1. This quick little dish comes together with barely any effort and both looks and tastes great, especially in the summertime. Ingredients10 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into matchsticks 1 tbsp sweet mustard, or 1 tbsp mixture dijon mustard & a little sugar/maple syrup 1 tsp neutral oil (i used safflower) 3-4 drops liquid smoke (found near BBQ sauce in the grocery store) sprinkle of sea salt cracked pepperInstructionsWhisk (or fork) together all ingredients except for the carrots. Peel the carrots and cut off the ends. Chop the carrots into matchstick pieces, then stir into the mustard mixture to coat. Enjoy as a sandwich topping, a quick snack, or a side to a bigger meal. Serve cold. Makes about 2 cups.
    High Res

    This quick little dish comes together with barely any effort and both looks and tastes great, especially in the summertime.

    Read More

    May 15, 2013
  2. Spring is finally in full effect, and the farmer’s market stands sure show it. There were so many great-looking pieces of produce, and I went all purple. This warm, fresh dish would be great to eat outside, or by an open, breezy window. Full of purple cabbage, purple asparagus, red onion, red radish, and peppered with rich seitan and cashew cheese, it’s sure to fill you up before a long bike ride. Some notes: Color isn’t everything - if you can’t find purple asparagus, it’s no big deal. The flavor is very similar, if not the same, if you use different colors! If you ~totally hate~ cabbage, we beg you to think again. It’s crisp and flavorful and really fills out a plate, and it’s really cheap, too! If you haven’t acclimated yourself to eating cabbage, we suggest making a cole slaw or spring rolls first to test the waters. The cashew cheese and seitan are essential to making this meal feel full and give it a lot of deep flavor. My suggestion is to make A LOT of it in one day, then have it ready for the next week or two. It saves a lot of time and stress later, trust me! Yesterday I put the seitan on to cook, then made a few juices, pickle relish, and the cashew cheese while it was simmering - it took less than two hours for a week’s worth of food. Worth it! .Serves 2Ingredients2 tsp coconut or sesame oil 1 medium red onion, chopped into petals 1-2 cup piece of seitan, broken into bite-size pieces 2-3 tsp sesame seeds 10 stalks purple asparagus, ends snapped off 1/2 small head of purple cabbage, shredded drizzle of soy sauce 1-2 tsp mustard 1-2 dollops cashew cheese a few radishes, optionalInstructionsToss the oil, onion, seitan, sesame seeds, and asparagus into a sauté pan on medium heat. Let cook down until the onion is transparent, about ten minutes. Stir every so often to prevent burning. Whisk together the soy sauce and mustard. Toss in the cabbage and soy mixture. Cook until the cabbage is soft but still a little crunchy, about 5-10 more minutes. Serve warm with the cashew cheese swirled in, and if you want garnish with radish peel. Enjoy!
    High Res

    Spring is finally in full effect, and the farmer’s market stands sure show it. There were so many great-looking pieces of produce, and I went all purple.

    This warm, fresh dish would be great to eat outside, or by an open, breezy window. Full of purple cabbage, purple asparagus, red onion, red radish, and peppered with rich seitan and cashew cheese, it’s sure to fill you up before a long bike ride.

    Read More

    May 10, 2013
  3. One of the best things that comes with warm weather is the ability to cook with the freshest ingredients. There’s nothing better than a really juicy peach straight from the tree, or fragrant basil finally poking its leaves through the ground. (The latter finally happened for us!) This recipe is all about paying homage to whole ingredients - there are a total of just FIVE in this, but the result is incredibly flavorful and light. We ate this during a break in tilling our garden space; it was perfection in a bowl. The juice from the roasted corn and tomatoes is sweet and fresh, and the basil gives it just enough fragrance to keep this complex. This is also a great dish to make it look like you’ve done a ton of work, but haven’t really. (Those are my favorite.) Serves 3-4InstructionsShuck two or three ears of fresh corn. Wrap them in tinfoil and toss in the oven set at 350°F. To scorch the corn, after cooking place them directly on top of your stove’s flame - I did it on the stovetop for about 5 minutes, turning them with tongs when they started to blacken. You can do the same, even easier, on a grill. Wrap 4 large tomatoes in tinfoil. (Make sure they’re ripe, don’t get rock hard tomatoes!) Toss them in the oven with the corn. Bake for about 45 minutes. If you have it, you can also do this on a grill. If we had one, we’d use it! Prep the other ingredients. Open up a can of beans, then strain and rinse - we like chickpeas and black beans. Finely chop a small handful of fresh basil. Put everything in a large serving bowl. When the tomatoes are really soft and hot, take them out and slice them open over the beans & basil. Get all of the juice out of them, then if you wish you can chop up the flesh and toss them in the bowl. (We set them aside to use tonight in a tomato soup.) When the corn is cooked and scorched, place each ear (one at a time, obviously) in the serving bowl and, using a sharp knife and holding it at the top, slice off each side so the corn kernels come off. This takes a little practice but the flavor is so worth it! Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over top and stir together to coat. Serve warm and enjoy!
    High Res

    One of the best things that comes with warm weather is the ability to cook with the freshest ingredients. There’s nothing better than a really juicy peach straight from the tree, or fragrant basil finally poking its leaves through the ground. (The latter finally happened for us!)

    This recipe is all about paying homage to whole ingredients - there are a total of just FIVE in this, but the result is incredibly flavorful and light.

    Read More

    April 28, 2013