprinkled on anything from chickpeas to poultry, and added to vinaigrettes.

Magic Dust (Source: Chef Shane Lyons of Distilled)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon gochugaru (see note) Note: Gochugaru can be found in many Asian markets. Substitute in smoked paprika if you can’t find it, adjusting the heat to your liking.

Procedure:

1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Cancer-Fighting Crucifers!

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brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts and wasabi are cruciferous plants, like kale and broccoli, which means that they have phytochemicals that have been shown to repair DNA cells and even block the growth of cancer cells. I usually simply roast brussels sprouts in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper, but when I came across this recipe with wasabi and miso, I was intrigued. The wasabi packs a punch and will surely clear your nasal passages! I love this recipe and have already made it a few times in the last month.

Brussels Sprouts Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound brussels sprouts

2 green onions, sliced

Miso Dijon Sauce:

1 tablespoon white miso

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons pure water

¼ teaspoon wasabi powder

1 teaspoon avocado oil 

Procedure:

1. Wash and slice Brussels sprouts into strips with chef’s knife. If you have a food processor, save time by running your sprouts through the shredder blade. Place them in large glass bowl.

2. In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients. Set aside.

3. Heat skillet to medium-high and then add oil. Place sliced green onion and brussels sprouts into pan. Sear veggies for 2 to 3 minutes and then stir. Sear another 3 minutes and then stir. Repeat one more time and remove from heat.

4. Fold in sauce. Serve warm.

Spicy Chermoula!

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chermoula

While working at Dimes in NYC, I’ve been learning quite a bit. The menu draws inspiration from various types of cuisine. I had never heard of chermoula before, but have had to make it for the restaurant a few times and finally made my own version of it at home. It originates from Morocco and is traditionally used as an herb marinade for fish or seafood. Similar to a pesto or chimichurri, this can be used as a sauce on veggies, eggs, chicken, fish, or mixed into grains or pasta for an instant flavor upgrade 🙂

Spicy Chermoula

Yield: about 1 pint

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic

1 habanero pepper, seeded

1 red hot cherry pepper, seeded

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch parsley

4-5 large curly kale leaves, de-stemmed

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin seed, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and ground

1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and ground

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:

1. Process everything in the food processor. The herbs and kale may have to be added in batches. For a smoother chermoula, use a Vitamix. 2. Adjust olive oil for smoother, looser consistency

Cauliflower Couscous!

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cauliflower couscous

While in culinary school, one of my classmates mentioned making a cauliflower fried rice which sounded really interesting. That’s what prompted me to try this unique recipe. Cauliflower is a cancer-fighting crucifer and an excellent source of Vitamins C and K. Even my Mom, who is always skeptical of my healthy food, liked it! Success!

Cauliflower Couscous

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

½ cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

1 bunch cilantro, de-stemmed

1 bunch parsley, de-stemmed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup sliced habanero-stuffed green olives

Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a separate large bowl, make an ice bath.

2. While the water is heating, place some of the cauliflower florets in a food processor. Working in batches, pulse until the cauliflower has broken down into coarse pieces around the same size as couscous.

3. Transfer the cauliflower to a large fine-mesh strainer and carefully submerge into boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer the cauliflower (still in the strainer) to the ice bath until completely cool; remove and drain well. Place the cauliflower onto a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove excess moisture.

4. Mince the parsley and cilantro leaves in food processor.

5. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. Then add cauliflower, almonds, cilantro, parsley, and olives. Stir together ingredients, breaking up any clumps of cauliflower.

My favorite green smoothie!

Jennifer 1 Comment

Happy New Year!! This is my go-to breakfast during the week. Not only is it quick to prepare and delicious, but it’s easy to transport to the office in a mason jar. It’s full of superfoods and a great way to start your day!

Bonus: No need for highly-processed protein powder! Pumpkin seeds are high in protein and this smoothie packs 17 grams of protein!

Superfood Smoothie

1 1/2 cups coconut water

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 tablespoon chia seeds or flax seeds

1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups curly kale, de-stemmed (about 2-3 large leaves)

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix or other powerful blender. Enjoy!