Raw Pizza

Hi there! It feels great to do a blog post again. I haven't mentioned this, but a tiny human was recently growing inside of me for 9 months. On August 22nd, that tiny human was born. It was a very successful and eventful homebirth-one in which Jason had to deliver the baby. The order in which people got here was paramedics, then in-laws, then midwife-she lives 40 minutes away. Did I mention my first was born in the car on the way to the hospital? I'm not very good at communicating how my labor is progressing. Needless to say Jason is done delivering babies. I must say though, that I couldn't have asked for a better delivery. Since this is mainly a recipe blog, I'll skip the detailed birth story, but I will share some pics of our beautiful baby Holly. As for this pizza, the pesto is quite rich with brazil nuts, and my father in law said while eating it, "I don't know how you did it, but this really tastes like pizza!" Thats as good a compliment as ever, considering how many people like pizza. I've made these into appetizers using baby portabellas as well. The idea came from a raw cooking class I went to by a lady they call Ta-Raw. Check out her recipes!

Here is her version of it at the class.

Here is my replication:

Pesto

3 cups raw brazil nuts

1 bunch basil

1 Tb garlic

6 Tb olive oil

3 Tb lemon juice

1 1/2 ts salt

Veggies

1 bunch green beans

4 bell peppers

1/2 ts salt

1/2 ts each cayenne, cumin, and tumeric

Top with tomatoes and even some salty parm. Oh, and the "crust" is a large portabella mushroom.

Now for some non-food related pics...

Ava is happy to be a big sister

Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down 2013

If you've never been to one of the Farm Sanctuaries, it's a must do for any new or veteran vegan. We've gone the past three years, and this year I thought it was especially important as Ava is very aware of our vegan lifestyle. She's always asking, "Is this vegan?" or saying things like, "Some people are vegan and some people are not." I wanted her to understand the heart of why we do it, and I know she had a blast.   If  you are the only passionate vegan in your family, bringing them here is a great idea, as the passion at Farm Sanctuary is so contagious. I had told Jason about the horrors of factory farming time and again, but it wasn't until he heard a presentation on a rescue operation of some egg-laying hens from Turlock, Ca, that he turned to me and said, "Ok, I'm done with eggs." He had already been done for a while, but the decision was now solidified. By the way, here is there famous "Tofu Egg Salad" they serve every year, along with so many other goodies. And look at the cool water bottle! 

 Here's my happy vegan kid.

After lunch is time with the animals, and I must admit, I was like "been there, done that." But once we were done and sat down to the amazing speakers, I knew why I came. What is amazing is each farm animal has a personal story that we as humans can empathize with. Here is my amazing dinner.

After dinner is a hoe down with lots of dancing which Ava loved! Timothy Pachirat, author of "Every Twelve Seconds" and one of the key speakers, danced with Ava, gave her high fives, and told her how cool it was that she was vegan. I seriously love this place!  

Macaroni Alfredo w/Zucchini Fritters

I haven't mentioned it, but I'm an ESL teacher now. Subbing for so many years has gotten me used to just showing up for work and never taking anything home. I'm proud to finally do what I went to school for, but I did have to adjust to the increased workload. Now that I'm no longer treading water and have my lesson planning down, I can finally cook for my family again! Even though Jason likes to cook, I take pride in my job in the kitchen. Tonight I made my famous Pine Nut Alfredo, but you could also use cashews. I also made these zucchini fritters, which are essentially my tofu nuggets with zucchini instead of tofu. Eggplant would also be great. Oh, and I recently found out my cholesterol is slightly elevated-pretty embarrassing for a vegan. Thats why I steamed my veggies tonight with no oil. Dr. Esselstyn would be proud (I hope)! The marinara on the zucchini is from a jar. Did I mention this is all gluten free? Here's the recipe for my Macaroni Alfredo.

Macaroni Alfredo
1 cup pine nuts
2/3 cups filtered water
1/2 ts salt
1/2 ts onion powder
1/2 ts garlic powder
black pepper
1 8 oz box of Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta
additional 1/2 ts salt

Blend pine nuts, water, 1/2 ts salt, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper until creamy and smooth. I use a magic bullet. Cook pasta according to directions. Add Alfredo, and if you are like my husband and I, add the additional salt.

Vegan Super Bowl Party~Buffalo Lettuce Wraps and "Chicken"&Waffles

So our superbowl party was months ago, but these "Chicken"&Waffles and Buffalo Style Lettuce Wraps have been on my mind ever since! Perhaps I delayed the post thinking I'd make them again, getting a good picture of each in perfect outside lighting, but this blog is about real life, so here you go! What was special about this party was all the yummy vegan dishes that our amazing non-vegan friends brought! I'm talking homemade hummus with homemade taro chips, fruit salad with chili powder, and marinated mushrooms. Jason and I are lucky vegans to have such positive and open minded friends. Now about these two gems. I've been fascinated with the chicken and waffle concept for quite sometime, and when I saw these mini frozen waffles I knew I had to make mini sammies. The mustard-mayo has just a touch of mustard for that sun-kissed look. As for the lettuce wraps, I heard about the "wing shortage" leading up to the superbowl, and I wanted to honor America's love of buffalo wings, just for the sake of tradition. However, these have an Asian flare to them, because that's just me. So without further ado, the recipes are...

"Chicken"&Waffles
1 recipe Tofu Nuggets
2 boxes Earth's Best Organic Mini Waffles

Mustard-Mayo
2 cups Vegenaise
2 Tb yellow mustard

Directions
Make the tofu nuggets as directed except slice the nuggets into squares instead of rectangular strips.
Wildwood Extra Firm Tofu in the double pack is the perfect shape and texture. Each block makes 8 perfect slices, for a total of 16 in one pack, and 32 in two.

Bake the waffles as directed. There are 32 pieces in one box, so two boxes will give you the perfect amount for 32 sammies. Its simple to cut the recipe in half for a smaller crowd!

Mix mustard and mayo. Does it get any easier?

Arrange the sammies.

Asian-Style Buffalo Lettuce Wraps
2 bunches butter lettuce
4 cups prepared white or brown rice, 2 cups dry
1 20 oz package Super Firm Wildwood Tofu
2 Tb white or whole wheat flour

Honey or Agave-Sriracha "Wing" Sauce
2 Tb olive oil
4 Tb lime juice
4 Tb honey or agave
2 Tb Sriracha (I use Trader Joe's)
2 ts soy sauce
1 ts salt
1 ts garlic powder
1 ts onion powder
Oil for deep frying

Directions
Mix ingredients for the wing sauce.

Dice tofu into bite sized pieces and place in a dish or container. Sprinkle the flour over the pieces and mix to coat. Heat oil on medium and wait until it's shimmering. Oil should sizzle when a piece of tofu is dropped into it. Deep fry tofu until golden brown.

Add pieces to wing sauce and mix to coat.

Arrange the lettuce cups with rice and tofu pieces.