Watermelon & Serrano Pepper Salad

Not that a good watermelon isn't delicious all on it's own, but this watermelon salad will blow your socks off. This dish was inspired by a local food truck that serves a watermelon and Serrano pepper salad which I love on a hot summer day. I took their idea and made my own version. The flavors are bright and really pop; it's the perfect combination of sweet, tart, and spicy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large seedless watermelon, rind removed and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 Serrano peppers
• handful of mint leaves
• 2 limes
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Remove the seeds and ribs from Serrano peppers and dice finely. Place in small bowl.
2. Chiffonade the mint leaves by stacking the leaves, rolling them up into a tight cigar, and slicing finely. Add to peppers.
3. Add the juice and zest of the limes, vinegar, sugar, and salt, and stir together. Place dressing in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 
4. Toss watermelon in dressing and serve.

Damn Good Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's hard to find soft and chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies, but this recipe is pretty damn good. My husband is always my first taste tester. Not knowing they were vegan (but I'm sure he suspected) he ate a cookie and reported they were good. When I told him they were vegan he responded, "I knew there was something wrong with them," but proceeded to eat 2 more. I'll admit that they are not like traditional chocolate chip cookies, but they are the best vegan cookies I've ever had and better than most non-vegan cookies too.

You've got to make these cookies fairly big in order to get the right texture. They are crispy on the outside, despite their pale color, and chewy on the inside.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (usually semi-sweet is vegan but check the ingredients on the label)
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 3/4 cup canola or other bland vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. 
3. In separate bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Then mix this into the dry ingredients, but don't overwork the dough. 
4. Mix in the vanilla and water. The dough will be rather dry and crumbly, but you can add a little more water if it won't hold together.
5. Spoon large balls (smaller than a golf ball) of dough onto a greased cookie sheet or silmat, and flatten slightly. This should make about 20 cookies. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Note that they will be rather pale in color. 

    

Faux-Fredo

Last month I made a tofu based Alfredo sauce which turned out just okay. A friend recommended I try a cashew based recipe instead. And I'm so glad I did because this vegan Alfredo sauce is fantastic! Not to mention it's really easy; you just throw everything into a blender. It comes out a little grainy unless you have a really awesome blender, but you can run it through a fine meshed strainer if it bothers you.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
• 2 cups hot water (use the pasta water)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound pasta
• 2 cups sauteed mushrooms

1. Put everything into a blender (except for the pasta and mushrooms) and puree. If the sauce is to thin, add a little bit more olive oil. Season to taste, but keep in mind that the flavor will be slightly diluted when you add it to the pasta.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and put pasta back into the pot. Add sauce and mushrooms, and heat if necessary before serving.

Any Time Key Lime Pie

My most favorite food is key lime pie. I was introduced to key lime pie when I was around 10 years old and I've been hooked ever since. I love the tangy and creamy filling in contrast to the sweet and crunchy graham cracker crust. A few days ago a friend of mine shared a vegan key lime pie recipe and I just had to try it. I was hopeful, but skeptical. And let's face it; you replace egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk with tofu, it is not going to be the same. However, it's still good and is a much healthier way to satisfy my key lime pie cravings. I will definitely make this again.

Crust

• 2 cups crushed graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons melted Earth balance
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Mix everything together and press into greased pie dish.
2. Baked for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely before making filling.

Filling

• 24 oz silken tofu
• 1 lb key limes, juiced
• zest of 4 key limes
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (this really helps cut the tofu taste)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1.  Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Pour into pie crust and place in freezer for 2 hours or until pie is set. Serve frozen, but defrost slightly if too hard.

California Chili

One of the great things about chili is that it’s kinda hard to mess it up and you can put anything in it to suit your own preferences. After stating that, I hope there aren’t any chili aficionados reading this because I know they would say, “No, you can’t put anything you want in chili! Beef, chiles and spices, that’s it!” True, Texas style chili has no beans and no tomatoes either. Thankfully, I’m Californian and we do whatever we want here.

Chili has an interesting history. Incas, Aztecs, and Mayan Indians were combining meat, beans, peppers, and spices for centuries before Europeans came to the Americas. The popularity of chili developed in San Antonio, TX, and other cattle towns in the 1800s. On cattle drives, the cooks would use spices and chiles to preserve meat or to mask the taste of near-spoiling meat. Then came the “Chili Queens” of San Antonio. These were women who would come to public areas, build a fire to reheat big cauldrons of pre-made chili, and sell it to customers who rode in from all over. The competition between the Chili Queens created better chili and gave rise to what we think of as modern chili.

This vegan chili uses faux ground beef, but you can easily skip it as there is lots of protein in the beans alone.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive olive
• peppers/chiles - I'm using 2 small green bell peppers, 2 Anaheim peppers, and 1 jalapeno that I got at the farmers market this morning.
• 1 yellow onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 lb faux ground beef (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 12 oz bottle beer- use one you like because the flavor will be prominent

1. Dice the peppers, chiles, onion, and garlic, and sweat in large skillet with olive oil.
2. Add in faux ground beef, spices, brown sugar, tomato paste and tomatoes and combine well.
3. Pour in beer and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour, until chili is thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Guilt-Free Falafel

The best falafel I ever had was in Amsterdam. As your leaving Central Station, cross the streeet and veer to right, and there is a little food stand with some amazing falafel. It's kind of sad when you have something that good because it ruins you; all other falafel is just disapointing. And when it's fried, you don't want to waist all those calories on disapointment.

My guilt free falafel is baked so it's low in calories, but relatively high in protein and packs some flavor. It might not be as great as the stuff from the little falafel stand in Amsterdam, but it satisfies my craving and leaves me guiltfree. You can stuff the falafel into pita pockets or wrap it in lavash or ther type of flat bread, pair it with vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, peppers, and lettuce, and you've got to top it with some tahini sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for brushing before going into the oven
• 2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 stalks green onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In food processor, place olive oil, beans, cilantro, garlic green onion, and salt, and blend into paste. You can leave a little chunky for texture.
3. Place into bowl and stir in baking soda and flour.
4. Brush baking sheet with olive oil to prevent sticking. Shape falafel into small balls or disks, whichever you prefer, and place on baking sheet. Brush tops with olive oil; this will help get them crispy.
5. Bake for 20 minutes on each side.