The Perfect Orange Smoothie

This orange smoothie recipe has hands down been my favorite smoothie of the summer. It’s so simple and oh so good! I’ve been drinking it for breakfast pretty much every other day, maybe more. Just can’t get enough. I’ve always liked smoothies, but this summer I’ve really rediscovered how amazing they are. Cool refreshing and light, plus loaded with nutritious fruits and veggies. What could be better on a hot day? I’ve been on a smoothie binge, for at least two months, tweaking recipes and finding the most delicious combinations. Yum!

Orange Smoothie Glow

This smoothie is a vitamin A and carotenoid super load. I’m convinced that after drinking this delicious concoction my skin has a healthier glow. Think that sounds crazy? It may not be, check out these studies from the National Institute of Health on the positive effects of fruit and veggies on skin color. Apparently it only takes an increase of 3.3 servings of fruits and veggies a day for a mere 6 weeks to see beneficial changes in your skin tone. Isn’t that about the easiest beauty secret you’ve ever heard of?

A Light Go-To Breakfast

Beauty hacks aside, I also love to start my day off with a smoothie. I’m not a big breakfast eater. My go to for years has been black coffee, a nibble on some of the kids breakfast and a bowl of blueberries. The problem was I always started to feel hungry within a couple of hour. Then I would get too tempted by the plethora of processed snacks at my coworking space. Morning smoothies has been the answer for starting my day off right. This delicious orange smoothie fills me up and keeps me going until my next meal. Plus, sometimes I just don’t get enough fruit during the day and a breakfast fruit and veggie smoothie ensures that is not the case!

This delicious orange smoothie came into fruition from simple trial and error. I set out to make a smoothie that included both fruits and veggies and really wanted to incorporate turmeric. So naturally the color was going to be orange. Keeping with the theme I started to think of what would be a good base for the smoothie—mango fit the bill. Mango has just the right amount of sweetness and tartness plus it has great texture in a smoothie. As for a veggie, carrots are actually really great in smoothies and juices. They puree smoothly and have a slightly sweet mild flavor. Carrot helps to thicken up the smoothie as well. Lastly, I toss in a couple of mandarin oranges, you know cuties—because if you have kids these are most likely always in your fridge—and that’s it! Super simple, super delicious!

Anti-inflammatory Super Smoothie

Back to the turmeric, I really love the spicy flavor of turmeric, but my kids will totally disagree. When I make this smoothie for them I skip the turmeric. It is a strong flavor and it seems to be too much for them. As I’m writing this, I’m realizing that what I really should do is just add a little turmeric to start and more each time so they can learn to enjoy the bold spicy flavor and all its amazing health benefits. They like curry so it with grow on them right?

Until then, I make a mild turmeric free version of this smoothie for the littles. Then toss in some fresh turmeric and re-blend for the grown up version. Turmeric is a supa-dupa antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, in recent studies it has even been shown to help prevent cancer. How cool is that? More please! Plus, turmeric root is incredibly affordable. It is only $1.99 for a whole bag of turmeric from Pine Melon. I am trying incorporate more of this super affordable mega food into our diets whether it’s in curry, smoothies, golden milk, soups, etc.

Pine what?

Pine Melon is an awesome new food delivery service in Denver that I just cannot get enough of. It focuses on local and organic products, with super fresh local produce. Extra huge benefit—because they have no storefront their prices are really affordable. But the very best part is the connivence. I can meal plan, and then shop for groceries while at kids soccer practice and Pine Melon delivers to my house by dinnertime. It is such a huge time saver and I am continuously impressed by their local assortment. You’ve got to check out the fresh mushrooms! Here’s a link for $40 off your first purchase, a pretty amazing deal. Ok now that your fridge is stocked, let’s make a smoothie!

Orange Smoothie

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A super simple fruit and veggie smoothie with a turmeric kick. This delicious anti-inflammatory orange smoothie makes a great healthy breakfast or snack any time of the day!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 5
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups
• Category: Smoothie
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units USM

• 1 cup of frozen mango
• 2 mandarin oranges (cuties) peeled
• 1 carrot, ends cut off
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 piece of fresh turmeric root

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Instructions

1. Toss the frozen mango, oranges, carrot, and water into the pitcher of a high powered blender
2. Peel the turmeric root and add it to the blender pitcher
3. Blend on high for about 1 minute until smooth
4. Enjoy!

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Smashed Sunchokes

Move over french fries, there’s a new favorite side in town—smashed sunchokes. Also known as Jerusalem artichokes, these tasty little morsels are going to rock your world.

Smashed what?

Sunchokes, or also known as Jerusalem artichokes are a tuber—root vegetable. According to Lakewinds Food Coop Sunchokes are the root of a type of sunflower plant native to eastern North America. Well that’s cool, a plant native to North America? Can I eat more of that please! Oh how I would love to grow these gems in my garden!

You should be able to find sunchokes at your local grocery store or farmers market. They tend to be carried seasonally at my local Natural Grocers from around late January through March. One of my favorite parts of shopping at Natural Grocers is you can request for the store to carry different items. This year I didn’t see sunchokes, so I simply asked the produce manager, and you know what? They were there the following week!

Sunchokes are a little strange looking—think screaming Mandrakes for all the Harry Potter fans out there. Or I had a man at the grocery store the other day ask why I was buying so much ginger (well, I am probably guilty of that too, but I only had sunchokes in my basket on this occasion). Don’t be discouraged by their dreary looks, sunchokes taste amazing—I would describe them as a cross between a potato and an artichoke and 100% delicious. You can eat them raw, but my favorite way to prepare them is smashed!

The Nutritional Side of Sunchokes

As a root vegetable, sunchokes are obviously good for you. But these little morsels are full of some extra good for you things. Here we go, let’s nerd out and look at the nitty gritty—according to the USDA one cup of sun chokes contains 18% of your daily recommendation of potassium, 9% of fiber, 6% of protein, and a whopping 28% of your daily intake of iron. Take that spinach! Also, sunchokes are a natural plant based prebiotic. Say what? I’m going to fully admit I had no idea sunchokes were a prebiotic before researching their nutritional benefits. My mind was kind of blown when realizing how good these delicious veggies are for your gut. Check out the info about the inulin content in sunchokes from Livestrong.com:

Most of the carbohydrates in sunchokes are in the form of inulin. Inulin acts as a prebiotic, providing a source of food for beneficial probiotic organisms in your body. Probiotics may help improve your immune function, produce vitamins, lower your cholesterol and prevent disease-causing bacteria from multiplying. Consuming prebiotics may be an easier way to increase the probiotic organisms in your body than taking probiotic supplements, because you don’t have to worry about them surviving the digestive process like you would with probiotics. A study published in the “British Journal of Nutrition” in 2010 found that drinking fruit and vegetable juice shots that contained inulin from sunchokes increased the amount of certain types of probiotic bacteria in the body.

This is truly a tasty food that fuels your body with whole food goodness. Now you may be wondering how do I cook these darn knobby looking things?

How to Cook Sun Chokes

Although it takes a little time, making sun chokes is really a simple process. First, fill a medium size saucepan halfway with water and crank the heat up to high. Next, wash the sunchokes and cut off any spots that look unappealing. No need to peel the sunchokes, the skins are thin and good for you too. Toss the sunchokes in the pot of water and cook them for about 40 minutes at medium-high heat. If you have larger sunchokes, like larger than a kiwi, increase the cooking time by 5 minutes. If you have smaller size sunchokes you can probably get away with less cooking time, check them with a fork at around 30-35 minutes.

Next comes my favorite part. Hope you are ready to get rid of some pent up anger! Once the sunchokes are tender and pass the fork test. Remove them from the pot of water and place them on a cutting board. Take your frying pan and give them a good smash (hence the name). The goal here is to flatten them a little bit, not to mutilate them. Think flat like a latke, not hash browns. Rinse off the bottom of your fry pan if it got a little dirty and then add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, pop it on the stove and kick the heat up to medium-high. Once the oil has warmed, about 1-2 minutes, add the sunchokes. Then generously season the sunchokes with dried thyme, salt and pepper. Let them cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown, flip and then season this side as well. Cook the second side for an additional 5 minutes or so adjusting your heat as necessary and then serve warm. I love to dip these in a little green herby cilantro parsley sauce, but my kids vote for some ketchup. Find your favorite dipping sauce. Yum!

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Smashed Sunchokes

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Swap out your french fries for these delicious smashed sunchokes. More flavorful than a potato with a hint of artichoke flavor. This smashed sunchoke recipe is both fun to make and so tasty. Yum!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 52 minutes
• Category: Plant based
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 4–6 sunchokes (1–2 per person)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
• Salt and fresh cracked pepper to your liking

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Instructions

1. Fill a medium-sized saucepan halfway full of water. Set it on high on the stove to boil.
2. Scrub the sunchokes, just like you would a potato.
3. Add the sunchokes to the pot of water, cook on medium-high for approximately 40 minutes. Test them with a fork to check that they are tender. Remove from the pot of water and place on a cutting board.
4. Take your frying pan and smash the sunchokes. Don’t use too much force, you just want to flatten them, not smash them to pieces.
5. Add olive oil to a sauté pan and kick the heat up to medium-high. Once the pan is hot, approximately 1-2 minutes, add the sunchokes.
6. Sprinkle the thyme, salt, and pepper on the sunchokes. Flip once they begin to turn golden brown, approximately 5 minutes.
7. Re-season on this side and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the second side is golden brown as well. Remove from pan and serve. Yum!

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Smashed Sunchokes

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Swap out your french fries for these delicious smashed sunchokes. More flavorful than a potato with a hint of artichoke flavor. This smashed sunchoke recipe is both fun to make and so tasty. Yum!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 52 minutes
• Category: Plant based
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 4–6 sunchokes (1–2 per person)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
• Salt and fresh cracked pepper to your liking

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Instructions

1. Fill a medium-sized saucepan halfway full of water. Set it on high on the stove to boil.
2. Scrub the sunchokes, just like you would a potato.
3. Add the sunchokes to the pot of water, cook on medium-high for approximately 40 minutes. Test them with a fork to check that they are tender. Remove from the pot of water and place on a cutting board.
4. Take your frying pan and smash the sunchokes. Don’t use too much force, you just want to flatten them, not smash them to pieces.
5. Add olive oil to a sauté pan and kick the heat up to medium-high. Once the pan is hot, approximately 1-2 minutes, add the sunchokes.
6. Sprinkle the thyme, salt, and pepper on the sunchokes. Flip once they begin to turn golden brown, approximately 5 minutes.
7. Re-season on this side and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the second side is golden brown as well. Remove from pan and serve. Yum!

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Vegan Cheese – Chive Cashew Spread

I love cashews. They have really become a staple in our pantry that I just can’t live without. In addition to snacking on raw cashews, we use them to make cashew milk, cashew cream, and one of my absolute favorite snacks—vegan cheese – chive cashew spread. Even though I’ve been lactose intolerant for years, cutting out cheese has still been tricky for our family. Cheese is just such a common part of the American diet. Nowadays, when I’m having a cheesy craving, I make this delicious dairy-free spread. It totally hits the spot! It’s so good, most people don’t even realize they are eating something diary-free and vegan.

There are good vegan cheese spreads in the store no doubt, but they are super pricey—upwards of $8 at my local supermarket. This vegan cheese – chive cashew spread was inspired by the store-bought varieties I had tried, but to be perfectly honest, I like the homemade version way better. With only 7 ingredients and no cooking involved, this spread is so easy to make and costs so much less. I’m saying goodbye to the store-bought vegan spreads for good!

Good Snacking to Fuel Your Body

Unlike real dairy cheese, which is high in saturated fat and salt, this chive cashew spread is high in protein, unsaturated healthy fats, copper, magnesium, zinc, and other minerals. According to the Blue Zone, inhabitants in all five blue zones consume nuts. The Blue Zones are the five places in the world with the highest rates of longevity. On a side note, if you haven’t read The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, it’s a great read about healthy diets found around the world.

Additionally, eating nuts like cashews are really filling. Snack on a couple of crackers with this tasty vegan cheese – chive cashew spread and you’ll feel nice and satisfied in no time. This is a great go-to snack when your hangry and just can’t make it until dinner.

Chive-licious

Chives first ended up in this recipe simply because we had an abundance of them in our garden. After many variations, with many different herbs, chive is our favorite version. The garlicky, mild onion-like flavor balances the slight sweetness of the cashews. Green onions work pretty well if you don’t have chives readily available. When using store-bought chives in this recipe, I literally rinse the whole packet and toss it in the blender. No chopping involved. How easy is that?

What is cashew kefir?

Kefir is a fermented yogurt-like drink typically made from milk. I love using cashew kefir in this recipe because it adds that dairy kind of tang, but without the dairy. As a bonus, the kefir also contains probiotics, which are so good for your gut health. I use Foreger Probiotic Cashewmilk Yogurt, unsweetened of course! You can also make your own kefir, check out this cashewmilk kefir recipe from Cultured Food Life, which I am so excited to try. If you have any tips for making your own kefir, I’d love to hear them.

Top It Off

Lastly, no spread is complete without a cracker… and some toppings. My favorite way to gobble up this tasty spread is on Edward & Son’s black sesame brown rice snaps with a date on top. It is the perfect balance of sweet and salty deliciousness. Yum!

 

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Vegan Cheese – Chive Cashew Spread

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The perfect cheese (but not cheese) spread, plus it’s filling and loaded with protein. This vegan “cheese” spread is so simple, made with only 7 ingredients—just toss them in the blender. I love to spread this on brown rice crackers and top it off with a date. Yum!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 2 cups
• Category: Plant-based
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units USM

1. 1 cup of unroasted, unsalted cashews
2. 1/2 cup of chives (1 small grocery store pack or hearty handful from the garden)
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6. 1 cup of unsweetened cashew kefir (my favorite is Foreger Cashew Probiotic Yogurt)
7. 1 lemon, juiced

 

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Instructions

1. Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until smooth. If too thick, add more cashew kefir. If too thin add more cashews.

Notes

Although delicious right away, this chive cashew spread is even better on day two. Will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but it never lasts that long in our house!

The post Vegan Cheese – Chive Cashew Spread appeared first on Bowl of Yum.

Vegan Pesto Recipe

Pesto is the best-o! No really it is, and it’s so easy to make! In the last couple of years pesto has taken the number one spot for pasta sauce in our house. This vegan pesto recipe is definitely a kid approved favorite. Plus, I love how quick and simple it is to make, just toss all the ingredients into the blender and you’re done. It is really that easy. This year I finally got smarter and planted basil around the base of every tomato plant in our garden. Now that it’s late summer we have oodles of fresh basil and can make fresh homemade pesto at least once a week, yum!

What to Do with Vegan Pesto?

Pesto is such a versatile sauce—you can use it as a pasta sauce, a sandwich spread, dip for veggies, marinade for tofu, pizza sauce, and the list goes on. Pesto—the good green goo—is a tasty sauce that my kids absolutely love, which really makes this mama happy because it is loaded with good healthy stuff. Probably our favorite way to enjoy pesto is as a pasta sauce, but I love that we can use it in so many ways and we have never, I repeat never, had any go to waste. This vegan pesto is loved by kids and adults alike and always gets gobbled up.

Made with Fresh Basil

So you know we have basil growing everywhere in our garden this year. Planting basil around the base of each tomato plant was seriously a stroke a brilliance (not my own, a much better gardener neighbor’s brilliance), but we will totally be doing it again next year! As much as I love having fresh fruits and veggies in the garden, I love fresh herbs even more. Fresh herbs make everything taste just that next level amazing, but fresh herbs can get pricey quick in the store, plus sometimes they just don’t last long. Have you ever bought the clamshell of basil that looks fresh only to open it up to find brown wilty leaves hiding inside? Yup, I think we’ve all been there. Even if you live in a small space, try growing some fresh herbs like basil on your kitchen counter. Your taste buds will thank you!

Added basil bonus—the lovely smell. I absolutely love the smell of fresh basil. Yes, I’m the weirdo smelling herbs in the garden. Basil has such a fragrant and inviting scent, almost as good as it tastes!

We usually use basil for making pesto, but you can certainly use arugula or parsley for pesto as well. We also add spinach to our pesto, mostly because adding spinach means we can make more pesto with less basil, we love to make a big batch to use for multiple meals. Sometimes we use frozen peas in pesto as well. Basil is one of those super good for you foods, but according to WebMD basil’s health benefits only apply to fresh basil, not dried. Like many leafy greens basil is full of antioxidants, is a blood sugar reducer, heart disease preventer, it reduces inflammation, and helps protect against infections. All good stuff to live a healthy and long life, plus it is packed with amazing flavor.

What is in Traditional Pesto?

Traditional Italian pesto is made with basil leaves, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil, and garlic. It is typically hand chopped and contains a very liberal amount of olive oil. This vegan pesto recipe has a few additional ingredients, but is equally as delicious.

How to Make Vegan Pesto

It doesn’t get easier than this, the whole process takes about 5 minutes! Literally just toss all 8 ingredients—fresh basil, fresh spinach leaves, cashews, garlic, vegan parmesan, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice—into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, approximately 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. That’s it!

Why Cashews?

Traditional pesto uses pine nuts, but we have strayed away from pine nuts over the years. Mostly because they are not something we usually have on hand in our pantry and they are pricey (at least here in Denver). I have tried both almonds and cashews and both work well in this recipe. Cashews do have a creamier kind of taste and texture so we lean towards using them. The bottom line is that you do need some kind of nut in this pesto recipe to give it the right texture and to hold the sauce together (think nut butter almost gooey texture). So go nuts—pick your favorite whether it’s cashews, almonds, or pine nuts.

Vegan Parmesan

Any kind of parmesan will work in this recipe, but we really like the Violife Vegan Parmesan. It comes in an adorable little wedge that looks like the real deal. More importantly the flavor is good and the texture is right. Vegan parmesan works great in this pesto recipe, especially since it is not cooked. I haven’t quite got on board with cooked vegan cheese. Plus with all the bold flavors in this pesto—basil, garlic—no one will be able tell that this is vegan parmesan. Trust me, no one.

How to Keep Pesto from Turning Brown?

To keep pesto looking that striking bright green hue I add a little lemon juice. Just a teeny bit of lemon juice compliments the flavors and keeps the brown away. Nothing wrong with improving a good ole classic recipe. Now time to get cooking!

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Vegan Pesto

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Super fresh and flavorful vegan pesto recipe with basil, cashews, garlic, olive oil, and vegan parm. Great for pasta, a sandwich spread, or even a yummy dip! Not only is this pesto recipe delicious it is so quick and easy to make.

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 2 cups
• Category: Plant-based
• Method: Homemade
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units USM

• 2 cups of fresh basil leaves
• 2 cups of fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup of unsalted/unroasted cashews
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1/4 cup of vegan parmesan
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

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Instructions

1. Toss all ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend on high for about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and blend again. Repeat until the sauce is nice and smooth.

Notes

You can use this immediately, it is great on hot pasta or delicious cold as well. Flavors really combine after about 24 hours and the pesto is even tastier.

Can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen.

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Air-fried Cilantro Falafel Recipe

This is hands down my favorite way to make falafel. I love this falafel recipe because its easy and doesn’t make my house smell like a greasy mess from frying in a pan. Plus, we could all use a little less greasy foods in our life and if it tastes just as delicious what’s is there to miss? Last year I was gifted an Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer and it is seriously the bees knees. I was a little skeptical at first because we don’t eat a lot of fried food, I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Oh boy it sure makes some good falafel. Additionally, there is way less mess and it doesn’t heat up the house in the summer time. Due to the ease of using the air-fryer, falafel has become a weekly event at our house.

More Beans Please!

Falafel is kind of a staple if you’re a non-meat eater. It should be its own food group. You can eat it in so many ways as a salad, a wrap, on top of spaghetti, a falafel burger—oh the possibilities! Plus homemade falafel is so affordable, here in Denver you can buy a 2lb bag (4 cups) of dried organic garbanzo beans aka chickpeas for $4.99 at Natural Grocers. From only 2 cups of dried garbanzo beans you can make about 30 falafel balls and it only costs about $2.50. That is 2-3 meals worth of delicious protein for a family of four.

This falafel recipe is for all the cilantro lovers out there, these are loaded with fresh cilantro and parsley. When you cut these little gems in half they are a beautiful shade of green. I love to make up a big batch of falafel, it is so good left over. Plus since it is so versatile you can eat it for days without feeling like you are eating the same thing. Salad one day, wrap day two, you get the idea.

Tricks for Falafel Making

It’s all about the consistency of the mixture. I use my trusty Ninja blender to make falafel mix. You could certainly use a food processor as well. What I’ve found that works best is to blend all of the flavorings—cilantro, parsley, onion, garlic, olive oil, baking soda, and seasonings first. That way you can get all of these tasty things mixed up without over mixing the garbanzo beans. Once the flavorings are mixed up then you can add the soaked garbanzo beans. You do want to keep a little texture to the mixture, but if you don’t blend the garbanzo beans enough the dough will be too crumbly and it’s difficult to shape into falafel balls. If this happens just pop everything back into the blender and blend some more. It’s all very forgiving, keep blending until you can easily shape the mixture into balls and they hold together.

Time to get cooking!

Falafel Recipe

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This air-fried falafel recipe is loaded with flavor: cilantro, parsley, jalapeño, cumin, and coriander. Healthy and delicious!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 8 hours
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes
• Yield: 30
• Category: Beans
• Method: Air-fryer
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units USM

• 2 cups of dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
• 2 bunches fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeño, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of cumin
• 1 tablespoon of coriander
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 5 cloves of garlic, smashed

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Instructions

1. Soak the garbanzo beans overnight. Or if pressed for time boil the garbanzo beans for about 5 minutes and then cover with a lid. Leave to soak for 1.5 hours.
2. Drain the garbanzo beans, these need to be really dry so you don’t have a mushy falafel mix. Strain and sit aside in the colander to continue draining while you mix the other ingredients.
3. Add the cilantro, parsley, red onion, jalapeño, olive oil, cumin, coriander, salt, and garlic to the pitcher of a blender. Blend until thoroughly mixed, it should be a nice green paste.
4. Add the drained garbanzo beans to the blender. Blend until the garbanzo beans are finely chopped. You still want some texture, but the mixture needs to be able to smash together to form falafel balls without crumbling. If it’s too crumbly, blend some more..
5. Preheat the air fryer. Make the falafel balls and add them to the air fryer once it is ready.
6. Cook for approximately 14 minutes, flipping when indicated by your air fryer machine.
7. Once finished they should have a nice brown/golden hue with a slightly crunchy exterior. Remove from the air fryer immediately.
8. Repeat the process until you run out of falafel mixture. Takes approximately 3-4 batches.

Notes

Great for leftovers! Lasts in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe

Lunch time! I love a good sandwich and we were starting to get board of our usual go-to’s. So it was time to get creative in the kitchen. We had recently been to a restaurant that was adding pickled onions to their cold cut sandwiches and a light bulb went off. What a great vegan sandwich topping, flavorful, a little zippy. I wanted to go home and see what kind of deliciousness I could whip up. Voila this chickpea salad sandwich recipe was created.

Sweet, Salty, Crunchy, Tangy, This Chickpea Curry Sandwich Recipe Has it All

The best things start with the best ingredients. I wanted to make a gourmet sandwich, like the kind you would get from a delicious deli, so first step was to find some great bread. Fortunately I had some right in the freezer—Izzio’s ciabatta bread, so we just popped a loaf in the oven. You can really use any of your favorite bread for this, a sourdough might be fun too.

Fill that Sandwich!

We’ve been making another version of a chickpea salad sandwich for years, but had recently experimented with different ingredients while on a camping trip. Truth is, we couldn’t find any grapes, but we had dates. So we tossed them in and it ended up being a huge success. This chickpea curry salad is like the new and improved version of a good old classic.

BUT the very best part of this sandwich is the toppings: pickled onions and shredded cabbage. I just love the flavor the onions bring and the cabbage crunch is just what a sandwich needs. Yum!

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

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Zippy, crunchy, and a little sweet—this vegan chickpea salad sandwich has it all! Start with a good ciabatta bread, mashed chickpeas, yogurt, curry powder, lemon juice, dates, mint, green onions, and then add the fixings!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 10
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 2-4 sandwiches
• Category: Lunch
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Chickpea Curry

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened plant-based yogurt (we like Forager’s unsweetened plain cashew yogurt)
• 1 tablespoon of curry powder
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup of chopped dates
• 2 sprigs of green onions, chopped
• 1 handful of fresh mint, chopped

Toppings

• Finely sliced cabbage
• Pickled onions

And of course ciabatta bread! We like Izzio ciabatta bread, plus it’s easy to find in Denver grocery stores.

 

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Instructions

1. Cut the ciabatta loaf in half and then slice again for sandwiches. If using Izzio’s ciabatta toss it in the oven for about 10 minutes and let it cool a little before adding toppings.
2. Make the chickpea curry. Start by smashing up most of the chickpeas with a fork. It doesn’t need to be smooth, in fact, a little texture is good. Next add the yogurt, curry powder, lemon juice, green onions, dates, and mint. Mix everything together. Salt to taste.
3. Add a good hearty portion of the chickpea curry salad to the bread. Top with a handful of shredded cabbage and homemade pickled onions. Yum!

Notes

The chickpea curry is especially good if you make it a day ahead. The flavors really combine and make this extra delicious, or make a big batch for leftovers!

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Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe

I love hot sauce. It is such an amazing way to add flavor to food. Plus hot sauce is about the only condiment you can buy at the grocery store that is not loaded with a bunch of oils, unpronounceable ingredients, and oodles of sugar. This buffalo cauliflower recipe is a great way to enjoy the nostalgia of hot wings, sans the meat.

Air fry is the Way to Go

This buffalo cauliflower recipe is best made in an air fryer. I have tried it in the oven, but it turns out a little mushy. The air fryer does an amazing job of adding a touch of brown to the outside, but still maintaining a little veggie crunch. I have an Instant Pot Air Fryer and I’m kind of in love. I received it as a gift for my dear hubby and was kind of unsure about it. I liked the idea of frying without oil, but wasn’t sold until I made the best falafel ever (more on that later). This has quickly become my favorite piece of kitchen gear—well maybe second favorite behind our french press. We now use it almost daily, and love experimenting with new things to toss in it. Anyway, back to buffalo cauliflower.

The Secret to Making this A WOW Dish

Don’t skip the green onions and black sesame seeds! They might sound like extra fluff, but they really add so much flavor to this recipe. You could substitute regular sesame seeds if you don’t have black ones on hand, no problem. Many many years ago, my partner Peter and I used to go to a little brew pub in Seattle that served hot wings like this with green onions and sesame seeds and I feel in love, with the hot wings I mean. Fast forward many years later I wanted to recreate a meatless version of this tasty party snack and voila buffalo cauliflower.

Now on to the recipe…

Buffalo Cauliflower

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Delicious air-fried buffalo cauliflower made in less than 20 minutes.

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Snacks
• Method: Air-fried
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1/2 cup Franks Red Hot
• 1/2 cup of almond flour
• 1 cauliflower head, cut in half
• 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup (3 stalks) of chopped green onions

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave or on a stovetop.
2. Add the Franks Red Hot and almond flour to the bowl. Mix everything together.
3. Preheat the air fryer.
4. Smother the cauliflower head with the buffalo sauce mixture. Add the cauliflower head to the air fryer once ready. If you have an extra large cauliflower you may need to cut it into quarters to fit in the air fryer.
5. Cook for approximately 14 minutes. This amount of time works great in my air fryer, but default to your manufacturer recommendations for different brands of air fryers. Turn the cauliflower head over as recommended by the manufacturer.
6. Once the cauliflower is cooked, immediately remove it from the air fryer and place on a serving dish. Toss on the green onions and black sesame seeds and you’re ready to eat!

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Vegan Sushi Rolls

Best kids lunch ever. End post.

No but really, vegan sushi rolls are hands down my kid’s favorite lunch. They ask for this practically every day, they ask to bring some for friends, and this is the food of choice for birthday parties. Plus, they are super healthy, just nori, rice, and veggies. Yup, you heard that right kids asking to eat veggies.

I almost didn’t post this vegan sushi roll recipe because it is just so simple, but my kids made me! They said their friends want to make them, so this one is for the kids, and it’s so easy that kids can totally do it. Keep reading for my sushi-making secrets.

 

Secret #1: Make a Ton of Rice

Making the rice is the longest step so I like to make up a big batch of rice on a Sunday night and then it is just there and ready when we need to make lunches in the morning. Depending on the rice you buy this step can take a while, not a lot of effort, but some time. We usually use bulk sushi rice from Natural Grocers and it needs to sit for 30 minutes in water, then cook for 20 minutes, then sit for 10 more minutes, then season. See what I mean? Lazy cooking, but you do need to set a timer and be home to keep an eye on it (sort of). So save yourself lots of rice making hassle and just make a big batch. It lasts about 5 days in the fridge.

Secret #2: Let Them Pick What Goes Inside

Probably part of the reason why my kids love sushi is how involved they are in the making process. I make the rice, they pick what goes inside. Our staples are avocado, cucumber, and marinated shitake mushrooms, but we’ve tried pineapple, bell peppers, tofu, carrot, beet, and I think even some dried mango. The rule is you make it, you eat it. So let the kids get a little creative and fill those sushi rolls!

 

Secret #3: Wet the Knife to Cut the Sushi Rolls

Rice is sticky and sushi rolls are kind of delicate. The combination can lead to smashed rolls. An easy trick is to wet the knife and then very gently saw back and forth until you cut all the way through the roll. I like to setup a cutting station right by the sink so I can quickly wet the knife and get back to work.

 

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Vegan Sushi Rolls

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Kid approved! Cucumber, avocado, and shitake mushroom vegan sushi rolls. Simple, healthy, and delicious. Great for school lunches, and grown-ups too.

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 sushi rolls (approximate 48 bites)
• Category: Lunch
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sushi rice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 sheets of nori

Fillings

• 1/2 cucumber, julienne sliced (matchsticks)
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup of shitake mushrooms
• 1/4 of rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce

Tools

• Really sharp large knife
• Bamboo sushi roller

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Instructions

Make the Rice

1. Cook the rice according to the manufacturer’s directions. Make sure to soak the rice if it is called for. Also, after the rice/water reaches a boil reduce to the lowest setting on your stove. Keep the cover on the pot, do not remove the lid, and do not stir. Let the rice sit covered for 10 minutes after cooking.
2. While the rice is cooking, mix together the rice seasoning. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small microwave-safe dish. Stir the mixture then cook it in the microwave for about 1 minute, until sugar and salt are combined and no granules remain.
3. Pour the rice seasoning over the rice and fluff the rice with a fork to combine. Rice can then be used or refrigerated for later use.

Marinate the Shitake Mushrooms

1. Add the rice vinegar and soy sauce to a bowl.
2. Add the cleaned shitake mushrooms and let them sit covered in the liquid for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day for more intense flavor. Squeeze excess liquid out of mushrooms before adding them to the rolls.

Roll the Sushi

1. Lay a sheet of nori rough side up on a bamboo sushi roller. Using the back of a spoon spread the rice over about 1/3 of the nori sheet like pictured, leaving about an inch of space before the edge of the nori sheet.
2. Add the fillings. Make a row of filling right in the center of the rice.
3. Roll the roll. Using the bamboo roller, gently roll the nori over the toppings. Using the pressure of your fingers press into the bamboo roller to tighten the sushi roll. Release and then gently roll the rest of the way.
   
4. Use a little bit of water on your hand to wet the end of the nori, then roll the sushi roll again using the bamboo roller to get the nori to adhere to itself.
5. Cut the sushi roll into 1 inch bite size slices. For younger kids, I like to do 1/2 inch slices for smaller bites. This is about half the size of a standard sushi roll. Ta-dah you just rolled a sushi roll!

Notes

Pro tip – make the rice ahead to quickly make rolls at mealtime.

If making the day before, wait to cut sushi rolls until the day of for freshness, especially for avocado rolls.

 

Did You Give This Recipe a Whirl?

Please give it bunches of stars and send a comment to share your thoughts! What was easy? What didn’t work? Did you discover an even more delicious version? I’d love to know to keep improving each recipe.

Sharing is caring! If you love this recipe please pass it along to your peeps so we can all start eating a little healthier, one delicious meal at a time.

Cheers,
Erica

The post Vegan Sushi Recipe appeared first on Bowl of Yum.

Carrot Quinoa Salad

Move over pumpkin spice, here’s a new fall favorite you’ll love. With carrots, dates, dill, arugula, pumpkin seeds, and feta, this not too fussy salad is quick to whip together and delicious. This flavorful bowl of yum is a perfect blend of sweet and savory, dates and feta are always a perfect combination. But it’s the fresh dill that really makes this recipe pop, it’s not to be left out! Did I mention this carrot quinoa salad is uber-healthy?

Quinoalicious

I love the texture of quinoa and enjoy the flavor, but equally exciting are the healthy benefits of eating quinoa. Quinoa packs a lot of protein (about 8 grams of protein per cup) which makes this tasty salad not only a great side dish but a wholly nutritious meal on its own. Added bonus, the pepitas in this carrot quinoa salad recipe are high in protein as well. Quinoa is also loaded with fiber, manganese, magnesium, iron, antioxidants, and it’s gluten free-a true superfood. Yum!

Carrot Ribbons

Sounds complicated, but I promise it is not! If you can peel a potato, you’ve got this. First, clean the carrots, and then to make the carrot ribbons I just use a peeler. Yup that’s it, no magic tools just a good ole manual peeler. Once the carrot gets too small to peel I chop the remaining amount into matchsticks and toss them in the salad too. Ribbons work great in this salad, they are not too dense, but still deliciously crunchy, adding to all the other wonderful textures of this salad.

Now, let’s get cooking!

Carrot Quinoa Salad

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Delicious fall flavors in this tasty bowl. Great as a side salad or hearty enough as a stand-alone lunch. This salad packs a whole lot of flavor.

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 cup of red quinoa, cooked
• 4 carrots
• 4 cups of arugula
• 8 dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 cup of pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta
• Large handful of fresh dill, chopped

Dressing

• 4 lemons, juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt, generous amount of freshly ground pepper

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Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa per the manufacturer’s instructions. Set aside to cool.
2. Cut the carrots into ribbons using a peeler. When the carrot is too thin to peel, chop the remaining amount into matchsticks.
3. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Be generous with the pepper, it really makes the dressing.
4. Combine the quinoa, carrot ribbons/matchsticks, arugula, chopped dates, pepitas, feta, and dill in a large bowl. Make sure the quinoa has cooled before adding it to the bowl so it does not melt the feta. Lastly, add the lemony dressing and stir to combine. Yum!

Notes

Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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