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Dinner



Cauliflower Pizza

Who doesn’t love pizza right?! Well this cauliflower pizza is popular in our home! Vegan! Gluten free! Paleo!

How many of us have made this before??

INGREDIENTS 1 pound cauliflower florets (fresh or frozen) 3 tablespoons ground flax seeds, divided 6 tablespoons water ½ cup almond meal ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cauliflower florets in the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade, and pulse until a rice-like texture is created. Pour the cauliflower “rice” to a large sauce pot, add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil.


Cover, reduce the heat and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Drain the liquid, then transfer the cooked cauliflower rice in a freezer-safe bowl. Place in the freezer to cool for 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix together 2 tablespoons of ground chia or flax seeds with 6 tablespoons of water, to create a vegan “egg.” Set aside and allow the mixture to thicken. Remove the cooled cauliflower rice from the freezer and transfer it to the center of a thin dish towel. Use your hands to squeeze the rice in the dish towel, removing all of the excess moisture from the cauliflower.

Place the drained cauliflower in a large bowl, then add in the vegan egg mixture, the almond meal, the additional tablespoon a ground flax or chia seeds, salt, garlic and dried oregano. Stir well to mix, then press the mixture into the parchment-lined baking sheet. (I used a quarter baking sheet, so the crust filled the entire pan. If you are using a larger baking sheet, simply use your hands to shape the crust into your desired size, keeping the crust about ¼-inch thick.) For best results, press the crust together firmly, making sure that there are no “thin spots” where it might crack.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and dry to the touch. You could use this pizza crust as is, but it won’t be firm enough to lift with your hands. For best texture, I recommend using an additional piece of parchment paper to flip the entire pizza crust, then returning it to the pan to bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Once the crust is firm and dry, add your favorite pizza toppings and return to the oven briefly to let everything heat up, about 5-10 additional minutes. I added marinara sauce, sautéed onions, fresh spinach.

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Vegan Taco Meat

3 C. walnuts, soaked and baked 1-2 cloves garlic 2 T. chili powder 1 tsp. Coconut Aminos*Optional 1/4 tsp. cayenne


1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. 2. Process by pulsing until the desired texture is achieved. 3. Season to taste.


To Make a Taco: 1. Use a romaine lettuce leaf for a soft shell taco or a collard green for a hard shell taco. 2. Add some “ taco meat”red pepper salsa and fresh cilantro (or other toppings like shredded carrot, scallion, chopped onion, hot sauce, (search in old posts) shredded lettuce, etc.). 3. Fold or roll and serve.

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Quinoa with Kale, Sweet Potatoes & Walnuts

Serves 6

  • 1 large sweet potato, cooked until done but still nice and firm

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine sieve

  • ¼ cup vegetable broth

  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 large leek, white parts only, quartered lengthwise, chopped well and rinse

  • 8 ounces kale, stemmed and finely chopped

  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced

  • 2 scallions, minced

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • ½ cup chopped walnuts

  • salt and fresh pepper to taste

  • 1 T maple syrup

Directions

Peel the sweet potato and cut into ½ inch dice. Combine quinoa in sauce pan with 1 ¾ cup water. Bring to boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until water is absorbed about 15 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet.


Add leeks and sauté over medium heat until soft and golden. Add vegetable broth, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery, scallions, and stir in quinoa, sweet potato, and cumin. Stir together and cook low heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in walnuts, season with salt and pepper.

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Acorn squash with black rice and tofu

Serves 8

  • 4 acorn squash (1 1/2 pounds each)

  • 8 teaspoons canola oil (divided)

  • 1-teaspoon sea salt (divided)

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander (divided)

  • 1/2 scant teaspoon ground nutmeg (divided)

  • 1-pound carrots (peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice)

  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

  • 10 large sage leaves (chopped)

  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped cranberries

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 1-tablespoon canola oil

  • 3/4 cup finely diced onion

  • 1 cup Chinese black rice

  • 1/4-teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

  • 8 oz firm tofu

Directions


Preheat oven to 375°. Cut squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Brush interiors with 4 teaspoons oil, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste, ½ teaspoon coriander, and scant ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Arrange halves on a baking sheet, cut-side down. Roast 40-50 minutes on the upper middle oven rack, until tender when pierced.


Combine remaining 4 teaspoons oil, ½ teaspoon salt, 1½ teaspoon Coriander, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg with carrots, walnuts, and ginger in an 8-inch baking dish; toss to combine. Roast at 375° for 30-40 minutes on the bottom middle oven rack, stirring every 10 minutes. Add 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, dried, and cubed, on top of the carrot mixture. Before roasting (don’t stir or it will stick to the pan).When carrots are tender, stir in chopped sage, dried cherries, and maple syrup. Roast for another 10 minutes, then remove from oven.


While vegetables are roasting, place a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add 1-tablespoon canola oil. Add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until onion begins to soften.

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Falafel

(Makes 7-9 patties)

  • 1 cup dry/uncooked chickpeas (or 2 & 1/4 cups cooked)

  • 3 large garlic cloves

  • 1/2 cup red onion, roughly chopped

  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

  • 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro

  • 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley

  • 1/4 cup ground flax

  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (gluten free if desired)

  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin

  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

  • 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste

If cooking chickpeas from scratch soak overnight or use 2 & 1/4 cup canned chickpeas.


In a food processor, with the processor running, drop in 3 garlic cloves to mince. Now add most of the chickpeas (reserving about 1/4 cup to stir in later), and process a few seconds to chop. Now add the onion, lemon juice, and herbs. Process until just combined, being careful not to over-process. You want to leave texture. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.


Scoop the mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the ground flax, breadcrumbs, cumin, reserved chickpeas, and salt and pepper to taste. Shape into patties, about 1/4 cup each and really pack the dough in tightly so it holds together.


Grease pre-heated skillet with cooking oil and then cook the patties on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden.

For the salad:

  • 1 chopped tomato

  • ½ red onion diced

  • ½ cucumber diced

Add chopped tomato, red onion, cucumbers, falafel, Lemon Tahini Dressing.

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Kale & red pepper slaw with spicy citrus dressing

Serves 6

(adapted from Candle Café)

  • 1 block sprouted tofu, cut into small cubes

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 T fresh ginger, minced

  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

  • 2 T sesame oil

  • 2 T brown rice vinegar

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce

  • 1 bunch kale

  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch julienne

  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1 inch julienne

  • 2 T sesame seeds