Jewel Box Salad

This pretty winter salad was inspired by a recent dinner at the Hali’imaile General Store in Makawao. I took the liberty of adding a vegan cheese but this addition is completely optional. I also thought that a citrus-based dressing would be a nice compliment to the roasted veggies.

Jewel Box Salad - makes one large salad

• 2-3 cups of mixed leafy greens

• 1/2 cup of roasted butternut squash ( made from frozen butternut cubes )

• 1/2 cup of roasted corn kernels

• 1/4 cup vegan ricotta, crumbled ( I like Kite Hill )

• 2 Tb chopped walnuts ( toasted walnuts are nice here )

• 2 Tb dried cranberries

Citrus Dressing

• 1/4 cup orange or tangerine juice

• 1/4 cup avocado oil ( or olive oil )

• 2 Tb white balsamic or champagne vinegar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 drops of liquid stevia or 2 tsp maple syrup

• cracked black pepper ( about 1/8 tsp or more )

*Wisk all ingredients together and taste. Adjust any ingredients to your liking. Place in the fridge to chill until ready. This makes about 4 servings of dressing.

To prep salad ingredients

Preheat oven to 375F.

*Place frozen butternut squash cubes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. I used a whole 10oz bag of frozen butternut so I did have some leftovers. Feel free to toss with a little bit of neutral-tasting oil ( like avocado oil ) but this isn’t totally necessary. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cubes are slightly golden brown and crispy looking. This step can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

*While the squash is roasting, place 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels on a lightly oiled, non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Saute until corn is lightly roasted ( about 10 minutes ) This step can also be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge until ready.

To assemble salad

Place fresh leafy greens In a large shallow bowl. Top with 1/2 cup of the chilled or room temperature roasted butternut squash, the chilled or room temperature roasted corn kernels, 2 Tb of dried cranberries, 2 Tb of chopped walnuts, and 1/4 cup crumbled ricotta. Dress with 2 -3 Tb of the Citrus dressing and toss. Serve with extra cracked black pepper.

Southwest Pumpkin Soup

This recipe was inspired by a soup made on Rachel Ray’s cooking show over 15 years ago! Over the years I’ve made some tweaks to the soup, which includes making it vegan, by swapping the heavy cream in the original recipe with full-fat coconut milk. If you prefer, you can omit the coconut milk completely to make a delicious, very low-fat soup. It’s totally up to you, but I highly recommend including the coconut milk. It adds a velvety creaminess that compliments the heat of the cayenne and the tang of the lime juice so nicely. Originally Rachel Ray served her soup with cheese quesadilla slices. If you would like to do the same but are looking for a healthier, plant-based alternative, here’s my quesadilla recipe HERE.

Southwest Pumpkin Soup - Serves 6

• 2, 15oz cans of 100% pure pumpkin puree ( not pumpkin pie mix )

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 1, 14.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1, 14.5 oz can of roasted diced tomatoes ( including liquid )

• 1.5 Tb curry powder

• 1.5 tsp cumin powder

• 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper ( salt with 1/4 tsp and then check the heat level at the end before adding more )

• Juice of one lime

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro ( optional )

To Prepare

*In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute diced onion in a couple of Tbs of water ( or 1 Tb of olive oil ) until translucent ( approximately 5-7 minutes ). Add curry powder, cumin powder, and cayenne powder to the onion and saute for another 30 seconds to lightly toast the spices. Careful not to burn.

*Add remaining ingredients ( except the cilantro ) and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the freshly chopped cilantro. Now, taste the soup and adjust salt, pepper, cayenne and/or lime juice if needed.

To serve

Distribute soup into shallow serving bowls. Topping suggestions include baked corn tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, chopped chives, THESE spicy pumpkin seeds, and/or a dollop of vegan sour cream ( sour cream recipe is under my dips/sauces )

This recipe freezes well if anyone is interested!

Asian Noodle Bowl with Sweet Citrus Dressing

With the exception of some chopping, this salad is super easy to throw together and it makes a very satisfying lunch or dinner. I love making these on hot muggy days when I can’t bring myself to heat up the kitchen with a hot oven.

Feel free to add as many fresh veggies and herbs as you desire. I really love using red cabbage for some extra crunch and vitamin K, cucumbers are crisp and hydrating, carrots add some extra sweetness and vitamin A, bell peppers are colorful and add a great source of vitamin C. Experiment with what you like and have on hand. The more veggies and herbs the better.

For today’s salad, I used about 1/2 cup of each of the following:

• Shredded red cabbage

• shredded carrots

• sliced Persian cucumbers

• shredded romaine lettuce

Toppings

• about a handful of chopped cilantro, sliced green onions and fresh mint

• chopped peanuts

To make the rice noodles:

Cook according to the brand’s instructions and rinse with cold water to cool. My absolute favorite vermicelli rice noodles are by Dongguan Rice Vermicelli. Lotus Foods make a good one as well. I like the Millet and Brown Rice Ramen Noodles. Both brands come in perfect, one serving size dried bundles. They make about 1 cup of noodles once cooked.

To make the dressing: Makes about 1 cup of dressing. Keeps about 7-10 days in the fridge. Really good on rice or a tofu marinade as well!

• 1/3 cup coconut aminos

• 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 Tbs toasted sesame oil

To assemble:

Arrange the shredded veggies, cooled rice noodles, chopped fresh herbs and peanuts in a large deep bowl. Add about 3 Tbs of the dressing and toss. Sometimes I like to throw in a little sambal for some heat. Enjoy!

Sushi Burritos

Ya I know, it’s basically a massive sushi roll but that’s the whole point ( LOL ) The awesome thing about sushi burritos is that they are super easy to eat on the go ( no chopsticks needed! ) and super filling ( always very important! )

On this day, I made these rolls with basically all the leftover veggies I had in the fridge. However, feel free to add whatever types of fillings you like. I’ve added everything from steamed sweet potatoes, to beetroot hummus, to sriracha aioli, to Korean Gochujang paste. There’s really no rules except for the large size of the roll. The whole idea is that it’s very BIG so you can eat it like a burrito.

The trick is the extra sheet of nori in the rolling process. I included a picture below so you can see what I mean. The instructions are below.

How to Prepare Rice ( makes about 2 large sushi burritos or 3 medium sushi burritos )

• 1.5 cups short grain rice ( white or brown )

• 1/4 cup seasoned sushi vinegar

• prepping sushi rice - I made my rice in a rice cooker using 1.5 cups of short grain white rice. To flavor the rice, I used about 1/4 cup of Marukan’s Organic Seasoned Rice Vinegar Dressing. You don’t have to flavor your rice but it gives it that authentic sushi rice flavor we all know and love. If you can’t find a seasoned vinegar you can make your own using a mixture of rice wine vinegar, salt and sugar. If you need help, there are a ton of videos on how to make seasoned sushi rice on YouTube.

*To prepare, cook rice according to the instructions. When finished, spoon hot rice into a large shallow bowl and mix in flavored vinegar. Let rice cool to the touch before making your rolls. Next, Take about 3/4 cup to one cup of the cooked rice and spread evening over one sheet of nori. Add second sheet of nori to the very end of first sheet and seal with water.

*Next, add your fillings and roll up sushi roll.

*I like using a bamboo rolling mat because it helps in making a nice“tight” roll. Seal roll with a little bit of water at the end and then wrap finished roll in either parchment or wax paper. Slice in half for easy eating.

Here’s a list of the fillings I used today

• shredded purple cabbage

• shredded carrots

• avocado

• sliced cucumbers

• bell pepper

• cilantro

• Yuzu Furikake another good Furikake option HERE

Other awesome fillings you could use

• steamed and sliced sweet potatoes ( I love the purple variety here )

• sliced mango

• grilled tofu or tempeh

• grilled mushrooms

• sliced sushi ginger

• guacamole

• sunflower sprouts

• green onions or chives

ENJOY!

Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

Lightly sweet and filling, these are perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or a quick pre-surf snack. Feel free to indulge without any guilt because these delicious muffins are vegan, gluten-free, and free of processed sugar!

Vegan Banana Nut Muffins ( makes 12 medium size muffins )

*Pre-heat oven to 375F

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats ( ground first in a high-speed blender to make flour )

• 1.5 cup almond flour

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ( optional )

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar

• 1.5 Tb baking powder

• 1.5 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp cardamon ( optional )

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

*Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Set aside.

Wet Ingredients

• 2 overripe bananas ( very mashed )

• 1 cup nut milk ( I used almond milk )

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• coconut oil to grease muffin tins

*Mix wet ingredients until well combined and then mix into the dry mixture until a batter is formed.

*Grease muffin tins with coconut oil and then scoop about 1/4 cup of the batter into each tin.

*Bake for about 22-24 minutes at 375F until tops are slightly golden. Wait until muffins have cooled for about 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

Enjoy!

The Grain-Based Macro Bowl

I probably make a variation of a Macro Bowl about 3-5 times a week. So comforting, so full of flavor and so incredibly healthy for you. This “easy to throw together” bowl will make a wonderful staple for you and your family during these stressful times.

Feel free to play around with the base ingredients that I have listed below. Please use whatever you currently have in your pantry and fridge because there are no strict rules for this bowl.

For the bowl pictured above, I used chickpeas, quinoa, a variety of sweet potatoes, raw kale, sauerkraut, chopped almonds, and a tahini/lemon/miso-based dressing. The idea is to use some sort of plant-based protein ( tofu, tempeh, beans or lentils ), some sort of grain ( quinoa or rice ) or another whole plant carb like sweet potatoes or squash, some veggies ( raw or fresh ), some sort of fat ( tahini, avocado, or nut butter ) some seeds or nuts for some crunch, some sort of fermented food like sauerkraut or kimchi and, ideally, some sort of sea vegetable like crushed nori.

The Grain-based Macro Bowl

• 1 cup cooked quinoa

• 1/2 cup of roasted sweet potatoes

• 1/3 cup of chickpeas

• 1 large handful of shredded kale

• a couple of tablespoons of sauerkraut

• 1 Tb chopped almonds

• a couple of Tbs dressing ( see recipe below )

• 1/2 of a sliced avocado

• Layer in a bowl, top with dressing, and serve.

Prep for Roasted Potatoes

Take 2 or more sweet potatoes and cut into small cubes ( you may skin them if you prefer ). Toss potato cubes with 1-2 tsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Next, spread seasoned potato cubes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roast potato cubes at 425F for 40 mins until crispy and browned. Flip potatoes halfway through. Oven temps can vary so some potatoes may need less of more time to reach the desired crispiness. Save any leftovers in the fridge for the next day.

Prep for cooked Quinoa

Rinse 2 cups of dried quinoa if a mesh strainer for about 1 minute. Place in a medium-size soup pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat then cover and reduce heat to very low. Cook covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, leave the lid on, and “steam”. Remove lid and fluff cooked quinoa with a fork. This makes a lot of quinoa. I like dividing this into 1 cup servings and placing it in the freezer for later use.

My favorite Macro Bowl Dressing

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2 Tbs water

• 2 Tbs avocado oil

• 2 Tbs tamari or low sodium soy sauce

• 1/4 cup light miso

• 1/3 cup tahini ( you can omit this for a lower fat dressing )

• Mix in a small mason jar. Keeps for about 1 week in the fridge.

Spinach and Mushroom Risotto

Ever since having lunch at The Girl and Fig in Sonoma, I’ve been really craving risotto. But for whatever reason since I’ve been home, I’ve been putting off making it?

Why? Because in the past ( back when I was a vegetarian vs vegan ) it always seemed like such a labor-intensive dish? Well, I was wrong. Or maybe I was just making it wrong LOL? I dunno? But I’m so glad I finally decided to give it a go!

This Spinach and Mushroom Risotto is the bomb. It’s gooey, rich, warm and full of umami flavors. Honestly, it tastes like it’s really high fat but it’s really not. No dairy ( obvi ) but no “vegan cheese” either. However, I did use a good dollop of Miyoko’s vegan butter at the end. I believe this step is key so try not to skip it. I think this, combined with the creamy arborio rice really did the trick. This is so satisfying and delicious!

Spinach and Mushroom Risotto

• 1 cup Arborio rice

• 3 cups veggie stock - feel free to add more broth ( or water ) about halfway through cooking if needed

• 1 tbs olive oil

• 3 tbs dry white wine ( optional )

• 1 large diced white or yellow onion

• 5 cloves minced garlic

• 2.5 cups sliced mushrooms ( I like Cremini )

• 1/4 tsp salt ( feel free to add more at the end if needed )

• 1/4 tsp pepper

Added near the end of cooking

• 2 cups chopped spinach

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 tbs vegan butter 

• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice

In a large pot on medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic with salt and pepper until translucent ( about 5-7 mins )

Add white wine, add sliced mushrooms and saute another 2-3 mins

Add veggie broth and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15- 20 mins. Stirring occasionally.

Add chopped spinach, yeast, butter, and lemon juice and stir until incorporated. Add more broth or water if needed. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes or so. Taste, and add additional salt/pepper if needed.

Top with chopped fresh parsley or minced chives

Enjoy!

Easy Thai Curry

We loved this recipe so much we made it twice this week!

After chopping some fresh veggies and potatoes, this was actually pretty quick to throw together on a rushed weeknight. By the way, I do like steaming the potatoes ahead of time to speed things up a bit but that’s totally up to you. Also, feel free to play with different curry pastes out there. I found this delicious yellow curry paste by Mae Ploy at my local health food store so I decided to give it a go in this recipe. Red or green curry paste will work well too here. Just make sure to check the ingredient list! Some curries contain shrimp paste!

Don’t be too worried about what veggies you decide to throw in this. I just used up some odd bits that I still had left in the fridge before a shopping day. Feel free to add or sub whatever veggies you want! Extra-firm tofu cubes might be a nice addition as well.

Easy Thai Curry - makes 4-6 servings

• 2, 14 oz cans of coconut milk. I went with full-fat coconut milk.

• 1 cup of vegetable broth

• 1/4 cup curry paste

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder ( optional, I use this for color )

• juice of one lime

• 1 Tb of coconut or brown sugar

• 1 yellow onion, sliced thin

• 2 medium yellow potatoes, skinned and diced.

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 3 medium carrots, sliced

• one Bell Pepper, diced ( I used a yellow one )

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 1/2 zucchini, sliced

• 1 cup frozen peas ( optional )

• 1 cup chopped cilantro

Steam - skinned and cubed potatoes to save time. ( optional )

While potatoes are steaming…in a large deep pan over med-high heat, saute diced onions and minced garlic with a little water ( or oil ) until translucent ( about 5-7 minutes ).

Next, add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry paste, turmeric powder, coconut sugar, juice of one lime and stir until combined.

Add carrots, Bell pepper, tomato, zucchini, and frozen peas to the broth and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer uncovered until veggies are tender ( about 12-15 mins ). Be careful not to overcook. You don’t want “mushy veggies”. Next, add steamed potatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro. You can add raw potatoes to this instead of steamed however, you will just need to increase the cooking time until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Top with crush peanuts, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, and/or sambal. Enjoy this curry on its own or serve over jasmine rice.

Couscous Salad

We love the Il Fornaio restaurants in California and we almost always end up at either their Carmel or Walnut Creek location when visiting my mother in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, so many of their delicious dishes are not vegan ( without alterations of course ) but I was surprised to find some exceptions this time. The Walnut Creek location was offering a large vegan couscous salad on their lunch menu. It was full of unique flavors, surprisingly filling and absolutely delicious so I knew I would have to try to recreate it once I got home. 

So below, my version of Il Fornaio's “Insalata Regina”. This salad is sweet, tart, salty, and slightly bitter thanks to the abundance of arugula. Throw in some diced avocado for some extra healthy fat if you desire, but either way, it’s great!

I find this salad tastes best a room temperature so let the couscous cool a bit before tossing in the other ingredients. This makes roughly two large main course servings or four smaller side salads.

Insalata Regina - 2 to 4 servings

• 1 cup dried couscous

• 1 and ¼ cup of water

• 2 cups arugula

• 2 tomatoes, diced

• 1/3 cup red onions, finely diced

• 1/3 cup raisins ( dried currants could work too )

• 1 tbs capers, drained

• Avocado, diced optional

Dressing

• 2 tbs fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

• 1.5 tbs extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp sea salt

Cook couscous according to the brand’s instructions. I usually go with 1 and ¼ cup of water to one cup of dried couscous. Boil the water and add dried couscous, stir, cover, and lower heat to a low setting. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let cool while prepping other ingredients.

Make the salad dressing - I usually place the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar, cover with a lid and shake until incorporated an aerolatte would work too. Store any leftover dressing in the fridge for later use if desired. (keeps about a week)

In a large bowl, toss cooled couscous with tomatoes, arugula, onions, raisins, capers (and diced avocado if using). I usually end up using 3/4 of the prepared dressing. Taste and then add remaining dressing if needed.

Simple Black Bean Tacos

It’s been a hell of a week.

Starting with the fact that I’m going on week number three with no car! Yep, a new auto repair shop has failed to fixed my brake system yet again. Multiple faulty parts ordered from the Mainland ( and god know what else happened ) but I’m seriously about to lose my cool. Obviously, having a car with no brakes is frustrating enough, but has anyone ever looked up what it costs to rent a car on Maui? Ya, not cheap. Oh, and did I mention that I work about an hour away from my house? So ya, I kinda need a car.

Also, I started a new job this week. And while I’m extremely grateful for this new opportunity, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the new position and the much longer day it requires. At the moment I’m leaving my house before 6 am and getting home after 5 pm. I know that’s normal for a lot of people but it’s new for me and my body is still trying to adjust. Thankfully these hours will be getting shorter soon.

And lastly, I’m sick. Slight fever, allergy-like sneezes, and lots of fatigue. It’s nothing major but considering what I mentioned above. It’s pretty bad timing.

So what does this have to do with tacos? Well, it’s because they’re pretty much all I could muster to throw together for dinner this week. I gotta say though, they were really really satisfying! My husband doesn’t get home until late so I’m usually on my own 5 nights a week when it comes to food. Because of this, my solo dinners tend to be really simple. I get asked all the time about super easy, super quick, weeknight vegan meals and this is one of them. One of my tricks is to always prep a batch of vegan sour cream at the beginning of each week. See my recipe HERE. I also recommend having a pantry full of beans and lentils for quick, high fiber plant-based proteins that you can add to all sorts of dishes.

So if you can rally yourself on a long day to make a 10-minute healthy dinner, this simple taco recipe is for you. I’ll continue to post simple recipes like this ( along with the more intricate ones ) because I do understand that so many people are bit lost when it comes to just super easy, plant-based meals when time is tight.

Simple Bean Tacos

• Tortillas - I love the gluten-free brand by Siete ( the ones made with Cassava flour are my favorite yet ) you can also use corn tortillas if gluten-free or any plant-based flour tortilla if you are not gluten-sensitive.

• 1 can of organic black beans, rinsed, and drained. Any leftovers ( I usually use 1/2 a can ) will keep well in the fridge for a few days

Avocado Salsa 

• 1 avocado, diced

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 1/4 of a red onion diced

• a handful of chopped cilantro

• 1 jalapeno pepper diced ( or you can use jarred jalapenos and dice them )

• 1/2 lime juiced ( the other half can be used if needed at the end )

• 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar

• a good pinch of salt and cracked black pepper.

• Throw all ingredients in a small bowl and toss.

Toppings

• Arugula or shredded romaine lettuce, vegan sour cream, and hot sauce

To make tacos

• Rinse black beans and prep avocado salsa. Then, heat skillet or grill pan and warm tortillas. Next, heat the beans. When I’m really lazy, I just do this in the microwave. Then, layer warm tortillas with beans and avocado salsa and top with lettuce, sour cream, and hot sauce. It doesn’t get easier than this! Enjoy!