Chik'n Curry Patties

Didn't take a picture of these but next time I make them I will. I make my own seasoning blends, but if there is a commercial product that is safe for you, go ahead and use it!

1/4 cup ground hemp seed
1 cup ground pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds + 1 cup water (soak 2 hrs)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
small pkg mushrooms, chopped + 2 TBLS Coconut Aminos (toss & let marinate for 20-30 min)
1 TBLS Poultry Seasoning
1 TBLS Curry Powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 TBLS sea salt

After the flax seeds have soaked and become gel and you mushrooms have marinated, mix all ingredients together. Form into patties and bake, fry or dehydrate until done. I pan fried in a little olive oil on med/low heat for about 5-7 min on each side, until golden brown. You can add to lettuce wraps with some fresh sliced cucumber and other veggies you may like. Been contemplating a sauce to make small patties to dip in, similar to falafal but more Asian/Thai or Caribbean in taste. Any ideas? Please share in the comments!

Hemp Burgers

These are the best burgers I have ever tasted! I even made some veggieballs (meatballs) to go with my spiralized zucchini spaghetti. Spaghetti & meatballs grain free vegan style! :) I eat gourmet everyday very inexpensively and yet I still have people constantly tell me how sorry they feel for me! Don't feel sorry for me, I feel sorry for you! You have no idea how delicious and healthy my diet is! I have never felt this good in my life! Even as a young child I did not have this much energy! Yeah I still have some serious health issues going on, but they really are not serious by my definition! Chronic disease is an epidemic now and the Standard American Diet (SAD) is a major contributor to that! To add insult to injury, the conventional medicine practiced keep people drugged into debilitation. I'm not saying all medication is bad. I just saying we all have a choice. We are the boss when in comes to our health! You can eat food that is essentially poison and continue to get fat and suffer with joint pain and chronic, debilitating disease, and merely exist or you can start eating healthier, loose weight, reduce pain, reverse disease and actually start living! I am in charge of my health and I choose to not let disease control me! I am happy, healthier than I've ever been, and extremely content with my life! So why do people feel sorry for me? Because I broke free from the heard? Because I'm no longer overweight and suffering with the rest of them? Because I'm truly happy and content with my life? How horribly sad it is to to have good healthy food and be happy and content with your life! LOL

Anyways, these burgers can be baked or dehydrated, cooked or uncooked! You can make meatballs/veggieballs (I like calling them veggieballs because I'm vegan and they have lots of veggies in them!) Next time I'm going to add some spinach to them just to change it up a bit. Enjoy!

Hemp Burgers

2-3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 cup shredded carrot
2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped (I used baby bella, but use what u like/have)
2 tsp sea salt
4 tsp basil
2 cups raw sunflowers seeds, ground
1 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup hulled/shelled hemp seed
1/2 cup filtered water (or more if needed)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped (I like to use the soak water for extra flavor)
1 TBLS hemp oil (optional)

A food processor can help with shredding/chopping! ;) Mix everything together really well. I like to just get my hands into the bowl and really work it together. (Gloves help clean up if you don't like all that on you hands! make sure your pans/trays are ready before you start so you don't have to clean up then get messy again to form the burgers!) Once you got it all mixed together, form your burgers/veggieballs and line them up on a baking tray or paraflex dehydrator tray. I like to grease my pans with a little palm oil just to help reduce sticking. I don't think it really did much so that is up to you! I got 9 burgers and a dozen veggieballs. All depends on how big you make them! You can freeze leftovers for later! :)

Baking: 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes, flip over and bake another 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Veggieballs will bake in about 1/2 that time because they are a lot smaller. Enjoy on some romaine with tomato slice and hempanaise! (If you like!)

Dehydrating: Depends on your school of thought, some say put at 140 degrees for an hour then reduce for remainder time. Some say 115, and some say 104. So whatever your school of thought is, go with it! Dehydrate for 3-4 hours, flip, dehydrate another 1-2 hours, or until they are done enough for you. Alternatively, you can stuff into mushrooms and dehydrate for a few hours for an easy snack. Burgers can be served the same as above, or with any condiment you like!

Hempennaise

This is so good I don't know how I've lived without it for so long! I was licking the blender clean it was soooo good! Seriously! LOL I started with the recipe from The Hempnut Health and Cookbook by Richard Rose & Brigitte Mars, and I doubled it and added some dill. Try it and you will be addicted too!

4 TBLS hulled hemp seed (may be called "shelled" in some areas)
4 TBLS lemon juice (I used fresh squeezed...nothing like the real thing! ;)
1/4 cup olive or hemp oil (I used hemp...gotta go green!)
1/4 tsp sea salt (I prefer the pink Himalayan full of nutrients kind, but use what you like!)
1/4-1/2 tsp dill (optional, if using, more if dried, less if fresh)

Powder the hemp seed in blender/food processor (a food processor works best, trust me!) Add lemon juice and blend until smooth. With running (low speed) gradually add in oil until thick. Add salt and dill (if using) and pulse until completely Incorporated. Enjoy!

Raw Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

16-20 baby bella/crimmni mushrooms, stems removed (save um!)

Marinade
1-2 TBSP coconut amino's
1 TBSP olive or hemp oil
1/2 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 TBSP herbs (optional, use what you like. I used the Country Herb blend I got from Aldi's)
1/4 cup water
Whisk these together for a marinade. Cut a light X on the tops of the mushrooms and let them sit in the marinade. (Put in a pan that will fit in your dehydrator to make it easy later.)

Stuffing
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds (divided, reserve 1/2 for sprinkling on top)
mushroom stems
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (soaked until soft, about 1 hr)
1 small or a few baby carrots, chopped
some herbs to taste, optional
Put everything into a food processor and pulse until you get a nice consistency, not too chunky but not too mushy. Fill the caps. Sprinkled the reserved hemp seeds on top. Leave in pan with marinade and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 6-8 hours. You can let them go longer if you wish.

Refrigerate left over stuffing. Try it in some lettuce wraps! :)

Alternatively, you can bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes for a cooked version.

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Veggie Burger

This was my first attempt at making a veggie burger and I am quite pleased with the results! It smelled delicious and tasted delicious! And was so simple to make!
I shredded a medium sized zucchini, a handful of baby carrots (Didn't have any regular carrots but I'd estimate 1 large or 2 small carrots) and about 6 oz of baby bello mushrooms chopped. Mixed in flax gel (about 2 eggs worth) and added some of this divine herb blend I found at an Aldi store called country herbs which contains coarse sea salt, rosemary, parsley, oregano, basil, mint, sage, & thyme. It's in a grinder bottle. If you have an Aldi's near you, go buy some of these because OMG! I'm in culinary heaven! I've been adding this stuff to everything! :)
So anyway, I mixed everything together, formed some patties, put them in these small glass bowls I have and stuck them in the dehydrator. (I still have two in there!) I got impatient and fried one up in some EVOO, which is the one in the picture! It was so good I had to have a second one! They smelled so good the meatatarian was looking and sniffing! :) Maybe I can get him to try one tomorrow! ;)

Eggplant Parmesan Boats

These actually didn't have any "cheese" because I didn't get around to making more cashew cheese, but they where still great! I breaded & fried my eggplant (instructions follow). and I lined my eggplant slices along romaine lettuce leaves and topped with tomato slices! These where fun to eat too! And if you can't have nuts or soy, forget the vegan cheese! You could also try these with zucchini or portabello mushrooms for an equally delicious meal or snack. Enjoy!

After you peal and slice your veggie and it's ready to be breaded, add equal parts of quinoa flour and shelled/hulled hemp seed then add in about a TBLS of Italian herbs and a tsp each of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. For egg wash, I dip in baby squash, gently shake off excess, then toss in breading mixture. I fried in EVOO, but use what you like! It's fast, easy, and delicious! :-)

Spring tacos with Strawberry, Pineapple & Avocado salsa

These are really simple! Taco shells are simply romaine lettuce leaves with the ends trimmed off. I fried some baby bella mushrooms in a little EVOO with some sea salt and pepper, but you can easily make these 100% raw if you want! I topped with the salsa I made the night before with strawberries, pineapple & avocado. I was a little skeptical about the flavor combo here, but as soon as I took a bite, all fears subsided! These where awesome! I had alfalfa sprouts to top them off but forgot about them until I was at my last bite! So the next round will get the sprouts!

Strawberry, Pineapple & Avocado Salsa

8 oz Strawberries, sliced or chopped
1 small can or 4-6 oz fresh Pineapple tidbits or chunks
1 small or 1/2 a large Avocado, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped small
small bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 TBLS Coconut Aminos (Soy sauce alternative)
1 TBLS Lime juice (or lemon if you don't have lime)
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 tsp fresh ground pepper, or to taste
1 TBLS agave nectar
1 tsp dried parsley flakes, optional
1 tsp ground celery seed

Put all fresh, chopped fruits/veg in a bowl and set aside. In a small bowl or cup whisk together liquids and spices. Pour over fruits/veg and let sit at room temp for about an hour so all the flavors can marinate together. Toss gently a few times to incorporate the flavors. Refrigerate and use withing a day or two.

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

I made this entirely from scratch! I bought some fresh artichokes and boiled them for about 20 minutes or so, and cleaned up and cut them up and set them aside. I made a cream sauce out of cashew hemp cheese, which I made a couple days before this dish (recipe at end). I used my spirdoodle to make wide noodles out of a yellow squash, which I sauteed lightly in a little olive oil, and then wilted some fresh spinach over. I tossed with my artichokes and set aside to make my cream sauce for over them. I put some of my "cheese" in a sauce pan with a splash of unsweetened coconut milk (So Delicious brand), a little sea salt, some fresh ground pepper, a good shake of dried parsley (use fresh if you have it), and simmered for a few minutes, stirring, until smooth and creamy. Then I poured it over my veggies and tossed it all together, and OMG was it good! I can't wait to make this dish for my sister! It's gonna blow her mind! She won't believe there's no grain or dairy in this this! (I love when I get that OMG you can't eat this! What are you doing? reaction! ;)

Cashew Hemp Cheese

1 cup raw cashews (if you can't have cashews, try pine nuts)
2-3 TBLS shelled hemp seed (optional...adds omegas)
a little water
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Soak the nuts for at least 2 hours, or up to 6 hours. You don't want to soak them too long because they'll get too soggy and your cheese won't have a very good texture to it. After they are done soaking, drain the water off. Put everything in a food processor/blender, starting with very little water. (filtered or any clean water is best.) You only want enough liquid to keep the gears moving. It should be like a thick nut butter! Once it's processed to a nice smooth, but thick consistency, scoop it all into a container and put a lid on it and set it in the middle of the table or someplace where it won't be messed with. Let it ferment at room temp for 24-48 hours. The refrigerate and use within a week. Alternately, for an aged cheese, you can put it in the food dehydrator for a day. I haven't experimented with this idea yet, but I've heard it works well!

Enjoy! :-)

Breadsticks/Pretzels

This recipe is adapted from the Vegetarian Times Amaranth Breadstick recipe that was published in the March 2010 issue. These tastes a lot like pretzels. If you want to make pretzels, I recommend putting a lot of course salt on top for a more authentic pretzel. Another idea that I started experimenting with is pizza crust/flatbread. Just pipe the dough in a spiral to the size you want. Let bake an extra 5 minutes or so to make sure the center is baked threw. Top with veggies (during or after baking, depending on whether you want pizza or a sandwhich) and enjoy!

Amaranth Breadsticks/Pretzels

1 cup amaranth flour
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
3 TBLS tapioca flour
3 TBLS whole amaranth seeds
2 TBS raw sugar
1 0.25oz pkg quick-rise dry yeast
1 tsp gaur gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp olive oil
Chipotle chile powder for sprinkling (didn't have, added 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to mix) optional
course sea salt for sprinkling, optional

Spray baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Stir together all dry ingredients. Stir in oil and 3/4 cup + 1 TBLS warm water (110*). Beat dough with electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes or until smooth.
Transfer dough into pastry bag fitted with 1/2 inch round tip (or large plastic bag with 1 corner snipped off). Pipe dough into breadsticks, or pretzel shapes. Cover with cloth and let rise in warm spot for 30 minutes, or until doubled in thickness.
Preheat oven to 400*F. Sprinkle with chipotle powder and course salt, if using. Bake 20 minutes, or until dark golden brown all over and crisp on bottom. Serve immediately.

*Will add photo soon! :-)

Update

Just wanted to throw a little update out because I've developed new allergies since I started this blog. So here is a list of foods that are off the list for me...

Meat (including seafood!)
Dairy
Eggs
All grains (not just wheat, barley and rye...corn, rice, millet, teff, sorghum, etc too!)
Garlic (I know!)
Onions :-(
Potatoes
Cabbage
Beans/legumes (no more hummus!)
Soy
Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans
Sweet Peppers
Maple syrup
MSG
Artificial sweeteners (including the ones that are 1/2 real sugar!)

I may have missed something as there are sooooo many! I know the first thing your probably thinking is how do you get enough protein, right? Typically we are taught that protein comes from animals (meat, dairy, eggs), soy, wheat/grains, and beans/legumes. Cross them all off the list, and where's the protein? Well darlings, protein is in everything! That spinach salad you had for lunch with avocado dressing had a few grams of protein! ;) I add hemp seeds to my smoothies. Hemp is a wonderful food with all the omegas and it's so versatile! Sprinkle on salads, add to smoothies, use in place of cheese...the ideas are endless and the health benefits are great!
Then there are quinoa and amaranth, which are often sold as whole grains, but they are really seeds! They are also packed with lots of protein! And so versatile! Try replacing rice with quinoa in recipes for a more filling and healthier meal! You can stuff veggies like squash or tomatoes with quinoa or amaranth. You can even make bread sticks/pretzels (recipe coming soon) with amaranth! Yes, finally something to satisfy that bread craving! ;-)
So the answer is I get more than enough protein! ;-)

Strawberry Banana Parfait

Started with So Delicious Coconut yogurt~vanilla flavor. (You can see the container in the background.) Then I sliced up a banana and 4 strawberries and layered them on top my yogurt. Quick, simple and delicious! You can add a sweetener if you think it needs to be sweeter, but I prefer it as is! I think there is enough sweetness in the fruit and the yogurt as is! :-)
This is a nice idea for a dessert in place of cake and ice cream. Especially if you have diabetics, food allergics and people trying to watch their weight, which is the case every time I have a party! Simple treats like this make everybody happy! The kids love it, the diabetics get a treat, the dieters don't have to worry, and us allergics don't have to miss out! ;-) It's a win-win all around! Of course, for a party, you'd want to make enough to go around. To find coconut yogurt in your area, check the store locater on the companies website... http://www.turtlemountain.com/locator/locator.html

Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan and Spaghetti

This was my dinner tonight...a revamped version of Eggplant Parmesan and Spaghetti! My noodles are made out of zucchini. (Check out... http://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-Saladacco-Spiral-Slicer/dp/B0000DDVYE/ref=pd_sim_k_54 ) You can eat the noodles raw or steam them. I chose to steam them this time because I wanted a hot meal.
I pealed and sliced my eggplant lengthwise. Grilled the eggplant and a portabello cap. Ground up some sesame seeds (about 2 TBLS) in my mortar & pestle (this was my cheese! Try hemp seeds if sesame is a problem or if you want to up the protein!) My sauce is simply a can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes. I also used a little sea salt as I'm addicted to it! lol
Once everything was cooked and ready to assemble, I layered some of my "cheese" between the eggplant slices. Cut up my mushroom to mixed in my spaghetti. Added some sauce over everything and sprinkled the top with the rest of my "cheese". Delicious! :-)

Cookbook giveaway

http://www.sallyashbrook.com/60in60/blondie-brownies-gf-allergen-free-a-cookbook-giveaway/comment-page-1/#comment-96

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It's been a while...

I got a new computer for christmas and being the chronically disorganized type I still haven't transfered all my old filed to my new computer. So I basically forgot where I started this blog and just happened to stumble upon it as I came across allergicgirl's blog and thought hey, this looks familiar! So I finally found my way back! YAY!
It has been a long winter! I've had to eliminate all grains, soy, beans and most nuts from my diet! I know what many of you are thinking...how on earth can you be a vegan if you can't have beans or soy on top of being GF? Vegan proteins are basically considered to be wheat meat, soy products, and beans! Well, I can tell you that too much protein is more a problem for me than not enough! Hemp, quinoa, amaranth, and veggies gallore! Protein, protein, and more protein! There is protein in everything people! There is such a huge myth about not being able to get enough protein on vegetable based diets! Trust me, if your eating a nice variety of vegetables, nuts or seeds if you can have them, and throw in some quinoa, amaranth and/or hemp into your diet, you are getting way more than enough protein! So relax! Most days my chihuahua eats more food than I do and I still get plenty of protein! ;)
Now that we cleared up the protein myth, I have a divine, gourmet treat to share with you that I came up with the other day. I used vanilla bean coconut ice cream, but feel free to use whatever frozen ice cream like product you can safely enjoy.

Gourmet Banana Split

Simmer some raspberries (or any fruit you can safely enjoy) in a saucepan over low heat with a little water and some agave nectar (to taste) to form a syrup.

Slice up a banana and fry it in a little oil or vegan butter until golden.

Put the fried bananas in the bottom of your bowl, top with a scoop or two of your ice cream, then top off with the raspberry syrup. Add any extras you may like and be able to safely enjoy. And enjoy! :)