What cool fruit I found at our local food co-op! I was truly amazed by the bananas… I’ve never seen anything like it! I had to buy the fruit (of course!) because they are such cute symbols of the little baby boy that I’m nourishing in my belly. I’m due in early July, and we can’t wait to meet our little guy. I plan to keep posting recipes, and begin adding baby food recipes and other tips into my site. Soon enough I’ll have a revamped site with baby product recommendations and more. Stay tuned for more info on plant-based, organic babies!

It’s fun trying different Pad Thai dishes at veg restaurants, but we often find the dish to be too salty, or too sugary, or too oily. So, I decided to try concocting our own homemade version. It definitely isn’t your typical Pad Thai, but hey, I wanted to create a healthy version that we can devour often and feel great after! And feel free to adjust the seasonings in the sauce to make it your own. Enjoy!

Sauce ingredients:

• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 medjool dates
• 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup water

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender, adding a little water to start, and blend until smooth. Add as much water as needed to create a smooth consistency (texture of molasses).
2. Set aside until stir fry is done cooking.

Stir fry ingredients:

• 10 oz. brown rice pasta (pad thai noodles or spaghetti)
• 2-3 cups chopped veggies (i.e. carrots, broccoli, etc.)
• 10-12 oz. firm tofu (cubed)
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (i.e. cashews, peanuts, or almonds)

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Strain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. While pasta is cooking, add sesame oil, veggies, and tofu to skillet and stir fry on medium heat for 10 minutes (or until veggies are cooked to your liking). Add a little water to skillet, if needed, to keep veggies from sticking to the skillet.
3. Once veggies are done, add pasta and sauce to skillet, mix together, and heat thoroughly.
4. After serving, top with chopped nuts.

Yields: About 4-6 servings

It took us an entire week to finish our Thanksgiving leftovers! We had a wonderful time feasting with our family and friends. My favorite part of the meal was the chewy cornbread muffins and apple-walnut stuffing smothered in orange cranberry sauce, oh and the creamy mashed potatoes covered with garbanzo bean gravy, oh and the veggie-filled corn chowder, and I can’t forget to mention the savory tofu cutlet wedges, the leafy green avocado-corn salad, and the silky smooth butternut squash. My mouth is watering just thinkin’ about all that!

Apple-Walnut Stuffing ingredients:

• 10 slices whole-grain bread (I recommend Ezekiel brand)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 apples (peeled and chopped)
• 6 green onions (chopped)
• 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt or regular salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried savory
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  
  
• 1 1/2 cups apple juice
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bake or toast the bread until it becomes dry and lightly brown (10 minutes or so). Chop into cubes and place in a mixing bowl.
3. In a skillet, cook the chopped onions in about 1/4 cup of water until they begin to soften. Add the apple and cook a few minutes more.
4. Add the onion, apple and remaining ingredients (except the apple juice and vinegar) to the bread cubes and mix thoroughly.
5. Mix the apple juice and vinegar together, then pour over bread mixture. Stir thoroughly.
6. Place in a glass 8 x 8″ dish (or similar size) and bake 30 minutes, stirring halfway.

This stuffing was inspired by Karen Alexander’s recipe in “Kitchen in the Clouds.”

Garbanzo Bean Gravy ingredients:

• 1 cup garbanzo beans (cooked)
• 1 cup vegetable broth (low sodium)
• 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium recommended)
• 1 Tablespoon arrowroot
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon dried sage (not powdered)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add additional broth if needed.
2. Pour into a small sauce pan, heat on medium and stir until it has thickened and is thoroughly hot.

This gravy recipe was created with my good friend Chelsea Davis and inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz in “Appetite for Reduction.”

This past Sunday evening I did a “Baking Without Eggs” demonstration for 35+ participants in Northwest VEG’s Veg 101 class series. I had a wonderful time and every last bit of food was devoured, so I think the students had fun, too! I whipped up my traditional Thanksgiving-time cornbread and a crustless quiche made of protein-rich beans and veggies. It’s quite different from traditional quiches that are full of fat and cholesterol!

Click here to check out the Coconut Cornbread recipe.

Veggie Quiche ingredients:

• 3 cups chopped veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc.)
• 1 cup chopped onions
  
  
• 2 cups navy beans (or other white beans)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup tahini and lemon juice
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 Tablespoon arrowroot (or other thickener)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder and onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and turmeric

1. Combine all ingredients (except veggies) in a food processor or blender (or mash by hand).
2. In a bowl, thoroughly combine the bean mixture with the veggies.
3. Spoon this mixture into an oiled 9” pie plate or 12-muffin tin.
4. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered, then 45 minutes uncovered. Or, with muffin tins, bake 60 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Let cool and solidify for 30 minutes before serving.

Yields: About 6-8 servings

I love apples this time of year, especially really sweet and crisp varieties. I’m not a big fan of soft apples or really tart ones. But that’s just me! Since apples are in abundance right now, why not whip up this delicious and simple raw apple pie? It’s easy to make, so you’ll be devouring it in no time! If you want to mix it up and add pears or dried fruit like raisins or cranberries, I say go for it!

Raw Crust ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds (or other nuts)
• 6 medjool dates (pitted)
• pinch salt
• 3 Tablespoons coconut shreds

1. Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add the dates and salt and process until well combined. Add an additional date or two if the mixture needs more moisture to stick together.
3. Evenly sprinkle the coconut shreds into the base of a 9-inch (or similar size) pie plate. (This will keep the crust from sticking to the pie plate.)
4. Knead the crust with your hands and flatten it with your palms. Place it in the pie plate and evenly spread it with your fingers to cover the whole base and press it up to the edges. It’s now ready to be filled.

Filling ingredients:

• 4 apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  
  
• 3 apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
• 2/3 cup medjool dates
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice.
2. In the food processor, add the chopped apples, dates, 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and cinnamon and process until pretty smooth.
3. Spoon the processed mixture into the bowl with the sliced apples, and mix thoroughly.
4. Spoon this apple filling directly into the crust. The pie is ready to be served. Or cover it and keep it in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Yields: About 8 servings

The fall is here, leaves are changing all around me. Where did summer go? Oh yes, I was busy planning Portland’s VegFest. So quickly it came and went, and now it’s time to return to our ways of simple living. I’ve been trying to make leftovers at dinner time, so we have our lunches all ready to go. One of my favorite dinners is to make a big batch of grains – I love combining quinoa, amaranth, and millet for a protein-packed grain combo, and then topping it with baked tempeh or tofu and some steamed veggies from our garden. And of course I must drizzle peanut sauce over the whole medley – yum!

3-Grain Combo

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup amaranth
• 1/2 cup millet
• 3 cups of water

1. Place grains together in a fine strainer and rinse thoroughly. If the amaranth is too small for your strainer, just rinse the other grains.
2. Place the rinsed grains in a medium pot, add water, bring to a boil.
3. Turn down to “low,” cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Note: Refrigerate leftovers and use within 5 days.
Yields: about 6 cups

Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
• 3/4-1 cup hot water
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T toasted sesame oil (optional)
• ginger or garlic (fresh or powder, to taste) (optional)
• pinch of salt (optional)

1. Mix thoroughly, adding a little more water until desired consistency.

Note: Refrigerate leftovers in a glass jar and use within 5 days.
Yields: about 1 1/2 cups

I’d recommend steaming whatever veggies you enjoy and have on hand: zucchini, kale, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, carrots, green beans, etc. Just remember to steam the hardiest veggies first, and then add the delicate ones (i.e. leafy greens) for the final few minutes. Enjoy!

Between tending to our garden (boy are the tomatoes crazy right now!) and organizing the upcoming Portland VegFest, my summer has flown by! I’m excited about the great line-up of speakers and chef demos we’ll have, not to mention one of my favorite chefs of all time, David Gabbe! My dad is going to be demo’ing “Packing a Vegan Lunchbox,” on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 2pm. I’m hoping to sneak away and listen to a few minutes of Dr. Neal Barnard’s talk on Saturday at 12:30pm about “Kickstart[ing] your Health” and then maybe kick back and relax for three minutes (maybe four!) during our Forks Over Knives showing in the early evening. It’s going to be an action-packed weekend of all things plant-based (including hundreds of food samples!). I hope to see you there!

Click here to check out my Super Fresh Chunky Salsa recipe.

This summer we decided to expand our backyard garden and so we picked up some great recycled wood at The Rebuilding Center in Portland to build the beds. We went from two garden beds last year to six this year! It’s been fun harvesting all the fresh veggies, especially my all-time favorite… arugula! Our cherry tomatoes are ripening up and we’re trying to be creative with all the zucchini we’ve got (and green beans, too). Luckily we love to eat big salads of kale, arugula and romaine lettuce, as there isn’t a shortage of green leaf veggies!

Our monster zucchini plant took over in the middle (below), and our tomatoes are a bit unruly on each side!

Have you checked out your local farmer’s market? I look forward to Saturday mornings and checking out all the awesome organic produce that is in season – it is definitely one of my “happy places.” This past Saturday my husband, Eric, and I biked about two miles to the Beaverton Farmer’s Market (Oregon’s largest farmer’s market!), to gather some produce for the week (or at least the next few days). With full backpacks and a crate on the back of Eric’s bike, we hauled home a delicious bounty of produce! We could hardly wait to get home and eat!!

This thick and creamy “cheese” sauce is one of my favorite recipes in my dad’s new cookbook, David’s Vegan Home Cooking. I would highly recommend you get yourself a copy! I like to drizzle this sauce on top of just about everything! For dinner I poured it on top of organic baked corn chips, brown rice, kidney beans, chopped lettuce, tomatoes and avocado – it was delicious! It’s pretty cool that this sauce is low in fat, and uses the thickener arrowroot to give it richness. Salud!

Ingredients

• 2 cups non-dairy milk
• 1 cup roasted red pepper (chopped) (store-bought)
• ¼ cup tahini or cashew butter
• 3 tablespoons each: fresh lemon juice and arrowroot
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style or stone-ground mustard
• 2 medium garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon powder
• 1½ teaspoons onion powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt

1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer blended mixture to a pot and bring to slow simmer over
   medium heat stirring occasionally. Continue simmering until thick and
   smooth, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Note: Refrigerate leftovers and use within 7 days. Leftovers will firm up to a cream cheese texture. To return to melt texture, heat leftovers in a pot over low heat, stirring frequently.

Yields: about 2½ cups