Watermelon Basil and Jicama Summer Salad

Another crisp and sweet salad for a warm summer day.

Watermelon Basil and Jicama Salad
by Sarah Farsh June 13, 2013

• 1/2 seedless watermelon, cut as desired 
• 1/2 jicama, cut as desired 
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
• juice of one lime

In a large bowl, gently combine all ingredients together. Keep refrigerated and serve nice and cold!

Portobello Mushroom Steaks with Veggies

I love portobello mushroom caps, they are so satisfying and meaty in consistency. Making portobello mushroom steaks is so easy! I like to plate the steaks on a bed of quinoa, and serve with yummy veggies. For this dish, I served my steaks with eggplant, asparagus and potatoes.

Portobello Mushroom Steaks

• 2 portobello mushroom caps
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• splash veggie stock
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• splash red wine

Dry saute onions and add veggie stock as needed. Place mushroom caps in pan, and add soy sauce and red wine. Cook on low/medium heat for about 10 minutes each side.

Parisian Inspired Breakfast

This breakfast is inspired by the most special meal I had in Paris. 

It was made by my dear friend, Julia. Here's what Hers looked like...

 

Yes, this meal includes some ingredients I don't normally eat... But I'm sure you could see why there was no question for me to indulge? Hey, there's still plenty of veggies and greens included, and I was in Paris!

One of the most interesting elements to this meal was Caramelized Endive. The most common way I've had endive in the past was just the leaves, raw, stuffed with some mediocre deli salad nestled inside... Before this meal, I never had the pleasure to taste it cooked to perfection... It's quite a treat! Caramelizing endive creates this complexity of sweet and tart flavors combined, as apposed to the dry and bitter characters in its raw form.

I decided to try and emulate Julia's version of a Parisian Breakfast for my friends this weekend. I did decide to use just a little cheese and thin slices of prosciutto to keep things authentic, but you could easily make this meal vegan by leaving those two elements out.

And my version...

Roasted Tomatoes

Arugula, Lemon and Radish Salad (with Prosciutto)

Burratta with Honey and Almonds

Roasted Multi Colored Potatoes 

Roasted Kale 

Caramelized Endive with Shallots 

In addition, I served watermelon chunks, avocado mash, and French baguette slices.

It was a really nice treat to cook for my friends that were visiting me, especially since I don't get to entertain as much as I used to in my new city. I always get extra inspired to do something special when I'm cooking for a crowd... So who's coming to visit me next?!

Roasted Tomatoes

• vine ripened tomatoes, sliced in half
• salt and pepper
• basil infused olive oil (optional)

Preheat oven to 450. On a cooking sheet, place tomato halves face side up. 

Season and roast for 25 - 30 min.

Roasted Multicolored Potatoes

• 1/2 pound baby multicolored potatoes
• 1/4 cup veggie stock or 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp herb de provence
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of turmeric

Preheat oven to 450. In a pyrex dish, combine all ingredients together and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, mixing around potatoes every 10 minutes or so.

Roasted Kale

• 1 bunch purple kale, ripped with hands
• white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp oil (optional)
• kosher salt

Preheat oven to 450. Toss together kale, vinegar, salt and optional oil. Lay out flat on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake for 7-10 minutes.

• Caramelized Endive
• 1 heads endive, sliced in half vertically
• 3 tbsp shallot, minced
• veggie stock (for deglazing)
• pinch of cumin
• salt and pepper

Dry saute shallots in a pan, adding small splashes of veggie stock as needed. Season endive and place into pan face down. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium/low heat. Flip and cook for an additional 10 minutes with cover on. Optional: add 1 tsp of good butter, or vegan butter.

Strawberry Basil Salad with Raw Honey Tahini Dressing

A sweet and refreshing colorful salad, perfect for the summertime!

Strawberry Basil Salad with Raw Honey Tahini Dressing

by Sarah Farsh June 16, 2013

• mixed salad greens
• basil
• fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 tbsp tahini paste
• 1 tsp raw honey
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• seasame seeds

In a bowl, wisk together tahini, honey and rice wine vinegar. Add greens, basil and strawberries and toss. Sprinkle with seasame seeds.

Chickpea Salad

I got inspired to whip up some chickpea salad after stumbling across Susan Voisin's Chickpea Salad recipe in my news feed. I haven't decided if my version tastes more like egg salad, or potato salad... but it's perfect for sandwiches, or to scoop on top of a bed of greens. Did I mention it only takes minutes to make? 

Chickpea Salad

Inspired by Susan Voisin of Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

• 1 can unsalted chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced
• 1 pickle, minced (or 1 tbsp relish)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• pinch of cumin
• pinch of cyan
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinigar
• pinch of salt and pepper

In a bowl, mash up chickpeas with a fork. Add in all other ingredients and spices, and mix well. *Tastes even better the next day!

Kale Pesto

You can serve this pesto sauce on top of your favorite pasta, or make it a raw dish and add it to some zucchini noodles! Either way, this sauce is delish... without the oil and fat that traditional pesto has... Plus, you've got your kale kick. 

Kale Pesto

by Sarah Farsh May 19, 2013

• 1 bunch kale, stems removed (lacinato, curly green, or purple)
• 1 handful walnuts (or raw cashews)
• 1/4 cup green olives, soaked in water
• 4 sun dried tomatoes
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup vegetable stock (more or less depending on the desired thickness)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• juice of one lemon, and zest (or 2 tbsp pure lemon juice)
• 1 bag cooked gluten free pasta, or zucchini ribbons 

In a VitaMix or high powered blender, blend together kale, walnuts, olives, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, veggie stock, nutritional yeast and lemon until smooth. Combine with cooked pasta, or raw zucchini noodles. 

Blueberry Granola Vegan Pancakes

These power packed pancakes will make your morning bright and delicious! I don't normally spend a lot of time on breakfast... and I'll be honest, pancakes are a labor of love. You've got to make them one at a time, and wait around the stove to flip before they burn. They are so particular and needy... but well worth the work. What I do is preheat the oven to 250º, and place my done pancakes onto an oven safe plate, while my others are cooking on the stove. This way, they all stay hot and I can serve the morning treats all at once. 

I am not particularly good with following recipes (don't read too deep into that statement). I love cookbooks, but I will normally look at the pictures, and skim a recipe that interests me, then wing it and likely add my own flair. For these pancakes, I used the base of Fran Costigan recipe for Cornmeal Banana Walnut Pancakes, featured in the Crazy Sexy Kitchen cookbook. 

Blueberry Granola Vegan Pancakes

by Sarah Farsh May 18, 2013. Adapted by Fran Costigan's Cornmeal Banana Walnut Pancakes.

• 1/4 cup medium grind, organic cornmeal
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup no sugar added, dry baked granola (or granola of choice)
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch kosher salt
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, or nondairy milk of choice (you may have to add a little more)
• 3 tbsp real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• dried mulberries, pumpkin seeds and maple syrup for toppings.
• 1 tsp coconut oil (optional, for pan)

In a bowl, mix together cornmeal, oats, granola, pastry flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt with a fork or whisk. Add in vanilla extract, almond milk and maple syrup and mix well. Add in blueberries, and combine. You may have to add a little more almond milk if the batter is too thick. Note: The thicker the batter, the thicker the pancakes. Heat up a medium sizes pan, and set to low/medium heat. Oil pan with coconut oil (if using), and ladle in approximately 5 tbsp batter onto center of pan. Once batter starts to bubble in the center, carefully scrape sides, and flip! Cooking one pancake takes approximately 7-10minutes total, be sure to stay by the pan to avoid burnt pancakes :)