Jalapeno, Cilantro Hummus with a Hint of Lemon

Mmm hummus... Need I say more?

This is slightly spicy, so adjust the jalapeno to your taste! :) 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (I use cooked from dry but canned work as well, drain if canned)
1/2 medium sized jalapeno
1 bunch cilantro (leaves only)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
Fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste


Process:
Throw it all in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Serve with fresh cut veggies or wholesome crackers.
This hummus would also make an awesome topping to a summer sandwich!

Enjoy!

 ♥ E

Spicy, Creamy, Coconut Curry

Someone in my building makes authentic smelling Thai food... YUM! Today the delicious smell was just too overwhelming, so I had to make my own!  This only took me as long as it took for the rice to cook, so 25 mins, start to finish!

Ingredients:

For serving:
1 1/2 cups brown rice (cooked)
3 cups steamed veggies (I used broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, and peas)

Curry:
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 TBL sriracha
2 TBL curry powder (I use yellow)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 handful cilantro


Optional Toppings:
1 bunch cilantro chopped
sprinkle of cashews


Process:
Start your rice and veggies cooking. While they are cooking, add the coconut oil and garlic to a saucepan. Once the garlic becomes golden, reduce heat to medium-low and add coconut milk. Stir. Add lemon juice, sriracha, curry powder, turmeric  cumin, pepper, and cilantro. Stir and let heat. Taste test. Add whatever more spices you think it needs! Let the curry simmer over low until the rice is done cooking.

To serve, pile veggies over rice and ladle curry over top. Top with cilantro, cashews, and cracked salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4, or me and leftovers. ;)  ENJOY!

 ♥ E

Spicy Peanut Stir Fry

I am in LOVE with Thai food. I am in LOVE with peanuts. I am in LOVE with spice. I am in LOVE with Noodles and Company's take on spicy peanutty Thai food. I just love it all. 

Here is my homemade take - minus all the extra calories and fillers!

Spicy Peanut Stir Fry
INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg rice noodles (I like that brands that are just rice flour and water)
2 bell peppers (cut into strips)
3 carrots (diced or sliced)
1 pkg mushrooms (sliced)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
1 cup raw peanuts
1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
1 Tbl tamari (gluten free soy sauce - regular soy sauce will work if you aren't gluten intolerant)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sriracha (or 1/2 tsp more red pepper flakes if you don't have sriracha)
1 tsp minced garlic

PROCESS:

Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile throw all of the vegetables into a skillet and steam or saute until tender. I added a little coconut oil, YUM! While those are getting all soft and delicious, Throw all of the sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy. Once the noodles are done, remove from heat and toss noodles with the sauce to coat. Serve with veggies on top. I LOVE to add cilantro to this (who would have guess, right?) but unfortunately I didn't have any in the house today! Still incredibly delicious!! Enjoy!

 ♥ E

Vegan, Gluten Free, Spicy Cilantro Avocado Pizza

I seriously want to take a bath in cilantro... Is that wrong? Then I don't want to be right. 

Spicy Cilantro Avocado Pizza

Ingredients:

BASE SOCCA:
1 1/2 cups garbanzo (chickpea) bean flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 T olive oil
1/2  tsp salt

TOPPINGS:

1 onion (diced)

1 clove (1tsp) garlic minced

1 cup kale (chopped)

2 bell peppers (cut into strips)

8 oz mushrooms 

SAUCE:

2 bunches cilantro

1/4 serrano pepper seeded

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBL lemon or lime juice

salt and pepper to taste 

AVOCADO CREAM:

1 ripe avocado 

2 Tbl non dairy milk (coconut, almond, rice)

1 Tbl lemon or lime juice

2 Tbl cilantro 

salt and pepper to taste 

Process: Mix all the socca ingredients in a container that can be covered or has a lid. Let the mixture sit for one hour to overnight (if sitting over night put in fridge). Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Drop a tsp of coconut oil in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish and put the dish in the oven while it heats. When the oven is all warmed up to 500 degrees, pull out the dish and move it around so that the oil gets all over the bottom. Pour socca batter into the dish. It should sizzle. Bake for 6-8 minutes. The top of the socca should start to crack. If not golden and cracked, bake for up to more 4 minutes.  Remove. While the crust is baking, saute the onion, garlic, pepper, mushrooms, and kale until soft. For the sauce, place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Spread sauce over socca crust. Top with sauteed toppings. Place pizza back in the oven for 5-8 minutes. This allows the sauce to soak into the socca and the toppings to get extra crunchy. While pizza is in the oven, throw all of the ingredients for the avocado cream into the food processor or blender (don't bother cleaning it after the sauce- the cilantro will just add more flavor to the avocado cream).  Blend until smooth. Place in a plastic baggie and snip the very tip off of the corner of the baggie to create a piping bag. Once pizza is done. Remove and plate. Top with avocado cream just before serving. I served mine with a side of steamed kale. 

Serves 4-6 people. 

♥ E

Mexican Red Lentil Soup

If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life.. It'd probably be this soup. 'Nough said.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup red lentils (rinsed)
1 Tbl coconut oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1 medium sized yellow onion (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbl Chili powder
1 tsp chipotle powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 lemons worth or about 1/3 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
Chopped cilantro (the more the better....)
Sliced avocado
Cashew sour cream (recipe below)


Process:
Rinse lentils and put them in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and leave pot covered. Set aside. in a large pot, heat oil. Saute onion, garlic, celery, and red pepper until all are softened. Add in spices and tomatoes. Dump in the lentils and vegetable broth. Let simmer for 15 mins. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Serve topped with cilantro, avocado, and coarse salt and pepper. Cashew sour cream is a great, tangy addition.



CASHEW SOUR CREAM:

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews (soaked in water for 1 hr.)
almond or coconut milk to help blend
lemon juice to taste (around 2 Tbl)

Process:
Discard water and place cashews in a blender. Add just enough milk to get the cashews to blend smoothly. Add lemon juice to taste.


♥ E

Eclectic Enchilada Pie with Cilantro Chimichurri

The reason I call this enchilada dish eclectic is because you can literally throw any vegetables into it. Got some sweet potatoes you want to use up? Throw it in. Got some kale that you know you can't use, but you just couldn't pass up the giant bag of organic kale goodness at Costco? Throw it in.

I literally can't get enough of this. I have made it twice within one week... So you know I am obsessed.



Here is for how I made this specific (and favorite) variation of the Eclectic Enchilada Pie:


Ingredients:

Veggies:
1 Tbs coconut oil
1 onion -- diced (whichever color you prefer)
2 bell peppers -- chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (whichever color you prefer, I like to mix red & green)
8 oz of mushrooms -- washed and sliced
1 zuchini -- cut long ways into fourths and then sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
2-4 handfuls of kale - stemmed and chopped into fine pieces (helps the kale to wilt faster)

2 Gluten Free tortillas -- I like the flavor of La Tortilla Factory's Smart & Delicious Wheat/Gluten Free Softwraps - or home made rice tortillas.

Sauce:
1 - 28 oz jar diced tomatoes with green chilis
ancho chipotle powder (to taste.. I like mine smokey and spicy so I pour in a LOT)

Chimichurri:
1 bunch Cilantro (Chopped fairly fine)
1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 Tbs White Wine Vinegar
Crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Process:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Throw all of the veggies (except the kale and zucchini  into a skillet or a large bottomed pot with the coconut oil and sauté until the veggies are almost soft. When the veggies are part way done, add the zucchini and kale - they cook much faster than the other veggies. Meanwhile, add the jar of diced tomatoes and the chipotle powder to a sauce pan and heat on the stove. I leave all of the juice in the tomatoes and cook it on high heat so that some of the juice cooks off and it leaves the tomatoes really soft and saucy. <-- Very technical, I know.

Once the sauce and veggies are ready, take a 9 inch pie dish and add put a little sauce in the bottom (about one and a half cooking spoons full, just to line it.) Layer a tortilla on top. Add a layer of veggies, then a layer of sauce, next another tortilla, then a layer of sauce, and then a layer of veggies. Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins depending on how crispy you like your edges. The tortillas get really soft, and almost take on a lasagna noodle texture.

While that is baking, Take all of your ingredients from the chimichurri and add to a mason jar. Shake and go.

Serve hot with cool chimichurri on top. YUMMO

I made a double batch and put it in individual containers for lunches, I just pop them into the toaster oven and they are good to go. Keep the chimichurri in the fridge. If for some reason you have extra veggies that didn't all fit into the enchilada pie, save them and serve them over cooked quinoa! Dont forget to have some chimichurri with it! Cilantro addicts, unite! :)

♥ E