Tag: vegan

Beyond Sushi, Beyond Amazing

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The Mighty Mushroom and Green Machine

I’m a huge fan of sushi and I mean the veggie rolls that are simple, healthy and don’t make you feel bad after eating almost 10. Serve me up a good avocado or cucumber roll with a side of edamame and I’m a happy camper. Though veggie rolls are great, they lack real flavor. Aside from the soy sauce on the side with the wasabi, there is no real depth to the flavor of these rolls (not that there is anything wrong with that). Today for lunch I ate at a remarkable vegan sushi joint, Beyond Sushi. You may be skeptical initially, but I promise this is perfectly filling and the genius behind this place has really done his work jazzing up the plainest of vegetables and making them exquisite. Let us leave your preconceived notions on sushi behind and open up your mind to the possibility that vegan sushi could be your new favorite thing.

La Fiesta Roll

Let me start off by saying the location I visited was pretty much a hole in the wall but it was cozy, perfect for wintertime lunches with friends. I instantly felt at home. It radiated sustainable eating, animal kindness and fine dining all at the same time. Who wants to eat at a vegan restaurant that doesn’t have ambiance and doesn’t convince you to eat there over and over again? I walked in, got cozy and started salivating at the many options available to me. This was heaven for a vegan foodie! The menu is impeccable. From the Mighty Mushroom (my favorite)–rolled with  six grain rice (their own unique blend-how fab is that?), enoki, shiitake, tofu and micro arugula and carefully topped with a sensationally sweet  yet savory shiitake teriyaki sauce which perfectly coats the palate, sending your tastebuds on a wild ride–to their delicate mango, tofu or seaweed individual rolls, this is truly a godsend for us sushi loving vegans.

Miso Soup

Miso Soup

Say sayonara to boring cucumber rolls and say hello to rolls worthy of vegan high priestesses (if those even exist). All I know is, I wanted to practically lick my plate clean and was sad once the meal was over- for me, this is a rare occasion.

Head on over to Beyond Sushi for lunch or your next dinner date with your favorite vegan, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Check out Beyond Sushi at these awesome locations:

Beyond Sushi:  229 East 14th St. New York, NY 10003                    

The Green Roll: 75 Ninth Avenue  New York, NY 10011 

Peace, love and NO Beef! 

Guramrit

Vegan Corn Chowda’

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If you can’t tell, I’m in a soup mood. After a long day at work, running errands or anything else that takes over the day, putting on a pot of soup is really the ultimate comfort. One thing I have missed about eating dairy is the creaminess cheeses, heavy cream and milk give to soups, mac and cheese and lasagna. I am lucky enough to have figured out a way to get the same creamy goodness of a non-vegan corn chowder and made it vegan! Say sayonara to the dairy version and say HELLO to this tasty soup that is sure to please your loved ones.

What You Need: 

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 5 small red potatoes, diced
  • 1/2 cup celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 3 cups of vegetable stock
  • 3 cups of sweet corn (either fresh or frozen-whatever is available)
  • 1 4 oz. can of finely diced jalapeños
  • 1/2 cup of dairy free creamer (coconut creamer is THE best if you can find it)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

How To Make it: 

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot and add onions, garlic, celery and carrot. Sauté until golden. Add potatoes and stir to coat. Let cook over medium high heat for a few minutes.

2. Add stock and mix well. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and cover until potatoes are tender.

3. Add can of jalapeños, corn, dairy free creamer to the mixture. Stir and continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

4. Add salt and pepper to soup. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately with some sprouted grain toast or your favorite crackers!

Bon Appetit (oh and don’t forget no beef here)

 

Vegan Tortilla Soup

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Happy New Year everyone! I am excited for a whole new year of blogging, eating, dancing, yoga-ing and more! I am thrilled to share that for Christmas my very thoughtful (and smart) boyfriend bought me a Vitamix. As a result, I will be in the kitchen even more than before experimenting with nut milks, smoothies, soups, nut butters, sorbets and more. I cannot wait to share these incredible recipes with you. Here’s to a healthier, happier and more delicious year! 

Let’s get 2014 started with a very simple yet comforting soup. Upgrade your taco night with a soup even the meat eater in your life will love! 

What You Need: 

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 2 ears fresh corn
  • 1/2 cup green onion, chopped 
  • 3 tbsp ground cumin
  • One 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 jalapeño, chopped 
  • 3 cups vegetable broth/stock
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds (this helps thicken the broth)
  • 1-2 cans black beans (or beans of choice)
  • salt & pepper & crushed red chili pepper, to taste
  • Bag of your favorite tortilla chips (I’m a fan of blue corn tortilla chips)

How to Make it: 

1. In a large pot over medium to low heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes (or until translucent). 

2. Chop the peppers, zucchini, green onion, and remove corn from cob (use a knife and slice off the cob down the four corners). Add the veggies to the pot and sauté for an additional 5-10 minutes.

3. Add crushed tomatoes, cumin, broth, beans and chia seeds. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Simmer on low-medium heat for 25-30 minutes. 

4. After the soup simmers, ladle into bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips and your favorite toppings (avocado, vegan cheese, more green onions). Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Peace, love and no beef y’all! 

Guramrit 

Vegan Broccoli Cheeze Soup

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As I continue to heal and recover from my concussion, I am really fond of making soups. I have little to no energy to create extravagant meals and soups are the best. One of the things I miss about pre-veganism are creamy soups so I decided to take on a vegan version of one of my favorites: Broccoli Cheese. This vegan take is sure to have you convinced that this is JUST as good as the dairy version and just a tad better for your health!

Here is my adapted version of a recipe I found on my favorite Vegan blog, Oh She Glows. Check it out!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 2 large heads of broccoli,  chopped (or 2 bags of precut broccoli from Trader Joes)
  • 2 large peeled & chopped potatoes
  • 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes)
  • Vegan cheeze sauce, divided (see below for recipe)
  • Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
  • Daiya cheese, to garnish
  • Smoked Paprika, to garnish

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil, onion, and garlic over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Cook for about 5-6 mins.

2. Add in the celery, broccoli, and potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Now, add the broth, nutritional yeast, and cayenne pepper and simmer for another 15 mins or so until the potatoes are just fork tender.

3. Meanwhile, prepare your cheeze sauce (see below) while the soup simmers.

4. Carefully transfer the soup (in two batches) into a blender. Blend until almost smooth and place back into the pot. Stir in the cheeze sauce. **PLEASE BE CAREFUL AS SOUP WILL BE HOT**

5. Top the soup with Daiya cheese and serve immediately!

Cheeze Sauce (yields just about 1 2/3 cup of sauce):

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cup unsweetened, unflavoured coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp cashew cheese (optional, not needed)
  • 1/4 cup Daiya cheddar cheese
  • 1 tbsp Earth Balance or other non-dairy buttery spread
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. In a skillet or pot, melt the Earth Balance over medium heat.

2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup milk until all clumps are gone.

3. Whisk in the remaining milk (1.25 cups) as well as the milk and flour mixture into the pot. Now whisk in the nutritional yeast, cashew cheese and Daiya cheese. Reduce heat to low-medium.

4. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste and whisk frequently over low heat until the sauce thickens up, for 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. Remove from heat once thick.

I made a few adaptations to this cheeze sauce recipe since I’m not a huge fan of mustard and I really, really love the flavor and creaminess of cashew cheese. I’m sure this will be a hit at dinner tonight!

I hope you all enjoy this fabulous and delicious recipe. I enjoyed it twice, for dinner and lunch! Yum!

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Peace, love and NO BEEF!

GK

Vegan & Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins

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I don’t know about you but I’m obsessed with pumpkin. Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin candles. I know…crazy. My obsession is real. I have had a craving for pumpkin spice muffins (not that I have ever had one…aside from the one from the farmers market that I had a couple weeks ago, thank you to Las Delicias). I wanted something that was sweet, healthy and a cinch to make.

Check out my adapted version of this recipe from Peta.org. I made it gluten free and excluded most of the sugar for the sake of my stomach and health.

Pumpkin Muffins

What you need: 
2 cups brown rice flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 1/4 cups puréed pumpkin (or 1 can)
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I use almond milk)
1/3 cup coconut oil
5 Tbsp maple syrup
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

How to make it: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a muffin pan. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, nondairy milk, oil, and molasses or maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

3. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup to the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. Remove muffins from the oven. When they’ve cooled to room temperature, frost them (optional) and devour!

Variation: Add a cup of chopped nuts, dried fruit, or vegan chocolate chips to the batter.

Makes 12 muffins

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

What you need: 

1/4 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

How you make it: 

1. Place the vegan margarine and cream cheese into a bowl and combine with a handheld mixer.

2. Slowly add the sugar in 1/2-cup batches. When the mixture is smooth and creamy, add the vanilla.

3. Keep the frosting tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

Enjoy my pumpkin spice lovers! 

Peace, love and no beef (just more pumpkin),

Guramrit