Horiatiki Salata (Greek Salad) with Homemade Feta

Whew...it's a toasty one...reaching 98 degrees here today.  Whenever it gets this hot out it reminds me of when my husband and I were traveling in Crete and we were staying along the Libyan Sea.  It was like 100 degrees, combined with Southern California Santa Ana type winds (if you've ever experienced them before) and you get the idea of how hot and dry it was.  We lived off of Greek Salads and good Greek wine and beer...not a bad vacation!   I really love the hot weather though, especially if it's only for a few days.  There is nothing better than taking a walk at 9:00pm and having it be 80 degrees outside!

So tonight, the stove and the oven will remain off and a Greek Salad is the order of the day.  I've always been interested in making my own vegan cheese, but I just haven't had time.  My hubby bought me a vegan cheese making book for Xmas, but they didn't have a recipe for Feta.  So I decided to throw something simple together using Greek flavors such as oregano, basil and mint.  Since this Feta is made with tofu, it doesn't have a melting quality, but it is great for a salad and really resembles Feta.  Plus it gives the salad some protein!

Feta Ingredients:

1 10 oz block of organic Sprouted Wildwood Super Firm Tofu (or similar)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1-2 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)

1 tsp fresh minced oregano

1 tsp fresh minced basil

1 tsp fresh minced mint

1/2 tsp oregano flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:  Remove tofu from package and pat dry.  Slice in half and using a fork crumble into 1" sized pieces.  Place in a bowl and add lemon juice, vinegar and salt, stir and set aside while mincing herbs.  Combine all ingredients together and let sit for about an hour in the fridge for flavors to combine.  Best used within 1-2 days.

In Greece they don't crumble the Feta (you get a 1" thick slice on top, drizzled with olive oil and oregano, nor do they use red wine vinegar.  They also don't use romaine lettuce, but since this is our dinner this evening I wanted a more substantial salad.

Other Ingredients:

Chopped romaine lettuce

Roma tomatoes, quartered

Cucumber, sliced

Green bell pepper, sliced

Red onion, sliced thinly

Kalamata olives, pitted

Oregano flakes

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Red wine vinaigrette (I just whisked together a quick vinaigrette, but you could just drizzle your salad with good quality (preferably Greek) cold pressed olive oil!)

Enjoy (Opa!) 

 

 

 

 

 

Cobb Salad with Creamy Dill Buttermilk Dressing

Is there such a thing as a healthy Cobb Salad?...you bet!  No saturated fat, cholesterol and tons of texture and flavor.  I could drink the Creamy Dill Buttermilk Dressing and be satisfied and my hubby could eat the entire bag of Phoney Baloney's Coconut Bacon...had to hide it from him...seriously! A perfect salad for a hot day...reaching 90+ here today!

 

Salad Ingredients:

Organic Romaine Lettuce, chopped and rinsed
Seeded, Diced Roma Tomatoes
Shredded Daiya Cheddar Style Cheese
Phoney Baloney's Coconut Bacon
Organic, Sprouted Extra-Firm Tofu, crumbled and mixed with turmeric and black salt (can be purchased at an Indian or Asian market).
Diced Avocado
Creamy Dill Buttermilk Dressing (see recipe below)
Kosher Salt and Pepper to Taste

Creamy Dill Buttermilk Dressing 

1/2 cup Organic Vegenaise
1/4 cup cashew milk mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes
1/2-1 tsp finely minced shallot
1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
2 TBSP fresh dill, minced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Note:  Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and chill until ready to use.  For the cashew milk, I always keep some ready to go in my fridge.  It will keep chilled 5-7 days.  I soak 1/2 cup cashews over night, drain and then add them to my Vitamix with 1 cup of filtered water.  If you don't have a high-speed blender then you should strain the milk before using. 

Raw Carob-Strawberry Hemp Smoothie

This smoothie is so yummy and with good for you ingredients that I really didn't know what to call it...how about Yummy & Good For You Smoothie!  I don't like smoothies made with fruit, but sometimes in the afternoon around 3-4pm, I seriously need a pick-me up...especially since this is day 19 of my juice fast.

This smoothie isn't sweet at all...it is fruity but not very sweet tasting.  I prefer carob powder over cocoa powder, but a lot of people don't like carob because they are expecting it to taste like chocolate.  Carob is similar to cocoa, but it is naturally sweeter, fruitier, contains less fat and has no caffeine.  I find cocoa powder more bitter and so I always need to add additional sweeteners.  But if carob is not for you then by all means use raw cocoa powder instead.  However, you may need to add more strawberries or dates if you want a sweeter smoothie.

And what makes this smoothie really good for you is the raw hemp seeds...packed with five grams of protein per tablespoon.  And not just any old protein, but a complete protein with all the essential fatty acids, as well as vitamin E, and Omegas 3 and 6!

So pull out the blender and whip yourself up this delicious and nutritious smoothie for an afternoon pick me up...and guaranteed the kids will love it too!

Yummy & Good For You Smoothie

1 cup organic raw almond milk (I make my own and I'll post the recipe tomorrow)
1 small organic banana
2 organic strawberries
1-2 tbsp organic raw carob powder (I used two), or raw cocoa powder
2 tbsp organic raw hemp seeds
1/2 cup ice

 

Mexican Yuba Omelet

I love using yuba (tofu skins) because it is so versatile.  It's great for wrapping/stuffing, stir-fry's and soups.  You can purchase yuba at an Asian market, but I get mine freshly made at my local Sogo Tofu shop.  This yuba omelet tasted like the real deal because I also added shredded firm tofu, mixed with turmeric and black salt found at my local Indian market.  Black salt is an Indian spice that tastes like sulfur and imparts an "egg-like" flavor.  It is "rose" in color instead of black and a little goes a long way because it is very salty!   

For the enchilada sauce, you can purchase store bought or make your own using my recipe.  I cut the recipe in half for this dish, but if you want to make the full batch, you can store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks and use it for another meal.  For my avocado emulsion I used:  1/2 large avocado, 1 cup water, 2 tbsp vegan sour cream, a handful of cilantro leaves, the juice from a 1/2 lemon or lime, and salt and pepper to taste--then blended until creamy.

 

And now for the filling...the best part!  I used everything that I love in an omelet or burrito.  I pan roasted baby fingerling potatoes, and sauteed red bell pepper, onion and garlic.  I also sauteed one link of Artisan Tofurky Andouille Sausages (had this in my fridge and wanted to use it up), but sauteed cremini mushrooms would of been my first choice.  I then added fresh spinach, salt and pepper to the mix and cooked until just wilted.

To assemble, I unwrapped the tofu skin.  Depending on the size you may need to cut the tofu skin, but since they are rather thin I like to leave them big so that when I stuff, roll and wrap, I get double the coverage.  I placed a layer of shredded Daiya Havarti Style Wedge on the bottom, followed by shredded tofu mixed with turmeric and black salt, followed by the potato/veggie mixture, topped with more cheese and wrapped it up like a burrito.  I then added a little olive oil to a saute pan and browned on both sides before placing in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes just to make sure that it heated all the way through and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and top with enchilada sauce, avocado emulsion, cilantro and finely sliced green onion.  Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner...I could eat these every day stuffed with a different combination of ingredients and sauces!  For my next one I'm going to stuff with a stir-fry mixture of fresh veggies, grilled teriyaki tofu and serve with Asian dipping sauces!  YUM!      

Beet Sliders with Dill Aioli and Crispy Onion Strings

I have made vegan burgers with just about every ingredient combination you can imagine (beans, mushrooms, rice, lentils, tempeh, TSP, nuts/seeds, gluten, etc.) and the texture is always off.  They are very flavorful but they tend to be either mushy, gummy, crumbly, or dry and so when I saw these Beet Sliders featured on Diner's, Drive-In's and Dives the other day, I knew that I had to make them for the 49ers vs. Seahawks game yesterday.  (Just a side note--bummed that the 9ers lost...:-(, but go Denver--I like Payton Manning--he's a classy guy!)  Did you happen to notice that my sliders are the same colors as the 49ers uniforms...:-)!

Anyway, back to the sliders.  I served these with two sauces:  a Dill-Green Goddess Aioli and a Tarragon-Spicy Mustard Aioli.  The dill aioli was the favorite, but the tarragon-mustard was a close second--such a classic combination.  To make the aioli dressings I used 1/2 cup Vegenaise and a 1/4 cup sour cream in each bowl.  I then added finely minced dill, green onion and parsley to one bowl, and finely minced tarragon and spicy brown mustard to the other bowl.  I added fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper to each and whisked until smooth.

For the sliders, I purchased beets that were about 3" in diameter, all about the same size and I poached them in a liquid made up of:  water, diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, fresh dill, fresh thyme, bay leaf, coriander seed, caraway seed, black peppercorns, and salt.  I simmered them for about 1-1/2 hours until tender, let them cool, peeled them and with a 2-1/2" cookie cutter cut them the same size 1/4" thick.  Before serving, I seared them in olive oil, salt and pepper, which gave them a great texture.

The most difficult part about these sliders was locating the perfect size and textured bun.  I went to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Safeway and Lucky's and I purchased three different bags of buns, which are now taking up my freezer.  I wanted them the exact size of my beets, but I didn't want the bread to be too dense.  It all worked out and the beet to bun ratio was perfect! 

Finally, I shaved red onion very thin on a mandolin and topped each slider with onion, arugula and aioli of choice.  I was thinking about serving them with fries but went with the crispy onion stings.  I used one large sweet Maui onion (serves 2-3 people), shaved thinly on a mandolin and set up a dredging station (wet:  2 cups almond milk with 1/4 cup hot sauce, dry:  2 cups flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, salt and pepper).  Using a candy thermometer, I heated 1 qt canola oil to 380 degrees and deep fried the onion strings until golden brown, drained on paper towels and sprinkled with sea salt!

These were so yummy and so easy to make that I will probably never go back to making burgers the other way!    

    

Raw Autumn Kale Salad

After three days of overindulging I felt that I needed to eat something healthy and so I made my Raw Autumn Kale Salad.  Super simple and full of nutrients...all the good stuff your body needs to keep healthy through the holidays!

You can add whatever ingredients you like, but I added chopped leafy kale, shredded green cabbage, julienned apples, dried cranberries and almonds.  I tossed the salad with a vinaigrette made of sour oranges, sherry vinegar, maple syrup, minced shallots and grapeseed oil.  Really delicious! 

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus Sandwich

This is definitely my favorite sandwich (and my sister's too).  Every time I go back for a visit she always asks me to make my hummus and avocado sandwich.  How can something so easy be so delicious and healthy!  You can use a store bought hummus, but you might want to try making a batch of your own if you have a food processor or a high-speed blender.  Also the bread is key as well.  I used a dense whole wheat/grain bread and I sliced it thin.  When the bread is lightly toasted it provides just enough crunch against the creamy hummus and avocado.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus:

2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained (reserve liquid), patted dry with a paper towel

1 red bell pepper, roasted, skin removed

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

2-3 tbsp tahini sauce/paste

Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp, or more or less to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp bean cooking liquid if needed to thin hummus

Method:

• Soak 3/4 cup chickpeas overnight, drain and cook in fresh filtered water until tender.  Let cool in liquid and chill until ready to use.
• Preheat broiler to 500 degrees and roast bell pepper until charred, turning frequently for about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Remove skin and seeks and pat dry with a paper towel.  
• Add chickpeas, bell pepper, garlic clove, spices, tahini and lemon to a food processor or high-speed blender and blend until smooth.  If too thick add additional bean cooking liquid 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency.
• Season with salt and pepper and additional lemon juice if needed.
• You can also add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for additional flavor but I decided not to add it.

Other ingredients that I like to use on the sandwich are:  sliced cucumber, avocado, tomato, roasted bell pepper, sprouts, and baby spinach.  

Grilled Portobello Mushroom, Pepper & Onion Sub

When my sister and I were growing up my father was the maintenance contractor for an apartment complex about a mile from where we lived.  Since our apartment complex did not have its own pool my sister and I were given permission to swim at the other complex during the summer.  I remember that we would be the first kids to arrive at 10:00am when the lifeguards unlocked the gates and the last to leave at 7:00pm when they closed.  Needless to say that sometime around 2:00pmish we would be starved and so we would walk another mile to an Italian sub shop in Irvington, Baltimore.

They had the best subs/hoagies (whatever you want to call them) that I've ever tasted in my life.  Now I've never been a big fan of eating meat and so I would order mine with just grilled peppers, onions, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and their "SECRET" sauce.  The sauce totally made the sub--and I would of been happy just eating the sauce alone.  I don't know what ingredients they used but I think that I'm pretty close with this recipe.  Funny how certain memories remain with you your entire life...really good memories that I shared with my sister!

My Secret Sauce:

1 cup Follow Your Heart Vegenaise

1/4 cup organic ketchup

1/4 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce (more or less to taste)

1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup minced dill pickle

1/4 cup minced pickled jalapeno or hot cherry peppers (more or less to taste)

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and chill until ready to use.
  

 

My Favorite Everyday Salad

I love holiday weekends, but it seems that all I do is eat in excess and some of the food is not always healthy.  So it's nice to get back to my regular routine of juicing in the morning and eating a big healthy salad for lunch.  I pretty much eat this salad, or a combination thereof everyday.  For awhile I was stuck on eating tabouleh with hummus, but then I started adding fried pita chips to the mix and decided that eating a salad with a rainbow of colors is a much better choice.

My salad always consists of spinach, carrots, red cabbage, beets, zucchini, broccoli and quinoa.  I sometimes add baked tofu, regular tofu, edamame, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, or nuts and seeds for additional protein.  For the dressing, I usually whip up a quick ginger-soy, lemon-tahini or balsamic vinaigrette.  I prep all of my ingredients on Sunday and place them in sealed containers in the fridge.  Makes it so easy to pack your lunch and go knowing that you're going to eat something healthy and delicious during the day.  I just love it!

 

Oil Free Ginger-Soy Dressing:

1/4 cup tahini sauce (I like Trader Joe's brand)

2 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos, or Tamari, Nama Shoyu

1/2 tsp grated ginger root

2 tsp black sesame seeds

Several dashes of red hot pepper sauce

Black pepper to taste

1/4 cup filtered water (more or less for desired consistency)

Method:

• Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and chill until ready to use.

 

Better Than Mom's Egg(less) Salad

I think that I've mentioned before on my blog that before I became a vegan, I never ate eggs.  I hated the look, the smell and the texture.  But there was one exception, my Mom's egg salad.  When I was a kid my friends always asked me, "can you ask your Mom to make some egg salad, please?"  She would make a large batch and it would be gone within minutes.  Well Mom, I hate to break it to you, but my egg salad is better than yours...and that's saying a lot because my Mom is an excellent cook!  My version uses the same ingredients, except for eggs of course, has no cholesterol, is low in fat, high in fiber (we used to eat it on white bread) and is delicious!  So Mom, when I come to visit you in October, I'm going to make my version and see if it passes the ultimate taste test!

Ingredients:

1 lb organic extra firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove excess liquid
1/2 cup small diced organic celery
1/3 cup sliced Spanish Manzanilla Olives with Pimentos
1/3 - 1/2 cup Vegenaise, depending on consistency
1 1/2 tsp Black salt (found at Indian Grocers, really rose in color, not black)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt (more or less to taste--be careful because the black salt is salty)
1/2 tsp black pepper
Organic leafy green lettuce leaves
Sliced tomatoes
100% whole wheat bread
Note:  My Mom added cream cheese along with mayonnaise.  I don't like the flavor or texture of vegan cream cheese and so I omitted it and added more Vegenaise.

Method:

• Drain tofu and press between two sheet pans for about an hour to remove excess liquid.  Crumble tofu in a medium size bowl and set aside.
• In another bowl mix together Vegenaise, black salt, turmeric, Dijon and black pepper.
• Add Vegenaise mixture to tofu, along with diced celery and olives and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.
• Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour for flavors to combine.
• Serve either on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes or on whole wheat bread.

 
 

Tempeh Club Sandwich with Avocado Aioli

Wow it was HOT today, about 95 degrees!  We were thinking about heading over to Santa Cruz (about 30 minutes from our house), but everyone else in Silicon Valley had the same idea and so we just hung out by the pool.  We can go to the beach any weekend and the last thing I wanted to be doing was sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic trying to get to the beach.  All and all it was a good day spent relaxing...catching up on reading and chowing down on a delicious sandwich, accompanied by a nice cold beer.  A good day indeed!

Maple Marinade/Glaze:

1 8oz package of organic three grain tempeh
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup organic soy sauce
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 tbsp filtered water
Note:  I use this marinade all the time for tempeh when I want to impart a sweet-smokey flavor.

Method:

• Slice tempeh in half and steam for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool and cut into thin strips.  
• Place strips in a casserole dish or a sheet pan with sides and pour over marinade and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Drain marinade into a small sauce pan and reduce to a syrup.  Set aside.
• Blot tempeh strips with a paper towel to remove excess marinade. Add a small amount of canola oil to a frying pan and fry tempeh strips for about 3-4 minutes on each side until crispy brown.
• Remove from pan and pour over syrup to coat.  Set aside.

Avocado Aioli:

2 ripe avocados, peeled and smashed with a fork
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
2 tbsp Vegenaise or sour cream
Salt and black pepper to taste

Sandwich Ingredients:
Makes two sandwiches

100% whole wheat bread, toasted (3 slices per sandwich)
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
Romaine lettuce leaves
Maple glazed tempeh strips
Avocado Aioli
Vegenaise
Salt and black pepper to taste
Note:  This sandwich is huge--one sandwich can feed two people, or one really hungry person.

Tempeh Tu"NO" Sandwich with Dill Aioli

Since going vegan, a lot of people ask me what foods I miss the most.  They always say, "don't you miss eating cheese?", and my answer is always no, not at all!  There's really nothing I miss about the way I used to eat and I enjoy converting non-vegan meals to vegan.  I find it really fun to take something that I used to make on a regular basis, such as a tuna sandwich and convert it into a "Tempeh Tu"NO" sandwich.  It's so easy, delicious and healthier for you--and you don't have to worry about any mercury lurking in these ingredients!

 
Dill Aioli:

1/2 cup Vegenaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp fresh dill, finely minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Method:

• Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and chill until ready to use.

Ingredients:

1 8.5 oz package Organic 3-Grain Tempeh
1/4 cup celery, finely diced
1/4 cup dill pickles, finely diced
2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
1/2 tsp ground Nori seaweed (optional)
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
2 cups watercress, arugula, or romaine lettuce
4 whole wheat burger buns

Method:

• Remove tempeh from the package, slice in half and steam for 15 minutes.  Let cool for about 5 minutes and then grate on a box grater.  Place in a large bowl in the refrigerator to chill while preparing other ingredients.
• Toast a small amount of nori (about 2") in a dry saute pan, crumble and using a spice grinder, grind into a powder.  Use only 1/2 tsp for the recipe.
• Finely dice celery, pickles and onion and set aside.
• Remove tempeh from the fridge, add diced vegetables, nori and dill aioli and stir to combine.  Check for seasonings and add salt and pepper if needed.
• Chill until ready to use.
• Serve on a toasted bun with extra Vegenaise, sliced tomatoes and watercress.