Roasted Maple Curry Sweet Potato Soup

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners and tagged with autumn, carrots, Coconut, coconut milk, coconut oil, cozy, creamy, curry, Easy, fall, holiday, Low Ingredient, low sodium, maple, meatless mondays, onion, onion soup, quick, recipe, rice, roasted vegetables, roasting, root vegetables, soup, sweet potato, thanksgiving, Vegan, vegetarian, vitamix, warm, what to eat, what vegans eat October 5, 2015

Happy Autumn!

This is the time of year for fuzzy warm socks and hoodies and boots. I love Fall more than any other time of year. I am lucky enough to have just celebrated my daughters first birthday and made her a wonderful Almond Cherry Cake that I will absolutely post soon. However, it was a soup I made last night that I just HAD to post.

I had 4 small sweet potatoes sitting on my counter begging me to cook them but nothing I thought they would pair with. I wanted to have soup for dinner but I was out of my signature squash cashew and I had no cashews to cream up any veggies I had. That’s when I thought that maybe I could make a roasted sweet potato soup with coconut milk and it would be so warm and delicious on this really cool fall day. It was about 54 degrees outside and I could feel the first chill seeping through the windows. I warmed up the oven to 400 degrees took out my baking stone and roasted the four sweet potatoes for an hour. No oil, no salt.

Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 small sweet potatoes/yams

1 cup Apple Cider

4 carrots

1 packet onion soup with 2 cups of water

2 tablespoons yellow curry spice

1 tablespoon coconut oil

Rice (optional)

RECIPE DIRECTIONS Continued:

When the sweet potatoes were roasted, I peeled them and tossed them in the Vitamix with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons curry spice (yellow), 1 tablespoon coconut oil, and 1 cup apple cider and pureed the mixture. It was very thick.

I then boiled a broth of onion soup mix and 4 carrots for about 20 minutes and then poured it into my vitamix. Blend until smooth and transfer back to the broth saucepan to warm through.

This was the most amazing soup. I poured it into a soup bowl that had a scoop of mixed steamed grains in the center. THe grains I made in my rice cooker. It was equal parts 1 cup of: Amaranth, Brown Basmati Rice, and Red Quinoa. I then added 1/4 cup of black chia seeds and 1/4 cup of split peas for extra protein.

The meal was hearty and warm and everything a fall or autumn meal should be. Everyone loved it. My stepkids loved the smell so much they ate a second dinner after having gone out to dinner with my parents already!

Food is Love.

Creamy Pesto Sauce over Whole Wheat Pasta

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with almonds, avocado, basil, Easy, Fast, garlic, gluten free, lemon juice, Low Ingredient, low sodium, meatless mondays, oil free, olive oil, pesto, pignolias, pine nuts, pinenuts, quick, recipe, salt, sauce, soy, tofu, tomato, Vegan, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat February 3, 2014

I love pesto. I love everything about it. The strong smell of herbs, the creamy texture, the sharp cheesiness, and the fatty oils. I used to get that Bertolli pesto in the small hummus like container and just indulge. However, that container has a whole lot of Parmesan cheese and olive oil in it. Don’t get me wrong I love olive oil and Parmesan is the world’s top cheese supposedly but I am vegan and I need to start eating less oil and more whole foods so this weekend I tried to make a new pesto recipe and decided to add some protein and make it a nice creamy version of my favorite since I already have a classic pesto recipe on here. So please make some, add a few of my optionals, and indulge in a delicious creamy pesto pasta on this cold, snowy Meatless Monday!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Oil Free Creamy Pesto Sauce

1 container lite silken tofu
1 ripe avocado
1 tbsp salt
1 cup frozen basil
1 tbsp pinenuts (pignolias)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp granulated garlic

Optional: (1) Add raw sliced almonds to the processor for a little texture. (2) Top with bruschetta tomatoes and a balsamic drizzle for a fresh twist. (3) Eat with American Flatbread Company’s new Farmer’s Tomato Pie instead of garlic bread or crusty bread.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until well combined and then when you drain your pasta place the sauce in the pot over medium or medium low heat stirring often until bubbling. Add pasta and toss. Serve hot with bread or Tomato Pie!

Serves 4.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy

Preparing Tofu the Right Way

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with arrowroot powder, canola oil, chia seeds, cornmeal, cornstarch, crispy, Easy, Fast, gluten free, kosher salt, Low Ingredient, low sodium, meatless mondays, olive oil, onlinecookingschool.com, pepper, quick, recipe, salt, seasoned flour, tempura, tofu, Vegan, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat January 24, 2014

Since I became vegan I have always been afraid of preparing my own Tofu. First it was that I didn’t know how to use the different kinds (lite, firm, silken, extra firm, huh?). Then it was that it was all watery and mushy. Last, it was that everyone told me I had to dry it out or press it down or just buy the pre-baked from Trader Joe’s (which I did). I never knew what exactly to do. Then I started reading blogs and still not completely comfortable. Then I starting asking other vegetarians and cooks that I knew. i got closer to confident. But this past month I got a free cooking school online pass. They taught me so much so fast. I feel so much more confident about my tofu skills now. So here is my simple and best way to prepare tofu successfully. The pictures are provided by my closest friend that currently is living in Florida and doing a fast in which she has to prepare vegan food but was an omnivore prior to this fast. (The fast is called the Danial Fast Click Here to learn more.) I gave her my recipe and she followed it perfectly and topped her veggie bowl with the tofu.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pan Fried and Baked Tofu

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
1 block of lite or regular extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cornmeal

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prepare!

Slice tofu into sticks by dividing the tofu in half and then half each side again creating 4 slabs. Divide those slabs into half to create sticks.
Take tofu sticks and place on a plate that has 3 layers of paper towels. Let tofu drain on those towels at least 30 minutes. Then take an additional paper towel and press away excess water from the top.
Next sprinkle with kosher salt and make rest 5 more minutes.
In a bowl mix together cornstarch and cornmeal. Dredge the tofu through the mixture. You can add salt and pepper directly to the flour to create a seasoned flour.

Cook!

Heat oil in a frying pan until almost spitting. To test heat place a droplet of water into pan and watch it sizzle.
With tongs place sticks into the hot oil moving frequently so they do not stick. Rotate each side until lightly cooked then place on a silpat for the oven.
Bake in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-20 minutes until firm and not longer leaking excess water.
Place on a dish with paper towels to drain excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serve.

I eat it with a side of peanut satay sauce or over brown rice and veggies with terriyaki sauce. They come out almost with a light crisp like a tempura would but not oily. Its the perfect way to keep it moist, not oily, and crisp. Enjoy!

PS: I have used the following substitutions successfully: Chia Seeds instead of Cornmeal, Arrowroot instead of Cornstarch, Canola instead of Olive Oil.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy.

Vegan Sundried Tomato, Onion, and Rosemary Bread from a Bread Machine

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes and tagged with bread, bread flour, bread machine, crisco, cuisinart, dairy free, Easy, egg free, Gold's, Low Ingredient, low sodium, meatless mondays, nut free, olive oil, onion, recipe, rosemary, savory bread, sun-dried tomato, sundried tomato, tomato, Vegan, vegan bread, vegetarian, water, what to eat, what vegans eat, yeast January 9, 2014

I have wanted a bread machine since the day I saw one in a thrift store in Imperial Beach, California. It was $10 and looked like a deal to me. Although I am bummed I didn’t buy it back then I am glad now because I think I would’ve lost my love for them. The reviews on the cheaper models are terrible. They look like war stories of collapsed breads and mutilated pasta dough. That should be a crime because honestly breads and carbs are the only thing that make people truly happy sometimes and if they do all that work to make them from scratch and not go buy a slice of 8,000 calorie banana bread from the coffee shop, then they should be rewarded with something wonderful. Instead the bread falls in the center creating a volcano of doughy gooey mess that one must carefully discard without losing the little rudder that helps knead the bread in the bottom of the baking pan. (Yes, I have thrown mine out and had to recover it already). That being said over the weekend I was very sick with bronchitis. I think I may have coughed up my lungs. So what better to do when stuck in the house for a few days but bake.

I made a delicious batch of my low ingredient oatmeal cookies with bananas, hazelnuts, and chocolate and I made two breads. Only one of which survived because…. well…. I wasn’t paying attention and forgot the flour (yes the flour) in one of them. It didn’t dawn on me for about an hour and then I went OH COME ON! Because I knew the baking portion had started and the kneading/stirring had passed. So my bread lovers here is my recipe for my very successful and delicious smelling sundried tomato, onion, and rosemary bread.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sundried Tomato, Onion, and Rosemary Bread

Ingredients (see below for sizes and layering):

Crisco
(1) White Onion
Dried Rosemary
Sundried Tomato Infused Olive Oil
Sundried Tomatoes in olive oil
Bread Flour ( I used Gold’s, DO NOT use all purpose)
Kosher Salt
Vegan Sugar
Dry Active Yeast ( I use fast rising or bread only)
Water

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Preparation:

First you need to cook down and puree the onions. Just place chopped onions in a pan with Crisco and a few pinches of salt and cook down until translucent. Then puree with a hand blender or food processor. Place to the side.

Take the bread baking pan out of the breadmaker and begin layering your ingredients. Many breadmakers come with their own ingredients and settings. I will generally make a 1.5lb loaf in a 2lb machine instead of the max so that any ingredients I add can be incorporated with enough room. I also always use medium settings like a medium crust color. Not light or dark. Moderation helps with a finicky machine I feel.

Layering:

The layering of ingredients for this bread are as follows (read below before you start layering:

Water (3/4 cup)
Infused olive oil (2 tablespoons)
Few pinches of salt (about 1 teaspoon)
1/4 cup of onion mixture
Sugar (1 teaspoon)
Bread Flour (3cups)
Dried Rosemary (1-2 teaspoons)
Optional: dash of granulated garlic or other spices
Active Dry Yeast (1 packet) (make sure to read below before this layer)
Sliced Sundried Tomatoes in Oil (1/8 to 1/4 cup)

You will layer the above ingredients one on top of the other in the baking pan to be stirred, kneaded, etc. by the bread machine however when you go to add the yeast there is a small trick. Make a crater in the center so that the yeast can get to the sugar and water easier. Yeast eats sugar so this is helping guide the process. If a recipe doesn’t call for sugar but does for yeast I encourage the same process and 2 pinches of sugar into the dough to help it rise better. Also always use bread flour it is different than all purpose containing more proteins, etc.

BAKING:

Last place the settings on your bread machine to a basic or white bread setting and moderate crust color and size is for 1.5 lbs. If you want you can always take the bread out and knead it a little before the rise setting and add a dash of water or flour if you think it needs it. I do this occasionally. Sometimes I also spray the pan with Pam/Canola or olive oil.

Once it rises and before it bakes add a drizzle of the infused olive oil and a pinch of salt on top. It will make it have a little extra zing on the crust.

Take out immediately after baking and place on rack. if you are not there that is okay. it will just get a little soggy on the bottom if it auto-shuts off.

Enjoy!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy

Perfect. Toll-House-Style. Vegan. Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, cookies, costco, dessert, earth balance, Easy, Fast, flax, flax egg, flour, holiday, kirkland vegan, Low Ingredient, low sodium, maple syrup, meatless mondays, Party, potluck, quick, recipe, salt, sugar, toll house, travel, vanilla, Vegan, vegan chocolate chip cookies, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat November 25, 2013

I love chocolate chip cookies. I love chocolate chip cookie dough even more. And in an honest, yet disgusting unveiling of my inner glutton, I love when you cream the butter, vanilla, and sugar together to make chocolate chip cookies. When I was a kid I used to try to steal dollops of the creamed mixture when my mom wasn’t looking. It was so good. I am glad I didn’t know about salmonella poisoning back then or the fat content of whole butter. Luckily with vegan baking, that salmonella is never a problem so yea… eat all the cookie dough you want! Also my brother is coming for Thanksgiving Dessert with his wife and my first and only nephew Baby Nolan and he (my brother) is a cookie monster, so I wanted to be able to make him chocolate chip cookies that I could also eat and so could any of my dairy intolerant family. My brother loves cookies so much I got him a replica cookie jar from our childhood for Christmas last year and it was not easy to find an owl cookie jar either! This will definitely be an experience thanks to my cookies 🙂

That being said here is my chocolate chip cookie recipe that I have been working on for ages. Every time I start I become uninspired by dry cookie dough (which every vegan can relate to due to the lack of eggs) and of course the ones that crumble or the ones that don’t taste quite right. These are not any of those. They are gooey and crunchy on the edges and melt until they are just thin enough but still soft inside. If you love cookies… you will also love me after you make this recipe.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup of earth balance organic buttery spread
2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup
3 flax eggs (3 tablespoons of water and 1 tbsp powdered flax per egg)
2 tablespoons of vanilla extract (I use Penzey’s Mexican)
1 and 1/4 cups of vegan sugar (try half brown sugar if you have it for a richer flavor)
2.5 cups of all purpose unbleached flour
1-2 teaspoons of salt (I use kosher)
1 cup of vegan semisweet chocolate chips (I used Kirkland (Costco brand) this time instead of Whole Foods)

*Optional: 1 cup of walnuts or pecans

___________________________________________________________________________________________

MIXING TIME!

Place all dry ingredients (except chocolate) in a medium to small bowl. Mix until well combined.
Cream butter and sugar together in a larger bowl with a mixer. Then place all wet ingredients into the bowl and mix until well combined.
If you have never made a flax egg all you do is place warm water in a bowl and pulverize flaxseeds in a coffee grinder until powdered and stir. It’s that easy.
Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. I use my hands but a mixer works well too.
Last toss in chocolate chips and any nuts and knead into the dough. It will be a little oily.

BAKE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place a silpat or parchment on your baking sheet. These cookies WILL STICK OTHERWISE! This is very important.
Once the oven is completely preheated, place balls of cookie dough on the silpat or parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 20-22minutes.
Remove let sit for 5-10minutes and then transfer to a cookie cooling rack.
Makes 3 dozen. Enjoy!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

FOOD IS LOVE.

The Hippie Gypsy

Vegan Chicken and Rice with a Savory, Creamy, Sage Pumpkin Sauce

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with beyond meat, cheese, chicken, chicken and rice, chickenless strips, daiya, earth balance, Easy, Fast, freekah, garlic, holiday, Low Ingredient, low sodium, meatless mondays, onion, parsley, Party, pecans, potluck, pumpkin, pumpkin sauce, quick, Quinoa, recipe, rice blend, rice select, royal blend, sage, thyme, Vegan, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat November 18, 2013

When you are a kid in any part of the world it seems like “chicken and rice” is a staple type of food. How those components are dressed is different depending on time of year, climate, and culture but all those aside we can all agree we kinda love the simplicity of this dish. It is fall and I had a few friends show up unexpectedly at my house last night. I literally had NO idea they were coming with their two kids and fairly large German shepherd – coyote mix (Ryder) who is my tiny 9 lb rat terrier – chihuahua mix’s (Lola) best friend (I know it’s odd but adorable. Pics of Lola are posted below). That being said I had to make up food in a snap for an all omnivore crowd with one child that is citrus and citric acid intolerant. That means no tomatoes or lemon or orange or lime. Which, oddly, I use quite a bit. So I figured a nice chicken and rice dish with a pumpkin cream sauce sounded easy enough. I grabbed my steamer and away we went. I steamed Rice Select Royal Blend with Red Quinoa on the brown rice setting of my steamer/rice cooker with water salt and earth balance per the cartons instructions and then went off to make my pumpkin sauce.

The upside? They brought a raw vegan pumpkin pie that was sooo delicious. Thanks guys!

—-

(Lola and Ryder having dinner at Ryder’s house a few months ago)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chicken with a Creamy Sage Pumpkin Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Container Beyond Meat Chicken-less Strips (lightly salted)
1 can Pumpkin
2 tbsp dehydrated onion
1-2 tbsp Salt
2 pinches Ground Pepper
4 tbsp ground sage
1-2 tsp Thyme
2 tbsp granulated garlic
1/2 cup Daiya Mozzarella
1/4 – 1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/2 cup Soy Creamer
1/4 cup Pacific Natural Foods Hazelnut Milk

—————————————————————————

Cook:

Place medium to large sauce pan over medium heat.
Add all ingredients to sauce pan except chicken.
Dice chicken set aside.
Stir ingredients until mozzarella melts into the sauce.
Add chicken. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.
Serve over or beside rice.
Garnish with parsley and unsalted raw chopped pecans.

———————————————————————–

Serves: 6.

WW Points for Chicken and Sauce: 4

____________________________________________________________________________________

Food is Love.

The Hippie Gypsy

PHOTO of MY DOG LOLA with my Husband and I:

Banana Bread Bars

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with agave, agave nectar, agave syrup, banana, banana bread, banana bread bars, bars, bread, breakfast, breakfast bar, cake, chia, chia seeds, Coconut, coconut oil, coconut oil spray, Easy, Fast, holiday, low sodium, meatless mondays, oat bars, oatmeal, oatmeal bars, Party, pecans, pistachios, potluck, quick, quick oats, raw agave, recipe, shredded coconut, snack, spectrum spray oil, tapioca, travel, Vegan, vegan banana bread, vegan bars, vegan bread, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat, white chocolate chips September 16, 2013

There are very few things that can make me feel as cozy as banana bread. My mom would make it all the time when I was a kid (and would even bring it to my dorm in college sometimes). Saving up all the brown bananas we didn’t eat in time and putting them in the freezer. When she had enough she would make the whole house smell like heaven and it was hard to keep us back long enough for the banana bread to cool so she could cut a slice for my brother and I. My grandmother would cozy up next to me with some tea and her banana bread and on those chilly fall days we would watch infomercials and old movies at my parents house. So when I got a tweet on Twitter the other day from a follower that wanted to use up some Chia seeds I thought what better way than to give out my banana bread bars recipe! The recipe is easy and just requires dumping everything in a bowl and mixing and then placing it in the oven. The weather was cool over the weekend so I made a batch as a breakfast snack for my husband and I this week. They were also snacked on by both my parents yesterday while we continued mounting new things to the walls of my new house. Note: I bribe family and friends with dinner and snacks for free labor 🙂

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Banana Bread Bars

Ingredients:

(3) Bananas (overripe and brown is best)

1 1/2 cup Quick Oats

1 tsp tapioca granulated

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/4 cup of Raw Agave Syrup/Nectar

1/4 cup raw unsalted pistachios

1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup white chocolate chips (I use Lieber’s White Decorative Chips)

Spectrum Coconut Oil Spray for pan

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Preparation:

Place white chips, nuts, seeds, coconut, and tapicoa in a medium mixing bowl and stir until combined.
Add quick oats. Stir until combined.
Add bananas (i ususally microwave frozen bananas for 1 minute and then add them). Mix until thick adn well combined throughout.
Add agave and fold in.

Cook!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a bread pan with coconut oil.
Place bar mixture into bread pan and pat flat with spatula.
Bake for 30-40minutes until the sides turn brown and the center is firm tot he touch.
Cut into 6 bars and serve after cooled about 15-30minutes.
Enjoy!

____________________________________________________

WW Points: 8pts per bar.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Apple Cheesecake Vegan Creme Brulee

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Desserts and tagged with agar, agar agar, apple, apple cheesecake, apple cinnamon, apple pie spice, arrowroot, autumn, brulee, cake, cashew, cheese, cheesecake, cheesecake creme brulee, cinnamon, cream, cream cheese, creme brulee, dessert, Easy, fall, Fast, holiday, low sodium, macintosh, maple, maple syrup, meatless mondays, Party, quick, recipe, thanksgiving dessert, vanilla, Vegan, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat September 10, 2013

The fall weather has officially started here in Coastal Massachusetts. This weekend I started raking, trimming back trees, turned off the Central Air, and opened up all the windows in my house. The cool air made the sheer window coverings sweep the floors from the wind like a chiffon wedding dress. It was a beautiful weekend. I could smell chocolate chip cookies and ocean air from my deck and I even kicked it off with a trip to the Brimfield Antiques Fair which just screams “Welcome Fall”. Together my mother and I picked up a red rocking horse for my nephew Nolan, a few records for my new record player, a set of silverware that completed a set I had inherited which was just dumb luck!, a buddha painted in reds and blues and gold for my side garden to go just underneath the chimes, and a poster from the 1980’s when a friend of mine ran for office which I will make him sign because it was such a fun find! Who doesn’t love a gigantic yard sale? I would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t have a good time at these events. I then went over to my aunt’s to help her pack up her apartment to move to her dream destination. I am so proud of her. I know she appreciates a good dessert. So this weekend I worked on puddings.

Fall is the time for puddings both warm and cold. There are bread puddings (my mom’s favorite) and the more exciting french puddings like the creme brulee and then there are the puddings I would never eat like black pudding. My favorite has always been a vanilla bean creme brulee with a good crunchy crust and a thick custard filling but not to sweet to offset the brulee. My parents would bring us to brunch on Easter and Mother’s day and I would always run over to make sur ethe hotel had the little ramekins of this dessert. So I tried to replicate it now as a vegan with a few fall fun flavors. This is my first of a series of three I will post this week (all tested and approved by the omnivore husband). They are all easy to prepare (35minutes max) but the cooling process (2hrs min.) causes it to be something you have to make in advance. Since everyone in the office was talking about apple picking on Friday we shall start with apple! Enjoy!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

1/2cup raw cashews
(2) Macintosh Apples Cored, Peeled, Diced
1/4cup maple syrup
1/3cup sugar
1tablespoon agar agar powder (this is vegan gelatin powder found in the asian section of the grocery store)
1tablespoon arrowroot powder/starch (don’t use cornstarch due to the high heat, arrowroot is better)
1 1/4cups Soy Creamer
2 heaping tablespoons of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon-1tablespoon Apple Pie Spice (depends on your pallet, I use a little more)
1/2teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (I use Penzey’s)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

If you do not have a high powered mixer soak cashews for at least 4 hours or overnight so that the batter will not be grainy.

Cook

Preheat oven to 375degrees.

Fill a casserole dish with water to go halfway the height of the ramekins or jars you in tend on placing the brulee mixture in. I have used both mason jars and square ramekins before and both come out well.

Pour batter into each ramekin allowing a little space so that they do not spill over as the casserole dish will be heavy with all the water in it. You need to be careful not to allow water into the ramekins.

Cook for at least 30 minutes or until the batter is wiggly but not liquidy and slightly firm on top.

Chill

Take ramekins out of the water with tongs and place on a towel on a drying rack. Let cool 15 minutes and then transfer into the refrigerator for 2-4hours.

Brulee

After the creme is completely firm and chilled through and you are ready to serve. …Take sugar, sprinkle a good layer on each creme top, and brulee with a hand torch until the sugar bubbles, browns, and quickly hardens.

Serve Immediatly.

Serves 6. WW Points 6.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Holy Guacamole!

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Appetizers, QUICKIES!, Traveling Vegan and tagged with avocado, chili, cilantro, dip, Easy, Fast, fresh, guac, guacamole, holiday, lemon, Low Ingredient, low sodium, meatless mondays, Mexican, onion, Party, pepper, potluck, quick, recipe, red onion, salad, salsa fresa, salt, sauce, superfood, tomato, Vegan, vegetarian, what to eat, what vegans eat September 5, 2013

I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I decided to eat avocados but I know it wasn’t when I lived in Southern California where they grow and I would’ve had the best opportunity at this particular produce. I am funny sometimes in that way. I always find a way to randomly miss a great opportunity like when I got parasite in Guatemala the day before I was supposed to zipline through a rainforest a life long bucket list item. Instead I was in the parking lot getting sick next to a van. But I digress. Back to the avocado, I was always turned off by the green black pimply shell and the bring mushy green insides of this so-called fruit. I knew it was fairly fatty but everyone seemed to love it as some sort of super food. So I categorized it with all those other superfoods like Wheatgrass and Seaweed and Blue Green Algae all of which (at that point) I was not buying into. They seemed alien and gross and I preferred Cheetos and Frozen Pizza. I remember trying guacamole once because my friend CiCi demanded it was amazing at a local mexican food chain one night. I thought it was soupy bland and boring. Then sometime in the past year I started putting avocado on my sandwiches to bulk them up a little after having warmed up to the smoothness of them against spicy roasted peppers at a peruvian sandwich shop near Downtown Crossing in Boston before I went vegan. I decided it was time to try guacamole but on my own terms. I would have to make it myself. I scoured the internet and saw about a thousand different recipes and gave up on them all. What flavors would I want? What would make it fresh? My mom says cilantro tastes like soap and avocados like dirt so how can I offset those flavors that she thinks she tastes so she won’t gag at the next dinner party? So I spent the day in the grocery store and then in the kitchen mixing the flavors together until I got what I wanted. I didn’t want mushy, I needed some acidity, I needed salt. So here is what I produced. It is both mom and husband approved and everyone that has tried it said the same thing “I usually don’t like guacamole from the store but I love this it’s so fresh tasting!” Mission accomplished.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Guacamole

Ingredients:

1-2 capfuls of lemon juice

2 avocados

1 container of Whole Foods PreMade Salsa Fresca (or you can make it: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/learn-cook-fresh-salsa)

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time to Prepare!

I make sure that both of my avocados are a little soft to the touch they don’t have to be super squishy but a finger imprint and a dark skin almost black are good signs.
I then slice them in half by placing them upright like a pear and going straight down until I hit the seed and then circling around the seed keeping that straight line of cutting it in half.
I pull the two halves apart and I either scoop out the seed with my avocado tool or if it is in the dishwasher I pull it out with my fingers or I stick a knife in it and pull until it loosens up and falls out.
I then scrape out the contents with my avocado tool or make a slice down the center of the fruit flesh without piercing the skin and then across making little blocks and turn it inside out to pop out the blocks of avocado like ice cubes in a tray.
I take all the cubes and mash them lightly with my avocado tool or a fork but I make sure it stays chunky. Over mashing will cause it to get soupy when you add the lemon juice and salsa.
Then add kosher salt and pepper to taste. I use at least 1-2 teaspoons of salt and a few grinds from a small pepper grinder.
Add the capful or two of lemon juice (I use Real Lemon) and then toss with a fork.
Last add 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of the salsa fresca to the mixture and lightly mix. This adds the exact freshness that the guacamole needs to not be bland. I love that Whole Foods prepares it and has it on ice in the prepared foods section. I would hate to have to cut up all those tomatoes and onions.
Serve with corn chips or on top of my chili recipe.

Weight Watchers Points: 1/4 of bowl is 4 points. 1/8 is 2 points. So eat it up with some fresh chopped veggies or in a veggie soup for a low point dinner or lunch!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

Fillo Primavera: Veggie and Cheese Filled Pastries

Posted by LD in Beginner Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Meatless Monday Appetizers, Meatless Monday Desserts, Meatless Monday Family Dinners, QUICKIES! and tagged with Alfredo Sauce, broccoli, cheese, chicken, cinnamon, cream cheese, daiya, dessert, Easy, Fast, Fillo, Fillo Factory, Fillo Primavera, garlic, holiday, Low Ingredient, low sodium, meatless mondays, olive oil, onion, Party, pastry, Pie, potluck, primavera, quick, recipe, tomato, tomatoes, Vegan, vegan pastries, vegetable pastry, vegetarian, veggie and cheese pastries, Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauce, what to eat, what vegans eat August 20, 2013

I love that there are so many types of pastry and dough on the market that are vegan. Mostly because Crisco and Shortening are vegan, not healthy, but vegan none the less. So when I was craving something like a Beef Wellington pastry I thought oooh I bet I could make those with fillo dough, pie dough, Pillsbury Croissant Dough, or even pizza dough! So for my first attempt I didn’t go straight to the Gardein Beef but instead to some veggies and Daiya cheese but please feel free to try these with any type of faux meat, vegetable, cheese, or even fruit! The Farmer’s Markets are brimming with good things lately so I encourage you to experiment with this. Make an eggplant parm fillo or even a butternut squash one with a pinch of cinnamon and brown sugar try a dessert fillo with peaches and earth balance , sugar, ginger, and cardamom. Whatever you can imagine will fit perfectly in this dough!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fillo Primavera

1 box Organic Fillo Dough
1 head broccoli
2 tomatoes
1 block Daiya Havarti Cheese
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Dehydrated Onions
Olive Oil
Optional: 1 Container of Victoria Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce or Rao’s Marinara Sauce (Victoria Vegan Alfredo Sauces are available at www.veganessentials.com and Rao’s Sauces are available in most grocery stores including Whole Foods)

______________________________________

Prepare!

Chop all veggies into tiny pieces to accommodate the fillo packages that will go in the muffin pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin pans lightly with olive oil.
Cut fillo dough into squares twice as large as the muffin tin holes.
Place at least 3 sheets of the fillo dough square into each muffin tin hole.
Spray dough with olive oil, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, and Spices.
Place chopped veggies and crumbled cheese into each fillo muffin.
Add 1-2 tsp of optional sauces at this time like Victoria Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo or Rao’s Marinara.
Sprinkle tops with more salt, pepper, and spices.
Bring excess dough to a point and twist. Spray with olive oil and a sprinkle of finishing salt.

Cook!

Bake for at least 15minutes or until the dough on top starts to darken and the dough separates from the sides of the muffin tin. It may take longer depending on how dense your cups and what types of ingredients you filled it with.
Note: Use more fill sheets for juicier fruits and veggies and less for more dense foods like chicken and broccoli.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

____________________________________________________________________________________________

XOXOX,

The Hippie Gypsy

The Hippie Gypsy

Food is Love. Will Travel For Veggies. Will Surf for Peace. Be the Change. Practice Compassion.

Tag Archives: low sodium

Roasted Maple Curry Sweet Potato Soup

Creamy Pesto Sauce over Whole Wheat Pasta

Preparing Tofu the Right Way

Vegan Sundried Tomato, Onion, and Rosemary Bread from a Bread Machine

Perfect. Toll-House-Style. Vegan. Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Vegan Chicken and Rice with a Savory, Creamy, Sage Pumpkin Sauce

Banana Bread Bars

Apple Cheesecake Vegan Creme Brulee

Holy Guacamole!

Fillo Primavera: Veggie and Cheese Filled Pastries