Ingredients

1 cup black rice

2 cups water

2 tablespoons tamari(soy sauce)

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

½ lime juiced

½ teaspoon chili paste (optional)

1 cup roasted cashews(not salted)

½ red bell pepper finely chopped

½ yellow bell pepper finely chopped

6 green onions or scallions thinly sliced

Directions

Put the rice, 2 cups water, and a pinch of salt in a pan.  Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer gently until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the tamari, sesame oil, lime juice, and sambal oelek or chili paste together in a salad bowl.

Add the cashews, red and yellow bell peppers, and green onions.

When the rice is ready, add it to the mixture and toss to coat everything well.

Add salt, pepper to taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you can’t get Thai black rice, try wild rice, or wild rice mixed with long grain rice, instead, and cook according to package directions.

Ingredients

1 cup buckwheat soaked in water overnight

1 cup nuts soaked in water overnight

1 cup carrots finely shredded

1 medium onion finely chopped

10-11 leaves of sauerkraut sliced in half

1 cup tomatoes diced

salt, pepper to taste

1 tsp nutmeg

3-4 tbsps cold pressed olive oil

Soak the cabbage leaves in water for half hour to take away dome of the saltiness.

When you are ready to roll the cabbage, drain the water form the buckwheat and nuts and rinse well.  Mix with the shredded carrots, diced onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

In the prepared leaves, start to spoon about one spoon of the mix and roll.  I’ve got 24 rolls from my leaves.

From the leftover leaves and the tomatoes make a salad, sprinkle it with the oil and serve with the cabbage rolls. It can be saved in the fridge for 2-3 days.

8 oz vegetable spread

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coconut flavor

1/2 cup coconut milk powder

1/2 confectioner’s sugar

1 cup toasted coconut (I use shredded)

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour

For coating use 1  cup confectioner’s sugar and 1 cup coconut milk powder

Beat vegetable spread and salt until very fluffy. Mix in confectioner’s sugar, coconut milk powder and coconut flavor. In small amounts, Add flour and toasted coconut. Mix well and form dough into 1″ balls using a teaspoon scoop (melon?). Place balls on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350F. Let cool for 3 minutes. Roll warm cookies in coating and let cool completely. Re-roll in coating if needed. Then, roll in shredded coconut to cover evenly.

These cookies can be freeze or saved in a cool place in sealed containers for up to a month.

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegan spread

8 oz chopped dates

1/4 cup flaked coconut(i used not sweetened)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp egg replacer (mix with 1 tbsp water)

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 chopped walnuts

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup rice crispies

Method

Melt vegan buttery spread, do not burn it. Add dates, coconut flakes, sugar, egg replacer and dash of salt.

Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, stirring often.

Remove from heat and stir in walnuts, vanilla and rice crispies. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

Take about 1 teaspoon of the mixture and shape it like a strawberry with your fingers.

Roll each cookie in red sugar crystals and let it dry on wax paper. Trim with green frosting to make leaves.

Can be stored up to 1 month  in tins with wax papers separating the layers.

Yields 40-45 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup ground almonds

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup agave nectar

1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

raspberry preserve, pineapple preserve, apple mint jell for filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine liquid ingredients and mix well.

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well.

Scoop dough and form into 1” balls.

Roll into finely ground walnuts or almonds.

Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. With the end of a wooden spoon, make indentations in the middle of each ball, making sure not to pierce it through.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.

Cool on a rack and fill each “thumbprint” with the preserve of your choice.

Yields about 1 ½ gallon of soup

Ingredients

1 small cabbage

1 cup barley soaked overnight

2 carrots sliced

1 medium onion diced

1 red pepper1 green pepper diced

5-6 tomatoes peeled and diced (or use 1 can of diced tomatoes) optional

salt, pepper to taste

In a hot pot, add some oil of your choice (I used canola since olive oil is loosing its properties when cooked. If you like, you can add some olive oil to the soup after it is finished as it provides flavor and is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.)

Add the vegetables and sautee for 10-15 minutes being careful not to overcook them.

Add barley including the water it was soaking in. add water or vegetable stock to cover the vegetables. Simmer for 30-35 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK as the veggies will be mush !

“Raw or not so raw” snack bars. Inspired by Tabita.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

4 tablespoons buckwheat

4 tablespoons quinoa seeds

8 dates (choose Mejdol. They are more moist)

1/2 cup raisins (doesn’t matter what color. i chose black)

1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

Grind the seeds to a fine texture but don’t make it flour. Mix all ingredients in a processor until the mix is sticky. Remove and with your hands, make whatever shape you like, I chose bars. Roll the bars in sesame seeds.

up to this point everything is raw and these bars are very good raw if you keep them in the refrigerator to harden a little bit.

Here comes the not so raw. If you prefer, toast the sesame seeds before rolling the bars. Then, turn your oven to 350 F and bake the bars for about 30 minutes. Or if you have a dehidrator (I don’t ) pop it in there for overnight.

Either way, the result is delicious and i bet nutritious too.

1 mango, peeled and cut into julienne strips

1 avocado, peeled and cut into julienne strips

1 cucumber, peeled and cut into julienne strips

1 bunch cilantro sprigs

1 tablespoon green onion, very thinly sliced

4 large Romaine lettuce leaves

Spicy Mango Sauce (recipe below)

Equally divide mango, avocado, cucumber, cilantro and green onion into the four lettuce leaves.

Drizzle spicy Mango Sauce and serve.

Spicy Mango sauce

1 cup mango diced

1 cup cucumber diced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated

1 tablespoon lime juice

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ salt of your choice

combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Adjust flavors to your personal taste. It can be stored in a closed jar up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

This recipe is adapted by a recipe by “Bucataresele vesele”. Thank you, girls !

Ingredients

1 cup water

4 tablespoons vegetable buttery spread (I used Earth Balance)

1 tablespoon egg replacer combined with 1 table spoon of water

1 ½ cup all purpose flour or flour of your choice

½ teaspoon salt

4 fresh plums (or even better from compote).

1 cup bread crumbs

Preparation.

Boil the water with salt and when it bubbles add the buttery spread. When it starts to boil again, add the flour gradually until the composition is smooth. Let it cool aside. When it’s still warm, add the egg replacer mixed with a tablespoon of water and work the batter until its well blended.

Roll it on a wood board in a long shape and divide it in 8 equal parts. Then spread each part in between the palms until it is flat. Place the plum in the middle and fold the dough around it to form a ball. Drop it in boiling water with a dash of salt and let it boil until it floats atop. Scoop the balls out and roll them in breadcrumbs that were previously toasted lightly with few drops of oil or a teaspoon of buttery spread.

Serve with powdered sugar and cinnamon, whipped cream or sour cream mixed with sugar. Or make your own desired topping.

Ingredients crust

1 cup mixed nuts and seeds(sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews) soaked but not necessarily

2 tablespoons carob powder

1/2 cup raisins

Ingredients creme

3 cups chopped strawberries

6 tablespoons psyllium husks

2 tablespoons agave nectar ot honey

Ingredients crust

1 tablespoon carob powder

1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

Mix the crust ingredients in a food processor until smooth then press evenly into a detachable ring tray. Mix the creme ingredients until smooth and silky/fluffy and pour on top of the crust. Pour the glaze and pop in the freezer for couple of hours. When ready to serve, ornate as desired. You can use sliced strawberries, mint leaves, kiwi slices.