coconut jasmine rice

the scent of jasmine rice cooking on your stove is so exotic. i’m going to  research and try to find some cheaper jasmine rice (and spices) at an ethnic grocery store soon; i’ll post what i find out… i used the rest of my canned coconut milk from my bubble tea, but a carton (like So Delicious brand) is fine.

1 cup brown jasmine rice
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
sea salt
dried unsweetened shredded coconut

1. combine water, milk, a shake of sea salt, and rice in a medium-sized pot. bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer.
2. stir occasionally and make sure it doesn’t start sticking to the pot. long-cooking rice packages say it takes 45-50 minutes, but if all the water is absorbed sooner and your rice tastes done, it’s ready. serve with a sprinkling of coconut.

vegan mole sauce over black beans and sweet potatoes

first of all, i wanted to say that today, i am super excited to have a guest post at The Love Vitamin. jump over to check it out! i love her blog- and i believe that personality really shows through one’s online persona, and Tracy seems like the friend you wish you had. if you’re here because you’ve already read my post there, thanks for coming!

second, thanks to a reader for pointing me to this recipe, adapted from Scissors and Spice. i never would have even thought of mock mole on my own. after my bean cocoa chili, i’m continuing to be impressed at what cocoa powder can do for savory dishes. i’ve got to say, this was one of the best hearty dinners i have made in a long time. serve with sliced avocado!

p.s. if you know you’re going to be short on time when you’re doing the actual cooking, measure out the seasonings in advance, and set the mix aside for later.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup poblano pepper, finely minced
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons each: sea salt, raw sugar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons each: cumin, chili powder
1 teaspoon each: crushed red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon
dash cayenne
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup no sugar added tomato sauce

1. heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. sauté poblano for a few minutes.
2. stir in all seasonings.
3. add water. stir.
4. add tomato sauce. cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.

what to serve mole over? potatoes can take a while, so you’ll want to have this going before starting to cook the sauce:

5 tablespoons olive oil
2 sweet potatoes, cut in small cubes
onion to taste
1 tomato
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
chopped cilantro to taste

1. in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. sauté potatoes.
2. when the potatoes are softening, add the remaining veggies, beans, and cilantro.

gluten-free pancakes, take two: orange zest and ginger

i’m really starting to love citrus zest. when the delicate flavors of orange zest and ginger are added to a relatively simple recipe, it tastes like something special. and as you may have realized, i believe there’s no reason to skimp on these extra details, even if you’re just cooking for yourself.

this (adapted from Ginger Lemon Girl) is my gluten-free pancake template right now. i did cocoa pancakes with it the first time. as i mentioned here, in my post on lemon flaxseed cookies, a regular cheese grater works fine for zest. with these, i also made some other changes:

-added a scoop of vegan protein powder.
-reduced the milk and replaced some of it with water, as i’ve been going through coconut/almond milk cartons far too quickly, at (at least) $3 each.

make these vegan by substituting the single egg with another flax egg (see step #1). my batch made 21.

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon
1 scoop vegan protein powder
1 large orange
1-1 and 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cage-free egg
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
1 tablespoon oil (i used olive)
1/2 cup (or one 4 oz. container) of unsweetened applesauce

1. boil a cup of water. in a small bowl, mix 4 tablespoons of hot water with the flaxseed. set aside for at least 5 minutes to gel.
2. combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, from first to last, and then the flax gel.
3. stirring well, add water only 1/4 cup at a time (you can’t undo it!) to wet the mixture and reach your desired consistency. i added 3/4 cup water total.
4. spray a heated skillet over medium-high with canola spray. drop batter by a little less than a full 1/4 cup. cook until you begin to see bubbles in the batter and they appear to be firming up. turn to cook the other side.

kitchen sink salad dressing

literally the best of everything but the kitchen sink, in one bottle. you don’t need pricey olive oil to make a decent dressing, nor do you need to take the time to chop fresh herbs.

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 teaspoons organic mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of dried rosemary
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

in a blender, blend all.
p.s. the best way to pour honey out of a teaspoon is to spray the teaspoon with cooking spray first, and it will easily slide out.

gluten-free cocoa pancakes

this pancake batter is rich and mousse-like, and i noticed that it keeps a circular shape amazingly well when you pour it into the skillet. freeze a batch for quick, versatile breakfasts. microwave one or two and top with things like:

nut butter
sliced bananas or strawberries
honey

this recipe is adapted from Ginger Lemon Girl. a note- i tagged this recipe dairy-free because i learned that eggs are eggs, in other words- their own category. dairy refers to animal byproducts. but you can substitute the single egg with another “flax egg” (see step #1) to make them vegan.

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cage-free egg
1 and 1/4 cups non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
1 tablespoon oil (i used olive)
1/2 cup (or one 4-ounce container) of unsweetened applesauce

1. first, boil a cup of water. remove from heat, and mix 4 tablespoons of this water in a small bowl with the flaxseed. it should form a gel in 5 minutes.
2. in a mixing bowl, mix everything from flour through xanthan gum.
3. add vanilla, egg, milk, oil, applesauce, and flax/water.
4. over medium heat, spray a large skillet with canola spray.
5. use a little less than 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. cook until you see bubbles and the edges are browning. flip over with a spatula to let the other side cook.

bean hummus

this dip is good with sliced cucumbers, celery sticks, baby carrots… or just by the spoonful. from Meghan Telpner of Making Love in the Kitchen. beans=protein, olive oil=a good source of omega-3s. parsley is not just a garnish; read more about the herb here.

2 cans of beans of your choice, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 clove garlic, chopped roughly
a good handful of parsley leaves

blend all. if it’s getting stuck in your blender, use a spoon as needed to stir up the mixture from the bottom of the blender. store in the fridge.

stir-fried, not bland tofu

this is the first tofu recipe i’ve made that i would actually have someone, even a non-vegetarian, try and expect a very positive reaction. from Post Punk Kitchen. and this picture is not doctored; the turmeric really does make it that shade of bright yellow.

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
onion, tomato, and sweet or bell pepper to taste, chopped
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons water
1 package tofu, drained and sliced in cubes

1. in a small bowl, stir water into seasonings and set aside.
2. add oil to a heated skillet on medium-high. sauté garlic and desired veggies for a minute.
3. add tofu. you should have the heat high enough so you hear some sizzling, so you know that it’s cooking. stir and turn the tofu over with a spatula.
4. after about 10 minutes, add seasoning mixture. continue cooking and stirring until tofu is browning.

vegan bean cocoa chili

cocoa chili?! as a rule, if i’m going to try a recipe from another blog, it really must grab my attention. this was one of them.
i used chickpeas, but i can imagine this would also be good with kidney or red beans, or a mix. adapted from the edible perspective.

1 bag of dried beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, processed or chopped
2 cloves garlic, processed or minced
1 bell pepper,  processed or chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, salt, pepper, and chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
small handfuls of parsley and/or cilantro leaves, processed or chopped (optional)
2 large tomatoes or 2 cans of diced tomatoes, drained
1 small can chopped green chiles
2 cups vegetable broth
1 and 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar

1. in a colander, rinse beans. cover with water in a large pot and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. remove from heat, cover with lid, and let sit 1 hour.
2. drain the beans, cover with water, bring to boiling, and reduce to a simmer while prepping everything else. dried beans take 1 and 1/2-2 hours to cook. time it to have all your other ingredients ready to go when the beans have cooked for 45 minutes.
3. heat oil in a skillet on medium-high. sauté onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
4. stir in cocoa, seasonings, and herbs if using. then stir in tomatoes and chiles.
5. when you’re cooking dried beans, you usually will need to add more water to the pot at some point; it evaporates. with chili, you want to keep the beans only just covered with liquid since you won’t be draining them at the end. so at that point, add the vegetable broth.
6. at 45 minutes, add your sautéed mixture and sugar. stir occasionally until the beans finish cooking.

no-bake protein energy bars

you can make these officially vegan and gluten-free by using the appropriate chocolate chips, but i’ve still got Ghirardelli bittersweet chips. dark chocolate should be at least 70% cacao to reap its full antioxidant benefits, but hey, they’re 60%.

also, i bought my first tub of vegan protein powder. it was about $18, so i’m not dumping it in anything and everything… but you can add more if you like. really, you can make any changes you want to this recipe, which is why i liked it so much. here at Love Veggies and Yoga. you can easily grab one for a snack, and they don’t have to thaw out before you eat them- storing them in the freezer just helps them retain their shape.

p.s. (healthy) cookie fails can easily be  turned into protein bars! just add the crumbles to this recipe and use enough of the wet ingredients so they will stick together.

and a very important announcement: this is the last gluten-containing recipe you’ll find here, as i’ve decided to really stick with going g-free for various reasons, beginning fresh tomorrow.

1 banana
1 and 1/2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup agave (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup vegan protein powder
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons chia seed
1/4 cup each of sesame and hulled sunflower seeds
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. first, in a large mixing bowl, mash the banana.
2. add everything else. mix very well.
3. line a smallish glass baking dish or plastic container with foil to make for easier clean-up. basically, choose a size that will allow you to spread the mixture evenly and get a decent bar thickness.
4. freeze. once frozen, remove and cut into bars or squares, depending on how long you want to ration these out!
5. tear off sheets of wax paper and sort of roll up your bars in them, separated by the paper, rather than literally wrapping them individually. place in plastic bags or tupperware back in the freezer.

quinoa veggie burgers

another way to have pre-made frozen protein options on hand, these were very successful at retaining some semblance of a burger. this recipe is adapted from The Beauty Detox Solution. if you’re avoiding gluten, these are perfect wrapped up in a collard green leaf (or a layer of a few leaves). they don’t tear easily, and you can spread on some ketchup and mustard- why hadn’t i thought of this first?

1 cup quinoa
3-4 small carrots, peeled
2 celery stalks
2 garlic cloves
1 large onion
1 tablespoon coconut oil
handful of parsley leaves
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon each of paprika, dried sage (optional)
3 teaspoons no sugar added tomato sauce
1 cup brown rice flour

1. first, boil 1 and 1/2 cups water, add quinoa, reduce heat, and simmer at least 15 minutes until water is absorbed.
2. while your quinoa is cooking, in a food processor, process the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. (if yours is not great, chop veggies into pieces first for the processor to be able to handle it. if you don’t have one, mince everything.)
3. heat a skillet over medium-high heat. add coconut oil. sauté parsley, all chopped veggies, and seasonings until all are lightly cooked. add quinoa and tomato sauce, and stir.
4. take the skillet off the burner and add brown rice flour. stir very well to combine until you get a cohesive mixture.
5. shape 2 and 1/2- to 3-inch wide patties with your hands once the mixture is cooled enough. place these on a plate.
6. place the skillet back on the burner. over medium-high heat, sauté patties in canola cooking spray until firm, edges are browning, and both sides are cooked.

try this if you love chai: turmeric spiced milk tea

i’ve read several places that turmeric has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. all that sounds pretty amazing, so i got a small bag from bulk at whole foods to try. i wasn’t sure what i was going to do with it other than use it to season chickpeas, until i got to the checkout.

the cashier was telling me that she takes turmeric every day for her knee, and that you can add it to warm milk, like a turmeric latte- and i knew i had to try this. turns out an antioxidant in turmeric called curcumin is responsible for doing the inflammation-reducing. (read more about it here, another legit source for info on complementary/alternative medicine.)

i was in even greater luck to find this recipe on Making Love in the Kitchen when i got home, as i like to actually follow a recipe when i’ve never cooked with something.

1 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch each of ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup water
1 cup non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
honey

1. on the stove, simmer spices, milk, and water for 10 minutes. stir often so the milk doesn’t crust on the bottom of the pot.
2. pour through a fine mesh strainer into a mug (using my handy flour sifter until i shell out for a real strainer).
3. add honey to taste (a teaspoon is good). enjoy your first yellow tea ever.

oat groats for breakfast

why should you try oat groats?
1. oat groats- dehulled oat kernels- are the least processed form of oats, making them perfect if you like to start your day with something warm, filling, and whole grain.
2. they’re cheap from the bulk section at natural food grocery stores- very economical.
3. and they’re gluten-free. rolled oats designated gluten-free are pricey. groats sidestep the price increase because they haven’t been processed to have to avoid contamination with gluten in the first place.
4. making a batch to last for a few days’ breakfasts is a time-saver.

add some mix-ins of your choice to a serving of oats in a small tupperware container, refrigerate, and breakfast is ready to microwave in the morning. i mixed into 1/2 cup of oats:

1/2 cup of coconut milk, liberal dashes of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed, and sprinkling of slivered almonds.

use a 3:1 water to groats ratio. boil 3 cups of water and a dash of sea salt, and pour in 1 cup groats. you may have to add more water during cooking because these should simmer on the stove for about 45 minutes . i had to add at least 1/2 cup. it expands, so you’ll probably get at least 3-4 servings out of 1 cup dry groats.

flourless chocolate cookies

these can be vegan and gluten-free, or not. it comes down to the chocolate chips. i discovered that most chocolate chips contain milk fat, and i made these with Ghiradelli 60% caco semi-sweet chips, which are not vegan/g-free. so the most i can say for my batch is that they’re egg-free. you could use eight 1-ounce squares of baking chocolate instead, if you have those on hand.

these are more like thin brownies than cookies. they definitely spread out, so make sure you allow space between them on baking sheets. you might have to slice them apart with a spatula if they run together. original recipe here, from Oh She Glows. i left out her coconut, but i would add it next time to give them some more thickness.

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (like almond or coconut)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 375 F. boil a cup of water. mix 4 tablespoons of this water with the flaxseed in a small bowl. set aside to gel.
2. in a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients, sugar through salt.
3. in a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: flax/water, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla.
4. add wet to dry. stir well and add the chocolate chips.
5. place spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheets sprayed with canola cooking spray. i got 36 cookies out of this. bake 25 minutes. cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. be careful, as these are a little fragile before cooled.