Mediterranean Salad

Fresh tomatoes, cucumber, feta and basil all topped with a squeeze of lemon juice, oh my.

 

                               



 

Cheese? Feta cheese? Almond "feta" cheese.

 

Salads are like non-recipe recipes but this was so fresh and delicious, it was impossible not to share. It's the perfect side dish for hot, summer days and it's a great way to use fresh vegetables from your garden. The tomato, cucumber, and basil were home grown and there is something so satisfying about knowing that.

 

 

 

I also made the almond "feta" but I didn't exactly follow a recipe or use exact measurements. Oops. So here are two websites I kind of based mine off of:

 

Homemade Vegan Almond Cheese Recipe

Making Cheese from Almonds

 

I encourage you to give it a try! There's quite a few steps but it's actually quite simple! Alternatively, you could use store bought almond cheese - I've seen it only at Whole Foods.

Ingredients:

6 cherry tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cucumber, chopped

3 leaves fresh basil, chopped

1 oz almond "feta" cheese, crumbled

squeeze of lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste, if desired

 

Directions:

Toss the first 4 ingredients. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice, and seasonings as desired. Enjoy your refreshing side dish!

 

 

Makes one side dish serving. Simply increase quantities if you're making for more people. (i.e. To serve four people as a side dish or to serve one person as a main dish, you may use 24 cherry tomatoes, and 2 whole cucumbers, 4 oz almond cheese, etc. For larger quantities, you may choose to use larger tomatoes but I liked the sweet taste of cherry tomatoes.

Raw Vegan Sushi with Spicy Mango Sauce

Considering I have no real dietary restrictions personally, this may seem like a strange thing to make but I found it delicious, nonetheless!

What is a "raw" food? It's a food that hasn't been processed, cooked, roasted, pasteurized, or heated above a certain temperature with the idea that this maintains all of the nutrients. However, this is very limiting and means no rice! So how, do you make sushi without rice? Cauliflower "rice"! It's so easy and versatile and is perfect for raw vegan sushi!

This sushi had cucumber, avocado, and carrots but feel free to use whatever fillings you like!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup cauliflower "rice"*

1 nori sheet

1/4 cucumber, cut into long slices

1/4 avocado, cut into long slices

1/3 cup shredded baby carrots

lime juice

salt 

pepper

Directions:

Lay the nori on a bamboo mat for rolling sushi. (I used parchment paper but it didn't roll very easily). Cover most of the nori with your cauliflower rice, leaving the edges bare. Place your fillings slightly off center and squeeze lime juice over them. Season as desired. Begin rolling so the filling goes into the center, then roll up the other side. Lightly press with both hands. Moisten the nori with water to seal it. Slice into rolls, garnish and enjoy!

*Cauliflower "rice" is made simply by placing raw cauliflower in a food processor for a short period of time or grating.

Spicy Mango Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced mango
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon water

crushed red pepper, to taste

salt, to taste

lime juice, to taste

Directions:

Blend all ingredients until smooth. You may use more vinegar or water if you desire a thinner consistency. 

Cinnamon Dolce Milkshake - Vegan and Healthy!

It's summer. Time for milkshakes, right?

What if you can't have milk? Never fear, sweet, delicious bananas are here!

Many people have heard of banana "nice cream". Take that concept, add a vegan milk of choice plus flavor additions and you have yourself a sweet, healthy treat! So here's what I fancied! Try this variety or change it up however you like!

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana, frozen

1/2 cup milk of choice, I used almond milk

1 tbsp cinnamon raisin swirl peanut butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp caramel flavoring

Directions:

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Depending on the size of your banana and your personal preferences, you may need to add more or less milk. Enjoy!

No Bake Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Chocolate is a basic necessity of life, in my opinion. Gluten free, dairy free, whatever free, never chocolate free. So here's a recipe that I had success with. This made seriously delicious cookies that could satisfy any chocolate craving. The recipe does contain honey because, as you know, I'm not actually vegan. :) Feel free to replace the honey with sugar!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, solid form
1/2 cup peanut butter1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sunflower seeds1
1/4 cup peanuts

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet or platter with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine the honey, cocoa powder, and coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until it is melted and combined. Allow to boil for one minute (I had to raise my heat to medium-high to reach a boil). Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and salt until completely smooth. Stir in peanuts and sunflower seeds (or whatever mix-in you desire) making sure it is all coated. Use a spoon to drop small mounds onto the prepared cookie sheet/platter. Make them as big or small as you desire. Chill the cookies in the fridge for 1 hour to set. Cookies must be stored in the fridge because of coconut oil's low melting point. Enjoy!

Try different varieties of these cookies, too! I've also made them with shredded coconut and slivered almonds as shown below and gluten free oats! Be aware, however that the oats soaked up the fudginess a bit differently so the texture was slightly different. 

Makes 16-25 cookies, depending on size. Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.